Having a chat - Late-night talks.“... so you must understand, the Empire’s position on this subject is categorical,” Mantis was saying, stabbing the datapad in front of him with his finger for emphasis. Yuri Grom’s ambassador - a certain “Envoy” - absently nods in agreement as she squints...
Having a chat - When the world comes... quietly crumpling down.Everyone remembers the day when they first heard of it. What they were doing, how they found out, who was with them. As if the scope of what’s happening is so unthinkable that the moment stays forever carved into our minds. Me? I had just been...
Having a chat: The continuation of war by other means?An hour of aimless walking, queuing, and shuffling through paperwork later, I finally find the nondescript hotel door I was directed to. Taped to it, a sheet of paper reads “Powers Summit” in a large, sober font. Stars, he really meant it when he...
Having a chat: Orchestrated chaos.I check my holo-pad again as I arrive at an intersection. The footpath I’m following crosses another here, and a half-dozen elevator doors line one wall. I squint at the holographic display, turning the map a few times to get a sense of where I’m supposed...
Doing the right thing, 5 : The Peacock's Nest.The elevator ride to Van Scyoc Spire’s uppermost levels is surprisingly smooth, if long. I glance out the glass wall to the rapidly retreating ground, and sigh. Stars, what a total vanity to commission a hundred-story-tall skyscraper as the centrepiece...
An unexpected offerAgh, this is stupid. Braindead. Out-of-this-world idiotic. What was I thinking ? Fighter pilot, El, really ? And what do you have to show for it, a couple search and rescue missions, a little soapy text about saving lives, and a jaw-dropping Pilot’s Federation...
Doing the right thing, 4 : Stray thoughtsIt’s a small miracle, you know. That I’m still alive. Not just this thing, no, I’ve been through much worse. Easily, what, like… Oh, a half-dozen times or so. Or more ? Stars, it’s easy to lose track. But yeah, it’s, uh… hard to comprehend sometimes....
Doing the right thing, 3 : Not quite according to plan. Oh dear, that’s fast. Sprinting across the open ground, I pick up way more speed than I anticipated. I still haven’t gotten much low-gravity surface experience yet, and having grown up on a relatively high-grav Earth-like, let’s say I didn’t quite...
Doing the right thing, 2 : Who turned off the lights ? Aw, turns out my first target’s on the surface of one of two ice moons orbiting around each other – that’s pretty sweet. I slow down a bit as I enter orbital cruise to savour the planetrise over the horizon. Heh, the icy blue marring the white of...
Doing the right thing , 1: What's that smell ?[05 Jan. 3308] I step off Kingfisher's ramp, greeted by a wave of freezing air and a nauseating stench. Blowing sharply out of my nose, I immediately put my helmet back on and slam the visor down. With a soft hiss, stale, bottled air fills the helmet....
