Writing Journal February 8, 2012

The sky was big, cool, and white, drizzling bits of itself onto the ancient cobblestone streets of the small port city. Private Hendrickson was always nervous of the stately old townhouses and narrow streets in this part of the city, mostly because it meant there were four stories of dark windows practically pressed against the high concrete wall of the fortress he was guarding. How easy would it be for an attacking force to use the cover of those elegant windows and romantic little alleyways to get right on top of him before they launched an attack? He leaned back in his chair, staring blankly through the rain-spattered window of the gatehouse and sticking a pencil under his helmet to scratch a spot over his ear. Well, that was probably wishful thinking. The Empire was always at war with someone, but whatever fighting was going on at that point was nowhere near the base. Come to think of it, that town hadn't been attacked at all throughout recorded history, a rarity among North American coastal cities during the First Imperial Zenith period, less than two generations after the Darkened Years.

"Hoy, Henry," he heard his partner say from just outside the gatehouse, "Come have a look at this." Private Hendrickson grabbed his rifle up and left the gatehouse, jogging down the slick flagstones towards the lone figure stumbling down the street. Her black greatcoat was slick with rain and saltwater, and blood seeped from her clutched arm.

"Are you alright?" he said upon reaching her, "are you hurt?"

"The beach," she said weakly, "an androphagi, or something worse - "

"We'll get you to a medic, come on."

"You have to get ready, it killed the others at the beach, it's heading towards the town, you - "

"We'll send scouts out right away, but we have to get you help." He put a hand on her back and tried leading her towards the base, but she pulled away with an exasperated rasp. Leaning against the old brick wall she pulled something from her coat, something that, like an invasion, Private Hendrickson had been trained to look out for but never thought he'd see - a golden badge bearing the Imperial Sun Disc.

"As an Undercover Assessor bearing the authority of the Great House of Ostergaard," she said with more force than someone who'd lost so much blood should have been able to, "I am ordering you to bring me to the base commander and have your armored division mobilized immediately." Private Hendrickson blinked at her for a second, then turned to his equally dumbstruck partner, who started fumbling for his radio.

Wishful thinking indeed.

Gah, I keep having trouble remembering the history of my own setting. The Darkened Years started after the Walking Devil Incident sometime in the early 2000s, then came the formation of the Solar Empire immediately before Goblin's Gate, after which there was the Ascendant Period comprising the Crown Wars and the official end of the Darkened Years. Simple as that.