Michael J. Martinez

Prepare for battle under Jupiter’s fiery red eye….

Welcome to the next installment of The Gravity of the Affair, the novella set in the historical fantasy setting of The Daedalus Incident. In Part I, posted last week, we were introduced to a young post-captain by the name of Horatio Nelson, in command of the 12-gun brig HMS Badger. Nelson had left Europa in pursuit of another vessel, and we pick up the story with him and his ship in the Void, looking for his quarry.

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Turning to his glass, Nelson scanned the horizon, knowing full well that the sharp-eyed lookouts would spot the other vessel first. But it gave him something to do. And now that the Badger was out within the Void, there was much more to see. Jupiter waxed gibbous in this part of the Jovian system, and treated the eye to brilliant ribbons of orange and salmon, along with its famed fiery red eye. To starboard, Io burned like a tiny cinder in the blackness, while Ganymede to starboard was a lovely blue-white spark—one that now burned with the fires of revolution. It was there that thirteen British colonies—more than three quarters of the land held by the Crown on that moon—had rebelled against the rightful authority of the Crown, and word was that the French might involve themselves in the matter, as the French often did when they were unwelcome.

Nelson hoped to see Ganymedean colors upon the vessel he pursued, for that would give him free rein in his course, allowing him to take or destroy the “Ganny” vessel. Were she French, the matter would grow complicated quickly.

Lt. Edwards seemed to have his own mental calculus with regard to their prey. “Captain, a word?” he said, his back to the crew and his voice whispered in Nelson’s ear.

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Welcome to Europa

Today was scheduled to be the release date for The Daedalus Incident, but since that’s been delayed, I’m pleased to introduce The Gravity of the Affair, a novella set in the Known Worlds setting shared by the novel.

The following is the start of the novella, and I’ll likely continue posting excerpts, in order, every so often between now and whenever Daedalus launches. Ultimately, I do have plans for this work, and I probably won’t post the entire thing. But since everyone’s been so awesome in supporting me while the Night Shade acquisition slogs along, I wanted to share something by way of thanks. Enjoy the read and, if you like it, be sure to tell others about it!

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In Horatio Nelson’s opinion, there was very little to recommend the icy moon of Europa. Damnably cold and unsparingly bleak, the horrible little snowball was buffeted by terrible winds that drove ice and snow into every stitch of Nelson’s greatcoat as his ship plowed through its frigid seas. Even the sight of great Jupiter, a looming, Falstaffian presence in this part of the Known Worlds, was obscured by altogether too many shades of white and grey.

He would see Jupiter soon enough, however. That was enough to keep him warm for the time being. That…and knowing that he was well upon the trail of his quarry.

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