Shortstories

Yellow. Burning yellow. With a sharp sliver of black dividing the topaz jewel, the cat’s eyes slowly blinked in the flickering firelight.

“Patience,” Rufus muttered, half to himself, half to the cat. “Almost there. Almost.”

It had become a mantra, a holy psalm that spurred Rufus’s actions ever onward. It kept him going, moving in the dim candlelight when his strength had all but left him. Almost there. Just a few more tests…

Duke Markus von Himmelman, son of Lady Margret De’Mechaump and Lord Phredrick von Himmelman, Baron of Lower East Spannerton, Duke of Topside, and a Welcome Lord in the court of Prince Reinheart himself, was furious. He stormed about his office like a madman, pulling his watch out of his vest pocket and clicking it open every few steps. When the clockwork timepiece provided nothing less than further frustration, he would stuff it back into his vest, turn sharply on his heel, and begin stomping in a different direction across the large carpet.

Loman John stared into the darkness. He could hear the steamer-ship — could always hear the steamer-ship — before its dim lights came into view. The fog was low in the evenings, and even the strongest lanterns could not pierce the mist for more than a kilometer at most; but the hissing grind of the engines were unmistakable, and it carried even in the Cliffside fog.

The layfolk called it fog, but Loman John knew more names. Every dockworker did. There were fogs that were light and pleasant, like butterflies kissing your skin. There was damp and heavy fog, the kind that made your socks wet. There were the mists that covered the air like smoke, and you couldn’t see three feet in front of your face. There were more besides, and each had their own name to the Dockworkers of Cliffside.

“Never!” Yolanda Allingdale hitched up her dress and began to run. Not the expected trot of a petulant child, or the flurry of lace that marked any good girl’s proper retreat to their room; but a bracing stride of a run that carried her out of the room and halfway up the mansion’s stairs before her mother could raise a single protest.

It was difficult to run like that in such thick and tightly fitted clothing, but Yolanda had practice. She ran everywhere she could, from the mansion to the orchard and from the orchard to the pond. She loved running, and not just because it was precisely the sort of thing the Governess disapproved of, but also because it was freeing, liberating. It felt natural, like she had been born to run from tree to tree, climbing and swinging in the branches.

Arthur Von Gusse sat quietly, sipping his tea.

It was some dreadful Asian blend — nowhere near as pleasant or aromatic as a solid Brittianian tea; what was the country coming too? The King was becoming far too multicultural, Arthur mused. When Queen Virginia was alive, the Empire always had the best, whether it was English or not. Of course, the best often was English, and if it wasn’t… well, a short war would soon see that it was. Now, all King Wilhelm seemed to care about was making friends, and by extension making everything as foreign as possible. The Passenger’s Crossing was one of the few places left in the whole of Cliffside that hadn’t completely succumbed to the advancing hordes.

It is a fact universally acknowledged that once a pirate has spent enough time at sea, the Horizon looks different everywhere on earth.

This is not how a sailor begins their career. When they first step onto the swaying ship, young and fresh-faced, they are first overwhelmed by the majesty of it all: a distant expanse of unending blue, swallowing up the past, future, and anything else that the sailor brings with them.

This story was made using the solo RPG Last Dispatch, by Symbolic City. I used the Freestation Tethys template, to ensure quality structure.

Event	Roll	Cards	Result	Rescue/Promote	Discard
Background	3	5c,3c,6d	Opposition	6d	3c
1	2	7c,3s	Opposition	3s	7c
2	5	Jh,7h,6s,As,3d	Intervention	As	Jh,3d
3	3	Kd,5s,2h	Intervention	Kd	5s,2h
4	6	Kc,2c,Ac,Qs,6h,5d	Assembly	Kc	2c,Qs,6h,5d
5	3	Kh,4h,2d	Opposition	Kh	4h,2d
6	6	Jd,7d,Ad,8h,3h,6c	Intervention	Jd - Ad	3h,7d,6c
7	3	Ks,Js,7s	Assertion	Ks	Js
8	5	Qh,9h,5h,Qd,Jc	Intervention	Qd	5h
9	6	Qc,10c,8c,4c,8s,2s	Opposition	Qc	4c,2s
10	4	9d,8d,4d,9c	Opposition	9c	4d
11	6	10c,9c,4c,10h,Ah,10d	Intervention	Ah	10d,4s
12	6	8s,3s,8h,7h,6d,8c	Assembly	8c	7h,6d,3s
13	5	Qh,9h,10c,9c,9d	Intervention	Qh	9h,10c,9c
14	4	10s,7s,8d,5c	Intervention	5c	7s,8d
15	4	9s,6s,As,Ac	Opposition	Ac	6s
16	2	10h,10s	Opposition	10h	10s
17	1	8c	Assertion	8c
18	5	9s,8s,9d,8h,5c	Assembly	9d	9s,8h,5c
19	2	As,9d	Opposition	As	9d
20	4	END

B Homestation Defense has ignored recent Gleaner attempts to adjust resource distribution, taking their old share regardless. 1 Defense resists demands from Lifeboat Corp to acquiesce to new distribution 2 Spy Researcher gives preliminary research to Lifeboat Corp, who reveals political machinations and the coming economic crisis. Researchers suddenly viewed as political, Lifeboat Corp seen as “voice of the people.” 3 Head of Mining Kd holds “science round-table” with members from scientists and Lifeboats, revealing new tech/supplies/food, promising a new and better life for the station, urging unity. 4 General Ks calls a summit to officially take supply distribution out of the Gleaner’s hands and into the military. Public hearings result in new shares of supplies. 5 Head Researcher Kh speaks out against gleaner’s new tech aims, as the sentience of the planet’s ecosystem is still in doubt. 6 Scoop! Kd is ousted by vote of no confidence, Jd takes over and increases Researcher supplies to keep conversation going, while reducing Military to keep them from acting instead of discussing 7 Newly elected Chief of Lifeboat Corp uses Manifesto speech to remind station how vital the lifeboat corp is, which several agitators and radicals turn into threats. 8 General Kc is assassinated. Qd, newly formed owner of organics collection, is challenged by Xenoethicists, delaying if not halting completely operations, suggesting they are responsible. 9 Second in Command Qc is ordered to turn Lifeboat Corp into occupied martial law industry to maintain function in light of threats and assassination. 10 Gleaners push back, reducing Military’s supplies and reducing their effectiveness 11 Military withdraws defense protections from scientists during researches, blaming gleaner cutbacks 12 Peace talks attempt to find new accord with distribution and resolve ethics. Gleaner collection program is halted, giving ethicists time to study 13 Gleaners protest and refuse cooperation, but Military interceeds and ensures Xenos get their due. Gleaners seen as petty and weak. 14 Open conflict begins, but the Lifeboat Corp threatens life-support shutdown and calms with the nuclear option 15 Scoop! The Lifeboat Corp is now throwing their weight around and is claiming judicial control over the station, demanding the Defense stepdown/surrender their role 16 Xenos develop new food source from planet, challenging Lifeboat Corp’s monopoly 17 Military refuses to back down, public address threatening violence if they are not respected 18 Violent riots break out on station. Lifeboat Corp space several decks 19 Gleaners sabatoge their own equipment and wipe the database of their tech. Station is abandoned