I like the new one way better. Which one do you like?
Entry 1-181: June 24, 2013
The Stareaters, Part 3
So...the Stareaters...will we ever see them again? At the end of Rome's Revolution, we met HIRDINHARSAWAY who was assigned the task of absorbing our sun but he stopped. He said he would keep his distance, that there was no rush to take our sun which wasn't scheduled to go nova for millions upon millions of years.
You will recall he was quite distressed to find out it was the humans (Rei and Rome in particular), that killed his brother, BALATHUNAZAR but after he learned the circumstances, he agreed it was just self-defense.
So where are the Stareaters now? We know what they are up to. They are eating stars. In answer to the question posed at the beginning, yes, we will see them again. In the next novel, The Milk Run, there arises a need for a planet-sized PPT tunnel; something only a Stareater could generate.
And, in a sense, BALATHUNAZAR, lives on in the flesh of the mutations that occurred within the VIRUS units that consumed him. So where are the mutations now? More tomorrow.
Entry 1-182: June 25, 2013
How do those mutations figure into The Milk Run?
At the end of The Ark Lords, OMCOM actually comes out and tells you the purpose of the mutations. He said he needed to create myriad autonomous probes, some with anomalous forms of propulsion, to scour the universe to try and find the origin of the Stareaters. He claimed, at the time, he thought the Stareaters were dangerous and perhaps finding their origin might give them a better handle on how to stop them.
Well as we learned at the end of Rome's Revolution, the Stareaters are not evil, have a noble purpose and are rather refined and considerate.
But the probes are still out there and OMCOM says information is starting to trickle in on some of the other sentient species throughout our galaxy. After all, you will remember we were given the appellation Species 927. That means there are 926 that came before us.
What OMCOM did not tell us is that the probes have also provided him with information concerning other universes as well. Think about that! OMCOM certainly has.
Entry 1-183: June 26, 2013
More loose ends
At the end of each book, there are loose ends. I never thought about them or thought they were important but in reality, they are the driving force behind each successive book. For example, I had written the original novel VIRUS 5 and it ended exactly how I thought it should. But I was sitting around one day and said to myself that I wondered what ever happened to Rome and Rei when they got to Deucado.
Thus what is now Part 2 of Rome's Revolution was born. I was as excited and interested to find out as you were. At the end of Part 2, I had a whole bunch of gigantic loose ends:
- Why was Captain Keller so crazy?
- What about the Stareaters, coming to Earth?
- Whatever became of Estar?
- Who (or as it turns out what) was behind converting Deucado into a prison world?
- What was OMCOM going to do out there, by Tabit, for eons?
Well, Part 3 practically wrote itself. At the end, I still didn't understand why Keller was so nuts. I had no clue what happened to Sussen. And I still had no clue what OMCOM was up to. I also had the whole future history thing up in the air like Hanry Ta Jihn versus the Ark Lords.
So, one day, the loose ends tied themselves together and suddenly, I had a new novel, The Ark Lords. I had made up my mind that that was the end. No more stories about Rome and Rei. But I still had the loose ends:
- Whatever happened to the last few stragglers from Darwin?
- When was Lupe coming?
- Whatever happened to Sussen, still.
- Were the Onsiras really just going to fold up and go home without MASAL to lead them?
- Why build a static tunnel to Alpha Centauri and the world of Helome?
I wanted to write the compendium of short stories and deleted scenes called The Vuduri Companion and I still do. But I wanted to throw in an original novella called Rome's Evolution. I wanted to keep it personal, just between Rome and Rei. I wasn't sure who the antagonist was but I had a few choices. Suddenly, the two groups hooked up and boom, I had new novel. But no more. I made the end definitively the end. The rest of the loose ends will have to be sorted out by a new bunch.
- We still don't know what OMCOM is up to.
- If we are species 927, who are the others?
- The mutations. Still?
- What is Lupe like?
Soon. Soon. The Milk Run should answer most of your questions.
Entry 1-184: June 27, 2013
MIA
Since the original novel VIRUS 5 was written in 1973, many characters have come and gone. I have mentioned some of them before.
One was Pal Boco who originally was Rei's best friend. In the current version of Rome's Revolution he has kind of morphed into MINIMCOM.
Another character who disappeared was Lawlidon who I also mentioned in a previous post. However, when I collapsed the first three novels into the current omnibus, he had to go as well. His scene was really cool. His arrival caused the sky to go black and Rei and Rome collapsed on the floor, holding their heads and screaming.
Other characters who disappeared were the Cecetiras who attacked Deucado at the beginning of the original book 3 and the Lawlidon's fellow Bridadiras (Protectors).
Another character who I have talked a lot about was Silas Hiram but he'll get his proper treatment in The Vuduri Companion which should be out next year.
There is one other character who disappeared - one that I miss a lot. He was Rome's cat whose name was Skodla. I'll tell you more about him tomorrow.
Entry 1-185: June 28, 2013
Skodla, Part 1
I have owned a bunch of cats in my lifetime. My two best cats were Freddy and Skittle. Skittle was a huge, orange tabby who was very ill when I first got him. He nearly died. But he survived and thrived and grew and grew and grew. He got so big, we once joked about getting him first his own ZIP code then later we thought he might need his own area code. He died several years ago and I miss him a lot. I thought I'd put him in a book so that he would be remembered. When I wrote the original long form of Rome's Revolution, I was determined to find a way to work Skittle into the story. Thus Skodla was born.
Skodla was Rome's cat. He was mentioned several times in the original long form of Rome's Revolution and also figured prominently in Part 3 when it was its own standalone novel. Unfortunately, when the time came to compress the three novels into one omnibus, a lot of stuff had to go and Skodla was one of them. So here is the (now) untold story:
Rome was only six years old when she found him. She was sitting at a workstation practicing her eye-hand coordination when she heard a tiny, mewling sound outside of her front door. The Overmind commanded that she ignore it but she found her reaction time was fractionally reduced by the distraction. She determined that she would be better served by researching the sound before returning to her practice.
She went to the front door and opened it. At first, the sound stopped but then started again. The sound came from behind her and on the ground. There, huddled in the corner, was a tiny, orange kitten making whimpering noises. With no thought regarding what it was doing there, Rome bent down and picked up the kitten and instinctually cuddled it in the crook of her arm. Immediately, the kitten’s sound changed from the plaintive tone to a surprisingly loud purring noise. Again, without really knowing what she was doing, Rome used her free hand to stroke the kitten and its purring sound grew even louder. The Overmind tried to convince her that the kitten was disease-ridden but she ignored this,
choosing to attend what she saw rather than what the Overmind was telling her she was seeing
Tomorrow - Rome asks for permission to keep him.
Entry 1-186: June 29, 2013
Skodla, Part 2
When Rome was very young, she was always fighting within herself about whether to submit to the Overmind and let it do the thinking for her or remain independent. She found it very discouraging that whenever she had an original thought, it was quickly stolen by uncounted others and claimed as their own. The Vuduri actually had a thing called mind-court where you could try and prove that you thought of something first but Rome was too young to successfully argue a case.
The Overmind commanded that she set the kitten down but she was so wrapped up in the sensation that she did not obey. She felt all the other minds entering hers and trying to steal the sensation. But a remarkable thing happened. The other minds could not take it. The pure sensory input and emotional reaction was hers and hers alone. As soon as the other minds swiped the feelings, they became empty, only a hollow recollection rather than the sensation itself.
Thus Rome learned that a sensation was a sensation and something that others could not steal, no matter how hard they tried. No need to defend it in mind-court. Let them take it. It meant nothing to anyone else. The sensation was personal and private and Rome found that she loved it.
Cradling the tiny cat in her arms, instinctively, Rome scratched the kitten gently under the chin and it rolled over to give her better access. Rome was totally absorbed in the moment. She did not realize that her mother was standing there observing her. Within her mind, the Overmind was telling her to set the cat down. Rome refused. She decided to confront her mother. She knew she had to ask permission to keep it. But at what cost?
Tomorrow, the "price" Rome had to pay.
Entry 1-187: June 30, 2013
Skodla, Part 3
As part of the Overmind, Binoda also knew she had to make Rome set the kitten down. But she hesitated. It was then that Fridone came to see why his wife and daughter were standing by the front door. Rome looked up at him and spoke aloud since her father was mandasurte, mind-deaf, and verbal communication was the only way he could know what she was thinking.
May I keep him?” Rome asked her father.
“Fridone,” Binoda said. “It would not be…”
Fridone held up his hand. Binoda stopped speaking. “You may,” Fridone said, “but you must accept the responsibility of taking care of the animal. You must feed it and keep it safe. Can you do this, Rome?”
“Of course, Beo,” Rome said. “It would be good training for me. Mea’s primary responsibility is to liaison with mandasurte regarding care of animals. Mea?”
Rome knew she did not have to speak aloud. She and her mother were connected via the Overmind but Rome had long since learned to verbalize her interactions when her father was around. Binoda’s eyes narrowed. Rome could hear the turmoil the Overmind imposed upon her mother’s brain. At last, Binoda spoke.
“Yes,” she thought toward Rome then aloud, “yes but you must be serious in keeping it healthy.”
“I will, Mea,” Rome said. “Thank you.”
All this time, the kitten was reveling in the warmth emanating from Rome’s body. It had never stopped purring even while all this went on.
“I will call him Skodla,” she said and she walked past her parents, into the house, proudly carrying her new-found possession.
Rome took the cat into the cooking area and gave it a bowl of water and a few treats from the food synthesizer. It was then that the Overmind imposed itself and gave her one choice. It would allow her to keep the cat if Rome would finally submit to "second sight" which meant the Overmind would supply her with sensory input. She was to ignore what she was actually seeing and hearing.
All Rome could think about was keeping the kitten. So she agreed. But the reality was, nothing the Overmind said or did could affect Rome deep within her soul. The very hypocrisy of Vuduri society was exposed to her and while it took a long time for her to act, it eventually became Rome's Revolution.
Tomorrow, Skodla reappears in Part 3.
Entry 1-188: July 1, 2013
Skodla, Part 4
So, when you boil it all down, simply owning and loving the cat Skodla eventually led to Rome's Revolution. Rei discovered this the very first time he entered Rome's mind when they used the Espansor Bands. But that was the last mention of the cat until Part 3.
When Rei and Rome came back to Earth, Rome was put on trial. Her mother came and attended and eventually with Ursay's help, Rei got Rome's sentence commuted to banishment. Binoda agreed to accompany them into exile. The Overmind gave Binoda permission to stop by her apartment and grab a few possessions before heading to Hawaii.
To everyone's surprise, Skodla was among those things. He had lived a very long life and Binoda had been caring for him while Rome was out on the Tabit mission. He takes up a lot of room. This is from the original long form:
Rome kneeled down and laid the cat on the floor. Like a dog he rolled over so that Rome could rub his all-white belly. His striped legs stuck straight up in the air, each ending in a pure white paw. The effect was somewhat like he was wearing two pairs of sneakers. His purring was a vibration that Rei could feel through his shoes.
“How old is he?” Rei asked Binoda.
“He is nearly 21 years old,” Binoda replied.
“Wow,” Rei said. “For a cat, that’s really old.”
“Yes, it is,” Binoda replied. “But he has had a good life.”
“Has he always been this big?” Rei asked.
“Yes,” Rome answered. “I remember that when we first got him as a kitten, he became gravely ill. He nearly died. But after he recovered, he just grew and grew until he was very nearly the size you see now.”
“In my day,” Rei said, “they probably would have given him his own ZIP code.”
So at least I was able to get the ZIP code joke in there. Skodla has one more scene then he is pushed into the background because he didn't contribute to the action very much.
Tomorrow, the end of Skodla :(
Entry 1-189: July 2, 2013
The End of Skodla
Rome was being escorted to Hawaii by Grus along with a contingent of Vuduri soldiers. Binoda and Rei are there as well. Because the flight was several hours long, Rome decided to give her mother a tour of "the flying house" before it was taken away from her. The scene went something like this:
Rei, will you watch Skodla for me?” Rome asked, pointing to the huge mound of fur on the floor.
Sure,” Rei said, “but he hasn’t left very much room for me, all spread out like that.”
“Rei!” Rome said but it was clear she knew he was kidding.
“Please remain here,” Grus said to Rei. “And please do not try anything.”
“I have no intentions of doing so,” Rei replied with a sigh. “Where am I going to go?”
Grus shrugged. “Proceed,” he said and the three of them left the room.
Eventually Grus grows tired of the tour and cuts it off:
“Then this is enough,” said Grus. “Please go back to the living area for the remainder of the journey.”
“All right,” Rome said and the three of them returned to the sitting room. Rei stood up. Skodla remained in a deep slumber.
“No action so far,” Rei said, pointing to the cat.
“I did not expect any,” Rome replied. The sight of the two of them, Rei and Skodla together, made her smile.
So you can see, because he was so fat and lazy, he didn't do much, other than provide a source of amusement. You will be pleased to know that in this alternate u
niverse of the long form of Rome's Revolution, he accompanies the Bieraks to Hawaii and then to Deucado. The cat becomes very attached to Aason and he spends the rest of his days sleeping with the boy and following him around.
Skodla passed away a year or two later and now relaxes peacefully in Writer's Heaven, waiting patiently for the humans that he loved so dearly to join him one day.
RIP, Skodla and RIP, Skittle. I love you and I miss you.