Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

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Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Post by GeoModder »

Arioch wrote:If you're asking whether there is a dedicated position whose job it is to speak for the common solider, I don't imagine there is. I can't think of any equivalent in any Earth military.
I reckon 'the sarge' fits the bill? At least on the field level?
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Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Post by dragoongfa »

GeoModder wrote:
Arioch wrote:If you're asking whether there is a dedicated position whose job it is to speak for the common solider, I don't imagine there is. I can't think of any equivalent in any Earth military.
I reckon 'the sarge' fits the bill? At least on the field level?
NCOs and low ranking officers tend to speak on behalf of the common soldier when said common soldier is clearly frustrated about something. If only to avoid catching a bullet at the back in the mid of a firefight.

Yes I had a sergeant in the army who I would shoot at the back if we ended up in a firefight and I wasn't the only one, the Captain in charge of the company was aware of it and said sergeant was reigned in for his conduct; repeatedly.

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Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Post by inxsi »

dragoongfa wrote:NCOs and low ranking officers tend to speak on behalf of the common soldier when said common soldier is clearly frustrated about something. If only to avoid catching a bullet at the back in the mid of a firefight.

Yes I had a sergeant in the army who I would shoot at the back if we ended up in a firefight and I wasn't the only one, the Captain in charge of the company was aware of it and said sergeant was reigned in for his conduct; repeatedly.
I was speaking at higher strategic or political level, more in line with my (possibly misremembering) politicians in World War One who viewed their responsibility as protecting the soldiers from the generals in charge. I'm not sure if this analogy really applies since it seems the Loroi were on the strategic defense before the events of the comic and those complaints were more about offensive operations that seemed designed to run into a meat grinder.

I imagine that at the lowest levels, sanzai would indicate tension and complaints well before they reach that level of intensity and those would try to be resolved before it gets to the "frag the officer" stage. The only concern would be those trained to hide their true emotions, so we just have to keep an eye on Tempo (sure, she said Beryl accidentally using her toothbrush on the Highland Seven was no big deal, but can you really be sure? :P )

That does raise a thought - how much interaction with the rest of the military does a Strike Group have? If the commander of a Strike Group becomes seems to be becoming unfit to command, what recourse is there to remove her before it needs to be done in the middle of the Steppes? I'm trying to avoid using Stillstorm as an example, as I think she's somewhat unique due to her opposition to the Emperor. My understanding is that in the field, this would be handled by the ranking Teidal and Mizol for in the field changes (read - arrest and detain the officer) - but would there be a channel to report back and get the commander reassigned temporarily before such drastic action is needed?

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Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

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The casualties of WW1 really affected politics after the war's end not during it. France's defensive doctrine for example is directly attributed to the fact that France was practically bled dry with an entire generation practically annihilated. The same but to a noticeably lesser degree with the British, not because there weren't horrid casualties inflicted on that nation's youth but because of a side effect of the suffragettes and their white feathers campaign which socially blackmailed all able bodied men to volunteer for the war; the nation's men saw the war as a social mandate on them and never really protested about them being sent to the grinder. The British insistence of peace above all up until the breaking of WW2 was to how war weary the generation that survived the war was, despite the fact that they weren't close to the brink of open revolt like the French army was.
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Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Post by boldilocks »

If two groups of Loroi are fighting, are they able to isolate their own telepathy from the enemy? Can one group listen in on the other?

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Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Post by Arioch »

I think that civilian political leaders are more concerned about casualty numbers because they are more directly affected by public opinion, but in terms of caring about the actual welfare of the troops, most good generals (with a few notable exceptions) are as concerned as anyone. The horrific casualties in conflicts like WWI and the American Civil War were, I think, due as much to an inability of the leadership to adapt to new technologies and tactics as they were a lack of empathy for the troops. And, a general who loves his troops so much that he is hesitant to spend their lives when necessary is an ineffective general (see: George McClellan)... and more often than not, ends up taking more casualties in the long term than a more aggressive general.
inxsi wrote:That does raise a thought - how much interaction with the rest of the military does a Strike Group have? If the commander of a Strike Group becomes seems to be becoming unfit to command, what recourse is there to remove her before it needs to be done in the middle of the Steppes? I'm trying to avoid using Stillstorm as an example, as I think she's somewhat unique due to her opposition to the Emperor. My understanding is that in the field, this would be handled by the ranking Teidal and Mizol for in the field changes (read - arrest and detain the officer) - but would there be a channel to report back and get the commander reassigned temporarily before such drastic action is needed?
In strike groups that are constantly being resupplied in the field and sent directly back into action, this can become a problem. The command hierarchy of the group (the commander, squadron captains, and senior Mizols) will normally submit reports to the supply convoy, including action reports, supply requests and status reports; if there were complaints about the CO, that's where they would be expected to go. However, it's unlikely that much could really be done about the situation until the group came back into port.
boldilocks wrote:If two groups of Loroi are fighting, are they able to isolate their own telepathy from the enemy? Can one group listen in on the other?
Private telepathic messages can be shared between individuals, but public messages sent to a group can also be received by anyone else in range. Particularly skilled telepaths can sometimes intercept even private messages, so telepathy is not a secure form of communication in Loroi vs. Loroi battles. Even when observing telepathic "radio silence", each soldier's telepathic signature is still visible to the enemy, so there are not a lot of tactical surprises in a Loroi vs. Loroi engagement.

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Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Post by inxsi »

Are crews kept together if their ship is resigned (if the crew did not suffer severe losses)? For example - it seems that the Thunderbolt might have most of its crew still alive when it was evacuated and resigned. Assuming this was the case, would this crew be kept together (crewing a new ship when one can be provided) or split up to fill spots on other vessels?

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Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Post by Arioch »

inxsi wrote:Are crews kept together if their ship is resigned (if the crew did not suffer severe losses)? For example - it seems that the Thunderbolt might have most of its crew still alive when it was evacuated and resigned. Assuming this was the case, would this crew be kept together (crewing a new ship when one can be provided) or split up to fill spots on other vessels?
It would depend on the situation. SG51 has personnel shortages, so the survivors were distributed to other vessels to fill in gaps. When they finally got back to port, there would be an official determination made whether the crew should be reassigned.

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Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Post by inxsi »

What civilian guilds deal most closely with the military? How close do civilians get to the front lines as part of their jobs and what are those jobs?

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Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Post by Arioch »

inxsi wrote:What civilian guilds deal most closely with the military? How close do civilians get to the front lines as part of their jobs and what are those jobs?
The civilian elements of the military industrial complex -- those businesses involved in the design and production of military hardware -- deal most closely with the warrior class.

Any civilian working in any job in a colony near the front line is potentially in harm's way. There are some civilian workers in stations and outposts near the front, and there is some civilian merchant shipping that can occasionally get into action.

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Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Post by Hālian »

Arioch wrote:If you're asking whether there is a dedicated position whose job it is to speak for the common solider, I don't imagine there is. I can't think of any equivalent in any Earth military.
SMA
MCPON
SgtMajMarCor
CMSAF
MCPOCG
and more generally they're called senior enlisted advisors.
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Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Post by discord »

Arioch wrote:
  • A warrior child of Clan A is taken in a raid by Clan B, and raised in Clan B where no one really paid any attention to where she came from. She rises to prominence and eventually leads Clan B in an attack on Clan A, and destroys them. A survivor recognizes her telepathic signature and informs her that she's just killed her entire family. She goes mad and leads Clan B to ruin.
  • A warrior child of Clan A is taken in a raid by Clan B, and raised as a worker in the new clan. She rises to prominence in the civilian order of Clan B and eventually leads a successful worker revolt, destroying the warrior class of the clan. The neighboring clans (including Clan A) attack and destroy the rebels. As the hero lies wounded, her sisters recognize her telepathic signature and are reunited with her, but she dies shortly after.
I must admit that sounds absolutely Chinese in character, since it is a culture where a happy ending to a romantic story allows the lovers to die together, not live together, NEVER live together, but die together is acceptable.

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Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Post by Jayngfet »

Are the turrets and launchers on civillian ships operated by civilian or military caste? I'm assuming unless they have permanent escort they'd need some way to defend themselves.

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Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Post by Chekist_Felix »

Kinda outta nowhere, but it's just occur to me... Is it safe to assume that while Alex was in a brig he mostly interact with Reed? It's probably make her the most familiar loroi for him, even in comparison to main cast, doesn't it? They have... somewhat casual... feel in they interaction in a corridor scene.

ps i kinda like Reed for some reason, hope she get more lines :)
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Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Post by Arioch »

Jayngfet wrote:Are the turrets and launchers on civillian ships operated by civilian or military caste? I'm assuming unless they have permanent escort they'd need some way to defend themselves.
Most of the armed support vessels (transports, tankers, couriers) that operate near the enemy are actually military rather than civilian; the Loroi fleet has a sort of merchant marine section. There are purely civilian starships, but these mostly operate in interior routes that are unlikely to meet the enemy.

That said, some of the civilian starships have laser point defense, but the reactor and engines themselves are potentially very dangerous weapons; you can do a lot of damage with an unarmed starship. There are no warriors aboard these ships, but as a civilian you need to put a lot of permits in a row to get permission to operate such a powerful vehicle. I expect this is also true of other non-warrior societies.
Chekist_Felix wrote:Kinda outta nowhere, but it's just occur to me... Is it safe to assume that while Alex was in a brig he mostly interact with Reed? It's probably make her the most familiar loroi for him, even in comparison to main cast, doesn't it? They have... somewhat casual... feel in they interaction in a corridor scene.
There was probably at least one other security officer that spoke to Alex besides Reed, but Reed did most of it. Reed and Alex were not exactly chummy, but they had developed a sort of functional, if minimal, working relationship. I think Beryl has already exceeded the total amount of conversation that Alex had with Reed.

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Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Post by inxsi »

What do young (2 - 6 year old) Loroi do for fun?

Outside of times of war, when and how are young Loroi being trained for the warrior caste traditionally exposed to violence and death?

Who teaches the warrior schools that 6-8 year old Loroi warriors attend?

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Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Post by entity2636 »

inxsi wrote:What do young (2 - 6 year old) Loroi do for fun?
They learn to use their telepathy/telekinesis, learn survival in the wilderness, melee and unarmed combat and various ways of killing animals and other children, so as to not get eaten by wildlife or killed by their own or a competing diral band, when they turn 6 and are sent out into the wilderness to fend for themselves.

More details can be found here http://well-of-souls.com/outsider/forum ... rites.html

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Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Post by Arioch »

inxsi wrote:What do young (2 - 6 year old) Loroi do for fun?
Female Loroi children play in much the same way 4-12 year old male human children do: rambunctious outdoor play, some organized sports, some indoor games, exploring, tinkering, building things, breaking things.

Male Loroi children are usually segregated in an order monastery, and tend to engage in indoor activities. Crafts and social games are popular.
inxsi wrote:Outside of times of war, when and how are young Loroi being trained for the warrior caste traditionally exposed to violence and death?

Who teaches the warrior schools that 6-8 year old Loroi warriors attend?
Young Loroi children often play "army" (much as human children do) in which they pretend to kill and be killed. In the diral band training phase from ages 6-8, the children go through a combination of basic training and wilderness survival school, during which they will sometimes conduct mock raids on each other and on local settlements. Injury during the training is common, and the occasional fatality is not that uncommon.

The diral band training is not really a school in the traditional sense. Practices vary widely, but there is usually a semi-permanent base camp in some frontier area where the instructors live and which has a supply depot and medical facilities, etc. The teaching staff consists of elder warriors assisted by young novices. The bands of children are organized and drilled, and taught specific sets of survival skills, and then sent into the wilderness on various missions (including "just go survive for a month"), upon returning from which they are given additional training. The novices occasionally go with the bands as guides, or sometimes just follow them at a distance to track their status and progress.

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Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Post by entity2636 »

Alright, I've probably criticized and made fun of the Loroi more than enough to become very "popular" among them and should be worried about my hide by now, but I actually have an honest and serious question about them.

I don't remember reading about it directly, although it might have been implied somewhere, but I am wondering what the climate aboard Loroi starships would be, i.e. what is their comfortable room temperature.

Our body temperature is 36-37*C and for us the comfortable room temperature is 20-22*C - as a rule of thumb, 15* lower than our body temperature, to, in layman's terms, ensure cooling without sweating and not wasting energy for heating. I mean some people prefer and are used to it being warmer, some - cooler, but that's the average.

Since the Loroi body temperature is ~27*C and it has been stated that for a human it feels cool inside their ships, I would guess their comfortable room temperature would be around 10-12*C ? To be honest, that is actually cold and a human (read Alex) can easily freeze/develop hypothermia in such conditions if not dressed appropriately or constantly moving.

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Re: Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

Post by Dorfington »

It's a shame Alexander wont be rocking a bitching beard in later chapters. Not even a little stubble Arioch?

In any case, I was wondering if Loroi males grow facial hair. I assume due to the fact that they are based on elves that the answer to that is a no.

If that is the case, then how would a Loroi react to the sight of a human male with a full, neatly trimmed, regal, respect commanding beard?

And yes, I have read that deliciously atrocious little fanfic and seen the accompanying images. You damn well know what I'm referring too. :lol:
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