From the outside, the Acrobat might very well just have been a statue made of metal. There was nothing to indicate that it was anything else or could be anything else than that. But once inside the cockpit, Remian turned it on and the Acrobat seemed to come to life. Senses from sensors and the options of equipment and motion were immediately offered up to Remian. “Well… this is a surprise.” Remian blinked. The control method of the Acrobat wasn’t a panel of buttons or a wheel or stick. It was a Control Sphere. That meant Remian was somewhat suspended in mid-air in a heavily wired suit meant to relay all his movements to the Acrobat to imitate. It had taken two Wolfcat technicians some ten minutes to properly set him up (user registration and identification included) followed by another few minutes to run diagnostics before Remian braved the inevitable and vocally instructed the Acrobat to activate. “All green. Good to go!” the techs scrambled to get o

“Welcome to Sorrel II. Whether your business is trade or leisure, we have the best amenities and facilities available in the Star System! Currently our market is highly in demand of industrial goods and personal electronics. Our most popular exports are agricultural produce and mineral ores. While you’re here, do sample our local specialty beverages, especially the ever-popular Energy Tonic III, affectionately known as the ‘Medium Blue Potion’! Feel free to visit the tourism hotspot, Three Pines Ruins, but make sure to bring a guide and a proper outfit! Also please be mindful of the larger local wildlife.” In a dimly lit bridge, a dark figure tapped the armrest of the captain’s chair. “Huh. Now that’s surprising. A rural farming planet? How disappointing. It hardly seems worth our time.” “Maybe there’s more to it than farm produce, like rare metals or something.” A lieutenant suggested. “There must be a reason that Mink came here. Maybe she’s only stopping to refuel.

 500. To the stars Try as he might, they ended up having to take the Recon Frigate ‘Pines’ with them. JAD totally insisted on sending it along to scout the way ahead so the Craggy could avoid mishaps.  Without further ado before anyone could start a round of tearful farewells and delays, Remian had the ship launch!  Lance in particular was most appreciative of the lack of delays. Phoebe and Ermine, less so. Mindy and Eriane didn’t really care either way, while Gary was too absorbed in studying the electronics of an actual Tau Galleon to even notice. As for Talia, she was already familiarizing herself with the kitchen and rearranging tools, utensils and kitchenware to suit her style.  Despite the Woofers’ best efforts on the Gray Fang, Remian had to say that for a human, staying on the Tau-built Craggy was far more comfortable than the adapted Meor

When the promise of residency and a job at the OSS Sky Haven first came up, Benny’s parents had been excited and they discussed at length what they would do if he qualified. Over the years, they discussed it further and finally decided they were going to move over as a family (bringing your family along was one of the perks of the qualification), find new jobs there, and that they’d do it casually, without making a big fuss as they left. The day Benny received the notice, they’d simply continue their day as normal, come back from work to have a celebration dinner with him, and pack up to leave the next day. Apparently, Amber’s parents had different ideas about what to do if their child gained the qualification. For one thing, they seemed remarkably well-dressed. Benny, Amber, Sam and the rest were all residents of Trailer Arco. That meant that before it was built, they were living in a trailer park, refugees from outlying settlements that fled to the city for safety when the Undead s

When Benny first entered his new home, he suddenly felt quite lost. Right at the front door, inside a comfortably carpeted living room. Inside was a full-wall high resolution display showing the most popular view of Craggy Falls, with the water constantly flowing down, making it feel like the entire living room was just a balcony facing the waterfall. Cool air blew in from what appeared to be the main viewscreen and it even had a slightly moist feel. There was a moving machine vacuuming the carpet, disc-shaped and roughly a foot in diameter. But Benny didn’t hear the sound of vacuuming. What he heard was the distant sound of falling water. There were large leather sofas, deep brown and slightly wrinkly, as if they were well-worn, but they had that new-leather smell to them. They were arranged in a semi-circle, with a smooth oval table in between them. The table had strange metal fixations beneath it; Benny had a strong suspicion that it was more than just a table, or at least, would b