Short Fiction: Age of Warp - Ghost Ship

"I'm entering the Rockhampton's Airlock now." Vanessa pushed the heavy airlock hatch inward to reveal the mummified remains of a single crewman. "One deceased."

"A stain on the wall and floor." Vanessa searched around the neck for identification tags that had made the transition from military to civilian crews but failed to find them. "No tags."
"Check the hands." Doctor Chen's voice sounded in Vanessa's ear. "You might find the crewman's tags somewhere there."
"Good call Doctor Chen." Vanessa found an identification tag clutched in the hand of the deceased crewman. "Lee Myres, Engineer."
"Yeah," Vanessa stood and continue toward the rear of the Rockhamption airlock. "Looks like he intentionally used his identification tag to sever an artery and bled out."

...

"All right Vanessa," Doctor Chen stared at the bodycam live feed. "Any other problems with the Airlock?"

...

"No Doctor Chen," Vanessa Glass examined the inner hatch of the Airlock running a gloved hand along its seam. "The Airlock is secure."
""Its safe for you to enter the Airlock." Captain Glass was happy not to be able to smell the corpse through her EV suit. "I won't breach into the Rockhampton's Interior until you have removed the body."

...

"Understood." Doctor Chen, encumbered by the EV suit and exhaling nervously, exited the Vanguard's Airlock, and moved carefully into the Airlock of the Rockhampton spotting Captain Glass standing near the corpse of Lee Myres. "Okay... okay... its fine."

"Jesus Doctor," Vanessa Glass shook her head at the psychological wreck entering the Airlock. "Do you need to take a tranquilizer or something?"

"No... no, I'm good to go."  Doctor Chen clearly was anything but as he approached the Corpse with a body bag waving off Captain Glass's doncerns. "I just never enjoyed the claustrophobic nature of EV suits along with airlocks."

"And this one..." Vanessa grabbed the other end of the Doctor's body bag and helped lay it out next to the corpse. "...has a dead body in it."

"Yeah, its..." Doctor Chen grappled with the lower extremities pointing for Vanessa to grab the upper half and lift. "...not something I like seeing."
"Me neither Doctor." Captain Glass applied considerable physical force to overcome the almost fossilized bond that for some reason made this physically hard to achieve. "Its difficult..."

"Okay," The body of Lee Myres separated from the floor of the Airlock and was moved into the body bag. "Can you get that zipper?"

"...to dehumanize another living thing..." Captain Glass pulled the zipper to the closed end. "...just because it's dead."

...

"It looks like we will need to find an alternate entry point." Vanessa stared at the wall of stone that grew through the Rockhampton beyond the inner Airlock, floor to ceiling. "Not the slightest sign that the stone had impacted the ship."
"Its almost as if it were a part of the Rockhampton." Vanessa touched the stone. "It must have altered its phase to match the vessel."
"The stone itself is an unfamiliar type." Vanessa lifted a small drill and attempted to take a sample to no avail. "Its structure appears harder than my drill can handle."
"I'll try a laser." The beam penetrated the crystal as though it were the density of a star, crawling slowly into the stone and causing it to glow as though it were absorbing the energy of the beam. Vanessa switched the device off. "Thats... that shouldnt be happening."
"Bridge," Captain Glass was suddenly aflicted with a suspicion. "Patch in the chief engineer."
"Captain?" Gerome's voice squalked in Vanessa's earpiece. "How are you going cutting into the rock?"
"Just a Question Gerome." Vanessa searched the surface of the impossibly large crystal in front of her with her eyes. "If I used the hand laser on a dilithium crystal, what colour would it glow as it absorbed beam energy?"

...

"I guess it would look orange," Gerome considered the basics of dilithium symmetry. "but at the furthest edge of its four dimensional tesseract form it would look like it was transmitting violet off into someplace else..."

...

"Subspace..." Vanessa grabbed the box returning the laser to it's container as she turned and headed for the other end of the airlock. "Its a god damn dilithium crystal."
"I'm returning to the ship." Vanessa Glass figured she didn't have very much time before it happened, activating the airlock to open. "Prepare to sever."
"Come on..." Vanessa, almost frantic at the slow activation of the outer airlock as a particular glow began to develop. "Cycle faster you bastard."
"Bridge," With the realization she wasn't going to make it, Vanessa dropped the box in her hand and pulled on her helmet locking the seals before finding a hard handhold. "Sever the connection now."
"Come on..." Vanessa watched as atmosphere rushed out the gap that formed from the separation of the two ships. "Get us clear."

The distance between ships grew until the flash of the Rockhampton jumping to warp painted Vanessa's silouette on the outer Airlock hatch of the Vanguard, the accelerating mass of the ghost ship dragging Captain Glass in its wake.

Heavy Weaponry: The Drone weapon no one can turn off

 

T-20 Seismic Drone
A.K.A. The QuarkBomb

The T-20 marks Russia's replacement of the manned Tank with a UGV deployed only once in the Russia-Ukraine War in late 2023. The Unmanned Drone was a sphere ten metres in diameter and capable of speeds of two hundred kilometres an hour. Its weight is estimated at somewhere between fifty to one hundred tons.

The T-20 marks the use of Quark weaponry on the battlefield. A single quark is split from a proton continuously generating a seismic shockwave that pulverizes bone in living organisms out to a kilometre radius. Unfortunately something went wrong and the device wiped out all living things with a skeleton in a thousand kilometre radius extending west into europe, north-east to Moscow and up into space where it killed everyone on the International Space Station as it passed over the region.

Its nuclear battery will last a million years meaning the region will be reclaimed by plants alone. As a consequence it cannot be turned off without some code transmitted by the controller who apparently perished as Moscow fell within its area of effect.

Outside the Box: Action Stories Roleplay game (Part 2)

 

The Sworder

The Sword Weilder can invest Action Points in combat.
There are different grades of weapon.
• A regular sword requires a minimum of 20 Action Points to wield and can be imbued with between 20 Action Points and a maximum of 100 Action Points.
• A Berserkers's Cleave requires a minimum of 50 Action Points to wield and can be Imbued with between 50 Action Points and a maximum of 200 Action Points.
• A Godsword requires a minimum of 500 Action Points and can be imbued with between 500 Action Points and a maximum of 1000 Action Points 

Notes:
1. Exceeding the maximum Action Points: The blade is destroyed on impact. Damage is still the full AP.
2. Not having enough Action Points: Physical injury reducing below minimum Action Points required to wield a weapon means the Sword Wielder cannot carry the weapon.
3. Berserker's Leaf: Action Points are doubled for six rounds. Multiple doses of Berserkers leaf reduce Action Points by half for a year.

Linguistic Archaeology: Tolkien's Istari

Wizard names

1. Gandalf
2. Olórin
3. Mithrandir
4. Tharkûn
5. Incánus
6. Saruman
7. Curumo
8. Curunír
9. Sharku
10. Sharkey
11. Radagast
12. Aiwendil
13. Alatar
14. Pallando


Popularity of Use
A      %     E     %      I      %     O      %       U        %
11 78%    2 14%     5  35%    3  21%      6    42%

B      %     C     %      D      %     F      %       G        %
0    0%      3 21%     5 35%     0     0%       2   14%

H      %     J     %      K      %     L      %       M        %
4  28%     0   0%      3   21%    5  35%       2    14%

N      %     P     %      Q      %     R      %       S        %
9  64%     1    7%      0    0%   10  71%      5   35%

T      %     V     %      W      %     X      %       Y        %
4  28%     0     0        1     7%    0    0%       1      7%

Z      %
0    0%
Popularity of use
78% A:
71% R, A:
64% N, R, A:
42% U, N, R, A:
35% S, L, D, I, U, N, R, A:
28% T, H, S, L, D, I, U, N, R, A: Alatar,
21% O, C, K, T, H, S, L, D, I, U, N, R, A: Olórin (G), Tharkûn (G), Incánus (G), Curunír (S), Sharku (S),
14% G, M, E, O, C, K, T, H, S, L, D, I, U, N, R, A: Saruman, Curumo (S), Radagast, Mithrandir (G), Gandalf,
7% W, Y, P, G, M, E, O, C, K, T, H, S, L, D, I, U, N, R, A: Pallando, Aiwendil (R), Sharkey (S),
0% Z, V, X, J, Q, B, F

Conclusion: A-R-N linguistic subgroup:

A-R-N subgroup                         Sex          %        Dev. Chain                 Band Gap
SE. Ab.                                           F         90%       (A; R; N; I, L)                   I
Indian                                           M         87%       (A; R; N; H; I)
S.E. Ab.                                        M          83%      (A; R; N; I; M)                   L
Tolkien's Istari                                         78%      (A; R; N; U; I, D, L, S)
Armenian                                    M          75%      (A; R; N; S, H)
• Green (colour)                                      57%      (A; R; N; I; E; L)
• Black (colour)                                      57%     (A; R; N; U; E)

Fascinating that Tolkien's Istari have a deep relationship to the origin of the Colour Black.

But lets look at the history of Tolkien's Istari:
28% The first is Alatar.

21% Gandalf is know by many early names: Olórin (G), Tharkûn (G), Incánus (G), Saruman is known by two names in this Age: Curunír (S), Sharku (S).

14% Entering the age of the War of the Ring, Saruman also under the name Curumo (S), Radagast, and Gandalf under the name Mithrandir (G).

7% Saruman apparently survived the battle with Gandalf and disguises his identity as Sharkey. Likewise Radagast is now Aiwendil. Pallando emerges at this time.

Outside the Box: A Public Domain RPG Engine?

Lets talk about replacing your RPG engine with a diceless (public domain system) system.
I suggest calling it ActionStories RPG engine after the now Public domain ActionStories. You have Action points. Those points are needed to move, cast spells, use items. You get more action points if you defeat an opponent, solve puzzles as rewards, and you get your points back each turn (unless permanantly injured or incapacitated).

Arwen the Elf has 20 action points. Stumbles into the lair of a sleeping dragon and assesses the situation thinking he can kill the dragon with one blow from a giant stalactice.

Combat rounds 1-7: Arwen then Spends 2 points breaking cover, and 16 to shoot the stalactite over the dragon who has 500 action points and a final 2 action points to resume cover. The stalactite has 100 action points. It takes 7 arrows (16 action points invested in each hit) before it drops from the ceiling and smashes the dragon's wing for 100 action points.

Dragon's turn (round 8 because largest points go first): Enraged by the pain, the dragon (now reduced to 400 action points) wakes, and finds the stalactite through its wing which it removes for 100 action points looks upward, stands (2 action points just like the PC), and sniffs around where the stalactite came from 20 action points.

Still in its turn, the Dragon Casts permanant injury healing (200 action points), and still in its action turn, notices the scattered arrows, moving like a hypersonic missile, circles the cave at 20 action points for 20ft × 5 or 100pt and finds the elf who he pokes through the arm with a claw tip for 20pt severing it. And again with the claw through the other arm dismembering it. The dragon lets its Action points expire to next round where it now has a fine 500 action points.

The second in the turn cycle is Arwyn: Arwen the Elf has no arms, and 20 action points to spend fleeing.

Further development needed:
Now we need powers and spells from public domain sources.
Gnomes and dragons are originally considered of the earth element and maybe dragons likely have the ability to move through earth like a fish through water like gnomes. So dragons can... fly or burrow or run. And breathe fire?

This game turns the most powerful creatures (those with high amounts of Action points) into horrors that can move like lightning in an amount of time it takes you to fire an arrow. They could likely fire an arrow from a bow and run faster than the arrow, and intercept it in front of the target.

They can also invsst increasing amounts of Action points in what they do. A Titan with a thousand action points can clap his hand together for five hundred points and kill that dragon with the sound... along with everyone else in range. Then full heal himself for a thousand action points next turn to recover from the 500 action point damage he took clapping his hands together.

 And as I imply, its Public Domain.

Go create your own monsters, but Public Domain horrors are immediatly available... 

No more dice.

Linguistic Archaeology: GLM - February 2023 PDF

 

LA GLM February 2023 PDF

And as alwaysI put this in public domain.

Early Dragon: Beyond Greyhawk

 

Dragon magazine actually revealed an entire south west region that wasas large if not larger than the Original greyhawk map. And I think it falls to WOTC to employ their cartographers to venture forth to map it.

Linguistic Archaeology: The Discovery of Glass

Glass in almost every language
1. Glass
2. Glas
3. Xhami
4. birich’ik’o
5. zujaj
6. Apaki
7. Qhisphillu
8. Şüşe
9. Wɛɛrɛ
10. Beira
11. Šklo
12. Glāsa
13. *F (bhojpuri)
14. Staklo
15. Stŭklo
16. Vidre
17. Salamin
18. Galasi
19. Bōlí
20. Vetru
21. Sklenka
22. billoori
23. Vitro (esperanto)
24. Klaas
25. Ahuhɔ̃e
26. Lasi
27. Un verre
28. Glês
29. Vidro
30. mina
31. Potíri
32. Ñeangecha
33. Kāca
34. Gilashin
35. aniani
36. G*JA (hebrew)
37. kaanch
38. iav
39. Üveg
40. Gler
41. Sarming
42. Kaca
43. Gloine
44. Bicchiere
45. Garasu
46. Gāju
47. Şını
48. kanhchok
49. Ikirahure
50. *F (konkani)
51. yuli
52. Cam (kurmanji kurdish)
53. Aynek
54. aekv
55. vitrum (latin)
56. Stikls
57. Maneti
58. Stiklas
59. Kawuule
60. C* (maithili)
61. glās
62. Ħġieġ
63. Karaihe
64. Darthlalang
65. Shilen
66. hpaan
67. Gilāsa
68. Fuullee
69. *E*H (pashto)
70. *Y*E (persian)
71. Szkło
72. Lentes
73. Sticlă
74. Steklo
75. tioata
76. FSA (sanskrit)
77. Glainne
78. Galase
79. Khalase
80. Girazi
81. *Y*Y (sindhi)
82. vīduru
83. sklo
84. Muraayadaha
85. Vidrio
86. Kioo
87. Şişa
88. Kaṇṇāṭi
89. Y*LA (tatar)
90. Krack
91. *R* (tigrinya)
92. Nghilazi
93. Bardak
94. Aýna
95. Abobcdeɛ
96. *Y*H (urdu)
97. EEYNE* (uygur)
98. Shisha
99. Cốc thủy tinh
100. Gwydr
101. Iglasi
102. CLAP (yiddish)
103. Gilasi
104. Ingilazi



Popularity of Use
A      %     E     %      I      %     O      %       U        %
59 57%    32 31%   46 44%  18 17%      17 16%

B      %     C     %      D      %     F      %       G        %
7    6%     13 12%    8    7%     4    3%       25 24%

H      %     J     %      K      %     L      %       M        %
23 22%    3   2%      26 25%   41 39%     8       7%

N      %     P     %      Q      %     R      %       S        %
24 23%    5   4%      1  <1%     25 24%      35 33%

T      %     V     %      W      %     X      %       Y        %
15 14%    9   8%     3     2%     1   <1%       11 10%

Z      %
5    4%



Popularity of use
57% A:
44% I, A:
39% L, I, A:
33% S, L, I, A: Şişa, Lasi,
31% E, S, L, I, A:
25% K, E, S, L, I, A: Klaas,
24% G, R, K, E, S, L, I, A: Iglasi, Gilasi, glās, Gilāsa, Galase, *R* (tigrinya), Gler, Glês, Glass, Glas, Glāsa, Galasi,
23% N, G, R, K, E, S, L, I, A: Glainne, Sklenka, aniani, Şını,
22% H, N, G, R, K, E, S, L, I, A: Khalase, Shisha, Ħġieġ, Karaihe, Shilen, *E*H (pashto), Gilashin,
18% O, H, N, G, R, K, E, S, L, I, A: sklo, Kioo, Šklo, Gloine,
16% U, O, H, N, G, R, K, E, S, L, I, A: Garasu, Ikirahure, Şüşe,
14% T, U, O, H, N, G, R, K, E, S, L, I, A: Lentes, Steklo, tioata, Kaṇṇāṭi, Stikls, Stiklas, Staklo, Stŭklo,
12% C, T, U, O, H, N, G, R, K, E, S, L, I, A: Krack, CLAP (yiddish), C* (maithili), Sticlă, Kaca, kanhchok, Ñeangecha, Kāca, kaanch, Ahuhɔ̃e,
10% Y, C, T, U, O, H, N, G, R, K, E, S, L, I, A: Aýna, *Y*H (urdu), EEYNE* (uygur), Cốc thủy tinh, *Y*Y (sindhi), Y*LA (tatar), yuli, Aynek, *Y*E (persian),
8% V, Y, C, T, U, O, H, N, G, R, K, E, S, L, I, A: aekv, Vitro (esperanto), Vetru, Un verre, iav, Üveg,
7% M, D, V, Y, C, T, U, O, H, N, G, R, K, E, S, L, I, A: Maneti, Muraayadaha, vitrum (latin), Cam (kurmanji kurdish), mina, Sarming, Salamin, vīduru, Vidrio, Darthlalang, Vidro, Vidre, Vidro,
6% B, M, D, V, Y, C, T, U, O, H, N, G, R, K, E, S, L, I, A: Bardak, Abobcdeɛ, billoori, Bicchiere, Beira, Bōlí, birich’ik’o,
4% Z, P, B, M, D, V, Y, C, T, U, O, H, N, G, R, K, E, S, L, I, A: Nghilazi, Ingilazi, hpaan, Szkło, Girazi, Apaki, Potíri,
3% F, Z, P, B, M, D, V, Y, C, T, U, O, H, N, G, R, K, E, S, L, I, A: Fuullee, FSA (sanskrit), *F (konkani), *F (bhojpuri),
2% W, J, F, Z, P, B, M, D, V, Y, C, T, U, O, H, N, G, R, K, E, S, L, I, A: Kawuule, Gwydr, G*JA (hebrew), Gāju, zujaj, Wɛɛrɛ,
<1% Q, X, W, J, F, Z, P, B, M, D, V, Y, C, T, U, O, H, N, G, R, K, E, S, L, I, A: Xhami, Qhisphillu,





Conclusion: Originating in the A-I-L linguistic subgroup:

A-I-L subgroup                         Sex          %        Dev. Chain
Yao                                              F           80%      (A; I; L; E; S)
Finnish                                       F           69%       (A; I; L; R; N; E)
Glass                                                       57%      (A; I; L; S; E; K)

Earliest known glass appears around 33% with Şişa (tajik), Lasi (finnish),
This is followed by a bandgap at 31%, and glass returns at 25% with Klaas (estonian) climbing to a peak at 24%. Knowledge of glass drops off, before peaking at 7% before declining to less than 1%.

Glass (?) was discovered by females. Does the use of Quartz (arrowheads) represent the discovery of glass? Or are we looking at obsidian? 

Linguistic Archaeology: Troll

 Troll in almost every language

1. Troll
2. Trol
3. tiroli
4. alqizm
5. *L (assamese)
6. Troĺ
7. Ṭrala
8. *L* (bhojpuri)
9. Jù mó
10. Trold
11. troal
12. *LA* (dogri)
13. Trolo (esperanto)
14. Peikko
15. t’roli
16. Gígas
17. Ṭrōla
18. *MD (hebrew)
19. Manó
20. Tröll
21. Torōru
22. Ṭrōl
23. *LARP (konkani)
24. teulol
25. Troglodytarum (latin)
26. Trollis
27. *L (maithili)
28. ṭrēāḷ
29. mhain hcar
30. TR*L (pashto)
31. TR*L (persian)
32. Revenire
33. Troll'
34. *L (sanskrit)
35. T*AL (sindhi)
36. Pūtam
37. TPOLL (tatar)
38. Thor ll̒
39. Trolʹ
40. TR*L (urdu)
41. Chơi khăm
42. Trolio




Popularity of Use
A      %     E     %      I      %     O      %       U        %
14 34%    4   9%     10 24%  23 56%      5    12%

B      %     C     %      D      %     F      %       G        %
0    0%      2   4%      3    7%    0    0%       2      4%

H      %     J     %      K      %     L      %       M        %
3     7%     1   2%     2    4%     31 75%     8     19%

N      %     P     %      Q      %     R      %       S        %
3     7%    4    9%      1   2%     25 60%      2      4%

T      %     V     %      W      %     X      %       Y        %
26 63%    1   2%      0     0%     0    0%       1     2%

Z      %
1   2%



Popularity of use
75% L:
63% T, L: *L (assamese), *L* (bhojpuri), *L (maithili), *L (sanskrit),
60% R, T, L: TR*L (pashto), TR*L (persian), TR*L (urdu),
56% O, R, T, L: Troll', Trolʹ, Trolo (esperanto), Tröll, Ṭrōl, Troĺ, Troll, Trol,
34% A, O, R, T, L: Ṭrōla, T*AL (sindhi), troal, *LA* (dogri), Ṭrala,
24% I, A, O, R, T, L: t’roli, Trolio, tiroli,
19% M, I, A, O, R, T, L:
12% U, M, I, A, O, R, T, L: Torōru,
9% P, E, U, M, I, A, O, R, T, L: Pūtam, TPOLL (tatar), *LARP (konkani), teulol, ṭrēāḷ,
7% N, H, D, P, E, U, M, I, A, O, R, T, L: *MD (hebrew), Manó, Thor ll̒, Trold,
4% S, K, G, C, N, H, D, P, E, U, M, I, A, O, R, T, L: mhain hcar, Chơi khăm, Gígas, Trollis, Peikko,
2% Z, Y, V, Q, J, S, K, G, C, N, H, D, P, E, U, M, I, A, O, R, T, L: Troglodytarum (latin), Revenire, alqizm, Jù mó,
0% B, X, W, F


Earliest partial Trolls are 63%-69% with first tull Troll encounters at 56%. This marks Peak Troll encounters. This then declines to a bandgap at 19%. Trolls become popular at 12% declining around 2%.

It it part of the L linguistic group or a low dataset anomaly?

Happy Holiday: Public Domain pushes civilization forward

 Canada pushed through some last minute laws in 2022 and now conforms to American law. Public Domain releases for 2023 have been pushed back another 20 years. So nothing will be released to Public Domain for another twenty years.

So I hereby release everything I have thus done to the Public Domain effective as of January 1, 2023 (two days ago). 

If you want to republish, use, misuse, abuse, muse, lose, or steal for personal sicko reasons, you are free to do so.

Cheers,

Sean Robert Meaney

Public Domain: The Knocker

 

The Knocker is rage made manifest. And now it preys on the people of a suburb.

Feel free to use the Knocker. I put him in the Public Domain so no one owns him.