The Princess of Wales paused; her eyes sought out the Netherlands’ Ambassador. Having sighted his supportive smile, she concluded her speech: “The exhibition’s highlight is the two Vermeer paintings I’ll now unveil. The one on your left is a delight, the unexpected companion piece for the more famous Girl with the Pearl Earring. Rediscovered in Delft just over a year ago, this painting not only generated global excitement...

Alone, in silence, You embraced the distant stars, Wiped away your tears And listened to their stories With a brave and grateful heart. - Haruna Murakami. ~~~~~ "Chief Engineer's personal log, this 25th day of Gamelion. 1600 hours. Lieutenant Commander Selene Kheperkare of the ISS Bellerophon reporting. We are now cruising at sub-light, two weeks away from planet-fall at Ereshkigal in the system of Zeta Ophiuchi, where I...

If the man thought he had secured an easy job informing the ship of beautiful women that a lockdown was in place and they couldn't go anywhere, he regretted it the moment Liddy handed him a bill. It wasn't that the numbers confused him or that they were so high. After all, he wasn't paying it. No, the regret came when he realised he was going to have to go get the money from someone far more concerned with war and his exc...

Cat had found, while in the radio room, that it sat below the observation tower. Emma and Paje had hoped to find a door leading to it from the floor above so they could avoid going through what Cat had just to learn where things were. “I didn't think you had much of a fancy for ladyfolk,” Paje teased as she caught Emma admiring her in the sheer blue silk dress showing off her ink patterns and underwear. “I’m enjoying the...

It was a curious thing to Cat why there were so many generals taking their leisure with them when there was supposed to be a war on, but she wasn't about to complain. Besides, her mouth was full. As she tasted the man sliding through her mouth to get down her throat, she figured ‘general’ was a term all their nobility had or they were being incredibly effective at distracting them. Her dress cushioned her knees as she kne...

The view of the city got more and more amazing as their ship drew closer. They could see levels of cityscape resolve into focus as they watched. The giant train the city moved on looked like it had stopped, and had it not been for the trail of destruction behind it, may have looked like it had been built there. The whole city was made out of metal and industrialization. Smokestacks and cranes littered the sides as well as...

Hope was running out of the cable car, still in the process of refastening the armour she had loosened to entertain the operator, who as she left mumbled something about it happening again. She made use of her religious status and contacts to get into the city, quickly making her way up the mountain in the hopes of catching up to Hannah. It had bothered her knowing Hannah had gone ahead alone, even if she could take care...

Cat was advising Liddy about how level the new pictures were looking when they both heard Ving swearing on the bridge. Liddy sighed, knowing full well what that meant. “We took off too early, didn't we?” she asked Cat. “I suppose whoever sent the telegram was either being optimistic or stupid. Or both.” Ving stormed out of the bridge to face Liddy and Cat. She paused, not having expected them to be there. Her eyes drifted...