In which Erthax exercises his creativity.
From some authors, I would say that Vepal and Sanchez are obviously being herded in a particular direction. From these authors, I tend to be more cautious of expecting obvious and tidy conclusions.
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In which Commander Vepal considers a field tour.
Ah, Ambassador Vepal. I’ve been wondering what he and his team were up to since they didn’t show up in Neogenesis.
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In which Val Con and Miri offer their solutions.
The distinction Val Con makes between those who count themselves to be Scouts and those who count themselves to be Liaden Scouts is one I was reaching for yesterday but didn’t manage to wrap words around. (And reminds me of Eylot, forcing its pilots to decide whether they were pilots who happened to be Eylotian or Eylotians who happened to be pilots.)
It also, come to think of it, suggests the possibility, if not the certainty, that at some point in the future the Scouts headquartered on Surebleak are going to accept non-Liadens into their ranks. Once you’ve reached the conclusion that being a Scout and being a Liaden are not necessarily linked, it’s an obvious consequence. (There have been hints in that direction already, too, with people mentioning that the Scouts have been providing educational opportunities on Surebleak, usually followed by commenting that Scout teachers always treat their students as prospective Scouts.)
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In which Hazenthull gets the call.
Well, it’s about time.
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Surebleak
In which Korval goes visiting.
Kamele has a come a long way in her understanding of risk and safety since we first met her.
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In which Hazenthull has a plan.
Things appear to be going well for Haz so far. I’m finding this the opposite of reassuring.
Arak ek zenorth
En route
In which there is breakfast.
I wonder if Vepal renamed the ship when he acquired it, and if so what “arak ek zenorth” means. I suspect we’ll find out at the dramatically appropriate moment.
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Seebrit Station
The Sweet Rest Hostel
In which Ambassador Vepal pursues his necessities.
It doesn’t surprise me that Vepal has an Explorer’s training. Imagine an ordinary Yxtrang officer trying to do this job!
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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 Happy Occasion
Langlastport
In which some things are coming to a close, and some things are just beginning.
Tolly’s arrow completely fails to find its mark. It’ll be interesting to see the conversation where Haz explains to him where his judgment failed him. Part of it, no doubt, is that she’s at least as determined not to let him get killed or worse as he is to protect her. And it occurs to me that Tolly’s never really seen Hazenthull when she’s on mission; even when she was on duty as a Port Security officer, that was a dialled-down version of her. Full-throttle Hazenthull is the Hazenthull who ignored orders, misappropriated supplies and personnel, crossed hostile territory and behaved in an unprecedented fashion in the face of the enemy in an attempt to save the life of her senior partner — which, come to think of it, is not so unlike what she’s attempting now, so her motivation would also include a measure of this time I will not fail.
Meanwhile, it’s going to be a rough journey for Tolly, because he’s convinced that he’s on his own, and that he’s dealt an injury to his best friend to keep her from following. That’s something that’s going to weigh on him, even with his attention bent on talking the Admiral around.
I had wondered why Inki had mentioned her shared background with Tolly to Haz; it seemed like an obvious slip at the time. But the explanation that it was a hint meant to be recognised only in hindsight makes sense. Likewise the mention of the directors in her final message; though it’s not quoted here, that was accompanied by a reminder of the shared background.
Padi’s uncertainty about Ms Hartensis’ reaction is presumably a consequence of the block Shan placed last chapter. I did wonder, a block on what? but it makes sense that it would be a block on her ability to pick up the emotions of the people around her, which would otherwise be a distraction and a source of stress and which she hasn’t yet learned to block out herself.
(A minor continuity thing: Last chapter, the assistant caterer was wearing a long red apron over white clothes. This chapter, the long apron is white. Perhaps on Langlast there’s a custom of wearing different aprons for tidying up than for serving?)
And just when it seemed everything was smoothing out with Padi and that things might be resolved without too much further trouble, we get that very worrying final scene…