unplanned landing

[characterquarry]

She's at the lead of a formation of six Witches, flying her metal not-quite-a-broom out on a routine patrol. She carries her bow, sword, quiver of arrows, four loaded flintlock pistols, two pot-bombs. The usual loadout.

What she finds is not any alien invader she's familiar with. It's a flying snake with a mirror for a head.

"Pull up! It's faster than us, so use formation wagon-wheel!" Bows come out, and arrows fly at it, but they bounce uselessly off its mirror-head and scales. After a few minutes of this she charges in, drops one of her pot-bombs on it at point blank range, then pulls a roll to dodge as it charges past, but not fast enough-

And she's somewhere else entirely.

Comments

[characterquarry]

"Yeah." She breaks the metal thing back down. "...I keep losing squadmates. I don't want a psych session, I know the standard arguments. You could never have predicted it, you can't be perfect every time, you can't save everyone. I've heard it. But the fact remains that there are times when, if I had lifted off sooner, someone who is dead would not be. It gets worn in, after a while."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Startlingly good reflexes are a good response to that," Daphne says.

[characterquarry]

"If I was the kind of person to break, I wouldn't be a Major. I'd have left after the first eighteen month enrollment. Still, thanks."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"There are other responses besides 'break' and 'develop startling reflexes.' But I suppose I wouldn't know."

[characterquarry]

"Well, most people develop habits. Mine just happens to be startling at any sudden things instead of gambling or tobacco or excessive exercise or coffee or opium."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Ugh. Opium and tobacco are terrible for you, good choice."

[characterquarry]

"A lot of Witches don't particularly care what their life will be like in 10 years. Side-effect of the war culture, I think. We all deal in our own way. Personally, I'm fairly sure I'm going to be jumping at shadows for the rest of my life. I'm not sure that's any better than tabac-lung."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"It does other things to you besides coating your lungs in tar. Do you know what cancer or emphysema are?"

[characterquarry]

"No, I do not. Though cancer sounds vaguely familiar."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"It means the cells in some part of your body multiply out of control and if you don't get it treated you die of it and even if you get it treated sometimes the treatment doesn't work."

[characterquarry]

"Cells? The body is made of animalcules? Perhaps I should read up on medicine as well as engineering."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"...Animalcules?"

[characterquarry]

"The tiny creatures that spread diseases. Doctor Henry Lovert proved their existence 17 years ago. Penicillin kills most of them."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Oh. Those, yeah, sort of. The creatures that are only made of one cell are different than the cells that make up bigger creatures."

[characterquarry]

"More for my reading list, I suppose. I've always learned best by reading."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Sounds like a convenient way of learning. We're going to have to change, so unless you want an eyeful you should probably leave the room for a bit or go back to sleep or something."

[characterquarry]

"Back to sleep it is."

And she does in fact go back to sleep. When they return, she's reading again.

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"My brother wrote back," Jaromira reported. "I read his response after you went back to sleep this morning. He's willing to come and teach you, but given that you have a demonstrated military bent he's going to want to truth-spell you again."

[characterquarry]

"As long as the spell is lie-detecting and not compelling me to speak the truth I am alright with that."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Yes, that. Lie detectors are more reliable than truth-tellers anyway."

[characterquarry]

"And less invasive, which is the part that matters to me."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"It's always convenient when the more ethical solution and the more practical one are the same thing."

[characterquarry]

"And bonus points if it's also the most interesting or fun solution. I think I want to get a book on refrigeration technology, and farm machinery. Food is one of the biggest challenges we have recently, since the Neuroi-destroyed lands have been mostly good farmland and not uninhabited wilderness. And since Neuroi lands produce hurricanes every 22 days like clockwork."

[maggie_of_the_owls]

"Yikes. Maybe we should be focusing on getting some kind of stable transit between our worlds, if we can, it definitely sounds like some of our kind of magic would be helpful."

[characterquarry]

"That would be very nice. I remember reading that trade helps everyone, unless one side is being outright exploited. Economics or something. I didn't get too much formal schooling before I started Witching instead."