On the first hand, this short story raw is complete
On the second hand, I ended it in such a way to pick it back up again, later.
On the gripping hand, I’m going to bet this pisses a lot of people off.
Working on another short. Not sure when I’ll have enough to start posting it.
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Continue reading “Tamera (pt9; end?)”Overhead imagery in central China is terrible. Street View doesn’t exist. No surprise, of course.
For the technically minded, information about EAST is here. Otherwise, I wrap all of this up *cough cough* tomorrow.
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Continue reading “Tamera (pt8)”I realize this is kind of bare-bones, even for me, but a short story collection, to my mind, presupposes a certain knowledge on the reader’s part of the world they are entering. Saying that, I’ll still probably add a paragraph about exactly why they need a flux point prior to publication. This blog is, after all, supposed to be a proving ground for raw ideas.
Should be two more entries after this one. I have a suspicion there is much seething in my readership.
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Continue reading “Tamera (pt7)”Working title will be the MC’s name. No guarantees when I finally add it to a collection. This at least gives me a Category and Tag.
I’ve mentioned in my published works that China is in a bad way right now. Their neo-colonial experiment in Africa was bleeding them and when the US and EU disintegrated, there went their customer base. They are in the modern version of the Era of Warring States, regional powers of all-against-all. That has allowed both the Russians and Japanese to continued their build up of power on earth and above it with little to no interference. Thus, my thought is, rather than an air assault legionary battle group dropping into Hefei, it might instead by one of the imperial family with a boat-load of money. “Nice fusion reactor you have there; shame if something happened to it.”
“It’s sometimes easier to bribe armies rather than fight them.” Sidney Reilly to Boris Savinkov.
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Continue reading “Tamera (short story, pt3)”We confirm something I’ve long suspected about Henge. I mentioned in my writing exercise, Cadets (pts 1-4), but until published in meatspace I don’t really consider some idea I play with to be canonical. As this MS also isn’t published, Henge’s condition is not technically set but I’m proceeding as if it is. I do wonder: if she could ever find another functioning fusion reactor or engine, and put herself into the equipotential flux point, could she reassemble her body? Pull nanomaterials from some other point of herself to fashion eggs? She’d certainly need help from the Thinking Machines to do that.
And, shedding? A regenerative effect? That was completely new to me, as well.
I like how Aurie is so unassuming: a bar of soap to wash a Regent’s hair? No fancy shampoos and conditioners for her!
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Continue reading “Empty Colours”I shall not apologize for my dearth in posting as I am on vacation for the first time since August 2017. If you define it as “on vacation with my entire family,” it would be July 2016. But all good things must end: back to my increasingly temporary home in central Ohio on late Saturday. With Daughter #1 off to her five week internship and Daughter #2 off to Army Basic, it will be nothing but drinking, writing, and audio recording for me.
With my wimminfolk down at the hotel pool right now, this article caught my eye:
The last time EAST (Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak or HT-7U) held onto a writhing loop of plasma for so long was in 2017, but the temperature only reached a mere 50 million °C.
This immediately called to my mind the opening of Part II, CODE:DESCENSION, of “Worlds Without End“:
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!
“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!
machciv 