Travis Starnes

The Trumpets of Mars (Imperium #2) - Chapter 8

Lucilla was in the charred remains of the plaza she’d walked so many times with Ky over the last few months, training with her guards. There had been some discussion among not only her guards, but her father and his advisors when she’d first expressed an interest in training.

There was a strong stigma against women participating in what most people saw as ‘manly arts.’ That went doubly so for her, since she was so much in the public light, and anything she did reflected not only...

The Trumpets of Mars (Imperium #2) - Chapter 7

Outside Devnum

A hundred horses thundered across the field overlooked from a slight rise, which was currently topped by a handful of officers on horseback. At a trumpet call the horses wheeled collectively as a group, forming almost a U as it turned back on itself, going back the way it came.

That move finished, the column of horses again reversed directions, making a deep arch that became a half-circle as it partially surrounded a series of hay-bails laid out in ...

Fanfare (Country Roads #2) - Chapter 38

We had our first game back Thursday night and for us, it was an important one, since it was the last one of the regular season and would determine if we made it into the playoffs. We were on the bubble and were tied with another team that lost their game the night before. If we lost tonight, it would be a coin toss to see which of us got in, which wasn’t how we wanted to get into the playoffs, so tonight was a must-win for us.

The team we were playing was already in the playoffs but t...

The Trumpets of Mars (Imperium #2) - Chapter 6

The Northern Road

They were a day out of town and making good progress, especially for this number of men on foot. He was far behind the progress he’d made on his last trip north, but that had been done in a panic and ended with several mounts being ridden to death.

Although most of the time riding at the head of the column of men had been spent going over the never-ending flow of documents Sophus supplied him with covering history, inventions, and tactics, he a...

The Trumpets of Mars (Imperium #2) - Chapter 5

“… and he tripped over a loose cobblestone, landing face-first in a pile of horse shit,” the guard said, finishing a story about a thief who had tried, and failed, to get away from the city guard.

Those on the tables around them shook their head as the men’s laugher once against drowned out nearby conversation. This happened most nights and the regulars, at least, had grown used to the city guardsman gathering to drink after their shift ended. Geganies drank his wine and gave an...

Going Home - Chapter 1

***The middle of this chapter has a change, shortly before the shooting, where he is walking from his apartment the next day (from saying he doesn't have a car to talking about a car he owns)***

I unlocked the deadbolt to my apartment and paused, letting out a long puff of air as I focused on the worn door in front of me. Like a gladiator preparing for a fight to the death, I steeled my nerves for the battle ahead.

Ok, so I was being a little melodramatic. But it�...

The Trumpets of Mars (Imperium #2) - Chapter 4

Ky had hoped to slip out of town with his normal guards and a hundred Praetorians who would be taking the place of the legion currently manning the border. It was a large crowd, but he’d assembled them outside of the Praetorian camp, a little away from the city, to keep the fanfare to a minimum.

Despite that, three times the number of men he was taking with him were gathered around their assembly area, watching the men load up and occasionally talking to a friend here or there, which ...

Fanfare (Country Roads #2) - Chapter 37

Monday morning was our first day back after the holiday. Considering how the year had gone so far, I should have expected a curveball, but I guess the break had been so good that I’d put it out of my mind.

Kat was still pissed at me, but it had come down a few notches from how we’d left it on Sunday. I figured I had a few more days in the dog house until she forgave me for not kissing her. The cold shoulder had been expected, at least.

The actual surprise came when I walked th...

Fanfare (Country Roads #2) - Chapter 36

We got back to the beach house, but all three of us were too keyed up to go to sleep. This was pretty much the last day of our trip, since the next day would mostly be spent driving home. We had to go clear across the state, and I wanted to be back in time to play my Sunday set at the Blue Ridge, since I’d missed the previous Sunday and this Friday and Saturday.

I knew Willie didn’t mind covering for me a little longer, skipping Sunday along with the rest would mean one more day the...

The Trumpets of Mars (Imperium #2) - Chapter 3

Ky had to leave the camp the next morning and return to town for his final meetings with Hortensius and the other business leaders before he left town. If it was up to him, he’d stay in the field with the soldiers where he was comfortable instead of returning to deal with civilians. Even separated by millennia, the basics of a soldier’s life had not changed, which made staying with the legions an almost nostalgic experience.

Of course, it might also be that soldiers were used to fol...

Fanfare (Country Roads #2) - Chapter 35

We spent the rest of Thursday hanging out with Seth, Marco, and Lyla, just relaxing and talking about the show. It had been the biggest thing any of us had played, and we were all hyped up. Eventually, they had to get back on the road, but I made a mental note to spend more time with them. So far, we only really hung out when we practiced or played gigs, but a band is all about chemistry and while we all got along, it wouldn’t hurt to become friends as well. Admittedly I was a little young ...

The Trumpets of Mars (Imperium #2) - Chapter 2

Ky arrived at the colosseum the next morning to find it ringed with legionnaires, Praetorian Guards, and even a good number of Picts. The men guarding the arena looked serious, which was understandable considering the reason they had to be there are all.

With the forum too badly damaged to actually use safely, there weren’t a lot of options for hosting a meeting of this size. The Emperor had made it clear in the messages he’d sent out the night before at Ky’s urging that this invi...

Fanfare (Country Roads #2) - Chapter 34

We couldn’t go to the club right away, since I needed a shower and the girls declared they weren’t dressed to go out. I thought they looked fine. At the few parties I’d gone to everyone dressed pretty much like they were dressed now, so I didn’t know why they needed to change. Of course, I was dumb enough to voice that thought out loud, after which they took a good part of the ride home explaining how parties at home weren’t the same as going to an actual club. I tried to point out ...

Extraction (John Taylor #8) - Chapter 16

Washington, D.C.

“How do you want your eggs?” Taylor called out from the kitchen.

It had taken two days to get back to the US, followed by two more days of debriefings before they finally released everyone. Taylor could probably have made some calls and gotten released early, but the Homeland people who’d been questioning everyone didn’t have their sights set on him and Taylor wanted to make sure Nash didn’t get roped in with the rest of the guys when ch...

Extraction (John Taylor #8) - Chapter 15

Hofyo, Somalia

It was a few hours after dark when they got near the village. Taylor learned that he’d been lucky not to be spotted on his first trip down here.

Barsane had gotten his hands on a fleet of Toyota trucks a few years before when he raided an oil-drilling operation that had thought they were getting government protection, only to learn the realities of how far that protection extended after they set up operations. They’d opted to ransom their people...

Extraction (John Taylor #8) - Chapter 14

Wajideeb, Somalia

“I was told you were the man to speak to,” Gehdi said into the phone, while looking at Taylor and the two men flanking him on either side.

Taylor opened his mouth to make a last attempt at buying off Gehdi, when the warlord jerked the phone away from his head in surprise.

He looked at one of his lieutenants before putting the phone back to his ear and saying, “Hello? Hello?”

The lieutenant said something in Somali and Gehdi re...

Fanfare (Country Roads #2) - Chapter 33

We got a late start the next day, mostly because there wasn’t any specific thing we had planned. Mostly Hanna wanted to just look over the campus and talk to someone in the business department, if she could. She hadn’t called ahead or set up any kind of meetings, mostly because it wasn’t clear to anyone if there was a system in place to do that for new students who’d already been accepted into the program. In the end, we decided we’d just wander around and try and get a feeling for ...

Extraction (John Taylor #8) - Chapter 13

Washington D.C.

Kara rode back on the bus, trying to work out what she was going to do. There were a lot of things she needed to work out before she could do something about Packer. She’d already talked to Robles about him, and she was certain that if something suddenly happened to Packer, Robles would notice and put it together. She had to be smart about it like Taylor would.

She got home and headed up to her room after she and her best-friend slash roommate ag...

Extraction (John Taylor #8) - Chapter 12

Washington D.C.

It was getting late and Kara was about to pack up for the night. Packer had made several more calls throughout the day, but most were routine and didn’t seem to apply to what was happening with Taylor. A few calls had convinced Kara that he was behind what was happening over there. He’d made several comments that suggested the people he worked for didn’t know what he was doing, and suggested that the entire operation in Somalia was some kind of sch...

Fanfare (Country Roads #2) - Chapter 32

The rest of the week was one of those weird situations where it seemed to fly by, not leaving enough time for me to get everything I needed to finish done before we left. All the same, time dragged on slowly as I counted the hours until we left.

Chef was okay with me taking the week off. I got Victor’s contact info so I could arrange to see where he worked out, on the promise that I’d get a little sparing in with him while I was there. Chef never was the type to let a good opportuni...

Extraction (John Taylor #8) - Chapter 11

Washington D.C.

“We have a problem,” a voice said, coming through Kara’s cell phone scanner.

She’d been back out early this morning, all of the equipment in a large backpack that she’d lugged onto the bus carrying all of the equipment she’d gotten from Carter, since she didn’t have access to a car today. Had she been willing to explain to Mary Jane what was happening, she could have probably gotten her friend’s car again. While Mary Jane w...

Extraction (John Taylor #8) - Chapter 10

He drove back slowly keeping an eye on the terrain and trying to remember how things had looked when they’d gone north. The last thing he wanted to do was come driving back over the ridgeline and into plain view of the compound, especially in the stolen truck they were bound to have noticed, by now. He wanted to get close, since he was already exhausted and the idea of walking several miles didn’t appeal to him, but everything looked different than it had in the dark, with his adrenalin p...

Fanfare (Country Roads #2) - Chapter 31

I didn’t get a chance to talk to Hanna, since she’d mentioned she was heading home right after school to find out what was going on with Kat. I still wanted to talk to her about the festival, but it could wait until tomorrow. We had a week until spring break and Mr. French had handled most of it, anyway.

I was just jogging out to the field, my head still miles away, when I almost tripped over my own feet. JV was practicing their fielding while varsity was over in the batting cages w...

Extraction (John Taylor #8) - Chapter 9

The plan started to fall apart almost as soon as they got moving. The truck that was only making a pass once an hour or so came and went around the compound, but Webb never signaled. They waited almost ten minutes for some kind of sign as the men got more and more antsy. Finally, as Stone was about to send a man around to check on Webb, the truck came through again.

That alone would have had Taylor pulling back and observing the compound again, since a plan that started falling apart be...

Fanfare (Country Roads #2) - Chapter 30

Saturday I swung by Hanna’s on the way to the Blue Ridge, to check on Kat. We’d talked for a few minutes before they’d gone home, but Mrs. Phillips had asked that we give her a couple of days to adjust, since Thursday had been an emotionally trying day.

Kat was practically bouncing off the walls when I got there. Mrs. Phillips had taken her to a room bedding and furnishing store in Asheville Friday night to pick out some stuff for her room, and had ended up with some interesting c...

Extraction (John Taylor #8) - Chapter 8

Woqooyi Galbeed Province, Somalia

They made good time the rest of the march and made it to the compound only a few minutes behind Stone’s timetable. Considering the stop to deal with the local kid, that was pretty impressive. He might be cruel and foolishly discount the risks, but at least Stone was good at getting his men where they needed to be.

They stopped on a ridge a half-mile out from the compound that their topographic maps showed as an overlook to the s...

The Trumpets of Mars (Imperium #2) - Chapter 1

Ky, formerly Lt. Commander Ky, stood in the Emperor’s box of the colosseum, looking down at the platform erected in its center, a line of men in tattered togas and tunics lined up at its base.

Ky had never wanted to end up in a place like this, handing out dozens of death sentences, the responsibility of an ancient civilization resting on his shoulders. He was a soldier, bred and trained to operate high-tech fighters in deep space, combating the enemies of the First Terran Empire. He ...

Extraction (John Taylor #8) - Chapter 7

The Marib’amal, Sailing the Gulf of Aiden

Taylor had never been much of a boat person. Although he never had trouble on planes or high-speed vehicles, something about the rocking motion of a boat underway always made him a little queasy.

He’d managed to keep his food down so far, but it hadn’t been easy. He’d found that fresh air, even the salty air of the ocean, helped a little, which is how he found himself above decks of the trawler, leaning over the si...

Fanfare (Country Roads #2) - Chapter 29

I was almost at the Blue Ridge when Kat called, so I just went in to talk to Chef instead of calling. He understood why I couldn’t train and he’d expected it, since Mrs. Leighton had called him from the police station to update him on what was happening.

I ended up getting to Hanna’s house right as Kat pulled up in an SUV being driven by Mrs. Leighton. As we all started getting out of our cars, Hanna came running outside, hugging Kat as soon as she was out of her car. Until this w...

Extraction (John Taylor #8) - Chapter 6

Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti

Stone was standing outside the hanger, waiting for Taylor when the MPs escorted him back, looking equal parts annoyed and angry.

“Where the hell did you go,” he demanded when Taylor was walking back into the hanger.

“I have an old friend serving here. I’d called ahead before I left and got clearance to leave the confined area and go see him. That’s it.”

“I know you’re used to people kissing your ass because you�...