Happy Easter

by on April 17, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

Some of you spent the weekend enjoying time with family. Some of you went to church. Some of you celebrated that Christ was reborn.

Some of you made fun of those who celebrate Easter for its religious significance. Some of you simply ignored the religious aspects of the holiday in favor of cute bunnies and eggs. A search on google for images related to Easter is an example of that. This was the only non-Egg or non-Bunny image I could find on the first few pages. Just this suggesting that there might be some other meaning to the holiday.

So what is the holiday? Well, for starters it is a Holy Day. Yes, that is the origin of the term holiday. Much like Christmas was once said as Christ Mass. But Easter in many ways is closer to its original form than many other Christian Holidays. It was a celebration of new life and fertility before Christianity was a going concern, and that is where the egg symbol comes from. The egg-toting bunny is a purely Christian addition, and bringing eggs and presents to the good little children much like Santa Claus.

But all of that history comes down into one thought. What is the meaning of Easter? Is it a time to get together with family? An excuse to get a day off work? A chance to mock those who celebrate Easter? For most of us in America, it is the time to remember that God sent his only son to die for us. To shield us from death. To give us new life.

And that is the reason for the cross. God could have remained aloof from us, speaking to priests in a temple and never showing his face. But he came to Earth as a man and grew up as the son of a man and a woman. A carpenter who built things with his hands. He brought a face to God, and he became one of us. He walked in our footsteps and then he died in them. And then he rose once more so that we would know the truth of his words. To be good to one another.

We celebrate the love of a God who cared so much for us that he was willing to sacrifice a part of Himself to give all of us new life and new meaning. That is why me and mine celebrate Easter.

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Christian

by on April 16, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Art, Character Profiles

Many people do not know that I stepped down from leading the Cowboys after The War. I moved to Wolfenheim and started a new life. I still fly with the Cowboys, but Christian Mack became the new Major, the new Cowboy One. He commanded the Cowboys far longer than I, and it is thanks to him that the Cowboys remained a viable force after War’s End. He held us together with newsletters and reunions and commissioned the construction of Cowboy Countries on every major world. He took a weapon built to drive the Shang out of this sector of the galaxy and turned it into the Cowboys we know today. Part veteran’s group, part private security, transport organization, bounty hunter guild, and a dozen and more other occupations. He accommodated almost anything our people wanted to do, and made it all part of the official Cowboy mission. He was not content with the Cowboys being famous for helping to win The War. He wanted everyone to think of the Cowboys as helping to keep The Peace that followed. He succeeded beyond my wildest imaginations.

High res version available for free on Patreon

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Rio

by on April 15, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Art, Character Profiles

Rio never has answered my questions as to why she chose Christian’s personal assistant as her new body. She just gives that mysterious smile the old Rio was famous for. Rio was one of the best AIs I’d ever seen, close enough to human that most of us fanboys didn’t see the limitations. The new Rio is similar to that Rio of old, complete with the mischievous glances as she does something new. She has the stage presence down perfect, and can make anyone feel like they are inside one of Christian and Rio’s old Pre-War adventures with one look. But the new Rio is far more than the old Rio ever was. She’s like bright colors compared to a pale imitation. But in Rio’s case, the imitation came first, and then we got to see the real thing. She’s alive now, in every way that matters, and that makes her far more amazing than the old Rio ever was.

High res version available for free on Patreon

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A Primer on the Races of Humanity – Peloran

by on April 14, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: The Races of Humanity

The Peloran scout service is more closely related with the border patrol than they are with the various battle fleets. They live on even smaller ships than the border patrol, and they spend most of their lives skulking around in hyperspace clouds, stray asteroid fields, or anything else that can hide them from detection. They are the unparalleled watchers of everything that happens in Peloran space, and they have become very good at finding anything that anyone does not wish to be found. Most scouts are nearly as nonviolent as their planetbound brethren, but the other Peloran consider them to be the most disreputable members of their entire race. Those Earthborn humans who’ve met them say that the scouts are more “human” than any other Peloran they’ve met. Whether that is a compliment or not is certainly colored by your point of view.

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Christian

by on April 13, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Art, Character Profiles

Christian Mack was a famous actor back before The War. But few people realize he was a Master Gunnery Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps before Contact. He organized many of the “disagreements” over who owned what colony during that time. Reports say that he was a vigorous debater who liked to speak with his rifle and enjoyed bringing the filibuster to the other side. I can attest to that. He came home after Contact and only then became the actor an entire new generation of people grew up with. He was a century outside the service when The War came and he volunteered to serve again. The brass considered him more Actor than Marine and sent him to join the Cowboys. Thank God they did that. He was always a valuable man to have on my wing, and I trusted my life to him more times than I would have believed possible. You may wonder after reading this why he did not step up to lead the Cowboys when Major Johanson died. The answer is that he was still a sergeant at heart. So he called me and asked what my orders were. Then he gave me a suggestion like any good sergeant does for his wet-behind-the ears officer and waited for me to come to grips with my new command.

High rez version available for free on Patreon

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