Introduction Of Engine Block

Introduction Of Engine Block Until recently, cast iron and aluminum alloys have been successfully used to manufacture most diesel and conventional gasoline-powered engine blocks. However, with a greater emphasis on increasing the efficiency of the engine via weight reduction, there is a search for alternative alloys that are lighter than cast iron and aluminum alloys, while retaining the necessary strength to withstand the forces of an engine. In the late 1990s engine blocks made from plastic and other experimental materials were being used in prototype cars with the hope of developing more lightweight, efficient vehicles . Also lately new manufacturing processes have been developed that have brought to light two new alloys suitable for use in an engine block, magnesium alloy AMC-SC1 and compacted graphite cast iron (CGI). Thus this project will cover, the functional requirements of the engine block, the processes used to manufacture the part, and the mechanical properties of the alloys. INTRODUCTION: Todays engines are an integral component of an automobile that are built in a number of configurations and are considerably more complex than early automotive engines. The use of lighter and stronger engineering materials to manufacture various components of the engine has also had an impact allowing engineers to increase the power-to-weight of the engine, and thus the automobile. Since the engine block is also a relatively large component, it constitutes 20-25% of the total weight of an engine. Thus there is much interest in reducing the blocks weight.[Keay, Sue: Diet of Australian metal lightens cars and pollution, Media release, 14 October 2002.] Many early engine blocks were manufactured from cast iron alloys primarily due to its high strength and low cost. But, as engine designs became more complicated, the weight of the engine (and thus the vehicle) had increased. Thus the need to come up with lighter alloys that were as strong as cast irons arose. One such material that was being used as a substitute was aluminum alloys. Together, these two metals were used exclusively to fabricate engine blocks. Lately , however, a new material process has made a magnesium alloy suitable for use in engines. The alloy, called AMC-SC1, weighs less than both cast iron and aluminum alloys and represents new possibilities in engine manufacturing. A new manufacturing process have made compacted graphite cast iron (CGI) a viable alternative to gray cast iron for the manufacture of diesel engine blocks. Like magnesium alloys, this material offers a higher strength and lower weight than gray cast iron. Thus this section will cover materials used to manufacture engine blocks , component discussion, its functional requirements, and the materials used to manufacture the part. The mechanical properties of the individual alloys will be incorporated, along with the manufacturing processes used to fabricate the component. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRODUCT: WHAT IS AN ENGINE BLOCK? : The engine block is vital structure of vehicles which run on internal combustion, providing the powerhouse for the vehicle. The engine block is termed a block because it is usually a solid cast, housing the cylinders and their components inside a cooled and lubricated crankcase .Common components found in an engine include pistons, camshafts, timing chains,rocker arms, and other various parts. When fully stripped of all components, the core of the engine can be seen: the cylinder block. The cylinder block (popularly known as the engine block) is the strongest component of an engine that provides much of the housing for the hundreds of parts found in a modern engine. The block is typically arranged in a V, inline, or horizontally-opposed (also referred to as flat) configuration and the number of cylinders range from either 3 to as much as 16. Figure 1 shows engine blocks with V configuation. opposed configurations. Functional Requirements of a Cylinder Block: Because engine blocks are a critical component of an engine, it must satisfy a number of functional requirements. These requirements include withstanding high cycle fatigue stresses, thermal strains, and aggressive wear conditions over the full life of the engine, housing internal moving parts and fluids, ease of service and maintenance. REQUIRED MATERIAL PROPERTIES: The one-dimensional era of engine design is finished. The current approach considers the loads acting at each point of the engine block. (Vollrath, 2003) In order for an engine block to meet the above functional requirements, the engineering material(s) used to manufacture the the cylinder block material should have adequate strength and rigidity in compression, bending, and torsion. This is necessary to resist the gas pressure loads and also for the components, which convert the reciprocating motion of individual piston into a single rotary motion. The cylinder-block material should (a) be relatively cheap, (b) readily produce castings with good impressions, (c) be easily machined, (d) be rigid and strong enough in both bending and torsion, (e) have good abrasion resistance, (f) have good corrosion resistance, (h) have a high thermal conductivity,(to prevent failure under high temperatures). (i) retain its strength at high operating temperatures, and (J) have a relatively high thermal expansion, low density.(to resist expanding under high operating temperatures) High strength is a particular concern in diesel engines, since compression ratios are normally 17.0:1 or higher compared to about 10.0:1 for conventional engines. , and thermal conductivity . Good machinability and castability of the metal alloy are also important factors in selecting the proper material, as the harder it is to machine the product, the higher the costs of manufacturing. In addition to the previously mentioned properties, the alloys must possess good vibration damping to absorb the vibrations of the moving parts. METALS USED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF THE CYLINDER BLOCKS: Based on the functional requirements of the cylinder block and the material properties required to meet the functional requirements, industries have used cast iron and aluminum alloys to manufacture the blocks. EXISTING MATERIALS: 1)Cast iron alloys are used because of the combination of good mechanical properties, low cost, and availability. 2)Certain aluminum alloys combine the characteristics of iron alloys with low weight, thereby making the material more attractive to manufacturers who are seeking a competitive edge. NEW MATERIALS: 3)Compacted graphite cast iron is lighter and stronger than gray cast iron, making the alloy a more attractive alternative to the latter in the production of cylinder blocks, particularly in diesel engines. 4)Magnesium alloys, which were previously unsuited for use as an engine block material, have the advantage of being the lightest of all the mentioned metals, yet still retains the required strength demanded by a block. 1)GRAY CAST IRON ALLOYS: Gray cast iron alloy have been the dominant metal that was used to manufacture conventional gas-powered engine blocks. Though extensive use of aluminum alloys has minimized the popularity of this material, it still finds wide use in diesel-fueled blocks, where the internal stresses are much higher. The use of cast iron blocks has been wide spread due to its low cost and good formability. Generally types of gray cast iron of pearlite microstructure is used in the manufacturing of engine block. Gray cast iron alloys typically composition: A typical cast iron is a gray cast iron, which contains 2.5-4 wt.% carbon, 1-3 wt.% silicon, 0.2-1.0 wt.% manganese, 0.02-0.25 wt.% sulfur, and 0.02-1.0 wt.% phosphorus [Anyalebechi, P.N.: Essentials of Materials Science Engineering, January 2005, p. 94.]. and the balance (93.6%) iron. The carbon improves lubrication property of graphite, the silicon controls the formation of a laminated structure, called pearlite, which has good wear resistance, and the manganese strengthens and toughens the iron structure. A common aluminium alloy composition is 11.5% silicon, 0.5% manganese, and 0.4% magnesium, with the balance (87.6%) aluminium. The high silicon content in this alloy reduces expansion but improves cast-ability, strength, and abrasion resistance, while the other two elements strengthen the aluminium structure. While this alloy provides a good corrosion resistance, it can absorb only moderate shock loads. Types of cast iron used in engine block: SAE grade G2500- used for small engine blocks. SAE grade G3500-used for heavy and larger diesel engine blocks. Also some ductile iron are also used in manufacturing engine blocks. SAE AMS 5313C: mechanical properties: [alloying: understanding the basics , by joseph R devis.] Grade or class Hardness HB(a) Tensile strength min(b) MPa Yield strength min(b) MPa Elongtion in 50 mm(2in),%(b) Class A 190 max 414 310 15 Gray cast iron has excellent damping capacity, good wear and temperature resistance, is easily machinable, and is inexpensive to produce. However, gray cast irons are relatively weak and are prone to fracture and deformation. Although cast iron meets most of these requirements, it has a low thermal conductivity and is comparatively heavier. Due to these limitations, light aluminium alloys have been used as alternative cylinder-block materials for petrol engines. Cylinder liners are optional with cast-iron blocks; but are more essential with the relatively soft light aluminum alloy blocks, as they cannot directly withstand wear resistance. Because of the lower strength of the aluminum alloys, the blocks are cast with thicker sections and additional support ribs, so that their weight becomes about half of the equivalent cast-iron blocks. Due to these problems, compacted graphite iron has recently begun to compete with gray cast iron as the choice material to produce diesel engine blocks. COMPACTED GRAPHITE CAST IRON: Compacted graphite cast iron (CGI), which was accidentally discovered while trying to produce ductile cast iron, possesses higher tensile strength and elastic modulus than gray cast iron due to the compacted graphite found on the microstructure of CGI. Figure 8 CGI typical microstructure: 5% nodularity, 9% graphite, 265 particles/mm2. 3. CGI a new combination of properties: As shown in Fig. 8, the compacted graphite iron graphite particles appear as individual worm-shaped or vermicular particles. The particles are elongated and randomly oriented as in gray iron; however they are shorter and thicker, and have rounded edges. The compacted graphite morphology inhibits crack initiation and growth and is the source of the improved mechanical properties, as compared to gray iron. Compacted graphite iron invariably includes some nodular (spheroidal) graphite particles. As the nodularity increases, the strength and stiffness also increase, but only at the expense of castability and thermal conductivity (Guesser et all, 2001). It is usual to set a limit of 20% nodularity for CGI specifications. Table 1 shows mechanical properties of CGI, with grades from 300 to 500 MPa. In the case of cylinder blocks and heads, where castability, machinability and heat transfer are all of paramount importance, it is necessary to impose a more narrow specification. A typical specification for a CGI cylinder block or head can be summarised as follows: 1) 0-20% nodularity, for optimal castability, machinability and heat transfer 2) No free flake graphite, flake type graphite (as in grey iron) causes local weakness 3) >90% pearlite, to provide high strength and consistent properties 4) This general specification will result in a minimum-measured tensile strength of 450 MPa in a 25 mm diameter test bar, and will satisfy the ISO 16112 Compacted Graphite Iron standard for Grade GJV 450. The typical mechanical properties for this CGI Grade, in comparison to conventional grey cast iron and aluminium are summarised in Table 1: Mechanical and Physical Propertiesof CGI in comparison to conventional grey cast iron and aluminium at 20 °C Property Units GJV 450 GJL 250 GJL 300 A 390.0 Ultimate Tensile Strength MPa 450 250 300 275 Elastic Modulus GPa 145 105 115 80 Elongation % 1 to 2 0 0 1 Rotating-Bending Fatigue 20 °C) MPa 210 110 125 100 Rotating-Bending Fatigue (225 °C) MPa 205 100 120 35 Thermal Conductivity W/m-K 36 46 39 130 Thermal Expansion ÃŽÂ ¼m-m-K 12 12 12 18 Density g/cc 7.1 7.1 7.1 2.7 Brinnell Hardness BHN 10-3000 215-255 190-225 215-225 110-150 The results allow the comparison between CGI and gray iron. It can be seen the increase on tensile strength, moving from gray iron to CGI. CGI also shows a higher elastic modulus, when compared to gray iron. [- Mechanical properties of gray iron and CGI grades 400-450. 195-230 HB. Samples taken from the castings (Guesser, 2003)]. Figure 10 [Elastic modulus of gray iron and CGI grade 400. 12.0L I6 cylinder block (Guesser, 2003).] The results in Figure 10 were obtained from two sources: test bars and main bearings of a 12.0L cylinder block. The increase in elastic modulus, from 100 GPa for gray iron to 150 GPa for CGI, results in slighter cylinder bore distortion as reported by Tholl et all (1996), therefore reducing oil consumption and emissions. Results of fatigue strength tests can be seen on figure 11, comparing gray iron grade 250 and CGI grade 450, samples from an I6 5.9L diesel cylinder block. The fatigue limit for the gray iron is 62-79 MPa, depending on the carbon content, while for the CGI the fatigue limit is 175 MPa. The raise of fatigue strength allows the designer to reduce the cylinder block weight. As a result of mechanical properties improvements, a design study conducted by AVL Austria (Sorger Holland, 1999) has evaluated downsizing opportunities for a 1.8 L diesel engine cylinder block, converting from gray iron to CGI. The benefits of this conversion included: 1)9% reduction in overall weight of the finished engine 2) 22% reduction in weight of machined cylinder block 3) 15% reduction in overall length of the finished engine 4) 5% reduction in both; height and width of the finished engine Like gray cast iron, compacted graphite cast iron has good damping capacity and thermal conductivity, but its difficulty to machine has limited the wide-scale use of CGI. A new manufacturing process, however, has opened the way for larger applications of CGI. The development of rotary insert tools has increased the life of the tools used to machine the metal, thus allowing manufacturers to use CGI without worrying about purchasing new tools [Georgiou, George: Iron engines may be in your future, Tooling Production, September 2003, Vol. 69, issue 9, p. 26.]. MAGNESIUM ALLOYS: Magnesium alloys have been used in engines before, but not for cylinder blocks. Rather. The main advantage of this alloy is that the material is much lighter than cast iron and aluminum alloys and has the same strength as cast iron and aluminum alloys[Lampman, Steven: Tuning Up the Metals in Auto Engines, Advanced Materials Processes, May 1991, p. 17.][Anonymous, Magnesium alloy resists high temperature in engine blocks, Advanced Materials and Processes, August 2003, vol. 161, issue 8, p. 13.]. Material scientists and engineers were determined to exploit these characteristics of magnesium alloy and use it to fabricate engine blocks. There were a number of magnesium alloys available that met or exceeded the requirements demanded by manufacturers for an engine block, but insufficient material stability at high temperatures hindered their actual use. Following are the two alloys which have been found suitable for mass production of engine blocks. AMC-SC1: In 2003 material scientists and engineers from the Cooperative Research Center for Cast Metals Manufacturing and the Australian Magnesium Corporation presented their discovery of sand-cast AMC-SC1 magnesium alloy [Anonymous, Magnesium alloy resists high temperature in engine blocks, Advanced Materials and Processes, August 2003, vol. 161, issue 8, p. 13.]. This grade of magnesium alloy contains two rare earth elements, lanthanum and cerium, and was heat-treated with T6. This stabilizes the strength of the alloy at high engine operating temperatures, which is a necessary requirement for a cylinder block material [16]. Bettles et al. had performed experiments to determine the yield and creep strengths of AMC-SC1 and their results are shown in Table 3 [Bettles, C. et al., AMC-SC1: A New Magnesium Alloy Suitable for Powertrain Applications, Society of Automotive Engineers, 2003, p. 2.]. From Table 3, the most significant point is that the yield strength of AMC-SC1 essentially stays the same at 177 °C as it does at room temperature. Table 3: Yield and creep strengths of magnesium AMC-SC1 at room temperature, 150 °C, and 177 °C [17]. Room temperature 24 °C 150 °C 177 °C Yield strength, MPa 120 116 117 Creep strength, MPa 120 98 This means that the material is able to tolerate a wide range of operating temperatures without a loss in strength. Other properties of the magnesium alloy 10 include good thermal conductivity, excellent machining and casting qualities, and excellent damping characteristics. To demonstrate the significant weight savings of magnesium alloy over cast iron and aluminum alloy, consider BMWs inline-6 R6 (shown in Figure 4), which replaced the companys M54 aluminum engine. Its cylinder block is made of AMC-SC1 and is said to have decreased the weight of a comparably-built gray cast iron and aluminum alloy block by 57% and 24% [Jost, Kevin: BMW builds better inline six, Automotive Engineering International, January 2005, pp. 20-32.]. So far, BMW is the only company to have used magnesium alloy cylinder blocks in production vehicles. But, with a significant weight advantage over the current alloys used today and negligible increase in cost, other manufacturers will begin to consider the use of AMC-SC1 and possibly other grades of magnesium alloys for engine blocks. Figure 4: BMWs 6-cylinder R6 powerplant uses a magnesium alloy AMC-SC1-fabricated cylinder block [Jost, Kevin: BMW builds better inline six, Automotive Engineering International, January 2005, pp. 20-32.]. PRODUCTION PROCESS: STANDARD CASTING WITH SOME MODIFICATIONS: This alloy can be cast using a standard production process, with some modifications. For a magnesium alloy engine to be economically viable, it is not merely the cost of the alloy that is important. The casting process must also be commercially viable. There are several modifications required if an existing casting line of cast iron or aluminum is to be converted to one producing magnesium parts. These can be summarised as follows: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A new inhibitor in the sand cores to prevent reaction between the melt and the sand. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A redesign of the runner and gating system to ensure adequate filling (magnesium alloys have a low heat content). à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Preheating of the core package to 150 °C. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Modifications to the core package design to allow low pressure rather than gravity filling and feeding. AM-HP2: AM-HP2 A High Pressure Diecasting Magnesium Alloy: The AM-HP2 magnesium alloy has similar high-temperature strength to AM-SC1 and has been specially tailored for use in the high pressure diecasting process. Like AM-SC1, the light-weight alloy significantly increases fuel-efficiency, environmental sustainability and vehicle agility and is suitable for the powertrain components of vehicles, such as engines blocks etc. Need for New alloy:AM-HP2 AM-HP2 has been specifically developed as a diecasting alloy for high temperature automotive powertrain applications, such as engine blocks, structural sumps and automatic transmission housings. The alloy is based upon the successful sand casting alloy, AM-SC1, with a modified composition to make it suitable for the high pressure die casting process. Commercial Opportunities AM-HP2 Magnesium Alloy in the Auto industry: High pressure diecasting is a highly productive process for mass production of light alloy components. While the casting integrity of sand casting and low pressure/gravity permanent mould castings is higher than high pressure diecasting, the latter technology is cheaper. Thus, this process is gaining popularity among auto manufacturers for casting of aluminium engine blocks. It is also the common process for powertrain components such as transmission housings. There is a strong demand in the automotive industry for a suitable high pressure diecasting magnesium alloy for high volume powertrain applications. AM-HP2 exhibits good diecastability and the required high temperature mechanical properties for engine components (including engine blocks) and automatic transmission housings. It has similar creep properties to alloy, AM-SC1. Advantages of AM-HP2 Magnesium over Other Alloys: A key advantage of AM-HP2 is that the alloy is more diecastable than competitor high temperature creep resistant magnesium alloys.Thus, the alloy can be more readily cast into complex shapes with fewer rejects and a wider operating window. The alloy also has better high temperature creep strength than its competitors and thus offers considerable advantage to engine designers seeking to obtain maximum performance for lowest weight and cost. current status of AM-HP2 magnesium development: Pilot scale diecasting trials and laboratory testing of mechanical properties have demonstrated the suitability of AM-HP2 for mass produced powertrain components. PRODUCTION PROCESSES: 3.2 Casting Processes There are two methods used to cast engine blocks for all materials: green sand molding or lost foam casting. The latter, pioneered by General Motors for their Saturn vehicles, have[11] become more popular due to its capability to produce near net shape components, provide tight tolerances for critical components, and reduce machine maintenance and cost [19]. Green sand molding, however, is still widely used in industry as material costs are low and most metals can be cast by this method [Luther, Norris: Metalcasting and Molding Processes, [Online], 22 March 2005-last visited, Available: http://www.castingsoruce.com/tech_art_metalcasting.asp.]. 3.2.1 Green Sand Molding: Green sand molding the common method to cast engine blocks. The term green denotes the presence of moisture in the molding sand . Figure demonstrates the pattern used in sand casting. The pattern mounted into the moulding box along with the runner and ingate system ready to produce a mould. [http://www.dmdaustralia.com.au/block1.html] From Figure 2, a combination of silica sand, clay, and water poured in one-half of the block pattern with a wood or metal frame. The mold is then compacted by squeezing or jolting, and the process is repeated for the other half of the mold. A core consisting of hardened sand is used for support. Then, molten cast iron, aluminum, or magnesium alloy is poured into the combined molds and solidifies. Once the latter part has been completed, the molds are removed, and the cylinder block is cleaned and inspected. Heat treatment of the block is then undertaken to improve the mechanical properties of the alloy for suitable use. [7]. 12 LOST FOAM CASTING: THE PROCESS: Figure 6: Graphical description of the last 6 of 7 methods of the lost foam casting method [Anonymous, Aluminum Cylinder Block for General Motors Truck/SUV engines, A Design Study in Aluminum Casings, pp. 1-31.] The lost foam casting process uses a expanded polystyrene replica of the part being cast. 1)The coated replica/pattern is placed in a flask and loose sand is placed around the pattern and shaken into its voids. 2)Molten metal is then poured through a foam sprue, or funnel, into the sand where the hot metal melts and displaces the foam of the pattern. 3)the metal cools in the shape of the part. The basic steps of the lost foam casting process are: 1) Pattern Molding Bead Pre expansion and Conditioning, Tool Preheat, Pattern Molding, Pattern Aging 2)Pattern/Cluster Assembly 3)Pattern Coating and Drying 4)Sand Fill and Compaction Metal Casting and Cooling 5)Shakeout, Clean-up, and Finishing Lost foam casting is a more reliable and efficient casting technique of the manufacture of engine blocks than green sand molding. The technique begins with the use of polystyrene beads placed in preexpanders for wet expansion to control bead size and density to produce four separate block moldings to be glued together to form the final mold [7, 19]. Next, the metal tool is preheated to remove any moisture and then filled with the beads. The tool is then heated via steam and placed in an autoclave, where it is subjected to high pressures in order to create the molds [7]. The tool is removed from the autoclave and immersed in water to finish the moldings. Precise control over the heating and cooling aspect ensures dimensionally accurate, smooth and strong molds [Anonymous, Aluminum Cylinder Block for General Motors Truck/SUV engines, A Design Study in Aluminum Casings, pp. 1-31.]. If the tool was not heated before the beads were injected, the results would be rough finishes in the molds with low-strength sections. If the tool and beads stay heated for an extended period of time, or is not cooled enough, the beads become overfused, which produces surface variations in the moldings. If the tool has been inadequately cooled, the molds will contain variations in dimensions [Anonymous, Aluminum Cylinder Block for General Motors Truck/SUV engines, A Design Study in Aluminum Casings, pp. 1-31.]. Figure 3 shows the final half stages of the lost foam casting method. . From Figure 3, once the individual molds are glued together, the assembly is placed in a vat with water-based ceramic liquid to prevent molten metal from destroying the mold, stiffen the assembly, and provide a smooth finish [Anonymous, Aluminum Cylinder Block for General Motors Truck/SUV engines, A Design Study in Aluminum Casings, pp. 1-31.]. The assembly can also be sprayed with the ceramic liquid, but is a time-consuming process. Next, the coated foam engine block is filled with sand,[13] compacted, and immersed in the molten metal alloy. Once cooled, sand is removed from the metal casting, cleaned, and undergoes heat treatment to increase the mechanical properties of the block. Finally, coolant and oil passages are machined into the block. Advantages over conventional sand casting: Unlike conventional sand casting, the lost foam process allows more complex and detailed passages and other features to be cast directly into the part. The lost foam process: 1) Forms complex internal passages and features without cores. 2) Reduces part mass with near net shape capability. 3) Eliminates parting lines. 4) Reduces machining operations and costs. 5)Provides for tight tolerances in critical areas and features. Lost Foam Casting for Fine Features: The lost foam casting process allows more complex and detailed passages and other features to be cast directly into the cylinder block. 1) In the cylinder block, oil galleries, crank case ventilation channels, oil drain back passages, and coolant passages are cast into the block. 2) These features would otherwise require drilling or external plumbing (with a potential for leaks). 3)Lost Foam castings have tighter dimensional tolerances compared to sand castings, because variations caused by core shift and core variability are eliminated and there is much less tool wear over the production life. The direct result is a significant reduction in machining costs and infrastructure investment and fewer opportunities for errors in machining and assembly. A comparison of green sand casting to lost foam casting shows a number of distinct advantages for lost foam: Property Green Sand Casting Lost Foam Casting Complex Internal Features and Part Consolidation Complexity determined by sand core limitations geometry, strength, and cost. Extensive and complex internal features (as small as 0.20) available in lost foam, based on detail duplication and pattern assembly in foam. Dimensional Tolerances +/- 0.030 is typical depending on part size, complexity, and geometry +/- 0.005-0.010 is typical depending on part size, complexity, and geometry. Surface Finish Capabilities 250-600 microinches typical. Depends on grain fineness of sand. 60-250 microinches typical. Depends on bead size and ceramic coating grain fineness. Feature Accuracy Core movement and shift between mold halves across the parting line limit feature accuracy. No cores or mold halves to shift and degrade feature accuracy Parting Line and Draft Angles Parting lines and draft angles are necessary for molding. No parting lines in the mold and minimal draft on tools. Environmental Costs Sand recovery requires binder removal and time consuming sand clean-up Sand is binder free, so it can be easily and rapidly recovered a

Zoe’s Tale PART III Chapter Twenty-Three

Something was nudging me awake. I swatted at it. â€Å"Die,† I said. â€Å"Zoe,† Hickory said. â€Å"You have a visitor.† I blinked up at Hickory, who was framed as a silhouette by the light coming from the corridor. â€Å"What are you talking about?† I said. â€Å"General Gau,† Hickory said. â€Å"He is here. Now. And wishes to speak to you.† I sat up. â€Å"You have got to be kidding me,† I said. I picked up my PDA and looked at the time. We had arrived in Conclave space fourteen hours earlier, popping into existence a thousand klicks out from the space station that General Gau had made the administrative headquarters of the Conclave. He said he hadn't wanted to favor one planet over another. The space station was ringed with hundreds of ships from all over Conclave space, and even more shuttles and cargo transports, going between ships and back and forth from the station. Phoenix Station, the largest human space station and so big I've heard that it actually affected tides on the planet Phoenix (by amounts measurable only by sensitive instruments, but still), would have fit into a corner of the Conclave HQ. We had arrived and announced ourselves and sent an encrypted message to General Gau requesting an audience. We had been given parking coordinates and then willfully ignored. After ten hours of that, I finally went to sleep. â€Å"You know I do not kid,† Hickory said. It walked back to the doorway and turned up the lights in my stateroom. I winced. â€Å"Now, please,† Hickory said. â€Å"Come to meet him.† Five minutes later I was dressed in something I hoped would be presentable and walking somewhat unsteadily down the corridor. After a minute of walking I said, â€Å"Oh, crap,† and ran back to my stateroom, leaving Hickory standing in the corridor. A minute later I was back, bearing a shirt with something wrapped in it. â€Å"What is that?† Hickory asked. â€Å"A gift,† I said. We continued our trip through the corridor. A minute later I was standing in a hastily arranged conference room with General Gau. He stood to one side of a table surrounded by Obin-style seats, which were not really well designed either for his physiology or mine. I stood on the other, shirt in my hand. â€Å"I will wait outside,† Hickory said, after it delivered me. â€Å"Thank you, Hickory,† I said. It left. I turned and faced the general. â€Å"Hi,† I said, somewhat lamely. â€Å"You are Zoe,† General Gau said. â€Å"The human who has the Obin to do her bidding.† His words were in a language I didn't understand; they were translated through a communicator device that hung from his neck. â€Å"That's me,† I said. I heard my words translated into his language. â€Å"I am interested in how a human girl is able to commandeer an Obin transport ship to take her to see me,† General Gau said. â€Å"It's a long story,† I said. â€Å"Give me the short version,† Gau said. â€Å"My father created special machines that gave the Obin consciousness. The Obin revere me as the only surviving link to my father. They do what I ask them to,† I said. â€Å"It must be nice to have an entire race at your beck and call,† Gau said. â€Å"You should know,† I said. â€Å"You have four hundred races at yours. Sir.† General Gau did something with his head that I was going to hope was meant to be a smile. â€Å"That's a matter of some debate at this point, I'm afraid,† he said. â€Å"But I am confused. I was under the impression that you are the daughter of John Perry, administrator of the Roanoke Colony.† â€Å"I am,† I said. â€Å"He and his wife Jane Sagan adopted me after my father died. My birth mother had died some time before that. It is on my adopted parents' account that I am here now. Although I apologize† – I motioned to myself, and my state of unreadiness – â€Å"I didn't expect to meet you here, now. I thought we would come to you, and I would have time to prepare.† â€Å"When I heard that the Obin were ferrying a human to see me, and one from Roanoke, I was curious enough not to want to wait,† Gau said. â€Å"I also find value in making my opposition wonder what I am up to. My coming to visit an Obin ship rather than waiting to receive their embassy will make some wonder who you are, and what I know that they don't.† â€Å"I hope I'm worth the trip,† I said. â€Å"If you're not, I'll still have made them nervous,† Gau said. â€Å"But considering how far you've come, I hope for both our sakes the trip has been worth it. Are you completely dressed?† â€Å"What?† I said. Of the many questions I might have been expecting, this wasn't one of them. The general pointed to my hand. â€Å"You have a shirt in your hands,† he said. â€Å"Oh,† I said, and put the shirt on the table between us. â€Å"It's a gift. Not the shirt. There's something wrapped in the shirt. That's the gift. I was hoping to find something else to put it in before I gave it to you, but you sort of surprised me. I'm going to shut up now and let you just have that.† The general gave me what I think was a strange look, and then reached out and unwrapped what was in the shirt. It was the stone knife given to me by the werewolf. He held it up and examined it in the light. â€Å"This is a very interesting gift,† he said, and began moving it in his hand, testing it, I guessed, for weight and balance. â€Å"And quite a nicely designed knife.† â€Å"Thank you,† I said. â€Å"Not precisely modern weaponry,† he said. â€Å"No,† I said. â€Å"Figured that a general must have an interest in archaic weapons?† Gau asked. â€Å"Actually there's a story behind it,† I said. â€Å"There's a native race of intelligent beings on Roanoke. We didn't know about them before we landed. Not too long ago we met up with them for the first time, and things went badly. Some of them died, and some of us died. But then one of them and one of us met and decided not to try to kill each other, and exchanged gifts instead. That knife was one of those gifts. It's yours now.† â€Å"That's an interesting story,† Gau said. â€Å"And I think I'm correct in supposing that this story has some implication for why you're here.† â€Å"It's up to you, sir,† I said. â€Å"You might just decide it's a nice stone knife.† â€Å"I don't think so,† Gau said. â€Å"Administrator Perry is a man who plays with subtext. It's not lost on me what it means that he has sent his daughter to deliver a message. But then to offer this particular gift, with its particular story. He's a man of some subtlety.† â€Å"I think so, too,† I said. â€Å"But the knife is not from my dad. It's from me.† â€Å"Indeed,† Gau said, surprised. â€Å"That's even more interesting. Administrator Perry didn't suggest it?† â€Å"He doesn't know I had the knife,† I said. â€Å"And he doesn't know how I got it.† â€Å"But you did intend to send me a message with it,† Gau said. â€Å"One to complement your adopted father's.† â€Å"I hoped you'd see it that way,† I said. Gau set the knife down. â€Å"Tell me what Administrator Perry has to tell me,† he said. â€Å"You're going to be assassinated,† I said. â€Å"Someone is going to try, anyway. It's someone close to you. Someone in your trusted circle of advisors. Dad doesn't know when or how, but he knows that it's planned to happen soon. He wanted you to know so you could protect yourself.† â€Å"Why?† General Gau asked. â€Å"Your adopted father is an official of the Colonial Union. He was part of the plan that destroyed the Conclave fleet and has threatened everything I have worked for, for longer than you have been alive, young human. Why should I trust the word of my enemy?† â€Å"The Colonial Union is your enemy, not my dad,† I said. â€Å"Your dad helped kill tens of thousands,† Gau said. â€Å"Every ship in my fleet was destroyed but my own.† â€Å"He begged you not to call your ships to Roanoke,† I said. â€Å"This was a place where he was all too subtle,† Gau said. â€Å"He never explained how the trap had been set. He merely asked me not to call my fleet. A little more information would have kept thousands alive.† â€Å"He did what he could,† I said. â€Å"You were there to destroy our colony. He wasn't allowed to surrender it to you. You know he didn't have many options. And as it was he was recalled by the Colonial Union and put on trial for even hinting to you that something might happen. He could have been sent to prison for the simple act of speaking to you, General. He did what he could.† â€Å"How do I know he's not just being used again?† Gau asked. â€Å"You said you knew what it meant that he sent me to give you a message,† I said. â€Å"I'm the proof that he's telling you the truth.† â€Å"You're the proof he believes he's telling me the truth,† Gau said. â€Å"It's not to say that it is the truth. Your adopted father was used once. Why couldn't he be used again?† I flared at this. â€Å"Begging your pardon, General,† I said. â€Å"But you should know that by sending me to send you this warning, both my dad and my mom are absolutely assured of being labeled as traitors by the Colonial Union. They are both going to prison. You should know that as part of the deal to get the Obin to bring me to you, I can't go back to Roanoke. I have to stay with them. Because they believe that it's only a matter of time before Roanoke is destroyed, if not by you then by some part of the Conclave you don't have any control over anymore. My parents and I have risked everything to give you this warning. It's possible I'll never see them or anyone else on Roanoke again, because I am giving you this warning. Now, General, do you think any of us would do any of this if we were not absolutely certain about what we are telling you? Do you?† General Gau said nothing for a moment. Then, â€Å"I am sorry you have all had to risk so much,† he said. â€Å"Then do my dad the honor of believing him,† I said. â€Å"You're in danger, General. And that danger is closer than you think.† â€Å"Tell me, Zoe,† Gau said, â€Å"what does Administrator Perry hope to get from telling me this? What does he want from me?† â€Å"He wants you to stay alive,† I said. â€Å"You promised him that as long as you were running the Conclave, you wouldn't attack Roanoke again. The longer you stay alive, the longer we stay alive.† â€Å"But there's the irony,† Gau said. â€Å"Thanks to what happened at Roanoke, I'm not in as much control as I was. My time now is spent keeping others in line. And there are those who are looking at Roanoke as a way to take control from me. I'm sure you don't know about Nerbros Eser – â€Å" â€Å"Sure I do,† I said. â€Å"Your main opposition right now. He's trying to convince people to follow him. Wants to destroy the Colonial Union.† â€Å"I apologize,† Gau said. â€Å"I forgot you're not just a messenger girl.† â€Å"It's all right,† I said. â€Å"Nerbros Eser is planning to attack Roanoke,† Gau said. â€Å"I have been getting the Conclave back under my control – too slowly – but enough races support Eser that he has been able to fund an expedition to take Roanoke. He knows the Colonial Union is too weak to put up a defense of the colony, and he knows that at the moment I am in no position to stop him. If he can take Roanoke where I could not, more Conclave races could side with him. Enough that they would attack the Colonial Union directly.† â€Å"You can't help us, then,† I said. â€Å"Other than to tell you what I just have, no,† Gau said. â€Å"Eser is going to attack Roanoke. But in part because Administrator Perry helped to destroy my fleet, there is no way I can do much to stop him now. And I doubt very much that your Colonial Union will do much to stop him.† â€Å"Why do you say that?† I asked. â€Å"Because you are here,† General Gau said. â€Å"Make no mistake, Zoe, I do appreciate your family's warning. But Administrator Perry is not so kind that he would have warned me out of his own simple goodness. As you've noted, the cost is too high for that. You are here because you have nowhere else to turn.† â€Å"But you believe Dad,† I said. â€Å"Yes,† Gau said. â€Å"Unfortunately. Someone in my position is always a target. But now of all times I know that even some of those who I've trusted with my life and friendship are calculating the costs and deciding that I'm worth more to them dead than alive. And it makes sense for someone to try for me before Eser attacks Roanoke. If I'm dead and Eser takes revenge on your colony, no one else will even try to challenge him for control of the Conclave. Administrator Perry isn't telling me anything I don't know. He's only confirming what I do know.† â€Å"Then I've been no use to you,† I said. And you've been no use to me, I thought but did not say. â€Å"I wouldn't say that,† Gau said. â€Å"One of the reasons I am here now is so that I could hear what you had to say to me without anyone else involved. To find out what I could do with the information you might have. To see if it has use to me. To see if you are of use to me.† â€Å"You already knew what I told you,† I said. â€Å"This is true,† Gau said. â€Å"However, no one else knows how much you know. Not here, in any event.† He reached over and picked up the stone knife and looked at it again. â€Å"And the truth of the matter is that I'm getting tired of not knowing, of those whom I trust, which is planning to stab me in the heart. Whoever is planning to assassinate me is going to be in league with Nerbros Eser. They are likely to know when he plans to attack Roanoke, and with how large a force. And perhaps working together we can find out both of these things.† â€Å"How?† I asked. General Gau looked at me again, and did that I-hope-it's-a-smile thing with his head. â€Å"By doing a bit of political theater. By making them think we know what they do. By making them act because of it.† I smiled back at Gau. â€Å"‘The play is the thing in which I shall catch the conscience of the king,'† I said. â€Å"Precisely,† Gau said. â€Å"Although it will be a traitor we catch, not a king.† â€Å"In that quote he was both,† I said. â€Å"Interesting,† Gau said. â€Å"I'm afraid I don't know the reference.† â€Å"It's from a play called Hamlet,† I said. â€Å"I had a friend who liked the playwright.† â€Å"I like the quote,† Gau said. â€Å"And your friend.† â€Å"Thanks,† I said. â€Å"I do too.† â€Å"One of you in this chamber is a traitor,† General Gau said. â€Å"And I know which one of you it is.† Wow, I thought. The general sure knows how to start a meeting. We were in the general's official advisors' chamber, an ornate room, which, the general told me beforehand, he never used except to receive foreign dignitaries with some semblance of pomp and circumstance. Since he was technically receiving me for this particular meeting, I felt special. But more to the point, the room featured a small raised platform with steps, on which sat a large chair. Dignitaries, advisors and their staff all approached it like it was a throne. This was going to be useful for what General Gau had in mind for today. In front of the platform, the room opened up into a semicircle. Around the perimeter stood a curving bar, largely of standing height for most sentient species in the Conclave. This is where advisors' and dignitaries' staff stood, calling up documents and data when needed and whispering (or whatever) into small microphones that fed into earpieces (or whatever) worn by their bosses. Their bosses – the advisors and dignitaries – filed into the area between the bar and the platform. Usually, I was told, they would have benches or chairs (or whatever suited their body shape best) offered to them so they could rest as they did their business. Today, they were all standing. As for me, I was standing to the left and just in front of the general, who was seated in his big chair. On the opposite side of the chair was a small table, on which lay the stone knife, which I had just (and for the second time) presented to the general. This time it was delivered in packaging more formal than a shirt. The general had taken it out of the box I had found, admired it, and set it on the table. Back along with the staff stood Hickory and Dickory, who were not happy with the plan the general had come up with. With them were three of the general's security detail, who were likewise not very pleased at all. Well, now that we were doing it, I'm not sure I was entirely thrilled with it either. â€Å"I thought we were here to hear a request from this young human,† said one of the advisors, a tall Lalan (that is, tall even for a Lalan) named Hafte Sorvalh. Her voice was translated by the earpiece I had been given by the Obin. â€Å"It was a pretense,† Gau said. â€Å"The human has no petition, but information pertaining to which one of you intends to assassinate me.† This naturally got a stir in the chamber. â€Å"It is a human!† said Wert Ninung, a Dwaer. â€Å"No disrespect, General, but the humans recently destroyed the entire Conclave fleet. Any information they would share with you should be regarded as highly suspect, to say the least.† â€Å"I agree with this entirely, Ninung,† Gau said. â€Å"Which is why when it was provided to me I did what any sensible person would have done and had my security people check the information thoroughly. I regret to say that the information was good. And now I must deal with the fact that one of my advisors – someone who was privy to all my plans for the Conclave – has conspired against me.† â€Å"I don't understand,† said a Ghlagh whose name, if I could remember correctly, was Lernin Il. I wasn't entirely sure, however; Gau's security people had given me dossiers on Gau's circle of advisors only a few hours before the meeting, and given everything else I needed to do to prepare, I had barely had time to skim. â€Å"What don't you understand, Lernin?† asked General Gau. â€Å"If you know which of us is the traitor, why hasn't your security detail already dealt with them?† Il asked. â€Å"This could be done without exposing you to an unnecessary risk. Given your position you don't need to take any more risks than are absolutely necessary.† â€Å"We are not talking about some random killer, Il,† the general said. â€Å"Look around you. How long have we known each other? How hard have each of us worked to create this great Conclave of races? We have seen more of each other over time than we have seen of our spouses and children. Would any of you have accepted it if I were to make one of you disappear over a vague charge of treason? Would that not seem to each of you that I was losing my grip and creating scapegoats? No, Il. We have come too far and done too much for that. Even this would-be assassin deserves better courtesy than that.† â€Å"What do you intend to do, then?† asked Il. â€Å"I will ask the traitor in this room to come forward,† he said. â€Å"It's not too late to right this wrong.† â€Å"Are you offering this assassin amnesty?† asked some creature whose name I just did not remember (or, given how it spoke, I suspect I could not actually pronounce, even if I did remember it). â€Å"No,† Gau said. â€Å"This person is not acting alone. They are part of a conspiracy that threatens what all of us have worked for.† Gau gestured to me. â€Å"My human friend here has given me a few names, but that is not enough. For the security of the Conclave we need to know more. And to show all the members of the Conclave that treason cannot be tolerated, my assassin must answer for what they have done to this point. What I do offer is this: That they will be treated fairly and with dignity. That they will serve their term of punishment with some measure of comfort. That their family and loved ones will not be punished or held responsible, unless they themselves are conspirators. And that their crime will not be made known publicly. Every one outside this room will know only that this conspirator has retired from service. There will be punishment. There must be punishment. But there will not be the punishment of history.† â€Å"I want to know where this human got its information,† said Wert Ninung. Gau nodded to me. â€Å"This information ultimately comes from the Colonial Union's Special Forces division,† I said. â€Å"The same group that spearheaded the destruction of the Conclave fleet,† Wert said. â€Å"Not especially trustworthy.† â€Å"Councilor Wert,† I said, â€Å"how do you think the Special Forces were able to locate every one of the ships of your fleet? The only time it assembles is when it removes a colony. Locating four hundred ships among the tens of thousands that each race alone has at its disposal was an unheard of feat of military intelligence. After that, do you doubt that the Special Forces had difficulty coming up with a single name?† Wert actually growled at me. I thought that was rude. â€Å"I have already told you that I have had the information checked out,† General Gau said. â€Å"There is no doubt it is accurate. That is not under discussion. What is under discussion is how the assassin will choose to be discovered. I repeat: The assassin is in this room, right now, among us. If they will come forward now, and share information on their other conspirators, their treatment will be generous, light and secret. The offer is in front of you now. I beg you, as an old friend, to take it. Come forward now.† No one in the room moved. General Gau stared at each of his advisors, directly and in the eye, for several seconds each. None of them took so much as a step forward. â€Å"Very well,† General Gau said. â€Å"We do this the hard way, then.† â€Å"What will you do now, General?† asked Sorvalh. â€Å"Simple,† Gau said. â€Å"I will call up each of you in turn. You will bow to me and swear your allegiance to me as the leader of the Conclave. Those of you who I know are truthful, I will offer you my thanks. The one of you who is a traitor, I will reveal you in front of those you have worked alongside for so long, and have you arrested. Your punishment will be severe. And it will be most definitely public. And it will end with your death.† â€Å"This is not like you, General,† Sorvalh said. â€Å"You created the Conclave with the idea that there would be no dictators, no demands of personal allegiance. There is only allegiance to the Conclave. To its ideals.† â€Å"The Conclave is near collapse, Hafte,† Gau said. â€Å"And you know as well as I do that Nerbros Eser and his sort will run the Conclave like a personal fiefdom. One among you has already decided that Eser's dictatorship is preferable to a Conclave where every race has a voice. It's clear to me that I must ask for the allegiance I once only held in trust. I am sorry it has come to this. But it has.† â€Å"What if we will not swear allegiance?† Sorvalh said. â€Å"Then you will be arrested as a traitor,† Gau said. â€Å"Along with the one who I know to be the assassin.† â€Å"You are wrong to do this,† Sorvalh said. â€Å"You are going against your own vision for the Conclave to ask for this allegiance. I want you to know I believe this in my soul.† â€Å"Noted,† Gau said. â€Å"Very well,† Sorvalh said, and stepped forward to the platform and knelt. â€Å"General Tarsem Gau, I offer you my allegiance as the leader of the Conclave.† Gau looked at me. This was my cue. I shook my head at him, clearly enough that everyone in the room could see that he was waiting for my verification. â€Å"Thank you, Hafte,† Gau said. â€Å"You may step back. Wert Ninung, please step forward.† Ninung did. As did the next six advisors. There were three left. I was beginning to get very nervous. Gau and I had already agreed that we would not carry the act so far as to accuse someone who wasn't actually guilty. But if we got to the end without a traitor, then we both would have a lot to answer for. â€Å"Lernin Il,† General Gau said. â€Å"Please step forward.† Il nodded and smoothly moved forward and when he got to me, viciously shoved me to the floor and lunged for the stone knife Gau had left on the table next to him. I hit the floor so hard I bounced my skull on it. I heard screaming and honks of alarm from the other advisors. I rolled and looked up as Il raised the knife and prepared to plunge it into the general. The knife was left out and within easy reach for a reason. Gau had already said he intended to reveal the traitor; he said he knew without a doubt who it was; he said the punishment for the traitor would include death. The traitor would already be convinced he would have nothing to lose by attempting the assassination then and there. But Gau's advisors didn't usually carry around killing implements on their person; they were bureaucrats and didn't carry anything more dangerous than a writing stylus. But a nice sharp stone knife carelessly left lying around would be just the thing to convince a desperate would-be assassin to take a chance. This was also one reason why the general's guards (and Hickory and Dickory) were stationed at the perimeter of the room instead of near the general; we had to give the illusion to the assassin that he could get in a stab or two before the guards got him. The general wasn't stupid, of course; he was wearing body armor that protected most of the parts of his body susceptible to stab wounds. But the general's head and neck were still vulnerable. The general thought it was worth the risk, but now as I watched the general trying to move to protect himself, I came to the conclusion that the weakest part of our plan was the one where the general presumably avoids being stabbed to death. Il was bringing down the knife. None of the general's guards or Hickory or Dickory was going to get there in time. Hickory and Dickory had trained me how to disarm an opponent; the problem was I was on the ground and not in any position to block the knife blow. And anyway the Ghlagh were a Conclave race; I hadn't spent any time learning any of their weak points. But then something occurred to me, as I lay there on my back, staring up at Il. I may not know much about the Ghlagh, but I sure know what a knee looks like. I braced myself on the floor, pushed, and drove the heel of my foot hard into the side of Lernin Il's most available knee. It gave way with a sickly twist and I thought I could feel something in his leg go snap, which made me feel sick. Il squealed in pain and grabbed at his leg, dropping the knife. I scrambled away as quickly as I could. General Gau launched himself out of his chair and took Il all the rest of the way down. Hickory and Dickory were suddenly by me, dragging me off the riser. Gau shouted something to his guards, who were racing toward the general. â€Å"His staff!† Gau said. â€Å"Stop his staff!† I looked over to the bar and saw three Ghlagh lunging at their equipment. Il's people were clearly in on the assassination and were now trying to signal their conspirators that they'd been discovered. Gau's men skidded to a stop and reversed themselves, leaping over the bar to get at Il's staff. They knocked away their equipment, but not before at least one of them had gotten a message through. We knew that because all through the Conclave headquarters, alarms began stuttering to life. The space station was under attack. About a minute after Il had made his clumsy attack on General Gau, an Impo battle cruiser named the Farre launched six missiles into the portion of the Conclave space station where Gau's offices were. The Farre was commanded by an Impo named Ealt Ruml. Ruml, it turns out, had reached an agreement with Nerbros Eser and Lernin Il to take command of a new Conclave fleet after Gau was assassinated. Ruml would then take the entire fleet to Phoenix Station, destroy it and start working down the list of human worlds. In exchange all Ruml had to do was be prepared to do a little flagrant bombing of Gau's offices and flagship when signaled, as part of a larger, orchestrated coup attempt, which would feature Gau's assassination as the main event and the destruction of key battle ships from races loyal to Gau. When Gau revealed to his advisors that he knew one of them was a traitor, one of Il's staffers sent a coded message to Ruml, informing him that everything was about to go sideways. Ruml in turn sent coded messages of his own to three other battle cruisers near the Conclave station, each captained by someone Ruml had converted to the cause. All four ships began warming up their weapons systems and selecting targets: Ruml targeted Gau's offices while the other traitors targeted Gau's flagship Gentle Star and other craft. If everything went as planned, Ruml and his conspirators would have disabled the ships most likely to come to Gau's aid – not that it would matter, because Ruml would have opened up Gau's offices to space, sucking anyone in them (including, at the time, me) into cold, airless vacuum. Minutes later, when Il's staff sent a confirmation note just before getting their equipment kicked out of their paws, Ruml launched his missiles and readied another set to go. And was, I imagine, entirely surprised when the Farre was struck broadside almost simultaneously by three missiles fired from the Gentle Star. The Star and six other trusted ships had been put on alert by Gau to watch for any ships that began warming up their weapons systems. The Star had spotted the Farre warming up its missile batteries and had quietly targeted the ship and prepared its own defense. Gau had forbidden any action until someone else's missiles flew, but the instant the Farre launched, the Star did the same, and then began antimissile defenses against the two missiles targeting it, sent by the Arrisian cruiser Vut-Roy. The Star destroyed one of the missiles and took light damage from the second. The Farre, which had not been expecting a counterattack, took heavy damage from the Star's missiles and even more damage when its engine ruptured, destroying half of the ship and killing hundreds on board, including Ealt Ruml and his bridge crew. Five of the six missiles fired by the Farre were disabled by the space station's defenses; the sixth hit the station, blowing a hole in the station compartment next to Gau's offices. The station's system of airtight doors sealed off the damage in minutes; forty-four people were killed. All of this happened in the space of less than two minutes, because the battle happened at incredibly close range. Unlike space battles in entertainment shows, real battles between spaceships take place over huge distances. In this battle, however, all the ships were in orbit around the station. Some of the ships involved were just a few klicks away from each other. That's pretty much the starship equivalent of going after each other with knives. Or so I'm told. I'm going by what others tell me of the battle, because at the time what I was doing was being dragged out of General Gau's advisor chamber by Hickory and Dickory. The last thing I saw was Gau pinning down Lernin Il while at the same time trying to keep his other advisors from beating the living crap out of him. There was too much noise for my translation device to work anymore, but I suspected that Gau was trying to tell the rest of them that he needed Il alive. What can you say. No one likes a traitor. I'm also told that the battle outside of the space station would have gone on longer than it did except that shortly after the first salvo of missiles a funny thing happened: An Obin cruiser skipped into existence unsettlingly close to the Conclave space station, setting off a series of proximity alarms to go with the attack alarms already in progress. That was unusual, but what really got everyone's attention was the other ships that appeared about thirty seconds afterward. It took the station a few minutes to identify these. And at that point everyone who had been fighting each other realized they now had something bigger to worry about. I didn't know about any of this right away. Hickory and Dickory had dragged me to the conference room some distance away from the advisor chamber and were keeping it secure when the alarms suddenly stopped. â€Å"Well, I finally used that training,† I said, to Hickory. I was amped up on leftover adrenaline from the assassination attempt and paced up and down in the room. Hickory said nothing to this and continued to scan the corridor for threats. I sighed and waited until it signaled that it was safe to move. Ten minutes later, Hickory clicked something to Dickory, who went to the door. Hickory went into the corridor and out of sight. Shortly after that I heard what sounded like Hickory arguing with someone. Hickory returned, followed by six very serious-looking guards and General Gau. â€Å"What happened?† I asked. â€Å"Are you okay?† â€Å"What do you have to do with the Consu?† General Gau asked me, ignoring my question. â€Å"The Consu?† I said. â€Å"Nothing. I had asked the Obin to try to contact them on my behalf, to see if they could help me save Roanoke. That was a few days ago. I haven't heard from the Obin about it since.† â€Å"I think you have an answer,† Gau said. â€Å"They're here. And they're asking to see you.† â€Å"There's a Consu ship here now?† I said. â€Å"Actually, the Consu asking for you is on an Obin ship,† Gau said. â€Å"Which doesn't make any sense to me at all, but never mind that. There were Consu ships following the Obin ship.† â€Å"Ships,† I said. â€Å"How many?† â€Å"So far?† Gau said. â€Å"About six hundred.† â€Å"Excuse me?† I said. My adrenaline spiked again. â€Å"There are still more coming in,† Gau said. â€Å"Please don't take this the wrong way, Zoe, but if you've done something to anger the Consu, I hope they choose to take it out on you, not us.† I turned and looked at Hickory, disbelieving. â€Å"You said you required help,† Hickory said.

In what ways, and how effectively Essay

â€Å"Hamlet† contains particular elements which categorise it as a revenge tragedy, a popular genre in late 1500’s and early 1600’s. Revenge tragedies often comprise of certain characters who are appointed to pursue vengeance against a particular person. In addition, there is frequently a central plot, for example Hamlet’s revenge on Claudius for his father’s death, and minor sub plots; Laertes’ revenge on Hamlet and Fortinbras’ attempt to regain the lands his father lost. Revenge tragedies often incorporate similar plot lines, which are usually relatively simple, and they regularly contain similar features, such as a ghost, a hesitating revenger, a villain and concepts of madness, all of which are featured in â€Å"Hamlet. † Although the play is much more complex than a stereotypical revenge tragedy, one of the central themes is revenge, and Shakespeare portrays this through three entirely different characters. The main plot focuses on Hamlet, however there are intricate links to Laertes and Fortinbras. Shakespeare effectively presents the three revenge characters as possessing parallel lives, especially Fortinbras and Hamlet. In using 5 Acts, Shakespeare does more than present the popular genre of revenge tragedy and through the structure of these he effectively uses sub plots, as well as the main plot, in which Hamlet is instructed to take revenge on Claudius. The sub plots, including Laertes’ revenge on Hamlet and Fortinbras’ revenge, are particularly effective because they allow contrasts between the main revenge characters, and allow the audience to observe each character in a different perspective. In this way Hamlet’s attitude towards revenge contrasts with that of Laertes’, the typical avenger, and Fortinbras’ life appears to almost parallel Hamlet’s. Shakespeare effectively brings the main and sub-plots to a close dramatic conclusion. Various scenes, such as the gravediggers scene, have a dual purpose in that whilst they provide an integral concentration on death, they also act as â€Å"comic relief† scenes, and inject some humour into the play. Shakespeare presents Hamlet as the central character and the main focus in the theme of revenge. The audience initially meets Hamlet in Act 1 ii, where the court is assembled, and there are signs of conflict between Hamlet and the newly appointed King, Claudius. The audience is given the plot basis, which in turn the play develops from. Hamlet’s disgust for the King and Queen is specifically addressed in his first soliloquy, where he shares with the audience his anguish and resentment for them. He attempts to come to terms with his Father’s death and his Mother’s hasty marriage to Claudius, â€Å"But two months dead, nay, not so much, not two! † (Act 1 ii) Due to his mother’s swift marriage, Hamlet’s opinions of womenhood are shattered, â€Å"Frailty, thy name is woman. † Shakespeare effectively develops this initial resentment, which Hamlet feels towards both the King and Queen due to their â€Å"o’erhasty marriage† (Act 2 ii), and it intensifies when Hamlet is informed by the Ghost of the true nature of his father’s death. In this first soliloquy, his speech is evocative, especially where he conveys strong emotions in the metaphor comparing the current world to â€Å"an unweeded garden,† (Act 1 ii) with â€Å"things rank and gross in nature. † Shakespeare effectively presents Hamlet as a considerable intellect, shown by his reference to Greek mythological figures. He emphatically uses juxtaposition, where Hamlet makes a strong comparison between his father and Claudius, â€Å"Hyperion to a satyr. † Act 1 ii, implying his father was like a sun god whereas Claudius was a mere half goat half man creature. The strong comparison reveals his bitterness towards Claudius. It can be argued that the ghost is created by Shakespeare as a powerful, metaphorical force and as such acts as the initial figure to provoke Hamlet to pursue an active revenge against Claudius. Hamlet’s first response to the ghost’s claim is rather hasty, † May sweep to my revenge. † Act 1 v. This appears to echo Laertes’ impetuous attitude towards revenge, however, Hamlet does not fit this role, and he remains a thinking revenger. The ghost states â€Å"Ay, that incestuous†¦ and prey on garbage,† (Act 1 v) suggesting that Claudius had seduced Gertrude before her husband’s death, although there is no evidence in the rest of play to support this judgement. As a result, Hamlet experiences greater resentment towards both Gertrude, but more specifically Claudius. Hamlet is instructed by the ghost to avenge his father’s death, â€Å"If thou hast nature in thee, bear it not†¦ damned incest. † (Act 1 v) however, he tells Hamlet to leave Gertrude to God’s judgement, â€Å"Leave her to heaven†¦ prick and sting her. † Act 1 v. Shakespeare effectively uses a metaphor to present Gertrude’s conscience. The ghost’s last words to Hamlet are â€Å"Remember me† (Act 1 v) which sounds like a command, but is actually an unequivocal instruction, in which Hamlet must not forget to avenge his father. Shakespeare utilises the Ghost’s speech to relate the terrors of purgatory, ending with the effective simile, â€Å"Like quills upon the fretful porpetine. † Act 1 v. The ghost continues this passionate language to arouse intense feelings and incite Hamlet to commit murder as the ultimate revenge, â€Å"Ay, that incestuous, that adulterate beast. † (Act 1 v). Similarly the ghost’s narrative uses particularly graphic and evocative language to enhance strong emotions, â€Å"That swift as quicksilver is courses through / The natural gates and alleys of the body. † Act 1 v. Shakespeare effectively presents Hamlet as a thinking revenger and not a warrior, a major contrast to Laertes’ character. Hamlet’s second soliloquy particularly focuses on his delay for avenging his Father’s death, when he begins with â€Å"O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I! † Act 2 ii. Hamlet expresses his disgust for himself for delaying his revenge, and the language of the speech is passionate, because he is punishing himself. During the soliloquy, he constantly criticises himself, â€Å"A dull and muddy-mettled rascal†¦ not for a King. † Act 2 ii. Hamlet expresses himself as dull spirited and unable to act, because he is â€Å"pigeon-livered and lack gall. † Act 2 ii, suggesting that he does not contain the capacity for revenge, and doesn’t have the courage to accomplish the deed. Shakespeare effectively presents Hamlet’s inner frustration, in his language by using a series of adjectives, â€Å"Remorseless, treacherous, lecherous, kindless villain! / O, Vengeance! † Act 2 ii, which reveals his real hatred for Claudius. Hamlet questions the ghost’s honesty for the first time, â€Å"The spirit that I have seen / May be the devil, and the devil hath power. † Act 2 ii. Therefore, Hamlet decides to â€Å"catch the conscience of the King,† (Act 2 ii) by staging a re-enactment of the crime and this portrays Hamlet’s thinking and philosophical approach to revenge, which he wants to be perfect. The prayer scene also reveals his philosophical temperament as Hamlet, the â€Å"sole son,† realises he is the only person appointed to take revenge for his father’s death. Shakespeare provides Hamlet with a perfect opportunity in which he has the chance to kill the King. However, Hamlet feels it is morally wrong to kill Claudius at prayer, not because it is a sacrilegious act, but because it would allow Claudius to go to heaven, which Hamlet obviously objects to. â€Å"Now might I do it pat, now ‘a is a-praying. And now I’ll do’t, And so ‘a goes to heaven. † Act 3 iii. It could also be argued that this suggests that he is not a cold – blooded killer. Hamlet also feels he would be letting his father down, â€Å"Why, this is hire and salary, not revenge,† and so consequently, Hamlet spares his Uncle’s life. Hamlet’s language during this speech appears particularly passionate. Shakespeare further portrays Hamlet as a major contrast to Laertes, in that Hamlet believes the King must be engaged in a sinful act before he can take revenge, â€Å"When he is drunk asleep, or in his rage / Or in th’incestuous pleasure of his bed. † Act 3 iii. However, Laertes is presented as a rash revenge hero and states that he would â€Å"cut his throat i’th’church! † Act 4 vii. Ironically, Hamlet’s soliloquy appears irrelevant, because Claudius’ repentence is not sincere, as his last couplet in the scene suggests, â€Å"My words fly up, my thoughts remain blow. / Words without thoughts never to heaven go. † Act 3 iii. The audience witnesses the king’s first, and only, confession during his soliloquy, in which he cannot pray due to his ill conscience and guilt, â€Å"A brothers murder. Pray can I not. † Act 3 iii. Consequently, it could be argued that Shakespeare wanted to give the audience a psychological insight into Claudius’ character and to feel some sympathy towards him, especially in the opening line, â€Å"O, my offence is rank. It smells to heaven. † (Act 3 iii) In a sense, Shakespeare could be presenting Claudius in this manner to allow the audience to see him from a different perspective, instead of the traditional revenge villain. Claudius reveals why he killed the previous king Hamlet, â€Å"My crown, mine own ambition, and my Queen,† (Act 3 iii) and, he does ask for forgiveness, â€Å"Forgive me my foul murder? † Act 3 iii. Yet it is significant that he cannot fully repent because he is not willing to consider giving up the crown. Therefore, Shakespeare continues to present Claudius as the main villain in the play, one who is driven by cowardly and evil ambitions, but the audience is given a psychological insight, in which they gain a new understanding of his character. Shakespeare appears to present Hamlet from an alternative viewpoint, during the fencing match in the concluding scene. Hamlet’s revenge for Claudius is intensified, when his mother too is killed. She drinks to the success of her son, despite Claudius’ rebuke of â€Å"Gertrude, do not drink. † (Act 5 ii) The audience anticipates his strong objection to the Queen drinking, yet Shakespeare effectively presents Claudius’ cowardice and, arguably doubtful feelings for her, in this simple reproach. It is clear that Claudius cannot contemplate abandoning the plot, in order to save the Queen. After the trauma of his mother’s death, Hamlet acts with spontaneity when Laertes tells him who is responsible for the poisoned drink, â€Å"The King, the King’s to blame,† (Act 5 ii) and he wounds the King with the â€Å"envenomed† sword. Hamlet’s impulsive act echoes the murder of Polonius. He forces Claudius to drink the poison, â€Å"the King dies. † and in dying without contrition or forgiveness, Hamlet experiences some satisfaction in that his revenge will result in Claudius being sent to hell. However, Hamlet has experienced four acts of dilemma and deliberation and, in a sense, he was forced to take revenge due to Claudius’ callous actions and had a prime opportunity to do so. Shakespeare presents Laertes as a rash revenge hero, an effective contrast to Hamlet, and his revenge develops as a sub plot. Laertes returns home from Paris and demands to know how his father died, â€Å"How came he dead? † Act 4 v. Laertes appears to the audience as the more traditional revenger when compared to Hamlet, and he seems extremely determined, â€Å"My will, not all the world’s. † Act 4 v, implying that nothing in the world will stop him, until his desire for revenge is satisfied. The contrasting character of Laertes reveals the complex and indecisive manner in which Hamlet carries out revenge. Laertes’ revenge is intensified when he sees Ophelia’s madness, and he specifically compares Ophelia’s situation to that of their father’s, â€Å"a young maid’s wits† and â€Å"an old man’s life. † Act 4 v. Laertes, addressing Polonius’ funeral, describes it as â€Å"obscure† because there was â€Å"no trophy, sword, nor hatchment o’er his bones. † Act 4 v. In this sense Laertes experiences a greater resentment for his father’s death, in that he has not been honoured with an elaborate funeral. However, the relative secrecy of Polonius’ death is probably deliberate to avoid betraying the corruption of the court, an aspect Laertes is blind to. Claudius manipulates and corrupts Laertes, taking advantage of his rash state, and so is deliberately presented as a villain. By Act 4 vii, Laertes has discovered that Hamlet killed Polonius and his vengeful determination leads him to question Claudius as to why he has not yet taken action against Hamlet. Claudius gives â€Å"two special reasons,† which are that the Queen loves Hamlet and he loves the Queen, therefore he could not bear to act, â€Å"The Queen his mother lives almost by his looks. † In addition the common people love Hamlet and would support him, â€Å"Is the great love the general gender bear him. † Act 4 vii. The reasons Claudius gives reflect his manipulation of the truth and his cowardly attitude because he needs an instrument for his treachery. Both Claudius and Laertes are interrupted by a letter from Hamlet, â€Å"From Hamlet? Who brought them? † (Act 4 vii) Claudius is very surprised because he would have expected Hamlet dead. Claudius’ manipulation over Laertes is expressed again; â€Å"Will you be ruled by me? † Act 4 vii. Claudius must now make Laertes take revenge on Hamlet, because his plot to have Hamlet killed in England has failed. Claudius attempts to make Laertes a possible ally, by manipulating and flattering him, â€Å"Sir, this report of his†¦ to play with you. † Act 4 vii. The suggestion that Hamlet envies Laertes is possibly an invention on Claudius’ part because there is no other mention of this in the play. Claudius moves onto more urgent questions, â€Å"Laertes, was your father dear to you? † which makes Laertes appear helpless and eager to co-operate. Laertes comments that he would â€Å"cut his throat i’th’ church! † to prove himself to Polonius. Again Shakespeare uses these words significantly as they contrast strongly with Hamlet’s unwillingness to kill the king while he is at prayer. Laertes plays right into the kings’ hands when he offers to put poison on his sword tip, â€Å"I will do’t, / and for that purpose I’ll anoint my sword. † Act 4 vii. Ophelia’s drowning acts to further intensify Laertes’ revenge on Hamlet. The fencing match reinforces the presentation of Laertes as a revenge hero, as he acts in a typically rash and immoral manner. Shakespeare specifically presents this when Laertes becomes impatient and wounds Hamlet with the poisoned sword, â€Å"Have at you now! † (Act 5 ii) The indication that Laertes suddenly drives at Hamlet, and wounds him, reveals that he has now carried out his revenge. However, Laertes quickly notices the revenge on Hamlet has backfired â€Å"I am justly killed with mine own treachery,† (Act 5 vii) and that in addition he has also assisted Claudius in accidentally killing Gertrude. However, unlike Claudius, Laertes stays alive long enough to ask for forgiveness, â€Å"Exchange forgiveness with me, noble Hamlet. † Act 5 ii. It is significant that Hamlet accepts Laertes’ apology, in that he is not pursuing revenge against him, the opposite being true of Claudius. More importantly it illustrates the greatness of Hamlet in comparison to the relative weakness of Laertes. Fortinbras is rarely mentioned in the play, however, he is briefly outlined by Claudius at the beginning. Shakespeare portrays Fortinbras as the third revenger, thus developing a complex presentation of tragedy in that there are three revengers. Fortinbras is introduced as having a parallel life to Hamlet’s and being a minor character compared to Laertes and Hamlet. In the sub plot Fortinbras wishes to take revenge for the lands his father lost in a duel with old King Hamlet, â€Å"Now sir, young Fortinbras†¦ so by his father. † Act 1 i. It appears that Fortinbras is like his father, a warrior, and this contrasts with Hamlet, who although his own father was also a warrior, has been well educated. When Fortinbras visits Elsinore in the final scene, he discovers he has succeeded to the throne, â€Å"But I do prophesy th’election lights on Fortinbras. † Act 5 ii, suggesting Hamlet is preparing the future throne of Denmark, and wants Fortinbras to succeed him. It is significantly ironic that Fortinbras gives Hamlet a soldier’s funeral, even though he wasn’t a warrior. Therefore Shakespeare uses various effective ways to present the theme of revenge throughout â€Å"Hamlet. † He uses contrasts between characters; Hamlet, Laertes and Fortinbras and divides each scenario into sub plots, which he effectively incorporates to one in the concluding scenes. Hamlets’ soliloquies allow the audience to experience a greater perception of his complex character, particularly as he is the main focus in the theme of revenge. Similarly Shakespeare’s language and imagery effectively portrays emotions and allows the characters to reveal aspects of their nature to the audience. Bibliography â€Å"The Embassy of Death: An Essay on Hamlet† – G. Wilson Knight   www. ulg. ac. be/libnet/germa/haleteng. htm   http://absoloute shakespeare. com http://shakespeare. about. com.

Analysis Of The Letter K S - 1104 Words

Character comes from overcoming adversity in life; without hardship there can be no growth. The way a conflict is handled defines who each person is and what matters to her the most. My personal disaster came on August 29, 2005 in the form of a hurricane-- deadly, surging, ravenous. Hurricane season kicked off the same for me as it had every year, a lot of false alarms and small storms struck in my area just outside of New Orleans. Occasionally there would be a storm threatening enough for my family to evacuate north into the heart of Cajun country, where my sister and I would spend a good portion of our three hour drive crudely laughing at jokes of which buildings would still be standing on our way back. We were young and had†¦show more content†¦The Louisiana sun sizzled upon the black bed like the devil’s smile. Two of the labs had been used to the heat. Not Fudge. Halfway through our trip, nearing Opelousas in the heavy traffic, Fudge was no longer visible in the truck. Fear began to set in. We pulled over and saw her limp, unresponsive body sprawled out in agony, collapsed from heat stroke. We sped off in the opposite direction to find her water and a vet. Time seemed to speed by and drag on as the search for any open veterinarian office nearby who could take Fudge for the day continued until our prayers were answered twenty miles away in the town of Eunice. There was nothing left for us to do but continue on to my great-grandfather’s packed house in Mamou, Louisiana. No one slept that night. Between the news reports urging New Orleans to evacuate and the thought of Fudge fighting through the night for every breath she took in a sterile void, I was lost in my own black hole. The golden morning broke along with the news we had been dreading. Although New Orleans had been spared by Katrina, my hometown, Slidell, took the full wrath of the eye of the storm. We were going to be in Mamou for a while, as was most of my extended family, and the space was too small for all of us. We decided to look for a different place to stay for the next two months