Newer York, 8 Tammuz 2541 AS Singer had briefly considered staying to see all the crew processed, but several factors made her reconsider. For one, she did not want to give any impression of distrust between herself and the local authorities. For another, the point of having Alexander come over
Newer York, Botanical Gardens; then Boarding Lounge 42, Aft Docks; 7-8 Tammuz 2541 AS The time spent in the gardens had been as restorative as the museum had been disturbing. Singer was aware that it had not been anyone's intention—least of all Ellison, who had proposed the
Newer York, The Starfall Museum, 7 Tammuz 2541 AS The Starfall Museum proved to be like the administration building, a structure within the core. This was explained easily enough when Ellison, who of course knew the place well, pointed out it predated the buildout of the rings. "They started
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 also
I'm not always sure how much I should write about the process of writing this series. I love reading other authors when they write about writing, but I wrestle with how much I should do it. But, here, I'm going to do it, and show you
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 the
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 more
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 and
Things Fall Apart
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 to accompany
Things Fall Apart
Newer York, Forward Docks, 5 Tammuz 2541, mid-afternoon Singer allowed the ambassador to take her arm and guide her, like they were two long-lost friends, and tried not to let her discomfort show. Despite having her shields up, Ellison's volatile emotional mix was as readable to Singer as
Things Fall Apart
Newer York, Forward Docks, 5 Tammuz 2541, mid-afternoon They walked in silence, the Governor and the Admiral, side by side, for quite some time. They hadn't discussed it ahead of time. It just happened that they each had a lot to think about, even from so brief a
Things Fall Apart
It was great when it all began...
Things Fall Apart
This past weekend was CONvergence 2025. Conventions are often a fertile source for ideas and inspiration, but fairly useless for actually getting anything written, so, no new chapter today. There will, however, be some bonus content later today! Stay tuned!
Things Fall Apart
Newer York, Boarding lounge 23, 5 Tammuz 2541, mid-afternoon The trio from Zephyr each grabbed their duffel bags, and made their way through the airlocks to a lift. They were now unquestionably under the influence of the city's spin gravity, which meant the baggage was hardly a burden.
Things Fall Apart
Pinnace Zephyr-1, 101 kiloseconds away from Zephyr. When Singer had been to David's Star before, it had been a port call by Vespa. She had been a midshipman, and had little access to high-detail imaging of their approach. Shore leave to New Anaheim had involved the passenger section
Things Fall Apart
Zephyr, in far orbit of David's Star, 1.64 megaseconds out from Gliese-581 After Traffic Control sent them a bare acknowledgment and informed them the Admiral Himself would be with them after he conferred with the Governor General and the Tau Ceti Treaty ambassador, Zephyr was left cooling
Things Fall Apart
Zephyr, surfacing at David's Star Singer had, as promised, gotten the sleep she needed. If anyone thought the sudden alteration to the shift rotation odd, no one said so. That said, all the usual rotation was set aside as the countdown to emergence dwindled. Singer, Alexander, Cadotte, Cordé,
Things Fall Apart
Zephyr, en route to David's Star Sixteen megaseconds of catastrophic events had hardly ever deprived Singer of sleep. Most of the time, she was simply too exhausted at the end of her cycle to do anything but sleep. She did all her thinking, and over-thinking, on duty. She
Things Fall Apart
Aboard Zephyr They were in the briefing room, the whole command staff. It was the first time they'd really used it. Somehow, most of what they'd done so far had been done out on the bridge, or in the CO or XO's office. Alexander
Things Fall Apart
Sorry, folks! I had a busy weekend and did not get a chance to write the next chapter. I did have an inspiration for something that's gonna happen later, though...
