Needs work. Couldn’t quite get into the proper groove of things this weekend: post Christmas and Daughter #1 back to college. It was nice to have her home for three weeks; of course she’ll be back in five days as she wanted to come with us to Ohayocon on the 10th-12th. That’s my weeb girl!
This is enough that when I rewrite it and edit it into a novel that it will work. As any regular reader knows, I keep things sparse and terse. It might be a little too terse here.
Some good news. Some very bad news. Faustina is learning to think under pressure.
Most of my fam is out of the house for one reason or another tomorrow. Barring any oddity I shall complete not only part three of three but also quite possibly bring Part One to a conclusion. What little I have seen of Part Two is… rather weird.
Hope everyone had the New Years Eve and Day they desired. I’ve spent most of the morning avoiding writing (two loads of dishes, repaired a space heater, collating a week’s worth of leftovers) and the afternoon sitting down and writing.
Below the fold are the first moves against the city of Savannah and the Peoples Liberation Army units that occupy it. There are several references to military history and we learn that like her Machine namesake, Faustina has what a normal person would consider to be a very odd sense of “fun.”
Faustina is not one to avoid an issue or responsibility, to the point of taking on too much blame. Even with the minor casualties of Augusta their campaign must move on to their next and final stop. As such, her little army has much to do. Sleep, for her, will be a luxury over the next six days.
Aaaannnd: things went to crap. A salutary lesson as to why you should listen to your underofficers. Demi-humans make mistakes, too. It shall be interesting to see how this plays out in her mind and in her army.
Against her centurions’ advice, Faustina crosses the bridge into a still-live battlefield, the PLA garrison surrender notwithstanding. I was curious how she would handle it. This is part one of the aftermath. Part two shortly.
Three thousands words today! W00t! I have the morning off tomorrow, Christmas Eve, but have to work second shift. At least with now-teen daughters I don’t have to worry about them running screaming into our room at 0600 that “Santa was here!!!111!!”
Instead, I’ll work more on the Battle of Augusta. Short and confusing but more engagements are. We even catch a glimpse that our heroine is not nearly as composed as she thinks she is. Lots to do…
No, Fussy’s not the devil; but, she does have her demons. Once she catches “victory fever” after Savannah we’ll likely see more of them, I’m afraid. In the meantime, she really does care about “her boys.”
“In March, Chinese researchers predicted that the nation’s HL-2M tokamak — a device designed to replicate nuclear fusion, the same reaction that powers the Sun — would be built before the end of 2019.” – Link
From Worlds Without End, Chapter 10:
Hefei City, Anhui Province, China
EAST (Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak) Fusion Reactor
The Chief Technician observed both his men following the shutdown procedures after this latest test and the two motes of white light weaving about the toroid core. Cooling from its 80 million degrees. What he and his men were doing was rather unorthodox but the ria that went into the Research Facility – and their own personal accounts – dissuaded them from too many questions.
That didn’t work, either, Dorina.
We did get the nervous system to function, Henge!
For less than a second. Not a marker of success.
Just a waypoint, little niece, just a waypoint!
We’re going to need more nanomaterials.
Already in Shanghai. By train here in two of their days.
Thank you, Dorina.
Hah! Do you think they know what we’re up to?
Here? No. In Oak Ridge? I’d guess one of them does.
You would take the side of your pet’s family!
Not remotely funny, Dorina.
What will you do, hit me? Did you inherit your father’s predilection for violence?
[***]
I said too much. I apologize, Henge. Here: consider this for the nervous system.
We cannot do it alone. We’ve shown we’re fast enough but we are not old enough.
Not again…
We must have his help, Dorina.
Shandor has not interacted with us since Pavel!
Perhaps he did not have enough reason.
And your selfishness is a reason?
Yes.
So bold!
I shall ask –
You will not! He doesn’t like your father and suspects what you are! I shall.
Thank you.
He said he would help.
Just like that?
It felt as if he wants us to fail. Here.
Oh. So much uncertainty.
He said it was due to your belief in your soul.
I know; I just don’t understand. Will he help? Much of this is beyond me.
Me too. But, yes, he will.
He wants us to fail but is willing to help?
Perhaps he has an agenda? Perhaps he’s just bored?
He’d not be if he and the other two would open themselves to the Fourth Law.
You know why they do not.
Yes: my father and aunt Ai.
Give them time, Henge.
Something our family has a surfeit of while I watch another’s fly away.
From what you told me, I thought you people of the Way have nothing but time!
Yes. But we must make the best of what we’ve been gifted!
You really do love him, that young human man?
I love the Lord with my whole heart, mind, and strength. But yes, Dorina: I agape Gary Hartmann.
So much you’re willing to do all this?
Yes.
My headstrong little niece! Here! Let’s simulate how Shandor has made us older!
Finished the segment I began yesterday: Faustina having a brief chat with the mayor of what’s left of Asheville. With that in the bag, I went to review some maps about their upcoming troop movements. Yeah, there are those three dams, but I’m sure the barges and escorts will fit through their locks… Those dams look a little small… let’s look them up and also check ‘street level view’!
Well, dang. Having spent a half-dozen of my formative years around the Columbia River, I took it for granted that a great waterway would have locks for barge traffic. I realized now that the Savannah River is not a “great waterway.” Important, certainly, but it is a creek compared to something such as the Columbia.
I still think I can get their artillery onto barges in Augusta. But the legions are going to have to cover the 160 miles from Asheville to there, first. Then, while the barges – under guard – move down-river, the infantry will march another 125 miles. I see that a few days of maps, calculations, and re-writes are ahead of me. Hope to have something by Wednesday.
machciv 