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The Deathworlders – Chapter 50: Counterattack – Homefront Part 9
Date Point: 15y10m Ceres, Asteroid Belt, Sol Sam Jordan Sam honestly hadn’t felt this… alive in his life. He was dancing on a knife-edge, riding on the thrill and danger of discovery. Every time he outwitted the investigation, every time he slipped through a door while it was closing, it was… He’d never imagined a
Good Training – The Champions – Doom and Gloom Part 3
Firth Regaari chittered, “It is difficult to imagine you ‘humbled,’ Righteous.” “Heh,” Firth chuckled. “You do know most of my attitude is straight fuckin’ bullshit, right? Adam and John know why.” Regaari looked over at John, who shrugged massively. “He’s a scary dude. Being ridiculous kinda takes the edge off, y’know?” Regaari duck-nodded. He was
9 Years, 6 Months, 13 Days After Eridani Landing Jikse Moving down the hallway Diana paused at the double doors, carefully she moved forwards into it’s threshold and they slid open. A woman in an orange smock looked up from her Comm for a moment, and then going back to look at it did a
The Deathworlders – Chapter 50: Counterattack – Homefront Part 8
“Laid Bare—Warriors in their own words” Issue #4: Julian Etsicitty Author and photographer: Ava Magdalena Ríos On our last call before the shoot, my next subject left me with this bit of advice: “You get used to the gravity pretty fast, actually. Or, at least I did. Well, no. We did, and the other fellas
The Deathworlders – Chapter 50: Counterattack – Homefront Part 7
“Laid Bare—Warriors in their own words” Issue #3: Sachi Patel Author and photographer: Ava Magdalena Ríos “I think if they’d really treated me like “one of the boys,” I’d be dead now. They all are. But one of the last things they did was make sure I was safe.” Reactor Technician Sachi Patel is very
I felt a white-hot pain in my back as I was stabbed. Once, twice and then three times. I fell to the ground clutching my new openings, and for a moment I couldn’t grasp what had just happened. I had walked through an alley as a shortcut back home, and then suddenly someone had grabbed
The Deathworlders – Chapter 50: Counterattack – Homefront Part 6
Date Point: 15y9m3w AV Mrwrki Station, Erebor System, Unexplored Space Darcy “Does it seem… different to you lately?” “What?” “The Entity. It’s actin’ different, dude, I swear it is.” Darcy sighed and set aside her work as Lewis sat down. She was sitting drinking a Moroccan Mint tea in the station’s rec lounge, with its
9 Years, 6 Months, 13 Days After Eridani Landing Jikse Popping the restraints off of her legs Diana swung herself off of the table, the two class A’s still in their isolation suits were pounding at the door of the room the three of them were in. “It’s out! Open the door!” shouted the man
The Deathworlders – Chapter 50: Counterattack – Homefront Part 5
“Laid Bare—Warriors in their own words” Issue #2: Derek Coombes Author and photographer: Ava Magdalena Ríos “The funny thing was, it didn’t really hurt. Like, I knew I’d been shot, but the pain only came later, when I was safe. In the moment I just knew if I stayed where I was, I was dead.
Good Training – The Champions – Doom and Gloom Part 2
Master Sergeant Christian (Righteous) Firth The end of the movie came and the ladies were fast asleep and prolly too tired to head home with any comfort. The other bros were asleep, too, and Firth was tangled up with them pretty good. Oh well, both ‘Base and ‘Horse were heavy-ass sleepers and only danger or
Hell. It’s a completely Human concept. The concept of a realm of eternal torture, to which you are sent depending on the whims of one deity or another, is something only found in Human fiction. And it’s not an isolated occurrence. Almost every human culture since the dawn of humanity itself has had it in
The Deathworlders – Chapter 50: Counterattack – Homefront Part 4
Date Point: 15y9m2w AV HMS Sharman (HMNB Folctha), Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Senior Master Sergeant Christian (“Righteous”) Firth “Hey, fuckers! Guess what hit the newsstand today!” Adam looked up from his needlework for a second and raised an eyebrow. “Imma guess Coombes’ centerfold spread with Ava?” Firth deflated, somewhat flummoxed that ‘Horse had stolen his
The Deathworlders – Chapter 50: Counterattack – Homefront Part 3
Date Point: 15y9m2w AV Folctha, Cimbrean, the Far Reaches Allison Buehler “She doesn’t mind?” Ava chuckled. “I think she said something like… ‘thousands of people are going to see me naked anyway, what’s one more?’” Allison snorted. It was exactly the kind of answer she’d have given. “I think I like her already.” “She’s pretty
9 Years, 6 Months, 13 Days After Eridani Landing Chront “Derrick!” “I’m up!” shouted the engineer as he sat up in the bed and promptly tumbled out of it onto the carpeted floor. “That was graceful,” said Arik from the Link. Derrick slowly got to his feet, and glanced up at the camera in the
The Deathworlders – Chapter 50: Counterattack – Homefront Part 2
Date Point: 15y9m1w2d AV Ark Complex, Planet Tangent, Corti Directorate Border Territories First Director Shanl The Ark. It was, in many ways, the crowning achievement of Corti construction and engineering. Well-hidden on an out-of-the-way and unclaimed class Seven planet, but even if the target world had been a thriving metropolis, the pedestrians would have blissfully
Good Training – The Champions – Doom and Gloom Part 1
13y 10m 3w 1d AV Military spaceport, HMS Sharman, Folctha, Cimbrean Champion & Sergeant Daar (Tigger) of Clan Stoneback “I dunno,” pondered Daar as he examined the picture, “That’s a lotta green fur. After the stupid bear-snake—” “Doom-noodle.” “—bear-snake. Anyway, after that, I’m not really keen on coloring my fur again.” He shuddered slightly at
When my human friend, Ted, offered me to join him on his vacation I had never imagined that I would end up in a situation like this. Well, before I get started, I believe introductions are in order. My name is Khal’Xethin, and I was stupid enough to get myself into a position where death
The Deathworlders – Chapter 50: Counterattack – Homefront Part 1
Date Point: 15y9m1w AV Dataspace adjacent to Observatory Station, Neptune, Sol Six/Cynosure You were right. There were unexpected setbacks. Are you still on target? No. I’m going to miss this window. They noticed the missing package sooner than I thought. Are you at risk of discovery? I don’t think so. They’ve scanned everybody for implants
The Deathworlders – Chapter 50: Counterattack – Regroup Part 6
Date Point: 15y15y8m2w1d AV Planet Akyawentuo, Ten’Gewek Protectorate, Near 3Kpc Arm Julian Etsicitty “Woah! …Yeah. There’s that gravity I remember.” Xiù bounced on her toes for a second to get the feel for it again, then stood up straight and sniffed the air. A slow smile spread across her face. “…And the smell.” Julian nodded.
The Deathworlders – Chapter 50: Counterattack – Regroup Part 5
Date Point: 15y8m2w AV Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Xiù Chang In the month since her trip to Gao, Xiù had just about managed to shake off the malaise it had left on her. She still had a nagging feeling like something could have gone differently, but… well, she couldn’t think what and worrying about
9 Years, 6 Months, 13 Days After Eridani Landing Jikse “So have you ever done anything like this before?” asked [Orin] over the Link. Diana paused checking that no one was near her. “Specifically? No. In general yes.” “That’s an incredibly non-specific answer.” “Look I’m already past the Empire systems, the private stuff is a
I grinned as my forces marched into the Human capital of the planet. They were beat. Surrounded by sea and fire as my forces marched in with steel-toed boots. Once their capital fell, the human lines would falter, and this region of the planet would be ours. I was Khal’Xethin, grand marshal of the Hyelin
Negotiations – Chapter 10: Part 4
1y7m3w BV Light military transport, open space Milt Pirates. They were hunting pirates. Ronovin had simply searched a Dominion bounty list and found a target that was both nearby and dangerous enough to matter. They were going in, just the two of them. Against a crew of at least eight. “This will be like pouncing
The Deathworlders – Chapter 50: Counterattack – Regroup Part 4
Date Point: 15y7m1w AV Lavmuy spaceport, planet Gao Xiù Chang The Grand Commune on Tiritya Island had its own jump array, allowing a fairly free flow of Gaoian males and females back and forth between Gao and Cimbrean without having to bother one of the human colonies. It was quite well appointed, too. Whereas some
Good Training – The Champions – Beginnings and Endings Part 3
Champion Loomi Conclaves were very serious things. They were so serious and so rare, in fact, the assembled Champions were grudgingly willing to accept the indignities of a Stoneback Fang attacking and pinning them to the floor, scanning their skulls, then cuffing and carrying them all to the Conclave Hall. Loomi suppressed a wave of
The Deathworlders – Chapter 50: Counterattack – Regroup Part 3
Date Point: 15y7m1w AV Planet Akyawentuo, the Ten’Gewek Protectorate, Near 3Kpc Arm The Singer There were times when the Given-Men gathered and brought the wisest men and women of their tribes with them to talk about important things. Sooner or later, Yan would probably call one of those. Today was not quite that big. Today,
Negotiations – Chapter 10: Part 3
1y7m3w4d BV Father Busani’s office, Whitecrest Clan Enclave, Wi Kao, Gao Whitecrest Father Busani There was a scratch at the door. Busani set down his datapad. “Come in.” Officer Hiron entered. “You wanted to see me, Father?” “Ah, Hiron. Yes, do have a seat.” He waited for Hiron to sit before continuing. “I trust that
9 Years, 5 Months, 21 Days After Eridani Landing Bellona Colony “Could someone help me?” asked Megan as she tried to ignore the fact that Ben was crushing her. James quickly stepped over to her and picked Ben up bridal style. Ben groaned and opened an eyes, “Hell no I’m not dying like this.” James
The Deathworlders – Chapter 50: Counterattack – Regroup Part 2
Date Point: 15y7m3d AV ESNN Offices, Folctha, Cimbrean, the Far Reaches Ava Ríos –released a joint statement from Great Father Daar and Mother-Supreme Yulna condemning the APA, whom they called ‘mindless psychotics.’ Although APA terrorists attacked the Commune of Females in Folctha’s Alien Quarter, the compound was quickly locked down and one of the human
Negotiations – Chapter 10: Part 2
1y7m3w6d BV Nest Room, Whitecrest Clan Enclave, Wi Kao, Gao Kent Kent stood at the door to the hall, hesitating. Unfortunately this door had its hinges on the other side and there was no way to bypass it. He stared at the doorknob. After a moment, he tentatively moved his paw towards it. Finally, with
High-lord Gynegg, commander of the venerated 21st legion, victor of the scarlet war and master of war of the Soleen people was the most decorated and esteemed commander this side of the galactic core, and yet he could do nothing but laugh at the cowardice of these ‘humans’. The fledgling empire had laid claim to
The Deathworlders – Chapter 50: Counterattack – Regroup Part 1
Date Point: 15y7m2d AV Hierarchy/Cabal Joint Communications session #1463 ++0017++: Attempts to infiltrate this ‘Alien Protection Army’ at even the most basic level have met with effectively zero success. While we have achieved contact, their quarantine and safety procedures are rigorous. They insist that anybody interested in meeting them must first demonstrate their sincerity by
Negotiations – Chapter 10: Part 1
1y8m1w BV Training room, Whitecrest Clan Enclave, Wi Kao, Gao Whitecrest Officer Garot, Spec Ops trainee Back in the ring again with Ronovin’s pet project of a Brother. Every few days, the Associate technician arrived, bringing with him with a few new or improved gadgets. Four unarmed martially trained Officers against one ‘noncombatant’ Associate armed
The Deathworlders – Chapter 49: Division Part 6
Date Point: 15y7m1d AV Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Allison Buehler There’d been a text from Julian about some kind of impromptu Guy’s Night, don’t wait up, love you, etc. Allison couldn’t blame him: After all that time hanging around with the cavemonkeys, some time with his actual human friends couldn’t hurt Julian at all.
Negotiations – Chapter 9: Part 4
a few minutes prior Hiron’s shop. tradestation Desolate Oasis Whitecrest Associate Hiron Hiron waited calmly behind the counter until the door of the shop clicked closed. Immediately afterwards, he rapidly shouted a few commands to lock down the shop and set up a hologram of his likeness. Any high quality surveillance would see through it,
Good Training – The Champions – Beginnings and Endings Part 2
The next morning Headquarters—First-Fang, White Rock Lookout, the Northern Plains, Gao Grandfather Garl of Clan Stoneback Daar loved reunions with the First-Fang. Most of his original crew were gone, died, retired, or moved on, but he regularly visited and regularly Challenged and maintained his (honorary) position as First-Fang Leader. It was important for a Champion
9 Years, 5 Months, 21 Days After Eridani Landing Bellona Colony Megan leaned back into the wheelchair and looked down at Yern, “You ready for this?” “I am still communicating with the others; your dwellings are acoustic enough to allow it.” “If you don’t have consensus and we need a quick decision, is that yours
The Deathworlders – Chapter 49: Division Part 5
Date Point: 15y7m AV Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Rachel “Ray” Wheeler Jamie was the first of the Dauntless crew to ship out back to Earth. Cook was long gone, of course, having been committed to a psychiatric hospital within only a day or two of their return, but for the rest of them… There’d
Negotiations – Chapter 9: Part 3
Slightly dazed, Milt barely noticed the ballistic Gaoian lending him a paw. Milt accepted the help and carefully stood, letting the Gaoian guide him across the room. It took Milt a few seconds to realize that he was standing on the cross again. “Get down! Now!” a voice called from the field in front of
The Deathworlders – Chapter 49: Division Part 4
Date Point: 15y6m3w1d AV Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Xiù Chang For once, Xiù didn’t wake up first. Usually, she was the first one up. It let her take a shower and sort her hair out, do some yoga and get started on breakfast while Allison and Julian groaned, stretched and complained their way out
Something that would be surprising to most people a few hundred years ago, the end of Humanity didn’t come from some great disaster. It didn’t come from nuclear war; it didn’t come from an alien invasion, or from plague or famine. It didn’t come from a meteor or a volcano, and it most certainly didn’t
The Deathworlders – Chapter 49: Division Part 3
Date Point: 15y6m3w AV Governor-General’s residence, Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Gabriel Arés Dinner with the Governor-General was, okay, an opportunity to eat some truly excellent food in sumptuous surroundings… But it wasn’t a luxury. It was an excuse to hold a very serious meeting about a very serious subject. The Governor-General’s residence wasn’t some
Negotiations – Chapter 9: Part 2
1y9m2w BV The Crucible, Fyunipper Clanhouse, Haidao Sharon Jeeves. Was. Awesome. Awesome, as in the biblical sense. The sheer capability available to her when fully connected to the facility could not be meaningfully described any other way. When she was here in the Crucible -as she called it- she designed, iterated and built more effectively
Negotiations – Chapter 9: Part 1
1y10m2w6d BV Father Busani’s private yacht, en route to Gao Whitecrest Special Operative Ronovin Ronovin impatiently paced across the ship’s galley. The trip home to Gao from the Crimson Hamlet had become rather frustrating very quickly. It wasn’t the quiet that bothered him. No, he was plenty adept at handling prolonged periods of isolation; That
9 Years, 5 Months, 21 Days After Eridani Landing Bellona Colony Slowly opening his eyes Tom shook his head and focused on the small status screen in front of him. Squashed into the coffin that was the engineering escape pod he had to manipulate the displays controls with his hands down by his waist and
Dancing Mirage shuts the tome gently. The thing had been well preserved, considering it having been several hundred years old by now. He picks up his torch, and casts another glance around the library of the pyramid. So many tomes had been buried with master-of-beasts, who knew what wisdom was held in the other books?
The Deathworlders – Chapter 49: Division Part 2
Date Point: 15y6m3w1d AV Colonial Security Headquarters, Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Gabriel Arés “Well somebody dropped the ball, big time! You mean to tell me there were coordinated attacks in five countries, on two different planets, and nobody knew it was being organized?!” “We can’t work with intel we don’t have, boss,” one of
Good Training – The Champions – Beginnings and Endings Part 1
13y 9m 2w AV The Third Ring, Clan proving grounds, undisclosed location, Gao The Final Rite Officer Fiin of Clan Stoneback Fiin was the only member of his original training Claw that remained. Only half of the original cohort made it to the Second Ring, only half of them passed, and of the remaining few?
Negotiations – Chapter 8: Part 4
1y10m1w BV Carpe Aeternum, docked at Tradestation Crimson Hamlet Chuck It was finally ready, finally time for the first major test. Soon his first manufactured prototype would be built. If there is one thing that the Domain -and for that matter the Dominion- loved, it was bureaucracy. So much red tape. With so many needlessly
The Deathworlders – Chapter 49: Division Part 1
Date Point: 15y6m3w AV Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Allison Buehler There was a long, dreadful silence. People had fled, others were standing well back. Three men were lying on the ground, two unconscious with their arms twisted and broken in unnatural ways. That was Xiù’s handiwork. The third was Allison’s handiwork, and he was
Negotiations – Chapter 8: Part 3
Chuck The two Gaoians worked for several minutes before emerging from under the cover. “It is safe.” said Milt, as he directed the swapping of the crates. A several minutes later, the other device was cleared as well. “Right.” said Ronovin, after removing the crate from the mesh tarp. “Well now that that is done,
The Deathworlders – Chapter 48: Laid Bare Part 7
Date Point: 15y6m3w AV Trans-Canada Highway, Indian Head, Saskatchewan, Canada, Earth Julian Etscitty If there was one thing that had got Julian through everything since Kirk had rescued him, it was knowing that some things in life would never change. Julian would always love hard work, and it didn’t matter if that work was chopping
Negotiations – Chapter 8: Part 2
1y10m3w1d BV Father Busani’s private yacht, bay 21E, tradestation 12E-647 The Crimson Hamlet Whitecrest Special Operative Ronovin Ronovin received three messages just as they entered range of the Crimson Hamlet’s FTL comms link. He set the craft down and moved to the galley before checking them. The first one was from his Father. Ronovin, my
I spent the coming months working as to create a centralized structure of government in the nation. Well, admittedly, the times I did not spend with my family. I hadn’t really expected to become a father after crashing on this world, and I took a great deal of enjoyment from spending time with my mate
0 Years, 0 Months, 14 Days After Eridani Landing Bellona Colony Flopping down onto the cot Ben groaned, closing his eyes for a moment he rubbed at his temples trying to clear the headache that had been nearly constant since the Ark had landed. “You alright?” asked Megan. Ben opened his eyes and sitting up
The Deathworlders – Chapter 48: Laid Bare Part 6
Date Point: 15y6m2w5d AV Dominion Council Ship Rich Plains Ambassador Sir Patrick Knight “Unbelievable. Un-bloody-believable. We literally prevent a massacre and the council somehow finds a way to complain!” Knight threw his jacket over the back of a chair and sat down. The table that had been groaning with alien foods on his first arrival
Negotiations – Chapter 8: Part 1
1y10m3w4d BV Hiron’s shop, the trade station Desolate Oasis Hiron This morning had not been fun. Hiorn had woken up groggy in an unfamiliar location. It had taken him several minutes to realize that he was back at ‘his’ shop. He did remember his arrival on the station, but everything else was just… missing. He
Good Training – The Champions – Plans and Plots Part 3
Champion Genshi of Clan Whitecrest “Is everything prepared?” “The trap is set, Champion. The Ghost will not escape.” “And it will have no inkling of this?” “No.” “…Is the assault team ready?” “Yes.” “…Very well. Proceed.” Genshi calmed himself with a quick meditation and proceeded to the meeting. “I had wondered when you would deign
The Deathworlders – Chapter 48: Laid Bare Part 5
“Laid Bare—Warriors in their own words” Issue #1: Great Father Daar Author and photographer: Ava Magdalena Ríos “I am Daar. Brother, Father, Champion Emeritus of the most ancient and honorable Clan Stoneback, Great Father of the Gao… and I am the bloodiest known mass murderer in galactic history.” Few leaders of any stripe would ever
Negotiations – Chapter 7: Part 4
“You know what Hiron? You spent the trip here testing me, I think it’s only fair that I return the favor.” Chuck began gently raking his claws along Hiron’s throat. “Ronovin helpfully demonstrated this technique. I’ve found it to be an excellent way to determine a Gaoian’s true intentions.” Chuck again stroked his paw across
The Deathworlders – Chapter 48: Laid Bare Part 4
Date Point: 15y6m2w4d AV Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Gabriel Arés “Bless me padre, for I have sinned. It has been… I don’t know. A few months since my last confession.” Folctha’s Catholic congregation had completed construction of their church only about seven months previously. Our Lady the Guiding Star church had handsome white walls,
Crusoe – Part 11, Child of God
I notice how lately River has been more distant to me, and also seem to have gotten sickly. Often she seems to wake earlier than usual with nausea. I’m worried that she’s gotten some sickness that I brought with me to the planet. Though for the life of me I can’t recognize the symptoms as
Negotiations – Chapter 7: Part 3
Chuck grunted in disapproval. “What makes you suddenly a master of the human condition?” “Them.” Bart said, pointing at Hiron. “It has been a most wonderous week. Suffice to say, a great many long-standing quandaries have reached satisfying conclusions.” Bart flopped back down onto a sofa. “I would hardly call myself a master, though. I
9 Years, 5 Months, 25 Days After Eridani Landing Empire Home World [Vann] looked at the ship down below him. Up in the ancient [Singer] class hanger afforded [Vann] a perfect vantage point to look at the ship and the crews working on it. “You’re joking.” Charles looked out across the dry-dock, “she’s a fine
The Deathworlders – Chapter 48: Laid Bare Part 3
Date Point: 15y6m2w2d AV Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Jack Tisdale “…Shit.” Jack gave his dad a sideways (and slightly upwards) glance. The problem with taking more after his mother’s side of the family was that he always wound up feeling smaller than his father. It was an awkward position to be in: some instinct
Negotiations – Chapter 7: Part 2
1y11m BV Carpe Aeternum, en route to the Desolate Oasis Whitecrest Associate Hiron Enough stalling. The time had come to administer Thalias’ loyalty test. The more time he had to study Chuck’s reponses, the greater the precision of his resulting conclusions. Thalias’ instructions had been simple; Deliver the intelligence, scrutinize Chuck’s activities, and report. Yet
The Deathworlders – Chapter 48: Laid Bare Part 2
Date Point: 15y6m2w AV Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Derek “Boss” Coombes “Ohhhh God, right there! Mm!” Derek nodded, scratched her back a little harder, and Ava melted into a happy limp puddle with a sigh. “I think you’re enjoying this more than the sex,” he accused, trailing his fingernails up and down her spine.
Good Training – The Champions – Plans and Plots Part 2
Room 2A, Rent-a-Space, Folctha, Cimbrean, the Far Reaches Genshi of Clan Whitecrest The meeting room had a very comfortable couch and variable gravity controls along with an excellent air filtration system. It was tailor-made for aliens visiting on business and even had a small “minibar” of comestibles safe for Gaoians: all human food that had
Negotiations – Chapter 7: Part 1
2y4m2w Before Vancouver Corti Vessel Sharon Kwolek Again. Those damn bastards grabbed her again. Twelve years ago she had been taken. She had been poked and prodded. She had been studied and experimented on. But she had not been passive, oh no. A quick struggle, a few broken bones, and a promise to behave yielded
The Deathworlders – Chapter 48: Laid Bare Part 1
Date Point: 15y6m2w AV ESNN Front Page news story: GRA APPOINTS NEW AMBASSADOR Admiral Sir Patrick Knight takes seat on council after long protest absence In an abrupt change of policy after years of boycotting the Dominion Security Council, the GRA announced last night the immediate appointment of a new ambassador. Retired British admiral Sir
Crusoe – Part 10, Lord and Saviour
When I returned to River’s village, I was covered in caked blood. Blood that merely days before had soaked me, face, clothes and body. I didn’t care to clean myself up before making my way back. I had been far too distracted. When I reached the village, news of my return spread quickly, though none
“What do you mean you can’t find them?!” Sika-dur thundered. With his new augmentations, his roar was nearly loud enough to stagger the lowly Swrun soldier standing before him. Sika-dur felt a small measure of satisfaction at the expression of fear that flickered across the soldier’s face, but it was quickly stifled by the rage
9 Years, 5 Months, 23 Days After Eridani Landing Chront – C1803 Home world Stagg looked across the table at the aliens, the squad that had accompanied her down to the surface were without any obvious weapons, having handed them over to the alien’s military forces. Standing in their more advanced armor helmets only opened
Negotiations – Chapter 6: Part 2
Pekin cleared his throat. “Right… well Chuck, have you selected a name for the ship?” Chuck nodded. “I have. I wish to call it Carpe Aeternum.” Pekin tapped on his datapad. “Human cultural reference?” “Something like that. Everything sounds fancier in Latin.” “Latin?” Pekin’s ears soon dropped back in mild frustration. “I’m going to need
The Deathworlders – Chapter 47: Fallout Part 6
Date Point: 15y6m1w3d AV Corti medical barge Continuity Correction, Cimbrean System, The Far Reaches Nofl Doctor Rachel Wheeler was not, by human standards, in good physical condition. She was malnourished, skinny and dehydrated. Her androgen hormones were significantly elevated leading to the formation of cysts in her reproductive organs. Her body was absolutely flooded in
Lt’dekttchetch glowered down at the bored-looking Corti. “And what exactly can I do for you?” The Corti sighed, tracing the veins running across its distended forehead with a finger, a typical gesture of frustration or boredom among its species. “The same thing that the last three people I talked to could have done for me.
Negotiations – Chapter 6: Part 1
Early afternoon 1y11m1d BV Maintenance bay 3B, Whitecrest Clan Enclave, Wi Kao, Gao Chuck Sermil had summoned Chuck and Bart to one of Whitecrest’s garages. Apparently the two ships were nearly complete and they would soon be free to depart. He could hardly believe that it had only been a week since they had arrived
The Deathworlders – Chapter 47: Fallout Part 5
Date Point: 15y6m1w AV Racing Thunder, Kwmbwrw Border territory Shipfather Yefrig The critical thing about seizing the initiative was that, once seized, it became a bludgeon to be applied repeatedly and brutally to the enemy at every opportunity. The Gao had long known it; the Humans had shown them how to maximize it, and new
Space is a quiet place. Sound waves don’t propagate through vacuum, so a theoretical watcher hovering a few meters away from the Corti ship would have heard nothing more than peaceful, blissful silence. Move forward a few meters, to the inside of the hull, though, and the story was entirely different. “Get it off, get
Negotiations – Chapter 5: Part 2
Eventually Ronovin began to recover and hobbled to his feet. “Great Father Fyu! What was that?” As calmly as he could, Hiron responded. “A reasonable show of force.” Ronovin shook out his head and sighed. “Alright pup. You got me. For now. Put that rifle away.” Hiron hesitated. Without the rifle, the soldier in front
The Deathworlders – Chapter 47: Fallout Part 4
Date Point: 15y6m4d AV Oriel Art Gallery, Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Ava Ríos “Hey.” “Hey.” “…You look great, but you also look stressed as hell,” Derek ventured, and thus immediately put himself several steps above pretty much every other man Ava had dated, at least when it came to tact and sensitivity. Most of
Good Training – The Champions – Plans and Plots Part 1
13y 8m AV Room 2A, Rent-a-Space, Folctha, Cimbrean, the Far Reaches Champion, Stud-Prime, & Sergeant Daar (Tigger) of Clan Stoneback Meetings between Champions were always fraught with social and political symbolism. Daar understood it and loved bein’ the best and livin’ the role but even still, he sure wished it could be easier to meet
Crusoe – Part 9, Blood Innocents
I had been with the tribe for just over a month, and I was now teaching those willing to learn how to read and write. Many of the villagers had adopted my advice that in order to stay healthy, they had to stay clean, and so illness among the tribespeople had reduced significantly, and already
A Totally Non-Canon Dinner Party
Date Point: Who cares? This didn’t happen, but if it had, it’d be now. “Okay, everybody! Dinner time!” Adam called the motley group to the table from where they mingled uneasily outside. The scent of soup and other rich food wafted through the air, as the screen door slid open and everyone filed in. Getting
9 Years, 5 Months, 21 Days After Eridani Landing Bellona Colony Pushing off of the wall Ben paused and slowly looked in at the observation room that was a part of the dry dock for the Russia. This was now the second time had needed to storm the incomplete ship; It was his hope that
My return to consciousness was sudden, and blinding. I threw my arm up to block the stabbing light, rolling to the side to avoid it. Somewhere in the middle of that movement I realized since the light was hurting me, I could see. I could see! My hands flew immediately to my face, feeling around
The Deathworlders – Chapter 47: Fallout Part 3
Date Point: 15y6m3d AV Grand Commune of Females, Tiritya Island, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Allison Buehler “You’re standing by them? Even after what they did?” Yulna had commandeered a kitchen as she usually did when Xiù and Allison visited her. Allison didn’t complain—she got to lounge around and watch as the two who actually enjoyed
Negotiations – Chapter 5: Part 1
Evening 1y11m4d Visitor’s dormitories, Whitecrest Clan Enclave, Wi Kao, Gao Technician Milt Milt hesitated at the door, nervously palming a translator. How would he respond? With a deep exhale he scratched at the door. Thundering footsteps heralded the arrival of his visitee. The human opened the door, his eyes widened slightly when he saw his
Date Point: 14Y 6D AV Gao, Lavmuy Spaceport Fighting still raged below in the streets. Huge parts of the city, in the distance, still blazed; Emberpelt had long since abandoned anything but the most basic preservation. Nearly everything within line of sight of the Spaceport itself, outside the walls surrounding it, was gutted and a
Negotiations – Chapter 4: Part 2
Several minutes later Ironclaw Compound, Maintenance Bay 6, Gao Pekin “There it is.” Pekin made sure to observe the human’s reaction. The human gasped, clearly awed by the vessel before him. Success. It was a decent sized ship. Significantly larger than a shuttle, but smaller than a cargo ship. The hull was actually rather ancient.
It was translucent and papery, with a defined pattern, all in one piece, and hideously long. It wasn’t easy to tell how long, but Rick’s quick guesstimate was at least several meters in length. He gestured to his team to get back hastily with one hand, raising his pistol and scanning the room, then taking
The Deathworlders – Chapter 47: Fallout Part 2
Date Point: 15y6m3d AV High Mountain Fortress, Gao Regaari “They’re hurt right now, an’ they’re weak. Best intel we’ve got says they ain’t got much now that their stupid space donut is gone, but they’ll be raiding along space lanes and all that. We’re gonna protect every Dominion ship we know about, whether they want
Date Point: 9M 14D BV, mid-morning Traffic Control, Trading Station Daze of Days “ Daze of Days traffic control, this is approaching light freighter Fearful Symmetry, requesting docking instructions, and standing by at five hundred [klicks] out. Third contact, please respond” The comm relay inside the control office crackled as the voice came out of
The Deathworlders – Chapter 47: Fallout Part 1
Date Point: 15y6m1d AV Hell, Hunter Space Captain Anthony “Abbott” Costello The sky was boiling. Costello had never seen northern lights before, and now sheets of silent fire were coiling languidly across the heavens far faster than he’d imagined they would, shifting hue like some fibre-optic Christmas tree or something. One minute turquoise, the next
Negotiations – Chapter 4: Part 1
1y11m4d BV, morning East landing, Whitecrest Clan Encalve, Wi Kao, Gao Chuck Byse Chuck entered the shuttle to find an unfamiliar Gaoian sitting in the pilot’s seat. This Gaoian looked ready for war, with a fusion saber and pulse rifle at his side. “You must be Ronovin.” The Gaoian nodded slightly, his eyes focused on
Master-of-beasts had always been a little eccentric, and his latest project had done nothing to dispute that fact. He had spent part of the evening removing the sinews of the Igeel he had hunted during the day, and then he had strung them to a bendable wooden stick he had found. The hunters had gathered
“My son, there is much I need to tell you,” the stranger said, his thunderous voice subdued to a low rumble. “You could start with who you are. That may be helpful,” I replied. The stranger’s voice was notable and I would have remembered hearing it before. He spoke with a familiar tone that suggested
9 Years, 5 Months, 23 Days After Eridani Landing Empire Home World Slowly opening his eyes [Vann] sat up in the darkness. It was relaxing being able to enjoy actual silence after being in space, as advanced at the Imperial was she still vibrated and hummed making everything inside of her do the same. It
Negotiations – Chapter 3: Part 2
Thalias flattened his ears. “Don’t.” Noting Hiron’s surprise, Thalias continued. “You have personal rapport with them, even if you refuse to admit it yourself. There will always be secrets, always be the mission, but keeping your distance like that will… cause you to fail in the same way you did with Brrtklklk. Hiron, you always
The Deathworlders – Chapter 46: Hellfall Part 4
Date Point: 15y6m1d AV The Ring, Hell System, Hunter Space Captain Anthony “Abbott” Costello “Put this in perspective for me. How big is eighteen-point seven gigatons in terms I can understand?” Something serious had gone down in the ship-scrapper facility, too, long before the strike team arrived. From the looks of things their tank friend