《Emerald》Arrival
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A buzz jolts Mil out of her comfortable dreams. She blinks into the glaring overhead lights and tries in vain to get her bearings. A throbbing headache prevents her from hanging on to her thoughts. If only that horrible sound would stop!
"Milena? Are you awake?"
Her hand still numb and clumsy, she rubs her eyes and pushes a wisp of dark hair out of her face, sticky with sweat. To Mil, Dray's trademark, hoarse voice sounds almost as annoying as the cursed buzzer. And the pilot's insistence to use her given name even after all their time together lets her crew mate sink far below it on Mil's personal scale of favourites.
Dray may be one of the best shuttle pilots in the space program, but Mil wouldn't count her as a friend. Not by a long shot. Nevertheless, she is aware the two of them have to get their act together. The crowded ship doesn't offer room for animosity.
With a profound sigh, Mil eases off the safety net and sits up rubbing her hurting back. Then she reaches out to disrupt the dissonant buzzer, her frown and tight-pressed lips an expression of physical and mental pain.
"Okay then, let's establish that you are awake and shining." Dray's voice is not only hoarse now, but also derisive.
Mil's frown deepens. She finds the combination unattractive and inappropriate. Besides, it annoys her that the pilot appears to be awake and cheerful without showing traces of the usual hangover induced by the transfer sleep.
This reminds her of Carlos, who calls the relationship of the two women in the team an ongoing cat fight. Mil has no idea where the mission's engineer unearthed such an archaic expression. But she has to admit his imaginative description hits the mark.
Almost smiling, she presses her palm to the surface of a scan sensor for ten seconds. Its fast blinking slows down, and the colour changes from orange to blue while it registers her body functions. Everything is normal. She presses the button to confirm the reading and throws Dray a challenging glance. The pilot only shrugs to signal her disinterest.
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Mil grits her teeth. With her degree in biology, she is the only crew listed as trained medical personnel. As important as this role is, she doesn't cherish it. Her favourite subject is botany, always was. The only reason she volunteered for medical education was the prospect to become eligible for the space program. Now, the responsibility for the wellbeing of the small crew weighs her down. If she has to bear it, she will stick to the books and give her best to ensure her charges' continuous health. And this means she won't let the pilot skip the scan.
"Put your hand on the scanner, Dray." Her voice is sharper than usual. "I want to check if your body broke down the medication. And you're not going to leave the ship before I get a complete set of your med data. You know the regulations."
Dray follows the order, her pale lips drawn into a pout. At least she doesn't comment. Mil is sure the pilot knows she can and will follow through with her threat. Koshi, the captain, supports her decisions in medical questions without hesitation.
The blinking of the scanner slows and changes colour. Mil is satisfied. Not that she expected anything else: Dray's health seems indestructible. She confirms the scan with her med code.
"Okay, let's go check with the boys. I can't wait to find out where we landed."
"We haven't landed anywhere yet, Milena." An exaggerated sigh shows Dray's exasperation and tells Mil her colleague's patience is wearing thin. "We only dropped out of transfer, hopefully at our final destination. Do you ever listen to what the rest of us talk about? Or read the instructions?"
Mil frowns. Of course she does, no reason to be rude. "It was just a figure of speech. The final approach must be done manually, I know."
"Exactly. the old fashioned way, manually, and by a certified pilot: rule twenty-three, unknown planet, first contact." Dray shakes her head and walks to the door. "Come on, let's move."
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Death Becomes Him: An Age of Steam and Sorcery Novel
What does a highschool boy do when his life spirals out of control? Play video games, of course! What happens when the game starts to play you back though? How does one young man deal with bullies both real and digital? How does he cope when he's certain his parent's impending divorce is entirely his fault?
8 143Hellfire Across the Heavens
Three centuries of FTL space travel has spread the people of Terra far across the stars and for nearly half a millennia people have asked the question, "are we alone in the universe?" The answer to that question is a resounding no. To one side, humanity is boxed in by an ancient empire whose light has burned up long ago. To the other, is a federation of alien races known as the Senate. Mankind rejoiced the knowledge that they were not the only life in a cold dark galaxy. But as first contact was made, ET's who transited into the Warp seemed to disappear without a trace, technologies traded with the other races malfunctioned or refused to work entirely, and simple translation errors led to grave misunderstandings. Before long, humanity was outcasted by the Senate and relationships soured, but even still the sons and daughters of Terra worked hard to earn the respect and trust of the Xeno's.
8 125The Dream Of Magic.
I wake up to find my self in a forest, with blue boxes, weird, dangerous monsters, fantastical creatures and last but not least, MAGIC! _____ This is my first try at writing, and also English isn't my mother language; so any comment giving advice would really help alot :).hope it doesn't suck too much '-'.
8 52stars
Its a very well defined formula: the world goes through ridiculous shift where the laws of physics go belly up while everyone gets a videogame status. the hero adapts to the system,
8 173te amo, bitch (QUACKITYHQ)
"okay but what's a crack-titty?"quackity x oc
8 153Sector B
Decha is a genius high-ranking general, called back to Austell from The Outside by the council. Theodore Chen, the director of the Crime Affairs Agency requests for Decha to do some local investigation on the recent threats targeting Austell's most prestigious University, Grandell. The job is easier said than done. Decha has to go to Grandell undercover as a student again, investigate a great number of students and pick out suspicious behavior. The problem is that Grandell has few students from the opposing Sector, the Brackets. Sector B is full of people who are of the lower class. They work as much overtime as possible to make ends meet. Decha's mission entails that Sector B residents are most likely responsible for the threats directed at Grandell. While trying to solve the mystery under the radar, he gets involved with a Bracketer woman who oddly refuses to leave his side.Decha will have to uncover hidden truths. He may even go through a journey of self-discovery and have a deep understanding of how the Sector's flawed system truly works.
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