Showing results by publisher "Magical Scrivener Press" in All Categories

Sunshine of Your Cult is the fifth mission of Black Ocean: Mercy for Hire. It follows the exploits of a pair of do-gooder bounty hunters who care more about saving the day than getting a payday. Mercy for Hire builds on the rich Black Ocean universe and introduces a colorful cast for new and returning listeners alike. Fans of vigilante justice and heroes who exemplify the word will love this series.

And Drift Away is the sixteenth mission of Black Ocean: Mirth & Mayhem. It follows a mismatched duo of itinerant comedian and outlaw wizard as they roam the galaxy trying to eke out a living and stay ahead of the consequences of their actions. Black Ocean: Mirth & Mayhem looks back at an earlier era in the Black Ocean universe, and returning readers will get to see how some of their favorite characters came to be. Fans of morally gray heroes and slick talking conmen will love this series.

If anyone were ever to forget that magic can disrupt science and technological equipment, they need only refer to the incident at Mobile Mining Station YF-77. That poor, unfortunate station had a wizard for a guest, and that wizard lost control of his magical powers while the mining station was moving to a new drilling site. Bereft of attitude control, the station fell out of stable orbit on a collision course for a deserted, lifeless planet.

Don Rucker has seen what Mordecai The Brown is capable of. Now the second in command of his father's syndicate wants Mort's help with an even bigger job: killing Theo Rucker. Initially roped in simply as Mort's handler, Chuck's people skills become invaluable in rooting out loyalists to the old regime when even Don's trusted lieutenants are too close to be objective. Mort trims the ranks quietly, become a boogeyman to any syndicate guys not in on the plot. When the coup takes place, they hope for a quick decisive action that swiftly puts Don on the throne.

A missionary ship hijacked by pirates. Legion of armed aliens burnt to a crisp. At the Convocation, something doesn't add up, and when the Grand Council gets word, they launch an investigation. Now, anyone who was aboard the missionary vessel is a suspect. There was a wizard aboard, and until the Convocation inquisitors are satisfied, anyone on that ship might be the most wanted wizard in the galaxy in disguise.

Carl Ramsey had a derelict battleship and a hundred stranded navy veterans fall into his lap. With Earth Navy happier pretending none of them existed, it seemed only logical to turn them into a criminal empire. Of course when 95 percent of your employees have clean criminal records and by-the-book instincts, there are bound to be some bumps along the way. Never one to take failure lying down, Carl enlists the help of some old squadron mates to show the newcomers how to make a living on the wrong side of the law.

Pirates have taken over and occupied a refugee world, and the exile government turns to the only human they can trust - Carl Ramsey. Trying to make a better man of himself, Carl agrees to help in whatever way he can. Since he's a notorious outlaw, his plan involves a little double-dealing. As Carl unravels the tale of how an entrenched pirate band got displaced from their cushy hideout and found a ripe target to bully, he stumbles across a twisted web of deception, intrigue, and political puppeteering behind the scenes.

What's a guy gotta do to get a little respect? As the head of an up-and-coming criminal empire, Carl Ramsey just can't seem to catch a break. Stranded in the middle of nowhere, he is forced to rely on loyalty, savvy, and the promise of a big payday to keep the rank and file in line. But how can he deliver on his promises while overseeing repairs on a dead ship, praying that his lover and best friend can recover their lost loot, and keeping the galaxy's most notorious crime lord at bay over long-range comm?

Chuck and Mort team up to finish a job Mort had to leave undone. A dark wizard is on the loose with a head start and the entire galaxy in which to hide. Their only lead? A mystical connection that Mort doesn't want to talk about. To make matters worse, their target has an accomplice, and it's someone Mort isn't inclined to get rough with.

Brad scams his own father and gets to go summer camp for starship racing. It starts out as a delightful getaway filled with competition and catching up with an old friend. Along the way, things go haywire. Several of the racers get kidnapped. Brad and his friend have to consider a new career in order to survive.

Operating in the uninhabited, the unexplored, and the uncharted systems of the Milky Way is a permanent swap meet. An ever-changing fleet of nomads, traders, and criminals follows a central ship that acts as common ground, a place of commerce, and a hub of nomad life. Ventura Convoy. When Chuck gets bored of shopping for diapers, cereal, and used electronics and Brad stumbles into a mysterious stranger, they each come up with a plan to pull a heist and make the trip worthwhile.

Chuck's fortunes are shifting, and he lands a long-term gig performing at a casino on a core world. They're planetside long enough that Brad gets stuck attending a school. Meanwhile, Mort wanders off on his own errands. But nothing is quite what it seems. Brad's new school friends turn out to be rich kids and become suckers in his plot to make cash he can conceal from his parents. Chuck's casino gig was a setup. And Mort's errands are actually a series of contract killings. He's made a deal to keep the family safe, and he's willing to do whatever it takes to keep up his end.

Carl's looking forward to a quiet life with his soon-to-be wife and the child they're expecting. But when Amy makes a simple request, there's a catch. She wants their wedding on Earth so her mother can be there. For a law-abiding citizen, that would be a pricey but straightforward request. For a band of outlaws, flying into the galaxy's headquarters for law and order would be suicidal...without a plan.

Rather than emerging victorious into the real world, Arnold O'Connor finds himself back at the beginning of Spires of Fate. This time, it's an alpha build he'd stuck inside, and he's forced to choose an entirely different class. With no outside help, he'll have to find allies within the game if he hopes to escape. What's old is new again as parts of the game world have been fixed, updated, or simply overhauled. New challenges await. New adversaries threaten. And waiting at the top of the spire itself is a simple-sounding quest goal that supplants all others.

Life is a Crime Wave is the 13th mission of Black Ocean: Mirth & Mayhem. It follows a mismatched duo of itinerant comedian and outlaw wizard as they roam the galaxy trying to eke out a living and stay ahead of the consequences of their actions. Black Ocean: Mirth & Mayhem looks back at an earlier era in the Black Ocean universe, and returning listeners will get to see how some of their favorite characters came to be. Fans of morally gray heroes and slick-talking conmen will love this series.

On the heels of a crazy, dangerous scheme that he barely got away with, Chuck Ramsey presses his luck and keeps trying. But on Ganymede, in the heart of Sol's wine country, in the territory of a small but ruthless local criminal syndicate, his luck runs out. Chuck sends off quick comms to the rest of the family to get them back to the ship on the double.

Brad went on the run with his sister Michelle. He got away. They're safe. With new identities and a clean start, all Brad has to do is fake being a responsible, law-abiding adult until Michelle turns 18...in nine years. But how long can an incorrigible delinquent keep that up? Meanwhile, Chuck goes out of his mind trying to find his missing kids. With Mort along to help, they crisscross the galaxy, searching for a trail. Family friends haven't seen or heard anything, leaving the pair to confront a hard truth.

Connor and Dizzy have a problem. The game has rebooted yet again. Their names have been stolen, and they're limited to the advanced classes they earned last time around. On top of that, the beta version of Spires of Fate had enabled worldwide PVP combat. It's going to be the two of them not just against the world, but against the rest of the player base, too. But they know the game. They've got the experience. And the goal hasn't changed: get to the top and slay the Mountain Lord. And no dirty tricks by the developers are going to stop them.

Despite the familiar limitations many User Experience teams face—budget and time constraints, lack of formal authority—UX practitioners are uniquely poised to provide strategic value to product organizations. This case study describes how we developed “Creative Bursts” to prove that our organization could look to its UX team for innovation leadership.

In the aftermath of the station's invasion, Hiroko tries to rally the survivors around a new religion: hers. Combining her knowledge of anthropology with her alien enlightenment, she hopes to bring the galaxy together in spiritual awakening. Meanwhile, Cedric delves into the origins of the stations attackers, seeking a deeper understanding of why they came in the first place. And while both of them are occupied down on the planet's surface, Roland Kane is poised to seize control of Astral Prime—to a chorus of cheers from the inhabitants.