Random One-Liner
“Yeah, no. Just because you cooked it over the reactor doesn’t make it fusion cuisine!“
Alistair Young
Trope-a-Day: It's a Small World After All
It’s A Small World After All: Partially justified, in that (a) there are generally a limited set of places to land – Landing, Star City, PhĂlae Interstellar Starport, Stationary Station, etc., and (b) most people who have any sort of regular offworld dealings live there, or maintain offices there, or
Other Things You Should Be Reading: The Steerswoman
Reminded that I meant to occasionally feature things like this here by it, let me quote to you a little of Joshua A. C. Newman’s review of Rosemary Kirstein’s Steerswoman series: “The Steerswoman is an extraordinary speculative fiction series by Rosemary Kirstein. So far, it exists in the
Reactionless Drives
Technically, this is a trope-a-day from much later in the cycle, but seeing as (a) I just wrote it up having been thinking about it recently, (b) I’m sure at least some of my readers have been wondering about the very common use of reaction drives in the Eldraeverse
Trope-a-Day: ISO Standard Human Spaceship
ISO Standard Human Spaceship: They’re “realistic” designs, involving designing for microgravity, with nuclear engines out on the end of long trusses and no particular need to worry about aerodynamics or putting all your machinery inside the pressure hull, but — 1. They’re not painted grey or left as uncolored
Author's Note: "Beat Brass"
For anyone wondering about the origin of this particular evocative phrase for those regrettable times when one must intervene with the hardware personally, it dates back to those wonderful round-about-the-Industrial-Revolution-equivalent days, when life was steampunk only without the punk, and when computation was done and equipment was run by twelve
Building Bridges
“Listen up, girder monkeys! Your job for today is to put the bridge in the Starwing-class courier floatin’ behind us. My job for today is to make sure you do it right.” “Now, you are asking yourselves why the admins here at Islien have decided in their wisdom to put
Trope-a-Day: In Working Order
In Working Order: Usually averted (except in cases where the artifacts include what are, functionally, people), despite Ragnarok Proofing – most elder-race artifacts are found after time periods adequate for even vigorous Ragnarok Proofing to have been overtaken by entropy, or overwhelmed by whatever was responsible for said species not being
Trope-a-Day: Ragnarok Proofing
Ragnarok Proofing: Played straight. Apart from being better built in the first place (after all, when you can expect to live for something on the far side of a thousand years, you don’t go around building houses that will only last mere decades or centuries – and much the same
And Don't Hold Your Breath (It Never Helps)
WARNING: AIRLOCK SAFETY PROCEDURES 1. Personnel must wear vacuum suits before exiting the starship if so indicated by crimson-caution telltales. (Any exceptions must possess “vacuum-capable” endorsement countersigned by Environmental Systems Engineer.) Follow instructions posted in airlock chamber. 2. In an emergency, caution enforcement system may be disabled by opening emergency
Trope-a-Day: Invocation
Invocation: Yeah, for quite a few people – mostly the “freelance adventurer” type that causes so much trouble in the Galaxy. But Rule of Cool is in effect in-universe – that’s just melodrama, (or, if you prefer, pretension). Whatever tech they’re using to hero it up would work just fine
Indistinguishable From Breakup
“Anjeä SysCon, this is VS Ardent Voyager, gated in-system from Loxix, identifying. Over.” “Ardent Voyager, Anjeä SysCon, we have you arriving at 5173-09-14:7-51-11; squawk ident. Welcome to Imperial space, please specify your intentions. Over.” “Anjeä SysCon, Ardent Voyager. Request through-clearance for immediate transit to Conclave System, minimum delta transfers.