Episode description[edit | edit source]
For the first few years of the war, those in the central depths of Nideo space felt safe. In order to reach them, the Pact would first have to push through an unthinkable amount of territory—much of it well defended. What they did not expect was an Apostolosian sneak attack arriving through the deep space that separates two galactic arms. And when they arrived, it was not simply an invasion. It was an invitation to a morbid race: Who would conquer Palisade—and the Twilight Mirage Beyond—first.
At the forefront of this conflict, two pilots arose. This is their story.
This week on the Road to PALISADE: Last Shooting
Records Recovered from the Divine, Arbitrage[edit | edit source]
Factions[edit | edit source]
Stel Nideo: WIth origins in the long lost Twilight Mirage, Stel Nideo are architects of our current era, dread controllers of the Present. Along with shaping mass media, popular culture, and educational standards, they now operate both Received and Progressive Asterism, the former run by the corrupt Cycle and the latter by the grotesque puppet of the lost prophet Gur Sevraq. These priests, pop idols, and patriotic poster children are largely aligned with the Curtain of Divinity. Stel Orion: For hundreds of thousands of years, Stel Orion—under countless names and forms—has repeated a cycle of exploitation and revolution. Competing spirits of individualism and camaraderie ebb and flow, but industry remains. Is it any wonder that it remains associated with the raw breadth of Space itself? Currently, Orion is at war with itself, with countless small factions not only differing in position on the larger civil war in the Principality, but also on many additional issues like wealth, religion, and culture. Stel Apostolos: An ancient people, ever obsessed with external conquest and internal freedom, and utterly uninterested in understanding their own contradictions. They are dedicated to the pursuit of forward Motion, and I suppose I can respect such bullheaded devotion. It is, at the very least, not boring. They are the meat and muscle of the Pact of Necessary Venture. The Curtain of Divinity: For generations, the Curtain of Divinity operated in the shadows of the Principality, partly as intelligence agency, partly as shadow government. Now they have been dragged into the daylight, and serve as one of the two ruling factions of the whole Principality. Though there are some divisions along questions of secularity, humanism, and cultural taste, in general, leaders of the Curtain are conservative, traditionalist, and nationalistic. They seek the reunification of all five Stels and the permanence of the Divine Principality. Led, in public at least, by Cynosure Whitestar-Kesh, the Peaceful Princept. In fact, the Curtain has five divisions, each led by a ruthless individual known only by a codename: Silk (diplomacy), Damask (research & inquisition), Lace (military), Linen (economics), and Gabardine (espionage and collaboration).
The Pact of Necessary Venture: As their (current) name suggests, the Pact began as a cooperative exploratory committee founded in the late 14th Century of the Perfect Millennium. They sought new territory to conquer, breaking an old taboo in the process, and inviting destruction and fracture. Which is appropriate, as their vision for the future is one where each Stel is granted more autonomy and independence—some even claim that they would see the Principality utterly destroyed and replaced by a loose affiliation of free states. Despite this, the Pact are no radicals: While they want more independence from the Principality, they have little interest in shaking up the internal power structures of the Stels themselves. After all, their founders were all Elects, and though only two remain (Gallica, elect of the Divine Present, and Rye, elect of the divine Space), they are led by Dahlia, who serves as both Apokine and Glorious Princept.
Persons[edit | edit source]
Cor'rina Corrine (cor/cors): Drawing cor root name for the Eidolon Corridor, a famed Apostolosian peace maker, is it any wonder that Cor’rina Corrine, ace pilot of the Pact’s forces near Palisade, is a naive idealist? Misericorde 'Miseri' (he/they): Heir to a disgraced family who sided with the rebellious Sovereign Immunity once known as The Farmer. Seeks to restore his family’s name by any means necessary. Dahlia (they/them): The self-proclaimed “Glorious Princept” and Apokine of Apostolos has the support of the Pact of Venture, yet seems more concerned with winning the war against the Branched than attending to the civil war inside of the Principality. Dahlia is the elect not only of Integrity but also Commitment. A feat, a folly, or both? Locations[edit | edit source]
The Skarnoc Debris Fields: The remnants of a battle from the era before the Twilight Mirage, where the Rapid Evening fought and lost the Divine Nobility. Besides the normal ship debris, the field has gathered strange crystalline spires. Articles[edit | edit source]
The Portcullis System & The Divine Space: Huge, distended hexagonal gates that float at the edge of key systems throughout the Principality. Once a week—or more often, if one has the keys to the kingdom—each one connects to one other, forming a faster-than-light highway that serves as the logistical backbone of the galaxy. Built by Orion, the technology is a perversion of that used by some of the earliest Divines, tens of thousands of years. Miscellany[edit | edit source]
The Perennial Wave: Perennial is something like a god, or at least I think she imagines she is. Her wave is her arrogant whim, made manifest. Functionally infinite nano-particles, spread throughout the galaxy, hampering all technology except (curiously) Divines. Kalmeria Particle: A so-called miracle of modern science, providing those that master it power akin to what was wielded before the Perennial Wave. Like most miracles, there is an explanation, but most people have neither the knowledge of nor interest in what it really is or where it came from. Some know that it is named for the rogue engineer Kal’Mera Broun, but few know that it is the result not only of their research into the divine Asepsis, but also the particular consequences of Millennium Break’s battle with Motion and her siphoning of so-called “Autonomy Itself.”
Contents[edit | edit source]
Opening[edit | edit source]
“
Today on a very special bonus episode of Perfect Imperfect, we're doing something a little different. Available for the first time since its initial run when it was pulled from the Orion Review after complaints from both Curtain and Pact leadership, we present Among Sharks, a tale of rival pilots and the planet that got caught between them. Why are we presenting this contentious and supposedly defamatory account of the Principality's descent onto Palisade? Well, who better to answer that than Breka herself? Here, again, for the very first time, a clip from a never-aired episode of the Jackie Marigold show, recovered by our investigation.”
“
[Intro music sting]
JACK as ANNOUNCER: Live from our studios on the 10th Coronet, this is Jackie Marigold.
[Clapping]
ART as JACKIE MARIGOLD: Miss Breka, thanks so much for joining us on the program.
ALI as ALISE BREKA: Glad to be here, Jackie, thanks for the invitation.
JACKIE: Of course. Let's begin with the big one. You started your career, your very successful career, I might add, by writing tales of swashbucklers and scoundrels. Now, you are the chief propagandist for what many call a terrorist organization. That's a big change. What's behind that?
ALISE: Where to begin. [laughs] You know, it's true I got my start writing in romance and pirate stories. That's not something I hide, it's something I'm proud of. And it's not that dissimilar from what I do now.
JACKIE: Yes. This is a common analysis of your work. Some critics say you went from writing about fictional idealist outlaws to writing about real ones.
ALISE: Yes, well, I've heard that too, from time to time, but that isn't what I meant. My current work, my creative nonfiction, uses tools of storytelling in the same way that my fiction work did, and to the same ends. I use rhythm and description and narrative pacing. I carefully characterize the people in my stories in ways that slowly reveal their inner selves to the reader. I keep some facts hidden until the right moment because, again, I'm writing stories and not writing histories. I'm choosing to do that, because histories can't be as honest as stories can. Do you understand?
JACKIE: I'm not sure I do.
ALISE: Well, I'll put it this way. Stories and histories both take people's photos. But stories take portraits, and histories take mugshots.”
Plot[edit | edit source]
"Last Shooting" centers on two rival mech pilots who meet repeatedly over the skies of Palisade. The first is Cor'rina Corrine, an Apostolosian idealist who is dedicated to ensuring the Pact is able to protect the people of Palisade from Curtain forces. The second is Misericorde, a Nidean pilot of the Curtain, who is trying to earn back his family's last name, which was taken from them after their last generation supported the Farmer's rebellion. They first meet when Miseri is captured after being outnumbered by the Pact. The rookie Cor'rina frees them after hearing their story, believing it is the right thing to do. When they later met on the battlefield, Cor'rina feels cheated, which solidifies cor’s feelings on the duplicitous Curtain.
Their first battle takes place as Stel Apostolos prepare to set up a forward operating base in the Skarnoc Debris Fields. Unbeknownst to them, Nideo has already done the same thing, and picks up the movement of the Apostolosians in the area. Miseri breaks off from their squad, the 16th Epiphany, and begins picking off enemy scouts, leading him to Cor'rina's Onyx Squadron. Miseri takes down the members of Onyx Squadron, but lets Cor'rina live as repayment for freeing them previously. Cor'rina is incensed at Miseri, while Miseri is left intrigued and curious by Cor'rina's reappearance.
The Nideans hold their position, waiting for the tides of the Twilight Mirage to be in the right position for them to attempt to move forward on Palisade. In the meantime, they begin the construction of a Portcullis Gate to move more troops in. Miseri is sent to defend this group, which includes the old family friend Echelon Leson, but they are attacked by the new Onyx Squadron. To Miseri's delight, Cor'rina joins the battle in cor newly rebuilt mech, and Miseri focuses on them exclusively; Cor'rina is able to keep their focus using the Split Soul Prognosis system, which allows them to independently control many parts of their mech in tandem. Apostolos manages to take the Gate. Corina concludes that if only Miseri fought for a real reason they could be on the side of good, while Miseri thinks that he and Corina must be destined to fight.
Apostolos and Nideo prepare for a confrontation in the skies above Palisade, though an unusually high Perennial Wave combined with the tides of the Twilight Mirage disable both fleets. Except for Miseri and Cor'rina — who meet in the middle, tearing each other's mechs apart until ultimately crashing together onto Palisade, presumed dead. Nideo’s mechs come back online first, and they are able to strike back against Apostolos, eventually taking back the Gate. Miseri is thought to have died for the cause, giving his family back their surname. The Apostolosian fleet is pushed back, but take over a nearby Nideo base to lie in wait and force Nideo to fight the war on two fronts.
On Palisade, Miseri and Cor'rina have survived the crash and are forced to work together. Miseri decides he has no interest in returning to the war, and simply wants to fight on forever. Cor'rina is determined to mount a Pact resistance cell against the occupying Curtain “to fight for the freedom of everyone on Palisade”.
Cast[edit | edit source]
- Austin Walker (Facilitator)
- Sylvia Clare (Misericorde)
- Andrew Lee Swan (Cor'rina Corrine)
Gallery[edit | edit source]
Fanart cover for Among Sharks by Vlasdygoth
