Beneath the Laughing Cat
In which preparations are made for docking.
I appreciate the discussion of the distinction between a “Pathfinder” and an “Explorer”.
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The Gathering Edge – Chapter 7
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Tag Archives: Bechimo’s safe space
The Gathering Edge – Chapter 6
Repair Bug
In which the Pathfinders offer assistance.
…or the other thing could happen, which is that they think Theo is a pirate. Which I can see how that might seem like a reasonable consideration, from their point of view.
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The Gathering Edge – Chapter 5
Orbital Aid 370
In which Grakow puts a word in.
Yes, I thought that was probably who Grakow was. Another not-very-difficult prediction, given the authors.
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The Gathering Edge – Chapter 4
Orbital Aid 370
In which Chernak and Stost arrive at their destination.
Well, that prediction was correct. It probably wasn’t a very difficult prediction, to be fair.
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The Gathering Edge – Chapter 3
Bechimo
Wyrd Space
In which some introductions take place.
It occurs to me to wonder if there’s some kind of familial connection between the norbears and the Trees. Then again, there might be species all over the place that communicate through mental images; we don’t really know.
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The Gathering Edge – Chapter 2
Bechimo
Wyrd Space
In which the crew’s investigations find a whole lot of nothing.
I’m getting a bit confused about what Theo does or doesn’t know about Spiral Dance. There’s that one comment in this chapter where she indicates she knows Cantra had a ship of that name, but the rest of the time she seems more surprised than I’d expect by things which follow naturally from that, like the ship being of the old universe and the tree on the bridge being related to Korval’s Tree.
When Joyita remarks that Clan Korval is likely to have extensive records of a nature related to their problem, I wonder if it is, among other things, his own more subtle attempt to get Theo to heed Val Con’s request to return to Surebleak.
The Gathering Edge – Chapter 1
Bechimo
Wyrd Space
In which Bechimo‘s crew find a solution to a problem.
In the first proper chapter, we return to the crew of Bechimo, who are still where we left them, in the wyrd space with the mysteriously-appeared ship Spiral Dance.
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Dragon Ship – Chapter 41
Bechimo
In which Theo encounters an old friend of the family.
A nice moment of cross-purpose: on hearing the message saying that Spiral Dance is out from Solcintra, Kara and Win Ton both think immediately of Solcintra City on Liad. After all, what other Solcintra is there?
I am not entirely sure what to make of Spiral Dance‘s reappearance. It could be considered as the end of something, with ship and passenger returning to yos’Phelium. But it could also be the forerunner of something: if they can make it through, what else might follow?
(The answer to that might depend on how, exactly, Spiral Dance found its way through. If it was only possible because of having a ssussdriad assisting the navigation, that’s probably an end of it, as there are no sussdriads left in the old universe. On the other hand, if the key event was Bechimo‘s haunted Struven Unit calling out in a way audible to old tech, that means the way is potentially still open – although even then, I suppose it’s unlikely that there’s going to be another ship with a haunted Struven Unit sitting in the wyrd space any time soon.)
It’s not clear how much time has passed for Spiral Dance since the Rising of Solcintra: that its passenger is now a tree and not just a seedling suggests it’s been a while, but the fact that it still fits in its planter shows that it’s been considerably less than the centuries it’s been for everyone else.
Dragon Ship – Chapter 40
Jemiatha’s Jumble Stop
In which Bechimo settles the bill.
It hadn’t occurred to me to think much about what name one of Bechimo‘s reserve personalities might have, but of course it depends on where they’re deployed: if one had taken over control of Bechimo, its name would have been Bechimo, but since it didn’t, it isn’t. And apparently the name of the ship this one is now based in is Admiral Bunter, which gives us two defense-oriented AIs in this series who share the names of characters from English literature. I’d remark on the coincidence, but as remarkable coincidences go I think Roderick Spode still has it beat.
Dragon Ship – Chapter 37
Jemiatha’s Jumble Stop
In which the Galactic Trade Commission makes Theo an offer she can’t not refuse.
Something funny here: the outfit that gave Theo trouble in Ghost Ship was the Federated Trade Commission, not the Galactic Trade Commission. Maybe its name comes out differently in Trade than in Terran? Anyway, Theo says it’s the same group, and she’d presumably know. If it is the same, then it’s beginning to look like it has some kind of ongoing connection with the Department of the Interior, and Tokeoport wasn’t just a one-off case of a Department agent taking their name in vain.
Is this the first time B. Joyita has allowed anyone to see him stand up?