Stellar

Many things have changed, but many things also haven't! The two of them will be in the middle of things, just not yet.

The power of divinity or the power of science; you choose the imagery

There was a certain amount of historical amusement going into that confrontation, I'll admit. Mira + kitten = most definitely cute.

life is predictable in all the worst ways when we would prefer it not be

Aspira is where things will reallllly happen.

yes, chip off that very unfortunate block.

Carlos is very much an enigma!

hmm, this certainly sound plausible! Good theorising!

well actually, read chapter 12 before you judge me too harshly

thank you!

Thank you. He certainly is 'not the same' as the people he meets.

Hey, I'm always happy to lend a hand, though I've got enough extreme procrastination going on with writing things without having to beta the week-in-review too!

Um, Jessie-101 is listed twice, for Carrington as well as Comsie. May need to fix that!

There will be another chapter along soon. I have certainly not been idle. However, you are welcome to bug me!

Nice work Aditus!

Awww! Thank you for your dedicated page-refreshing, and for stopping by to comment! While the ship may not necessarily be able to tell Shay very much concrete information -- at least until he can figure out the intricacies of its brain a little more -- he could certainly jump to Lucere if he wished. Though, he has already made a plan with Ayize to find the xenomorphs' marshalling point, deciding that warning Earth about *that* is very important, so it is not so likely he'd go there first. Though, after that -- anywhere is possible. Earth? Highly unlikely. Lucere? Maybe! Dagen's Grace and Yugan?? He'd have to find them first Stay tuned! I know I seem to say this about every chapter, but this time it should be for real. 12 won't be too far off!

Thank you! I'm planning on reducing the down time between chapters. I want to get more of this done in 2015, so here's to a productive year. While Ayize is now well aware of what Shay is capable of -- and also what he *could* be capable of in the future -- he has already borne witness to Shay's ethical centre and intelligence. The negative effect on personality that comes from having nigh-unlimited power is balanced by the fact that Shay is not, by nature, reckless, stupid, or any kind of self-indulgent megalomaniac. Ayize is a fairly sound judge of character and Shay is also consistently underrated in terms of his capacity to adapt and do the 'right' thing, whatever that may be. I would say neither takes this power lightly, nor the consequences of its use. Elia! Well, what should I say here, exactly? I would start with a question back to you: why do you think you won't see her again? Why, exactly, do you think she is dead? It certainly looks bad, the situation she was left in, but I have to remind you that Chapter 11 of Hidden Sunlight had Mira (apparently) stabbed in the back and killed. Here we are, Chapter 11 of Veil of Shadow, and Elia is (apparently) overwhelmed and killed. The kicker here is the she *could* actually be dead, but equally, I did not show her dying. Assumptions are all well and good, but if they rely on an uncertain premise, you have to question the conclusion. So, instead, ask yourself this: would it make sense for her to die at this point in the plot? What purpose has she served to be introduced and then killed here and now? More food for thought.

Fun fact: it is little more than a month since Shay awakened on Lucere. All of the dramatic current events have happened over that rather short time. This is lightning fast given the history behind everything! Ayize is pragmatic and adaptable, a necessity given the job he has. His advice will not be what Konstantin's is, but it will have that same strength of consideration behind it. Regarding Elia, I will say this: Volkov had three patients they tested their viral aqumi treatment on. Shay Andersen, Synnove Ellefsen and Kajetan Dvoracek. Synnove's DNA is Mira's DNA, including the protective code sequence. Then consider that Synnove was sterotypically Nordic with pale eyes and skin, and fair hair. Mira shares these physical traits and so too does Elia, not to mention Elia's strong instinct for guardianship over Nyx -- and towards Shay, though she has not met him and has only a fractured understanding of who he is. All together, the picture should be clear. Synnove's DNA was passed on to two sharpelings, not one. Elia is more than Mira's sister, she is his genetic twin. What would happen if they met? Will they *ever* meet given the events of this chapter? Time will tell!

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

Oops! Almost forgot to put this here. After far too long, Chapter 11 is out!

The sky out the shuttle's window was naturally darker than both that of Earth and Lucere. Berchande was a world on the fringe of life; the air thin, the sun uninhibited, the surface bone-dry and next to barren. Only the most rudimentary organisms could survive in the unprotected elemental ruggedness of such a place, or the most advanced. Mira glanced out the shuttle's forward window at the panoramic desert view, sitting down in the pilot's seat. The line of the horizon with sharp rocky hills an

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!

This is a handy guide, Cia. Thank you. Heaven knows my sense of grammatical pedantry misses these things often enough! It's nice to have the rules clearly laid out.

Well done Valkyrie!

thank you Sammy, and Cia for this interview. I had fun doing it