Hello again everyone. Nothing like a good old fashioned Species Contest to get Bot's creative juices flowing! Anyway, I read Xzebo's entry into the contest and laughed a little bit. I think that we are on the same brain wavelength or something. We must be related. While the Tnne-Jin are a sub-species of the Tno-Jin, the Ushkayin are a descendant of another species in the Mardka/Ushun system. So, no I didn't change the name of the planet the Ushkayin are from, this is just a little history lesson. So... STORY TIME!!! Grab a juice box, sit down (criss-cross applesauce) and enjoy. Let's start with a little background.
Zero Event is the day that the Ushkayin believed that their plight began and all time is based off of this event. It started approximately 362 Ushkayin years ago. For the sack of continuity and peoples brain functions, we will stick with Ushkayin years in this story, but you can think of it as Earth years if you wish. If you really want me to, contact me and I will convert the time to Earth years just for you. Anyway!!! Now for the actual story, if you need a new juice box please get it now and return to your square on the carpet.
Zero Event: (Mardka is the only inhabited planet in the Mardka/Ushun system at this time.) Mardkayin doctors begin to see a sharp rise in respiratory infections amongst the population. Speculation, starts as to the origin of the infection. Population of Mardka is approximately 8.5 billion.
37 YPZE (Years Past Zero Event): A group of Mardkayin scientists and doctors have discovered the cause of the respiratory infections. An airborne spore produced by various plant life on Mardka is present in every victim of the respiratory infection.
41 YPZE: The spore that caused the respiratory infection has claimed more than half the population of Mardka. Out of the remaining 4.2 billion alive, only .1% are not infected and determined to be immune. The remaining 99.9% of the population have a respirator installed. This new technology cures the infection and allows for a near normal life.
56 YPZE: Doctors and scientists have discovered that the spore which is causing the respiratory infection affects the Mardkayin physiology on the genetic level. It is also determined that the spore is weakening the immune system of all that are infected. With no real cure in sight and the true aggressive nature of the spore found, the world government begins funding any group that shows promise in faster than light travel. This is due to the recent discovery of a habitable planet in the system that scientists have named Ushun.
59 YPZE: Mass production of FTL ships begins. A huge workforce is used to produce the ships and 20 ships are online and ready for transport at the end of the year. Each trip takes 1 Mardkayin day (28.2 Earth Hours) and each ship can carry 500,000 Mardkayins. The migration takes five and a half years. Once established on Ushun the 4.2 billion Mardkayins change their species name to Ushkayin in appreciation of their new home. The 4.2 million Mardkayin (the unaffected) stay behind on Mardka to set up commerce with Ushun and to continue pursuing a cure for the spore.
109 YPZE: Trade and communication between Mardka and Ushun continue to be solid and the two planets have a good relationship. 95% of the crews on the cargo ships are Ushkayin. Mardkayins are starting to show signs of physical weakness and psychological problems (paranoia) when leaving Mardka for extended periods of time.
154 YPZE: Research by Mardkayin scientists into the spores has led to a grave discovery. The damage on the genetic level to the Ushkayin cannot be cured and is estimated to take thousands of years to recover from as the genetic disease needs to be "evolved" out of the them.
164 YPZE: Mardkayin scientists find that their own population is evolving rapidly. Their immune systems are becoming stronger at an inexplicably fast rate and new generations show more strength and agility than each previous generation. Doctors also predict that the life expectancy for each new generation doubles that of the previous generation. Unfortunately, Mardkayin and Ushkayin scientist discover that the same spore that caused the weakened immune system has somehow changed and is causing the accelerated evolution of the Mardkayins. It is determined by both planets that if Ushkayins return to Mardka it will be fatal.
270 YPZE: After only eight generations, the Mardkayin evolution has reached a pinnacle. Mardkayins are now expected to live for several millennium. They are physically totally different then the Ushkayin, whom they share a common ancestry with. They are also psychologically superior on a vast scale. Unfortunately, this has come at a great cost. Mardkayins have developed a symbiotic relationship with the plant life of Mardka and therefore cannot leave the planet without the aid of bio-engineered environmentally sealed suits. These suits only allow for a few days time before the Mardkayins start to feel nausea and paranoia.
Present day: Relations between Ushun and Mardka are as strong as ever. Ushun operates and maintains the fleet of cargo runners necessary for the survival of the Ushkayin population. The Mardkayin take care of sterilization, packaging and other logistics of the vast shipping routes. All of which is done without financial compensation of any kind.
Well, hope you enjoyed this. Please dispose of empty juice boxes in the trash receptacles.
I will be doing another post on information very soon!
Bot out.
3.7.13
2.7.13
Better Late Than Never.
So here is my entry for the 2nd Species Contest! I actually finished them a while ago but I wanted to finish the drawings to go along with the entry before I submitted anything. Anywho, Here they are!!!
(Example of a Tnnë-Jin keyboard)
Tennë-Jin’ Raka (Tnnë-Jin)
The
Tennë-Jin’ Raka or Tnnë Jin’ (same difference in meaning between People and Human)
shared their home planet Röq-Najaa with the Tnö-Jin. The two races may once have been the same species but as a result of ages and ages of caste system exclusion
and segregation, two genetically similar but different species evolved on their
home planet.
Firstly,
there were the Tnö Jin’. They evolved to be very flexible, with a commanding and
often times intimidating mental and physical presence. The Tnö were advanced in
science, government, combat and willpower. They were an honorable yet prideful
species.
Secondly there was the Tnnë-Jin, a
subservient slave race to the Tnö Jin’. The Tno, who were more powerful, believed that the Tnne were inferior versions
of themselves, simply “Tno’s gone wrong,” like they weren’t quite a sentient
race, and that they needed to be enslaved for their own protection.
Because the Tno were so much more powerful than the Tnne, the Tnne could never
really argue against the Tno’s superiority and the majority of the Tnne were naturally
conditioned to believe that their enslavement was necessary.
The Tnnë-Jin on the other hand,
evolved to have good hearing and sight plus smaller physical builds to notice
and flee from their slavers. An uprising
may someday have occurred if not for the genocide of the Tno, which the Tnne
refer to as “the Culling.”
Thousands of years ago, in a history
that was been lost to time, the Tnnë saw the complete eradication of their
masters. They don’t really understand what happened. Some people think it was the vengeance of an
angry deity, and others think that the Tno finally reached the pinnacle of
evolution and were changed or cut down by some cosmic force, hence why this
event is referred to as “the Culling.” Regardless of the truth, the only thing
that remains in the history books is that supposedly a giant metal dragon
descended from the sky and separated the two races, cutting down the Tnö Jin’
and completely ignoring the Tnnë-Jin. The entire event lasted a mere several
days, and then the beast left.
With the almost overnight
eradication of their masters, the surviving Tennë-Jin’Raka society was thrown
into anarchy and they almost went extinct themselves. Very few had any idea how
to use any form of technology, the few who did were so conditioned to never use
their master’s technology that they would have rather died anyway. Without the calming aura of the Tnö Jin’ the
slaves began fighting for food and power. Starvation was the leading cause of
death with fighting coming in a close second. This lasted for about two months
before a Tnnë-Jin female, who today is heralded as a hero, started reasoning
with all the remaining slaves until they all had come together, maybe not
unified but at least cooperated enough to survive as a species. A census was taken in the aftermath, and roughly
only 10% of the Tnnë-Jin population survived, barely several million. Këm-Yvan,
the hero of the Tnnë, was one of the few who actually knew how to operate Tno
tech. She taught others how to use technology and slowly the Tennë-Jin’Raka
began to prosper and eventually think for themselves.
Race Name: Tennë-Jin’Raka
Home Planet: Röq-Najaa
Languages: Alk-Nakesh, (the masters language) Alk-Nikaan
(the slaves language)
Avg. Lifespan: 130 years
Sleep Habits: 10 hours out
of every 35, (10 asleep, 25 awake)
Avg. Height: 7’6” (extreme
height variations common, i.e. between 6 to 9 feet)
Avg. Weight: 250 lbs.
Hair: No head hair but can sometimes have small thin
horns
Eyes: They have four eyes
where the iris can be any possible color (Shard lines of different colors
common)
Skin: Their skin is much
like humans but it is grayish in color, they are covered in light fur or fuzz
which can be any color (Pastel colors most common.)
Ears: They have 4 thin long pointy
ears
Arms: They have two arms
which, compared to humans, look elongated and thin.
Hands: They have no thumbs,
but 4 symmetrically placed strong and flexible fingers. No fingernails.
Feet: They have 4 flexible
big toes (which in truth are more like big fingers on their feet.) Two are
pointed forward and are more slender and can grab things, and two are pointed
backwards and are thicker and not so flexible and are used for balance.
Physical Description: Tall
and slender, (to the point of looking frail) there are no overweight Tnne
unless they are sick (Genetically incapable of creating stored energy as fat,
leading cause of death is malnutrition and starvation.)
They
have a prehensile tail (strong enough to grab and hang from but not dexterous
enough to do advanced actions, such as firing a gun) it can be used to pick up
or carry objects and it is also long enough to “hand” objects to the arms.
They
have one 6 chambered symmetrical heart that sits in the middle of the chest and
4 lungs, two normal sized and two small redundant lungs (1/4th the
size of their normal lungs).
They
have above average strength but look frail and slender because of the length of
their extremities.
Possible Average Attributes:
Strength: 13
Endurance: 11
Knowledge: 8
Reasoning: 10
Charisma: 10
Comeliness: 10
Dexterity: 13
Perception: 16
Heal: 8
Willpower start: 0 (no bonus)
Society: Their society was based, for a long time, on
just survival, creating a commonwealth, in which the people were united by a
compact of the people for the common good. This came to be known as the
Këm-Yvan Commonwealth, taking its name from the hero (Këm-Yvan) who created “the
Pact”, the writ of rules, regulations and laws that all citizens should follow to
survive and prosper. In recent times however the commonwealth is shifting to an
oligarchy, where a group of individuals claim authority based on wealth and
power. Though the Commonwealth of Këm-Yvan is still claimed to be in effect,
the wealthy and powerful have great influence over the affairs of state.
About 65% of the survivors from the
aftermath were female so they became the majority of the leaders. Genetically about
60% of newborns are female. So males are less common in everyday life. Families
are close-knit and very protective of each other; it is not uncommon to see one
household that has four or five generations present.
Military and Tech: Every member of society must serve in the
military for at least 1 year, during this time each person is taught and given
more insight on how to use old world Tno tech. After the one mandatory year
each person is given the option to remain in the military for however long they
want, the military is one of the best paid occupations. There are no police
functions as the military serves as the law keepers.
The technological advances in Tnnë
society came from two separate endeavors, one; to create or discover new things,
and two; to reverse engineer old Tnö Jin’ technology, so they are both advanced
and not advanced at the same time, for example they do not have wireless
telephones and only the military and wealthy have computers, but, by reverse
engineering old Tno tech they actually have achieved FTL travel. (In human eras
the Tnnë-Jin would be in the equivalent of the 50’s or 60’s.)
Physiologically, it is easier for
the Tnne to hold spherical objects (because of their hands), so Tnne equipment,
utensils and weapons are usually spherical or curved and almost always symmetrical.
For example the Tnne keyboard is slightly curved and there are 40 buttons
total, 20 buttons radiate outward for each hand with five for each finger
grouped at the cardinal directions. (north, south, etc.)
(Example of a Tnnë-Jin keyboard)
Fighting Styles: These fighting styles were
originally created by the Tno, but were learned and perfected by the slaves after
the Culling.
-
Tnö-Iatrii – This is their hand to hand combat. It employs flips and spins to
hit and grapple.
- Tnö-Chaell
(Ball and Chain) – They invented this form of fighting because their hands have
no thumbs and it is easiest for them to grasp spherical shaped objects. They
use a chain about 3 feet long with a metal ball on each end (a Chaellen) that
can be used for offense or defense.
-
Tnö-Aatiritee – This is what the military teaches, it is the combined use of
Iatrii and Chaell in fighting.
Star System: the name of their home system is Rään
and it is a binary sun system, having a blue giant and a white dwarf. There are
five planets in the system where their home-planet: Röq-Najaa is the third in
line and the only habitable one in the system; it has 3 moons, each which orbit
the planet at different angles and distances. The planet is 70% water where
most of the land is near the equator and tropical in climate. There are ice
islands near the poles. The Axis tilt is 2.1 degrees, being almost completely
perpendicular to its orbit plane. The surface gravity is .91, which is slightly
less than earth. There are 35 hours in a day and one year is 421 days. The home
galaxy for the Rään system is called the Qäe-Siriia Nebula, which lies relatively close to the Thanok galaxy.
The
Këm-Yvan Commonwealth has explored their own system and some surrounding areas
but they have only just begun to colonize other worlds. The KYC military is in
charge of the deep space exploration program and because of population and land
issues (current population on Roq-Najaa is 15 billion) they are very interested
in exploring and claiming new areas for themselves.
Below are two pictures of different Tnne-Jin, the first is Commander Cha-Abakk Geij who is sporting a basic military space faring uniform and wielding a classic Chaellen, and the second is Colonel Roq-Jako who is wearing the flexible yet durable Special Forces Armor, and wielding light rapid fire arm cannons on both forearms and holding a custom made SMG sidearm.
Hope you guys like them!
Xzebo out.
30.6.13
Behold the Fro-migites!
So, here is my MOAG Creature Creation 2.0. The Species name is "Fro-migite" and they originate from the planet Aifropik. Their culture fairly closely resemble the African Termites that once resided on Earth. Their homes are giant mounds the size of skyscrapers and are located all over the planet.
Inside the mounds there live a king and queen with their family and other royal families who run the entire city/hive.
They are a very caste based society with the hive comprising mostly of workers. Then a medium portion being military. And a very small portion being the royal families.
The only way to distinguish the different classes are the size of their Afro Hairdos. The workers have relatively small Afros which many times they call "bob-fros". The military class has a very rigid hairstyle that they call "flat-top-fro" or "jar-head-fro." And lastly the royal families have extremely large hairstyles that they call "mega-fros" of which the king and queen have the largest.
OK, OK, OK... for those of you who have played... well... pretty much any MOAG know that these are not a real creature creation but are just an impostor copycat of my previous creation, the Ormigites, who were in the last Creature Creation Contest and you can see their submission here.
The Fro-migites came about by Phantom teasing me by acting like a sore loser because the Ormigites won last time and then she said that because they won last time maybe they could win again this contest. We then built off that silliness and said I should submit them again just with something silly and different, like a mustache... or an AFRO! So I re-drew one with an afro and a mustache and that is how the Fro-migites came to pass.
Haha, sorry for the irreverent nature of this post when everyone else will be post REAL creatures but I hope you like this picture, and I will be posting my REAL submission sometime soon!
-Juanito, over and out.
28.6.13
Enter the Ushkayin. Expanded version!!!
Ok! Now that the ball is rolling I have decided to make some changes to my original post, so hopefully people will still see it. I've added an image to this, a Ushkayin male head shot, but it has come out... big... really really big and I don't like it (and that sounds worse when I write it down.) Oh well!!! I'm leaving the sentence and the image and I'll try and figure out how to make the image smaller, but I don't care how the comment sounds. Anyway, the new section(s) is(are) "A Little on Ushun" and "A Little on Eshvon."
***MORE ADDED HERE!***
Race: Ushkayin
Avg Height: 5’8”
Avg Weight: 140 lbs
Avg Life Span: 55 years
Home Planet: Ushun
Home Galaxy: Coma Berenices Dwarf Spheroidical Galaxy
Home System: Mardka/Ushun System
Star: Eshvon
Planets in Solar System: Te, Shve, Mardka, Ushun, Talaryi
Habitable Planets: Mardka, Ushun (both are habited.)
Languages: Ushun, Coshcon, Mardkay, Langana
Sleep Habits: 2 hours every 27 hours
Avg Attributes
Strength: 8
Endurance: 9
Knowledge: 35
Reasoning: 15
Comeliness: 10
Charisma: 8
Dexterity: 15
Perception: 20
Heal: 7
Will Power: +3
Overview
The Ushkayin have been around for over 250,000 years. They are a peaceful race that is easily contented. The only reason they invented hyperdrive was to escape their native planet Mardka which plant life had developed spores that infected a wide variety of animal species including the Ushkayin and weakened the immune system.
The Ushkayin have a respirator installed over their mouth and nose anywhere from the age of six to nine months. It all depends on when the child gets its first respiratory infection. The skin, cartilage and some bone is removed from the nasal and oral cavity area and the base respirator is installed inside and will stay the same for the rest of the Ushkayins life. The outer respirator is changed from time to time until the person grows to maturity. The respirator is designed to take care of respiratory, communication and olfactory functions. It also has a port for the consuming of nutrients.
The Ushkayin have three pairs of eyes. Together the eyes see in visible, infrared and ultraviolet light. The information from all the eyes, the ears and the olfactory sensor in the respirator is sent to the secondary brain in the cranial cavity, which is directly behind the eyes, where it is processed. This brain is approximately the size of an average human fist. The processed information is then sent to the main brain which is amongst the other organs in the torso and is surrounded by cartilage to prevent injuries. The Ushkayin also have only one lung and a stomach that is actually a gastric mill (gizzard.)
A Little on Ushun (New Section!)
Ushun is on the inter limit of Eshvons habitable zone which makes it very arid and hot. There are several great seas on the planet, but these only account for approximately 20% of the surface area.
Ushun's axial tilt is 14.8 degrees and it's average surface temperature is 43.4 degrees Celsius (110.12 degrees Fahrenheit.) All Ushkayin settlements are located above what would be considered the 60th Parallel North and below the 60th Parallel South. This is also where 80% of the surface water of the planet is located.
Ushun rotates once every 27.1 Earth hours and orbits Eshvon every 4.4 Earth years. This makes every Ushun year 1422.29 days long.
Ushun is 1.78 times the size of Earth.
A Little on Eshvon (New Section)
Eshvon is considered a Blue Giant. It is 2.02 times the radius of Sol, 20.03 times the luminosity and 2.1 times the mass. For those science geeks out there (Shadowwire, I'm looking in your direction) it is a Spectral type A. (I did all the calculations in Universe Sandbox... hopefully it's accurate.)
Still more info to come! Physiology, society and technology!
Bot out.
P.S. If you haven't read Trudi's story, you should. It's really good. :)
***MORE ADDED HERE!***
Race: Ushkayin
Avg Height: 5’8”
Avg Weight: 140 lbs
Avg Life Span: 55 years
Home Planet: Ushun
Home Galaxy: Coma Berenices Dwarf Spheroidical Galaxy
Home System: Mardka/Ushun System
Star: Eshvon
Planets in Solar System: Te, Shve, Mardka, Ushun, Talaryi
Habitable Planets: Mardka, Ushun (both are habited.)
Languages: Ushun, Coshcon, Mardkay, Langana
Sleep Habits: 2 hours every 27 hours
Avg Attributes
Strength: 8
Endurance: 9
Knowledge: 35
Reasoning: 15
Comeliness: 10
Charisma: 8
Dexterity: 15
Perception: 20
Heal: 7
Will Power: +3
Overview
The Ushkayin have been around for over 250,000 years. They are a peaceful race that is easily contented. The only reason they invented hyperdrive was to escape their native planet Mardka which plant life had developed spores that infected a wide variety of animal species including the Ushkayin and weakened the immune system.
The Ushkayin have a respirator installed over their mouth and nose anywhere from the age of six to nine months. It all depends on when the child gets its first respiratory infection. The skin, cartilage and some bone is removed from the nasal and oral cavity area and the base respirator is installed inside and will stay the same for the rest of the Ushkayins life. The outer respirator is changed from time to time until the person grows to maturity. The respirator is designed to take care of respiratory, communication and olfactory functions. It also has a port for the consuming of nutrients.
The Ushkayin have three pairs of eyes. Together the eyes see in visible, infrared and ultraviolet light. The information from all the eyes, the ears and the olfactory sensor in the respirator is sent to the secondary brain in the cranial cavity, which is directly behind the eyes, where it is processed. This brain is approximately the size of an average human fist. The processed information is then sent to the main brain which is amongst the other organs in the torso and is surrounded by cartilage to prevent injuries. The Ushkayin also have only one lung and a stomach that is actually a gastric mill (gizzard.)
A Little on Ushun (New Section!)
Ushun is on the inter limit of Eshvons habitable zone which makes it very arid and hot. There are several great seas on the planet, but these only account for approximately 20% of the surface area.
Ushun's axial tilt is 14.8 degrees and it's average surface temperature is 43.4 degrees Celsius (110.12 degrees Fahrenheit.) All Ushkayin settlements are located above what would be considered the 60th Parallel North and below the 60th Parallel South. This is also where 80% of the surface water of the planet is located.
Ushun rotates once every 27.1 Earth hours and orbits Eshvon every 4.4 Earth years. This makes every Ushun year 1422.29 days long.
Ushun is 1.78 times the size of Earth.
A Little on Eshvon (New Section)
Eshvon is considered a Blue Giant. It is 2.02 times the radius of Sol, 20.03 times the luminosity and 2.1 times the mass. For those science geeks out there (Shadowwire, I'm looking in your direction) it is a Spectral type A. (I did all the calculations in Universe Sandbox... hopefully it's accurate.)
Still more info to come! Physiology, society and technology!
Bot out.
P.S. If you haven't read Trudi's story, you should. It's really good. :)
18.6.13
A decree from Omicron Persei 8 !
The time has come for another contest! This time its a Sapient race contest. Don't know what that means? Google it.
The guidelines are as follows.
Basic list: Race Name; Average Height; Average Weight; Average Life span; Home Planet; Languages Spoken; Sleeping Habits; and perhaps Willpower Bonus (can be negative). Approximate Attributes would be nice, but remember can make or break a species chances of winning. Attribute Rolls are not necessary; they will need to be calculated at time of induction.
If you have more, please put it in the following format:
Overview- Contains a quick description of the species.
Physiology- Contains information on the science of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of the particular species in good health, their organs, and the cells of which they are composed.
Society- Contains information on; the economic, social and industrial infrastructure of the species, as well as cultural information.
Military and Technology- Contains information on the level of technology used by the species both in real world, and military functions. Notable advancements are listed here, as well as medical advancements and the species level of space travel.
Native Star System- Contains strictly information regarding the space surrounding the species home planet including, Sun, Moons Other Planets and physical information such as, but not limited to; Axis tilt of home planet, surface gravity, length of year/day, and location in and name of home galaxy.
Now, all this information is not a requirement, but just a guideline to get you started. Also a cool picture would be good, but again, not a necessity.
The winning Species will be used in an upcoming campaign, and the winner praised on the blog, and possibly something else cool... who knows...
So what are you waiting for?
28.5.13
Some skurtches.
I needed a picture of someone looking really surprised for something on my blog and I decided to use Selidor. Thought I might post the sketches on here.
5.4.13
Greetings from the world of Respan
Hello, friends!
Long time, no see!
I have been bogged deep within the land of Academia for way too long. I haven't been able to play, but the MOAG 'verse has never been far from my mind. It has been the subject of several assignments in different classes over the years (which I've always received A's on, thanks to MOAG), and I just completed a creative writing assignment using a MOAG campaign. I'm not sure how many of you remember my Aeltar character Cetali Anora, but this story is about her first campaign. I had to use creative license in a few areas, and I created a new human to take Quar's place, simply because I couldn't remember much about him, but I think you'll like Maxfield Adams; I do.
So, without any further delay, I give you:
A Respan Rebellion
Long time, no see!
I have been bogged deep within the land of Academia for way too long. I haven't been able to play, but the MOAG 'verse has never been far from my mind. It has been the subject of several assignments in different classes over the years (which I've always received A's on, thanks to MOAG), and I just completed a creative writing assignment using a MOAG campaign. I'm not sure how many of you remember my Aeltar character Cetali Anora, but this story is about her first campaign. I had to use creative license in a few areas, and I created a new human to take Quar's place, simply because I couldn't remember much about him, but I think you'll like Maxfield Adams; I do.
So, without any further delay, I give you:
A Respan Rebellion
Cetali
I
threw myself onto the bed after a long day of forced solitude and stared numbly
around at my depressing room. There was
nothing of me in the room besides my gear; nothing to say “home,” or “comfort.” I hadn't been allowed time to grab any personal
items when I was assigned this mission. Glancing at the time, I realized I’d
lost track of it. I needed to send the latest report. I've reported on 357
different individuals while I've been here; of a variety of different species.
But I've been at this game too long—I’m reaching the end of my rope. It was
only supposed to be for six months.
I
pushed the Send Transmission button
on my com unit with a sigh. Was anyone from Central Command even receiving my
transmissions anymore?
For this mission, I was dropped by
space pod on Respan, a terrestrial, silicate planet similar to both my home
planet of Dorthalian and the human’s Earth. At first, everything went smoothly.
Each report I sent was acknowledged, with an electronic “Central Command thanks you for your report.”
At
the four month mark, that changed.
The electronic thanks no longer pings in reply when I send a report. I've had no
further communications from General Barradock, or anyone from Central Command.
At the end of the six months, I returned to the site where the space pod had
originally dropped me off. But no pod returned to retrieve me. All I could do
was continue with my pointless mission, and hope someone would remember to
bring me home.
Craving
the comfort of “home,” I reached for the tiny locket I always keep close to my
heart, the locket with the hologram of my parents. They died in the Nano-virus
epidemic that swept my home planet of Dorthalion when I was fifteen. It’s been
over twenty years now, but my heart still aches when I think of them.
Speaking
of abandonment, I’m so frustrated with this mission, I could scream. It’s a joke!
Observe and Report, he said. You’re so qualified, he said. It’ll only last six months, he said. “Observe
and Report” was the most specific instruction I was given when General
Barradock dropped me on Respan over a year ago. The rest of his instructions
weren’t so clear: “Find those that are lost.”
WHAT?!
How vague could he be? Who are these ‘lost’ people? Who lost them? How do I know who to observe? What
am I supposed to do if I find them? How would I even know if I had found them? The lack of information was
unbelievable! When I tried to ease my concerns by asking questions, all
Barradock would say was that for six months, I was to observe all the individuals
around me, spend two to three days shadowing each one, and send reports containing
all the information I’d gleaned. Here’s the kicker. I’m to keep my distance
from those I’m observing; so, essentially, I can’t let them know I’m even here.
No contact. That’s been the hardest
part. Ever since my parents died, I’ve tried to fill the void by surrounding
myself with people. I heartily dislike being alone.
The
only redeeming part of this mission is that observing these random subjects satisfies
my over-whelming sense of curiosity. I just have to keep it under control and
resist the urge to get involved. Still, this mission is a waste of my talent.
Last
I knew, I was considered one of Central Command’s highest skilled operatives. I
broke records by receiving the highest marks possible on my last physical skills
test; my tactics, tracking, and stealth scores were off the charts. I’m not
just a pretty face—I can use both a sword and throwing knives expertly. I can
shoot weapons with both laser and ballistic ammo. I can pilot any air or space
craft, and repair any electrical or mechanical malfunction. Then there’s my Will
Power. The arsenal in that bag of
tricks are: I can sense others before I can see them, I can create illusions,
so people see what I want them to see, I can move objects—all of which come in
handy while observing, but my physical skills are getting rusty.
Maxfield
I‘d
felt eyes watching me for a fair bit, now, but I hadn’t been able to catch my
observer. Max, old man, I thought, either you’re getting sloppy, or someone out
there is better than you at your own game. I scoffed at that. Game on, friend. No-one’s better at sneaking than Maxfield Adams.
It took me longer to catch sight of
her than it normally did once I’d put my mind to it. She’s good, I thought with respect. It’s not an easy task to out-sneak a sneaker. Now that I’d located
her, I took a moment to assess my observer. She resembled a Cylonquin, with
their human-like build, Elvin features and long pointy ears, but she was
tall—easily over six feet, where Cylonquins usually averaged around four. She
had long, light-colored hair, lighter than those Swedes back on Earth, and her
skin was a light olive with a flush of rose on cheeks and lips, and her eyes…Get a grip, Maxfield! I wasn’t prepared
for what a pair of ocean blue eyes could do to me, let alone a body with curves
in all the right places. She had on a
snug pair of breeches tucked into worn, knee-high boots, a tunic laced tight,
and a travel bag over one shoulder. Her muscles were lean and athletic; the way
she moved hinted at some type of military training, and the barely-there bulges
at boot-tops and wrists told me she was skilled with throwing knives. A worn
shoulder holster cradled a Mark 24 laser pistol on her side opposite the bag,
and left me no doubt that she knew how to use it well. Who is this woman, I thought, and
where in the ‘verse is she from? Maxfield,
old bean, my common sense replied, the
most important question is—why is she sneaking you?
Cetali
I've been observing the human male I've heard people call Max for two weeks now,
even though my observations are only supposed to last two to three days. Since
Central Command has apparently lost interest in me, I don’t feel as bound by
their regulations. Out of the hundreds I've observed over the past year, none
have fascinated me like he does.
With
humans, there isn't much to write about since they are a small minority on this
planet, but Max—Max is different. For starters, he’s bigger than most humans;
he stands at six feet, eleven inches tall, and I heard him tell the barkeep
that he tips the scales at “300 pounds of muscle.” He’s put that muscle to good use, though. I've seen him practicing with his double swords; those blades are transparent,
they move so fast. For such a big guy, he fairly glides from form to form; it’s
like watching a dance. I can barely restrain myself when I watch; I want to test
my sword skills against his so badly!
His
hair is dark and curly, very different from the bright colors favored by Aeltar
males back home on Dorthalion. It’s smart, really; if he’s on a spy job, it lets
him blend into the shadows easily. His jaw is square and covered by a close-cut
beard, and his skin is tanned by the Respan sun, which makes his light gray
eyes really stand out. He’s defiantly not an ugly specimen of humanity.
He
usually wears dusty trousers tucked into combat boots, a collared shirt with
the sleeves rolled up, and a worn leather jacket—like it’s his personal
uniform. When I’d first started observing, he’d been wearing a flak jacket; I
guess he’d just finished a job, because I've not seen him wear it since. He
looks like he’s had some great adventures, and would have a lot of great
stories to tell. I wish I could hear them, but I've got to stick to protocol—no
contact.
Max is never without a weapon of some sort;
either his double swords in a special scabbard on his back, or maybe an AR-15
rifle. It’s wise to have some kind of protection at all times on this planet;
the population looks civilized, but with so many different species living all mixed
in together, there’s bound to be conflict sooner or later.
Observing
him hasn't been easy today; Max started acting outside of his normal patterns.
I was having a hard time keeping tabs on his location—it was like he’d figured
out someone was watching, which is impossible. I’m sure I've remained
undetectable. I tracked him through the variegated greens of scrub oak and
cedar that choke the foothills, but I lost him again in an area pocked with
caves, their entrances partially hidden by a minefield of rocks and boulders of
various sizes.
Carefully scanning the ground for any clue to
his route, I finally found the trace I needed to get back on his trail—but before
I could move, an enormous shadow engulfed me. I froze, and then cautiously
peered around for the source of the shadow.
My
heart sank to the bottom of my boots. Two massive creatures, resembling demons
fresh out of a nightmare, had blocked the sun, standing a few hundred yards
away. In all my observations, I've never seen a species like this before. They
stood easily nine feet tall, with thick, leathery wings arching up and out from
their backs, broad, flat triangular heads with sharp teeth jutting from
powerful jaws, and burning red eyes that restlessly scanned the clearing. They
were obviously looking for a fight. I could only pray I’d escaped their notice.
No
such luck.
The
creature nearest me caught my scent; it let out a screech as it unfurled its
wings, preparing to launch itself in my direction. I struggled to get my pistol
out, but before I could, the deadly hiss of blades leaving the sheath sounded
from the mouth of one of the near-by caves.
“Time
to dance, ladies!”
Max
himself leapt to engage the creatures, sunlight glittering along the length of
the two wicked-looking swords he carried, one in each massive fist, and they
both turned their attention to him.
I
was torn. I should stay out of sight,
follow my orders. But I just couldn't leave Max to face these creatures by
himself—he was outnumbered. Besides, I’d miss all the fun!
My
decision made, I frantically searched for something else to use as a weapon; my
knives and laser pistol could just as easily hit Max as the creatures, so I
needed to use alternative methods. Reaching out with my Will Power, I created
an illusion of blindness around the creature nearest me, and then transported a
boulder into its side. Max and his blades kept the attention of the one he
faced riveted on him. Stupid things had no idea what they were in for!
After
what seemed like hours, I wiped the sweat out of my eyes, summoned every reserve
of Will Power I had, and managed to transport a boulder the size of a hover
freighter. I dropped it on my opponent, effectively crushing and killing it, just
as Max neatly sliced off the head of the other.
Leaning
on his swords to catch his breath, he studied me.
“Nasty
creatures, those Cra-ai. They’ve got brains the size of a pea, and bad
attitudes the size of Texas. Those two have been doggin’ me for a fair bit,
now. Much obliged for your help in sending them back to the pit they crawled
out from, Miss…?”
Wiping
my sweaty palms on my trousers, I reached to accept his handshake.
“Cetali
Anora. And you are?” My hand disappeared inside his.
“Call
me Max. You’re the one that’s been watchin’ me. Learn anything new?”
My
eyes widened in surprise.
“You
knew? How…?”
“It’s
my job to know. It’s how I stay alive.” He studied me a moment, as if mulling
something over, then seemed to come to a decision.
“You
interested in a new job? I could use a partner with your skills in the Arts,
and you don’t seem to have other pressing engagements. What d’ya say?”
A jumble
of thoughts raced through my head—Observe
and Report, loyalty, no contact, AWOL— but one crystal clear thought cut
through the rest. Central Command had abandoned me. I was done. Done with this
ridiculous mission, done waiting; done being alone.
“I’d
love to work with you. When do we start?”
A
smile lit up Max’s face.
“Well
done, lass! I didn't think you’d have the courage to make a change this big.
Let’s go celebrate our victory here, and the beginning of what promises to be a
very profitable partnership. And then you can tell me why you've been sneaking
me.”
“With
pleasure, Max, with pleasure.”
The End
Well, hope you enjoyed it, I sure had fun writing it! Much love to you all!
Happy belated Birthday, West! (And to you, also, Carl!)
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