An interplanetary wild goose chase in search of a fairy tale

 

The aboriginal people in Australia thought the stars of the Milky Way was a river marked by the campfires along its length. They have a story about the Pleiades, the open cluster near the constellation Orion. The aboriginal people called them the Seven Sisters, just as we do. You can read the legend here. Basically, seven sisters are pursued by a hunter who wants one of them as his wife. The Greeks had their own very similar legend in which Orion chases the daughters of Atlas. The aboriginal story and the Greek story are remarkably similar, and I find that fascinating, since there's no way one version could have influenced the other. This link takes you to more stories about the Pleiades.

Ancient people explained natural events in ways that made sense to them. But as we became more knowledgeable, we could explain something like the Pleiades in more and more depth. However, there's something deliciously... RIGHT... about the ancient interpretation. The stars of the Pleiades are, you might say, stellar sisters. And the hunter in the sky is Orion. As Professor Olivia Jhutta (main character in The Stuff of Legend) explains, "legends often arise around a kernel of truth".

 

I really enjoyed writing The Stuff of Legend. The plot centers around an open cluster called the Maidens or the Dancers and the legends that relate to it. The constellation is not the Pleiades or any other particular open cluster but it's based on reality.

The stars in open clusters form in the usual stellar nurseries like the gas clouds of the mighty Orion Nebula. From there, they remain in a more 'open' gravitational relationship until they leave home on their own. Our sun was probably part of an open cluster when it was a teenager. You can find out more about open clusters here.

For the purposes of my story I wanted the gas clouds that you see around Orion as part of the legends associated with my cluster. I went back to research, and discovered that an open cluster that had been thought to be part of the Orion Nebula, was in fact a different entity, situated in front of the nebula. Here's the story of NGC 1980.  It was perfect. So my story takes place with regard to a star cluster that has some similarities to NGC 1980.

The Stuff of Legend is the fifth book in my Ptorix Empire series. Like all my books, it's a mix of history, mystery and politics. And a bit of romance. Here's a snippet of conversation between Professor Jhutta and Admiral Prentiss at a reception which summarizes both their positions about interstellar myths and legends. Olivia has just asked Jak what he knows about the star cluster, the Maidens.

"Let me see… the cluster is about ten stellar units away, contains about a thousand stars, including many with planetary systems, and it's territory in dispute."

She cocked her head.

"The Ptorix also lay claim to the area."

"Ah. Of course."

"It is one of several places where the lines between the borders of our established sovereignties are not distinctly drawn. Neither of us has a settlement there, and neither of us will allow a settlement there."

"But you'll have heard the legends. About the Gh'ria."

Bless her heart. He couldn't help the laugh. "Miss Jhutta, they're just stories to frighten children. We've found no trace of any space-faring giants anywhere, and neither have the Ptorix."

"You don't think there might be something in the old legends? Some element of truth?"

There was a decided chill in the air, but damn it, legends? "There are legends about all sorts of things. Ghost ships around abandoned asteroid mines, strange appearances on moons, vanishings. In my experience, they have all come down to something mundane. Faulty equipment, flashing lights. Fraud. Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence."

************

  BLURB

An interplanetary wild goose chase in search of a fairy tale

When history professor Olivia Jhutta receives a distress call from her parents, she sets out into space with their business partner, her grandmother and injured Confederacy Admiral Jak Prentiss to find them. But she’s not the only one interested in the Jhutta’s whereabouts. The Helicronians believe Olivia’s parents have found an ancient weapon which they can use to wage war on the Confederacy.

Jak goes on the trip to fill in time while he’s on enforced leave, helping Olivia follow cryptic clues in what he considers an interplanetary wild goose chase in search of a fairy tale. But as the journey progresses and legend begins to merge with unsettling fact, Olivia and Jak must resolve their differences and work together if they are to survive. The two are poles apart… but it’s said opposites attract. If they can manage to stay alive.

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