The Railroad - Appendix
Imported from SF2 with no description.
Hello everyone, ?Sigma Squad?Book 1 is officially complete! Thank you all for reading and sharing your feedback!
It’s been an amazing journey, and I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have!
The backgrounds of the Sigma Squad members were already decided back when I was writing ?Pale Blue Dot?. Abel's story is probably the most violent and longest, while the others will be shorter. This series was originally intended to be all-ages, but each member of ?Sigma Squad?has their own dark backstories, which is more in line with my style and the kind of stories I tend to tell. I hope it wasn’t too shocking or hard for you to accept. Let’s keep going and see where the story leads us!
As for secondary characters, Abel is probably my favorite. His story is also the most complex, which is why I shared it in Book 1.
In the original design, 76184 was meant to have an extremely nasty personality. When 74258 rejected his offer, he actually hit him. But later, I realized that if he had hit him then, there wouldn’t be any story afterward. So I changed it to the current version, where 76184 was no longer trying to get something out of 74258, allowing 74258 to feel safe and willing to accept, leading to their eventual equal relationship, as symbolized by "the temperature was just right." As a side note, the first number refers to their breed, the second and third digits refer to their origin, and the final digit is their individual number. Each count’s territory has fewer than 100 red foxes, and their primary work is mostly handled by drones.
The red foxes from Texas had it pretty rough. Though it’s not so bad to live in a peaceful little world, just making the same choices as the masses, in the end, they were all executed by impalement. For a tyrant, after all, everything is his to give and take away whenever he pleases.
That said, I wonder if some of the violent and bloody scenes might have gone too far or were a bit unnecessary? I have to admit, the part where 74258 was tortured by Hunter felt a bit excessive to me. But in the end, I decided to keep it to show just how bad Hunter truly was.
One of the key missions of ?Sigma Squad?is to introduce the current state of Gaia. Abel’s journey is mostly focused on the plantation and observing the city from the outside. Of course, there’s also the introduction of the gophers and bears, which will be fleshed out further in other members' stories.
I really enjoyed the scene where the two of them were speeding on the motorcycle—it had that cyberpunk meets road trip vibe. I hope I managed to convey that sense of boundless freedom to the readers.
There are also some new characters introduced in this story, most of whom will appear in other stories (including ?Storm Wolf?). You’ll get to see what some of these characters were like before they went bad, and who was rotten from the start. If any of the characters stood out to you (in any way), I’d love to hear your thoughts!
?Sigma Squad?Book 1, The Railroad, has its biggest twist in Abel's identity. I wonder if any readers figured it out before 74258 revealed it at the end?
The perspective of 76184 was decoded from that chip, so all the inner thoughts (like his feelings during fainting) actually belong to 74258. And in the end, 74258 decides to accept the "precious gift" and continue the journey for the both of them—seeing a world where the skies are bluer and the grass is greener.
Though I admit the title may have been a bit misleading, since The Railroad is primarily 76184’s story, a story of "those who didn’t make it." So there wasn’t much background given for 74258. But Abel’s journey isn’t over yet, and the ripples from it will stir up waves in the main series.
For example, there are three parts to "The Railroad," but what about the final part? And all the old grudges and new rivalries—who will our clever little fox end up with in the end?
I’m considering continuing Richter’s journey next, unless some of you are eager to see other short stories first.
Anyway, thanks again, everyone, and I hope you’ll continue to enjoy the stories to come!