A couple of things this week, first off is chapter 3 of Orphan's War. Technically there is still another 3 chapters to go through for this but I'm not sure if I'll share them as I know the last one is in a rough state. So I'll think about it over the weekend, otherwise I'll get back into writing new Short Diversions which I'll definitely be doing for the week prior to Christmas Day (which is a blog day this year but it'll be an extremely short one, for obvious reasons). More on what this is soon!
Also want to talk a little bit about what I'm trying to do over on Blue-Sky (terrible poetry incoming!)
But before all of that..
Number 99?
The Comic Tales of Brennan and Riz
Yes, your eyes are not deceiving you, this is the 99th issue. Feels like only yesterday that I started hand drawing, and hand colouring these, taking photos of it to get it online...Wait a moment...yeah, that's pretty much how I still do it. Technology? Nevef heard of it!
This should have been the end of this 'Christmas Shopping' series, however, I've decided the perfect true ending for it, so that'll be issue 101. As for issue 100...Hmm I'm going to have to really think about that one! Might be time to get meta...or not, really don't know!
Blue-Sky Poetry
So, being I started a new social media account, I decided to give more thought to poetry. This was something I'd dabbled with slightly over on Twitter occasionally but I found myself burned out quite quickly. Haiku's however, are completely brand new. After a shaky start I can confidently say I give them a go:
"I watch the train arrive
Lovers hopping on and off
I am still waiting"
and this one:
"Skerry to skerry
I hopped shore to shore
Wilderness abound"
Or today's offering (well yesterday's offering when this goes live):
"Snow falls silently
Cold winter delayed no more
Warm blankets beckon"
It's probably worth pointing out that these were done in conjunction with #vss365 prompt in case you were wondering about certain words.
Using those same prompts, I made these longer form poems.
"I wish I was like you,"
The floating leaf called out to the skerry.
"You are strong and can't be tossed around by the tide."
"Yet I wish I was like you," the Skerry replied on the breeze.
"For you are not bound, and can wander eternally more."
"Doubt clouds my horizons.
Despair chains my legs.
Every step lasts a thousand years.
Your star is smothered by a million curses I give myself.
Nothing is left.
I gave away my hope."
Or again, my latest one from today (yesterday to anyone reading this on Wednesday!)
I stand at the brink,
Oblivion calling my name.
The world bears down on me
Yet you plead for me to delay.
"We've survuved so long"
You say.
"Whats another day?"
Like always I put my trust in you.
I step away from the edge, take your hand.
But it still calls my name.
Want to see more?
I'll share more next week, assuming people want to read it.
Short Diversions: Orphan's War Chapter 3
The Chapter this week was my attempt at more world building, but it also marked the beginning of my conflict in what kind of story I wanted this to be, as for a mech story there was very few giant robots in it.
Click here for Chapter 1
Click here for Chapter 2
Remember, feedback is more than welcome!
Please enjoy.
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Chapter 3: How the other half live.
Ava couldn’t believe anything Drake was saying, it was all too fantastic for her to believe. She had become accustomed to disappointment and had figured out something must have happened given how long he had been. To see him in the company of soldiers, well she dreaded the worst. Tears streaked down her face and as she grabbed hold of Drake.
“Do you know what this means!”
“I’m well aware of what it means...” Drake said plying himself from her grip. He had asked his new benefactor to not mention anything about what he would be doing in exchange. Instead they would say that he was being employed to do menial labour, something that Ava wouldn’t worry about.
“What happens now?” Ava asked, turning to Howard, who stood with his guards, a smile still on his face.
“Well, little miss, I’m going to need you and your brother to head to the entrance, a private welcoming committee will greet you and take you on a tour. Then you’ll be checked into one of the finest hospitals we, the Atlantis Empire, have, Sacred Vessel. Drake will then go to his new job for orientation.”
Taken at face value, what Howard said could be seen as friendly but Drake knew what the last one meant, guilt starting to eat him over his lie, one that was sure to snowball.
“Thank you Drake...I” Drake stopped Ava from continuing.
“You don’t need to say anymore, you’re going to get better...That’s all I wanted.”
“How touching... Now these are yours...” Howard put two key cards in Drakes hands with some force. “If you’ll excuse me, I have some more dreams to make come true...” He smiled and turned away with his guards, a wave of tension went with them.
Ava enthusiastically led the way, practically dragging her brother. Drake could tell that she needed a rest though as he grasp was weakening quickly. They never spoke about their expectations of how they would live now. Probably afraid of creating a world too good to be true. Once they stood in front of the gate, expectations had already been hit low as the entry point was not a glorious golden archway of dreams but a manned crossing point. The access to the Dome came from two grey heavy looking doors watched over by both manned and automated turrets. There was a line here for entry but it was people begging to be allowed in. Ava met all their eyes and grew jealous of her own position, her heart went to those who were in need of her place in the Dome. Drake tore her away for her own sake, earning hate calls from those who remained. A guard peered over a metal barricade and looked at the key cards in Drakes hand. The siblings couldn’t look this man in the face though, this gatekeeper for their new life was wearing a pitch black visor attached to a riot helmet. The barricade opened and they were pulled inside before anyone else got in. Ava looked back at the crowd and into their silver eyes, all wanting what she now had. She wanted to apologise to them all but never found the words.
The doors to the tunnel opened, guiding the siblings inside.
“Wasn’t there supposed to be a welcoming committee?” Ava asked as they walked down the tunnel when lights flooded the area, revealing it to be a clinical white stretch, with wall lights providing the illumination. Hanging on the walls were portraits showing scenes completely alien to the Silvers from outside. Beautiful sunsets, green, lush forests. The floor beneath them went from sheet metal to a rich red carpet with gold lining.
“Look at all this...” Ava said in shock, not knowing where to put her eyes, everything was more luxurious then she had dealt with in the past. Drake focused on the paintings though, wondering if they were representative of what inside the Dome was like or representing something else, more primordial. They heard footsteps and from ahead, a group of four guards, with a guy in a expensive suit leading them.
“Ah so you are the new recruit Howard told me to greet.”
His eyes were fixed on Drake first and foremost. “And that means you are his sister, the one we should extend our greatest care to, if that information is correct?” The newcomer looked at Drake, waiting for an approval. Ava stepped behind her brother, who took an aggressive stance.
“Relax, my name is Duke Rosealyn, I’m one of the highest members of government here at the Atlantis Empire, a few tiers behind the Emperor Triumvirate.”
“The who?” Ava asked innocently, Drake was at a loss to explain who this group was, everyone on the outside just referred to those in charge as the leaders, or, mood depending, those jackasses.
“A council of three, together they decide every law the Atlantis Empire follows. They also reside over the conflicts we engage with. Now come with me, time is of the essence with this sightseeing tour! No doubt you’ll want to get your sister admitted sooner or later,” Duke explained before turning on his heels, looking over his shoulder at Drake and Ava. There would be no surprises for guessing that the siblings were still suspicious of the intent of the guards who stood at the ready. Unlike Duke’s friendly demeanour, they appeared far more threatening.
“Don’t worry about these, I asked for some volunteers from the Vanguard squadron. I'm sure Howard mentioned them to you."
Duke snapped his fingers, the four guards removed their helmets. There were two women and two men within the group.
“Let me introduce you! From the left, we have Gwen, Sara, Ash, and Cen.” Each of them stood forward and bowed when their name was called, their faces seemingly devoid of emotion. One thing that Drake quickly noticed was that the colour of their eyes. Gwen, the closest to where he was stood, had silver eyes like Drake's own. The other three had completely different eye colours then he was used to. The one called Ash, his eyes were a striking purple, contrasting to the other male standing next to him, Cen, whose eyes were the colour of emeralds that faded towards the edge. Sara, had crystal blue eyes that seemed like royalty.
Drake felt them all examining him, judging him. Each of them showing his potential future.
“You okay?” Ava asked, trying her best to keep her gaze away from Duke’s soldiers. Drake didn't answer her, he looked at each of his future comrades in turn.
“See? Nothing to worry about! I’m sure if you give them a chance you’ll fit right in,” Duke laughed.
"What's he mean by that?" Ava tugged on her brother's arm.
“Nothing, I think it's his way of being funny," Drake whispered to her.
"Now, with the pleasantries out of the way, we should be taking your sister to the hospital, that was part of the agreement, wasn't it?" Duke leaned in close to Ava with a smarmy smile. If the soldiers from Vanguard weren’t standing there with their weapon, Duke would've been laid out with a concussion. As it was, all Drake could do was stand there, his rage boiling over.
"Nothing to add," Duke smiled, staring at Drake. "Well then, let's go."
Duke led them to the end of the tunnel, where thick doors barred their path. Each one looked as though it was layers of steel fused together. A camera above then zeroed in on Duke’s face as he waved to the device. With a creak and the hum of gears grinding away, the massive doors began to move. Drake and Ava got their first taste of Drome life as a wind blew over them, but unlike the harsh gales that they were used to, this one was a gentle breeze that felt good against their skin. The glint of sunlight, filtered through the glass like ceilings of the Dome, blinded Drake and Ava for a moment, till their visions adjusted. In front of them was a scene neither had seen before outside of what books remained, an idealic yellow field of corn, where people and strange robotic contraptions toiled away.
“This Dome is part of our agricultural space, one of many. Every cluster of fields like this has a central town with where the majority of the workers here live. You can even find a few homesteads here and there. Some soliders like retiring to scenery like this,” Duke explained as he walked up to a waiting vehicle that ran on wheels and treads, a cross between a truck and a tank. “This will take us to the hospital, with some speed.”
Drake let two of the Vanguard get on first, before taking the fourth seat, making sure that that she was next to him. To his surprise, one of the Vanguard went and sat in the drivers seat. Drake struggled with remembering who everyone was, before recalling that he was called Ash. With the last Vanguard solider on board, the transport started whizzing through fields of crops. Workers were toiling in the field, and as far as Drake could work out, they were all silvers. The robots also caught his eye, with their very inhuman appearance, spindly looking with three legs to anchor them into the ground.harvested by Silvers and what looked like robots. The soldier known as Sara caught Drake inspecting them.
“I bet a silver like you has never seen anything like them before," she spoke with a hauty confidence, as if she was enjoying having someone else to lord over.
"I've seen robots before, if that's what you mean," Drake said with an edge. "We dig things like them up a lot in certain places, just they’re always broken."
"I guess the dumbs were widely available," Sara replied, bitterly.
“Dumbs?” Ava asked, adding herself into the conversation.
“It’s a class of robot, the only one that’s really available now. It means they can only do one thing, a system of control from the old times," Duke answered, satisfying Ava’s inate curiosity.
As the group travelled further along the farm lands, the crops gave way to green pastures, the scenery that the siblings had only seen in tattered picture books. There was animaks wandering here, large and round. None of them reacted to the newcomers, far too docile to muster a sound.
“That doesn’t look like a cow...” Ava said puzzled.
“Geneticists were able to recreate older versions of these animals to give superior meat yields, unlike those that continued to evolve in the worsening conditions outside.” Duke explained while he passively observed. “Those beasts you know are in a different league then these fine pedigrees. Though it suits those on the outside I guess.”
In between these short snippets, a heavy silence filled the vehicle, with Ava and Drake unsure of what to say, and the others wanting to say nothing. Then Ava saw buildings on the horizon, and the strange effect of the curving sky as they neared the edge of this particular dome.
“Ah, after this next town we'll be entering the Dome where your hospital is located, little Ava," Duke said, narrowing his eyes at her.
Drake felt uneasy, and noticed that while the male members of their entourage had no qualms of looking in Duke’s direction, the same could not be said for Gwen and Sara who looked anywhere else.
“Can’t wait to get rid of her? Or to get her on her own...” Drake said, not wanting to allow a silence to form after that. , allowing what he said to hang in the air.
“I meant nothing by it. Besides, you should worry more about yourself and your job.” Duke’s reply sent a shiver down Ava’s spine, and naturally she had to ask.
“What do you mean by that? What work is he doing?”
Duke smiled for a second, before answering:
“His role hasn't been fully decided yet, so I wouldn't worry your little head over it," he said, switching gears. Drake wasn't sure what he could say to follow that up.
“I’ll tell you about it when I come and see you.” He wanted to reassure her, but someone would have to reassure him first.
The transition from rural to urban gave Ava a different topic to focus on, and the starkest difference to those living outside and those on the inside, was given. She stared in awe at the pristine buildings, made from polished steel in some cases and decadent marble in others. With the Domes protection, these buildings never had to fear the outside elements that ravaged the structures on the outside. There were plenty of people going to and fro, but none of them had silver eyes, none of the pedestrians looked like they had ever taken a single step outside.
People like me were fit to do the farming or go to war but not live here? What does that mean for me and Ava? Drake asked himself. All he wanted to see was one person like him, living a life like the others with nary a care in the world. As he pondered that fact again, he was distracted by an excited cry from Ava, who'd spotted Melody Moon posters, advertising a concert. A realisation made her giggle out loud:
“Will I get to meet her?” She asked Drake excitedly. He didn't have an answer, but Duke did.
“You want to meet her? I know her agent personally, so I can arrange for her to stop by to say hello."
“You can do that?” She asked, and Duke nodded with a smile that made Drake sick to his stomach.
"It may take a while, the life of a superstar like her is very busy!"
Regardless of the time factor, Ava was overjoyed with that news, plastering a big smile on her face. Knowing that all this was for her sake anyway, Drake kept his gnawing doubts to himself, feeling though a noose was slowly starting to tighten around his neck.
Elsewhere, Melody Moon was traveling in Darren’s personal car. His pride and joy that he treat better than her. He did bore her with the details of the vehicle, and all the time and money spent on it, but Melody allowed them to slip her mind, she hated being in it, sitting uncomfortably close to Darren.
“Have you looked through the itinerary yet?” Darren asked as they sped through open highways that served as the back bones of the Domes transport network. There was many ways to travel from Dome to Dome and she had done them all. There was one performance she had done where she had been flown in while sitting in the hand of flashy and bright coloured Vector Unit. That particular show was a special gig for the army, before they marched into battle with the powers that be in the east. She sometimes spared a thought for them, having heard that very few ever came back from that battle line.
“Are you listening? We have a tight schedule for the next few days.” Darren said, raising his voice, when it looked like Melody wasn’t going to answer again, he went to hit out but she spoke first.
“I’m listening, at eight in the morning I’m to appear for a fan meet and greet at the Red Wing café. Then at ten, I’m to appear on Channel Five’s Morning Rise program for an interview and song performance,” She found the next part hard to say and wanted to block it from her memory that she would be forced to do it, but again the imminent spectre of Darren's fist made her comply. “Then at twelve thirty, I will...do a private performance at the estate of General Luxley and his associates. Then after that at four, I have a hospital appointment. At five I’m to appear on the Atlantis Sound Central radio station...”
“Enough, You got the important parts down at least.”
Darren showed no concern for her, she was just a tool to him, and she looked out the window at the endless blue sky, wanting to be free, like those who lived on the outside.
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Right, I think that'll do for this week!
Till next time,
Keep on writing!
Peter James Martin
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