POOHEAD189

The Sinful Stars

Orion and Ragnar let nothing stop their descent, breaking the limps of guards and pushing past any sort of quick and half-assed resistance as they made their way below. Fortune and surprise were still on their side, and the Palace was so large he wasn't even certain the Duke was privvy to any intrusion as of yet. He hoped that was the case at least, and judging by the lack of alarm he was likely correct.

The catacombs beneath the palace were baroque and ancient, made of less modern metals and stone from the bosom of the world. Ragnar recited a litany to one of his old gods, and though it grated Orion to hear it he wasn't going to reprimand him at the moment. There were ancient spirits in the deep places of the known worlds and Orion was simply glad the road they were on was relatively well lit.

Once they found themselves on a corridor that looked miles long, there was a screech in the distance. Far off and hard to pinpoint, to Ragnar it sounded like a bird sound or maybe an echo from above. Orion knew it to be Annika's voice immediately. He started to run, and soon he was like a freight train running past the abandoned rooms. Ragnar did his best to keep up, and though Orion outdistanced him he still kept the Knight in sight.

Despite his barreling run, when he made it into the tabernacle he saw a cloaked man laughing as if the funniest joke in the world had been concocted. Dark tendrils wrapped around Sister Annika and Mobius too! Orion shouldn't have been surprised the Ducal guard had been telling the truth. What's more, he recognized the gloating too. The voice was from one he wouldn't forget. It was Chamberlain Engel...

"I've changed my mind." the darkly clad Chamberlain said, raising his gloved hand and closing it into a fist. The tendrils curled around Annika with overwhelming strength, shoving the air out of her body. Mobius looked close to dead, if he wasn't already. "I see trying to convince you to join my cause is, for lack of a better term, a lost cause. So I think I will simply kill you now and be on my way to larger things."

As two large, sharpened tendril's raised in the air, he chuckled. "Fear not, Annika. At least you'll join your precious Sir Pentecost in the afterlife, or so you believe."

The Confessor's eyes widened in horror, which made Engel smile all the more. "Oh yes, he is dead, just as the Pancreator. And now it is your turn!"

The shadowing energy that kept Annika and Mobius lifted suddenly dispelled, as did the two monstrous tendrils threatening to kill both of them. Annika hid the ground, and when she recovered herself she saw a blood covered sword had thrust out of Engel's chest, the Chamberlain falling into oblivion. Where he once stood was Orion.
@Penny

Cinnabar Forever! (RCN)

It was a small mercy that the men around them were none-the-wiser to Sabatine and his past relationship, or the embarrassment he received from her throwing caution to the wind in a fit of rage and telling everyone who would listen that he was an unfaithful bastard. That was one of the major reasons he had been so loose with women since, never having a steady girlfriend. If any found out, they might break his heart in the same way and call him what any officer hated to be accused of.

Disloyalty.

Only Higgs and Enrique seemed to note she knew his name already, but they were wise enough to keep their mouths shut. They only glanced at him questioningly to find him staring daggers at her. Kaiden was very good at being professional and an asshole at the same time, though he tried to quell the latter, particularly in front of the men. "Lieutenant Hickoring, good work. I see you're still as active as ever. You look well, save for-" He looked at the mud caked around her. "-the trappings of your station."

He ignored her glare, taking note of the gig. He had been satisfied with it earlier but something about the whole situation seemed displeasing to him. "I'm certain the Commodore will be enjoying the fact he can cruise as he wills. However, I'm certain there's more pressing issues to attend to." He said marked by an odious tone. He could not wait for this 'scare' with the Alliance to be at an end so he could go back to anywhere else, and she could live her life here or wherever in the hells she wanted to.

Still, he glanced away for a moment and chastised himself. He might have left on a pitiless and enraged note but she didn't deserve his haughtiness in front of men. Or did she? He'd figure it out later, for now he needed to get back to business. "Myself and these fine men have been transferred here on the Commodore's orders. When will the Commodore be arriving?"
@Penny

New but not new

Welcome!

Post a random fact about yourself.

<Snipped quote by POOHEAD189>

Congratulations! Send me a link to your first book in a PM. I will check it out.
Still 70,000 words into my first novel. :(

@Gunther

It is currently in the beta reading stage so I have a few people reading it now. One person finished in like 2 days which I am happy about.

Cinnabar Forever! (RCN)

The aircar was spacious, able to seat a dozen personnel if the need arose. Luckily they weren't tightly fit and Kaiden sat at the fore next to the driver, a man in a standard helmet and dark glasses that he'd seen once or twice transporting officers or goods across the planet. To say he felt trepidation was an understatement, and he did his best to lose himself in the notably beautiful islands passing under them. The sun was hot and bright, making the water look like liquid crystal from this altitude.

He had brought with him Bosun Higgs, a squat man with a penchant for chewing tobacco no matter how many times Kaiden had reprimanded him for it. Ensign Bushman, an ambitious man as old as Kaiden but not as successful, though the prince never suspected any treachery from him due to his old fashioned nature. Along with them were reliable cadet Enrique, and spacer/mates Randals and Harwen who were apparently friends off duty from before the service.

None seemed particularly happy to be here save Higgs who likely didn't care where he was, and Randals who seemed to always make the best of every situation and find the humor in things. The other three likely didn't wish to have to learn more names or get comfortable with other quarters, and Kaiden couldn't rightly blame them. He was brought out of his train of thought as a gust of wind gave the aircar a bit of turbulence.

"So what do you think the going rate of one of these islands are?" Randals asked, trying to peek over his fellow militarymen to view the window. It was a silly question, but the man often asked silly things half facetiously to either begin a discussion or a joke. It could be amusing, Kaiden thought. He wasn't so jaded as to not appreciate the men serving under him. Harwen looked positively bored gazing into the blue nothingness of the scene below. If Kaiden remembered correctly, he was very learned in finance, but that in turn led him to be a bit benumbed on the current economy of the Cinnibar Republic.

"Probably a lot." Spacer Harwen said tiredly.

"Even on a backwater planet like this one?" Randals asked.

"Herculaneum's in the middle of nowhere but a lot of rich people get homes here. The prices began to rise around a century ago, and I think they've been steadily going up since." The mate replied. "You'd probably need to find someone desperate for money and do a background check on the family to see if they'd be willing to sell at a lower price. But we'd never be rich enough to buy one even then."

As the two conversed, Kaiden recalled that it was for that reason the planet had even a modicum of defenses. No large anti-orbital missile batteries, but a few small streakers to help harass enemy landing craft if need be. Many of the privately owned resorts and industry buildings had local defense systems and anti-air batteries. What he was most impressed with were the orbital minefields set and ready to deploy above them. Only ones with the right coordinates could get past them without priming the explosives, and only a very few people knew them. Their existence was even speculated upon, with Kaiden being on the lowest rung of officer to even be aware of such preparations. They had only been deployed and set the last two years by Commodore Wilken's orders.

They began to descend, much like Kaiden's stomach as the pilot told them they were five minutes away from the RCS Vicount and it's station island. Kaiden got a good look at it as the aircar turned, and he could see it was a star shaped island with five points, with a vast landing pad at its center where the Corvette was station, just beside a basic compound that had the trappings of leisure, though he knew as much as the rest of them that it was likely for show.

"Think we'll get better beds?" Enrique asked. He always seemed to be the one that voiced his dreams for a life after the service, and somehow that made him work all the harder (when needed to).

"Doubtful. It was probably bought off some aristocrat and fashioned to be just like home for us." Kaiden grinned, suddenly happy that the base looked large enough to lose himself in. His good mood was shattered when the aircar dropped down at a small pad off to the eastern coast, just beside what looked to be a broken down gig, to which to Kaiden's horror he recognized it as Commodore Wilken's, with his crest upon the bow of it. Kaiden shook his head, seeing the men and what looked to be a woman covered in grease and mud and celebrating. "How did it get like that?"

"Looks like these fellas fixed it up." Higgs all but grunted, and looking once again the Bosun was right as usual. The aircar wobbled into what felt like a 'plop' and the light turned on that it was safe to exit the vehicle. Kaiden and his men stepped out into the open sun, and the Prince called to the mates who'd fixed it with an easy grin. "Looks like you lot made the best of a shit situation," He told them heartily, walking up to inspect the work. The sun was in his eyes, and he couldn't quite see the fellow's faces as he approached. "Just give it a small shine to it and the Commodore will be none the wiser-"

One of the lads, a slim and rather attractive man he noted, turned and looked at him. They had their long hair in a messy bun and they looked to have gotten the worst of the grime from jerry-rigging the machine back to health. As his eyes got used to the sun and the mud dripped from the soldier's face, he recognized Sabatine almost immediately, and his grin disappeared to be replaced by a look that seemed both tired and tense all at once. "Eh fuck." He breathed.
@Penny

Cinnabar Forever! (RCN)

"We're now live on the Kostroman assembly as Republican representatives hold council with the Kostroman delegates on changing the nature of the Reciprocity Agreement, due to ongoing pressure by the Alliance of Free Stars. Elector Vindicare, unhappy with recent trade negotiations now seeks to further the reach of Kostroman influence. Granting immu-"

Lieutenant Kaiden turned off the frequency, the radio onboard the RCS Grandwing Corvette so old it still gave a whine as it was shut off. Briskly he spun to present to his subordinates, two dozen men and women under his direct command, though only one of the three groups that had arrived on the ship to Herculaneum to integrate into Commodore Welkins squadron of ships. Under the command of Captain Harkin, Kaiden had been given free rein in how best to keep his cadets, ensigns, and spacers prepared.

The day began at 0500 where they performed light exercises led by Kaiden himself, before a hearty breakfast which was followed after by gun drills until noontime and lunch, where the platoon broke to eat for one hour, and for the next two hours they would do station runs and recite every damned emergency in the book to be crisp and ready at the sign of any trouble. At 1500 they were allowed their leave until they were directly called to be given any task that came up. That is until 1900 where they were given briefings on the Commodore's directives in case anything had changed within the past fourteen hours.

Just now it was lunchtime, and the Lieutenant had thought it best to let his subordinates listen to what exactly was occuring elsewhere in the galaxy. He didn't think anything ill would occur in his lifetime, but he'd be damned if he didn't drill them to perfection. It's what had been hammered into him and he would pass on that discipline to others. "As you can see, tensions are escalating." He exaggerated, strikingly dark blue eyes hard and set, traveling from soldier to soldier. "The only way to be prepared is to prepare. I fully expect tomorrow's drills to be a farcry from the bullshit I saw earlier. Is that clear?"

"Sir!" They said in unison.

"At any moment we can be called to action. Do not-"

Midshipman Otis approached him, holding up a communication for him. The dark haired Junior officer snapped to him, eyes blazing before he snapped the device out of the man's hands. Placing it to his ear, he blanched when he heard Captain Harkin's voice on the other end. Kaiden's visage stiffened, and then his eyes glazed over as the information that he and a handful of his cadets were being transferred to the RCS Viscount, another Corvette he had ironically done his ensignment on.

"You're not serious." Kaiden said, before he realized who he was speaking to. Somehow he never did quite get over talking down to others or forgetting his protocol when around superior officers. "Erm, sir. You're not serious, sir? Yes...yes sir. No sir, my apologies. Yes, of course. Yes...as you will. Thank you." He shoved the device back into the midshipman's hands with a look of distaste, turning to his portion of the crew who seemed both confused and amused at his sudden lack of composure.

"Ah, you lot seem to think something is funny? Very well then. Higgs, Randals, Enrique, Bushman, and Harwen, you're coming with me." He said, and then men and women blinked. Kaiden brushed a hand through his stark black hair, tied behind his neck in a tail, a fashion used by most up and coming young officers. "We'll see how amused you are at being transferred. The rest of you, take lunch. You'll report to Captain Harkin directly until you get yourselves a new Liuetenant."

The trip to the Viscount was only an hour, as all the Corvettes had been docked on outlying islands in close proximity to one another. Unfortunately, it meant skipping lunch which made him even more irittable than usual. A part of him thought of that, but the greater part of him was dreading the dreadful meeting with Sabatine Hickoring.
@Penny

Post a random fact about yourself.

I've begun my 2nd novel, though I'm only about 1,000 words in.

Post a random fact about yourself.

<Snipped quote by Hyde>

Appropriate since I'm Floridian:

@Xandrya

Same.

Cinnabar Forever! (RCN)

Name: Kaiden Caladwarden

Rank: Lieutenant

Age: 26

Biography & Concept: Born the second son of the esteemed Caladwarden family, who's lineage reaches back to the first millennium of human space exploration. He was one of three, his older brother Brandon having been groomed to succeed his father as a representative on the Cinnabar Senate in which his father is a prime member. His young brother Gridor placed in administrative duties on their island home estate. Kaiden was raised to be a military man, representative of their family's old notions of loyalty and homage. There needs to be at least one member of the family in the Cinnibar Navy, and Kiaden has grown up with such expectations and responsibilities. Though his brother Brandon did sign on for a brief period to learn his worth and to show his dedication to the Republic.

It gained him an edge on the officer's exam for Lieutenants, and he passed with relative ease. His contention with his father however came at the death of his older brother, who died during a brief skirmish. Kaiden was given leave to convene with his family, whereupon his father ordered him to relinquish his duties as a Lieutenant and take Brandon's mantle as the first son. Kaiden refused, preferring to make his own way in the Navy rather than relying on his family's influence to gain notoriety. He had always been independent minded, and if he hadn't already a knack for the officer's life he likely would have defied his father long before the Brandon's death. His already rocky relationship with his sire plummeted into them parting ways with harsh words and even harsher sentiments.

An oddity, this "prince of the isle" does rather enjoy lowborn commoners. He speaks easy enough and is no stranger to hard work. But he always tends to have an air or superiority and education most can find grating. Ever rebellious, he was involved in a few low-end scandals with servants and young women cooks at his family's estate, being rather good-looking with a smooth, deep voice that can be used to flutter hearts or send men to battle.

Here's hoping he can muster up a good battle record with his meager gifts, because war has just begun...
@Penny

The Sunday Group - Bumps in the Night

Cranky Old Wizard

When not in his modern apparel

Name: Edgar "Stormraven" Stormhrafn, known as the Azure, also called Alfrikr

Age: 206

Appearance: With the look of a healthy man of around 65 to 70 years, Edgar bears himself like a man of importance. People often give him a wide berth as even their inept senses can perceive a quality of power about him, and he frequently appreciates others stopping to listen to his wizened voice when he speaks. Despite that, he's not a striking man; save for his grey iron eyes and well groomed, white beard. The mystic wears a worn, long sleeved jacket; dark blue in color. He collects most of his shirts and trousers from shelters and thrift stores. Apart from his navajo belt and two rings, most of his trinkets change daily depending upon a variety of factors. He also uses a Shillelagh as a walking stick.

Apparel when researching/entertaining elder entities within his home

Concept: Elderly Wizard

Powers/skills:

• The Norse practices of magic: Galdr & Seidr
• Alchemy
• Basic military training from time served in the Schleswig Wars, and WW1.
• Practiced in melee combat, particularly blunt weapons like the Shillelagh.

Things Your Character Wants to Happen (probably wont):

• To find the secrets of immortality.
• To find a successor worthy of his patience.
• To tame a Sea Serpent
• To speak to one of the old gods.

Things You as a Writer Wants to Happen (Maybe will):

• Any of that stuff above would be sick.
• Dispelling curses/aberrations/demons.
• Beating up young people.

Writing Sample?
You have my resume.