Song of the Solitaire

[HistoryDude]

Oh, the Shadowkeeper's the weapon. That makes more sense.

How was anyone able to rule Hiigara? Didn't the Hiigarans relocate to the Angel Moon because the End of the Cycle destroyed Hiigara at the end of The Stormbreakers?

 

[Macavity116]

How was anyone able to rule Hiigara? Didn't the Hiigarans relocate to the Angel Moon because the End of the Cycle destroyed Hiigara at the end of The Stormbreakers?

Yup. Hiigara was overrun by the Beast during the Assault on Chapel Perilous and was not resettled for the remainder of the Stormbreaker Universe.

The finer details of the Nagyari colony on Hiigara were lost in the big rewrite. What is known is this:

The Nagyari colonized Hiigara roughly 250,000 years after the Rescue at Cape Canaveral, only to leave a few hundred years later after the Great Khan rose to power. The planet had only a tenuous atmosphere and would not have been considered a habitable world by Stellaris standards, meaning the populace would have lived in pressurized colony structures rather than conventional cities, and was dependent on interstellar trade to function.

Once the Nagyari migration to the Luminous Frontier started, trade would have collapsed, necessetating the relocation of everyone at Hiigara.

The ultimate fate of the Angel Moon is not known, but Stellaris gameplay mechanics suggest it would now be a Relic World/Ruined Ecuminopolis. Same would probably apply to Hokianga and the multispecies metropolis Rotorua.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

The big question is, how do they stop Malum. They don't really have options right now...

 

[Macavity116]

Special thanks to... well, everyone who has leveled criticism at me in the past. I did use several of those critiques as dramatic props in this chapter, but that does not mean your words are any less important. When people point out a mistake I've made, or draw attention to things I've done badly and could do better, or spot the latest in my seemingly endless list of continuity errors, I pay attention. I am by no means a skilled writer, but I am improving as time goes on, and I cannot improve without your input.

So please rest easy, dear critics. I promise there was no unfriendly intent in this chapter. I've included your words because I wanted to take a dramatic dig at myself, not you. As always, you are encouraged to speak up if my best effort at writing falls short of what I've posted in the past.

That said, on with the show.

---

Welcome to the penultimate chapter of Song of the Solitaire.

<=== Previous (Chapter 57: The Broken Gates)

Next (Chapter 59: Rage Against the Author) ===>​

Chapter 58
Malum Ralpakin​

The underground sanctum was now rumbling continuously as though under orbital bombardment. The Great Khan, outfitted in lightweight plated armor, was two meters taller than the children. He leered down at them.

“So... you’ve arrived. Earlier than expected, I confess. Trig Shepminter: Action Survivor, Clairvoyant, and Kid Hero. Then we have Pontenna Annora: Deuteragonist, Love Interest, Reluctant Fanservice Girl, and onetime Damsel in Distress. These two really are the ones I must face? To say the author is losing his touch is an understatement.”

The cavern rumbled again, causing Trig and Tenna to hold each other as they backed away from the Great Khan. Trig noticed, (with a sense of terror) that his premonition of dread had still not gone away. He was certain the sudden re-appearance of the Great Khan would be the nightmare scenario he was dreading… but apparently not.

Malum looked up.

“Ah yes. The Song of the Solitaire is here. You’ve done the thing properly, boy. Well done.”

Trig was trying to build up his willpower. He knew he would have to fight. Next to him, Tenna was trembling.

“What the hell are you talking about!?” Trig demanded.

Malum stepped off the platform and began slowly walking around the Sanctum, looking at each altar and shrine as he spoke.

“The truth.” Malum said. “Although in most corners, it is known as the Great Lie.”

Tenna shuddered.

Malum ran his fingers along one of the Broken Gates.

“You’ve been told of my explorations and discoveries, have you not?” Malum said. “I have been to places your underdeveloped minds can scarcely comprehend. I have seen beyond what lies above our reality.”

“The Wellspring of Chaos.” Tenna breathed. “You saw how the Universe was made.”

“Not just our universe.” Malum said. “A multitude of them. All created by a demented god for his own twisted enjoyment. Entire realities living through cycles of violence and misery. I swore an oath that I would overthrow the demon responsible for creating a multiverse of suffering. The work had barely begun when the author moved against me… cast me out and pronounced my death to the world.”

Trig’s whole body was shaking, it was a struggle to keep his anger in, and the constant bombardment from above was not helping. As the caverned trembled again, Malum went on:

“I can see the disbelief in your heart, boy. I felt the same at first. But soon, I began to see the telltale signs. Evidence of the author’s influence.”

“Evidence?” Tenna repeated.

“Oh, please tell me you’re not buying this crap!” Trig responded.

“Our reality was created by a careless author who ignores finer details.” Malum was speaking to Tenna, and Trig stepped in front of her to break his line of sight. “His carelessness is so egregious that it is visible to those around him… which makes it doubly so to myself. But why listen to my words when you could hear them for yourself?”

The Great Khan waved a hand lazily above his head. The luminous crystals in the ceiling began to twinkle.

Lightstones. The word came into the children’s minds, followed by understanding. Lightstones from the Graveworld of Partoga.

The Lightstones began to act like stage lights, adjusting their brilliance to create a pair of holograms in the middle of the chamber. The vaguely defined shadows of a man stood in the center of a room, while dozens of shadowy figures surrounded him and spoke in critical tones, their voices produced by telepathy. One by one, the shadows hurled critiques and criticism at the figure they surrounded:

“Back in Chapter 27, Appia appears as a stowaway on the ship. Her appearance seems off. Appia’s appearance needs some narrative help here.”

Another shadow pushed its way to the front of the crowd:

“You do realize Arahu was 14 at the time of his death? How did he have a son already? Who was the mother? Or is this another really bad continuity error?”

And the shadows kept coming:

“My personal writing pet peeve: exclamation marks. Action paragraphs that have an exclamation mark at the end of every line are a huge no-no. It's like screaming in the reader's face.”

The Lightstones washed out the holograms, only to replace them with another display of Psionic shadow-puppetry. A pair of shadows confronted their target together while the images of mathematical calculations appeared in the air around them:

“Two thousand Gigajoules would be a fairly small nuke. Roughly twenty-four Davy Crocketts or one-thirtieth of a Little Boy.” One shadow said.

“Easy solution is to edit to the 2000 Gigajoules to 2000 Terrajoules, because that definitely would send the base sky high.” Its companion added, then pressed on: “I’m guessing Sutharia is in the region of ten to the twenty-first to ten to the twenty-third kilograms. When you said ‘the whole world lurched up one meter,’ it didn’t make sense. No asteroid is big or fast enough to do that.”

Finally, one last shadow approached,

“Dear author. You didn't deserve this, and I apologize. But there are so many small issues here, that you would undoubtedly have caught in a revision.” The final shadow shook its head in a disappointed way. “Why do I feel that the story neither provides any sense of closure, nor leaves me with an interesting mystery, but mainly confusion?”

As the final shadow turned its back on the lone silhouette, a smaller shape approached. Unlike the others it was female in appearance.

“Maybe I can help?” A female voice started to say, but Malum waved a hand. The Lightstones dimmed and the visions faded.

“What you’ve seen is but a shadow of the enemy I face.” Malum told the children. “An inept god, an uncaring, clueless creator, a failure of an author who should have put down the pen when he had the chance. He could have saved himself from my reckoning. Instead… here we are.”

Malum gestured around himself, to the Broken Gates, to the silver orb on is pedestal, to the children and the Lightstones above.

“And now that I have regained physical form, I can resume my work. The conquest and subjugation of our negligent god.”

“That’s madness! What happens after your big fight with a real god?” Trig spat.

“After?” Malum raised an eyebrow. “After comes the greater work. To cleanse the multiverse of the author’s so-called handiwork. To restore peace and order to all peoples, everywhere.”

“Like you brought peace and order to the Luminous Frontier?” Trig said. “By enslaving and brainwashing billions of people?”

“There are many who would resist, and they have.” Malum said. “Not everyone can comprehend the fact that they are being rescued from a fate worse than death. So if I must, I will force bliss and serenity upon those who do not comprehend the nightmare they would leave behind.”

Out of the corner of his vision, Trig could see an indigo aura surrounding Tenna’s body. She was terrified.

“You keep saying that word.” Tenna whispered. “You said ‘author.’ You called Trig a ‘protagonist.’ You called me a ‘love interest.’” Are... Are we characters in a story? Are we not real!?”

Her words hung painfully in the cavern. Another deep rumble caused dust to fall from the ceiling.

Malum clenched his fists.

“Yes.” He said slowly. “Though to be precise, you and I are characters in his story.”

Malum pointed at Trig, who felt his blood run cold.

“To him, I am the final antagonist to be vanquished.” Malum said. “And you, girl, are a sexual object for him to lust over.”

Tenna was looking at Trig, her face pale, eyes wide.

“No...” Trig breathed. “That’s not true. That’s impossible!”

“Impossible? Says the boy aiming a weapon at me.” Malum remarked.

For the first time, Trig noticed that he was pointing Appia’s pistol at Malum. Tremors ran through the cave, nearly synchronized with his own heartbeat.

“You’re insane.” Trig seethed. “You’re worse than I ever imagined.”

Trig snatched a glance to his right. Tenna was so stunned by these revelations that she was frozen in place. She was going to be useless for the next few moments. Screwing up his courage, Trig declared:

“I’m going to put a stop to you, even if I have to do it alone!”

Trig pulled the trigger. The magnetic pistol went off with the sound of a cannon blast, and a moment later, Trig’s heart skipped a beat.

The gauss round had frozen in place, hovering in midair about halfway between Trig and Malum. The Great Khan had raised one hand, projecting some kind of energy field that enveloped Trig and the bullet, holding both in place.

As he was held in place by Malum’s power, Trig felt very strange. His heartbeat had slowed to a crawl, and it seemed to take several minutes to blink his eyes. The bullet fired from Appia’s pistol was still moving forward, but it made infinitesimal progress through the air.

Malum’s face was screwed up in a deep scowl.

“This is the part where an unlikely ally arrives on the scene and declares ‘you are not alone.’” Malum hissed.

He stood aside, and Trig suddenly found himself released from Malum’s hold. The bullet returned to normal speed and embedded itself in the cave wall with a loud thunk. Less than a second later, there was a loud explosion, and the tunnel entrance was suddenly blasted open. Chunks of rock sailed through the air before crashing onto the Sanctum floor. Two people stormed into chamber.

It was Appia Helford and Radyr Soulark.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Trig shouted. “How did Tenna’s stalker get here before anyone else?”

“That’s my stalker!?” Tenna repeated, looking at Radyr.

Malum turned around to spot the two newcomers.

“A pair of Third-Option Love Interests?” Malum said. “No... I see what you’ve done.”

Telekinetic energy struck Trig and Tenna with the force of a high wind. Both children were thrown across the room and crashed into one of the Broken Gates. The stone archway crumbled and collapsed. Trig grabbed Tenna and pulled her away from the falling rock.

“Tenna!” Trig yelled, shaking her by the shoulder. “What the hell did Malum just do to me? What kind of Psionic powers are we dealing with!?”

Trig was certain that Tenna would know something about Malum’s powers. She was a living encyclopedia of the Great Khan and his Horde. Tenna returned to her senses and quickly proved Trig was right.

“Time.” Tenna panted. “He can use Psionics to manipulate time. That’s how he slowed you down!”

At the same moment, Malum confronted Appia and Radyr, who were holding blaster rifles at the low ready.

“Author Avatars. I wondered if I would ever see the day.” Malum said. “I knew I would make your acquaintance at some point, Robinson. I take it this girl is your new editor.”

“Where are the children?” Appia said in a voice that was clearly not her own.

“Don’t try anything stupid.” Tenna’s stalker, the man called Raydr Soulark, also spoke in a voice that was not his own. “There’s more of us on the way.”

Malum clapped his hands in a slow and sarcastic sort of way.

“You’ve never inserted yourself into the story so drastically before.” Malum was pacing back and forth, never taking his eyes off the two interlopers. “A desperate ploy, perhaps? Ah, I see! Using the Doomed Love Interests to buy time for another ally to appear?”

Malum turned his head to look at Trig.

“Your mentor is still alive, isn’t he? Ponnico is on his way.” Then Malum turned his gaze back to Appia and Radyr.

Trig was on his feet. He pulled back on the charging handle of Appia’s pistol.

“We’ll take him together.” Radyr whispered to Appia. “You move in slowly on the left.”

“No! I’m taking him now!” Appia shouted.

She raised her rifle and fired. Trig took aim and squeezed the trigger at the same time. Malum raised his hands to conjure a Temporal Force Field, negating both attacks.

“Come on!” Malum growled.

A shockwave rippled through the air so quickly that Trig never saw where it came from. All at once, he was tumbling head over heels before crashing into the cave wall. Sharp pain ran up the length of his spine, causing Trig to cry out.

As he scrambled back to his feet, Trig could hear Tenna’s voice:

“Look out!”

Part of the ceiling began to crash in, making a noise like a waterfall. Tenna grabbed her helmet and quickly put it on. Trig forgot to grab his own helmet. He was trying to spot Appia and Radyr among the cascade of falling rocks. Keeping both arms over his head, Trig stumbled back to Tenna through the rock fall.

“We’re not going to make it until Ponnico gets here!” Tenna cried. “What do we do!?”

Trig looked around. Malum was slowly advancing on Appia and Radyr. The former was struggling to extricate herself from the rockslide while the latter was firing his blaster rifle as quickly as he could pull the trigger. Malum raised one arm and conjured a Temporal Force Field, causing each incoming shot to rapidly age until they were nothing but dust and a strong wind.

“We’ve gotta distract Malum somehow.” Trig replied, pulling Tenna to her feet.

Tenna had been injured at some point. She rested her full weight on Trig’s shoulder, unable to stand on her own. Her helmet was cracked and she pulled it off.

“I… I’ve got an idea.” Tenna panted.

“What?” Trig asked.

“Remember all those Valdemar drama shows we watched on the flight to Sutharia?”

“Not particularly, and is this really the time to bring that up!?” Trig said.

“We’ve gotta get help from the author!” Tenna raised her voice over the sound of gunfire. “He’s gotta be on our side if Malum wants to fight him.”

“What author!?” Trig repeated. “Did you really believe all that crap Malum was spouting?”

The emotional aura around Tenna’s body shifted through several colors… purple, blue, and red, before finally settling on gold.

“If something really dramatic happens, he can end the episode, or chapter, or scene, or whatever the hell this is supposed to be.” Tenna said hurriedly. “That’s how it worked on those shows, right? Then the author can do… I don’t know, whatever authors do when their characters are in a jam!”

“Tenna, do you hear yourself?” Trig started to say, but Tenna brushed her long hair out of her face, grabbed Trig with both hands, and interrupted, shouting above the noise of gunfire and rockslide:

“Trig Shepminter! You’re the hero! You’re my hero, and I love you! Please be my Athira!”

And she kissed him.

Trig felt Tenna’s lips on his... it was the single most wonderful, blissful feeling in the world. Suddenly, there was nothing to see or hear... As far as Trig was concerned, there was only Tenna and this glorious moment he wanted to last forever...

In a sense, Trig’s wish did come true. To him, it felt as though the entire universe had come to a full and complete stop.

<=== Previous (Chapter 57: The Broken Gates)

Next (Chapter 59: Rage Against the Author) ===>​

 

[CBR JGWRR]

I must confess I didn't see a literal "rocks fall, everyone dies" attempt. Subtle way of endorsing Malum? Along with asserting that Appia and Radyr are... knock-off characters of previous characters?

Is the female voice Chosenpai, and therefore why Malum dismisses her?

And is the stopping time an authorial Deus ex machina or Malum's commentary on Tenna's evaluation?

 

[Macavity116]

I must confess I didn't see a literal "rocks fall, everyone dies" attempt.

That wasn't me! Malum tried to use the trope against Radyr and Appia. Figured out pretty quick I was trying to act through them.

Along with asserting that Appia and Radyr are... knock-off characters of previous characters?

That was a little bit of self-deprecating humor on my part. Both characters were meant to be "rival love interests" competing for the protagonists before their respectively plotlines were abandoned. Malum just called out both characters for what they really were.

Is the female voice Chosenpai

Yup, that was Cho. She's slowly come aboard as a beta reader. I asked her to spot any plot holes or continuity mistakes that slip past me... since I have an established record of missing them.


(OOC note: I've fallen into the habit of always reading my chapters aloud before posting. I've found it increases the catch rate of errors significantly)

And is the stopping time an authorial Deus ex machina or Malum's commentary on Tenna's evaluation?

Definitely the former. By ending the chaper, the action is stopped and the author has regained the advantage in this fight. Hopefully the author can engineer a Deus ex Machina to save Trig and Tenna. They are completely outmatched by the Great Khan and don't have a chance of surviving unless the situation gets turned on its head.

 

[Chac1]

Very engaging, but at this point that's to be expected.

Truly though, this has become a project seeking veritas, a truth project.

“The truth.” Malum said. “Although in most corners, it is known as the Great Lie.”

The Great Khan, outfitted in lightweight plated armor, was two meters taller than the children. He leered down at them.

Yes, what is the truth when the fourth wall is shattered?
I must confess my slowness here. I realize the Great Khan is a character or event baked into Stellaris (saying this as a non-player). But "Great Lie" next to Great Con... oops Khan... well that has been there from almost the start and now just getting that.

“Our reality was created by a careless author who ignores finer details.” Malum was speaking to Tenna

As the caverned trembled again, Malum went on:

Sorry to say... but figured you'd want someone pointing out the above details. (Or was that planned? Nice way of covering your tracks.)

Finally, as someone who listens to the audio version, like very much how you ended the audio chapter. Nice touch.

 

[Macavity116]

I must confess my slowness here. I realize the Great Khan is a character or event baked into Stellaris

Yup. the Great Khan is a "midgame crisis" that usually kicks off about 100 years after the game starts. The Great Khan and his horde will rampage around the Galaxy for 15 to 25 years before the Khan dies. The Khan can be stopped by the player empire, but he must be defeated in battle twice before he'll stay dead. If no one manages to kill the Khan in battle, he will eventually succumb to other factors. He can die of natural causes, fall to an illness or even be murdered in his own bed by a concubine.

Once the Khan dies, the Horde will collapse and splinter into smaller warring states. No matter what, the Great Khan leaves a permanent mark on the Galaxy once he rolls through.

But "Great Lie" next to Great Con... oops Khan... well that has been there from almost the start and now just getting that.

Yeah, that was going to happen eventually. The Great Lie is the name given to the ending of the Vultaum story arc in Stellaris. It's inevitable that someone would have written a Stellaris story that used both the Vultaum and the Horde simultaneously.

Sorry to say... but figured you'd want someone pointing out the above details.

Oh, yes. That's quite correct. I do want people pointing out details in the comments.

Finally, as someone who listens to the audio version, like very much how you ended the audio chapter. Nice touch.

Thanks! I went back and forth on how to end this chapter a lot. The original plan was for the universe to "freeze" and the author himself would appear to yell an angry rant at Malum before deploying the Deus ex Machina. (full text of Macavity116's rant below)

"That’s it, Ralpakin. Your turn is over! You’re not in the Luminous Frontier anymore, facing a wayward disciple or defiant freedom fighter. You’re in my world now, where I set the stage, I call the shots... and I control who gets to live or die!"

I couldn't find a way to make the latter part work, so I just decided to have the chapter end abruptly instead.

 

[Chac1]

Thanks! I went back and forth on how to end this chapter a lot. The original plan was for the universe to "freeze" and the author himself would appear to yell an angry rant at Malum before deploying the Deus ex Machina. (full text of Macavity116's rant below)

"That’s it, Ralpakin. Your turn is over! You’re not in the Luminous Frontier anymore, facing a wayward disciple or defiant freedom fighter. You’re in my world now, where I set the stage, I call the shots... and I control who gets to live or die!"

I couldn't find a way to make the latter part work, so I just decided to have the chapter end abruptly instead.

Yes, but now that you have placed this in the comments, given the fourth wall shattering of the last chapter, it's here for you to use. You are cleverly having it both ways. Personally, liked the endings (written & audio) of the last chapter as they were.

We can await the dialogue of the next chapter to see who is the true evil force in the universe.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

So... What's the plan? Smite the Great Khan?

 

[Macavity116]

given the fourth wall shattering of the last chapter, [Macavity116's words are] here for you to use. You are cleverly having it both ways.

Now that I think more about it, yes I am. This ending has been twisting my mind a lot. Someone over on YouTube compared the above chapter to a movie called Neverending Story, so I've been trying to track it down and find out what that guy was on about.

So... What's the plan? Smite the Great Khan?

Trig and Tenna have allies trying to reach them, but they can't use the tunnel because they don't have the Keystone, so they'll need another way in. I just need to kick the door open... or blow a hole in the roof.

 

[HistoryDude]

How will Malum attempt to avoid Macavity's deus ex machina?

Can Malum see the comments on the forums?

Malum, why do you think that there is only one negligent deity? In fact, I seem to recall a couple of shout-outs to other AARs back in the Stormbreakers Universe... and if that implies that this AAR shares a multiverse with those ones... aren't there multiple authors?

Some of this chapter was channeling Star Wars. I'm vaguely surprised that Malum didn't say, "Search your feelings, Trig, you know it to be true...". I did appreciate the references, though.

Was the part about the Storyteller being "a failure of an author who should have put down the pen when he had the chance" a reference to the fact that you originally intended to abandon writing after the Stormbreakers and after The Last Heroes?

There's their kiss. It's a shame that Tenna's already technically Malum's Athira...

Wait, didn't the author (or authors) create the entire multiverse in the first place? Wouldn't a total cleansing of the multiverse "of the author's handiwork" involve the death of everyone, including Malum? Does he just want to create a multiverse of eternal peace with only the world that the author built as an indication that he ever existed?

 

[CBR JGWRR]

Malum can definitely see comments on the forums, and also not just for the Stormbreaker series; the shadow figures quote me and @Idhrendur discussing the bomb that blows up the facility where Sharpbeak is in Year Of Hell, for example.

Edit - it is interesting how the audio doesn't quote the excessive "to" in my post, while the text does. The original line from Year Of Hell, with the "to" in question highlighted, is "Easy solution is to edit to the 2000GJ to 2000TJ, because that definitely would send the base sky high."

 

[Macavity116]

How will Malum attempt to avoid Macavity's deus ex machina?

At this point, Malum's best hope is to flip Tenna over to his side.

I seem to recall a couple of shout-outs to other AARs back in the Stormbreakers Universe... and if that implies that this AAR shares a multiverse with those ones... aren't there multiple authors?

That's why I added the "Wellspring of Chaos" mechanic, to firmly establish Macavity116 as the sole author of every work that currently has that name attached to it.

Some of this chapter was channeling Star Wars. I'm vaguely surprised that Malum didn't say, "Search your feelings, Trig, you know it to be true...". I did appreciate the references, though.

Yeah, try as I might, I could not resist the urge. However, this will be the first time one of my stories ends on a Star Wars reference.

Was the part about the Storyteller being "a failure of an author who should have put down the pen when he had the chance" a reference to the fact that you originally intended to abandon writing after the Stormbreakers and after The Last Heroes?

Oh, yes. Absolutely. I really don't know when to call it quits, as it turns out.

There's their kiss.

Right at the climax! So happy I finally made this happen.

Wait, didn't the author create the entire multiverse in the first place? Wouldn't a total cleansing of the multiverse "of the author's handiwork" involve the death of everyone, including Malum?

If Malum knows this... would he use "cleansing of the author's handiwork" as codephrase for rebuilding a conquered multiverse in his design?

it is interesting how the audio doesn't quote the excessive "to" in my post, while the text does. The original line from Year Of Hell, with the "to" in question highlighted, is "Easy solution is to edit to the 2000GJ to 2000TJ, because that definitely would send the base sky high.

That's an artifact of the really haphazard/amateur way I do the podcast portion. I am actively editing and making final tweaks to the written post during each recording. (yes, I realize I shouldn't do that) The result is that my spoken word and written word sometimes don't match up. There's usually three or four discrepancies like this in every chapter posted to Youtube, but they're typically small and hard for me to notice. I should get a real-life editor and not a fictional one... but I should probably get money for that sort of thing first. XP

Also, for the sake of brevity and clarity, I had to edit and shorten all of the critical quotes. @Peter Ebbesen wrote a novella while listing all of the problems with my poorly made entry in the Guess-the-Author thread. (Stepping away from Stellaris to try and write fantasy was fun... but I am clearly no good at it) While it is really good concrit for me to use in future writing projects, I obviously could not reproduce his critical opus in this chapter. To avoid dragging the sequence out, I just made use of the one paragraph I liked most.

 

[CBR JGWRR]

The thing is, Malum knows the author intends to use him to turn Tenna, so, he therefore knows that he can't win by turning Tenna.

 

[Peter Ebbesen]

Also, for the sake of brevity and clarity, I had to edit and shorten all of the critical quotes. @Peter Ebbesen wrote a novella while listing all of the problems with my poorly made entry in the Guess-the-Author thread. (Stepping away from Stellaris to try and write fantasy was fun... but I am clearly no good at it) While it is really good concrit for me to use in future writing projects, I obviously could not reproduce his critical opus in this chapter. To avoid dragging the sequence out, I just made use of the one paragraph I liked most.

Hey, it was a fine attempt, and I only criticized it that much because I liked what you attempted. You should definitely try writing more fantasy.

After all, the problems I had with it were not related to your writing fantasy, but mainly to you being a bit sloppy about details such as the position, orientation, and distances involved. At least you didn't do a GRRM and make the Tomb 700 foot tall.

 

[Macavity116]

Malum knows the author intends to use him to turn Tenna, so, he therefore knows that he can't win by turning Tenna.

Well its a good thing I've been holding the cast in place ever since Chapter 58 ended. Malum hasn't had a chance to check for updates since he got his body back. >

Hey, it was a fine attempt, and I only criticized it that much because I liked what you attempted. You should definitely try writing more fantasy.

Well I do appreciate it. And maybe someday I will. I grew up on books like Narnia and Harry Potter, so at least I've got a frame of reference to start from.

the problems I had with it were not related to your writing fantasy, but mainly to you being a bit sloppy about details such as the position, orientation, and distances involved. At least you didn't do a GRRM and make the Tomb 700 foot tall.

Now I've fudged the size, speed, and scale of starships plenty of times... but I think inflating a building by 700 feet would be noticed pretty quickly. XD

 

[CBR JGWRR]

Yeah, but you've been talking about how Tenna turns since long before chapter 58.

 

[Macavity116]

Yeah, but you've been talking about how Tenna turns since long before chapter 58.

Yes, a very long time. In fact, I've been talking about turning her since Year of Hell. Her name was Imogen back then.


So... Song of the Solitaire is set in the Stormbreaker Universe. That means I need to take a moment to enforce a specific trope/tradition from that story. Please bear with me:

---

Well here we are.

As of this moment, I have finished writing the ending. Song of the Solitaire is complete.

I wanted to take a moment to say "thank you" to everyone who has been here for the journey. When I first started writing this tale, the original plan was for Song of the Solitaire to be the first installment in a planned trilogy. The story would have been 20 chapters long and would have had a cliffhanger ending leading straight into the second book: Soulfire Symbiont. But as things went on, I happened upon a much better way to present Trig's story.

Rather at the last moment, I decided to massively re-write the entire story of Trig. Song of the Solitaire, Soulfire Symbiont, and The Silent Scion were all combined into a single massive book simply called Song of the Solitaire. The events and plot points of all three books are present in the final version of Song of the Solitaire, albeit jumbled around and not presented to the reader in the originally intended order. There is one major exception: the ending of Silent Scion is not here.

Song of the Solitaire, as it is now, is the first half of a two-part story. The third act of Silent Scion will be expanded into its own full-length story, roughly the same length as part one. Keep your eyes on this thread and the Stellaris AAR forums to be notified when part two arrives.

As always, I am so incredibly grateful for the opportunity to share these stories with you. I never have any real expectations for these stories. I'm just out here to have fun.



"But when the time comes, I’ll be ready."

 

[Chac1]

Thanks for this update. Guessing that Chapter 59 will drop in this thread? Or is Chapter 59 just a tease?

Thanks for the context and insights of the last post. Guessing that the rewrite/rework improved upon the original plans. This reader has enjoyed the ride. Now just waiting for the last chapter(s) to arrive.