{"id":168,"date":"2013-02-01T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-02-01T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bestfantasynovel.com\/2013\/02\/01\/new-fiction-from-kevin-o-mclaughlin\/"},"modified":"2013-02-01T14:00:00","modified_gmt":"2013-02-01T14:00:00","slug":"new-fiction-from-kevin-o-mclaughlin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/2013\/02\/01\/new-fiction-from-kevin-o-mclaughlin\/","title":{"rendered":"New Fiction from Kevin O. McLaughlin"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>\u201cAd Astra\u201d launches STARSHIP, fresh episodic fiction from award-winning author Kevin O. McLaughlin. The first season of five episodes, released weekly, will carry the reader through a single novel-length adventure from Earth to the stars, and from broken spirits to humanity’s unlikely heroes.<\/p>\n

If life knocked you down, would you risk everything you had left to reach for the stars?<\/p>\n

Ad Astra is available on Amazon<\/a>, Barnes and Noble<\/a> and Kobo<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Dan tapped each dead soldier in the neck in turn, counting his kills for the evening. He came to six. Add in the bottle he was drinking, and he’d be at seven. That was still under budget. He figured this for a twelve-pack night.
\nHe waved to the woman tending the tables, a middle-aged matron whose name he hadn’t tried to catch. She’d made a few attempts to clear his growing pile of bottles away earlier in the evening, but he’d shooed her off. Dan wanted the physical memory of the drinks sitting right there, like a badge. The woman saw his wave, but didn’t bother coming over. She just went to fetch another beer. He kept his eyes off her face. He didn’t want to see her disdain, or worse, her pity.
\nInstead he brought his eyes back to the bar’s TV, where the Ares rocket was still sitting on the launch pad. The countdown was frozen at four minutes and fifteen seconds. It hadn’t moved for most of an hour now, last minute problems delaying the launch.
\n\u201cHey Joe, can we switch the channel? Missing the game here,\u201d a burly man called to the bartender.
\n\u201cYeah, Joe. This shit is boring,\u201d said another guy.
\nBoth of them were lumberjack big, wearing dirty work clothes. None of which bothered Dan even a little.
\n\u201cDon’t touch that channel,\u201d he snarled.
\n\u201cOr what?\u201d asked the first man.
\n\u201cWanna find out?\u201d
\n\u201cMan, don’t mess around. Who wants to see this stupid rocket sitting there, anyway?\u201d
\n\u201cI do,\u201d Dan said.
\n\u201cLarry, you can’t pick a fight with a gimp,\u201d the guy’s buddy whispered to him, loud enough that Dan could hear anyway.
\nLarry blushed, noticing Dan’s wheelchair. \u201cHey, man, sorry. You can watch what you want.\u201d
\nThe bartender glared at Dan for a moment from behind his glasses, wiping furiously at a mug with a dishrag. But the TV stayed on the same channel despite what the local crowd wanted, so that was all right.
\nFinally the countdown kicked on again. Whatever the problem was, they must have solved it. There were four minutes left, now. Unconsciously, Dan activated his motorized chair and moved toward the TV. Three minutes left.
\nHis eyes misted a little as the first plumes of steam appeared under the titanic rocket. The payload was a crew compartment and landing vehicle \u2013 and the first six humans from Earth to ever attempt bridging the vast distance to Mars. They’d be traveling for six months to get there, stay for six months, and then return. It was the adventure of a lifetime. It was supposed to have been the adventure of his lifetime.
\nHe slugged down the last of the beer he was still holding. The bitter flavor matched how he was feeling. The matron plunked his new bottle down where he’d been sitting, and he reached for it without thinking, wincing as his back spasmed in protest. He grimaced. Wheelchairs went in reverse for a reason.
\nLess than two minutes left until takeoff. He leaned forward, willing himself into the cockpit of that ship with everything he had. He should have been there. Would have been there, if it hadn’t been for a stupidly random accident. There was something ironic about being taken down by a mini coupe after surviving dozens of missions into space unscathed. He was one of the most experienced space pilots in the world. He’d fought hard to win his berth on that mission.
\nAll gone, now. The driver who’d lost control of his car, crossed the highway median, and smashed into Dan’s vehicle wasn’t going to have his license back for a while, but that didn’t help heal his badly fractured spine. NASA’s policy toward injury as severe as his had no leeway. As far as they were concerned, he was grounded for good. So he’d taken the early retirement with full benefits and disability that the Air Force had offered. A good deal, but as a consolation prize it sucked. He had some buddies in Panama who told him that income would let him live like a king down there.
\nIf only he could find some reason to live at all.
\nFifty seconds left on the countdown. The numbers ticked away on the corner of the TV screen.
\nWith thirty eight seconds left, Dan’s phone rang. The sound startled him, but out of habit he answered it, not taking his eyes off the TV as he did.
\n\u201cDan Wynn here.\u201d
\nHe watched two more seconds tick away on the countdown before a distorted voice said \u201cDan! Was hoping to catch you. How’re you holding up?\u201d
\n\u201cWho is this?\u201d Dan asked.
\n\u201cIt’s John,\u201d the voice replied, after a short delay.
\n\u201cJohn, you have any idea what you’re calling in the middle of?\u201d
\nAnother brief delay, and then John said \u201cI’m watching it too, Dan. Why do you think I called you now?\u201d Dan could almost hear his friend’s smile over the phone line.
\n\u201cI think you’re interrupting,\u201d he said, eyes narrowing. The last thing he needed right now was a pity call. Even from an old friend.
\nAnother pregnant pause. \u201cDan, I’m calling to offer you a vacation, and maybe a job if you want it. I need people I can trust, and you’re top of the list.\u201d
\n\u201cI’m flattered, but\u2013\u201d Dan broke off in mid-sentence as the Ares rocket launched, huge plumes of fire obscuring it from view for a moment before sending it skyward. As it lifted into the sky, all his hopes and wishes vanished with it.
\n\u201cDan. DAN.\u201d John’s voice was still nattering at him on the phone. \u201cListen to me.\u201d
\n\u201cWhat?\u201d Dan said. His voice sounded hollow to his ears.
\n\u201cVacation, Dan. You need it. And I can use you, if you want to stay on, after.\u201d
\n\u201cI can’t,\u201d Dan replied. \u201cStill got paperwork to finish my retirement package, and the docs want to see me daily for rehab.\u201d
\n\u201cI’ve already cleared your paperwork up. Had a general who owed me a favor. And we’ve got doctors on site who’ll continue your rehab. But I need you here, Dan.\u201d
\nThe little delays in John’s responses finally made their way through Dan’s muddled thoughts. A couple of seconds of pause, each time he spoke.
\n\u201cWhere are you, John?\u201d he said, curiosity leaking into his voice.
\n\u201cI’m on the far side of the moon, Dan. Want to come up for a visit?\u201d
\nDan almost choked on his beer. He’d been expecting…well, something. With John, it was always something. But not that.
\nAnother short pause. \u201cPut the drink down, go outside. Car should be waiting for you there. The driver will take you to the launch. That is, if you are still interested in going back into space?\u201d
\nDan stared a moment at the TV again, where the camera was still following the plume of fire burning its way into the sky. For the first time all day, he could look at the ship without feeling like he was being stabbed through the heart.
\n\u201cI’m on my way,\u201d he said. He turned off his phone, slapped enough bills on the table to pay for his beers plus a healthy tip for the scowling waitress, and went out the door.
\nJohn was as good as his word. The young driver was already waiting out front, standing outside a large black SUV hybrid with a wheelchair lift built into the side. He expertly hooked Dan’s chair up to the device, chatting amiably as he worked.
\n\u201cThe boss was dead on right about you,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cOh?\u201d Dan replied.
\n\u201cYup. Called me, said you’d be out the door within five minutes. Took you three minutes thirty.\u201d
\n\u201cWell. John always did know what buttons to push on people.\u201d
\n\u201cHe’s good that way. I’m Andy. You’re Dan Wynn, the astronaut?\u201d
\nThe simple question rocked Dan. \u201cI suppose…I am. Again.\u201d<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cAd Astra\u201d launches STARSHIP, fresh episodic fiction from award-winning author Kevin O. McLaughlin. The first season of five episodes, released weekly, will carry the reader through a single novel-length adventure from Earth to the stars, and from broken spirits to humanity’s unlikely heroes. If life knocked you down, would you risk everything you had left […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[161,162,366,451],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-excerpt","category-excerpts","category-new-release","category-scifi"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}