San Lucas

by on November 15, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: The Essential Galactic Atlas

San Lucas was the first planet where we met an arguably alien, intelligent species. By the time I came around, we’d come to the conclusion it was normal that most worlds we lived on were a lot like Earth. San Lucas was no exception. The basic building blocks of life were there. Proteins. Plants. Insects. Reptiles. Mammals. Birds. Everything was closely related enough to that found on Earth that our earliest colonists landed and started living off the land without so much as a hitch. They picked a nice, temperate spot near the equator to live, where they could be warm and comfortable year round. It’s a bit warm for my Northern Minnesota bones, but I do have to admit that it is beautiful.

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Lucas Cats

by on November 14, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: The Essential Galactic Atlas, The Races of Humanity

The cats of San Lucas have many names. The official local name is Pantera de Lucas while scientists call them Panthera Lucas. The locals usually call them Lucas Felino or Loco Felino when they are annoyed. Or scared. They are most closely related to Earth’s Panther family of big cats that include Lions and Tigers. Bears need not apply. The primary difference is that the cats of San Lucas are smart. I’m talking human levels of intelligence, with forepaws as nimble as human hands. They were tool users when South America colonized the world, and had their own complex civilization. We didn’t know that at first. They were just big, wild cats who prowled the edges of our settlements for decades.

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Veterans Day Weekend

by on November 13, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries




We celebrated Veterans Day this week. Armistice Day in the rest of the world. We remember those who fought. We remember those who served. We remember those who signed their named on the check that could be cashed at any time, without warning. We remember our Veterans.

My great uncle Dean served in World War II. He came home and proposed to the girl he’d written letters to for years. My Uncle Ben retired from the Navy a few years ago after over twenty years in service. My Uncle Duane joined the Navy, then switched to the Army and fought in Desert Storm. My cousin John served in the Air Force. My stepmother Rose served as a Marine. My cousin Dylan is in the Navy right now. I can’t count the second or third cousins or uncles who have served in one war or another over the years.

I am surrounded by those who served. I grew up looking up to them. I grew up asking questions that I probably shouldn’t have, but they always answered them as good as they could. I never served. I have never known that world. But I have touched it, and I will ever remember those who lived it.

And as Patton once said, I will “thank God that such men lived.”

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The Essential Galactic Atlas

by on November 12, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: The Essential Galactic Atlas

One major change brought about by The War was the unification of humanity’s hyperspace runs. The Chinese controlled many of the best routes through the stars, including their lock on nearly all those that ran near the Hyades Cluster. We fought them for control of those routes for years, seeking to open their worlds to invasion at need, and to shorten our own supply lines to the Hyades Front. And our transport companies soon began taking advantage of these routes on their own, using them to reduce travel times to distant markets. The entire economic map of humanity changed because of the military advances we made against the Chinese. And that changed everything about how we lived and expanded after War’s End.

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Hello, my name is Jack

by on November 11, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

The games we play say much about our personalities. I like to play Mechs of War. Guys in big robots carrying big guns blowing up other guys in big robots. There’s a lot of story involved, but honestly, what more do you need to have fun? Sometimes I just want to blow something up. Virtually. Then there’s all those multiplayer network games where people play as wizards or soldiers and such. Some of them have amazing stories. Some of them are just excuses for people to get together and talk. Or conduct business meetings and trades. It’s amazing to see some of the virtual worlds that people have created in the networks. I like the real world myself, but then I grew up under warm skies and cool water. Sometimes I wonder if I lived in one of the last places on Earth where that’s normal. Don’t get me wrong. I like the networks. I spend a lot of time in them. I do a lot of work there. But I wonder about all the people who show up as wizards or warriors in them. Me? I show up in a white Stetson and white suit. I’m Captain Jack in whatever world you meet me in. I guess that’s what games say about me.

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