The Storm Wolf: Tranquil waters - chapter 5 - Roses and Violets 5.1
Roses and Violets: Blood is red, the sky is purple. "Did you exchange contact information?" Qana spread butter on his pancakes, then drizzled honey on top. "Yeah." I tossed a handful of blueberries into my mouth, mumbling through the fruit, feeling...
The Storm Wolf: Tranquil waters - chapter 4 - Lyre and Sand 4.1
Lyre and Sand: "'Build the empire with wheat, not sand.' It's said that I dance amidst the flames, playing the lyre and singing." After meeting with Qana yesterday, we practiced with longswords until late into the night, which might have exhausted me...
The Storm Wolf: Tranquil waters - Harmony
Harmony: Life always finds unexpected harmony in unexpected places. The asteroid belt was not suitable for operations of a super-large vessel like the Empire’s Heart, but I didn't want the carrier fleet to stray too far from their mothership, so I...
The Storm Wolf: Tranquil waters - chapter 3 - Bread and Circuses 3.5
At the other end of the corridor, Qana and Willow walked side by side, a white and a brown dire wolf chatting about something. Qana's usual dark cloak moved slightly with his steps, occasionally revealing the metallic hilt of his sword, reflecting...
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...