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Engineer: The Domici War: Allies, Friends, Family
This book contains two complete novellas; Engineer and Chief.EngineerJames "Jimmie" Lauwers is trying to earn money to buy out the dehumanizing contracts his parents and girlfriend are under. The plan was simple; Jimmie would get a job as a starship engineer, earn good money, and set people free. They would in turn do the same for others, ending a cycle of "employed by contract before being born".
Jimmie's captain doesn't pay for months, and then gets thrown in jail. He has no money, no recorded work history to get his Apprentice license, and his family will stay enslaved. The ship gets a new Captain and First Officer straight out of the Merchant Marine Academy, and an emergency mission to run medical supplies out to the belt. When other engineers rebel against the change of command, and are hospitalized, a barely trained Jimmie has to keep the ship spaceworthy. A garbled and abruptly ended transmission from a belter ship reports an alien vessel in deep Jimmie has to keep the ship going against an enemy they cannot understand.
ChiefAfter healing from the discovery of the Mulgoi ship, Jimmie is pulled out of the Merchant Marine Academy to serve on an experimental ship going to the Mulgo home world. If ship systems fail then the crew will be lost in space for the rest of their lives, just like the Mulgoi were. If the mission fails, the Mulgoi ship, and the surviving Mulgoi will be sold to the highest bidder. Despite personal tragedy, Jimmie won't let his friends be sold. He just doesn't know if he'll ever see his son again.
Jimmie's captain doesn't pay for months, and then gets thrown in jail. He has no money, no recorded work history to get his Apprentice license, and his family will stay enslaved. The ship gets a new Captain and First Officer straight out of the Merchant Marine Academy, and an emergency mission to run medical supplies out to the belt. When other engineers rebel against the change of command, and are hospitalized, a barely trained Jimmie has to keep the ship spaceworthy. A garbled and abruptly ended transmission from a belter ship reports an alien vessel in deep Jimmie has to keep the ship going against an enemy they cannot understand.
ChiefAfter healing from the discovery of the Mulgoi ship, Jimmie is pulled out of the Merchant Marine Academy to serve on an experimental ship going to the Mulgo home world. If ship systems fail then the crew will be lost in space for the rest of their lives, just like the Mulgoi were. If the mission fails, the Mulgoi ship, and the surviving Mulgoi will be sold to the highest bidder. Despite personal tragedy, Jimmie won't let his friends be sold. He just doesn't know if he'll ever see his son again.
362 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 10, 2025
About the author
Leam Hall
7 books8 followersI write Coming of Age YA SciFi with a Christian Warrior Ethos.
That's the "official" term, anyway. The reality is that an over-confident backworld tomboy wanted to be special; to be somebody. I wrote her story. She was a bit miffed that I included things her parents weren't supposed to know, but she got over it when she found out the truth about her semi-weird family. Took her a while to get used to the really weird other family on another planet. It took her even longer to figure out the Mad Knitter, but that was a good story.
Err...I've been directed to say that "Al is a very good girl at heart, just misunderstood. Loving, kind, and always dutifully obeys." I'm specifically forbidden mentioning her blowing purple snot out of her nose or her feelings about the best girl on the planet now smiling-when-they-are-together friends with Wilbur. You know, the guy who liked Al. Everybody on the planet, except Al, was quite aware of it. Even Al's dad knew...
Al eventually makes a good choice or two. And that's before the end of the first book, "Agent". Which, honestly, surprised me. Surprised Al, too.
I'd love to go on and tell about how Al grew up to be a wonderful princess-y do-gooder, where her life was blessed and she lived "happily ever after". Al becomes an awesome non-princess woman as she suffers trauma, struggles with PTSD, and sacrifices her mental health to save her friends. Her leadership inspires others to greatness.
In the end, broken and dying, she accepts who she really is. I'm honored to know her.
That's the "official" term, anyway. The reality is that an over-confident backworld tomboy wanted to be special; to be somebody. I wrote her story. She was a bit miffed that I included things her parents weren't supposed to know, but she got over it when she found out the truth about her semi-weird family. Took her a while to get used to the really weird other family on another planet. It took her even longer to figure out the Mad Knitter, but that was a good story.
Err...I've been directed to say that "Al is a very good girl at heart, just misunderstood. Loving, kind, and always dutifully obeys." I'm specifically forbidden mentioning her blowing purple snot out of her nose or her feelings about the best girl on the planet now smiling-when-they-are-together friends with Wilbur. You know, the guy who liked Al. Everybody on the planet, except Al, was quite aware of it. Even Al's dad knew...
Al eventually makes a good choice or two. And that's before the end of the first book, "Agent". Which, honestly, surprised me. Surprised Al, too.
I'd love to go on and tell about how Al grew up to be a wonderful princess-y do-gooder, where her life was blessed and she lived "happily ever after". Al becomes an awesome non-princess woman as she suffers trauma, struggles with PTSD, and sacrifices her mental health to save her friends. Her leadership inspires others to greatness.
In the end, broken and dying, she accepts who she really is. I'm honored to know her.
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