Rocket City Blues
By
J Morgan Woodall
Book II of the Southern Sci-Fi Chronicles
Rocket City Blues
Book II of the Southern Sci-Fi Chronicles
by
J.Morgan Woodall
First Printing
Made in the United States of America
Copyright © 2020 by J. Morgan Woodall
All Rights Reserved
Cover art by Vanesa Garkova
Professional editing by Coral Tempest
https://www.facebook.com/tempestsbooktailoring
“Star Light, Star Bright”
By
Summer Layne
Used with Permission
The work contained herein may not be reproduced in any form for profit without the written permission of the publisher and author, the only exception being a magazine or a newspaper reviewer who may quote brief passages as part of a printed review.
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Acknowledgments
Tania Fitzgerald for her loyal and efficient PA work. Wow! What an incredible journey it’s been over these last three years! I wouldn’t be where I am, if not for you. Thanks for putting up with me and being the glue that holds it all together.
Thanks to:
Keesha Robles, Raven Canely, Valerie Strobel & Katrina Smith: for all they do in running the Rocket City Cafe.
Valerie Strobel: for keeping the MeWe Cafe open for business!
Danielle Bricker: for taking over the website and keeping it up-to-date.
I’m excited about where you’re going with it.
Thank you also for your help with the teasers.
The Morphettes Street Team:
(The best there is!)
Katrina Smith
Cynthia Cordell
Lynn Morris Stifle
Raven Canely
Sharlie Chase
Valerie Strobel
Keesha Robles
Staci Black
Lizzy Jane
Marguerite Quigley Robinson
Proofreading:
Katrina Smith
Beta Readers:
Danielle Bricker
Summer Layne
Marguerite Quigley Robinson
Kay Cordell
Debbie Alvarado
Inspired by:
The TV series Firefly (never given a chance by those morons at Fox)
The Electric Light Orchestra concept album Time
“Somewhere Out There” by Our Lady Peace
The sci-fi master Gerry Anderson
The overactive imagination of my teenage years
Heavy Metal magazine (mostly the cover art)
The girls of Japanese anime
Dedications
To my family:
Jennifer
Brittany
Kacie
Jake
Sydney
Landon
Layken
♥I love you all!♥
My wonderful Rocketeers in the Rocket City Café. Those beautiful, fun-loving friends who are always there at takeovers, release parties and wherever. Every day’s an adventure, just sharing a laugh, a joke or simply a cheerful “Good morning!” to start the day!
To all those who believe in me, even when I don’t believe in myself.
To all those who’ve suffered during this plague we call a pandemic. May it be over soon.
Dedicated to Marguerite Quigley Robinson
The little lady who cleans the big church in Boston.
Thanks for having them pray for the Southern boy with the broken arm.
Introduction
Three years ago, when I released the first book in this series, “Like A Fox on the Run,” I never imagined it’d take almost three years to get to this point. But other adventures and other stories clamored to be released from the asylum that is my imagination, and before I knew it, the time had slipped away.
But here we are now, and Tiger, Lulah, Amber and the gang are finally back. For those of you who have long awaited this, I hope it will have been worth the wait. I feel like I owe my faithful readers, who’ve been so very patient, something extra special. I’ve tried to build you a hot rod, fast, powerful and sexy. Vanesa, as always, did a great job on the cover. It looks good on the outside. I hope it’s got the horses under the hood to satisfy.
So here are the keys. Take her out. The universe of the Southern Sci-Fi Chronicles beckons once again. Come inside and see what the future holds in store. I think you’re going to be surprised. My fervent hope is that it’s a pleasant one.
Thanks for being patient. It won’t take three years to get the next one out.
Now, let’s light this candle.
J. Morgan Woodall
May 2020
Prologue
He stands on the observation deck of the Water & Power Building. The majestic skyscraper rises high above the colony. At forty stories high and coming within a hundred foot of the dome roof, it is by far the tallest structure in Luna Three. For almost two decades, it’s held the distinction of being the tallest on the moon itself, until the hundred-story Jupiter Tower opened last year in the sparkling new Luna Ten.
The “Ole WP,” as she is called, is the pride of the colony. It’s one of the brightest jewels in man’s crown of achievements out here in space. Just like the hard-working and self-sufficient city she’s come to symbolize, this glorious monolith rises majestically from moon rock and space dust, a glowing testament to Colonial determination and perseverance. Styled in Neo-Art Deco, her grand arches and stately columns trimmed out in neon tubing, soft pastels: aqua, pink and sky blue, she’s as much a work of art as she is a landmark.
Color and style are essential in a naturally monochrome world. For people born to blue sky, sunshine and fresh air, living under a bubble in eternal blackness isn’t always easy. Many had tried and failed. Many cracked, not being able to deal with the fact that only a sheet of plastic stands between them and the endless void. They feel trapped, like a bug under a glass. There’s even a name for it, Domeaphobia. No matter how bright the lights, no matter how many trees, shrubs and greenways, some just can’t stop looking up and feeling it all pushing down on them. The lucky ones simply give up and return to earth.
The worst cases go mad.
But, the ones who stay, those colonists determined to make something out of the barren rock, those people build something special. The early colonists had been true pioneers. Through sheer grit, determination and courage, they’d carved a life out under these giant bubbles. People of all races, religions and professions came together and built whole new cities.
Where once tourists
