Category: Crusade

“A place for everyone and everyone in their place”

A bit of a turn for the political but I thought it best for Faustina to let the locals know from the get-go how she intends to administer the land and people under her control.  And, after something as awful as the Breakup, I’m sure the survivors have been thoroughly disabused of any insane notions of equality of ability or outcomes.

Just one last scene, the awards to her heroes, before I can finally turn to the copyedit of my short story collection.  This is an odd week – I’m off Tuesday and Thursday, but I shall try to get it done before the weekend.  So much to do!  Overwhelming sometimes…

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Life comes at you fast…

…and none of us can ever really be sure who we are talking to.  The cashier we just insulted?  Is his sister your heart surgeon?  The co-worker you just humiliated at lunch?  Is her son the lifeguard at your kids’ pool?

“Perfectly acceptable to insult someone in private:  they might even thank you for it later.  But when you do it in public they tend to think you are serious.” – Ben Franklin.

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Name and Address

Faustina makes her first speech to her cohort officers.  After that she has a meet-and-greet with the politicians and businessmen from the Savannah area… which I am also finished with.  After her big address to her boys and the world at large the following day, I’m shelving the Crusade MS to work on the copyedit changes to my short story collection, which I am still hoping to have out in six weeks… -ish.

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Backtracks

Faustina gives Wei a precis about ‘the machines home,’ the virtual world that dates  back to the opening pages of my first novel, The Fourth Law.  After that, Fussy’s relief is palpable when her godmother finally makes her appearance but as human minds are easily stressed in such an environment, it is soon time to go.

The little bit at the end, about Fuzhou, surprised me.  I really do wonder if there’s a blood connexion between them.  They’ll let me know if they want to, I guess.

After this – for my two days off this week – I’m going to try two big speeches:  the first is Faustina to her senior centurions and the second to her assembled legions.  I’m pretty sure about the former but the latter is still in fog.  Praying for a clearer sky.

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A soft voice

Not entirely sure if I’m sneaking up on the ending of what will be at least two books about Faustina or just the end of the first part of the longest novel I’ve ever written.  We shall see.

Said part or book conclusion will be Faustina’s award ceremony for her army.  I have already heard a few bits of it.  “Land and titles” echo around my mind.  She is not just conquering land, she plans to colonize it with young men and women from Greater Knoxville.  And loyal to her, personally.

But first, she needs a venue.  And right after that, to overcome a language barrier, she takes Nurse Wei to her godmother’s home.

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Seeing with your own eyes

Faustina continues her tour of the POW camp and meets someone unexpected.  Afterward she and her legates head north to take a look at the Port of Savannah but find that to be too dangerous in the evening.  Time for bed.

Over 3000 words this weekend!  And it’s only 1300 on Sunday!  A total of 51k so far!  Where is this story going?  Won’t someone tell me?

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Taking back the reins

Faustina returns to Savannah to find out all the little details of what’s going on and what needs her attention.  A fly-by gives her an overview.  Right after she receives something not heard on Earth for a very long time… and guaranteeing her triumph.  But she understands her most important task:  “take me to the wounded.”

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“Doing nothing is usually best”

That is one of my life-mottoes.  It is derived from Calvin Coolidge saying “If you see ten troubles coming down the road, you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch before they reach you.”

Strangely, one of my other life-mottoes is from the US Marine Corps:  “Doin’s better than thinkin’,” which I have used in one of my books.  The gripping hand between the two is knowing when to act and when not to.

First Councilman MacRae’s proposal to Faustina was a bolt from the blue for her and me.  Thankfully he gave her time.  She takes a little of that time to place it before the brother she loves so much and her sister-in-law she thinks so mistaken.  They come to the same conclusion:  give it time.  In a month or two, they could be in a hot-war with the PLA, or attacked on another front, or revolution at home, or… or… the horse just might learn to sing.

Tomorrow:  back to Savannah!

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