Category: machine civilization

“The Fallen” 4/24

Bit of a pause there – not panther paws, the other kind – as I worked my way through the conclusion of Part Four; not that we’re there, yet. The old family friend has come to the rescue, a little worse for wear after a set-to with the Watcher. Nichole is almost hopefully nice, always wanting to make friends, even after over a century.

At this point, I need to get them back across the little bit of water Allie waded through way back in 4/2, I think. Not sure how to do that without attracting more unwanted attention. Then, it’s harness, cable, and up. For at least the demi-human. I’d bet Nichole 5 can take care of her self for as long as necessary.

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“The Fallen” 4/23

All the way back to Foes & Rivals, there have been hints that what happened was not just “the Breakup,” the economic catastrophe which broke the US and Western Europe, but what the characters now call “the Change.” The Machines seemed to recognize it first; they are very good at noticing things. Even Aurie in Regent says, “Go outside at night with an old book about astronomy; the stars are different now.”

We get another glimpse of that in this segment. Is Allie tripping? Is she dead? Is this another temporal transference? Trust me, I’ve no idea, either. Nice kitty.

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“The Fallen” 4/20

Glad for another Friday as I’ll need a couple of days to see where the story is going; probably when I’m early to church. Having Allie wander around in the cavern is going to get really old fast. And there’s no way a teen girl is going to physically fight her way out of anything.

Speaking of church, I’ve said in other places and interviews that my Catholic faith informs my works but does not drive them. Many of the Hartmanns are Catholic; some more than others. The Empress’ father doesn’t have any faith at all (and finds his daughter’s politics to be a constant source of contention).

Oh, yes: in this segment I finally catch up to that image which started all of this a few months ago. Hope to see everyone on Monday.

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“The Fallen” 4/19

And we draw to a conclusion of the second interlude. As they learned a lot, losing the drone is not particularly a failure. There is another on the way. And, I suspect, that if Nichole thought Allie was in mortal danger, she’d be head-first down the tunnel, orders or not.

Speaking of, we’ll be back underground. Allie accepted she was alone, found something extraordinary, met a distant relative, then was alone again. Even for a demi, that gain-loss dynamic must hurt. And I bet it hurts more to a fifteen-year-old girl. Underground. In the dark. I hope Nichole was able to reach her, give her a mental life-line. We’ll see. Things might get even darker.

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“The Fallen” 4/18

Nichole 5, being retrospective, is kind enough to make a short summary of many of my books. After that, they find themselves retracing the path which Allie took. I’m glad she showed up, otherwise, with the drone under human control, it would have taken another 5,000 words to complete this segment. As it is, we’ll be finished here on the surface on Wednesday and back underground Friday.

I’d no idea Nichole slept (so to speak) with Gil Haven’s son, Joe. As a Model 5 – the first designed to fit seamlessly into human society – she has no sexual desire or response, per se. But, as a person, she wants those she loves to feel happy. Statistically, Joe is likely dead of age by now. This MS has covered a lot of time, and I really need to think about where I’m going once this is finished.

[And no, the hyperlinks will not be in the final version]

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“The Fallen” 4/17

As the song goes, “A very old friend came by today…” Looking at my notes, I startled myself that Nichole 5 Clarke is right around a century old. I’ve come that far since she made her debut in Friend and Ally. While Kira is miffed at the political issues to Japan sticking its nose into this mission, she realizes that this much older person will be perfectly suited to control the drone, so far under the ground.

There’s a bit more to write before the surface team finds something startling, after which we’ll be back to check on Allie. I’m personally a bit run down today and still have to DayJob a few hours tomorrow, but I’ll keep at it.

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“The Fallen” 4/16

A bit shorter, but much is going on. And much more will be going on in just a few more segments.

For those of you have not read part three of “Obligations of Rank,” and shame on you, Kira discovered she can sense life, anywhere on Mars. Because she’s a made demi-human? From God? I assume the latter but don’t know.

Once they get close to the end of the rabbit hole, we’ll be meeting a Special Guest, who I have not had in mind for some years.

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“The Fallen” 4/15

Another interlude back on the surface, seeing how the rescue effort is developing. And, boy, is it. Even so, there’s much careful planning for phase two, the drone. Recall at this moment Kira has no idea how deep the hole is or how does it end. As she says, she is assuming the best for Allie and Zhukov and planning accordingly. I have Kira reflect a little on the political changes to Earth and Mars over the last thirty years.

The play on words of “A-Hole,” A for Alicia Alvarez, came to me before Mass yesterday, so I’m assuming the pun is divinely inspired.

Because there is a lot for me to learn in this second interlude, I may be back to a MWF posting this week. Apologies.

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“The Fallen” 4/13

May or may not be an update tomorrow, Friday. This was a little hard to get down. Unfortunately for Alicia, it’s about to get harder. I see another Interlude after that, but I don’t think, per my first, they’ll be all the funny anymore.

Burial customs are a cornerstone of all civilizations.

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