In which Tolly offers Hazenthull a game of cards.
Looking back over my past posts, I apparently never got around to remarking on the fact that Nostrilia has almost the same name as Cordwainer Smith’s most famous planet in the universe (as seen in the novel Norstrilia, the short story “Mother Hitton’s Littul Kittons”, and others). I’ve been waiting nearly two years for the story to reach Nostrilia so I can see if the two planets have anything in common beyond their names.
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Admiral Bunter
In which the cavalry arrives.
Well, I say cavalry. It’s more like a couple of guys on horses, and they might end up needing to be rescued as much as they manage to do any rescuing.
I like the little echo of Tolly noting that the only way he could get Admiral Bunter more prepared is by feeding military programs directly into his core, continuing the reflecting of concepts back and forth between the story of Admiral Bunter and Tolly and the story of Tocohl and Inki.
In which Inki and Tocohl are made an offer they can’t refuse.
The last line of this chapter is one of those interesting cases where it’s just one more piece of new information to the reader who hasn’t read any earlier Liaden books, but it will have considerable significance for a more experience Liaden Universe reader. (Though what significance, exactly, will depend on which earlier books they’ve read, and remembered.)
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In which Inki and Tocohl take a first look at their destination.
The circumstance of Inki having information locked away inside her head, so that she doesn’t even know she knows it until the time is right, keeps things unpredictable. Where there’s one such packet, there might be another to come forth at any moment and change the state of play for better or worse.
(It reminds me a bit of the Tree’s seed pods, waiting until the time is ripe, although I don’t know if that’s a fair comparison.)
In which Inki sleeps.
Inki’s attitude reminds me of another SF series I’ve been reading lately, which features a planet where slavery has been practiced for many generations, and the slaves have their own secret culture and language, unknown to their masters. In the language of the slaves, the word for “death” and the word for “freedom” are the same.
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Ahab-Esais
In which Tocohl and Inki discuss the next step.
I am looking forward to seeing Tocohl’s thoughts on recent events.
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Vivulonj Prosperu
In which the Uncle offers a revised schedule.
I continue to be suspicious, at this point in the story, of any chapter in which things appear to be proceeding smoothly.
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In which Hazenthull gets the call.
Well, it’s about time.
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