I led Mr. Pall and Mr. Schubert off the bridge, they went in separate directions to prepare to take the midwatch in just a few stans. I headed for the cabin.
A quick refresh in the head and I headed down to check out the hot tub. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong and felt much better seeing that the safety lid was, in fact, latched down. While I was standing there, the chief came padding in wearing a terry cloth robe. She flashed one of her sapphire-studded smiles in my direction.
“Worried, Captain?”
I laughed. “Yes, I was. Thanks for looking out for this.”
She laughed in return. “Trust me, Skipper. It was purely selfish.” She released the latches on the cover and swung it up out of the way. “I’ve been waiting for three days to try this baby out and I wanted it hot and full!”
She climbed the short steps up to the decking and swished one bare foot in the water tentatively before punching the button that started the jets. They added an almost subsonic thrum to the already vibrating ship, but weren’t really audible in themselves over the sound of the water itself.
She grinned at me, slipped the terry cloth off and let it pool on the deck beside the opening. She was wearing a modest one piece bathing suit in navy blue, but I only had a moment to admire it before she stepped quickly down into the tub, and submerged completely before coming back up, face first and letting the water stream back off her face. She lay back against one of the head rests and settled down for a soak. “Ahhhh.” Her sigh of contentment carried clearly to me and stabbed at something I didn’t dare feel.
I found myself back in the cabin without really remembering how I got there. The door closed behind me with a soft click and I leaned back against it. My heart pounded in my chest and air rasped in and out of my throat. I crossed to my desk and clicked on the light. I couldn’t seem to think. I was having trouble breathing. I lowered myself into the chair and laid my forehead against the cool laminate of the desktop until I could get my breath back.
Slowly I pushed up and leaned back in my chair, letting my eyes rake across the room. My survey took me back around to look out the wide port and once more I could see the stars sparkling across the velvet night of the Deep Dark. The faint reflection of the room showed in the armor glass. I stood and crossed to stand closer, the shadow from my body creating a window in the reflection, a hole in the room where an empty man stood.
The chrono clicked over to 2320 and I became aware of the ship around me again. The spasm had passed and I was able to breathe almost normally. The familiar sounds of the ship wrapped me like a comfortable blanket. I sighed one last time and headed for my bunk.
The merry-go-round had started to spin once more. I needed to be back on my horse in the morning.
Other Works
Books in the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper Series
Trader Tales
Quarter Share
Half Share
Full Share
Double Share
Captain’s Share
Owner’s Share*
Shaman Tales
South Coast*
Cape Grace**
Fantasy by Nathan Lowell
Ravenwood
Zypheria’s Call
The Hermit of Lammas Wood**
* Available in audio (itunes and podiobooks.com), print and ebooks coming soon
**Forthcoming
If you enjoyed this novel, you will be happy to learn that…
Captain's Share is the fifth volume in the six book Trader’s Tales from The Golden Age of the Solar Clipper. Nathan’s series tells the tales of everyday men and women, real people doing ordinary things and forging bonds of friendship while traveling the stars in the Deep Dark. It is a continuing story of Ishmael Horatio Wang—a broke, uneducated, orphan from a backwater planet at the edge of nowhere. He’s not a “hidden prince.” and he wasn’t adopted. He’s just an average Joe trying to make a living.
This series was originally released as Podcasts, an audio format distributed for free (donations accepted and appreciated) where episodes are released serially. All six of the podiobooks in the series are currently available at www.podiobooks.com.
About The Author
Nathan Lowell has been a writer for more than forty years, and first entered the literary world by podcasting his novels. His science-fiction series, The Golden Age of the Solar Clipper grew from his long time fascination with space opera and his own experiences shipboard in the United States Coast Guard. Unlike most works which focus on a larger-than-life hero (prophesied savior, charismatic captain, or exiled prince), Nathan centers on the people behind the scenes—ordinary men and women trying to make a living in the depths of space. In his novels, there are no bug-eyed monsters, or galactic space battles, instead he paints a richly vivid and realistic world where the “hero.” uses hard work and his own innate talents to improve his station and the lives of those of his community.
Dr. Nathan Lowell holds a Ph.D. in Educational Technology with specializations in Distance Education and Instructional Design. He also holds an M.A. in Educational Technology and a BS in Business Administration with a minor in marketing. He grew up on the south coast of Maine and is strongly rooted in the maritime heritage of the sea-farer. He served in the USCG from 1970 to 1975, seeing duty aboard a cutter on hurricane patrol in the North Atlantic and at a communications station in Kodiak, Alaska.
He currently lives in the plains east of the Rocky Mountains with his wife and two daughters.
Awards for Nathan’s Books
2011 Parsec Award Winner for Best Speculative Fiction (long form) for Owner’s Share
2011 Parsec Award Finalist for Best Speculative Fiction (short form) for The Astonishing Amulet of Amenartas
2010 Parsec Award Winner for Best Speculative Fiction (long form) for Captain’s Share
2009 Podiobooks Founder’s Choice Award for Captain’s Share
2009 Parsec Award Finalist for Best Speculative Fiction (long form)for Double Share
2008 Podiobooks Founder’s Choice Award for Double Share
2008 Parsec Award Finalist for Best Speculative Fiction (long form) for Full Share
2008 Parsec Award Finalist for Best Speculative Fiction (long form) for South Coast
Learn More At:
The Solar Clipper Diary
NathanLowell.com
Twitter: @nlowell
Captain's Share (Trader's Tales from the Golden Age of the Solar Clipper) Page 45