ALIEN: Manticore

Nice start! Yes, I would need to have a hardcopy version since reading on a screen takes away from the experience somehow.

Well, best I can offer is a PDF version right now, it's a long ways from Publishing-ready. I know what you mean, there's just something about a Book.

Would the PDF be okay?

TY for the compliment!! :D

I meant when it is all done. I would print the whole thing out, three hole punch it, put it in a binder and schlep on the couch to read. As far as distribution, that seems to be the author/publisher choice IDK.

OH. Well, when it's all done, yeah, I can put up a link to a download place and you can print it off NP. :D I have a 4shared account, Mega, etc...

Oh, the above excerpt, that's from page 24. ;)

Now that's what I'm talking about!Thanks for Sharing the excerpt BlackWinter Witch!Very well written and richly detailed!

ninXeno426

Thank-you and you're welcome!! Glad you liked it!! More excerpts will come, it's a bit of a trick deciding what to reveal and what not to. ;)

we've all seen Nostromo's bridge, and while Manticore is built-up from a similar ship, a slightly later model, when it's owner and Captain was having work done, he went with a more appropriate bridge for a crew who would be spending a lot more awake-time aboard and working and such.

My Thanks to Ron Cobb (posthumously) for the wonderful concept art he did!!

Truly awesome work BWW!!! 

Between you and nin, im so inspired to have a crack at my own Alienverse fan-fiction now, you are both doing such a great job!! 

Keep up the awesome work guys!! 

IRaptus

Thank-you VERY much!!! Glad you enjoyed the read!

If you're inspired, go for it.

Also, always remember: If you don't like what you write/how it 'works'...you can ALWAYS fix it in editing.

Editing is your friend, remembering that keeps the discouragement gremlins away. :) I love it because we Humans usually have great hindsight and Edits allow us to USE that to best advantage. :)

@Blackwinter-witch  Congratulations for your work! It's so immersive... very well detailed and well written :) Gave me the feeling of some parts of Arthur Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama, when he is describing the functioning of some devices and the ship :D

That's another great experience I'm having through this forum. It's great to be in contact with such brilliant minds we have here! Minds in love with the ALIENverse :D

Farlander

Thank-you!! I really appreciate the compliments!! I agree with you about this forum, totally, but I guess you knew that about me already? :)

Go for it IRaptus!I think you'll hear nothing but support from this community.At first I was afraid,but after so much support from you guys,I've become rather proud and confident.

ninXeno426

Well said, and I second what you say also! :)

Nice start and I love the concept

SpiteHouse

Thank-You!! Glad you enjoyed reading it and like my perspective on the ALIENverse!! This isn't the actual 'Start' of the story, it's from Page 24.

I wanted to have a similar scene as we get in the beginning of ALIEN, both because it has a great 'feel' and as a proper 'nod' to the film that started it all, but had plans for a different Story-start, so I worked it in during an in-story flight. :)

Nice, I like the idea of the maintenance bots. :)

Tiwaz

Thanks! :) When I first heard about this old idea of R. Scott's, I loved it on the spot. It's interesting, logical, and is demonstrative of technology in the universe. 'Maintenance mice' I guess you could call them :)

very well done. I liked it.

BULL ALIEN

Thank-you!! Glad you did! I write in this universe because I love the 'feel' of it, it's grittiness and lack of space-opera qualities. (Space Opera is great, but it's like pizza compared to the medium-rare 'steak' that is the ALIENverse).

That all said, part of why I write in this universe is to remind people of the 'feel', introduce newcomers to such, and those of us who love it get a trip back into it. I write for myself, but I enjoy sharing my works with those who share the same perspective as many of us long-time fans do.

BLACKWINTER-WITCH - I enjoyed this considerably. The way in which you described the environment allowed me to feel the atmosphere quite well! Excellent work! Thank you ever so much for taking the time to create this and share it with us! :)

Here's an excerpt from ALIEN: Manticore; Paradise. It's a work-on-hold, as to go any further than the landing of the Science Expedition's shuttle, I need to see COVENANT to stay on-track with Canon.

ALIEN: Manticore; Paradise is the follow-up/sequel to ALIEN: Manticore where Manticore heads out, following the course of the Juggernaut commandeered by David and Shaw at the end of PROMETHEUS.

Appendum: This was posted in ALIEN STORIES and I realized it also belongs here.

**********************

PROLOGUE

Manticore had travelled out from Shadowfall, now clear of the more problematic celestial dynamics that the system was famous for and ready to engage it’s hyperdrive for the long voyage ahead.
Captain Sinjihnn Du’Maur was the only crewmember of the vessel still awake, the rest had entered hypersleep earlier along with the passengers who formed the science team they were bringing along. The ship was running entirely on it’s own auto-systems overseen by the ship‘s Virtual Intelligence, making him superfluous at the present time as he would be for the long trip ahead of them. He enjoyed this time, it gave him time to think, to review preparations one last time, spot overlooked details,
He and his friend, Jean McDormand had spent a few weeks finding qualified people who Vetted out as being able to keep their mouths shut and had no issues with participating in an unlicensed interstellar expedition setting out for a world extremely far away from the colonized systems.

The secrecy had been paramount, as he wanted to keep all the details under wraps and spare himself and his crew having to deal with some ego-driven Corporate rivals. There was also the concern of how insanely dangerous what they were heading out to find could possibly be, and how irresponsible corporations could be in evaluating ‘acceptable risk’. Thus, he and Jean had played things very close to the chest, employed a plausible cover story, and kept up a level of obfuscation in their communications second-to-none. It had been a significant pain, but success or failure always relied on details, often the small ones. Such was also the reasoning behind the significant investment in upgrading and advancing Manticore’s armament and combat capabilities.
The stars beckoned, and once again his ship would be sailing amongst them while he slept the sleep of the near-dead along with the people most important to him. The bridge was quiet, only a few indicators showed signs of machine-life, and he could hear the faint sound of air through the ventilation grilles in the ceiling above him. He took a moment to consider the enormity of what they were setting out to do; Challenge The Gods.

He felt no fear, no trepidation. He looked forward to it, to making sure the species that Dr. Elizabeth Shaw had named ‘Engineers’ knew they had Humanity’s eye on them, and knew of their aggressive nature. He wanted to make it very clear to them that Humanity was not some helpless planet-bound bunch of primitive peoples any longer, but stood on the same level as their creators, able to challenge them, and able to defeat them should they raise a hand against Humanity.
As he finished that thought, Manticore engaged it’s hyperdrive, and as it accelerated to, then beyond the speed of light, the star field ahead compressed, blue-shifted--appearing as a trillion pinpoints of painfully bright blue light for an instant--before expanding to appear normal again save for the slight but definite motion of some stars in the edges of the field of view. A glow began as the forward edge of the hyperdrive field encountered the interstellar medium at Faster-than-light speed, exciting the sparse hydrogen atoms to higher quantum states, shrouding the vessel in a corona of dim Cerenkov phantom-light.

With the engagement of the hyperdrive, the Captain casually patted a nearby console in a purely anthropomorphic gesture and made his way out, on his way to join the rest of his crew in the coldly peaceful embrace of hypersleep.

************

Something Real

You're very welcome and Thank-You in-kind!! Very glad you enjoyed it, tells me that I'm on the right track in keeping to the right 'feel' and 'atmosphere'. :)

BLACKWINTER-WITCH - One creative mind to another: I have found the "feel" of the Alien universe is extremely difficult to capture and hold while writing. You have done so with great capability. :)

Something Real

Thank-you!!:D

I know exactly what you mean by the tricky nature of the 'feel' of this universe! The trick that works for me is I get the 'rough-raw' out and down. It's just the 'roughly-shaped-block-of-marble' at that point, and barely readable, then I use a lot of editting to refine, shape, tailor, tune and sculpt things until they have the proper 'feel'.

BLACKWINTER-WITCH - That is likely the best way of doing things. I simply write what comes to my mind as I reflect on my ideas. Sometimes it is cohesive; other times it is a mess I am ashamed to claim as my work. :)

Something Real

1st Drafts are always a mess, mine as I said are barely readable!! :D NO one ever sees my First Drafts. :) The trick is to remember you don't need to make it Perfect first-try, there's always editting to fall back on, and it's great as we always come up with ideas later, and editting allows us to re-work things, clean-up and include them. :)

BLACKWATER-WITCH - Quite so. The process of writing is always so very thrilling - especially once a good and interesting idea begins to take shape! It is almost spiritual; a connection to a greater creativity. Perhaps that sounds a bit silly; but I adore having the ability to be creative - and am quite thankful for it. :)

Something Real

It doesn't 'silly' at all! I enjoy being creative also, I cannot imagine what or who I'd be without it!

One of the fun things about writing, is unlike a movie, WE get to pick the endings and such. :)

BLACKWINTER-WITCH - There is clear wisdom in your choice of words. Never lose that. Indeed; being able to choose the endings of our works is a freedom for which I am extremely greatful. :)

BLACKWINTER-WITCH - I also engage in interactive storytelling to a large degree - "RPGs" as others typically call them. They are such amazingly cathartic endeavors - especially when a group is invested in the story for its own sake. :)