Spiral Dance
Transition
In which Cantra exercises due caution.
Here is another point of distinction between this setting and the setting of the later Liaden novels: the transition from Faldaiza nearspace to Taliofi nearspace takes twelve seconds. Interstellar journeys in the later novels are more likely to take hours, if not days.
(Or am I comparing the wrong things? Most of the journeys that come to mind at the moment involve Dutiful Passage, which is a full-size trade vessel; Spiral Dance is a much smaller ship, and maybe that is the only significance difference. Something to keep an eye on going forward, anyway.)
Spiral Dance has a lot of “old tech”, too. Does that make a difference to the shortness of the journey? Furthermore, Cantra flies “like a Rimmer”, which seems to mean that she does things that others would not try. That may make a difference, too.
On another topic, Dulsey has the gift of being able to let go of upsets and sleep. She’s not happy about being locked in, but she still takes Jela’s advice.
I don’t think it’s entirely specific to Dancer and Cantra, because Jela and Dulsey don’t find anything unexpected about the duration of the transition, and I’d expect Jela to have an idea of what to expect from a ship of Dancer‘s apparent specifications.
“Faldaiza nearspace to Taliofi nearspace takes twelve seconds.”
Maybe the two places are close together? In future books, transition (jump) time seems to be a function of distance.
Sweetly, while Jela grew anxious about Tree, out there in the piloting chamber with the suspicious Cantra, Tree sends him a scented lullabye.
Tree broke a branch and thumped the console during transition. Why? Frightened? This was not Tree’s first jump, but it was her first jump on Spiral Dance, and Cantra had fed coords into the nav comp to “fly like a rimmer” — waking Jela and Dulsey.
Yes, from my current viewpoint about halfway through Crystal Soldier, I’m thinking it was after all just that this transition was covering a short distance. Later transitions in this book and the next take longer, especially the long-haul trip out into the Beyond.
The tree may have just been physically shaken about; it’s not always easy to tell which of the tree’s movements are statements and which are just normal tree movement. I didn’t think the branch broke; I read “snapped” as being an indication of the suddenness of the movement rather than a description of its outcome.
(I wonder if anyone’s ever done a survey of Liaden fans about whether they see the tree as male or female. Myself, I have always tended to think of it as male if anything.)
Tree always felt female to me, but only slightly so. Later in the series, we find out for certain that Tree is a female, when books start using the pronoun “she” — I cannot recall the book, will have to check. I think maybe Scout’s Progress.
I took “a bough snapped” to mean “broke” but it could be as you say.
No, strike that last comment. I just looked quickly for the pronoun “she” in reference to Tree and did not find it. I felt so sure that I had seen the pronoun at least once.
Doubtless my interpretation is influenced by my own perception of Tree as maternal — nurturing with “home-made” seeds, influencing reproductive glands in Jela and Cantra, arranging marriages like some Russian Baba (Daava and Aelliana), attending the birth of Miri’s baby, etc.
But I could be wrong!
If I happen upon the pronoun, I will let you know. Otherwise, I beg your pardon.
During the transition, the tree “snapped a bow”, not a branch. It’s trunk must be fairly flexible forbye. The only damage was a dent in the pot and the loss of three leaves, which we see in the next chapter.
Just to note: trees come in three sex variants – male, female, and both. Both being known as “self-fertile”, it is by far the most common of the three. And, unless the Trees have been managing to clone themselves, there being only one tree alive for quite some period of time, yet one that has managed to produce a fruit – would lead one to conclude that it is self-fertile. Which seems to be a nurturing being by nature, one that places great value on its dragon family members.
Not only had Tree produced a fruit for dragon-to-come Jela, but now Tree has produced 3 fruits: for Jela and his 2 new companions? Does Dulsey eat a fruit? I’m not recalling at the moment. If she does, then that means all these years Uncle’s been associated with an unacknowledged member of Korval…which makes me grin!
Sadly, I was proved wrong about these 3 fruits. Either they were all for Jela, or at least just the first of the 3. He takes one and eats it on his way off the ship as they exit at Rockhaven. (more on that later)