Dragonsdawn - Chapter Three
Jan. 21st, 2023 08:04 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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i_read_whatSo I've told myself that I'm going to try to be a bit less repetitive in my critiques. Which means I'm going to try not to go into a rant every time I see an instance of cartoonish villainy. We'll see how well I keep up with that resolution.
It's just frustrating, because aside from that, I'm really enjoying the world building. It's so interesting to see the initial establishment of a space colony, and how these characters are preparing and setting up their new lives. Especially as we know what's to come.
Chapter 3 starts us with Sorka. She's starting school, and she's delighted because the curriculum, so far, is about adapting the students to their new home. That makes sense. So all the kids are getting instruction on tool use, while the older students are learning how to operate less dangerous equipment. They're getting botany lessons, and how to tell what they can eat in moderation. Apparently the younger colonists will be gathering edible plants to supplement their existing food. They're also going to get to work with a variety of specialists, so that they can eventually decide what craft or profession they'll pursue. They'll be reviving an apprentice system, that apparently worked well both on Earth and First Centauri.
I'm not sure how old Sorka's actually supposed to be, I realize. Earlier in the story, I'd assumed she was about 8-10, but she seems to be grouped with the older children here. She's pretty disappointed in the selection for possible friends:
Sorka had been sizing up her fellow students, and reluctantly concluded that there were no girls her age. The clutch of teenaged girls had already formed a group excluding her, and the other girls were all much younger than she was. Resigned, Sorka then looked in vain for Sean Connell. Wasn’t it just like a tinker to skip school as soon as possible?
Oh come now, Sorka. You can't possibly be a patented "not like other girls" protagonist if you actually socialize with other girls. Also, is the "clutch of teenaged girls" NOT Sorka's age?
We do get some info about the immediate economy: there's a commissary for their needs, and they can apply for carefully rationed candy and Earth treats, boots and clothing. They've even got the right to some luxury items, which, if available, will be issued. They are given a lecture about moderation, that I'm sure a bunch of kids will take to heart, and then set loose for lunch.
After nearly two weeks of inactivity on the ship, Sorka welcomed the fetch-and-carry tasks. She was almost alone in her preference. The older girls in particular were appalled to be put to rough labor. Farmbred Sorka felt rather superior to those city lilies, and worked so diligently in helping to clear stones from the fields that her agronomist team leader cautioned her to take it easy.
You know, the other girls ALSO went through two weeks of inactivity. But no, of course, we can't possibly have ANOTHER tomboy in the group. The team leader likes her though, and is a bit disappointed when Sorka says she intends to be a vet like her dad. Apparently (of course) the team leader is the "first of many adults who would have liked to have Sorka Hanrahan as an apprentice."
Of course, of course.
Hard work gets results, and a few days in, she's picked along with a few others to go down to the harbor and hatchery and work without supervision. There's no reference to the gender of the other five, but I'm going to guess male. Because of course.
And yep, seems so. And hey, we already get a bit of the dynamics:
“This sand ought to be different, not just the same,” the third member of the group complained as they set off.
“Chung, oceans grind stones on Pern the same way they do it on Earth and the result just has to be the same: sand,” Jacob said amiably. “Where were you from?”
“Kansas,” Chung replied. “Betcha don’t know where that is.” His mocking glance fell on Sorka.
“Bounded by the old states of Missouri on the east, Oklahoma on the south, Colorado in the west, and Nebraska on the north,” Sorka replied with studied diffidence. “And you don’t have sand out there. You got dirt!”
Say, you know your geography,” Jacob said to Sorka with a smile of admiration. “Where are you from?”
“Colorado?” Chung demanded sarcastically.
“Ireland.”
“Oh, one of those European islands,” Chung said dismissively.
I kind of like this little glimpse of Earth political/cultural development. And Jacob, as team leader, seems to be a fairly reasonable fellow. The kids collect some interesting plants and observe some fish-like organisms. At some point, Sorka wanders off (not because she's distracted, oh no, it's simply because the boys are having trouble capturing fish samples and are dismissing her suggestions) and discovers some place legitimately cool.
“When Sorka’s suggestions for capture were dismissed, she wandered farther down the beach. Around a second pile of boulders, she found a massive outcropping that resembled a man’s heavy-featured head, complete with brow ridges, nose, lips, and chin, though part of the chin was buried in the sand and lashed by the waves. Delighted and awed, Sorka stood in rapt admiration. It was wonderful, and she had found it. One of the girls in her own Asian Square had fallen down a hole that turned out to be one of the many entrances to a series of caves to the south and west of Landing. They had been logically named the Catherine Caves after their inadvertent discoverer.
Sorka’s Head? She murmured the title under her breath. No, people might think it was her head, and she didn’t look like that at all. As she pondered the question she glanced above the splendidly imposing cliff. It was then that she saw the creature, seemingly suspended in the air. She gasped in wonder, for in that moment the sun caught and dazzled the creature into a golden statue.
A fire lizard!
I know my griping probably makes it seem like I don't like Sorka. That's not true. I think she's very cute. Though I'm still not sure how old she's supposed to be. I just wish McCaffrey would realize that it'd be perfectly fine if there were other girls who liked to work, or if Sorka wandered off because she just wanted to wander off, or if the boys ALSO knew what they were doing...
She tries to get a better look, but the lizard is gone. That said, she does stumble onto some eggs and then...
Confused by the unexpected emotions but fully aware of her immediate danger, Sorka scrambled to her feet and ran, half-crouched to the cliff edge. Screams of rage and frustration split the air and lent speed to Sorka’s descent. She heard a whoosh of air and ducked instinctively to evade another attack, then edged under a rocky overhang. Flattening herself against the rock face, she had an all too vivid look at her assailant, something dominated by eyes that rippled with red and orange fire. The creature’s body was gold; its almost translucent wings were a paler shade against the green-blue sky, their dark frames clearly outlined.
The creature screamed in confusion and surprise, and soared up, out of sight. Sorka wondered if it could not see her in the shadow under the ledge. She heard it calling again, the sound muted by, she hoped, distance and the noise of the waves.
...okay, McCaffrey. Some of your nonsense is forgiven. I kind of love that you let Sorka get attacked by a fire lizard here. She ends up falling, crying, and the creature almost seems to mock her. She yells at it, which I find endearing, and then it vanishes.
And then we learn that Sorka isn't actually the first to discover the lizard:
"You fecking gobshite, you iggerant townie. You skeered her away!”
Sean Connell came slithering down the slope, his skin no longer white but red with sunburn, his blue eyes flashing. “I’ve been lying doggo since dawn, hoping she’d walk into my snare, and you, you blow it all on me. Fecking useless you are!”
“You’d snare her? That lovely creature? And keep her from her eggs?” Appalled, Sorka flung herself on Sean, her hands automatically flattening, her fingers tight as she sliced at the boy in hard blows. Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare harm her!”
Another meet cute, of course. Sean clarifies that he didn't want to harm the lizard, he wanted to tame her. He's been watching her for days. Sorcha points out that they don't know if the hatchlings will still need her.
Sean points out that there'll be a reward and his family needs it more than hers. Sorka gets both surprised and a bit judgy:
“There isn’t any money on Pern! Who needs it?” Sorka regarded him with surprise and then sympathy for the dismay in his face. “You can get anything you need at Stores. Didn’t they explain that to you when you went to school?” Sean regarded her warily. “Oh, you didn’t even stay in school long enough to learn that, did you?” She gave a disgusted snort. “Let me up. I’ve got stones digging holes in my back. You really are the absolute end.” She got to her feet and swatted at the worst of the sand on her clothes. She faced Sean again. “Did you at least wait to find out what was poisonous?” When he gave her a slow nod, she exhaled in relief. “School isn’t all bad. At least, not here.”
So...why didn't the adults notice that one of the children has been missing from school for days? I'm curious also if there's a class element going on. Sean's a traveller, and clearly not the same socio-economic bracket as Sorka. DID the lower class colonists get the same explanations that Sorka's family clearly did?
Anyway, Sorka explains how to requisition things and is appalled to learn that the travellers brought their wagons, given the weight they must have taken. Hey, Sorka. Fuck off. Obviously, as readers, we know many reasons why a nomadic lifestyle won't work very well on Pern, but you don't know that yet. And in a lot of ways, the wagons would probably be easier. They don't have to wait to set up housing and thus more resources can go to the non-nomadic folk. They can spread out farther too.
Anyway, the wagons are actually pretty stationary for now, since there's nothing to pull them. Eventually though, after a few years, there'll be horses. The travellers were promised them as soon as they'll be born. And this bit is interesting:
“You’ll get them, too. My father said so,” she added mendaciously. He said that the ti — the traveling folk were first on the list.”
“We’d better be.” Sean glowered darkly. “Or there’ll be trouble.”
“You see me before you make any trouble here. My da always got on well with your people in Clonmel. Believe me, you’ll get your horses.” She could see that he was skeptical. “Now, mind, I hear that you’ve harmed our creature and I’ll see you don’t, Sean Connell!" She held up a warning hand the flat edge in an offensive position. "Not that you could catch her. She’s smart, that one. She understands what you’re thinking.”
Sean eyed her, more scornful than skeptical. “You know so much about her?”
“I’m good with animals.” She paused, then grinned. “Just like you are. See you ‘round. And remember about requisitioning!”
1) The cut off correction Sorka makes is interesting. Was that a derogatory term?
2) I also find the "your people" comment notable. It does seem like some anti-Traveller prejudice still exists. In a way, I'm happy to see that Sorka has at least one implicit flaw here. Though I'm not sure I have faith that the narrative will call her out on it.
3) And of course, OF COURSE, she knows more about the creature that he's been observing for days than he does. Sorry, Sean. You're clearly a pet character yourself, but you're not one of the favorites. Ten bucks says Sorka will be able to "Hear All Dragons" once there are dragons to hear.
Anyway, she heads back to Jacob and Chung, who apparently have managed to collect some samples to carry back.
We shift to Sallah Telgar:
When Sallah Telgar heard the call for volunteers to make up a skeleton crew so that those who had not yet been down to the surface could have a weekend break on Pern, she hesitated until she saw the names of the first three volunteers: Avril, Bart, and Nabhi. That trio did nothing that did not further themselves. Why would they volunteer? Suspicious, she scrawled her name down immediately.
Okay, I know I've been critical of how McCaffrey's written her obvious villains, but I feel like maybe it would have behooved her to tell us a bit more about the dynamic between Sallah and Bitra. Initially, it seemed like they were casual acquaintances at best. She was judgy about the relationship with Benden, but that sounds like common knowledge. Here, the animosity seems far more personal.
Bitra's clearly bitchy, but so far, she hasn't really done anything that we know of to cause this kind of reaction. At least not in Sallah's presence. Sallah, therefore, just looks fixated.
(Insert Regina George gif here)
Sallah does have a different reason to volunteer though. She's curious about the fuel issue. Kenjo's economies apparently don't make sense. He's not volunteering himself. Honestly, I feel like McCaffrey could have just let THAT be Sallah's motivation and then had her observing Bitra and company's odd behavior on the trip.
All six shuttles went up to relieve the ships’ crews and to bring down more bits and pieces. Sallah flew the Eujisan up with the skeleton crew for the Yoko. Avril had a smile on her face, smug enough to satisfy Sallah that the woman had personal plans for her weekend. Bart Lemos looked apprehensive and fidgeted while Nabhi continued to look supercilious. They were up to something, Sallah was sure. But what it might be she couldn’t imagine.
See? This is fine. I have no issue with this. She's actually reacting to what she's observing.
So Sallah is now working with someone called Boris Pahlevi. They have some weird banter about the "rape" of the Yokohama by the Quartermaster, "Ivan the Terrible", who is Alaskan. Boris, a Centauri settler, doesn't know what Alaska or Hercules is, though it's also possible he's just messing with Sallah.
We also learn that the colony's official historian and librarian has the unfortunate name "General Cherry Duff". She's apparently in her eleventh decade and serves on the Buenos Aires.
Sallah also calls Boris "iggerant", which is a bit weird as we never see her speak in dialect in any other place. Maybe it's a joke?
Boris seems like a decent sort so far. He's an engineer, and he's happy to work on the ship because he'd forgotten sunblock when on planet and gotten himself burned. I feel you, dude. And I find that kind of minor error a little charming.
Sallah confirms that Bitra and Lemos are in Life Support and Nabol is in Supply. (And for the record, I have no issue with Sallah looking them up NOW. Their behavior was fishy enough to warrant looking.) She's decided to set up a program to see who else accesses the mainframe and what they ask for. Meanwhile, Boris asks about the library tapes: they've been sent below, but Sallah suggests he gets his own copies "while there's tape left".
Ah, here we go, fishy behavior:
Avril was asking for figures on the remaining fuel in the tanks of all three colony ships. Nabol was inquiring about machine parts and replacement units that had already been landed. He was accessing their exact locations in Stores. So he won’t have to ask to get them, Sallah thought. More worrisome were Avril’s programs, for she was the only fully qualified and experienced astrogator. If anyone could make use of available fuel, it was Avril. And where were the liters and liters that Kenjo had scrounged?
She's also requested the coordinates for the nearest planets capable of sustaining humanoids. Sallah wonders why, before remembering that there are two deep sleep tanks in the Mariposa.
She makes a hard copy of the data and the chapter ends here.
You know, it actually bugs me a little. Not Sallah herself, she's fine, but why exactly IS it a bad thing if Bitra wants to leave Pern? I mean, okay, siphoning fuel that's supposed to be used for the colony is bad. Yes. But for all that Pern is a one way trip, why SHOULDN'T people be able to call it quits if they decide they're unhappy.
I feel like I remember reading something where one of the characters does want to leave Pern and actually does manage it and is shunned as an awful person. And maybe that's a fever dream of some kind, or an accidental blending with some OTHER science fiction book I'd been reading at the time. But it does boggle me a little. Why is it a bad thing to want to leave the veritable death planet again?
Well, who knows, if I ever figure out which book or story that was, maybe I'll find out.
It's just frustrating, because aside from that, I'm really enjoying the world building. It's so interesting to see the initial establishment of a space colony, and how these characters are preparing and setting up their new lives. Especially as we know what's to come.
Chapter 3 starts us with Sorka. She's starting school, and she's delighted because the curriculum, so far, is about adapting the students to their new home. That makes sense. So all the kids are getting instruction on tool use, while the older students are learning how to operate less dangerous equipment. They're getting botany lessons, and how to tell what they can eat in moderation. Apparently the younger colonists will be gathering edible plants to supplement their existing food. They're also going to get to work with a variety of specialists, so that they can eventually decide what craft or profession they'll pursue. They'll be reviving an apprentice system, that apparently worked well both on Earth and First Centauri.
I'm not sure how old Sorka's actually supposed to be, I realize. Earlier in the story, I'd assumed she was about 8-10, but she seems to be grouped with the older children here. She's pretty disappointed in the selection for possible friends:
Sorka had been sizing up her fellow students, and reluctantly concluded that there were no girls her age. The clutch of teenaged girls had already formed a group excluding her, and the other girls were all much younger than she was. Resigned, Sorka then looked in vain for Sean Connell. Wasn’t it just like a tinker to skip school as soon as possible?
Oh come now, Sorka. You can't possibly be a patented "not like other girls" protagonist if you actually socialize with other girls. Also, is the "clutch of teenaged girls" NOT Sorka's age?
We do get some info about the immediate economy: there's a commissary for their needs, and they can apply for carefully rationed candy and Earth treats, boots and clothing. They've even got the right to some luxury items, which, if available, will be issued. They are given a lecture about moderation, that I'm sure a bunch of kids will take to heart, and then set loose for lunch.
After nearly two weeks of inactivity on the ship, Sorka welcomed the fetch-and-carry tasks. She was almost alone in her preference. The older girls in particular were appalled to be put to rough labor. Farmbred Sorka felt rather superior to those city lilies, and worked so diligently in helping to clear stones from the fields that her agronomist team leader cautioned her to take it easy.
You know, the other girls ALSO went through two weeks of inactivity. But no, of course, we can't possibly have ANOTHER tomboy in the group. The team leader likes her though, and is a bit disappointed when Sorka says she intends to be a vet like her dad. Apparently (of course) the team leader is the "first of many adults who would have liked to have Sorka Hanrahan as an apprentice."
Of course, of course.
Hard work gets results, and a few days in, she's picked along with a few others to go down to the harbor and hatchery and work without supervision. There's no reference to the gender of the other five, but I'm going to guess male. Because of course.
And yep, seems so. And hey, we already get a bit of the dynamics:
“This sand ought to be different, not just the same,” the third member of the group complained as they set off.
“Chung, oceans grind stones on Pern the same way they do it on Earth and the result just has to be the same: sand,” Jacob said amiably. “Where were you from?”
“Kansas,” Chung replied. “Betcha don’t know where that is.” His mocking glance fell on Sorka.
“Bounded by the old states of Missouri on the east, Oklahoma on the south, Colorado in the west, and Nebraska on the north,” Sorka replied with studied diffidence. “And you don’t have sand out there. You got dirt!”
Say, you know your geography,” Jacob said to Sorka with a smile of admiration. “Where are you from?”
“Colorado?” Chung demanded sarcastically.
“Ireland.”
“Oh, one of those European islands,” Chung said dismissively.
I kind of like this little glimpse of Earth political/cultural development. And Jacob, as team leader, seems to be a fairly reasonable fellow. The kids collect some interesting plants and observe some fish-like organisms. At some point, Sorka wanders off (not because she's distracted, oh no, it's simply because the boys are having trouble capturing fish samples and are dismissing her suggestions) and discovers some place legitimately cool.
“When Sorka’s suggestions for capture were dismissed, she wandered farther down the beach. Around a second pile of boulders, she found a massive outcropping that resembled a man’s heavy-featured head, complete with brow ridges, nose, lips, and chin, though part of the chin was buried in the sand and lashed by the waves. Delighted and awed, Sorka stood in rapt admiration. It was wonderful, and she had found it. One of the girls in her own Asian Square had fallen down a hole that turned out to be one of the many entrances to a series of caves to the south and west of Landing. They had been logically named the Catherine Caves after their inadvertent discoverer.
Sorka’s Head? She murmured the title under her breath. No, people might think it was her head, and she didn’t look like that at all. As she pondered the question she glanced above the splendidly imposing cliff. It was then that she saw the creature, seemingly suspended in the air. She gasped in wonder, for in that moment the sun caught and dazzled the creature into a golden statue.
A fire lizard!
I know my griping probably makes it seem like I don't like Sorka. That's not true. I think she's very cute. Though I'm still not sure how old she's supposed to be. I just wish McCaffrey would realize that it'd be perfectly fine if there were other girls who liked to work, or if Sorka wandered off because she just wanted to wander off, or if the boys ALSO knew what they were doing...
She tries to get a better look, but the lizard is gone. That said, she does stumble onto some eggs and then...
Confused by the unexpected emotions but fully aware of her immediate danger, Sorka scrambled to her feet and ran, half-crouched to the cliff edge. Screams of rage and frustration split the air and lent speed to Sorka’s descent. She heard a whoosh of air and ducked instinctively to evade another attack, then edged under a rocky overhang. Flattening herself against the rock face, she had an all too vivid look at her assailant, something dominated by eyes that rippled with red and orange fire. The creature’s body was gold; its almost translucent wings were a paler shade against the green-blue sky, their dark frames clearly outlined.
The creature screamed in confusion and surprise, and soared up, out of sight. Sorka wondered if it could not see her in the shadow under the ledge. She heard it calling again, the sound muted by, she hoped, distance and the noise of the waves.
...okay, McCaffrey. Some of your nonsense is forgiven. I kind of love that you let Sorka get attacked by a fire lizard here. She ends up falling, crying, and the creature almost seems to mock her. She yells at it, which I find endearing, and then it vanishes.
And then we learn that Sorka isn't actually the first to discover the lizard:
"You fecking gobshite, you iggerant townie. You skeered her away!”
Sean Connell came slithering down the slope, his skin no longer white but red with sunburn, his blue eyes flashing. “I’ve been lying doggo since dawn, hoping she’d walk into my snare, and you, you blow it all on me. Fecking useless you are!”
“You’d snare her? That lovely creature? And keep her from her eggs?” Appalled, Sorka flung herself on Sean, her hands automatically flattening, her fingers tight as she sliced at the boy in hard blows. Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare harm her!”
Another meet cute, of course. Sean clarifies that he didn't want to harm the lizard, he wanted to tame her. He's been watching her for days. Sorcha points out that they don't know if the hatchlings will still need her.
Sean points out that there'll be a reward and his family needs it more than hers. Sorka gets both surprised and a bit judgy:
“There isn’t any money on Pern! Who needs it?” Sorka regarded him with surprise and then sympathy for the dismay in his face. “You can get anything you need at Stores. Didn’t they explain that to you when you went to school?” Sean regarded her warily. “Oh, you didn’t even stay in school long enough to learn that, did you?” She gave a disgusted snort. “Let me up. I’ve got stones digging holes in my back. You really are the absolute end.” She got to her feet and swatted at the worst of the sand on her clothes. She faced Sean again. “Did you at least wait to find out what was poisonous?” When he gave her a slow nod, she exhaled in relief. “School isn’t all bad. At least, not here.”
So...why didn't the adults notice that one of the children has been missing from school for days? I'm curious also if there's a class element going on. Sean's a traveller, and clearly not the same socio-economic bracket as Sorka. DID the lower class colonists get the same explanations that Sorka's family clearly did?
Anyway, Sorka explains how to requisition things and is appalled to learn that the travellers brought their wagons, given the weight they must have taken. Hey, Sorka. Fuck off. Obviously, as readers, we know many reasons why a nomadic lifestyle won't work very well on Pern, but you don't know that yet. And in a lot of ways, the wagons would probably be easier. They don't have to wait to set up housing and thus more resources can go to the non-nomadic folk. They can spread out farther too.
Anyway, the wagons are actually pretty stationary for now, since there's nothing to pull them. Eventually though, after a few years, there'll be horses. The travellers were promised them as soon as they'll be born. And this bit is interesting:
“You’ll get them, too. My father said so,” she added mendaciously. He said that the ti — the traveling folk were first on the list.”
“We’d better be.” Sean glowered darkly. “Or there’ll be trouble.”
“You see me before you make any trouble here. My da always got on well with your people in Clonmel. Believe me, you’ll get your horses.” She could see that he was skeptical. “Now, mind, I hear that you’ve harmed our creature and I’ll see you don’t, Sean Connell!" She held up a warning hand the flat edge in an offensive position. "Not that you could catch her. She’s smart, that one. She understands what you’re thinking.”
Sean eyed her, more scornful than skeptical. “You know so much about her?”
“I’m good with animals.” She paused, then grinned. “Just like you are. See you ‘round. And remember about requisitioning!”
1) The cut off correction Sorka makes is interesting. Was that a derogatory term?
2) I also find the "your people" comment notable. It does seem like some anti-Traveller prejudice still exists. In a way, I'm happy to see that Sorka has at least one implicit flaw here. Though I'm not sure I have faith that the narrative will call her out on it.
3) And of course, OF COURSE, she knows more about the creature that he's been observing for days than he does. Sorry, Sean. You're clearly a pet character yourself, but you're not one of the favorites. Ten bucks says Sorka will be able to "Hear All Dragons" once there are dragons to hear.
Anyway, she heads back to Jacob and Chung, who apparently have managed to collect some samples to carry back.
We shift to Sallah Telgar:
When Sallah Telgar heard the call for volunteers to make up a skeleton crew so that those who had not yet been down to the surface could have a weekend break on Pern, she hesitated until she saw the names of the first three volunteers: Avril, Bart, and Nabhi. That trio did nothing that did not further themselves. Why would they volunteer? Suspicious, she scrawled her name down immediately.
Okay, I know I've been critical of how McCaffrey's written her obvious villains, but I feel like maybe it would have behooved her to tell us a bit more about the dynamic between Sallah and Bitra. Initially, it seemed like they were casual acquaintances at best. She was judgy about the relationship with Benden, but that sounds like common knowledge. Here, the animosity seems far more personal.
Bitra's clearly bitchy, but so far, she hasn't really done anything that we know of to cause this kind of reaction. At least not in Sallah's presence. Sallah, therefore, just looks fixated.
(Insert Regina George gif here)
Sallah does have a different reason to volunteer though. She's curious about the fuel issue. Kenjo's economies apparently don't make sense. He's not volunteering himself. Honestly, I feel like McCaffrey could have just let THAT be Sallah's motivation and then had her observing Bitra and company's odd behavior on the trip.
All six shuttles went up to relieve the ships’ crews and to bring down more bits and pieces. Sallah flew the Eujisan up with the skeleton crew for the Yoko. Avril had a smile on her face, smug enough to satisfy Sallah that the woman had personal plans for her weekend. Bart Lemos looked apprehensive and fidgeted while Nabhi continued to look supercilious. They were up to something, Sallah was sure. But what it might be she couldn’t imagine.
See? This is fine. I have no issue with this. She's actually reacting to what she's observing.
So Sallah is now working with someone called Boris Pahlevi. They have some weird banter about the "rape" of the Yokohama by the Quartermaster, "Ivan the Terrible", who is Alaskan. Boris, a Centauri settler, doesn't know what Alaska or Hercules is, though it's also possible he's just messing with Sallah.
We also learn that the colony's official historian and librarian has the unfortunate name "General Cherry Duff". She's apparently in her eleventh decade and serves on the Buenos Aires.
Sallah also calls Boris "iggerant", which is a bit weird as we never see her speak in dialect in any other place. Maybe it's a joke?
Boris seems like a decent sort so far. He's an engineer, and he's happy to work on the ship because he'd forgotten sunblock when on planet and gotten himself burned. I feel you, dude. And I find that kind of minor error a little charming.
Sallah confirms that Bitra and Lemos are in Life Support and Nabol is in Supply. (And for the record, I have no issue with Sallah looking them up NOW. Their behavior was fishy enough to warrant looking.) She's decided to set up a program to see who else accesses the mainframe and what they ask for. Meanwhile, Boris asks about the library tapes: they've been sent below, but Sallah suggests he gets his own copies "while there's tape left".
Ah, here we go, fishy behavior:
Avril was asking for figures on the remaining fuel in the tanks of all three colony ships. Nabol was inquiring about machine parts and replacement units that had already been landed. He was accessing their exact locations in Stores. So he won’t have to ask to get them, Sallah thought. More worrisome were Avril’s programs, for she was the only fully qualified and experienced astrogator. If anyone could make use of available fuel, it was Avril. And where were the liters and liters that Kenjo had scrounged?
She's also requested the coordinates for the nearest planets capable of sustaining humanoids. Sallah wonders why, before remembering that there are two deep sleep tanks in the Mariposa.
She makes a hard copy of the data and the chapter ends here.
You know, it actually bugs me a little. Not Sallah herself, she's fine, but why exactly IS it a bad thing if Bitra wants to leave Pern? I mean, okay, siphoning fuel that's supposed to be used for the colony is bad. Yes. But for all that Pern is a one way trip, why SHOULDN'T people be able to call it quits if they decide they're unhappy.
I feel like I remember reading something where one of the characters does want to leave Pern and actually does manage it and is shunned as an awful person. And maybe that's a fever dream of some kind, or an accidental blending with some OTHER science fiction book I'd been reading at the time. But it does boggle me a little. Why is it a bad thing to want to leave the veritable death planet again?
Well, who knows, if I ever figure out which book or story that was, maybe I'll find out.
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Date: 2023-01-22 04:17 am (UTC)As for wanting to leave Pern, the biggest problem is it's extremely impractical, and might not even work. There's a later discussion about that, which adds up to "we've come too far and taken too much from the ships, and if anyone could make it out here in time, they might get ideas about subjugating us in return for an assist, and we've had enough of that, thanks."
Also, is it robbery if I take that bet based on what I rememeber?
= Multi-Facets
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Date: 2023-01-22 05:35 am (UTC)And thanks for the info. "Tinker" would make sense in that context.
no subject
Date: 2023-01-22 06:17 pm (UTC)In all seriousness, I do like seeing this kind of process. These chapters are like behind-the-scenes looks at TV shows and movies. "How did Industrial Light Magic do that effect? Oh, is that what a dolly zoom is? So that's why we don't see the shark very much in 'Jaws.' Wait, is that why this happened?" Things like that. Those are some of my favorite stories to hear from guests at conventions, actually.
= Multi-Facets.