MotherShip (47 page)

“Saris and I were the first Mewiis to meet with the family of the MotherShip. We made First Contact with them,” Krinia said. Her head-tail whipped from side to side as she joined them. “I do not have a family group of my own as yet. If it is acceptable, I would like to join Mother's extended family.”

“You are most welcome,” Mother said. “Please, join my family.”

Kyle and Jaric smiled at all of their friends.

Stepping forward, Kyle grasped Rok by both his arms. Rok returned the warrior's embrace as they faced each other a moment in silence.

“We are brethren,” Rok said with conviction. “Wherever you shall journey, there I and my Band will go also. The Hrono called Jysar, and the Mewiis called Krinia as well. And Minstrel. Whatever fantastic worlds and aliens you encounter, we will loyally be at your side.” He paused, smiling with the thought of the wondrous journey before them.

“Even to the edge of the universe!” Rok's face beamed.

“Then let us go,” Mother said.

Melva and Meghan, for their love and understanding, always. My sister and fellow conspirator, Ginger, for reawakening the fires. For their friendship: Matt and Janet, Mark, Lori, Luke, Hannah and Daniel, and Becky, too!!! Andy and Monica. Joel and Amy. Donna. Leslie, Leon, Lacianne, Logan, Lyndsie and Lauren. Joy, Lee, Jack and Caroline. Aunt Doris and Aunt Sue. Michael, Doreene, Tiffany, Marina and Forrest. Adam, Jodie and Brendan. Ryan, Paula, Sierra and Dashaun ( Darling Boy ), Rick and Dawn, Brian and Martha, Micah, Michelle, Kevin and Keara, Mari and Jessica. And to Graybeard, Don, for enduring the earliest versions and still telling me I was his favorite author.

Special thanks to Lucy Snyder who published the original short story at Dark Planet in 1997, and to Jeff Mason and David K. Smith for publishing the serial version at The Writer's Hood in 1999.

My heartfelt thanks to Kathryn Awe, editor of Hard Shell Word Factory, for her mentoring and editing of MotherShip. She helped me take my little tale to its final, wonderful form.

Special thanks to W. Gregory Stewart, my favorite poet and my online friend.

Also special and sincere thanks to the following editors, artists and fellow writers for their encouragement: Andrew G. McCann at Planet Magazine, Ray Dangel, Jeremy Malcolm at Ibn Qirtaiba, Leslie Blanchard, A Writer's Choice, Debra Staples of SynergEbooks. To Paula Fleming, and to Jo and Di. And my Beatle-friend Dianne Huberty—and her Idle Hands Beatles’ site.

Many thanks to Duncan Long—artiste extraordinaire!

There were a number of artists who created artwork for the Serial version, thanks to you all. To Thomas Miller, I am truly grateful. And I am deeply indebted to Romeo Esparrago for all the fantastic artwork he has done for both MotherShip as well as my short stories and poetry at Planet Magazine.

Thanks to ‘THE Team'—Eddie, Pat, Joe, Tammy, Rodel, and Chen. And the ‘cool’ team—Bill, Ed, Kevin, Lawrence, Dee, Matt and Gary. Rich, Dave and Pete, too. All of ESM and SysOps and DT. Trishia, Todd and Bianca.

Deepest appreciation to The Beatles. My earliest memory is riding in a car and hearing ‘I Want to Hold Your Hand.’ My youth was filled with your music, and it runs through all the memories of my childhood and adolescence. And today.

A special nod to George Lucas. It was while watching the trailer to a new movie in 1977 that first sprang the seed for MotherShip.

Tony Chandler lives in Atlanta, GA, along with his wife and their eighteen year old daughter, Meghan. They share their home with two wonderful cats, K.C and Andy, who lead very, very deprived lives—eating, sleeping, and getting loved every day. But they give much love in return so the arrangement is acceptable to all parties.

Tony enjoys baseball, art exhibits and the Bard live at the Shakespeare Tavern, as well as music ranging from Mozart and Bach to the Beatles and Enya and beyond... he loves ‘great* music in most any form.

He has loved books and reading all of his life, and for the last ten years has written and been published by some of the leading Webzines on the Internet. His first published novel, MotherShip, is the culmination of this first stage of his writing. And MotherShip can rightly be said to be his ‘dream’ novel.

Tony continues to write. The sequel to MotherShip, Borne on Wings of Steel, is due out in 2003 as well as a short story anthology.

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