Stellar

Thank you! You can expect a steady increase in dramatic tension as the book progresses into the final quarter.

And now, Chapter 14 is here!

"We're not alone here." Both men turned to look at me and Mira tensed where he was sitting just from the sound of my voice. "Hold on, what do you mean 'not alone'?" Ayize was no longer watching the holo-view, his retort snappy and his attention fully on me. "Did one of these things follow us?" "Yes." The weight of the gravitational bubble was fading on the medium, some distance away from Callisto's orbit, and I spoke again to the ship as that bubble vanished entirely, going dark. Liberty, wha

Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it; I strive for excellence and the broadening of minds. The story is not complete though. The sequel is well underway, though I hesitate to direct anyone to read it while it is unfinished -- but it is there!

Thank you so much for letting me know. I listened to it, and I like the song! The lyrics do fit.

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.

'Finally'?? I'll have you know, Germany is quite well represented. Klaus in Hidden Sunlight. A scene in Stuttgart a chapter or three ago, and now the character of Heinrich. Yugan will reappear again soon. Everyone will have time in ths final quarter or so of the story. There are multiple threads that need tying together.

That's Librae *Arctis. Sorry, I hate seeing my own creations spelled wrong It's a major lynchpin in events and has now been discovered.

Thank you for reviewing me I know the wait can be a big one, and it's something I've been working on. I'm trying to cut it down for incoming chapters!

Let me say that it is also a frustrating thing for me to have chapters taking this long to produce. Veil of Shadow has been particularly horrible in its second half, taking months to create the fiction that should have been produced in one quarter the time. Your review is quite enough of a review! I aim for both traditional and innovative. I am glad you find new things on rereads, and that you reread it, period. There is definitely more to come, and hopefully soon.

Since I totally forgot about this last time -- Chapter 13 is now available, and Chapter 12 has been up for some time if you missed it.

"Librae Arctis?" Ayize stared at me, uncomprehending, and then there was a flicker of memory. "Oh, wait! Isn't this the place Albans told you to go when you left Lucere?" "It is. The gate to Earth was disabled, and he wanted me to to use the military's gate-link to jump here and then back to any colonial world that was safe." "Hmm. Well, first, let's see what we already know about this solar system." He reached for the control interface and input a quick command. A moment later, an info-file p

I miss you, Cassie. You know where to find me if you ever need me.

Happy birthday James!

Happy birthday Mann!

happy birthday!

Thanks everyone for the birthday wishes! Sssh. It's, um, happening already. You're not too late!

Ah! I didn't realise I had not responded to your question! Sorry about that, but here we go. The answer is simple: they are not related. Marcus and Beth Andersen did not live all that long into the pandemic. Over 90% of Lucere's population was either dead or mutated after the first year of infection; the likelihood of them surviving longer than that to have another child was infinitesimal -- and that's exactly why they didn't. It's not a pretty topic to talk about, because I am not-that-ambiguously stating here that their fate was no walk in the park. Ultimately it was probably for the best that Shay never learned their fate. It would do nothing for his peace of mind nor for his sanity. Esteban's resemblance to Shay was a combination of luck and genetics. It's not due to any sharing of ancestral DNA.

I can only assume you refer to what must take place after the story is done. The answer is: no. Not only are they *not* married, but Shay would never claim they were because he's legally a minor on Earth, and all that matters is Earth's law at this point. Early Veil of Shadow chapters establish that all three are considered refugees, as this more accurately describes their situation than 'immigrants'. Shay's real identity is (initially) kept hidden, because it is inexplicable to say he is from Earth without having to reveal the rest of his backstory. Thank you! I'm glad you did.

'Shay will end up on Lucere.' Hmm. Will he? Why's that? And THREE versions of Mira?! What universe are you a part of? I want to live there! The arbiters are searching for their old enemy, from the ancient conflict that once happened. They seem to believe they are getting closer to finding them and that it is inevitable. Hmmm!

Well, it would be more like: a bunch of clerics deal with the problem of cleansing the world of demons, so they decide to tie some demons up and torture them for a while to see if any of them will convert to the teachings of Christ. Needless to say, it didn't go very well for anyone involved.

For some time, Mira did not move at all. How they were lying, Shay's posture, was a simple fulfillment, a restful pleasure, and his heart was at ease. Content, his front was fully flush with his beloved's back, his arms around the stomach, legs on legs; all a delight of the barest flesh. The Other's breathing was soft, asleep in his embrace, the aftermath of their play, but now, he would not join in. No, Mira wished to stay awake. To feel this intimacy. To remember each and every time it happ

congratulations! I haven't read this story, but it definitely seems worth a gander.

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!

Shay?! Supreme Commander? I don't think they make uniforms for teenage boys