Precision, Trust, and Speed at NAS JAX Princess of the Skies, Queen of Cumulus, Empress of Elysium...Zachary had heard just about every nickname under the sun given to these efficient machines. Lesser names often stuck as well. Hardware. Equipment. Man-made marvels. People could call them whatever they wanted, but to him they were more than machines made to be flown in, more than stunts for the public eye. In a way, Zachary felt as close to the Blue Angels fighter jets as a cowboy did his...

Beautiful Yosemite National Park - California William "Bill" Stoughtly wiped the sweat from his brow as he trudged what he guessed to be his sixth mile through the uninviting terrain. He wasn't poetic by any stretch of the imagination, but even he couldn't help reflecting that the only inviting thing about this uncharted valley was the scenery. It's part of what lured him west in the first place, the other being the siren's call of gold, which meant fortune and, in the long run, an easier...

Edmund Davies was nearly blindsided by the ship's boom as the great vessel lurched atop a violent wave. The storm had appeared out of nowhere, and what had started as a beautiful, promising day at sea now left them with no certain promise of tomorrow. Amidst the turmoil, he couldn't help but think of everything dear and safe he had left back on land and wished now that he'd never agreed to set foot aboard the Majestic. A young man who boasted neither wealth nor exemplary breeding, yet...