Earth, the human planet
After the discovery of two new alien races, the Black Jack fleet finally caught its breath. As you know from the previous volume, she accompanied the Dancers on their journey to the Old Earth, the cradle of our race, from which both the Alliance and the Syndicate grew. The entire solar system was isolated for centuries, so no one knew what to expect from this trip.
In the end, it turned out that old Terra is a melancholy place full of monuments and ghosts. Its politicians quickly seized on the possibility of extricating themselves from the status of a deep, silent province and rushed to build diplomatic contacts with the new center, represented by Geary, Desjani and accompanying officials. The Aliens caused a bit less of a sensation, which could be considered a storytelling flaw… or a consequence of the character of Dancers, who usually do what they want… and nothing else.
In this thread, Campbell shows in a very interesting way the differences between the Earthlings and the soldiers of the Alliance: slowly emerging from the many years of devastating war, citizens of a colony with a history much shorter than Earth’s. They are sometimes surprised by the stubborn nurturing of souvenirs and the eternal return of the inhabitants of this old planet to places where only memories are left from their ancestors. They do not give in to any blackmail, it is even hard to upset them, because fighting is their everyday life. Most importantly, they don’t have the slightest idea of what is considered impossible on Earth – so they just get on with it.
Darkness of Europe
Blurb promises a spine-chilling action on Jupiter’s moon. In a word, he does not mention that the fourth volume of Outer Space consists of two relatively independent stories. The first takes place in the solar system, the second in spaces known to us from previous fleet journeys under Geary’s command.
Let’s start with Europe – it is a contaminated area, completely inaccessible. No one can land on its surface, and if they do, they must stay on the moon and die there, possibly from the same epidemic that killed its inhabitants and completely closed the airspace around it.
Geary’s fleet will have to make a dramatic decision very quickly – abandon the two seamen who were kidnapped and ended up in Europe, or save them, risking the lives of the entire crew? An interesting dilemma for pandemic times – what would you do? How much could you trust your special tasks and technology squads?
The darkness of familiar layouts
Returning home, especially from afar, is often associated with surprises. It happens that an exhausted hero is in for a surprise that cannot be easily given to a wandering monster hunter. And if it’s political, Daddy’s Return could be a witchhunt.
As you know, Campbell’s books are military space operas full of political plots or attempts to circumvent other brilliant ideas proposed by officials. Geary has long been a favorite of the authorities, because every living hero is of less value than a dead one, which could be turned into a heroic, patriotic symbol that fits nicely into the party line. Healthy, walking and in command, “Black Jack” has no such charm. The second part of The Unbending opens a thread suggesting that the Alliance can go to great lengths, dangerous to its own citizens as well, as long as it maintains control of the fleet and improves the ontological status of its admiral.
These are, of course, only assumptions; the theme of the inner darkness of Geary’s homeland will not be resolved in this volume – you must reach for Leviathan . After the rather intimate Unbending, the Outer Space finale promises to return to the battlefield and more space skirmishes. Therefore, enjoy the tour of the Old Earth, the precise work of special forces, discussions between crew members and jokes about temporary inconveniences. Maybe it will get much hotter in a moment …
