Tag: machine civilization

Iter, 2/x

This really is an emotional trainwreck for me. But necessary for Min to have some kind of closure to what she has suffered. I’ve been with my wife for 35 years, much of that we were off at our jobs, or traveling separately… Imagine being with someone every day for one hundred years. And now that someone is gone. The second to last line here is critical: machine does not mean emotionless; in fact, given their speed of thought, I suspect some of them are much more emotional than humans. For Min, that goes all the way back to the end of part three of Obligations of Rank, where she drops into Les’ lap and starts kissing him, to thank him for her asylum.

While I’ve mostly completed Iter (it should be five segments, I think), the end needs work. Tomorrow will be a 15-hour drive, so part three will not be until Thursday.

Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!

Continue reading “Iter, 2/x” →

Iter, 1/x

This will be the 11th and last addition to my 19th book, another short story collexion. It, unfortunately, again deals with death. And how the spouse of that person deals with their death. I again apologize for all these depressing stories, and will try to do something much more fun and entertaining, next.

All demi-humans have longer lifespans. Those who have lived in close physical proximity (which Laszlo has not) to Henge Hartmann even more so. But they still die and are smart enough to not deny that and thus can make plans for it. As an android, Minerva (please be polite when reading and pronounce it in your head correctly: mee-nur-wa) is effectively immortal. As a Model 12, she has living skin, which she feeds via something like a TPN every three days, which was replaced about fifty years ago.

Iter will be wall-to-wall grief and politics. If that’s not your thing, I’ll be back, later. Otherwise, here we go…

Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!

Continue reading “Iter, 1/x” →

Knoxville Shopping Trip, 6/end

This has been an adorable 3k words, just following Henge around for a day as she tends to her life and sees to her family. There really is nothing more important. In this final segment, the rest of the family comes home – Aurie in her typical style – and then dinner. To make it easier for readers, I have them speaking aloud, even though I think they normally just “think at” one another. I did like how neither child is the remotest uncomfortable with their parents’ physical affection. Not really sure where that entered into American culture, but I think kids should see their parents hold hands, kiss, casual contact; it’s normal.

For the next story, I was shown something just before Mass yesterday and am trying very hard to not think about it. An unpleasant situation for another of Fussy’s kids I’ve never really mentioned. We shall see.

Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!

Continue reading “Knoxville Shopping Trip, 6/end” →

Knoxville Shopping Trip, 5/x

Had to take a day off. In RealLife, was getting progressively more sick Tuesday morning. After four hours at DayJob, my hands shook too much to enter inventory data. I drank some water and was still for about twenty minutes before I was confident I would not drive off the road. Got home and got progressively worse; a 24-hour GI bug of some sort. Lots of bad news from both ends. Horribly dehydrated and the problems which come with that. Anyway, better now.

With dinner in the over, Henge sees to the rest of her townhome. I had to draw upon 40-50 year old memories of how my mother kept house, as my wife, charitably, doesn’t pick up or clean up anything.

This is also one of the first time we, sorta, get to “see” how the Machines “see” one another in the Void. When I write the conclusion of this in the next installment, I’d imagine about 1-2 seconds have taken place before little Aurie comes bursting through the front door. You can go all the way back to my first book, The Fourth Law, where, nearly ten years ago, I had already come up with the idea of constructs and True Forms.

Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!

Continue reading “Knoxville Shopping Trip, 5/x” →

Knoxville Shopping Trip, 1/x

After all the drama around Bright Eyes, I honestly wanted something banal if not boring. So, turning back about twenty years, we have Henge Hartmann going to the market. She’s already had her two children and is a housewife who wants nothing more than to be a good wife and mother. Given what she is, her immediate family, and married into the imperial family, it is a bit more complicated that it first seems. I am looking forward to seeing where she takes me with this story.

The idea behind this is very, very loosely based upon Yokohama Shopping Trip. The lead there is also not human and their world is also changed. It is a brilliant but sometimes confusing manga and a warm, soothing anime. Five stars.

Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!

Continue reading “Knoxville Shopping Trip, 1/x” →

Bright Eyes, 4/?

They are so darling together, aren’t they? Let’s hope this bottle of gin doesn’t have a Tragic End at the bottom of it. I usually don’t. Usually. The end of one of my books is absolutely horrible. The end of Foes & Rivals is tragic as regards what Nichole 5’s mission was, but not horrid, as we get to see many of the players in later short stories and with walk-ons in a few novels. I don’t think that is where this going.

Even in A Texas Naval Affair, Fussy was faced with her cousin wanted to wed a former thug. Not exactly an adornment to the imperial family, but that mostly turned out well. Mostly.

Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!

Continue reading “Bright Eyes, 4/?” →

Bright Eyes, 3/?

One of the things I am just now realizing it that by being away from these people for just over four months, details that I knew better than my meatspace relatives become clouded or lost. In this case, while I knew Liz’s bio-dad dies in an accident (and her mom later remarries), I screwed up the dating. So, Liz cannot be 25; hell, she can barely be 18, and that still might be wrong. So, Josh is now just turned 23, while they were working on the moon.

So, when I’m starting to edit all of this into my third short story collection, I’d have to be very careful. I’ve made myself some notes in the Word file, so I don’t forget. Again.

Below the fold, Josh learns a little more about what is pending-wife is. And there’s a little romance for these kids who are now both years younger.

Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!

Continue reading “Bright Eyes, 3/?” →

Bright Eyes, 2/?

So, from Fussy’s first word, I guess this story is over? I kid; all the Harmanns are rather hardheaded and used to having their way. Think of it more as a negotiation point.

Looking back at part one, Liz almost seems a little “aspie.” Makes sense as being a demi of a technical bent, she’s used to focusing completely on something before moving on. Thus, that’s why Josh had no idea that she was interested in him until the radar array project was complete.

Below, I love the little bit where Josh is busted for looking at Faustina’s ass. We men really are pigs.

Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!

Continue reading “Bright Eyes, 2/?” →

Bright Eyes, 1/?

A short story about the first child of Empress Faustina. Demi-human, she considers herself a scientist and engineer, most recently working for the Thinking Machine, Ninon, of tribe Tohsaka, on a radar search array on the other side of the moon. While there, a human man, a few years older, catches her eyes, her bright yellow eyes. They have much work to do, so she says nothing. Until it is time to go back to Earth.

Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!

Continue reading “Bright Eyes, 1/?” →

Fusion (5/5 – End)

Fusion comes in at 4400 words and shall be a part of my next collection. Looking at the scrap of paper I made before Christmas, there were seven ideas on it. One was folded into Martian Wonderland and another here. As of this typing, no one in my head has given me the slightest idea as to what to do, next.

With Ash Wednesday, perhaps that’s why: I need a small break. No, of course I’ll not give up writing for Lent – that would kill me – but a little pause right now might be in order. My liver certainly thinks so.

As has so often happened before, be it music or images, the image at the end has been behind my eyes for much of this. I had no idea who she was; my oldest daughter explained it to me. Hope to see everyone no later than a week from today with a new story.

Enjoy my content? Buy me a beer!

Continue reading “Fusion (5/5 – End)” →