Man… another week full of crazy sauce. In all honesty, I could do with a bit of slowing down and a tiny amount of smooth sailing. That said… I won't hold my breath. And it's not like anything majorly negative is going on. It's only being busier than I normally am.
Not a bad week in television. My current obsession with Roswell, New Mexico continues and I rewatched the first nine episodes. This week's episode didn't disappoint and my conspiracy theory side is having a heyday about the fourth alien. I'm such a big fan of how… messy… the relationships are. Awkward interactions abound and I'm totally here for watching all that unfold. So far, I'm also a big fan of how those touchy moments are being portrayed. I love how the core characters are letting the subtext shine and mixing it with lots of snark and offbeat comments. This show… if you're not watching it, give it a whirl. You won't be disappointed.
Caught another episode of Murdoch Mysteries and loved how the show title got worked into the book William and Julia are writing. It makes me wonder if the twelfth season might be the last. If so, I'll fondly say goodbye and look forward to rewatching from the start.
Watched the Arrow "Unmasked" episode and thoroughly enjoyed. I should be to the point where I can catch up on the crossover event with The Flash and Supergirl. I'm behind on The Flash but, sadly, I don't miss it as much as I thought I would.
Caught a great episode of Painkiller Jane. I remembered this one and enjoyed the second viewing. I actually wouldn't mind a reboot or reimagining of this concept at some point.
Started from the beginning of Peter Gunn and watched the first two episodes. I finally found another streaming source that has all of the first season episodes. This is such a great show to watch when the mood to write noir strikes me.
Watched another episode of Underbelly: Razor. Things move fast in this series and I kind of enjoyed watching Kate get served even when she did the right thing. Communication would go a long way in her world. Tillie and Nellie are probably next and I'll look forward to seeing how the cracks and chips start showing in their armor too.
Caught one of my favorite episodes of The Sarah Conner Chronicles. I truly loved how Jessie's gambit finally got revealed and the sole purpose she brought Riley back to the past came into play. And I also liked how Derek is finally edging toward knowing they're working at cross purposes. Good stuff.
Watched the final episode of Birds of Prey and I'm glad I took the time to rewatch this single season show. The last scene is more than worth watching the entire series for.
Started the sixth episode of Strike Back's sixth season. Gotta say the Mac and Wyatt interactions are terrific in this episode. Also love Coltrane's bits so far. I really want to see him rip into the DEA agent for blowing their cover. He's too smart not to know she had a big ass hand in doing that.
And that's it for this television this week. Tonight's post is from Wires Crossed, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt of writing a scene where a training exercise goes wrong.
Here's the mini-blurb:
Vanessa Twill and Justin Hardwick don't always see eye to eye and the tension between them is thick and taut. When a training exercise goes bad, the duo is grounded until they get their act together. Forced to communicate, they work out some issues and realize they didn't have their wires crossed… a saboteur did. Literally.
And a sneaky peek…
Justin grabbed hold of Vanessa's shoulder. "Hold up, Twill. Care to explain why you were all over Red Hen's ass?" He tucked his helmet under his arm and braced his legs.
She sighed and jerked her head toward the briefing room. He didn't necessarily want to be alone with her. Not right now. Red-hot irritation chafed at him but he followed her inside the darkened room.
She turned and folded her arms across her chest. "Because I had the XO in my face as soon as I landed. His words were, and I quote, 'that was a little too close for comfort' and 'let's make sure it doesn't happen again.'" Her hard look underscored her next words. "Didn't have the heart, or frankly, the balls, to tell him Red Hen isn't mine, but he tagged me in front of everyone. Didn't have much choice but to tear Hernandez a new one." Her brow quirked upward, daring him to push back.
He couldn't. At least not on that point. But he did have an issue with a few things she'd berated the junior pilot over.
Setting his helmet in one of the chairs, he matched her cross-armed stance. "Did you have to tell him how much ejections cost?" Seriously? Not the thing pilots want to hear when they've just lost a plane.
She made a garbled choking sound. "Why the hell shouldn't I? You do realize it's part of our training budget, right?" Flinging an arm out, she started pacing back and forth. "I mean, you're a numbers guy, aren't you? Always pulling random statistics out of your ass to make a point." Her eyes rolled and she paused.
His face heated, but he gave a nod. "Statistics don't lie." They were the foundation the military built almost everything on.
Vanessa snorted. "Maybe not, but they can be manipulated. Which is why developing good instincts makes better pilots." A phrase she repeated almost ad nauseam.
Justin waved his hand. "Instinct only carries them so far. Practice, repeating the same exercises over and over, builds muscle memory and hones fine motor skill." And, yes, he had a stack of reports that backed his statement up.
Which Vanessa would know.
She sighed. "Look, you're awfully comfortable taking chances with multibillion-dollar space crafts, but I'm not as blasé about the bottom line." Dropping into one of the seats, she slumped down and kicked her feet out. "Or about training our pilots in the fine art of flying them correctly so they don't have to eject."
Okay, ouch. Vanessa didn't usually bring out the bitch card so early in a discussion. Then again, she rarely ended up on the XO's shit list either.
But… Justin had a semi-ready comeback. "The planes don't actually cost billions to make. The government factors in the lifetime of use, the pay grades of the flight crew and pilots, the officers in the comms, hell, everything it takes to fly in the price they list for public review." The planes cost maybe two million to source and produce, tops. "As for the fine art of training, we've surpassed our counterparts on five other ships. I think we're doing something right." Even if they argued incessantly about their methods.
Vanessa's lips quirked in a half-smile. "Okay, there is that." She got up and met his gaze. "Look, it got hairy out there today and I'm still processing everything. I stand by what I said to Red Hen but if you want to smooth things over, I don't have any objections."
As far as concessions went, he'd take the peace offering.
Shaking his head, he grabbed his helmet again. "Nah. You gave him a lot to think about. We'll start fresh tomorrow and see how he handles being back out there." He thrust his free hand forward. "Thanks for explaining."
She grasped his palm. "Sure. Let's hope today's fiasco is used by everyone when we get back out there."
He could've done without the reminder but she made a fair point. And he'd wisely keep his mouth shut for now.
With a quick lift of his chin, he stepped out of the briefing room. "They're doing some kind of buffet for dinner tonight. Wanna join me?" Maybe if they spent some downtime together, they'd make some headway and argue less often.
She tilted her head to one side. "I'd like that. But I have a sim session scheduled with Catnap. Can we meet afterward?"
He agreed and actually looked forward to seeing how they got along outside of their usual roles.
I'm enjoying how Vanessa and Justin are interacting and how both make good, solid arguments for their point of view.
That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.
ML Skye
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