Tag Archives: Trellen’s World

Conflict of Honors – Chapter 22

Arsdred Port City
Midday Bazaar

In which Mr dea’Gauss arrives on the scene.

I don’t think there was ever a time when I didn’t like Mr dea’Gauss. This was my first introduction to him, and he makes a good impression right out of the gate.

Incidentally, he’s about seventy Standards of age, here. That’s not as old for a Liaden as it would be for one of us, but it’s old enough for a distaste for being flung across the galaxy at high speed to be quite understandable. (Though given his personality I wouldn’t be surprised if Mr dea’Gauss has had a distate for being flung precipitously across the galaxy at every age.)

It’s difficult to estimate just how speedily he’s been flung from Liad to Arsdred, since the chapter heading doesn’t include a date; that will have to wait until Mr dea’Gauss arrives on Dutiful Passage and the chapter heading returns to Shipyears and Tripdays.

Conflict of Honors – Chapter 21

Shipyear 65
Tripday 144
First Shift
1.30 hours

In which the long arm of the law reaches toward Dutiful Passage.

The nature of the accusations against Shan’s ship offer food for speculation. The one about “illicit pharmaceuticals” might be a sign that Sav Rid Olanek has somehow got wind of Lina and Rusty’s thwarted venture with that remarkable perfume, or it may just be the old trick of accusing one’s adversary of one’s own sins. We don’t get any elaboration on the “proscribed animals”, but I’m inclined to look toward the norbears in the pet library; we know from Mouse and Dragon that they are proscribed on some worlds, though presumably Lina or somebody would have checked what the rule is for Arsdred and filed whatever paperwork was necessary to let them sit in orbit for the duration of the Passage‘s visit.

Trellen’s World has previously been mentioned, during Er Thom’s visit to the Passage in Local Custom, in a context that links it with Arsdred but doesn’t shed any light on why Budoc finds the thought of it so impressive here.

It would appear from Shan’s complaints of him that Val Con has inherited his father’s reluctance to settle for a temporary marriage to secure an heir. (Or perhaps he’s just too busy not-being the Delm-in-waiting.) Shan, on the other hand, apparently has no such troubles; this chapter also contains the series’ first mention of his daughter Padi.

Local Custom – Chapter 28

In which Master Trader yos’Galan attends to his duties.

Dutiful Passage is large enough that it remains in orbit, and Er Thom needs to take a shuttle up to it. I was going to say that I don’t think we’ve seen many ships that large so far, but of course Ixin’s trade ship Elthoria was the same (how soon the memory goes!). Not to mention Dutiful Passage‘s venerable predecessor Quick Passage; now that was a large ship.

The scene aboard the Passage is dotted with retrospectively-familiar names. First mate Kadia and cargomaster Ken Rik will still be serving in those positions next time we have a scene aboard, and I’m pretty sure Arsdred will come into it somewhere too, although I don’t recall offhand which of the planets on the Passage‘s route it is (and am making a point of not going to look it up; time enough to find out when the time arrives).

The appearance of Jyl ven’Apon is another one of those instances where extra nuance is added by knowing things from other stories, though I think even if you don’t the basic idea still comes across that her mode of adornment, multiple earrings and all, is not that of a person accustomed to proper society.