Skyracos: The Mining Mess

John Picha

Mar 2013 · John Picha

About this ebook

Have you ever dreamt of visiting alien worlds? Have you ever wished you could zip through space via jet pack? What if you could defy gravity and explore unknown realms freely? Imagine being a space adventurer, paid to meet and greet alien cultures, while representing and protecting all of hunamid-kind. You’d live to tell tales of glory. You’d be the stuff of legends. Sounds like a dream job, right? Well, no job is perfect, and there is a high price to be paid for this fantasy. That’s reality for a Skyraco. These winged warriors operate millions of miles from their home-world, Centrus, on the frontier of the known. They travel to planets remote and unimagined where they are forced to interpret crises and dispense justice on their terms, or so they think. In "Skyracos: The Mining Mess" recent recruit, Chip Daniels wants to be a hero, but gets more than he bargained for once incased in his streamlined flight suit. Chip and the rest of Unit 9901 are ordered to investigate a mysterious plague outbreak in an isolated mining colony. What starts out as a game quickly unravels into a life or death crisis. Notions of good and evil spin into nightmare of moral ambiguity, which challenges Chip's definition of heroics...Welcome to a Skyraco's uncomfortable world. "Skyracos: The Mining Mess" is a retro Sci-Fi adventure tale of streamlined spaceships, flight packs and flying men, wrapped up in an ePulp with the pace of a comic book.

Ratings and reviews

Chip is an idealistic young man who tends to get lost in daydreams from time to time. He and his fellow Skyracos are armored super-cops, thinly scattered on many worlds, in an imperfect future. Destiny City is a remote colony owned by the Arkon Mining Company. Chip is a junior part of the Skyracos wing brought in to assist the company security forces in quelling a riot. It doesn't take long to discover there is much more to the story than the mining company would have them believe. Sheer greed quickly overcomes compassion and common sense as the Skyracos are ordered to betray their ideals. A saucer-shaped blimp hovers over Destiny City. The Painwell Pharmacare laboratory team within this floating research facility scrambles to find a plague cure while the Arkon Mining security teams battle the terrified colonists below. The reader is given a peek into the minds of each of the major characters as the situation reels out of control. Chip's idealism is put to the ultimate test as John Picha weaves an exciting tale. I must admit I expected a lightweight space opera. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Skyracos unfolds in a manner reminiscent of Kurt Vonnegut at his best.

Skyracos? Who are these guys clad in metal suits with jet packs strapped to their backs? Are they guardians for justice exercising might for right? They rocket through the air in search of adventure. Such a curious title. But is this ebook a serious good read? Let’s just say that I fell under its enchanted spell and read the book from cover to cover. The book is a page turner and you’ll soon see why. We will join these misunderstood sky warriors as they attempt to resolve sticky issues under trying circumstances and witness their inner soul searching. How do they handle the grim reality of life and death challenges? How do they deal with these complex problems? If you’re into stories that challenge your imagination and test your wits, then this book is for you. Before you go, first grab your jet packet on the shelf to your left. Strap yourself in really good, because we’re in for a long journey. Try to avoid getting hooked, lest you too, will be longing for more Skyracos adventures.