Friday, October 11, 2013

Beyond the Edge - Interview with Talos, Aviarman

Wormhole #9, Wormhole #9. . .
 
Twenty-four hours prior to departure time, I confirmed my seat for the NASA Wormhole #9, Flight 909. Loading location: WormStation Merritt Island, Florida, shown below. Arrival destination: The Edge of the Backworlds.

I'll be interviewing one of the Aviarmen, Talos. After reading a little of their story in MPax's earlier book, Backworlds, I asked her if there was any chance of a meeting on location, out there. The usual currency for transport is chocolate, in ingot size bars. (I paid with a case of Le Louis brand French chocolates in gold and blue foil, .)


Station WH-9-Direct to Backworld's Edge, the Terminus:



NASA, Florida - For space and beyond, by DG Hudson


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Interview with Talos at Craze's Tavern

MPAX's novels take us to the Backworld's Edge, on the frontiers of unknown space. Now, Craze and Talos must go Beyond that Edge.

Only MPax has the Guild copy of the Backworlds Map, with the coordinates to get to Craze's Tavern and back. She won't reveal the location of the wormhole, not yet, so she offered to co-pilot the ship and get me back to the right time and place for my blog post.


At Craze's Tavern

Last stop before the frontier. . .





In the Backworlds series, Craze, comes to realize the people he shares his life with are what’s most important to him instead of the prosperity he covets. Sitting at the bar in Craze’s Tavern is one of his oldest and closest friends, Captain Talos.


Seven feet tall, with short blue hair, a thin build, and tics, Talos sips a malt. On his long beige coat, he wears a button. Orange letters on a blue background, it says, Carry On, the legacy left him by his mother. Here's a photo of someone a lot like Talos.





 
 
The Interview

DG: Backworlders have been genetically modified to survive on harsh worlds. What race of humans do you belong to and what were you made for?

Captain Talos runs his thin hand through his short hair:  "The aviarmen is my people. We was made to navigate the skies ‘n we have an excellent sense of direction."

DG: How do the Backworlds differ from the Foreworlds?

Talos glances around the room before answering:  "The Foreworlders made us. They modified humans to live on less desirable worlds, The Backworlds, ‘n to excel at certain tasks. We spread from there. Then the Fo’wo’s decided they had made a mistake ‘n tried to exterminate us. That was the war. There’s a truce now.

DG: You keep saying all of you are human. Are you and other Backworlders from Earth?

Talos laughs and sips at his malt: "Earth is a myth. There’s no such thing."

DG: What was that short form of the Foreworlds?
 
Talos shrugs, fingering the pin on his lapel, Carry On: "Most say it Foe Woes. Some say it with a nastier twist to it. I’m sure you know how it goes."

DG: Where are the Backworlds?

Talos arches a brow. "In the Orion arm of the Milky Way. So is the Foreworlds. The Edge is the farthest expansion of the Backworlds. Much of the galaxy is unknown to us."

DG: In this adventure, you go beyond the Edge. Can you tell me why?

Talos: "Yes, it’s where the clues to my missing best friend lead. I’ve got to find him. He’s been missing for more than two years." He turns away, just for a moment and pounds on the bar. The noise catches Craze's attention.

Craze comes over, a burly dude with long hair and a wide face, and wipes off the smudges on the counter left by Talos’ tirade. He pours a couple more malts and set them down. “Everythin’ all right over here, brother?” He looks at Talos and then glances sideways at the alien human, the one who paid in chocolate.
 
DG: "Hello, I've heard about your exceptional tavern, Mr. Craze. I'm DG Hudson, and I'm trying to find out about life in the Backworlds for my blog readers."

Craze: "Just call me Craze, at your service. If you want to know about our adventures, you're talking to the right guy. Captain Talos."

After a long nip from the tumbler, Talos nods. “Yup. Just telling this tourist about our upcoming adventure, mate."

“I wish you’d leave me home," said Craze. "I hate space travel.”

Talos rolls his eyes. “Once he settles, he’s fair company.”

 ***
 
MPax stood at the end of the bar, talking for a moment with Craze. Chocolate may have changed hands. A flash of gold and blue caught my attention. She waved to Talos and said, "C'mon DG, the ship's powered up and I'm ready to hit those thrusters."

I took a few quick photos, thanked the guys, and left. Thanks, MPax. (I'm glad I took that gravity pill before I left.)
 
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Beyond the Edge

Some truths are better left unfound.



 
For two years Craze’s dear friend, Lepsi, has been missing. The murmurings of a haunted spaceship might be a message and may mean his old pal isn’t dead. The possibility spurs Craze and Captain Talos to travel to uncharted worlds, searching. Out there, in an unfamiliar region of the galaxy beyond the Backworlds, they stumble upon a terrible truth.

Meanwhile, Rainly remains on Pardeep Station as acting planetlord, dealing with the discovery of her lover’s dark and brutal past. Alone and questioning her judgment, her introspection unlocks more than heartache. Latent protocols in her cybernetics activate, forcing her to face a sinister secret of her own.

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In the far future, humanity settles the stars, bioengineering its descendents to survive in a harsh universe. This is the fourth book in the science fiction series, The Backworlds. A space opera adventure.

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M. Pax

Inspiring the words she writes, she spends her summers as a star guide at Pine Mountain Observatory in stunning Central Oregon where she lives with the Husband Unit and two demanding cats. She writes science fiction and fantasy mostly.
 
You can find out more by visiting her at:
Where to find Beyond the Edge?
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Do you know the Backworlds series by MPax? Do you know why Craze lives way out on the Backworld's Edge? Did you like meeting Talos in Craze's Tavern?

Please share in the comments, and thanks for dropping by.
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