Synopsis
Fleeing
from a troubled past that left him feeling tarnished and used, Sean finds work
as a medic aboard the deep sea mining ship Ariel, on a
distant planet.
Under
the leader ship of the infuriating, yet charismatic, Captain Joel Riley, Sean
settles into his simple, but dangerous, new life. It’s a life he soon comes to
love; albeit one in which he conceals his sexuality and avoids
intimacy.
But
Sean’s new world is turned on its head when an old face threatens to expose him
for the man he used to be.
With
Joel’s help, will Sean learn to come to terms with his past and become a man he
can be proud of?
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Excerpt
Joel Riley was a difficult captain to work under, and for his first season in the Deep, Sean was pretty sure he despised the man. But another season in he’d grown accustomed to the captain’s volatile temper and inability to compromise. Joel had been a miner all his life, born on Titan to a family of miners. He had the sea in his veins and Ariel was his heart. There was a confidence to Joel that drew the crew to him and an arrogance that kept him slightly out of reach. Rugged, strong, and built for hard labor, he was the exact opposite of Sean—and yet of all the crew, Sean felt closest to Joel. Sean understood the captain’s approach, his passions, and he trusted the older man with his life.
“Captain,
is everything all right?” Sean said from the entrance.
Joel
jumped, knocking his knees on the control board. “Jesus, boy! What you doing
creeping around in the middle of the night?”
“I
wasn’t creeping,” Sean said.
“Skulking
around, spying on people, and you reckon that’s not creeping,” Joel
grumbled.
Sean
thought better of continuing into an argument. If Joel’s mood was testy they
were going to go around in circles annoying each other.
“I
was about to turn in,” Sean said, deciding it was best to be passive.
“You
looking for permission?” Joel’s tone was still curt, but it wasn’t really
directed at Sean. Something else was bothering him.
“No,
I just thought I’d come in and say good night.”
Joel
sighed, apparently appeased by the lack of confrontation. He gave Sean a weak,
tired smile. “Better get some rest, Doc. Couple of hours and Harvey will need
you to stitch something, no doubt.”
Wasn’t
that the truth. Harvey, their engineer, was pretty good when it came to mineral
mining and keeping the ship moving, but he could injure himself getting into
his dive suit.
“What
about you, Sir?”
“I’m
not planning on cutting anything,” Joel said, his smile
strengthening.
“I
meant are you turning in?”
Joel
hesitated. Usually the captain was impossible to read, but every so often Sean
got hints of the man behind the muscle. There was a softness to him, hidden
behind the square jaw and piercing eyes. Sean had always been drawn to his
vulnerable side. It crept in from time to time, reminding Sean that the
captain, despite liking to pretend he was a demigod, was just a man. A good
man.
“Not
yet.” A shadow seemed to be hanging over him.
“Would
you mind some company?” Sean offered, sensing the captain had something he
needed to get off his chest.
“Suit
yourself.” It was as close to an invitation as Joel ever gave
anyone.
About the author
A.L.
BATES has a keen interest in Sci-fi and adventure novels and enjoys writing
stories with strong characters in imaginative backgrounds. Although an avid
writer, Deep is the
first published novella by A.L. Bates.
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