There was a little promise DuQuesne and Wu made to Orphan earlier... ------ Chapter 25. Ariane rose slowly to her feet, favoring her side. "Okay, I think I know when I'm beaten," she said, bowing to her opponent, Orphan. Wu Kung had been expecting her to yield earlier. But she's a real fighter, he thought with admiration. Won't give up even in a play fight without showing what she's got in guts. Orphan leaned back on his tail with a buzzing chuckle. "Oh, now that I [ Continue reading... ]
Spheres of Influence: Chapter 21
July 29, 2013 By 17 Comments
They'd finished the meeting, but there were still a few points left untouched... ----- Chapter 21. "I'll want to talk to you later, Wu," DuQuesne said as they got up to leave. "But first I have to talk with the Captain. Privately, if she will." Wu looked to Ariane, who nodded. "Stay in the Embassy, Wu Kung," she said, warningly. "I already promised… " Wu Kung began, then, seeing her start to straighten, quickly said, "I mean, yes, Captain!" Once the room [ Continue reading... ]
Spheres of Influence: Chapter 19
July 24, 2013 By 13 Comments
And it was DuQuesne who'd left Wu alone, wasn't it? Where was *he* when all this went south? ------ Chapter 19. One Sky Gate located,DuQuesne thought in satisfaction. And if we didn't just get lucky at the opening gun, we might have quite a few Sky Gates leading to a bunch of places. It was true that there was some danger inherent in that, but overall it was probably a good thing; more options, more possible places to explore. As long as one of them doesn't lead to the Molothos homeworld [ Continue reading... ]
Spheres of Influence: Chapter 18
July 22, 2013 By 23 Comments
Well, we'd heard that Sun Wu Kung had got himself in trouble (is anyone surprised? Bueller? Beulller?); let's see how, and what kind of trouble it is... ----- Chapter 18. "Go enjoy yourself for a little bit, Wu. I'm heading back to the Embassy to give Ariane the good news." Part of him wanted to protest that he should probably go back, but… finally on my own in the Arena! So many things to see! So many things to do! "All right, DuQuesne! I am sure she'll be so excited to hear Simon's [ Continue reading... ]
Spheres of Influence: Chapter 16
July 17, 2013 By 5 Comments
Time to be out and about a bit... ----- Chapter 16. "Are you sure this is okay, DuQuesne? I mean, I really really want to go with you, but you want me to guard Ariane, and—" "Relax, Wu," DuQuesne said, smiling. Already talking a mile a minute. "We all agreed you needed to be able to get out and about." "Quite so," agreed Simon absently, as they made their way along the broad corridor towards the elevator to the Outer Gateway. Low, flat tracks of shaped superconductor now lay [ Continue reading... ]
Spheres of Influence: Chapter 12
July 8, 2013 By 7 Comments
So, our expected... guests... from Earth system had arrived... ----- Chapter 12. DuQuesne grinned as he saw the three figures crowding together – just as he, Ariane, and Simon had the first time they'd stepped through to Transition. Nothing really prepares you for that. Not when it's real. Oh, sure, simgames have stuff just as impressive in its own way, but you always know in the back of your head it's just a game. Somehow I even knew, in the end, about Hyperion. But this is no [ Continue reading... ]
Spheres of Influence: Chapter 6
June 24, 2013 By 2 Comments
Well, Our Heroes had arrived back in the Arena; it was time to head to the Embassy and meet up with the rest of the group... ----- Chapter 6. That's Wu, DuQuesne thought with a fond smile, even as he and the other three followed the impulsive Monkey King through. Even when he's on-duty, he's still a kid in so many ways. As they arrived, he heard Wu give an exclamation that meant roughly "wonderful!" . In a single flurry of motion Wu Kung streaked up the Gateway, reached the very crest of [ Continue reading... ]
Spheres of Influence: Chapter 5
June 21, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Well, they now knew they had another urgent reason to go back... so it's back to the Arena! ----- Chapter 5. "Final countdown to Transition," Ariane Austin said,and Wu finally felt a tingle of anticipation. To a new world… The hours spent preparing the ship for departure had been… a combination of depressing and confusing. He knew he couldn't help with any of the preparations – this was not like any ship he had ever been aboard before – and he hated having to sit still, let everyone [ Continue reading... ]
Spheres of Influence: Chapter 4
June 19, 2013 By 3 Comments
We continue, with our friends having made a worrisome discovery... ----- Chapter 4. Ariane looked at the mixture of anger, sorrow, and pain on DuQuesne's face, and the horror on that of the Hyperion Monkey King, and instantly understood. "Oh, my god," she murmured. "She was one of the five, wasn't she?" "Yeah," DuQuesne said slowly. "One of us. One of the best of us, in the beginning." "Five?" Simon echoed. She glanced at DuQuesne; he said nothing, but [ Continue reading... ]
Spheres of Influence: Chapter 3
June 17, 2013 By 7 Comments
Let's take a look at our third regular point of view... ----- Chapter 3. Simon jolted awake from the doze he'd been in, the restraints on Holy Grail's copilot seat keeping him from catapulting through the air. What… "We have a detection, Simon," his AISage Mio said, her projection materializing nearby. "Displaying now." Simon didn't question her assertion, but for his own peace of mind – or lack thereof – he checked the readings himself. The results did not comfort him. No [ Continue reading... ]
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