Keldon stared at the arrows pointing at him. As he took a small step to look around him all the arrows were pulled back in their bows. Keldon raised his hands gesturing his surrender to their will. “I’m not looking for a fight.”

“Why are you here?” Asked one of the creatures holding the bows.

Keldon tried to take a step to face where the voice came from. And as his leg twitched an arrow embedded itself into the ground next to his leg. Keldon reached down and felt the torn fabric as he heard another voice echo in the dark forest. “You will not be warned again, do not move at all...

Running home a pudgy little boy, Darren Gilbert, fled from his bullies. He decided to risk taking his shortcut home, sure that they didn’t know about it. As he drew closer, he churned his legs faster even after he turned down the alley. As he ran past a dumpster, he risked a glance behind him. Unfortunately, Darren collided with someone falling to the ground. As Darren Gilbert tried to climb to his feet an all to familiar voice taunted him. “So you thought we didn’t know about this shortcut of yours.”

“Oh, no,” Darren muttered as he lifted his eyes to Dolmen’s...

Journeys are all about the experience. No matter where you are going or what you are doing the trip will always be a part of the experience. When I published Dead Man’s Hand, I remember being on cloud nine at every major milestone...

Last month we witnessed one of Harrison’s mad scientist moments, while he was studying a relic. This month the spotlight shifts back to Sylvia, who last we saw saved the life of her employer, pouncing on the would-be assassin. It turned out that the man was irate over what the king did to his sibling. And when the dust settled from the attempt, the king ordered the man’s execution...

As the craft’s journey drew to the end of its trip, the doctors examined Rylan for the last time. Sitting on the edge of an examination bed, Rylan’s fingers were tapping away. So far not one of the crews who landed on either Latria or Medicia developed radiation sickness. Rylan suspected that he was the only member of the landing parties to receive this level of care. As time dragged on the captain’s voice boomed through the intercoms. “We’re about three hours from the Larian system. Any member of the crew that has made planetfall, report to sickbay immediately.”

Bouncing his head side to side, Rylan glanced at the doctor hiding behind a console. “Well doc, can you finish up my exam before you get slammed with the last minute rush...

Having helped guide the decision to colonize their new world, Caitlin and Quinn have to unify the colonists to achieve their goals…..

After a long night of searching a tired and nervous Caleb stopped when he came upon a place he could sit and rest his feet. As he relaxed, he deliberately began pulling his weaponry out and giving it a thorough examination. So far as Caleb tried to follow the path when he last crossed paths with the Dwarves all he managed to do was avoid vicious wildlife. With each successful examination, Caleb returned the weapon he found that his nerves calmed down. Once finished Caleb got to his feet and continued his attempt at following the path his last hunt. Unfortunately, this world’s terrain was still too familiar, but Caleb knew the colony required him to succeed in his assignment. With a sigh of frustration, Caleb resumed his search.

As the day wore on Caleb rubbed at his eyes as he forced himself to keep putting one foot in front of the other. He needed to find the dwarves, he knew that without their aid the settlement couldn’t stand up to the massing threat...

Leaning along the edge of the enclosed bridge, Kyle Rickman was staring out into his city. His left hand was cradling a precious cargo, his notebook for this case. He’d only been working on the case for a few days, but it was already mostly full, and there were plenty of thoughts circling around his mind just none particularly helpful. Kyle’s frown was warmed by the setting sun, but he fought the growing smile as he scratched the stubble invading his chin. He turned to lean against the railing as he reviewed the facts he had recorded. There were a lot of things that might be useful, but he didn’t have the central thread to pull it all together, yet. And he was running out of time to help his client.

Except for the latest fact, sighing Kyle tapped his pencil on the new lead and hoped that his friend would be able to run the test quickly. He slipped his pencil into his shirt pocket as he put his notebook back into his pocket, then Kyle grabbed his phone, so to call the lab to see if there was an update, but before he could unlock it a call from his office came in...

I have been a big fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe dating back to its inception with Iron Man, so I get excited about every film that comes out. Now I remember all of the emotions that were swirling in me at the conclusion of Avengers: Infinity War’s, despite intellectually knowing that it would happen. But when the film’s final post-credit scene ended with Nick Fury’s pager falling through his disintegrating fingers, I got excited with the teasing of Captain Marvel. Many things went through my mind, but the biggest was why not before, and so I’ve been eagerly waiting to get the backstory. And we finally got the answers we were waiting for, and then some.

Going in I knew the film was going to take place in the mid-nineties and it would be Carol Danvers origin, and these stories can be a lot of fun, if not a little overdone...

Groggy Lucas was thrown to the ground in front of a junkyard entrance by his kidnapper. He sat upon the ground dumbfounded as he listened to the man’s blunt words, “I’ll give you a full minute head start.”

Blinking at the bright light of the sun, Lucas dumbfoundedly asked, “What?”

The stranger leaned over Lucas and spoke clearly, “Run.”

“What?” Lucas asked as he tried to steady himself as he lay upon the ground.

The man shouldered his rifle, pulling out a handgun and fired at the ground next to Lucas, who was shocked to full awareness...

Before the ship left Latria, the captain opened communications with the government back home letting them know about the planet below. They were told to continue on with their journey to Medicia to discover if it shared the same fate as Latria. So while the command crew plotted a course to their next destination, all of the members of the landing crew were reported to the ship’s infirmary. Once there they were forced into isolation so the doctors could ensure that their exposure to the radiation would do no lasting harm.

The trip to Medicia took three weeks, though the landing crew spent the first two in isolation. Only being released when all the tests came up negative did the doctors grudgingly allowed them to leave, as they demanded that their fleeing patients avoid any strenuous duties or activities. Yet as soon as Rylan escaped they containment he was ordered to the captain’s ready room...

Last month Harrison was introduced, and he displayed his desire to find a way to do what he loved, rather than be a slave to his father’s will. At least that was what he thought, this month we return to Harrison’s story to see how his life has changed as a result of his victory...

Walking towards the engine room, Daniel could hear Franco yelling at the now-stalled engine. The captain put his hand upon the hallway of his craft and whispered to it apologizing for his engineer’s hostility. When he was fifteen feet of the door, he saw Rachel run out of the room and just avoid getting struck by a random part of the engine as she slid to the ground. Daniel shook his head and helped her up asking, “I take it he’s having issues with the repairs?”

She nudged the piece lying between them with her foot answering, “Just a little it would seem.”

“He told me he would have us flying again in twenty minutes,” Daniel said as he entered the line of fire...

Having just forced Napoleon to retreat from Russia, despite the damage inflicted upon their forces from the starving and mistreated dragons freed from the Russian breeding grounds, they were unable to secure his capture. Unfortunately for the Russian troops and countryside, Laurence’s pleas for their conditions were too little too late for them to have claimed the dragons for their side. It also made his life a little uncomfortable, while he was at a party for the Czar, he sucker-punched a nobleman who had talked about poisoning the dragons to be rid of them. By this time most of Laurence’s memories had returned to him, and he was outraged by the man’s behavior, yet knowing he shouldn’t participate in a duel he did anyway bring Hammond along as his second.

He was injured in the exchange due to a misfire, but he was able to recover...

Tarian and his closet advisors were standing on the wall looking out at the massing horde of alien creatures. Using a telescope, Tarian was able to identify some of the creatures as trolls and goblins. Yet there were new creatures amongst them that looked just as terrifying. As he lowered the scope from his eye, Tarian looked over his shoulder and spoke to Keldon, loudly enough so everyone there could hear his concern. “Kel, there are already more out there than the last time we had to defend this wall.”

Keldon reached out for the scope his friend was offering and looked out over the massing force for himself...