james-steinhaus
writer
108 posts
Latest Posts by james-steinhaus
My serial, Donald of Mars, is now up to 84 episodes
A few years back, I began writing the serial Donald of Mars on Kindle Vella. Vella is closed, but I’ve kept the story going in other places. The main idea behind it was to have not some grand science fiction adventure, or romance or horror set on a Mars colony but to give people a much more realistic idea of what living in the early years in one of the first Mars Colonies might be like. It is…
Micro Fiction: They Call Me Doug
Mike, why do they call you Doug? I was in the army. What does that have to do with it? They used to call me General too, but Doug stuck when I got out. I didn’t know you were an officer. Wasn’t. Five stripes was the highest I got. How does that become Doug or General? Michal Christian Author. I still don’t get it. M. C. Author was on much of my stuff. What? MacArthur OK Doug
Kerric the Mercenary: Episode 7, Run to DeSon
Kerric and his Warcat took the lead. At the edge of DarkGate, he turned Akrus off the road and headed due west. The moment they made it to those dark woods, he said, “Run,” and all Akrus’s anger vanished. He was off as if shot from an arrow.
At home, north of the Black Sand, running was dangerous. There, except for hunting sprints, if he ran, it was in fear, and he was running for his life. It wasn’t until Kerric brought him south of the Black Sand that his war cat had a chance to run full out without fear. Now, only mating and hunting brought his Warcat more pleasure. It was a pleasure Akrus rarely got to indulge in and the perfect reward for being dragged out of his rest.
Like the larger breed of Warcats in the north, the ones his men rode were built for running for days despite that not being a good idea in the north. Except the Tolar, nothing in the south could escape them over the long run, and very few on the short. Only experts here would pick up that this wasn’t the breed you found in the far south in the forest bordering the frozen waste. Those were a patchwork brown, instead of dark brown with black stripes on their hind quarter, and only three-quarters the size of the Warcats Kerric’s men rode. Nor were they as fast or have the endurance of this northern breed.
Yet those southern beasts stilled killed more of their own riders than the northern ones did, making seeing a rider a very rare occurrence in the far south, and nearly legendary this far away from that icy waste. That was, until Kerric, and his band arrived.
Kerric shifted his weight. With a snort, Akrus stopped trying to outrun the others, but kept his pace high enough to make them work at keeping up. They might have longer legs, but Akrus had more muscle. That meant more speed in a run among Warcats.
They hit the edge of the gorge and Akrus leaped from the side to the branches of those massive trees. The others followed. Riding the treetops might be common in the jungles north of the Black Sand but was unheard of here. That shortcut across the gorge instead of around it, as all others had to travel, was why his men would get there before the sun came up, despite having to saddle them before riding out.
Akrus leaped to the next tree, and then the next. Even in the dark, Warcats never jumped to a branch that can’t whole their weight, though sometimes, they bend more than their riders anticipate. That bending and springing back is what the Warcats used to move forward with such speed. It took all the rider’s concentration to stay in those saddles and not one of them could have done so the way Kerric did, without the thigh straps. That springing motion was why in the trees, Warcats move only a little slower than their ground eating normal pace.
Kerric spared enough attention from his own ride to see all of his men having a harder time of it than they should. It was one more sign that they had lost too much of their edge. The gorge was deep and wide, but not so much so that those Warcats could not cross it in half the night.
With well over a candle mark before even the false dawn, his men were on the road to the main keep of DeSon, something that would have been a four-day trip by the road using caravan wagons.
Tantos came out of the woods as they moved closer to the keep. “I found Corman camped on a woodcutter’s track nearing the Aring-DarkGate Road. He’s taking his time and will hit that road early morning tomorrow. If he pushes it, he could make Aring by late night, but more likely is planning another night on the road.”
Kerric nodded and looked over the lands of his prospective employer.
Episode 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6,
All 14 chapter now up for free
Over a month ago, my drip coffee maker broke. instead of getting a new one of fixing it, I have been boil water with coffee in it then poring that into the filter by hand. Doing that I use less than half the coffee for a far better tasting cup. Drip coffeemaker are wasteful. They also use more electric than I realized, keeping your coffee hot.
Kara Discovered: Episode 6, Moving Out
“Michelle! Cho! Front and center,” Jeffries yelled. Both sergeants stepped from the blur in moments. “No more patrolling inside the perimeter. Cho, your squad is to take Michelle’s squad’s place on the line. Michelle, get your men lined up and ready to move in three minutes. Assign one private specifically to stay at the elbow of each of the two scientists accompanying us. Move!” “Not at the…
Flash Fiction: A Question of Immortality
“Stop burning the body,” demanded Shia, leading her guards into the smoke-filled chamber. “Your highness? Your father bade me destroy this thing,” the large, bare-chested priest responded in surprise, dumping red glowing coals from his shovel. “And you’ve been trying for four moons,” she snapped. “She still starts growing flesh the moment you take her bones out of the fire?” In a whisper he…
Opinion on the UN
The UN was an attempt to prevent the formation of alliances like NATO and the EU and other similar alliances. Their danger and how they lead to corruption and war has been known for along time. It has failed. If you want to fix the UN, make any country shipping arms without security council approval lose their seat. Make any country imposing sanction with out the general assemble authority lose their seat. That was what its function was suppose to be, but these and other groups by pass it. With out that power, it does lots of harm and little good. Fix it or dissolve it, as it make fighting and conflict more likely not less.
Flash Fiction: Unworthy
“Why does the Goddess of the Wood consider me unworthy?” the leather clad warrior asked, handing the old gray-haired wood-priest the leaves he’d been crushing in his bare hand. “I have always held to the code of honor.” “I do not doubt you, or your honor,” the old man said, stroking his dirty gray-streaked beard, then taking the leaves from him. “You can be completely honorable and still not…
About Living on Mars
More than a year ago, after reading yet one more unrealistic description concerning what living on a Mars colony would be like, I began a serial on Kindle Vella I called Donald of Mars. The reason, to show just what living there might realistically be like.
There is no super technology providing quick fixes. You have to bury everything under the sand after building it for structural and…
Rich Kids succeeded more often than poor, but why
There is very little debate that a rich kid chances of success are hugly greater than a poor kid. But the why and that and what to do about it are in question.
Can a Mars colony be profitable?
Many have stated you can not have a profitable mars colony, over all. At best some will make money profiting of those who invest in it. Here are some of those that will profit stetting one up. If it is enough for the Colony to be profitable or not, depends on decision not yet made.
People fear China, and attack what they fear
China's economy is going to get much much bigger. People are afraid of that.
Read Three Story for Free
I currently have up, or I am posting three different stories for you to read free of charge. These stories are on Patreon, Substack and Ream Stories free of charge, so use whichever you prefer. Patreon Substack Ream Stories The first story, I Took a Walk, is up all three places in its entirety. It is a short novella bordering on a short story. I broke it into twelve short episodes and…
The Ai are about to get better at manipulation and control.
This isn't a criticism of Trump and Musk. It was coming this term no matter who got that office.
What is your opinion of what will work best on Mars?
There are lots of ideas on how Mars will be governed. Most reflect what people think should be forbidden or controlled. But the purpose of a government is to enable people, and that is what the most successful ones do, they enable the most people. Enabling, not restricting, will be key to having a successful mars Government.
A short Flash Fiction for your enjoyment.
What if at the dawn of civilization
