In Dr Gregory Benford’s novel The Stars in Shroud, the alien Quarm has attacked the human race with a psychological virus. Like most of Earth’s citizens, Ling, his wife Angela, and his children Chark and Romana spend their days locked inside their apartment, afraid to leave. Some people have accepted their condition, and undertaken “frontal lobe taps” that program individuals for utility in completing specific tasks. But Ling has resisted such a permanent solution. Rather, he believes in his inherent strength to endure the unreasoning fears that beset him. And in time, he finds himself venturing out on lone expeditions: not just into the apartment building’s hallways, but onto Earth’s deserted streets. One day he is apprehended, and escorted to Fleet Central.
Ling was once a starship captain, and his capabilities are highly valued. As he is one of the first to fight off the virus, his skills are needed. Ling returns to his apartment, where he discusses the job he has been offered with Angela. Fleet needs a new Base Commandant in the far off Veden System. As yet, there is no sign that the Quarm virus has reached the planet, but it could afflict the Hindic colonists there at any time. This is an important assignment, for the base at Veden manages the Flinger, which aids in transporting ships and cargo to other Fleet worlds. Were the Flinger to fall into Quarm hands, it would be impossible for Fleet to service and guard all of the worlds that humanity has colonized.
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| A Soldier's Sacrifice |
It tears at his heart when Angela begs him not to abandon them. He knows he would miss his family terribly. But Angela is a prisoner in her home, and all Chark and Romana have is their TV. Not only must the Flinger be guarded, but also there is a mystery to be solved. Why have the Hindic population shown no signs of infection, when the Quarm virus has nearly brought all Fleet worlds to a standstill? Not only does he feels a duty to the human race, but he wants to bring about a better world for his children. One in which they will no longer be afraid of the outdoors, but be capable of pursuing any future they desire.
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| Touring the USS Midway |
Although I visited the recruitment offices of three branches of our nation’s military, my life-journey followed a different path. While I might never have become the captain of a naval vessel (or for that matter commanded a starship during wartime), I have wondered how a soldier’s experience might have changed me. Might it have better prepared me to take on the challenges associated with getting my fiction published? If I possessed more courage, for example, might I have been less fearful of rejection, and thus submitted my earlier manuscripts to more publishers before giving up on them? If I was more disciplined, might I have worked longer each day on my writing, and spend more time writing new stories rather than endlessly rewriting old ones? If I had learned how to be more determined and persistent, might I now have more useful contacts in the literary community?
One thing I do know. Ling’s determination to battle past debilitating fear gives me greater faith in my own abilities. His belief that he can help build a better world for humanity (as well as his family) helps me dare to believe that my writing may someday benefit those who read it. His decision to leave behind all he knows and loves, to try something totally new in a faraway locale gives me hope. For if one man can do all that, then my goal of finishing (and selling!) my novel about a dragon seems much more achievable.
How does Ling's example speak to your life?
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| Dragon Dave: Fighter Pilot? |
A related Dragon Cache entry, and other profiles of courage:
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