“Your enemy is never a villain in his own eyes. Keep this in mind; it may offer a way to make him your friend. If not, you can kill him without hate–and quickly.” –Robert A. Heinlein “You can unshackle her,” Navarchos Bass said, as the tall young woman was led into the brig. “She’s my …
Tag: Hala Nejem
Chapter Seventeen: Finite Disappointment Titan: Contact by D.X. Machina
“A mistake is always forgivable, rarely excusable and always unacceptable.” –Robert Fripp Darren looked at his pad, trying his best to get a lock on someone, anyone, who was a friendly. This was necessarily going to be a human; the one salient part of being registered as someone’s pet is that you end up with …
Chapter Sixteen: Whom Ventured All to Save Titan: Contact by D.X. Machina
“Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy.” –Sun Tzu, “The Art of War” Decanus Aigine Orgin had been a peacekeeper on four different stations, and had eleven years of experience dealing with criminals and thugs. He had once broken up a fight at Norvsekal Station that had involved six Insectoids, four Titans, and a …
Chapter Fifteen: ‘Cause We Don’t Know the Game Titan: Contact by D.X. Machina
“I have a thing. It’s like a plan, but with more greatness.” –The Eleventh Doctor “What on Archavia happened here?” Aertimus looked around the wreckage of the infirmary which had until very recently housed Hala Nejem. The two idiot guards were just coming around from being stunned; Dr. Geen was tending to Rixie, a nasty …
Chapter Five: Keep Your Eyes Wide Titan: Contact by D.X. Machina
“If life is going to exist in a Universe of this size, then the one thing it cannot afford to have is a sense of proportion.” –Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe “Mr. Secretary! We just received this! Code magenta traffic warning about the Sol System, sir.” “Criminy, Auren, don’t you …
Chapter Four: Lead Me Home Titan: Contact by D.X. Machina
“Oh, nothing’s impossible. It’s just a question of when it gets too hard to imagine doing.” –Jeff Fecke, The Valkyrie’s Tale “ETA, Colonel?” “One hour, forty minutes. Twenty minutes since I told you we were two hours out, sir.” Tatenda Marechera paced, which took some doing in the cramped cockpit of the Sally Ride. “Can …
Chapter Two: Lost But Now Titan: Contact by D.X. Machina
“It’s a magical world, Hobbes, ol’ buddy….Let’s go exploring!” –Bill Watterson, “Calvin and Hobbes” “Ten unis that we find microbial life there, sir?” “I’m not betting with you, Ted,” Cmdr. Tatenda Marechera chuckled. “Even if I win, what will I spend it on?” “Hala? Viktor?” “No chance, Ted,” Maj. Hala Nejem said. “One, my dad …