moments of realization;
appeals to three or more of the senses;
alternative rationales for FTL;
fight scenes and escapes;
battles at sea and in space;
descriptions of aliens;
fictional planetary ecologies;
the pathetic fallacy;
systematic treatment of alternative scenarios about AI, time travel, future society etc.
Satan's World includes an efficient fight scene on the planet Dathyna:
van Rijn and Adzel are prisoners in their disabled spaceship outside a Shenn castle;
approaching at night, expecting two guards, Chee Lan finds one, stuns him and signals the ship with a flashing light;
Adzel emerges with van Rijn on his back;
the second guard, returning from wherever he had gone, roars and fires an energy beam;
Chee Lan directs Adzel to run towards Muddlin' Through, rises on her antigrav impeller, radios Falkayn in Muddlin' Through and descends to stun the second guard;
alarms sound, the castle lights up and armed Shenna stream out, four of them donning flying harnesses;
Chee Lan blasts two fliers and dog fights a third while the fourth pursues Adzel;
halting, Adzel grabs and throws a rock, disabling the flying Shenn's impeller, then attacks the running pursuers with hoofs, hands, tail and fangs;
his scaled body, hit by bolts and bullets, is not seriously harmed;
van Rijn, thrown to the ground when Adzel halted, fights the downed flier for the latter's dropped gun;
van Rijn, fat but fast, delivers a karate kick, then a decisive blow with his St Dismas statuette;
as Adzel had expected, the battered pursuers stampede - a species that attacks rashly would not have survived if it did not also stampede when worsted;
a Shenn destroyer begins to take off;
Chee, having overcome her opponent, calls Muddlin' Through;
Adzel shelters van Rijn and Chee with his sturdier body;
Muddlin' Through destroys the Shenn craft and lands;
Adzel carries the others on board while Muddlehead, the ship's computer, bombards the castle to destroy its guns and missiles;
Falkayn delivers a warning by radio and Muddlin 'Through departs for Earth.
6 comments:
It also shows the importance of teamwork in a fight -- individuals operating in coordination, but each exercising initiative.
Kaor, Paul!
And one amusing bit I recalled from this fight is Old Nick is telling the Shenn warrior whose blaster he had grabbed that he would study it for any useful improvements he could get patents for!
Sean
Sean,
I noticed that but thought that including it in my summary would distract from the choreography of the fight.
Paul.
Kaor, Paul!
Oh, I understand! I simply thought that was so LIKE Old Nick, always looking for new ways to earn a few more credits to ease his poverty stricken old age! (Smiles)
Sean
Interestingly, in Ancient Greek the usual expression for "standing by" or "helping" someone translates as "locking shields" with them. It's used in Sappho's "Prayer to Aphrodite".
Mr Stirling,
We say "standing shoulder to shoulder."
Paul.
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