Newsletter #2 going out tomorrow morning, Link Below

http://eepurl.com/b_Nqs1 That's the link to my second installment of my newsletter. Some Celta worldbuilding questions answered.

Celta Thursday: Next Captain's Log originally from Heart Thief, the story of which became Heart and Sword:

Celta Thursday: Next Captain's Log originally from Heart Thief, the story of which became Heart and Sword: NUADA'S SWORD CAPTAIN'S LOG, AWAKE INTERVAL, WEEK 2, DAY 2, 1100 HOURS
I am still alone, still untrusted by most of the crew, still working hard to establish my authority. I have no friends, dare not make any and still remain the inviolable Captain and manage a reasonable chain of command. I must have no obvious weaknesses or the whole shaky system will unravel and chaos will result.
I have consulted with the Captains of Lugh's Spear and Arianrhod's Wheel. The Captain of the Spear is a descendant of Philip Masur, calling himself T'Alder. The new naming system we initiated has been accepted by the generational crew. Juliet McLeod, now Juliet D'SilverFir is master of the Wheel. She was Awakened many years ago and is very old. The situations on the other ships are not as bad as the Sword, but the Captains made it clear they look to me for answers. My decisions will be followed by them.
I have taken steps to improve shiplife, hoping to stop revolutionaries from having a solid base. The blandness of the food was incredible. I instructed the computer to provide a larger variety, including desserts, that were dropped from the menu some time past due to the depletion of sweets. More sugar and honey will be raised in the Greensward. I have ordered the dead flower and greenery boxes along the corridors to be re-soiled and replanted.
I have also issued a statement that since our original destination may be out of reach, another planet ripe for colonization will be found.
Will my skills, my so-vaunted "charisma" be enough to save the ships? I have rarely had doubts in my life, never about going on this long trip and helping to found a new society. But that was when I was with others of my own mind, and Miriam. Just the sight of her sleeping and safe comforts me.

Celta Thursday, On with the cut Captain's Logs from Heart Thief

Okay, here's Celta Thursday, another cut from the Captain's Log of Heart Thief (hopefully in order, though I kept rearranging it according to the rewriting I did on the main story). As I said before, when I wrote Heart and Sword, I changed the names. :)

NUADA'S SWORD CAPTAIN'S LOG, AWAKE INTERVAL, WEEK 2, DAY 2, 1100 HOURS

I've learned the previous Captain, also Awakened from suspended animation, died in a mysterious, violent "accident." He was Joseph Martino, next on our original roster to be Awakened. But not the best person to have been placed in such a position in the seventh generation, rigid and authoritarian.

The trip should not have taken this long. Our projections were that Landing would take place in the middle of the fourth generation. A fourth generation crew would still have elders with faint memories of Earth. But the life-spans on ship are not as long as we expected and neither is the speed of the journey. The top speed lasted only two generations.

Our technology is failing: particularly the engines and the recycling systems for life support.

In the bedroom of my quarters, on my most private and secure monitor, I have a visual of Miriam and her life stats. Watching her, I recall the past, calculate the future, and ensure she is safe in the now.

To lose her would be to lose all hope.

Celta Thursday, model of T'Vine Residence (Hohenzollern Castle)

Celta Thursday. A while back I bought a couple of castle models, one is of Windsor, which was the one I based the Summoning series on. One was this one, Hohenzollern, which is Vinni's (I knew this in, ah, Heart Choice). I've been hauling it to the desk from it's shelf to study it, so I thought I'd put it up. The greenery/garden with the least amount of windows overlooking it is Vinni's private garden.

Heart Thief Captain's Log, cut

NUADA'S SWORD CAPTAIN'S LOG, AWAKE INTERVAL, WEEK 1, DAY 7, 2200 HOURS

My Miriam still sleeps. I must protect her and the rest of those in the suspension cubes at all cost. And I must save those who live now, on the ship. Will my skills, my vaunted charisma be enough? I have rarely had doubts in my life, never about going on this long voyage and helping to found a new society. But that was when I was with others of my own mind, and Miriam.

The computer would wake her, if I asked. If I said that I needed her to perform well. But better that she sleeps through this dangerous time. She would hate the ship, all metal and cold. She so anticipated colonizing a new planet, and is perfectly suited to that work -- but this ship would erode her soul.

This is my sixth night without Miriam.