While Jonnie's guarding Chirk's recovery room, Chrissie comes by and apologizes for losing Pattie, but quickly moves on to more important matters - the proofs of the new Galactic Bank currency. It's not the annoying Psychlo base-eleven math system that's bothering her, it's how Jonnie's portrait has an upturned nose, gray skin, and gills. Jonnie just laughs off how he's been turned into a Selachee and says he might bring it up next issue.
Once the girls leave, Ker shows up with a bunch of aliens who all shrink away from the sight of Jonnie, to the latter's confusion. Then there's a narrated paragraph mentioning Ker's actions during the attack on Edinburgh, I guess because Hubbard couldn't figure out a way to work it into a conversation. Turns out Ker was in a cave guarding some African children, telling them stories through a Psychlo-Dutch translator device (I guess the Chinkos were just anal-retentive about translating long-dead languages). After this heartwarming if random bit of character development, Ker asks about getting his mine running before leaving.
Aaaaand that's all that happens. Chirk doesn't wake up, and Jonnie talks to some people. Another exciting entry in the saga of Battlefield Earth.
You have to wonder how much Jonnie likes Chirk. On the one hand, he's trying to revive her first, but on the other hand, he's attempting a potentially dangerous, untested operation on her instead of some other Psychlo.
Back to Chapter Seven
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Well, Ker's kind of back in my good favor now. I have given him the same allowance I give to most fairly good characters by bad authors: It's not his fault he's acting so apathetic towards the loss of his planet and the near-extinction of his species, Hubbard's just refusing to allow him to disagree with Jonnie.
ReplyDeleteNow Jonnie, I hate.