Christopher B. Wright's Blog, page 26

A Rake by Starlight - Chapter 15

WHEREIN Our Hero, Safely Returned to Friendly Lands, Contacts a Business Partner of a Surprising Pedigree

The Tyrelos Barony was the poorest of all the Trade Baronies, by a fair margin. It specialized in mining and processing high-grade alloys and in ruggedizing equipment to survive in exotic and hostile environments. Tyrelos Metallurgics was a premier manufacturer of artificially enhanced starship hull alloys, and Tyrelos Environmentals had no competitors when it came to top-of-the line close...

A Rake by Starlight - Chapter 14

WHEREIN Familiarity Breeds Aggravation, and Strong Desire to Drink

Garinon Station was the primary port of call in the Garinon System. Before the Tylaris Barony had joined the Alliance, it served as a major hub for goods coming out Trade Baron space. Its fortunes dimmed a little when Rolis Tylaris brought his barony into the Alliance, but it had done its best to adapt by diversifying its interests. Politics had become its latest product—specifically, services catering to political think tanks....

A Rake by Starlight - Chapter 13

WHEREIN Our Hero Survives, Though the Condition is Assumed to be Temporary

Amys woke up to see Grif’s semi-blurry face peering down at her.

“Urgh,” Amys said.

He grinned. “That was pretty much my reaction when I woke up, too. Except I also threw up a little.”

“Urgh,” Amys said again.

“Short version: apparently we’re not dead. The bug pulled it off.”

Amys decided against saying “urgh” a third time and tried to sit up instead. An unpleasant wave of vertigo washed over her. She tried to keep her...

Why I Love (and Hate!) the Wheel of Time

If you're not familiar with the Wheel of Time, the series created by Robert Jordan and finished by Brandon Sanderson, this article won't mean a whole lot to you. I'm writing this primarily for other people who have read the series, primarily because I'm curious as to whether they can see the same things I see, or if it's just me. If you've never read it… well, there are probably spoilers.

I never managed to finish the Wheel of Time. I'm frustrated by this, especially since the story has been...

Project Recall: Part Four

Robert's office has been transformed into a miniature auditorium.

Rows of chairs fill the first two-thirds of the room—six chairs on each side with an aisle down the middle—and Jenny recognizes almost none of the people sitting in them. She vaguely remembers the faces of one or two of the people who were present at their arrival, and she catches a glimpse of Alihmah Mahmoud, the president of Thorpe Industries, sitting in the very last row. Everyone else is wearing a Thorpe Institute badge. Th...

Project Recall: Part Three

Somewhere Else

David Bernard sits cross-legged on the cracked stone floor in the not-dream of the old dojo.

The old dojo still sits in the endless grassy plain. The sky is still a canopy of clear, deep, blue. The alien power that dwells within him still murmurs occasionally, slithering through his mind, but it hasn’t actually done anything since it tried to break him earlier. He doesn’t remember how long he’s been there, methodically sifting through Artigenian’s memories, suppressing his revul...

Project Recall: Part Two

Robert Thorpe's Office

“Failed again. What the hell did great-grandfather do to this file?”

Jenny Forrest doesn't bother to hide the frustration in her voice.

“He didn't want the bad guys to crack it, I guess.” CB doesn't sound nearly as concerned—in fact, he sounds bored, which frustrates Jenny even more.

“Did he want the good guys to crack it?” Her words almost come out as a snarl, and a moment later she takes a long, slow breath. “I mean, I assume he wanted you to be able to access it....

Project Recall: Part One

Thorpe Island, Secure Recovery Room

Vigilante’s eyes open.

He lies in the middle of a large, empty cube, naked and curled tightly into a ball. The floor, walls, and ceiling all gleam dull white under the harsh lights recessed in the high ceiling. He’s in his cell. Or his recovery room. At a certain point in the process it’s the same thing.

He isn’t alone. Immediately he sits upright, turning to face the three men watching him. He knows two of them very well, and he has some history with the th...

Issue 27: Project Recall

Story: Christopher Wright
Cover: Jamie Robertson
Logo: Garth Graham

Brief note on the new job

So I started my new job on Monday. It's fine, but it comes with a few challenges. The biggest is that it's in Georgia and I'm in Montgomery, AL. So I've switched up from working out of a home office to commuting to work every day.

Here's the math for that:

Work starts at eight, it's an hour and a half drive, add an extra half hour for getting lost (like I did this morning). So: leave the house at six. So: get up at five.

BUT WAIT WE'RE NOT DONE.

Georgia is on eastern time, Alabama is on ce...