Chapter 22: Mission Briefing

Chapter 22:

Mission Briefing

Day:  E-Day+5
Time:  1900 CST / 0200 GMT
Broadcast Location:  CLASSIFIED
Received Location:  Bastion Combat Air Transport (CAT) Blue-7, somewhere over Lake Michigan

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An easy way to show your support for Bastion: The Last Hope is to vote for the story on the WebFiction Guide website or other webfiction resources.  

If you enjoy Bastion: The Last Hope, perhaps consider Mind the Thorns, a reader-directed web novel telling the story of Regan Fairchild: Accountant, Bachelorette and Vampire.   He also blogs regularly at Fictional Omens.

Mr. Osterman's first novel FantastiCon can be found on Amazon.com in both print and eBook editions.  It is also available on Smashwords

Chapter 21: O'Dwyer, Mags

Chapter 21 

Trooper Mags "Spice" O'Dwyer

Day:  E-Day+5
Time:  1842 CST / 0042 GMT
Location:  WWIZ Station Headquarters, Milwaukee, WI


The office building was quiet, the sound of heavy boots the only noise to cut through the silence.  Maggie moved around another desk, scanning her field and she covering the team’s left flank as they crossed over the open work area.  Long shadows reached up and around the rows of cubicles to create long lines along the walls and forcing her to look twice with nearly each step.  Carefully she stepped over another skeletal corpse, the fourth they had seen.  She motioned quickly down once with her left hand before returning it to support her rifle.

They had found no survivors thus far.

Chapter 20: Ferrera, Felice

Chapter 20

Felice Ferrera

Day:  E-Day -3

Time:  2215 CST/ 0415 GMT

Location:  Madison, WI

Next Chapter --->>>

An easy way to show your support for Bastion: The Last Hope is to vote for the story on the WebFiction Guide website or other webfiction resources.  

If you enjoy Bastion: The Last Hope, perhaps consider Mind the Thorns, a reader-directed web novel telling the story of Regan Fairchild: Accountant, Bachelorette and Vampire.   He also blogs regularly at Fictional Omens.

Mr. Osterman's first novel FantastiCon can be found on Amazon.com in both print and eBook editions.  It is also available on Smashwords.

Chapter 19: Beaubien, Marie

Chapter 19

Gunnery Sergeant Marianne Beaubien, USMC

Day:  E-Day+3

Time:  1810 EST / 2310 GMT

Location:  Bishop International Airport, Flint Michigan

“So what do we know?”  Major Thompson folded his arms and listened.

Marie looked around the gathered officers and civilians.  Major Thompson stood at the front of the cargo crate they were using as a table, his arms crossed as he studied the map marked in red grease pencil.  To his left was Lt. Sobal, her sandy tresses tucked behind her ears, just long enough to be long but not enough to necessitate being tied up.  Continuing around the map were the two pilots from the 717, Parker and Morgan, still in their uniform coats.   Then there was Bob Hastings, a civilian who flat out refused to be left out, herself, and the tall lean figure of Bull.  She liked Bull and his easy attitude, even though he seemed unable to remember to call her “Gunny” rather than “Sarge”.  As he was seventy and a veteran himself, she was willing to cut him some slack.

Lt. Sobal was the first to speak.  Marie let the top page of her clipboard fall back into place and focused all of her attention on the young officer as she spoke.

“At approximately 1330 we started to receive a transmission of unknown origin directing all survivors to converge on a given chart coordinate.”  She indicated the location on a large, fold out map.  “The message cycled through English, French, Arabic and Spanish and claimed to be jointly sent by American, Canadian and Mexican governments.”

Who would you be like?

If there were an Alien Apocalypse, who would you be most like?

Chapter 18 Transcript

Chapter 18: Hanson, Steven

<<<--- Chapter 1

Chapter 16:

Senior Trooper Steven "Colt" Hanson

Day:  E-Day +4

Time: 0200 CST/ 0800 GMT

Location:  CLASSIFIED

Transcript

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The Hiatus

The following is Cross Posted across all of my blogs:  Fictional Omens, Mind the Thorns, and Bastion: The Last Hope.

So much to talk about and so much to write and to do and honestly no time for it all.

This is the end I want to make a public explanation of what's going on.  As many of you know, my day job is teaching.  This time of year is always incredibly challenging as the school year comes to a close, students seek extra last minute help, papers need to be graded, and life just has to wrap up.  To this end I've just been unable to keep up with much of my writing.

Mind the Thorns has suffered a great deal from neglect of late, partly from timing, partly because of the nature of writing something reader-directed.  Bastion has completely eaten up its buffer and while I love my blog, and I have plenty to comment on, there isn't time.

Officially, all web novels will return to regular posting on or around July 1.

Now, why the wait?

For Mind the Thorns, posting will resume much sooner than later.  I just need time to sit down and write.  Thankfully there's a plan in place I just need to keep pushing on.

For Bastion, I really need time to rebuild that buffer, collect videos from my cast, plan the next dozen chapters, and then be ready to write so that if I am forced to fall a little behind your regular updates aren't disrupted.

I appreciate the patience of all my readers as I push through this period and hope you all return at the beginning of July to engage in these projects.

Memorial Day

A short message from the Bastion Production Team:

Chapter 17: Winters, Angelica

Chapter 17

Angelica Winters

Day:  E-Day+3
Time:  2015 EST/ 1615 GMT

Location:  Sugar Grove, IL


“What is that?”

Angel watched as her father pulled a long tube from the back of the second gun locker in their survival bunker basement.  It looked like a massive poster tube, big enough around that it took two hands to fully circle.  He hefted it over a shoulder by its strap and let it hang.  He did not answer as he grabbed more ammunition magazines and slid them into various pouches on his vest.  He grabbed a second vest and continued to load it as well.

“Seriously, Dad, what the hell is that?”  Angel hated when he went silent on her, even when it was not the end of the world.  Now she was really starting to reach a panic level.  For eight hours they had monitored the radios, tried to make contact with others in their area on the internet, called every emergency hotline they could think of, and done everything short of venturing up stairs and outside.  Finally, her father had declared it was time.

Wordlessly he held out the vest to her.  “Strap this on, you’re going to need it.”

She started to protest, stomping her foot on the slate tile of the bunker.  He shook the vest in his fist but did not say anything.  Relenting she reached out and took the garment, surprised at its weight and begin to slip into it.  “Now will you tell me what it is?”

“Stinger antiaircraft missile deployment system with modifications for dumb fire direct line deployment.”  His flat tone matched the manner in which most men might describe the ingredients of a salad.

Chapter 16: Transcript

Chapter 16: Morgan, Emma

<<<--- Chapter 1

Chapter 16:

Emma Morgan

Day:  E-Day+4
Time: 0800 CST / 1400 GMT
Location:  CLASSIFIED

Transcript

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Chapter 15: Sobal, Jackie

Chapter 15

Lt. Jacqueline Sobal, USMC

Day:  E-Day+3
Time:  1730 EST/ 1810 GMT

Location:  Bishop International Airport, Flint Michigan

Lt. Jaqueline Sobal was one of the last of the survivors to get a tray of food.  As far as she knew, only Major Thompson had yet to take a portion of the Christmas Dinner feast that had been scavenged from the small food court in the airport terminal.  The two of them had gone through every document they could find on her tablet computer, on their small shelf of manuals, or on what defense networks they could log into.  She had hoped that the Major would have had clearance for something unique, some hidden orders for the end of the world or the like.  If he did, he was not sharing with her or the rest of the crew.

She took another bite of the burger Lefty had made for her.  It felt weird to let an enlisted cook for her.   It ran counter to all of the Marine traditions, but every effort to relieve Lefty of the cooking duties had been met with a smile and an insistence that he needed a chance to relax and grill.  While she had waited, he had regaled her with the stories of his mother's homemade Tamales and how bittersweet every Christmas was since she had passed.  His sister, apparently, had never learned the art, and thus the tradition had died with their mother.  Jackie still would like to take a turn at the grill, but if this was Lefty's idea of down time, she would grant it.  She and Gunny had eaten in silence, sharing one of the tables near the windows overlooking the tarmac.  Any survivors of the first clouds must have taken refuge in a shelter nearby, a shelter that had not proven sufficient.

Chapter 14 Transcript

Chapter 14: I Survived - A Documentary

Chapter 14

Excerpt from "I Survived - A Documentary about the End of Days"

Day:  E-Day+1820 - 5 years after the End of Days

Transcript

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Chapter 13: O'Dwyer, Mags

<<<--- Chapter 1

Chapter 13:  

Trooper Mags "Spice" O'Dwyer

Day:  E-Day+3
Time:  1912 CST / 0112 GMT
Location:  CLASSIFIED


The edges of the masking tape were worn and peeling away from the metal locker door.  Tight print declared this her space, the name "Spice" displayed in black permanent marker.  Trooper Mags O'Dwyer ran her finger over the end of the tape strip pressing it back into the black door as she had done so many times before.  As she pulled her finger away, the tape coiled back as it always did.  She shook her head, tugged up the towel around herself with one hand, and opened the locker with the other.

Her black combat uniform hung neatly inside, along with the flack vest, and other components.  She reached up to the top shelf to snag a clean sports bra and panties.  She had hung up her towel on the corner of the door and started to slide into her underwear when a male voice called over the locker wall.

"Hey, Spice, you know if this is another drill?"  That would be Colt.

"I swear it's not," another voice called back.  Mags grinned.

"Probie's right," she answered, loud enough to be heard over the lockers.  "I saw the req sheets on my way through from the gym.  We're shipping out to somewhere."

"I don't know," Colt called back again.

“Team Able shipped out, for real, a couple of hours ago,” Mags noted, her voice still raised.  “Some big-wig Watcher found a problem with one of the light houses and needed an escort out to see what it was.  I'm pretty that we're past the point of drills."

Chapter 12 Transcript

Chapter 12: Mission Briefing

<<<--- Chapter 1

Chapter 12:

Mission Briefing

Day:  E-Day+3
Time: 1940 CST/ 0140 GMT
Broadcast Location:  CLASSIFIED
Received Location:  Bastion Combat Air Transport (CAT) Green-3, somewhere over southern Wisconsin

Transcript

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Chapter 11: Winters, Angelica

Chapter 11:  

Angelica Winters

Day:  E-Day+3
Time:  1210 CST/ 1810 GMT
Location:  30201 Maple Tree Drive, Sugar Grove, Illinois


The space ship rocked with another explosion.  The woman in the pilot’s chair turned to shout at the last remaining crew member.  “Get in the escape pod, Jester.  Get in there, now!”

“No, Captain,” he shouted back as he held to the edge of the hatch to keep his balance.  “I’m the best pilot in the fleet.  I should be the one flying.”

“There’s no return flight on this one, Jester.”

“I know, Ma’am,” Jester answered, his eyes blinking as he argued.  “But there’s only one shot to put the Lexington into Grim Queen's Battleship.  You need the best to be sure it gets there and hits that reactor core.  Otherwise this suicide mission is just... suicide.”

The captain shook her head.  “That’s not good enough.  Ever since our mission on Thanos I’ve had a connection to the Queen.  It’s not enough to destroy her ship, I need to destroy her psychic core too.  I need to be there when her body is destroyed.”

“I can fly the ship in and you can jettison the pod just before impact.  You don’t have to die, Captain.”

The woman turned around in the seat to look back over her shoulder.  Her face was grim and resolute.  “Yes I do, Jester.”  

Their eyes locked for moments that felt like eternity.  Finally, Jester pulled himself up and saluted.  “It’s been a honor to serve under you, Captain Serra.”

Chapter 10 Transcript