Sunday Snippet: Operation Moot Point

May is winding down and it's been kind of a whirlwind month. Or I might be hitting that age where time seems to fly by faster every day.

Not a bad work week. I finished up a project and jumped back into one that had been sitting on the back burner for a while. Also started a new one. Got some writing done also, which makes me happy because the sages have been on an extended vacation.

Pretty good week of viewing also. I managed to go through my slate of shows twice and finished up an episode I left hanging a few weeks ago.

Watched two episodes of The Brokenwood Mysteries. Thoroughly enjoyed both. I'm so excited this show is back for another season. I love the characters so much.

Caught two episodes of Death in Paradise. Finished up season seven and ended up liking it a lot. Starting season eight this week.

Started watching Best in Paradise, which features the favorite episodes of the cast. Got two viewed, and I think I'll continue watching. They have fun intros from the cast member and why the episode is one of their favorites.

Watched two episodes of Elementary and I really love how Joan is being fleshed out and using her knowledge. Also kind of happy to see some growth with Sherlock.

Enjoyed two episodes of The Batman. I remembered both and enjoyed each one. Really fun to have Robin and Batgirl working together to take down the rogues.

Caught one episode of Suspects and it ended up being a twisty affair, which I love. I have two more episodes of season four and then I'll start the final fifth season.

Watched two episodes of Classic Rugrats. Finished up the lead-in to the movie and caught the first episode post wedding. Fun stuff.

Also finished an episode of Peak Practice I started a couple of weeks ago. The later seasons seem to be a little hit or miss for me. Can't wait to finally get to season twelve.

That's it for the life update this week. Tonight's post is from Operation Moot Point, a novella that brings a couple together for a weird mission.

Here's the miniblurb:

Zia Rogue and Keb Belova are highly trained soldiers and put in charge of Operation Moot Point. Between them and their specialized skills, they should be able to plan the surprise party for the base commander—if they can stop arguing long enough to actually get the work done.

And a sneaky peek…

Invigorated after destroying as many raiders as possible while waiting for the reinforcements to arrive, Zia headed back to the base. "Damn, my head is spinning." The adrenaline rushes kind of stacked one on top of the other and her brain reached overload limit.

Banking toward the main landing bay, she pondered the crazy-ass stunt Keb pulled by following her out. "What in the name of the universe had he been thinking?" Maybe he hadn't been.

Nothing could explain how he pulled off flying right down the middle of enemy territory without a single shot being fired at him. Nothing rational or logical anyway. The sheer audacity blew her mind.

She couldn't squash the warm burst of … something … that filled her when he crossed to her side, basically going fly or die on her. She didn't have many people she could count on to be there no matter what. But she added Keb to the top of the list.

He confused the hell out of her sometimes. She usually chalked the weird vibe between them down to superior-subordinate semantics. The asteroid base didn't have fraternization regs, but she and Keb never crossed the personal to intimate line.

Not that I haven't thought about doing so.

She had … usually really late at night when sleep proved elusive. Yeah, not going there right now.

Landing the craft, she waited to be lowered down onto the hangar deck and hovered in a uncomfortable place between fully expecting a blazing set down from Keb and a consuming need to ask him why the hell he followed her across the line.

Before the canopy slid back, she shook her head. "Not sure I can handle either at the moment." Removing her helmet, she started to stand and caught Keb's gaze narrowed on her.

Shit. Probably couldn't avoid the ass-chewing.

The deck chief stood between their two planes. "Rogue, Belova. Report to the XO in the war room. He'd like to discuss that awesome display of insanity you two pulled out there." His lips twitched. "Frankly, I have no doubt you two'll be in the history books." Thumping the nose of the bird, he turned and walked away.

Zia wisely kept her mouth shut and avoided looking at Keb during their post-flight checks. At least she didn't have to worry about a blistering debrief from him.

Yet…

This story is a lot of fun to write. Zia and Keb are rarely on the same page, but they'll end up being very compatible soon.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Operation Moot Point

Another crazy-busy week but I got a lot of television watched. Finished up some short-term projects and got started a new long-term project that I'm excited about. July is almost over and I'm kind of surprised by how fast it's flying by.

On the television front, I actually got four episodes of The Muppet Show watched. Julie Andrews, Jaye P Morgan, Peter Sellers, and Petula Clark were the guest stars. Had a funny conversation with my brother about the reason I've been rewatching the series—mainly because it's something I remember us doing when we were way younger—and he regaled me with how he remembers certain skits more than he remembers the guest stars … and that's actually kind of true for me, too.

Ended up getting in two episodes of The Hardy Boys also. Really excited the guys got into the secret room and I loved how they completely disagreed about what to do with the pieces of the eye. Interested in what Stacy's game actually is. Something tells me she's not quite as ready to trash everything to do with the circle as she claims. I love how shady all the possible baddies are on this show. I can't wait to see how the first season ends with the finale.

Caught two episodes of Peak Practice and enjoyed both. I liked being able to see Beth and Jack grieve for their loss. Andrew is definitely growing on me, which is a good thing because he sticks around for a long time. Will is Will and I like him as he is.

Watched two more Master Class lessons with David Carson. The first focused on designing impactful magazines and I got some good information from that one. The second one was about designing your future and had the four group members trying to predict what their future would like in design. It was interesting and I liked the group overall.

Enjoyed two more episodes of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. The final with midwinter as the backdrop ended up being really good. The opener of season two with the epiphany set some interesting dominoes in play. I'm kind of excited to see where things go.

Loved the finale of Street Legal. I'm kind of hoping there's a second season because I'd like to know where the characters end up going. I kind of didn't see the partners hooking up coming but I'm interested in how that ends up playing out.

Caught two episodes of Chicago Med. Both were excellent. I'm so happy I'm finally able to catch this show from the beginning.

Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries had a great episode. Watching James and Peregrine tiptoe around each other makes my heart equally happy and sad. I love seeing the ramifications play out with them though. Next episode looks really good with Percy the Putz stirring the pot again.

Watched the second part of Silent Witness and ended up really enjoying the ending. I think I caught it during my initial run because I vaguely remember how things played out.

Got a full arc of Classic Who in and enjoyed the four episodes. I'm still not sure about the whole new regeneration of Romana but we'll see how the season plays out.

Caught another episode of UFOs: The Lost Evidence. I'm nearing the end of season two and I'm not sure if there's another season or not but I quite enjoy this show.

Started a new episode of Blue Heelers and, so far, it's interesting. There's a reporter that's annoying but otherwise good story rolling out.

Started a new-to-me series with Brokenwood Mysteries. I loved the first episode and look forward to see how the next few hold up to the premiere.

That's pretty much it for television. Tonight's post is from Operation Moot Point, a sexy short that got a start with a writing community prompt.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Zia Rogue and Keb Belova are highly trained soldiers and put in charge of Operation Moot Point. Between them and their specialized skills, they should be able to plan the surprise party for the base commander—if they can stop arguing long enough to actually get the work done.

And a sneaky peek…

Not a single ship fired at him when he dropped down to follow Zia's trajectory. Not even the surface rail guns aimed his way.

Hitting the thrusters, he hit the halfway point. "I'm as crazy as she is." He kept going intent on saving her ass.

A single thought circled around in his brain. I can't face life if she's not in it. What that meant on a deeper level, he couldn't answer. Instinct drove him to keep moving so he didn't have to find out.

He shot past the final enemy raider and rolled into the space next to Zia.

Zia's voice crackled over the line. "What the hell did you just do?"

Keb blinked, a little stunned to still be breathing. "I came to get you."

Zia sputtered and choked. "Why? Seriously … why would you do something so stupid?"

Keb bit down on the truth. "Because two on this side and ten on the other gives us all better odds." And it meant she wouldn't die alone. "You got the message out, right?"

She huffed out a breath. "Fine time to ask. But, yeah, I did."

Zeb slowly started forward. "Then we'll close ranks and take out as many as we can until reinforcements arrive." He switched over to address the full squadron. "Hold positions for ten count. Cut all chatter." He didn't want anyone to lose focus. "Tighten the net by mark zero four every seven. If the raiders stray out of the zone, tear 'em up." He eased forward a little more.

Zia's voice came over the ship to ship. "I didn't get an acknowledgment. We don't know if we'll get help."

Keb shrugged. "Doesn't matter. We've got a small window of opportunity here. We're between the enemy and their satellite, which means they can't call for more ground assistance. We hold the line here for thirty and do as much damage as we can." They'd be fucked on epic levels if another squadron didn't show.

Zia muttered on the ship to ship. "I still don't get why."

Keb didn't give her an answer. "Squawk twice if you get an acknowledgment. Otherwise, go silent. We have work to do." He wouldn't—couldn't—have a heartfelt conversation with her about the why.

Mainly because he still hadn't wrapped his brain around the depth of his feelings yet. And might never do so. Zia never made things easy and usually went out of her way to make them as difficult as possible.

Lining up a target, he let loose with a volley of gunfire and hit his mark. Zia followed suit and took out another raider.

"And there we have it. Nothing like a gun battle to act as a distraction."

I'm having more fun with this one than expected. Keb keeps sticking random little ideas into the story and I'm here for it.

 

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Operation Moot Point

My incredible and awesome gram left the world at around 1AM this morning. She gave me the very best adventures while I grew up and I'm going to miss her something fierce. As she said the last time I had the chance to be with her, "It's no picnic getting old." But she aged with beauty and grace. Considering I'm pretty much the spitting image of her, I hope I have the same experience.

It was a pretty great week for television. Legends of Tomorrow had a great episode. I loved having Wally and Rip together for an adventure and the whole pirate scenario kicked ass. I'm always sad when the show gets nitpicked to death. That said, it's not perfect, but I like that it isn't.

I missed the new episode of The Flash, but I'll catch up soon. Black Lightning turned out a good hour. I like having more of the pieces and outing the new kid on the block to her parents ended up being way better than I expected.

Arrow broke my heart. This is still one of my very favorite shows and having the two teams battling each other kills me. I'm not sure where the whole Laurel storyline is going, but I'm interested in seeing how it plays out. I'm really excited to have Roy return even if he'll probably get tortured… again.

I'm almost finished with season four of Chicago Fire. Still pretty thrilled with the overall arcs of the characters and I loved Mouch and Trudy's wedding. I have a new DVD to watch tonight and then I think it's on to season five.

I finished the first season of The Punisher. Gotta say I thoroughly enjoyed it. The guy I actively wanted to die at the end is still kicking but I'm okay with that. The other one I wanted to see die a horrible death got what he had coming, so there's that. Here's hoping there's a season two.

I have to play catch-up with Gotham's newest episode. I'm also getting a few of my foreign shows lined up. Murdoch Mysteries and Marcella are on tap when I can find a few spare hours. Looking forward to both!

That's it for television this week. Tonight's post is from Operation Moot Point, a sexy short featuring two main characters tasked with pulling off a surprise party and the fun and games ensue.

Here's the mini-blurb:

Zia Rogue and Keb Belova are highly trained soldiers and put in charge of Operation Moot Point. Between them and their specialized skills, they should be able to plan the surprise party for the base commander—if they can stop arguing long enough to actually get the work done.

And a sneaky peek…

A crazy plan landed in Zia Rogue's brain and wouldn't let go.

"If someone doesn't break through the communication barricade, the battle will be lost."

Her crazy-ass plan might blow up in her face, but her squadron barely held their own against the enemy ambush. The blinking satellite on the tower almost begged for use… and turning the enemy's equipment against them had a poetic justice to it.

The only problem? The base rail guns on the ground and the enemy squadron between her and the tower. Shitty odds on a good day. And today didn't count as good in any way.

Zia hit her thrusters. "Fuck it. We're all dead if I don't try." She made an end over end flip and dropped as close to the hard deck as she dared, staying just above the enemy flak.

Keb Belova's voice crackled over the short range comms. "Zephyr, what the hell. Get back in formation." He said her call sign with a long emphasis on the 'Z' the only indication of his frustration.

Right. Because SOP tactics were working really well right now. Not.

She flipped the switch over to ship to ship. "Look, Krypter, we've gotta get word out about the ambush. Cover me so I can get through." She hit her turbo thruster and shot forward.

Keb launched into a major tirade. "Don't even think about doing something stupid. You don't have a way—"

She cuts comms so she could concentrate on her task. "Okay, Wheezy. We've got a bit of tricky flying to do and I need everything you've got." Her affectionate name for her ship came from the sound it made when lowering to the hangar deck.

No, she didn't care what anyone thought. Naming her ship kept her in the air. Rational thought didn't have to enter the equations.

Zia rode the turbulent air, keeping just above the enemy counter fire and below the main action above her. Keb did his part, providing cover while Zia ran the gauntlet. She almost freaked out when she hit the halfway mark.

Letting out a surprised laugh, she powered forward. "Looks like I might just pull this insane stunt off." Another burst of speed after dodging fire from a repositioned rail gun and she wanted to take back the confident talk. "Dammit. That's too close." Why did she think up this crazy stuff?

An explosion to her left caught her attention and she glanced over, giving a relieved sigh to see the remnants of a weapon spread out over the ground. A silent thank-you to Keb went up to the universe. The man rarely missed when he fired his long-range missiles.

When she burst free of the chaos, she exhaled a harsh breath. "Yes! Now I've got you." Idling close to the satellite, she quickly keyed a coded message to the fleet. Ambush on asteroid base. Backup needed. Full squadron. She added the coordinates to bring them in from the right flank.

Once she sent the missive, the cold realization hit her. Of course she didn't think about how the hell to get back on her side of the line. Only her singular plan mattered.

Until now.

She closed her eyes. "That's what Keb started to say." She'd cut communication before he got the words out.

Well, hell. She angled her ship around, but didn't engage the thrusters. At this point, she'd pretty much be waiting for death. Wouldn't take long for someone on the base to reposition the counter fire in her direction. She might avoid some of the hail of bullets, but not all.

Her mouth dropped open when she spotted Keb dropping out of formation and heading her way. The lunatic hit his turbo burst and shot forward.

Zia shook her head. "And he thinks I'm insane."

I love writing crazy plans and dropping the characters into the middle of them.

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

ML Skye

Sunday Snippet: Operation Moot Point

What a rainy, miserable week. But hey, at least we didn't have any snow.

Not a lot of new television to watch, but the Bitten finale did not disappoint. Especially the ending. Whoa! If there's not a season three, there better at least be a movie to explain that whole dealio.

Finished up a rewatch of the X-Files. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed the last two seasons, even without Mulder. Getting ready to begin Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and get back into Teen Wolf. Plus keep up with the last episodes of The Flash and Arrow.

Orphan Black is back next Saturday and I can't wait to get a double dose of clones. Looking forward to how the Castor guys fit into the story.

A final random note, I read Eliza Dushku is joining the cast of Banshee for season four and I have very mixed feelings. I thoroughly enjoyed her as Faith on Buffy, but her last few roles have underwhelmed me. Here's hoping she does a great job and fits in well with the cast.

Tonight's post is from Operation Moot Point, an amusing look at what goes into planning something as simple as a surprise party and what happens to my main characters while they're working together.

Here's the tagline:

Zia Rogue and Keb Belova are highly trained soldiers and put in charge of Operation Moot Point. Between them and their specialized skills, they should be able to plan the surprise party for the base commander—if they can stop arguing long enough to actually get the work done.

And a sneaky peek…

Zia whirled around. "Dammit. Shut up!" She barely kept the volume to a low shout.

Keb crossed his arms over his chest. "No. I won't. Not until you—"

Zia held up a hand. "Admit you're right?" She nodded. "Yeah, okay. You are. And I won't pull the maneuver again anytime soon, all right?" She waited, her head tilted to one side.

He inclined his chin, acknowledging her promise.

She heaved a sigh. "Good. Now seriously shut up about what happened yesterday and move the hell on." She swiped her palm over the holo monitor and spread everything out on the walls. "We need to plan this damn op and get it off the ground."

Keb strode forward and moved two personnel charts, grouping them with a small contingent of supply lists.

Zia's lips curved. "Oh, that's perfect." She moved a couple of the designated tasks over to a blank spot and added four more then flagged her as the owner. "I'll pull this into my schedule and get a start on organizing a committee for setting up."

Keb snorted. "You mean you'll blackmail Chibs, Ryan, and Bartley into the manual labor part of this shindig." He slid several more lists onto one screen and condensed them into a single grouping. "That leaves me with Robins, Sonarz, and Darrins. I'll make sure they're well aware I've been chatting with you about their late night galley runs."

Zia narrowed her eyes. "I didn't know about their late night thieving." She cocked her head to one side. "Why drag me into your extortion?"

Keb laughed. "Because they're more afraid of you than they are of me."

She straightened. "Oh." A slow smile spread across of her face. "Good to know."

This one is fun. If I can get these two to work together, they'll be golden.

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

ML Skye