My Fiction – Everything Is Better With Dragons

Maria and the Star-Dragons: Epilogue

Epilogue – A month (I.G.A.S.S. Standard) later, on Ascend

Maria flopped on to xyr settee, drained from spending all day on a video call giving evidence in the trial of the former human governor of Aurox. For a week xe’d been giving depositions against the regime on Aurox and their crimes, including the harassment Maria and Sahrai had received from Josh Dalton, the senior security officer. It had upset xyr when evidence of the abuse of the bovids had been presented and the testimony of human prisoners forced to labour on Rocky Horror.

Maria and the Star Dragons: Chapter 20

Chapter 20 – Maria still among the Auroxians

Maria listened to the conversation around xyr. Xe laughed quietly (for xyr) when Dr Suah Painen repeated the Auroxian saying about the jungle.

“That’s one way of describing the vegetation around here.”

Maria and the Star-Dragons Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Dr Suah Painen’s adventures on Aurox

Although a geologist by trade, Suah had been on enough new planets to have picked up basic skills in cultural analysis. Observing the Auroxians had been a distraction from the horror of events since arriving on Aurox. She shuddered, remembering the day the research party had been attacked.

Maria and the Star-Dragons: Chapter 18

Chapter 18 – Maria in the PFMs den

Maria watched the frantic activity as Lah-Shah and his honour guard arrived at the den.

“Come on Mrrh-waa, we’d better go and rescue him from your family.” Xe waited while the tablet translated for Mrrh-waa.

Maria and the Space-dragons investigate – Chapter 16

Right, I’m making up for missing several months by giving you a bit more of the story early. I’ve got to the end of the handwritten draft now, so I’ll be back to the notebook, scribbling away to finish off the story. I do want to get the first draft completed by late October, when I go away to Brighton for World FantasyCon.

Maria and the space-dragons investigate: Chapter 15, part 2

Alright, I’m back with more. It took less time than I thought.

Chapter 15, part 2

“Mrrh-wAa, what are you doing?” The new comer sounded desperate, “The Elders told you not to contact the aliens, Supai said it was dangerous!”

“Prrt-hai! Are you following me? They’re from igassss, like Supai. They’re looking for Supai!” Mrrh-wAa hurried their words out, “I told you it would be fine, you fussing will just worry the brood.”

“Yes, yes, the brood worries and the Elders were very specific; you are not to talk to the aliens.”

Maria and the space-dragons – chapter 15, part 1

Sorry it’s taken so long for me to update the story, but I’ve been struggling with my brain weasels for months and I have been struggling to write. I’m back now! I’ve almost finished writing the first draft of this novella and I’ve started writing a novel and a short story. I’ve had some work accepted by a local LGBTQIA+ zine, and I’ve submitted a short story to a competition. I will try to update with part two in the next few days.

Chapter 15 – Maria and Sahrai meet the local sentient aliens

“Now then, McClintock, been a while. Not going up top this time ‘round?”

The man, Joshua Dalton, accosted Maria and Sahrai as the track towards the crossroads, several days after their adventures in the flyer. He stood in the road, blocking their path.

“Dalton.” Sahrai nodded sharply at the man and ushered Maria around the man.

Dalton joined them, uninvited, walking beside Sahrai, grinning at thev discomfort of his companions.

“Who’s your friend, McClintock? She’s new.”

Maria and the space-dragons investigate: Chapter 14

Right, I’m back with another instalment of the adventures of Maria and her star-dragon friends. It’s a short one this month.

Maria and the space-dragons investigate #1 March 2025 instalment

I’ve finally had a chance to type up some of the progress I’ve made on the Maria and Lah-Shah story I’ve been sharing with you for the last year (?). I have written more, but I’ve only just typed this next 2500 words up. I had two writing sessions this week, and I’ve got another this afternoon, so you might get an update before much longer. Certainly it won’t be three months this time.

I’m making this one available to all subscribers, rather than just to paid subs, because no one is paying for subs. I might go back through the posts and unlock them all.

I present to you Maria and the space-dragons investigate #1

Chapter 13 – Exploring Aurox by air – Maria

After a week staying with Sahrai, taking prophylactic medicine and observing the local life from the safety of the container house, Maria felt it was time to explore. Outside.

Maria and the Space-Dragons Investigate #1 -December 2024 instalment

I know this post is a few weeks late, but I’ve been ill, and in pain. I’ve decided to make this one publicly available rather than behind a pay wall. The story is over 19000 words long now, and there’s some difference between the story I’ve written in my notebook and the one you’ll read here.

Chapter 12 – Lah-Shah – In the asteroid belt

Lah-Shah looked over the scan data. The asteroid was quite large, dense and peanut shaped. There was plenty of metal in it, and the shape suggested that two asteroids had got a bit too close to each other and collided at some point. It surprised Lah-Shah that the humans on Aurox hadn’t sent auto-miners out here; despite the distance from the planet, it would be worth the effort.

A large object showed up on the scans; it lay buried beneath the surface, in the waist of the asteroid, hidden by scattered debris and surface shadows. It had a familiar outline on the scans. Lah-Shah ran the images through the control system and found a match: an IGASS science division mission ship.