The following, as will be the other eight entries in the series, are extracts from the Word of the Flame, the record of the seeress Merriéle’s visions that is also the primary text of the Church of the Flame, the mainstream eldraeic religion. More specifically, this series will contain
FROM: CORE COMMAND TO: FIELD FLEET SPINWARD COMMAND (CS LIBERTY’S PRICE) *** PRIORITY PRIORITY PRIORITY *** EYES ONLY SPINWARD OPS *** STANDING ORDER UPDATE (SEQ 4377) FLT ADM DAPHNOTARTHIUS, COMMANDING FIELD FLEET SPINWARD: 1. THIS MESSAGE CONSTITUTES A MANDATORY UPDATE TO STANDING ORDERS PRESENTLY IN EFFECT. 2. RULES OF ENGAGEMENT AILÉK-1 ARE
Translation Convention: Applied – with a degree of selectivity, in which I translate names that are meaningful based on roots in modern Eldraeic (i.e. “Mosstone”, “Stonesmight”, “House Silverfall”, “House Steamweaver”, etc.), but leave untouched those derived from older languages. Occasional pieces of the actual Eldraeic are left in for effect,
By-the-Book Cop: Played straight in the Empire, inasmuch as proper protocol and ethical guidelines come in a gnostic overlay, run by every on-duty member of the Watch Constabulary. Granted, this being the Empire, proper protocol is pretty flexible and discretionary, but where it isn’t, the overlay makes sure it’
But Not Too White: Averted, since this meme never even had the preconditions to become established on Eliéra. The eldrae simply don’t tan in response to UV light, no matter how long they spend working, walking, or basking in the sun. (Essentially, their ancestors – thanks to the superior immune
The rings of Depot, Palaxias system. One orbital warehouse among many, Armory S7-224 was a simple “tin-can” habitat, dozens of red-striped modules plugged together onto a central interconnection frame. A freight cutter, just undocked, fell backwards away from the docking spine on the way to its next errand. Within its
Immortality: In a couple of forms. The natural immortality of the eldrae and galari, etc., is Type II Undying, without the disease (or, indeed, starvation) exception – at least where potent illnesses are concerned. This is also the type they’ve developed, named immortagens, and sell on the open market. Noetic
“Gentlesophs of the Plurality, on behalf of the Bandal Home/Care Provision Citizen Oversight Group, we move that our statement of intent, critical path, budget and disbursals as modified in our attachment for estimated population variance be accepted as read, being invariant from our presentation of the last fiscal year.
Burn The Witch!: Hardly unknown, both in the form in which advanced technology is considered to be magic (see: Magic From Technology) and in the form in which it’s merely considered about as immoral as magic, when dealing with more technologically or socially backward worlds (This is another problem
When I come home from my journeys abroad, I like to render all the layers visible, and spend a while just watching the world. We are used to all things coming wrapped in information. People are ringed by their p-tags – identity, claims of affiliation, reputation haloes shining or shadowy, current
For those who found the time system in “Watchers” on the confusing side, well, that’s pretty fair, really. 🙂 What you’re looking at is the Imperial Standard Time system, which is the traditional one – used on Eliéra, and elsewhere as the standard/commercial calendar. (The other commonly used systems
All is prepared. The alignment is ready. My bow spindle is perfectly aligned with the empty central apertures of the paired stargates, themselves aligned in matching orbits; in time, they will drift again out of alignment, but for now forced thrust keeps them together. My accumulators seethe with energy bound