On hiatus.Sorry, folks. Work and school have gotten in the way of this serial. I'm putting everything on pause for right now.

eBook Update: For those of you who would like to leave behind the computer screen, I have released all installments under a compilation eBook through Amazon's KDP (link here). The eBook is $2.99, which will help support this wonderful Web serial. All updates, i.e., new installments, will be added to the compilation every two months or so. These updates will be free, as they will be pushed through the distribution systems as "updates" to the original content. If you can't afford the eBook through Amazon, or just hate the evil empire of Amazon, you can find a compiled version of all installments on the companion Website for A Protracted Game.

In the near future, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and the definitions of human are being stretched to their very limits. Humanity has spread out amongst the planets, moons, asteroids, and comets of the solar system, fashioning together new societies and new opportunities, but the stars beyond are still outside of our reach.

Old and new geopolitical blocs are seeking to dominate the new order beyond Earth and Luna. One such bloc, codenamed the Alliance, recruits Yang Ru to destabilize Mars, in hopes of securing a political and economic foothold on that planet. Yang Ru's work stokes the flames of civil war on Mars. Two factions emerge, Colonel Valesquez's 508th Vanguard and Zeyk Duval's Concerned Citizenry, claiming ownership over the direction of Mars' uncertain future.

As Mars burns, the violence begins rippling outward. The Alliance and the Alliance's adversaries begin posturing and readying for bloody and protracted shadow wars throughout the Verse.

To make matters worse, an emerging (and sentient) artificial intelligence, named Osma, is on the rise, infecting computer systems and infrastructure, making her presence known and felt. The warring factions see Osma as a potential ally and weapon in their war for dominance, and they attempt to recruit her for their respective causes. Others, such as the mega church known as the Brethren and Sistren of the Abrahamic Faiths, hope to convert, destroy, or help Osma, as she grows and blossoms into something either uniquely human or something else altogether.

A Protracted Game, a space opera/sci-fi Web serial, is an account of the next steps in humanity's evolution, as witnessed by Osmanthus, those who built her, those who wish to control her, those who wish to escape her ominous presence, and those caught in the crossfire.

Current Release Schedule. New installments for A Protracted Game will be released Saturdays, starting 05 June 2020. All episodes are released at 23:00 (MST).

Cover Design. We have a new cover! The new cover was designed and illustrated by Jeff Brown.

Coming Soon! A Protracted Game has some exciting developments coming down the development pipeline. These include a fancy new cover, designed and illustrated specially for the Web serial, and a dramatized podcast, which will be free to anyone who uses the official companion Website.

P.S. If you enjoyed the last few installments, consider dropping a review or rating. It'll help this little Web serial take off.