Tau Ceti is eleven and a half light years from Sol and there is a Kith village on its planet, Harbor. Kith stop at Harbor before returning to Earth which has been hostile to Kith. Spanning interstellar distances at sub-light speeds, Kith ships are rarely able to make rendezvous whereas, in the Psychotechnic History, Nomads, traveling FTL, meet at a planet outside known space which they have named "Rendezvous." Kith garb, including kilt and bonnet, sounds Nomad.
When the Kith ships, Fleetwing, Argosy and Eagle, orbit Harbor simultaneously, they delay departure to conduct a Fair. Kith must marry out of their ship. Four ships have developed the art of yarn-spinning with bardic accompaniment. IIRC, we are about to read a story within the story.
If some Kith remain permanently in the village or in Kith Town on Earth, do they cease to be Kith?
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
IIRC, the Kith used Harbor as a convenient place to find out news about Earth which was not too hopelessly obsolete. To find out how safe it was to proceed on to Earth. If a civilization friendly to the Kith happened to be dominant, it was safe to go there.
I assume some Kith who grew weary of STL relativistic space traveling would sometimes retire to Harbor. I think a Kith friendly culture took root there.
I find the Kith stories more satisfactory than I did the Nomads in the Psychotechnic series. Because STL would make a system of clans crewing large space ships more economically plausible than if FTL was used. If FTL is assumed, merchant ships with SMALL crews would cost vastly less and out compete ships crewed by clans.
Ad astra! Seam
Post a Comment