Arrival — It was the binary star that attracted our ship. Its perpendicular twirls winked from a cosmic horizon. Then, our ark was on its five-hundredth generation (or somewhere thereabouts). Now we’re nearing six-hundred — a milestone — and the system is closer in reach. We sucked the sap of innumerable suns…

First Impressions of Yowunas Maias — We landed in the ocean, a few miles south-west of the Yowunas Maias mainland. It’s gorgeous down there, but we’re not equipped to compile a full report of our findings. The waters teem with life, and our biologists were profoundly annoyed when I ordered them onto land. Initial observations by…

Prowl of the Maian Tiger — We awoke on the bank to the sound of a purr. It seemed to come from the trees. Indeed, there was nothing to see on the beach; and nowhere for creatures to hide. Instinctively — though none had seen a cat aboard our arks — we felt comforted by the…

Festival — A sound of squawking roused us from our slumber. Local parrots flew in fear of approaching mammals, crawling through the brush. Attracted to our scent, a group of simian detectives — loud and whooping in the distance — made their way towards us. ‘Kin wot?’ the vile creatures chattered. ‘Orr!’…

The Pink Crystal — NOTE: This is merely the opening “introduction” section of Chapter Five. The full piece will publish soon, and act as a final part to the ongoing “Maian Tiger Trilogy”. A Decent fortnight lasts — by our current calculations — for a further eight days than its cosmic counterpart. A week…

First Officer’s Poem — Binary sunlight creates an undulation of heat, which washes ‘cross the brush as a humid hurricane. Our feet are bruised from days of journey, vines and snakes overhead, but the blinking motion of the dancing stars is almost too much to bear. We have to remember, out loud sometimes, that…

Observations of the Settlers — Eventually, our Scout Crew discovered A Decent Land. They set to work exploring the most hospitable continent — Yowunas Maias. A magnificent magenta moonrise floods the deserts of Yowunas in pinkish hues. A lunar blue illuminates the parched, scant and blackened cacti. — Scout Crew Captain, Year One

Brief biographies of the first forty ships to arrive in the system Mammaria. — 1. The Cryochambers Most of the time, our people exist with a constant mortality as a shadow to their lives. Put simply, they’re scared to die. Who isn’t? That’s the natural order of things. Yet, to some, the end can’t be contemplated; there’s too much work on the slate. Subverting the astral timing…

Brief biographies of the first forty ships to arrive in the system Mammaria. — Part One of this anthology is available here. 6. Diseased Metropolis (Vetzsas Maias) Vetzsas Maias was once a proud capital, but now it holds that status out of pity. It’s a shaking, traumatised invalid, with a thriving media industry. I suppose, when I meet the Musicians of Maias, it’s easy to see why creativity blooms…

Brief biographies of the first forty ships to arrive in the system Mammaria. — Part One of this anthology is available here. Links to the remainder of A Decent Land can be found in this collection. 11. Greenbelt Citadel (Zaļā Yowusta) Zaļā Yowusta is forbidden territory. Only a few royal delegates may visit, and natives stay put; fearful of disease. They take special care with their on-board forestry, scooped…

Brief biographies of the first forty ships to arrive in the system Mammaria. — Part One of this anthology is available here. Links to the remainder of A Decent Land can be found in this collection. 16. The Gallery For several generations — at the start of our journey — art was abandoned; culture was scrubbed. Residential arks were stocked with a digital library of classics to…

Brief biographies of the first forty ships to arrive in the system Mammaria. — Part One of this anthology is available here. Links to the remainder of A Decent Land can be found in this collection. 21. Diseased and Cured Supplemental Engineering Although unsung, Engineering is essential; the most important department in the fleet. We stretch it over several ships, with a number of supplemental vessels. In practice, subordinates perform…

Brief biographies of the first forty ships to arrive in the system Mammaria. — Part One of this anthology is available here. Links to the remainder of A Decent Land can be found in this collection. 26. Foundry Foundry offers zero-hour contracts to its staff. Ever since the smog supplanted Manufacturing lines, metal and derivatives have fallen out of fashion. We still make use of all…

Brief biographies of the first forty ships to arrive in the system Mammaria. — Part One of this anthology is available here. Links to the remainder of A Decent Land can be found in this collection. 31. The Village (Pōr T’iēm) The Village was built for senior citizens, and their moulting pets. We all dream of retirement, but few will reach the requisite age. Pensions pay for paradise, and…

Brief biographies of the first forty ships to arrive in the system Mammaria. — Part One of this anthology is available here. Links to the remainder of A Decent Land can be found in this collection. 36. Pawn The Pawns are, as their name implies, disposable detachments of our average infantry, with a modest set of user-friendly weapons and defences. A single Pawn is useless cannon…

Brief biographies of the first forty ships to arrive in the system Mammaria. — Part One of this anthology is available here. Links to the remainder of A Decent Land can be found in this collection. 41. Scout If you see the bright green eyes of Scout grow larger in your sky, visit local monuments; prepare to say goodbye. Take the time to honour your surroundings…

An introductory pamphlet from the Lords of the Eye, addressed to the youth. — We see The Eye in our dreams, before its existence is even revealed to us. And so, we rest assured — in faith — by our own experience. Its pupil crimson, like our royal family’s castle (no coincidence), The Eye is ever locked in observation. …

Comments from The Immaculate Lab on the nature of rare elemental discoveries. — 01. Beveron (Bv) Atomic Number: 120 Atomic Weight: 300.46 Beveron was first discovered beneath the oceans of Ūdan-III. Hoarded by the mermaids and their kin, this magnificent substance holds a perpetual liquid state; regardless of its temperature. We use it as a solar lubricant, whenever a star is in our proximity. The brutish working classes were responsible for quite…

Here, I take a deeper look at the Decent Land project. What are my responsibilities as the Art Director, and how do they tie in to my lore? — My latest novel — A Decent Land — is an experimental legendarium of alien flora and fauna. But why? What’s it all for? My novel, and podcast series, is just one part of a huge NFT art project, which I’m directing (from the creative side). Please don’t kneejerk! We all…