Page 132: Something Interesting

[novius]

Please discuss the benefits of docking with a ship station that has been "flushed" and enemies depleted from their deep jump in are en-route to attack - If you cannot find fuel in space, can you find fuel in a flushed station?

They flushed out the couriers and support staff. The station is now running with a skeleton crew, but nothing indicates that they removed (or scuttled) the remaining fuel and supplies, too. I guess at that point they could expect a miracle or a friendly fleet showing up, and only if they face with large-scale boarding actions, they'd be considering to either scuttle the supplies or blow up the station in its entirety, going out in a blaze of glory.

Second, I wouldn't say "just because", because love and attraction could be a very strong motivation on how people act (and usually is). Given the situation, the most prudent choice for Alex would be to skip boat and join sides with the Umiak, since the Loroi do seem to be much at a disadvantage now. On behalf of humanity, since his mandate is to actually pick the winning side in the war....

[NOMAD]

OOOOOHHHH good page; Icekatze nice to see your character in the comic.

That last panel, are we about to see Talon pulls some very impressive flying . . . TOP GUN style

[entity2636]

My guess is that they would have abandoned the station in it's entirely IF they had the ships to do it since it is a suicide mission to stay onboard. So convenient then that the Highland 7 have ample seating arrangements. It may become crowded onboard!

I doubt the station's crew would have evacuated and NOT scuttled the station. There's plenty of intel in it that should not fall into Umiak hands.

So, indeed, they a) either didn't have enough ships to take everyone, or b) they believe they can withstand the Umiak assault or at least do some damage before they ultimately kick the bucket, or c) they have orders to stand their ground. The station is strategically more valuable intact and able to do at least some damage to the enemy before they destroy it than blown up by it's own crew.

We have seen that morale aboard Loroi ships is kind of cr@p, but the station's (acting?) commander seems quite confident, so I'd say they are prepared to make their last stand.

Honestly, at this point I believe the chances of survival are better aboard the station than on a passenger shuttle. The station has very powerful shields, heavy artillery, lots and lots of PDLs and an armored hull, while the shuttle even at full power is slower than Umiak ships and there isn't really any place for it to run even if it could.

I have a feeling we may, after a couple of pages, see some boarding action and fighting in the station's corridors. A possible way out of this mess would be to take over an Umiak boarding vessel and get out on it, I don't see the Loroi navy coming to help anytime soon...

[Darroth]

OOOOOHHHH good page; Icekatze nice to see your character in the comic.

That last panel, are we about to see Talon pulls some very impressive flying . . . TOP GUN style

What's your problem Alex?

You're everyone's problem. That's because every time you fly, you're unsafe. I don't like you because you're dangerous.

That's right! I am dangerous.

*mutual smoldering looks*.

[Zarya]

It’s totally awesome how the story is developing. The pace has gone up, and Alex’ character is drawn-in. It doesn’t look like he’s an Outsider. The introduction of Cerulean is great and I’m already rooting for her and the Gora Relay station..

(edits - tried to better phrase my enthusiasm)

[Overkill Engine]

I bet Beryl is intently cataloguing the difference in Human and Loroi reactions when someone falls towards them.


Purely for science of course.

[folti]

Please discuss the benefits of docking with a ship station that has been "flushed" and enemies depleted from their deep jump in are en-route to attack - If you cannot find fuel in space, can you find fuel in a flushed station?

They flushed out the couriers and support staff. The station is now running with a skeleton crew, but nothing indicates that they removed (or scuttled) the remaining fuel and supplies, too. I guess at that point they could expect a miracle or a friendly fleet showing up, and only if they face with large-scale boarding actions, they'd be considering to either scuttle the supplies or blow up the station in its entirety, going out in a blaze of glory.

Indeed, depends on it's composition, the fuel might be used to destroy the station. And how much means flushed is always a question of scale. A rounding error for a large dump/refueling post will be still more then enough to fuel a shuttle.

Second, I wouldn't say "just because", because love and attraction could be a very strong motivation on how people act (and usually is). Given the situation, the most prudent choice for Alex would be to skip boat and join sides with the Umiak, since the Loroi do seem to be much at a disadvantage now. On behalf of humanity, since his mandate is to actually pick the winning side in the war....

His mission was to establish contact, assess the side(s) as much as possible, and report back to the Human leadership, who can make that decision, not him.

[boldilocks]

I bet Beryl is intently cataloguing the difference in Human and Loroi reactions when someone falls towards them.


Purely for science of course.

When Tempo suggested Beryl should try to get a rise out of him, she took it literally. (and hoped to eventually take it laterally. I'll see myself out, thanks.)

[fredgiblet]

So, indeed, they a) either didn't have enough ships to take everyone, or b) they believe they can withstand the Umiak assault or at least do some damage before they ultimately kick the bucket, or c) they have orders to stand their ground. The station is strategically more valuable intact and able to do at least some damage to the enemy before they destroy it than blown up by it's own crew.

I'm betting c, there's very little reason to scuttle a functional station before it even comes in contact with the enemy. Anyimportant files can be wiped for restoration later and the station itself can always be blown up at a more dramatically appropriate moment.

I have a feeling we may, after a couple of pages, see some boarding action and fighting in the station's corridors.

I seem to remember a few pages, and years, ago Arioch mentioned something like that upcoming. Something about a chance to see Fireblade in action. But that WAs a while ago so my memory may be playing tricks.

[entity2636]

I seem to remember a few pages, and years, ago Arioch mentioned something like that upcoming. Something about a chance to see Fireblade in action. But that WAs a while ago so my memory may be playing tricks.

I also kind of remember reading it somewhere. Besides, there aren't many meaningful directions the story can progress from where we are currently at, and also take "the rule of the gun", a.k.a. Chekhov's Gun - if there is a gun on the wall, it has to be fired. The "gun" here being both Fireblade in person and her marines with literal guns and armor.

[GeoModder]

Highland-7 definitely features longer in the comic then I expected, and its run seems far from over.
What's next? Are we going to see Gora Relay make a jump at some point? Would be quite the escape...

[Krulle]

[...] Chekhov's Gun - if there is a gun on the wall, it has to be fired. The "gun" here being both Fireblade in person and her marines with literal guns and armor.

And her "telekinetic "shove""...

Highland-7 definitely features longer in the comic then I expected, and its run seems far from over.
What's next? Are we going to see Gora Relay make a jump at some point? Would be quite the escape...

Then I'd expect the station to already be on acceleration towards jump speed and distance. That does not seem to be the case. And since the station is situated rather close to the jump point, it may well be that the station would ahve to move solar system inward, and then outward again to be able to make the jump, since the station cannot accelerate at 20g, but about 5g max.

[Luge]

Look how she went from pointing with her thumb to pointing with her finger on p118.

I assumed her first way of pointing was related to what she was referring to on screen, not that she usually points with her thumb, ie, she was referring to the direction of the spin going along the course of her fingers.

This is common practice in modern science used to demonstrate different directions. Arioch will be familiar with the gesture and I'm sure it is employed here purely as a demonstration of galactic spin.


A.

[fredgiblet]

Re: Pointing.

It's worth pointing out that Talon, in that very same page, uses her index finger. Berly might be influenced by the manly pink alien to point with her index finger, but I suspect Talon would not be, therefor it's likely that the Loroi use their index fingers just like us.

Highland-7 definitely features longer in the comic then I expected, and its run seems far from over.
What's next? Are we going to see Gora Relay make a jump at some point? Would be quite the escape...

I doubt it will be soon. My suspicion is that the station has orders to hold the jump point if possible, or die trying. After all the fleets don't want to be trapped in a system that is under attack. If the Loroi fleets can win then great, if they can't they are better off retreating and consolidating their forces than dying in place.

[Arioch]

Beryl wasn't pointing with her thumb, she was indicating the direction of spin relative to galactic north, a.k.a. "left hand rule."

[icekatze]

hi hi

Well, the Gora Relay is a Battle Station, not a Give-up-and-surrender-to-the-inevitable Station.

Although I must admit, the statement about flushing couriers, plural, is a strike against my hypothesis about the Umiak diversion trying to disrupt the Loroi courier network. Maybe the number 14 on the map next to the courier means there were 14 couriers on station, instead of that being courier number 14?

I wonder, do warriors who distinguish themselves, but are killed in the process, get any kind of posthumous benefits? Like, I dunno, better status for children or something. Not that I think that is a necessary motivation for heroic last stands, if human beings are any example, but still a little curious.

[Arioch]

Well, the Gora Relay is a Battle Station, not a Give-up-and-surrender-to-the-inevitable Station.

Although I must admit, the statement about flushing couriers, plural, is a strike against my hypothesis about the Umiak diversion trying to disrupt the Loroi courier network. Maybe the number 14 on the map next to the courier means there were 14 couriers on station, instead of that being courier number 14?

No, that's a group designation. A relay station pair at a moderately well-trafficked jump link like Leido-Gora would typically have two couriers at each end. The first one would have been sent through to report the initial incursion, and the second one evacuated the support staff (some of whom were civilians and aliens) after Stillstorm declared the system in contest. But Gora Relay as a weapons platform is still fully manned and ready to fight.

I wonder, do warriors who distinguish themselves, but are killed in the process, get any kind of posthumous benefits? Like, I dunno, better status for children or something. Not that I think that is a necessary motivation for heroic last stands, if human beings are any example, but still a little curious.

She will be remembered and her story retold, which is a chief ambition of the warrior class. But there are no material benefits for the family (who are assumed to be themselves warriors).

[wedgekree]

At least they've gotten some warning across! Presuming they launched thier own courier, andevacuated non-combat staff, we know they've at least got some messages through the jump point - of course, depending on how long transit takes and how long it takes to get a message off, reinforcements might be a bit.. But they seem to have gotten some through before the Umiak got the blockade setup.

[novius]

Beryl wasn't pointing with her thumb, she was indicating the direction of spin relative to galactic north, a.k.a. "left hand rule."

I suspected that as well. And I'm sure Alex has enough of a technical/engineering/physics background to recognize the memory aid as it is.

And the next thought might be that Loroi actually use similar memory aids or aids for explanation.

Or, another possible explanation, when Alex relayed to her how humans measured fundamental constants (length of a second, speed of light, and so on) he himself used the "left hand rule" to explain the relation of electromagnetic forces and Beryl, true to form, remembered the way how humans visualized things and mirrored that gesture.

[novius]

Although I must admit, the statement about flushing couriers, plural, is a strike against my hypothesis about the Umiak diversion trying to disrupt the Loroi courier network.

That thought still has merit. They got the ships away now, these two divisions headed to Gora Relay are still on their inbound vector. Meaning, just because they got the ships out now doesn't mean that ships could take off or arrive later on.

I don't know the outcome of one armed Loroi relay station vs. two Umiak divisions. If the Umiak think two divisions are not enough to blast that station out of the sky or - better - take it over, they could still wait and blockade any incoming or outgoing traffic on the Gora vector and to and from the station itself, at least until additional help arrives.