October 5, 2020 – Blade

On Themis, swords come mainly in three varieties. The pirates have their blades, rumored to have originated in the Middle East before migrating to the Caribbean. The Vikings have their solid blades, crafted using a technique long forgotten and lost on Earth. The Knights Templar also have their own blades crafted to use the weight of the weapon as part of the attack’s momentum.

October 6, 2020 – Rodent

There is one species of rodent that is of particular concern to most of the space force. While not yet classified by name, it is well known by sight. This creature looks like a small gray mouse with red eyes. Those who have witnessed the creature in action have seen it eat creatures the size of a dog using a method familiar to anyone who’s seen a python.

October 7, 2020 – Fancy

Somewhere it must be written that senior officers must be a practically inept at anything that might seem as normalcy anywhere else. No matter where they go, where they might be, whatever they might be fighting, somehow they always have all the implements to host a formal dinner.

October 8, 2020 – Teeth

Teeth are a common find anywhere. Teeth the size of artillery shells were not common a sight for the members of the US Space Force until their arrival on Themis. They are usually found after the passing of the purple full moon. Some of the senior officers are of the opinion that someone should go look for whatever loses these large teeth. Most of the enlisted are of the same opinion only if those someones are the senior officers.

October 9, 2020 – Throw

The local trolls are capable of throwing spears the same distance that a local elf can shoot an arrow. The size of the spear makes this a troublesome fact.

October 10, 2020 – Hope

There’s something about a sunrise that speaks to hope. Whether it is the sunrise on Earth or a sunrise on Themis, there’s something about watching the beginning of a new day that gives hope.

October 11, 2020 – Disgusting

Wet environments breed disgusting things. Whether it’s just the muck and mud, or the things that might occupy said muck and mud, or the things that mix with the muck and mud, always have an extra pair of boots.

October 1, 2020 – Fish

Being a pirate is easy. Being a pirate on Earth was easier. Being a pirate on Themis is really hard. Being a pirate on the losing end of an encounter with the ships of the Knights Templar, the Vikings, and the Elves is really bad. Surviving the encounter itself is not the bad part. Finding yourself in the Themis oceans with the fish is where things get really bad. On Earth, there were legends of something called angler fish that looked pretty scary. Here on Themis, the angler fish would be an improvement over the demonfish that occupy the oceans. Between the monstrous looks and the monstrous teeth and tentacles, the demonfish almost makes one miss the sharks of Earth.

October 2, 2020 – Wisp

Willow trees on Themis are the gathering spot of the wisps. When an elf dies, their spirit leaves their body in the form of a wisp. That wisp then begins a journey to return to the willow trees of the elven lands. The wisp has until sunset to return to secure its spot in the line of returning to life. Those wisps who fail to return to the willows are lost forever as the banshees of legend.

October 3, 2020 – Bulky

Trolls are bulky creatures. Being a magical mixture of stone and flesh makes one bulky by nature. The larger the troll, the bulkier it is. While trolls of Themis are known by other names on earth, from the largest to the smallest they are merely trolls on Themis.

October 4, 2020 – Radio

Radio was once the primary form of contact for military operations. While the term is still used, radio now refers to anything involving military communications from satellites to computers. Orders once had to transfer over radio waves to get from the headquarters to the troops on the ground. Now headquarters can deliver orders directly to the individual soldiers.