space-opera

It felt somehow comforting to return to the sparkling lake tucked into the mountains on Portal Prime. But why, when everything about Mesme made her the antithesis of comfortable?Because here was where desperation had become hope. Where helplessness had become purpose.

If there was anything the last year had taught her__f there was anything Caleb had taught her, the Metigen War had taught her__t was that perspective was everything. If you wanted to understand your enemy, you must understand that they were the hero in their own story.

It didn't take a synthetic mind to decipher Caleb Shepperd, just a human one." ~ #1001

I frankly expected a far more negative reaction from you on discovering_ she glanced around the lab __the situation. Why are you helping?_____ not helping____ merely not hindering in as strenuous a fashion as I am able.

It was a subversive notion, the idea that she was free. Free to choose where to go and what to do with her time.

Don__ talk. Don__ sputter out a solitary protest or it will be your last. Take me to them.___ho the f**k are you?__e palmed the man__ forehead and slammed his skull against the wall. __ said don__ talk, and you want to do as I say. I__ the one thing monsters like you and your kind fear. I__ what haunts your nightmares and hunts you in the darkness.

I may not have believed in lady luck, but I believed in her fucking sister, irony. That bitch was out to nail me to wall." ~ Caleb

I believe my judgment has never been clearer. I have seen firsthand their potential, their strength of will, in a way you have not.___ou have loosed a chaotic, unstable variable into the Mosaic. They will destroy everything.___t is a risk. They also may save everything.

Evening had turned the sky a deep persimmon. The remaining sunlight enriched the colors of the ubiquitous flowers and foliage to even greater vibrancy, as if the saturation filter had been notched up several levels.Caleb noted all this in passing as he strode deliberately forward. He didn__ know how he was going to do this, only that he had to make the attempt.

Perhaps it started as a whisper in some white wilderness ... ' Jaycee's voice.The pain and the consciousness flooded back as the semantic trigger threw off the protective blackout. The mongol's eyes widened, and a vicious thrust to the solar plexus made Bron scream with what little breath he still retained.' ... a broken body, cradled in cold, crying futility unto a futile wind.''Jaycee, for God's sake stop it! Let me go.' He made no attempt at subvocalizing. It was as much as he could do to form the words at all. She was playing with him, deliberately using the trigger to keep him conscious so that his awareness of the torment would continue. Again and again the blows fell savagely.' ... the mind mazed not by the searing steel, the nibbling nerve ... ''Jaycee, in the name of pity!' He no longer cared whether he lived or died. All he wanted was release from the scientific and merciless battering which his body was taking.' ... some maimed martyr, crazed upon the cross, held up his head and cried unto the heavens: LORD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?

Why?_ Riko asked.__or the war. We will hit them before they have a chance to hit us.__he was terrified. __hat? No. We can__ start a war.__shiro grinned. __on__ you see? The war has already started. We__e going to end it.

Alex screamed and lashed out at the points of light from within, desperate for something tangible to rage against. Caleb wrapped his arms around her from behind and coaxed her out while glaring at the Metigen in loathing.Then he lessened his hold on her to a single hand. Together they turned their backs on the alien and began walking away.

Laches faded away, leaving Miriam standing facing Hyperion, the Metigen who had orchestrated the slaughter of over fifty million people a short year ago.There were limits to even deals with the devil, lines which should never be crossed_but she was beginning to wonder when she might find one.

I__l ask you to look at the ships arrayed against you and consider what weaponry they might possess. Weaponry strong enough to crack your hulls? I know what weaponry you bring to bear, and I assure you it will not crack ours. __re you willing to risk the lives of thousands under your command to find out? Are you willing to risk your own life?__he silence hung across space like a shroud.__his is not over, Admiral Solovy.___hat is the first true thing you__e said today.

She returned his salute with a sly smile__ rare enough event that he eyed her suspiciously.__dmiral Solovy, are you wearing a shit-eating grin because we won here today, or is there something else I should know?___here__ something else you should know.

This is what I hate most about guys like you. You didn't even try.

We__l go along with it for now. Valkyrie, keep close watch and be ready to swoop to the rescue.___opefully swooping will not be required, nor rescue. But I am ready to do both.__e squeezed her hand. __lex?_____ ready, too.

You ask me to make peace with the monsters who did this?__he didn__ even look around at __his._ __es. The alternative is extinction. There__ no coming back from that__o new weapon to fire when no one is left and you__e no universe left to fire it in.