The concept of “barnstorming” in the story has been getting a lot of feedback. So for this, and the next, update I’m going to give a little more background on this hobby/profession. 

The Sylph satellites destroy most things that take to the air. However, they don’t appear to have a problem with objects in purely projectile motion and (typically) do not shoot down birds. How they determine what to target is therefore a mystery but it appears to be based on a combination of size, speed, and altitude. 

Barnstormers pilot drone aircraft that seek to escape Sylph notice. The drones are relatively small, they go fast but not too fast, and they fly very very low. Some barnstormers fly for fun and others for profit. Companies and individuals pay good money to have small packages delivered quickly and often off the books. 

Barnstorming is highly illegal for three key reasons. 

1. Pilots who fly that fast and THAT low tend to be a menace to the public. 
2. When the drones get destroyed by a Sylph weapon (and they do) there is always a danger of collateral damage to the public.
3. And most importantly, the last time humans tried to push back against the Sylph the results were disastrous. Many worry that someday the barnstormers will push it too far and really tick off the Sylph. 

If you’ve enjoyed this update or the sample chapters online please let your friends know. Reviews and Recommendations are just as treasured as Pre-Orders. 

As always, more to come… 

PT 

Greetings and sincere thanks! 

For today’s post you’re going to get a little background on Cassie McIntyre, our main protagonist. Cassie was born a couple years before Net-Day. Her parents were killed when the plane they were on was destroyed by the Sylph on Net-Day. After that she was raised by her Grandfather, a retired NASA engineer. Due to an overactive attitude she was kicked out of her university engineering program and now splits her time between shifts at a sandwich shop and freelancing as a barnstormer drone pilot. 

There is much more to Cassie but I wouldn’t want to spoil too much so soon. As always, more to come. 

PT 

Greetings and thanks! Crow’s Gambit is currently in 4th place (technically tied for 3rd) in the Nerdist SciFi Contest! I couldn’t have gotten this far without your amazing support. It means a lot to me. 

There are currently 116 entries in the Contest. My fellow authors have some very interesting ideas in the mix. Joey Angotti has posted a great review of the contest so far on the Forums. If you haven’t seen it you should go check it out here. 

 Stay tuned for more updates and tidbits about the story. PT 

Like the Little Engine That Could we are still chugging along in the Nerdist SciFi Contest. Currently in 6th place (but all it would take is a small group of you to push us into 3rd tonight!). 

This is the second part of a deeper look into the world of Crow’s Gambit. Airpower has played a major role in militaries for a hundred years. However, after Net-Day the world’s air forces were either destroyed or grounded. While some limited, and risky, drone activity is possible weapons systems have shifted back to projectile (kinetic) weapons. In light of the economic chaos countries around the world shut down their air forces. In the United States the Department of the Air Force joined NASA and the FAA in being mothballed and dismantled. 

The new currency for political and military might in the world is naval power focused on surface ships and submarines. The U.S. Navy has grown in size and influence to dominate the military industrial complex and the offices of political power in Washington D.C. 

Thank you again for your support of the story. More to come...

PT

Greetings and thanks for following my story Crow’s Gambit!

For my first update I wanted to start setting the stage of the story’s world. As you probably know from the description on “Net-Day” all aviation and aerospace activities were essentially shut down by the alien Sylph. This had several impacts but the first I want to mention is Economic.

Consider that more than 500,000 people are employed by just the passenger air industry in the U.S. with about 10 million employed worldwide directly in aviation. How would the economies of the world react if all of those people became permanently unemployed over night? Or consider that over 47 million people fly in and out of Las Vegas each year. How would the city hold up without an airport? Net-Day caused devastating economic impacts across industries and entire regions.

Enter Peter Darrow. Wealthy before Net-Day he was able to, some say suspiciously, avoid much of the economic turmoil. By positioning himself in key industries, like railroads, that rebounded stronger than ever he was able to make billions after Net-Day. Taking advantage of weak companies and undervalued stocks he took control of several companies and assets, including many that were once aerospace related. Viewed by some as a sly technology investor others call him a new age carpetbagger.

Through his holding company Darrow Industries, Peter Darrow manages and controls Crow Research Investments and its high tech research hub known as the Crow Works.

More to come...

PT

Last summer I put my story "Crow’s Gambit" up on Inkshares as part of the DraftFest. Now almost a year later I’ve finally taken it live for funding as part of the new Nerdist SciFi Contest! 

Thank you for following the draft. Head on over to the page and check out the updated cover and synopsis. There will be more updates and information on the story coming in the weeks ahead.

As previous followers of the story I do have one favor to ask, would you please give some thought to Recommending or Pre-Ordering a copy to get me going in the contest? It would be very appreciated.

Readers,