…SPOILER WARNING…

a.81

add three planes and take a tangent.
now reversed reverse acceleration parabolic, RRAP, which spells Wrap, which is not done in Reverse.
– I remember.
Okay, and we have to overshoot (to use the correct traffic entry for the sidespace)
and then you take a plane, a minor tangent, and Wrap. And we call that a cloverleaf.

“I can technically do each of those things.”

“Now do them one after the other. I believe in you.”

a.82

Easy cruisin, constant movin.” Derringer had coined this phrase a while ago for certain recurring job phases, those times when he was supposed to come up with something out of thin air with no clue. Well, the air gets thinner if you lean into the wind. Inspiration can arrive more easily, so long as you keep paying attention to what you’re really supposed to be doing. That’s what he was telling himself now.

a.83

I can use any of these seven reagent powders, and then some deionized water.

I have the DI water, of course. Will it help you if I can supply a handful each of these three?

Yes, and your mixer is working?

I’ll mix them up for you. I only have a standard spouted feeder bowl…

Soleil nodded that this would be fine. “While you do that, can I use your air brush?

Sure. It’s a little big for that.” The smallest spacecraft anyone expected to service was three to four times the size of this funny little sled.

…SPOILER WARNING…

a.78

Surprised at this ease, Soleil felt humbled. “You are very courteous to me, for a people so angry at my people.” She recalled the presence of the Kao-Sidhe as spoken through flame, when she’d had her true dream.

“And you are very courteous to us, for a people who have so injured our people.” Rosy Glow’s voice was ethereal and warm.

“I know nothing of the injury that others have done.”

“And we know nothing of the anger that others feel. So we of all people are in positions to aid each other. And so we have, or done our best.”

a.79

How and why do things feel disconnected?
my hands have felt like a hundred different hands connected to my hands
so imagine what it feels like to have five hundred fingers … that disappear
also, my primus has really intense emotions

a.80

Looking at Garlic, she felt hungry.
On a slim hope, she said, “Hey, can you make food, something I can eat?”
Immediately a clove of garlic fell to the floor, and upon hitting it turned into a garlic chicken wing.
“I guess it’s a good thing I like garlic.”
Garlic rolled around in midair.

…SPOILER WARNING…

a.75

“This is a great idea.”

“Just like it’s a great idea to spoon first.” Wendel turned over to kiss him. “You never know what might happen,” they said together.

a.76

UIXTR: Do you have enough of it?

AELRN: Enough of it for a while. And then maybe we’ll be doing something different.

UIXTR: A good while?

AELRN: A very good while. A little goes a long way when we’re using it in strips. And we’d better have progressed our stratagem by then.

UIXTR: Sounds groovy and feasible in every way.

a.77

Toller woke at the sound of footfalls in the hold, where he’d used cargo straps to secure himself in a niche for a nap. Leiv, source of the noise, switched on the lights. The boy loosed his hitches and stretched. “Where are we?”

…SPOILER WARNING…

a.72

Soon the space they’d opened was empty. With no one else in sight, they locked up and took off, leaving the key in the lock as requested. “So, what’s next on the list for the Homeboy Shopping Network?” asked R. Arriba.

a.73

Everyone has different protocols. Learn how to be understood in as many or as few protocols as possible. Leiv and I will just use poetry sometimes if we’re piloting our own ships in a situation.

“How do you do that?”

“Mostly, we understand each other’s language… we like each other’s taste… and we use embedded pointers from our horsing around for years together.”

a.74

This trusty vehicle had read her motions clearly and without parallax the whole time – no misreadings had interrupted her hyper-tuned mindstate, and when the jumps occurred they were distinctly a result of her actions, whatever they’d been. So, with a hint of suspicion, with her gloved arms Soleil began to comb the field of motion for the errant response.

I’ve been writing ahead. I’m going off-grid while at Tribal Gathering in Panama, holding various experimental story workshops (see you there?).

For postings from now through the Ides of March, I’m just going to share a tiny preview slice of each section draft. This is partly a fractal exercise (what tiny part can transmit some satisfying quality?), and a process sharing – parts will remain, others transform. That’s what you get for being along for the ride! I’m not even going to tag these, so this is the loyal reader exclusive.

I’ve practiced spoiler mitigation in my selections, however some things will be revealed, so if you don’t want that, come back next month!

If you don’t mind that and this seems like a fun foray into the writer’s mind, then stick around. The hiatus counter above will begin with the next post, during which every post will begin with the words SPOILER WARNING.