Greetings, awesome humans (and robots)!
Remember last time I asked about whether or not I should turn my Annotated Robot Galaxy Series (ARGS) book into an e-book? Well, I did it! It’s available on Amazon or from me directly.
What is the ARGS? It’s the 4 books of the Robot Galaxy Series (Crazy Foolish Robots, Robots Robots Everywhere, Silly Insane Humans, and Eleven Little Robots) all in one volume PLUS a pile of annotations throughout the book that explain a lot of the details. Think of them as behind the scenes notes!
Before we get into todays mini-story and the explanation of that… I need to do my usual plug for all the rest of the books and stories I have out there, with their links:
Links: Lunar Logic | Robot Galaxy Series | Final Orbit | Objective Reality
…and the new books:
Links: T is for Time Travel | Annotated Robot Galaxy Series #CC3333 or #00B3B3
Even if you don’t buy my books yourself this week, help an Indie Author out by telling someone, telling your book club, etc. Thanks!
Make sure you read all the way to the end where I write about what’s been happening with the podcast, share some things you should click on for other Indie Authors, and of course… there’s a bonus picture and bonus links at the very end!
Last month I told y’all the story of my series bible data loss.
It’s been a huge setback. Pretty much as big a setback as if I’d lost a manuscript in progress.
I’ve been working on recovery… but it’s been challenging and it’s delayed my ability to get T is for Tangent, my current primary work-in-progress, complete.
Add on top of that… I started a new day job! If you didn’t already know, I’m an engineer in the aerospace industry. More specifically, I’m what we call a “Mission Architect.” If you’ve seen me give a live talk, you’ve probably heard me joke that all that means is I’ve been in the industry long enough that they had to give me a cool title.
Of course that’s not really it!
Mission Architects like myself are responsible for figuring out how we achieve what the customer wants. Like say… there’s an organization who wants to monitor wildfires. They might know a few things about that what spectral band is useful. So I take that and figure out how that happens from space.
I didn’t choose the wildfire example randomly. Monitoring wildfires is one of the missions my new company, Muon Space, is involved in. Read about FireSat. (Of course, this all happened before I worked there, so I wasn’t involved in this mission.)
But even with the new job, I still get up at 4:30am in the morning and have an hour or so that is my “writing time,” which this past month has largely been “series bible recreation time” and “get brain back into T is for Tangent time.”
So I got an idea for this month’s newsletter… instead of writing a new piece of flash fiction (even though I have a backlog of ideas and half-started stories)… I thought it would be neat to give y’all a taste of that novel!
I went through and found a scene that should work as a standalone, approximately 1000-word story.
While I know a lot of the comments I get on my flash fiction is that y’all want more (i.e., it seems like there’s more of a story to tell)… this is of course true in this case. The snippet I pulled is the current Chapter 2. So there’s a whole novel to come afterwards!
I think it’s readable even if you haven’t read the rest of the Robot Galaxy Series. But maybe this snippet will encourage you to check them out? And/or grab that digital copy of the Annotated Robot Galaxy Series? And/or also get the first T-Set book, T is for Time Travel! (Note that the links in this para are all directed to my Shopify store. Did you know that Indie Author’s like me earn the most royalties off of our direct store? Although we’re happy that you’re just buying our books! This is also the only place on the interwebs where you can get autographed paperback copies of my books!)
I thought this snippet was appropriate because the worldbuilding that I’ve been re-building all centers around GUNV… The Galactic University of New Venice… the primary setting of T is for Tangent.
Don’t forget to read past the story, too… there’s stuff from other Indie Authors, recent BIG Sci-Fi Podcast episode links, and of course my bonus picture! (and a bunch of bonus links today)
Welcome to GUNV!
The screen flickered to life and opened on a panoramic view of Earth from space. The camera zoomed into an aerial view of the university, and playful, upbeat music filled with guitar strumming and soft maracas played from speakers all around the room.
“Welcome, dear student,” and there was a pause and a different, mechanical voice said “Ruby Palmer.” The mechanical voice held the final syllable just half a second too long—as if it were deciding whether to continue.
“You are seeing this because you are now amongst some of the most esteemed learners of the cosmos! We appreciate that you have chosen to attend the most exceptional, slightly peculiar, and unquestionably unique institutions in the known universe—The Galactic University of New Venice!”
By now, the camera had zoomed all the way down towards Italy and was focusing on a floating structure just south of Venice.
“Yes, you saw that right,” continued the narrator. “We float! Exactly 3.14159 centimeters above the ground. At the Galactic University of New Venice, we believe in defying gravity, quite literally. Hovering approximately pi centimeters above the Earth’s surface, we offer an educational experience that’s as elevated as our campus.”
The university was replaced with a scene of students walking along wide, suspended bridges that connected different parts of the campus, with a backdrop of a picturesque Italian landscape.
“Our campus is a marvel of modern engineering and a testament to human ingenuity. Here, walking from class to class is more than just moving about; it’s about being part of a living, breathing work of art.”
The scene again shifted to a view of a bustling cafeteria, and students engaged in animated conversations over their meals.
“And worry not,” said the narrator. “Our cuisine doesn’t float, but it will definitely lift your spirits! From traditional Italian delicacies to exotic dishes from all over the planet, our cafeteria caters to every palate.”
The next scene was in a classroom, where a passionate professor was enthusiastically discussing a holographic projection of a four-dimensional Venn diagram of time-travel ethics across competing paradox frameworks.
“Our faculty are the best and brightest—scholars, visionaries, and occasionally, magicians with a Ph.D. They’re here to ignite your curiosity and challenge your understanding of the universe.”
The pace picked up, videos shuffling through highlights of the university’s facilities. There was a lab with students tinkering with humanoid robots, a virtual reality simulation room that mimicked a rainforest, and an observatory with a breathtaking view of the stars. Ruby’s eyes lit up at all of the technology she’d have access to. She could see herself in every frame, sipping coffee, memorizing her notes, chatting with classmates as they complained about the homework load. She wanted all of it.
“So, whether you’re deciphering the mysteries of black holes and the cosmos, designing the next generation of space habitats, or just trying to pass Solar System Law 101, we’ve got everything you need to succeed—and then some!”
Scenes flashed rapidly on screen—suspended walkways, holographic classrooms, robots assembling something that Ruby questioned the legality of, and a library that looked suspiciously like it had lost an argument with architecture.
“Our faculty are the brightest minds in the solar system,” the narrator continued, as a professor enthusiastically diagrammed what appeared to be a four-dimensional ethical crisis. “Whether you’re studying time-travel jurisprudence, habitat design, or simply trying to survive that Solar System Law 101 class, we’re here to elevate your intellect—exactly 3.14159 centimeters at a time.”
The music swelled. The campus gleamed. Students laughed in curated slow motion.
“Welcome, Ruby Palmer,” the mechanical voice repeated—once again slightly too long on the final syllable.
The screen gently faded to black, and the music concluded in a soft and melodious end.
“Well?” Basil asked. “What did you think? That’s the newest version.”
“Oh,” Ruby said. “It was, uh, well done.”
“Do you like how we added in your name at the beginning and end? To make it personal?”
Ruby recognized this as one of those situations where honesty was not the best policy.
“Yeah, very personal. Thanks,” she said. “I’m excited to see all that stuff during orientation.”
Basil’s head tilted in confusion for a moment, and then he corrected, “This is orientation.”
Ruby paused before speaking, thinking she must have heard wrong, “I thought I’d be going on more of a tour? I saw almost the same video when I was choosing a school…” she trailed off.
Basil poked at a button. “I just transferred the full orientation packet to your communicuff. All necessary information has been provided. Welcome aboard.”
Isn’t that what the video just said? Ruby wondered as she watched Basil move around to a desk and sit, leaving Ruby unsure what to do next. After a few moments of awkward silence, she stood up and walked over.
“Was there anything else I needed? Where do I go now?”
“It’s all in the packet,” Basil said without looking up.
Ruby stepped away and out into the hallways, a little baffled. For the first time in a while, she was encountering someone who didn’t dote on her fame, ask about the robots, or seem especially interested in her at all.
It was oddly refreshing. But she had also been expecting a little more… something. Her excitement about school had been pushed into a corner by confusion at this unceremonious entrance.
“Pippa,” she said to her communicuff, “tell me about this orientation packet.”
“There’s a map,” Pippa said. “A schedule, and a small note.”
“What does the note say?” Ruby asked.
“Beware of the Quantum Mechanics class; it’s not what it seems. They literally tinker with reality in there,” said Pippa.
“Is that a joke?” Ruby asked. She wasn’t expecting Pippa to know. “Nevermind, Pippa. What’s on the schedule?”
“It looks like there was a meeting that began five minutes ago in Trotula Hall?”
“A meeting?” Ruby said. “Show me my schedule.”
Pippa displayed Ruby’s schedule as a holographic pop-up over Ruby’s wrist. There was indeed something labeled “staff meeting” and a room number in Trotula Hall.
“Why am I on the staff meeting schedule?” Ruby said to herself. She speculated that it must be a mistake… someone had labeled it ‘staff’ when it should have been ‘student.’ Yes, that was probably correct.
[THE END]
What do you think…?
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Indie authors are here to help out other indie authors. This simply means we cross-promote in each other’s newsletters in the hope that we’ll find readers for each other!
Infants in the Martian outpost of Basin have been plagued with birth defects for years—until recently. Corporate has dispatched Siwela and her team to find out why. What she learns will have profound implications for her job—and for who she wants to be. Get your FREE copy of An Illicit Mercy by Brian Scott Pauls!
And then there’s Return to the Galaxy: A Space Opera of Alien Invasion and Human Resistance which is billed as The Expanse meets Old Man’s War. You can get this novel by BA Gillies on KindleUnlimited:
And of course we do group promos where you can check out a whole bunch of writings from authors you don’t yet know! That first “Galactic Sci-Fi Reads” one? Yeah, I organized that one!! (I’ve organized one a month through the rest of the year!
Over at The BIG Sci-Fi podcast, we just launched Season 11!! And we started out by interviewing Nicholas Meyer. You may know him as the writer and director of several Star Trek films! (You can also listen to them over on Spotify or wherever you like to listen to podcasts!)
(You can also listen the podcast them over on Spotify or wherever you like to listen to podcasts!)
What’s next?
Re-building my series bible tangentially sparked getting a bunch of things in order and taking care of a bunch of side projects of data organization and physical organization. I could write a whole newsletter explaining each of these, but there’s not time for that. Trust me when I say… check these out and subscribe/follow as appropriate, please!
My Website: adeenam.com (If you know anyone who needs to hire a speaker, send them my way!)
My LinkedIn Profile (If you’re on LinkedIn, follow me!)
I love Legos: Red Brick. Blue Brick. (Oh Legos… if you love Legos like I do, follow this new channel. I know the person behind it.)
And as a bonus picture today, my cats, Ruby and Pearl (yes… as in Robot Galaxy Series characters Ruby Palmer and her grandmother Pearl Palmer) turned 4 years old this week! Here are some quick shots of my beautiful girls on their birthday:
Until next month… be good, be kind, be well!
-Adeena
What (if any) is the target age group?