Stateroom Number Two
Liaden Tradeship Wynhael, Outbound from Banth, a Backworld
In which Jethri’s story is by no means over.
A new novel!
The prologue gives us Bar Jan chel’Gaibin nursing his grievances, some hints about what’s up on Banth, and Jethri continuing his career but discovering that Old Tech is still going to be a part of his life. The chel’Gaibin seems to have decided to take particular offence against Khat, so no doubt we’ll be hearing more of the crew of the Market along the way. That’s all the major dangling threads from Balance of Trade picked up already – all I ask now is a throwaway line about how Jethri’s moustache management is getting on, and I’ll be happy.
We get quite a detailed portrait of Bar Jan chel’Gaibin in the first part of the prologue. Not a nice fellow, the chel’Gaibin. The description of his debt book is revealing, and so is the bit about the rigged dueling pistols – that latter also saying something about the family he comes from, given that they’re the house’s pistols and not his personally. (I wonder if we’ll be seeing those pistols in action, later.)
We also learn some things about Jethri. The bit about him feeling as if fractins are aware of him is new, though it fits in with what we already had about his knack for salvage items.
Jethri is currently working on a world where they go in for elaborate ceremony, which gives us some interesting new flourishes on the bows. I particularly like the revelation that the language of bows includes a construction for “I realise my sleeves aren’t long enough to do this bow justice”.
I remember being really worried about Bar Jan’s machinations my first time through. In fact, looking back, the sense of dread from this chapter cast a shadow over the entire book for me. I think I’ll enjoy it all more this time, now that I know where it’s going.
Third time through, I cheated. I think I actually skipped the Prologue this time because I just didn’t want the aggravation of exposing myself to Bar Jan’s petty malice. Jumping way ahead: knowing that there will be a sequel to this story, I wonder if we’ll find out whether his grievances become even pettier—is that possible?—or whether his new station in life will bring about positive change in his character.
This prologue is more interesting than I realized before.
On Tradeship Wynhael:
For Bar Jan chel’Gabin the debt book and balance is a tool to acquirer advantage. The consideration whether that balance is justified or not doesn’t seem to be relevant. And how does chel’Gabin arrive at the balance price of 400 Cantra? It is twice the sum of a pressing dept.
This also shows how Bar Jan’s attitude toward money. He doesn’t seem to be aware of how much money 400 Cantra are for a Terran pilot – enough to buy her own ship. He also isn’t aware of how likely a Terran pilot is to have such a sum.
Another revelation are his feelings of rage and fear. There are two main reasons for his fear.
1. His confrontation with Kath shows him his physical inferiority and gains him physical hurts. While such an experience is one that would surely produce fear in almost anyone, it is also something that never before happened to Bar Jan and which upsets his world view.
2. And then there is the possibility that those that witnessed that situation will think him weak, laugh and talk about him. And he views this as a sure danger to him, not only because a possible loss of loyalty.
So Bar Jan isn’t as secure in his position and any weakness might be used against him. He is under a lot more pressure to prove himself than I realized before.
Another revelation is his man’s Khana vo’Daran comment about being among Terrans and thieves. It shows not only Khana’s but also Bar Jan’s clear knowledge about the company Rinork surrounds herself with. And Khana’s chance of survival in this company without Bar Jan might not be as sure a thing as it might seem.
Trade Hall, Cherdyan City, Verstal,…
Here Jethri tells us about the trade ring and its progressive stages of stones. He currently wears 4 crystal quartz stones in it. And it isn’t a year since he went to Irikwae.
If his claim to change the insets one per Trade world holds, we might deduce that Verstal is his 5th such world – considering that each crystal quartz inset would also count as a trading on Trade world. (That might count Irikwae as one, and then 3 other worlds before arriving on Verstal.)