So It Begins (48 page)

  Andy Remic is a hard-hitting kick-ass military science fiction author with five novels in print. In his spare time he enjoys mountain climbing, sword fighting and hacking computer systems. He can kill a man with a single blow of his chainsaw, but prefers photographing woodland wildlife and biomod engineering. He is sometimes accused of nihilism.

Danielle Ackley-McPhail

FIRST LINE

  Award-winning author Danielle Ackley-McPhail has worked both sides of the publishing industry for nearly fifteen years. Her works include the urban fantasies,
Yesterday's Dreams
, its sequel,
Tomorrow's Memories
, the upcoming novella,
The Halfling’s Court,
the anthologies,
Bad-Ass Faeries, Bad-Ass Faeries 2: Just Plain Bad
, and
No Longer Dreams
, all of which she co-edited, and contributions to numerous anthologies and collections, including
Breach the Hull, Space Pirates
, and the upcoming science fiction anthologies
New Blood
and
Barbarians at the Jumpgate
. She is a member of The Garden State Horror Writers, the electronic publishing organization EPIC, and Broad Universe, an organization promoting the works of women authors. To learn more about her work, visit www.sidhenadaire.com.

Jeffrey Lyman

GUNNERY SERGEANT

  Jeffrey Lyman is a 2004 graduate of the Odyssey Fantasy Writing Workshop. Since then he has been published in various anthologies, including
No Longer Dreams
by Lite Circle Press,
Sails and Sorcery
by Fantasist Enterprises, and
Breach the Hull
by Marietta Publishing. He was involved in editing both
Bad Ass Fairies I
and
II
. He is currently finishing up a novel about some pretty rotten fairies. By day, he works as a mechanical engineer near New York City. Visit www.jdlyman.com.

Jack Campbell

GRENDEL

  John G. Hemry, writing as Jack Campbell, is the author of the best-selling
Lost Fleet
series. Under his own name, he’s also the author of the ‘JAG in space’ series, the latest of which is
Against All Enemies
. His short fiction has appeared in places as varied as the latest
Chicks in Chainmail
anthology (
Turn the Other Chick
), and
Analog
magazine (which published his Nebula Award-nominated story
Small Moments in Time
). John’s nonfiction has appeared in
Analog
and
Artemis
magazines as well as BenBella books on Charmed, Star Wars, and Superman. John is a retired US Navy officer who lives in Maryland with his wife (the incomparable S), and three great kids.

Mike McPhail

CLING PEACHES

  Mike McPhail is a member of Military Writers Society of America (MWSA), and the winner of the 2007 Dream Realm Award for Best Anthology (and finalist for Best Cover Art), as editor and cover artist for the military science fiction anthology
Breach the Hull
(book I in the
Defending the Future
series), as well as
By Other Means
, book III, planned for 2011. He is also the creator of the
Alliance Archives
(All'Arc) series and its related Martial Role-Playing Game (MRPG); a manual-based, military science fiction that realistically portrays the consequences of warfare. To learn more of his work, visit www.mcp-concepts.com.

Bud Sparhawk

GLASS BOX

  Bud Sparhawk began writing science fiction stories in 1975 and, after two sales, stopped writing for thirteen years. Since again taking up the pen, his stories and articles have appeared frequently in
Analog, Asimov’s
, and other SF magazines as well as anthologies. Bud has been a three-time finalist in the Nebula’s Novella category in 1998, 2002, and 2006. More information may be found at http://sff.net/people/bud_sparhawk.

Tony Ruggiero

LOOKING FOR A GOOD TIME

  Tony Ruggiero has been publishing fiction since 1998. His published novels include
Team of Darkness, Alien Deception, Alien Revelation,
and
Aliens and Satanic Creatures Wanted: Humans Need Not Apply
. Tony is also a contributing author to
The Fantasy Writers’ Companion
from Dragon Moon Press. Other collaborative work includes
The Writers for Relief
anthology and
No Longer Dreams
anthology. Tony retired from the United States Navy in 2001 after twenty-three years of service. He and his family currently reside in Suffolk, Virginia. While continuing to write, Tony teaches at Old Dominion University, Saint Leo University, and Tidewater Community College in Norfolk, VA.

C.J. Henderson

EVERYTHING’S BETTER WITH MONKEYS

  CJ Henderson is the creator of the Teddy London supernatural detective series, author of such diverse yet fabulously interesting titles as
The Field Guide to Monsters, Baby's First Mythos, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction Movies
and some fifty other books and novels. He has had hundreds of short stories published along with hundreds of comics and thousands of non-fiction pieces. The first novel in his latest series,
Brooklyn Knights
, will be coming out from TOR later this year. For more check out his website, www.cjhenderson.com. If you send him a pie, he will remember you in his prayers.

David Sherman

SURRENDER OR DIE

  With thirty novels and only one previously published short story to his credit, you could say that David Sherman writes long-form fiction. He is the author of eight out-of-print novels of US Marines in Vietnam (he was one); military SF series
Starfist
and its spinoff,
Starfist: Force Recon
(both with Dan Cragg); a Star Wars novel,
Jedi Trial
(also with Dan Cragg); and fantasy series
DemonTech
. "Surrender or Die" was written as the prolog of the fourth book in the
DemonTech
series, but, *alas*, that never happened. He invites readers to visit his website: www.novelier.com.

Charles G. Weekes

CONFRONTATION

Weekes was a Machinist Mate (MM2) in the US Navy. He served during the time of the Lebanon Crisis, and had known many of the Marines lost in that infamous truck-bombing. He obtained his goal to become a submariner and served aboard the fast attack sub USS Spadefish (SSN 668).During his service, he dreamed of becoming a science fiction writer; one who envisioned in the grandeur of Galactic Fleet Warfare, waged by mile long starships. Unfortunately, his characters and stories never saw the light of day, and although several manuscripts have been found, there is no legacy to authorize there release, let alone carry on his vision. To date, his only published works, is an excerpt from his novella "Confrontation", on the eBook version of
So It Begins
. On the web there are two articles in GDW’s "Challenge" magazine (issues number 51 and 63), both of which deal with gaming within the FASA Star Trek universe.

Bonus Content

Surrender or Die

A DemonTech Adventure

David Sherman

Pinions fluttered from crosspieces at the tops of tall staffs that marched toward Handor’s Bay. Long columns of soldiers tramped behind those pinions, or rode on dust cloud-enshrouded horses. The horsemen followed pinions of solid color; red, white, green, black, orange, and more. The footmen’s pinions were checked or slashed or barred, all in multichrome. At the distant rear of the columns the supply wagons trundled, food-animals herded, camp followers trudged. Bugles, thin at the distance, sounded along the columns.

  Duke Harrand Handor, Gate Master to The Easterlies, stood atop the highest tower of the keep that guarded the landward approaches to the harbor and its city. North, he saw ten columns of soldiers marching south. From the south, six columns of footmen and five of horse marched north. In the west the forest partly blocked his view, but he was sure of eight columns of foot and as many horse.

  “There are too many,” he said, dryly to General Lord Hendred Hexikles.

  General Lord Hendred Hexikles knew better than Duke Handor how many Jokapkul closed on Handor’s Bay—enough of his scouts had evaded capture to report the torrential numbers of Jokapcul flooding toward The Easterlies main seaport. He merely grunted.

  “L-Lord,” stammered Lord Mayor Hohten Hombor, the civil administrator of Handor’s Bay, “th-there are enough sh-ships in port to eva-evacuate the most important p-people. And m-many of the rest of the c-citizens,” he hastily added, when General Lord Hexikles glowered at him.

  Duke Harrand Handor ignored the mayor, he looked at Baron Hirham Hibfroth.

  Master of Lands, Baron Hirham Hibfroth said, solemnly, “The grains, vegetables, and fruits have all been harvested and brought into the city, even those not yet ripened. Many are siloed on the ships in port.” He flashed his eyes at the mayor. “The herds are within. The Jokapcul will find naught to feed their hordes.”

  Lord Mayor Hohten Hombor paled. If the ships were serving as silos, how could they evacuate people? How could he escape?

  That night, the cook fires of the Jokapcul army seemed to sprinkle the land as densely as stars did the sky. Fires were occasionally occluded as more columns tramped or rode into the camp. The noises of the soldiers and their animals washed over the city like the sound of the sea that lapped against its eastern side.

  The ground mist burned off slowly in the morning. As the mist thinned, it revealed rank upon rank of Jokapcul soldiers facing the city, until they appeared as fields of spring wheat nearing harvest.

  Duke Harrand Handor and his chief councilors again stood watching atop the tallest tower. The silence that surrounded the city was unnerving; not even birds cried where that army stood.

  Behind the middle of the semicircle of soldiers stood a stark pavilion, its only decoration overlapping canvas roofs that mimicked a fir tree in form. A speck rose from low on the pavilion and spiraled upward. When it gained altitude higher than the height of the keep tower, it ceased spiraling and arrowed at the quintet. In moments they could discern its shape. The thing was vaguely like a gnarly human in form and flapped leathery, bat-like wings. The creature’s eyes glowed red.

  “It’s an imbaluris.” Scholar Hubart Hu’sk’s voice cracked, and he had to repeat himself.

  Duke Handor looked a question at him.

  “A demon used as a messenger,” came the explanation.

  The hideous demon, the size of a large owl and armed with talons bigger than an eagle’s, landed heavily on a crenellation and barely kept from falling off before it steadied into a squatting perch.

  “
Oo zurr’ndr
!” the imbaluris screeched.

  Duke Handor choked off a swallow before it made his throat bob. “Never!” he snarled at the demon.

  “
Oo zurr’ndr
!” the imbaluris repeated. It swept an arm back at the Jokapcul army. “
Zjogabkul doo ztrong. Oo zurr’ndr or oo dzie
!”

  Unsure of his voice in the face of the demon, Duke Handor shook his head.

  “
Komm bak, one arr. Oo zurr’ndr then. Or oo dzie
!” The demon stuttered its feet around until it faced away from the Duke and his advisors, then launched itself into the air. It didn’t spiral upward this time, simply flapped its way straight back to the pavilion. A chill wind eddied around the tower top.

  General Lord Hendred Hexikles looked at the duke for instructions.

  Duke Handor swallowed and found his voice. “The Jokapcul call coward all who surrender. They kill cowards. We do not surrender.”