So, I thought I'd share a few fun scenes.
A little background: the author, me, contacts the Dominion Council to instruct Eldwynn's crew to create some media promo material to boost audience engagement. This is what happens...
The Dominion Marshals Interviews
Prologue: The Author’s Directive
The Dominion Council Chamber was not accustomed to silence. It was a place of debate, of posturing, of bureaucratic thunderclaps disguised as policy discussions. Yet on this particular morning, the chamber sat frozen—every councillor staring at the pulsing sigil hovering above the central dais.
It was not a Dominion crest.
It was not any crest known to the Dominion at all.
It flowed and morphed, like ink dropped into water, reshaping itself with lazy inevitability into looping, elegant script:
THE AUTHOR REQUESTS COMPLIANCE.
A collective shiver passed through the chamber.
Councillor Merrow cleared his throat. “Is… is this another cyber‑intrusion?”
“No,” murmured Councillor Varrin, who had once survived a psychic storm and now trusted her instincts more than any firewall. “This is… something else.”
The sigil pulsed again, and a voice—calm, omniscient, and faintly amused—filled the chamber.
“Good morning, esteemed councillors. Do not be alarmed. I am the Author. Your universe is running beautifully, but audience engagement metrics indicate a need for… additional character insight.”
Several councillors exchanged panicked looks. One fainted.
“I therefore require,” the voice continued, “a full suite of holovid interviews featuring the crew of the Marshal corvette Eldwynn. They will answer questions willingly, thoroughly, and without attempting to escape through ventilation ducts. Yes, I am looking at you, Jack.”
A few councillors gasped. One whispered, “It knows their names.”
“It knows everything,” another hissed.
The sigil brightened.
“You will issue the necessary orders. The crew will comply. The interviews will be broadcast. The narrative demands it.”
And with that, the sigil winked out—leaving only a faint smell of ozone and the sound of several councillors reconsidering their career choices.
After a long, trembling pause, Councillor Merrow said, “We… we should probably do what it says.”
No one disagreed.
The Interviews are, hopefully, funny and give an insight into the characters.
I'll be publishing the interviews one by one over the next few days...