ALIENS: Dust and echoes

Deep salvage is a hard game to work in, but the rewards are huge. You scour the galaxy looking for debris, and only now and then do you find something worth more than shit.

We’ve been out here for months on orders from the Company, and who the fuck knows why? Circling these same planetoids, the same asteroid belts, the same chatter from the crew. Over and over, it’s the same every day.

But now, finally, we’ve found something. A tiny shuttle from one of those old refinery tugs. Gotta be at least 60 or 70 years old. Maybe some collector will want it.

Minimal power readings suggest it’s been drifting for a while, but we’ve clamped this sucker and dragged it in to tear apart, maybe sell off some of the bigger chunks.

The scanner is on its way in to do a preliminary sweep before I step in there, better check my suit seals one last time. Boom, and we’re in.

Scanner reads nothing of interest, but the damn thing has been off for a while. The techs were supposed to recalibrate its scanners, all it seems to be sensing these days is movement. But in my opinion, only the worthless stuff moves.

Stepping over the lip of the shuttle’s door I nearly trip, again. Shine the light around, try not to show any excitement. What the? Fuck. Glowing cryotube. Hope it’s not a mess like the last one. Fuck, she’s alive. I can barely contain my frustration, there’s even a fucking cat in there. Wait, a cat?!

Atmosphere equalises and I tear off my mask.

“Well, there goes our salvage, guys.”

Again.

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From the blogger...Mr Writer Writer

Hi all, Tom here. In person, rather than speaking through story posts.

Well, I'm two posts in and loving this little project. I've already written enough stories to satisfy my Wednesday and Saturday update schedule for 10 weeks!!! Good times.

I've always been curious about the incidental non-player characters in videogames and films. They enter the narrative for mere moments and then disappear without a trace. What else is there to them? What are they thinking? So, that's what these stories are all about.

I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoy writing them, and don't forget to suggest any characters you'd like looked at in their own stories in the comments.

This blog was inspired by the passing of Monty Oum, a man driven to create. Rooster Teeth said a fitting tribute would be to create something, so that - in this tiny way - is why I started this. 

Make sure to check the Wednesday update - first film post.

Have a good week.

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DEUS EX: Midnight on Tonnochi Road

Sunglasses and a long coat. Not much of a description to go on. They said I’d recognise him when I saw him. Said I couldn’t miss him.

Lots of people coming and going on Tonnochi Road. Ms Chou is a very popular lady. Queens Tower elevators must be working overtime.

Penthouse view is not exactly enviable though. Just another building, balconies and a closed street. Police heavy robot patrolling south side.

Is that him? No, just another long coat. What do they mean I’ll know him when I see him? Lots of long coats and sunglasses in this neck of town.

Luminous Path have many people like me all over town. Flying the flag, keeping watch. They will see this guy before me.

At least I’ve only got to stay until I...wait. This is the guy. No doubt. Shorter than I thought, long coat all about bigger image.

His eyes are bright blue, like electricity. No wonder he need the sunglasses. They were right, no missing this guy. Here he comes, play it cool.

“You are an unfamiliar face on Tonnochi Road.”

HALO 2: The beating heart

“A man who enjoys his work is always going to feel better at the end of the day.”

It’s these words that Dr Shen has lived by his entire life, tempered though they are against the backdrop of the on-going war against The Covenant.

Positivity is hard to hold on to, especially in dark times such as these, but there is a glimmer of hope. Folks need heroes, and we have one now. Our hero’s return from the destruction of Reach was reported in the news a thousand times over, and he’s now seen as a beacon of humanity’s brave stand against the unstoppable purple tide.

Since being posted to the weapons facility in Seongnam, Dr Shen has had one important task: miniaturising and increasing the output of the fusion reactor to be built into the next iteration of the MJOLNIR armour system. Dr Shen believes that it is the essential part of the platform, the beating heart of the system.

Fusion packs carried by regular UNSC soldiers are not exactly bulky to begin with, but Dr Shen’s task was to cut the size of them in half for integration into MJOLNIR. It was a tall order, but SPARTANS aren’t exactly regular soldiers, and their gear is far from regular.

Word around the labs are that the UNSC is pushing for early delivery of the Mark VI armour system to the Cairo Orbital MAC Platform, and Dr Shen is putting the final touches to his prototype assembly. A quick test run is all it needs and he allows himself a moment of relief. He asks his AI to find the next available slot in his supervisor’s schedule and begins to write up his notes.

He almost submits his notes to the supervisor’s AI, but he stops, pondering for a moment. He’s just built the beating heart so, with a smile, Dr Shen adds the suffix "BH" to the fusion reactor’s serial number then presses ‘Send’.