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Confidence and Charm

Moving the kids in. Peleos snippet. Cappa and Dela interview Bard from Enigma.

Ryan Southwick

17 Jun 2025 • 11 min read

Hope everyone is as safe as they can be in these turbulent times. I just returned from a whirlwind business trip in San Francisco and brought back a moving van with my kids' entire apartment. They're sad to leave, but we're all excited to be together as family again. Now to get them settled in!

Like many people I was surprised that COVID lockdown had me reading less, not more. I compensated in recent years by carving out reading time at home, but I don't stay in reading mode as easy as I used to. Then I stumbled on this video that laid it out succinctly, along with advice on how to rekindle that reading flame: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KlNgXg25C8 . Tapering my use of social media has certainly helped.

Peleos (Timeless Keeper Saga Book 3) is still going strong. I recently posted a teaser, and here's another just for subscribers:

“Give me your helmet.” Fi said it without malice or command, a host requesting her guest’s jacket before sitting down for drinks in front of a warm fire.

Uma didn’t hesitate. Didn’t look to see if she’d misheard, or if it were some cruel joke. The seal around her neck opened with a pop, ejecting her helmet into the air. Breath rushed out of her nose and mouth in a short, quiet hiss, equalizing her lung pressure with the thin Martian atmosphere. Uma caught the falling helmet, crossed the three paces between them, and held it out.

Fi accepted it without comment. She knelt next to the rubble and retrieved Uma’s blade, which lay next to her discarded arm, pinned beneath more rocks than a single person could move. She returned to Uma and pointed the tip of the blade at the ground between them.

“Kneel.”

It's been a while since I posted an update on when Angels Adrift (The Z-Tech Chronicles Book 5) will hit the shelves. Sadly, I still don't know. I'll tell you the moment I see movement, though.

Lastly, charm and confidence collide in this month's Character Crossover Interview. Let the high jinks begin!

Character Crossover Interview — Cappa and Dela x Bard
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Character Crossover Interview

Cappa and Dela x Bard

Cappa and Dela from The Z-Tech Chronicles surprise Bard from the Lost Colonies series with a cross-universe interview—but Bard has a few racy surprises of his own!

DELA: Tell me again why you need me for this interview?

CAPPA: Oh, let's just say you and Bard are birds of the same incorrigible feather. You'd know that if you actually, you know, read.

DELA: Books are almost as boring as you, and that bar's as low as your preppy white socks.

CAPPA: I am not wearing... Oh. Still, there's nothing wrong with my socks. Doily ankle frills are in fashion, I'll have you know.

DELA: Uh-huh. Anyway, where is this guy? Your boringness is a real torpedo to my party boat.

BARD: (appears in an electric flash)

BARD: Well, this certainly isn't the men's room. Unless, of course, Galilean bathrooms come with lovely assistants, in which case I should have visited much sooner.

CAPPA: Our chats with Britta and Crystal have indicated Galileo is a progressive society, so I'll go with no on bathroom girls.

BARD: Dr. Crystal Castleton? You know her?

CAPPA: I had the displeasure of watching Fi butcher her interview. (winks) You sound keenly interested. Do tell!

DELA: And, while you're at it, tell us about your Hipster Robin Hood getup.

BARD: (flexes a pose) You like it?

DELA: I… um…

CAPPA: Yes, she likes it. Now put those cannons away before Dela drools on the floor, because I'm the unlucky chump who will have to clean it up.

BARD: Dela? A beautiful name to match your fiery mane and eyes of emerald green. I am enchanted, my lady. (kisses her hand)

DELA: Er… gaphlm.

CAPPA: She says thank you, if I understand Dela heat-speak. And, if she didn't, we'll keep our minds out of the gutter and pretend she did. Now, why the interest in Crystal?

BARD: She's a renowned WetWare scientist. Do I need another reason?

DELA: Damn right you do. She doesn't seem your type. Like, at all.

CAPPA: I think what Dela means—

BARD: I know what she means. It's what everybody thinks when I suggest even the slightest interest in Dr. Castleton. Why would someone of my physical stature, and an ambassador besides, be interested in a reclusive scientist of such mismatched physique?

CAPPA: You certainly don't need to explain it to me, but my shallow companion may need to hear it from your own lips.

BARD: I suspect Dela and I have similar problems. Someone with her rather attractive figure—

DELA: "Rather attractive"? Guys trip over themselves when I walk by! One a scale of one-to-ten, I'm a twelve, and you don't need to guess where the extra two points come from. I'm every guy's birthday and Christmas wish stuffed into one, tight-fitting package. So don't rather attractive me, bucko! Got it?

CAPPA: As you can see, our carrot top here has all of Crystal's charm and none of her humility.

BARD: I wish I could compare. I only know Dr. Castleton from her public lectures, which are always recorded holos. But Dela made my point exactly. I'm attractive, and work hard to keep myself so. The dividends are that I have no shortage of interest from the opposite sex. Why, then, if I can have virtually anyone I want, am I pining for a lab hermit I've never met?

CAPPA: Pining? Now that's the juice! Spill it, Errol Flynn. All of it!

DELA: Look who's drooling now, gossip freakazoid.

CAPPA: (dabs mouth with kerchief) Sorry.

BARD: The answer may not be obvious. As you know, access to the inner workings of Galileo's ’ware technology is a closely guarded secret. Almost as guarded as their gravity engine technology.

CAPPA: Crystal hinted as much, yes. Don't tell me you're going to seduce her to steal the technology for your government!

BARD: Entropia would adore me for it, believe me, but no. I'm… Is this off the record?

CAPPA: Different-universe off. Fire away.

BARD: Okay. Well, truth be told, I'm a bit of a closet engineer. Being an engineer is fine if you're Galilean, but on Entropia it will get your underwear pulled up to your nostrils, not to mention destroy your social standing, which is everything to my family. So, needless to say, I've kept this little hobby quiet in favor of more prestigious pursuits, such as Entropian Ambassador to the Lost Colonies Alliance.

DELA: Geez, you sound just like Mark before Anne smacked him straight. Want some advice?

BARD: Not if it involves actual smacking.

DELA: First, I don't smack. I punch. Nose-breakingly hard. Second… wimp. Third, conforming to someone else's expectations only ends in misery. Life is short. Live it your way, and if they don't like it, they can go hang. Simple as that.

BARD: A once-dear friend of mine lives by that same code.

DELA: And I bet he's living it up!

BARD: You could say that. He became a space pirate.

DELA: Oh. Yeah, don't forget morals and stuff, too, so you don't turn scummy.

CAPPA: Confucius you are not. Stick to bartending where petitioners are too drunk to remember your malodorous advice. Besides, this is an interview, so let's get back to questions. Bard, on a scale of one to ten, how desperate would you rate your pining for Crystal?

BARD: I, um… well, anything more than a four would be unrealistic for someone I've never met, or make me sound pathetic, so I'll go with four.

DELA: Too late on sounding pathetic. Your wimpiness has dried me right up.

BARD: You wound me, fiery maiden! I can assure you that no woman has ever departed my bedroom with anything less than a dreamy smile and a wobbly gait—a fact I would be delighted to prove.

CAPPA: Yikes! Gauntlet thrown. Your move, carrot top.

DELA: …

CAPPA: Dela? Hello?

DELA: Can I go back with him?

CAPPA: Wow. My expectations are low, but you manage to limbo under them every time. No, I'm pretty sure every atom in your body would simultaneously explode.

DELA: Tough luck then, Errol. You'll just have to dream about me like every other guy.

BARD: Most assuredly. If you wake breathless and heated, you'll know the cause. But you, my classy lady. I never did learn your name.

CAPPA: I'm Cappa. Sorry for skipping introductions, I'm usually more organized.

BARD: So I assumed. In fact, I surmise that you're a scientist?

CAPPA: I am!

BARD: Then perhaps more than luck has brought us together. I would be enchanted to learn more about you and your areas of study.

CAPPA: Oh! Y-yes, of course. I, um... C-can we open a window or something? It's stifling in here!

BARD: I get that a lot.

DELA: Good grief! Congrats, you put the host into meltdown. Guess I have to take over questions now. You mentioned you're an ambassador. We got the Lost Colonies lowdown from Britta, as well as Galileo's schtick, and Vice's perspective from that walking brick wall, Hausen. Tell us about a day in the life—when you aren't trying to charm the panties off every girl in sight—and about your own colony.

BARD: That does unabashedly narrow it down, which is perhaps a good place to start. Entropia is a colony of free spirits, compared to the other colonies. Flirting as we have been is simply our way of life. No one takes it seriously. In fact, someone of your wit and open-mindedness would fit in marvelously.

DELA: Until my atoms explode, but whatever. Go on.

BARD: Even my former friend-turned-pirate is, in a way, the epitome of our ideals. No rules, living life to its fullest, going where the solar wind takes him. Every Entropian strives to carve their own place in the universe. To explore what makes their star unique among so many other stars.

DELA: Huh. You're right, that sounds like my kind of place. What's the catch?

BARD: The catch is that it can be tremendously difficult for outsiders to navigate. Or insiders, for that matter. Rules change depending upon whom you're dealing with. Getting things done is an exercise in rallying, sweet-talking, and perseverance, where no two paths are ever the same. Compared to Galileo or Vice, it's chaos incarnate.

DELA: Definitely my style. Might be worth risking exploded atoms. Cappa did say "pretty sure."

BARD: Yes. Likewise, you can imagine we see Galilean and Vicean cultures as excruciating ways to suffocate and die. It can be hard to argue with their accomplishments over the last ten thousand years. On the other hand, I don't think I've ever met a Galilean or Vicean who was truly happy. Most Entropians would argue the benefits don't outweigh the costs.

DELA: Preaching to the choir, dude. I've been trying to get the stick out of Cappa's no-sunshine region since the day we met. It's lodged so firmly up there it would take one of your space ships to haul it out.

CAPPA: Leave my derrière out of this, you tactless beast! While it's true that Entropia sounds like… well, hell is the only way to put it, I can appreciate the romantic appeal of such a rogue society.

BARD: Both of your points lead to the reason I decided to become an ambassador. It's fine to be prepared for an Uu'nok invasion. Expected, one might say. But what's the point if that effort has robbed you of any joy? My hope is to help the other colonies loosen up a bit. To celebrate that humanity has survived ten thousand years beyond our scheduled extinction by actually living.

DELA: And to score with alien babes. Admit it.

BARD: Why? I thought it obvious. My only unchecked box is a Vicean, which I'm approaching with due caution to ensure all my limbs remain attached.

CAPPA: Okaaaay, and on that tainted note, our time is up. Thank you for sharing about your culture and aspirations, even if some of us might consider it over-sharing. Toodles!

BARD: You never did tell me where—(disappears in an electric flash)

CAPPA: And we never will. So, was I wrong?

DELA: About so many things. But about Bard? No. I could hang with him. Might be fun to have a muscled guy I can push around. Mark pushes back.

CAPPA: You like it when he does. Why else would you spar so often?

DELA: Got me on that one. Don't tell him, okay? He thinks he's teaching me how to fight.

CAPPA: Which is exactly what he wants you to think. I'd bet my best earrings on it.

DELA: You're on. Meet me in the gym, twinkle toes. I'll teach you a little something about men.

Other Lost Colonies interviews

Book Sales and Events

July 4–7 — BayCon 2025. A sci-fi event in Santa Clara for fans and writers alike. My Water Dragon Publishing titles will be there. They miss you.
July 17–20 — ReaderCon 35. A more general literature festival in Burlington, MA. My books will also be there. Still missing you.
August 13–17, 2025 — Seattle Worldcon 2025. Arguably the biggest book event of the season. Guess where? And guess whose books will be present? All alone.

Currently Reading

Old Man's War

I've been wanting to read Scalzi and thought I'd start with his most famous work. I'm halfway through and no regrets so far. The brilliant writing makes it easy to overlook the very few premises that have raised my eyebrows. It has a military sci fi feel, but stays light enough on the military details that it doesn't become too bogged down in technical explanations or strategic theorem. Looking forward to seeing how it ends.