Okay, so I actually used Mars as the setting for my Oasis #BlogBattle story. And as often happens, more story wanted to come from that short episode, so I wrote two more parts the next week. I tried to put it aside for the time being, knowing I want to really and truly write this story someday, but with a topic of MARS this week, I really couldn’t resist one more short episode for now. It is really just an awkward moment caught in time. 🙂

If you don’t want to go back and read or re-read the previous installments, here is a brief recap:

Earth Vegrandis’s water supply is dangerously low after six thousand Earth Prime days without rain. There’s one man who’s sworn off allegiance to the Federation of Interstellar Humanity, but hasn’t lost his own humanity completely. Zane is on a mission to gain new “seed water” for Earth Vegrandis, and the best place to get it from is the human outpost of Fruitful on the planet Mars. But when he arrives, it’s to find the city in chaos and the shield generator on the verge of exploding. He’s intent upon getting that seed water, but the minister of Mars and his daughter, Serena, are in desperate need of a ride off the planet before the dome shield is gone and they die with information essential to humanity’s survival.

Part One: Oasis of Mars

Part Two: Minister Sola’s Palace

Part Three: Final Troop

Part FOUR: All Aboard

Zane cursed his luck under his breath and absently helped Serena through the door where she collapsed against the wall inside the ship. She clutched at her side and breathed in the filtered air with short breaths. He didn’t notice anything as his mind worked out the amount of water they’d gained from Mars’s supply before the line had blown.

Zane stopped partway through the door when he looked at his new passenger and noticed the trickle of blood dripping down her temple from just above her right eye. He cringed, but before he could ask if she was all right Dragon gave him a shove from behind. If the man had been an average guy it might have only been a gentle reminder, but Dragon wasn’t average and often forgot his own strength. His tap sent Zane flying forward where he collided with Serena in an awkward moment of hot breath and flailing arms.

“Get off!” she said, practically yelling in his face.

He found her exaggerated reaction to the ridiculous circumstance amusing and braced himself against the wall with his hands on either side of her head.

“You’re welcome,” he said.

The flushed look of her face was the cake.

“What are you talking about?”

“Well, I did just save your life. So, you’re welcome.”

The flustered expression immediately switched to provoked indignation when her jaw dropped, nostrils flared, and her brows moved together in a downward slant. The whole transformation made her nose wrinkle. That was the icing.

Zane grinned.

She shoved him back, but at that exact moment the ship lurched off the landing pad and set them all off-balance. Serena stumbled toward Zane who caught her by her upper arms but released her as quickly as he’d grabbed on. She pushed him again, successfully putting space between her and him but it was with enough force to send Zane back a few steps to catch himself.

Zane’s shoulder knocked into Dragon when he found his balance, but they both just watched with stupid grins plastered on their faces as Serena yanked the edges of her tight jacket down and marched the short distance to the cockpit.

“Feisty, that one.”

Zane looked sideways at the ever-laconic Dragon.

“You could say that.”

on a side note, this is my 400th blog post! Woohoo! I’ve talked at you all four-hundred times. Thanks for sticking with me. 🙂