The Hope Mission

by on February 4, 2018 at 12:01 am
Posted In: The Essential Galactic Atlas

The Hope Mission was a Western Alliance project to colonize three giant stars beyond The Wall on a direct route to The Taurus Gateway in the Alcyone system. Constantinople was already colonizing three systems further out, to act as a bridge to Alcyone, but they had no interest in the three closer stars. They were dimmer and less powerful, but they were needed if the Western Alliance was going to have a secure route to the Gateway. So the Alliance invited Alliance members to bid for the naming rights, the proceeds of which would go into the colonization program. English names were banned from the process, since they wished to diversify the system naming conventions. A consortium of Spanish and American interests won the bidding for one system, which became Espera. The New Japanese and Nigerians won the bidding for the other two stars, and so became Kibo and Ireti. Each name was based on the Spanish, Japanese or Yoruban word for Hope, a central theme that the Alliance hoped would unite the three colonies that would be so far beyond the borders of civilization. They have never been developed as heavily as many other Alliance Core Systems, but they are a safe place for any Alliance ship in need of repairs, refueling, or merely time to rest and relax.

 Comment 

Julie

by on February 3, 2018 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Character Profiles

Julie never wore sleeveless shirts when I was young. Or shorts. Even after we started playing together, I never saw her in anything less than neck to ankle coverage with my own eyes. My imagination was another matter, and it ran rampant. So I thought it was my lucky day when she gave me that real serious look and started lifting her shirt. Then I saw something my abundant imagination never prepared me for. Bruises. Burns. More I just won’t write, even here. It was enough to make me cry. She cried with me for a time, the kind of heart-rending sobs that portend the end of worlds. Then we skipped school and I helped her pack before her father got home from work. We were at her aunt’s before he found out she was gone, and her aunt may have had a few things to say when he tried to pick her up. I wanted to have words with him, too. Words and more than words. I would have killed him if she’d asked me to. I almost did anyways. But the police wanted some words with him, and so did some nice ladies from child services, and a very firm judge had some choice words of his own. Some people say we gave Julie a new life that day. They’re wrong. Julie started her own new life that day. So did I.

 Comment 

Lucas Cats

by on February 2, 2018 at 12:01 am
Posted In: The Races of Humanity

The Gangani Empire of San Lucas has seen great change in the last few decades. Humanity’s example has shown them other ways to govern, and they have begun the slow transition from an outright monarchy to a partial representative system. A student of British history would recognize the many steps they have taken, and the many more painful ones they have to make in the future. The industrial revolution that was driving through their culture continues, but the Gangani leadership is fundamentally concerned about change and is slow to adapt. That has handicapped their growth in the new space-based industries, but the Gangani Empire is still the single most powerful native polity in absolute population, economic might, and educational infrastructure. The panther-derived Gangani may not be leading San Lucas into a new space age, but they are quicker at adopting proven technologies and techniques than most onlookers would think at first glance. That will make them a powerful leader in San Lucas politics and industry for decades, and perhaps centuries to follow.

 Comment 

The Alliance Worlds

by on February 1, 2018 at 12:01 am
Posted In: The Essential Galactic Atlas

Pacifica. Paradisia. Serenity. Haven. These were the first four names we picked when it came time to colonize new Alliance worlds. Every member nation took part in their creation, and every nation voted on what name we would give the new world. Some people protested that all of the names were English, saying that the world names should reflect every language of the Alliance. But the names were chosen by popular referendums, and while there are many who speak German, French, Spanish, and many of the African languages, the simple fact is that the English, or its rather disreputable cousin American, language is the most commonly spoken tongue in the Alliance. And so every Alliance world had names like Utopia, Harmony, Unity, and Destiny until we changed the selection process in the 2200s.

 Comment 

Julie

by on January 31, 2018 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Character Profiles

Julie and me grew up together. We lived in a small town on the edge of civilization where big city folk came to vacation. But most never stayed through winter, which could start as earlier as September and end as late as May. So we knew each other. Kinda. She was okay, for a girl, when I was real young. She got a lot more interesting once I discovered that girls weren’t icky, but we didn’t hang out much. I enjoyed the parties, and she didn’t stay out late. Then one day in our first year of high school, I was plucking at my guitar, trying to nail down a new song, and I just couldn’t get it right. She walked up, grabbed the guitar out of my hands, and played the song the way it was meant to be played. With feeling. Let me be clear here. It was a new song. Absolutely new. Never played before by anyone. And she could tell what I was trying to play good enough to do it the way I meant it to be. That’s the kind of talent she is. The kind that is born once into a generation and cannot be silenced by anyone, no matter how hard they try. I didn’t know why she trusted me enough to let me see it, but I never had a chance after that. I was in love.

 Comment