Michael Scott Shappe

Newer York, 7 Tammuz 2541 AS With everything that had happened in the last two days, and everything still waiting to be discussed, Singer had not expected to sleep soundly. That she fell asleep quickly did not surprise her—she'd been exhausted, without doubt. That she stayed asleep

Newer York, 7 Tammuz 2541 AS The rest of dinner was not nearly so fraught with personal revelations. The fact that there were no fewer than four trained diplomats at the table, combined with the collective good will of the entire group, served to move the conversation out of what

Newer York, 6-7 Tammuz 2541 AS Wayra Cadotte was not really much for social occasions, and current events had required them to spend a lot more time around people and not doing their job than they were comfortable with. They were fairly itching for time alone that was not

This chapter is double-length. I considered breaking it up, but hey, I skipped last week, so you get one big chapter to make up for it! Newer York, en route to Briefing One; 6 Tammuz 2541 AS, midday The ride to Briefing One began much as the ride to

Newer York, Ellis Ring, TCTO Embassy; 6 Tammuz 2541 AS, morning Singer had been concerned that anxiety over the coming day might keep her from sleeping well, but exhaustion won that battle handily. It had been a long, emotionally draining day, after all, and she had not slept well on

Newer York, Ellis Ring, Embassy of the Tau Ceti Treaty Organization, 5-6 Tammuz 2541 Rachel had found Singer and Cadotte still sitting on the veranda, and looked to Singer's eye like she might simply join them on the bench and let dinner wait. Truth told, Singer was

I had not originally planned to honor my impending natal anniversary by skipping this week, but this weekend was ultimately full of other rabbit holes, and the coming week is going to have various things that eat my brain and/or time. I don't completely rule out a

Newer York, Ellis Ring, Embassy of the Tau Ceti Treaty Organization, 5 Tammuz 2541, late afternoon The briefing went even more poorly than Singer had feared. At first it hadn't been so bad. The parlor was as comfortable as the name made it sound, with well-upholstered furniture

Zephyr, in wide orbit of TRAPPIST-1, 1.9 megaseconds out from Gliese-581. Lieutenant Commander Robin Alexander was...not bored. Not quite bored. Ze understood entirely why ze was on the ship, minding the store while the captain played diplomat, and also why Singer had chosen whom she had