(urth) Home Fires questions

[Stephen Hoy]

Glad to see this topic arise from the dead. I finished a third re-read of HF and want to share an idea.

Throughout Home Fires, we find out very little about the Os. What we know for certain is that a multinational alliance engaged the Os on the planet Johanna (Gehenna). The most recent information available--10 or so years ago when Chelle departed Johanna--indicates the Os are losing on the ground. Skip entertains a few thoughts about whether the Os would destroy a habitable planet rather than lose it to us, but dismisses this idea. He believes the Os would prefer to negotiate.

Who on earth is better suited to negotiate on behalf of the Os than Skip Webster Grison, lifelong defender of celebrities, cyborgs, and the unjustly accused, leading partner of the celebrated defense firm of Burton, Grison, and Ibarra. How convenient for the Os that, as Home Fires ends, Skip heads to Johanna as a military lawyer, in perfect position to represent the Os if negotiations begin. "Even a murderer deserves to have someone to speak for him, someone who will explain to the jury why he did what he did and show him where his best interests lie."

The overt story of Home Fires is the classic tale of what a man will do for the love of a woman. But what if the covert story began with a missing fact: Skip was never contracted with Chelle? What if... his memories of Chelle have been implanted just before he awakes on Yellow Paper Day? 

Everyone who speaks directly of Skip's relationship with Chelle & family has (arguable) ties to the Os: double agent Charles Blue/White, Vanessa Henessey/Virginia Healey, Susan Clerkin/(whose real last name is unknown), and possibly Chelle herself. If we believe Charles White, Susan's rebound lover Rick Johnson isn't a suicide cultist, but a cyborg agent for the Os, suggesting Vanessa's body-donor Edith Eckhart may have been an Os agent as well. I suspect the not-quite-cyborg pickpocket Achille may have a little Os to his backstory, too.

Nefarious backstory: Skip is being manipulated to go to Johanna to represent the Os.


________________________________
 From: David Stockhoff <dstockhoff at verizon.net>
To: The Urth Mailing List <urth at lists.urth.net> 
Sent: Friday, December 2, 2011 8:08 AM
Subject: Re: (urth) Home Fires questions
 
On 12/2/2011 8:50 AM, Andreas Muegge wrote:
> Almost missed this discussion...
> 
> 2011/10/18 David Stockhoff <dstockhoff at verizon.net <mailto:dstockhoff at verizon.net>>
> 
> 
>         > Was Skip once someone else?
> 
>         Seems like everyone in Home Fires is/was someone else so why
>         not Skip? Question is, who? His initials--S.W.G.--don't help
>         me generate many alternatives, although some sort of "Greene"
>         seems likely. But Skip/overlay might explain why Skip wonders
>         if Chelle will recognize him on her return--despite the
>         Obvious Explanation that Skip will appear different in
>         Chelle's eyes because he has aged. Skip/overlay also fits with
>         Skip's too-easy transformation into agile hero aboard the
>         cruise ship.
> 
>         > At the formal dinner, his family reunites. All three have
>         trouble recognizing one another (except when they don't). Two
>         are known to be not entirely who they think they are. Surely
>         the third is also not entirely who he is.
> 
>         I do wonder how any of the Blue family can recognize each
>         other to any degree because they're all replacements/overlays.
>         Still, somehow Chelle recognized her replacement mother at the
>         airport while failing to recognize Skip. Clearly an important
>         clue.
> 
> This puts the whole book into a new light. Does anyone have an idea how it's possible that the "overlays" recognize each other in the new bodies?
> 
> Ciao,
>   Andreas

I have a few thoughts on that but no answers:

(1) All three are different types of overlays or riders: an alien, a human-tech scanned download, and whatever kind of mysterious accident Chelle is. Because of the interest the factions seem to have in her, she feels like some kind of sport, maybe a combination of human reconstructive tech and something alien. Dunno.

(2) But all are riders on human mounts, and to the extent that they know what they are, may be able to spot doubled personality in others. Fuzzy, I know.

(3) Skip, also a suspected rider, does not *appear* to pick up on this stuff quickly or at least overtly, but it's hard to tell what he sees, isn't it? If there's a rule based on common mechanisms, he should follow it too.
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