The Cradle of Earth
When alien refugees descend toward Earth, a military command center scrambles to understand their intentions as Missouri becomes ground zero for humanity’s future.
Loose Signals
science fiction
Meta / Author’s Notes
Shared Stars, Divergent Orbits
Space opera and science fiction share the cosmos but differ in tone, scope, and style. Discover where their orbits align—and where they part.
Main Story
Late Night News Cycle May 22, 2440
As the sun sets over the Freehold, global headlines and grassroots voices converge. From denim diplomacy to neural tech whispers, June 1 marks a day of cautious hope, cultural exchange, and an ambassador who still mows his own lawn.
Side Quest
Mayo, Memory, and the Fire Watch
A sandwich, a team photo, and a hint of lemongrass mayo pull Matt and Angelina into a quiet conversation about memory, loss, and why the fire tower still matters. It’s about grief that lingers, food that remembers, and the dry Missouri practicality that keeps everything stitched together.
Side Quest
Sunsets and S’mores
A V’ren technician and Matt share a brief moment between language training sessions, revealing the quiet human rituals—coffee, sunsets, flirtation—that persist even after the collapse of nations and the arrival of alien refugees.
Main Story
The Chicago Briefing: Corporate Realignment in the Age of Marmaduke
At 1 PM in Chicago, Amazon’s executive leadership faces a growing truth—Matt Marmaduke is no longer a variable in their equation. He’s the new constant. With V’ren translation tech, galactic trade points, and sovereign alliances on the table, one thing is clear: he’s not playing their game—he’s building his own.
History & Lore
The Plague of 2073 and the Rise of the Landed Few
A cultural failure, not a biological one—the Great Culling reduced the world population from 13 billion to under 4 billion. By 2440, the United States was gone, replaced by armed freeholds, corporate city-states, and one man who doesn’t deny he’s a techno-feudalist.
Main Story
Media Round Up Up: The First 24 hours
Global headlines and social media explode as Matt Marmaduke, Freeholder of Missouri, offers sanctuary to 120,000 V’ren refugees. His defiant, grounded leadership redefines first contact—turning a cornfield into the fulcrum of human history.
Main Story
Dispatches from the Farm: First Contact Protocols
As first contact unfolds at the Freehold, Matt fires off a series of terse dispatches—balancing family safety, corporate authority, and legal contingencies. From keeping his daughters out of harm’s way to activating formal protocols, these messages reveal the immediate, calculated moves behind Missouri’s first encounter with the V’ren.
Main Story
Media Access and First Impressions
Matt pushes for a limited media tour of the V’ren ship to build public trust, navigating cultural protocol, security concerns, and a moment of unexpected personal rapport with T’mari. Cameras roll as Missouri’s first steps toward the stars take shape—measured, cautious, and just irreverent enough to stay human.
Main Story
Logistics, Medicine, and Mutual Trust
With wounded V’ren in need of urgent care, Matt Marmaduke turns diplomacy into action. Clinics are opened, quarantine zones established, and medical teams coordinated between species. Trust is built in real time as Missouri’s infrastructure shifts into high gear—fast enough to impress even the alien doctors.
Main Story
Diplomacy and Negotiation
In the shadow of the landed V’ren ship, Matt Marmaduke meets the alien delegation on scorched Missouri ground. What begins as formal posturing shifts to mutual trust, ending in a decisive agreement—refuge for the V’ren under his charter, and a direct line of truth between him and their chosen ambassador.