The business of films is the business of dreams.Michael Woods 1975 America in the Movies...Our time machine sets down at the turn of the century. America is young, fresh and full of ambition. Across an orange and purple tinted dawn walks Eve...she is still beautiful, still hopeful that some one will recognize her true, true name. She doesn't know that soon she will be exploited by the Hollywood dream machine... Let's roll forward to the year 1915: W.D. GrIffith's notorious classic The Birth of a Nation is about to debut.Audiences are squirming in anticipation...
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BLACK SCIENCE FICTION STORE OFFICIAL DEADLINE TODAY For all members with merchandise such as books, movies, comics etc. Please send your 35 dollar payment so we can get you and your products listed on BlackScienceFictionStore.com If you are serious about making money selling your products please join us to sell your work in our BlackScienceFictionStore.com site that will be launched February 1, 2009. What better time to sell Black Science Fiction than on Black History Month? We really want to jump start the consumption of black science fiction and we need the support of each of you. To sweeten the deal we plan to E-blast 40 thousand individuals and media outlets about the store. That will benefit all those who are onboard and listed. We want at least 20 vendors in the store to make a strong showing. We have great things in store for Black Science Fiction and we want us all to be a part of it. If you have already sent in your payment please disregard this message. Also, you can send payments via PayPal to: info@thedigitalbrothers.com Sincerely, Jarvis “J. Bernard” Sheffield BlackScienceFictionSociety.com The Digital Brothers 121 Oak Valley Circle Smyrna, TN
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So I've committed myself to working hard for my screenwriting organization, (The Organization of Black Screenwriters), and screening films for the Los Angeles Film Festival, but I have to make time for my own writing, especially my short stories.My goal this year is to take weekend trips out of town for my own personal writing retreats. I find that I am most inspired when I am in a new place, or sitting in church. (Not that my church is boring, but Rev Michael Beckwith of Agape International inspires me so much, I often find myself writing a story in my head while he is talking to the congregation.)So now I'm looking for sacred places to write. One of the best I found was on a camping trip I took to the Redwoods. My partner and I pitched our tent, ate, then went exploring. I wrote in my journal at the time that it was like walking in the presence of God. There is a vibration there among those ginormous trees. They are ancient beings, and we treated them as such. I wanted to run back and grab a boom box and play "Natural Mystic" for those Redwood trees. The energy there was palpable. There was an electrical current in the air, and I remember my scalp was tingling, and the air was misty. It took a little work to breath. Like breathing mystic chords of memory.Maybe that's where I will go next when it gets warm. Back to the Redwoods with my Ipod and speakers. I'll play Bob Marley's song, and sit there writing. I think I'll bring my digital recorder too, because I swear, if I left that thing over night on voice activated, I believe I would come back and hear voices on it. And then I would freak out, cuz the Redwood tress may start walking like in "Lord of the Rings".Sounds like a plan. Maybe they will tell me some stories and I'll write "The History of the World: A Redwood Tree Perspective."
Well, Juno Books became an imprint of Pocket Books. Juno published Wind Follower. Now, this may be good news but it might not be. Juno's been going toward urban fantasy. I like folkloric fantasy. Exploring tribal culture and what makes tribes. Current novel is Constant Tower which needs an agent cause it's neither urban fantasy nor does it have a female protag which is what Juno wants. But it's such a great book! What to do!I have another novel, Daughters of Men, which many folks loved and which was a near miss with an agent at Maass and with Dorchester and the editor at Juno said it needed a lotta work. Now, it would fit into the urban fantasy genre perfectly. So I could try working on it. Aaargh, to revisit a book I haven't worked on in about four years! But I suppose those characters are part of me because I love them very much.But I'm also working on my serial killer-succubus novel. Can I juggle all three? Will see. Might have to send a note to the Juno editor telling her my issues and wondering.Now, the weird thing about the Pocket alliance is that many of us Juno authors don't fit into the new Juno. What will Pocket do with us if we don't write urban fantasy? I'd like to think that being black and a Christian, Pocket might have a place for me because they have a Christian line and they might have a black line or a fantasy line. Not sure what's going on. Who knows? I'll only give that to God. This is one of those moments when the talk must become the walk and the rubber hits the road. I say that I trust God, right? I say that the word of God is powerful to change every situation, right? So will I walk around the house thanking God for this opportunity and for what he is going to do with me now that I'm ostensibly at Pocket Juno? Or will I look at the pathological truth and go about repeating that, especially since Juno might be putting some books out of print or remaindering them? Lord knows, how much money Wind Follower made for them!Promotion comes neither from the east nor from the west. Let me trust in God.
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Male dominated institutions, especially corporate interests, see the dangers posed to them by love's escape. Women who love themselves are threatening. But men who love real women, are even more of a threat. Naomi Wolf The Beauty Myth.Mainstream media has been described as one of the most widespread tools of social control. Through films,TV, music and videos we learn what to eat and what to hope for; where to live, what to desire and what to dream. Mainstream media impacts these values in such subtle ways that it's downright scary. From day to day, hour to hour we are ingesting them -- values racism, sexism, classism and we're not even aware of it.As Meehan, author of Ladies of the Evening found that some of the roles models we see on TV we ignore. Not many of us, for example, want to learn how to be a prostitute. But many other fantasy characters we see are parents, neighbors and lovers and these we do pay attention too.People learn how to behave from television and film roles models just as they emulate real ones. Research has even shown that we can take on the attitudes, ideas etc from popular culture's portrayal of our group (e.g. Black women) then go on to make assumptions about how we think other groups might behave (e.g. Black men)! Many are afraid to disagree with these stereotypes because they're afraid of being laughed at or called an outsider -- so they spread in what has been called a spiral of silence (Price, 1989).If all of this sounds like science fiction consider the OJ Simpson trial: the defendant in question a Black male celebrity and former pro football star accused of murdering his white wife, Nicole Brown Simpson and her male friend, Ron Goldman. Psychologists Friedland and Potash commented that we, as a culture, looked upon OJ as fallen hero and that we were both betrayed and stunned.And the media's gory coverage of Simpson trial, including the manipulation of Blacks and Whites into opposing boxing corners, makes one wonder just who and what was being tried? Simpson's guilt or innocence or a man's right to own and abuse his property -- his property in this case being Nicole, especially since he was paying the bills? (As a case in point I talked several white men who swore that he was innocent!) Or perhaps the millions of Black folk who've been screwed by the judicial system were on trial and Nicole and Ron were sacrificed to their collective rage?Hallis has described TV News as an ideological medium: providing not just information and entertainment but pockets of consciousness -- clues for reacting to social and political reality. (From Bell Hooks Yearning. ). I couldn't agree more.Valjeanne Jeffers-Thompson Copyright 1997, 2009 all rights reserved.This is from a book entitled The Story of Eve which I finished in 1997 and never published. Much of the research is, I admit, dated; but I'm astounded at how much of it still applies to how we view and ingest media. Anyway I've been threatening to post some of it for months so here goes:) Comments and critiques are welcomed:)
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Hello everyone, Earth Squadron is steadily working towards our goals with the project. However, due to the economic downturn the action figure has been put on hold for several months. It will definitely be complete during the summer. The storyline is complete with new additions to the ever growing universe. Even with the setbacks we’ve come to understand that everything happens for a reason. We’ve been privy to some new software that we are in the process of mastering which will increase the quality of our product. Here are the goals that we have set for the projects Comic Books Action Figures 3D Movies 3D Video Games I am very excited about the things we have in store. If you would like to help the project along we would be more than happy to accept any donation that you would like to commit to help the project along. Send PayPal payment to info@thedigitalbrothers.com
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I Posted this in the 2nd annual BSFS open mic, but I wanted to make sure I shared it with all of my BSFS family -- especially since I started crying as I was writing it. This is a day of triumph us all!!!Queen Moon in the housespittin trueToday is OUR DAYand I'm looking back20 years we were led astraymade to feel like our hands were tiedthe media chained, hobbled ustold us a pack of liesbut now our Ancestorsrise up and walkspeak of the Nileof royalty and brilliancethat was always oursof a Sister named Mosesrunning through the woodsslave catchers at her backof demonstrations whenpolice dogs attacked --of lawyers, teachers, inventorsand more...this is when and where we Enterand I'm standing with Zora, OctaviaJames and Richard at my backcarrying our load of dreams in my sackcome on scifi SISTER AND BROTHERSlet's shake things up!Let's make it real!Compared to what?Compared to usand what we feel!"Our voice is powerful!Our voice is change!Our voice cannot be silenced!We are voice of the peopleAND - WE - WILL- BE - HEARD!"Naomi - Immortal II: The Time of Legend
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I'm watching Obama take office, and before he even stepped onto the dais, I was rocking my feet like the African women from Kenya to Nigeria, who move their hips, ushering in the elements and pushing power forward through their arms and the ululations they call with tongue and teeth. A martini glass in my hand, and hope in my heart, I'm thinkin', "Damn, this is a new day."Although I know Obama isn't as progressive as I want him to be, game peeps game when it comes to this historic moment. I hope all of us recognize the words of that old negro spiritual from McFadden & Whitehead,"Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now".Have a new day family.
Hey Dolls and Guys I updated my page so that http://stores.lulu.com/vjeffers in included in my sites.Shameless self promotion I know -- but is there any other kind (smile)?Peace, ya'll
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The message is clear: you can’t keep an Ilyassai down. Imaro is back, bigger and badder than ever. The third volume of his larger-than-life adventures – “Imaro: The Trail of Bohu” – is now available at www.lulu.com. You can read an excerpt from it in the Discussions section of the Sword and Soul group on this site.I have two people to thank for helping me to keep Imaro in print after the setback the series suffered in 2007. The first is Brother Uraeus, who started the publishing company, Sword & Soul Media, that will be bringing out Imaro’s fourth and fifth volumes later this year. Also forthcoming is a collection of Imaro short stories, under the title “The Warrior’s Way.” Uraeus was the one who suggested going to the print-on-demand format, which we began in April 2007, with the publication of “Dossouye.” Bringing his superb editing and design skills to the fore, Uraeus has made this book – and “Dossouye” – the best-produced volumes they can possibly be. Thanks for your hard work, Brother Uraeus. We’re gonna keep on keepin’ on.The other person to whom I am grateful is artist extraordinaire Mshindo Kuumba, who created the covers for both this edition of “Imaro: The Trail of Bohu” and “Dossouye,” and will be doing cover art for the rest of the books in the series. At the time I first started writing Imaro stories, my dream was to have his books come out with covers by the legendary Frank Frazetta, whose Conan cover art made both him and the character iconic. That never happened, and I was left with a longing that was unfulfilled. But when Uraeus introduced me to Mshindo’s art, the first thought that came into my mind was: “Forget Frazetta! Who needs him?” And that was before Mshindo came up with his renditions of Dossouye, then Imaro. I am so glad that Mshindo has decided to associate his creative vision with mine.Any creative endeavor is a risk. Artists, writers, musicians … we all put ourselves on the line when we offer the results of our inspiration and perspiration to the public. It’s not an easy path we follow. But when our books, our paintings, our songs come out of ourselves and are out there for people to see and hear – nothing, not even critics, can take away that fulfillment.Let me close by saying that the first two Imaro volumes – “Imaro” and “Imaro 2: The Quest for Cush” – have not gone out of print. They are still available from Amazon.com, or directly from their publisher, www.nightshadebooks.com.Sword-and-Soul is on the move. People get ready … there’s an Ilyassai coming.
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I am going for broke...I recently posted a press release on PRWEB.COMhttp://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/01/prweb1812854.htmoffering the film rights and options on my debut novel on a bid basis to interested film producers, production companies and investors.My Google and Yahoo results have dramatically increased and many websites have picked up the news.I would like George Lucas and Industrial Light and Magic to be involved with the special effects.Howard Shore should compose the music as he did so well with The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.Gore Verbinski, who directed the Pirates Trilogy, I think would do a fine job on this project.Blue Ridge Motion Pictures in Asheville, hopefully would be the base of production operations for the film.Some characters in the novel were written with certain actors and actresses in mind to portray the film roles.Andie MacDowell - star of Four Weddings and A Funeral, Groundhog Day, Green Card, Greystroke: Legend of Tarzan, etc.Ellen Page - star of Juno, Smart People, Xmen: The Last Stand, etc.Danny Glover - star of Lonesome Dove, 2012, Royal Tenenbaums, Lethal Weapon, The Color Purple, etc.Samuel L. Jackson - star of The Spirit, Pulp Fiction, Star Wars prequel trilogy, Unbreakable, etc.Ron Perlman - star of Beauty and the Beast, Hellboy, Bubba Nosferatu, etc.Scarlett Johansson - star of Vicky Christina Barcelona, Match Point, Lost In Translation, etc.
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This is an Op-Ed article I had published in a local newspaper last week. Given its subject matter, I think it remains relevant.Rare Convergence in Political History Rings in New YearMuch has been written and said about the historical significance of Barack Obama’s victory in the recent U.S. presidential election. The event deserves all those words and more, for when Obama takes the oath of office during his Jan. 20 inauguration, he will be the first black person to hold the highest office in his country. But there’s more to the day than that.Once Obama finishes reciting his oath of office and lifts his hands from the Bible, he will become part of a fascinating convergence of politics and history that encompasses both the United States and Canada. For the first time in both countries’ existence, the president of the United States, the Governor General of Canada and the lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia will all be black.A decade ago, on the cusp of the 21st century, who would have thought that people of African descent would have held those offices at any time in the near future, never mind simultaneously? Even as recently as five years ago, the chances for that situation to occur would have been considered more remote than those of winning Lotto 6-49.Yet here they are: soon-to-be-president Obama, Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean and Lt.-Gov. Mayann Francis. The top political positions in two countries and a province that once held Africans as slaves are now occupied by black people. This historical convergence is both gratifying and amazing.The manner in which these three trailblazers reached their positions is reflective of the differences in the political systems Canada and the United States developed after they went their separate ways in 1776.Obama won the Nov. 4 election after a long, gruelling, dramatic campaign in which he secured the Democratic Party’s nomination, and then the presidency. On Jan. 20, he will become the American head of state. Because of Canada’s continuing ties with Britain, Queen Elizabeth II is our head of state, and the Governor General and lieutenant-governor are representatives of the Crown. They are appointed rather than elected.Jean was appointed Governor General by former prime minister Paul Martin in 2005. Prime Minister Stephen Harper named Francis to her vice-regal post in 2006. At that time, Obama was considered the longest of long shots for the presidency, which is arguably the most powerful elected office in the world. Now, he bears the responsibility of leading his country through increasingly troubled times.Although the Governor General’s position is ceremonial for the most part, the office is invested with the authority of the Crown. Thus, Harper was obliged to secure Jean’s permission to prorogue Parliament last month to avoid the imminent defeat of his minority government. And if the Conservatives fall after Parliament resumes later this month, the Governor General will decide whether an election should be called or the Liberal-New Democrat coalition will be given a chance to form a government, with the support of the Bloc Quebecois.A United States president possesses no such prerogative.The first black president. The first black Governor General. The first black lieutenant-governor of Nova Scotia. All three at the same time. This is a moment to be savoured by people of all complexions and backgrounds.Even so, this extraordinary conjunction is not a panacea for the difficulties black people continue to face in both Canada and the United States. None of these officials is a “Magic Negro.” For all the progress there has been since slavery ended, there are still barriers to be broken and obstacles to overcome.Yet this remains a moment of pride. And as bigotry continues its long and stubborn retreat, we can continue to work toward a post-racial society with more spring in our step and hope in our heart.Can we overcome?Yes we can!
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WE NEED OUR OWN!!! WE CANNOT DEPEND ON OTHERS TO DO THAT WHICH WE CAN DO FOR SELF. WE CANNOT DEPEND ON HOLLYWOOD TO DEPICT US POSITIVELY. WE MUST CREATE OUR OWN"HOLLYWOOD"AND MAKE IT HAPPEN OURSELVES. HOLLA BACK
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Suvudu is giving away three pairs of Weekend Tickets to Comic Con New York, one of the biggest Comics, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Manga, Television, Movies, You-Name-It-They-Got-It Extravaganzas known to mankind! All you need to do is email us your name, phone number, and mailing address at infosuvudu@randomhouse.com. It's just that easy, but be sure to read the legal for all the fine print.To enter, submit your name, phone number and mailing address to info@suvudu.com between 12:01 AM EDT January 12, 2009 and 12:00 AM EDT on January 26, 2009. If you send in your name, phone number and mailing address, you will be entered in a raffle to win one of three prize packs, each containing two (2) Weekend tickets to attend Comic Con New York City. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.
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While cruising the Web the other day, I found a list of possible markets for sci-fi and spec writers. Info includes payment terms and other resources, but the most important items are links to stories that are being published.Why is this important?In order to compete in any marketplace, you must study from the people who are successfully selling. So, my advice is to review and evaluate the stories that are winning awards and paychecks and utilize some of the techniques and styles employed by those writers because that is what editors currently want. Also, to become a better writer, be a better reader.'Nuff said.Check out the web page at: http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mslee/mag.html#smallThe list includes the following publications.Markets paying at least 3 cents per words* Abyss & Apex (webzine)* AEon Speculative Fiction (webzine)* Analog* Argosy* Asimov's Science Fiction* Black Gate* Black Static (UK magazine)* ByLine (mainstream, literary, and genre fiction)* Cemetery Dance* Chiaroscuro (webzine)* Dark Seasons (webzine)* Fantasy & Science Fiction* Flesh and Blood* Gobshite Quarterly* Gothic.net (webzine)* Horror Fiction Magazine* Interzone (UK magazine)* The Night Land (website seeking fiction set in William Hope Hodgson's world)* Nowa Fantastyka (Polish magazine)* Oceans of the Mind (PDF-format magazine)* Palace of Reason (webzine)* Paradox* Polyphony* Realms of Fantasy* Strange Horizons (webzine)* The Urbanite* Weird Tales* Wrong World (stories on DVD)Markets paying at least 1 cent per word* AlienQ Magazine (webzine)* All Possible Worlds* Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine (Australian)* Aurealis (Australian magazine)* Back Brain Recluse (UK magazine)* Blue Blood* Dreams & Visions: New Frontiers in Christian Fiction* The Edge (UK magazine)* Elysian Fiction (webzine)* Flashing Swords (webzine)* Fortean Bureau (webzine)* Leading Edge* NFG (Canadian magazine)* On Spec (Canadian magazine)* Runes* The Silver Web* Spacesuits and Sixguns* Space Westerns (webzine)* Talebones* Tales of the Unanticipated* Would That It Were (webzine)Markets paying less than 1 cent per word* Afterburn SF (webzine)* Albedo One (Irish magazine)* Amazing Journeys Magazine* Anotherealm (webzine)* AntiMuse (webzine)* Atomjack (webzine)* Cats With Wings* Challenging Destiny* Daikaijuzine* The Deepening (webzine)* Delirium Magazine* The Earwig Flesh Factory (no payment for short-shorts)* Every Day Fiction (online short-short market)* Far Sector SFFH (webzine)* Fiction Inferno (web magazine)* Hadrosaur Tales* Halcyon* Ideomancer (e-zine)* Killer Tales* Lone Star Stories (webzine)* Mount Zion* Murky Depths* Nanobison (webzine)* Neverary (webzine)* Neverworlds (webzine)* Nuketown (webzine)* OG's Speculative Fiction (webzine)* Permutations: The Journal of Unsettling Fiction* Planet Relish (webzine)* Quantum Muse (webzine)* Reality Complex* Rogue Worlds (webzine)* SFReader.com (web market and review site)* Shortfictionworld.com (web market)* Sybil's Garage* The Sword Review (webzine)* Three-lobed Burning Eye (webzine)* Walking Bones (webzine)Other SF/F/H Publications/Organizations* Gila Queen's Guide to Markets (covers other genres as well)* HWA (Horror Writers Association)* Locus* The New York Review of Science Fiction* SciFan (science fiction books & links)* SFPA (Science Fiction Poetry Association)* SFWA (Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America)* Tangent Online (reviews short SF/F/H fiction)
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Posted by Night Manager on January 8, 2009 at 10:13am
AMALGAM UNIVERSE:from ACT IIPart two:THE 1ST ALLIANCES:MAYDAY!Her Viper was beginning to spin. Slowly now, but Starbuck knew soon she would be pinned to one side of her Viper as the centripetal forces rose. She slid her hand over the emergency eject lever, better to have it in hand now than when she may not have the strength to reach it. Be a shame to have the opportunity to bail only to be held back by her own body weight times ten. Spinning would do that and she had no way to stop the spin.Her port stabilizers were blown. Trying to stop the spin with just the remaining starboard jets would only send her spinning the other way even faster. Not to mention that with the damage her Viper had taken those stabilizers could blow as well. It had not been the enemy fire that had caused them to blow out; it had been the subsequent fuel line fire. At least they had blown out together, keeping her ship from going into a wild spin but they had blown out in two awfully jolting explosions that sent her Viper into the gravity well of planet RV1906, gas giant.RV1906 marked the rendezvous point of a meeting they had desperately needed with some supposed friendly intelligent beings. The gas giant had been described in a beacon that Dr. Baltar had been able to decode. The beacon promised friendly contact, intelligence on what had happened to make the universe go crazy, and most important of all; supplies. RV1906 looked good, it was still about the size of a dinner plate in her canopy now, but was growing larger.If she ejected now, most likely she would get caught in the gravity well and be pulled in anyway. Her only hope was that the mining ship that Galactica had sent would pick her up and be able to maneuver enough to get in range of the jets of her flight chair. Long shot… but what else did she have. Certainly she could not count on those “Friendly” beings.Kara twisted and looked out her starboard side window. The battle was still in full swing. Though too far to see any of the ships, she could mark their demise with each and every bright flaring explosion. A seasoned fighter pilot, Kara Thrace, call sign “Starbuck”, had seen enough of her fellow pilots fall to know that many of those flares, most in fact, were Vipers going down. It had been a fraking ambush.Like so many things Starbuck had seen since the strange event that had made the know universe become twisted and unrecognizable, the attackers ships had been totally alien to her. From their strange “H” shaped design to the fact that they had no discernable source of propulsion, the alien ships attacked in numbers that had overwhelmed them. Though the Vipers had superior maneuverability, the attackers speed was unheard of and their attack passes ripped them apart. They had been suckered in.The cockpit suddenly lights up and Kara twists again, turning to look port side only to find RV1906 had gone from a plate sized disc in the distance to a horizon spanning orange ball.Dammit! Quickly she flipped off the automated distress call and began relaying it live. No one was going to pay attention to just one distress call among what had to be at least thirty now. Thirty of those ships still intact enough to put out a distress call.But after a good ten minutes there was no answer. Ten minutes was not long enough to mean there was no one out there but it was long enough to mean that help was too far away to be able to help.The entire cockpit was awash in the bright orange glow of RV1906.Possibly the mining ship was using some other channel. With the battle still going on there just had to be some chatter going on. Kara set her radio to scan.Channel after channel slipped by, blowing only static at her, and after another ten minutes she knew that most of the channels would have been blocked by the planet itself. RV1906 was now so big that she could not see both poles at one time, each passed into her field of vision as the Viper was beginning to rotate. It was too late to bail, not that there had been an opportunity earlier.Orange, black, orange, black and Viper rolled the gas giant around her. Slowly her weight pulled her portside. For awhile she could hold herself in her seat but little by little she slid to her left. It was a bad spin, the kind she knew would pull the blood from her head and make her pass out. Though that might be a blessing.What the hell was she still holding onto the ejector level for?Popping out now was certain and instantaneous death.It was getting hard to breath. The flesh of her cheeks began to pull at her eyes with their increased weight.Nothing out there but hot acidic gases swirling at hurricane levels.“…opy? This is Sku… one to… craft. Do you…” what the?Kara looked down at her radio display, but the computer had lost the signal and had continued scanning the lower bands. It had to be a low band transmission, but Galactica’s forces never ran that low. One of the enemy?The canopy was all entry flames and orange planet glow, her Viper was burning up. Had she just imagined the transmission? It did not matter now; she was too far into the planets atmosphere to be recovered. Maybe had she ejected earlier…WHOA!A shadow flew past at what had to be MACH 3. Another Viper burning up on entry? Or maybe one of hers got one of theirs. Then the shadow zipped past again, and again, and again as whatever it was fell into a locked position while her Viper continued to spin.“…you copy? Is there anybody alive in there?” came the clear young voice. Kara wanted to scream out, but her chest was too compressed. She wanted to signal back but her hand was pinned to the Damned EJECT LEVER!“…old on. This is gonna be bum…”Insane. No rescue could be mounted now. Her ship was breaking up as his must be. Any attempt to snag her ship with tow cables would kill them both. She mouthed breathless orders for the unknown Viper pilot to leave her, to return to defending the Galactica. On the next rotation the shadow seemed to be closing on her Viper.CLANG!! All at once the Vipers spin was halted and Kara was thrown against her straps. They had collided. What the frak was wrong with that idiot?Her fall a bit more stabilized, Kara could see out the canopy to the planets horizon. Flames still engulfed the ship, now pluming around the nose and engines. Where was that other Viper? Did he survive the impact?Then pulling into her field of vision from just past her starboard wing was the nose of a ship she had never seen before. It was not like the strange alien craft that had ambushed them here, no this fighter was different. She had never seen it before but its design seemed oddly primitive. With wings that large and obvious air intakes it looked like an old time atmospheric fighter craft but it had to be a spacecraft to be here now. The craft maneuvered easily even as it plowed acid air in the middle of a gas giant’s tornado system. The fighter, yes it was clearly some kind of fighter craft, came even closer and Kara could see its pilot through the clear bubble canopy. His smile told her that he could see her as well. He was smiling as they both were starting to burn up… what the Frak?He was talking, no doubt trying to get his transmission through to her. With the centripetal forces relieved Kara reached and tuned her communications gear back down to the lower bands. But his voice was no where to be found.Apparently he decided to give up and sent her some kind of hand signal. What did it mean? He was pointing… ohFRAK!She had seen this on the prelim reports of RV1906, the big red disc; a localized tornado system, ten times bigger than her home Colony planet Caprica, that rolled across the planet at the midway point between its equator and its southern pole. That big red patch now sat just below them, pulling them down like suds running toward the drain. Once they were too close they would not be able to pull out.Once they were too close their ships would be ripped to shreds.Kara looked back to her would be rescuer and began to wave him off, to send him back for his own good. But he now seemed intently focused on his flying and dipped the strange craft even closer. Kara could see now that it was white, despite being bathed in the fiery orange glow, white with Black trim. It was carrying a huge drop missile beneath it and she could see the gun ports clearly now.The winds picked up and the glass canopy of Kara’s viper began to crack… it would not be too long now.Still she kept her eyes on the strange craft, thinking it was as good a thing as any to be the last thing she ever saw. A pretty strange craft yes, but at least he was trying to rescue her. At least he was trying to…Were those arms!?!From beneath the craft, two mechanized arms dropped down. These arms had not been set inside the craft, or attached to it. No, amazingly the arms seemed to have been a part of the planes structure. One of the massive arms was holding the drop missile like it was a rifle and the other was remarkably reaching out to her Viper.If this were not enough the two blazing rear engines were moving as well. Tilting down and under the craft they moved into position underneath the rest of the craft, looking much like a pair of legs.Impossible.The huge hand came down on the Viper around the bridge of its nose, and again Kara was thrown forward. This close she could see the scarred and pitted metal plating of the “hand”. This crazy flying machine had done this before. How many Vipers had this guy been saving?The two engines fired hard and the braking thrust jolted her. The two engines blazed beneath the aircraft on those two distended legs, giving the whole craft the look of an insane mechanized bird of prey.Not possible.Not possible she told herself. No one could maneuver a craft like that even if such a craft could be built. It was not possible to perform an action as complex as grabbing the nose of a viper while battling an alien tornados mach 2 winds. Not possible.The hand holding her Viper pulled her up underneath the strange craft, likely an attempt to reduce their wind profile. She could see the alien writing, the labeled intakes, and the skull and crossbones of what she instinctively knew was a fighter squadron.The G-forces pushed and then pulled at her body and she also now knew that the craft was pulling them up, away from the big red disc, away from the planets atmosphere. How was this possible?A word seemed to whisper itself into her ear, into her consciousness, though she could not have heard it before. It was the answer to her questions although in time she would learn that the word itself was a question.What had saved her life? What have made such a craft? What had made that craft able to do the impossible?Robotechnology.
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DARK SCRIBE MAGAZINE has announced the nominees for the 2nd Annual Black Quill Awards! Every vote makes a difference, so please follow the link below and cast yours now.Remember, voting closes at midnight EST on Sunday, January 25th, 2009. And please, tell your friends!http://www.darkscribemagazine.com/current-nominees/Read more…
