Although this series of posts has been labelled “Planet Gurx” it is simply the case that the denizens of that planet, the Strondovarians, have spread not only to other planets, but other star systems. Though other alien species may dispute the claim, this is the region that Strondovarians consider to be under their ownership:

The Core
These are the stars which are most populated and trafficked by the Strondos. Every world and moon in this range has been visited, studied, and put to use in some way, whether it be as a colony or being mined for resources to use elsewhere.

• Ahan: This is, of course, the system in which the planet Gurx is located and the Strondovarians arose.
• Iapway: The first system visited by Strondo explorers millennia ago, Iapway features a lot of the oldest colonized worlds away from home. To prevent the occupants here from straying too far from Strondovarian culture, the technology was invented to sync up the Knowledge Base to other systems.
• Parraeloa: This is the system where Strondos first located other complex life forms, Doaphean. This world was colonized and was highly populated, but was devastated during a cosmic war. It has been rebuilding, but even now, thousands of years later, the scars from that war are felt.
• Gaobaina: Finding no planets here with atmospheres that could be altered for their use, the Strondovarians set up colonies here in underground cities where they didn’t need as much air.
• Chossnox: This is the industrial section of the core where there are many factories or shipyards and such. There is a steady stream of resources being shipped into this system from other ones.

The core is the most highly protected. This map does not even identity what types of stars each system has, because that would make it easier to find the actual location of Gurx, and the Strondos don’t want that. It is assumed, though, that in one of these systems (or perhaps in the space between them) the construction of New Gurx is underway.

The Outskirts

These systems are less populated. In some, there are worlds largely ignored by the Strondos, or there are small frontier populations that the primary Strondo culture consider strange. In several (Heatyee, Semban, Lookaix, and Paikochid), the main presence is automated machines that are strip mining the worlds and bringing the resources to the core.

But there are systems in the outskirts that have some points of interest:

• Briagrog: With many worlds with underground colonies, like those in Gaobaina, this system would probably be considered part of the core if not for its distance.
• Nooabbaeo: A massive space telescope has been built here, with an accompanying science outpost to study its findings.
• Lay: This system has the most space stations, which makes it a nice location for Strondos who aren’t as comfortable on planets (it’s not a small number that feel that way).
• Aekaerin: This system is home to the biggest space station known to Strondos. That’s nice for Strondos who prefer space stations, but not small ones.
• Kloubuoan: A frontier area populated only by Strondos who feel like they need to escape from something, or who think they have some big idea and this is the perfect place to bring it to fruition.
• Eapoas: Another frontier area, this is considered the “last stop” in Strondo space before reaching the star system where planet Blong is located. For that reason, there is a colony here in which both Strondos and Blongians live together.
• Ookig: During the cosmic war against forces much more powerful than they were, the Strondos created a “false Gurx” here and made it seem as if this system was the capital of their culture, to better hide Ahan. Though neither Gurx was successfully attacked during that war, the fake one is generally avoided because it reminds Strondos of that conflict.
• Poaitheem: Is home to “the Graveyards” a remnant of destruction from the cosmic war. Shattered spaceships and artifacts can be found here, and Strondo scientists have gone looking for them, but they usually only find strange occurrences have given the system a reputation for being haunted.

And here is an example of an automated spacecraft that tows resources from one system to another at sub-light speed, so it takes quite a while:

Bwotyaxhugalla

On the shores, not far to the south of the city Varniv, a Bwiak is crawling along the rocks hunting for Eyaedroy cocoons. Before it has a chance to feast, however, a Briapway swoops down with intent to kill.

Bwiak

A predatory type of Vootuph, the Bwiak has a specialized tongue/limb that grasps and crushes its prey. This prey can be smaller Vootuph, but a real feast is Eyaedroy cocoons. Bwiak live solitary lives, making dwellings for themselves among the rocks, and protect their territory from others of their kind, only coming together when it comes time to mate.

Eyaedroy

An ancient species, not closely related to many other Gurxian animals still alive, the Eyaedroy has is born as an inchworm-like creature that moves inland to feast on vegetation. After about a year, if it hasn’t been eaten, it is full and returns to the shores where it can end its life cycle by going into a cocoon, but Eyaedroy cocoons are not solitary. Up to a dozen of the worms may cocoon up next to one another, forming a cluster in which genetic material can be shared. These clusters grow into the final stage of their life cycle: a sessile bulb that functions like a factory to pump out more of the worms.

Briapway

A Glounaph-of-Prey, if you will, the Briapway soars over the oceans along migratory routes, feeding on whatever sea or shore life it happens upon. The fore-limb of the Briapway is tipped with sharp piercers that it can puncture into the flesh of its target. The Briapway’s digits spread slightly causing the piercers, which are barbed such that it can’t easily be pulled out, to hold onto the victim while it bleeds out.

While I was outside of my apartment today, I checked my mail. Wacky, right? Mailboxes aren’t really that useful in these Internet Times, but I still check in there out of habit and to throw out flyers. It’s a boring chore. But not today! Today I got something of a surprise. I got something worth doing a post on this website!

Anyway. It’s like this. There’s a thing in the mail saying I had a month-old unpaid parking ticket. So far, this seems possible. I’m a delivery driver, I do a lot of illegal parking over the course of the night, but it was strange that I never got a ticket on my window. Then I notice that it says the ticket was issued at 9:27 am! What kind of PDR would I be if I were out and active at that ungodly hour? Certainly that’s not a time I’d be working. If anything, I’d be in bed, hiding from the sun.

But I can’t remember what I was doing on January 18th. What kind of sicko remembers things that far back? Well, I know that I send 75% of my errant thoughts to young Marq, so I open up our text conversation thread and scroll back a month to see what I was up to. It turns out that that was the very day I went out to get my Covid vaccine booster shot! Ah, so I had a reason to be out! It all makes sense again. BUT WAIT! I got my Booster at the Shoppers across the street from my apartment. I didn’t take the car. And anyway, the thing says the ticket was issued on University Avenue.

Still, I deserve a little comeuppance. And it’s only 35 dollars. My financial situation has been improving, this won’t crush me. I don’t worry about it while I work, though I do wonder if maybe I’d managed to get a ticket in my own parking space because someone didn’t know I lived there? And maybe some rebellious teens took the ticket away as a youthful prank? But that’s not on University Avenue. The contradictions are endless.

I figure that I can finally cease my wonderings when I get home from work and log onto the city’s website to look up the ticket. They have my plate number right there, sure, but the make and model shown are wrong. And to make things even more confusing, they’re showing the make and model and colour of my mother’s car. I wouldn’t have been driving her car a month ago, and even if I had it wouldn’t have had my plates on it.

Then I noticed they’ve got a picture. Obviously, I click that.

Sure enough, it shows a car of the same make and colour as my mother’s. And sure enough, it has a license plate one letter different from mine. Where one finds the letter “S” on my vehicle’s plate, there is, quite clearly, a “G” on this imposter.

Part of me wants to just ignore it. I’d love for them to take me to court when they have provided photographic proof that the car in question has a different make, model, and license plate than mine. But instead I’m probably gonna have to stay awake into normal business hours and talk to someone on the phone or something. Almost makes me want to just pay the $35.