Short Stories of the Van Diemen Chronicles including: Andy 'Tex' McKay and how to start a cult, McShane the Insane, Cal Sheppard and the King Island Heretics, The Hipster and his journey to Pine Gap, McGill and her Underwater Cities, Gary Yardley the First and his feud with the Blues, Jack Dayton and The Spiders of Mars and the last concert of Boy Band sensation Culture Rapture Auto Playground.
Tam watched as the big man called Jack Dayton unlimbered his weapon and walked down the sand dune to the flat ground.
"What is he doing?" Lynott asked, frowning by Tam's side. "They are miles away."
Tam knew what he was doing; he had dreamt this. "Watch," was all he said. And Lynott and all the warriors did watch as the big man from the southern island sent projectiles flashing across the land that travelled for as far as the eyes could see. A thunderclap then rang loudly across the plain.
"That wasn't ..." Lynott said, holding his hands to his ears.
"Yes, it wasn't the storm above," Tam replied. "It came from that weapon of his."
Tam saw hundreds, if not thousands, of the black spiders lifted up into the air as the projectiles hit their mark. Take that, you bastards, Tam thought grimly.
"It crashes right through them," Lynott said in amazement.
"It does," Tam said, smiling back at him. "So long as the land is level, it kills them in large numbers."
The big man Jack fired again, and another thunderclap assaulted their ears as more and more of the spiders were destroyed. Jack kept firing until all his ammunition was used up. The black haze in the distance was still coming towards them, but it didn't seem half as thick as it was before.
