The Steam Scavengers
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- Parts 14
Complete Sat, Apr 29, 20231h 41m
(ONC2023 shortlist) Minnie, a retired airship pirate, and Eleanor, Minnie's respectable new wife, discover what's at the bottom of the seemingly bottomless pit that has opened in their steampunk city. Can they survive the strange world below, and protect their home city from disintegration?
This is my entry for the ONC2023, using the following prompt:
38. A seemingly bottomless pit was found, for which the depth can't be determined. Over time, scores of people began using it to illegally dump trash. Many have jumped believing that they'll find life's answers within it. Today, we learn the truth about the hole.
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In urgent need of a profitable job, freighter captain Kalina ap'Theron accepts a mysterious crate meant for delivery to an obscure rim planet. But under a space-gipsy curse and with the space patrol and a band of infamous pirates on her heels, Kali has no choice but to steer her precious "Topsy-Turvy" into an ion storm. The risky manoeuvre has the potential for some dangerous consequences. Lost in uncharted space, Kali faces the challenges of accepting a cute but slimy stowaway into her happy crew of outcasts, fighting off the attraction of both a black hole and a former crush, and getting back on course in order to deliver her load in time. Otherwise, once it reaches its sell-by date, she risks losing her ship to an alien hive mind. My entry for the Open Novella Contest 2020 - I picked prompts 39, 37, and 58 Chapter 1 - 1708 words Chapter 2 - 1883 words Chapter 3 - 1910 words Chapter 4 - 2011 words Chapter 5 - 1861 words Chapter 6 - 1780 words Chapter 7 - 1926 words Chapter 8 - 1963 words Chapter 9 - 1883 words Chapter 10 - 1894 words Chapter 11 - 1975 words Chapter 12 - 2057words Total - 22 851 words
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