Sunday Snippet: Hard Call

Yeesh. Still dealing with the tire issue but have an appointment to get the replacements on Tuesday. I can't wait. But … we now have to get two new tires for my husband's vehicle. It's like dominoes falling … one thing after another.

Had some seriously cool temperatures this week. Also rain. Rain. Rain. Rain. We're supposed to have clear weather for the beginning of the week but more rain from Thursday through the weekend.

Work projects were pretty smooth this week. I finished up the wild ride copy edit and completed a proofread that had a few issues but overall ended up being great. Still working on the evaluation and making good project. I have another back burner project I'm hoping to get to this week.

Had a solid viewing week. I made it through my usual slate of shows and got to binge Death in Paradise a couple of days.

Started with Marple again and enjoyed the mystery. There were a lot of twists and turns with a resolution that ended up being sad but excellent.

Finished up the first season of Britain's Most Scenic Counties. Thoroughly enjoyed visiting Kent and look forward to the next season and new location.

Caught another episode of Return to Paradise and enjoyed it again. Reggie reminds me of Margo from Beyond Paradise. Both are filled with local knowledge and wield their power when it counts the most. Great mystery also.

Watched another Poirot and liked the twists and turns. Very interesting to hear all the discussion of the upcoming war and having three mysteries instead of one ended up being quite fun.

Elementary got a little freaky. The possible serial killer struck very close to home, and I really hope things don't go in an obvious direction. Can't wait to watch the next episode to see if they do or don't.

Enjoyed an episode of Young Justice and loved seeing the young team dealing with being the grown-ups in the room. Kind of interested to see what happens with the stolen bit.

Ended the week with an episode of Star Trek Lower Decks and totally loved the call back to the original series. Fun episode with plenty of weird thrown in for good measure. I'm going to be very sad when I finish this one.

That's the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Hard Call, a novella that mixes family dynamics with the mantle of command.

Here's the miniblurb:

Wiccam Kidder commands a space cruiser and wears the mantle of command with reluctance. When he makes a hard call and orders Valor Glynne to what may be a certain death, he wants to give up the burden and walk away. But Valor returns, and Wic is faced with knowing she'll follow wherever he leads.

And a sneaky peek…

Target removal confirmed. In Valor's voice.

The relief hit hard and fast. So much so, Wic didn't question the how. He didn't care. He closed his eyes then opened them to find the hard gaze of his father on him. Cray held the stern look, giving Wic a terse nod before turning on his heel and exiting the command center.

Wic would get an earful later. He could read his father's body language far too well. And, yeah, he'd take whatever venom his dad spewed and live with it … because Valor would be returning to the ship.

Wic's officers visibly relaxed when the admiral left. A few of the crew members pumped the air in a show of enthusiasm. But Wic couldn't yet, too keyed up to kick back and celebrate the successful mission on two fronts instead of one. He needed to see Valor, witness her hale and whole, before his tension would ease.

He nodded toward a senior lieutenant. "You've got the comm, Escaba." He handed off the reins to his capable officer.

Striding from the command center, Wic slowed his pace, emotions churning in his gut. He didn't want to sort through them. He wanted to act on instinct, for once. To forget why he avoided going too deep into future thoughts.

He entered the hangar deck to find Valor coming out of the ship. She stopped when she spotted him and everything faded away when his gaze locked with hers. The noise from the deck crew dissipated into nothingness. He focused completely on Valor.

The moment stretched out, the connection growing stronger when their feet carried them to meet in the middle of the hangar floor. Wic cupped her face, stroking his thumb over her cheek. Valor leaned into the touch, her eyelids sliding shut but not before she could hide the weariness and hurt from him. His heart twisted and his brain filled with questions. He wanted answers to all of them.

Wic found his voice. "Come see me when you're showered and changed." He could wait a little while longer.

Valor nodded, her eyes brimming with moisture.

They had a lot to talk about.

I really love how this story is coming together. Wic and Valor have a long history and will hopefully have a long future also.

 

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

ML Skye