Milestones and Visions

Shoutout of the week #7: 'King of Diamonds'

A nervous officer of intergalactic law, a suave crime lord, a cyborg space cowboy and a refugee from a war-torn world. What do each of these characters have to do with each other? Well, they're all bound for the world of Whisp'el, where a mystery surrounding stolen ships from Earth is about to spiral into catastrophe for the whole universe.

This is the main premise of 'King of Diamonds: A Norrokian Insurgence Archives Story' by AutumnSky222. As you can probably tell it's a sci fi space opera story of galactic proportions featuring a really diverse cast of characters. Each of them is well diagramed and developed through dialogue, actions, and the use of flashback (a particular strength of the author). There's a real sense of isolation that each character shares, and at times, floating in spaceships in the void of the stars, its only their memories that keep them company. This gives each character's opening chapter an introspective atmosphere, and we get to know them mainly through their recollections of the past.

As the story develops, we begin to see the intriguing interactions between this cast – Agent Kit Tang, officer of the ESA (Earth Space Agency) is forced into a partnership with intergalactic crime Lord 'King' from the poverty stricken and anarchic planet of Len Paski. She's a by-the-book cop who begrudgingly needs the crime baron's network of information to help her solve the mystery of these stolen Earth ships, and the contrast between the two as they journey towards their mysterious destination will keep you both entertained and thoughtful – both of them have a checkered past that they need to come to terms with to succeed in their mission.

However, its Syn – the leather wearing, cowboy hat sporting cyborg – and his dog, the aptly named 'Cowboy', that steal the show thus far in the narrative. Syn is essentially on a journey of self-discovery. He is seeking an answer to his own existence – which we get through flashbacks that portray interactions between him and his 'father' that created him. Space is a place that this android cowboy explores freely, listening to music, playing with his dog, and trying to understand the human societies he comes across. He's also a capable fighter who isn't afraid to defend himself. Overall, Syn is a beautiful mix of a (much kinder) Roy Batty from Blade Runnerand Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop. If you know either of those comparisons, you'll know why I love this character, and you'll definitely root for him too.

Every great sci-fi story needs to balance its characterization with its world (or universe) building, however. In this story you'll find both in spades. The writer's ability to create a network of several interesting and distinct planets help weave this story together. From the title of the story I would assume this is the start of a series, and looking at the depth of lore surrounding each planet this would make perfect sense: we have the 'planet of sin' Len Paski, where different neon lights are used to signal businesses, brothels, and healthcare all, and the war-torn Erebos that is rife with civil war, related to us with chilling detail through the character of Cordi. Calypso V is a glorified marketplace, and in the middle of it all stands Earth, which seems to be in a state of recession – having seeded control of the planet Len Paski to the criminals that rule it and now must beg for their help. This is a universe that is rich in life and so varied in lore that you'll love to explore it.

So, grab the nearest starship and join Kit, King, Syn and Cordi on this ongoing adventure. The mystery of Whisp'el awaits.