Is he crazy?
In the beginning of Part 2 of Rome's Revolution, we know that Rome was suffering from polyhydramnios which is an excess amount of amniotic fluid. She was in such distress that Rei was truly fearful for her life. The common treatment for this condition is simply to stick a catheter into the uterus and draw off the excess fluid. However, the Ibbrassati had next to no medical equipment in their secret enclave. So why didn't Rei just take her to what would eventually come to be known as Ibbra City for treatment?
Answer: it made for much more drama to have Rome and Rei fly into to the Vuduri compound and avail themselves of the state-of-the-art medical equipment contained there. I always knew that I wanted a split structure and this seemed the way to make it happen. Here is that scene:
“What kind of medical facilities do you have?” Rei asked one of the women in Vuduri, Paddy he thought.
“None really,” Paddy answered, somewhat bitterly. “The Vuduri keep all the equipment to themselves. They really do not care if we die. Of disease, an accident, in childbirth. It does not matter to them. Just more material to recycle.”
“Die!” Rei said. “Who said anything about dying?”
The woman pointed to Rome. “She is too big. Your baby does not fit inside her. We are not the same as you. We are a smaller people. This is why she is in so much distress.”
Rei looked down at the woman he loved, suffering. Suddenly, he knew what he had to do.
“Rome, I’m going to fly you to the Vuduri.”
Paddy gasped. “You cannot do that,” she said. “It is forbidden for mandasurte to have access to Vuduri technology. They will kill you.”
“Not if they see Rome is pregnant,” Rei said.
“They want children who are connected,” said the other woman, Sussen. “He is right. They should take their ship, and Rome, to the Vuduri.” Rei looked up at her. Something was different about Sussen. Her eyes perhaps? They were a light grey color, almost silver. With the dim light reflecting off of her tapetum, it looked almost as if she had no pupils at all. She looked like she might be blind but clearly she was not. He’d seen eyes like that before but had no time to recollect. Rei put it out of his mind and turned back to look at Rome.
“Well if they want the children who are connected, it won’t do them any good if they’re dead. I can’t take the chance. Romey?”
“Yes, mau emir,” she said weakly.
“I’m taking you to the tug. We’re going to fly into the lion’s den.”
“Yes, mau emir,” she said. “Things cannot get any worse than they are now.”
“I’ll be back in a minute then. I have to go tell Trabunel and your father.”
“Ow-ow,” she said and closed her eyes. “Please hurry.”
So, no, Rei was not crazy. If anybody is, it's me, the writer. He didn't suddenly know what to do. I did. I wanted action and adventure and Rome flying to Ibbra City and getting treated offered only limited dramatic tension.
Entry 2-301: October 23, 2014
Vuduri wedding vows
Several days ago, I discussed the concept of marriage in relation to the Vuduri. Rei proposed to Rome even as they were packing up and getting ready to fly to the Vuduri compound. Rome accepted Rei's proposal but wanted to wait until they got back. Rei would have no part of it. Trabunel, the leader of the Ibbrassati, offered to perform the ceremony. You will see there wasn't much to it because in Vuduri society, if you wanted to be married, you were married:
Trabunel, who had just reentered the room, spoke up in Vuduri. “There is usually a set of pledges and the families meet before the ceremony. It normally takes some time. But for you, we can skip this step. I can make it brief. We can do it right here, if you would like.”
Rome looked over at the two women. They came over and helped her sit up.
“What do I have to do? What do I have to do to get ready?” Rome said in Vuduri.
“You are already ready,” Trabunel laughed. “I will just ask the two of you to pledge your lives together. If you give your assent, you are married. Your word is your bond. Understand?”
Both Rei and Rome nodded their head. Rei stood by as Rome pushed off the bed and stood up. He helped her as she walked over to stand by Trabunel. He put his left arm around her and with his right hand, he reached down and took her hand. He raised it to his lips and kissed it gently. They both looked up at Trabunel.
Trabunel addressed them. “Rei, do you give your word and pledge to stay by this woman’s side? To always honor and cherish her uniqueness? To be faithful, loving and truthful? Through the bad as well as the good for as long as you both shall live?”
Rei took her hand and kissed it again. “I do,” he said.
“And Rome, do you give your word and pledge to stay by this man’s side? To always honor and cherish his uniqueness? To be faithful, loving and truthful? Through the bad as well as the good for as long as you both shall live?”
Rome lifted Rei’s hand up to her lips and kissed it tenderly. “I do,” she said.
“Then you are now bound forever as husband and wife. And the best of luck to you always. I am very happy for you.” Trabunel turned and looked at Fridone. “And for you, too, Fridone,” he said.
Rome sidled around and put her arms around Rei’s neck. In turn, Rei put his arms around her waist and kissed her deeply. For just one moment, all was well with the world.
It was right after this that Rome passed out due to the pain. I guess the honeymoon would have to wait.
Entry 2-302: October 24, 2014
A travois
Yesterday, I presented to you the very brief wedding ceremony at the beginning of Part 2 of Rome's Revolution which united Rome and Rei in Cesa which is the Vuduri word for marriage. It was right after that that Rome passed out due to the pain of her polyhydramnios.
Since Rei had already made up his mind that he was going to fly Rome to the Vuduri compound, they needed a way to get Rome to the Flying House. They did not have any stretchers or gurneys and this was long before MINIMCOM invented his whoosh/pop snap PPT tunnels.
The simplest method of transporting Rome was to rig a travois which was originally a type of sled used by North American Indians to carry goods, consisting of two joined poles dragged by a horse or dog. In this case, there was no horse or dog. Two men took the rear and Rei carried the front where the two cane-tree trunks joined. A blanket served as the section to hold Rome's weight. It was crude but effective and it got her to the Flying House without making her walk.
Entry 2-303: October 25, 2014
The River Karole, again
In the beginning of Part 2 of Rome's Revolution, after Rei had already made up his mind to fly to the Vuduri compound, the splinter group of Ibbrassati had only one request. They did not want Rei to fly directly toward the east. They wanted him to fly south to hide anything that might reveal the location of their secret enclave.
“You be careful, my daughter. You come back to me with my grandson. There is much that I want to teach him.”
“I will, Beo. I will do my best.”
Fridone worked his way around to Rei and put his hand on his shoulder.
“You take care of my daughter, son. She is the most precious thing in all the world.”
“Yes, she is,” Rei replied. “I will take care of her.”
“Trabunel instructed me on your route. You must head south first and circle our settlement on the lake. That way, if you are spotted, there will be no undue curiosity about our encampment here.”
“How do I do that?” Rei asked.
“Follow the stream in front of you to the south until you come to where it merges with the River Karole,” replied Fridone. “You follow the river all the way until it empties into Lake Eprehem. Our settlement in on the eastern shore. Once you are past the village you can circle around and then head due east. I do not know how fast your ship flies so I
cannot tell you how long it will take. All I can tell you is that the Vuduri compound is located somewhere along the coast. Perhaps a bit north once you get to the ocean. I know nothing more.”
“Thank you. I guess we will figure it out when we get there,” said Rei.
“Very well. Good luck to the two of you,” said Fridone.
“Thank you. We will be back as soon as we can,” Rei replied.
“Goodbye, Beo,” said Rome.
“Goodbye, Volhe,” Fridone said. He started to say something else then stopped himself. He and the other two men left.
You can see from the map below that if Rei followed the River Karole, the village which later became known as Ibbra City was perched on the eastern shore of Lake Eprehem. We will return here later after Rei and Rome are forced to separate.
Entry 2-304: October 26, 2014
Where are the rest of them?
As I have mentioned numerous times, the original long-form version of Rome's Revolution was a three novel series entitled VIRUS 5. Originally, VIRUS 5 was supposed to be a standalone novel. It only acquired Book 2 and Book 3 after I spent some time wondering what happened after the end of the original work.
As such, some of the nuances in Books 2 and 3 were not as well thought out as the original. However, I think they are better written. Regardless, I knew that I wanted to make the world of Deucado, Rome and Rei's destination, a prison world designed to keep the mandasurte at bay until the planet could be destroyed by an asteroid 19 years in the future.
The resulting genocide was meant to further somebody's plans. At first I thought it was just a splinter group, called a samanda within a samanda, within the Overmind. It wasn't until I worked my way through the novel that I realized it was all a part of MASAL's master plan. I had to go back and rewrite a good portion of Book 2 once I learned of this.
However, some of the tenets of designing and operating a prison planet didn't change regardless of who was running it. It was absolutely necessary to keep the captured mandasurte oppressed (that is why they were called the Ibbrassati). This meant that had to be denied access to technology to prevent contact or escape. They also had to be kept in fear of reprisal by a huge contingent of Vuduri. If they knew for a fact there only a handful, not even a thousand, Vuduri, they could have overwhelmed them by sheer numbers.
So the myth was propagated that there was a huge population of Vuduri somewhere on the planet. But where? Certainly not on the continent of Asquarti which was the location of the village on the shores of Lake Eprehem that would later become known as Ibbra City. That leaves the eastern continents of Sul and Toraode. There were supposed to be hundreds of thousands of Vuduri there. So the Ibbrassati would never rise up knowing they would be crushed by overwhelming forces that could easily be summoned.
Of course it was all a lie. Not only were there no Vuduri on the eastern continents, they had never even been explored. Aason Bierak led the first expedition to that other place looking for the lost people called the Suduri.
You'll meet some of the Suduri, at least some dead ones, in the upcoming novel entitled The Milk Run. The subject of where the Suduri ended up is a lasting memory that may or may not be solved if I ever write the last book in the series tentatively entitled "The Final Journey" but that's a subject for another day.
Entry 2-305: October 27, 2014
Mind-reading or cell-phone?
In the beginning of Part 2 of Rome's Revolution, Rei and Rome set out flying east in hopes of finding the Vuduri compound. Rome was in severe need of medical attention and this was the only way Rei could think of to get her the proper care. As they were flying toward the eastern ocean, there was a tiny episode that was foreshadowing of some sort. Here is that section:
Rome's face grimaced in pain. “I do not know,” she said sharply. “I cannot think about such things right now.”
“OK, honey,” Rei said, knowing that it was the pain talking to him harshly.
Haltingly, Rome took in a deep breath as best as she could and then let it out slowly. “I am going to close my eyes now,” she said. “Wake me when we get close.”
“Sure, honey. You rest.”
Then, Rei heard her say in Vuduri, “He is so good to me. I really love him.”
“I love you too, honey,” Rei said, not really looking at her.
“What?” Rome said, opening her eyes. “I did not say anything. But I do love you.”
“OK, whatever you say, sweetheart.”
“He is so strange sometimes.”
Rei laughed and turned to look at her. Her eyes were closed. He just shrugged it off.
We know that Rome gained telepathic powers later on. After all this was one of the core tenets of Rome's Evolution. So was she, in essence, transmitting into Rei's mind her inner-most thoughts?
Nope. For Rome to gain her later powers, she would need the injection of the gene therapy at the Vuduri compound and later on Earth, administered by Estar. Plus Rome only learned to read minds, not transmit thoughts. At this stage of the story, Rome had already ingested the yellow pill and I can now reveal that this was simply her "cell-phone in the head" twitching. Rei did not know he had this ability either so between the two of them, Rome broadcasting, Rei receiving, Rei thought he was hearing things. Turns out, he was.
Entry 2-306: October 28, 2014
The Milk Run Preview: Junior
In the upcoming novel The Milk Run, Aason and Lupe have returned to the Tabit system so that the Library OMCOM can get some long overdue maintenance. Not only do his memrons need a refresh, he has acquired valuable information that Planet OMCOM wished to download and backup.
With the Null Fold star drive, the trip to Tabit only takes 11 hours but a round trip still requires that the passengers eat and sleep. What was required was a cross between The Flying House which had no cargo capacity and MINIMCOM's normal configuration which was all about transporting people and equipment.
In a previous post, I showed you Junior's redesigned cockpit but I didn't tell you what happened to the back half. I came up with what I call Junior's "medium haul" configuration. Half the cargo bay has been converted into living quarters: a bedroom, a small galley, refresher and so on. It omits some of the items required for longer trips. The back half is still wide open and suitable for hauling cargo. As such you need an airlock between the front and back just in case you need to open the cargo bay in space.
So here it is, your first look at Junior's medium-haul configuration. You can click on the image to get a bigger view:
Entry 2-307: October 29, 2014
The Milk Run Preview: Starship OMCOM
One of the key tenets of the upcoming novel entitled The Milk Run was that I tied up any remaining loose ends from the previous novels in the Rome's Revolution series.
These include things like:
- Whatever happened to OMCOM aka Planet OMCOM?
- What, exactly, was the purpose of the mutations that OMCOM allowed to occur?
- Where did the Stareaters come from?
- Whatever happened to the Ark IV, destination Nu2 Lupi?
- How will man expand into the universe when the stars are so damned far away?
Well, all of these loose ends are tied together into a single concept whose working title is Starship OMCOM. The Null Fold X-drive is similar to the Null Fold star drive except it bends imaginary negative energy instead of the real part. There are many more dimensions to negative energy to be exploited so the upper velocity is limited only by the computing engine behind it. Imagine how fast a starship could go if it had a computer the size of a planet?
The only problem for launching it is that it needs a PPT tunnel larger than anything ever seen. This is where the Stareaters come in. Two of the smaller ones join Planet OMCOM, after he converts himself into a starship and they create the launch window. For reas
ons which will be made clear in the story, Junior has to be mounted on a stalk in the very front to lead the way. In the drawing below, his starcraft is visible but in real life it would be too small to see at the scale presented.
So here, for the first time, is a preliminary drawing of Starship OMCOM, the fastest starship that will ever be built. Don't laugh, it's the best I could do...
Entry 2-308: October 30, 2014
The Milk Run Preview: The Saberoo
In a previous post, I described to you a curious creature that attacks Aason in the beginning of The Milk Run. My wife, Denise, named the creature an Ice-Saber since it was similar to a saber-toothed tiger that lived on a freezing cold planet. However, in sketching out designs for the new cover, my brother Bruce called it a Saberoo because its rear legs are more like a kangaroo. Since both are right, I decided to rename the creature an Ice-Saberoo so as to not hurt anyone's feelings.
Naming rights aside, Bruce asked me for more details on what the creature looked like. So I embarked on a journey to stitch together a Frankenstein version of the predator. All I can say is please, please forgive me. Bruce will do a much better job of rendering it but it is a starting point:
After you pick yourself up from the floor, laughing, let me just point out a few salient features. Those horrid red things on its head are supposed to be tissue-thin infrared sensors which can swivel and allow the creature to track its prey using body heat. It has pronounced saber-like teeth, both upper and lower. It has very powerful rear legs for leaping at its prey and a meaty tail for counter-balance.
Normally, it hits its prey with its top teeth then sinks its lower teeth into the prey's body. It then uses its upper teeth to pry open its food like an old-fashioned can opener. To make things worse, it has heavily clawed short front legs in case it gets into a tussle. All in all, a good animal to avoid.