Apr 22, 2024
The worn tired stars say you shall die early and die dirty. The clean cold stars say you shall die late and die clean. The runaway stars say you shall never die at all, never at all.
Carl Sandburg, “Slabs of the Sunburnt West”
seen from Russia
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from China
seen from United States
seen from Türkiye
seen from Kazakhstan
seen from China
seen from China
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Kazakhstan
seen from United States
seen from France
seen from Philippines
seen from China
seen from China
seen from Russia
The worn tired stars say you shall die early and die dirty. The clean cold stars say you shall die late and die clean. The runaway stars say you shall never die at all, never at all.
Carl Sandburg, “Slabs of the Sunburnt West”
COMMANDER GABRIEL SHEPARD ➤ THE BUTCHER OF TORFAN
A colony boy from ravaged Mindoir, Gabriel Shepard earned a reputation for ruthless efficiency when the Systems Alliance laid siege to Torfan following the Skyllian Blitz, the enemy annihilated in exchange for three-fourths of their own. Onboard the Normandy, with all due respect, his crew calls him Commander. Behind closed doors, he is the Butcher. No heart, not a hero, barely human. Now responsible for holding back the greatest threat the galaxy has ever faced. God help them all.
EDITS COURTESY OF THE FORMIDABLE @TOMEXRAIDER
MARS collection, rendered by Benjamin Everett using NASA images, February 2022
When I am alone, I feel penitent, my heart damp like cold metal.
Ken Chen, “Taipei Novel,” Juvenilia