“I have a correction to make,” I messaged Skaalt, “Sandra definitely likes me just as much as I like her.” It took several minutes for him to reply to the message, which surprised me. Normally, he took hours to respond to a personal message like that one. “If she does anything to hurt you, I…
Category: Notes from the Deathworld Earth
Notes from the Deathworld Earth: The Desert (4676 words)
“You,” Jiemba said, “you are my brother from another star.” “You are my hatch-mate from a different nest.” I told him. “Greetings. The sands are gentle tonight.” It is always odd to come across a dron from another species. It is a Chintilik social class, after all, and it isn’t expected to translate off-world. But…
Notes from the Deathworld Earth: Road Trip
It was a thirty-hour drive to Alice Springs from Sydney. Most of it was across the hot, red Australian outback. Nick wanted to fly there, and argued that there wasn’t much to see on the drive. But he was outvoted (and not in charge, I reminded him), and he didn’t have to come on the…
Notes from the Deathworld Earth: Quarantine
The crew of the Quick Sliver crouched on either side of the command center’s door, ready to spring. The Lorak were pressed further away with ranged weapons, while the humans were up close. All except Markus, who was holding Isa upright in his arms. She was shuddering violently. There was the sound of heavy footfalls…
Notes from the Deathworld Earth: A Night at the Opera (3805 words)
“You still have to dress up,” Sandra had informed me. “Even with your scales. Your usual robes are nice, Archie, but they’re working clothes. Put on something fun.”I did, because I didn’t want to stand out. And because I wanted to impress Sandra and Nick. Just a little.So I dug into the very bottom of…
Notes from the Deathworld Earth: Settle in (Part 2)
I woke up to a sound I hadn’t heard in many years. Sandra was in the kitchen, and she was talking to someone. I detected the gurgle of a coffee machine and the hiss of fat on hot metal. It was a warm, welcoming sound, and it reminded me of being in Chint, where my…
Notes from the Deathworld Earth: Call for Backup (1966 words)
Preliminary report on the classification of the planet known as Earth. Draft document. Not for public release.The planet called Earth is home to an incredibly complex ecosystem. The planet’s primary residents, humans, expend immeasurable resources navigating, controlling, destroying, and repairing their biosphere daily. As they gained control of the planet, they out-competed and killed off…
Notes from the Deathworld Earth: Settle In (2099 words)
I overheard a lot of conversations on Earth. Humans talk all the time, and while some of them tend to rattle on about very little all the time, others say a lot in few words. I rarely took note of them, but I noted a lot of chatter between Sandra and Nick that afternoon in…
Notes from the Deathworld Earth: The Most Dangerous Animal In the Zoo (4864 Words)
“And this,” Irving said, lifting a shimmering black snake with a red underbelly out of an enormous glass tank, “is a red-bellied black snake. The name is self-explanatory. It’s venomous and very common, but unlikely to bite. This beautiful girl just got milked this morning, and she’s sweet as anything, so I can take her…
Notes from the Deathworld Earth: Sandra (2/2)
Raymond was not sober enough to talk about anything, let alone going long-distance while I was traveling. He opened the door and gave me a big smile, which is how I knew he was past buzzed already. “Hi, babe,” he said, “I’m glad you decided to come over.” “Hi, Raymond. Is Ashe home tonight?” “Ey-yup.”…