Last time I wrote about why I do this. This time I want to introduce the men the new novel follows.
The Vallis Defense: Cold Human has three protagonists who do not know each other.
Waylon Eckermann, sovereign of Free Vallis on Mars, a Navy veteran. Refusenik's readers will know him from Island Mine. The novel opens in April 2011, several years after the Chinese attack that put him on Mars, with Waylon reading the eight names on a placard beside a mourning flag with eight added stars.
Scott MacIntyre from Levall, West Texas. Marine veteran, scout sniper, bar owner. Refusenik's readers will know him from Human Phoenix and Human Man. The novel finds him in 2011 running a bar called the Black Horse, with a colorful group of friends and a new fiancée at his side.
Michael Stewart. Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Michael Stewart Cold Creek built, a few years on from where the Defenceman series left him. Readers of Defenceman: Parallel Ice will see how he has matured. AEGIS is growing, old relationships are still close, and new ones are about to walk in.
Three men, three worlds about to collide.
The Vallis Defense: Cold Human launches after Defenceman: Parallel Ice concludes in July 2026. More soon.
One last thing, unrelated to the novel. Michael Loucks, one of the best and most prolific writers on Stories Online (SOL), is leading a discussion called "Use of AI (nuances)" that is worth reading if the topic interests you. Wherever you land on the use of AI in writing, what stands out is the civility of the discourse. Opinions get expressed, ideas exchanged, and people listen to each other without belittling. This is what makes SOL special.
CCTW