As my body begins its road to recovery, I’m eager to dive back into crafting a new collection of stories for everyone to enjoy. The first is now ready on Wattpad. While I have several storylines to choose from, both active and upcoming, one in particular, Discovery, already has a fair number of first drafts waiting in the wings. So I plucked the next installment from its digital confines and gave it a read. It was in better shape than some of my older work, but that’s not saying much. With a moderate effort, I smoothed out my draft and created a story that I’m happy with.
Some missions are straightforward. This one should have been just that simple. Fly to a destination, make contact with the elves, and return. But when that destination lies deep within a vast, unexplored forest, persuading a potentially hostile race to join your cause, the mission becomes anything but simple.
Despite receiving clear and concise orders, Fenton has his own ideas. While he pays lip service to the official mission, he sees the flight as an opportunity to test the limits of the unproven prototype at his disposal. With his commander and the craft’s designer in his ear, he pushes himself and the ship to their extremes. But the longer he toys with the controls, the more the forest beneath seems to take notice. And that’s attention he may soon regret drawing.
What begins as a test of speed, maneuverability, and sensor range quickly becomes something else entirely. Grab a chair and settle in for the latest step in the journey of the second Larian colony.
Will Fenton’s flight be successful? Or will Cecile be forced to rebuild her latest innovation?
The small craft skimmed along the treetops. Fenton smiled as he inched the vessel closer to the protruding branches. Unfortunately, as they skimmed along the hull, the console blared. He rolled his eyes as he forced the ship to climb. When the proximity sensors turned green, he activated the ship’s comms. “Cecile, do you have to ruin all my fun?”
“What are you doing?! You’re not as experienced as Dyrk.”
Fenton chuckled as he eased the ship closer to the sprawling forest. “Dyrk would be doing exactly the same thing.”
“That’s why Jarvis passed on selecting that hothead for this mission.”
“Jarvis, are you hearing all of this?”
“You were sent out to find the elves,” the leader said.
“Jarvis,” Fenton said through a grin as he forced the craft into a sudden climb. His smirk intensified as he twisted the controls, forcing the craft into a loop. As the small vessel rocketed towards the treetops, Fenton leveled the ship at the last moment, resuming skimming atop the trees. “You told Gilras that our sensors can find anyone, and you’re right. But this vessel is still an untested prototype.”
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To continue reading the story, click here to head over to Wattpad.