We talked things over for a while. The women estimated that there were probably another 250 castoffs on the station at least. No one knew for sure. There were probably more than that. There might be a population of a hundred thousand at least, and it would be reasonable that at least one percent would be castoffs and runaways. There might be a thousand new recruits waiting for us.
I didn’t care. The number meant nothing. I hadn’t wanted any of them. I’d only felt compelled to help them. And I’d help the rest of them, too. We had enough work here for decades. The Units that were at the shipyard were used to living in space. This was only different in that it was better.
I asked Mercy about what she’d said about having an essentially unlimited lifespan. She believed that the other Units did too. I wouldn’t live that long, but I had a lot of life in front of me.
I had a ship that could take us anywhere. I had a crew of companions that I could love forever. After we got back from the trip to pick up more castoffs, we’d probably do that on some other stations as well. Then I’d find a new adventure. This one was just getting started. I could tell.
So far, I liked our story a lot.
We will end the first book of our outer-space adventures here. If you read on, it’s up to you. The story continues in the next volume. I don’t really know what will happen next.
Captain Jimmy Raskin wasn’t originally planning to lead a galactic mining conglomerate but he’s doing what he can. He’s not headed back to Earth any time soon. But, as Eevona says, time is an illusion anyway.
If you are still reading my story, that was your choice. It was a lot of reading when all that really needed to be said can probably be summed up like this:
1. A certain amount of predictability takes less effort and leaves more room for adventure.
2. Functions dictate forms. Bad form can make you crazy - or at least very uncomfortable.
3. Sometimes we need to rethink our identity and maybe become a different person.
4. A lot of things really are about sex when it comes down to the real reasons for them.
If you choose to read on, I hope you enjoy it. I’m going to keep writing the story, whether you read it or not.
END OF BOOK ONE
Marilyn Foxworthy lives a peaceful life studying classical mindfulness, practical philosophy, and martial arts. A prolific writer of fantasy and adventure in the style of the twentieth-century pulp writers of the ‘Golden Age’ of fiction, she enjoys what she calls ‘Tom Swift for Adults’. Often blatantly and graphically sensual, her epic stories appeal to the adolescent parts of us that still enjoy a good vicarious adventure liberally sprinkled with interludes of boisterous romping in the hay.
Ms. Foxworthy describes her writing process this way: “I never know what is going to happen. The characters tell me their stories and I write them down the way I hear them. A character comes to me and sits down for coffee and pie and starts talking. I’m as surprised as anyone by what they tell me. If I like the story, I publish it. If you like the story, you read it.”
Series by Marilyn Foxworthy (without giving away too many spoilers):
* The Nogud Legacy. What if you wake up on a road with no idea who you are? The place seems medieval, but is it the future or the past? The population is low and good men are at a premium. A smart guy like Joshua knows how to make a new life, even if he can’t figure out how he got here or what the rules are at first. And what's with these girls in the hoods and tunics?
* The Guardian Maidens of Sturgil's Mark. Ronin is a novice Adventurer Monk out to kill some monsters and make a name for himself. The elven girls who join him don’t like wearing armor very much but overall, they’re a great team. Monsters beware. We’re coming to kick down doors and take your loot.
* The Sea Nymphs. Robby is established now and wants to share his good fortune with his older brother Tom. Tom adjusts to Robby’s lifestyle quickly. He has his own way of doing things but he’s Robby’s brother for sure.
* The Shrine Maidens of Barsoom. The “Red Planet” of John Carter’s stories is real but not quite the way we were told. The Great White Apes are real, and the princesses really are naked, but a lot of the details a hundred years later are different.
* Lost in Time. Crashed and lost in a land that time forgot, John Raskin and the cave girls he finds there work to carve out a paradise of their own making. What do you do in a society where the numbering system only goes up to three and people are identified by their smell, not their name? No one is coming to rescue him. At least he hopes not. Fur bikinis are pretty rare here, and most of the cave girls go without, the price of animal fur being what it is these days. And that makes rescue sound like more of a threat than the giant crocodiles.
* Honest Attractions. Courtney saw Dave at the rest stop off the highway. Alone and afraid and hungry and being pursued by thugs, she jumps into his car at the last minute as he’s pulling back onto the road and off into the desert for a vacation. Yeah, she’s desperate, but it’s still love at first sight for both of them. And as long as they are honest with each other, things just might work out. If they get away from Courtney’s past, that is.
* Eevona Space Command. Jimmy is a guy who gets picked up by a passing space ship. A space ship crewed by beautiful manufactured clones. Female clones. They are considered to be expendable throw-away workers by most of the galaxy, but not as citizens of The Eevona Space Command Galactic Mining Conglomerate. That’s really just Jimmy and a handful of the clones, but they have cool uniforms and a fast ship and it sounds impressive. And they are making a life and a name for themselves along the outer rim.
* The Girls on The Hill. They aren't really fairies. They're just the girls who work at the particular resort that Robby Jensen enjoys vacationing at. And this time he finds out that most of the female staff have a crush on him. And the robots are terrible scamps. It starts with a drowning girl in the river, and Robby just happens to be there in a canoe to rescue her.
If you don’t see all of these series in the Amazon store yet, they’re coming soon.
If you would like to keep in touch, hear about new releases, or anything else, you can find the contact information on the Amazon author page for Marilyn Foxworthy.
And if you enjoyed the book, please do leave a review on Amazon or GoodReads.com.
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