The issues involving the Quarin and their sudden absence at the time of the bandits’ arrival was a long story, a very long story indeed. It all started with a certain girl stuck on the Starport swearing calamitious vengeance upon Remian, his kin, and all who dared befriend him.
Various dread schemes were hatched, but more cautious heads in her clan than hers shut them down. Finally, for the sake of public image as well as overall gain, they settled on a plan not-so-nefarious, at least in the eyes of their peers; the ‘rescue’ of the now-sentient Wilds that were the legacy of their abandoned Familiar breeding programs long ago.
This was, of course, in addition to the already heavily burdened ‘rescue’ programs of the natives, and the valuables of Sorrel II in the face of the spreading Undead disaster. With that much more weight to haul around, the entirety of the Estuarte fleet had been tasked to bring the refugees and the goods back home.
They did of course lea
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Kingdom of the Weak 500. To the stars
500. To the starsTry 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
Kingdom of the Weak 501. Seven Years Later
“We’re going to live in space!” Benny yelled. “Yip!” Foxy jumped on her hind legs, leaning on him with both forepaws. The wolfcat cub wagged her tail so hard, it went round in full circles like a helicopter. Seven years after accepting Remian’s Scholarship, Benny Hiir had graduated from Tau’s VR Nuts and Bolts Academy Online with a Grade 1 Starship Engineering Certificate. In a world where most of his people lived their lives farming, fishing or mining, such a qualification was so rare that until yesterday, nobody on their planet had one. Benny’s batch was the first who successfully reached that lofty goal. With it, they also earned the qualifications for something even more outworldly; full residency and a job post on the Orbital Space Station ‘Sky Haven’. In the days when he first applied for the Scholarship and began to see the possibilities in his future, they asked him about his dreams and ambitions. His answer; “I want to build starships that can bring my family across the s
Kingdom of the Weak 502. The deal with Amber
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
Kingdom of the Weak 503. Leaving the world
Benny was worried. Despite the spread and the all-you-can-eat barbecue in front of him, Sam wouldn’t cheer up. He had a dark look on his face and ate very little, very slowly. Meanwhile, Foxy wolfed down lunch in a matter of ten minutes, putting away four plates of meat without taking a break, and then scurried off to the Warrens to play with her friends. Benny was left awkwardly trying in vain to start a conversation, any conversation with a moping Sam for an hour before they finally parted ways. Pensively wandering the streets of Craggy Falls in his Combat Frame, Benny looked around with a sense of melancholy as he realized it might very well be the last day he spent here. Years ago, he had arrived as a refugee with his family from Northsands, a bauxite mining town by the shore of the Black River, fleeing to Craggy Falls for safety as the Undead Risings began. Benny had been eight at the time. That was when he first met Amber and Sam, in a trailer park where refugees from various
Kingdom of the Weak 504. Sky Haven
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
Kingdom of the Weak 505. Return to Sorrel
During one breezy morning as Remian was planning some happy times with Phoebe, a shocking announcement arrived across interstellar net. “Attention, all star nations of the Indigo Star Cluster. Due to the Mitigok advance, Gate Warp functions in the following territories will be discontinued; Quarin Coalition Southernmost Territories, Draconian Dominion Tail Tip Region, Woofer Packs United, Meorin Ascendency, Tau Confederacy Eastern Stars, the Uber States, Kanonasia, and all surrounding star systems. “As per security policy, all Gates in these territories will self-destruct to prevent Mitigok Infestation and Gate Network Infiltration. The Gate Supervisory Committee will not accept enquiries, complaints or interviews at this time. “To all those in the affected regions, you have two weeks to exit before the Gates close for good. “Good luck.” Then there was silence. It was like someone hit the mute button on the entire elven world. For a minute, maybe two, it seemed not even the birds
Kingdom of the Weak 506. Changes in Sorrel II
Seven Years after he left for Elenath Edhellen, Remian returned to Sorrel II. The first thing he noticed was the blooming infrastructure in space. “We have a space station!” Remian gaped. “There’s an Orbital Shipyard right next to it, and they seem to be building a Class 4 Turtle!” Seven years! Ermine had taken huge steps forward in those seven years. Remian saw satellites, drones and shuttles flying about between the moon and the space station and couldn’t help feeling excitement. They were doing it! They were really colonizing local space and becoming a Class 4 civilization! “What’s the power source of that space station?” Remian asked. Phoebe checked the sensor readings and answered. “They’re using fusion power. Triflux.” “Seriously?!” “There’s no question. It’s not basic nuclear fusion or even plasma fusion. It’s genuine Triflux.” “Awesome!” There were a few soft beeps. “Incoming comms. It’s the space station.” “Let’s have it.” Ermine came on the viewscreen. “Well, hello
Kingdom of the Weak 507. Xiao Yan got married
When Xiao Yan appeared on screen, that scrawny girl who followed him around was gone. In her place stood a nineteen year-old supervisor with a datapad in one arm, a purple-framed visor over her eyes, wearing a stunningly well-filled white blouse and a formal dark blue skirt both threaded with silvery veins. Next to her stood Tim. He’d grown tall, and had filled out with muscles, though not as heavily as George. Also, the background looked like a comfortable living room, not an office. There was a comfortable couch, and framed pictures of both Tim and Xiao Yan… “So I hear congratulations are in order.” Remian smiled. “Well done.” “Thank you, thank you.” Xiao Yan bobbed her head. “I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Xiao Yan always did have a thing for freeing slaves, and when it comes to that, there’s nobody in this world who can compare with you.” Remian reflected. “Maybe, but even without that, we get along very well.” Tim mused. “Half the time it’s like she can read my mind, and t
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