Featured Snippets

Liberation – Snippet 2

Liberation, The Bad Company Book Four

By Craig Martelle & Michael Anderle

Unedited

Snippet #2

Keeg Station

“It’s something we would do no matter what. Dad thinks he coerced us to join, but Marcie and me? We had two kids, a family, but we were denying who we wanted to be and that was defenders of the oppressed. The one thing that has made the most sense in our lives is Dad’s commitment to helping others. He always says that if you have the ability to act, you have the responsibility. We believe that. Few people are built for war. Humanity’s basic instinct is to live more sedate lives. Travel for excitement, but return home at the end of a long day to a happy family, a good meal, and a warm bed. My parents have been killing themselves for as long as they’ve been alive to give others that life. The FDG is our chance to do that on a planetary scale. If we can help bring peace by crushing an enemy’s army, then that’s what we’ll do.”

“I’d say you fuckers were raised wrong, but my parents and their friends raised me to believe that, too. I get angry and in my,” Christina looked around to make sure no one was close by, “Pricolici form, I want to shred them like cabbage.”

“Step back from that and don’t change form. As Terry’s deputy, he’ll need you to help him oversee the battle, but when the rubber meets the road and you’re forced into close combat, the gloves come off and you crush your enemies,” Marcie explained. Her lip twitched as the adrenaline surged. She clenched her fists.

Christina punched her in the chest. “I’m in. Let’s go buy some new shoes to celebrate.” Marcie smiled, not in humor, but in the way warriors did as they prepared to engage the enemy.

It was the confidence of someone who was more at home in war than in peace.

Christina smiled the same way.

Kae watched expressionlessly. He felt sorry for the clerk in the shoe store. I think I’ll wait outside, he thought. Until Marcie and Christina each grabbed an arm and propelled him between them toward a store called Camper, a store brand taken from the fashion scene of old Earth’s London. Kae groaned and frowned as the women sought a future addition to their wardrobes. Kaeden looked at their feet. They were both wearing shoes. What the hell do you need another pair for?

He didn’t dare say it aloud.

 

 

About the author

Craig Martelle

Visit Craig's web page, craigmartelle.com for the latest posts and updates or find him on Facebook, Author Craig Martelle. Send an email to craig@craigmartelle.com to join his mailing list for the latest on new releases, information on old releases, and anything related to his books.

Enough 3rd person - this is me writing to you, the incredible readers who have stumbled upon my stuff and then liked it. The great reviews, the emails, the notes, the Facebook comments - all of it keeps me writing because you are so supportive.

I grew up in Iowa, joined the Marine Corps and got to see the best and the worst that the world had to offer. No matter where I went, I always had a book with me. Thanks to 21st Century technology, I now have hundreds of books loaded on my phone and computer at any point in time. This breakthrough allows us to binge read our favorites. How many books would I have read on deployments and at home had I not had to have a physical book with me. I paced myself so I wouldn't finish it too quickly.

We aren't encumbered like that now. I love the works of Andre Norton, Anne McCaffrey, JRR Tolkien, Robert E. Howard, and so many more. I have been compared to Andre Norton and that is humbling - she was an incredible author with a huge list of novels to her credit. With every new book, I aspire to live up to the comparisons to make you, my readers happy that you've picked up my latest book.

Through a bizarre series of events, I ended up in Fairbanks, Alaska. I never expected to retire to a place where golf courses are only open for four months out of the year. But that's the way it is. It is off the beaten path. My wife and I get to watch the northern lights from their driveway. Our dog has lots of room to run. And temperatures reach fifty below zero. We have from three and a half hours of daylight in the winter to twenty-four hours in the summer.

It’s all part of the give and take of life. If we didn’t have those extremes, then everyone would live in the sub-arctic.