Previous Chapter 11. Behemoth Pilsen had plenty of time to think. After his brief chat with the leader of the lobster rebellion, he liked his odds of survival even less. Still, he hoped for a miracle. From the darkness, he plotted his political return. He would tell the tales of the brutality he faced on … Continue reading The First Ambassador to Crustacea (11) →

Previous Chapter 10. Big, Metal Coffin The excitement of donning a black market mech suit quickly faded as Zip descended into the darkness beyond Crustacea’s continental shelf. Staring out at the abyss brought a swell of fear that she couldn’t hold back. It made her wish the metal abomination surrounding her had a cupholder somewhere, … Continue reading The First Ambassador to Crustacea (10) →

Previous Chapter 9. Revolt Being below the shelf felt unnatural in every way possible. From her first moments, cartwheeling through the air above Crustacea, Huron had looked at The Drop Off with primal fear. From the air, it was the place where Crustacea’s bright blue ocean turned dark. On the ocean floor, it was the … Continue reading The First Ambassador to Crustacea (9) →

Previous Chapter 8. Darkness Pilsen shivered in the cold, dank confines of wherever the hell the lobsters had put him. His limbs ached, and the demoralizing sensation that he would never see home again was omnipresent. There would be no more afternoons spent in his lavish office, seeing to the wants of the people, and … Continue reading The First Ambassador to Crustacea (8) →

Previous Chapter 7. Friends Zip read over the mission briefing one more time. Transport VIP to planet, monitor situation, protect VIP. Three tasks, all straight, clipped, and to the point. Protect the VIP. Reading over the words again, there was some room for interpretation, but not enough to turn her back on Pilsen and still … Continue reading The First Ambassador to Crustacea (7) →

In general, one of the many rules learned by early space pioneers was to never colonize, visit, or even look sideways at a bug planet.

In general, one of the many rules learned by early space pioneers was to never colonize, visit, or even look sideways at a bug planet.

Previous Chapter 4. The Niceties Hot, humid air hit Pilsen in a wave as the cargo ramp lowered down from Nana’s Hog. The sickly, salt smell of brine wafted into the hold, mixing with the fish flakes, and creating an altogether new form of pungent stink. He tried to hide his grimace, but knew he … Continue reading The First Ambassador to Crustacea (4) →

Previous Chapter 3. Communication Radiant sun shone across the surface of Crustacea’s beautiful, blue-green ocean. Huron stood at the edge of the freshly built negotiations center, watching the progress of their guests on a wrist-mounted screen. Calculation of arrival time at warp was not an easy feat with even the latest technologies at one’s disposal. … Continue reading The First Ambassador to Crustacea (3) →

Previous Chapter 2. A Job Zip stared out at the multicolored mind bender that was warp speed travel. Huge strands of spaghetti-like matter looped around the outer edge of the cockpit’s viewport, but never collided with it. Instead, they faded into a slurry of cosmic disturbance in the wake of the galaxy’s finest ship, Nana’s … Continue reading The First Ambassador to Crustacea (2) →