Ask stupid questions, get handed funny answers. I laughed all the while typing this little interlude. Back on the surface, we get a short glimpse into what Kira’s been up to. Being one of her, that’s quite a lot.
The last line illustrates that being a human at the mercy of demi-humans in an autocratic political system does have some drawbacks.
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Continue reading ““The Fallen” 4/6″With Alicia praying in the last segment, that opens the story to a little more religion, both hers and her speculation.
Even knowing better, she’s still a girl and takes an action wish seems innocuous, but in fact changes everything.
I wonder what’s going on back on the surface?
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Continue reading ““The Fallen” 4/5″And here’s a Machine Civilization first: an alien race. Recently, the stories have taken me places I never expected to go: for example, Fussy and Ed’s time slip in “Ice Inundation Intelligence” and me still not knowing what Kalí is. So, here are some aliens. Are they native to Mars or imports from somewhere else? Did they used to live on the surface then went underground as the atmosphere blew away? And, most importantly, are any still around? I have no idea.
Tiny cliff – or parapet – hanger as we go into the weekend. See everyone on Monday.
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Continue reading ““The Fallen” 4/4″Made a decision yesterday which resulted in the rewrite of a few paragraphs, about three segments from now. I now am much more comfortable with where Alicia is going. And that means *yeah!* back to daily updates, by and large. It also helps to put pressure onto me to say ahead of things rather than sitting about drinking Manhattans and not moving the story forward.
My editing of all this: people, dates, ages, locations, maps, is going to rival what I had to do for the American Imperium trilogy. And this is just a little girl lost down a hole. And, admittedly, I’m getting a “Moria” vibe, not “Wonderland.”
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Continue reading ““The Fallen” 4/3″Still not used to the whole single-character thing but trying to make a go at it. People who are lost are always told to “stay put and let help come to you.” But most people aren’t 4km under the Martian surface. A clever girl, but still a 15-year-old girl, Alicia thinks she should look around a bit.
Perhaps in a later interlude, I’ll have to describe what Kira might be doing by way of a rescue effort. I don’t know if they were in signal when Alicia fell, but the Midwife would surely get work started nearly instantly. Being Russian, I may just have her pick a “volunteer” and push him down the hole after her. The right thing, of course, would be to attach a sensor system run by an ES to a tiny motor and send that down to look around.
We’ll see. There may be some very odd things going on in time before all this is over. And, yes, I have to make a map of her adventures as I’m already lost.
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Continue reading ““The Fallen” 4/2″No, this will not be a recap of “Alice in Wonderland.” In fact, it is proving to be rather difficult: most of my stories are driven by character interaction. Once I focus in on Alicia Alvarez, alone, then there is much more exposition than I am used to.
That’s fine, I suppose. I often try to do something “different” when writing. That’s usually changing genres but in this case, I guess it will be my task to learn to write with only a single character.
Unless she meets something.
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Continue reading ““The Fallen” 4/1″Here we close out Part 3. Each of these is longer than the previous, so I do wonder what kind of adventure Alicia will have.
For all of Anton Senior’s devotion to his wife, he’s still a guy and we guys will always look. Saras knows that full well, but chides him, anyway. It’s all in fun. I think her declaration at the end was a good way to wrap this up.
Next Monday: down the rabbit hole. Deus vult.
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Continue reading ““The Fallen” 3/11 (end pt3)”Finally realized yesterday that I will not – cannot – force this story beyond where it wants to stop. If I did, then it becomes my story and not theirs. So, 35k words, 40, 50? Not worried anymore. It will be what it is.
Being in territory nominally claimed by the imperium, things are much more relaxed and open. We know Fussy and Aurelia would routinely strip and bathe in front of their troops, so it seems Saras is like that, as well. Morals were very strict after the Breakup/Change, but that was three, nearly four generations ago, now. And, demis are used to doing their own thing.
I’m not about to get drawn into another meeting and another dinner, so Part 3 may wrap up on the next installment.
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Continue reading ““The Fallen” 3/10″“What’s behind curtain number one?” Now we know. This is, obviously, me ripping off Tolkien; I’ve long said that all writers “borrow” from one another, but “ripping off” sounds better.
This wraps up the Alvarez’s visit to Ekaterinburg. I’ll gloss their trip to the dams and move things along to their stop in what is de facto imperium territory. It will be a much more relaxed visit as everyone is on the same side. Once that is completed, I’ll close Part Three. Part Four still only exists as notes as I still don’t know what I’m doing with Alicia.
Below, Count Lavrov really steps in it, doesn’t he?
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Continue reading ““The Fallen” 3/9″Playing more catch-up, so another longer segment for the weekend. You’re welcome.
We get another possible foreshadowing of what may or may not be under the Tharsis Plateau. There is also an interesting tell in what Ivan calls Anton and Saras. And, with the mention of Cartaphilus, we now have a touch of the Secondary World in this story. No idea where that might lead.
Looking forward to what’s behind the curtain. See everyone on Monday.
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Continue reading ““The Fallen” 3/8″
machciv 