Someone trying to build a living on their imagination. Please visit www.ratchman.com for more detail on the sci-fi project I am trying to get off the ground. Criticism is welcome as long as it is respectful.
Alternatively, visit the https://www.youtube.com/@TheAbyssalDepths YouTube channel for additional content.
| Website | www.ratchman.com |
| YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/@TheAbyssalDepths |
Chapter 13 - "Chewing The Fat"
Denom and Carter debate the survey they have partaken in, with emphasis on how Carter is adapting to a universe filled with unusual aliens that don't fit with the expectations given to him by the popular sci-fi of the time. However, Carter is surprisingly languid about the whole affair.
Chapter 12 - "Peer Review"
Denom Richt and the saurian Makeen doctor debate the viability of the planet as somewhere to develop into a colony and the positive aspects of collaborating with the ecologically-focused alien species.
Chapter 11 - "Carter's Version"
The survey team return to the HDR Liberator and Carter speaks to Denom about his experiences working with aliens. Carter himself believes it to be a positive experience, but their opinion on humanity is poor, so he is left wondering as to whether the whole universe is as sceptical.
Chapter 10 - "Criminal Business"
Cillak Ser Mosnir'Itak enters the presence of his clan's elders to discus the risks of his new business deal with Viktor Heller. The Dantikar are shrewd traders and know to be wary of trusting humans, but the clan is at a particular low point, and ostracised from the top tier of society, and desperation makes for riskier endeavours.
Chapter 9 - "Choosing A Patsy"
Viktor Heller continues with his plan to flood the Republic with narcotics, but first he must recruit his chosen fall guy. Or fall alien, as his chosen patsy is an alien of the Dantikar species. Cillak Ser Mosnir'Itak is the leader of a clan desperate to lift them from the lower strata of Dantikar society, and has no qualms in violating human law.
Chapter 8 - "Nevvon's Version"
As the survey team work, the saurian Makeen doctor discovers an old probe that they investigate. While they work on the artifact, she is able to converse with Carter and offer him her own opinions on working with humanity. Carter's realisation is that humanity's standing on the universal stage is lacking, to put it charitably.
Chapter 7 - "Caliban"
Mira Candor, fresh from his new assignment from Conn Teel decides to capture a Teel militia officer, in contravention of Teel's wishes. But following someone through the Mennan City streets is not so easy when the pollution is so deadly.
Chapter 6 - "The Lizard King"
Conn Teel, the eldest surviving oligarch, meets with his faithful major domo, Legat Chandra. Born on Earth before it became a poisonous husk, he has had two millennia to hone his tyranny, refining cruelty to an artform. Aside from some casual torture he hands out with his usual disdain, he has a meeting scheduled with the nihilistic bounty-hunter Mira Candor.
Chapter 5 - "Lux Pang's Version"
Carter Vincent And Doctor Lux Pang, a member of the alien species known as the Fillim, converse as they collect samples. During the course of their exchange, Carter begins to get an idea of how humanity fits in with the other species, and it isn't good. And when he realises just how old the Fillim are, he realises just how late to the party humanity is.
Chapter 4 - "Red In Tooth And Claw"
The scientific expedition makes planetfall, and Carter Vincent sets foot on his first alien world. But he is so caught up in the wonder of it all, that he forgets a very simple rule of nature. One that his Fillim colleague reminds him of prior to a brutal example of the rule playing out in front of them both. The alien world might be astonishing, but it still has its dangers.
