I saw a picture in my facebook feed that reminded me of some of the first research I did for Area 52. I’m an introvert – so I never propose a trip anywhere. My poor kid drags me places so that I don’t turn into a statue in front of my computer.
But one day, I surprised her and one of the cousins by asking if they’d like to take a trip to the zoo. You’d have thought that I was proposing a trip to Antarctica on a whim. It’s an hour drive to the closest zoo, so I go, but usually after a significant amount of begging and wheedling- or because it’s a special occasion.
There was only one catch I told them.
I needed to visit the macaws.
Oh and I did. I watched them for nearly an hour, taking notes.
Our zoo has several enclosures with the gorgeous birds – all colors. Mostly in pairs, but a few lonely old birds. The unmated ones tended to over-groom, plucking feathers out of sheer boredom.
At first, I was going to give Pollux that trait – but then I realized that he wasn’t alone. That Pollux, in his own way, loved the General as deeply as any friend has ever loved another – and his brain chemistry and physiology being different didn’t change what he felt for her.
She saved him in so many ways, and he loved her for it. His adoration of her is one of the things that tells us the most about the General in the first few books. We don’t get many scenes with her, so we have to see how those we do know interact with her.
Hutchens, the ultimate warrior and hardass admires her (in fact, I think he had a little crush on her in his youth, which shocked the heck out of me – that was not in my plan.)
ANNA, the AI who knows everything, trusts her.
And Pollux, who is the heart of Area 52 loves her.
That says quite a bit about the General.
We find out a little more about her in Zeta.
Zeta is coming.
And boy is it giving me hives while I try to edit it.
It’s going to drop in February. I’ll have the date for you shortly.
What are some of the questions you’d like to see answered in the next few episodes?