The Steampunk Scifi Rocket Series

By Scott H. Young

A sci-fi – steampunk short story series inspired from model rocket designs that are created from solid wood. This is the first collection featuring Fury, Blue Quasar, In Plain Site, The Squid and Metallica.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: May 26, 2015
• ISBN: 9781329167322

Scott H. Young

Scott Young is the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Ultralearning, a podcast host, computer programmer, and an avid reader. Since 2006, he has published weekly essays to help people learn and think better. His work has been featured in the New York Times, Pocket, and Business Insider, on the BBC, at TEDx, and other outlets. He doesn’t promise to have all the answers, just a place to start.

Book preview

The Steampunk Scifi Rocket Series

The Steampunk – SciFi Series,

Collection #1

First Edition  May, 2015

Copyright   © 2015 Rocketkraft Studios

All rights reserved.

ISBN 978-1-329-16732-2

Thank You

A huge thank you to the entire team who helped collaborate to put these stories together.

Editors and content layout by Jam, Meldawn, Edwriter and Shwethalucien

Artwork created by Acharya, Ming and Bluecoure.

Stories and model design by author.

About the series

A rocket design is chosen and evaluated. A real flying model rocket is then created from a solid block of wood on a lathe. The story line is then created around the model. Artwork is created using the theme from both the story and model design. A total of at least ten steampunk rockets and stories, with art, are planned. For more information about the series, visit Rocketkraft Studios - rocketkraft.com.

#1 Fury

The recollection of his past dream had vanished; left in its wake were the abrasive sights and sounds of his new, hostile environment. He turned, and struggled, yet found himself bound. Above, decompression signaled that something had gone wrong; that is, if the flashing red lights hadn’t made that obvious beforehand.

He quickly remembered where he was – lodged into the seat of the Fury starfighter. He was on a mission to rejoin the rest of the fleet, when a solar flare affected his ship’s navigation and landed him in an asteroid belt – and after that, a rear hull breach had caused considerable systems damage.

Kyle looked around. His seat was central to the cockpit he found himself in – a small, isolated room, with monitors and a large control panel. Above him, a thawing pipe leaked water droplets, while a failing cooling system gently sprinkled water mist through the room. The cockpit’s usual lights had blown out, replaced with the scarlet that now colored the entirety of the usually cream-colored room.

He unfastened the strap on his seat, and put a gloved hand on his helmet. His head felt like bursting. A dull heat permeated the room through and through. Undoing his helmet, his finger found the ship’s keyboard. Pressing a nondescript key, he began speaking through the carbon glass. Tetra? Tetra, are you online?

He undid his helmet, dropping it to the wet floor of the cockpit. Tetra? he repeated, holding his finger on the key. He slumped forward, supporting himself on the edge of the console as he tried to breathe. The atmosphere in the room was sticky, and the monitors were blank, black, and unknowing. The pain in