Stellar Veil Of Shadow

[Stellar]

So, as per the end notes of Chapter 6, I thought it was a good idea to include a brief bio on each of the minor characters so far, as well as some detail on aqumi itself. Hopefully this will serve to elaborate and enlighten, and also to refresh the memory.

 

Minor Characters

 

Ayize Mthembu: One of the principal commanders in the Brotherhood of Man, 45 y.o. Ayize is perhaps the best known and recognised global figure from the realist paramilitary. Equaling his political associates in terms of reputation, nonetheless he has stayed, by choice, a step below the top of the command structure. However, his long experience and charismatic anti-corporatist persona have made his judgement and leadership indispensable to the Brotherhood, and he is seldom second-guessed in his field work by superiors. Ayize is from South Africa and is of Zulu descent; he speaks English, isiZulu and Afrikaans fluently, Xhosa and Swati conversationally, and the other Bantu languages to a much lesser extent. He became an adherent to realism when he was 17 years old, after corporate manipulation of the labour market in southern Africa led to a temporary resource shortages, sparking riots and violence in several cities and regions. The loyalist authorities did little to address the situation, and after family members were killed, he grew disgusted, angry and sought out an alternative ideological path. The pragmatism and activism of the Brotherhood's operation appealed to him, and he quickly became converted to the idea of a more just, less bureaucratic world.

 

Lindani Mthembu: Ayize's cousin and second-in-command, Lindani is much like Ayize, only with less strategic shrewdness and no ambition to any higher command or office. He looked up to his older cousin from when they were children, after Lindani's siblings died during the events that eventually led to Ayize leaving home. Being seven years younger, Lindani spent much of his formative teen years idolising Ayize and his unflinching determination to change the world, but was not able to join him until he came of age himself. At 19, he tracked down his cousin in the Middle East and begged to join him in the Brotherhood's paramilitary. Initially Ayize refused, telling him to return home and choose a less hazardous career, though Lindani stubbornly refused and kept petitioning until he was accepted. Since his acceptance, he has become a capable operative and has stayed in his cousin's team despite being offered promotion to more prominent roles.

 

Rashid Jahandar: An Iranian of mixed Persian-Azeri descent, Rashid was recruited by Ayize while the latter was assisting the Brotherhood's political security in northeastern Iraq. To begin with, he was employed as a mercenary hireling, but was retained after he proved his value in several heated encounters with CorpSec. Rashid quickly showed that he had a cool head under pressure and a knack for tactical weapons use, and when the Middle East assignments were over, Ayize took him to east Africa for further training. Though in the intervening years he has sometimes served in other Brotherhood teams, he still accompanies Ayize on most important missions, feeling a strong sense of loyalty and identity that was not present before he joined. Rashid is 36 years old, a Shi'ite Muslim and speaks fluent Farsi, Arabic and English, as well as a smattering of African from his time there.

 

Kenji Shimizu: Born in California to a Japanese father and Korean mother, Kenji was brought up in a relatively affluent household. Earning tertiary qualifications in software engineering, he was at first apathetic about politics, though this changed in his early 20s. After he hacked a government computer system to win a bet, a very small error in judgement led to his arrest and trial for attempted espionage. Though unable to afford legal aid, Kenji was unexpectedly helped by the Brotherhood, who assisted in his legal defence and managed to secure acquittal. The monetary cost was forgiven, but there was a debt of gratitude and the promise of a better paycheck than his day job persuaded him to accept the offer of serving with the Brotherhood, who were at the time in need of more experienced technical experts. Kenji spent the first four years on assignment in Europe, but was then transferred to west Africa where he met Lindani. The two got on famously, and the rest, as they say, was history. At 31, Kenji is the youngest member of Ayize's current team. He speaks fluent English, Japanese and Korean, passable Spanish, basic Mandarin and German. He is also the only one of the four in a long-term relationship; his girlfriend lives in San Jose, California.

 

Lucas Thessaloniki: Serving as an officer in Earth's military, Lucas is ingrained with the impartiality and discipline that such a career demands. He has a healthy hatred for corporate interference, as well as a general disdain for the ineptitude of politicians. While he is still young and has only been enlisted for a few years, he has already been assigned to a specialist role in his division. Hailing from near his namesake in Macedonia, Lucas is ethnically Greek and when not on active duty lives with his widowed mother and two younger sisters.

 

Tamara Lebaredian: An Armenian descended politician in her early 50s, Ms Lebaredian is the premier of Earth's federal government. She had been in politics for nearly 30 years, and is affiliated with the SDCP, the primary controlling party in the loyalist bloc, also known as 'Society.' It is her second term in office, and while she remains a popular figure, she is faced with an increasingly fractured and immobile political system that is becoming harder and harder to keep functional.

 

The Magic Of Aqumi

 

Characteristics: The title of Hidden Sunlight is a direct metaphorical reference to aqumi, the mystic force which is acting in defiance of all the horrible stuff taking place in the first book. However, this force is not mystical at all; it is an extremely advanced alien technology that was present on Lucere for thousands of years before humanity arrived. The word aqumi is an acronym of the description given in Hidden Sunlight of this force: 'autonomous quantum-unified morphogenic integrity.' To translate that into something easier to understand: basically, it is an artificial energy field composed of tiny invisible particles that unify the fundamental forces of the universe at the smallest (quantum) level. So, this means the aqumi field is capable of manipulating those four forces -- electromagnetism, the weak nuclear force, the strong nuclear force and gravity -- all at once.

 

Essentially, it means the ability to rearrange the structure of atoms and to shift physical matter around in opposition to nature. Also, as 'autonomous' might suggest, it has a degree of independence and is regulated by its own programming, like a piece of software. However, it is when aqumi is transplanted into the body of a human being that the story starts to take off. This sort of power allows some very fantastic feats to be performed -- once some control is learned -- and I will list here what is known so far. By the early chapters of Veil of Shadow, it's shown that there are five individuals who are so 'blessed'; however for the following description I will focus only on Shay and Mira, as the other three have not been observed in any detail. Therefore, any ability they might have will be up to reader guesswork.

 

It should be noted that the 'powers' listed will be amplified when the intensity of the aqumi field is increased. This means things like: telekinesis can shift bigger objects, physical regeneration will happen faster, super reflexes and super speed will be even speedier, etc.

 

Also worth noting: Mira cannot project the field beyond his body, while Shay can. Their differences will be clear below in the descriptions.

 

Passive Ability (both)

 

Entropic Immunity: Also known as biological immortality. The body is constantly renewed, negating all effects of age and degeneration.

 

Enhanced Physical Regeneration: The body's natural healing process is greatly assisted, making wounds disappear much sooner than they normally would. Also, the body is returned to the original state: healing is perfect with no scarring left behind.

 

Pathological Immunity: Freedom from all forms of disease, including the previously unstoppable Sharpe virus. Any hostile micro-organism entering the body will be recognised and destroyed.

 

Toxin Resistance: Decreased effect of poisons, sedatives and other such chemical substances. To an extent this can be consciously controlled to allow or prevent the effect, as aqumi does not always know whether the use of said substance was intentional. Sometimes there are positive benefits, as with certain medicines, sedatives and alcohol, so that's why it is not such an absolute.

 

Active Ability (both)

 

Aqumi Vision: The ability to see the virtual energy in a sort of visual overlay. It appears in a gold colouring wherever present.

 

Extrasensory Perception: More than the five usual senses, this involves being able to detect and identify things some distance from oneself. Though this is a passive power to an extent, it can be used actively to 'feel' the surrounding area. The more an individual is boosted with aqumi and the more actively they are looking, the more obvious they will be to anyone else who also has this ability. The arbiters possess this sense, making them distinctively obvious to Shay and Mira when the conditions are right, and vice versa.

 

Quantum Telepathy: Direct transmission of thought. This is along the same lines as the above; it requires a mutual compatibility. Both parties must be capable, although Mira has very rarely done this, and Shay only when he is super-powered. Also similar to the above, the arbiters are capable of communicating this way, which bypasses the normal language barriers, as it is a direct communication of meaning.

 

Active Ability (Mira)

 

Enhanced Reflexes: Greatly improved reaction time.

 

Enhanced Strength: The ability to hit a heck of a lot harder. This isn't as notable for Mira normally, though when his aqumi is boosted, it becomes very scary.

 

Enhanced Speed: The ability to run faster for much longer, and to jump further. Similar to the above, being boosted shifts him from 'wow he's quick' to 'that isn't humanly possible!'

 

Steel Fist: A temporary hardening of the skin, usually on a hand or foot, so it can be used to break a physical object. This works in tandem with enhanced strength to make melee combat more effective, and also when boosted to allow things like smashing through a wall with bare hands. Mira cannot maintain this for more than a couple of seconds at a time, however.

 

Kinetic Shield: A shield that hugs the skin and blocks all physical damage, though requiring utter focus to keep up. Mira has only done this once, and he could not move, think or pay attention to his senses while he was focusing on the shield; he was frozen. It is not clear if he could manage this feat without being boosted. Contrast this with Shay's kinetic shield.

 

Visual Empathy: Mira's favourite way of communicating with Shay. Transmission of emotion and meaning through sight. A picture might be worth a thousand words, but in this circumstance, it's closer to ten thousand.

 

Verbal Empathy: The ability to strongly influence emotions by speaking. Mira does not talk often (understatement of the year) so it is not clear whether this is an intentional thing on his part, or not.

 

Thermodynamic Radiance: Channeling heat into an object being touched, or outwards from the body.

 

Active Ability (Shay)

 

Telekinesis: Manipulating physical objects remotely by the mental direction of aqumi. Arguably one of the most terrifying and powerful abilities Shay has, when boosted it allows for some feats that could accurately be called 'godlike.'

 

Electrokinesis: Manipulating and channeling existing energy fields remotely by the mental direction of aqumi. Also possible to start an electrical reaction if the correct physical conditions exist. Shay doesn't have so much experience with this -- yet!

 

Kinetic Shield: A shield that blocks all physical damage and can be centred and projected to wherever chosen -- the distance away and size of this projected shield are subject to current energy levels. This is not difficult for Shay to manage, though it does take some effort and concentration to maintain for any length of time. Contrast this with how it is nigh-impossible for Mira, who can only place it on his skin and not project outside of his body.

 

Healing: Channeling the aqumi field into another organism to fix physical damage. However, this one cuts both ways! At this stage, a by-product of aqumi is exotic energy that also cause severe harm to anyone who isn't already aqumi enhanced themselves. Until this fact changes, it's a very dubious power.

Edited March 27, 2014 by Stellar

[Stephen]

Thanks for this index, it clears some things up for me in this amazing story,

 

-helps my feeble mind comprehend it all.

[Stellar]

Thanks for this index, it clears some things up for me in this amazing story,

 

-helps my feeble mind comprehend it all.

 

Aww, don't put yourself down! The plot has a lot of complexity. It's no surprise to me when people don't pick everything up straight away.

[Daddydavek]

I thought that Chapter 9 released today does a better job with the transitions and it brought the story back to me.   It was definitely worth the wait.  

[Stellar]

I thought that Chapter 9 released today does a better job with the transitions and it brought the story back to me.   It was definitely worth the wait.  

 

Thank you. I think it serves somewhat as a chronological reference point for other events, maybe as a contextual binding of information. The principal story arcs are coming into relative focus in terms of time. Now it's just location!

[Daddydavek]

In reply to my review of Chapter 9, Stellar wrote:

 

It is worth mentioning that my intended Veil of Shadow average chapter wordcount is above 8500 words. Hidden Sunlight hit nearly 9k per chapter, though that was heavily influenced by the word-heavy last few chapters. At any rate, I'm glad you liked it! I enjoy exposition, but this chapter for me fell into the "necessary but unsatisfying" category as a writer.

 

But it was necessary for your readers as it is a complicated story and since we are reading it as a serial, it brought the story back to us and filled in some of the gaps that were confusing us.   I think, even though it was bit unsatisfying for you, that it worked beautifully for us readers and was very well received by me!  Thanks again!

[Bleu]

"Everything was going to be fine".... Hahahaha riiiight. Politics will be playing a big part, I assume. And thats one thing aqumi cannot readily fight.

Thoroughly enjoyable chapter yet again.

[Stellar]

In reply to my review of Chapter 9, Stellar wrote:

 

It is worth mentioning that my intended Veil of Shadow average chapter wordcount is above 8500 words. Hidden Sunlight hit nearly 9k per chapter, though that was heavily influenced by the word-heavy last few chapters. At any rate, I'm glad you liked it! I enjoy exposition, but this chapter for me fell into the "necessary but unsatisfying" category as a writer.

 

But it was necessary for your readers as it is a complicated story and since we are reading it as a serial, it brought the story back to us and filled in some of the gaps that were confusing us.   I think, even though it was bit unsatisfying for you, that it worked beautifully for us readers and was very well received by me!  Thanks again!

 

This may be true! I have a tendency to feel very frustrated with the more wordy drier parts of the plot, because political machinations don't tend to be exciting/interesting for as many people. It's still important though, so swallowing my author's bias is all that's required to get past it. Well, usually? Hah!

 

"Everything was going to be fine".... Hahahaha riiiight. Politics will be playing a big part, I assume. And thats one thing aqumi cannot readily fight.

Thoroughly enjoyable chapter yet again.

 

Kenji is very much a 'glass half full' kind of person. He'd like to think that things are going to work out, even though his instincts are yelling out 'there's something very weird about all this!' Will he find out what that weirdness is before something very very dramatic happens? 

 

I wish it could fight politics. If quantum mechanics could also solve human psychological malaise, then it really would be the 'breath of God', so to speak. "Come forth, yonder bureaucrats, and be cured!" .. ?

 

Thank you!

[Bleu]

By the way, sorry, I thought I was making a review with my previous comment. The mobile version can be a bit confusing, or maybe I was tired

[Stellar]

Regarding the editing of a few chapters of Veil that are already on the site: I realised during the writing of Chapter 11 that the anatomical terms used for describing the Mishith physiology are in fact wrong.

 

I haven't really gone into any detail on what our primary alien protagonists look like, so here you may get a slight bit of insight into their appearance. Previously, I was using the terms 'anterior' and 'posterior', which work fine with other species such as quadrupeds, but not so well on bipedal hominids like humans -- and the Mishith. The terms 'anterior' and 'posterior' denote 'front' and 'back' respectively, but when used in reference to Mishith arms, it would suggest they have two pairs -- which they do -- that are arranged horizontally -- which they do not. Mishith arms are two pairs stacked vertically, one above the other on both left and right sides of the torso. My oversight means the anatomical terms 'superior' (top) and 'inferior' (bottom) need to be used instead, and this has resulted in me going back to alter any of Yugan's scenes in which these terms appeared.

 

For any notification spam, I apologise!

Edited March 6, 2015 by Stellar

[Bleu]

I love your sense of detail

[james.hinson]

I have read and am continuing to follow your story.  Thank you so much for what you do!  You are an excellent writer!

 

I am a disabled gay man, and I'm not rally able to get out much. You, as well as other dedicated authors, help to keep me in touch with life.

 

Your story is artistic and well crafted.  Frankly, I can't imagine how you keep all of this straight.  It's truly fascinating!

 

Simply, thank you.

James.

[Stellar]

I love your sense of detail

Aww thanks Bleu! It wouldn't feel right if it wasn't as accurate as I can make it.

 

I have read and am continuing to follow your story.  Thank you so much for what you do!  You are an excellent writer!

 

I am a disabled gay man, and I'm not rally able to get out much. You, as well as other dedicated authors, help to keep me in touch with life.

 

Your story is artistic and well crafted.  Frankly, I can't imagine how you keep all of this straight.  It's truly fascinating!

 

Simply, thank you.

James.

Thank *you* for taking the time to tell me. I'm happy that my writing has found a place in your life that is positive. I want it to connect with people, so they feel that same spark, that same wonder I do when I imagine it.

[Hell_5pawn]

I'm going insane with the WAIT!

*grumble grumble grumble*

*sigh*

Why do you have to be so busy, and not comply to your fan's demands?

Grrrrr!

 

Awe well.

 

Noting I can do about it but wait, and bug you about it.

[Stellar]

I'm going insane with the WAIT!

*grumble grumble grumble*

*sigh*

Why do you have to be so busy, and not comply to your fan's demands?

Grrrrr!

 

Awe well.

 

Noting I can do about it but wait, and bug you about it.

 

There will be another chapter along soon. I have certainly not been idle.

 

However, you are welcome to bug me!

[Hell_5pawn]

I'm becoming more and more impatient as of late, especially in regards to this particular unfinished story.

 

GRRRRR!

 

*sigh* all that I can do is wait, albeit anxiously....

 

I mean, I am waiting on other stories to finish, but I'm looking forward to the updates of this one most of all. 

 

I love it! Keep up the good work! Damn Stellar!

[Hell_5pawn]

I think that if Shay were to have ultimate power, become a god among men, then he should have a few checks and balances, for example the seer could play a role in that to help sway from corruption. But only if Shay becomes powerful enough to need it. That, and the admin gene could be designed specifically to sway, or stop, and thought of corruption. You would think that the advanced mishith race would have thought of that when they made the aqumi. But then, it could be completely against their nature to do such things, so they might not have thought of needing that form of governing the govener.

 

If it seems like I'm rambeling like a mad man, I blame the fact that it's one in the morning. My grammar must be horrid... Not just cause it's one in the morning, but I'm using my phone to type this.

 

Well, G'night!

 

I love the story by the way... Why haven't you updated it in forever and a half?

[Stellar]

I think that if Shay were to have ultimate power, become a god among men, then he should have a few checks and balances, for example the seer could play a role in that to help sway from corruption. But only if Shay becomes powerful enough to need it. That, and the admin gene could be designed specifically to sway, or stop, and thought of corruption. You would think that the advanced mishith race would have thought of that when they made the aqumi. But then, it could be completely against their nature to do such things, so they might not have thought of needing that form of governing the govener.

 

If it seems like I'm rambeling like a mad man, I blame the fact that it's one in the morning. My grammar must be horrid... Not just cause it's one in the morning, but I'm using my phone to type this.

 

Well, G'night!

 

I love the story by the way... Why haven't you updated it in forever and a half?

 

I know I keep saying 'soon' and I know it sounds like excuses, but this is all I can offer until the next chapter is done. These last few months have been frustrating for me with regard to writing Veil of Shadow and all I can do here is apologise for the time taken.

 

While aqumi has a number of intrinsic failsafes that can limit the likelihood of megalomania, the original inhabitants of Lucere did not design it with the intention of it being used by humans. Dagen was (possibly) the one who could know how Shay might treat such power versus a Mishith wielding the same, simply because he had the farseeing ability himself. Perhaps I should clarify with a statement as an example: the Mishith do not have a criminal justice system in the traditional sense because they do not steal from nor kill one another. This is due to their species being naturally gregarious and outgoing; not in the sense of being 'extremely social' but more like a wish to understand others and explore. They tend not to impose their wishes upon others and see things like murder as repulsive and theft as pointless, because this damages the easy communal cohesion of their species and is basically pointless. This is not to say violence never occurs and that the Mishith cannot fight. They just do not resolve conflict between one another with it.

 

Now, contrast that with humanity. If aqumi was meant as a tool for the older species, then how might Dagen act knowing that the younger would use it differently, and aware of the likely way this knowledge would let the future proceed? The answer should suggest itself: nothing about aqumi was changed in Dagen's time to stop whatever Dagen saw -- or alternately, perhaps Dagen saw a different future and instead aqumi *was* altered in order to integrate itself differently with humans and allow Shay godlike power so he could do what the Mishith are incapable of.

 

Foresight complicates thing a lot, because you get a metric tonne of possibilities!

Edited May 27, 2015 by Stellar

[Hell_5pawn]

It's definitely struck my fancy, though the long wait times for short (in my humble opinion) chapters. The wait times make me lose interest. I almost wish I found this series when it was actually finished. Granted it didn't have to be completely up, but completed with regular updates is fine for me, cause then I don't have to worry about when the next chapter comes out or if it has been discontinued. I love your writing style by the way. (It forces me to expand my limited vocabulary)

[Stellar]

It's definitely struck my fancy, though the long wait times for short (in my humble opinion) chapters. The wait times make me lose interest. I almost wish I found this series when it was actually finished. Granted it didn't have to be completely up, but completed with regular updates is fine for me, cause then I don't have to worry about when the next chapter comes out or if it has been discontinued. I love your writing style by the way. (It forces me to expand my limited vocabulary)

 

The time spent on production is not ideal either from my point of view, but you must remember I do this in what free time I have. I don't make any money off it and the process of writing and organising it can be extraordinarily time-consuming and taxing.

 

However from the above, I take exception to one thing: my chapters are NOT short. The average wordcount is over 8000 words, and it is commonplace to see others on GA in the range of 1000-4000 per chapter. Even for a published novel, this would probably count as generous. I thoroughly refute this idea.

Edited August 19, 2015 by Stellar

[Ashdaw]

You sure are a good teller of tales and have a great mind. A Kiwi Azimov?

[McDeepeneer]

Hey Stellar

 

I just finished the last chapter and I must tell you that I'm truly impressed. I love the storyline and even there is often some erotic in your story, it is not the main course. It is easy to stick with the story and i can't wait for the next chapter.

 

I like the characters, they are deep and rich and i think there is also a development in the main characters, especial Mira became an impressive person. I like both, Shay and Mira, equal.

 

Thanks a lot for your working.

[Stellar]

Hey Stellar

 

I just finished the last chapter and I must tell you that I'm truly impressed. I love the storyline and even there is often some erotic in your story, it is not the main course. It is easy to stick with the story and i can't wait for the next chapter.

 

I like the characters, they are deep and rich and i think there is also a development in the main characters, especial Mira became an impressive person. I like both, Shay and Mira, equal.

 

Thanks a lot for your working.

 

Thank you for your kind words! That balance between eroticism and plot; adventure, science fiction, action, drama, politics and human moments? That is indeed what I aim for. It is meant to be a tale that is more than the sum of its parts, and a lesser thing with any of those parts removed. So, I am pleased you find it agreeable.

 

I want all my characters to be as full and real as possible, for their individual personalities to be distinct and layered, just as those we know in our own lives are. I will admit that Mira is my favourite, as full of contradiction and enigma as he is. Bringing him to life has been a joy of writing these books, and I am glad that I could show that to you, and others.

[Bleu]

I just left a review for chapter 16, but most of what I said there could have been said here because it was related to the whole story rather than one chapter in particular.

Anyway, one thing I forgot to mention is the quality of your writing and the vocabulary you use. Granted, some of that vocabulary is explained by the fact that this is an SF story, but you also use common words in a slightly different sense as usual (at least as far as my understanding of English allows) and clearly you also use words that we rarely see. As I was reading I was trying to translate parts of it in French and I realised that it would be quite a challenge.

[Stellar]

I just left a review for chapter 16, but most of what I said there could have been said here because it was related to the whole story rather than one chapter in particular.

Anyway, one thing I forgot to mention is the quality of your writing and the vocabulary you use. Granted, some of that vocabulary is explained by the fact that this is an SF story, but you also use common words in a slightly different sense as usual (at least as far as my understanding of English allows) and clearly you also use words that we rarely see. As I was reading I was trying to translate parts of it in French and I realised that it would be quite a challenge.

 

I imagine it would be a challenge to translate! Another reader once said something similar to me about translating Hidden Sunlight into German, and I think this is largely due to the peculiarities of English and the large amount of very specific terms that are either colloquial or figurative in ways that do not have a clear equivalent in other languages. My language use is definitely atypical though, which probably just makes that difficulty compound and I believe this is a consequence of not just being ASD but also loving the sorts of fiction that I do, and having grown up reading it. The English language has so many beautiful words to draw upon to say all manner of things -- why should the painter not use the entire palette?

Edited July 4, 2016 by Stellar