#swanlessendings

swanlessendings

Solicitor Carlton had been decent, that was what had decided him. A year ago when the first trial had been underway and no one had given a bent credit for his survival, Carlton had been the only one in his corner.Certainly, he’d been paid to defend Lt. Thomas Hastings in the military proceedings, but even so, he could have been a lot more obvious about his lack of enthusiasm. So when, two months after there had been a Galaxy-Wide call for his arrest pursuant new evidence in the Capricorn Case, Carlton had made contact over a secure channel and claimed to be acting for Greg, Thomas hadn’t thought too long before agreeing to a meeting. 

It seemed a bit strange that after all this time, and after House Hastings had officially cut their ties with their personal black sheep, Greg should actually initiate contact with him. But then again, the family hadn’t much liked being in the spotlight the first time and might not want the whole business dragged through the courts again, especially if - as he rather expected - it were to end up with a ceremonial execution. No, it wasn’t hard to talk himself into believing the stoic solicitor when he explained that Greg Hastings, last scion of House Hastings, wanted to arrange for his disgraced brother’s immediate disappearance. He was a little relieved that Greg hadn’t decided to just arrange for his disposal in a more direct and permanent way. Perhaps there was some small shred of familial connection left between them even now? It was something to hope for, maybe. 

At the end of the interview he had been given a small transportation device and a lump sum of credits which would allow him to settle in comfort wherever he was being sent - a lot more than he could have asked for. At that moment perhaps Thomas should have remembered the fact that his brother had been working in the Inter-Time and Dimensional Transportation Division of the Military Sciences. Perhaps that would have aroused his now habitual caution when being made an offer that was far too good to be true. Call it sentimentality. Call it family. Call it what you will, he didn’t remember and he didn’t suspect until he activated the device and the world corkscrewed around him instead of merely fading away. 

It was some time later that he came to himself, lying on a wet, hard surface and already shivering from the rain pelting down around him. Weather, he thought disjointedly. Something that hadn’t existed in major cities for many decades now. Where was he? The floor was hard, rough. He felt it with a cautious palm, and couldn’t quite make it out - not anything like the slick pathways of New London - also nothing he could have expected to find in the country, no farmed grass or corn heavy on the air, no low hum of greenhouses. 

Where was he?

Thomas opened an eye and closed it immediately, a spike of pain shooting through his head in response to the sudden light. Wherever he was, the journey had left him feeling like he had been caught in the exhaust fan of a space bus and churned around for a few thousand cycles. Despite the very logical, very real truth that he needed to get moving, and get moving fast before he started looking suspicious to whatever authorities were in charge around here, Thomas found the idea of moving downright nauseating for the time being and opted for trying to understand his surroundings from what he could feel and hear first. Cold hard surface. Rain. Wet. Sounds - shouting, the rumble of engines - but what engines? That was a pitch too low for the solar-powered vehicles that ran in most Human colonies. A rumble, in fact. Loud alarms - insistent beeping, voices in a muted hum all around him. The words he could make out certainly seemed to be of the Common Tongue but - lacking in nuance. Full of words that were unfamiliar to him. Perhaps Greg had sent him to a Human Colony on an alien belt planet? Perhaps one of the colonies currently conquered by the Circati? That would have been a last ironic gesture from his older brother. 

Trying to understand the mystery was simply making his head hurt more, so Thomas reached around until he felt a wall at his side and slowly, very slowly sat up, preparing himself for the unfortunate necessity of opening his eyes.

swanlessendings

{ ☭ || ☆- Nadezhda walked the COLD streets of Moscow. She had moved away from home (Smolensk) to see a glimpse of the capital. It was every bit as BEAUTIFUL as she had ever heard about. She had just turned 20 & was hoping to start a life of her own without her mother. Independence was the first step into adult hood; even though she NEVER had much of a childhood – & she loved her mother to a fault – she just couldn’t help but want to experience something new. Nadezhda NEEDED to start making money to provide for her mother. She had been diagnosed with diphtheria a few years back & things weren’t getting any better.

However, getting out into the WORLD was a lot harder than she had expected it to be; but she could make do with what was thrown at her. She had purchased a small apartment & was doing pretty well with an internship at a SMALL travel agency. Not too much business... but it was paying alright. 

swanlessendings​

{ -❀ What was happening? She blinked a few times. The first was regular; then the second was a bit harder. Was she seeing two of herself? Was this a magic trick that Regina thought would be amusing to play on her? Or was she just hallucinating from all the crazy that’s been happening lately?