The pig-dog is an alien from Glakridoz.
He talks the general into letting him go, lead one of the strike units. The general reluctantly agrees which is all for show. He wanted Thad to come along from the outset, because of the praise Thad’s wife had for his focus on mission accomplishment. As Thad is walking out of the Mother Lode with his big travel bag, he runs into the janitor who lost his son on Centauri Prime. Thad swears to find out what he can for the Mother Lode’s janitor, Nimian Todd (father of a man who lost his life on CP) and maybe bring back his son’s personal effects.
They deploy. There is the usual shipboard antics as they travel from Ungwilook to Centauri Prime.
When they land, the battlefields are all too familiar, but that’s only to hide in plain sight. No one from CP goes there. From their base of operations in the battlefields, they scout the bases they’d taken over for TerroCom training. They had been ransacked after the last group departed, training equipment destroyed. Even though most of it had been left over from the Centauri Prime nationalist army, it was still a great loss to TerroCom.
Some of the men who trained there want revenge. Some want to go. Others are waiting for the orders to do their jobs. Thad and the general talk them down from storming after the civilians, or as they find out, it was an up and coming military that was trying to throw the inner system people off CP.
Thad sees this and tries to resolve it with his peacemaking skills – a conversation, but that doesn’t work.
The fight starts and TerroCom is pulled a couple different ways. The general is drawn into the battle when a sneak attack destroys his shuttle, preventing him from leaving. The fight is on. Limiting the impact to civilians remains a constant challenge as combat moves into a couple of the more major population centers. They have to deal with the people from CP who are trying to do business as usual.
Combat ebbs and flows, but in hit and run efforts. Buses are running and people are trying to ignore the fighters. This is where Thad leverages in – integrate with the civilians and become their shields. Once the CP militia attacks and hurts civilians, then the tide of battle changes. War for the hearts and minds of the populace swings in TerroCom’s favor. Civilians point out the Centauri Prime combatants. It’s a minimal effort to clean them up.
Thad calls Shaunte and tells her that she makes him want to retire from being a soldier. She’s humbled, but tells him that’s who he is and taking that away from him would make him miserable and resent her. Just like she is a businessman first and foremost. It’s in her blood like being a warrior is in his. He formally asks her out on a date. The scene ends with her in her office, thinking about it. But we fight like cats and dogs, she thought, smiling.
Social Media for Scott Moon
Amazon – www.amazon.com/Scott-Moon/e/B0082VIWL8
Facebook – www.facebook.com/scottmoonwriter
My web page – www.scottmoonwriter.com/
Scott’s Email – scott.moon@scottmoonbooks.com
Social Media for Craig Martelle
Amazon – www.amazon.com/author/craigmartelle
Facebook – www.facebook.com/authorcraigmartelle
My web page – www.craigmartelle.com
Craig’s Email – mailto:craig@craigmartelle.com?subject=Darklanding
Other Books by Scott Moon
Darklanding with Craig Martelle
Episode 1: Assignment Darklanding
Episode 2: Ike Shot the Sheriff
Episode 3: Outlaws
Episode 4: Death of an Unglok
Episode 5: Grandfather
Episode 6: SAGCON
Episode 7: Race to the Finish
Episode 8: Boom Town
Episode 9: A Warrior’s Home
Episode 10: TBD
Episode 11 TBD
Episode 12: TBD
The Chronicles of Kin Roland
Book 1 – Enemy of Man (also available on audiobook) Book 2 – Son of Orlan (also available on audiobook)
Book 3 – Weapons of Earth (also available on audiobook)
SMC Marauders
Book 1 – Bayonet Dawn
Book 2 – Burning Sun
Grendel Uprising
Episode 1: Proof of Death
Episode 2: Blood Royal
Episode 3: Heavy Weapons
Son of a Dragonslayer
Book 1 – Dragon Badge (also available on audiobook)
Book 2 – Dragon Attack (also available on audiobook)
Book 3 – Dragon Land
Other Books by Craig Martelle
The Terry Henry Walton Chronicles, a Kurtherian Gambit Series, co-written with Michael Anderle
World’s Worst Day Ever (a short prequel of sorts)
Book 1 – Nomad Found (also available on audiobook)
Book 2 – Nomad Redeemed (also available on audiobook)
Book 3 - Nomad Unleashed (also available on audiobook)
Book 4 - Nomad Supreme (also available on audiobook)
Book 5 – Nomad’s Fury (also available on audiobook)
Book 6 – Nomad’s Justice (also available on audiobook)
Book 7 – Nomad Avenged (also available on audiobook)
Book 8 – Nomad Mortis (also available on audiobook)
Book 9 – Nomad’s Force (also available on audiobook)
Book 10 – Nomad’s Galaxy (also available on audiobook)
Nomad’s Journal – A Terry Henry Walton Short Story Collection
The Bad Company (with Michael Anderle)
Book 0 – Gateway to the Universe (with Justin Sloan)
Book 1 – The Bad Company
Book 2 – Blockade
Book 3 – The Price of Freedom
Book 4 – Liberation
& More
Free Trader Series
Book 1 – The Free Trader of Warren Deep
Book 2 – The Free Trader of Planet Vii
Book 3 – Adventures on RV Traveler
Book 4 – Battle for the Amazon
Book 5 – Free the North!
Book 6 – Free Trader on the High Seas
Book 8 – The Great ‘Cat Rebellion (2018)
Book 9 – Return to the Traveler (2018)
Outpost of the Ancients – a Free Trader short story published in the Apocalyptic Space Collection, Volume 1
Cygnus Space Opera – set in the Free Trader Universe
Book 1 – Cygnus Rising
Book 2 – Cygnus Expanding
Book 3 – Cygnus Arrives
Cygnus Omnibus – Books 1 to 3 under one cover and also as an audiobook
Darklanding with Scott Moon
See above
Become a Successful Indie Author – non-fiction self help
End Times Alaska Series, a Winlock Press publication
Book 1: Endure (also available on audiobook)
Book 2: Run (also available on audiobook)
Book 3: Return (also available on audiobook)
Book 4: Fury (also available on audiobook)
Rick Banik Thrillers
People Raged and the Sky Was on Fire (also available on audiobook)
The Heart Raged (Coming)
Paranoid in Paradise – a short story within the Close to Bones Anthology
Short Stories (and where you can find them)
Just One More Fight (published as a novella standalone)
Wisdom’s Journey (published as a novella standalone)
Fear Peace (published as a short story standalone)
The Trenches of Centauri Prime
The Outcast (published as a short story standalone)
Defense of the Deep Space Denali (published as a short story standalone)
Mystically Engineered (published as a short story standalone)
A Language Barrier (in The Expanding Universe Vol 3)
The Misadventures of Jacob Wild McKilljoy (with Michael-Scott Earle) (Always FREE)
Box Sets & Anthologies
Trader, C
ygnus, & People Raged – Martelle Starter Library
Close to the Bones, a Thriller Anthology (edited by Martha Carr)
The Expanding Universe, Volume 1 (edited by Craig Martelle)
The Expanding Universe, Volume 2 (edited by Craig Martelle)
The Expanding Universe, Volume 3 (edited by Craig Martelle)
Apocalyptic Space Short Story Collection (Stephen Lee & James M. Ward)
Lunar Resorts Anthology, Volume 2 (Stephen Lee & James M. Ward)
Metamorphosis Alpha – Chronicles from the Warden Vol 1 (with James M. Ward, edited by Craig Martelle)
Metamorphosis Alpha – Chronicles from the Warden Vol 2 (with James M. Ward, edited by Craig Martelle) (Dec 2017)
Author Notes: Scott Moon
Hey everyone, I hope you liked this book as much as I did. Craig really nailed it. A big part of Sheriff Thaddeus Fry is his military background. We’ve referred to his time on Centauri Prime in several episodes. His training and experience have served him well on Darklanding. Without his ingrained tactical thinking, well-earned toughness, and ability to think outside the box he couldn't have gotten the drop on people like White Skull, LeClerc, and Dregg to name a few. Now he is back in the game leading combat troops through a dangerous campaign.
When Craig told me what he was going to do with this one, I was excited. The more of Thad’s background we work out, the more options I have in the parts I write. Craig’s career in the Marine Corps gives him tools and insights I can only read about. When I got my copy to review, I blazed through it, really enjoying the military setting for this story.
The other thing I really liked, was the developing relationship between Thaddeus and Shaunte. This has been a long time coming and I think it could fuel a lot of excitement in future episodes.
I love these characters and think about them even when I’m not writing.
Some of my favorite scenes in A Warrior’s Home involve Maximus. The pig-dog has long been one of my favorite characters (and popular with readers, to say the least). The awesomely obnoxious animal has been waiting for some stage time. After reading A Warrior’s Home, I knew that book ten would be all about Maximus.
We are nearing the end of the series. Time flies, when you're having fun. At first glance these are short books or big novellas, depending on how you look at it. If you're one of the fantastically loyal fans who’s been with us since the beginning, awesome! We've come a long way together.
Think about it. A brand-new fan of Darklanding is going to see this massive enterprise and hopefully get excited. How cool is that? I love the energy of our fans and can't say enough how grateful I am you’re enjoying the stories.
Thanks,
Scott
P.S. – Please leave a review if you can. They really matter. Wave the five-star flag to draw attention to the Darklanding series! The more the merrier! (If you don’t want to give five stars, that’s still great. But can you shoot one of us an email on what we need to improve so we can earn five starts in the future? Thanks!)
Author Notes: Craig Martelle
Written on 4/23/18
Look at you (if you’re reading this, I’m looking at you) and I’m thanking you for still reading! Not only did you read this episode of Darklanding, you are still reading! That makes you my all-time favorite human being.
I love the military side of science fiction. I also need to explain some of the military lingo. A lieutenant colonel is often referred to as colonel. It’s okay. It’s not a mistake, just like calling a first or second lieutenant simply lieutenant. Or in the case of a second lieutenant, butter barticus, but I digress. I use a fair bit of military tactical terminology in this one, but I try to make sure that it is understood through context or a direct translation. That language is second nature to me and sometimes I miss out that others won’t know the terms. Accept my apology if I floated too many different words in this one.
He’s still the sheriff!
And that’s what matters. I deployed a great deal while in the military, so this story is near and dear to my heart. Deployments bring a great conflict of emotions. I hope I captured some of that here.
Scott Moon has become such a good friend! We challenge each other to do better and be better. I don’t want to disappoint him with my stories. Our test readers, Jim Caplan, Micky Cocker, and Kelly O’Donnell, are incredible with their help to keep the stories clean and on track. And I always want to please Diane and Dorene. This series is for them.
I'm a lifelong daydreamer and student of human interaction. I have some degrees, but those don't matter when it comes to telling the story. Engaging characters within a believable narrative—that's what it’s all about. I live in the interior of Alaska, far away from an awful lot, but I love it here. It is natural beauty at its finest.
Peace, fellow humans.
***
We’d like to thank the following beta readers who make sure that this story goes to you as error free as humanly possible. They also keep us on track with the stories. What a great group of people we have helping us to tell better stories.
Micky Cocker
Kelly O’Donnell
James Caplan
Diane Velasquez
Dorene Johnson
Scott and I would both like to thank our families for putting up with us as we share the stories in our heads. We type slowly and it takes time to capture the words. Thank you for taking care of us while we’re doing our thing.