A sequel to Non Zero Sum Game. What are the wages of Sin? Joey calls her Sin, short for Cindy. This is Ciny's perspective. What payback does she demand?
A Character Sketches of Sketchy Characters Story "There is an underlying current that ties all bastards together. It binds them, bonds them, creates a loyalty between them where none existed previously just by their knowledge that the other is as they are. And in that current is a need, a hunger to prove that what was denied them was deserved all along." - Jurna, the Merchant
What if you are to inherit a business empire on the death of its surviving elderly founder and learn its startup capital was from Nazi war loot? Then you learn the empire's founders obtained that loot by stealing it from the Nazi Party and they kept a portion of what they stole for themselves to atone for the Nazi Party stealing their families' businesses and executing their families. That is Paul Adler's dilemma.
A merchant seaman, Tom, is forced to retire when his ship gets sold for scrap. He's a senior ship's engineer. He returns home, buys an RV, and begins an extended vacation across the southern states. An alien had to land in the Arizona desert to make ship repairs. The alien gets hurt. Tom rescues the alien, who is a real ditz. They soon become fast friends. Our alien, Drozul, does Tom a big favor by fixing a birth defect in Tom. A great relationship happens between the two men.
Steampunk is a stand alone coming-of-age story. Bill Morgan, Tom’s son, from the first Meeting An Alien story is almost grown up. Bill, at loose ends, arrives on Earth-19 where many dangers, challenges and needy damsels await him. It is a separate story with all new characters and a places; i.e. it is a vastly different world with a an Old-West feel. Think mid-19th century; Steam power, percussion cap weapons and duals to the death.
As Thanksgiving break approaches, Isabelle Faulkner, a 20-year-old junior, is overwhelmed by anxiety over her Business Law 345 class. While she excels in her other courses, this class feels like a looming disaster threatening her academic future. The pressure is immense, with the possibility of failing, losing her scholarship, and extending her college years weighing heavily on her. Despite support from her roommate Sara and relentless effort, the material remains a blur.