Minot Station
Administrative Offices
In which Clarence and Kara go shopping.
I’m beginning to get the impression that, on top of whatever else might be happening on Minot, the culture might be just a wee bit sexist.
Continue reading
Minot Station
In which Bechimo‘s exec and chief technician are in conference.
I agree with Kara that there’s something here not quite adding up, but I’m not sure yet what it is.
Continue reading
Bechimo
Bridge
In which Bechimo‘s crew plan their approach.
Or perhaps we are not getting more thrilling action just yet. I hope this is building up to something really good, because it’s taking a lot of chapters to build. (And again, this is something I made worse for myself by reading one chapter at a time.)
Continue reading
Bechimo
Bridge
In which Win Ton discusses his student’s future.
It probably says something about my priorities as a reader that my reaction to the end of this chapter was something along the lines of, “All this getting-to-know-each-other is fine, but at last! more plot!”
Continue reading
Bechimo
Crew Lockers
In which news is received of absent friends.
There I go again: the question I asked last entry is immediately answered, and not in the way I expected.
Continue reading
Bechimo
Sync Shift
In which some things are opened that had been carefully sealed.
I don’t think I said this when it came up earlier: I like that Theo’s friends don’t all like each other just because all they like Theo. And that, on the other hand, it’s not held against them that they don’t; that’s just the way it goes, sometimes.
Continue reading
Bechimo
Aubernet System
In which Bechimo arrives in a new place.
Lots of technical details in this chapter, which is impresive but not the kind of thing I personally find most entertaining to read or talk about.
Continue reading
Bechimo
In which the pathfinders seek context.
I have a feeling Clarence’s tale-spinning may be intending to convey information beyond the obvious, and perhaps a warning about the inadvisability of getting on the wrong side of Theo and her crew. In which case I don’t think the warning has been heard, or perhaps it’s been heard but laid aside as insignificant in the face of necessity.
Continue reading
Repair Bug
In which it’s time for a new plan.
I like the moments of characterization in this chapter: Kara the enginner being annoyed at being reduced to guessing and suspicious that her best guess predicts that everything will go off smoothly; Chernak the soldier reflecting on her status with the gods.
Continue reading
Jemiatha’s Jumble Stop
In which Theo goes shopping and Kamele has an adventure.
The people watching Kamele are presumably agents of the Department of the Interior – apart from it being the most obvious conclusion in context, the peculiarly inflexible face is an established signifier – and they’re doing the invisible-in-plain sight thing that Daav did and Theo picked up from him. I had thought it was a Scout thing, then the people at Chaliceworks made a big deal about it and I thought maybe it was something rare that Daav had picked up on his travels, but this inclines me back toward it being a Scout thing. Unless it is something rare that the Department have also picked up in their travels, they having a habit of picking up things they’re not entitled to.
If it is the Department, then it’s probably not the case that they’re simply after the reward being offered for Theo’s apprehension; more likely they intend to apprehend Theo for themselves, which will be rewarding in its own way. The reward does, however, give Kamele a reason to comprehend her own significance in respect to Theo – and us the readers a reason to start wondering who else might be tempted by the reward.