QSFer C.J. Dragon has a new MM sci-fi romance out: Tinman.
Looking for a haven, Astin Langlee went to the moon to escape the unforgiving rigors of poverty on Earth. Signing on for seven years of contract labor, he planned to work hard and make a place for himself. Called “Tinman’ for his lack of observable emotion, he does just that, finding solace only in his conversations with Eddie, a sentient AI.
Finding love never crossed his mind.
Meeting his co-worker, Davis, Astin discovers that he cares more than his nickname suggests. Opening to the joy Davis brings in his wake, Tinman allows love to overcome his fear.
When the moon station is shut down by the uncaring LunaCorp, they head for Mars, only to find that home threatened by the same corporation.
Can Astin save his new home and those he loves, or will he lose all while taking a gamble none could envision?
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Excerpt
Astin checked the duty roster, picking up his tool bag for form’s sake. He was pretty sure that everything was working for Eddie as it should, but there was always a chance it wasn’t. Dressed in his warmest clothes, he suited up before leaving the last warm spot in the racks. His breather had a full thirty minutes, and he’d stashed another in his bag. Even if he didn’t find a problem, Eddie deserved a long visit. After his last upgrade, Astin had had no reason to see him, which meant he couldn’t casually get away to do so. Management might be, on the surface, nitwits, but they still kept track of each tech. Grimacing with that thought, Astin touched the outer door to Eddie’s sanctum, quietly saying his name before having his retina read.
The door opened without hesitation, and he crawled in, murmuring a soft greeting. Eddie flashed his lights in his own salutation as Astin settled himself, cross-legged, on the narrow walkway.
“I’m here to check some hardware, Eddie. One of the lesser pieces used in your recent upgrade. One of the comp techs was nervous about it, so here I am.” He shifted his behind into a better position. “After I do that, we can visit for a bit. They always schedule more time down here than we need, but that’s fine with me.”
Astin waited for Eddie to give him the ‘go ahead’ flash before going carefully to his knees to check the hardware. A few tests later, he disconnected his equipment from Eddie. “Please give that a quick run through, alright, Eddie? Seems fine to me, so Gods know what set the tech off.” Astin settled himself back on his butt, sitting tailor fashion again. A few minutes later, Eddie flashed the more complicated ‘all’s clear’ sign.
Astin sighed in relief. “That’s good. I was out of ideas otherwise. Let me catch you up on my news and station gossip.”
He proceeded to tell Eddie about his daily meals with Davis and how much he enjoyed them. He shared the gossip about which tech was with who, and who had broken up. He talked about how much he hated exercising, but did it anyway, circling back to talk more about Davis. His second breather beeped a ten-minute warning.
“Crap, I have to go, Eddie. I’ve bent your ear enough today. I wanted to ask you–to see if you knew–why you don’t have a talkbox? Seems like that would be a lot easier on you and me.”
No lights flashed for several moments. Suddenly, they all lit briefly, a sign that Eddie was excited about something. The lights dimmed, then he flashed the sign for ‘too’. As that fell away, the lights within his console spelled out ‘Smart. Afraid’.
Astin felt his heart thump heavily. He was pretty sure it wasn’t his oxygen getting low. “Eddie, you’re saying that you’re too smart, and that others are afraid of that?”
Eddie flashed the code for ‘yes’.
Astin took a breath, hearing his breather beep the five-minute mark. “I’ve got to go, Eddie. Let me think about this. I’ll be down to see you again very soon. If you need me, manufacture a problem that will get me down here, alright? I won’t tell anyone what you’ve told me. I promise, Eddie.”
Eddie flashed a slow sign that was a combination of agreement with affection that he only did for Astin, then opened the hatch for the man to leave.
Numb with more than the cold, Astin left quickly, his thoughts pinwheeling around his mind. They thought Eddie was dangerous because of his intelligence, so they deprived him of a voice. Shaking his head, he peeled off the suit, hanging it up. If Eddie was that smart, he could do whatever he wanted, with or without a voice, yet he hadn’t. That made the reason for not giving him one cruel and stupid.
Astin had neither of those attributes. He needed to think about this some more because it was a big risk. Sighing as he climbed the ladder to the elevator entrance, he already knew he’d decided. Damn him, anyway.
Author Bio
C.J. has always been an avid reader of anything in print, enjoying all genres but drawn to science fiction and romance.
Happily introduced to the wonderful world of M/M romance, and immediately loving it. C.J. began writing M/M romances, incorporating them in her science fiction stories, and has never looked back.
She lives in North Carolina and is happily married to her wife and soulmate, who is a writer as well. C.J. is co-parent to Frankie, also known as the Prince of Darkness, who keeps a benevolent paw over all that occurs in the home.
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