Playing with Aliens

Gideon Shaw wrote:

“ I’m just taking advantage of it so I can change out of this uniform, which has got to be starting to smell by now.”

Would it, if the Thick Skin is A) processing just about everything that Colton gives off, and B) is completely between him and his uniform anyway?

I thought about that, but he's also been around people who don't have Thick Skin, as well as various pieces of ordinance, rescue equipment, a mountain lion-sized alien dog-like thing...

Actually, I think that they have to take the Thick Skin off every so often so that it can "rest", and they can feel human again for a while.

I went to read it and it had changed AGAIN! Good stuff though.

Although I almost didn't read beyond the first entry. But then, I've become hyper-sensitive to dead babies. I knew the minute the teacher actually thought about the AC blower that it was the delivery device, but in all fairness it may be due to the fact I knew what the plot of the last incarnation was going to be.

Side note, true godparents do have actual responsibilities to direct the child's religious education and growth in cooperation with the parents. It's become more of a title than a job, but still. I had to have the nerd moment or it was going to fester in my brain for not being expressed.

This may be a dumb question, but why not just have Alfred be his actual personal butler bot instead of being assigned to the BOQ? Watching you play with the snarky robot would be fun for me. Also since he seems to pick up and go faster than most modern military families it would facilitate his movements to give the order to Alfred and Alfred pack everything and then make sure it gets transferred to the appropriate ship or base or station? And i could see a GOOD logistics person thinking "this is a good idea to help facilitate the movement of our more mobile units". It would make the moves easier to not have to think about packing/transport/set up.

Butler bots are ubiquitous at Exsule military installations. Colt just reprograms his Alfred to be snarky every time he gets a new one. So, you might see him interacting with the snarky bot again.

Nice of you to tear yourself away from Pirate101 for a while...

Gideon Shaw wrote:

The Albatross was a shocking agile aircraft, too.

Shockingly, I think, is what you meant.

I was so shocked by it's agility...

And, to my shame, I now have not one, but TWO toons in the teen levels. Musketeer Black Angus Thackery is level 17 (and currently marooned in Valencia until I can buy some crowns for him), and my other toon, Buccaneer Black Angus De Bouff just reached level 15 tonight. I really should have put more thought into their names to keep them straight from one another, but I couldn't resist the pun.

Okay, because I'm spending too much time pretending to be a pirate instead of a writer, I might make continuity errors in Colt's time line.

Here's what I'm thinking:

December 21, 2012: an alien refugee fleet drops out of warp on the edge of our solar system.

January 30, 2013: First Contact is made by the alien refugees, a coalition of three species: the Ergrahthah, the "space squids", and the "Mechs". The Ergrahthah, due to their near-human appearance act as the public spokespeople for the alien refugees.

Sometime later in 2013: The alien refugees hire an Earth-based public relations firm to help them get their peaceful message across to the people of Earth, and to warn Humanity that a threat exists coming behind the refugees. The PR firm eventually markets the "space squids" as "the Kraken" and the "Mechs" as "The Makers." The PR Firm also promotes the refugees' coalition as the Exsule Alliance and even begin lobbying various major world powers to recognize the Exsule as a nation-in-exile.

Around this same time the Exsule Navy (the defenders of the refugee fleet) begin recruiting humans to serve with them and to create and raise an army for them. This mercenary army eventually becomes the Terran Legion.

Early to Mid-2015: The Terran Legion begins its first major recruiting drive, especially for their elite special operations group, code named Project Achilles. Eventually, the result of Project Achilles is revealed to be the Myrmidon Special Operations Group. The first Myrmidons are humans who have been genetically modified and cybernetically enhanced into super soldiers with almost magical abilities.

Approximately 2017-2018: The first Myrmidon SOG teams are deployed to a planet called Ares. Ares is nearly identical to Earth and is even populated by humans, referred to as Aresians. Aresian technology is roughly analogous to 19th Century Earth. The purpose of the Myrmidons on Ares is to ready the local population for a possible invasion and to secure resources for the Legion and the Exsule Navy to build a forward base of operations. The sector of space encompassing Ares and several neighboring systems is dubbed "The Ares Frontier."

2019: The Ro-chaq break out of their contained space and enter the Ares Frontier. The Exsule Navy begins to engage them in space, while the Legion lands troops on whatever planets the Ro-chaq begin to use as outposts and forward bases of their own.

2020: An alliance of Earth's nations, led by the USA, join the Exsule. Earth's first spaceborne military forces are fielded here in the Solar System, but by the end of the year, warp & tunnel drive-equipped units finish construction and are sent forward to the Ares Frontier.

2021: Early in the year, a United Nations Peacekeeper Navy vessel is captured by the Ro-chaq. The enemy aliens figure out where the ship's home world is located, and plans are laid to invade and lay claim to Earth, which it turns out is the Ro-chaq's birth world, a fabled Eden in their mythology.

2025: A Ro-chaq armada arrives in the Solar System. They use kinetic bombardment on several major cities (Paris, Washington, Moscow, etc.), but they studiously avoid bombarding New York. The Ro-chaq have mistaken the UN for an actual world government, and they believe that New York is the UN's seat of power. So, they drop a couple of divisions of troops into the Big Apple to lay claim to it and seize "Earth's Head of State".

The Exsule Navy and the US-led alliance fleet arrives in time to engage the Ro-chaq armada before too much damage to the home world is done. The Legion sends two Heavy Infantry Regimental Combat Teams (powered armor and super tanks) and the bulk of the Myrmidon SOG into New York to engage the Ro-chaq army. The ensuing "Battle of New York" lays waste to the great city. Hundreds of thousands are killed, and the collateral damage done ruins the city. New York more or less ceases to exist as a city.

The Ro-chaq armada retreats to Saturn's moon, Titan, and digs in. The Legion troops, freshly bloodied from the Battle of New York, are sent to clear Titan off. By the end of 2026, Titan has been scrubbed clean of Ro-chaq presence.

That brings us up to the story's present 2030. I think Colt has spent the four years since the clearing of Titan running around the Ares Frontier doing SOG work. Haven't decided entirely what yet, but it would have involved a truly stunning amount of personal violence as he worked through his issues.

I have to get this out of my system: "You just couldn't resist could you?"

You miss Bart don't you?

ANyway. Good info on the timeline, thanks we'll try to keep you honest.

Well, I was really trying to avoid that horrible pun when I was coming up with their ranks, but then I thought, "what the heck?" Why not use it as a reason to embarrass the hero? It makes for a pretty funny little punch line, do it nawt?

Quote :

Woola barked once before bounding off and catching the ball in his mouth. Then, the sleipnir canid came trotting proudly back and delicately dropped the ball into Tucker’s waiting hand.

“My old Lab would have left the ball slimy with slobber,” Tucker said as Colt approached. “I don’t understand how.”

I read this and said "huh?" the first time. I reread it and STILL said "huh?"

What doesn't she understand. how the lab left it slobbery or how Woola doesn't. I assume it must be about how Woola doesn't but still.

Yeah, it's about how Woola doesn't slobber all over the ball. Guess I'll have to go back and clear up the sentence.

My theory is that it's something to do with whether or not Aresian canids can consciously control their saliva. In other words, they can tell the difference between "food" and "not food."

Gideon Shaw wrote:

She parked the car in front of the garage, next to brand new Ford Fusilier.

...next to a brand new Ford Fusilier.

Good stuff, though.

So I'm guessing the Aresian language is pretty close to ancient Greek? "Stasi" for "stop," for example, from which we get the words "stasis," "static," etc. Since one would assume that languages tend to change based on proximity to other languages, Aresian might not be too different at all. (Provided that all the inhabitants descend from the cloned Spartans, that is.)

Basically, I've been typing what I want to say into Google Translate, converting it to Greek, and then looking at the translation in phoenetic spelling. Then, I alter that spelling slightly. So, yes, Modern Aresian is just Greek.

I should say that those cloned Greeks became the strongest, most powerful nation on Ares.

Dun-dun-dun.


Sorry.....couldn't rresist the cheesy mystery music thing....

It was a last minute burst of inspiration. I'd always intended for it to be Ro-chaq technology that was being used. I just figured that the Ro-chaq might want to spread the tech themselves as a way of poisoning the well, so to speak.

Gideon Shaw wrote:

“ He just stepped of the middle of all those organics, and that’s when the drones spotted him,” Colt replied. “He’s moving toward the loading dock.”

I think you left ___ a word.

I refuse to admit how clever your correction is. Refuse, I say!

Good stuff, and nothing amiss after the first reading.

At the risk of repeating myself, and well, at the risk of repeating myself, good stuff, and no typos found as yet.

I was two or three chapters behind. I admit I rushed through the last three. I'll reread and give you a more precise comment later.

Hey, I gave you plenty of time to get caught up. Just ask Tom. He complained about it the whole time, but I was like "no, we gotta give Olivia time to catch up," and he was all "Write More!" Like a freaking zombie, he was...

Where was I?

Hey I spent a week and a half sick. Plus I'm trying to get ready for Christmas. I will give you a detailed critique when I get my laptop back, which, according to UPS, is sometime Thursday.

Good stuff. Though I should point out that it was quite a coincidence that Colt knew Tribune Monroe back in the day. It's also an impressive coincidence that Colt knew the gang member previously. IMO credulity is starting to strain.

(I mean, that sort of thing happens to me, but I know everybody...)

Yes it does happen to you - it's damn confusing and odd. "You mean you know Tom too??!"

I find your lack of updates disturbing.