Hey all,
This timing is not quite what I expected, but a recent rip-off of the Waystation appearing on Amazon.com forced me to move up the timetable somewhat.
I promise that future releases will have more warning!
The good news is that you can now purchase Nellie and the Nanites: Book One on Amazon in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Germany, France, Italy, and more.
Priced at a reasonable $2.99 or equivalent.
It is also available to read as part of the Kindle Unlimite...
2024-01-06 11:13:01 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 115
Splitting the Party III
Scruff walked lightly over the frosty ground and tried to ignore the screaming argument between Wendy and her mother. She loved the girl; she could admit that now, but would it kill her to have a single conversation without screaming her head off?
Approaching her destination, she took a moment to look around before getting to work. The town was a thing of beauty. It really was. Scruff had been amazed enough at the things Bert and the W...
2024-01-05 09:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 13
Salvage Operations
Nellie looked at the unconscious man and sighed. Some people were so predictable it was painful. His sudden desire to see the other models she had, plus the fact Lucy had already found the overrides, added up to one of the more obvious betrayals she had faced since coming to this sector.
The simple thing to do would be to break his neck while he was out and end the threat he posed before it could begin. It would be the safest thing to do.
2024-01-04 09:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 114
Splitting the Party II
After a hectic day for the Waystationers, the sun was finally starting to set. Already, the land owned by the crew was unrecognizable. Flat and clear of everything larger than a blade of grass, with the exception of a large area of space at the furthest point from the road.
Bert watched the orc working to use a very old method to claim the land. They were carrying a set of sky metal spears connected back to the land train with long stee...
2024-01-03 09:05:01 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 113
Splitting the Party
Bert Hudson tapped his fingers on the table in a rapid tattoo of irritation. The cause of that irritation was, well, everything around him. Most significantly, the woman from Earth sat across the table from him and glared at him with undisguised hatred.
She was from Earth, like him, and had been brought to this world by someone a lot more powerful, also like him. That should have been enough to give them at least some common ground to star...
2024-01-03 09:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 12
Smoke and Fire
The heavy metal gates should have been closed. Nellie had seen a lot since she ended up on this planet: walls broken by battering rams and explosives, gates blown open by weapons fire, and the results of gaps in the walls were always the same.
Everyone died or fled.
This was the first time she had seen the gates open, just a crack as the one loose side moved gently in the wind. A pale wisp of smoke curled through the gap.
“Why is t...
2024-01-02 09:05:01 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 11
Wreckage.
Nellie watched Duke’s workers unloading her hold. This had been her largest haul yet. The piece of wreckage she had found in the forests bordering the town had not yet been located by any of the Fed forces, so she was free to harvest the whole thing.
Without the restrictions she placed on herself around other people, Nellie got the whole thing in record time. Every piece of metal was loaded into the bay and, away from any prying satellite's eyes, w...
2024-01-02 09:00:07 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 112
Returning Home.
Rose gaped at the gleaming wood and metal of the Waystation as she was helped down from the cab of the Express. It would have been hard to believe it was even the same place if she couldn’t feel it herself.
Being in the Waystation had a certain feeling to it. Rose didn’t have a name for it, but if she had to guess, she would call it home. The feeling of coming home.
It was enough to start her crying again, but she bit back the tears ...
2023-12-29 09:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 10
A Good Start
“If you return in twenty minutes, the payment will be left in the same place,” Fourteen’s clipped tones sounded from the speakers again.
“Unnecessary,” Sal insisted again. “We have no ill intentions.”
“Necessary,” Admin Fourteen insisted. “We require secure transactions.”
“Unnecessary,” Sal said again. “No operations will be disrupted, and external collections require extraneous measures for facility protect...
2023-12-28 09:00:03 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 111
Time to make a change!
“I don’t want to do this!” Rose struggled in his grip as her feet touched down in deep mud.
“Yes. You said,” Death noted as he pointed ahead of them. “Now, look at that!”
Rose turned her eyes to the scene ahead of them.
It was a small campsite, with several people gathered around the small fire. An older couple were taking turns cooking over the flames, their white hair turning gold or orange as it caught the l...
2023-12-27 09:05:01 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 110
From Bad to Worse
Rose shot out of the keep's doors; shadows gathered around her as she blurred across the ground. She stumbled here and there; her wings fluttered occasionally as she struggled to stay upright. Her class came with a natural balance increase, but trying to stay balanced without arms was almost impossible, especially at speed.
She heard the shouts, heard the demanding voice calling for her to be captured again, and felt true panic.
Rose...
2023-12-27 09:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 9
Growing Pains
“Thank you for your purchase of a Synthetic Automated Life - Echo Model,” A plain voice came from the blank, emotionless face. “This Echo Model is proficient in a number of skills and capable of above-average strength and reaction times. It is also equipped with an adaptive AI capable of learning any task you may require.”
Lucy snorted at that.
“In addition to a series of preprogrammed roles that include administration, assistant, ...
2023-12-26 10:20:29 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 8
Radio daze
“A little to the left!” Paren yelled over the comms.
“You know you don’t have to yell, right?” Nellie sighed into the mic.
“A LITTLE TO THE LEFT!” Paren screamed over the comm line, which erupted into hisses and squeals of protest. When it cleared, the sound of giggling broke through the static.
Nellie couldn’t stop slightly smiling as she moved the shuttle a little to the left. It was what she would have done, after all. ...
2023-12-26 10:18:09 +0000 UTC
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Hey all!
I just wanted to say thank you on the eve of this celebration.
Whatever holiday you may be celebrating, or even none at all, I wanted to say a personal thank you for your support over the last few months. This has been my first year as a writer, and thanks you all of you, a great one. So, whatever your traditions, I hope you have a great time, and I look forward to many more years to come!
All the best!
C.J.
2023-12-24 16:31:05 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 109
Awkward and Wonderful
Gavin woke up tangled in the naked form of Lyra. He was still bleeding slightly, but he must have taken at least two healing potions at some point. He knew this because he could see the empty vials lying crushed and broken against the wall.
Images and flashes of what had happened came back to him in fits and bursts. They had fought the spiders and then each other.
Her music had cut and stabbed at him, but his armor, which somehow g...
2023-12-22 07:56:22 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Seven
Transport
Crush-Cha pushed out the grating on the roof vent and crawled out onto the frozen roof. The cold air tightened his scales instantly. He had built up quite a sweat in the tight confines of the vent work, and he couldn’t help but shiver.
Despite the freezing temperatures burning against his naked form, he was careful to stay flat against the roof as he crawled towards the edge.
Looking over the side showed a several-story drop onto metal gra...
2023-12-21 07:48:03 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 108
Questing - Recover the Crown Jewels, Part Two.
“So, they are really like that?” Lyra asked for what felt like the fifteenth time since Gavin had started to explain life aboard the Waystation to her. “They just accept people?”
“Aye, lassie,” Gavin said in a slightly irritated voice. “I’d no say it otherwise.”
“And you were really adopted by a bear?” She asked.
“A Gaint Sloth Bear, aye,” Gavin said defensively. “And I’l...
2023-12-20 09:05:01 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 107
Questing - Recover the Crown Jewels
“Sure about this?” Bell asked him for the third time.
“Aye,” Gavin nodded and drew himself up. “I’m nae a child.”
“Okay,” Bell sighed, and Way Way lowered the quest board down for him.
There was only one quest left, and he put out his hand and claimed it, feeling the familiar rush of an adventure just starting to build. “Recover the Jewels, that’ll do me!” He grinned up at the pixie. “I...
2023-12-20 09:00:09 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Six
Walls.
Nellie practically vibrated in her seat as she flew away from Duke’s place. She was still careful not to speak until they were almost half an hour from the farm. He was clearly a man with abilities beyond anything she had imagined before. It was only wise to be cautious.
“Well?” She asked eventually.
“Well, what?” Lucy asked in her too-casual voice.
“What do you think of the ship? Of going to unexplored space?” Nellie asked.
2023-12-19 09:42:00 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Five
Heavy Cargo
Nellie sat on top of the passenger shuttle and looked around the yard. A lot had changed since she bought the place, but so much still needed to be done.
About a third of the space was now occupied by the two prefab hangars and the large scrap pile hiding the entrance to Lucy’s workshop. Not to mention Paren’s little shack. In front of all that was the landing zone, another third of the space. That was kept clear to allow entry and exit from ...
2023-12-19 09:40:43 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 106
Questing - Discover the Lost Temple II
Bert found himself in an entryway of sorts. It was a singular circular room with the opening a few meters above in the center of a small dome. Looking around showed nothing but smooth walls with no apparent way out.
His grappling hook would easily reach, but it did hint at what kind of temple this might be.
Anyone coming in this way was not intended to leave.
The singular exit from the room was a simple arch ...
2023-12-15 10:20:45 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Four
Planning ahead.
Nellie walked around the table several times, ensuring it looked right from all sides. The design looked right to her, but was there any way to be sure?
“Hey, Lucy? Can I see what this would look like in three dimensions?” She asked.
“Here we go,” Lucy sounded distracted, but the design flickered into life as a hologram that rotated slowly above the tabletop.
“Thanks,” Nellie grinned and gave it the once over; now she ...
2023-12-14 09:23:30 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 105
Questing - Discover the Lost Temple
Bert was not surprised to see King Dagon outside the Waystation the following day. With a heavy sigh, Bert walked out into the cold to greet the strange King.
“I love the new waitstaff!” King Dagon bellowed as he took a steaming mug from a tray held by the robed form. “Very nice! Yes!”
“So when do we get to the bit you actually care about?” Bert asked flatly.
“Not one for small talk, are you?” Da...
2023-12-13 09:05:00 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 104
Interlude - Changes
“Does this seem too easy to anyone else?” Bert asked as he stared across the table at the two small orbs.
“What the hell?” Wendy protested. “We are getting them, aren’t we?”
“Personally, I think the challenge was reasonably high,” Bud added. “That castle was overrun with ghosts.”
“Still,” Bert drummed his fingers on the table as he thought. Besides the orbs, the table itself was empty except for three ...
2023-12-13 09:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Three
Branching Out
Nellie brought the cargo shuttle in to land near the breach in the wall. The town inside looked abandoned from the air, but you never knew. When they first started doing these runs, Nellie and Paren had always landed inside the towns and villages, only to learn the hard way how aggressive desperate people could be.
They had barely managed to get away without having to kill someone on more than one occasion.
A hard-learned lesson that wou...
2023-12-12 09:05:00 +0000 UTC
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Chapter Two
Night light
“Are you ready?” Lucy asked, her voice imparted directly to Nellie’s eardrum, confident and calm.
“Ready,” Nellie confirmed, feeling a ticklish sensation in her throat the moment she said the word. The confirmation of the upgrade scrolled across her vision a moment later.
Voice Synthesizer Module Installed.
“All ready to go,” Lucy said, “Now we just need the voice samples.”
2023-12-12 09:00:04 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 103
Questing - Clear the Haunted Castle, IV
Bud kept a count as they went. There were at least fifty guards per floor, and that didn’t include the actual ghosts who were maids, butlers, or servants. All of those carried ghostly knives in addition to their other supplies. It would have been a nightmare to fight through them all.
According to the Knight Captain, they had kept all their defenses on the ground level, bar a few higher-leveled ghosts to guard the upp...
2023-12-08 09:00:07 +0000 UTC
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Chapter One
Nightmares and New Starts
Nellie woke with a scream; the lifeless eyes of Tor-Am had chased her through another nightmare. Wiping her eyes as she took a drink of water from the cheap plastic cup next to the camp bed, Nellie wondered if the nightmares would ever end.
At least it was just Tor-Am last night. Those dreams were bad, but the ones where she watched those beams of light from Bartlett’s ship burn through whole families were worse.
Loud thumps ...
2023-12-07 10:19:56 +0000 UTC
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Previously on Nellie and the Nanites…
Chanelle ‘Nellie’ Bonne-Chance, an orphan from birth who was raised by some very unusual nuns, was having a terrible day. Fired, broke, and dumped all in a matter of hours, she was licking her wounds while watching TV.
Things immediately got so much worse.
She was abducted, replaced, and yanked across the universe by the powerful Interstellar Exploratory Service so they could observe events on Earth. Adding insult to injury, they...
2023-12-07 10:18:43 +0000 UTC
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Chapter 102
Questing - Clear the Haunted Castle, III
“Do you think there is ever any actual treasure?” Lily asked Bud as they cleared yet another small room full of dust and moldy furniture. The first floor of the Castle had turned out to be a complete waste of time. Passages and rooms filled with dust, mold, and a pervading damp smell.
And little else.
“Probably,” Bud shrugged. “But outside of dungeons, who leaves a bunch of valuable stuff just lying aro...
2023-12-06 09:05:01 +0000 UTC
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