《The Juggernaut》Twenty
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Making the Rhino space-worthy again was the easy part.
Once Malachi had isolated the problem, he set to work sourcing the components which needed replacing and fabricating anything he couldn’t find. When all else failed, he would even stoop so low as to improvise.
Malachi hated improvising. Machines were built to a plan and to strict specifications. They obeyed strict rules. They worked in a particular way – the right way – and it was wrong to ignore the original design and take it upon himself to make them work in some other way.
He could do it, but he hated it. He felt he was disrespecting the original engineering.
Of course, life on the Juggernaut rarely involved the luxury of having everything he needed, whether that was something as mundanely essential as a water-reclamation system, or an energy distributor for a shuttle that was already thirty years out of date when they bought it.
But necessity, as they say, is the mother of invention, or in this case improvisation. So, Malachi put his personal feelings aside and set to work.
Once the Rhino had been repaired, he set about overcoming the next obstacle. How could they leave the system without a jump drive, or the money to pay the surrogate fees?
They had few options available to them, and not enough money.
The criminal option was of course the cheapest option. Hijacking a ship in transit through the Celato system was out of the question. None of them had the experience or resources necessary for an operation like that, and of course, none of them had the will or inclination to perform such a blatantly criminal act.
Malachi was already nervous about the journey, and no matter how much he claimed to be excited by the opportunity, he knew the risks were real.
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They could attempt to jump-jack a departing ship, but that was also illegal and they would be reported for their crimes as soon as they reached their destination. They wouldn’t get close to the atmosphere of Parador if they did that.
They could try slipstreaming another ship as it entered the portal. The penalties for this were less severe, but there would still be consequences. The change in mass at the last minute would upset the calculations. To keep the equation balanced a random factor would be introduced and that meant on arrival either their destination, velocity or vector would be unknown.
If they were very unlucky, all three would be randomised. The results wouldn’t kill them, but there was no guarantee they wouldn’t end up heading away from Parador so fast it would take them a week to turn around.
Malachi was no pirate, he had no stolen ID codes, and he had no intention of risking an approximate calculation.
Their only real option was the legal one. They would have to buy passage from a surrogate travelling to Jenova. This option had the welcome upside that no one would shoot them. The downside was that to buy their way out they would need money.
A lot of money.
And unfortunately for Malachi, he knew only one place on the Juggernaut where he could get some.
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The Oresteia (Modernized)
All three of the great Greek Tragedians have written plays about the bloody chain of murder and revenge within the royal family of Argos. Yet theirs is in fact not a story of tragedy, but rather one of redemption. As they move from darkness to light, from rage to self-governance, from primitive ritual to civilized institution, their spirit of struggle and regeneration becomes an everlasting song of celebration to be heard throughout the ages. Forming a discourse set against the emergence of Athenian democracy out of a period of chaos and destruction, the Orestian plays are compelling stories of the tensions between our obligations to our families and the laws that bind us together as a society. In the beginning, we witness how a king’s decision to sacrifice his daughter and turn the tide of war inflicts lasting damage on his family, culminating in a terrible act of retribution. In the aftermath of regicide, we behold how a son must set out to avenge his father’s death by committing a most egregious sin. In the end, the sinner is tormented by supernatural powers that can never be appeased, but ultimately finds redemption and ends the curse on his house once and for all. Woven through all of this is the story of a friendship so close that it elevates itself to brotherhood - Where the blood of the covenant is shown to be indeed thicker than the water of the womb. In this very brief twelve-chapter modern rendition of the Orestian plays, I have chosen to place my focus mainly on the lives of the characters Orestes and his best friend Pylades. The chapters, each around 2000-2500 words, are split up evenly between them in first-person narrative. I hope that you will come to enjoy reading this heartwarming story, but more importantly, that you see how the conflicts portrayed in the story, whether human or institutional, are still much very relevant to our societies today. Note on Sources: The details of this story is very loosely based on The Oresteia by Aeschylus. And I mean very loosely. Other sources that I referenced for detail and inspiration are Mythology by Edith Hamilton, Electra by Sophocles, and Iphigenia in Tauris by Euripides. You may also find that I have quoted some of these works, and others (such as Shelley's Ozymondaeus), without citations (average of 1-2 such quotes per chapter). I did this because I do not have the ability to describe certain scenes nearly as well as some of those writers. If you read a particularly beautiful piece of prose here, chances are it's probably stolen lol. Also, I wrote this during the summer between my high school senior year and my college freshmen year. It was the summer of 2020, and being quarantined apparently gets my creative side out lol.
8 191The Goddess’ Chosen
Destiny is a strange force indeed. One simple act can create a ripple, one simple change can cause a cataclysm. One act outside of the individual would be enough to alter one's life no matter how insignificant that life may be. This is the adventures of Allisa Reed, a young girl from our world who found the legendary sword Excalibur and taken to the magical world of Avalon. On the other side of the portal with her friends by her side, Allisa is forced into a conflict she is not prepared for, ordained as the Goddess Chosen to bring about one of two possible outcomes; Salvation or destruction. ------------------------------------ Author's notes: This is more or less the first draft of this story. Currently working on a second draft. Spelling and grammar is definitely my biggest weakness, particularly in my earlier stuff. I've done some editing and hopefully have ironed out most of these mistakes in my older chapters though I'm fairly certain there are some mistakes still left. This story is ongoing. Updates are slow as I publish when a chapter is ready. Expect long chapters for most of it. Just sort of my style. Only available on Royal road.com
8 137Shadow under Plato
King’s College has a reputation. To Leo, the sharp but cynical rebel, it is a place where the people he cares about are sentenced to a fate worse than death—to live the rest of their days on the surface of a dying Earth. To Morgan, the bright and strict overachiever, it is a vault in which she may find her dreams. And for the brightest six students of King’s College, even greater opportunities reside in the legendary Class Euripides; a class which she will fight for a seat at with all her wits and will. And to Lumia, the newly Ascended girl whose smile never fades, King’s College is a terrifying puzzle just like everything else in the floating city of Plato, the last bastion of humanity. As the class of 311 commences a grueling year of study and elaborately devious tests, none of the bright-eyed students could have anticipated the weight of expectation laid upon their shoulders. After all, a student’s hopes and dreams mean little in the fight against an ever-collapsing climate. For the Educators of King’s College offer only one lesson to their future students, to the future of a dying world: Burn bright.
8 140Quest of the Seal Bearers - Book 1: The Warriors Return
On the distant world of Mendala, a rash of mysterious attacks have left many towns destroyed, and there are rumors of an army of monsters. Fantasma, leader of the global government, and his colleagues are determined to find cause of these attacks. but the search for answers points them to an ancient relic, The Book of War, a cursed artifact that can create indestructible creatures loyal to its master. It’s been over twelve thousand years since the Book of War was last opened. It was believed to be destroyed during the Great War by the Twelve Warriors and Daughter of the Sun at the cost of their lives. Now, it seems the book has resurfaced, and its new master is seeking to forever tip the balance of power. The stage is being set for another Great War but who can stop the Book of War once and for all? Meanwhile on Earth, the teen members of Greengale’s Action and Adventure Club are preparing for their yearly trip when they suddenly stumble upon a secret their parents have been keeping for years. Now their world is being turned upside down as they struggle to understand the legacy that ties their fate to Mendala and the Book of War. Is their destiny set in stone, or will they forge a different path? No matter what, their choices will bring forth a new era for Mendala. ------------------------------ If you love vast fantasy worlds, rich, fleshed-out characters, and a adventure where your'e constantly discovering new things along the way, then this is definitely a story you'll enjoy. This is a slow-burn high fantasy / adventure with many characters and intersecting plotlines. It’s a quest so lots of adventuring, exploring, and character moments, but not a ton of fighting/action (though there are definitely some great fight scenes as payoff to the buildup). Because it’s a fantasy world with lots of people and new concepts, I try to make it easy so that you don’t have to memorize anything. The narrative will constantly remind you of important people/places/concepts as you keep moving forward. Some things won’t be fully explained right at the beginning to avoid information overload. My goal is that the reader will learn things organically as the story progresses. I use two mechanisms to help with the intersecting plotlines. - Each chapter is named for the (main) plotline it’s following and which part. - At the beginning of the chapter, and anytime there is a scene shift, the location is listed. Also, though this is definitely a portal-fantasy (isekai) it’s different from the standard isekai, especially since the world transfer doesn’t happen immediately. It’s not Lit-RPG but characters gain powers and grow over time. Also, it’s a group of teens that transfer, not just one central character. All of the teens are distinct characters, with their own character-arcs, relationships, powers, growth etc. Hopefully you’ll find this interesting as you’ll see the world and story from multiple perspectives. The story is always in 3rd Person (Omniscient) POV so that it’s not jarring as perspectives shift.
8 225Who am I?! (Completed)
Everyone knows Marinette Dupain-Cheng but do they know the real her, who her real family is and where she's from? Marinette just so happens to be a Wayne, not from adoption papers alike majority of the Wayne children but by blood. What happens when Marinette is being her nice self and got her college class a trip to start the new academic year, to Gotham. What secrets is she keeping and will her family be able to uncover them in time? Started: 05/12/20 Finished: 28/06/21
8 115Agape (Xianwang)
Wei wuxian is dead. What a great news .The evil is finally eliminated by honourable cultivators.The peace will be everlasting.He's dead .That's the word which broke the heart of an individual but he still kept the hope maybe he's not dead and he searched and waited till his body couldn't contain his grief and his broken heart .A shattered soul which is lost and took thousand years to heal is finally reborn.What happened????What went wrong ? Isn't it supposed to be a Happy ending.
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