716
What does your MC like to do in their free time?

Kira likes cooking, reading, music and other media from the past especially retro SciFi, training in several different melee combat styles, linguistics and climbing, she also dabbles in all sort of fitness stuff and some creative hobbies but she rarely has time for them while on mission and while on leave it's the question what to do.

Arkham loves NIN series like dramas, comedy or art, she also enjoys several Terran and non Terran sports, she is a good tinkerer but on mission she just never really finds time for it, she has a private shuttle that is modified for races and may even be armed which wouldn't be against the law but well only because soldiers are allowed to own armed private space vehicles.
It's called the Armittage, it's a constant piece of work. She also enjoys gaming to a degree.

Ashlei is the ships AI she 'enjoys' improving herself.

#PennedPossibilities 716 #StarRyde #KiraKnox #Arkham #Ashlei #writing #SciFi #WIP

717
Is your SC the type to ever get impulsive?

Impulse control is important in the military so most of my crew aren't very impulsive at least not on duty outside it looks a bit different.
Mondira coming from an Rim world that is very different from the Union joined planets has a very loose control at times, something she shares with Arkham (MC), Chief engineer Trawella has a bit of a short temper and loose impulse control in the heat of something going sideways and he is in the middle of the heat, which is understandable I think.
Dr Kaiden has a very good impulse control against Kira because he on occasion would really like to ground her back to the reality that she isn't part of the machine but a person with needs herself, especially at the topic of eating and recharging her batteries (no she doesn have batteries but you know like your social batteries, or your spoons).
Especially if is rest to heal.

#PennedPossibilities 717 #StarRyde #MondiraRamann #DrKaiden #writing #SciFi #WIP

718. If they were looking back on their past choices, would your MC feel as though they made the right ones in life?

Mostly yes.

#PennedPossibilities 718 #StarRyde #writing #SciFi #WIP

719
Does your antagonist (or villain) have a weapon of choice?

1/2
Antagonists
AI, intelligence, pulling strings in the background, elaborate schemes, They seems to gain something out of all it's moves.
Whoever they are they know how to use time to their advantage as they do with mystery. You can't be sure if it is all smoke & mirrors or actual leverage and force. They seem to have a lot of reach into almost every government not excluding the Union or several Rim worlds.
In short it could all be subterfuge for goals nobody realizes yet.

AJ is way more grounded, the weapon of choice is an Onga Technologies sidearm heavily modified, probably from the Problem Solver or One Solutions product line. Ariaene is a functional soldier they gets a mission parameter & they gets it done, no matter if it is brokering a deal or threat neutralisation.

Villains
The Eltaryn use

#PennedPossibilities 719 #StarRyde #AntagonistInfernale #AntagonistJunior #AJ #AJohnsen #AriaeneJohnsen #SciFi #WIP

719 2/2

brute force strategies, the "Rillaz" use crude weapons that look like some one rammed a garbage freighter into a weapon manufacturing company and ran with it.

The "Roaches" use biological weapons like acid myst/spray, parasitic ammunition, that looks like tiny insect's them self or parts of bones that have a high impact not only physical bit also psychological.

Both are using brute force and mass deployment of troops and they clearly work together against everyone else.

#PennedPossibilities 719 #StarRyde #TheEltaryn #Eltayn #SciFi #WIP

720
MC POV: In your own opinion, what’s the worst thing you’ve ever done?

Kira pulled open the asymmetrical zipper on her uniform, opened her shirt & sliped out of it, turned around & lifted her short hair to revel her neck. Scars covered her shoulder area & especially her left blade. A list of names was visible centered in the middle.

"I failed everyone of them. Take a look, these where soldiers, friends, family."

The first 4 names read Knox as family name, typical Somwhar names, Terrans, Talithi, Asza'ni, Trellwa'ni, Bethosian ones, some others. Kira spoke every single one.
The last red Anika Johanson, "my beloved sister, friend, twin soul." Her voice broke.

Mondira felt like an intruder, the list was long & reached to the middle of her spine.

"If I ever reach one hundred I stop fighting..."

"How many are these?"

"63, Anika isn't even a round number" she hissed, "pray or hope that you never end up on this list."

#PennedPossibilities 720 #StarRyde #KiraKnox #MondiraRamann #WIP

721
What do you hope readers will take away from your book?

Memories

#PennedPossibilities 721 #writing

Ketchup 718.1
Bonus Question (Courtesy of @ignova): What role does the rumour mill play in your story?

In a galactic level or local.
Local people don't give much of a crap about it in a galactic level there are planets that do not have the abilities to communicate outside their systems or even with other planets. On this worlds facts are often less precise and people need to figure stuff out themself which often leads to widespread misinformation and such stuff.
The Union does its best to prevent auch isolated bubbles and tries to break them up as soon a species is capable of Interstellar/interplanetary travel.

The Eltaryn are sadly more mysts than fact despite being fought back regularly.

#PennedPossibilities 718.1 #StarRyde #TheUnion #TheEltaryn #writing #SciFi #WIP

722
Which one of your characters surprised you the most with the decisions they made?

Well basically no one because most stuff I wrote exist in more than 3 different decision states in my head long before I write it, so I have something like a "existing Profile" in my head to most of them.

But I love it if something like with Anika happens, long before I played Mass Effect & created Kira as the commander Shepard (the Players personalized Character it's always Commander Shepard but you decide about Gender, history and leadership style + look/visuals to a degree).
She was named Anna (that was way before I used that name online) & she was ment to be a sort of Star Trek Voyagers 7 of 9. Than came Kira as a replacement & stood their for half a decade. In which Anna turned into Anika Johanson
Than as i tarted writing the actual story last November she fought her way back into the Spotlight for some time.

#PennedPossibilities 722 #StarRyde #MCHistory #AnikaJohanson #writing #SciFi #WIP

723
Intelligence: Is your antagonist (or villain) self-taught, or did they acquire most of their knowledge in school? Are they street smart or book smart?

1/2

Antagonists:

AI - nothing is known, they seem at least on the level of an average citizen of the Union with a seemingly focus on psychology, ethics and politics, this is only known to us thanks to some people that stand in contact with them somehow.

AJ - demonstrates regularly high knowledge of Union and general military tactics and strategies, can dismantle a weapon in 28 Seconds and get it back in working condition in the same time, they wears an outdated Union's Alliance uniform and fights similar to other troops of the Alliance, thus it is possible that Ariaene Johnsen is indeed a former soldier of the Alliance (they also claimed on occasion to be a S.H.A.D.E and highly educated, but without any ➡️

#PennedPossibilities 723 #StarRyde #AntagonistInfernale #AntagonistJunior #AriaeneJohnsen #AJohnsen #AJ #writing #SciFi #WIP

⬅️ 723 2/2
consistent knowledge about their own past it's all speculation, that said Ariaene has come up with a own System to archive important memories they are unable to keep long term, that isn't reliant on computers.

Villains
The Eltaryn
Seemingly 2 Species, one that has the capacity of creating crude looking armor and weapons and the other seems completely engineered towards combat with symbiotic weaponry and body armor. Both capable of faster than light spaceflight in partly biological ships, both species & their tech dissolve into dust if defeated or heavily wounded.
They seem not interested in speaking and are incredibly hostile, dangerous and ruthless, without any respect for their own lives, It seems logical that they have some sort of education to maintain this level of "Culture."

#PennedPossibilities 723 #StarRyde #AntagonistJunior #AriaeneJohnsen #AJohnsen #AJ #Villains #TheEltaryn #writing #SciFi #WIP

Kira:"Swex Not that again... Okay you can't know so in foc*
Biological Parents: mother father both female persons, well respected. Mum was scientist, Dad was engineer. They died as I was six together with my older and my younger sister on friendship station. Right that desasterous event.
Dads adopted brother, my uncle saved my life & became my second father, he died as I was 11, in the line of duty, saving a crap load of people from Eltaryn annihilation.
Leaving me, the ice queen & my beloved spiritual twin sister Anika behind.
She want MIA 12 weeks ago saving my worthless ass..."

Arkham:"I don't find your ass worthless... But to the point.
Dad died on duty as I was 10, he fell in an Eltaryn attack. My birth giver was was a dragon in the worst way she died shortly after we started the mission. I ran away with 16. I lived on➡️
#PennedPossibilities 724 #StarRyde #KiraKnox #Arkham #writing #SciFi #WIP

⬅️ the streets of our colony for around 3 years until I broke into a personal hover to escape the cold.
Turned out it was the one of a Alliance recruiter. After I went through retribution for the damage I've done he made sure that my talent wasn't going to waste. He was the first maskuline Person that seemed genuinely interested in my well-being after years. Street was hell, the colony wasn't part of the Union back than and with my hyper sensitivity I still don't know how I made it. The Alliance was the best that could happen to me. Imagine my horror as I realized that the main thing I hated the dragon for was indeed something I do enjoy..."

Ashlei:"I consider the scientist that developed me to be my parents. They died in an attack on the research station. According to my logs I have the same voice as the head scientist."

#PennedPossibilities 724 #StarRyde #Arkham #Ashlei #writing #SciFi #WIP

725
Do you have a favorite character in your current WIP?

Not all characters are created equal as much as it pains me to say it.
I really like Mondira, Arkham, J., Kira, Ash, Rose, Tal & it shifts regularly, but overall I can say, that main characters have more "love" from me than side characters. Ariaene is growing on me for quite some time now and even Jenkins slowly gets a shape I appreciate more than before.

#PennedPossibilities 725 #StarRyde #SciFi #WIP #writing

726
If your SC had a picture frame with slots for 3 photos, who / what would be in the pictures?

For SC's I have a faint clou let's take

XO L.Jenkins he and his husband picture one would be them on their first interaction Jenkins in a fur suit.
His future husband handing him some water on a break. Second on their first date both in sharp cut tuxedos in the midst of a weird looking bar & the third on their wedding where Jenkins husband wears a tuxedo topside combined with a Scottish kilt. What isn't on the scenes is how Jenkins got carried away by him all the way from the priest to the party location.

XO W.Troika, his wife in the middle with him probably on their wedding, two of his 4 daughters on the left and two on the right.

Security Chief S.Crosby her daughter Denise the main reason she fights for everyone else.

#PennedPossibilities 726 #StarRyde #LJenkins #WilliamTroika #SilasCrosby #GhozTarcCrew #writing #SciFi #WIP

727.
MC POV: Do you remember your 21st birthday? Describe it as best you can.

Kira:"Why the 21st? That's a weirdly specific ask."

Arkham:"It was 4 years ago of course I remember that but what's so interesting about the 21st?"

Ashlei:"I am not born, if we take my activation date as my date of birth I am only 7 years old including development, only one year as the AI of the Ghoz'Tarc after her... my refit."

Author_ity note I'm well aware that for U.S. citizens the 21. Birthday is a big thing. But for other countries in the world it's simply isn't that big of a deal if it isn't their same age of full blown adult rights. In Germany as an example it's 18. while motorcycle enthusiastic people have to wait till they are 25 to get their full blown "grown up motorcycle experience."

Since we are in the 24. Century in my story & Terra has changed a lot the US & its "special" customs are mostly gone as many others & yes everyone uses metric.😋
#PennedPossibilities 727 #StarRyde #SciFi #WIP

728
Write about something your antagonist (or villain) frequently forgets.

Anna stared at the prompt, gently raised a hand:"Waiter the bill please I need to leave."
The prompt glazed back.
"Quickly," she added.

Well Ariaene basically can't make new memories or very few that make the transition between short & long term memory.
They is unable to recall memories in the right order & has huge memory gaps of their past.
It is to them like someone took your live, cut it into pieces & shook it in a cocktail shaker. The surface memories are the clearest ones. On missions they are usual very efficient & gets stuff done in under 24 hours. The problem sets in every time they goes to sleep, rarely if they is awake.
Ariaene has an collection of written down memories. Their daily routine involves Audio instructions for the next day, mission logs & post it's on the inside of their armor, skin notes & tattoos, etc.

#PennedPossibilities 728 #StarRyde #AriaeneJohnsen #AJ #AJohnsen #AntagonistJunior

729
Tell us about one place your MC would love to either visit or revisit.

Kira:
Home, seriously after weeks in space nothing is more compelling than just lump down on your own couch. Especially after THIS mission...

Arkham:
Same here maybe both lump down on the same couch? So it would be either the colony in which Kira has the house she inherited or Arkham's apartment in London.

Ashlei:
Drydock I guess it's as much couch as it gets for a space ship.

And yes call me lazy but seriously if you travel for several month you can't tell me your couch at home isn't where you want to be or your bed but some where else. Now multiply this with an tuna can of a space craft. I mean ~180 meters are long for a vehicle but subtract the hull and everything that isn't livable area shared by ~40 persons and you take every chance of isolation.
That's why they installed private space cargo containers.

#PennedPossibilities 729 #StarRyde #KiraKnox #Arkham #Ashlei #writing #SciFi #WIP