space oddity

[rockeye_stonetoe]

One day in fairyland, there is an immensely bright flash of light a about a mile above the ground. Something like a metal house is suddenly flying through as if it came through a portal, faster than all but the fastest fairies.

It's flying, not directly down, but still very much towards the ground. It does not take long for it to stop flying and start carving through earth and trees. Eventually it runs out of momentum near a certain lake. The thing seems to still be in one piece, which is rather miraculous considering the two miles of destroyed trees behind it.

After a few minutes, a mortal covered in unusually bulky clothes emerges from the thing. All that is visible is his face. He starts inspecting the outside of his space oddity.

Comments

[imeanforever]

Thanks.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

The next day, Nick seems to be deliberately avoiding his melancholy. He very specifically doesn't bring up death or de-aging or vassals, and instead explains the scientific method and asks questions about sorcery.

I'm not sure how useful you will find science as a way of thinking, but it can't hurt.

[imeanforever]

Sorcery doesn't seem like the kind of thing the method was designed to tackle, but it's at least interesting.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

Devices and tools are the kind of thing science is especially good at. What if there is a way to make a tool that lets you map harmonics more easily? What if devices could do sorcery? Can you learn change the harmonics by changing your mindset? Tools, methods, and new perspectives like that are exactly the kind of thing science is best at. You know much more about sorcery than me, obviously, but even if it seems impossible I expect there are some ideas worth a little investigating in case there is something that's obvious if only you think about it a little differently, but you missed it and wasted 50 years of effort.

[imeanforever]

A harmonic mapping tool sounds great. I really don't think a device could do sorcery, though, and I've never heard of anyone managing to deliberately change harmonics directly instead of waiting for them to adjust on their own or in response to local plants and geography.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

Nick looks like he wants to ask something, frowns, and goes back to reading sorcery books.

After a while, How absurdly stupid do you think it is for me to try to visit a library for more books about sorcery? If I go in armor with the ship overhead anyone nearby might be unnecessarily intimidated but I expect I'd be relatively safe compared to a random mortal.

[imeanforever]

Safe compared to a random mortal, yes. Someone might decide to try to kill you instead of attempting to capture you. For the novelty of it.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

I think this calls for an experiment. You seem to be a relatively accomplished sorcerer. Can I make an empty set of armor full of sensors and have you try to 'kill' it, to see how well it'd help?

[imeanforever]

You can, but I'm shy of two hundred years old and a library will have a better crop of sorcerers than a randomly chosen court.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

I'll take that into account and doubt the information an appropriate amount.

For now, though, it's apparently back to reading and occasional questions about sorcery.

[imeanforever]

Which she answers.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

If Promise reads Nick's recommended starting science and technology books it will turn out that, yes, compared to the books on sorcery found here his books are well organized, thorough, and consistently styled.

I've been thinking about trust, Nick says that evening, Before, you had a chance to order me to be silent and do nothing, and instead you set up a clever clause that left both of us almost harmless to each other. If I told you part of my new name would we once again be equals, so to speak? You'd have no way to be sure I've kept it if I leave and return again, but still...

[imeanforever]

I'm not sure if apellodyne names require the whole thing like a natural fairy name does or just part of it like an ordinary mortal name does, replies Promise. But yes, if I knew your new name we'd be in a state of mutual vassalization again and I could turn my ears back on as long as I didn't think the apellodyne had told anyone nearby my new name.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

That's a potential danger, yes. But I still have her killswitch, and she knows telling anyone your new name would constitute harming you. Would any old orders still apply as long as we remember them?

[imeanforever]

I don't think so. But it doesn't come up very often - fairies seldom forget names, and when they do, whoever they forgot usually runs away.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

Nick paces and generally looks very nervous. I want to tell you. This - ruined trust is a terrible shame. But when I think about it I feel the same way I feel about death, sick fear that overrides any rational thought, any idea of fairness. I don't know what to do about it. I'm sorry.

[imeanforever]

It's obviously up to you. I'm satisfied with my existing precautions and we're managing productive trade.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

He does seem to feel better at that. Have you made much progress studying de-aging mortals? Four other people on my ship are also interested in having it done to them. I'm hardly going to forbid it if you're willing to help them as well as me, though from what I've read it would be about three times as hard to learn five different targets.

[imeanforever]

I'd have to hang around them for a while. You I could probably de-age now.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

Would you be willing to spend time near them? I haven't actually asked, but I doubt any of them would mind letting you watch them if you were learning to de-age them. I'm not going to push you into doing more work than you want, but I rather like the idea of saving a few lives. If you're willing and they're willing I'm hardly going to stop it.

[imeanforever]

I'm willing.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

He nods and has a conversation into his devices. After about ten minutes, They all agreed. I'll rearrange their work schedules so they all have time off simultaneously, unless you can't watch them all at once anyway.

[imeanforever]

It's slightly but not overwhelmingly less efficient to look them all over at the same time.

[rockeye_stonetoe]

Would it cost you less total time? That's my standard for efficiency in this case.

[imeanforever]

Yes, I'd just be ready to de-age the first one later.