Vast, Our World and Our Resolve - Chapter Twelve
Martin blinked and realized his breath was heaving. He closed and opened his left palm once again. Clean, no blood. The creases of his palm traced the same patterns as they had that night, one of the only direct reminders of the events from two years...
Vast, Our World and Our Resolve - Chapter Sixteen
Martin and Namo relayed the information they had been charged with delivering, as well as their own history and justification behind why they were the ones delivering the news instead of residents of Benuun. The chief, the woman by the name...
Vast, Our World and Our Resolve - Chapter Seven
Still shaken though he was from his encounter behind City Hall, Martin nevertheless composed himself enough to retrace his steps back to the Central District and, from there, find his way to the herbalist thanks to directions provided by one of the...
Vast, Our World and Our Resolve - Chapter Eighteen
The next several days of labor proceeded apace. As Martin’s ability to grasp needed Kepmuun vocabulary and basic grammatical structure increased alongside his competency for hand carpentry, his deepest struggle was the war within himself to not binge...
Vast, Our World and Our Resolve - Chapter Twenty-two
A sensation of being suspended beneath water greeted Martin as he came to. His head swam and muffled sounds washed toward him in ebbing and flowing waves. Martin lifted his head as he heard a thump, a yell, and then pain—his own pain, throbbing pain as...
01 - Knock, Knock. Who's There?
'i'm feli, the special envoy here on cultural exchange.' guy frowned in confusion. 'gomen, but, i have no idea what you're talking about.' 'the cultural exchange between humans and felines?' she said, raising one eyebrow.
Vast, Our World and Our Resolve - Chapter Twenty-nine
The hulking steel machine arrived with the squeal of metal under friction and a great puff of smoke. After a moment, side doors opened on several of the brightly-painted railcars, allowing throngs of people to hurriedly disembark with the train. The...
Tangled Vines - Prologue
The human husband and wife diplomatic corps team of william and cassandra nicolini were excited when they learned of their assignment to the new terran embassy on mûr zhæn, where they would be in charge of cultural exchange.
Vast, Our World and Our Resolve - Chapter Fourteen
Subsequent a tearful goodbye between Uyutuk and Namo and a promise to return when she could, afternoon found the pair on the metaphorical dusty trail toward Uat’sn, which, in this case, was also a literal dusty trail. As Martin inspected the map, still...
Vast, Our World and Our Resolve - Chapter Fifteen
The first sign that the travelers were closing the distance to Uat’sn made itself apparent in the transition of plant community from semi-arid chaparral to a more dense, but still open canopy, scrub woodland. The dominant “canopy” plants, if they could...
Vast, Our World and Our Resolve - Chapter Twenty-three
PART TWO: ECHO Martin gazed over the cliff southward. An antarctic wind stung his cheeks as leaned against the stone fence toward the water that crashed against the smooth-worn cliffs well over a hundred meters below him. The white spray battering...
Vast, Our World and Our Resolve - Chapter Twenty-four
Namo’s left-field question caught Martin on the back foot, and the rogue felt the foundation of the courage he had built up crumble beneath him like wet mud amidst a rushing stream. “No… no it’s not about English. It’s about you and me, err, more like,...