Weekend Writing Warriors: Rescue Operation #8Sunday #snipsun

It’s Sunday again, time for Weekend Writing Warriors (click the logo above) and snippet Sunday (click the logo below.) This quote is again from Rescue Operation, following last week’s. The first speaker is Roi, and “it” is Zhaim’s artificial conscience.

---

“I worked with her to implant it, which is something none of the rest of you did. I know how hard it was, even for her.” He hesitated, but the pause gave Derik an opportunity to speak again.

“And you’ve chosen to keep the memory intact, with all of its emotional baggage. Roi, you’re not a vindictive person. Why don’t you strip the memory into computer storage, like the rest of us have? I’m not defending Zhaim on the Horizon vote. His judgment was atrocious.”

---

 

Quotes from Mercedes Lackey

Here are the contexts of a number of quotes. All but the last are from “A Tangled Web” by Mercedes Lackey, in Harvest Moon.

“They fought to keep ordinary folk from extraordinary harm.” From adventurers Leo and Brunnhilde have become protectors.

“This was a bit like being thrown into the deep ocean and told you have to reason your way to land.” Leo’s thought, as he finds himself trying to keep the Olympians from starving.

“This lot of ‘gods’ seemed to be as feckless as a lot of young squires.” Leo doesn’t think much of the Olympian gods.

“The good ones will wash their hands of you pretty quickly.” The attitude of the Fae toward the gods,

“Nothing lasts forever.” Leo to Zeus, regarding the hitherto endless summer of Olympia.

“Those who rule a land are responsible for it.” Especially when things go wrong.

“So we’re going to die, just as I should have died with everyone else, two centuries ago. “ Homecoming, by Sue Ann Bowling. This is Marna , speaking to one of her tinerals as she realizes that the life-support system of the satellite has failed. Tinerals resemble feathered monkeys with wings, can fly as juveniles but are ground-bound as adults, and after millennia of selective breeding sing in harmony with each other or with other singers.

Weekend Writing Warriors: Rescue Operation #8Sunday #snipSun

It’s Sunday again, time for Weekend Writing Warriors (click the logo above) and Snippet Sunday (click the logo below.)

The snippet is again from Rescue Operation, with Derry being the first to speak.

---

 

“Concentrate on how this policy is hardening anti-Confederation sentiment on Horizon. On other planets without slavery, for that matter. Whatever you do, don’t present this as a disagreement between you and Zhaim. Your paranoia where Zhaim is concerned is too well known already.”

“Paranoia.” Roi snorted. “Derik, he tried to kill me. Yes, it was more than two and a half centuries ago. Yes, Marna’s artificial conscience should prevent his ever deliberately harming anyone again.”

---

But we’ve already seen what Zhaim has found out.

Quotes from JRR Tolkien

Here are the contexts of a number of quotations. All but the last are from The Two Towers by J. R. R. Tolkien.

“It is more treacherous than you are. It may twist your words.” Frodo to Gollum, when Gollum offers to swear on “the precious” (the Ring.)

“Perhaps you can’t even try, not yet anyway.” Frodo has offered Gollum a share of the elven-bread, but Gollum cannot eat it.

“I do not think we need give thought to what comes after that.” Frodo’s first open admission to Sam that they are unlikely to survive the mission to destroy the Ring

“They know that they can only come to morning through the shadow.” And the shadow seems very dark to Frodo and Sam as they catch their first glimpse of the lands before the Gate of Mordor.

“There is another way. Darker, more difficult to find, more secret.” Gollum, offering to show Frodo and Sam a “back door” to Mordor.

“He’s as wise as any, but he’s soft-hearted.” Sam’s opinion of Frodo, as they follow Gollum to Cirith Ungol.

“She had forgotten a lot about planets, Marna decided less than a day after returning to Riya.” Homecoming, Bowling. Marna has spent her last two centuries on an isolation satellite, and is not at all used to being rained on (literally) or in fact any kind of weather.

 

Weekend Writing Warriors: Rescue Operation #8Sunday #snipsun

Sunday again, and time for Weekend Writing Warriors (click the logo above) and Snippet Sunday (click the logo below.) Kaia is continuing to speak.

---

“And I’m not sure we can get them. Roi, you’ve called an Inner Council meeting for right after noon?”

“Yes. And I’m going to do everything I can to get a reconsideration. I’ll even make a speech if I have to.”

That brought a few grins—Roi’s hatred of politics was well known. “Focus on the objective arguments,” Derik advised. “I don’t like slaving either, but now is not the time to belabor that.”

---

But what other argument does Roi have?

 

Jarn’s Journal Year 100 Day 100

Year 100 day 100

I seems very fast to me, but even the grandchildren of those I first knew as babies are gone. Some things are unchanged: the People still follow the game, there are good seasons and bad, and every year there are new children and new deaths.

The “sharing of power” has become an important part of the ritual of recognizing a new shaman. Not in public, thank goodness!

In fact, it is taken for granted now that I will sleep with the woman (generally single) who stays to prepare my food and clothing, and such women are eagerly sought by the men of the group when their term of serving me is over.

I miss my own people, but while I know how to build a starship, I do not have the tools or materials.

Quotes from Jane Austen

All but the last are the contexts of quotes posted from Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, in honor of the 200^th birthday of that book.

“I am worn out with civility.” Henry Crawford to Fanny, near the end of her first ball.

“I have been talking incessantly all night, and with nothing to say.” Henry Crawford to Fanny.

“Let us have the luxury of silence.” Still Henry Crawford.

“They are all going away, I think. I wish they would stay at home. Lady Bertram, after Sir Thomas gives Julia permission to stay longer with her sister.

“It is every body’s duty to do as well for themselves as they can.” Mary Crawford’s philosophy.

“Ask her to love you, and she will never have the heart to refuse.” Edmond’s advice to Henry Crawford.

“For Zhaim, having power and not using it was a form of weakness. And the weak neither survived nor deserved to.” Homecoming, by Sue Ann Bowling. Zhaim is rationalizing, as usual. He’s the villain of Homecoming, but he himself sees his actions as acceptable, even noble. (Not a spoiler, as the first scene shows him as a torturer through the eyes of one of his victims. He thinks he’s a misunderstood artist in human flesh.)

North Pole Weather 11/10/14

The sun will rise this morning at 9:10 am, and set 6 hours 49 minutes later at 3:59 this evening. Day length this time of year is decreasing at 6 minutes 38 minutes a day, but the decrease is slowing down: 6 minutes 30 seconds by the end of the week.

Weather? The blizzard that seems to be making the news in the lower 48 is a bust. The next week’s forecast is for cloudy, no precipitation, and daily highs pushing or above freezing. Hope it isn’t too slick.

Weekend Writing Warriors: Rescue Operation

It’s Sunday again, time for Weekend Writing Warriors (click the logo above) and Snippet Sumday (click the logo below.) This is again a quote from Rescue Operation, following on from last week.

---

 

What neither Roi nor the Council had realized was that a group of parasitized Humans were ready to move in on Rakal the instant the R’il’noids were no longer guarding the system. The infection would be self-limiting—the parasite could not reproduce in Humans, and the infection could only be maintained by bringing in captive Maungs. With both Maungs and R’il’noids on patrol, that would not happen often—but the original population of the planet was now being treated as a food supply and hostages by the parasitized Humans, who considered themselves to be a different and superior species.

The Confederation rescued those they could, but the entire Inner Council had agreed that Rakal would be a unique episode. No further planets could leave the Confederation—but that decision had set up the potential disaster on Horizon.

“We have two distinct problems,” Kaia said, “and we’d better treat it that way. Horizon’s an emergency, and I agree with Roi on that. But I’m not sure what we can do beyond trying to get a reconsideration. All Zhaim’s supporters are on planet, so that means we need seventeen votes.”

---

And Zhaim has already thought of that.

Jarn’s Journal Year 58 Day 102

My apologies for being late this morning; yesterday I was busy making some of the arrangements necessary to fly to Anchorage with a portable oxygen concentrator for a doctor’s appointment. More phone calls today on the details, but I have the basics at this point.

Year 58 Day 102

Five years ago, WildDog’s plea to transfer some of my power to him via his mate was a shock to me as well as to the rest of the group. True, a number of the other male shamans made the sams request later, but I think the main motivation was not letting WildDog get ahead of them. A year after that, them woman who were leaders in their own right decided that they, too, wanted whatever power I could give them.

Today there are only a few holdouts. I even find myself looking forward to this new duty.