*Sakura and Calara were both badly hurt the last time we fought the astral monsters,* John said to Alyssa as he left the bedroom. *I couldn't drag them in there again, not so soon after Terra... they need more time to recover.* His blonde Matriarch was quiet for a moment, lost in thought. *If I can prevent us from being drawn into that sub-plane, I can keep...
*Editing magic performed by KJ24 and Shyqash, plus contributions by the regular gang of brigands and neer-do-wells* *Would you choose ephemeral beauty, or rugged determination?* *Please note: I wrote this before the incidents in Paris and San Bernardino, which makes some of the fantasy story developments tragic in that life sometimes mirrors fantasy* ****...
She'd had enough. The revolver she kept in the closet was loaded with six bullets before she stepped to the mirror, covering the latest red mark on her neck with make up. Yes, she'd kill him this time, she told herself, it can't go on. As she strutted out onto the drive of the big house his wealth had brought her, she felt a strange but undeniable pleasure i...
Dawn over Drastin's Fall was an eerie affair. The dim white sun crept over the horizon, illuminating the city in a ghostly pale glow - locally this time had come to be known as "corpselight". Considering the nature of the city, the name was quite appropriate. For over one-hundred-and-twenty-years, the planet Nobruna in the Beta2 Sagittarii system had been t...
John stood by his chair at the head of the long Briefing Room table and waited for the girls to take their seats before sitting himself. "Alright then, ladies, bring me up to speed; what have you been up to for the last couple of days?" "While you were balls-deep inside those sexy blue babes, enjoying your non-stop impregnathon you mean?" Dana asked, an inn...
Hey Folks, this one is kind of twisty. It's more of a character study than a fable. There are no sterling examples of humanity here, only several very flawed people who make the best of a bad situation. The only thing about this story that is a Sterling example of anything would be the job that Barney-R did in editing it. But I think it's a good story for a...
Rachel, Helene, and Irillith stood by the open hangar door, watching as the last of the colonists left the Invictus. Rather than returning to their homes, the townsfolk of Fernridge gathered in the grassy clearing on the outskirts of the settlement, clearly reluctant to turn away. There was a solemn intensity to those people as they waved goodbye, every one...
For several seconds Aaron just stood there, the image seared into his brain. It was grotesque. Trasnu was surrounded by peaceful, innocent greenery. His still body belonged there like a gun would in a church. Trasnu himself laid down on a bed of flattened vegetation on his stomach, perfectly still, one hand extended as if he fell asleep while reaching up for...
The door to Sarinia Baelora's quarters slid open and Myrdina burst into the room. "You're leaving?!" she screeched, bristling with anger. "Welcome, dear sister," the eldest daughter of House Baelora said dryly, turning to glance through her bedroom's open door into the lounge. "Please accept my apologies for not inviting you in, I was preoccupied and must h...
"Fuck!" John snarled, incensed that the Brimorians were causing him even more problems. *Let me get this straight... the Maliri fleets won't make it in time, so now we're rushing to save the Kintark from an Enclave invasion?!* *That's correct,* Edraele replied mournfully. *Except we won't make it in time either,* Alyssa added, sounding heavily distracted....