Running commentary:> But this time he'd been -invited-.
Finagle's Law is, IIRC, that the perversity of the universe tends to a maximum, no?
> Gryphon paused at the end of the docking-ring corridor, adjusted
> his cuffs, and rolled his eyes slightly at the name of the place. Only
> someone ironically aware of what a shitbucket Omega was would open a
> nightclub here and call it the Afterlife.
Well, I guess that clever can be in the eye of the beholder, 'cause that strikes me as pretty amusing indeed. ^_^
Also, this is the Draconis Combine's Black Dragons? If so, always pleasant to see scum getting press matching their hearts...
> Ralvin scowled, turned, and shouldered his way into the
> crowd. A scarred and grim-looking Vulcan with an alarming number of
> earrings followed him.
> "Well, th-thank you, Mr. Hutchins," said the auctioneer,
> stuffing his handkerchief back into his breast pocket. "If you'll just
> see the steward and settle your account, he can help you make
> arrangements to have the item secured aboard your ship for transport."
> Gryphon gave the man another smile and nod, then turned and made
> his way toward the steward's booth, the picture of smug unconcern. He
> hated to admit it, but deep down inside, he had to: There were times
> when he got a kick out of playing the villain a little.
It's one of those things, perhaps? Like being The Baddest Motherfucker In The World, or carrying out a meticulously planned heist caper.
...Also, may I take a moment to register a fan request of seeing G, in any context, deliberately set out to invoke the Card Carrying Villain routine? Getting into character as the commander of an exercise OpFor, terrorizing lesser villains than the infamous Butcher, setting out to provoke the Authorities into being ready for a real threat, or anything else that strikes you as amusing?
> He turned his head so that he was facing her, their visors only
> an inch or two apart, and grinned. "Feel free to tell me what you'd
> like for Christmas, while we're appropriately arranged," he said.
Given my own memory of Tali, I'm tempted to expect her to respond with an elbow someplace uncomfortable. Though... *checks* ...no, unless I'm misreading the position, she should have them free.
She could be just being cautious of his reputation, I guess, but that doesn't strike me as a Tali kind of style, so to speak.
> If the girl's presence hadn't presented such a problem for
> conducting the fight, he could even have enjoyed it a little. Every
> time he had to work the weapon selectors or throttle back a bit, it was
> like he was giving her a little hug, and that wasn't something he spent
> a lot of time doing these days.
> That's just weird, dude, he told himself, shaking his head
> sadly. Try to focus.
...Indeed.
> Gryphon felt himself reach a full, rolling boil, and decided to
> just go with it. Being ambushed upon leaving Omega had just kind of
> annoyed him. It was the usual thing that happened there and it was the
> sort of thing he'd grown wearily accustomed to in his life. But this?
> This, for some reason, made him angry.
I think they call it a 'crush'.
But what do I know? I'm just a reader...
> Ranger bursts out of low clouds; first sight of the ground. Not
> all that promising. Lots of mountains, craggy, snowy terrain, scrubby
> vegetation - what's the word? - taiga. The ground comes up like it's on
> a hydraulic lift. Try and aim for that clear area. Frozen lake?
> Glacier, maybe? Number one engine seizes with a horrible noise,
> controls go dead. Haul back on the stick, get the nose up just a little
> bit before the control surfaces freeze entirely. Below the treetops
> now, trunks whipping past on both sides.
I don't know much about flying, relatively speaking, but the entire crash sequence feels, mmm, 'very skilled professional is very very focused'. It works quite well.
And that is an evil bastard of a cliffhanger, sir.
Ja, -n