Choice is Made

Last week, after my flight was cancelled, I sat at one of the working tables. There my mind began to wander. Naturally wander into the realm of my writing mind.
So, any-who. As I sat in this deep mind-wander a beautiful pitch-black man appeared out of a mental darkness. Seriously, a true black the color of fresh laid tar. Some mysterious soft light hit him and a midnight blue sheen flickered off his skin. Eyes, tinted by a hardened coating of some sort, began to glow orange. His body was unimaginably flexible, bending in ways not natural to normal humans.

This was Aleron, the agent for the next IIA case, book three. I guess my mind made up which story to do after False Salvation is finished.

I knew the next story would involve a life vessel, where the residents lived permanently on the ship. The case needed an agent acclimated to a zero-g environment, and what better one than someone born and raised in zero-g?

Perfect, right? My thought to. But it poses some challenges. First and foremost is what is needed in a human species that lives in space. (Yes, I've decided to make them a separate species instead of an ethnicity due to their interaction with and distance from other humans colonies/worlds. Within this human species I'm thinking of having 2 to 3 races, depending on how the research pans out.)

Aleron's species was genetically engineered centuries ago for life in no gravity. They're skeletal structure was modified so most of it is a special thick cartilage. What bone is left is super dense with little to no porous state. Their skin is thick and darkened to bounce off space's gamma and UV rays. Instead of eyelids, they have a special coating that protects their eyeballs from damaged, and again fights off the pesky gamma and UV rays. One of the coolest parts -- that I'm still working out -- is their modification of both inner ear and neuro receptors that manage their equilibrium and dexterity.

There's still a bunch to finish figuring out in this character's specie, aside from the storyline itself, but that's what's so exciting... the challenge is ON!

So, what is the most exciting research you've included in a story?