Redemption Song: The Beginning of the Rynn-Human Alliance - Softcover

Burns, Henry A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1480847917 ISBN 13: 9781480847910

Verlag: Archway Publishing, 2017

Inhaltsangabe

A child of wealth and privilege, Small Snow Flower is a member of a highly intelligent spacefaring species called the Rynn. Although she is young and untested, she is given a trading ship to command by her father. But just months into her first voyage there is a mutiny, and Small Snow Flower finds herself marooned on a primitive planet, believing she will die alone. Jeremy Blunt is a bitter old man. For fifty years, hes mourned the death of his wife, cutting himself off from the world and living alone in a forest cabin, believing he will die alone. But fate has other plans. It brings together these two lonely people in spite of their differencesage, experience, and species. Slowly but surely, the alien girl and the elderly human man find ways to work together. They must find the strength to change their destinies and those of their respective home worlds. This is the beginning of the Rynn-Human alliance. In a story of fate, second chances, and redemption, an unlikely partnership forms between a young alien and an old human widower that will change the future of both their races.

Über diesen Titel

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Henry A. Burns was born in Brooklyn, New York. He wrote his first story, The Sunshine Car, when he was five. He studied drama and acting in junior high and high school to get over his innate shyness. After college, writing was put on hold to pursue a career. Now retired, he lives in San Francisco with his wife, his cats, and three bearded dragons. Speakers is his third published book.

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Redemption Song

The Beginning of the Rynn-Human Alliance

By Henry Burns

Archway Publishing

Copyright © 2017 Henry Burns
All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4808-4791-0

Contents

Chapter 1 Exile, 3, 
Chapter 2 Three Blessings, 10, 
Chapter 3 Torque, 22, 
Chapter 4 To Ride a Unicorn, 36, 
Chapter 5 Close Encounters, 51, 
Chapter 6 Outward Bound, 65, 
Chapter 7 Leap of Faith, 72, 
Chapter 8 Impatience, 88, 
Chapter 9 Forest Cabin Clan, 95, 
Chapter 10 Baby Steps, 107, 
Chapter 11 Chain Reaction, 111, 
Chapter 12 In Other News, 118, 
Chapter 13 Core Brothers, 125, 
Chapter 14 Press Corp, 132, 
Chapter 15 Tide, 144, 
Chapter 16 Haunted by the Past, 148, 
Chapter 17 California Dreaming, 158, 
Chapter 18 A Good Core Is Three, 162, 
Chapter 19 Interesting Times, 166, 
Chapter 20 Discord, 173, 
Chapter 21 Civil Actions, 176, 
Chapter 22 The Oligarch, 192, 
Chapter 23 Brothers in Arms, 202, 
Chapter 24 Armageddon, 207, 
Chapter 25 Graz'to, 217, 
Chapter 26 Time Is an Illusion That Only the Dead Do Not Share, 227, 
Chapter 27 Revolution, 238, 
Chapter 28 Disciples, 240, 
Chapter 29 The Truth Is Like the Sun, 244, 
Chapter 30 Zenpathy, 248, 
Chapter 31 Pact, 252, 
Chapter 32 First Blood, 261, 
Chapter 33 War Paint, 268, 
Chapter 34 Bugs, 272, 
Chapter 35 Alsoo, 276, 
Chapter 36 What Was Intended, 286, 
Chapter 37 Maker, 294, 
Chapter 38 Snake Squad, 303, 
Chapter 39 Wobble, 305, 
Chapter 40 3D3B and Burl, 320, 
Chapter 41 Trojan Horse, 329, 
Chapter 42 To Be Tall, 350, 
Chapter 43 War Paint and War Drums, 354, 
Chapter 44 Jamal, 362, 
Chapter 45 A New Student, 368, 
Chapter 46 Battle Lines, 383, 
Chapter 47 Hatchlings, 386, 
Chapter 48 Sad Soul, 395, 
Chapter 49 Centurions, 402, 
Chapter 50 What's In a Name?, 406, 
Chapter 51 Zaski, 412, 
Chapter 52 The Ophelia Winslow Interviews, Part One: The Terrible Three, 429, 
Chapter 53 The Ophelia Winslow Interviews, Part Two: Warriors Go to Hell, 434, 
Chapter 54 The Ophelia Winslow Interviews, Part Three: Rocket Man, 440, 
Chapter 55 The Ophelia Winslow Interviews, Part 4: Redemption Song, 444, 
Chapter 56 And in the End, 458, 
Epilogue, 470, 
Glossary of Rynn Terms, 473, 

CHAPTER 1

Exile

Small Snow Flower of the Hot Springs Clan beat her fists angrily on the door of the cell that held her. "Let me out right now, offal eater!" she trilled as her feathery head crest flared out. "This is my ship. Mine." She kicked at the door when there was no response. The pad of her booted foot impacted uselessly against the metal of the door. "My ship!" she repeated.

Underneath her outward anger, Small Snow Flower was frightened. It had been three days since her chief of security, Sun-Warmed Boulder of the Dwarf Forest Clan, had staged his mutiny. She had been stripped of her Torque and thrown into this holding cell.

Small Snow Flower was a Rynn. At a little over four and a half feet in height, she was tall for her species. She had the cinnamon-colored, finely scaled skin common to Rynn. Her face was triangular in shape with large dark eyes, an almost nonexistent nose, and a tiny mouth that, taken together, evoked her avian-like heritage. She could almost pass as a human if you ignored her paw-like feet and her long-fingered hands with their vestigial claws. However, the cockatoo-like head crest would be difficult to ignore.

The Rynn were a highly intelligent spacefaring species and had been exploring for over two hundred Earth years. Yet for all their intelligence and technology, they suffered the same failings as any less-advanced being. They were quarrelsome, ambitious, and vain. In short, despite their being an alien race, they were most human.

Small Snow Flower ran her long-fingered hand through her pinkish feather-like head crest nervously. She had been there three days without being able to contact anyone. "Someone should be negotiating for my release. Someone should have objected," she repeated to herself over and over.

She walked over to the circular concave sleeping kip and curled up into a ball of worry. "I have allies, I have friends," she thought fiercely. "Surely Gnarled Root or Dancing Water would have protested." She curled into a tighter ball as she thought of her friends and frequent sleep mates. She swallowed, her throat suddenly tight. "But what if they didn't?"

Small Snow Flower had good reason to doubt. She was the youngest Rynn ever to be given command of a trading ship, even if it was the smallest in her father's fleet. She was untried and untested, and Gnarled Root had often scolded her for her tendency to act aloof and detached. "You have to socialize more, Small Snow Flower. At the very least, invite some of the younger associates to share our kip." "Morning Mist is cute," Dancing Water had added helpfully. "And I heard Sun-Warmed Boulder is very interested."

"Anyone but him," Small Snow Flower had chirped in disgust. She remembered replying, "There is something about that male that bothers me."

"I should have listened to myself," Small Snow Flower chirped again, this time in distress. "What was it the First Teacher said about listening?" She grumbled. "No one can make you listen," she recited and briefly covered her eyes. "I should have listened to myself."

Sleep was fitful and, for the first time in her life, lonely. By Rynn standards, Small Snow Flower was somewhat introverted and shy. Rynn spent most of their lives surrounded by friends and family. It was a rare Rynn who would voluntarily sleep alone. Most Rynn had multiple bed partners, and not just for sex.

Small Snow Flower having only two partners was therefore problematic. The fact that she, Gnarled Root, and Dancing Water were not yet a breeding group just added to her problems.

Small Snow Flower spent one more miserable day in the holding cell before the door finally opened, revealing the imposing bulk and gloating face of her former security chief. If Small Snow Flower was tall for a Rynn, Sun-Warmed Boulder was, at close to five feet in height, a virtual giant.

"Rejoice, Small Snow Flower," Sun-Warmed Boulder trilled nastily. "You will not die today."

"Die?" Small Snow Flower squawked in shock.

"Why yes," Sun-Warmed Boulder returned cheerfully. "As the law states, incompetence deserves death or exile." He smiled. "I despaired on finding a suitable place for exile, but the spirits smiled upon me." His smile widened. "Of course, you still could challenge."

"Some choice," Small Snow Flower chirped despondently. Sun-Warmed Boulder was an accomplished duelist. Her father had selected Sun-Warmed Boulder as her chief of security for his skill with the blade. Her father had assumed — incorrectly, it was now apparent — that Sun-Warmed Boulder would serve as additional protection, but instead ...

Small Snow Flower's thoughts stopped suddenly. "You didn't?" she gasped in horror.

Sun-Warmed Boulder's smile widened even further. "They challenged." He shrugged. "They lost."

"Eater of week-old offal!" Small Snow Flower screamed. She launched herself at the security chief, only to be stopped by a well-placed foot. She fell to the floor. "They were my family," she gasped. "My core."

"And a better core than you deserved," Sun-Warmed Boulder sneered. He waved a hand, and two crew members entered the cell. They roughly...

Details zur Ausgabe

• Verlag: Archway Publishing
• Erscheinungsdatum: 2017
• Sprache: Englisch
• ISBN 10: 1480847917
• ISBN 13: 9781480847910
• Einband: Taschenbuch
• Anzahl der Seiten: 484
• Kontakt zum Hersteller: Nicht verfügbar
• Verantwortliche Person: gpsr@libri.de; gpsr@libri.de; ; Friedensallee 273; Hamburg; 22763; Deutschland