During the actual time the force is on our “Third Rock from the Sun” he speaks to Ulla, which I presumed to be his ‘wife’ or at least his sharing partner of many centuries by some form of thought communication. I developed a sharing of his mind as he was mentally in conflict with his inner hatred of killing and war in general and the pressing need for some of his land to mask their real feelings and assume the role of ‘killer.’

Listen to this with an open mind that is so commonly shared by those of us with this inner desire to emulate the wonderful or the mutated lives of others on the stage of life. Do we all wear the ‘false face’ of the player when we walk among other mortals? Perhaps.

I will also share a short poem, which I penned some time back as I thought of one of my encounters while at “war” with other human souls.

Was he an enemy or a hero? You can decide as I have over the years:

Patriot

He lost his arm at Dien Bien Phu.
Freedom was what he was fighting for.
A Royal Legionnaire was defending.
The arm was a small price to pay.
The Legionnaire lay dead.

I never knew the man.
We chased him around a piece of land
that wasn’t even his.
Of course it wasn’t ours either.
Freedom was what he fought for.

We heard of him.
Nugyn was what they called him.
He was much older then.
He could speak of war.
He fought for freedom.

Perhaps we did meet.
One night in a small hamlet
the local men were all excited.
A one armed man spoke to them.
He spoke of freedom.

We lay, quiet as death.
It was not our place to kill him.
We watched and listened as he spoke.
He knew the price of war.
He knew the price of freedom.

He died one moonless night.
A Royal Thai Soldier was defending.
My House Boy told me the next day
“The one armed man is dead.”
He died for freedom.

wolf 04

Thank you for your thoughts,

John

I thought that the reverb effects were fine, but I was listening to the story on my headphones. Perhaps the people who didn’t like it were listening to it through speakers or something. ::shrug::

Also, I’m a sucker for re-tellings and variations of well-known stories, so this suited me perfectly!

I disliked the newest movie – maybe because it was rushed, but there were too many “lucky” co-incidences to keep my disbelief off the ground.

The idea that the enemy is human isn’t a new one to me; it’s the tragedy of war. We have to dehumanize to kill; we have to humanize to stop killing.

The reverb wasn’t too much for me, though I’ll admit I never did work out what the male’s name was until I read it here.

Oh, and on the question of whether it was based more on the book or the movie…don’t forget, in the movie (the original movie I mean, not the Tom Cruise movie) they didn’t have tripods, remember? They had those hovering ships…

Good stuff. Keep it coming!

UK listener – fantastic site

And let me add my chorus to those who have already ranted and raved the latest Union Dues story: “More, please. And soon.”

By the way, as a reformed radio talk show host, I’d be glad to voice a segment or three of Escape Pod, if you are in the need of voices…

Side note: looking forward to new forums! Comments are nice but forums are better, with the avatars and the logins and the zing zing zing!

Have pity on those of us who listen with cheap earbuds.

Still, who’d have thought on Pearl Harbor day we’d hear from a Melancholy Martian Military Man?

The reverb worked just fine for my ears by the way.

The men in my family have (unscientifically) discovered a genetic trait that makes our hearing is useless in any social environment with more than 3 or 4 voices (or loud background music). The reverb took some effort to “listen” through, detracting from the enjoyment of the story.

BTW, in regards to the latest “Union Dues” story: I distinctly recall having a hankering for another episode the day before I downloaded it. Well timed, indeed! More, More, I say!

The picture in the iTunes Now Playing box was amusing, but made me think of Marlon Brando shouting for some reason, even before listening.

I loved the picture and would certainly love to see more of the same. It definitely made it more fun. Where did you get it?

As for the story – it was really cool. When is the movie out?

More please.

I had previously commented about the power two entities feel when they realize they’ll never see each other again. But in the context where Diutheskrull comes to the belief that the invasion was wrong in the first place, (at least as I interpret it), and that he is going to die as a result of it only brings more depth and meaning to me as a listener of the story.

I think the vocal effects were a little overpowering at times and definatley took a little getting used to. I don’t object to them, but I’d use caution when applying them in the future.

Overall I think it’s a very powerful story even if you haven’t read Well’s work (Yes I should hang my head in shame). It hit a real resonance for me as two entities who care for each other face the fact that they’ll never see each other again. It was very well done and I can’t wait for next week!

It’s also an allusion: near the end of Wells’s _War of the Worlds_, the narrator sees the last of the Martians wandering the empty streets howling “Ulla, ulla, ulla, ulla” many times over. No explanation is given in the novel. You can read the relevant chapter here.

I’ve been off in a different direction for a long while, so I’m just catching up on your excellent ‘cast. Bravo on this one, though the accompanying illustration was just a wee bit spoilerish.

Bravo as well for your second annual charitable redirect! Here’s more expository grist for your “heavy handedness” apology. Please remind all that at this time of year blood donation rates consistently drop nationwide and demand typically rises. The international supply is already at a low reserve level, which is why most ARC, bloodmobile, and hospital donor centers have “Critical Need” signs out.

Please “give before you go”, “consider yourself asked”, “give half pints for halfpints”, or remember whatever catchphrase moves you “to be doers of the word, and not hearers only.” Call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE, surf to http://www.redcross.org/ , come to the Heinlein Society blood drive at Arisia with MGH.

If people find this appeal heavy handed, that I’m asking for blood, not money, I’m not. I’m asking for blood, money, and time! If you’re healthy, well, and interested, please, give blood! If you can’t or won’t, fine, encourage someone else to do so! Give them a ride, hold their hand, organize a drive that’s more convenient for them to get to, do something!

Thanks, again, for providing such a consistently high quality podcast. You started as the best and still lead. Well done.

To me, EP is on a roll of late; of the last five or six stories, I only skipped one; an 80% hit rate is good in academics, and even better in sports.