Pale Blue Dot - volume 2 - Fly 2.4
The seemingly endless stone steps continued downward. I suspected I was now deeper than the seabed beneath the underground ocean. What would it feel like if gravity reversed as you passed through the center of the planet? But with Ceres' weak gravity,...
Pale Blue Dot - volume 2 - Fly 2.3
I sat cross-legged in the center of the pure white room, trying once again to enter the Dreamwalking state. I always thought it was some kind of folklore until I learned during Navigator training that it was one of our lost skills. According to the...
Pale Blue Dot - volume 2 - Fly 2.2
A brilliant streak of silver light cut through the void, vanishing in an instant. "Command Center calling Fearless Challenger," Serene's voice sounded again, and I blinked my nictitating membrane, bringing my thoughts back. "Fearless...
Pale Blue Dot - volume 2 - Fly 2.1
"Dragons are born to fly in the sky." I touched the photo of my mother, stuck next to the instrument panel, and recited softly. She disliked being photographed because the unique physical structure of our family's scales reflects almost all wavelengths...
The Storm Wolf: Tranquil waters - chapter 3 - Bread and Circuses 3.4
Dots began to appear on the projected map, grouped in clusters of five, distributed evenly across the slopes surrounding the basin. These represented the seven factions, each marked in their respective colors. Briefly, a live feed focused on one of the...
The Storm Wolf: Tranquil waters - chapter 3 - Bread and Circuses 3.3
Apparently, everyone had already left early to secure their spots, so there wasn't a single person in the capsule station. I found the platform heading towards the "Colosseum" and watched the white, streamlined capsule silently glide through the vacuum...
The Storm Wolf: Tranquil waters - chapter 4 - Lyre and Sand 4.4
We arrived on the ground, somewhere on the hillside of the Colosseo, not far from the estuary judging by the position of the seawall. The air carried a faint, salty moisture, a scent I had never encountered before. I licked my nose, tasting the bitter...
The Storm Wolf: Tranquil waters - chapter 4 - Lyre and Sand 4.3
The transport capsule to the Colosseo's surface moved with a slow but steady rhythm. I could hardly feel any shaking, only the occasional metallic clanking sound as we passed each floor. "Master Ontara tried to influence me with some kind of wave," I...
The Storm Wolf: Tranquil waters - chapter 4 - Lyre and Sand 4.2
Bacon and eggs, cheese sausages, and honey toast. I must be dead, and Rationalism has forgiven me—heaven does exist. "You know, being able to stuff all sorts of bizarre things into your mouth and swallow them is not mutually exclusive with...
The Storm Wolf: Tranquil waters - Hope
It is hope… hope that we can break through barriers and achieve the impossible. "The Lancelnopt Synchrotron Radiation only appears after a psychic has accumulated a certain level of power. There's no concrete standard to quantify exactly how...
The Storm Wolf: Tranquil waters - chapter 4 - Lyre and Sand 4.6
“Damn Venetian bastards!" Zelus swore. “Backstabbing, treacherous dogs…" “We've discussed the issue of racial slurs before," Geras said calmly, his yellow eyes casting a sideways glance at Zelus, who immediately fell silent. “Sorry," Charon said,...
The Storm Wolf: Tranquil waters - chapter 4 - Lyre and Sand 4.5
I stared at the dark brown metal door in front of me, lowering my hand from the air for the 6,321st time. I exhaled through my nose and looked down, continuing to pace nervously. Damn it, damn it, damn it. You’ve got this. This isn’t difficult at...