Moving beyond rocket propulsion while defying world powers, a private corporation secretly builds ships to explore Mars and the Solar System. To survive, they must initially defend their discoveries and goals against a right-wing government, corporate competitors, and foreign countries. Silhouettes and Shadows' story starts today, moving quickly into a dangerous future. An imaginative story arising from the present reality of living on Earth amidst wars, pandemics, and threats to democracy. The team moves humanity toward a future in space.
A host of characters teams up to make a dream come true. Will they complete their quest before Homo sapiens destroy Earth? Each of the many characters has their reasons for beginning this journey.
Marcella sips her glass of Chablis before she speaks. "The question facing us, as usual, is what we do with our discovery. Do we give it to the world or our government? What will they do with it? Can you imagine adapting this discovery for military purposes? Will our government or another country use this resource to dominate the world? Perhaps our government will create laws limiting the drive's use or calling for tests to prove it's not dangerous. Will Earth carry worldly politics into outer space? Maybe another ten years will pass before our congress and senate decide who will make money from whatever happens." --Marcella Arroyo, Arroyo Aerospace
Raoul Sr. continues, "Imagine the reaction of the fossil fuel industry if they learn of this technology. Oil, gas, and coal resources are owned by the same one percent that controls the country and, with others, the world. The power we harness is like the wind, ocean waves, or the sun. No one owns it. As the inventors, we must consider being caretakers."
Adrienne and Josh sit close together, feet up, drinking wine on the balcony of the beach condo. They watch the stars and the huge, silver color moon looming in the distance over the ocean. The moon always appears larger and brighter over the ocean, reflecting light on the moving water.
"Beautiful night," Josh said, "The moon is so bright."
"Did you ever think you would fly to the moon one day?" Adrienne asks softly as if someone might hear her.
"It never entered my mind," Josh replies. "I remember that my father told his mother that humans will go to the moon one day. She laughed and said to my father, "Nate, that's impossible. The moon is made of green cheese."
"Well, humans have been going to the moon since 1968, landing on all that cheese and walking around," Adrienne said, laughing.
"We're not landing this time. We're testing the ship and new drive. Anyway, we only have one space suit," Josh said. "But I think we will break some speed records going and coming back.
The Silhouettes And Shadows story combines the grim realities of the current Earth's existence with a science-fiction possibility that could alter the course of humanity's history. However, there is a satirical undercurrent regarding the political situation in the U.S. as the team builds their dream.
James R. Martin is a Houston-area educator of 23 years, and a writer for most of his life. He has extensive experience in crafting and structuring a story, including his collaboration with Dan Calvisi of Act Four Screenplays, on the "Trilogy Mapping" process. Before his work as a teacher, James lived and studied in Iowa, obtaining his degree with focuses in English, Language Arts, Social Studies, and Social Sciences.When not writing or teaching, James enjoys spending time with his parents and pets, studying science and nature, reading and collecting classic literature, making people laugh, film, television, sports, gaming in all its forms, and speaking about himself in the third-person.
