Ladies and Gentlemen,
Welcome to the Fifteenth Annual Chapterhouse 
 St. Rogantianus Day Masquarade
Faces must be partially covered to earn admittance.
Please, Leave your inhibitions at the door.

They had never needed an excuse for a party at the Chapterhouse. Every night was a party. Every night was an excuse to be someone new and different and ( Read more... )

The Water Hole had activities reserved for members, but twice a week they opened their doors to the general public, hosting planetwide sporting events and free activities classes. That Wednesday evening the park was bustling with activity. There was a spaceball game being played by two local boys teams, a water aerobics class being taught in one of ( Read more... )

Life tends to progress in cycles. Life and death. The rise and fall of a civilization. Fashion trends. Politics. And music ( Read more... )

That night, there are thousands down in the tunnels. Crawling like ants. Worker ants, on and off the trains, single file, clustered together, moving as one. Each one completely oblivious of the others. Nearly 10pm and it was rush hour on the Miranda Subway ( Read more... )

Televisions all across the star system were tuned to one station. People sat huddled around the screens, faint blue light bathing their faces, an uneasy silence settled over living rooms and bedrooms, restaurants and bars. What had started a week ago, maybe two, had grown and finally people were taking notice. Even The Chapterhouse had gone eerily  ( Read more... )

There is a long lull in the music as a young woman stepped off the small stage, a blank blue screen to the side where the lyrics had just been. A few people clap and one or two of the males whistle, and the girl sits back down at the bar to order a drink ( Read more... )

Even on a Wednesday afternoon, the New Tokyo Marketplace was bustling with activity. In front of the permanent storefronts, carts and wagons lined the street from end to end, people holding up their goods in show as they all fought for the shoppers attentions. There were carts stocked with fruit and vegetables, and stalls filled with handmade ( Read more... )

It was somehow both dark and blindingly bright ( Read more... )