Latest Stories
Good Training – The Champions – The First Ring
11y 11m 5d AV Overnight workhouse, City of Wi Kao, Planet Gao About two weeks later, shortly after returning Fiin to his friends Brother and Stud Tyal of Clan Stoneback “Office of the Champion.” “It’s Tyal.” “One moment.” … “Genshi.” “He made it! He’s still recovering ‘cuz I hadta be a bit rough but he’ll be
Date Point: 3Y 4M BV Trading Station Daze of Days, Dominion space Station Security Incident Log [1830 hours] – Officer received a report of a damaged stasis container left, unsecured, in loading dock 11, berth 38 following unscheduled departure of Corti independent vessel Evaluation Derivative. Officer was unable to contact departed vessel, and no copy
Negotiations – Chapter 3: Part 1
1y 11m 2w BV Silver Sailor, open space, just outside trade station 1356-56B, The Desolate Oasis en route to Gao Brrtklklk Nk’tntnrkk (Bart) What a mess he had brought himself into. While it was true that his intention had been to find a human, those beings just seemed to create disaster. Not a month ago
The Deathworlders – Chapter 46: Hellfall Part 3
Date Point: 15y6m1d AV The Ring, Hell System, Hunter Space Brother Daar (“Tigger”) of Stoneback, Great Father of the Gao “Huh. Guess some things’re the same everywhere.” They were gettin’ back into important territory: Daar could tell from the emergency forcefields that snapped up when they breached through from the structural void and kept the
Negotiations – Chapter 2: Part 2
A frantic scratching came from the door. Bart stood confused for a moment, before heading to the airlock and opening the door. Hiron stood there, out of breath. As soon as the door was open, he scurried into the ship, scanned the room and ran straight to Chuck. “They’re coming!” He spoke frantically. Bart shouted
Waking up was an exercise in confusion. Harry awoke, startled, to a combination of the same bleebling noise indicating an incoming call along with another intermittent tone that apparently announced he had other calls holding, and he sat up blinded at the sun coming in through the window, which was hitting him right in the
The Deathworlders – Chapter 46: Hellfall Part 2
Date Point: 15y6m1d AV HMS Sharman (HMNB Folctha), Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Lt.Col Owen “Stainless” Powell Powell was feeling useless. He was doing an important job. Nobody ever said otherwise, nobody thought otherwise as far as he could tell. It was his job to command the HEAT and JETS and he prided himself on being
Grixaz. I hadn’t heard my father’s name in years. I hadn’t seen him since I was five. To be honest, I didn’t remember much about him except a vague feeling of warmth and safety. Really, the feeling everyone had around their parents. “Your father?” Bor exclaimed. “You mean to tell me your father can do
9 Years, 5 Months, 21 Days After Eridani Landing BELLONA COLONY “The virus, it’s gone active!” Megan slammed her fist into her husband’s shoulder, nearly pushing him out of their bed and onto the floor of their apartment. “What?” muttered Ben as he pulled himself up and avoided falling out of bed. Megan threw her
Negotiations – Chapter 2: Part 1
1y 11m 2w BV Bart’s ship’s bridge, open space, en-route to trade station 1356-56B, The Desolate Oasis Chuck “Does your ship have a name?” Chuck Byse asked Bart. He and Bart had been ‘sailing’ for several days now, on a trip from Earth’s moon to Bart’s shop on the trade station 12E-647 The Crimson Hamlet.
Crusoe became a quick hit among the young of the tribe, charismatic bastard as he is. It was quite amusing seeing so many little grayish creatures grouping around my four-legged companion, petting his fur. Meanwhile, I was shown around the village by River, and I must admit I wasn’t very impressed by what I saw.
Date Point: 11Y 10M 2W AV Cimbrean, the Far Reaches Constabulary office – Constable Jones “I’m not entirely sure I see what the problem is, Solicitor,” said the constable. “The essence of this…complaint…is that someone did business with someone else. I don’t think laws have been broken here.” The Rrrrtktktkp’ch to whom he spoke moved
The Deathworlders – Chapter 46: Hellfall Part 1
Date Point: 15y6m1d AV The Ring, Hell System, Hunter Space WARHORSE Thump. Target-rich environment. First Fang pounce into action, crash into the Hunters. Weapon up, barge forward, fire. Can’t miss. Ambient temperature of minus fifty. Hunter blood freezes the second it hits air, puffs of purplish-red snow, treacherous underfoot. Report from HOMEPLATE, two human survivors
Good Training – The Champions – Tall Tales Part 3
Melissa Evening drew to a close but it was a nice, lazy weekend, and the Gaoians aligned their local rhythm with the human calendar. It was close enough, after all, and everyone needed a break from the daily routine. Why not share? Still. Melissa’s curiosity wasn’t quite sated. She made a Hot Pocket for each
2y BV Yosemite National Park, California, USA, Earth Chuck Byse turned the knife over in his hands. “Nothing out here you can’t handle with a quality Wolf: Wilderness Explorer survival blade,” he stated, to no one in particular. He turned off the head mounted camera that he wore and prepared to upload the short video.
The Deathworlders – Chapter 45: We Need Each Other Part 6
Date Point: 15y6m1d AV High Mountain Fortress, Northern Plains, Gao Regaari “My Father, it will be impossible to hide a schedule change this severe.” “I know, Cousin. I know you an’ the staff can manage. An’ just ‘tween us, I’m really glad ‘yer at my side again.” Daar had decided he would take the field
The Catechism of Gricka Part 2
“….Fuck.” The word hung in midair. On the display, it became immediately apparent that the Very Bad Problem that Ghoti had feared had, instead, been the bettter option to have taken. He had been concerned that the FTL not disengaging and the course change would have simply taken them into contested Celzi space or into
The Deathworlders – Chapter 45: We Need Each Other Part 5
Date Point: 15y6m1d AV The Ring, Hell System, Hunter Space Rachel “Ray” Wheeler Garaaf, it seemed, was not one to make new allies quickly. “How do we know we can trust you?” The words on the screen took a moment or two before they changed. +Unless you think I am a Hunter, I don’t know
The Catechism of Gricka Part 1
~58Y BV (approximately late April, 1958) Mrs. Eufegenia Nesbitt of Hare St Rd, Buntingford, was in every imaginable way, a very nice lady, if a bit cracked, as some might say; she nevertheless made an excellent pot of tea and was well-known in town for her intricate crotcheted cat sweaters. None would be so rude
9 Years, 4 Months, 20 Days After Eridani Landing The Imperial [Vann] adjusted the controls for the confinement cell. The wall went transparent, and [Vann] stepping away from the controls moved towards it. The class C woman inside of the cell winced as light flooded into her what had been a dimly lit cell. Her
I opened my eyes and the world was dark. Everything hurt, too. Thick, burning fire across my chest and upper body; splintering, stabbing knives in my left shoulder; slicing, hot claws spread over my face. Everywhere else was varying amounts of dull, sore, deep pain. Every muscle ached, every joint screamed at me. But I
Date Point: 14Y 1W AV, late morning Peterson Residence, Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches As though in answer to the prayers and desperate pleas of children, it seemed Santa had actually come through in a way this year that didn’t involve socks. There were, it seemed, no words in any language quite as cherished as
The Deathworlders – Chapter 45: We Need Each Other Part 4
Date Point: 15y6m1d AV High Mountain Fortress, Planet Gao Champion Fiin of Stoneback There were some events that Fiin had felt he’d never witness. More than a few of them had come true regardless, but among the remainder that he’d felt absolutely certain would never happen was Champion Genshi losing his composure. That was, right
I awoke the next morning with a slight headache, and River in my arms. I must admit I was very confused at first, as River had made her own bedding some distance away, but here she was, cuddled up towards me in my bed. Naked, I note. I must also admit that the feeling of
Thank you, speaker. As you all know, my planet – Earth – is a class 12 high-gravity deathworld, home to a species of sentients, humans. Us. Me. We humans are a technological species, and it is inevitable that we will discover the principles of FTL transportation. Many of this assembly believe – and I agree
The Deathworlders – Chapter 45: We Need Each Other Part 3
Date Point: 15y6m AV Alien Quarter, Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Nofl Patient. Calm. Menacing. It was funny how many emotions a dog could project just sitting there and quietly watching. There were subtleties to the precise lift and angle of those cropped ears, whether the tail was twitching gently to the left or the
Date Point: 14Y 5D AV Peterson Residence, Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches “Oh. Great. Mother.” Liina lay in Gillian’s playroom on her back, her stomach visibly distended. Gillian sat in her squooshy chair/sofa/bean bag thing, equally stuffed. Neither felt particularly like moving. “That was really good,” Gillian said. “I didn’t think I could eat that
Thank you for the comments. Changing the note here, hopefully not to spoil things… This is set in the JVerse. If you don’t know what a gricka is, it should be clear after reading this, or at least the Catechism link at the end. (And no, I can’t figure out what I’ve done wrong to
The Deathworlders – Chapter 45: We Need Each Other Part 2
Date Point: 15y6m AV Allied Extrasolar Command, Scotch Creek, British Columbia, Canada, Earth General Gregory Kolbeinn “Well, who the hell were they?” The Gaoians had kindly shared the schematics for first-generation wormhole routers, which Kolbeinn had promptly ordered should be constructed in Mrwrki’s nanofactories and installed at a few strategic facilities. Scotch Creek, the Pentagon,
Good Training – The Champions – Tall Tales Part 2
Brother Tyal “There was a mass extinction. We’re not exactly sure what caused it but it was almost certainly a solar event, or maybe a gamma ray burst or something. You’d need to ask the Loremaster when you get the chance. Anyway, our world went from a rich garden to the planet-wide chilly savannah it
Date Point: 14Y 5D AV “Outside”, as it turned out, was a relative term. Gillian emerged from her room, having changed everything she was wearing from head to toe, including shoes that were declared to be cute and a matching headband that was similarly declared to be super-cute. Liina took it in stride, naturally, as
Approximately 10 years BV *Corti research vessel *Inestimable Knowledge ** Dr. Dixsl Dr. Dixsl almost showed excited about the stasis pod that the acquisition squad had left in the primary hanger of the Inestimable Knowledge. Almost. He was too pragmatic to fantasize about the notoriety that could be attained from the species evaluation program, but
The Deathworlders – Chapter 45: We Need Each Other Part 1
Date Point: 15y6m AV Dataspace adjacent to Mrwrki Station, Erebor System, Deep Space Entity This was empty dataspace, far from any nodes or infrastructure. No Igraen ever came out here: to them it was a desert, utterly devoid of Substrate. The Entity didn’t know why it was able to survive without the Substrate that Igraens
I awoke that morning from Crusoe whining and licking my face. All things considered, I slept pretty damn well. I yawn loudly, and Crusoe barks once. “Yeah, yeah. One moment, boy.” I know that at about this time, he does hear the call of nature, so I don’t waste much time opening the stone door
“Arik?” Asked Derrick as they fell. He could hear the shields beginning to whine as the alien energy weapons continued to land squarely on the bow of the shields. The majority of the shots were actually aimed at the forward section of the ship, where a human would have been firing at the more important
A faint bloody wheezing filled the hallway. A sound all too familiar on battlefields, the wet gasping served as the Reaper’s herald. A bitter rasping, a harsh struggle for the last breath of air before the eternal darkness. Rattling out of a body too damaged to live, indeed, too damaged to still be living. But
Date Point: 14Y 5D AV….early Peterson Residence, Folctha, Cimbrean Mornings were something that Gillian had never really had a problem with. In Tucson, the latitude meant that their range of daylight hours didn’t vary as much as places further north, and she’d never had a problem bouncing out of bed as soon as the sun
I chewed the cud in my mouth while I waited for the station’s customs enforcement agent to look up from his desk. Would I have to swallow? Would I have to swallow twice? The blue-furred giraffe was certainly taking its time. Its terminal chimed and displayed a flashing alert. I couldn’t quite make out everything
The Deathworlders – Chapter 44: Samsara Part 7
Date Point: 15y5m8d AV Chiune Station, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Clara Brown Astonishingly considering the family drama unfolding back in Folctha, Allison arrived for her first day of work at Chiune looking chipper, fresh and stress-free. She was driving one of the company cars, an electric SUV with the MBG logo emblazoned on the doors
Date Point: 14Y 4D AV Peterson Residence, Folctha, Cimbrean Gillian lay in bed, listening to the sound of the nightly rain overhead, drumming on the roof. It was her favorite part of living in Folctha, and as she did every night, she internally composed thanks to whatever powers-that-were had inspired her parents to move here
Draco – On How I Met Your Mother – SJ7
The question hung in the air, and Ivo was lost for a moment. He knew what he needed to say, but still he hoped to shape the conversation in a manner that could possibly warm the attractive xeno to him. However, face to face with the object of his fantasy, his mind was useless. Ivo
The Deathworlders – Chapter 44: Samsara Part 6
Date Point: 15y5m7d AV The White House, Washington DC, USA, Earth Margaret White Arthur was furious. And Arthur Sartori, while he was generally a gruff and straightforward kind of man, very rarely got angry. Seeing him genuinely livid was a rare and intimidating thing. “Did the Gaoians know this?” The latest update on their intel
Rkynkyc was concerned. He had been concerned since waking that day and finding his morning condition simulator, the device which caused his body to think it was time to wake up had broken and he was late for work. He had been concerned that his would superior discipline him by removing his rights to eat
Draco – On How I Met Your Mother – SJ6
The Lucky Bird travelled away from Travos VII, passing through the endless blackness of the void, the precise balancing of power and output coming from its drives barely noticeable, despite the mind bending speed at which the ship travelled. The combat drone holding Kalin deposited her unceremoniously on a pad in the medical room of
The Deathworlders – Chapter 44: Samsara Part 5
Date Point: 15y5m7d AV High Mountain Fortress, Gao Sister Naydra, Life-Mate of the Great Father Daar, like most Males, was a creature of wild moods. That was the thing that gave males their exciting, slightly dangerous edge and was, at least for Naydra, a big part of what made them attractive. Some breeds like Whitecrests
Good Training – The Champions – Tall Tales Part 1
The Next Morning In bed, Stoneback Free Laborer’s Clinic, City of Wi Kao, Planet Gao Associate Fiin of Stoneback Fiin opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. Even that hurt. He groaned unhappily and sniffed the air, then froze; Tyal was there. A white-hot flash of dread welled up in Fiin but right at
Canada, Unknown System “We will be exiting FTL in five seconds!” said Arik over the Canada’s comm. Stagg glanced up at the forward display, watching the alternating blue and red lights that were produced through the use of tachyon based FTL. This was the third consecutive jump, each time the Canada had dropped out of
Evaluation of human mercenary forces in the dominion-celzi war The human mercenaries known as the ‘imperial guard'(there appears to be no such imperium in existence, but when searched for in what is know as the internet, shows that the humans have based their entire militia on a faction from a science fiction game known as
I exited my cave with utmost care. As I peeked outside I was initially worried a native would be waiting outside with an axe, or some other sharp implement, but when there was no attack, I made my way outside. Crusoe followed me, just overjoyed to actually get to be outside again. He sprung around
Draco – Low Stakes Fight – SJ5
Standing under the spotlights of the Lucky Bird, the Kasuri baroness made her demands.“I Baroness Kalin Cerese have come to issue challenge for the life of your your disgusting captain, for he has offended me, and therefore all of Kasuri Kind, and must either prove himself worthy and/or pay with his life for his offense
The Deathworlders – Chapter 44: Samsara Part 4
Date Point: 15y5m6d AV Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Allison Buehler No fear. That was the part that surprised Allison, in the back of her head. She wasn’t afraid of her dad any more. He still cut the same imposing figure she remembered. Not big, but tall, patrician in bearing and manner. He still had
Clint Stone: Brother Mine Part 2
His brother barked an order and two Swrun leapt forward and started to drag Vyena’s unconscious form towards the ship. He turned his gaze to Mor-oik. No words were exchanged between the brothers. They stood a few feet apart and tore each other apart with their eyes. Mor-wir spoke first. “You know I’m going to
The Deathworlders – Chapter 44: Samsara Part 3
Date Point: 15y5m5d AV Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Yan Given-Man, Chief of the Lodge “You should take the boys from them, raise them instead. Would be happier for them.” Jooyun was stacking charcoal in a shallow metal pan on legs out in the garden while Shyow and Awisun fetched food from the kit-chin and
Draco – Terminal Departures – SJ4
Evening draws near on Travos VII Central Comandar Salkraveen slowly sipped his spiced nutrient tea, as he went over the week’s incidents, his heart began to pound ever slightly faster as he read again the report incident #1142 “bar room disturbance”. That incident involving the Kasuri female was already making waves through the politburo of
The truck rises off the ground with a satisfying hum. It had taken the better part of half an hour of jury-rigging, switching the Fission battery as well as hotwiring the starting mechanism, but the massive monstrosity of a vehicle was finally operational. “Good work, Ulrich. Now, is everyone ready? It’s time to crush some
The Deathworlders – Chapter 44: Samsara Part 2
Date Point: 15y5m4d AV Hell, Hunter Space Gorg Odvrak-Bull The canyons would do, temporarily. Gorg held no illusions that his herd would find anything to eat among the barren rocks, but at least they had shelter. Was it all useless, though? They were prisoners. No, worse: They were livestock. There were rich grasslands out there
As the female Kasuri sank deeper into the bubbling bloodbath. Slowly, letting the hot water jets relax her tense muscles. She smiled as the warm (reconstituted) blood soaked into every nook and cranny of her vivacious form. Kalin got comfortable, letting her lithe body slide further into the fluid, folding her legs in the (undersized)
Diana, Jikse One week later “No. For the hundredth time, we can’t go back!” growled Diana. “So we’re just supposed to stay out here for the rest of our lives?” asked [Orin]. The three of them were inside one of the many abandoned skyscrapers on the edge of the inhabited parts of the city. Since
The Deathworlders – Chapter 44: Samsara Part 1
Date Point: 15y5m4d AV High Mountain Fortress, Gao President Arthur Sartori “I get what ‘yer sayin’, Mister President…but this all seems like doin’ a mile o’ walkin’ just to cross the room.” Daar’s straightforwardness was refreshing, mostly, but right now it was combining with the rose-tinted goggles he often wore with regard to human nature
Crusoe – Part 3, Getting Settled
I spent the evening turning my fragments of metal into tools. I placed one thin, sharp shard at the tip of my stick, turning it into something which I could defend myself. My spear, although crooked, was deemed acceptable after I did some practice thrusts in the air. Maybe I could use it to go
Draco – Nervjam Grenades Taste Orange – SJ2
Sometime Later “Oh God my head” Was the first thing muttered by Ivo on his return to consciousness. As his vision cleared he saw nothing more than an indistinct gray room, but then his vision snapped back as he perceived the reinforced composite bars of a cell. Sitting up on the cell’s sleeping pad, he
Good Training – The Champions – Kin and Clan
Fiin, on trial for Clan Stoneback He made it! Fiin didn’t know if his acceptance was Daar’s doing, but Fiin liked to believe that was true. He was still a bit awe-struck by their meeting; Fiin was the biggest and most skilled and widely-experienced young laborer in his workhouse so he wasn’t easily menaced by
Clint Stone: Brother Mine Part 1
“Well, you are certainly not the most damaged recruit I’ve had to patch up,” the base medic said to Mor-oik as he poked at Mor-oik’s face, none too gently. A particularly strong jab with a slab of a finger caused Mor-oik to wince, further compounding the pain. The medic squinted at Mor-oik through his glasses.
DISGRACE – Chapter 7: The Order of Things
Date Point: 3Y 08M 4W 1D 6H AV Main escort of the Swarm flagship It was an impossibility, an unthinkable idea, but nevertheless it was also the truth. The Swarm Alpha was dead. When the enormous prey ship started closing in on the task force, the Swarm Beta laughed at their gullibility and desperation. Surely
The Deathworlders – Chapter 43: Scars Both Old and New Part 5
Date Point: 15y5m4d AV Mrwrki Station, Erebor System, Uncharted Space Lucy Campbell “Lewis?” “Back here!” Lucy slid the door shut behind her and ducked under a volumetric projection. She didn’t need to, the thing was made out of lasers, dust and forcefields and she could have walked right through it, but it looked solid. It
Draco – On How I Met Your Mother – SJ1
A commonality shared by most sentient species is the ability to sense emotional and biological states via pheromones. While humans technically have this ability, their biological development has prioritized visual and audio stimuli to the detriment of the olfactory. In layman’s terms: Humans have a lousy sense of smell which can lead to “misunderstandings” of
When he inspects the leg that had been siezed by the alien worm, Soto feels a chill running down his spine. The previously smooth metal looks as if it has been given a once-over by a over-sized cheese grater. There are a series of gashes in the thick plate, and Soto doesn’t even want to
Date Point: 3Y 08M 4W 0D 2H AV Celzi heavy cruiser Emeras Ship Master Drnkirz was becoming a legend within the Alliance military, and a hero to its many citizens. Without taking into account his first mission, which was a disaster, he had led his state of the art cruiser -with human-inspired systems such as
The Deathworlders – Chapter 43: Scars Both Old and New Part 4
Date Point: 15y5m4d AV Alien Quarter, Folctha, Cimbrean, the Far Reaches Nofl It was always a delight when one of Nofl’s old patients visited, and Chief Arés had been a particularly gratifying success. Repairing an old neural injury like that—and Human nerves were so fascinatingly delicate in a high-strung, extreme performance way—without any scarring? It
DISGRACE – Chapter 5: Faux dieux
Date Point: 3Y 08M 4W 1D 5H AV Beam of Hope Colony When Maxim had told him that these weren’t your regular PG ammunition, Sergei didn’t payed too much attention to him. Besides, how often would he be needing to use an infantry anti-tank weapon in space? He’d hoped to break confusion on the Hunters’
Diana, Jikse Diana was on edge. They were walking into what had to be a trap, and no one else seemed to be even slightly concerned about that fact. [Rant], at least, was visibly armed a small pistol on his belt, but handled himself like he was strolling in the park. [Orin] and [Hal] hadn’t
The Deathworlders – Chapter 43: Scars Both Old and New Part 3
Date Point: 15y5m3d AV High Mountain Fortress, Planet Gao President Arthur Sartori Presidential meetings always involved being briefed, which in turn always fell short of reality, especially for visits that had been rushed through ASAP like this one…but no briefing had ever fallen quite so short as the briefing on Daar, and what was worse
At that moment, one of the Bandits crowding the door yelped and clutched the side of his head. Within seconds, the Bandit had been pulled back and his place filled. Mylak rushed over to him and fussed about for a moment. Bor nodded toward the medic. “You brought him into combat?” “He is a combat
The first thing I did after crawling out of my little pod was to start looking around. As I walked, having no desire to lose track of the pod, I started breaking small twigs to show the path I had taken. I soon found that the ground started angling upwards as I walked, and before
DISGRACE – Chapter 4: Invasion
Date Point: 3Y 08M 4W 1D AV Beam of Hope Colony’s executive hall After the initial turmoil arosed from Misha‘s first presentations, governor Zrkntk called for a meeting to discuss the issue with the foremost leaders and species’ representatives in the colony, a meeting that was already being held for more time that was initially
The Deathworlders – Chapter 43: Scars Both Old and New Part 2
Date Point 15y5m1d AV Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Lt. Col. Owen Powell “Wuff!” “Yeahyeah…’mup…” He fell asleep again. “Wurf!!” “Uh? Sh’t. S’rry. ‘Mawake…” More sleep. “WURF!!!” Powell went from asleep to awake and ready to defend himself from the hell-beast in his cave in less than a single pounding heartbeat. Bozo, panting, spun a
Good Training – The Champions – Pounce
11y 9m AV Staging Warehouse, Chapterhouse of Clan Whitecrest, City of Wi Kao, Planet Gao Final preparations for GAMETIME-FOOTBALL-TOUCHDOWN Champion Genshi of Clan Whitecrest The month between the Revelation and the moment Genshi now faced had been an incredibly busy one. He’d had precious little rest as he made all the arrangements surrounding “Yogi,” his mission,
Soto turned around yet another corner in the god-forsaken labyrinth, sweeping the new environment placed before them with a weary eye, and the gun steady at his shoulder. He was weary; but by whatever gods controlled his fate, he had a right to be. For hours that had felt like eons, they had trudged through
DISGRACE – Chapter 3: Bromance
Date Point: 2Y 08M 1W AV Unknown location Sergei Pavlovich Kamarev was a jack of all trades. The man had worked throughout the years as a mechanic, a publicist, dog barber (a terrible one), computer programmer (even more terrible), gardener, limo driver, interpreter, cook, he even fought in wars. That’s mainly the reason why when
The Deathworlders – Chapter 43: Scars Both Old and New Part 1
Date Point: 15y5m1d AV Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Jack Tisdale “So run this by me again. She puked on me?” They were going home. Well, not home home—Jack still had a room at his parents’ place while he saved up to put down a deposit on a place of his own, so that was
DISGRACE – Chapter 2: Last resort
Date Point: 3Y 08M 3W AV Beam of Hope colony Mugyiu just stood in the middle of the chaos, unable to react but absorbing it all. After the initial seconds of shock, the heterogeneous audience started its terrified reaction to the venue’s main attraction: The majority of the Vzk’tk threw themselves on the floor in
Bellona Colony, Eridani System 9 Years, 4 Months, 12 Days After Eridani Landing “Well?” Daniels looked Megan square in the eye, then Ben. “Well what?” said Megan, annoyed with the Councillor. “You have no explanation other than this?” he asked, holding up the report and slapping it down on the table in front of him.
The ground shook beneath Sika-dur’s new bulk. His armored feet sank into the dirt, leaving a trail behind him, stretching back to the burned village. They did not have the information he had needed. Sika-dur felt dull coals of rage in his chest. Clint Stone had managed to cover his tracks far too well. Two
I don’t really remember why were out there in the first place. It’s been a few years by now, and it’s not a reason I care to remember. It was probably something petty. Exploration, prospecting for useful materials, you know the usual. We were hit by a stray meteor. I don’t know where it came
The Deathworlders – Chapter 42: Big Questions Part 7
Date Point 15y5m AV Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Allison Buehler All in all it had been a pleasant afternoon, as much as riding along in the weirdly high-stakes social life that Xiù seemed to glide through could be, anyway. The food was awesome. And Yulna made enough to feed their men, too; it was
Date Point: 3Y 08M 3W AV The galaxy is a very big place. And despite its enormous extension, very few places are populated, or even visited by intelligent, space-faring beings. The Ilrayen band is one of those places, albeit barely. Above-average cosmic radiation and stellar activity, combined with an overpopulation of so called deathworlds, made
The Deathworlders – Chapter 42: Big Questions Part 6
Date Point 15y5m AV Grand Commune of Females, Tiritya Island, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Mother-Supreme Yulna Cimbrean was no longer a world of only one colony. Originally, the 5-EYES nations had planned for Lucent to become a colony of the United States of America, but political necessity had made it more advisable to hand over
Soto landed feet first in a brownish sludge that quickly sucked him down to waist level. The disgusting mass that slowly flowed around him made him thank whatever deities there may be that his armor was environmentally sealed, preventing him from touching – or at all smelling – the foul stuff. He quickly hefted his
Good Training – The Champions – Gametime
That same evening Apartment, Delaney Row, Foltcha, Cimbrean, the Far Reaches Melissa “And he listens so well! He made me feel…special!” “Ooh, he sounds like a keeper. You gonna lure him in and catch?” “Why do you Humans make everything so…” “Agricultural?” “Well, yes, but I already used that word today.” “Try ‘barnyard’ next time.”
The Deathworlders – Chapter 42: Big Questions Part 5
Date Point 15y5m AV Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Xiù Chang Xiù is being given the grand tour of Wei’s offices in Vancouver, getting the full VIP treatment. She’s proud of her little-big brother and his achievements: who could imagine that they’d be able to 3D print Dizi Rats? Okay, so they go squish in
A Final Memory Emily moved a few of the pieces of paper in front of her around, and then stared intently at them for another few minutes. [Charles] looked at her desk from the opposite side of the small reception room, still trying to figure out why she liked the activity. “What’s this game called
The Deathworlders – Chapter 42: Big Questions Part 4
Date Point: 15y5m AV Planet Akyawentuo, Ten’Gewek Protectorate, Near 3Kpc Arm Chief Special Warfare Operator Daniel (Chimp) Hoeff Hoeff had to admit he liked Vemik. The young gorilla guy had an enthusiastic fizz that never went away and a lust for life that Hoeff felt a kinship for. Size differences aside they were both the
Juiwa grunted in reply. Mor-oik could not quite figure him out. The Guen was clearly the best fighter here, and seemed to be the leader, yet Vyena seemed to assume equal amounts of leadership. And he rarely spoke, resorting to silent gestures and grunts to convey his thoughts. Except when speaking with Vyena or when
The Deathworlders – Chapter 42: Big Questions Part 3
Date Point: 15y5m AV That Show With Steven Lawrence, New York City, USA, Earth Daniel Hurt The music was the secret. The otherworldly singing and beats that underpinned his montage of the People’s lives and history was literally otherworldly—It was the Singer, Yan’s niece. Persuading her to let him record her voice and play it
”We need to establish contact with the drop ship and get this entire planet quarantined.” Soto had just broken the silence that had formed after they watched the broadcasts preceding and following the outbreak reaching the city. Sulieman nods his agreement, but Vasquez doesn’t seem convinced. “What about us? Do you want to be stranded
The Deathworlders – Chapter 42: Big Questions Part 2
Date point: 15y4m3w AV The Statler Hotel, Folctha, Cimbrean, The Far Reaches Ava Ríos Ava loved her job. She’d had a rocky road getting there, but her career certainly hadn’t been dull. ESNN was growing every week now, as it attracted investments and really started pushing into a market dominated by the big Terrestrial networks.
Good Training – The Champions – Longest Prefix Match Part 3
Meereo Dinner was fantastic. The establishment had opted for a Human/Gaoian fusion experience and incorporated some of the dinner theatrics from both, and done so with resounding success. The presentation and preparation was a combination of Human Teppanyaki and Gaoian Ziaomei, both flashy styles of cuisine, and the chefs, Human and Gaoian, were masters. One
The Deathworlders – Chapter 42: Big Questions Part 1
Date Point: 15y4m2w AV Hierarchy/Cabal Co-Operative, Session 17 ++0005++: Do you seriously expect this to work? ++Cynosure++: If you’re asking whether I think the argument will sway the Human leadership, then no. That wasn’t the point. But I do expect it to complicate matters for them. ++0003++: Because they are rule-bound? ++Proximal++: Because Humans are
A Nerd’s Guide to Deathworld Survival – Chapter 14
| KAL’RAPA’M QEZRA | [Wanted! Dead or Alive! Reward Offered!] Usually found on the border of the Slums. Either way you get him, the pay is 7,550 Credits. Likely has an armed guard detail. High profile. Meet in the Transport Unit Storage’s second floor near the Translator Factory in (00:08:41). APPROVED AND ENDORSED BY OVERSEER
The Imperial, Deep Space “The antimatter test.” [Vann] stared fiercely at the man across the table from him. His former mentor; his supposed ally. [Marcus] sighed and sat back in his chair. “I suppose I should have told you everything. It is difficult to admit that a class C species escaped us, and especially that