Lee’s entry, Random book contest, autumn 2009

Terry’s challenge is to randomly pick three books from three widely separated areas, and develop the core ideas of the books into something related to VSF, steampunk or Hive, Queen and Country.

I took a fistful of dice and perused my house.  In the “toyroom” there was one stand of bookshelves, 4 of them with books.  Rolling some dice to determine shelf, quarter of the shelf, and then book within that quarter derived: Geography of the U.S.S.R, 2^nd edition.  Still on the ground floor, I went to the living room, where there is also one stand of shelves.  The same method brought me to a boxed set of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, specifically A horse and his boy.  Going upstairs to the guest room/office/library, there are 6 sets of shelves, the main body of our gaming and military history and fiction collections.  I wound up on the Civil War/WW1 shelf, specifically Nations at war, c.1917.

Results: Soviet (or Russian) geography, a lost prince, and a journalistic account of the Great War, its technologic advancements, and the nations participating.  I’ve always had a soft spot for minor nations contributing to great alliances, and the discussions on HQC that week brought up the Second Hive War.  So, a “lost prince” from some part of Russia, contributes something to the First or Second Hive War.  I suggested a Georgian, with his own aerolyth flyer, joining the effort.  Andrew Webb enthusiastically provided me with some Georgian history.   The historical figure of Queen Tamara intrigued me, my oldest son had a pre-school playmate whose mother said she was named for Tamara.  I considered expanding the Amazonian theme that we have been developing on the list, but my contrarian streak bubbled to the surface, and I decided to bring in a male hero.

There’s a rather naughty series of sex & guns novels set in modern Georgia, featuring an ex-SEAL who fights terrorists from a hidden valley in the mountains between visits to his harem.  While I suspect that was part of my inspiration, I hope this prince will act more Victorian!

The Times, February 18, 1894

“Royal Naval Field Headquarters-– Batonishvili (“Prince”) Remaz Bagrationi presented himself to the aerial commander-in-chief of the forces fighting the Hive today.  He arrived in an aerolyth flyer of his own construction, named Mepe Tamara for the medieval warrior-queen of Georgia.  It was, he said, armed with Russian-made guns and equipped with a hull strengthened for dropping explosives or other ordnance.  Its propulsion was a conventional boiler and propeller.  It seemed to be roughly the same size as any of our Navy’s craft, and just as well-armed.

His Highness insisted that he was not representing the Tsar nor his government.  HM Foreign Office and the Russian Embassy, when queried, professed no further information.  He told this correspondent that he had come to participate in the fighting against the Hive, as a ‘participant in this war for all humanity.’  He had followed the earlier fighting in the press, and considered it a solemn duty to participate, and so he built and fitted out this craft, and flew it to England.

Certain RN officers were granted permission to visit the flyer, and they said they were impressed when asked about the ship after being permitted to board.  They thought the crew seemed efficient and capable.  There has been no word yet about supplies of coal and water, ammunition and so forth, which are expected to begin.  The naval-aerial commander in chief declined to say whether or not he had yet accepted the generous offer of the Prince, and the Admiralty has not yet offered comment, either.”