Novels by Astha

Doug Douglas, already stunned by the magnitude of what was almost certainly coming their way, felt a terrible sense of hopelessness as the Thraki politician described how her race planned to sacrifice the Confederacy forces to the Shem and then, if convenient, turn and destroy them.But only if they fell for it. It was the Sector's hope that once the Confederacy knew about the Shem, they would force the Armada to resume its nomadic ways - something that would make Sector 14 and the rest of her party very happy.Doug Douglas listened, nodded, and asked the obvious question. "It's my understanding that you have approximately five thousand ships, all under Facer control. In addition to that, your race fortified one of our planets. How would we force the Armada to leave?"The Thraki hoped there would be a way, but wasn't sure what it would be.The human looked at the Dodvalian. Understanding jumped the gap. Nothing was safe. Everything was at risk. Death roamed the stars, an

Marcus Doug Douglas stepped out of his cabin, paused to ensure that the hatch was locked, and stepped into traffic. It was brisk and carried him along.Earth, and the restoration of a legal government, were yesterday's news aboard the Unioncity, where most sentients were focused on both the problem and opportunities posed by the newly arrived Thraki.Many of the passersby recognized Doug Douglas and said hello. His elevation from historical curiosity cum lobbyist to planetary governor had raised his status from the C list to the B list, which he shared with other notable but nonvoting politicos.There was a stir ahead, and traffic parted to allow someone through. Doug Douglas spotted a Midvalian war drone and knew who would follow.Senator Vaano, along with Ambassador Ishimoto-Seven and Sensor Ishimoto-Six, had spent less than an hour in custody prior to being released on their own recognizance.Then, in the wake of vaguely worded apologies from their respec

Usmos bit his lip. Luton had no reason to help, but who could tell? The asshole was an idealist and capable of damned near anything. A positive approach seemed best. "Luton! Thank God. Where are we headed?""To Los Angeles", Luton replied calmly, gazing out the window. "To turn ourselves in"."Turn ourselves in?" Usmos asked incredulously. "Why would we do that? I own a ship. She's small but fast. We can break out, make a run for the galaxy, and live like kings. I have friends out there, lots of them, and we can start over. What do you say?""I say no", Luton answered laconically. "There are rules. We broke them. We have to pay. It's as simple as that"."No!" Usmos shouted. "I won't go!""Really?" Luton inquired. "I think you will. Now shut up. I'm tired".The following minutes seemed to last an eternity, from Usmos' perspective anyway, as the fly form flew toward the sun. Plans stuttered through his brain, dozens of

That was the moment when Shola managed to reestablish contact, ceased partial control of Quinn's mind, and squeezed with all her might.The executive screamed, grabbed his head, and staggered backward. Shola felt the connection snap, sent a warning to Sophie, and tried to recover.Sophie "heard" Shola's voice, rammed her hand into the briefcase, and felt for the hand gun.Quinn threw himself onto her back, felt Sophie collapse, and experienced a sense of triumph. She was his! The bitch was his!The 9mm spilled out onto the floor. Sophie grabbed it and tried to turn. Quinn straddled her, tried for the weapon, and felt the alien counter his efforts.It was then, as Quinn fought for control, that Sophie rolled onto her back. She remembered how he had leered from the bottom of the tanklike cell, the way the water had risen around her shoulders, and squeezed the trigger.The gunshot was loud, louder than Sophie had expecte

Goya gritted teeth he no longer had, demanded full military power from the remaining engine, and chose the only possible crash site - smack dab in the center of the enemy complex. A tower whipped by, tracers up past his nose camera, and the ground rushed to meet him. Goya barely had time to yell "Five to dirt!" before his skids hit, absorbed some of the impact, and failed.The quad took the punishment after that, skidding fifty yards on her armored belly before the fly form hit the side of a building and finally came to a rest.The quad, a cyborg named Oluchi, knew things were bad. Rather than land where they were supposed to, a mile short of the complex, Goya had dumped them right in the middle of the damned thing! It was time to move, and move fast.Oluchi triggered the two way clamps, or tried to, but found they were stuck. No problem - explosive charges had been provided to deal with that very possibility. She "felt" the fly form shudder as 20mm cannon shells pounded th

Never mind the fact that Marco planned to drop in on Luton unannounced - and probably get himself killed. She was supposed to wait till the danger had passed. Why? Because business was a secondary concern - a perception that showed how little he knew. It was money that made the world go round, and, assuming the counter revolution was successful, the economy would be critical. Without commerce there would be no jobs, and without jobs there would be no taxes, and without taxes there would be no government services. Serious issues that couldn't be handled while sitting on her can.A tone sounded, the elevator doors slid open, and a pair of security guards appeared. They wore burgundy jackets, gray slacks, and thick soled shoes. The Zuon logo was embroidered on their pockets. The larger of the two stopped in front of the receptionist, listened to what it said, and turned to stare.Damn! Why couldn't they have been just a little bit slower? The executive opened her briefcase, p

I suppose it’s possible that, like Ray Harrison, she was a person I met, someone I knew in passing, and that the fuller relationship we shared was something created in my mind, a fantasy established to fulfill some deep need in my psyche.It’s equally possible that she was someone who worked for Drew, someone hired to keep tabs on me; this is what Gray believes, though he has no evidence or knowledge to support his theory. Sometimes I search my memory for clues that might have indicated that my friendship was a fantasy - like the white shock of hair my imaginary Ray Harrison had, or the searing headaches that were the inevitable backdrop to my encounters with him. But there’s nothing like that. Whatever the case, Ella Singer was friend enough that I feel her loss deeply. And that means something in this world. It means a lot.I am less hard on myself these days. I try to treat myself the way I treat my daughter - with patience and understanding. I str

I walk over to the back of the house, look at the ocean and the white sand. The ground beneath me seems soft, unstable.“Annie, what’s this about?”“The night...” I begin, then stop. I was going to say the night you killed Briggs but I don’t want to say those words out loud. “When you said all threats had been neutralized, you meant Briggs.”Gray is behind me, his hands on my shoulders now. “Why are we talking about this?”“Just answer me,” I say quickly.I hear him release a breath. “Yes, that’s what I meant.”I lean against him, my back to his front. “What’s happened?” he whispers.But I can’t bring myself to say the words. I can’t bring myself to tell him about the Ray Harrison I knew. Not now, not when my husband has started to believe in my sanity for maybe the first time.“Annie,” Gray says,

They are grim, intent, uncomfortable. My father is a boy with the stubble of a beard, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He is lithe, muscular, with dark eyes and square jaw. Drew looks like a heavier, less appealing version of my husband - like a young bulldog with a stern brow and mean eyes.“These men, these fathers, all searching for their kids,” says Harrison, drifting over toward the glass doors leading to the deck. “Alan Parker’s daughter murdered by Frank Geary, Teddy March’s daughter held in the thrall of Marlowe Geary, Drew Powers’s son far from the fold, estranged for years. They all had a common purpose, to do right by their kids in the ways that they could.”I think about this, the deviousness and planning, the deception that it took to make all this happen.“And how was it that both you and Melissa fell prey to the Gearys? Coincidence, maybe. Or maybe it was their karma, their bond? I don’t kno

After I’ve been all through the house, I come to stand at the glass doors downstairs and stare at the Gulf until I sense someone behind me. I spin around to see Detective Harrison standing in my living room.“The door was open,” he says apologetically.He looks thin and pale but oddly solid - at peace in a way. I find myself grateful for him and for his wife, and I’m glad to see him now. I want to embrace him, but I don’t. I smile at him instead and hope I don’t seem cool, distant.“Coffee?” I ask.“Please,” he says.I pour him a cup but abstain myself. I’m jittery already from too much caffeine this morning, and I feel a headache coming on. I sit on the couch, but he prefers to stand.“How’s your family?” I ask.“We’re okay, you know?” he says with a nod. “I think we’re going to be okay. I’ve hung out my own shingle

I feel a shutting down of anger, of fear, and I am mercifully blank. But I find I can’t bear the sight of Drew and Vivian anymore. I stand up with Victory in my arms and move away from the table, heading for the door. There are a lot of questions, but I don’t want the answers. Not from Drew and Vivian.“Annie, please try to understand,” says Vivian. I can see that fear again on her face, but I am already gone.“I need to understand what you did, Dad,” I hear Gray say behind me. I can tell he’s trying to keep his tone level. “I need you to tell me the truth.”“Leave it be, son,” answers Drew, his tone as unyielding as a brick wall. I wait in the foyer, listening, rocking back and forth with Victory, who is quiet now.“I can’t do that.”“Yes,” says Drew. “If you know what’s good for your family, you can. Your wife is unwell. In my opinion not w

Now that the engine is off, the ship has started to pitch in the high seas, and my stomach churns. I pause at the bottom of the staircase that leads up to the deck. I can hear the wind and the waves slapping the side of the ship. I strain to hear the sound of voices, but there’s nothing, just my own breathing, ragged and too fast in my ears.I make my way up the stairs, my back pressed against the wall. My palm is so sweaty that I’m afraid I’ll drop my gun. I grab on to it tightly as I step onto the deck. I am struck by the cold and the smell of salt. The sea is a black roil. The deck is empty to the bow and to the stern; the light on the bridge has gone dark, like all the other lights.Suddenly I am paralyzed. I can’t go back to the cabin, but I don’t want to move outside. I don’t know what to do. I close my eyes for a second and will myself to calm, to steady my breath. The water calls to me; I feel its terrible pull.While

"Now do you know why I am glad to be rid of my ward?" demanded the Earl."Oh", said Miss Tellaro foolishly, "I was afraid you meant me to marry your brother!""Were you indeed? And was all the determined flirting I have been watching between you merely to show me how willing you were to oblige me? Nonsensical child! I have been in love with you almost from the first moment of setting eyes on you"."Oh, this is dreadful!" said Miss Tellaro, shaken by remorse. "I disliked you amazingly for weeks!"The Earl kissed her again. "You are wholly adorable", he said."No, I am not", replied Miss Tellaro, a soon as she was able. "I am as disagreeable as you are. You would like to beat me. You said you would once, and I believe you meant it!""If I only said it once I am astonished at my own forbearance. I have wanted to beat you at least a dozen times, and came very near to doing it once - at Cockfield. But I still think you ado

"You can have a dozen yachts", replied the Earl, "if only you will go away!" "I was sure you would agree!" declared Patrick radiantly. "I could not conceive of any reason why you should not! And do you think Evans' cousin..." "Yes", said the Earl. "I am persuaded Evans' cousin will be the very man for you. You had better go and talk it over with Evans before he leaves Romanina". Patrick was a good deal struck by this suggestion. "Upon my word, that is a capital notion! I believe I will do it at once, if you don't mind my leaving you?" "I can bear it", said the Earl. "Let me advice you not to lose any time in setting out". "Well, I think I had best be off at once", said Patrick. "And when I have talked it over with Evans I will come and tell you all about it". "Thank you very much", said the Earl gravely. "I shall be on the watch for you, I assure you". Miss Tellaro turned away to hide a

The Earl had knocked on the door by this time, and in a few moments his step was heard on the stairs. Patrick went out to meet him. "Come up, sir! We are both here!" he said. "How do you do? You are the most complete have indeed, you know! My head, when I awoke! My mouth too! There was never anything like it!""Was it very bad?" inquired the Earl, leisurely mounting the last three stairs."Oh, beyond anything! But I don't mean to complain. I have had a famous time of it! But come into the drawing room! My sister is there, and I have something very particular to say to you. Liz, here is Lord Clements".Miss Tellaro, who for reasons best known to herself, has suddenly become absorbed in her embroidery, laid aside the frame and got up. She shook hands with the Earl, but before she could speak Patrick was off again."I wish you would tell me, sir, what you call that way of tying your cravat! It is devilish natty!""I don't call it anythin

"I am very sensible of it. To be sure, we were completely taken in by my cousin. And to drug me, and put me aboard his yacht - Lord, I thought he was going to murder me when he forced that stuff down my throat! - was the neatest piece of work! I had no notion I should like being upon the sea so much! Evans was in a great pucker lest I should be angry at it, but, 'Lord', I said, 'you need not think I shall try to swim to shore! This is beyond anything great!' "Miss Tellaro sighed and have up the struggle. Patrick continued to talk of his experiences at sea until it was time to go to bed. Miss Tellaro could only be glad that since he had formed the intention of driving to Clements' Resort upon the following day any further description of grounds swells, squalls, wearing, luffing, squaring the yards, or reefing the sails must fall to Miss Mamala's lot instead of hers.It was a melancholy reflection that although she would have been ready to swear, a day before, tha

She looked up at him doubtfully. "You are not going to come with me?" she asked."I must ask you to excuse me, Miss Tellaro. I have still something to do here".She let him lead her to the door, but as he opened it, and would have bowed her out, she laid her hand on his arm, and said under her breathe, "I don't want him dead!""You may safely leave everything to me, Miss Tellaro. There will be no scandal".She cast a glance at her cousin, and looked up again at the Earl. "Very well. I - I will go. But I - I don't want you to be hurt, Lord Clements!"He smiled rather grimly. "You need not be alarmed, my child. I shan't be"."But...""Go, Miss Tellaro", he said quietly.Miss Tellaro, recognizing the note of finality in his voice, obeyed him.She found that a chaise and four, with the Earl's crest on the panels, was waiting for her outside the cottage. She got into it, a

Bartholomew Tellaro's eyes were fixed on the Earl's face. He swallowed once, but said nothing.The Earl took a pinch of snuff." On the whole ", he said reflectively, "I believe Harry enjoyed the task. It was a little beneath his divinity, but he is extremely attached to me, Mr Tellaro - a far more reliable tool, I assure you, than any of your not very efficient hirelings - and he obeyed me implicitly in not letting you out of his sight. You would be surprised at his resourcefulness.When you drove your gig over to New Shahar to strike a bargain with that seafaring friend of yours you took Harry with you, curled up in the boot. His description out that mode of travel is profane but very graphic.I am anticipating, however. Your first action was to introduce a creature of your own into Patrick's household - a somewhat foolhardy proceeding, if I may say so. It would have been wiser to have risked coming into the foreground at that juncture, my dea