| Equinox Part 4
 Obsidian  2025/12/22 11:46
 25  0
It starts with a tremor. Not physical—no quake, no impact—but a shift in the air. A pressure change. Like the station itself is bracing for something.
I’m reviewing the latest scan reports when a tight-band signal pings directly into my helmet. Synthea’s voice, calm but edged with urgency.
“Master. Incoming anomaly.”
I look up at the tactical display. No ships. No transponders. Just a distortion—space folding inward like a collapsing lung. A ripple of unreality.
And then they’re here.
They don’t dock. They manifest.
A corridor that was empty seconds ago now holds a formation of armored figures—tall, angular, flickering between dimensions. Their armor shifts colors and textures as if reality can’t decide what they should look like. Their insignia is unreadable, constantly rewriting itself.
Riftwalkers.
Extradimensional enforcers. The kind that show up when the universe itself files a complaint.
The moment they appear, their scanners activate—lances of shifting light sweeping the corridor.
And instantly, every one of their instruments screams.
A cascade of alarms erupts from their armor, their weapons, their sensor packs. Their visors flare with warning glyphs. Several of them snap into combat stances, weapons raised—not at the station, not at the lab equipment, but at me.
Because of course they do.
My armor, my rifle, my pistol, my sword—every piece of gear I carry contains extradimensional storage matrices. But that’s not what’s setting them off.
It’s the signature.
The unmistakable, impossible-to-forge imprint of the one who forged them.
Synthea’s voice hits my comms again, sharp and immediate.
“Master—your equipment is broadcasting a high-tier dimensional imprint. They recognize the origin.”
I don’t respond. I don’t have to.
The Riftwalkers already know.
Their formation wavers—just slightly, but enough to betray something I’ve never seen from them before.
Hesitation.
The lead Riftwalker steps forward, visor flickering violently as it tries to reconcile my presence.
“High Justiciar,” he says, voice layered and distorted. “You carry… artifacts.”
His tone shifts. Not hostile. Not accusatory.
Careful.
I keep my voice level. “Standard issue for my rank.”
“That is not standard,” he replies. “Those items bear the mark of—”
He stops.
The entire squad freezes.
No one says the name.
No one dares.
Even speaking it aloud in this reality could cause panic, or worse—draw attention.
Synthea steps forward, her voice now audible. “His equipment is stable. Controlled. And none of it is connected to the station’s breach.”
The Riftwalker’s visor pulses. “We will verify.”
“You’ll do it without pointing weapons at me,” I say.
A tense moment passes. Then, slowly, their weapons lower—but their scanners remain locked on me, tracking every micro‑shift in my dimensional signature.
Then one of their techs—if you can call something with three overlapping silhouettes a “tech”—speaks from a terminal.
“Resonance spike detected. Sector seven.”
The lead Riftwalker turns to me. “What is in sector seven?”
Synthea’s voice hits my comms instantly.
“Master—frequency modulator array. The gateway.”
I answer aloud. “That’s where they housed the dimensional modulator.”
The Riftwalker’s armor ripples. “Then the breach is active.”
I exhale slowly. “And it’s waking up.” |
|
| HEROINE UNDERCOVER 8
lordcoyote 2025/11/5 15:38
114 0
|
| PRAGMATISM
lordcoyote 2025/9/24 13:54
116 0
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| SUM TLC
lordcoyote 2025/9/25 9:40
119 0
"Oh, what do we have here?"
(poke) "MMMMMMMM!!!"
"Do you have an appointment at the mob hospital?"
"MMMMM! MMMM! ....mmmmm...mm..."
"No matter. We can fit you in. Now just let the sedative do it's work."
".......*"
"That's it. now lets get you out of those clothes for some nice tender loving care." |
|
| HEROINE UNDERCOVER 8 PART 2
lordcoyote 2025/11/6 13:07
123 0
| It helps that they're horndogs. |
|
| KAIJU ALERT-037
lordcoyote 2025/10/7 11:38
127 0
| No jokes about getting fertilized, please... |
|
| BEAUTY IS NEVER TARNISHED
lordcoyote 2025/11/16 11:31
135 0
| Especially if they stay out of the action... |
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| GOOD EATIN
lordcoyote 2025/10/10 17:50
143 0
|
| LAST VIEW BEFORE LIGHTS OUT!
lordcoyote 2025/9/17 7:27
148 0
| So, was robbing that toys for tots van worth it? |
|
| INSULT TO INJURY
lordcoyote 2025/10/20 13:55
164 0
| If only nigh invulnerability meant no pain... |
|
| LUSTY SPIRITS!
lordcoyote 2025/9/22 16:42
190 0
Super strength.
Does squat if you can't punch what you're mad at... |
|
| Test render
Obsidian 2025/9/17 16:56
199 0
| I started creating morphs via dformers so that I can separate facial features for my G1. The full effect is to be able to move the eyes, ears, nostrils, and other features independent of one another so that I can make them asymmetrical, for greater realism in my G1 images. I'll be doing more pmo |
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| KAIJU ALERT-036
lordcoyote 2025/9/15 14:57
200 0
| Now, who in their right minds would build a humongous mecha with boobs? |
|
| HEROINE UNDERCOVER 7
lordcoyote 2025/10/24 14:53
208 0
| Oddly Ravyne found the gettup used to infiltrate the mob-run casino to be more more embarrassing that her usual costume. |
|
| PRIM AND IMPROPER 18
lordcoyote 2025/7/21 9:47
240 0
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| KAIJU ALERT-033
lordcoyote 2025/6/30 16:48
261 0
| Tree must have some deep roots... |
|
| KAIJU ALERT-027
lordcoyote 2025/1/14 19:18
267 0
The secret to defeating big creepycrawlies:
Smash em til they quit twitching! |
|
| DEALING WITH IDIOTS 4
lordcoyote 2025/3/22 13:25
281 0
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| KAIJU ALERT!-031
lordcoyote 2025/5/16 18:20
288 0
|
| V-FLAG
lordcoyote 2025/8/29 17:30
297 0
| Nigh invulnerability can have it's drawbacks... |
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| KAIJU ALERT-032
lordcoyote 2025/6/6 17:11
301 0
| Think she might need help? |
|
| KAIJU ALERT-030
lordcoyote 2025/2/18 18:20
302 0
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| KAIJU ALERT! 26
lordcoyote 2024/12/8 5:41
310 0
| Having some adventures in baby(monster)sitting... |
|
| Omega
Obsidian 2024/8/19 6:54
313 0
| Omega has had a couple of redesigns over the years but the same basic "Rogue Inspired" look still remains. Essentially she's a mashup between a Green Lantern and a Nova Corps. The concept is fairly straightforward save for one tiny caveat... She is the last Omega and possesses the full power of the "Omega Force". What is the Omega Force? I don't know yet but it sounds badass, right? Anyway, she's gotten her iRay update like most of my other characters and is ready for some storyboarding now. Stay Tuned for more concepts and redesigns. |
|
| Snake Eyes
Obsidian 2024/8/19 7:00
323 0
| Say it with me now... Yo Joe!! If you know you know. Snake Eyes is such an awesome character to work with and I had a blast recreating his iconic look. Timber was a joy as well getting just the right tweaks to make it look as realistic as this was challenging. Of course, I had to make this as soon as I did the Stormshadow image... I even did a Scarlet... yeah that one is so accurate... you'll see. For those who remember "GI Joe is the codename for America's highly trained special mission force. Its purpose: to defend human freedom against Cobra, a ruthless terrorist organization determined to rule the world." Ah those were the days. |
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| CHIVALRY LIVES!
lordcoyote 2025/2/1 11:26
326 0
|
| Ai Thoron Final sculpt.
Obsidian 2024/8/15 20:33
349 0
| So there was some time ago a story in which OBsidian traveled to an alternate dimension and got himself 4 new brides from a primitive tribe by accident. Two were later killed while trying to rescue him in a different story. The remaining two later assimilated into their roles aboard the ship quite well with Ai, assuming headship as "First Wife". She also assumed a role as chief of security, a role she takes seriously. Creating her look over time was a little difficult but I finally landed on one that spoke of her ethnic background and yet also paid homage to her elven & draconic nature. |
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| OLD VENDETTAS
lordcoyote 2025/4/24 8:56
349 0
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| KAIJU ALERT!-029
lordcoyote 2025/2/4 12:46
354 0
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| Equinox Part 2
Obsidian 2025/12/22 11:32
357 0
It takes a few minutes to coordinate the science and security teams—longer than I’d like, considering the circumstances—but eventually we get everyone moving in the same direction. Once the initial chaos settles, we start sweeping the station in a systematic grid pattern, clearing it deck by deck. It’s a monumental task; the place is far larger than the Federation’s briefing made it sound. What they called a “mid-sized research platform” is actually a sprawling labyrinth of labs, storage bays, habitation rings, and auxiliary modules. Typical.
In the end, it takes three hundred crew members two full days to secure the entire station. Two days of combing through empty corridors, silent labs, and untouched living quarters. Two days of finding everything perfectly in place—meals half-eaten, personal effects left out, experiments still running—yet not a single person anywhere. It’s like the universe hit a cosmic pause button and forgot to tell the inhabitants.
Once the all-clear is given, I have my science teams begin disseminating the station’s research files. I want to know exactly what these people were doing out here in the void, and more importantly, what they might have unleashed. Meanwhile, my security teams go over every scrap of sensor data and station logs with a fine-tooth comb. If someone sneezed in the last month, I want to know about it. A bad day is rapidly turning into a worse week.
To avoid any potential contamination or dimensional nonsense, I keep the Phantasm at a discreet distance and leave Shadow in charge. If anything goes sideways, I want my ship far enough away to avoid getting sucked into whatever disaster these researchers cooked up.
As we enter the central lab—a cavernous chamber filled with equipment I don’t recognize and probably don’t want to—I hear Synthea’s voice cut through the silence.
“Master! Over here!”
There’s an urgency in her tone that makes my hand go straight to my sidearm. I turn, weapon drawn, scanning for threats. “What do you got?”
“A life form, sir. It looks like one of the station’s crew.”
My stomach drops. “Why didn’t we pick them up before?”
“It appears to be shielded inside this containment unit,” she says, already running diagnostics. “Scanners can’t tell if they’re even alive.”
Of course. Because nothing on this station can be simple. “Okay, let’s work on getting this field down. Once we do, we’ll see if they’re able to give us any information on what happened here.”
It takes a few minutes to hack through the security protocols. Fortunately, we already have most of the station’s access codes, and Synthea makes light work of whatever encryption is left. Her fingers move faster than should be physically possible—one of the perks of having her around.
“I’m lowering the field now, Master.”
I motion for the science and medical teams to move in. No way we’re bringing this person aboard the Phantasm until we know exactly what we’re dealing with. Besides, the station’s medical facilities are far more extensive than ours. Might be best to have Lote’ come here and handle things on-site.
“Sir.” One of our lead medical officers interrupts my thoughts.
“What is it?”
“This woman is in deep cryo-stasis. It’ll be some time before we can get her transferred to the station’s hospital.”
“And why are you telling me this?” I ask, already suspecting the answer.
“You’ll have to see for yourself, sir.”
I step closer to the containment pod, the frost-covered glass clearing just enough for me to see the occupant. I blink, then blink again. Well, that’s unexpected.
Inside the pod is Dr. Hewitt—lead researcher, project coordinator, and the station’s top authority. The head honcho herself. If anyone should’ve been at the center of whatever catastrophe happened here, it’s her. Yet here she is, frozen like a popsicle while everyone else vanished into thin air.
“Well, well,” I mutter. “What do we have here? How is it you survived while everyone else disappeared in a proverbial puff of smoke?” She doesn’t answer, of course. I don’t expect her to… yet.
I turn to my officer. “This is your number one priority. Contact the ship and get Lote’ down here ASAP. Place this deck and the hospital deck under full quarantine until further notice. Synthea is the only one granted access to come and go. Remain in your suits until further notice. Do not take any chances.”
The officer nods and rushes off to carry out the orders.
Things are starting to look up—slightly—but I’m not about to start counting my chickens. Not in a place like this. Not with dimensional tech involved. Not when the universe has a habit of turning optimism into a punchline. |
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! 3D Art !
Original Characters
