8FOLD/HCC: Journey Into # 24, "The Vampire Sun"

[Andrew Perron]

I WILL DIG MYSELF FROM THIS HOLE

On Monday, February 8, 2016 at 11:12:49 AM UTC-5, Tom Russell wrote:
<snip>
>              "THE VAMPIRE SUN"
>        ~~A HIGH CONCEPT ADVENTURE~~
>             ~BY TOM RUSSELL~

Oooooo. I see where you went with the challenge. :D

>          The LAST STORY has been told. EARTH
>        endures, but is vulnerable and alone in
>       the universe. All signs indicate that the
>      PULSE COLLECTIVE is making preparations for
>     its next attack, and that Earth is unlikely to
>    survive without allies. KNOCKOUT MOUSE and JULIE
>   ANN JUSTICE are sent on a top-secret intergalactic
>  diplomatic mission, one that takes Julie Ann to the
>  ruins of her own home planet...

Dun dun dunnnnnn :D :D :D

> Bethany presses her face near the glass: "Is that this system's star?
> The light's awfully faint."

That's no star. No, wait.

>    "The star's dead," says Julie Ann. "Died a long time ago. The
> light's being held in place-- or slowed, at any rate-- in a temporal
> stasis field maintained by trillions of thermonuclear nanites.

o.o!

> On the other side
> of the field, inside it, the star is just this close," she holds two
> fingers a millimeter apart, "to collapsing into a black hole and
> destroying every world in this system."

ohhhh o.o Tom, you do such good cosmic.

>    "That's right," says Julie Ann, chiding her own absent-mindedness.
> "I always forget that humans can only see in three dimensions. It's
> long-gone. I can only see the echoes."

Awwwww. :< Poor time-active Julie Ann.

> The vampire sun survives by eating
> other suns, destroying whole systems in the process. Same problem,
> different solution."
>    Bethany lets her jaw drop, stunned. "I can't even process that,"
> she says. "The scale of it, the enormity of the crime. It, has, I
> mean, has anyone tried to, to...?"
>    "To stop it?" says Julie Ann. "To shut it down? Yes. We tried. We
> hit them hard. We failed. They hit back. And that, Mouse, is what
> happened to my planet."

*quiet but intense squee*

(Also, Tom, have you ever read Up the Walls of the World? Classic cosmic SF that reminds me of this in some ways~)

>    "Yes," says Julie Ann. "And save for my home, there's been precious
> few casualties. The advanced defensive technologies they possess have
> withstood the universe's greatest war machines for millennia. I'm
> certain that they could protect the Earth from the Pulse."

Ohhhhh. Nice. <3 I love the *feel* of this overarching structure.

> Elsewhere! Planet Prime! Most favored child of the vampire sun!

GASP!

>    "Thoughts are lies! Mercies are lies! Maledux is Truth!"

This is Not Subtle, but then, that is probably an advantage here. <3

>    But not all is Maledux. Though they are indoctrinated from birth,
> and carefully bred to be genetically predisposed towards being an
> instrument of his One Will, there are some unfortunate souls who are
> compelled to resist. And so compelled, they seek to free their fellows
> from their bondage.

HECK YEAH.

> Forty-eight hour shifts are
> separated by four hours of body-rest in their locker: there is no such
> thing as sleep in Kyklokos system, for there are no such things as
> dreams. Every six hours, they give thanks to Maledux with parched
> throats for a few drops of tepid water, and a handful of boiled bread.
> If they work a double-shift-- ninety-six hours without rest-- they get
> some raw, bloody meat.

Okay I'm gonna assume this makes sense for Kyklokonian bodies.

>    "And you will hunger for ten thousand lifetimes, never gaining
> succor! Please! Please! You must listen to me! Why won't you listen to
> me? No! No! Stay back!"
>    But they don't stay back. For they know that Maledux is just, and
> that they shall be given the meat they tear off his bones.

Sheesh. o.o Very nice and intense. <3

>    "Oh, my body generates enough warmth that I don't have a problem
> with these kinds of temperatures," says Julie Ann. "Really, the only
> reason why I wear clothes is to make people feel more comfortable."
>    Bethany tries to be sly and casual: you don't have to keep up the
> pretense on my account. But when it comes out, she botches it: "Well,
> you don't have to, you know, if you, if you don't want to wear, uh,
> anything, that's, that's okay if it would, uh, yeah."

AUGHDORABLE. I was gonna make a comment but holy crap cute.

>    "With, you know, what we were talking about."
>    "I forgot," says Julie Ann, indulging a cruel streak.
>    "With you being nuh, naked."
>    "You decent yet?"
>    " yes ."
>    Julie Ann turns around. "Are you alright, Bethany?" she says,
> torturing her mildly. "You're red as a plum for some reason."

Julie I know this is incredibly cute but be nice to the girl. <3

> "Welcome to Gavloss," says their greeter after he has downloaded the
> English language from Bethany's brain. He's agreeably human-looking,
> decides Bethany, excepting the black dog's nose and the extra pair of
> well-muscled arms.

D'awwwww.

>    "There are... six such Leagues?" says Julie Ann. (Actually seven,
> she says in a text message that displays in Bethany's protective
> helmet, but best to play Columbo for a while.)

Very nice, very nice.

>    "Seven," corrects the greeter. "But only two that count. And one of
> those is ours.

Uh-huh. >:/ Sure.

>    "Number twos!"
>    "NUMBER TWOS!" says a third of them.
>    "Die for Maledux!"
>    "WE DIE FOR MALEDUX!" BLAM!
>    "Number ones!"
>    "NUMBER ONES!"
>    "Kill for Maledux!"
>    "WE KILL FOR MALEDUX!" BLAM!

Okay, so, I got it. o.o

> The Matriarch is probably beautiful, by the standards of Gavloss, but
> while Bethany could forgive the puppy-nose on the male greeter, it
> makes the female look distinctly ridiculous.

Humbug! More cuteness all around!

>    "I am familiar with the concept," says Martha. "We used to have
> such things ourselves. It ate up a lot of our time, made us less
> productive. We have engineered a new form of art, that distills the
> experience into its pure lingering emotional resonance, so that it can
> be experienced in a matter of seconds."

That's a little disturbing, yes.

>    "We have proven formidable," says Martha. "What is the phrase that
> reoccurs in your language? 'This planet is protected'."
>    (Oh my God, Bethany, you giant nerd.)

:D :D :D

>    "We have thought of it, your grace," says Julie Ann. "Indeed, we
> have heard it many times, from many planets since we set out to ask
> for help. I thought Gavloss had more courage and sense than they."
>    "More sense, yes," says Martha. "Sense enough to keep out of it.
> For as soon as the Pulse has destroyed the Earth, we will be next on
> their list."

SIGH. You space jerks!

>    "Neither do we," says Julie Ann. "Earth stood with the Red Hart and
> defeated the Never-Lord Sedenion. Earth saved time itself from the
> Dyzen'thari. We spoke the names of the Last Warden and solved the
> Forever Paradox. Have you heard of the Legions of Kah'nai?"
>    "Of course," says Martha. "And I know what became of them. Yes,
> yes, you're a scrappy little planet indeed; so what? You've an
> impressive resume, but it is only ten years long.

No seriously, you should be more impressed >:/

>    "No," says Julie Ann. "What happens to Gavloss when Earth wins, is
> that there is no Gavloss. There is not even a memory of Gavloss. There
> is only ashes, and sorrow."

um. o.o;;;

>    "What generous terms," says the Matriarch. "You're even stupider
> than I thought. And as short-sighted as your ancestors. If this is the
> like Earth chose as ambassador, it chose poorly. And in light of this,
> I think it would be best if the both of you would take your leave
> immediately. Allons-y!"
> 
> "Well," says Bethany once they had skedaddled back to the ship. "That
> was another smashing success."
>    "It was," says Julie Ann in complete seriousness. "When things
> start to turn against the Pulse, she'll remember our threat. They all
> will. All the planets we've visited, and all the planets we've yet to
> visit. And when one of them turns, so will another, and another. Once
> they realize that we can win, they're going to hurry to hop onto the
> winning side, rather than risk our wrath. It's not even a matter of
> whether we would actually do it; it's just enough that they think it's
> credible. And if we can take out the Pulse, we're capable of
> anything."

This is a pretty good idea, gotta say--

>    "About Kyklokos."
>    Bethany's eyes go wide. "They hate the Pulse. But you don't mean...?"
>    "Enemy of my enemy is my friend, right?" says Julie Ann. "And I
> think the greatest war machine in the universe will tip the scales in
> our favor, don't you?"

This is literally the worst idea I can think of! <3 And yet, it's so crazy IT JUST MIGHT WORK. But even if it does it's terrible! @- at v

>    "I have a bad feeling about this."
>    "That's why you're flying solo on this one."
>    "...Great."

*cackles fiendishly* Good job.

Drew "gotta do all the things" Perron