From 2881fc95c15ca97c86a04f04ad0b6bd93e74e821 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Bill Niblock Date: Tue, 18 Jun 2024 19:21:02 -0400 Subject: [PATCH] Include draft for short story --- _drafts/WeOwnTheSky.txt | 92 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 92 insertions(+) create mode 100644 _drafts/WeOwnTheSky.txt diff --git a/_drafts/WeOwnTheSky.txt b/_drafts/WeOwnTheSky.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..0c68e77 --- /dev/null +++ b/_drafts/WeOwnTheSky.txt @@ -0,0 +1,92 @@ +We Own the Sky + +Idris is a gas giant, about twice the size of Jupiter from the Sol system, +sporting 12 moons, 8 of which are inhabited. The giant itself is home to several +significant and successful corporate air colonies; masses of metal platforms and +tubes seemingly floating on the seas of gas. One of these colonies in particular +was the cause for my visit to Idris, and was owned by Twin Suns Trading and +Fabricators. Twin Suns was primarily an interstellar trading company, before it +cornered the moon and colony specific trading around Idris, and had made a good +fortune doing so. Recently, they've reinvested much of that fortune into +fabrication, providing the smaller corp colonies with accessible parts, +prototypes, and cheaper transportation through bundled deals. Long story short, +Twin Suns has made many enemies, and many profits around Idris. I was about to +add to the list of the former. + +This job was called in specifically for the third Suns colony, gravity-locked to +the lower-left quadrant of the giant. It was their newest establishment, built +primarily with the highest spec'd parts they could fab, and outsourcing a few +parts to ensure the best tech. Suns was promoting it as their next-generation +R&D lab, focused on low-energy propellants for their trading ships. My client +isn't convinced. According to them, an unusually high number of shipments were +being received, unscheduled and unmarked, at the lab. Reports from inside +sources say the shipments contain some kind of living thing, making almost human +noises. One source swears he heard someone crying for help. That was enough to +pique my interest, but the client was also offering a good sum to investigate +these shipments, and find not only their contents, but the source. Considering +Termus, Idris' 4th moon, was reknown for their fab parts for my ship model, a +Tesserell CR22 Templar, I accepted the job and made for the system. + +After dropping off Warden, my ship, for parts, I made my way to Vermus, Idris' +third moon. Covered in bars and clubs, Vermus had my best chance of finding some +information about the Suns' new colony. I tried a few places before finding +Gemini, a not-so-clever allusion to Twin Suns, and packed with Suns employees, +old and new. After a bit of watching, and a bit of questions, and too many +drinks, I was able to get some information out of two recently retired Suns +workers. They had finished their careers on the new colony, and were let go with +generous pensions, so long as they kept what they saw to themselves. Once they +said that, they realized they were breaking that promise, but not before I got a +few other details. The colony is for R&D, they said, but not only for +propellant. One said they saw some animals being shipped onto the colony, and +the other swore he heard human crying coming from one of the wings. After they +finished talking, I made for the door, feeling my welcome was very much over. I +had gotten a few blocks away by the time the three goons from the bar made their +move. Hired muscle from the Suns is much like hired muscle from anywhere else: +big, intimidating, maybe an implant here or there. The trick with muscle, of any +variety, is to avoid letting them use it. + +"Something I can help you fine gentlemen with?", I said, trying to dress up my +voice as a bit less sober than I was. + +"We saw you talking with our boys. What you want, off-worlder? Why you snoopin' +around our bar?", the smallest of the three said. The other two, equally as +meaty, postured intimidatingly. Or tried to, at least. + +"Hey, man, I'm just drinking and seeing sights! They felt like talking, so I +listened! Nothing more to it. Now, I've got a date with this hottie I met at +Pisces, and I don't wanna miss out on that!", I replied, slurring and stumbling +a bit backward. Part bluff, part feint, I used the opportunity to activate my +stun-gun, and start charging it. To take out any of them would take a full +charge, about 15 seconds worth. Luckily, my ruse seems to have made a point. + +"We don't want to see you around our parts no more, got it?", he said, "Or me +and the boys'll have to make sure you don't come around our parts no more. Got +it?" + +I stumbled a bit more and dropped to ground, pretending to slip. My right hand +finding the grip of my stun-gun, still hidden. The two meat sacks laughed. +Three, feeling his job was complete, turned and led the trio back towards +Gemini. I stood up, and made towards the shuttle. + +=== + +Back to Termus + - reclaim ship, fly to Formus, second moon + - meeting with client for first time in person + - client is attractive woman, focus on eyes + - second run-in with Twin Suns merc force, first fight + - escape from Formus, chase through city and atmosphere, into space + +Idris Colony, Twin Suns 3 + - break into colony, find unmarked shipment, full of people + - small fight with Twins Suns security force + - third run-in with Twin Suns merc force, client gets captured + - attempted escape from colony, shot down into planet + +Captured client gets interrogated, tortured, thrown in with rest of shipment + +Client escapes colony structure, gets stuck on external loading dock +Client is forced from the dock, but it caught by Warden and Soldier +Soldier and Warden rise to dock, and lock-down the colony + +