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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 5268379" data-attributes="member: 143">Many of my regular readers have expressed support in the past for me getting out there and publishing my work outside of EnWorld. I just wanted to let you know that I have published a novella on the Smashwords Web site as an e-book. Smashwords lets you submit a file and makes the e-book available in most of the formats out there. The novella is placed in a custom setting of my own creation and tells the story of a young wizard who participates in a magical competition that goes fundamentally wrong, pitting him and his fellow competitors against a deadly maze in a struggle for survival. The novella is an introduction to the setting, which I am developing further in a novel that I am finishing up now and hope to release by the end of the year.  The novella, The Labyrinth, is completely free; I will probably charge $2 for the novel itself when it comes out. The story in the novella is completely separate from the novel and you won’t need to read one to appreciate the other.The novella is posted at <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/20294" target="_blank">Smashwords - The Labyrinth - A book by Kenneth McDonald</a>. Thanks again to everyone who has posted in appreciation of my writing over the years. Back to X-COM!* * * * * Session 26 (October 27, 2008)Chapter 111Doctor Wagner’s voice came to them over the speakers in their helmets, as a technician double-checked the harnesses holding the Alphas and their weapons in place.  Between the operatives in their heavy armor, the extra gear they were carrying, and the two HWPs, the Lightning’s passenger and cargo compartments were packed full.  And that was with one seat empty; James had taken sick with a nasty case of flu the day before.  That hadn’t stopped him from the mission prep, but during armoring he’d collapsed, tearing two muscles in his rotator cuff.  He would be fine in a few days, but it had been an inauspicious start to the mission, and there hadn’t been time to get someone else fitted and briefed in time for the launch.  Delay, in this case, hadn’t even been an option.“All right,” Wagner told them.  “The base is located in the mountains of southwestern China, about 125 miles from Tibet.”  They’d all gone through the briefings, had pored over satellite pictures taken from before the alien invasion, but it was still reassuring to hear the German scientist’s calm voice relay their objectives once more.  “It’s going to be cold, and rough ground, but not many bystanders.”“Now you tell us,” Catalina said, grimacing slightly as the tech tugged on the harness that all but locked her into the jump chair.  There was a quick-release catch, but it would be of little use if an alien plasma cannon hit the Lightning.  “Could have put on thermals,” she said, forcing levity into her voice. “Your armor will protect you adequately against the elements,” Wagner said.  “Is good chance this is oldest alien base on planet,” Vasily said, as the aircraft’s engines powered up, the familiar whine vibrating through the seats until they could feel it in their bones.  “They had lot of time to make secure.”Catalina sighed.  Wagner’s voice was replaced by Garret’s, his tone firm and decisive.  “The mission is simple.  The main objective is the Base Commander, to be taken alive.  Secondary objective is to obliterate the base.  You’ll be bringing the best Earth has to offer.  Give them hell.”The Lightning’s engines roared to full power, and the craft lifted into the air, tilting forward as soon as Ken had cleared the hangar entrance, blasting off into the predawn sky over HQX. They took an arctic insertion route, rising up high above the curve of the Earth, crossing down across Russia before approaching Chinese airspace.  The aircraft’s velocity approached that of a spacecraft, its Elerium-powered engines giving the Lightning a sustained rate of acceleration that a normal craft could not have managed, its hull of alien alloys allowing it to maintain that speed without breaking up.  It was neither a smooth nor a quiet ride, and there was little conversation among the Alphas as they made their way into hostile territory. “We’re about to go into radio silence,” Ken said, while they were still somewhere over the Arctic Ocean.  “We’ve got a final message from HQ, patching it in.”“Wagner here, team.  Alien activity still shows black across the board, no signatures, no ships.  Ken will ping with the hyperwave once you get close; hopefully you should have at least some idea what you’re up against.”“They’re not expecting us, are they?” Catalina asked. There was a brief delay as the message, traveling at the speed of light, made it across the hidden relay stations to HQX.  “We don’t know what to expect, Agent De Farrago.  But we know that they like to surprise us.”There was another brief pause, and when Wagner resumed, her voice had changed slightly, an uncharacteristic hint of feeling creeping into her tone.  “Remember what’s at stake.  We can handle not destroying the base, if we get the commander.  If this mission fails, we may have no choice but to launch blind against the Mars base. And that would turn a one in a hundred into a one in a million shot.”Ken’s voice chimed in over the comm.  “And since Alpha’s the ‘one’ I think that’s a bad bet.”“Yes, thank you, Ken,” Wagner said.  “You’re crossing the horizon from the last relay station; we’re losing the tightband connection.  Good luck, Alpha.  Everyone, and I mean everyone, is counting on you.”Her voice faded, and Ken’s returned.  “Okay.  We’re going to be taking it down to the deck, coming down over Siberia, then down through the central Asian steppes to the target.  Stay strapped in; when I say, ‘on the deck,’ I mean it.”Mary began, “What does ‘on the deck’…” but was cut off as the floor dropped out from under them, and the Lightning plummeted toward the Earth. The descent was followed by a series of jerks and twists as the Lightning followed an erratic course southward, with Ken taking them low across a landscape that they, perhaps mercifully, could not see.  By the time they approached the landing zone, and the colored yellow indicator flashed in the passenger cabin, even Vasily looked a little green.  “Coming up on final approach,” Ken said.  “We’ll be there in eight minutes.”Vasily led them in an ammo check, a final pass of gear that had been checked and rechecked in Nevada, until every round and power cell had been accounted for.  But it helped to steady them, as Ken continued their rapid approach to the target area. “Showing a peak energy signature to the south,” Ken reported.  “Pinging Hyperwave Decoder…  Damn, base is shielded, not getting… wait… got a match.  Looks like mutons.”“Grah, mutons,” Vasily said.  His hand tapped the butt of the plasma cannon strapped in next to his seat; he’d finally given up his autocannon for the more reliable firepower of the alien weapon.  “You know,” Catalina began, “I’m not sure what to do about…”She was cut off as the Lightning jerked hard to the right, as though it had been kicked hard by a giant.  The Alphas were jerked hard against their harnesses as the entire aircraft tilted over hard to the right, sirens sounding as something hard and fundamental cracked, and then a blinding surge of cold air was streaming through the compartment, accompanied by a rush of sound and chaos that sounded like the end of everything.</blockquote>

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