Newsletter: Limit of Infinity Happenings 09.07.20
Sent out 09.07.20 to 464 fans.
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Writer Update! I’ve got lots of projects in the works! Book Four of The Limit of Infinity is really coming along! …and Episode Six of The Battle for Allegra is still in the works. I’m also working on several other book-related projects, so that has been a lot of fun! I’m keeping busy and I hope the rest of you are not dying from boredom! That’s about all I have to say here, so onto the next chapter of Accolade!Short Story! As I said, this is a long one! đ Accolade Chapter Fourteen West of Paradise, Galatia âJust let him help us!â Sylvia begs as a few more bullets tear through the foliage that they are still hiding under.Maverick scowls at Sylvia for a moment before he shakes his head. He didnât like it, but he really didnât have any other option right now. He would have to enlist the help of some strangers that may or may not turn on him once Jason and his group were out of sight. Maverick takes a long, slow breath before he calls out to the one who called himself Roland Dixon, âAnd you wonât shoot to hit any of them?ââThank you,â Sylvia nods to Maverick before they both turn to watch the tree that Roland is currently behind.âIf you donât want us to then we wonâtâ Roland sounds in reply with his own pledge. Roland then calls out to somewhere behind Maverick and those remaining in his team, âYou heard it, light them up!âA moment later, dozens of bullets are whizzing through the air back toward Jason and the other turncoats. Maverick rolls over onto his back and he looks toward the little knoll that the shooting seems to be coming from and he canât help but nod in appreciation. Even with the muzzle flashes from all the weapons fire, Maverick still canât pinpoint exactly where the shooters are. Nearly ten seconds pass before the gunfire dies down markedly and that is when Maverick realizes that Jasonâs team had stopped shooting at him.âCome on, youâre clear!â a girlâs voice calls from the little lookout that all the shooting had come from.âItâs now or never!â Roland calls from behind his tree. Maverick looks over in time to see Rolandâs form slip away from his hiding spot and then tear his way back up the little hill he had come from before he disappears into the foliage. A moment passes before he sticks his head back out of the dense greenery to look at Maverick and the others and asks, âAre you coming or not?ââIf they were going to shoot us, they would have done it by now,â Sylvia announces before she abruptly rises to a crouch. Still crouching, she then pulls Maverick up and presses, âThey know the lay of the land better than we ever will. Maybe they can teach us a thing or two that the Sims couldnât.âMaverick is about to warn her about the need for caution when Sylvia spins around and makes for where Roland and his team are. Sighing, Maverick offers up a quick prayer that things wouldnât go south, and he orders, âFall back, team.ââYou heard the man, move it!â Jake quickly calls out. At that, everyone starts following Sylvia and after a few seconds, Jake gets Maverickâs attention and he points toward Tyson who is clutching a growing red spot on his shoulder.âTyson!â Maverick quickly yells as he races over to his friend. As he approaches, Maverick sees that Tyson also has a bandage tied around his thigh and blood is seeping through that as well.âIâm fine,â Tyson grunts as he limps after the others as fast as he can go.Maverick is about to say something when his voice catches in his throat. Instead of forming a sentence, all that rises from his throat is a whimper. Maverick wasnât ready to see one of his people get hurt, not like this. The fact that the injury came at the hand of someone that was on his team a few minutes earlier made it that much harder for him to deal with.âIf you need anything, just tell me,â Maverick requests after several more moments pass. He has a sinking feeling in his gut that Tyson was a lot worse off than he let on.âI told you, Iâm fine,â Tyson snaps. He grimaces slightly, as if the effort of responding pained him and he then clenches his eyes shut. His frown deepens as he opens his eyes and seemingly realizes that this isnât all part of a bad dream.Still worried, Maverick keeps an eye on Tyson as they close the distance between them and the small hill that everyone had disappeared over. Before too long, both Maverick and Tyson slip through the dense foliage and are greeted by the sight of Rolandâs team and everyone from Maverickâs team that hadnât left with Jason. Maverick canât see everyone, thanks to the thick brush, but he can see a good portion of those around him.Sylvia emerges out of seemingly nowhere and she teasingly whispers to Maverick, âTook you long enough to get here.ââIs this everyone?â Maverick asks as he peers through the greenery at those around him. He still canât make out every face, so he turns his attention back to Sylvia.Frowning, Sylvia nods and says, âYeah, it looks like Jason took eight of our people with him. Besides them, everyone is accounted for.ââIs anyone else hurt?â Maverick inquires as he looks back to Tyson who is currently getting his arm attended to by the ever-resourceful Anne. Maverick chuckles when he sees that Anne is using a sock as a bandage.Shaking her head, Sylvia answers, âNope, just Tyson, by the looks of it.ââWe need to get moving,â Roland announces, interrupting all the various conversations that are going on between Maverickâs people. Maverick looks over to where Roland is, and he sees several of Rolandâs people standing behind them with their weapons in hand. For a group of ragtag group of guerrillas, they seemed to be very competent. All eyes shift to Roland and he continues when he sees that he has everyoneâs attention, âWeâll lead the way to one of our campsites and you all can decide what you would like to do from there.âAll eyes then shift to Maverick and he can tell that they are silently asking him what to do. In response, Maverick scans Roland and his people for a beat before he says, âSound like a plan.ââGood,â Roland nods as he starts to turn.âAnd thanks for the save,â Maverick quickly adds. Having finally met one of the savages, his feelings toward them have changed. They clearly were not the monsters that he had been told they were. In fact, if anyone was a monster, it was Jason and his people.Roland pauses and then turns to face Maverick. Shaking his head, he admits, âYouâll have to thank my team for that, it was their idea.ââOh?â Maverick asks, his interest piqued. He is about to thank the rest of Rolandâs team when Roland starts talking again.âYep, I was wanting to start heading home. They convinced me that we needed to follow you and your people.ââWell, Iâm thankful for that,ââYeah, it definitely worked out for the best. Saving lives beats resting at home most any day.ââSo, you have a home out here?â Maverick asks, letting his curiosity get the best of him. He had only heard bad things about the savages of the wilds before now and after hearing Roland talk, he had so many questions rising to the surface.âOf course, I have a home,â Roland laughs, âWeâre not savagesâoh wait, I get it. UmmâŚâRoland trails off as he chuckles to himself and then one of the girls beside him picks up where he stopped, âWe all live in a good-sized village not too far from here. Our society isnât too unlike your own, except we donât send our people out into the wilds to die.ââHaley!â Roland snaps warningly as he gives her a look that could cut stone.âI said what I did,â Haley shrugs dismissively as she shifts her attention to the woods around them. When Roland fails to say anything else to her, she distances herself a short way from Roland and the others. She then takes the reins of two of the horses that some of Rolandâs people had been leading along.âWhat did she mean by that?â Maverick asks after several awkward moments. To validate his question, he goes on to explain, âWe were trained by the best of the best, so we definitely were not sent out here to die. Our mission is to tame the wilderness for our people.âRoland looks over to face Maverick and he frowns. He weighs what he is about to say next when he waves for Maverick to come closer to him. Once Maverick is a lot closer, Roland replies in a quiet voice that no one else can hear, âYou may have training, but not everyone that the Coalition sends out is that lucky. There are many groups of your people that have been sent out here without the training or the means to defend themselves. Many of these groups are families.ââWhat?â Maverick asks, confused, âWhat do you mean they are sending out families?ââWe donât know why they are sending out families for sure,â Roland admits, âBut we do know that the Coalition attacks those that they exile. HaleyââWe were told that it was you that attacked our people,â Maverick snaps.Roland shakes his head before he resumes what he was saying, âHaley is one of the exiles. Her family was killed when a Coalition ship bombed them. Sheâs the sole survivor.ââWhat?â Maverick asks once again. He stops dead in his tracks and Roland pauses a brief moment before he leaves Maverick there in the middle of the path.The Coalition is killing its own people? Maverick asks himself as he weighs the plausibility of the accusation. Under normal circumstances, he would have shrugged off the possibility of such a statement, but he couldnât this time. He had had his own doubts in the integrity of the Coalition for some time now. Those doubts had first come up when he heard about how so many members of his team had been ripped away from their parents without any notice. Those doubts were strengthened when someone pointed out the absurdity of sending children out to take on monsters that career soldiers feared to face.âWhat do you mean you have something for me?â Maverick hears Sylviaâs voice ask from behind him.âYour mother gave me something when she dropped me off at Paradise,â the newcomer, Gideon, replies.âMy mother?â Sylvia asks taken aback, âIs everything alright?ââYeah,â Gideon replies, âShe says that sheâs coming for you.ââBut she canât do that!â Sylvia whispers harshly.âShe knows what doing so would mean, but she seems to have a plan in place.ââBut how does she think she is going to find me?ââShe gave me this⌠she told me that you would be able to figure out what needs to be done from there.ââWhat?â Sylvia says aloud. She is about to say more when she literally runs into Maverick who had yet to move. Sylvia and Maverick both fall to the ground in a tangle of limbs and laughter. After a short effort, Sylvia jumps to her feet an apologizes, âSorry, I wasnât paying attention to where I was going.ââNo, itâs my fault,â Maverick shakes his head as he rises to his own feet. Brushing off some dirt, Maverick finally pulls himself out of his head and he starts walking after Roland and the others. When Gideon and Sylvia begin following him, he asks, âSo, what did Gideon give you?âGideon looks over to Sylvia with a face the pleaded with her to not say anything, but Sylvia ignores it. Picking up a red flashlight from off the ground, Sylvia replies, âThis.ââA flashlightâŚâ Maverick remarks as Sylvia hands it to him. He examines it thoughtfully for several moments before he unscrews a few parts. Looking at the compact battery pack and a few other odds and ends he frowns. Nothing seemed important enough to smuggle it into Sylvia and risk being exposed. Feeling quite discouraged, Maverick puts the flashlight back together and muses, âI wonder whatâs so important about it.ââTo be honest, I expected there to be a map inside it,â Sylvia admits as she opens it up and takes a look for herself.Laughing, Maverick agrees, âMe too!ââWait, but why did your mom have me bring it in then?â Gideon asks, his confusion evident, âShe said that you would know what to do with it.ââI donât knowâŚâ Sylvia admits as she plays with the small device.âMaybe itâs a transceiver?â Gideon offers, âMaybe sheâll use it to track you down?ââI didnât think of that,â Sylvia nods, âMaybe.âMaverick, Gideon, and Sylvia chitchat for some time after giving up one their pursuit to figure out what the flashlight was for. The truth of the matter was that they had no idea why Commander Hayes made such a big deal about it. As far as any of them could tell, it was just a flashlight. Even Gideonâs transmitter idea failed to hold water since they all knew electronics well enough to see that the flashlight was just that.As the three of them spoke they exchanged countless stories. Maverick found himself laughing far too many times as he noted just how much he and Gideon had in common. Sure, they had quite a few differences too, but no one was just like another person. Even twins had their differences.After a very long hike, Maverick checks his maps and he compares them to his surroundings. After a few unsuccessful attempts to get his bearing, he does his best to peer through the tree canopy at some nearby mountains and he gets a rough bearing off of the mountainsâ peaks. After several minutes of struggling, Maverick has a few bearings to go off of and he plots them out on his map. Smiling, Maverick realizes that he and the others are now well over twenty kilometers from Paradise, which meant they were safe.âAlright, our campsite is just up ahead,â Roland announces after what felt like an eternity. After such a long hike, Maverick was thankful for the extensive training that he and the other Stalwarts went through.âHow are you doing, Tyson?â Maverick asks as he examines his friend. He had made sure to keep Tyson in front of him the whole time in order to ensure that he didnât get left behind.Tyson huffs before he replies, âGoing good, canât wait for dinner.ââAre you sure?â Maverick presses. Tyson had kept up with everyone pretty well, likely thanks to the crutch that Anne made him, but that seemed like it just gave him the means to put on a strong front for everyone else.âYep,â Tyson responds shortly.Maverick frowns as Tyson waddles a little faster to get away from him. He can tell that Tyson was hiding something, but he couldnât put his finger on it. Frowning, Maverick decides to let it go and he shrugs. There was nothing he could do for Tyson if Tyson didnât tell him anything. Shrugging, Maverick turns to Gideon and he asks, âAnd how are you doing? I know you havenât been on a hike like this before.ââI should be fine,â Gideon assures him, âI was in track, so my legs can take quite a lot of punishment. Itâll take more than a long hike to take me down.ââHiking and running are two very different things,â Sylvia warns.Gideon lets out a loud laugh before he declares, âYouâre telling me!âSylvia gives Gideon a weird look and she asks, âWhat?ââMy legs are on fire right now,â Gideon admits. Still laughing, Gideon rubs his shins for a moment before he reaches down to his ankle. Wincing slightly, he admits, âI think I rolled my ankle a hundred times today.âSylvia lets out a laugh at Gideonâs joke. Shaking her head, she warns, âYouâre definitely going to be hurting in the morning.ââYeah,â Gideon lets out a pained chuckle. He and the others take a few more steps and they emerge into a good-sized clearing where Roland and his team are preparing the campsite for the night.Spirits seem to be high and everyone is happily chatting with one another. Anne is currently engaged in conversation with Haley whom she seems to have befriended over the long trek. The rest of Maverickâs team is also engaging with Rolandâs team as they join in on the setup efforts.âThey actually did it,â Meghan whispers to herself as Maverick, Sylvia, and Gideon draw near. She is sitting near the edge of the group where she is rocking slightly in a fetal position. Her eyes are wide, and her face is pale as she stares blankly ahead of her.The group grows quiet as they take in what Meghan had reminded them of. Jason, Danni, and seven others, had all left them. Not only that, but they also shot at them as they left. Not only had they shot at them, but they actually hit Tyson. Despite Tysonâs assurances, Maverick isnât sure if his friend will actually pull through this one. They didnât have a med ward where Tyson could heal up, they were out on their own.âWe all knew they wanted to leave us,â Maverick offers, âWe just didnât expect them to do it like they did.âFrowning, Sylvia offers, âWell, theyâre gone now, so weâre safe.â Stay tuned for Chapter Fifteen! …And if you’ve missed any chapters of this story, feel free to check them out on my website. đ https://calebfast.com/2020/04/08/accolade/Weekly Promo! Here’s a sweet selection of promos for all of you! ![]() As promised, here are the links to Renaissance. It is free today, but that won’t last! If you missed my unscheduled message earlier this week, then here’s your final chance! Here are some links for my international fans! đ US https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QXKFDV9 Great Britain https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07QXKFDV9 Canada https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07QXKFDV9 Australia https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B07QXKFDV9 Thanks for all of your support! And a special thank you to all of you who are going to drop a review when you’re done reading it! đ ![]() Here’s a bunch of books for just 99 cents! Go on and pull out your ereaders and have yourself a great weekend! đ https://storyoriginapp.com/to/rLlgYyK ![]() There’s no actual image for this one, sorry! I just dropped in a random cropped one. This promo is like the one above it, just with a sci-fi focus. Enjoy! https://storyoriginapp.com/to/7sNNnns Thank you for exploring the future with me! -Caleb Fast Stay safe, and stay awesome everyone! |