conversations.from: human
conversations.value: What could be a title for a book about Naval, Fleet, John with the genre: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Science Fiction?
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: A title for this book could be 'Swords and Saddles'
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me the first five paragraphs for this book.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Swords and Saddles
  One of the common assumptions of science fiction and fantasy is that once you know how to communicate with someone (how to speak their language) you will also understand them. Whether they are elves or six-armed aliens from Moduk VI, comprehending what someone means is usually simply a matter of talking to them. That has always bothered me, because among humans even those who share a common language often have trouble understanding each other. What would really happen if humans were dealing with aliens who didn't think like us? How much would the inevitable misunderstandings among the humans hinder grasping the meaning behind the words of the aliens? And what if figuring out the answers was literally a matter of life and death? Those questions are what led to The Rift.
  Imtep – Fifth planet from its star. Close to Earth-like (.95 on Ming-Hoffman Scale). Dominated by a single massive continent sprawled across equatorial regions. Eastern areas of the landmass are very rugged, but the central and western regions feature extensive prairies or steppes around a large, shallow inland sea. Native sentient species the Izkop ("People") are humanoid, organized into tribes or clans, the majority living on the plains in agrarian/herder communities. Technology is very limited, primarily craft-metallurgy which allows the construction of durable implements. The Izkop are evaluated as "competitive but non-belligerent," research reports identifying their dominant culture as well-integrated with their environment. A research facility with a staff of eighty has been established on Imtep. Imtep is classified Type Three for human visitation, with pre-clearance required and only small parties allowed to avoid disrupting relations with the native population.
  They had to pry Goldera out of the last set of armor when the power pack drained to exhaustion. After forcing open enough of the suit to get Goldera free they left the armor lying there as they resumed walking, the empty carcass sprawled in the short, tough grass like a body denied the benefit of burial. There wasn't any simple way to conceal it, and they lacked the time and the strength to do anything else. The blast rifle, useless without power, lay abandoned alongside the armor.
  No one had spoken for at least an hour, everyone concentrating on walking, putting one foot before the other despite the fatigue filling their bodies and minds. Corporal Johansen squinted up at the too-bright sun, trying to remember what had happened over that long day since reveille had sounded at zero three hundred to awaken everyone for the rescue operation. But he couldn't focus on any single, clear memory, his mind filled with disjointed images of the deathtrap which had been a place called Amity.
  Johansen brought his gaze down to stare at the back of Sergeant Singh. The sergeant's last spoken command had been "follow me," given as they looked down at a valley where nothing now moved or lived except swarms of Izkop warriors. Since then, Singh had been leading them over the hills around Amity, down through patches of woods and shrubbery, and now across this open area. Fear had lent them speed at first, but now nothing kept them moving except the sergeant's steady pace in front.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Delete the last sentence.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Swords and Saddles
  One of the common assumptions of science fiction and fantasy is that once you know how to communicate with someone (how to speak their language) you will also understand them. Whether they are elves or six-armed aliens from Moduk VI, comprehending what someone means is usually simply a matter of talking to them. That has always bothered me, because among humans even those who share a common language often have trouble understanding each other. What would really happen if humans were dealing with aliens who didn't think like us? How much would the inevitable misunderstandings among the humans hinder grasping the meaning behind the words of the aliens? And what if figuring out the answers was literally a matter of life and death? Those questions are what led to The Rift.
  Imtep – Fifth planet from its star. Close to Earth-like (.95 on Ming-Hoffman Scale). Dominated by a single massive continent sprawled across equatorial regions. Eastern areas of the landmass are very rugged, but the central and western regions feature extensive prairies or steppes around a large, shallow inland sea. Native sentient species the Izkop ("People") are humanoid, organized into tribes or clans, the majority living on the plains in agrarian/herder communities. Technology is very limited, primarily craft-metallurgy which allows the construction of durable implements. The Izkop are evaluated as "competitive but non-belligerent," research reports identifying their dominant culture as well-integrated with their environment. A research facility with a staff of eighty has been established on Imtep. Imtep is classified Type Three for human visitation, with pre-clearance required and only small parties allowed to avoid disrupting relations with the native population.
  They had to pry Goldera out of the last set of armor when the power pack drained to exhaustion. After forcing open enough of the suit to get Goldera free they left the armor lying there as they resumed walking, the empty carcass sprawled in the short, tough grass like a body denied the benefit of burial. There wasn't any simple way to conceal it, and they lacked the time and the strength to do anything else. The blast rifle, useless without power, lay abandoned alongside the armor.
  No one had spoken for at least an hour, everyone concentrating on walking, putting one foot before the other despite the fatigue filling their bodies and minds. Corporal Johansen squinted up at the too-bright sun, trying to remember what had happened over that long day since reveille had sounded at zero three hundred to awaken everyone for the rescue operation. But he couldn't focus on any single, clear memory, his mind filled with disjointed images of the deathtrap which had been a place called Amity.
  Johansen brought his gaze down to stare at the back of Sergeant Singh. The sergeant's last spoken command had been "follow me," given as they looked down at a valley where nothing now moved or lived except swarms of Izkop warriors. Since then, Singh had been leading them over the hills around Amity, down through patches of woods and shrubbery, and now across this open area.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me five more paragraphs.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: The people here did not campaign in the cold season, so the company settled in to wait out the frigid fury of the plains winter in a degree of comfort unheard of for them. The men remained baffled as to where they were, but content to be living in comparative luxury among a citizenry who almost worshiped them. Benton continued to apply himself to learning the Asterans' language, but found that just as Garret had said the Asterans seemed more adept at learning English. Aside from getting home, the security situation concerned Benton the most, so he questioned Freya about it as her grasp of his language improved.
  Freya seemed to think about the question this time before answering. "You get off horse. All walk, make long, thin line. Not many of you. They think, ride over you. Easy. Then bwam, bwam! Smoke and fire, like demons."
  Of course. Like the British infantry square, troops armed with pikes or spears would have had to be tightly packed, shoulder to shoulder, in order to defend against a mounted charge. Modern firearms changed that, but the hostile horsemen hadn't known of such weapons. To them the thin line of dismounted cavalry must have looked extremely vulnerable.
  The more they learned about Astera the more Benton realized that whichever fate had led them here had at least sent them to a people deserving of rescue. Astera had grown large and fairly well-off during the period when the last empire kept the peace on the plains. Trade had flowed along the road running east and west, and there had been major routes going north and south accessible through Wikosa. The surrounding area had boasted numerous farms and fields with a variety of livestock. But since the collapse of the empire Astera had suffered from the loss of trade and the unstable security outside its walls. Nonetheless, the city had remained a bastion of learning, order and civilization in a region where such things had become all too rare.
  The Wikosans, on the other hand, had tried to maintain their city's wealth by plundering surrounding regions, something which had worked in the short term but now required them to range farther and farther afield since the communities near them had been looted dry.
conversations.from: human
conversations.value: Give me the last two paragraphs.. Start with the sentence 'Jen waited while Commander Carr finished wrapping up paperwork with the court, uncertain if her role as assistant had wrapped up as well'.
conversations.from: assistant
conversations.value: Jen waited while Commander Carr finished wrapping up paperwork with the court, uncertain if her role as assistant had wrapped up as well. When Carr finished and came back to the defense counsel's table she gave Jen a surprised look. "You're free, lieutenant. I'm officially back on leave, while I try to find the quickest shuttle back to Earth."
  Carr swept away Jen's thanks with a wave of her hand. "I'm still trying to balance the scales, lieutenant. Besides, I wanted to see justice done in this case, too. But if you need me again, you call me. Understand?"