Subject: (whorl) SPOILER WARNING for Ballad of Beta-2

From: Robert Patterson <rpatters at midsouth.rr.com>
Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 19:19:24 +0000

More details about Delany, Ballad of Beta-2

12 generation ships left Earth for the Leffer System in 2242.

60 yrs later on Earth, cheap FTL travel was discovered, obviating the
need for any more generation ships.

When the fleet of g-ships finally arrived, only ten arrived, and two of
those were empty.

The remnants on board the ships were not re-integrated into civilization
due to their semi-barbarian and traumatized state. (This element is
somewhat like Long Sun.)

The Beta-2, which our hero explores as an assignment in his anthropology
course, is one of the ships that arrived empty.

After much interesting investigation, our hero discovers that the g-ship
expedition encountered a race of intelligent energy-beings that live
only among the stars--where hyperdrive ships never go. These beings
accidentally traumatized the inhabitants--both culturally &
physically--and also initiated some virgin births. Our hero meets one of
the half-human progeny and gets the scoop from him.

--
Robert Patterson

http://home.midsouth.rr.com/rpatterson

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