Like the weight on a giant pendulum, the GDL is carried from one extreme to the other. Often screaming through the middle ground so fast, if you blink you miss it.
And as we pass the middle of the book, there is that inevitable artificial sense of tension and urgency. With each page you come closer and closer to the end of the book. Will they tie up the loose ends, will they prevail, at what cost?
It leads to a bit more scattered thoughts for me. I've been reading this one book for way to long now. I'm ready for it to be over and jump on ahead. I mean I've read this book before right? So I know how it ends, no need to finish it, the GDL wins, why keep going?
But at the same time my twenty year old memory is sparked with every page. Some little twist or nuance that I had forgotten. A fresh memory that takes me back into the heart of the universe. Sure I know the GDL survives for another forty years, but the destination is not the journey, and this is one dammed fine journey.
of course there are also the things that make me go Huh?
Colonel "You killed my Father" Marauder offered to resign and face court martial. Hmm... Keith still seems to have something of his own idea about the Draconis Combine. While we see him wholly embrace the TRO 3025, his own take on the Combine is decidedly different from the just published Handbook House Kurita.
Same goes for his Regiment, the 3rd Strike Regiment. Anyone ever hear of a 3rd Strike Reg? No? Didn't think so. It's of course also portrayed as Ricol's personal forces. Does this mean Ricol is supposed to have four regiments of his own? Probably not, but one wonders.
The Invidious- It's getting cramped here!
80,000 tons sounds big. Until you realize that the Invidious is supposed to be a Merchant or Invader class JumpShip. We know it can carry 2 DS and there are hints it can carry more. Not at 80Ktons it can't. :)
And one of the best goofs of all. The Invidious is sent back to Galatea to get 'reinforcements'. Galatea is half a border away, as close to Terra as Verthandi is to the periphery. Yet the arrival of the Diemos on Galatea is portrayed as happening very soon after the Invidious left Verthandi. Actually there are a lot of hints that Verthandi was supposed to be a lot closer to Galatea then it ends up. Now mind you, you could explain away the Diemos as having taken other JS in a semi circuit. But now were just making excuses.
Wolf's Dragoons, Eridani Light Horse, 21st Centari Lancers, Hansen's Roughriders and the Grey Death.
Just what do these units all have in common, other then being mercs? Why they are all part of the "Our dependants have been captured/killed/harmed" club.
You want a mercs achilles heal? Find their families and drop a cluster bomb on them...
On no wait, with the exception of the 21st, when you mess with a mercs family, it just tends to make them madder. If you're gonna mess with a mercs family, make sure you take out the mercs as well. Revenge is a gold plated XXXXXX.
Oh the story? Right the story!
We are moving to Book III, the end game of the book and we come full circle in many way.
Ricol is back and he's not happy that Grayson is around.
Nagumo is starting to look like a moron, hey have to make Ricol look smart.
Remember Sue Ellen? Traitor and sell out? Got tossed in a prison cell for her troubles? Yes well Grayson rescues her, along with a bunch of other women, destined to be shipped off planet.
Poor Sue, she's not had a good book. But she serves as an admirable plot device.
Let's see- She shows us another important leadership trait of Grayson's. Listening. he listens to her sob and cry and unfold her whole treacherous tale. Just holds her until she falls asleep on his shoulder.
Specter of Jealousy- Yeah baby! Lori may actually break out of that dang stupid shell of hers now. Seeing Sue all cuddled up on Grayson's shoulder, sure set off the fires of jealousy. Come on Lori!
So we're headed downhill with the book on fire. Ricol is on scene and ready to crank it up a notch. Grayson has momentum and ready for more, the Jungle's a rocking and plot threads are starting to converge.
But I'm sure that Murphy has some nasty surprises still in store, he's not that nice.
Comments (2)
Good advice on how to elimate mercenaries totally, and good points of the DS&JS explanations, hopefully there will be one or two more technical discussion in this book, on well how things and rules change....
Sounds cool.
And yeah, I'm happy that in the Jihad, the Word of Blake has learned that famous mercenary units got that way because it never occurrs to them to respond emotionally to threats against their loved ones; just violently. :P