She pressed her claw against her surname: Anderson.
"Oh, Jamie Anderson?" Manuel said. "Honestly, why didn’t you just say that? Accessing N-Gage contacts. Dialing for you now."
Jelly shook her head and licked her paw.
The screen dialed for a while.
Jelly looked up at it, but all she saw was her only reflection, "Meow."
Her eyes bled a pink substance. Jelly’s instinct was to rescue the poor cat on the other side of the screen.
As she held out her paw, an image of a boy snapped onto the screen; Jamie Anderson, her owner. Only, now, he was two years older.
"Hello?" Jamie poked his nose around the lens of his device, "Hang on a minute. I can’t see anything."
Jelly’s face lit up - both figuratively and literally. The glare from the screen only exposed the contrast between her pink hue and blood mark.
Jamie recognized who was calling and could barely contain his excitement.
"Oh, wow. Jelly!"
"Meow," she pressed her infinity claws against the image of his face. "Maaah."
Jamie turned around and beckoned someone over, "Mom, come and see this. Look, look."
"What is it, poppet?"
"It’s Jelly," Jamie beamed.
Emily walked into shot, carrying a baby in her arms.
Jelly scrunched her face and wondered who the new human being was, "Meow."
"Is that her?" Emily smiled and waved at the camera, "Hey, Jelly. Wow, is that really you?"
Jelly purred quietly to herself. Her paw slid down the screen, away from Jamie’s face, "Mmmm," She huffed.
"Well done, poppet," Emily smiled and walked out of shot, "It’s been such a long time, I’d almost forgotten…"
Jamie turned to the camera and leaned in, "That was Jolene, your new baby sister."
Jelly was impressed. She looked down at her paw and moved her claws back and forth. The tiny mechanical whirs were almost deafening.
"I didn’t forget about you, Jelly," Jamie began to cry, "I miss you. Not a day goes by when I don’t think of you."
Jelly looked up at the screen and purred. She seemed to produce a smile, "Jaaaay…. Meeee…"
"Wow, you said my name," Jamie called over his shoulder, "Mom, she can talk."
"Very good, poppet. Can you come into the kitchen and help me, please?"
"Yeah, in a minute," Jamie turned to the screen and looked at Jelly, "You look sick, girl. Is everything okay?"
She held up her infinity claws and moved the cuticles around.
"Oh, wow. What did they do to you?"
Jelly whined and flipped her bandaged tail around. She felt her eyelids get heavier.
"I can’t wait to see you again, Jelly. When are you coming home?"
"Grrr…" Jelly fought the urge to fall asleep. She wasn’t impressed with her owner’s behavior, either. She looked up at the screen and blinked as hard as she could.
"Jelly, what’s wrong?" Jamie asked, somewhat concerned.
She held up her paw and tilted it from side to side. Jamie’s mood soured. He did the same.
They waved goodbye for the last time.
Suddenly, Jamie had a change of heart, "Hey, wait—"
Jelly’s paw hit the green button, intending to cut the call. Instead, it flashed onto the next event.
An incoming visual message from USARIC.
"Would you like me to play the message, Miss Anderson?"
"Meow," she whined and curled up beside Tripp’s face resting on the flight deck.
"Very well. Playing message now," Manuel said. "One minute, twenty seconds."
Maar Sheck’s image appeared on the screen. He stood in front of a podium and a bunch of microphones, addressing a flurry of news reporters.
"Thank you for attending this emergency press conference, everybody. I will try to keep this brief…"
Jelly’s eyelids closed, squeezing a couple of drops of pink tears from her eyes.
"USARIC received a visual communication from Space Opera Beta a little under one hour ago. We can confirm that the vessel reached its intended destination, Enceladus, slightly ahead of schedule. We can also confirm that the nature of its distress call, in accordance with USARIC’s Infinity Clause, was deciphered with success by the gifted and talented scientists on board Beta…"
Jelly opened her eyes and took one final look at the symphony of pink light emitting from Enceladus, "Meow…"
"We regret to inform our friends, however, that the mission was sabotaged by a direct contravention the Bering Treaty and USARIC’s own Infinity Clause. Due diligence has been disregarded. Two crew members, under the command of Dimitri Vasilov, have been detained. Our last communication indicated that Opera Beta’s oxygen levels were running well below the requirements needed to get home."
Jelly’s ears pricked up. They were unable to go home, "Meow."
Maar continued reading from his statement, "As of this moment, USARIC will cease future operations. All current ones will continue to their conclusion. Following the death of Viktor Rabinovich and, now, the sabotage perpetrated by our Russian allies. All diplomatic relations have been suspended with immediate effect. It is with regret that all Russian operatives are to be ejected from American soil, and vice versa. We send our thoughts and prayers to the souls aboard Opera Beta and wish them all the best on their survival in the vicinity of Enceladus. Space Opera Beta, may God be with you."
The media kicked up a frenzy. Dreenagh Remix pushed through the crowd and held her wrist to Maar’s face as he walked away from the hubbub, “Maar Sheck, can you confirm that USARIC is preparing Space Opera Charlie to recover what’s left from the first two missions?”
"I’m very sorry,” Maar said, stepping away from the podium, “No questions at this time.”
The message came to an end.
"Miss Anderson,” Manuel asked, politely, “Would you like me to replay the message?"
Jelly climbed onto her feet and shook her head. Determined, she made her way over to Tripp’s head and looked at his right hand.
A few inches away lay the hyper-thruster lever.
"Miss Anderson, what are you doing?"
"Peee… Pee…" she growled, almost losing her ability to keep upright, "Sim… fonee…"
"Miss Anderson?" Manuel tried. "Listen, you may be the current in-command operative aboard Opera Beta, but you can’t seriously be suggesting we—"
Jelly ignored Manuel despite his attempt to distract her.
A page containing a big, fat mouse didn’t work.
He flipped to another page, displaying a bright and colorful set of jangling keys.
"Miss Anderson, please—"
"—Grrrr," she growled, lifted her right paw and placed it on the hyper-thruster lever, "Pink. Symphony…"
She pushed the lever forward, but wasn’t strong enough.
"Miss Anderson, I ask you to reconsider. I realize we only have three days’ worth of oxygen left, but—"
"Piii-iiink…" Jelly coughed, her voice croaked, more human-sounding, "Symphony…"
She grabbed the lever forward with both paws. It shifted a bit, but not enough.
"We do not know what is in there, Miss Anderson. It’s very dangerous."
The roar of pink fire from Enceladus blotted out across her eyeballs. The aggressive visual was enough of a last-push for her to force her entire weight onto the lever.
It was either journey into the great unknown, or stay and die.
Jelly gripped the lever in her Infinity Claws and slammed it forward.
"Hyper-thrusters initiated."
The core of the ship rumbled to life. The array of hyper thrusters lit up, almost brighter than the sun.
Jelly hooked her paws around the lever. Her hind legs lifted off the console and flew into the air.
"Meeeooowww," she cried as the swirling cacophony of pink streaks blasted across the ship’s screen.
Space Opera Beta blasted into the fantastic symphony of pink light dancing out
from the core of Enceladus…
From the author - Andrew Mackay
Author notes from Star Cat: Infinity Claws
Dear reader,
First of all thank you so much for buying (or otherwise receiving this copy) of Star Cat: Infinity Claws - believe me, every single sale - and review - means the world to me. There’s no better way to tell if a series is popular than by the reviews people leave. In an increasingly over-saturated entertainment market, you have chosen to read my book. I consider it a privilege and an honor that you’ve chosen to read my book above all the TV shows you could have binge watched, countless remakes, prequels and reboots at the movie theater and all the other books at Amazon, and beyond.
I’ve been touched receiving so many emails and messages about how much readers have loved the book. I had the idea of compiling some of the questions and use them as “author notes” which reveals some of my processes and thoughts on this particular project. I thought you may enjoy reading them. If not, no sweat ;)
Back in February of 2018. I was at an author conference and talking to other authors who had mainly written sci-fi. As a multi-genre author, I’ve tackled satire, humor, crime, horror and romance. The next step was to try my hand at sci-fi. It’s long since been a passion of mine, as a fan of British TV shows like Red Dwarf and many movies from the eighties like Aliens, Star Wars and RoboCop and so on. Also, of course, I am a huge cat lover. When I lived with my parents we owned a few at one point. I found it funny how we treat them as “people” (or to use the correct term, anthropomorphizing) and always got a chuckle in the way we speak to them. Combining the two seemed like a good fit, as most people love animals and many are fascinated by space. Cats, of course, by their very nature, are curious creatures. Imagine what would happen if one of them went into space. No end of possibilities.
Taking the two themes of space and cats, the main challenge was thus: how do I get a cat on board a manned spaceship? What’s the purpose? I won’t lie, it took a while to figure that one out. I mean, it’s a daft concept, isn’t it? I’m well aware of that lol -- Then again, the Russians put a dog in space for no other reason than they could - and no one seemed to bat an eyelid. Out of the blue one day, I had a movie sequence play in my head. A bunch of cats competing in a competition, kind of like Crufts in the UK (the dog version of the Star Cat Trials, most recently exemplified in the Christopher Guest movie Best in Show.)
As silly as it sounds, I got a real kick out of cats competing in various tasks. The very first one I thought of was the first one you read in the book - a straight up one-hundred-meter dash. I literally burst out laughing when I imagined the trap doors opening, and none of the cats came out. Typical! There was a lot of humor to be had from the idea.
Next was adding the element of danger. As you’ve probably noticed, Star Cat: Infinity Claws tackles the subject of animal abuse to a certain extent, which really helped crystallize the opposition from Jamie and his mother, Emily. It made them solid and strong characters with a concrete moral compass - it’s my hope that readers really connected with them emotionally. As the series progresses (and I’m afraid the satirist in me insists this happens) we will find out USARIC only cares about its bottom line. People’s feelings and the welfare of animals be damned. The distress call was really the motivator for getting Jelly into space. This is why the first chapter shows Tripp accidentally discovering that only cats respond to it. Again, it gave way to the humorous interlude where he films himself trying to distress call on other animals. It gives the reader a sliver of back story when he asks his old flame to help out. Wherever possible, I try to do two things with one action. More bang for the buck, and more interesting for the reader.
Star Cat 2: Pink Symphony starts where the previous book left off. I think readers who care about Jelly, Tripp, and the Opera Beta crew, will really tense up when they see what’s at stake. I’m a firm believer in sci-fi asking more questions than it answers - not in an infuriatingly oblique way, of course, but to stir the imagination. One of my most precious movies of all time is Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. I doubt many teenagers would have seen it, but they should. Parking to one side that it’s a movie, when you look at the content, it’s far larger than the sum of its parts. It’s a work that lingers in the psyche long, long after you’ve experienced it. Occasionally, works of art touch genius. 2001 does that for me.
Using that concept as a springboard, the readers will find out what Pink Symphony actually is - to a point. Surely the great unknown, in my mind at least, is beyond human comprehension. We only see the physical (and sometimes mental, I guess) consequences of forces of nature. We know little about how they come around. The great unknown - I.e. what’s out there? - must be so wildly incomprehensible if it’s any good. I mean, I admire all the wonderful sci-fi books like The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (did you notice the blatant homage in Manuel?) and their aliens, but really? Two eyes, a head and two legs? Is that really the limits of the entire universe? Douglas Adams gets away with it, naturally, because his book is a comedy. For me, if God exists, or some superior being along those lines, I think we wouldn’t know it if we met it. I like to think the universe and the greater powers of life are a bit more inventive than just silly aliens.
I was mainly inspired by movies in all honesty. One of the criticisms I receive is that my work reads a lot like a movie - and that’s certainly not by accident. When I type at my computer, I imagine a transparent IMAX screen right in front of my face. I simply write what I see. I think visually, but my ideas usually come from music. There’s a nod toward Daft Punk’s Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger track during the Star Cat Trials for two reasons: 1) It was the track I was listening to when I had the idea, and 2) it’s such an upbeat and punchy track - you can certainly visualize cats hopping around a lit-up Twister-esque board in time to the music. You’ll see a lot more music references in the next few books. Music has been a huge anchor in my life. I remember various events due to certain tracks.
So, on to movies. I remember being scared half to death by the woman who turns into a robot in Superman III. If you’ve not seen it, go to Youtube and type “Superman III robot woman.” Oh jeez, seriously. When I was a kid I had to leave the room. I remember the anxiety building up in me when my friends came to my house to watch it, and as the clock ticked away, I needed to find an excuse to leave. Even the sound during that scene made me so petrified. Even watching it back right now reminds me of a time when I was vulnerable. The reason I mention this (and there are others, such as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Fly) is because I believe there is a time in a youngster’s life when they see something deemed to be suitable but have a completely ridiculous reaction to it. Take the Superman III example. My friends laughed at the robot scene. It was rated PG. How on Earth could the MPAA/BBFC and filmmakers think that was suitable viewing for children?
In Star Cat: Infinity Claws there are a small number of PG-rated horror moments that sort of emulate that experience I had as a child. Zillah’s body/apparition sequence, for example. Some of the injuries would fall into the same category. In particular, the notion of death. I like to call the sequence where Bisoubisou dies my “Bambi” moment. All the best work of fiction enjoyed by youngsters and adults contain life lessons. Jamie Anderson is a constant reminder that we need to be careful what we wish for - that we can get blindsided and regret our efforts if we’ve not thought them through. In a future book, he will pay the price for the decision(s) he does/does not make. I’ve attempted to the best of my ability to pen a book, and series, designed to teach these lessons. That life isn’t full of roses. When people die, they stay dead (I’m looking at you Marvel) - but that life has its ups and downs, and we should appreciate the good while we have it.
You can expect a wild roller coaster of action and suspense in Star Cat 2: Pink Symphony. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend reading Star Cat: Origins, which you can download for free on the next page. I know the cover for Pink
Symphony looks all cotton candy and lovely, but take a second look. Jelly Anderson - evil, or just really pissed? I finished writing it a couple of weeks ago, and it was my most challenging write, ever. The majority of the book is an exhausting roller coaster of action, twists and turns. And, yes, you’ll get to find out what Pink Symphony is - and also, what greater implications lie beneath. I like to think Pink Symphony is to Infinity Claws, what the movie Aliens was to Alien. There are surprise twists and turns that took me by surprise! I just love writing and surprising my readers - it’s the least they deserve. And I know fans of Star Cat: Infinity Claws will just eat the sequel up. (I hope so, anyway lol)
Thanks for your support. I hope to catch up with you at the end of Star Cat 2: Pink Symphony.
Andrew Mackay,
Hampshire, UK
(April 25th, 2018)
Continue the journey right now with Star Cat 2: Pink Symphony - Click the picture/link below!
Want your universe back? Too bad. It’s hers, now…
mybook.to/StarCat2
***
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Star Cat: Infinity Claws: A Science Fiction & Fantasy Adventure (The Star Cat Series - Book 1) (2nd Edition) Page 22