Friends at the Table

It has been four and a half years since the Chime confronted Rigor on the planet of September, an event that has been dismissed as insignificant, yet simultaneously has served as a key catalyst for immense change in the Golden Branch star sector. Living symbols of unity become increasingly erratic and violent. Empowered operatives, both public and hidden, take action against the most corrupt force...

"It is with great joy and humility that we make the debut of this machine today. For so long, so many have struggled here on the frontier. Food is scarce, and time is even more precious. A hard day of labor is a thing to be proud of, but it does not yet stretch far enough. Soon, though, we will thrive, prosper, and if we work with dedication and vigor, we may even profit." -Chief Engineer Irene Kl...

As the only clock that really matters ticks further and further down, The Chime find themselves facing one sealed door after another. But do the doors protect something precious or keep something dangerous locked safely away? AuDy makes one final attempt at convincing Maryland that the planet isn't a safe place. Mako finds too-brief refuge in the arms of another. Aria Joie's investigation into Mar...

As ships pull into high orbit over September and an uncanny groan bleats from below it, The Chime pair off and move to complete their mission. Cassander and AuDy find themselves wondering if there's more to Dr. September's cabin than meets the eye. Meanwhile, Aria Joie and Mako Trig scrub through the past for an answer to the Institute's biggest mysteries. This week on COUNTER/Weight: Found Footag...

20,000 years before The Chime met on Counterweight, long before the Golden War against Apostolos, the Automated Diaspora devised a plan to stop Rigor once and for all, and at great cost... This week on COUNTER/Weight: Visions from Windows, Or: The Last Time the Bomb Dropped Alright, alright. Now back to work!   Hosted by  Austin Walker ( @austin_walker ) Produced by Ali Acampora Cover Art by Craig...

Throughout the Golden Branch Star Sector, leaders leap into action as news of a new, galactic threat spreads. Minerva's Steiger sisters move their invisible fleet into position. The Rapid Evening digs in deeper to their new outpost in the sector. Rigor stirs from it's slumber. And on Counterweight, Ibex knocks on a door. This week on COUNTER/Weight: Everything is Temporary Easy come, easy go Featu...

Though the rain seems to clear over the September Institute, The Chime move with well-learned caution. Mako Trig walks familiar steps, only to find something very askew. AuDy and Maryland spar, first over the notion of leaving the planet, and then about more... esoteric things. And Aria and Cass find themselves facing the cost of brief, innocent indecision. This week on COUNTER/Weight: A Knock at...

Maryland September has been located and The Chime are safe but only for the moment. The storm rages outside and with it, threat hangs heavy in the air. In a space that is both familiar and unfamiliar, where does the real danger lie? A simple phone call, a little impatience, a forgotten responsibility, and a distant memory... what could be worse than a little rain? This week on COUNTER/Weight: Reac...

After a near death encounter with a mysterious shooter, The Chime finally makes its way onto the seaside campus of the September Institute. Mako Trig leads the team's investigation, guiding them down hallways real and virtual, old and new. Meanwhile, Cass manages his concerns (and his temper), Aria deals with a surprise reunion, and on an mechanistic instinct, AuDy plants a seed more important tha...

Now that they've secured their entrance into The September Institute, The Chime has one last thing to do before investigating the campus: making sure their two newest bells are safe. The storm stays steady as night falls on September, is searching for Orth and Jacqui really worth the risk...? Of course it is! Cassander relies on his tech, AuDy makes themselves a target, Mako is reminded of a very...

As The Chime makes their way towards The September Institute, they find that they'll need more than style and wit to get past the campus gates. In the years that have passed since Mako's time as a student, who remains for him to count on and at what will they ask in return? As the storm swells over September, time becomes more and more precious... This time on COUNTER/Weight: Expertize with a Z Ke...

With the larger threat of Rigor rapidly approaching, The Chime have agreed to a truce with Ibex and his Righteous Vanguard. In exchange for this peace, they've taken on the most dangerous job they've ever had: Descend to September, locate the school's missing founder, and figure out how to wound something they can barely comprehend. This week on COUNTER/Weight: Another Facility Among Trees Better...

A Lion and a Man chanced to travel in company through the forest. They soon began to quarrel, for each of them boasted that he and his kind were far superior to the other both in strength and mind.   Now they reached a clearing in the forest and there stood a statue. It was a representation of Heracles in the act of tearing the jaws of the Nemean Lion.   "See," said the man, "that's how strong we...

While Kingdom Come creeps through the dark, the Golden Branch explodes into violence and betrayal. In the peripheries of the sector, the Golden Branch Demarchy, the Hands of Grace, and the Rapid Evening seek to secure the power necessary to survive what's to come. On Counterweight, the Golden Branch's beating heart, Minerva Strategic attempts to undermine its rival, while Ibex's Righteous Vanguard...

As Ibex's Righteous Vanguard lands on Counterweight, the Kingdom Come drifts away in a slow arc towards September. The trip is long and cold and quiet, and with a surplus of free time on their hands, The Chime turns towards introspection. Aria Joie is led into a new musical endeavor, Mako Trig unearths new truths about the history September Institute, and Cass considers both of his families.   And...

The Divine Detachment circles the planet at a blistering velocity, its corresponding satellites watching over it. On board The Kingdom Come, The Chime finds itself in argument, and Detachment silently approaches. Aria faces off against the laws of gravity, Cass struggles to piece a plan together, Mako thinks it'd be a good idea if you call him Larry now, and parts of AuDy are lost and found. This...

The Kingdom Come has left the surface of Counterweight, but it hasn't quite made it out of orbit. Between a furious unit out for revenge, and a stuffy military bureaucrat insistent in doing things by the book, the Chime will need to get creative to get away. Cass tries to justify his ownership of Apostolosian materiel, Mako goes on a covert operation with his new best friend, and Aria and AuDy try...

With the newly formed Righteous Vanguard closing in on them, the Chime makes final preparations for escaping Counterweight. AuDy winds up working as a pawn in a much larger game while Cassander examines the state of the board. Elsewhere, Mako faces an uncannily familiar opponent and Aria Joie finds herself in an unexpected (but not unwelcome) rematch.   This week on COUNTER/Weight: It's Still Dark...

As the members of The Chime awake from the memory farm, they return to a world that has changed without them. Corporations may have restructured, empires may have fallen but the threat of Ibex remains and so there is no time to react, only to prepare. Cassander receives their inheritance, Aria turns a rival into a follower, AuDy trades a tray for a pilot's seat and Mako catches glimpses of himself...

As our heroes review the past, the Golden Branch Star sector moves forward without them. And it moves towards instability. New corporate initiatives seek to re-establish the status quo. Old heroes come out of retirement, hoping to change things dramatically for the better. Masterminds move chess pieces and pawns contemplate their sacrifices. And above the planet Sage, Grace tightens her fist.   Th...

Military water running down stainless steel cookware. The rustling of paperwork, yet unsigned. The warm hum and soft glow of engines alight. Distance and purpose, intermingling in the space between stars. A hand on a shoulder. A choice that makes itself. Eyes and voices, hearts and threats, and our familiar hesitation. This week: Crisis! (A Solemn Vow Above The Sea of Counterweight) Some things la...

The Chime lay on medical beds on the surface of Counterweight, hooked into a simulation to learn as much as they can about Ibex, candidate of Righteousness. Inside the simulation, members of the Kingdom, a coalition fleet lead by The Kingdom Come, are unsure whether or not to keep Ibex at a distance. Just what is it that makes Ibex a threat, and is he more dangerous near or far? This week on COUNT...

With Ibex's threat in the air, an old ally reaches out to The Chime with an offer: Learn about your enemy before you suffer the same fate I did. The group--with a few surprise additions--steps into the past to find out what exactly happened ten years ago. Before she was Queen-Captain of the Weightless, who did Tea Kenridge command? What did Addax mean when he said he hurt Cassander? Who piloted th...

The desert winds of Counterweight are broken by the sound of gunfire, as The Chime face foes new and old in the settlement of Seabed City. While Aria Joie finds herself tangled up in a mess of problems (and lasers), Cass proves his mettle as a soldier (and a doctor). Elsewhere, Mako confronts a living godhead and AuDy confronts the grey space between programming and feeling. This week on COUNTER/W...

The Chime takes off towards the abandoned dome to carry out their mission: Deceive Sister Rust and steal a mysterious golden orb from her Iron Choir. Unfortunately for them, they're not the only ones en route to Seabed City. Aria loses her footing, Cass confronts a truly awesome presence, Mako puts his training to the test, and AuDy makes a sacrifice.   This week on COUNTER/WEIGHT: "Metal that Has...