First Pages: On a Ship called Mythicus by C.M. Simpson

On a Ship called Mythicus is the sixth short story to be found in An Anthology of Worlds. It is also available as a stand-alone short story.

The Mythicus is crewed by creatures of myth and legend, fairytale and urban lore. In this short episode, it and its crew pursue a space pirate until a small team must continue the pursuit on planet. With its firestarter captain and a defense system that takes its nomenclature too literally, this ship is one of a kind, a fact the rest of human space should be grateful for.

On a Ship called Mythicus is available as part of An Anthology of Worlds, and also as a stand-alone title at Smashwords, Kobo, Kindle, iTunes, and Nook.

First Page: On a Ship called Mythicus

“Stop drooling, Cristo!” growled Wolf.

Cristo wiped his chin with the back of his hand and then wiped his hand on the white silk of his sail-sized handkerchief. Another drop of moisture oozed from his lips.

“Cristo!”

Wolf’s growl was deeper now and Cristo was sure he heard a joint pop as the gunner’s frustration increased. Cristo dabbed at his mouth again.

“Settle down, Wolf,” he protested. “I mean, when was the last time you saw a body like that?”

It was a mistake. At the mere mention of the woman whose image filled their viewscreen, he started drooling again.

“In her wanted poster,” Wolf snapped out as another joint popped. “Get with it, Cristo. She’s only a pirate!”

Cristo sighed and sucked down the drool gathering at the back of his teeth.

“Pull yourself together, Cristo!” roared the captain. “She’s about to open fire. Activate the defense nets!”

“Aye, aye, sir,” Cristo replied.

He managed to stop salivating only when he turned his mind solely to the task of defending the ship. As long as he thought of the pirate ship and not its captain, his chin would stay dry.

Aah, but the captain—

“Cristo!”

This time, it was the captain who yelled at Cristo, or rather, yelled inside his head. Cristo shook his head to clear his senses, and sucked frantically at the moisture in his mouth to stop it escaping past his lips. 

His head rang from the captain’s, shout but that wasn’t the worst of it. He could feel the warm itch of his captain’s glare against his back.

END EXTRACT

If you would like to read more, On a Ship called Mythicus is available as part of An Anthology of Worlds, and also as a stand-alone title at Smashwords, Kobo, Kindle, iTunes, and Nook.