Sunday Snippet: Call to Come Home

I wish I could say it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, but it's so not. LOL I'm hoping I can add some holiday cheer to the casa sometime this week. I think I'm going to make 2020 my year to finally purge a ton of stuff we no longer need or use.

Didn't have a great week of television, but did get a few things watched. We got a Disney + account through our wireless carrier so I did start a rewatch of the Gargoyles series. I have so many fond memories of this show when my oldest was little.

I finished the Gilmore Girls marathon and had some pretty intense feels. I watched sporadically when it originally aired, mainly because I had three youngish kiddos at the time. I really love the vibe of this show, even when I wanted to strangle the characters sometimes.

Caught another episode of Midsomer Murders and also realized series twenty isn't the last one. Yay!!

Caught a full story arc of Sapphire and Steel along with a full arc of Classic Who. I'd forgotten how much I truly disliked the Master way back when.

I finished out the week with The Trouble with Mistletoe, a Passionflix original. If you're not a member, consider signing up. I love the service!

That's pretty much it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Call to Come Home, a novella that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Hollace is on a mission in enemy territory to retrieve power cells to keep their temporary base station running. She bumps into a man she shares a past with, the presumed-dead son of her commanding officer. When Verge refuses to leave with her, ignoring the call to come home, she takes matters into her own hands to reunite father and son… and to pick up where she and Verge left off.

And a sneaky peek…

"You wanted to see me, sir?" Hollace Winter stepped inside her commanding officer's space.

Vasser Olafsson glanced up from a stack of papers and Hollace bit back a gasp of surprise and alarm. He'd aged overnight. At least in the eyes that had seen too much fighting and devastation over the past two years.

Vasser nodded toward the seat across from his desk. "I did, Lieutenant. Take a seat." He shuffled the pages and tapped the bottom against the battered surface of the desk. "I have a mission for you but I'm not making it an order." He turned the pile of pages in her direction and pushed them toward her. "We're leaving Altera behind. You can see, starting on page three, the detailed list of why, but the reasons distill down to the planet is dying from this stupid, bloody war." He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

Hollace flipped through the report, skimming the bold points, each one direr than the last. In essence, they had less than two months to get as many people off the anchorage that orbited Altera and hopefully plot a course to find a habitable place to call home.

She blew out a breath. "What's the mission, sir?" She'd do just about anything Olafsson asked because she respected the man who'd become a father figure.

Vasser opened his eyes. "Turn to page ninety-seven. You'll get the general idea." He waited until she found the big red empty box on that page. "If we're going to have any hope of making an evacuation a success, we'll need those power cells. If we don't get them, we can't start the agriculture project we'll need to feed everyone." He leaned forward again. "But you and I both know where those cells will be." His mouth thinned into a slash across his face.

Hollace nodded. "In enemy hands. That's why you won't make this an order, isn't it?" He'd hate to put anyone in such a precarious position, but his reason for not wanting her to take the mission had an added wrinkle.

Her history with Vasser's son, Verge, a former captain who'd resigned his commission before the war started. When Verge decided to pursue a degree in eco-preservation, the old man blew a gasket. Hollace didn't get between them when they all but came to blows but she wished she had.

Losing Verge had taken a toll on the stoic commander.

Olafsson folded his arms over his chest. "It's one of the reasons. The other is not wanting to risk any of my pilots. If we're going to evacuate, someone has to fly CAPs and the galley crew won't cut it." He shook his head. "A solo mission isn't ideal, but it's less intrusive than sending a full platoon down to stir up more fighting."

Hollace didn't hesitate. "I'll go, sir. But let's keep the details under wraps. I'll report to only to you and we launch with only the deck chief and landing signal officer's knowledge." Warming to the concept, she added a few more thoughts. "If I leave from the dark side of the station, I can be out of the tube and halfway to the planet before I show up on the radar."

Vasser gave her idea consideration. "Okay, you have a go." He pushed away from the desk and stood. "Lieutenant, it goes without saying I need you to come home… but I'm saying it anyway." He moved around and extended his hand toward her when she got up.

Hollace grasped his palm. "I appreciate hearing it, sir." She pulled him into a hug. "I won't disappoint you." Stepping away, she turned and headed for the exit.

Vasser followed her to the door and gave a nod before she left.

So much left unspoken, the biggest being how much regret he carried over the fallout with his son.

I love writing reunions and family drama. Hollace gets both is this story.

That's it for this week. Catch everyone on the flipside.

ML Skye