Well of Souls Forums

I like this doubt of the images in Alex's head very much, I think it's clever writing to sow more doubt of the story being laid out for us. This mental barrier is also either there, not there, or partially there - I am questioning if he thinks it can be fed images to. Or he's being fed more than im...

The necessity to right angle your mech out of the path of incoming 20mm fire and pull out non-conventional weapons to be able to beat an airborne fighter highlights the weaknesses of a mech in today's battlefield. Gasaraki was pretty realistic in how they approached near-future technology. I have t...

I think the best you could hope for is not a walking tank but a walking Apache helicopter, but with inferior weapons, durability, and protection for the pilots. 90% of the armour woudl be rated against rough-handling and blow-through damage only, with only about 10% being rated to stop light cannons...

Given that there is quite some talking in these pages, starting with pg. 126, we can safely assume that some time between two and five minutes has elapsed. In pg. 127 she still had the "I'm not sure what you're up to, and if I could come to like it or not" look, but in pg. 129 she was still sitting...

I don't care how you spin it, Alex having any relationship with a Loroi (female, presumably) risks way to much in terms of diplomatic relations with him specifically and with humanity in general. It is also massively unprofessional. I can see the *tension* being there, and an expression of feelings...

I've still got one of those old books. Good stuff. Thanks for pointing out the video!

I've also read that it's still (even accounting for inflation) the cheapest-per-pound launch system that humanity has ever had That pretty much my understand too. Apollo though was one of the most expensive manned spacecraft ever designed. There are many 'what might have been' designs for rationali...

Only 20 tons more capable? The entire Apollo service module weighed 27. This allows for much more equipment and much higher Delta V figures out of single launches. Not true. DeltaV is dependent on technology and mass, not just mass. 50 tons and SEP gives you better mission performance than 70 tons ...

Well, technically, the component bolts and nuts and pannels only weigh in at ounces to pounds each, why use nine tons! Thats too big! There is a cost associated with building in situ versus doing it prefab under controlled conditions. There is a cost associated with everything. With SLS, that cost ...

What is it specifically that you think is silly about SLS? A launch vehicle should be designed to put stuff into orbit as cheaply and reliably as possibly. The SLS was required to use components from the shuttle; a launch system characterised by it's expense and unreliability. There is a reason it ...

Unfortunately Saturn V and SLS are also very silly rockets. The former was built to win a race (very well built as it happens, but it's still a silly optimisation metric) and the latter is being built to maintain NASA's work force (concentrated, incidentally, in two politically powerful states) whic...

For someone to take an unencrypted, uncompressed file like a bitmap and figure it out without any context or documentation would be a significant feat on it's own. But it becomes easier if you have multiple files. With two or three the top and tail of the file become easy to identify, and the remai...

I doubt the Lori can figure out and decipher human recordings in a matter of hours. Alex quite clearly said he'd been stuck in there for a week, or I quite clearly used the phrase 'intact e-reader'. If all you need to do is find the 'play' button, you don't need to worry about codecs. Alex survived...

True, but I don't think the Loroi are all that well-versed in the art of seduction. Though it'd be interesting to hear Alex try to explain it. There's a good chance the Loroi pilfered anything they could carry/manouver out of the wreck of the Bellermine. If any of it contains intact media content, ...

All wrong. :P Technically it's a Delta wing (triangle shape with rudder) Lifting body (no conventional wings). Closest matches in shape would be the Mirage series (Delta conventional) or the cancelled A-12 Avenger II (Delta flying wing). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wing_configuration http://en.wiki...

Fireblade can punch holes in armored vehicles (or anything else) by heating a location on the surface until the structure begins to fail, then applying force to the heated section. This does take several seconds, so a quicker and more effective way to disable an armored vehicle is usually to attack...

Back to the Special Ambassadorial Quarters I see. On another topic, I assme the Loroi grabbed as much stuff as they could off the Bellermine, and did so knowing full well they couldn't read alien warning/hazard labels. Wouldn't it be a good idea for Alex to have a look at the wreckage at some point?...

K then. You send your human sentimental army at me and I'll send my drone fleet. I'll accelerate to 20 g and so will you. Your entire crew compliment will turn to paste. (assuming current physics, not anti-grav generator sci-fi) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G-force#Horizontal_axis_g-force 17G isn't...

But why a secret reserve fleet? Surely the main regular Loroi fleets hang back until farseers detect enemy movement, and then they move to intercept.

If the farseers haven't been picking up significant umiak movement, then then wouldn't the main fleets still be at port?

You have got to be fracking kidding me... Still, it's not like the uligy served any real purpose. IIRC Alex wanted to see the Loroi and Umiak in action and to witness the complete destruction of the Bellermine. First will serve as some kind of context, while the second reflects his duty to destroy s...