Sensurround's Storytime

 Allie Fox sat in her 50 year old truck and prepared herself.  She activated the camouflage body panels, which changed to vantablack.  She quietly slipped out of the truck and checked the custom fit of her body armor. She breathed deeply. "Rock and Roll" she said quietly to herself.  She removed her combat helmet from the compartment in the rear of the truck, and powered it up and put it on.  The helmet automatically connected to the rigjack at the back of her neck. Her perception expanded.  She could "see" 360 degrees around.  She could see in the infrared as well as in low light.  She attached the cartoonish Fox snout to the front of her combat helmet.   For luck. She checked the pistol at her hip.  It was ready.  Heads-up display showed it had 19 rounds of 9mmEXP ready.  The camouflage panels on her truck had about 30 minutes till they over heated.  She fingered the old wireless remote in her pocket, pressing the f...

 18 Standard years ago:   Captain Mack Hunter watched from the newly discovered moon as The Ichthys slowly burned up in the upper atmosphere.  "So, Autry, What's the final disposition of the Ichthys?" Autry looked away as he indexed the loadout database in his mind. "We got all the shuttles and midsize ships off, of course.  As well as all the heavy equipment.  We got the sixteen fusion reactors out of storage, as well as about 85% of the big one from the remaining operational engine of the Ichthys.  We can fabricate the few pieces left easily enough.  We have the pieces to build habitats on the second moon we need for gas, fuel, and metal drilling." Mack looked at the AI.  "Ok, so now tell me the bad news." "We have enough food for about a standard year, for all of us, including a small party on the 2nd moon to start fuel drilling.  Considering all this..." he swept his mechanical arm across the agricultural plain, "we should be able to...

 Pax'Del hummed the dancing tune from the speakeasy, a happy, jolly tune as he walked home.   "Help for a veteran?" a voice called out from a dirty streetcorner.  Pax turned around and waved. "I'm still in the service, friend.  Veteran of what campaign?" he asked the homeless fellow. "D'dendrx five.  I lost my right arm during the Vol offensive." He vaguely waved a stump. Pax, remembering the meal he had at the illegal speakeasy, palmed a ration coupon.  "Here, friend.  This one's on me.  Eat well tonight.  If you need anything, knock on my door.  I live just down the street.  I was in the Mobile Fleet on D'dendrx five.  I saw a lot of the aftermath of the Marine offensive." "Thanks, sir!" The veteran gleamed, grinning.   Pax was in a rare, good mood.  He had a good time.  He pushed on the control to open his front door, but it was already open.  His ears raised straight up in alarm.  "Zinn?!"...

 Pax'Del stepped off his ship at the old dockyards.  The Emperor's handmaiden was waiting for him. "How's The Emperor today?  Is he remotely lucid at all?" Sher'Dei stifled a laugh.  "Sort of.  He thinks it's 20 cycles ago during the conquest of the Deri.  He asked about the plans to take their Homeworld. Pax sighed.  "The backwoods system that the civil star patrol had cut around has been settled by an unknown intelligence.  They have weapons I've never seen before, but my importantly, they have more food growing on that planet than the homeworld of the Empire has seen in elevens of years.  Not to mention worlds like this one.  I was only able to do some basic research before they discovered me, but from what little I found, they grow a crop not unlike Keln." Sher'Dei gasped in amazement.  "I have not had fresh Keln in many years.  I do not even think the Emperor remembers what it tastes like.  I certainly don't, and I am...

 Pax'Del woke suddenly from a nightmare.  He was remembering his mate, and her painful death from an infection that used to be easily curable before the Hard Times.  Food was scarce, medicine was scarce, and economic ruin was slowly wrecking its havoc through The Empire.  His mate had succumbed to an infection while pregnant with his daughter, which caused her disability, and his secret shame. Pax remembered his mates cries of pain through her final days, and a tear came to his eyes. He missed his daughter terribly. He checked the timepiece on the wall, and saw it was late in the night.  Nightwatch was still on duty on the ship.  He dressed himself quickly, and headed to the small chapel in the rear of the ship. Del lit a small candle, and began the ritual. "Ancestors, I prostrate myself before you, begging for insight" he began the prayer to himself. "I have sworn myself to the service of the Empire, and yet, the Empire is allowing itself to fall into ruin...

Pax'Del's patrol group fell out of jumpspace near the twin star.  The prevoius patrol group had skipped past this system for the past 20 or so cycles, because it was far out of the way.  The laziness of the civil space patrol never ceased to amaze Pax. "Captain, we're getting scan results from the Duotex IV system, and it's as the Emperor had feared.  We have invaders.  Three of the moons have unidentified life on them.  We see evidence of advanced power systems, industry, and... wow.  They figured out how to farm on the abandoned, re-engineered moon. Del's ears flattened in shock.  Back when he was a 2nd LT, he was part of the failed attempt to start farming there. "Are the crops bioavailable to us?" Del asked. Science officer Gekto'zzl answered, "Hard to tell, sir.  We'd have to directly sample the crops and assay the chemical makeup.  From what I can tell, at least one crop is very similar to Keln.  But we'd have to sample it....

 Star Emperor G'Gerlian lept from his throne in anger. "The Terrans did WHAT?" "They dumped the shipment of terrillium into one of the waterways.  When terrilium gets wet it..." "I KNOW WHAT HAPPENS TO TERRILIUM WHEN IT GETS WET" The emperor roared. J'Jark shrank a bit. The Emperor grabbed his scepter in his third hand, and luched for the communications terminal. "Bring me the Grand Fleet Marshall.  I want that mudball LEVELED.  At this point, I'm open to waiting 200 cycles before we can settle it." J'Jark looked away a moment, and idly fingered the pendant his late love had given him.  The memory of her courage filled him, and he spoke. "Sire, I wouldn't normally speak out of turn, but I have to speak up about this.  It is only because my family has sworn a duty to you for 11 generations, my family is inextricably tied to yours.  If you were to, say, force elevens of colonists to a planet that had radiation weapons dumpe...