Tag: Aurelia

Cross Colour

I’ve had some readers express surprise how, to use my word, fatalistic, the demis and machines seem to be. Perhaps “accepting” is a les pejorative word? I hold it is a factor of how much faster they think than humans do. They can make up then change their minds while we’re still forming our thoughts. So, Aurie goes from “go home!” to “come along” in a blink. It can look like poor writing but is in fact me trying to convey non-human thinking.

The general will have a mound of paperwork to prepare her army before the morning and her meeting with her legates. Then there’s the ride: 600 miles in five days (it should be longer but I’ve seen that part). Even for a good rider, that is very aggressive; pony express aggressive. May have to take a day to look into the logistics of this.

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Colour Me Surpised

Even though presented through dialog, this is still something of a cheap way of data-dumping onto the reader what’s probably ahead for what will be part three of the novel. All we know is the meeting in Tokyo and Aurie’s summon south. Her army? Colour? Jimmy? (remember him?) Long Island pirates? There are many things in flux here.

I suspect the next couple of installments will be General Hartmann dealing with them quickly. I know she’ll want her friend to go home and tell the Governing Council all she’s seen, to sway them more to the imperium’s side. One of the four legates will have be acting general but I still bet the army pulls way back to not look threatening in this new political situation. Much to think about.

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Colour of a Dream

This concludes the ‘Nova Scotia arc.’ I lay 1:2 odds that when Jimmy walks into his house, the RCMP are waiting on him. Who knows?

Story-wise, I’ll be going dark for a while as I’m blind as to where this is going right now. There’s one conflict on the horizon: Aurie’s huge argument with the Empress. Fussy wants Aurie married now. Fussy is also still seething that Aurie’s demi-human brother married a “normie” of questionable genetics; Jimmy might be a step too far. On the other hand, as Aurelia will throw in her face: “There are less than ten of us! Are we some Semite tribe to marry our cousins?”

Minor conflict. These are great characters on the stage and they deserve great conflict. With Texas edging to the imperium’s side, does Canada sign a defensive agreement with Mexico? Suddenly Faustina is the one surrounded; she would not like that and likely respond kinetically. Does Liz, Fussy’s first child, switch on her listening array on the back of the Moon only to hear, “Humans look tasty. See you soon.”? Maybe old Empress Togame finally dies, provoking a succession crisis in the Japanese Empire while Aurie is there in a diplomatic capacity? A lot to think about.

If anything interesting happens, I’ll toss it onto here. I’ve an author meet’n’greet at the Heath, Ohio, Indian Mound Mall on Saturday. Hope to sell a book.

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Colour’s Dinner

I think Aurie is much more tired, and possibly traumatized physically and mentally, than she’s letting on. She doesn’t want Jimmy to cluck over her or the doc to try to restrain her (now that would be a disaster…) so she’d not telling the whole truth. I bet the conversation with her army’s chief medical officer will be quite revealing. We shall see.

After being gently reprimanded by Colour, Burns finally starts pushing back to this crazy girl’s suggestions. Recall he met her just shy of a day ago? It’s been a long 24 hours.

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Traitor’s Colours?

Similar to the short battle through Burns’ eyes, here two we simply hear his internal reflection on what Aurelia and the doctor are saying to one another. That prevents the “wall of text” of exposition which I hate so much.

Missed an update yesterday as I had guest over after work. Given the four Manhattans I had, anything coherent like posting was out of the question. After today, tomorrow, and Wednesday, I’ll be at the end of the Nova Scotia arc. I’m going to pause as I’ve written 38,000 words with no plot. That needs fixing.

In the meantime, I’ll be working on a plastic model of U-292. If anything interesting happens, I’ll toss it onto the blog.

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A Colour of Love

While it for this week, what I thought yesterday was correct: there are about two more segments before we’re back to Aurie’s POV and she’s on her way back to her army and the situation in the Northern Federation. As she does seem truly fond of Jimmy, I’m pretty sure she gives him a present before saying goodbye.

Might take a few days off after that. My wife got me a model kit for my birthday and I should put it together. Used to make hundreds as a boy; that was over 40 years ago.

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One Mask of Colour Drops

No WP likes for the combat sequence. Interesting passive feedback. Anyway, today’s and tomorrow’s long-ish segments will take care of some of the post-pirate action. At some point, soon, I will be returning to Aurie’s POV, likely for the rest of this work. Not that Jimmy is getting tossed but that I need the lens to focus so maybe a plot will show up. I think I’ll wait until she leaves the tiny hospital before I do; so, Tuesday or Wednesday of next week, maybe?

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Berserk Colours

As I mentioned yesterday, quick, deadly, confusing. Just like any real fight. I again thank God that I switched what will be these few chapters to Jimmy’s perspective; that made this simpler.

A special mention and thanks to the two pharmacists who tolerate me at my DayJob. Curious about what Aurie jabbed into herself, I asked their opinions. All productive work for the hospital was suspended while the merits of different meds were discussed. It came down to PCP v epinephrine, with the latter taking the win (although I think we’ll find it was mostly epinephrine). Thank y’all!

Looking ahead, I think I’d best see Aurie to a hospital for that shoulder wound. Her last line here will prove pivotal.

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Pirate Colours

This is the last of the lead-up to the short battle sequence. Short, you ask? On the first hand, I’m not very good at them. On the second hand, this is a raw MS so there is plenty of time to make changes before I put this under the nose of my copyeditor. On the gripping hand, recall that this part is through Jimmy Burns’ eyes. So, a human with little or no tactical experience is about to observe a genetically modified woman stab some stimulant into herself and move faster than his eyes can track. Thus, I can only write the parts where Aurie pauses for a split second to kill someone close up.

What does she inject into herself? Next time, friends, next time.

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A Colour Out of Space

Completed my research after a few hours of DayJob on Saturday (hey, that wine won’t pay for itself) and made notes. Following Mass the next morning, I set about things. Nearly 2200 words. Made several mistakes as I was typing and thought of how I could clean up the aftermath a bit better. I’ll work on that right after this.

This is likely the last conversation Jimmy has with Aurie Hardt.

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