Cover art for “Far Futures: Book Four”

My short story “Awash on Titan’s Shores” has been accepted into this anthology. Marketing won’t officially start until October for publication in December.

I haven’t even started editing the story with the publisher yet. All I’ll say is the anthology requires the story be set on or around Saturn’s moon Titan and military SciFi was acceptable.

Here’s a little taste:

Titan got almost no light from the sun, but the side they were on always faced Saturn, which was bright enough for them to see by without using their helmet lamps. Atmospheric haze gave everything a slightly yellowish cast. The mountains were dark as obsidian, and the rivers and lakes almost looked like water. The icy surface itself was a dirty white flaked with black snow.

“Sarge.” Ellen Goldstein’s voice came over the general comm. “I’ve got something moving.” Goldstein and Nguyen were bringing up the rear and Goldstein was carrying one of their two area scanners. She sounded nervous through the radio static.

“Well, what is it, Goldstein? More of those flying creatures?” Rossi snapped.

“Not airborne, Sarge,” said Goldstein. “Four of them on the ground. They’re approaching us from baring one-eight-two degrees, velocity about thirty knots.”

“That’s as fast as a horse,” Sanchez added.

“More like wolves,” said Nguyen.

“How do you know that?” asked Rossi.

“Distance less than five-hundred meters,” said Goldstein. “Contact in thirty seconds.”

“Because I can see them,” said Nguyen. “They look almost like white wolves.”

“Sanchez, you, Johnson, and Lancaster, join with Goldstein and Nguyen in V formation. Weapons go hot. Everyone else cover Wilson’s people.”

Maxwell and the other Marines herded the civilians together and she took up her position. She released the safety on her rifle, listened and waited. Her stomach felt like it had dropped into an abyss.

“Shouldn’t we try to communicate?” said Bishop.

“What makes you think they’re intelligent?” Rainier sounded condescending and scared at the same time.

“What make you think they aren’t?” replied Bishop.

They’re almost on us,” said Goldstein. “Maybe fifteen seconds.”

“Lieutenant?” said Rossi.

“Fire at will, Sergeant,” said Gorman.

“You heard the order,” yelled Rossi. “Bring ‘em down.”

What had been racing hulks throwing up waves of ice and snow a second ago were now rippling muscle under thin, pale skin. Their eyes were gray and narrow, their mouths ringed with thick black flesh which when parted, showed their grisly amber fangs. They leapt forward and roared.

I’ll say more as we get closer to publication.