Ariel

by on June 29, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Art, Character Profiles

Ariel was the mind of USS Los Angeles when I first met her out at Epsilon Reticuli. She went by the name Gabrielle back then, and she was a beautiful ship. A good ship. A tough ship. Me and my Cowboys were picking who we wanted to escort into battle and I was lucky enough to choose her. We killed a lot of Shang and Chinese together, my fighters covering her against missile fire and her point defense returning the favor. I figure she saved my life more than once. And my people did it right back. It was an honor to fight with her. Then Hurst Family politics ended that partnership forever. It was wrong, and I wish I’d been able to stop it, but they had too many connections. She lost Los Angeles, they drummed her out of the Navy, and it was all my fault.

High rez version available for free on Patreon

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Olivia Wyatt

by on June 28, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Art, Character Profiles

Captain Olivia Wyatt was responsible for jumpstarting the Fleet 2300 Cruiser project. She made it work when others failed, and built the first new American heavy cruiser in decades. She was renamed Los Angeles in memory of the city destroyed by the fall of Yosemite Station, and Olivia took her out to War. She fought the Chinese and their Shang allies for years. And then the machinations and avarice of my family took everything away from her. The stories about her are wrong. She fought with honor and distinction, and entire worlds owe their survival to her and her people. She did not deserve what my family did to her. That is one reason I sought to recruit her. Another reason is that she truly was what my project needed. A professional problem solver.

High rez version available for free on Patreon

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A Primer on the Races of Humanity – Branan

by on June 27, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: The Races of Humanity

The Albion experimentation on Betelgeuse was farther along than most of their other abandoned attempts. The Albion had actually created thousands of Branan in an attempt to find some way past the basic limitations, and they’d been settled in nearby towns or farms built for them. Years went by, possibly decades if the oldest stories are to be believed, with the Branan living beneath the research station that created them and the small spaceport that linked the scientists to the stars. The Albion rarely walked amongst the Branan, and followed strict rules about what they could reveal to the Branan, but they helped the Branan when they could. They taught basic medical care, animal husbandry, and farming techniques that took us thousands of years to implement on Earth. They gave the Branan all the basics of civilization while they lived in their station, and that civilization survived when they left.

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Forge of War

by on June 26, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Diaries

 

“The Shang are painting us with sensor sweeps,” Betty reported and glanced towards one of the displays where it showed a complex diagram of colors. “We’re scattering and jamming below detection levels. But I think they’re getting suspicious.”

“Prepare to break and attack on my order,” Charles transmitted as they continued to close the range. “Use old weapons packages only. Let us keep our full capabilities to ourselves for now.”

“Roger that,” Jack returned with an approving smile.

“Approaching detection levels,” Betty reported as the sensor display began to flash. “I can’t keep them in the dark much longer.”

“Break in three,” Charles ordered.

Jack tightened his hands on the controls and ran his hands over a display.

“Two.”

A T&J song about bad guys biting the dust began to play.

“One.”

Power flowed from capacitors, flooding defensive and offensive systems with enough power to light up small cities.

“Break! Break! Break!” Charles ordered and the world exploded in time to the screaming of a steel-stringed guitar.

Deflection grids came alive and fire control systems locked onto their targets. Gravitic cannons reached out and twisted the very fabric of gravity between the Shang formation and the incoming Cowboys. Deflection grids collapsed and armor buckled as focused gravity tore the plates apart. Laser turrets pulsed into unshielded flanks, vaporizing armor and weapons alike…

 

 

Forge of War is now available in book format. Made of the skin of dead trees, tattooed with words lovingly chosen by me, and wrapped up in a piece of art created by Stephen Huda. It is a beautiful book if I say so myself. 😉

Forge of War on Amazon

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Dawn

by on June 25, 2017 at 12:01 am
Posted In: Art, Character Profiles

Some people might use the word “determined” to describe Dawn. Others might use the word “stubborn.” I would never downplay her with such paltry words. Dawn is a redheaded, green-eyed, freckled force of nature that I would never be stupid enough to try to stand in the way of. I figured that out the first time I met her, which puts me a few steps ahead of Malcolm. There’s only one major battle I can think of that she lost. She was supposed to be Normandy’s mind, but she hadn’t been designed as a ship cyber. And it was taking them too long to code the AI needed to take up the slack. That was when I showed up with a ship cyber that needed a new home. Yeah. That was my fault. She lost her ship because of me, and she’s never let me forget it. She calls me “shipthief.” I just call her “freckles.”

High rez version available for free on Patreon

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