By Tiffany Roberts
Earlier this year, we started a new series based around
an intergalactic hub—Arthos, the Infinite City. The full-length novels we’ve
written in this setting have been set in the heart of Arthos’s underbelly,
countless lightyears away from Earth, but we wanted to have a stronger
connection to the place we all call home for our Pets in Space contribution. Entwined
Fates is the end result of that goal, but the pet featured in the story,
Cypher, was actually the starting point.
Before we had any inkling of the details of our story,
Tiffany already had a strong sense of the pet who would star in it. She wanted
something robotic, something intelligent, something that could change shape at
will. Her basis for that inspiration came from the Disney movie, Big Hero Six—specifically,
the microbots created by the main character. Cypher was built on that idea. His
scales—which can be quite animated in the story—are a nod to the way the
microbots in that movie come together and move.
Of course, that’s only part of what makes Cypher special.
He’s an inux, a creature that’s much closer to a living organism than a robot,
and he has his own unique personality and intelligence that are belied by his
animal appearance. Cypher is a loyal companion, but he also has a will of his own,
and he isn’t afraid to risk himself to protect the people he’s bonded with.
Cypher became a crucial part of Entwined Fates,
which is a story set in the earlier days of humanity’s contact with alien
species and precedes our other Infinite City books. Ultimately, the tale is
about people coming together despite distance, despite differences in
appearance and cultures, and despite great adversity. All of that was made
possible by having Cypher at the heart of the story—just like the animals we
humans love often bring us together, our little inux serves as a force who
connects our main characters despite their circumstances.
We had a ton of fun writing this story, and a lot of that
was because of Cypher and the interactions he initiated and enabled. It may not
always be the best practice to use a pet as a starting point for a romance
novel (rather than the story itself or the romantic couple involved), but it
worked out delightfully for us this time.
Snippet:
Heart racing,
Kiara ran down the corridor, keeping one hand on the blaster at her hip. Her
crewman, Tekel—a large, brown-furred azhera—ran just ahead of her, while Cypher
kept pace at her side.
The Starlight quaked.
Kiara threw
out her free hand, catching herself against the frame of an open door. If not
for her quick reflexes, she would’ve stumbled face first into the wall.
“What was
that?” she demanded, clinging to the doorframe as she righted herself.
“They just
docked with our aft entry hatch,” Umae, the Starlight’s
pilot, replied through Kiara’s commlink earpiece.
“Bloody hell!”
Cypher skidded
to a halt a few meters away and turned to face Kiara, staring at her with
anxious, glowing eyes.
“Are they
still blocking your signal, Cyph?” Kiara asked.
Cypher clicked
and nodded.
“I want you to
go hide and keep trying, got it?”
The inux
narrowed his eyes and bared his fangs, clicking angrily as his scales
scintillated and flowed like an angry ocean current. Kiara had no doubt that,
were Cypher a person, he’d be telling her where she could shove it right now.
“Don’t argue
with me, Cypher. If anything happens, you’re our only hope of getting help.”
Cypher growled
and stared at Kiara for a few more seconds before releasing a frustrated huff.
He darted away.
“They’ve
breached the airlock,” Umae said, her husky voice panicked.
“That
quickly?” Kiara asked, drawing her blaster.
Tekel was
positioned at the closed door ahead of her, his long tail flicking back and
forth as he stared through the door’s small viewport. His blaster looked
child-sized in his large, clawed hands.
Kiara fell
into place opposite Tekel and leaned back against the wall. “How many?”
“Too many,”
Captain Mason Snider said through the comms. “Kiara…”
***
Grab your copy of Pets in Space® 4 today! For a limited
time, Pets in Space® 4 brings together today’s leading Science Fiction Romance
authors to help Hero-Dogs.org,
a non-profit charity that helps our service veterans and first responders. https://petsinspaceantho.com
Bio: Tiffany Roberts is the pseudonym for
Tiffany and Robert Freund, a husband and wife writing duo who write sci-fi and
fantasy romance, creating happily-ever-afters for the alien and unknown.
So fun to read the story behind the story! Readers are going to love Cypher and your story!
ReplyDeleteIt sure is! Cypher is awesome. :) And, thanks, Pauline!
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