BOB's Bar Read online

  “We made it back to our ship, Sabrina, an hour later. A few eyebrows were raised to see me and Cheeky come back with her stark naked, but no one said anything. I later learned that a crewmember bringing a naked Cheeky back onto the ship wasn’t entirely uncommon.

  “On the way, Cheeky had confided in me that she’d never let her pheromone augmentations run at that level, or for that long. She was a bit ashamed over how she’d lost control of herself. I promised I wouldn’t talk if she didn’t, and neither of us told a soul about what really happened.”

  Tanis leaned back in her chair and grinned at the group. “There you have it. That’s how I once used a nymphomaniac to stop a ship full of pirates.”

  "I'll say this," General Lysander said. "I usually call bullshit when a sea story goes too far, but I want to believe every grubbing word of this one, so I'm just going to shut up and drink my cider."

  He raised his glass in a toast to Tanis.

  “Amen to that, army dude,” Cal agreed.

  “A truly no-shit experience. I’m not sure how one could even make that up,” Bethany Anne added.

  “No, seriously, when do I get to meet Cheeky?” Amanda asked. “She sounds like a woman I could know and love.”

  Tanis grabbed the pitcher of beer and refilled her glass, taking a drink before making a sweeping gesture to indicate that the floor was once again open for anyone else to speak.

  Closing Time

  BOB uplinked the last story. It didn’t always know how valuable the product was and whether the Collector would be pleased or not. The Collector had pulled the last mission (one to an unnamed gaseous dimension) despite what BOB had thought of the unique beings that inhabited it.

  The humans were just as unique in their own way. The product had revealed a rich diversity that BOB had found fascinating—but it wasn’t up to BOB. The decision, as always, was the Collector’s.

  And now the first session had concluded, and whether there was to be another session or not, it was time to return the patrons to their own dimensions. BOB gave the command, and each person’s glass or cup unobtrusively emptied until there was only a swallow or two left. It gave the compulsion command a slight tweak, and instead of encouraging them to talk, they were left with a feeling of fatigue and a desire to go home.

  “Well, this has been a good evening, but I’m a little tired and Hannah’s waiting up for me. I think I’m going to pull chocks,” General Lysander said, standing up and draining the last of his cider. “It was great to meet you all.”

  “Lightweight,” Colonel Walton said.

  “I’ll have you all know . . .” Ibarra slurred from his seat. His face was ruddy and his eyes swam with the effects of the alcohol. “That I’m well . . . well aware that you’re just figments of Jimmy’s imagination—if he has one. Which he does, because all of you are looking at me.”

  Ibarra worked his way out of his chair with little grace and wobbled upright.

  “But I’m not falling for it, Jimmy! You think letting me get drunk will make being inside your head any easier? Ha! Six decades of payback coming for you.” Ibarra knocked over a chair as he stumbled toward the door.

  “Drinks . . . on me!” Ibarra ricocheted off the doorframe and left the bar.

  “Sure, I’m feeling a little tired,” Amanda said, winking at BOB.

  She turned to Ryck. “I’m with you,” she said, standing as well. “It’s been great to meet you all.” Amanda moved around the table shaking people’s hands. “Tanis, it was a pleasure. We’ll have to do this again. Bethany Anne, let’s go shoe shopping sometime. Terry, Ryck, my favorite soldiers—I mean, Marines—stay cool. Cal, look after this little guy, yeah?” she said, patting Splurt on the head.

  “If you can do what you say you can, I expect to see you again someday,” Tanis said as she wrapped an arm around Amanda for a brief embrace. “OK, I don’t normally do that. No putting the whammy on me, Magic Woman.”

  “Gotcha. No whammy.” Amanda winked. “If I can find a way, I’ll come and see you soon.”

  “Let me escort you to the door, M’Lady,” the general said, holding out his arm. Amanda took it with a smile, and the pair walked toward the exit.

  “Catch you all next time, maybe,” Cal said as the two headed for the door. Splurt rippled gently on his shoulder but said nothing, as always.

  Will there be a next time? BOB wondered. It hadn’t received any feedback yet.

  “Looking forward to brewing some Guinness back on the I2,” Tanis said, then nodded to the others. “Until next time.”

  She walked out of the bar, but not before calling over her shoulder, “See you back on the ship, BOB . . . if that’s really your name.”

  One by one, each of the remaining humans made his or her goodbye. Admiral Richards was followed by Cal, leaving only Colonel Walton and Bethany Anne. They stood as well, saying nothing for a moment. Walton shrugged, and the two headed for the door.

  BOB was sorry to see them go. The session had been enjoyable, fulfilling, its programming, and BOB wanted to gather more from this universe.

  A wave of data hit BOB, tickling its circuits—the nearest thing BOB had to pleasure centers. The Collector had reviewed the product, and the Collector was pleased. There would be more sessions, more time to explore the creatures called ‘human beings’.

  If it could have, BOB would have smiled as the last humans opened the door and left the Multiverse Bar.

  About the Authors and Their Other Tales

  Left to Right: Jonathan Brazee, Andrew Dobell, Michael Cooper, Michael Anderle, Craig Martelle, Barry J. Hutchison.

  M. D. Cooper

  Begin the Orion War series with Destiny Lost, and find out how Tanis, Cheeky, and the starship Sabrina ended up on the PetSil mining platform, and what came next.

  A combination of space opera, hard science fiction, and military science fiction, The Orion War is a gripping tale about real people in an incredible future.

  Tanis Richards only wants to find a safe haven for her people, while Sera Tomlinson finds herself responsible for humanity’s future. Both will have to sacrifice everything they believed was most important for a friendship that will transcend time and space.

  With myriad enemies seeking to control the million human star systems, these two women must ignite The Orion War.

  Other Series by M. D. Cooper in the Aeon 14 Universe

  The Sentience Wars: Origins

  The Intrepid Saga

  Perilous Alliance

  Rika’s Marauders

  Perseus Gate: Orion Space

  Perseus Gate: Inner Stars

  The Warlord

  Machete System Bounty Hunter

  Richard Fox

  Interested in more of Marc Ibarra’s story and the war against the Xaros? Sign up for my spam free mailing list and receive a free copy of THE EMBER WAR! (http://eepurl.com/czYmxH)

  The Earth is doomed. Humanity has a chance. Read where the saga began!

  In the near future, an alien probe arrives on Earth with a pivotal mission—determine if humanity has what it takes to survive the impending invasion by a merciless armada.

  The probe discovers Marc Ibarra, a young inventor, who holds the key to a daring gambit that could save a fraction of Earth's population. Humanity's only chance lies with Ibarra's ability to keep a terrible secret and engineer the planet down the narrow path to survival.

  Earth will need a fleet. One with a hidden purpose. One strong enough to fight a battle against annihilation.

  The Ember War is the first installment in an epic military sci-fi series. If you like A Hymn Before Battle by John Ringo and The Last Starship by Vaughn Heppner, then you'll love this explosive adventure with constant thrills and high stakes from cover to cover.

  Sign up for my spam-free mailing list and read it for FREE: (http://eepurl.com/czYmxH)

  Barry J. Hutchison

  Barry J. Hutchison is a multi-award-winning author from the Highlands of Scotland. After writing over eighty books
for children and teens, Barry turned his gaze to the stars in 2016 when he launched his first book for adult readers, Space Team.

  Seven books and two spin-offs later, the Space Team Universe continues to grow, thanks to Barry’s unique blend of humor, seat-of-the-pants action, and making things up as he goes along. He writes from a cramped little home office at the foot of Scotland’s highest mountain, where he lives with his wife, two children, and extremely annoying dog. He spends his days writing, drinking tea, and talking about himself in third person.

  Find out more about Barry at barryjhutchison.com

  Download a free short story collection at barryjhutchison.com/freebooks

  Books by Barry J. Hutchison

  The Space Team Series

  Space Team

  Space Team: The Wrath of Vajazzle

  Space Team: The Search for Splurt

  Space Team: Song of the Space Siren

  Space Team: The Guns of Nana Joan

  Space Team: Return of the Dead Guy

  Space Team: Planet of the Japes

  Space Team: The Time Titan of Tomorrow

  The Dan Deadman Space Detective Series

  “Dial D for Deadman”

  “Dead Inside”

  Craig Martelle

  I live about a hundred and fifty miles from the Arctic Circle in the Alaskan interior. I’m a retired Marine, retired lawyer, and business consultant, but still young enough to enjoy life. I don’t do the outdoorsy stuff, but there’s a lot to appreciate about Alaska without that. It tends to get cold during the six months of winter and it’s dark a lot, but that means more writing time. What an honor to be a part of this small collection of bar stories. I’ve found a kindred spirit in Jonathan Brazee, a Marine who loves science fiction. Jamming this was like being back in the Corps.

  I write science fiction and my favorite is Space Opera. I have a few series that if you like what you see here, you could honor me by giving them a look. All are in Kindle Unlimited.

  End Times Alaska (4 books) - one family’s survival after the fall.

  The Free Trader (6 books, soon to be 9) - a space adventure in the Andre Norton style

  Cygnus Space Opera (3 books) - a follow-on series to the Free Trader

  Terry Henry Walton Chronicles (11 books) - Set in the Kurtherian Gambit Universe, a man and his werewolf partner try to drag civilization back to humanity

  The Bad Company (3 books and growing), starts with Gateway to the Universe

  People Raged - my one thriller, a pseudo-autobiography

  If you liked this story, you might like some of my other books. You can join my mailing list by dropping by my website www.craigmartelle.com or if you have any comments, shoot me a note at [email protected]. I am always happy to hear from people who’ve read my work. I try to answer every email I receive.

  Amazon – www.amazon.com/author/craigmartelle

  Facebook – www.facebook.com/authorcraigmartelle

  My web page – www.craigmartelle.com

  Andrew Dobell

  Andrew is an author and artist living in the UK with his wife and children. He writes in a diverse range of Sci-Fi and Fantasy worlds, including a Cyberpunk series and a Post-Apocalyptic series.

  Amanda, the character in this book, is the main character in his Magi Saga series, which has recently been revised and is being re-released during February 2018. The Magi Saga starts as an Urban Fantasy Series, but soon grows in scope into something much bigger, spanning this galaxy and beyond, and will incorporate several separate series. The events in this book take place sometime after book five of the Magi Saga.

  In addition to his writing, Andrew is also a prolific book cover artist who not only created the cover for this book, and all his own, but has contributed covers to Michael Anderle’s Kurtherian Gambit Universe, M. D. Cooper’s Aeon 14 Universe, as well as working with many other Indie Authors.

  Being included in this book has been a huge honor. Thank you.

  BOOKS BY ANDREW DOBELL

  Book 1 of the Magi Saga: Magi Dawn (Urban Fantasy/Space Magic)

  http://mybook.to/MagiDawn

  Book 1 of The New Prometheus (Cyberpunk)

  http://mybook.to/thenewprometheus

  Book 1 of Wasteland Road Knights: Liberation (Post-Apocalyptic)

  http://mybook.to/RoadKnights1

  LINKS

  If you would like to learn more about Andrew’s books, you can find his website here:

  http://www.andrewdobellauthor.co.uk/

  Or, to interact directly, you can join his Facebook Group here:

  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1700893393268961/

  Michael Anderle

  So, Colonel Jonathan Brazee and I were talking at 20Booksto50k Las Vegas (2017), and he told a small group around him about “I shit you not…” Sea Stories. Now, I had been wondering how to do something FUN that would help us market each other’s books, and I think I saw the twist.

  The book would comprise sea stories that the OTHER characters in the book would interact with and so Jonathan’s question back to me was “where would these characters meet?” How would we get our characters from disparate universes together to chat?

  What was the hook?

  I told him I loved the memory of Baen’s Bar and the whole idea of a watering hole that these characters might get to come and just talk shop and then leave, probably never remembering their time in the bar…

  And these stories were born out of that beginning.

  I’m honored to have our stories together, and to be a part of something I hope you, the fans, really love!

  Michael Anderle

  Yada yada yada a bit about me:

  I’m a Bestselling Top 100 Amazon Author predominantly in Sci-Fi and Urban Fantasy / Paranormal. I have a Universe (The Kurtherian Gambit) with over a hundred and five books in it right now (and twenty-eight Audiobooks) and another Urban Fantasy / Fantasy Universe with Martha Carr called Oriceran (Or-eh-SAIR-en.)

  Bethany Anne is the character who launched my career, and is a fan favorite. Check out anything you want of our products by just typing in LMBPN Publishing on Amazon!

  Check out Bethany Anne’s story Book01 Death Becomes Her HERE:

  books2read.com/BarStoriesDeathBecomesHer

  Jonathan Brazee

  Jonathan Brazee is a retired Marine infantry colonel, now a full-time writer living in Las Vegas. He is a lifetime member of the Disabled American Veterans, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the US. Naval Academy Alumni Association, and the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.

  Jonathan is a Nebula Award-nominated author who writes in science fiction, military fiction, military paranormal, and historical fiction, but he is best known for his military sci-fi. His best-selling series take place in his United Federation Marine Corps universe. The main character in “The Accidental War” is Ryck Lysander, first introduced in Recruit.

  Jonathan’s website is http://www.jonathanbrazee.com.

  To join his mailing list for promotions and release news, please sign up at:

  http://eepurl.com/bnFSHH

  Books by Jonathan Brazee

  The United Federation Marine Corps

  Recruit

  Sergeant

  Lieutenant

  Captain

  Major

  Lieutenant Colonel

  Colonel

  Commandant

  Coda

  Rebel

  (Set in the UFMC universe)

  Behind Enemy Lines

  (A UFMC Prequel)

  The United Federation Marine Corps’ Lysander Twins

  Legacy Marines

  Esther’s Story: Recon Marine

  Noah’s Story: Marine Tanker

  Esther’s Story: Special Duty

  Blood United

  Women of the United Federation Marine Corps

  Gladiator

  Sniper

  Corpsman

  High Value Target (A Gracie Medicine Crow Short Story)

 
BOLO Mission (A Gracie Medicine Crow Short Story)

  Weaponized Math (A Gracie Medicine Crow Short Story Available in the Expanding Universe Anthology 3)

  The United Federation Marine Corps’ Grub Wars

  Alliance

  The Price of Honor

  Division of Power

  The Return of the Marines Trilogy

  The Few

  The Proud

  The Marines

  The Al Anbar Chronicles: First Marine Expeditionary Force—Iraq

  Prisoner of Fallujah

  Combat Corpsman

  Sniper

  Werewolf of Marines

  Werewolf of Marines: Semper Lycanus

  Werewolf of Marines: Patria Lycanus

  Werewolf of Marines: Pax Lycanus

  To The Shores of Tripoli

  Wererat

  Darwin’s Quest: The Search for the Ultimate Survivor

  Venus: A Paleolithic Short Story

  Secession

  Duty

  Non-Fiction