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  • #7951

    Disgruntled and bored with the fruitless wait for the other characters to reveal more of themselves, Amy started staying in her room all day reading books, glad that she’d had an urge to grab a bag full of used paperbacks from a chance encounter with a street vendor in Bogota.

    A strange book about peculiar children lingered in her mind, and mingled  somehow with the vestiges of the mental images of the writhing Uriah in the book Amy had read prior to this one.

    Aunt Amy?  a childs voice came unbidden to Amys ear.  Well, why not? Amy thought, Some peculiar children is what the story needs. Nephews and neices though, no actual children, god forbid. 

    “Aunt Amy!”  A gentle knocking sounded on the bedroom door.  “Are you in there, Aunt Amy?”

    “Is that at neice or nephew at my actual door? Already?” Amy cried in amazement.

    “Can I come in, please?” the little voice sounded close to tears.  Amy bounded off the bed to unloock leaving that right there the door to let the little instant ramen rellie in.

    The little human creature appeared to be ten years old or so, as near as Amy could tell, with a rather androgenous look: a grown out short haircut in a nondescript dark colour, thin gangling limbs robed in neutral shapelessness, and a pale pinched face.

    “I’ve never done this before, can you help me?” the child said.

    “Never been a story character before, eh?” Amy said kindly. “Do you know your name? Not to worry if you don’t!” she added quickly, seeing the child’s look of alarm. “No?  Well then you can choose what ever you like!”

    The child promptly burst into tears, and Amy wanted to kick herself for being such a tactless blundering fool.  God knows it wasn’t that easy to choose, even when you knew the choice was yours.

    Amy wanted to ask the child if it was a boy or a girl, but hesitated, and decided against it. I’ll have to give it a name though, I can’t keep calling it the child.

    “Would you mind very much if I called you Kit, for now?” asked Amy.

    “Thanks, Aunt Amy,” Kit said with a tear streaked smile. “Kit’s fine.”

    #7946
    Yurara FamelikiYurara Fameliki
    Participant

      Enter Liz’s Tipsy Waltz

       

       


       

      [Verse]
      Feathered quill meets parchment skin
      Elizabeth writes where scandals begin
      Pink champagne spills on the floor
      Cougar’s grin says she’s ready for more

      [Verse 2]
      Famed author weaves sly tales with fire
      Slutty thoughts fuel Roberto’s desire
      Finnley
      The ghost
      Hides in the night
      Typewriter clicks
      Dim candlelight

      [Chorus]
      Ink and lust flow through this tale
      Secrets whispered on parchment pale
      Godfrey nuts
      Edits the scene
      In this wild world
      What’s it all mean?

      [Verse 3]
      In the cabinet where whispers creak
      Roberto shows a sly technique
      Finnley sighs
      Unseen but clear
      Through the shadows
      His words appear

      [Bridge]
      Elizabeth leads with a champagne toast
      A cougar’s smirk
      The fading ghost
      Peanuts scatter
      Chaos remains
      A writer’s world drips ink and stains

      [Verse 4]
      Pages flutter
      They dance
      They shout
      Godfrey snickers
      Edits play out
      Roberto winks with knowing grace
      In this madhouse
      Who sets the pace?

      prUneprUne
      Participant

        Theme Song :)

        Welcome to the Flying Fish Inn

        [Verse]
        Dusty inn of stories wide
        Gum-leaf whispers where dreams abide
        Mater’s laugh like the crackling fire
        Dodo’s show lifts the spirits higher

        [Chorus]
        Out on the edge where memories spin
        Bushland beats and legends begin
        With clove and Corrie’s mischievous grin
        Here lies the heart of a dusty inn

        [Verse 2]
        Prune plays tricks by lantern’s gleam
        Kookaburras join this timeless theme
        Aunt Idle’s wink it holds a spark
        Lighting tales in the outback dark

        [Bridge]
        Rusted signs swing slow with pride
        Creaking porch where secrets hide
        Every soul has a verse within
        And every night’s a new tale to spin

        [Chorus]
        Out on the edge where memories spin
        Bushland beats and legends begin
        With clove and Corrie’s mischievous grin
        Here lies the heart of a dusty inn

        [Verse 3]
        Old Bert hums with a pipe in hand
        Echoes surf on the scorched red land
        Shadows dance on the pub’s embrace
        Laugh lines drawn on every face

        #7940
        Yurara FamelikiYurara Fameliki
        Participant

          The Cofficionados Theme Song “Dont Trust a Goat with a Plan

           

           

          [Verse]
          Goat in a bow tie whispers
          “Trust me
          My dear”
          A plan in its hooves but intentions unclear
          Guard the coffee belt like a treasure map’s end
          Four bandits are plotting to twist and upend

          [Chorus]
          Don’t trust a goat with a plan
          My friend
          They’ll sip your dreams while you defend
          Lucid nights sabotaged mid-spin
          By cofficionados sneaking in

          [Verse 2]
          Carob in shadows
          No cocoa in sight
          Thiram with whispers that steal your midnight
          Amy’s sweet smile hides beans of deceit
          Chico grinds chaos
          The bitter elite

          [Bridge]
          Sleep-parachute breaches
          Reverse dreams collide
          They’ve hijacked your pillow for the wildest ride
          Beware the saboteurs that seep in deep
          Between dripping espresso and REM sleep

          [Chorus]
          Don’t trust a goat with a plan
          My friend
          They’ll sip your dreams while you defend
          Lucid nights sabotaged mid-spin
          By cofficionados sneaking in

          [Verse 3]
          Pour your resistance in a steaming haze
          Shield the roast aroma from their forking ways
          The bandits want dominion over your grind
          But you’ll wake alert with their schemes left behind

          #7935

          “I don’t know, Amy. I thought it was Chico who was mysterious — subversively spitting at every opportunity.”

          “Well, Carob, maybe we could just agree they’re equally mysterious?” suggested Amy, turning her attention back to her search.

          Carob shrugged. “A woman in Greece is divorcing her husband because AI read her coffee cup and said he was cheating.”

          Amy paused and looked up. “For real?”

          “Yeah. I read it on Thiram’s news stream. He left it running on that weird device of his — over there, next to his half-drunk coffee. Not sure where he went, actually.”

          Amy gasped and clapped her hands. “Oh! Oh! Brainwave occurring — let’s get AI to read Thiram’s coffee cup!”

          Carob snorted. “Genius.”

          They raced over to the small folding table where Thiram’s cup sat. Carob held up her phone.

          “Okay. One quick pic. Hold it steady!”

          They excitedly uploaded the image to an AI analysis app Thiram had installed on his device.

          The app whirred for a few minutes:

          DEEP COFFEE CUP ANALYSIS COMPLETE

          Latent emotional residue: contemplative, fond of secrets.
          Foam pattern suggests hidden loyalty to an entity known only as “The Port.”
          Swirling suggests alignment with larger forces not currently visible.
          Presence of cardamom notes: entirely unaccounted for.
          Recommendation: approach carefully with gentle questioning.

          “Blimey, what does that mean?” asked Carob.

          Amy nodded solemnly, perhaps with just a touch of smugness. “He is a man of mystery. Didn’t I say it?”

          #7929
          Yurara FamelikiYurara Fameliki
          Participant

            Godric

             

            Godric

            What We Know Visually:

            • Identified as Swedish, possibly tall and pale by stereotype.

            • A barista-channeler, so likely has the look of a mystical hipster.

            Inferred Presence/Style:

            • May wear layered scarves, bracelets with charms, or ceremonial aprons.

            • The term Draugaskalds connects him to Norse aesthetics—he might carry old symbols or tattoos.

            Unclear:

            • Concrete outfit, facial expression, or posture.

            • Age and physical habits.

            #7927
            Yurara FamelikiYurara Fameliki
            Participant

              Thiram Izu

               

              Thiram Izu – The Bookish Tinkerer with Tired Eyes

              Explicit Description

              • Age: Mid-30s

              • Heritage: Half-Japanese, half-Colombian

              • Face: Calm but slightly worn—reflecting quiet resilience and perceptiveness.

              • Hair: Short, tousled dark hair

              • Eyes: Observant, introspective; wears round black-framed glasses

              • Clothing (standard look):

                • Olive-green utilitarian overshirt or field jacket

                • Neutral-toned T-shirt beneath

                • Crossbody strap (for a toolkit or device bag)

                • Simple belt, jeans—functional, not stylish

              • Technology: Regularly uses a homemade device, possibly a patchwork blend of analog and AI circuitry.

              • Name Association: Jokes about being named after a fungicide (Thiram), referencing “brothers” Malathion and Glyphosate.


              Inferred Personality & Manner

              • Temperament: Steady but simmering—he tries to be the voice of reason, but often ends up exasperated or ignored.

              • Mindset: Driven by a need for internal logic and external systems—he’s a fixer, not a dreamer (yet paradoxically surrounded by dreamers).

              • Social Role: The least performative of the group. He’s neither aloof nor flamboyant, but remains essential—a grounded presence.

              • Habits:

                • Zones out under stress or when overstimulated by dream-logic.

                • Blinks repeatedly to test for lucid dream states.

                • Carries small parts or tools in pockets—likely fidgets with springs or wires during conversations.

              • Dialogue Style: Deadpan, dry, occasionally mutters tech references or sarcastic analogies.

              • Emotional Core: Possibly a romantic or idealist in denial—hidden under his annoyance and muttered diagnostics.


              Function in the Group

              • Navigator of Reality – He’s the one most likely to point out when the laws of physics are breaking… and then sigh and fix it.

              • Connector of Worlds – Bridges raw tech with dream-invasion mechanisms, perhaps more than he realizes.

              • Moral Compass (reluctantly) – Might object to sabotage-for-sabotage’s-sake; he values intent.

              #7925
              Yurara FamelikiYurara Fameliki
              Participant

                Chico Ray

                 

                Chico Ray

                Directly Stated Visual and Behavioral Details:

                • Introduces himself casually: “Name’s Chico,” with no clear past, suggesting a self-aware or recently-written character.

                • Chews betel leaves, staining his teeth red, which gives him a slightly unsettling or feral appearance.

                • Spits on the floor, even in a freshly cleaned café—suggesting poor manners, or possibly defiance.

                • Appears from behind a trumpet tree, implying he lurks or emerges unpredictably.

                • Fabricates plausible-sounding geo-political nonsense (e.g., the coffee restrictions in Rwanda), then second-guesses whether it was fiction or memory.

                Inferred Traits:

                • A sharp smile made more vivid by betel staining.

                • Likely wears earth-toned clothes, possibly tropical—evoking Southeast Asian or Central American flavors.

                • Comes off as a blend of rogue mystic and unreliable narrator, leaning toward surreal trickster.

                • Psychological ambiguity—he doubts his own origins, possibly a hallucination, dream being, or quantum hitchhiker.

                What Remains Unclear:

                • Precise age or background.

                • His affiliations or loyalties—he doesn’t seem clearly aligned with the Bandits or Lucid Dreamers, but hovers provocatively at the edges.

                #7923
                Yurara FamelikiYurara Fameliki
                Participant

                  Amy & Carob

                  Amy Kawanhouse

                  Directly Stated Visual Traits:

                  • Hair: Long, light brown

                  • Eyes: Hazel, often sweaty or affected by heat/rain

                  • Clothing: Old grey sweatshirt with pushed-up sleeves

                  • Body: Short and thin, with shapely legs in denim

                  • Style impression: Understated and practical, slightly tomboyish, no-frills but with a hint of self-aware physicality

                  Inferred From Behavior:

                  • Functional but stylish in a low-maintenance way.

                  • Comfortable with being dirty or goat-adjacent.

                  • Probably ties her hair back when annoyed.


                  Carob Latte

                  Directly Stated Visual Traits:

                  • Height: Tall (Amy refers to her as “looming”)

                  • Hair: Frizzled—possibly curly or electrified, chaotic in texture

                  • General Look: Disheveled but composed; possibly wears layered or unusual clothing (fitting her dreamy reversal quirks)

                  Inferred From Behavior:

                  • Movements are languid or deliberately unhurried.

                  • Likely wears things with big pockets or flowing elements—goat-compatible.

                  • There’s an aesthetic at play: eccentric wilderness mystic or mad cartographer.

                  #7913

                  Amy wondered afterwards if she should have said “Why is it always my fault” and hoped nobody would think el gran apagón was her fault too.  Another one of the issues with typecasting too soon.

                  The rumours and hoaxes were rife even before the electricity came back on.  The crisis of the lack of coffee beans was coming to a head: morning riots were breaking out in the places most affected by the shortage. As soon as the blackouts started, improvised statistics and numbers were cobbled together into snappy psychological colour combination images and plastered everywhere suggesting that the lack of electricity was saving an incomprehensible number of cups of coffee per day, but without causing any coffee related social disorder events.

                  Amy had heard that el gran apagón was foretold to occur when the pope died, that it was extraterrestrials, that it was el naranjo and his sidekick effin muck, and all manner of things, but the concerns with the coffee shortage happening at the same time as the blackouts were manifold.

                  The population was looking for scapegoats. Oh dear god, what did I say that for.

                  #7906

                  “Do you like the new pamphlets?” Ricardo asked Miss Bossy Pants.


                  “Thought we needed a bit of building awareness to the readership” he said struggling hard not to try to justify himself.

                  After a moment of reflection, she answered “I can’t say I’m completely hating it, the whole foray into quote-unquote serious journalism, with a tint of eco-consciousness. Even more so it’s starting to look more rebellious nowadays than the fad that it was. But I digress. I mean, apart from the obvious AI showing, tell me Ric… Where are the interviews? the wrangling emotions of the interviews… Have we stopped doing investigative journalism?”

                  #7886

                  SAVE THE BEAN BELT 

                  “Let’s go” said Amy to her goat.

                  #7873

                  6 months later…

                  Earth ~ Helix 25

                  6 months later…

                  #7829
                  ÉricÉric
                  Keymaster

                    Helix 25 – Investigation Breakdown: Suspects, Factions, and Ship’s Population

                    To systematically investigate the murder(s) and the overarching mystery, let’s break down the known groups and individuals, their possible means to commit crimes, and their potential motivations.


                    1. Ship Population & Structure

                    Estimated Population of Helix 25

                    • Originally a luxury cruise ship before the exodus.
                    • Largest cruise ships built on Earth in 2025 carried ~5,000 people.
                      Space travel, however, requires generations.
                    • Estimated current ship population on Helix 25: Between 15,000 and 50,000, depending on deck expansion and growth of refugee populations over decades.
                    • Possible Ship Propulsion:
                      • Plasma-based propulsion (high-efficiency ion drives)
                      • Slingshot navigation using gravity assists
                      • Solar sails & charged particle fields
                      • Current trajectory: Large elliptical orbit, akin to a comet.
                        Estimated direction of the original space trek was still within Solar System, not beyond the Kuiper Belt (~30 astrological units) and programmed to return towards it point of origin.
                        Due to the reprogramming by the refugees, it is not known if there has been significant alteration of the course – it should be known as the ship starts to reach the aphelion (farthest from the Sun) and either comes back towards it, or to a different course.
                      • Question: Are they truly on a course out of the galaxy? Or is that just the story Synthia is feeding them?
                        Is there a Promised Land beyond the Ark’s adventure?


                    2. Breaking Down People & Factions

                    To find the killer(s), conspiracies, and ship dynamics, here are some of factions, known individuals, and their possible means/motives.


                    A. Upper Decks: The Elite & Decision-Makers

                    • Defining Features:
                      • Wealthy descendants of the original passengers. They have adopted names of stars as new family names, as if de-facto rulers of the relative segments of the space.
                      • Have never known hardship like the Lower Decks.
                      • Kept busy with social prestige, arts, and “meaningful” pursuits to prevent existential crisis.

                    Key Individuals:

                    1. Sue Forgelot

                      • Means: Extensive social connections, influence, and hidden cybernetic enhancements.
                      • Motive: Could be protecting something or someone—she knows too much about the ship’s past.
                      • Secrets: Claims to have met the Captain. Likely lying… unless?
                    2. Dr. Amara Voss

                      • Means: Expert geneticist, access to data. Could tamper with DNA.
                      • Motive: What if Herbert knew something about her old research? Did she kill to bury it?
                    3. Ellis Marlowe (Retired Postman)

                      • Means: None obvious. But as a former Earth liaison, he has archives and knowledge of what was left behind.
                      • Motive: Unclear, but his son was the murder victim. His son was previously left on Earth, and seemed to have found a way onto Helix 25 (possibly through the refugee wave who took over the ship)
                      • Question: Did he know Herbert’s real identity?
                    4. Finkley (Upper Deck cleaner, informant)

                      • Means: As a cleaner, has access everywhere.
                      • Motive: None obvious, but cleaners notice everything.
                      • Secret: She and Finja (on Earth) are telepathically linked. Could Finja have picked up something?
                    5. The Three Old Ladies (Shar, Glo, Mavis)

                      • Means: Absolutely none.
                      • Motive: Probably just want more drama.
                      • Accidental Detectives: They mix up stories but might have stumbled on actual facts.
                    6. Trevor Pee Marshall (TP, AI detective)

                      • Means: Can scan records, project into locations, analyze logic patterns.
                      • Motive: Should have none—unless he’s been compromised as hinted by some of the remnants of old Muck & Lump tech into his program.

                    B. Lower Decks: Workers, Engineers, Hidden Knowledge

                    • Defining Features:
                      • Unlike the Upper Decks, they work—mechanics, hydroponics, labor.
                      • Self-sufficient, but cut off from decisions.
                      • Some distrust Synthia, believing Helix 25 is off-course.

                    Key Individuals:

                    1. Luca Stroud (Engineer, Cybernetic Expert)

                      • Means: Can tamper with ship’s security, medical implants, and life-support systems.
                      • Motive: Possible sabotage, or he was helping Herbert with something.
                      • Secret: Works in black-market tech modifications.
                    2. Romualdo (Gardener, Archivist-in-the-Making)

                      • Means: None obvious. Seem to lack the intelligence, but isn’t stupid.
                      • Motive: None—but he lent Herbert a Liz Tattler book about genetic memories.
                      • Question: What exactly did Herbert learn from his reading?
                    3. Zoya Kade (Revolutionary Figure, Not Directly Involved)

                      • Means: Strong ideological influence, but not an active conspirator.
                      • Motive: None, but her teachings have created and fed factions.
                    4. The Underground Movement

                      • Means: They know ways around Synthia’s surveillance.
                      • Motive: They believe the ship is on a suicide mission.
                      • Question: Would they kill to prove it?

                    C. The Hold: The Wild Cards & Forgotten Spaces

                    • Defining Features:
                      • Refugees who weren’t fully integrated.
                      • Maintain autonomy, trade, and repair systems that the rest of the ship ignores.

                    Key Individuals:

                    1. Kai Nova (Pilot, Disillusioned)

                      • Means: Can manually override ship systems… if Synthia lets him.
                      • Motive: Suspects something’s off about the ship’s fuel levels.
                    2. Cadet Taygeta (Sharp, Logical, Too Honest)

                      • Means: No real power, but access to data.
                      • Motive: Trying to figure out what Kai is hiding.

                    D. AI & Non-Human Factors

                    • Synthia (Central AI, Overseer of Helix 25)

                      • Means: Controls everything.
                      • Motive: Unclear, but her instructions are decades old.
                      • Question: Does she even have free will?
                    • The Captain (Nemo)

                      • Means: Access to ship-wide controls. He is blending in the ship’s population but has special access.
                      • Motive: Seems uncertain about his mission.
                      • Secret: He might not be following Synthia’s orders anymore.

                    3. Who Has the Means to Kill in Zero-G?

                    The next murder happens in a zero-gravity sector. Likely methods:

                    • Oxygen deprivation (tampered life-support, “accident”)
                    • Drowning (hydro-lab “malfunction”)

                    Likely Suspects for Next Murder

                    Suspect Means to Kill in Zero-G Motive
                    Luca Stroud Can tamper with tech Knows ship secrets
                    Amara Voss Access to medical, genetic data Herbert was digging into past
                    Underground Movement Can evade Synthia’s surveillance Wants to prove ship is doomed
                    Synthia (or Rogue AI processes) Controls airflow, gravity, and safety protocols If she sees someone as a threat, can she remove them?
                    The Captain (Nemo?) Has override authority Is he protecting secrets?

                    4. Next Steps in the Investigation

                    • Evie and Riven Re-interview Suspects. Who benefited from Herbert’s death?
                    • Investigate the Flat-Earth Conspiracies. Who is spreading paranoia?
                    • Check the Captain’s Logs. What does Nemo actually believe?
                    • Stop the Next Murder. (Too late?)

                    Final Question: Where Do We Start?

                    1. Evie and Riven visit the Captain’s quarters? (If they find him…)
                    2. Investigate the Zero-G Crime Scene? (Second body = New urgency)
                    3. Confront one of the Underground Members? (Are they behind it?)

                    Let’s pick a thread and dive back into the case!

                    #7828

                    Helix 25 – The Murder Board

                    Evie sat cross-legged on the floor of her cramped workspace, staring at the scattered notes, datapads, and threads taped to the wall. Finding some yarn on the ship had not been as easy as she thought, but it was a nice touch she thought.

                    The Murder Board, as Riven Holt had started calling it, was becoming an increasingly frustrating mess of unanswered questions.

                    Riven stood nearby, arms crossed, with a an irritated skepticism. “Almost a week,” he muttered. “We’re no closer than when we started.”

                    Evie exhaled sharply. “Then let’s go back to the basics.”

                    She tapped the board, where the crime scene was crudely sketched. The Drying Machine. Granary. Jardenery. Blood that shouldn’t exist.

                    She turned to Riven. “Alright, let’s list it out. Who are our suspects?”

                    He looked at his notes, dejected for a moment; “too many, obviously.” Last census on the ship was not accurate by far, but by all AI’s accounts cross-referenced with Finkley’s bots data, they estimated the population to be between 15,000 and 50,000. Give or take.

                    They couldn’t interview possibly all of them, all the more since there the interest in the murder had waned very rapidly. Apart from the occasional trio of nosy elderly ladies, the ship had returned mostly to the lull of the day-to-day routine.
                    So they’d focused on a few, and hoped TP’s machine brain could see patterns where they couldn’t.

                    1. First, the Obvious Candidates: People with Proximity to the Crime Scene
                      Romualdo, the Gardener – Friendly, unassuming. He lends books, grows plants, and talks about Elizabeth Tattler novels. But Herbert visited him often. Why?
                      Dr. Amara Voss – The geneticist. Her research proves the Crusader DNA link, but could she be hiding more? Despite being Evie’s godmother, she couldn’t be ruled out just yet.
                      Sue Forgelot – The socialite with connections everywhere. She had eluded their request for interviews. —does she know more than she lets on?
                      The Cleaning Staff – they had access everywhere. And the murder had a clean elegance to it…
                    2. Second, The Wild Cards: People with Unknown Agendas
                      The Lower Deck Engineers – Talented mechanic, with probable cybernetic knowledge, with probable access to unauthorized modifications. Could they kill for a reason, or for hire?
                      Zoya Kade and her Followers – They believe Helix 25 is on a doomed course, manipulated by a long-dead tycoon’s plan. Would they kill to force exposure of an inconvenient truth?
                      The Crew – Behind the sense of duty and polite smiles, could any of them be covering something up?
                    3. Third, The AI Factor: Sentient or Insentient?
                      Synthia, the AI – Controls the ship. Omnipresent. Can see everything, and yet… didn’t notice or report the murder. Too convenient.
                      Other personal AIs – Like Trevor Pee’s programme, most had in-built mechanisms to make them incapable of lying or harming humans. But could one of their access be compromised?

                    Riven frowned. “And what about Herbert himself? Who was he, really? He called himself Mr. Herbert, but the cat erm… Mandrake says that wasn’t his real name. If we figure out his past, maybe we find out why he was killed.”

                    Evie rubbed her temples. “We also still don’t know how he was killed. The ship’s safety systems should have shut the machine down. But something altered how the system perceived him before he went in.”

                    She gestured to another note. “And there’s still the genetic link. What was Herbert doing with Crusader DNA?”

                    A heavy silence settled between them.

                    Then TP’s voice chimed in. “Might I suggest an old detective’s trick? When stumped, return to who benefits.”

                    Riven exhaled. “Fine. Who benefits from Herbert’s death?”

                    Evie chewed the end of her stylus. “Depends. If it was personal, the killer is on this ship, and it’s someone who knew him. If it was bigger than Herbert, then we’re dealing with something… deeper.”

                    TP hummed. “I do hate deeper mysteries. They tend to involve conspiracies, misplaced prophecies, and far too many secret societies.”

                    Evie and Riven exchanged a glance.

                    Riven sighed. “We need a break.”

                    Evie scoffed. “Time means nothing here.”

                    Riven gestured out the window. “Then let’s go see it. The Sun.”

                    Helix 25 – The Sun-Gazing Chamber

                    The Sun-Gazing Chamber was one of Helix 25’s more poetic and yet practical inventions —an optically and digitally-enhanced projection of the Sun, positioned at the ship’s perihelion. It was meant to provide a psychological tether, a sense of humanity’s connection to the prime provider of life as they drifted in the void of the Solar System.
                    It was a beautifully designed setting where people would simply sit and relax, attuned to the shift of days and nights as if still on Earth. The primary setting had been voted to a massive 83.5% to be like in Hawai’i latitude and longitude, as its place was believed to be a reflection of Earth’s heart. That is was a State in the USA was a second thought of course.

                    Evie sat on the observation bench, staring at the massive, golden sphere suspended in the darkness. “Do you think people back on Earth are still watching the sunrise?” she murmured.

                    Riven was quiet for a moment. “If there’s anyone left.”

                    Evie frowned. “If they are, I doubt they got much of a choice.”

                    TP materialized beside them, adjusting his holographic tie. “Ah, the age-old existential debate: are we the lucky ones who left Earth, or the tragic fools who abandoned it?”

                    Evie ignored him, glancing at the other ship residents in the chamber. Most people just sat quietly, basking in the light. But she caught snippets of whispers, doubt, something spreading through the ranks.

                    “Some people think we’re not really where they say we are,” she muttered.

                    Riven raised an eyebrow. “What, like conspiracy theories?”

                    TP scoffed. “Oh, you mean the Flat-Earthers?” He tsked. “Who couldn’t jump on the Helix lifeboats for their lives, convinced as they were we couldn’t make it to the stars. They deserved what came to them. Next they’ll be saying Helix 25 never even launched and we’re all just trapped in a simulation of a luxury cruise.”

                    Evie was shocked at Trevor Pee’s eructation and rubbed her face. “Damn Effin Muck tech, and those “Truth Control” rubbish datasets. I thought I’d thoroughly scrubbed all the old propaganda tech from the system.”

                    “Ah,” TP said, “but conspiracies are like mold. Persistent. Annoying. Occasionally toxic.”

                    Riven shook his head. “It’s nonsense. We’re moving. We’ve been moving for decades.”

                    Evie didn’t look convinced. “Then why do we feel stuck?”

                    A chime interrupted them.

                    A voice, over the comms. Solar flare alert. 

                    Evie stiffened.

                    Then: Stay calm and return to your quarters until further notice.

                    Evie raised an eyebrow. This was the first time something like that happened. She turned to Riven who was looking at his datapad who was flashing and buzzing.

                    He said to her: “Stay quiet and come with me, a new death has been reported. Crazy coincidence. It’s just behind the Sun-Gazing chamber actually, in the Zero-G sector.”

                    #7824
                    Yurara FamelikiYurara Fameliki
                    Participant

                      Sharon, Gloria & Mavis

                      The 3 elderly ladies are ready to investigate that murder mystery onboard Helix 25

                      #7815
                      Yurara FamelikiYurara Fameliki
                      Participant

                        Evie and Mandrake at Seren’s quarters

                        Evie is looking at ancient history found in books of Liz Tattler, such precious knowledge not present in Synthia’s carefully curated records…

                        Evie channels her own Finnley’s historical clean factuality to get a sense of the facts behind the Liz fiction… Mandrake provides snarky comments free of charge.

                        #7806
                        Yurara FamelikiYurara Fameliki
                        Participant

                          Earth Survivors Group

                          Anya and Talya’s group of Earth Survivor

                          Front: Tala, left: Tundra, back: Anya, Molly right: Mikhail & Gregor – others not shown…

                          Tundra Marlowe

                          Merdhyn Winstrom with Tuppence

                          Merdhyn is shown in front of the wreckage of Helix 57’s orbit shuttle in the Black Sea coastal area. The rat Tuppence is perched on his shoulder.

                          #7803
                          Yurara FamelikiYurara Fameliki
                          Participant

                            Aboard Helix 25

                            Sue Forgelot

                            Luca Stroud

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