Tag Archives: Oracle Odd Lots

Crystal Dragon – Chapter 14

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Osabei Tower
Landomist

In which Cantra renews an old acquaintance.

Though Scholar tay’Nordif experiences the revelation that tay’Welford is aelantaza as a spur-of-the-moment inspiration, I suspect this is just an opportune occasion for it to come out and the actual recognition occurred some time ago. At least as far back, say, as the evening when she found vel’Anbrek’s suspicions of tay’Welford worth mentioning in Jela’s hearing. (Conversely, he probably recognised her on day one, since his skills and experience don’t have years of dust on them and it’s implied he’s seen Cantra more recently than Cantra has seen him.) I wonder if researching his rise to the Prime Chair was one of the ways she passed the time in her office when she was supposedly progressing her life’s work.

It’s interesting that we’re getting so much backstory for Maelyn tay’Nordif as she fights against losing herself. It shows how much detail needs to go into constructing a person. (And I’m intrigued that she puts her succession of “patrons” in quotation marks; it might just be that she doesn’t consider them all proper patron material, given that she adds that some of them were no better than bandits, but I do wonder if it also means that some of them were interested in her for reasons other than her mathematical ability — which is, I admit, a thought that had already occurred to me back when her last patron’s cover letter was calling her things like “the most precious sister of my soul”.)

Jela is finally able to ask about the world-shield of somebody who can answer. It’s not physically present at the Tower, just that the Tower has a record of its location. And has apparently been unable to secure a grant to study it, which seems typical; saving entire populations is all very well in its way, but where’s the money to be made in it?

Oracle Odd Lots, the supplier of the “shortcut”, was also the merchant who sold Cantra the three learning toys. I don’t know if that’s significant; Cantra did say to Jela that there’s a lot of odd-job traders on the Rim who have sheriekas tech pass through their hands.

Veralt has only himself to blame for ending up with a knife in his throat. Taunting the hero with her parent’s death right when you have her at your mercy and she’s on the point of giving up is one of the classic blunders, and I should have thought they’d teach better than that at genetically-engineered-assassin school.

Crystal Soldier – Chapter 20

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On Port
Scohecan

In which the name of Commander Ro Gayda is mentioned again, and we get some idea what Jela’s been up to since we heard it last.

And so we finally get to see what Jela’s mission is, when he’s not being sidetracked. He’s “assessing local unit response readiness”, as the Commander put it, not only in the case of the Enemy attacking but in the case of the High Command deciding to throw the Outer galaxy to the wolves. Which is apparently something they’re planning to do, for whatever good it’ll do them. And the “consolidated commanders”, of whom Jela’s Commander is one, intend to keep the fight going, despite High Command if necessary. All of which means that the secrecy surrounding Jela’s mission is not just directed at the Enemy, it’s also directed at a not-insignificant whack of people who are officially on Jela’s own side.

Meantime, Jela is also asking seemingly-casual questions about left-over tech from the old war. He gives the impression that this is just a side project of his own, out of general (or Generalist) interest, but the narration helpfully points out that he’s giving this impression in a way that makes me suspect that this, too, is part of his mission. Wheels within wheels.

I’ve got an odd feeling that the old tech he asks about is not actually the old tech he’s looking for, if that makes sense. (The danger of asking about a thing directly, of course, is that then people know you’re looking for it.) But I don’t consciously remember where this is going, so I don’t know if this is just a feeling or if there’s anything to it.

I’m also feeling a mite distrustful about the learning toys Cantra picks up, but again I don’t remember whether there’s anything to it.

Before she gets to the learning toys, a bit more of Cantra’s past is filled in. We find out what happened to Garen — as far as Cantra knows. (This, I do remember what comes of it.)