Here is the introduction to book 3, The Chancy Cargo which can be bought on
Amazon or
Barnes and Noble.
Unlike the introduction to the first 2 books, which were told through the voice of the Captain, Miles, this introduction is told through the voice of his daughter, the navigator.
Introduction
I’m Colorado Knighton, Navigator on the
Spitfire, though I prefer Chloe, and here's my lot in life.
My dad calls me smiles, because of my sunny
disposition. The only thing that seems
to break my smile is that he won't let me call him daddy. I'm always supposed to call him Captain. Of course you can't blame a girl for slipping
up every now and again. Besides, daddy
sounds so much better, don't ya think?
My dad Miles is a Bounty Hunter, and also
the Captain of the Spitfire. He calls it
his pride’n joy transport ship. He is
still getting to know me, and getting used to being a father. I can't blame him, as mom never told him
about me. Had he not stumbled upon me
back on Drexlo, he might still be in the dark, and he'd be a whole lot worse
off without me. I seem to have an
uncanny knack for bailing him out of trouble.
He has holes in his crew again. He lost his pilot Sutherlan in a
gun-battle. Suttie had flown with my dad
for nearly twenty years. He was a
trustworthy ally, and so tough that at times it seemed like he spit nails.
He also left the ship's doctor on Earth due
to romantic complications. The doctor's
name was Zell, and I know he loved her, but he just wouldn't risk seeing her
harmed on his account. He tells me that
he's always traveled light. I think he
was being an idiot, and maybe I can find a way to bring her back. She'd be a great step-mom.
So Dad's got the help wanted sign out again.
As for the rest of the crew, we have an
amazing security officer, who goes by the name Ah Lam. My dad always says "That little Chinese
girl is all manner of deadly, and I would’ve been foolish not to sign her
on." She's also very stealthy, so
he chose to call her Sneaks. She brought
aboard a useless minstrel, who does nothing but strum his guitar all day. I don't expect him to stick around long.
The mechanic is a young man named Taro. He also used to share a bed with Ah Lam, a
mess my dad is still cleaning up. He’s
pretty useless in a fight, and pretty flighty to boot. He even tried hitting on me once, which was
just kind'a creepy. But he seems to be
finally getting better at fixing the ship.
I almost forgot about the kid, Zhiyuan. He lost his parents in a Mujee raid on
Drexlo, and is now an orphan. My dad
rescued him, and since he keeps out of trouble, my dad lets him stick
around. I look after him, almost like a
mother would.
Speaking of being a mother, I haven't told
daddy yet, but in a little bit I'll be making him a grandpa. I met a really nice guy while on the job, and
the poor guy died in a gunfight, the same one that claimed Suttie's life. At least he left a part of himself with me
before a bullet took him from me.
We just finished a big job, and we’re on the
prowl for work again. We mainly take on
contract work as bounty hunters, and Daddy just got a contract to catch a thief
named Palmer Whett. We’ll take on other
jobs too; As my daddy always says, “All
work is good work.”
