Monthly Archives: March 2015

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Now in Progress: Phase 6 – Kind of Complicated (Ghost Ship to Dragon Ship, via Necessity’s Child and some shorter works)

Phase 7 – New Worlds (Dragon in Exile and anything else left or newly-added)
will commence on Sunday, 2 August 2015

Schedule | Find the stories | FAQ

Saltation – Chapter 42 & I Dare – Chapter 58

Day 201
Standard Year 1393
Solcintra
Liad

In which Theo brings her business to the Delm of Korval.

The fact that it’s Clonak on the gate leads me to wonder whether he recognised a family resemblance in Theo, and that formed part of his decision to let her in. He did, after all, know her father well and for many years.

Speaking of family resemblances, Theo’s first words on being reunited with her father are exactly the same as Val Con’s.

There’s apparently been some disagreement among readers about the way I Dare ends, so for the record I personally found it a perfect and delightful note on which to end the Agent of Change series, and would have thought myself entirely satisfied if that had been the last we ever heard of Liadens. (Though I am, of course, glad now that it wasn’t.) To me, it didn’t come across as a loose end, but as a reminder that even with the Department defeated, the wide universe still contains new discoveries and new adventures, and the children of Korval are not the kind to live quietly ever after.


Tomorrow: New adventure.

Saltation – Chapter 41

Arin’s Toss
Volmer

In which Theo is off to Liad sooner than expected.

It’s tempting to speculate, given the coincidence of the deadline, that the Uncle’s rush job has something to do with Korval’s departure from Liad. The trouble is, why would it be a rush job in that case? The Council gave Korval 144 days notice, which is tight for an established clan to gather up all its belongings but plenty of time for a nimble operator to line up a single courier.

Unless, perhaps, Volmer is so far from Liad that by the time news arrives of Korval’s expulsion, hot on the heels of the news of Solcintra being attacked, the 144 days are half over and there’s only just enough time for a courier to hotfot it back to Liad if they leave immediately.

The trouble with that is… well, there’s two problems:

One is that, if you break it down, that means it takes about 70 days for the news to travel from Liad to Volmer, and another 70 days for Theo to travel from Volmer to Liad. (The exact amounts are arguable – for one thing, the news probably travelled somewhat less urgently than Theo, so perhaps the split is more like 85-55 – but not enough to affect the point.) The point is, that means Theo’s dash from Volmer to Liad would last weeks without stopping for food or fuel. And since it’s specified that it consists of five Jumps, that means each Jump would be at least a week in itself. And that just doesn’t seem right.

The second problem is that we already know how far Volmer is from Liad, more or less, and it isn’t that far. We’re told in Agent of Change that Lufkit to Volmer is two days at a reasonable speed, and in Carpe Diem we learn that a suitably motivated pilot can go from Lufkit to Liad in another two days. Even at a comfortable amble – no, put it this way: even if the news travelled from Liad to Volmer by Clutch ship, and then Theo travelled from Volmer to Liad by Clutch ship, the entire round trip would take up only half of the 144 days.

Even if one throws up one’s hands and decides the Uncle’s rush job is just a coincidence, there’s still an issue, because Theo arrived on Volmer within twelve hours of the news that Liad had been attacked; are we to assume that Theo made the trip from Volmer to Liad in a few days in response to news that took months to travel the other direction? Well, perhaps we are; Shan does say in Conflict of Honors that news can take months to travel if it’s left to whoever happens to be going in the right direction instead of sent directly. And, after all, is there anyone on Liad who has any reason to send the news directly to Volmer? (Well, I expect the Uncle has someone keeping an eye on things there. But he could well have received the news quickly and decided to keep it to himself, leaving everyone else on Volmer to find out when the news arrived by a slower and more public channel.)


Tomorrow: Chapter 42 and I Dare Chapter 58. The order in which to read them is thereby left to pilot’s choice.

Saltation – Chapter 40

Volmer
Underport

In which Theo gets a better offer.

Though he mentions it casually, the Uncle’s account of Theo’s forefathers is a reminder that he Knows Things. Given Delgado’s emphasis on the maternal line, there aren’t many people who even know that Jen Sar Kiladi is Theo’s father, and the number of people who have accurate knowledge of Jen Sar’s ancestors is smaller yet. It raises questions about how the Uncle found out, and how long he’s known, and for that matter what led him to think it was a thing worth finding out about.

The ship Theo’s being offered, which possesses “both monetary and sentimental value”, is called Arin’s Toss, and was “built on an old Terran commissioner’s ship plan”. One recalls that Jethri’s father Arin was a Terran trade commissioner, and suspects a depth of history that’s not being elaborated on.

And the Uncle has a fractin in his money pouch. It’s been a while since we’ve seen one of those, long enough that it took me a couple of times reading those paragraphs to recognise what it was.

Saltation – Chapter 39

Primadonna
Volmer

In which Theo meets a Dulsey and an Uncle.

It’s not clear whether this Dulsey and this Uncle are the same Dulsey and the same Uncle that Jethri ven’Deelin knew a few centuries ago, but if they are that might have something to do with Theo finding them both indeterminate of age. (Win Ton described this Uncle as “one who fell heir to the title”, which could be interpreted several ways, particularly bearing in mind the whole business back then about Uncle Yuri’s “younger brothers”.) I notice that the description of the Uncle, when he appears, carefully avoids any of the details – height, build, eye colour, hair colour – that might give a basis for comparison with descriptions we’ve previously been given of Uncle(s).

Saltation – Chapter 38

Conference Room Able
Pilots Guildhall
Volmer

In which the bad news keeps on coming.

Caratunk is a planet we’ve heard of before: it’s where Jethri’s father met Iza Gobelyn.

And we heard about that in the same chapter which first informed us that “there are secrets in all families”, a phrase that’s associated with a particular family, and a particular person who is likely to be the same person Win Ton is on his way to meet. It amuses me that he’s implicitly included in Win Ton’s reference last chapter to unspecified people “even less reputable” than Scouts or Juntavas.

The fact that Win Ton was at Nev’lorn when the fighting broke out is interesting, and offers an additional reason for the Department to have decided the time was right for overt action. (And prompts one to wonder what might have happened if he and Daav had encountered each other there.)

And now the bad news from home has caught up with Theo, having been somewhat delayed by Kamele’s lack of familiarity with the options for sending an urgent message long-distance to a person in motion. There’s an irony here: Theo does know where to find her father – or would, if she had the means to link together several things she’s learned recently – but, lacking those means, she doesn’t know that she knows.

Saltation – Chapter 37

Conrad Café
Pilots Guild Hall
Volmer

In which Win Ton has overstepped.

This is one of those chapters where I’d probably have had a lot to say the first time I read it, but now it’s so familiar that I don’t remember my first reaction.

One thing I definitely didn’t think of the first time, since Trade Secret hadn’t been written then, is the way certain things that happen or are mentioned in that novel strike familiar echoes in the description of Bechimo‘s creation.

Incidentally, I’m intrigued by the name of the café. Obviously it’s not named after Boss Conrad of Surebleak, but perhaps piloting history contains some famous Conrad they’re both named after.

Phase 6 – Schedule and Availability

Phase 6 of the Liaden Universe Re-Read will begin next week, on Sunday, March 22.

Phase 6 Schedule

  • 22/3 – Ghost Ship ch.1-5
  • 27/3 – “Moon on the Hills”
  • 28/3 – Ghost Ship ch.6-23
  • 15/4 – “Hidden Resources”
  • 16/4 – “Kin Ties”
  • 17/4 – “Code of Honor”
  • 18/4 – Ghost Ship ch.24-epilogue
  • 9/5 – “Prodigal Son”
  • 10/5 – Necessity’s Child
  • 17/6 – “Roving Gambler”
  • 18/6 – “The Rifle’s First Wife”
  • 19/6 – Dragon Ship

This phase includes several stories that have been published since I began the re-read and which consequently I have not read yet and have placed somewhat speculatively, based on what I was able to pick up about them without getting pulled out of the part of the series I’m up to. If you have read them, and have reason to think any of them are badly placed, I would be grateful if you would let me know while there’s time to rearrange them.

Availability

The novels in Phase 6 are Ghost Ship, Necessity’s Child and Dragon Ship.

These are all in print in standalone editions, which are also available as e-books (Ghost Ship; Necessity’s Child; Dragon Ship).

The short stories in Phase 6 are “Moon on the Hills”, “Hidden Resources”, “Kin Ties”, “Code of Honor”, “Prodigal Son”, “Roving Gambler”, and “The Rifle’s First Wife”.

“Code of Honor” is available free online here, “Roving Gambler” is available free online here, and “The Rifle’s First Wife” is available free online here.

If you have some or all of the Adventures in the Liaden Universe® chapbooks put out by SRM Publisher, “Moon on the Hills” and “Hidden Resources” are in #16 (Halfling Moon), “Kin Ties” is in #18 (Courier Run), and “Prodigal Son” is in #12 (Allies).

The chapbooks are out of print now, but they’re all available in e-book form via Pinbeam Books, whose Adventures in the Liaden Universe® page is also a convenient reference for which story is where.

Baen offers two sets of Liaden Universe short story collections; if you don’t have any of the chapbooks already, these may be a more efficient option than obtaining individual issues.

The old set, available only as e-books, are Liaden Unibus I and Liaden Unibus II, which collect #1-6 and #7-12 respectively. “Prodigal Son” is in Unibus II.

The new set, available in print and e-book form, are A Liaden Universe Constellation, Volume One and A Liaden Universe Constellation, Volume Two, which collect #1-8 and #9-17 respectively. “Moon on the Hills”, “Hidden Resources”, and “Prodigal Son” are in Volume 2. (Volume 3, which will contain the other three stories, is in process, but will not see print until after this Phase is complete – which is why the three stories are still available free at the links above.)

For searching out second-hand print editions, the authors’ web site recommends Uncle Hugo’s Science Fiction Bookstore, The Missing Volume, and White Unicorn Books.

Saltation – Chapter 36

Primadonna
Volmer

In which Theo meets Win Ton again.

Now it’s definitely after the Battle of Solcintra; not long after, because the news has arrived at Volmer within the last few hours, while Theo was resting.

It took me a moment to get why Theo gets the more friendly greeting the second time she visits the Guild, but of course it’s because this time she’s wearing her jacket.

More foreshadowing of the news from home that’s awaiting Theo: although she doesn’t know it, she does have a personal interest in news of Ride the Luck and its pilot. But that’s still not the news of the moment… yet.

(It’s an amusing bit of outsider viewpoint that Pilot Vitale considers Korval “the most Liaden you can get”, especially considering the opinion Liad itself has recently expressed on that point.)

Saltation – Chapter 35

Primadonna
In Transit

In which Theo receives several more things unexpectedly.

Theo’s remark about Mayko being afraid she’ll lose the contract is, I think, a joke about Theo physically mislaying the contract before she has a chance to sign it, but in another sense I think Mayko actually is afraid that she, that is Mayko, will lose the contract — in these present unsettled times, it’s possible that a good pilot might find opportunity or necessity leading her down a path away from Hugglelans. And the more so if she’s given formal recognition as a first class pilot before those other paths are closed off.

Rig Tranza’s song about “the ship Jonny B” is perhaps a space-age descendant of the old folk song about the misadventures of the sloop John B. The one about having enough cooks for an army isn’t specifically familiar in the same way, but does sound appropriately folk-song-like.

Theo’s worry about urgent bad news from home turned out to be unfounded — this time. But if this is after all that eventfulness on Lytaxin, there is bad news from home that’s got to catch up with her some time.