Sneak Peek—Stories from The Expanding Universe Anthology #4: ‘A Little Surprise’ by P.R. Adams

There are 20 short stories in the latest volume of Craig Martelle’s The Expanding Universe anthologies. Today, with Craig's permission, we are taking a sneak peek at the start of P.R. Adam’s story, ‘A Little Surprise’. Here’s how it begins:

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Military plans never survive first contact with the enemy, but sometimes those disastrous changes can come with a little surprise.

“All right, everyone, listen up!”

Staff Sergeant Gerhardt’s voice always made me cringe. Unfortunately, drop was imminent, and everyone was crowded around the entry to the Catapult drop bay, so there was no shutting off my earpiece to avoid him. Normally, when he gave his little preamble, I’d mute his ass and stare at an imaginary spot just behind him.

Not today. With Travis—Sergeant Desai—still in the hospital thanks to me, I was the ranking private.

“You’re Sergeant Wilson this mission.” Gerhardt had said that with all the enthusiasm of a recruit on latrine detail after the platoon overdosed on the Burrito Surprise buffet. “Don’t screw it up.”

Yay, me.

So there I was, running Travis’s squad, the squad I’d been in since we’d signed up. Hating life. Feeling guilty for laying him up. Feeling worse for how it happened.

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Would you like to read more? 

The Expanding Universe #4 is now available on Amazon. You can also find Volume 1, The Expanding Universe: An Exploration of Science Fiction Genre, Volume 2, The Expanding Universe: Exploring the Science Fiction Genre, and Volume 3, The Expanding Universe 3: Space Opera, Military SciFi, Space Adventure, & Alien Contact! on Amazon in paperback.