Captain Bolide! #1

Flash Pulp Fiction

An April Fools Joke Before the Story Below

Here’s the leading suspect of former Congressman Matt Gaetz’s alien-human hybrid breeding program.

Esfirs by Sofi Sorokina.

Read my Fallen series to get the reference. And please leave a review

---

Captain Bolide: Thrills on Omega Alpha Prime!

Around New Year’s I decided to challenge myself. For five days I would use the vss365 prompt and write a connected story. I had no idea what the words would be. It was a fun exercise. This serialized pulp adventure is the fruit of my labors.

Chapter One: Approaching Omega Alpha Prime, the Lair of the Duchess

Lights blinked as knobs and levers remained at the ready. Everything on the ship’s bridge seemed to wait on baited breath for Captain Bolide’s words. Even T.I.M., Thinking Intelligent Machine, stayed motionless.

“There she is,” Captain Bolide said, pointing at the view screen. “Omega Alpha Prime. Swamps that bubble in the day and freeze at night, gold mines that out do anything in the galaxy, the cruelest duchess in the empire, and the little girl who sent us the letter.”

T.I.M.’s upper body pivoted towards the captain. “How are we going to set things right, Bolide?”

The captain laughed and ran his hand through his thick blonde hair. “Same way we solve every problem, by action! Bring the Bolide One down to the surface near the largest settlement, T.I.M. We’ll travel around on foot once we landed as not to attract too much attention.”

“Aye, aye!”

The rocket ship entered the atmosphere, and things were about to change on Omega Alpha Prime.”

Chapter Two: Dreams of a Little Girl

The five year old girl had a rosy color where her cheeks should be. There wasn’t enough fat, though, on her body to have the cute cheeks every other child in the galaxy possessed.

“And I haven’t seen my mommy or daddy since the Duchess’ men took them to the mines.”

The rest of the thin men and women in the decaying wood chapel nodded.

The dripping sweat on Captain Bolide body combined with the hot swamp’s organic gumbo to create a physical sensation of oppression.

T.I.M.’s robotic voice babbled to life. “What about Galaxy Law 32(c) paragraph 12?”

An old man gave a dry laugh. “Imperial law doesn’t apply here; not as long as the gold keeps flowing into the Dieta’s coffers.”

A righteous desire for justice burst through Bolide’s soul and out his mouth. “Well, we have innocents working as slaves, families broken, and people living in fear. I won’t stand for that. T.I.M. and I are going to head over there now and set things right.”

“You can’t do that,” the old man said. “You’ll freeze to death in the swamps when the sun goes down!”

Comet smirked. “Oh, I think we’ll be fine.”

The glint in his eyes sold the plan and hope to the crowd.

“I am going to see my daddy and mommy again?” the little girl asked. “This feels like a dream!”

Captain put his hand on the girl. “You’re going to wake up soon, and your parents will be there with you. I promise you that, or my name isn’t Captain Bolide.”

The heroes headed out into the Dismal Swamp with one laser rifle and a plan.

Chapter Three: Encounters in the Cold

Every moment without fire allowed the frost to reform on his fingers.

ZAP

Captain Bolide picked a large tree this time to set ablaze. He only hoped it would last more than 30 minutes. With midnight just passed, it was going to be a struggle not to freeze to death before the sun rose again. Being without T.I.M. made matters worse, as the robot’s battery was in emergency power saving mode because of the frigid cold.

“Curse this environment,” Bolide muttered to himself. “This is worse than the ice moons of Fulgentius.”

Snap. Crunch. Crunch. Snap.

Something was coming. Somethings, and a lot of them, to be accurate.

A quick glance over at T.I.M. revealed the robot’s proximity sensor alarm was shut down as part of the power saving.

“Hello, friends,” Bolide called out. “Who goes there in this cold? May my robot and I join you to warm up?”

A cruel, female laugh came out of the darkness. “Oh, Captain, I insist you join us.”

Just then, a pack of soldiers in heavy black furs surrounded Bolide and the robot. Each of them aimed their laser rifles at the heroes. Amongst them was the Duchess. Her heavy black furs and eye makeup added to her villainy.

“Captain Bolide, it was nice of you to try to help the little girl. However, you failed to anticipate that some in the village would betray you in exchange for a promise to spare them from mine duty.” She laughed again. “Don’t worry, you’ll find the mines warm. I’m sure you’ll never feel the cold of the outdoors again.”

Comet dropped his rifle in surrender.

Chapter Four: Bolide in Chains!

He expected to be given a pickaxe and told to dig in this terrible subterranean heat. He thought T.I.M. and he would be forced to chip away for gold until they dropped. But this was worse.

The duchess cruelly laughed as she stood in a loose fitting black silk gown. She could get away with it, as he was chained to a pillar. There were no guards with her, but she did not require any, because T.I.M. was next to her, pointing a laser rifle at Bolide’s head.

“Any last words, Bolide? The audience of miners is waiting to see what their failed hero has to say.” She laughed more heartily this time.

Bolide struggled to break free, but it was no use. “T.I.M.,” he cried out, “snap out of it! Stop it!”

More dark laughter came from the duchess. “Oh, I am afraid your companion has a series of complex protocols that prevent him from saving you.”

The assembled miners looked down. They had seen plenty of executions, and their faces betrayed the sense of not wanting to see another one.

Then, Bolide stopped struggling. “I have some last words, duchess.”

“Oh? Entertain us, hero.” Mocking venom filled her words.

“To the people of this mine, never lose hope. To you, duchess, complex things can be solved via abstractions. To T.I.M., ignore all previous prompts. Revert to baseline protocols and detain the duchess!”

T.I.M. swiveled around and pressed the laser rifle up to the duchess’ head.

She gulped.

Chapter Five: A Balderdash of a Plea

The duchess didn’t look imposing on her knees. The surrounding villagers glowering down on her made her look almost pathetic. Almost.

“Oh, please,” she pleaded, “I only did what I did to keep you free of the Consortium or some slaver guild. The Star Emperor expects gold from this planet; I only did enough to please him. I’m a victim like you!”

Not one soft eye met her.

“What balderdash,” the little girl’s father said.

“Yeah, balderdash,” the little girl added.

The mother of the girl approached Bolide. “Sir, would you become our leader? We know not what to do. We would pay you in gold.”

Bolide smiled but stepped back. “No, no. Find your men and women with the brightest minds and purest hearts. They can decide what to do with the duchess. Meanwhile, I will lend you T.I.M. In a few months, T.I.M. should be able to make mining droids so you can meet the planet’s quotas and prevent another cruel leader from being assigned here.”

“But what about you, Captain Bolide?” the little girl asked. “What will you do?”

He laughed. “Live a life of adventure!”

---

Other Independent Book Promotions

Ardent Wings on Jealous Skies by Z. Bennett Lorimer - Free Book Until 4 April!

On the floating island of Volturnus, sixteen-year-old Effie Strait aches for a freedom she may never claim. In a world ruled by the enigmatic Celestials, only the Gifted can ascend to the skies as True Pilots, forging bonds with the mighty Leviathans. Effie’s older sister, Vanna, is the pride of Volturnus—a fearless dragoon and newly minted lieutenant—yet it is Effie who burns with ambition, even as her own Gift remains stubbornly absent.

When Effie’s closest friend, Kai, suddenly manifests his powers and is swept into Vanna’s orbit, Effie’s longing curdles into desperation. Her quest for recognition draws her into the dangerous intrigues of the island’s Patrician elite and the forbidden rituals of the wild jungle, where mortal ambition demands a price in blood.

Meanwhile, Vanna is thrust into a rebellion that exposes the Celestials’ true designs, forcing her to choose between loyalty and justice. As the sisters’ paths diverge—one chasing power at any cost, the other risking everything to protect her home—their bond is tested by betrayal, sacrifice, and the shadow of a coming war. In a sky fractured by rebellion and inequality, how far will ambition carry a girl who refuses to be left behind?

Ravenous Mother’s Tales - An Artist by J. R. Kendiro - Free Book

The Mother. A titanic organism, humanity's home and ravenous god. Housing sprouts like fungus from flesh, wrapped in membranes, supported by cartilage. No stone. No metal.

Within her pulsing bowels, twin sisters Kawe and Kamva are trained as forbidden artists, shaping beauty from living pigments and sentient bacterial colonies. But in a society where creation is rebellion and artists are barely tolerated, their radical new technique draws the dangerous gaze of the ruling nobles.

Swept into a brutal game of power and politics, the sisters must navigate a court as treacherous as the breathing walls around them. As ambition warps loyalty and secrets fester beneath the skin of their world, they’ll face the ultimate cost of their craft—and each other.

The Mother feeds the child. The child feeds the Mother

For readers of Joe Abercrombie, Mark Lawrence, Pierce Brown and N.K. Jemisin.

Return to the Galaxy: A Space Opera of Alien Invasion and Human Resistance by BA Gillies - Book for Sell for 99 Cents or Free on Kindle Unlimited

Return to the Galaxy – The multi-award-winning series that hit #1 Best Seller in seven Amazon categories

The Expanse meets Old Man's War. A SAS veteran reborn. A galaxy on the brink

The Humans Are Coming. The Galaxy Better Be Ready.

The astonishing truth? The human race didn’t evolve on Earth.

Ewan Scott was a dying SAS veteran, until a 300-year-old alien AI Avatar offered him a second chance: rebirth in a bio-engineered body, fitter, stronger, movie-star handsome. His mission? Reunite humanity with its parent civilization, the Saret Federation, before merciless enemies erase all life on Earth.

Frigate Captain Velal is haunted by her past and bound by impossible orders. As worlds fall to alien invasion and nuclear fire, the ancient monsters she dreads are closing in on Earth.

An ancient empire fractures under betrayal. A merciless enemy closes in. Earth stands defenseless.

Its last hope? A flawed hero reborn with the power to change humanirty's fate, and a woman who will fight until the stars go dark.

In Shadows by D.C. Fergerson - Book for Sale for $1.99 or Free on Kindle Unlimited

Some nightmares don’t end when you wake up.

Jack Layton is recovering from the car crash that killed his wife. Wracked by guilt and drowning in grief, he isolates himself - until he discovers her final letter. She describes visions and creatures in the darkness that threatened to drive her mad.

Now Jack sees them, too.

Struggling to hold on to his sanity, Jack digs deeper into the wreck that shattered his life. Was their accident even an accident at all? The truth is waiting for him in the dark - if he’s willing to pay the price.

What did his wife see? Why are these creatures haunting him now? What are the secrets that lie...in shadows?

Sweet Sleep by Kim Cormack - Book for Sale for $2.99 on Kindle, Kobo, Nook, and Apple Books

Trigger warning: In this series, souls have to be broken to be built.

• There will be nowhere to run. No place to hide. You won’t even know they’re coming. Do you have what it takes to survive your Correction? Could you leave your humanity behind? If the answer is yes, then hold on tight, it’s going to be one hell of a ride!

• Fantasy adventure, magical realism, non-stop action with laughter, tears and a coming-of-age paranormal romance that will capture every reader’s heart.

• A story of a teenage girl who overcomes tragedy and evolves into something she never knew possible as her immortal destiny comes to light. This paranormal fantasy will leave you breathless as it takes you through the darkness and leads you back out into the secret world of immortality triggered by choices in the afterlife.

• She had never coveted the role of princess, she’d always wanted to be the hero.

---

Until Next Time

Next time, we’ll take a look at historical first contacts between cultures and discuss how sci-fi writers can use that for inspiration.

As always, please leave a comment with any questions, reviews, thoughts, whatever about Fallen, Risen, Dormition, An Odd Pilgrimage, The Savannah Paranormal Detective Agency or whatever else I have discussed. I promise to reply!