Rebecca M. Douglass, Author

We got no new flash fiction challenge from Chuck this week, so I went back to the last one and picked another title from the list. I'd already decided to write another story for Xavier Xanthum, Space Explorer, so I just used the title to give me an idea where to take it. Larry makes reference to a couple of Xavier's previous attempts at a little R&R, so I threw in the links to those stories. The Princess’ Game “Larry, I’ve signed us up for a week’s R&R on G37-X.” “Indeed.” The AI materialized in front of Xavier Xanthum (in his standard form, a pair of glowing eyeballs). His tone sent a clear message to the human half of the partnership that ran the Wanderlust. “Do you have some objection?” “Not at all, Captain.” Xavier sighed. Larry only called him “captain” when he disapproved of something Xavier was about to do. This was probably about Xavier’s choice of a rustic retreat for his holiday. Larry liked vacation in high-tech centers where he could find...

Two-for One: L is for Lars and Larry Today it's one from my stories, one from Jemima Pett.  Lars Nilsson In a nutshell: Asteroid miner with a murky past and uncertain temper, trying to get through life with as much leisure to enjoy women as possible Biggest secret: His motto may be 'if you can't beat them, join them' Lars is one of the central characters in the Viridian System books by Jemima Pett . The second character is mine: Larry the disembodied eyeballs. In a nutshell: Larry is the manifestation of the AI/onboard computer of the good ship Wanderlust, home of Xavier Xanthum, Space Explorer. Being an AI, he thinks fast and knows everything, but has a little trouble with things that require hands. Biggest Secret: Larry is trying hard to develop a sense of humor and other human attributes. Xavier, Larry, and the Wanderlust (and the ship's cat, Kitty Comet), feature in a series of flash fiction on this blog. Stories about the intrepid space explorers appear...