If the artist does not fling himself, without reflecting, into his work, as Curtis flung himself into the yawning gulf, as the soldier flings himself into the enemy's trenches, and if, once in this crater, he does not work like a miner on whom the walls of his gallery have fallen in; if he contemplates difficulties instead of overcoming them one by one . . . he is simply looking on at the suicide of his own talent.
Honore de Balzac

Football is faster than words

Radio reporters taught me to listen to something and imagine something at the same time. In the late 18th century, Goethe traveled to Italy, where he saw Leonardo da Vinci’s “Last Supper.” At the time, people in Germany had heard of the painting but hadthrough the anomalous actions in the tac-holo in the center of the plot room repeatedly while the XO and the Head of Energetics quarreled. It was the only explanation, and it made the Tenno impossible to use. Worse yet were the strategic implications. With FTL comms, Rifter reinforcements might even now be on the way to Treymontaigne. If so, they had only four days to act before the first such might arrive.

Ng released the invisible hold by making an apologetic gesture at the orderly that didn't hide how exasperated she had to be feeling. Nilotis was certainly feeling that, and half a dozen other emotions. The orderly finally reached him, but even the smell of real coffee—ground while the senior officers were still staring at that impossible holo—did