Tag: machine civilization

The Colour of Politics

A few days ago had my laptop not working. Not quite a “Blue Screen of Death,” but more a Blue Screen of Imminent Doom. I was able to boot to a flash drive and verify my data was intact, but that was all. Not wanting to make matters worse, I passed it on to an IT guy I know. He was able to reload Windows past the \BCD error but pointed out that at seven years old, I’d best start planning a new machine.

All data is now re-backed up on a remote HDD and I’ve ordered another laptop. I do not want to reload everything on this one just to do it all again on my new one in a week, so these updates will fall away for the next ten days or so. I’m still writing – can’t stop, or I’ll die, but I’m using Word 0.1: pen and paper; I’ll have to retype everything! First World Problems! It’s also so much slower… I’m making more notes than dialog as I cannot scribble fast enough: Reina’s demands about Mars, the Empress’ change of plans with Edward, Aurie now on her own, and – as I suspected – the Minor Powers, Canada, Mexico, Texas, smell blood in the water. All when we now know that Aurelia has a dangerous, violent streak. Not sure what Colour’s “come from behind home run” might be, but I’m counting on her.

As you can see from the story text, below, this is from WordPad. So, the formatting is completely different. I’ll do better when I get my new machine. And give her a name. What? Of course I name my machines… don’t you?

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Colour’s Crazy Friend

A slightly larger installment as I wanted to wrap of the visit and get these two on their way. There are politics on the horizon and Aurie has to “get in character,” so to speak. She knows how to do that as a general and I think is still not entirely sure what to do as regent. Obviously, “not break anything before my aunt gets back” is probably her Item #1.

That might be tricky for someone who loves their berserker-streak. Her grandparents act as if it’s a mental illness. Maybe it is.

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Empty Colours

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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Colour of Angels

Finally had two days off in a row and was able to get much done. Enough to keep posting updates for the next few days.

I vaguely remembered the effect that Henge’s newly manifested body had on the people in and around Knoxville, now a generation ago. I thought to examine that a little closer, this miracle of diamond dust and star fire.

Not sure how to handle the next few scenes; I know I’ll be moving hard and fast into internal imperial politics. But I also want to see Colour meet Aurie’s grandparents at their snug home on the road to Oak Ridge. I think, with Aurie’s grandma being Min Chinese, I might be able to add some clarity to the imperium’s racial policies. I know any discussion of race makes modern Americans freak out.

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Shenandoah Colours

Gotta love “handwavium:” so, six hundred miles later… Does anyone really want to hear about their saddle sores? I cover that (so to speak) in “Goddess Crusade” when Faustina has her problems. Fussy being Fussy, she uses it to get her much-older boyfriend into bed

We meet Aurie’s father. From “Worlds Without End” on, he detests politics and just wants to be with his fiancee, later wife, Henge. But there is that old adage: “you may not be interested in politics, but politics is interested in you.”

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Colour’s Plea

Something a recapitulation of the last few installments but once this is book, I want those scenes clear in the reader’s minds as I’m going to gloss nearly their entire 600-mile ride and go immediately into imperium politics, internal, external, familial. There will suddenly be a lot of names thrown at the screen. In the book you will be able to flip to the front to the family tree and go, “oh, that’s who this is.” Not really bothering with that here.

Colour’s letter is in blockquotes but formatting WordPress is not worth the bother.

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Maternal Colour

Paperwork, paperwork. Even my little E4 in the US Army says paperwork is what runs the world. Even if you are more human than human.

This popped into my head on the drive home from DayJob yesterday. The extended Hartmann family is well known for their loyalty but this is something much more personal for Aurie. I’d say she is more open to Colour than for all the things she and Jimmy did. Eros is easy; agape is hard work.

See everyone next week!

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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 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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