“Can always explain ourselves, I guess,” replied Amal. They mutually agreed to keep their helmets on, but then shook off the ice that had gathered on their suits. Afterwards, they followed another dead-eyed colonist further into the mansion. As they walked further in, up the double-steps to the se
Miko watched as the shopkeep wiped down the exact same spot on his counter with unerring precision. His hands and arms moved to the exact millimeter as he cleaned it. And once he had performed exactly three revolutions, he moved exactly 20 centimeters to one side and began again. It was the same th
She activated her drones and had them scan a bunch of colonists around her. They obediently flew off and did as she asked. They ran their biometric scanning fields across a number of colonists, and sent back data as soon as they were completed with each one. Miko walked absentmindedly as she review
Amal walked forward as she rubbed her sore cheek. She looked at Callie, at how deranged she appeared to be. And most importantly, how she looked nothing like the other colonists. Her skin was rosy and spotless in comparison. Callie exuded waves of anger and disgust when she focused her attention on
“Oh, that’s right, how rude of me,” said Callie. “I’m Callie Drenn, Prophet of Gaea, right hand to Crusader Mia. And we’re well on our way to undo the curse that is the Federation.” Max watched as the blood drained out of Claire and Amal’s faces. Unlike them, he had no idea who the Prophets of Gaea
She perked her head to the side, and listened as someone on the floor above her screamed out orders. “Cycle out,” she told her drones. “Shoot only one at a time. Give the other two time to charge up to full. And only discharge when full.” Her cottonball drones floated dutifully around her, and ch
Eva laid down in the cargo bay, crates of dry foodstuffs all around and under her. Her EyeCast spun around her slowly, and captured her grief for all to see. It had only been five or six cycles since she last talked to her grandparents, and just over one full cycle since Mack’s devastating message
Tears coursed down her cheeks as her deepest regrets ate away at her. The pain of loss combined with her guilt and helplessness struck her over and over. She felt like her insides were being gutted out by some invisible, alien force. After a while, she wiped off her tears, picked herself up, and d