Topic: Lunatic Fringe  (Read 25512 times)

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Offline Commander La'ra

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Lunatic Fringe
« on: September 26, 2006, 01:32:29 pm »
Took a while to get this one posted, for I needed to edit it for content  If anyone here remembers 'The Grim Necessities' (a story of mine, not Grim Reaper's shopping list ;D), the protagonist here was a nuisance-style supporting character in that one.

Oddly, she turned out to be one of my more compelling creations and this tale is a result.  It has little physical action, and it's largely a character development/internal type story, which is a first for me, I think.

Note that Andy has promised to post the uneditted version (largely the same save for the opening scene, which is much more risque) on his website eventually.  Once he does that, I'd love some input on which opening is better.  Also, for those who'd like a refresher, the story Almondine originally appeared in is here.


--------


Lunatic Fringe



Three days of decadence hadn’t put an end to my malaise. 

At first I’d blamed the environment. There are few places more dreadfully prudish than a Federation-flagged ‘pleasure’ liner. Still, I’d managed to find willing partners.  One was even a Marlovian, renowned throughout the galaxy for both energetic wrestling and fierce copulation.  I’d saved her for the third night and can now attest that their reputations are quite accurate.  It wasn’t enough.

“Argent.” I said. “I’m bored.”

My dearest love, my own brother, turned from admiring his own body in the mirror and gave me quite a look.

“After her?” He said, indicating the Marlovian, who’d worked herself to exhaustion and now lay sprawled across the width of the bed.

I glanced at my sleeping playmate and sighed.

“Yes.”  I said.  Absently, I stretched out my arm and stroked the Marlovian’s blue skin.

Argent gave me his concerned face.  He sat down on the bed.  He didn’t say anything.  I looked at his sleek form, which had always excited me before.

“I can’t feel anything.”  I said to brother dear.

“You’ve had a stressful time, my ‘Dina.” He comforted, using his pet name for me.  I knew the next strategy he would employ.  Quite honestly I had faked many a bout of depression for the way he would treat me when I was in ill humor.  “I did record the performance.”

Even in my sorry state, I felt a twinge of excitement.  There are things you miss when participating in a good romp, thus my fondness for holos and videos and such.  My eagerness should’ve been a flood.

It was more like a trickle.  I frowned.

“Thank you.” I said.  “But not right now.” 

I merely wanted to save the holo for when I could properly enjoy it.  Watching myself being dominated by the Marlovian would be a priceless treat.  I don’t think Argent understood my motive, for he frowned.

“It’s him again, isn’t it?”  Argent asked.  I looked at him earnestly.

He was, of course, referring to my most terrible failure.  Seven feet of Klingon that I knew wanted me, yet would not feast.

I had had failures before him.  As alluring as I am, there are all manner of tastes, and there are also beings too prudish to appreciate what I offer them.  But there had been the illusion that if I had truly applied myself, no one could say no.  I had truly applied myself with Commander La’ra.  He had held my brother’s life in his hands, and I’d known that I could barter my body for Argent’s safety.  The thought had naturally aroused me.  But he’d refused me.

At first I had been livid that he couldn’t fathom what I would give him.  I’d also been terrified for Argent; I had believed that the Klingon would be the death of him...and me.  We’d survived, which amazed us.  The man the Klingon had saved us from had been a Mirak and not a creature I’d thought could be overcome. 

Argent had come to fear the Klingon as he’d feared the Mirak before.  One had simply replaced the other.  I had different feelings. 

“It hasn’t been him, my love.”  I answered honestly.  That made my brother frown.  He could understand that I might be lamenting my failure.

He was partially correct. I wanted Commander La’ra quite badly, but Argent’s jealousy, while delectable, was misplaced.  I wanted many people I hadn’t yet had.

I doubted that he could understand what I was truly feeling even if I could’ve conveyed my emotions with words.  I’d been quite determined to save Argent when I’d approached the Klingon.  My determination had awoken something within me but the phantom inside had vanished soon after.  I wanted it back.

I smiled at my brother.

“I need fresh air. I’ll feel less ghastly when we get to a world I can stroll around in.” I said, and knew I was lying.  I do not like lying to Argent but not doing so would worry him.

He stroked my hair.  I was still stroking the Marlovian, who was showing signs of life.  I pulled my hand away and rose from the bed.

“Enjoy her, darling.”  I told Argent.  “I need to take a walk.”

His eyes lit.  By the time I was dressed he was being used terribly.  I was happy for him, yet I did not feel like watching.
« Last Edit: September 26, 2006, 01:43:46 pm by Commander La'ra »
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline Governor Ronjar

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2006, 10:27:06 pm »
Them...

You know how I feel about them...

Though this one struck me better than the first tale. They just annoyed me the first time.

I liked this.

--thu guv!
'It's a lot of hard work being a mean bastard...' --Captain Eric Finlander, CO USS Bedford (The Bedford Incident)

'Jaken...are you pretending to be dead?' --Lord Sesshomaru, Inuyasha.

Offline CaptJosh

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #2 on: September 27, 2006, 12:26:16 am »
Personally, I'm merely confused by it. Good writing, but what the devil is actually going on, ya know? It is intriguing, though. It's not a "I don't get this I'm not reading it any further." It's more, "ok, what the hell. Where's the rest of this so I can figure it out?"


BTW, once I get a copy of Star Trek: The Motionless Picture, I'll have a new chapter of When the Going Gets Tough... up. (I can't believe I'm getting this movie. But I need the power up and departure sequence of the Enterprise to give me the imagery to get the Howard Hughes' departure sequence right.)
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Offline Commander La'ra

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #3 on: September 27, 2006, 01:12:36 am »
Personally, I'm merely confused by it. Good writing, but what the devil is actually going on, ya know? It is intriguing, though. It's not a "I don't get this I'm not reading it any further." It's more, "ok, what the hell. Where's the rest of this so I can figure it out?"

I think that's a good sign, since that's kinda what 'Dina's going through and I was trying to convey that.
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline Grim Reaper

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #4 on: September 27, 2006, 02:24:39 am »
You what is bugging me? That I still don't know what is bugging her!
Snickers@DND: If there is one straight answer in that bent little head of yours, you'd better start spillin' it pretty damn quick, or I'm gonna take a large, blunt object, roughly the size of Kallae AND his hat and shove it lengthwise up a crevice of your being so seldomly cleaned that even the denizens of the nine hells would not touch it with a 10-feet rusty pole

Offline Scottish Andy

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #5 on: September 27, 2006, 11:28:45 am »
Hey Larry,

Sorry about the late response, but something came up. Now, though, I can devote some time to it.

This is quite toned down, so congrats for doing that and still keeping the essence of the tale. Personally, I love these characters, but I think that just says more about me than I should be happy revealing... lol. I guess its the "bad guy" attraction that actors feel. You get a kick out of being so deliciously twisted, knowing its wrong and doing it for the sheer pleasure of being bad.

With just the story to go on, I had to agree with the Guv. I still wasn't quite sure what's bugging 'Dina, and I know a whole lot more about the "Dynamic Duo". With your comment to Guv, though, I think I get the point:

La'ra awakened something completely new to her, and that excited the hell out of her. To someone who is totally, slavishly devoted to hedonistic experiences and feelings this is manna.

So, not knowing what that feeling was--and thus, more importantly, being unable to recapture it--makes everything else pale in comparison. She's just moved from "E" to heroin, been jacked up to a whole new level, and going back to "E" is tolerable but she needs that heroin hit again to feel truly alive.

So Larry, this should be my review on your writing. If I am spot on, then you succeded 100% in what you were trying to convey, with lesser gradations for stuff I missed or misunderstood.
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Offline Commander La'ra

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #6 on: September 27, 2006, 02:46:41 pm »
If I am spot on, then you succeded 100% in what you were trying to convey, with lesser gradations for stuff I missed or misunderstood.

Bullseye, Andy.  I wouldn't give La'ra the credit though.  All he did was be his stubborn self.
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline Governor Ronjar

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #7 on: September 27, 2006, 11:17:28 pm »
Odd... all them there comments about E and heroin...

Something I don't know 'bout you, Andy?

 ;)

Good start of a tale, none-the-less, La'ra. I read it, didn't puke, and want more. That's saying something given who the story is about...

All in fun
--thu guv!
'It's a lot of hard work being a mean bastard...' --Captain Eric Finlander, CO USS Bedford (The Bedford Incident)

'Jaken...are you pretending to be dead?' --Lord Sesshomaru, Inuyasha.

Offline Grim Reaper

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #8 on: September 28, 2006, 03:31:34 am »
Quote
If anyone here remembers 'The Grim Necessities' (a story of mine, not Grim Reaper's shopping list Grin),

btw: LMAO
Snickers@DND: If there is one straight answer in that bent little head of yours, you'd better start spillin' it pretty damn quick, or I'm gonna take a large, blunt object, roughly the size of Kallae AND his hat and shove it lengthwise up a crevice of your being so seldomly cleaned that even the denizens of the nine hells would not touch it with a 10-feet rusty pole

Offline Scottish Andy

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #9 on: September 28, 2006, 07:54:48 am »
Guv:  ;D


Or rather, I don't need drugs to get high.  ;)
Come visit me at:  www.Starbase23.net

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The Doctor: "Must be a spatio-temporal hyperlink."
Mickey: "Wot's that?"
The Doctor: "No idea. Just made it up. Didn't want to say 'Magic Door'."
- Doctor Who: The Woman in the Fireplace (S02E04)

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Offline Commander La'ra

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #10 on: September 28, 2006, 11:33:14 am »
Or rather, I don't need drugs to get high.  ;)

He's from Scotland, after all.  It's all about the whiskey over there...
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline CaptJosh

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #11 on: September 28, 2006, 03:55:49 pm »
<Scotty> Hey, dinnae ye be confusin' a good scotch with mere whiskey, lad! </Scotty>

(Side note, turns out I need Star Trek II, not TMP. So it'll still be a while til I post the next chapter. The departure sequence in TMP is the wrong one.)
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Offline Governor Ronjar

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #12 on: September 28, 2006, 05:44:30 pm »
Yes...gotta watch them do the quicky launch with the file footage from the first movie to set the mood. :)

TMP was rather slow moving... Movies must keep...well...moving...to grap one's attention. STII got it right. III was ok. It's my favorite of them, but I will admit they could have down a better job with it. IV had no combat, but at least it kept MOVING. V doesn't exist. Neither does Nemisis. Not in my happy land, anyway...

IMHO, the two best done movies were VI and Insurrection. My only snipe about VI is the fact that the Romulan ambassador took part in the 'Operation Reprieve' briefing to spring Kirk and McCoy. Great secrecy in that office...

My do I digress...

More story Larry!

--thu guv!
'It's a lot of hard work being a mean bastard...' --Captain Eric Finlander, CO USS Bedford (The Bedford Incident)

'Jaken...are you pretending to be dead?' --Lord Sesshomaru, Inuyasha.

Offline Commander La'ra

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #13 on: October 18, 2006, 10:19:37 am »
And here comes Part Two...

------------------------

“Do you think I’m being silly?” I asked my server. He was a round, balding man who had the face of a mule. He had deft hands though, which I felt certain could be used for better things than mixing drinks.

“Well I...” He seemed nervous.  I was in silver. The outfit was tight and displayed my long legs and flattered my chest and I occasionally tickled the man’s chin with the feathery accesories.  It was a shame he found me intimidating; I had ideas for his skilled fingers. “...I’m sure there’ll be other people, ma’am.  And you’re a bit small for a Klingon anyhow, they can get pretty rough...”

I objected loudly; my words were a bit slurred.

“This isn’t about the Klingon!  Must you be as dense as my brother?”  I shouted. My senses were dulled by various libations and my eloquence was failing me.  “Haven’t you ever felt...well it’s power, your own power...like the power that’s in you all the time but you never really...no...it’s like electricity...”

I could see from the look in his eyes that he had no conception of what I was talking about.  I moaned in agony and lay my head on the bar, hiding behind my feathers.

“You do think I’m being silly.” I accused.

“Well not really, ma’am.  It’s obviously bothering you.  Have you thought about talking to a counselor?”

I groaned, my own breath rustling my artificial plumage.  The round man was trying to help, I suppose, so I forgave him for mentioning counselors.  I wanted to know what I was feeling, not to be brainwashed into some kind of conformist zombie.  The bartender wisely tried another tactic.

“Have you tried something dangerous since then?”  He asked.

I peered up at him from my cool place on the bar.  He was polishing a glass and had a scrumptiously earnest look on his face.

“Dangerous?” I queried.

“Well, yeah.”  He said. “It sounds kind of like you’re wanting an adrenaline rush or something. Like you wanna feel on edge.”

I propped myself up on my elbows.  “It wasn’t like that...”

My objection halted in mid-sentence.  Had it been the danger?  Klingons are always killing people that offend them and I had known that trying to seduce the Commander might offend him.  My inebriated mind began to notice other things I hadn’t considered before:  I’d offered myself to him on his own ship where his authority was total and unquestioned.   I’d invaded his personal territory by entering his quarters and presented my body for his inspection with no weapon in reach or way to escape.  Even had he not foolishly turned me down I might’ve been gloriously abused; he’d possesed a strong distaste for me and perhaps he’d have let his feral passions go too far. 

Why, it’d been the most dangerous thing I’d ever done!

Perhaps I’d known of all those dangers but had failed to notice them amid my fear for Argent and that’d triggered the glorious feeling I craved so.  Excitement swelled beneath my breasts and without a bit of planning I siezed the bartender’s silly tie and pulled him in for a wild kiss.

He stammered and flushed after I released him.  I still had hold of his tie and I kept my face close to his while giving him a stare that had had Romulans begging on their knees for more of me.

“I like you.”  I told him.

“I...I like you too, ma’am.  Thank you.”  His eyes were wide.

“And...” I said, drawing the word out in the dramatic manner favored by the intoxicated.  “...I think you may be on to something.”

“Glad I could help, ma’am.”

“Would you like to be on me?” I asked.
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline Governor Ronjar

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #14 on: October 19, 2006, 10:34:00 pm »
Damn dude. I used to hate this character.

Now I can't get enough. More, man, more!

--thu guv!
'It's a lot of hard work being a mean bastard...' --Captain Eric Finlander, CO USS Bedford (The Bedford Incident)

'Jaken...are you pretending to be dead?' --Lord Sesshomaru, Inuyasha.

Offline Grim Reaper

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #15 on: October 23, 2006, 12:12:51 pm »
I agree, nice to see were you're going
Snickers@DND: If there is one straight answer in that bent little head of yours, you'd better start spillin' it pretty damn quick, or I'm gonna take a large, blunt object, roughly the size of Kallae AND his hat and shove it lengthwise up a crevice of your being so seldomly cleaned that even the denizens of the nine hells would not touch it with a 10-feet rusty pole

Offline Commander La'ra

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #16 on: November 14, 2006, 10:10:59 am »
Part Three....

----------------------


I’d been right about the bartender’s hands.

More important, he’d given me a bit of hope.  Perhaps danger was the tonic I needed.  To that end I stood on the observation deck, reading about our cruise’s next few stops. I was hampered by being in the Federation, as most daredevil acts had been watered down with safety measures that removed any real risk.  Still, there had to be some nightmarish local custom that’d survived homogenization.  So, I sipped my wine, watched the stars fly by, and browsed though all the electronic travel brochures to find an appropriate fix.

Swimming with Tarkellian daggerfish looked dangerous but I cannot abide fish so it was out no matter how good I look in a bathing suit.  The mock battles fought on Malor Prime were only mildly dangerous despite their reputation.  Lava surfing on the same planet was too dangerous---I wanted to get back what I had lost but I’d prefer surviving the experience.

I might normally have been frustrated, both from lack of progress and from reading too many brochures. Yet the wine, the spark of hope, and the bartender’s expert ruffling of my feathers had left me rather giddy.

Then a Vulcan started talking to me.

“Excuse me, ma’am.”  He said in that infuriatingly calm tone common to his race.  He was not tall.  His face looked remarkably friendly for a Vulcan, and while the species' lack of passion unnerves me, his ears did rather beg to be nibbled.  He was wearing spare clothing, and looked fit.

“Yes?” I asked, dropping my voice an octave and making eye contact.

He either ignored my tone or was not impressed by it.  I was dissapointed.

“I don’t mean to intrude on a personal matter.”  He explained.  “I overheard you speaking to the bar staff, and I was wondering if I may be of some assistance.”

I surreptitiously adjusted my top as he mentioned the bartender.

“Oh?” I said.  This was new.  Vulcans rarely approached and asked for my favors so bluntly.

“Yes.”  He said, holding his hands behind his back.  “I heard you discussing your encounter with...a Klingon?...and the difficulties you’ve had since.  I thought perhaps some of my experiences might be of value to you.”

“What do you mean?”  So he didn’t want to get under my plumage.  I sighed.

“I have spent far more time among humans than many of my species.  I feel, perhaps incorrectly, that I’ve gotten to know them rather well.  Your description of your problem seemed similar to complaints I’ve heard from others.”  His face was remarkably still.  “I felt I might provide some insight.”

I tried very hard not to shiver, and I stepped away from him.

“You’re a counselor.”  I accused.

He raised an eyebrow in that most Vulcan of expressions.

“I am qualified for that position, however...”

“I don’t like counselors.”  I spoke quietly, and then felt a spike of...guilt?  That was unusual.  “I’m sorry.  It’s nothing to do with you.”

He regarded me for a moment, as if deciding what to say.

“I understand.”  He said.  “I am most often here on the observation deck or on the promenade, if you wish to speak with me.”

The Vulcan turned and walked away.  I took a long drink of my wine, and my nerves steadied a bit.  Something on my datapad caught my eye.  I read over it.

My giddiness rushed back.  This had possibilities!
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline Grim Reaper

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #17 on: November 15, 2006, 10:13:27 am »
Not only is it short, you've also added a cliffhanger and a misterious stranger... Dude you're cruel!
Snickers@DND: If there is one straight answer in that bent little head of yours, you'd better start spillin' it pretty damn quick, or I'm gonna take a large, blunt object, roughly the size of Kallae AND his hat and shove it lengthwise up a crevice of your being so seldomly cleaned that even the denizens of the nine hells would not touch it with a 10-feet rusty pole

Offline Governor Ronjar

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #18 on: November 19, 2006, 05:26:02 am »
I have ideas about that Vulcan. La'ra doen't use them without purpose...

--thu guv!
'It's a lot of hard work being a mean bastard...' --Captain Eric Finlander, CO USS Bedford (The Bedford Incident)

'Jaken...are you pretending to be dead?' --Lord Sesshomaru, Inuyasha.

Potemkyn

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #19 on: November 19, 2006, 10:11:16 pm »
Interesting, yet very strange...

:)


Po~

Offline Commander La'ra

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #20 on: November 19, 2006, 10:14:39 pm »
Where the hell you been, Potemkyn?:)
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline CaptJosh

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #21 on: January 17, 2007, 06:32:37 am »
It has to be the Khas Wan(sp?) ordeal. That's the only thing I can think of. I hope I'm not spoiling anything, though.
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Offline Commander La'ra

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #22 on: January 17, 2007, 10:05:49 am »
Sorry for the wait on this part...

--------------

“What’s UAF?”  Argent asked.  He was bathing in a mass of perfumed bubbles.

“Upper Atmosphere Freefall.”  I explained, sitting on the edge of the tub and playing with his wet hair.  “You leap out of a shuttle so high you’re almost in space.  Something called a parachute slows you down after a bit so you don’t die.”

“A parachute?”  He asked with incredulity.

“It’s a big sheet of silk tied to your back.  It’s all packed up when you jump and it doesn’t open until you’re very close to the ground.”

“That sounds unsafe...”

I nodded vigorously.

“Oh it is!  They do it on Earth but there’s all sorts of regulations.  Tellis has a group of people who like to do it the way it was originally done, or something.  You have to sign a release.”

“A release?”

“So your family won’t seek compensation if you die.  You see they’re only allowed do this over a small island due to the shuttle traffic, and sometimes a wind catches people and blows them out to sea!”  I smiled.  “And sometimes the silk thing doesn’t work.”

“Why do you want to do this?”  Argent had sank into the tub until only his head was showing.  “I don’t like the idea, ‘Dina...”

"It's..."  I was about to lie to my brother for the second time in a day.  I lie often, but not to him, and I felt guilty, which is far rarer for me than dishonesty.  "...I've heard that it's rather arousing.  Sort of like that feeling you get when you're in a shuttle and it lifts off the ground suddenly."

Brother-Dear frowned.  He sat back up.

"Shuttles cannot be as dangerous as that."

"Oh I know, darling, but....something about the idea of hurtling through the sky...don't you find it the least bit exciting?"

"Yes, but would it be worth hitting the ground?"

I laughed and splashed water on him.

"Of course not, silly.  They do have some safety precautions you know.  Thousands of people do this without getting a scratch."

He poked out his bottom lip.  I felt a twitch between my legs.  He only does that because he knows I'll want to nibble the thing.

"We'll only have two days on Tellis when the ship puts in."  He said, fixing me with his eyes.  They were their natural brown at the moment.  My stomach quivered. "If you're leaping out of shuttles, who'll sample the natives with me?"

I grinned wanly and traced a finger across his smooth, hairless chest.

"Record your adventures for me, and we can share them when we're back aboard.  Or...why not try this with me?"

My insides froze as soon as I'd said it.  The sport was more dangerous that I'd let on to Argent, and I had a sudden image of his slim body hitting the ground at hundreds of miles an hour.  Worse, he seemed to be considering the proposal.

"Only if you really want to."  I purred.  Now instead of plowing into the earth, he was tangled in silk and being dragged down by the undertow.

"Hmmm...."  He leaned back in the tub.  "...thank you for inviting me, but I'd rather not.  I will be worried about you, though."

"I don't want to worry you, Argent."  I leaned in, kissing his forehead.  "But this is important to me."

"Then it's important to me, my sweet."  He smiled, and I melted.
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline Jaeih t`Radaik

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #23 on: January 17, 2007, 12:46:21 pm »
I like these people. I guess I'm just twisted.

Still waiting on the mysterious Vulcan's place in this sordid tale.  :D
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Paris and Rory, from "The Gilmore Girls."


Offline Commander La'ra

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #24 on: January 17, 2007, 12:55:36 pm »
I like these people. I guess I'm just twisted.

Nah.  There's a little bit of 'Dina and Argent in pretty much everyone I think.  And there are reasons that part of them is so dominant.  I want to eventually detail some of that in a story...but trust me, their backstory is twisted enough it's hard to write.

Quote
Still waiting on the mysterious Vulcan's place in this sordid tale.  :D

Somehow the way you said that made me want to write a story with an artistic Vulcan pornographer, searching in vain for the person who logically, would elevate his work to new heights.

Alas, that's not the story with this fellow. ;D
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline Governor Ronjar

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #25 on: January 19, 2007, 11:09:03 pm »
I like them. They sicken me...but I like them...

Need longer updates...

--thu guv!
'It's a lot of hard work being a mean bastard...' --Captain Eric Finlander, CO USS Bedford (The Bedford Incident)

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Offline CaptJosh

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #26 on: January 20, 2007, 12:53:54 am »
Damn. And here I thought the Vulcan was going to suggest the Khas Wan ordeal. Skydiving, though...not a bad idea for an adrenaline junkie.
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Offline Andromeda

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #27 on: January 25, 2007, 01:33:38 am »
That was one of the last stories of yours I read so I remember this person rather well.  What's your biggest trouble with writing from a woman's point of view?  Do you find it any different from writing from a man's?
this sig was eaten by a grue

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #28 on: January 25, 2007, 08:50:43 am »
What's your biggest trouble with writing from a woman's point of view?  Do you find it any different from writing from a man's?

Not really.  I sort of get an image in my head of a certain individual and write what I think they'd say/do/feel (and when they start 'talking' to me of their own accord, I know I've been doing okay).  Gender really only comes into it when I'm dealing with how they view other characters, who they're attracted to, etc, and maybe how being a certain gender has affected the character's outlook and expectations.
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline Captain Krenn

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #29 on: February 04, 2007, 10:38:41 am »
Ugh, those two. 

Whenever they get within 5 lightyears of my ship I feel it needs to be cleaned.

They're almost as bad as Romulans

;)

uh oh...was the transmitter on when I said that?

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #30 on: February 04, 2007, 10:54:31 am »
Krenn!  We thought they'd finally drug you off for forehead alterations!
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline Scottish Andy

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #31 on: February 04, 2007, 11:33:01 am »
Hey Krenn! Glad to see you finally made it out of the backwoods and into civiisation again! :D
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Offline Commander La'ra

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #32 on: February 04, 2007, 08:46:09 pm »
And Almondine's quest for fulfillment continues....

------------------------

I left Argent in the foyer of an ostentatious resort.  He was dressed in lavender sequins, and I knew he'd have little trouble attracting companions.

"Do be careful, my 'Dina."  He said, and kissed me on both cheeks.  He had a look of worry.  I wondered if it was because I was going to risk my life, or because he didn't understand my behavior.

I wondered if anyone could understand my behavior.

A hired grav-car sped me toward my destination.  The service that offered the 'Freefall Experience' was located in a plain looking hangar at one of Tellis' shuttleports.  The giant door was open, so I strolled in.  Several people milled about the place, some in the multicolored jumpsuits popular among 'leapers', some in technician coveralls.  Two stubby shuttlecraft sat in the middle of the place.  Both were painted bright yellow with black and white checkers, like taxi vehicles in certain Earth cities.

I drew stares.  I always draw stares.  I'd wrapped myself up in a blue latex halter-and-shorts set that I contrasted with a white boa and cute blue sunglasses.  The color drew their eyes to me, and my body kept their attention.

"Who do I speak with about diving out of your little ships?"  I asked.  Someone chuckled...someone always does...but a man stepped forward.  He wasn't the only one, he was just the quickest.

"Right this way, ma'am..."

He led me to an office area that was only partially walled off.  The space was dominated by a giant two-dimensional image plastered on one wall.  It featured a man in a bulky black suit leaping out the door of an aircraft.  Below him...far below him...a solid wall of fluffy clouds awaited.  I stared.  Something about the picture intrigued me.  My guide noticed.

“Yeah.”  He smiled. “Pretty awesome, ain’t it?  No personal shielding or grav harness, just two parachutes and an oxygen tank.”

I kept staring.  “Is this what you do?”

“Close.”  He answered.  “We have more safety equipment, and we don’t jump out of balloons.”

“He’s jumping out of a balloon?”

“Yeah.  One hundred and three thousand feet over New Mexico, about three centuries ago.  Captain Frank Kittinger.”

I blinked.  “Did he live?”

“Not a scratch on him.”

“I want to do that.”  I declared, turning towards the man.  “When can you take me up?”

“Next flight goes tommorow afternoon.”  He answered.  “Hundred and fifty credits, you have to answer a few questions, sign a release.  And you can’t use your own equipment either, has to be ours…guy using his own chute plowed in about a year ago.  Feddies would love to shut us down, they probably will if it happens again.”

“Oh, that won’t be a problem.”  I wowed him with a smile.  “I don’t have any equipment.”

His friendly expression turned to a frown.

“Most skydivers have their own equipment.”  He said.

I saw the trap, and knew he was trying to trick me into a confession.  He would draw me out eventually, there was no point to avoiding it.

“I’ve never done UAF.”  I confided.  “I’ve never even skydived.”

He shook his head.  “Then you're not jumping.”

My stomach twisted into a knot.

“Why not?”  I asked, wetting my lower lip and batting my eyes.

“This isn’t something you just do, all right?  You got no experience, something goes wrong, and you’ll look like abstract art.  I don’t need to give Public Safety any more excuses to put us out of business.”

“It’s very important that I do this.”  I explained.  Wetting my lips wasn’t working.  I fluffed my boas a bit and leaned toward him slightly.

“Then go try something safer and come back when you’ve got some clue what you’re doing.”

“You don’t understand.”  I accused.  I thought of explaining the whole thing to him, but I had the distinct feeling that my rambling would not change him mind.

“I don't care, either, I’d like to keep my license.”

I frowned.  It was time to try something different.

“I can pay you a lot of money.”

He shook his head.  I continued before he could speak.

“Not credits.  Latinum or Klingon Darseks or something real.  More than enough to bribe someone if things go wrong.” 

His eyes betrayed temptation.  There is much that is forbidden in the Federation, and their credits are only good for synthesized food or luxuries anyone would find stale.

“How much?”  He demanded.

“Name your price.  If I can’t meet it, I cease bothering you.”  I doubted he would ask for more than I could part with.  Klingon Intelligence had rewarded me well for betraying my last employer.

“Twenty bars of latinum.”  He grinned.  That was a middling sum in most places, but latinum’s value skyrocketed in the United Federation of Planets.

“Done.”  I said.

He frowned.  “Well wait just one second…”

I smiled.  I sat normally, now.  He didn’t trust me. Continuing to bat my eyelashes would make him suspicious of my money.  He was quiet for a long, long time.  He turned away from me.  He was still thinking when a short woman with pink hair burst into the office.  She’d had words on her lips, but leashed them when she saw his mood.

“Kathy…”  He finally spoke, turning to look at the woman.  “…prep our friend here for tomorrow’s jump.”
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline KOTH-KieranXC, Ret.

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #33 on: February 04, 2007, 09:06:30 pm »
When I started reading this, I had to dig up the last story to feature these two, and I'm glad I did. These are definitely two of your most memorable characters, La'ra, if maybe not quite my favorites. ;) There's not any real sense of urgency to this story, but I don't necessarily see this as a bad thing; after all, not every story has to be about the familiar old group of military types that have a task to accomplish five minutes ago. :D

Anyway, in a nutshell: I'm enjoying reading about Almondine's quest for fullfillment, but the story hasn't quite progressed far enough yet for me to really give any kind of real in-depth critique. Although that Vulcan has piqued my interest; between his actions and Ron'jar's comments, I'm anxious to see where you go with him.

I will be reading. :D
"One minute to space doors."

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Offline Governor Ronjar

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #34 on: February 04, 2007, 10:00:19 pm »


I drew stares.  I always draw stares.  I'd wrapped myself up in a blue latex halter-and-shorts set that I contrasted with a white boa and cute blue sunglasses.  The color drew their eyes to me, and my body kept their attention.


Space Tramp! Yay!

I'm intrigued to see just how her 'fulfillment' goes. I would not be in the least surprised if she weren't dissappointed in the experience... Or at least feign as though she were...

Keep telling, I'll keep reading!

--thu guv!
'It's a lot of hard work being a mean bastard...' --Captain Eric Finlander, CO USS Bedford (The Bedford Incident)

'Jaken...are you pretending to be dead?' --Lord Sesshomaru, Inuyasha.

Offline Scottish Andy

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #35 on: February 06, 2007, 12:58:10 pm »
Quote
I'd wrapped myself up in a blue latex halter-and-shorts set that I contrasted with a white boa and cute blue sunglasses.

A latex halter-top and shorts? With a white feather boa? To go orbital skydiving? Not so much "shiny" as "I'm stuck to myself and can't pull the ripcord!"

What an image... Very impressive. Sounds like something you'd just have to rip off the girl wearing it...  ;) :D :o

Did you happen to frequent a strip bar and see someone dressed like this, and think "I've got to put that in a story!"?
Come visit me at:  www.Starbase23.net

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The Doctor: "Must be a spatio-temporal hyperlink."
Mickey: "Wot's that?"
The Doctor: "No idea. Just made it up. Didn't want to say 'Magic Door'."
- Doctor Who: The Woman in the Fireplace (S02E04)

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Offline Commander La'ra

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #36 on: February 06, 2007, 01:08:09 pm »
A latex halter-top and shorts? With a white feather boa? To go orbital skydiving? Not so much "shiny" as "I'm stuck to myself and can't pull the ripcord!"

What an image... Very impressive. Sounds like something you'd just have to rip off the girl wearing it...  ;) :D :o

Did you happen to frequent a strip bar and see someone dressed like this, and think "I've got to put that in a story!"?

Quote
Someone chuckled...someone always does

:singing: ;D
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline Governor Ronjar

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #37 on: February 06, 2007, 08:58:21 pm »
I just hope this isn't La'ra's model of the perfect woman...

..though it would explain some things if it were...

--thu guv!
'It's a lot of hard work being a mean bastard...' --Captain Eric Finlander, CO USS Bedford (The Bedford Incident)

'Jaken...are you pretending to be dead?' --Lord Sesshomaru, Inuyasha.

Offline Commander La'ra

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #38 on: March 04, 2007, 02:39:31 am »
Next part is up...

---------

"How in hell did you talk my brother into letting you jump?"  Kathy asked.

"It's my secret."  I giggled.  The pink-haired wench was small and stout.  Not overweight mind, just broad-shouldered and fit.  The look in her blue eyes spoke of wildness, and while I didn't have time to sample her, I could happily indulge in a little flirting.

She shook her head.  "Thinking with his dick again.  I knew it...guess it doesn't matter, they'll probably shut us down within a year anyway. Put this on."

She handed me a jumpsuit.  It was black and florescent green, a combination that does not work well on me.  I sighed and began to strip anyway.  Kathy didn't turn away, though she wasn't ogling either.  Mores the pity.

"What we're going to do is put you through some simulations." She explained.  "Holographic stuff.  It'll give you some idea about what to expect and if you pay attention you'll know what to do tomorrow.  Please pay attention, I like working here."

"Please don't worry," I implored, pulling on the jumpsuit.  I left the zipper down, halfway.  Maybe my natural charms could make up for the color scheme.  "I don't want to hurt myself, as I told your brother."

Kathy reached towards me, zipped the jumpsuit up the rest of the way.  My cheeks heated and she regarded me with a quiet stare.

"Come on."  She said.  I followed her out of the locker room.  A small portion of the hanger had been cordoned off.  There was an odd device on the floor; it was circular, like a large transporter pad, and it had various smaller devices hooked into it.  Kathy knelt and plucked one.  She handed it to me.

"Put these on."  She ordered.  They were sunglasses, though they were obviously electronic, and a thin cord connected them to the circular thing.

I slid them onto my face.  Despite the dark tint, I could see clearly.

"Step onto the pad."  My teacher ordered.  She'd been wearing a dour expression, but now she grinned.

"All right." I said.  I took a step onto the device.  Kathy flipped a switch and my feet left the ground.

I giggled.  Kathy's mouth twitched.

"I'm going to turn the feed to the glasses on now."  She warned.

The room in front of me vanished, replaced by a brilliant sky.  Clouds stretched out below me, showing me the deeper blue of ocean through gaps in their fluffy carpet.  Knowing what holograms are, I still gasped.

"Take a minute to get used to it.  Relax."  Kathy advised.

I tried.  I really did.  The sensation was remarkable, however, and soon I was giggling and laughing and spinning in place.  Well, I was trying to spin.  It was hard too, floating above the ground as I was.

"I guess the whole 'subject might be disoriented' thing doesn't apply to you."  Kathy laughed.  I couldn't see her, but her tone betrayed a smile.

"It's wonderful!"  I exclaimed.

"Try and calm down a little."  She said.  "We've got a lot to go over..."
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline Lara

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #39 on: March 04, 2007, 02:12:56 pm »
You know I'm fond of Dina, and she wants me to remind you that she doesn't want to miss the lingrie show...which means speed it up.

 :-*

Offline Governor Ronjar

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #40 on: March 04, 2007, 10:37:30 pm »
I'd be willing to bet she buys the holo-simulator...

need MORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

--thu guv!
'It's a lot of hard work being a mean bastard...' --Captain Eric Finlander, CO USS Bedford (The Bedford Incident)

'Jaken...are you pretending to be dead?' --Lord Sesshomaru, Inuyasha.

Offline KOTH-KieranXC, Ret.

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #41 on: March 05, 2007, 05:20:13 pm »
Ah, I was wondering when we'd see more of this. Looking forward to seeing how her jump goes. For some reason, I see Dina turning into an adrenaline junkie. ;)

And Krenn! Long time no see. Consider this my belated welcome back. :)
"One minute to space doors."

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Offline Captain Krenn

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #42 on: April 14, 2007, 01:10:55 am »
been a while since this was updated

Not that I care you know, those two make my skin crawl

Still they are like a train wreck, you can't look away even though you know you ought to..

and hi folks :)




Offline Commander La'ra

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #43 on: April 14, 2007, 09:20:47 am »
Ooops.

Sort of let posting this slip my mind.

--------------------



There seemed to be far more to UAF than I'd imagined.

Kathy's lessons had started simply enough.  She taught me to change my position in zero-gravity, something I was familiar with from past entertainments but had never done calmly and rationally.  She taught me which positions would slow me down, which would speed me up.  She demonstrated the speed principle by setting the false sky into motion and giving me some idea of what it was like to plummet wildly toward the earth.  It'd frightened me a little, and I suspect she knew that, but I was also exhilarated...by the middle of the day, my enthusiasm had infected.  She was smiling more.

"Is that the way it is when you jump?" I asked, munching on the sandwich she'd provided. I kept the question casual, but I needed to know.  I hadn't felt what I wanted during the practices

"Oh God, no."  She laughed.  We were sitting at a card table.  The hangar had been abandoned at lunch time, but we remained.  Kathy liked to order in.  "The holos are just to give you an idea, let you practice without any danger."

"What's it really like?" I took a sip of lemonade.

"Oh...huh."  She considered.  "I can't describe it.  It's incredible."

I nodded.  Incredible was always good. We were quiet for a moment.

"I really do want to know how you talked Neal into this."  She declared.  Friendliness remained in her tone and expression but she'd suddenly become serious.  I shrunk back in my chair a little.

"I paid him."  I said.  "A lot."

Kathy frowned.  "If something happens to you and we get shut down that's all our jobs.  There's no way you paid him enough to cover that."

"Twenty bars of latinum."  I whispered and drank more lemonade.

"Holy sh*t."

I shrugged.

She shook her head, pink hair bobbing about.

"You have to know that's a fortune."  She accused.

"Not in the places I frequent.  It's valuable here, but not so much near the borders."

"I don't want to know how you got that kind of money."

"I probably shouldn't tell you." I confessed.

"God damned fortune..." She muttered.  The quiet lasted much longer this time. We nibbled on our sandwiches, sipped our lemonade.  Finally, she spoke.  "Why do you wanna do this that bad?"

"It's really not that much money."  I reiterated.

"It is here." She clarified.  "Even if you've got a lot more you know that...you don't just throw something that valuable away."

I hadn't counted on her phrasing things that way.  She was, of course, correct.  "I suppose you don't."

"So what's the deal?"

"It's rather personal." I said.  I had intended to leave it at that, but something about Kathy loosened my tongue.  At the time I blamed her muscular limbs and her pert breasts.  Silly Almondine. "I had some dealings with a Klingon.  During all of it I...felt something I enjoyed."

"You slept with a Klingon?"  She sounded dismayed.  I laughed, quite hard.

"No, though I did try!  It was something else...I felt..."  How had I felt?  The only person I'd really explained this too had been the skillful bartender.  "...supreme.  I felt as if there was nothing I couldn't do or...something like that."

She studied me.  I waited for her to say something, but then realized she was still listening.

"It was so different than usual."  I related.  "Like the difference between being asleep and aware."

"So what's this got to do with jumping out of a shuttle."

I shrugged.  "I thought it might've been the danger that made me feel the way I did.  So I decided to do something dangerous to see if I could get it back."

"You haven't felt it since the first time?"

I shook my head.

"No.  It...sort of dissipated.  It lingered for some time, but then it left.  I want it back."

"I'm a bit afraid."  I admitted.  "I'm worried this might not work."

Kathy stared at me as she finished her sandwich.

"It was good enough to drop twenty bars of latinum?"

"I would've given him all my latinum."  I confided.

"Jesus you're weird."  She drained her lemonade.

"I know."

"We better get moving."  Kathy declared.  "I still need to show you a lot of stuff."

I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.  I took a last sip of my drink.  The neon-green stripe on my jumpsuit was quite prominent.

"Is there a place where I can buy one of these?"  I said, indicating my attire.

"Sure.  Why?"

"I may die...”  I said.  "I want a pink one."
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline Governor Ronjar

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #44 on: April 15, 2007, 12:52:32 am »
As you described, a conversation. Good dialogue and a good look inside your character's mind. But then, this comes easilly to you after so many previous pages...

Now...give us MORE!

You have delayed long enough! ;)

--rogmann
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'Jaken...are you pretending to be dead?' --Lord Sesshomaru, Inuyasha.

Offline Commander La'ra

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #45 on: May 01, 2011, 02:54:37 am »
Yeah, it's been years.  But this is on the short list of 'finish before I die'.

---------------------

There was a hotel that suited me near the airfield.  I checked in that evening, my new jumpsuit and helmet still in the bags.  I tried to have fun.  There were men and women in the bar I could've claimed for the night.  Instead I stayed in my room, arms and legs wrapped around the giant floor pillow I'd demanded from room service.

I was frightened.  Oh my yes, I was frightened.  The holograms had been fun.  The descriptions of freefall from Kathy had been electrifying.  Soon the falling and that icky gravity would be real, and my supple young self might pull the wrong cord and end up somewhat less than attractive.

I cried a little at the idea.  What would the universe be like without Almondine?  Would anyone notice the loss?  Other than Argent, of course.  I spent some minutes wishing I'd known that Klingon fellow better.  Not sexually.  In retrospect, he seemed a tad eccentric for his race and I've always been terribly fond of eccentric.

Unusual that I never once thought of not showing up at the hangar.

Fear can be rather exhausting and I drifted off early.  When I awoke, I called for breakfast in bed and had my nails done.  I might hit the ground screaming but I'd be perfectly pedicured if anyone managed to find my toes.

I arrived at the hangar early.

"At least if you get swept out to sea we won't have any trouble finding you."  Kathy opined.

I'd been admiring my backside in the locker room mirror.  My jumpsuit's pink material did nice things to it.

"I'm good at being seen."  I giggled.  Kathy snorted out a laugh.

"C'mon, Princess."

I followed her onto the runway.  The little yellow and black shuttle was waiting on us.  Neal stood at the door, ushering the other jumpers into the ship.  He frowned a bit when I appeared before him.  I thought for a picosecond that me might refuse to take me.

"In we go."  He muttered.  I giggled and climbed into the aircraft.  There were benches to sit on.  I was next to Kathy.  We took off.  I was near a window and rubbed my hands together as the ground shrank away.

"Breathe."  Kathy instructed.  I did.

Neal spoke to the herd of freefallers over the shuttle intercom, telling us things like altitude and how much time till we got to the jumping place and other things.  It seemed like an eternity until he said it was time.  There was a lot of jostling around as helmets and goggles were pulled on.

My helmet was white, which matched my jumpsuit's stripe.  I carefully tucked my hair up before pulling it on.  Googles and breathing equipment were next, and the force field generator that would keep me from burning up.  That, ironically, was what made UAF so dangerous.  With it slung in front of my belly, there was no place for an extra parachute.

I felt the pressure drop in the cabin.  The air grew cold.  I gripped Kathy's hand.

"I'll be right behind you."  She declared.  The door slid open.  Neal gave the signal.  I stood with the other jumpers who, jumped out the door.  A couple hesitated.  One crossed himself.

My turn came.

We were up so high that all above was dark and littered with stars and the so-far-down surface of Tellis displayed its curve.  Puffs of cloud drifted far beneath, and the sky they floated across was an impossible shade of blue.  The sun was there too, too harsh to look at directly but so gorgeous I had to try.

I felt small.  Insignificant.  I was the tiny bit of all of it that called itself Almondine, and I loved it.  I'd known pleasures so intense they'd driven people mad.  I'll not lie and say they couldn't compare to my first glimpse out the shuttle hatch, but they'd been simpler forms of exstacy, pleasure that began and ended with the physical.  This was something else.  This was divinity or as close as I could get to it.

It was not, curiously enough, the feeling I'd been looking for.  I didn't care.

"Jump or get out of the way!"  Someone yelled.  I ignored them for a further second of bliss.  Then I sensed hands moving toward me, intending to pull me out of the door, no doubt.

So I threw myself into the sky.

"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline Scottish Andy

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #46 on: May 08, 2011, 10:31:35 pm »
Nice to see this one getting continued. I loved reading of her moment of divinity; that sight must have been truly awe-inspiring. Can't wait to hear what she thinks and feels on the way down!
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- Doctor Who: The Woman in the Fireplace (S02E04)

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Offline Grim Reaper

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #47 on: May 09, 2011, 02:01:26 am »
I agree with Andy, though what I wonder more is what is she really looking for? She doesn't quite know, but you do Larry? Care to tell us?  :P ;) As an alternative, gimme more!
Snickers@DND: If there is one straight answer in that bent little head of yours, you'd better start spillin' it pretty damn quick, or I'm gonna take a large, blunt object, roughly the size of Kallae AND his hat and shove it lengthwise up a crevice of your being so seldomly cleaned that even the denizens of the nine hells would not touch it with a 10-feet rusty pole

Offline Hstaphath_XC

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #48 on: June 20, 2011, 12:22:01 pm »
I vaguely remember starting to read this years ago, but had clearly missed an update or two.  So, I reread it all today and will be watching to see if anymore ever gets written.  Thanks!
Hilaritas sapientiae et bonae vitae proles.

Offline Mentat Jon

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #49 on: October 02, 2011, 07:07:45 pm »
* Thumbs up *
"The great questions of the day will be decided not by speeches or majority votes ...but by blood and iron." - Prince Otto Von Bismarck.

Offline Captain Sharp

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #50 on: December 01, 2011, 12:46:11 am »
I see La'ra continues to post updates at his normal, blazing pace.

Keep up the good work, man.

--rog
"Jayne?"

"Yeah?"

"You wanna tell me why there's a statue of you here lookin' like I owe him something?"

"Wishin' I could, Captain. "

Offline Commander La'ra

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #51 on: December 06, 2011, 09:55:01 pm »
There was a glimmer of panic as my body realized there was no ground to support it.  Then there was more utter pleasure, physical but not sexual.  I whooped and yelled and hollered.  And fell.

The pleasure didn't die, but it faded to a level where I could actually think, and I began searching the sky, trying to take in every possible detail.  Other jumpers were far below me, their bright suits easy to spot against the blue of the ocean.  If I squinted, I could see the glimmer of my heat shield as it protected me from the increasing friction.  My suit helped against the cold, but there was still a glorious bite to the air.  I nibbled my bottom lip.  I giggled.  I spread my arms and legs wide, the way Kathy had taught me.  It might've been a bit early for that, but the movement was meant to slow my plummet and I wanted it to last.

The other jumpers got smaller after a bit, and Kathy, in black and yellow, fell past me.  Her goggles and helmet hid any expression, but I could see amusement in her posture.  I waved.  She gave me a thumbs-up.

Ages came and went before I started passing clouds and the ground below was began to lose its curve.  It would be time to open my parachute soon...the readout on my goggles would tell me when.  Below me, the jumpers who'd already opened seemed to be flying back towards me.  It was a thrilling illusion.

The words 'pull' were suddenly in my vision, flashing on the inside of my little goggles.  I was not immediately obedient--Kathy had told me many jumpers waited past the optimum altitude and admonished me not to do so.  I couldn't help myself.  I wanted a few more seconds of high-speed bliss.  I decided to count to five, then pull the cord.  Perhaps the slow descent would give me yet another new enjoyment.

My fingers were wrapped around the ripcord when I noticed that Kathy hadn't opened yet.  It made me happy, to see her waiting too.  She'd done this hundreds of times...yet she still wanted more.  Did that mean it never grew old?  Never became a done-before thing?  If so, then dear God it was certainly worth the danger.

Another look at Kathy, though, told me there was nothing ecstatic about this, to her.  Her arm was tugging at something.  I could see panic in her motions.  She was tugging at her ripcord, but no silk blossomed.  She kept pulling.  I kept watching.  I am not ashamed to admit that it took precious seconds for me to realize something was wrong;  I'd never done anything remotely like this before.  It hit me that I should do something, but I couldn't figure out what.  We were falling, not flying.  I couldn't just swoop over there.  The pull message on my goggles grew more insistent.

The thought of dying, which had been swept aside by joy, returned with some ferocity.

I didn’t know how to save Kathy.  If I tried, that was it for Almondine.  Some of the visions from the night before, my lonely night in the hotel, returned; my body slamming into the ground and splattering like a jelly-filled balloon. Tears stung my eyes.  It wasn’t fair that I couldn’t help her.  It wasn’t fair that I had to watch her die.  Somehow, my mind turned her into Argent.  I imagined him hitting the ground, all his fine bones turned to powder. Losing Argent would kill me in the most painful manner imaginable.

Amidst all the fear and the horrible visions, I realized with great clarity that everyone had an Argent.  That Kathy was Argent to someone.  Her brother perhaps, or her lover.

I couldn’t let her die, then.  Hitting the ground myself would be preferable.

I knew, from the lessons in the holo-sim, that I could make myself fall faster.  This seemed a foolish thing to do, but Kathy had her arms and legs spread wide, trying to slow her fall, perhaps in hope that her parachute would miraculously decide to work.  If I sped up...could I reach her?  If I did reach her, could I do anything?  I heard the questions in my head, but my new resolve would not allow me to concoct an answer.  I tucked my limbs in tightly, tilted my body down.

I sped up.  My stomach seemed to move toward my back and the wind whipped at me in a most violent fashion.  I could aim myself, but only crudely, and I bounced across the sky as I did my best to zip toward Kathy.  I decided I would try and grab her.  Yes, that was it.  I would grab her, hold on for dear life, and open my parachute.  Surely that wouldn't rip off my arms.  Maybe we'd live.

Somehow, she saw me.  I credit my color choice.  She waved at me, in that rude way of someone trying to tell someone not to do something.  Well it was too late for that.  I zoomed on, her plummeting body coming closer and closer.

And I missed.  She had been in front of me, close enough to touch.  Then she was gone, and my goggles were filled with the sea.  I could see ripples and waves and other details I would have to be quite low to see, and I froze.  Petrified.  Mortified.  Terrified.  My goggles were still, vainly, urging me to pull the ripcord.

Something hit me, quite hard, and for a moment I thought I had hit the ground.  That was silly.  I could still see the ocean, rushing up towards me, and there were limbs and hands pawing at me and a voice in my ears.  Kathy!  How had she caught me?  It didn't matter.  She was doing something, manhandling me in a fashion that in another situation might've been most arousing, but which I did not have time to appreciate.  I found myself wrapped around her, legs and arms, hugging her against me.  God, I didn't want to die.

"Pull, God damnit!"  She yelled.  I blinked, and fumbled for the cord.  Don't hit yet...don't hit yet...

A great, powerful force tugged us upward.  It was a harsh, horrid feeling, and I could feel myself spinning wildly about.  I looked up.  The silk canopy of my parachute billowed above us, and Kathy was still wrapped in my arms...and my harness, she'd attached herself somehow.  Dizzying speed had become a gentle fall, though I'm certain my shoulders were bruised.  The sensation was brief, but lovely, and I found myself enjoying...

"Hold on!"  Kathy yelled, and I made the mistake of looking down.  There was still sky between us and the ocean, but not terribly much.  The water below glimmered blue.  We weren't supposed to land in the water.  The island was somewhere off to my left.

I gasped, and held my breath.  That was kind of silly considering my helmet gave me oxygen...though it's supply was measured in minutes.  Our fall felt so slow, but the sea was coming up fast...I knew from the training it was too fast...

The impact forced the air from my lungs, and I felt parts of me shatter.  I would've screamed.  I couldn't, gasping desperately instead.  Water was all around me.  Where was the sky?  I couldn't tell, and the silken shroud that'd saved my life fell, obscuring the world.  Cords and straps tangled my arms, and I flailed and kept trying to scream.

I saw Kathy's arm slashing back and forth, a knife in her hand.  She was yelling at me, but I couldn't hear her word. 

I'm fairly certain that I was begging for help when I finally lost consciousness.
"Dialogue from a play, Hamlet to Horatio: 'There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.' Dialogue from a play written long before men took to the sky. There are more things in heaven and earth, and in the sky, than perhaps can be dreamt of. And somewhere in between heaven, the sky, the earth, lies the Twilight Zone."
                                                                 ---------Rod Serling, The Last Flight

Offline Captain Sharp

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #52 on: December 06, 2011, 10:13:10 pm »
Good save! I credit her color choice too...space whore.

 ;D

Dina is a hero, who would have figured?

--Guv
"Jayne?"

"Yeah?"

"You wanna tell me why there's a statue of you here lookin' like I owe him something?"

"Wishin' I could, Captain. "

Offline Grim Reaper

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #53 on: December 07, 2011, 02:24:24 am »
It's a gem like always larry. Maybe she has some La'ra in her quite a different way then she intended originally...

 ;) :P
Snickers@DND: If there is one straight answer in that bent little head of yours, you'd better start spillin' it pretty damn quick, or I'm gonna take a large, blunt object, roughly the size of Kallae AND his hat and shove it lengthwise up a crevice of your being so seldomly cleaned that even the denizens of the nine hells would not touch it with a 10-feet rusty pole

Offline Scottish Andy

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #54 on: December 07, 2011, 11:59:04 am »
Nice continuation! And Dina has something other than selfish hedonistic urges knocking around in her psyche. Good to see them come out.
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Offline Scottish Andy

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #55 on: February 23, 2012, 01:24:41 pm »
Dina's still broken drowning...
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The Senior Service rocks! Rule, Britannia!

The Doctor: "Must be a spatio-temporal hyperlink."
Mickey: "Wot's that?"
The Doctor: "No idea. Just made it up. Didn't want to say 'Magic Door'."
- Doctor Who: The Woman in the Fireplace (S02E04)

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Offline KBF-Frank

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Re: Lunatic Fringe
« Reply #56 on: May 09, 2015, 03:00:51 pm »
bump to front   ;D