Conviction, the next book.

[MartinK]

[...]no easy erasing of enemy fleet[...]

I know it's not likely. I did say I was only half serious and I will want a bit more action then that. It's just something I thought of that I wanted to mention.

Oh! I have forgotten to mention the most important reason! That fleet has a small plot armor modification. If it would simply vanish, it wouldn't even be half as interesting to read about as a fight would be. Oh, and since the first Benga fleet is also the smallest, a few ships of all classes have to survive as a source of experience in both fighting and taking it apart and looking at its technology.

I'm not sure the Confederation will attack the syndicate right away in the same way the karinnes did with the consortium. So far, there has been no contact, hostile or otherwise, between the syndicate and the Confederation. The Confederation might decide that they don't want to initiate the hostilities, even though they know that there will be hostilities. I'm imagining a scene where the syndicate is knocked out of hyperspace and then receive a communication in the Benga language from the Confederation to "leave the galaxy or else..." It would be a missed opportunity for the Confederation to strike when the syndicate isn't expecting it but I just can't see them laying a similar ambush as the one they laid for the consortium. The consortium had already initiated the hostilities when the karinnes ambushed them. But maybe the confederation (or the karinnes) will decide to contact the syndicate leaders directly, telling them to recall their ships or else. With the Kimdori in Andromeda, the message and response could get there and back in real time, and with a negative response, the confederation could ambush the syndicate fleet with the ability to say that they tried to communicate first. Maybe I'm wrong and the Confederation will just attack, but I'm not so sure.

Yes, i agree. Every major power has a colored view of its largest adversary. The US clearly needs unfriendly major powers to justify the huge part of their budget that goes into the military. So, both russia as well as china will be displayed as much more dangerous than they are in reality. Depending on the needs, the US will also either be presented either more dangerous or very harmless in russia or china. All information about the Benga comes from their enemies and is therefore not to be trusted. Thus the need of espionage in Andromeda, which will hopefully have resulted in verification of any and all major powers there.

Communication is a bit more difficult. I am sure that the Confederation wouldn't want to tell anyone in Andromeda about whatever has arrived in their galaxy. If you start talking to them via a source of communication that has to be based in their galaxy, it tells them you are already there. But the technology in use by the Benga isn't exactly good at sending messages from the Milkyway and getting answers in a timely matter either.

Nonetheless, they MUST attack the Benga before they arrive in the Milkyway, pretty much for the same reasons the consortium had to be attacked. Don't attack and it will cost you lifes, probably a lot of them. Chances are, the Syndicate intelligence service hasn't yet stolen the information about the consortium ambush and is therefore unprepared. Or perhaps they know, but see them as weak and haven't properly prepared for such an attack.

So, find out whats going on in Andromeda, find a way to talk with the Syndicate before their fleet gets past the best ambush positions on their way to our galaxy and if they aren't really as bad as the Consortium, ask them to leave. In case they ignore you, ambush them.

[SYED]

Was there ever an estimated size of the benga fleet? I am betting in the tens of thousands, equal or greater to the consortium fleet that arrived in an earlier book. It might be possible for the combined confed fleet to equal ship numbers, but not tonnage. Also, I he benga do have an extremely high telepathic percentage, getting close would be risky. Best bet would be serverly trim the fleet before trying something else. Imagine if they gained access to interface tech, that would be a huge advantage for them to gain. Telepathy wins a lot in information wars.

[kyli]

Was there ever an estimated size of the benga fleet?

I think the syndicate fleet that's on the way to the milky way is about the same size as the first consortium fleet. So around thirty thousand or so. The total size of the syndicate fleet in Andromeda is unknown so far.
The entire consortium fleet was about a total of three hundred thousand before they lost those thirty thousand ships that they sent to the milky way. And they're sending another hundred thousand ships to the milky way.

[J-Man5]

I keep wondering if Jason and team will be able to predict which solar/star systems the Consortium and Syndicate fleets will enter the Milky Way in. And if so if there is a method to trigger 1) a pulse to disable hyperspace and FTL in that region for a short period of time and the 2) trigger a supernova of those systems if they are uninhabited and not close to inhabited systems. It would be the largest IED ever. Guerrilla warfare is what helped Jason in the first place with the Faey. Fezzik said to go back to the beginning. So here we are back at the beginning.

J-Man5

[SYED]

I doubt they will cause nova, but a lot of anti matter will be unleashed. I wonder if anti matter can be shaped, so the explosion is focused rather than simply omni directional.
They are likely going to use some kind of indication trap, so I wonder if there will ba any craft with alternate FTL system, the warf field or trans light. It would allow them to fight at a distance, while keeping in close to attack. The karrinne hyper tech is proprietary, the others are not.

[J-Man5]

This universe keeps using hyper-space or a dimension above normal space. I wonder how much the Karrines researched into sub-space or the levels below our normal dimension. It seems to me that someone able to tweek some of the cosmic constants of sub-space could radically alter the gravitational characteristics of a given area. Possibly this is how the stargate system is working in creating a stable wormhole between two locations. If so this could be laid into an area just outside of the galaxy and "sand trap" the invading forces without using interdictors which take time to come online and produce the proper waveform to bring ships out of hyper-space.

Then there is the ability to create "fake" bases that have been seeded with mis-information and dead end research that takes time to sift through. And once there the planets/planetoids could be booby trapped and take out at a minimum the research teams which generally consist of the better scientists of an organization.

Then have the Karrines done any research into "dark matter" and it's interaction with normal matter. Would it be able to be accelerated and used to bombard the invading forces either as soon as the come out of hyperspace or from within the hyperspace effect. We know that some material from "normal" space interacts and reaches into hyper-space so can devices be built to attack from within that level of dimensions. Is there a higher level "above" hyper-space that a Karrinne ship/drone could drop from without being observed ahead of time and set off a major explosion on one of the invading forces ships/planetoids?

J-Man5

[SYED]

Places like the nebula the consortium had, will likely be secured and fortified. Locations that naturally inhibit most morms of used FTL. They can be used to offer different avenuess of deployment appart from terra.
Did the karinnes offer the use of one way catapults? so allow any system to have an exit if no enterance.

I am not sure where the binga are jumping in, but it is saidthe consortium is jumping into imxi territory.

[kyli]

I hope Jason gets to spend more time in the lab in this book. We haven't really seen him invent much since the first book and it would be nice if he invented something genuis again. No need for Myleena to invent all the good stuff.

[SYED]

The benga have more telepathy than most races except for the fae, so he might to brush off his anti telepath plans. I wonder if there were any karrinne plans that were under development, as telepathy they might not have seen the need for them so never finished.

[calista241]

Since the Benga are so large, I've kind of wondered if their telepaths will be measurably stronger than the common Faey. Maybe not stronger than a CBIM, but stronger than the Faey.

[SYED]

We know that, I think, that apart from telepathy and telekinesis, the fae have demonstrated two other mind talents, empathy and able to see the future. These are incredibly rare and dangerous to the person. Just imagine if such a talent is boosted by biogenic computers. Who knows what could happen? I am imagine the Merrane generation and her half twin sister as little baby oracles. That could be a huge advantage against the enemy.
The benga have telepathy, but we don't know the power or the range of other talents they have access to. They did defeat an advanced race of energy with access to a large range of abilities.
Any chance of his kids getting taught to be shamans. It would be very tool thing to happen.

[kyli]

The CBIM's have 2 psychic abilities. A ability similar to telepathy and they also have something similar to telekinesis. I wonder if some future CBIM might express more abilities. I think that feay DNA was used when making CBIMs. I wonder what would happen if a CBIM expressed precognitive abilities. Watch out Universe!!!

Any chance of his kids getting taught to be shamans. It would be very tool thing to happen.

I thinking that Jason will eventually take up the Shamans offer and have the Shaman teach him.

[SYED]

What kind of powers would a shaman have and could the tech that boost his mmental powers, boost his shaman abilities? I bet there was a reason an oye tree was planted near one of the new CBMI systems.

I wonder if they would want to travel to mars or venus, and grow a tree there, to aid in the spirit development of the world. They are magical trees. They should have a grove on earth, their fruit is widely traded in the confederation, so allow them all the chance to experience them.
Can kimdori consume oye fruit, i wonder if it could grow in the radiation.

Shaman can pull shaped wood from the tree. I love the idea of the tree being shaped, or wood from other trees being shaped into platforms, ladders, rails and tree houses amongst the stronger branches. The could even place bird and animal habitats in the branches to encourage the animals. While the parri parri worship the trees, what would they think of a bonsai oye tree. That way they can have mobile oye trees for power.

[Exskie]

Fel just posted that he's working on Chap 1 of Conviction....see thread "So"..

[kyli]

I wonder if the Karinnes could engineer something that could make a non-telepath into a telepath. Or would that be a bit to close to the Program that Jason won't restart? Still waiting for them to come up with something that will let them live forever!! JK
It would be great if they could improve on the replicators again. It would make building ships a heck of a lot cheaper if they could replicate compressed Neutronium. Probably won't happen though.
What they could build is replicator ships. Huge replicators with engines roaming the system and turning asteroids into huge gold bars , or whatever else they could sell.

Can't wait to read chapter 1!!!!!!!