Stories from Astyria

[Aurora Confederacy]

Downtown Ahckman
Whilst in Ahckman for the day Zoe and Micky are taking time to do some shopping, stocking up on supplies for their onward trip back to Khayr Var where they plan to either berth the yacht in Haven or maybe head back to Lake Hai'lu'kai where they actually live. However whilst in Zitru, they may as well at least explore the locality and so thats exactly what they are doing, walking side by side as they do so and currently carrying a couple of shopping bags containing gifts which include a novelty T-shirt and a rather silly hat.

"hey check this out" says Micky, pointing to the entrance to an art gallery, "fancy a look inside?" she asks
"Aye Mickymick, might be able to get some new stuff for the boat and maybe for Robin and Richard, its their twenty first wedding anniversary next month"
"what ya got in mind Zo?" asks Micky with more than a hint of curiousity
"something cheeky I think, thing is, I'm protestant, she's RC, so perhaps something mildly blasphemous like a fallus with a priest collar on it" jokes Zoe, "after all, Robin isn't THAT catholic as she has married a non catholic"
Micky lifts an eyebrow, then puts her hand to her face, thumb up one side, with her finger on the otherside, as her lips are pushed to a side with a thoughtful expression, "perhaps a naked Mona Lisa with a mohawk or maybe model of a naked man on a naked man posing as a motorbike and rider" she says
"umm no, thats something you'd expect of New Edom, dont think we'd get that here, though id love to see her face when she unwraps it, she went berzerk when Mary Anne had the side of her head shaved and her nose pierced, she'd go nuts!" says Zoe however it did make her smile about what she may get her sister in law. "anyway Micky, before the gallery, perhaps that..." she says, pointing to a street vendor, "...that looks like the best food in town"

And so Zoe Mariner and Michaela Michelska head calmly over to the hotdog seller then walk off with two large hot dogs with mustard and a few dollars less in their pockets and they of all people continue to walk down the street, Micky's jacket now undone revealing a red T-shirt with a blue diamond on it with the slogan "I went to the Aurora Confederacy and all i got was this lousy T-shirt" written in white right across the breasts!

[Aurora Confederacy]

Aleksandrovo,
Nikolia

It didnt take long for Adina to follow her nose to the main autobahn type highway that will eventually head to Borca and the ferry home, however the suburbs of Aleksandrovo stretch for several miles alongside the motorway which threads its way like a serpent through the local geography and with the traffic flowing gently Adina pushes on, placing her truck in lane 1 and occasionally in lane 2 to pass slower traffic. Adina, like most Auroran drivers is used to empty highways though when they get busy like the ones around Aleksandrovo, Adina is quite happy and able to cope.

"It makes a change to be in a country with traffic" says Adina as she eases out to pass a car and caravan, "though i do wish these caravaners would go a little faster or get a better suited tow car, g'ah!!" she says as she drops a gear to give the 620hp inline 6 some extra punch to get by. As the revs climb because of the lower gear Adina steps on the accellerator and pushes the 44,000kg of truck past the slow car before pulling back into lane 1 and flicking back up into the previous gear.

Trisha, relaxing in the bunk turns to face Adina, "have ya checked the long range forecast for the run to Barentsburg?"

"nah, not yet babe, I'll do that once I get to Either Heysh or South Sands, its probably a week away yet including the sailing to the island" replies Adina, reaching for a pair of sunglasses "now we have another three hours of this ahead of us and then its break, ya got the memostick for the music I want some native music from home"

Trisha reached across to a storage pocket and had a feel in it, "there are three, which one ya want?" she asks

"The red one if its there" replies Adina, at which Trisha throws the said item across the cab so it lands on Adina's lap "There ya go" she says. Picking up the item, Adina glances down at the speedo then checks her mirrors "g'ah I do wish people wouldn't hang there, if those tyres pop it will be nasty, c'mon car pass me for Freja's sake" a common trick for drivers in the Aurora Confederacy is to put a turn signal on, that normally forces loiterers to either move faster of move over however Adina isn't sure if Nikolian drivers will do that so with a gentle tap of the exhaust brake to allow the truck to fall back is her preffered choice. The exhaust burbles and the truck rumbles for a moment as Adina carries out the manouvre in order to deal with a loiterer before resuming the pace however it seems that no sooner does Adina get back to 90km/h she is back along side the same vehicle.
"I don't believe that!" says Adina

"what?" asks Trisha

"This guy here, right along side doing around ninety, every time we get along side he speeds up to match our pace, won't go faster and just wants to sit along side us right my my tandems, thing is we can't go much faster but he can yet won't, what is he doing?" says Adina, somewhat annoyed "aaah fuck it" she says and floors it, taking the truck to 100km/h, only to find the car accellerates to the same speed and when Adina lets off the power to go back to 90km/h, the car also slows back down, maintaining its position right along side Adina's drive axles so Adina falls back to 80 in the hope that he will move on. NOPE, he's still sat there matching the same pace as Adina's truck, click for click, what ever pace Adina does, the car along side does the same pace.

"what a cunt!" says Trisha, "so long as he stays in lane 2 we should be ok" Trisha looks at the mirror from behind the passenger seat, "Dino, angle the mirror down a bit for me"

Adina flicks a switch and adjusts the mirror so Trisha can see what is going on, then it dawns on her what he is doing, "well for fucks sake, the cheeky twat, he's using the internet, is he using our wifi booster?" says Trisha.

"he was!" says Adina as she turns off the wifi unit "cheeky twat!"Adina however continues on in lane 1, keeping the truck at the steady pace, "thats the first time I have seen that, bloody reps!" As the truck goes through the last underpass, a 500m long bore that takes the ring road to the main motorway Adina flicks on the spots, letting 22 spotlights shine down the road though luckily for those in front, only the angel-eyes of the spots are lit up though there is time yet for Adina to turn the lot on and "hit the road with enough wattage to melt a hole in the sun".

_{Their journey continues, and what happened to that driver?.....}

[Aurora Confederacy]

The kerz
A short while ago, Martyne entered the lake to enjoy a cool swim, and so with Martyne in the water, Tiffany, lying on a lounger in short pants and a bikini top relaxes though she scans the crowd for local bozos who might be around, what with the guy in the hotel lobby claiming to be looking for his kitten and glomp the guy in the train station who may or may not have some mental illness, who knows what was going through his mind at that time.

There is however one act that is always useful when sat at a lake side or coastal shore on a warm sunny day and that is to get the tanning lotion out however one thing is for sure, carbon fibre doesnt tan, and really does a good job of preventing the sun getting to what ever is below it, it is however because of this reason that Tiffany's upper legs, or indeed what is left of them after the automobile crash in a Terra Link tunnel when she was side swiped by a tractor trailer and her car was pushed into the tunnel wall, are somewhat pale compared to her face and arms, though Martyne's head is also nicely tanned.

Tiffany listens carefully to the people next to her, for she unlike some Auroran's doesn't speak a word of Frandt OR Nikolian, so rather than commit some social faux pas, listens carefully to what language is being spoken whilst she relaxes as Martyne heads back to the shore, stopping to surface under a ball that was in the water as two folks come over to it, she picks up the ball and punch-serves it in a high-arc over to the group of people who were playing aquatic volley ball, she then shakes her hand afterwards as she hit it a little harder than she was planning "ouch" she says before making her way out of the lake and up to her wife.

"hey babe" she says as she sits down besides Tiffany who hands her some sun oil
"Marty, slap some of this on" says Tiff, handing her some sun lotion however Tiffany does squirt some onto Martyne's bald head and massage it in as well as massaging some oil into Martyne's back, especially important as sunburn on a bald head could be quite painful, even if the Golden Eagle hotel is a 5 star joint and sunburn takes no prisoners and Marty would rather not leave a layer of skin on the bed!

"Enjoy your swim?" asks Tiff, gently massaging the oil into Martyne's skin

"yeah, water's quite refreshing, clear too" replies Marty, "though ya know I can't wait to get home and back on the road"

"well only a couple of days left to go I think then we can fly back. Ya got a load planned?" asks Tiff

"Think there's something going to the Burg, they're really cracking on with the new reactors there" Martyne pauses a bit then groans in a tone of pleasure as the soothing hands of Tiffany rubbing sun tan oil into her skin makes Martyne feel happy, "I think the're gonna extend the harbour at South Sands as well"

"Marty, hows the agency driver doing with the truck?" asks Tiff

"dunno, not heard anything so can't be too bad, they only got her doubles licence about a month before we came out, so hopefully they're doing okay. Ya fancy a meal this evening at the hotel?"

"yeah, what time we gotta book it by?" says Tiff.

"fourteen hundred, they're serving at eighteen thirty" answers Marty as she leans back against the lounger and begins to rub more sun tan oil into her skin.

[Aurora Confederacy]

Nikolian highway

4 hours out of Aleksandrovo, the roads were now relatively empty compared to the city that they had left earlier and with a steady 80km/h pace, the truck was not the fastest truck on the roads and it was getting close to a place to get a bite to eat as well as take a 45 minute break and so Adina starts to look for the signs for the nearest service area. below them, a 16 litre inline 6 rumbles away and in front of them a whole array of 22 spotlights illuminates the road ahead though thankfully on their lower power setting they are merely glowing gently to highlight the trucks approach rather than trying to burn a hole in the sun.

Trisha looks at the clock, counting down to zero "hey Dino, its getting close"

"aye", says Adina, "it is getting close, though i think we will be able to stop in the next twenty min..." she pauses for a moment "...actually no, the rest area is five kilometers up the road at a guess, and we won't be too far off. We stopping for an hour or so, i wanna stretch out for a bit before you take the night run now that you're rested. I plan to get a whole ten hours in, that will then give us an hour or so hand over so hold off on break for an hour after the second four and a half, or hold up till we reach eleven hours, that way I can jump completely in and hop off again"

"sure, and its probably gonna be a long, boring night" replies Trisha as Adina eases off the power and allows the truck with its red box on the back to begin the coasting down to the service area exit, as the revs fall the engine down shifts and slowly the truck begins to fall off as Adina signals to come off the exit, threading the truck through the maze of roads.

"Thats cars, thats fuel, thats coaches, thats....." says Adina, looking left and right "....where I wanna be". Adina steps on the power and the 16 litre engine rumbles again as the truck navigates to a parking area, Rather than reverse in, Adina drives from behind, doing what Americans call a "pull through", a method also popular with Auroran drivers, as you try and do that with a two trailer truck - it aint happening, although Adina is hauling just one trailer with a 40ft box. Once in the slot Adina puts the park brake on and turns the engine and lights off, and then there is....




virtual silence! save for the sound of vehicles on the motorway they have just pulled off.

Trisha releases her bunk belt and puts her legs on, (quite litterally!), and then zips up each leg of her pants before hauling herself into the passenger seat as Adina ejects her card along with Trisha's card and swaps them over and puts her card on break in slot 2 and Trisha's card in slot 1 before looking at Trisha with a smile, "food?"

"yeah, fish i think" replies Trisha, putting on a pair of trainers and opening the door to climb down and take in the cool early evening air as Adina follows suit, shutting the door firmly begind her with a thunk, closly followed by a second thunk as Trisha's door is closed then locked by Adina with the remote key and from there its a walk to the service area building. "I gotta attend to a few things then I'll be with ya Dino, okay?"

"sure, i will be over by the food court" says Adina, and so the two women head their seperate ways, Adina going to get the food and Trisha to the bathroom and then to the store.

[Aurora Confederacy]

Since leaving the truckstop in their Kvasir 990 Scorpio and Joanne have pushed hard, swapping over every 4 and 1/2 hours or so in order to make the border with Nikolia and so as the border comes into sight Joanne begins to slow.

Scorpio who with a mostly shaven head, large scorpion tattoo on her face along with several piercings in her face may look to some as someone not to be messed with, is now in quite a cute position on the bottom bunk as she is asleep with Ravage cuddled upto her owner.
"Scorpio, border gate ten Kilometres" says Joanne as she works her way around the gearbox, dropping cog after cog.

Scorpio stirrs and looks across the cabin, "what ya's like fo' time?" asks Scorpio

"bout an hour left. Wanna break here?..." says Joanne, "...where's Rav? "

"yea sounds like a good idea, stretch her paws and let her empty herself" Scorpio goes nose to nose with the white dog, "want a walk?" she asks, trying to stare the dog out.

It fails! Ravage links Scorpio's nose... *BARK*

"Aah there she is" says Joanne. Flicking all the spots on to light up a sign about a km away by this time. The lights, 14 in all, light up the gate across the road and the border hut. "that hut closed?" asks Joanne.

"more likely skeleton staff so they bring the gate over, it's twenty two thirty and we have been on the move all day" says Scorpio

[Cote dCuivre]

PORT-AU-PROSPERITE
COTE D' CUIVRE

Alassane smiled a bit, his bright white teeth almost radiating from his mouth before he laughed "As often as I can, monsieur Arnie! I am glad you like the food! Shall we order some palm wine to chase it down?" he said, before motioning to a nearby boy and shouting something at him in a native tongue sending the child scurrying off into the crowd. A few moments later, the boy reappeared carrying two paper cups of a thick, white, almost milk like liquid. Alassane handed the boy some crumbled bills, leaving the boy with a large smile and a "Merci!" before he disappeared into the crowd again.

The guide took a sip of his drink before continuing to dig into his meal. "After this, monsieur, I will take you to the old governor's mansion, where there was a great evacuation as the city fell to the local forces. And after, we will drive out to Koumacoury, and see where the war really began. Get both the beginning and the end of the war all in one day. We will even get to drive down the famous RC1, where many lost their lives, although today it looks like nothing more than and ordinary highway."

Arnie nodded, his taste buds firing in all directions and heightening his other senses as he enjoyed the exotic experience of dining on such fare among the every day Cuivran people in the streets of their capital at a roadside cafe. It may be true that he could get Cuivran cuisine in Paritte, but he was sure that it couldn't compare to this, and the atmosphere added so much more to the taste.
At the mention of the itinerary for the day, he nodded trying to keep his thoughts in the present and not with his grandfather and his connection to the turbulent history of this nation.
"Oui. I am looking forward to it all, Alassane. My grandfather's unit, from what I know, was not here during the start of hostilities in Koumacoury, but they did fight to keep RC1 open, and they did fight off saboteurs attacking the Mansion during those chaotic last days here in the capital before the collapse of the colonial government and the evacuation of Gaulic forces. I have a few days, so keep in mind that we don't need to rush it all and pack it in all in one day." He took a sip of the palm wine and savored the sweetness. His thoughts briefly wandered to what Amelia was up to at that minute.

Meanwhile, Amelia luxuriated as a masseuse worked over her slightly tense muscles on a table, while her table was slightly propped up so that she had a view of the Cuivran shoreline and small pipers and cranes pecking at the surf. It was as idyllic and exotic as she had imagined it would be and she was so glad that she had let Arnaud talk her into flying here, even though she wasn't interested in the journey for the same reasons he was adamant about it. She moaned just a bit with pleasure. The masseuse was either used to something akin to a sexual sound from clients, or not opposed to it coming from a very voluptuous and beautiful Gaulic woman.

Once they were finished with their meal, Alassane gathered up their trash and tossed it into a nearby trashcan before motioning to his new white friend and making for the jeep. "The governor's mansion is not very far" he said as he hopped into the driver's seat and sparked on the ignition. "About twenty minutes if we can have any luck with traffic"

And with that, they were off, heading into a noticeably nicer part of town where the buildings turned from the shoddy clay style structures around the market to soaring glass and steel ones, before coming back down to elegant pre-war Gaulic mansions surrounded by lush greenery and plenty of well maintained little parks. "The Confederate ambassador is currently using the old Governor's Mansion to conduct his business" Alassane said as he parked the car on a side street outside the large wrought iron gates of a beautifully kept home. He hopped out and continued talking as he walked towards the intersection just a few steps away "They still keep a museum in there though, open to the public"

As he turned the corner, the large, impressive building stood before them, sitting pristinely along the boulevard, its lawn expertly manicured and its iron gates almost gleaming in the sun. Two white soldiers stood by the entrance, a large white flag bearing the green cross and red dragon of the Confederacy flying from the highest point of the building and the posts of the fence. Alassane nodded to the pair as he walked by, but they remained motionless as the tourist and his guide proceeded down the white stone walk way and up the stairs of the home.

A metal detector greeted them in the lobby, and the two were made to empty their pockets into a bin before proceeding through the metal detector, where a conurbii (this was the term for mixed race individuals in the Blackhelm Confederacy) guard waved a wand around them and then waved them through to collect their things. The lobby was nothing short of breathtaking, and it was apparent that Gaulic artisans spent no small amount of time or money on perfecting the marble work that was found throughout. The AC here too, was a refreshing break from the oppressive heat outside, making this stop all the more attractive.

"Come, this way" Alassane motioned as he led Arnie into one of the wings of the building and into a large black walled room with short grey carpeting. It was filled with old black and white pictures and even a few assault rifles in their glass cases, as well as some uniforms. Both Gaulic and Cuivran uniforms and weapons were represented here, and a television screen played the words of an old woman who witnessed the scene first hand, while another on the other side played the words of a Gaul officer who was among the last to leave.

[Aurora Confederacy]

Adina and Trisha,
Somewhere in Nikolia

The service area was typically Nikolian and according to some Auroran guide books was built in the 70s or maybe the 80s and so it has a typically concrete design, futuristic when it was built but now looks a little worn. However inside it is upto date and efficient so after a short break of around an hour Trisha and Adina return to their truck.

Climbing back inside, Trisha climbs back into the bunk as Adina settles back into the driving seat and puts the key into the slot and turns it, bringing the 16 litre motor to life then with the truck back into gear Adina eases out into the night. from there there is another run of just over 4 hours and so Trisha settles into the bunk And is soon asleep, rocked off by the soothing rhythm of the engine and the motion of the cab as Adina at the wheel cruises gently at a shade over 80km/h. As they head across to Barca, Scorpio and Joanne are just clearing border controls further south.

[Terre des Gaules]

PORT-AU-PROSPERITE
COTE D' CUIVRE

Once they were finished with their meal, Alassane gathered up their trash and tossed it into a nearby trashcan before motioning to his new white friend and making for the jeep. "The governor's mansion is not very far" he said as he hopped into the driver's seat and sparked on the ignition. "About twenty minutes if we can have any luck with traffic."

Arnie hopped onto the passenger seat as he still savored the flavorful filling meal. That was what it was all about, not some fancy restaurant somewhere, eating the same old familiar overpriced crap. He tried to retain the moment as much as possible, but they were already speeding away.

They were heading into a noticeably nicer part of town where the buildings turned from the shoddy clay style structures around the market to soaring glass and steel ones, before coming back down to elegant pre-war Gaulic mansions surrounded by lush greenery and plenty of well maintained little parks. "The Confederate ambassador is currently using the old Governor's Mansion to conduct his business" Alassane said as he parked the car on a side street outside the large wrought iron gates of a beautifully kept home. He hopped out and continued talking as he walked towards the intersection just a few steps away "They still keep a museum in there though, open to the public."

As they turned the corner, the large, impressive building stood before them, sitting pristinely along the boulevard, its lawn expertly manicured and its iron gates almost gleaming in the sun. Two white soldiers stood by the entrance, a large white flag bearing the green cross and red dragon of the Confederacy flying from the highest point of the building and the posts of the fence. Alassane nodded to the pair as he walked by, but they remained motionless as the tourist and his guide proceeded down the white stone walk way and up the stairs of the home.

Arnie felt familiar apprehensions of his cultural programming overtake him. It was like they were in a movie, seeing the soldiers. He'd never seen a Confederate military man up close. Confederate civilians, usually immigrants to Gaul, but never soldiers. When he was growing up, they were taught this was the enemy. He didn't really believe that, even now, but it still felt a little strange. Almost like a buzzing in his ear.

A metal detector greeted them in the lobby, and the two were made to empty their pockets into a bin before proceeding through the metal detector, where a conurbii (this was the term for mixed race individuals in the Blackhelm Confederacy) guard waved a wand around them and then waved them through to collect their things. The lobby was nothing short of breathtaking, and it was apparent that Gaulic artisans spent no small amount of time or money on perfecting the marble work that was found throughout. The AC here too, was a refreshing break from the oppressive heat outside, making this stop all the more attractive.

"Come, this way" Alassane motioned as he led Arnie into one of the wings of the building and into a large black walled room with short grey carpeting. It was filled with old black and white pictures and even a few assault rifles in their glass cases, as well as some uniforms. Both Gaulic and Cuivran uniforms and weapons were represented here, and a television screen played the words of an old woman who witnessed the scene first hand, while another on the other side played the words of a Gaul officer who was among the last to leave.

Arnie thought back on the Confederate guards at the entrance to the Mansion. The theory was that someday, Gaul and its ATO allies would have to fight the giant Confederate behemoth in a big disastrous war. A long simmering cold war had brewed ever since GAW2, and wasn't really even over yet. Now, here he was, where one of the proxy wars of that cold war had flashed up. The frontlines. One of Gaul's beloved territories that had been turned to the 'darkside' during an ugly revolution and war. He didn't really feel all that, but as a patriotic Gaul, he knew he was supposed to feel that way. He walked around a bit, observing, studying the plaques and not saying much. He tried to imagine if he found one of the old black and white photographs contained his grandfather, how odd that would be.

Finally, he moved closer to Alassane and spoke in a lowered, reverent tone.
"You know, I'm curious. Is this an official exhibit done by your government and people? Or are these displays here courtesy of the Confederates that occupy most of the rest of the building? It doesn't really matter either way, as it's still fascinating. I'm really just curious.

[Aurora Confederacy]

Over the comming few days, for Trisha and Adina it was more of the same, mile after mile of Nikolian highways, the two women had a ferry to catch and intended to catch it, though in order to do so they had to pound practically all the way across Nikolia in order to do so, their Valiant F16H Globe Traveller proved to be an excellent workhorse even though it was not the latest incarnation of the model.

Adina's style of driving over the next few days was still highly proffessional however it was getting obvious that she HAD to be somewhere and where safe, and legal to do so, would make overtakes where possible rather than sit behind slower, older trucks and with 650hp on tap from its inline 6, the truck was no slouch, simply storming past some older Nikolian vehicles and some lesser powered Auroran vehicles bound for the ferry ports as well as the odd Neu Engollon registered vehicle and to make it even more embarrassing for them, they had been "Tarted" in Auroran speak, "Tarted" is to be bettered by a lady!.

To while away the miles, Adina and Trisha were playing country style music as well as a native band "CatDance" who's sound is quite folkyand with more than a hint of gypsy style to it as well, though that might be what they were playing to.

Some distance behind Adina and Trisha were Scorpio and Joanne, heading also to Borca and the ferry to the Aurora Confederacy, them pair in an older Kvasir 990 6x6 were also rocking hard and thanks to their route were actually closing in on the two women with the white Valiant, and with several driver changes for both trucks, it wasn't long, (figuratively speaking) before the blue Kvasir was just a few Km's behind the white Valiant, and thanks to the terrain, the Kvasir with its more powerful engine slowly reeled in the Khayr Var registered truck, then Joanne spotted its plate.

"hey Scorpie, gimme the radio, thats a homward bound infront of us" said Joanne, pointing to the Khayr var plate on the truck
"oh yeah, and he's a little out of area Khayr Var is a long way from the mainland" replied Scorpio, passing the microphone to Joanne.

Jo took hold of the mic and key'd up "hey Khayr Vari box hauler, yo got y'ears on?"

in the Valiant, Trisha looked up at the speaker, a familiar accent and so grabbed the mic and keyd up, "Who's that, ya's boomin out" she said, in reference to the fact that Scorpio's radio was pushing 1kw up the antenna!

Scorpio turned the power down as Joanne came onto reply "Ya got Scorpio and Joanne here, and a dog named Ravage riding shotgun, who've we got there?"

Trisha glanced in the mirrors and key'd up "Dino and Tin leg, aka Adina and Trisha. You guys bound for the boat to South Sands?"

"Sure are" replied Joanne as Scorpio came slowly closer though Adina wasn't making it easy for her, keeping just a km/h or two under the speed limit and so Scorpio, cruising at the speedlimit was just about catching the white truck, "We're catching the Auroran Oceanic boat, you?"

"Sounds like we got ourselves a couple of companions then" said Trisha, knocking the truck down a cog to begin the drop into Borca,

"Where you heading once you get home?" asked Joanne

"Barentsburg then hopefully New Heysham, you?"

"Nowhere far, me and Scorpio finish our trip in South Sands, we then rest up for a couple of days and probably go to Halo, you often do this run?"

"Yeah, about once or twice a year we head this way, this is only the first time this year but its been a good one, seems like the power plant build is coming on, they're closing down the old one later on this year or early next year then they decomission it, or at least start to" said Trisha, easing the truck off the highway and onto a single carriageway road that eventually would lead them to the ferry port which was in the distance. The large, looming shape of the Ocean Empress, a large cruise ferry was dominating the harbour and in a couple of hours, the two trucks after what has been a 4 day run from the border and from the port of Aleksandrovo, would be on that very ship,

[Aurora Confederacy]

Faculty of Astronomical Sciences
Physics and Geological Research

University of Lake Hai'lu'kai

As far as things go, Aurora Confederacy has only ever sent two people into orbit, one was very much publically broadcast with the successful launch of Michael Garrett, the other was equally successful however less publically broadcast with only project Aurora's own webcast covering the 3 week mission into orbit however that mission was there to provide a footing for a future expance into fields of science and now Project Aurora is looking for potential candidates from a civilian background in which to train to become the future of the Auroran space program. Michael Garrett, known as "Mitch" to many friends has a military background, however one way to get people intersted in the idea of space travel and space science is to get a good looking, young person to do some lectures, preferably this person is to be female, and so Katrina Collins, known by many as "Kat" or "KC" is one such person, selected by Projec Aurora to give a series of lectures around various Universities around the country.

The lecture hall is full of A level and degree students, many big in education and in some cases big in ego too though that is to be expected at one of the countrie's leading universities that specialises in such subjects as nuclear physics, geology and astro physics. The lecture audutorium is large with seating for several thousand people in a huge quarter circle with 24 rows of seating in two destinct banks with the back of the stage dominated by a large projection screen which in turn makes the lecturn look somewhat insignificant, especially when viewed from the top row of seats on the upper level of seating.

Currently on stage is one of the lecturers who clocks sight of Katrina and nods, Kat, holding a remote control device about the size of an old mobile telephone or an ipod type device is just going through her notes as the lecturer wraps up his introduction.

"Ladies and gentlemen, students, guests and anyone else I have failed to mention, it gives me great pleasure to welcome here tonights lecturer a person who has given a great leap for science and the Aurora Confederacy and a person who has not only gone to the depths of this planet but has also flown several hundred miles above it, can you give a welcome to Katrina Collins please" , he steps aside and holds out his arm as Kat, dressed in a black tracksuit comes up the stage

. Katrina, a mere 5 feet six inches in height runs energetically onto the stage with a smile across her face before walking across to the lecturn.
"good afternoon" she says with a chirpy voice, shaking hands with the university lecturer who has just welcomed her onto the stage,

The speaker steps aside and allows Katrina to take to the centre stage and presses the button on the remote control and so the lights dim down except for two stage lights which keep focusted on Katrina, moments later her face appears on the large projection screen behind her as a cameraman from a position between the two blocks of seating keeps a movie camera trained on her.

"Good afternoon Lake Hai'lu'kai, are you in for a treat tonight" says Katrina, pressing the remote control to bring up the first slide,
"I am going to give you hopefully an interesting talk..." Kat pauses to adjust the microphone on her head, "Firstly, may I introduce myself, as a daughter of a navy family with my mother working in the Naval medical corps, my father working as a submariner, you could say that My destiny was to go to the navy, however 2 years ago, that changed when i heard that Project Aurora, part of the governments industrial arm of this fine nation was to develop its own space program and that is what I am about to talk to you about tonight and how you can join the program".

Katrina presses a button on the remote control to bring up a slide

"It all stated when Project Aurora wanted to make its mark on the world, fed up of it would seem of using other contractors and other government agencies as well as civilian agencies to put satellites into orbit, communications satellites, navigation satellites as well as more classified projects into space and so when Zafferana Promura took over the government from Andrea Edwardson, HARP was born, this was to then develop into the Astronautical Engineering Administration, or AEA. They put out a tender to universities and at the time, I was studying Physics at Barentsburg University with the hope to take up a possible career in the nuclear industry though reaching for the starts is a little more glamorus, if a little harder work but trust me it was worth it"

On the back projection screen is a picture of the logo, the sun creaping over the horizon, Kat presses a button and brings up a new slide, seemingly in sepia tone, it is of a rather flimsy looking aircraft

"Now the Aurora Confederacy has always been a nation with a can-do attitude, when this slide was taken back in the early 1900s, man had never taken to the skies before and this aircraft, though not an aircraft that we built stil has the same emboldenned spirit that many Aurorans believe in, as 4 weeks before this photo was taken people said it wouldn't work, well it did, since that flimsy first aircraft to the modern machines of today progress has in many ways come through conflict however here in the Aurora Confederacy, things are a little different for why not develop for peace, push the boundaries of science and that is what Project Aurora is all about, forwarding mankind through the passion of science, to boldly go, though up to now that boldly go has often meant people getting very wet as Project Aurora has been concentrating on the depths of the ocean, I too have been there though thats a different story, I blame my father for that",

Katrina pauses for a moment, taking a sip of water and turning to face the screen and pressing a button on the remote control,

"When the Aurora Confederacy developed its craft, we worked on two aircraft, one being a capsule entry, the second was for a more serious purpose, getting equipment, some of it of a large size, into orbit and this has had its pitfalls, for we are looking to put a manned platform into orbit, and if we can't do it then what do we do, give up.... NO, not a chance of that, our spirit won't let us do that, in fact can't be done is something that we don't believe in, and you here, students of engineering, aeronautics, metallurgy are the key to that success, you are the key to the future of the Aurora Confederacy. Its people like you that we will not only need but come to depend on, i know I certainly did with my four crewmates of which I was however the only civilian as my colleges were all ex Airforce pilots however I, like them still had to do the training and that was the hard bit, but it was also interesting and yes it involved some people getting wet, now what it is about scientific endeavours and getting wet I dont know but what ever it is, they seem to be hand in hand, so what is for the future, well lets have a look shall we.."

Kat turns to face the screen and presses the advance slide button again and brings up an image of a space station, not so much of a wheel in space like what the movies seem to portray but a platform that has at its heart a long fuselage with a secondary fuselage and a brace frame across the top, almost like a cross with a lattice across the top.

"This is The Celestia project, so called because when completed it will be a station for peace and science and Project Aurora is looking for the best scientists to build what will be coming after the Celestia project, people like you, though some of you already are likely to be going to the Celestia project, So its stuff like this that I joined the program and yes I believe that this nation can provide the best expertise to put this vision into practice....."

[Cote dCuivre]

Alassane smiled his bright white smile as Arnie asked the question. "It is a good question monsieur Arnie. You see, it is a joint administration. As part of the terms for the Confederates to use this building, we required them to install this museum. Both of our governments pay the upkeep. Think of it as a polite reminder to the current ambassador of what happened to the last resident of this building"

He stepped back to look at a uniform behind a glass case before speaking again. "Let me know when you are ready to leave, and we can move to the next place. Although one can spend some bit of time here as well."

[Aurora Confederacy]

it can be said that the window to a person's soul are there eyes, it is because of this that Zaph O'neil, a middle aged woman from Barentsburg, a regular at the Northern Cross bar and friend of Ryan Halvaarsson, proprietor of the said bar has wandered into a studio with one goal. spending an hour discussing with the tattooist she then sits down on the lounger and a needle is brought out, not just any needle but a very fine seringe which is then loaded with sterile ink.

Zaph leans back in the seat and looks up at the stark light coming down from the ceiling as the tattooist takes the needle and makes a small puncture in the clear membrane of her eye and slowly pushes down on the plunger of the seringe, this turns the whites of her eyes a dark red colour, and has taken a little over 15 minutes, leaving her with a look that some would call demonic however like Karen Deo, another resident of Barentsburg but currently Lake hai'lu'kai and sports lime green eyes, it is something that she does not regret doing and so casting a gaze into a mirror, Zapharanthes O'Neil, known simply as Zaph to friends smiles, gliding one half of her split tongue across her lips, then the other half before turning to the tattooist and hands over the cash before walking out of the store with dark red eyes, wearing a black skin tight catsuit.

Walking down the street, some people glance, some stare but Zaph takes no notice of this, in some ways Barentsburg with its easy going nature is forgiving of such adornments, its a place where many cultures come together in its small population and no one really cares what you look like, and for this place, Zaph is just another person.

[Aurora Confederacy]

Ferry Port,
Borca,
Nikolia

00:00 hours
For Adina and Trisha in their Valliant F16H and Scorpio, Joanne with Ravage, (a small fluffball of a dog) their arrival in Borca signifies that this trip at least is almost over, 3 days on a long distance ferry to South Sands where they will be berthing close to the massive power station complex and auto factory.

The ferry sits at its berth with over a thousand lights illuminating its decks whilst workers go about the task of stocking the stores. A portly woman leans out of the window and takes document of the registration plates of both vehicles, one originally from Khayr Var whilst the other is from South Sands itself. The woman then walks out of the Hut and checks seals before filling out paper work though whilst all this is going on Trisha picks up the cb and gives Scorpio a call.

"Scorpio ya there?" she calls.

It was Jo who answered, "no, it's Jo. She's cuddled to fluffball"

"meet you in the trident bar, deck three once you've settled in" says Trisha as the barrier goes up and Adina drives forward onto the dock to join the line of vehicles waiting to board and around 5 mins later, Scorpio and Joanne were also in the line of vehicles.

What lies ahead is a 3 day trip on open water in a ferry

[Aurora Confederacy]

Borca Harbour

As the ferry que gets longer, Scorpio climbs down from the truck and takes Ravage with her on a leash, she wants to make sure there are no illegals on board her truck before she boards the Ferry and so carefully begins a search of the truck, checking the likely places a stowaway might hide though quite exactly why anyone would want to stow to the Aurora Confederacy is anyones guess, its certainly not a place that is known for being a nation to stowaway too, especially the northern part of the nation where they are going once they get off at South Sands.

Scorpio checks first the gap between the nose of the trailer and the back of the cab, taking time to check the jump-leads between the cab and the trailer before checking the area behind the frame infront of the landing gear before examining the area under the trailer and the axles area before checking the side door and the rear doors then goes down the other side of the truck. As she does this ravage stands close to Scorpio sniffing the floor as dogs do with her tail pointing straight vertically, her ears pointing up, she has caught the scent of something but can't work out what or who so is having a good sniff all the same before releasing a steady stream of urine onto the white line that marks out the bays,

"Thats it Rav, empty your tank why dont ya?" says Scorpio, watching Ravage take a leak.

Trisha and Adina also climb down from their Valiant Globetraveller, mainly to stretch their legs before going onto the ferry, it is here that Adina stops to take a look at Scorpio's truck.

"Air cooled?" asks Trisha

"yeah, Vee twelve, goes like stink up hills, whats in yours?" asks Scorpio

"Six Hundred, sixteen litre, old Valiant block, had a job catching yours on the hills, and whenI was in front you weren't far behind, empty?" asks Adina

"nah, got a couple of tonnes on board, but with nine seventy, it demolishes hills, and now the replacement for this model, the Mjolnir has over a thousand and dont get me started on the D S Nine hundred. do you really need thirty two litres?, i have seen two on my travels up north, one running a road train" says Scorpio

"yes I would like that, BUT wouldnt like the fuel bill for it, this one's bad enough when loaded, get around six to the gallon" says Adina, "but its worth it, she's paid for herself".

Once the lights at the end of the lane change from red to green, Scorpio, Trisha and Adina climb back into their respective trucks, Adina taking the helm for this as Joanne drives Scorpio's truck, and so the two trucks go onto the ferry, guided carefully by the crew who want Adina to hurry, but hurry she does not, instead taking it slowly, nosing her bull bar right up to Scorpio's back doors. from there, the trucks are chained down as the 4 women walk to the stairs and the lounge with Ravage being carried along by Scorpio.

"Beer?" asks Trisha

"oh yeah, lager please" says Scorpio, looking at Joanne "you?"

Jo doesnt need much coaxing, with 3 days to relax they can safely have a beer on the voyage and be legal on the other end and so she too orders a pillsner, and so in the bar the 4 women (and one dog) relax, taking up a booth at the side of the bar, looking out over Borca's harbour as the ship slowly fills up with vehicles and passengers. About an hour later (and 3 more pints!) the ship, now with its external loading doors locked and secure eases away from the dock and begins its trip to South Sands.

[Terre des Gaules]

Alassane smiled his bright white smile as Arnie asked the question. "It is a good question monsieur Arnie. You see, it is a joint administration. As part of the terms for the Confederates to use this building, we required them to install this museum. Both of our governments pay the upkeep. Think of it as a polite reminder to the current ambassador of what happened to the last resident of this building"

Arnie smiled at that. It was a type of humor that both the Gauls and the Cuivrans shared.

Alassane stepped back to look at a uniform behind a glass case before speaking again. "Let me know when you are ready to leave, and we can move to the next place. Although one can spend some bit of time here as well."

Arnie looked around for another minute or two and realized he'd taken it all in. He'd half hoped he would somehow stumble across a picture of his grandfather in all the black and whites on plaques and in cases, but there was to be no such luck. Not even a soldier wearing the patch of his grandfather's unit, although there were plenty of pictures of Gaulic soldiers on display.
"I think I'm ready to move on, Alassane. I can always come back."

As they exited, he took photos of the outside with a strong but small digital camera. He put that away and pulled out a small notebook that he jotted down some words. He had decided as he had enjoyed their earlier meal that he would try to get a lot of his feelings and observations down. Possibly turn it into an article or even a book. He would need to get in touch with some of his journalist friends back home.
"Lead the way, Sir!"

[Aurora Confederacy]

South Sands Railway Station

It began like any other day in South Sands, cold, wet drizzle gave the air a soggy feel to it though life goes on and most Sander's as they are known dont really care about the frequent rain and mist that comes in off the sea, the 08:45 service from Rai'lal was slowly snaking its way through the traffic for the station was built as part of the harbour complex so access to it goes right through the heart of town and gradually as South Sands grew, the roadway and railways gradually began to merge as one and now in the early morning rush hour trains can be delayed just like buses as they share the same road space, only the new Orbis line runs seperate to the old line running past the city and filtering into the rail grid closer to the station missing the traffic grid, the 08:45 service however is just a normal 6 car passenger train hauled behind a conventional locomotive and yes its stuck in traffic.

On board the train are a mixed bunch of passengers, some being students, some being business execs, others just regular working folk just trying to go to work, eventually the train gets a gap in the traffic and begins to move forward, its beacons flashing on the front warning people that over a 500 tonnes of train is moving, albeit slowly, down the line though about a kilometer from the train station there is a bang, not from an explosion but from the front of the train as a car has been rear ended though the next direction it goes is sideways, straight into the path of the locomotive, resulting a metal peeling, ear piercing sound of a small sedan being run over by a train. The driver slams on the brakes of the train however its too late, the car is burined upto the tail lights under the front of the train.

The driver of the train grabs the radio and makes a chilling call "Six Alpha twelve, South Sands, we have a one-under"

in the mean time, the car that rear ended the small city car peels to the left and accellerates away, its driver seemingly not concerned that he has just pushed a car into the path of a passenger train in the shared space, instead he just drives off from the scene leaving a shocked locomotive driver to deal with the scene, and a car which weighs just a few hundred kilograms against a locomotive and 6 passenger cars which together weighs a few hundred thousand kilograms is not a pretty sight. The locomotive driver scribbles down the licence plate of the car, a black Toyota 4x4 then climbs down from the locomotive to look at the carnage. The car is indeed buried deep under the front of the train though its driver's condition is as yet undetermined and the train driver's face is one of horror as he sees the state of the car.

"Six Alpha twelve, South Sands control, come in six Alpha twelve." comes a voice from the radio so the driver's assistant makes the call

"South Sands control, Six Alpha twelve, go ahead"

"Emergency services called, South Sands control"

The train driver climbs back in the cab,

"Jim, there's a kid down there, he looks okay, the driver looks bad, think he's gone, can you tell control please?"

Jim, the co driver nods and duly informs the controller

"Control, we have a Honda city car, two occupants male, one old one young. Believe the driver to be fatal, I think we're gonna need a lift-up, Six Alpha twelve"

It did not take long for the police to arrive, sirens blaring lights flashing and so once on the scene the officer takes charge as traffic is beginning to get crazy as South Sands is now getting log jammed because some car driver has pushed another car under the front wheels of a locomotive. 15 mins later, the sole police officer had by now been joined by several other officers, two paramedics and 3 fire trucks along with a host of media types to report on the scene though the police have them under control. Two of the fire trucks have been positioned end-on to the sides of the locomotive in order to create a screen to keep passengers from seeing the scene whilst the train attendant is informed of the situation by the co driver of the train, then he has to make an announcement to the passengers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your train manager speaking, we are sorry for the delay caused however due to a technical incident, we are having to evacuate the train here, please ensure you have all your belongings with you and make an orderly file to the rear of the train where you will be escorted off and onto waiting transport to South Sands train station, Trans Polar Railways is sorry for any inconvenience caused to your journey" he says in a calm, somewhat solemn voice as a police officer climbs aboard at the rear of the train. Escorted by police, several coaches have been brought down in order to enable passengers to leave the scene though this single incident has shut down one of the main lines into South Sands railway terminal and for some of the police officers, their day, and indeed for one young officer, his job, has just begun and what a way to start your first day with the police than with a one-under.

On board the train, two passengers,
Erin Jackson, a woman in her late 30s possibly early 40s, wearing jeans and a leather jacket, and her partner Ki'Rianda Berri who wears high heeled shoes and a blue one piece halter outfit, sporting numerous piercings and a purple mohawk, make their way to the nearest law enforcement officer, they were sat at the front of the train behind the locomotive and were at the time looking out of the window at the wet ground that is South Sands, when they come across one, its Erin who speaks first.

"Excuse me officer, but I think we know why we have stopped, we were standing in the staging area at the end of the first coach looking out of the window, a black 4x4, think it was a Toyota had been pushing and bumping a smaller silver sedan, not sure what make the sedan was but it gave the car a bit of a shove towards the front. Black Toyota SUV with bull bars and a roof bar with spots on it, had blacked out windows too so I could not see the driver's face"

The officer takes notes whilst the rookie officer is lead to the front of the scene by his senior officer, he looks down at the sight, the child is aged around 10 years old and jammed by the twisted metal that is the car, however the driver, a man in his late 40s is crushed beyond all recognition, he climbs under the locomotive which has now been chocked by the driver to prevent it from moving and pulls out his flashlight.
"damn this is a mess" he thinks to himself, then he hears a mournful voice from the passenger side of the car which despite being run over by a locomotive is not as badly damaged as the drivers side which has been crushed however to say its is not as badly damaged, is however a case of relatively speaking as anything that gets hit by a train is going to end up not a very pretty sight. The child, pinned by his legs in the wreckage of the car is however alive, trapped but alive which is more that can be said for the driver.

"okay Sarge, the kid's alive and we're gonna have to work fast on this one, can we get a fire team to winch the car backwards, pull it by the left hand rear corner and it might pull free, make it quick because i can smell gasoline, one spark and the kid's toast" the rookie looks down to see his foot standing in a pool of gasoline which has come from a fuel line that feeds the engine, torn off the pump by the impact with the train.

[Aurora Confederacy]

Port of South Sands
sat in a holding area for trucks is a white cabover coupled to a 40ft trailer which is carrying a sea container, adorning the front of the truck is a set of bull bars with a Khayr-Var licence plate. Near to the truck is a small building containing an office where can be found a dispatcher who is getting somewhat aggitated.

"jees where is that cow and her punk-ass co driver, fucking late for this load" he picks up the phone and calls the number on his note pad.

Over in South Sands, close to a train that has just squashed a car, Erin's phone starts ringing, she answers it.
"Hello?"

The voice on the other end is aggitated "Its Mike, where the fuck are you girls?"

Erin's eyebrows dipped down in the middle as she pushed a face of displeasure "just been evacuated off the bloody train because its had a one-under, now I will be there when im there, and remember, you're not the manager you think you are and I dont actually work for you, you just got me a backload to the Burg and we'll be there when we are there. We were running half an hour ahead of time and now we're over an hour late, so take a chill pill and hang fire, we're on our way and will be there soon, we're less than a kilometer from the station!" Erin pressed the end call button then looked at Ki, "what a twat!" she says, vocalising her displeasure at the way that some dispatcher who was told to get a load moved, just spoke to them.

Ki looked up at Erin who is 42 years old as opposed to Ki'Rianda who is just a mere 26 though shares the same birthday as her partner who is 16 years older, "well we're off to the burg, so not like we dont have time to catch a couple of hours up over the trip"

"thats true Kitten, very true and I know a good little bar when we get there" replies Erin

"what bar's that?"

"Kitten, that will be a secret and I will let you in when we get to Hai'lu'kai, and right now we have to scurry to the docks to pick up the rig" says Erin, her eyes fixating onto a taxi so without a second to wait she raises her hand and shouts "TAXI!!!", waving her arm vigourously as she, followed by Ki'Rianda moved over, picking up the pace to jog over to the cab which eventually manages to fight its way through the traffic chaos caused by the incident with the train to the harbour and costing a grand total of 16 dinars. not because of the distance but the time to get there and from there its a walk to the dispatch office where Ki'Rianda made her way over to the white 1995 model cabover whilst Erin picked up the papers for the load as well as have it out with the dispatcher who called her up though once inside and on the move, Erin soon settled into her groove but was however wise enough to avoid the centre of South Sands as the train and the car that is stuck under it is causing chaos!

[Aurora Confederacy]

MV Northern Light

With the lights of Borca slowly getting further away as the ship makes its way to South Sands, Adina, Trisha, Scorpio, Joanne and a little white dog called Ravage make their way from the lower decks to the ships bar, Joanne having her arm around Scorpio whilst Trisha holds onto the railings and steadies herself against the gentle motion of the water as Adina walks calmly along. Ravage however stops, sniffs and lets the 4 women get further away before yapping and running up to Joanne or Scorpio. She does this several times on the way between the vehicle deck and their cabin, then from the cabin to the bar and draws a lot of looks as she scampers along the carpet.

"AWW il est le chien de Tintin" comments a fellow passenger to his wife, he's an elderly man heading to the Aurora Confederacy on holiday, though quite why he'd want to go to South Sands is anyones guess, its not the nation's main tourist spot. his wife smiles and offers the little dog a biscuit. Ravage yaps, wags her tail before gently taking the biscuit before Scorpio calls out "RAV!?! C'mon girl" Ravage changes her attention, her mistress has spoken so quickly runs over to Joanne and Scorpio who are walking through a door being held open by Adina whilst Trisha takes a seat in the ships bar.

The bar is around 60ft in length and as wide as the ship with 4 large doors, 2 towards the front, 2 towards the rear of the bar with 2 smaller doors on each side which lead out onto the promenade deck and the muster stations for the lifeboats, large signs mark out this fact with a symbol of an arrow and a pictorgram of a lifeboat. In the centre of the bar area is a curcular bar with taps of various beers, bottles of various wines and spirits and several large video screens giving details of the current menu. Seeing the quartet of women along with a dog take a seat, a waitress comes over to them and catches a glance at Ravage who has curled herself up at Scorpio's feet.
"may I take your orders please ladies" she says in a polite manner with a slightly far eastern accent

"yeah, err four glasses of Ferme Terre Saison please, two packs of bacon chips, two packs of pork rind and a couple of dog treats please" says Scorpio, pointing at Ravage who was curled up at Scorpio's feet with her head on Scorpio's left foot. With the order taken the hostess makes her way to the bar area to get the order prepared as the 4 women settle into the voyage

A stage is at the stern-end of the bar with a piano and a couple of instrument stands to either side and it attracts Trisha's eyes, "looks like we're in for entertainment" she says as a man wearing lime green sneakers, pink socks, a blue glittery suit, irridescent purple shirt with a lime green and pink polka dot tie and pink start-shaped shades takes his seat at the piano.

Across the bar, there are a few other groups but on the whole there are probably less people in the bar than what a typical bus holds, however the man on stage is not deterred, "Hello ladies and gentlemen, I am your host for the next few hours and I hope you are enjoying your stay here on the Northern Light, well lets begin shal we?" he says before laying his hands on the piano keyboard and beginning to play a couple of mellow songs.

[Aurora Confederacy]

Ahckman harbour
After spending time in the city, there is however a few things that Zoe Mariner and Michaela Michaelska need to get, though once they have those items, the Luna Mysteria will then be sailing to its next port, Haven Khayr Var. As such Zoe, a seasoned Mariner herself performs a weather check before heading to the harbor office to put in the sailing plan which gives details of their course and expected time of arrival at Haven.

Whilst this goes on, Michaela goes about the job of stowing items aboard the yacht, everything has a place and there is a place for everything. with everything stowed, Michaela pulls out a pair of electric shears and begins to buzz her head to maintain her haircut. It takes a few minutes, in fact close to an hour for Zoe to do what she needs to but eventually she returns and climbs aboard.

"ready to set off?" asks Zoe.
Micky smiles, "aye aye cap'n" she says and goes up on deck to untie the stern as Zoe gets the engine of the yacht fired up. She turns the key, as she does so, the switch panel buzzes as the starter cranks the engine over, a few seconds later there is a haze of exhaust smoke from the stern and the reassuring sound of the cooling water pouring into the water. Zoe rolls the rudder hard over and puts on the power whilst Micky holds the bow line then once the stern had swung out Micky gathers the mooring line and Zoe tips the transmission into reverse, gently easing the Luna Mysteria into the deep water channel where she turns the boat around and heads out into deep oceanic water accompanied by the soft chugging of the auxiliary engine and Micky's singing as the sun goes down.

[Aurora Confederacy]

South Pole
Though not strictly in Astyria, the southern polar regions of the world have always had a scientific interest for Polar research and technology company Polar Survey, every year, scientists make their way to this barren, desolate region of the world to carry out science to further forward mankind's scientific knowledge. Polar Survey's base station is a short snowmobile ride from the coast and dominated by the mountains of the Vinson Massif which are a day's ride away on a snowmobile or in a haglunds tracked personnel carrier.

There are two ways to get to Polar Survey's research centre, one is by taking a ship which from Barentsburg is a 40 day sailing, the other is to take a flight on one of Polar Survey's various cargo aircraft in this case a C5B Galaxy with uprated engines. This former military heavy lift aircraft took off from Peace Valley loaded supplies, parts for the 4 Haglunds and several snow mobiles that work out of the base camp, two rotor blades for the base helicopter, 12 scientists, a film crew and a cat, yes a 4 legged tabby feline called Oscar.

One of these scientists is Lena Larsen, a daughter of a university lecturer who has been down to this desolate camp for the last 6 years, including one long term deployment that lasted 18 months when Polar Survey's current complex was being built, and this is now her 7th trip to the polar region. The C5B Galaxy, approaching the end of its flight banks as the pilot gently applies a stick imput, as it banks to the left, the site comes into view, several large huts and two containers as well as a large satellite dish and a white domed structure whilst over to the west of the site is a pair of tanks, each tank holds several hundred thousand gallons of diesel fuel which are used in order to keep the generators running as well as supply fuel for the vehicles to allow the scientists to go about their work.

"Polar Station, Polar sixteen, copy?" calls the pilot over the radio, "requesting landing clearance one six"

"One six clear Polar sixteen, boy are we glad to see you guys!" replies the controller, "we'll get a meal on for ya. How many you got today?"

"twelve scientists, a three person film crew and a cat, oh twelve tons of supplies as well" says the pilot.

"did you say you got a cat on board?" asks the controller, somewhat surprised at the reply he got

"yes sir, twelve scientists, a film crew and a cat, mee fucking yow!" calls the pilot as he nods to the co pilot.

The copilot pulls a lever and the landing gear begins to deploy as the pilot eases the plane level with the runway to make his final approach to the site whilst in the huts, the team of outgoing scientists, half of the 24 person complement are being exchanged with the 12 scientists in bound aboard the C5 Galaxy which soon makes a smooth landing on the ice runway. As soon as the plane stops there is a frenzy of activity around it as scientists, technicians and the film crew get to work of unloading the plane load of supplies. Oscar however has the right idea as he runs down the ramp to the ice and as soon as his paws touch the cold ice he stops and is carried inside by one of the scientists who then returns to begin his work of helping unload the aircraft whilst the outgoing scientists are stowing their kit aboard the lockers of the cabin that is above the main cargo deck of the massive aircraft.

Lena settles down to her work, she has come down here to take readings over the next few months as she, for the Auroran government is taking climate monitoring work, however somewhere in the wilderness there is the remains of a crashed aircraft, it has to be located and its FDRs brought back, all that is known is that its on the ice, somewhere, and her job is to help find it whilst the film crew who are doing a documentary, their job is to film things, interview scientists and as far as the scientists are concerned, their job is to get in the way, they seem more concerned about the welfare of Oscar than the film crew! Lena's glasses also fog up the moment she walks into the warm hut however she gets to work, though science right now is not her primary concern causing mild havoc is as she is known for a few minor pranks and practical jokes on first timers, of which this time, its the film crew!

[Aurora Confederacy]

The kerz
A short while ago, Martyne entered the lake to enjoy a cool swim, and so with Martyne in the water, Tiffany, lying on a lounger in short pants and a bikini top relaxes though she scans the crowd for local bozos who might be around, what with the guy in the hotel lobby claiming to be looking for his kitten and glomp the guy in the train station who may or may not have some mental illness, who knows what was going through his mind at that time.

There is however one act that is always useful when sat at a lake side or coastal shore on a warm sunny day and that is to get the tanning lotion out however one thing is for sure, carbon fibre doesnt tan, and really does a good job of preventing the sun getting to what ever is below it, it is however because of this reason that Tiffany's upper legs, or indeed what is left of them after the automobile crash in a Terra Link tunnel when she was side swiped by a tractor trailer and her car was pushed into the tunnel wall, are somewhat pale compared to her face and arms, though Martyne's head is also nicely tanned.

Tiffany listens carefully to the people next to her, for she unlike some Auroran's doesn't speak a word of Frandt OR Nikolian, so rather than commit some social faux pas, listens carefully to what language is being spoken whilst she relaxes as Martyne heads back to the shore, stopping to surface under a ball that was in the water as two folks come over to it, she picks up the ball and punch-serves it in a high-arc over to the group of people who were playing aquatic volley ball, she then shakes her hand afterwards as she hit it a little harder than she was planning "ouch" she says before making her way out of the lake and up to her wife.

"hey babe" she says as she sits down besides Tiffany who hands her some sun oil
"Marty, slap some of this on" says Tiff, handing her some sun lotion however Tiffany does squirt some onto Martyne's bald head and massage it in as well as massaging some oil into Martyne's back, especially important as sunburn on a bald head could be quite painful, even if the Golden Eagle hotel is a 5 star joint and sunburn takes no prisoners and Marty would rather not leave a layer of skin on the bed!

"Enjoy your swim?" asks Tiff, gently massaging the oil into Martyne's skin

"yeah, water's quite refreshing, clear too" replies Marty, "though ya know I can't wait to get home and back on the road"

"well only a couple of days left to go I think then we can fly back. Ya got a load planned?" asks Tiff

"Think there's something going to the Burg, they're really cracking on with the new reactors there" Martyne pauses a bit then groans in a tone of pleasure as the soothing hands of Tiffany rubbing sun tan oil into her skin makes Martyne feel happy, "I think the're gonna extend the harbour at South Sands as well"

"Marty, hows the agency driver doing with the truck?" asks Tiff

"dunno, not heard anything so can't be too bad, they only got her doubles licence about a month before we came out, so hopefully they're doing okay. Ya fancy a meal this evening at the hotel?"

"yeah, what time we gotta book it by?" says Tiff.

"fourteen hundred, they're serving at eighteen thirty" answers Marty as she leans back against the lounger and begins to rub more sun tan oil into her skin.

Golden Eagle hotel
Early evening
With the evening meal underway, Martyne who normally wears combats and a bomber jacket walks down the stairs to the dining room wearing a female dinner suit complete with bow tie and tails, Tiffany walks with a pair of sticks and wears a long gown which is quite snazzy to say the least. Arriving at the door they politely wait to be shown to their table, one must not simply walk to the table in this class of establishment
Once seated however, Tiffany scans the room looking for a waiter though once she finds one she nods once she had made eye contact then politely waits for him to arrive though in the mean time she asks Martyne "wine, babe?"

"yeah, fine burgundy I think" she says, eyeing up the wine list, "what you having?" she asks Tiffany

"Me, I'm having a vodka and orange on ice" she says, placing her sticks to the side of the table against a wall.

Martyne looks around for a few moments, "No music being piped" she says, noticing the lack of Spiegel Im Spiegel being played on a constant loop, a feature of the Aurora Confederacy which has the effect of getting on the nerves of locals and relaxing tourists.

Once the drinks are served, Martyne and Tiffany clink glasses against each other's glass and begin to wait for the waiter to return with the starter menu as a burger joint it is not but instead the restaurant at the hotel is a high end establishment, or at least it portrays itself as high end.

"I hear that Trans Polar are planning a long distance luxury service" says Marty, "departing Hai'lu'kai daily at noon"

"Sounds a good idea, presumably to rival the viper service" says Tiff, "how much per trip?"

"not sure, its going to be expensive, but from what I think, each car will be having just four sleeper berths in it in standard class, two cabins per car in first class" says Marty, "it will be like a rail cruise i think, threading its way across various places in the region, anyway where is our meal?"

[Aurora Confederacy]

Over in Lake Hai'lu'kai Karen Deo, a middle aged woman with a split tongue, green hair and her eyes tattooed green, is watching the preparations of the small electric submarine that now sits in the water with waves lapping at the hull. Eventually the crew who run the operation open the gate and welcome the ever lengthening que of potential passengers to the site and aboard the large yellow submarine.

It takes another half an hour for the passengers to board the submarine where once aboard the passengers sit down on one of two long bench seats whilst up on top the handling crew close and secure the hatch. inside the sub it's captain turns to face the passengers aboard and with a smile he welcomes everyone aboard then retakes his seat as the shore side workers untie the vessel which then begins it's journey to the shelf of the lake.

The sub cruises for about 5 minutes on the surface then as the captain flicks a switch air is pushed out of vents and slowly the sub slips below the lake giving it's passengers a fishes eye view of the lake thanks to large polycarbonate windows. "this is your captain speaking, welcome to the Hai'lu'kai dolphin, here you will experience excellent views of the lake... " the tour commentary from an mp3 file continues on giving details of how several million years ago the lake was blasted out by a large volcanic eruption leaving steep sides which over time eroded to form the lake that now exists.

As the submarine cruised effortlesly over the lake bed, the search lights piercing the inky blackness that exists 200m below the water, passengers marvel in the lake which is teeming with life which is mainly fresh water fish though those looking for some deep-living massive sea monster will however be sadly dissapointed, the biggest creature in the lake is a 2m long catfish that lives over by where the where the Mirala river flows out of the lake down to the sea.

Sitting next to Karen is an elderly woman, wearing a pair of trousers, a blouse with a coat and sporting a pair of glasses as well as the obligatory short "blue-rinsed" hair and typically wrinkly skin, she sees Karen's green eyes and hair but says nothing, meerly tutting to herself "why do people do this to themselves" she thinks, turning to look out of the window as the captain points out a wrecked ship that sunk in the 1800s in one of the many storms that blows up across the lake every year. "Ladies and gentlemen, to our left is the remains of the steam ship "Dolphin", she was a trading vessel that used to sail from here down to Nikolia, launched in eighteen fifty, she lasted until eighteen fifty five when she she sunk in a storm taking her crew and cargo to the bottom. She is now a home to many species of marine life and a protected area. Divers are not permitted to dive the ship due to it being treated as a gravesite though there have been some people who have treasure dived the ship as she is believed to have had Nikolian gold on board.

And so it goes on, the dive lasting its alloted time before surfacing gently. As the submarine comes up the captain eases the surface rate to a crawl as the vessel nears the surface and the naturally calm waters are however somewhat disturbed so the submarine rolls a little as it approaches the breakwater however the submarine makes it to the quay though a few people have however have returned their last meal to the surface so some poor guy is going to have to clean the sub out before it goes out for the second trip of the day.

At the quayside, shore workers put across the gangway and tie the vessel up and once tied up, the passengers stand up and begin to make their way to the hatch in the centre that leads out of the subs cabin, Karen looks at the woman, "want any help getting topside ma'am?" she asks, totally startling the woman with the polite request as the woman, who has seen previously tattooed women seem hostile, unfriendly, and with the fact that Karen also has green ink in her eyes, that didn't help the matter, however it was the tone of how she spoke that broke the ice and so the request was accepted, Karen climbing first in order to take the woman's belongings, handing them to a crew member before reaching back into the hatch to take the woman by her hands to help haul her up to the deck. She thanked Karen afterwards however the look on her face was still one of diapproval of what Karen had done to her body with hair dye, tattoos and piercings, not to mention the fact that Karen had gone and taken to her tongue with scalpel! However it was a look that Karen enjoyed to have and regrets it not in the slightest! Karen then made her way to the captain to thank him for a pleasant voyage before heading off to where she was staying.

[Aurora Confederacy]

Luna Mysteria,
Open water.
After sailing under motor power for an hour or so, with the sun now about to dip below the horizon, Zoe cuts the engine and turns to Micky whilst around the boat, silence falls, no more chugging of a diesel engine but the sound of the waves lapping against the hull on what is a relatively calm night.

"hoist the sails!" calls Zoe,

"aye" calls Micky as she takes hold of the railings before clipping off with a harness.

Together with Zoe, Micky takes hold of the rope and begins to pull, as she pulls, Zoe works the winch and slowly the main sail crawls up the mast, gently ushering the boat forward. Zoe then goes forward and begins to set the jib sail as Micky takes the helm and so the Luna Mysteria forges on late into the night using the wind to gently ease her along. With calm water and a steady wind, Luna Mysteria is leaning gently against the wind and making around 10 knots, hardly a race pace but respectable all the same and so Zoe goes into the cabin and sets the course keeper to maintain the heading before switching the mast lights to say "under sail, not under command, keep clear" though as a sailing vessel, Luna Mysteria has right of way over power driven vessels before going and making drinks. Like any sailor, Zoe plans to keep a 4 over 4 watch during the night.

[Aurora Confederacy]

MV Northern Light

As the lights of Borca dip below the horizon, life aboard ship changes pace and as soon as the ship enters international water, the tannoy announces "Ladies and gentlemen, please be aware that the duty free store is now open. Thank you" though on the whole it goes off un noticed amid the hubbub of the activity. Over in the bar, the waitress arrives at the table where Scorpio and Joanne are sat and places 4 drinks on the table before catching eye on Ravage who curled up at Scorpio's feet with her eyes closed as she sleeps.

"what breed is the dog?" asks the waitress

"mixed Bichon I think, she's a rescued dog from a charity home, we've had her for 3 years now" says Scorpio who momentarily glances down at Ravage, "she was found and handed in as a pub then Jo and I picked her up from the rescue home as a pup, she's been a fine dog, oh thanks for the drinks" Scorpio hands some Dinars to the waitress in payment for the drinks.

With the drinks delivered, the 4 women pick up their glasses and Scorpio makes a toast "To a safe trip home" she says.
"yep" say Trisha and Adina, "we'll drink to that!" with Joanne also joining in "definately!" she says and so the 4 women clink glasses against eachother's glasses before drinking their respective drinks as the piano player begins to play some soft piano music with a lack of direction, and he seems not to have a good ear for a note as it seems that he is trying to sing "sound of silence" but is way off key!
"i think he's warming up or waiting for kareoke victims" says Scorpio, "you game Trish?"

Adina looks across at Trisha before sliding her arm around her and winking at Scorpio, "go on Trisha! get up there!"

After 2 songs, the piano player, wearing lime green sneaker shoes, pink socks, a blue glittery suit with an irridescent purple shirt with a lime green and pink polka dot tie wth pink star shaped sunglasses takes a hold of the microphone,

"ladies and jellyspoons, welcome to my bar for I am going to be hosting a kareoke tonight, so any volunteers to start us off?" he says, then sure as Neu Engollons love beer, Joanne Adina and Scorpio point to Trisha who looks at Adina, "okay then, but Scorpio you're also gonna do one, yes?" she says before sliding her seat backwards and making her way to the stage. In order to get up the stage Tiffany has to climb stairs which would be an easy task for someone with both legs fully functioning, but as a bi-lateral leg amputee, climbing stairs is not the easiest task however she takes her time getting onto the stage before taking her stand.

The compare puts a microphone in front of Trisha, "and you are?" he asks.
Trisha Yarlet looks at the compare, "Trisha" she replies
"and where you going?" he asks
"Barentsburg" replies Trisha,
"so what you going to sing?" asks the compair
"Missing by Amy Lee" replies Trisha, who takes hold of the microphone before standing with her legs held slightly apart to stabilise herself against the gentle rocking of the ship. before beginning to sing Missing.

[Aurora Confederacy]

It took 3 days to sail from Borca to South Sands, the ferry providing a few average amenities however it was a better way of crossing rather than driving through ViZion and up through the land corridor. Rounding the bay the first view was of the harbour complex then the huge Diamond Star factory and the South Sands Nuclear Plant with its multitude of MAGNOX type reactors beyond, their reactor buildings dominating the skyline of South Sands City.

The ferry slowed to a crawl as a pilot came aboard who eased the ship into it's assigned berth with all grace that comes with over 30 years in the job. After docking came the time to depart and so passengers began to make their way to the various exits and gangways in order to get off the ship on foot or gain access to vehicles in order to drive off, a process that South Sands harbour have down to a slick operation however customs are customs and there is, as yet no passport free travel in, or out of the Aurora Confederacy and so Joanne, Scorpio, Adina and Trisha in their respective vehicles still, like everyone else join the queue at the customs point and all vehicles here get searched without exception.

It takes an hour to get through customs , their truck spends most of that time sat in its lane until called forwards one after the other for a full scan, as this goes on, a man wearing arctic patterm camo, and sporting a submachinegun with a high viz vest on it points at Adina's truck and waves as such Adina drives her truck forwards through a drive-through X-ray machine which begins a scan of their trailer, ahead of them is set of lights, a flashing green number 5 flanked by two others, this signifies drive forward at 5km/h. As soon as the truck clears, a green arrow shines and Adina proceeds onto the next stage where a security and customs agent carry out a search of the cabin before welcoming them back into the Aurora Confederacy as Scorpio's truck driven by Joanne follows behind.

"Where to now?" asks Trisha as Adina threads the truck into the evening traffic at South Sands past the nuclear power station and car factory
"now, straight to the Terra-link i think, get on that and then head north, we're taking the northbound one I think, then Barentsburg here we come" says Adina, slowing briefly for a rotary island junction "and when we get there, I plan on stoping for a day at the Northern Cross. Below them, the 16 litre engine rumbles though from the cabin the sound of the turbo is never far away, rising with the revs and falling away for a moment with the gear changes though it isn't long before Adina also has the radio tuned into some home grown music.

*"ITS nearly midnight and you're listenning to Russ Trondheim through the night, call in for a chat and get things off your mind on one-seven hundred RADIO TWO and have a call, our lines are open now but here's a song first, its new and in the charts and this one goes out to all you ex teen boppers out there..."* and so a record starts, blasting the airwaves with a typically modern tasteless dance tune with interchangable lyrics and singers, but its home grown and in English so understandable and far better than the guy on the ferry. Behind the Valiant is a wall of spray, after all this is South Sands and with the strong sea-breezes, it rains here on average 200 days a year though the rain is often cool rather than tropical so Adina flicks on the additional spot lights to shine the way ahead. Yoda the satnav pipes up a voice giving a direction which is ignored by Adina, she knows where she is going and so heads rather than east then north, plans to go north then east through Peace Valley rather than slog it out down the rai'lal area which has a busy port and interchange area.

An hour after leaving South Sands city limits the road takes a dip and sodium lights begin to light the way as the road gently spirals down and so Adina and Trisha are now heading north on the Terra Link,a tunnel that threads its way along the coast to avoid environmentally sensitive habitats for rare birds.