“They came at first light, unafraid of the sun’s rays. Ambre above, the stench that wafted to us as the day rose hotter! Vile birds circled above their ranks, eager for carrion, but not daring too close, lest rotting fingers and gaping mouths full of worn teeth snatch them from the air.” -Ten Arthur Gavinson’s report of the fall of Sekon
Tag: serial work
Heartless, Chapter 1
“The warmskins say we have no compassion, no understanding, no empathy. This isn’t true. What we do to them and what we feel are two separate things. Often, we want to spare their lives. But it’s not like we have a choice.” -letters of Draken Victor Vivendas, after the slaughter of Bollager’s Keep
Children of Heaven, Chapter 1
“Contact. We have an incoming hyper wake.” Captain Mahfuj al-Imad frowned at the unexpected comment. “Bearing?” he demanded of his sensor operator. “Coming down the corridor, sir.” The destroyer’s skipper leaned forward in his chair, momentarily confused. The next dispatch boat from Unicorn Set wasn’t due for another two days, the Hadley-Wright scouting force wasn’t excpected back for another three months and there was nothing on the shipping schedule for the next week. You could say a lot about the Empties, but they kept accurate timetables. Of course, they didn’t have as many ships to keep track of as the Concord did. Still, it wasn’t impossible for something to have slipped through the cracks and arrive unannounced – naturally expecting Mahfuj and his small squadron to run them through customs as quickly as possible.
Children of Heaven: Prologue
Abiigian’s Moonswell, 19447Far SpaceUncharted Lands HCVS Seneschal The Commander coughed, setting his lungs to rattling and filling them with fire. He beat a hand against his chest, trying to stifle the spasm. After a moment it passed, leaving behind a dull, wet ache. “Declarations,” he ordered. A minor officer swayed up to his dais, her… Continue reading Children of Heaven: Prologue
Heartless: Prologue
“Contrary to what the peasantry may believe, Naharnas is not some blighted landscape filled with barren fields and the crumbling, deserted ruins of towns, forever hidden from the face of the sun. Its soil is fertile. Its cities are proud and elegant. Rain, snow and sun fall with equal measure upon its mountains, grasslands and deserts. And for all this, it is in every way an abomination to Blessed Ambre, Goddess of Life.” -the teachings of Inquisitor Samiel Drau
To the Victor, the Spoils: Prologue
He had always hated opera. Tonight was no exception. Darren Hawke, one of an ever-dwindling number of Homo sapiens left on Earth, gazed around at the tittering crowds and forced himself to keep a pleasantly neutral expression on his face as he offered sweetmeats to the milling guests. House Garuda had spared no expense in… Continue reading To the Victor, the Spoils: Prologue
Proximal Flame's Fiction 