The Gilded Cage (14 page)

Wilhelmina Teague returns for the adventure she didn’t get to have before. Javier and Suvi get to grow into larger and more interesting characters. The universe, the sandbox, gets richer.

In between then and now, you have the first three Jessica Keller novels:
Auberon
,
Queen of the Pirates
, and
Last of the Immortals
. The last one does not bookend this universe. I have other adventures planned for Suvi in Jessica’s future, but Jessica is six thousand years in Javier’s future.

We are just starting out here, and there is a lot of ground to cover.

There is never enough time to write all the stories I would churn out if I could. On the drive home tonight, as I was climbing the pass, Javier tapped me on the shoulder and explained some of the key bits of what will become his fourth story, after I finish the current project (or projects).

I like writing these as novellas instead of novels. Not because Javier doesn’t deserve a novel, but because I can write more of them if I don’t have to tell a grand story. Or as grand a story. This is book three, but it is not a trilogy, except in the counting at present. Like I said, I already have the title and villain for book four. There are at least eight, maybe twelve of these for Season One. And eventually we’ll get to Season Two.

So I get to tell lots of Javier stories because I can tell them faster this way.

I like that.

I do not, however, plan to turn it into any manner of love story, much to complaining chagrin of a few of you. Javier and Djamila are fire and gasoline. It’s not Juliet pining over Romeo. It is two powerfully angry people trapped by circumstances and forced to do their best, systematically thinking about how to make it look like an accident.

These are all complicated people: Javier, Djamila, Zakhar, Wilhelmina. They have been thrown together by circumstance, and must deal with it. None of them can just quit and walk away. But the hatred burns deep.

And this is a dark story. Javier’s usually a mouthy asshole at times, but I find his (eventual) nobility redeeming. But yeah, this one went dark.

I wanted to explore themes of identity, evil, revenge, and honor. And do so in the medium of flawed people. To think about what the real depths of space will be like in the future, when it’s not a happy, clean, exciting place, but a dingy, industrial place where shit goes wrong.

The result was
The Gilded Cage.
I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it.

Also by Blaze Ward

The Jessica Keller Chronicles

Auberon

Queen of the Pirates

Last of the Immortals

Javier Aritza Stories

The Science Officer

The Mind Field

The Gilded Cage

Additional Alexandria Station Stories

The Story Road

Greater Than The Gods Intended

The Librarian

Other Science Fiction Stories

Mymirdons

Moonshot

Earthquake Gun

Moscow Gold

The Collective
Universe

Imposters

The Shipwrecked Mermaid

Collections

Beyond the Mirror: Volume 1 Fantastic Worlds

Beyond the Mirror: Volume 2 Fantastic Worlds

Beyond the Mirror: Volume 3 Alternate Worlds

About the Author

Blaze Ward writes science fiction in the
Alexandria Station
universe as well as
The Collective
. He also write fantasy stories with several characters and series, from an alternate Rome to epic high fantasy in the desert. You can find out more at his website
www.blazeward.com
, as well as
Facebook
,
Goodreads,
and other places.

Blaze’s works are available as ebooks, paper, and audio, and can be found at a variety of online vendors (
Kobo,
Amazon
, and others). His newsletter comes out quarterly, and you can also follow his blog on his website. He really enjoys interacting with fans, and looks forward to any and all questions—even ones about his books!

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About Knotted Road Press

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With authors in a variety of genres including literary, poetry, mystery, fantasy, and science fiction, Knotted Road Press has something for everyone.

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Table of Contents

The Gilded Cage (The Science Officer: Volume 3)

BOOK FIVE: WILHELMINA

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

BOOK SIX: NAVARRE

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

BOOK SEVEN: DJAMILA

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

BOOK EIGHT: PALADIN

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Ten

Part Eleven

Author’s Note

Also by Blaze Ward

About the Author

About Knotted Road Press