18 February 2026

(this scene takes place in the first third of the book. Sgt Briggs and her squad are sent to collect a tax bill…one way or another.)

“This is outrageous-get off my property,” Erik demanded. “I won’t stand for this!”

Marlene Maddox spoke soothingly to her husband as two droids walked down the Mule’s ramp. Maggie bolted from the house and barked at the droids. One headed toward the salvage yard. The other walked past the house. It stopped and scanned an ancient maintenance bot. The bot was charging next to a spigot on the side of the Maddox’s house.

Sgt Briggs turned and noticed a crowd of around ten people forming outside the fence surrounding the Maddox property. She deployed her squad in a semi-circle between the Groundhammer and the group of citizens.

Lance Corporal Carrow positioned himself next to her.

The crowd started shouting obscenities. Half of her squad were first timers, and some gripped their Marauders nervously as their eyes ping-ponged between a growing number of potential threats.

Briggs activated her team TacLink.

Briggs: Situation deteriorating. Crowd is agitated. One hit a soldier with an egg. Droids should be done soon and we’ll provide final numbers.

Dravich: Retain order and complete mission. Do not let protest escalate!

Sokolav: Non-lethal rounds authorized to maintain order and achieve objectives. Kinetic slugs authorized, if necessary.

Shit. This is getting out of hand.

“Listen-up Reclamation Squad, ” Briggs ordered. “No one fires any weapon without my direct order. They’re throwing eggs, not bullets. Remain calm. The droids should be finished soon. Then we’ll get out of here. No one needs to get hurt today.”

Dravich: Belay that order. They’re called non-lethal rounds for a reason. Squad has my authorization to engage hostile crowd as necessary to ensure safe extraction. Kinetic rounds authorized, if necessary. Deliver droid figures and return to base.

Sgt Briggs’ P-Com chirped as the final figures came in. She sighed, then strode back toward the Maddox’s door…”We know this is a lot to take in. You have two weeks to vacate.”

Erik Maddox started crying and hugged his wife. More objects were thrown at the squad. Corvannon’s sun continued to beat down. Briggs’s t-shirt and uniform were soaked with sweat.

Someone threw a bottle that hit one of her soldiers. It broke right before his resolve did.

He swiveled his carbine toward the assailant, lowered his aim, and fired.

Technology reduced the damage of the non-lethal rounds. The foam slug came out of the barrel at a slower velocity and struck with 45X less energy.

But it still packed a punch.

The round hit the onlooker’s lower shin and he cried out in pain. The crowd watched him fall to the ground, clutching his lower leg.

A hush settled over the crowd.

We need to get outta here.

“Fall back Reclamation Squad,” Kira ordered. “No more shots without my direct order. Time to return to base.”

Sokolav: Get your team out of there safely, Sergeant Briggs. All rounds authorized to ensure safe extraction.

Erik Maddox resumed shouting at the squad. The crowd followed suit, hurling insults and debris toward the soldiers clustered near the Groundhammer. Maggie barked furiously, wedged between her family and the two soldiers.

Carrow hesitated. Briggs ordered them to hold fire, but leadership authorized all rounds to ensure safe extraction by any means.

Torn between both voices, he fired a single (kinetic) warning round into the dirt, angled away from the Maddox family…

21 January 2026

An Excerpt from Cinder of Corvannon.

Tess Maren never planned to be part of the Resistance.
But once she understands what she’s seen, she knows she can’t unsee it.
This excerpt takes place shortly before she has to run.

“Hey Tess, how are you?” Arden asked. “Heard a friend of mine stopped in. What did you think?”

“Hi Arden,” Tess replied. “Doing fine. Yes, your gorgeous and mysterious Daniel dropped in for lunch today and we had a nice chat. He knows I’m interested and has my number. I sense he’s got some emotional baggage though. Would love to see him again, but not sure he’s going to call.”

“Hope it works out for you two. Umm…did you hear anything about a fight today near Vellum?”

“Yes, there was a scrap at a bar nearby. Was our friend involved? He seems like someone who can handle himself.”

“Maybe look at your feeds from today. Wouldn’t want Vellum to get dragged into anything. And let’s use my private line for any more talk about your love life. Gotta run. Take care, Tess.”

That was a bizarre conversation, Tess thought. I better look into this.

The conversation gnawed at her. She didn’t want Vellum to get dragged into anything.

 Tess accessed her video feeds and ran through the day. She saw their hug as Daniel left Vellum and let it play. Tess leaned in as the feed showed him walking toward a bar. She zoomed in and the resolution got a little grainy, but she could see a figure approaching a group next to the bar.

Tess replayed the next sequence a few times because what she saw seemed impossible. The figure moved incredibly quickly among the group and then they were all down. The man helped someone off the ground and they walked over to a ship parked near the Basilisk dealership. Was that—Daniel? Had he just taken out the group himself? But whatever she saw wasn’t possible, right? No one could move like that…unless…She snapped her concentration back to what she could control.

She dialed a number she hoped to never use again. One of her past relationships had turned nasty. Tess suspected her ex was stealing from her and hired a very talented and expensive IT specialist to confirm her suspicions. Her ex hid his electronic thefts well, but Cole was better. She got her money back and evidence that would keep her ex-boyfriend far away. Tess locked her office door and called Cole at Aegis Data Management.

“Hello Tess,” Cole said. “Always good to hear from you. How can I help?”

“Hey Cole. I need your utmost discretion helping me with my video feeds. Can you delete all records of my feeds from today? I think it would be prudent to do this ASAP, by tomorrow morning. Can you make this appear to be part of a bi-weekly scrub that has been repeated since we opened?”

“I can do that Tess. But it will be expensive. I get the feeling this isn’t due to a shady boyfriend? Can you provide any additional color for me?”

“Cost is not an issue. This involves something else. That’s all I know. I’m just being careful.”

“Consider it done. And let’s both be cautious. I’ll code your payment as restaurant supplies so anyone looking doesn’t see a recent IT payment. I’m also going to have a burner P-Com delivered with your next produce delivery. You sound rattled, and you may need to contact people discreetly. I’ll delete any trace of this call. Be careful, Tess.”

Tess thanked Cole and shakily terminated the call. She might be over-reacting, but better to be safe than sorry. Tess felt like she was getting pulled into something that was important.

Who is Daniel Hallstrom and how does he know Arden? Am I now part of whatever they’re doing?

Tess reviewed what she just put into motion. She’d been thorough. Satisfied, she started preparing for the dinner rush.

3 January 2026

Rowland Vale 
Excerpt from Cinder of Corvannon

Rowland slipped back into the Daniel Hallstrom cover as easily as breathing. Corvannon didn’t need to know his real name—not yet. Circles of trust expanded slowly, or they collapsed under their own weight.

They met at the edge of the industrial quarter, in a non-descript brewery owned by a vetted Resistance member. Orven Claybourne was already inside when Rowland arrived, quietly observing as citizens filtered through the door.

Kira Briggs worked security. Every entrant was checked, every slate powered down, every personal comm surrendered or sealed. No exceptions. A few people bristled at the rules. Most complied in silence.

When the doors finally closed, Rowland stepped forward.

“Thank you for coming,” he said. “I’m Daniel Hallstrom. Former military. Like many of you, I waited for someone else to stand up first. It took me too long to realize that person is me.”

He paused, letting the room settle.

“We’re here because we’re tired of living under the boot of the Predorate. Before we begin, we’re going to acknowledge those who already tried to push back. Jane and her team targeted transit infrastructure last cycle. The idea was sound. The execution wasn’t. Poor planning, no leadership—and they paid for it.”

A few heads bowed. All were silent for a few seconds.

“We don’t honor them by repeating their mistakes,” Rowland continued. “We honor them by learning.”

They started with the basics. No powered devices during meetings. No centralized records. No single point of failure. Kira and Orven explained how compartmentalized cells would limit damage if anyone was compromised. People listened closely—too closely, in one case.

As the discussion shifted to structure, Orven outlined district-level safehouses. Food. Water. Power. Redundancy. A banker Orven vouched for spoke next, outlining quiet ways to move money without triggering audits. It was clean. Thoughtful. Dangerous.

Rowland steered them toward recruitment and training. Enthusiasm alone would get people killed.

“We can teach fundamentals,” Kira said. “Weapons handling. Movement. Discipline. We won’t turn civilians into soldiers—but we can keep them alive.”

Rowland nodded, about to add more, when a soft vibration pressed against his thigh.

He glanced at Orven. Orven’s eyes flicked toward the exits.

Claybourne rose without a word and slipped from the room.

Briggs led the group into non-violent action: targeted slowdowns, controlled disruption of water and food distribution. Pressure without bloodshed. Dimitri mentioned his access to Commander Dravich—carefully, cautiously.

Rowland checked his watch. Over an hour.

“Ten-minute break,” he said. “Stay close.”

He found Orven in the corridor outside the restrooms.

“It’s what we feared,” Orven said quietly. “Burst signal prepped. Origin inside.”

Rowland didn’t hesitate. “I’ll handle it.”

The men’s room door swung open just as Reed—Dimitri’s guest—stepped out, device half-hidden in his palm. Surprise flashed across his face.

Rowland shoved him back inside and twisted the deadbolt shut.

“What’s that in your pocket, Reed?”

Reed swallowed. “I was just letting my parents know when to expect me, Mr. Hallstrom.”

Rowland tore the device free and thumbed it active. The room filled with his own voice—recorded, compressed, tagged for burst transmission. The recipient ID told him everything he needed to know.

Reed’s breathing went shallow.

Rowland scrolled through stored contacts. Enemy identifiers. Too many.

Reed lunged for the door.

Rowland let him pass, then locked an arm around his neck and wrenched sideways with practiced force. Resistance flared, then vanished. The sound that followed was brief and final.

Rowland lowered the body into a stall and eased it onto the toilet. He was closing the door when Orven entered.

“He recorded part of the meeting,” Rowland said evenly. “Confirmed enemy contact. More stored.”

Orven exhaled. “I’ll handle disposal.”

“We’ll tighten recruitment,” Rowland said. “We got lucky.”

When the meeting resumed, Rowland didn’t raise his voice.

“We have rules for a reason,” he said. “Identification as part of this resistance carries lethal consequences. One guest violated those rules. He was preparing to transmit our location and identities to the enemy.”

The room was silent.

“He has been dealt with. We will adjust and move forward. Early mistakes can be contained. Later ones can’t.”

Rowland scanned their faces—fear, resolve, understanding.

“Now,” he said, “let’s talk about when violence becomes unavoidable.”

3 December 2025

Here’s an excerpt from Chapter One. Rhys just returned home after reposessing a ship (a Valdor G7000). The Predorate is the antagonist governement in my story…

…Rhys touched down back at home around an hour later. The neon sign out front announcing Maddox Shipyards and Salvage was still damaged. The p in Shipyards often looked more like a t. So the Maddox family business was called the Shityards when no family was around.

“Gotta get that damn sign fixed” grunted Rhys.

But neon sign repairs cost money, and that was a commodity in short supply at MSS. It ate at Rhys that some referred to the Maddox family business as the Shityard.

Mom and Dad were asleep, but his dog Maggie was excitedly circling the ladder as it telescoped toward the ground.

“Hey Mags, how are you girl? Always happy to see me-love it!”

Rhys and Maggie became inseparable after she showed up at Maddox shipyards around five years ago. How skinny and dirty she was back then! Maggie looked better after Rhys fed and bathed her. The vet said she was mostly pit bull and part Vizsla. He referred to her sometimes as a Pitzilla when she wasn’t around. She would get so excited when he came back in-even if he was only gone a few minutes. Rhys so appreciated the unconditional love she gave him.

There weren’t many kids his age on Corvannon. Most people were more his parent’s age. They pretty much either worked for the Predorate or at the Corvannon Spaceport. So there weren’t a lot of 17 year-olds for him to hang with.

Rhys took Maggie for a walk around the Shipyard. The central landing pad had big cracks throughout the concrete and weeds were always re-emerging from them even after he sprayed them. Most of their land was a motley collection of space ships. The new Valdor G7000 Cruiser put them all to shame. It was probably the only ship in the yard that could start and fly. They had some hulks here that were almost antiques-built before 2100. He stopped before one of his favorites.

“Now that is a beauty right there, girl. That’s a Halogen Dynamics Shrike Courier, circa 2112 or so. This one has a Marlow Fusionworks pulse drive with a jump drive retrofit. She was fast, reliable, cutting-edge technology back in her day.”

4 November 2025

The Rebellion Grows — 16 Chapters and Counting

Cinder of Corvannon, Book One of The Predorate Rebellion, started with a simple story: a young pilot repossesses ships on the side to help his family.

But one choice changes everything. He meets someone who opens his eyes to the rebellion — and shows him what it means to fight back.

Now, sixteen chapters and 25,000 words later, the story has evolved far beyond what I outlined.

What I’ve Learned So Far:

• Write a quick outline for each chapter. Then keep a steady rhythm. For me, that’s grown from 750 words a day to 1,500 and a full chapter a day.
• Let new characters emerge. I’m up to twelve now, each reshaping the story.
• Don’t cling too tightly to the initial plan — the best twists can come from new ideas.

Next week, I’ll reveal Rhys Maddox, the rebel who provides the spark, with his first concept art.

Stay tuned,

Steven Halberd

Follow the story at Instagram, or sign-up for The Rebellion newsletter.

17 October 2025

Hey everyone — and welcome!

For years I’ve had a story growing within me. It started with a teenager who repossessed space ships as a side hustle and got pulled into a rebellion. My tale has evolved into science fiction with heart. Where government and military agendas collide with human loss, purpose, and redemption.

This idea has grown to nine chapters and about 14,000 words so far. The story — Cinder of Corvannon — follows the fallout of a tragedy that reshapes everything for Rhys Maddox and forces pulling his home planet apart.  Rhys’ plight pulls a former soldier, Rowland Vale, out of exile where he waited for a worthy cause. I’ve built worlds, factions, and belief systems — from the hard-edged Predorate to the mysterious Veyari — and tried to make it all feel alive.

My tagline for this site is Sci-Fi with Soul, and that’s what I want this blog to be, too. Real thoughts, progress updates, maybe a few creative misfires, and the lessons I pick up as I go. No filters. Just the messy, meaningful process of creating a universe from scratch.

If you’ve ever been curious about how a story grows — or if you just love sci-fi that digs a little deeper — I’d love for you to follow along.

See you in the next post.

— Steven Halberd