Unification - Chapter 5 - Spoilers

[Mizriath]

Fel,

Thanks for Chapter 5. It gives a good cliffhanger... A twist of the unexpected.

And I think I can ask for a cookie. I love the way you open up the subject of Dahnai knowing about the secret... classic. Because Jason had to do it. Real classic.

And I also have to say this.... something which is usually rare.... my hear t was beating 50% faster than normal reading Fel's story expecting something unexpected going to happen next. My heart woould normally never beat faster unless watching horror movies where you expect something surprising going to jump out etc.... Fel has done it!

[IdiotPaste]

Great Chapter Fel.

I'm not sure I understand the need to bring the child immediately into House Karinne. There were generations outside of the house, in fact bred purposely outside the house, otherwise there wouldn't be Erinn or Ayuma. So why the rush to include his new daughter in the house?

Kellin will be the child's father regardless of who the biological father is. Removing the child from her family, regardless of reasons, would almost certainly destroy the relationship between Jason and Kellin and Dahnai. There's definitely trouble ahead.

Oh, and did anyone else notice that there will be a Karinne in line for the throne?

[ANTIcarrot]

I'm not sure I understand the need to bring the child immediately into House Karinne.

Because this is a mess of Jason's own making. Because of that the problem is internal to his mind and he cannot analyze it easily. I do hope at least one human shacks him round the head very hard in Chapter 6 and reminds him there are very good reasons why humans are usually not promiscuous. He has just run full speed into one of them wearing a blindfold, holding his fingers in his ears, and humming very loudly. Sure humans usually worry about financial inheritance, rather than genetic, but it's the same principle.

The other problem is that Jason is a bit of a jerk. Almost as much as the early versions of Superman. The simplest and easiest way to solve this would simply be not to tell her about the Generations. But Jason could never do that! He'll happily deny Generations training/advantage/inheritance to other people's children but not his own blessed offspring! Oh no! They're special! Because he wants them to be!
... Or more specifically, because he can control their upbringing. Or at least he thinks he can. Apparently the lovable dolt has yet to truly learn his lesson after the Kizzik incident. This is however a common parental failing; almost to the point where this level of selective idiocy might be considered genetic, and so we shouldn't pass too harsh a judgment.

However the Kerrine House does make a big storm about control. Almost every single policy they enact, or victory they celebrate, has the effect of expanding their control, and/or destroying someone else's control. They want complete freedom to act, because Only They Can Protect The Free World from the Perils Of The Red Mena... Sorry, I was plagiarizing my 1950s American propaganda a little too closely there. Fel goes to great lengths to assure us that Jason would never want to use this power! Well, almost never! Well, only if it was really needed! Well, only if he felt it was really needed! Well, only if he felt it was really needed to save Cybi, or his House, or his kids! As opposed to something unimportant like, you know, everyone else. And of course he has no choice! Because no one else can be trusted with this technology! Only Jason, and his direct genetic or memetic relatives can be trusted. No one else can. And gosh darn it but if that isn't the same as saying everyone else if their rank mental and moral inferior. And gosh darn it but if that isn't Fantastical Racism.

Actually, in Dahnai's case I would agree with him. For reasons I've gone into earlier, I view her as a completely amoral psychopath. I wouldn't trust her to take care of a test tube of bacteria without worrying that she might drip acid into it for sadistic kicks. I wouldn't want kids, but if I had to have them I certainly wouldn't their ideas of right and wrong to come from a Caesar.

Oh, and did anyone else notice that there will be a Karinne in line for the throne?

Which is another reason (apart from the simplicity of the obvious solution) that I'm not sure I understand this. If his son marries Dahnai's daughter this situation *is* going to happen ten or twenty years in the future anyway. Sure the timing could have been better, but why kick up a big fuss just because it happened ten years early, and six months before they can do a damn thing about it?

[Mistra]

for this kid to become the next empress the entire imperial family (excluding dahnai's son and shya, the latter being a karrine rather then a merane) has to be killed off miraculously with just her surviving... good luck with that.

and @ ANTIcarrot: the Generations ARE superior to most other races, there's a difference between being racist and plain knowing you're better, yet still an endangered species. it's not racist if you invite entirely different species on your home planet (analogy: a white man inviting a black man willingly into his home).

and i've yet to read about Jason harming anyone that didn't attack him first. That thingabout controll, i'd want to keep the faey in check to if it where up to me. i wouldn't want to live in a place that's like a powder keg ready to go off.

[expedient]

Nice save with the quasar!

Here are some notes and thoughts about the chapter:

The Consortium may not have been the only ones to have captured and interrogated Karinnes after the fall of Karis. If Merrane undertook similar measures to uncover Karinne technology to give themselves an advantage then Dahnai may have already simply searched secret house records for information on supposedly lost or destroyed Karinne abilities and science. The rest of the Siann already knew the Karinnes were playing with genetic breeding.

17 years is a long time to be running an observation base.

In systems protected with an interdictor, could they jump at an angle in the hyperspace troughs? The angle could allow them to appear either at the edge of the disrupted area in an unpredictable place, or possibly micro-jump within the distortion from one side to the other of any attacking fleet.

I’d imagine that ships traveling at near-light-speeds would have trouble maneuvering without their inertial dampeners overloading.

Plans behind plans. “Sometimes crazy works.” Tarrin Kael has arrived!

Could an area be surrounded by ship-mounted-interdictors, trapping an enemy fleet into a limited area? It would take 2 minutes to begin the effect then the interdictors could move outwards as they grow in influence. It might work as a one-off attack on the Consortium fleet, disrupting hyperspace whilst they are expecting and preparing for a conventional battle, then peppering them with GRAF cannon fire.

As soon as the Karinnes use biogenic boosting in battle any who witness it will greatly fear them. The Collective have already had a taste of this. The other races already fear Faey telepathy, the Karinnes Generations would be super-Faey with these new gestalts.

Will the Consortium attack the summit?

[Fel]

In order.

Thanks with the quasar...I couldn't change it, so I had to rationalize it somehow.

As far as the 17 years goes, yes, that's a long time. The Consortium has been keeping an eye on things for a long time, mainly doing what the twins were doing, searching for Karinne technology artifacts. The interstellar station was one of their science and command outposts.

As far as interdictors go, there's no way to jump TOWARD the system, because remember, those waves are in motion. Jumping at an angle and trying to stay in a trough will work as long as you move with the trough, which is moving away from Karis. The idea of using interdictors in tactical combat, now that's a viable idea. Drag an interdictor with you, even build it into your ship, and then nothing can escape from you unless it can outrun your vessel with normal engines...which won't happen with gravometric engines. Gravometric engines are capable of accelerating a ship to light speed.

And you see the truth of the Karinnes, and WHY they have kept the secret for all those years. When you have a weapon against which there is no defense, everyone will want it.

[artreus]

The whole chapter long I was also inclined that the Consortium was waiting for the Summit to attack; or another moment that had Jason away from Karis.
Do you think that Jason would abandon Terra with all intergallatic leaders on it; when its under attack by the entire Consortium fleet ?

But on Terra there is not ICMB so they would lose one of their advantages . Off course Terra would be heavily defended; but only the Karis fleet is really up to par with the consortium fleet in Tech; all other fleets just a gradation away from cannon fodder.

But now I am not so sure; there are 2 things the consortium wants : a ICMB and a Generation.
So now Dahnai becomes a target. If she announces that she is pregnant from Jason; it would suffice to kidnap her ( probably a lot more feasable then getting a generation from Karis ) to have control over a generation.

[Metatrone]

Hmm, I would have made the same point like Anticarrot, but probably with less of a rant. The Karinnes do sorta have the beginning of an "We come in peace to conquer" attitude. Anyway, I've been waiting for Dahnai to get pregnant for some time. I'm quite convinced that Jason will be an idiot about it. He has, of course, been dumping copious amount of generation genetic material all over the place. Enough to spawn an an army, I'd say. Telling her the secrets would be monumentally dumb. Not only is she going to squeeze him dry in trade of the child. She will have the genetic material to clone herself as many generations as she likes. Sure, she is the mother of the child, but Fel has gone to great lengths to assure us that any Faey would sell their family for a new gun to win a fight. And being a self-righteous moron he already told her there is a problem, instead of just planting a couple of Kimori to steal the child later...Grrr Fel, grrr, deliver us from misery! Go write!

[expedient]

Of course Terra would be heavily defended; but only the Karis fleet is really up to par with the consortium fleet in Tech; all other fleets just a gradation away from cannon fodder.

Fel has said that there would be other warships there to defend the leaders so with a large Karinne and Imperial fleet too it will be the definition of "heavily defended".

The main risk, if they do attack, is making enemies of everyone in the sector by endangering their representatives/leaders. Making a smash and grab against Faey or Karinne assets even more problematic in the future.

[expedient]

As far as interdictors go, there's no way to jump TOWARD the system, because remember, those waves are in motion. Jumping at an angle and trying to stay in a trough will work as long as you move with the trough, which is moving away from Karis. The idea of using interdictors in tactical combat, now that's a viable idea. Drag an interdictor with you, even build it into your ship, and then nothing can escape from you unless it can outrun your vessel with normal engines...which won't happen with gravometric engines. Gravometric engines are capable of accelerating a ship to light speed.

That's how I figured jumping within the troughs would work. I thought that this could be used to disable ships once they have reduced numbers, exploiting their lack of maneuverability.

With using mobile interdictors I was thinking more of using a number of them to close off a sphere of ever expanding space, but your interpretation in simpler and useful over and over again for ambushing small groups of ships. I was looking to isolate an entire fleet...

[Hearly]

I'm wondering can ships fight in Hyperspace? if not wouldn't it be possible to stick the interdictors in Hyperspace where they couldn't be touched..

[Fel]

Anti, Metratone, you're proving a simple point, that Jason isn't perfect, which I'm glad people see.

He's blinded by his own emotion, and let his love for Dahnai overrule his logic. He forgot that Dahnai isn't just a woman he loves, she's the Empress of a warlike and highly aggressive race, who once told him that Faey could not help themselves when it came to making war on themselves and others. Now she's pregnant with his daughter, and he's in one hell of a righteous mess.

Can he tell her? How much can he tell her if he does? Does he reveal Cybi? How does he make her understand just how precious Raisha is without telling her more than she needs to know, and yet impress upon her just how important she really is?

And what of Raisha? Do they leave her to Dahnai and allow her to be raised as a Merrane, with no knowledge of just who and what she is? Do they demand to be given Raisha, to be surrendered to the Karinnes, when a man has absolutely no right to his child when sired out of marriage, and thereby make the Siann go up in flames when a Grand Duke makes outrageous demands of the Empress?

And what of the fact that she IS an Imperial princess? Wouldn't she be of tremendous use to Karinne by being in the Imperial house?

There are so many issues here that it'll be hard for them to wade through it all and make the best choice.

What you can be sure of is no matter what's ultimately decided, it won't be the right answer. There is no right answer in this situation, there is only the answer which causes the least amount of damage. Because no matter what happens, someone's going to be pissed, be it Jason, Dahnai, the Siann, or all of them together.

I can give you at least a little bit of a spoiler and tell you that Jason, Cybi, and Miaari decide that, no matter what, Dahnai needs to be told at least SOME of what's going on, a small portion of the truth, so she better understands what the Consortium is after, and also so she more fully appreciates just how much danger she will put both herself and the Imperium in if she decides to keep Raisha on Draconis. For when the Consortium finds out Jason has a daughter on Draconis, they WILL come after her.

Guess it would be even more of a spoiler to slip a little and say that Raisha wasn't a natural conception. There's a reason she's one of a pair of fraternal twins, with Kellin being the other father.

Dahnai is a schemer. She's never pretended to be anything different, though she'll deny it up and down if accused of it.

[Hearly]

Anti, Metratone, you're proving a simple point, that Jason isn't perfect, which I'm glad people see.

He's blinded by his own emotion, and let his love for Dahnai overrule his logic. He forgot that Dahnai isn't just a woman he loves, she's the Empress of a warlike and highly aggressive race, who once told him that Faey could not help themselves when it came to making war on themselves and others. Now she's pregnant with his daughter, and he's in one hell of a righteous mess.

Can he tell her? How much can he tell her if he does? Does he reveal Cybi? How does he make her understand just how precious Raisha is without telling her more than she needs to know, and yet impress upon her just how important she really is?

And what of Raisha? Do they leave her to Dahnai and allow her to be raised as a Merrane, with no knowledge of just who and what she is? Do they demand to be given Raisha, to be surrendered to the Karinnes, when a man has absolutely no right to his child when sired out of marriage, and thereby make the Siann go up in flames when a Grand Duke makes outrageous demands of the Empress?

And what of the fact that she IS an Imperial princess? Wouldn't she be of tremendous use to Karinne by being in the Imperial house?

There are so many issues here that it'll be hard for them to wade through it all and make the best choice.

What you can be sure of is no matter what's ultimately decided, it won't be the right answer. There is no right answer in this situation, there is only the answer which causes the least amount of damage. Because no matter what happens, someone's going to be pissed, be it Jason, Dahnai, the Siann, or all of them together.

I can give you at least a little bit of a spoiler and tell you that Jason, Cybi, and Miaari decide that, no matter what, Dahnai needs to be told at least SOME of what's going on, a small portion of the truth, so she better understands what the Consortium is after, and also so she more fully appreciates just how much danger she will put both herself and the Imperium in if she decides to keep Raisha on Draconis. For when the Consortium finds out Jason has a daughter on Draconis, they WILL come after her.

Guess it would be even more of a spoiler to slip a little and say that Raisha wasn't a natural conception. There's a reason she's one of a pair of fraternal twins, with Kellin being the other father.

Dahnai is a schemer. She's never pretended to be anything different, though she'll deny it up and down if accused of it.

But Fel in a way the best way to handle it would be to let her know about the danger offer to let her stay on Karis, until the danger is passed, and go from there, I mean there were "generations" for over a thousand years without knowing who or what they are. Also I'm perplexed a bit, Cloning can they do it? if so they already have Jasons DNA on File so couldn't they just use that and clone him a couple million times fora super army?

[Metatrone]

We know he isn't perfect, that's why we're trashing him, not you, Fel. I figured, they would try to tell her enough to scare her, not enough to make her even bigger pain in the ass. Still, I like Jason, it's frustrating, him being dumb and all.

[Metatrone]

But Fel in a way the best way to handle it would be to let her know about the danger offer to let her stay on Karis, until the danger is passed, and go from there, I mean there were "generations" for over a thousand years without knowing who or what they are. Also I'm perplexed a bit, Cloning can they do it? if so they already have Jasons DNA on File so couldn't they just use that and clone him a couple million times fora super army?

I just, assumed they could, we can, they should too. If they didn't have a reason to want another Jason till now. Unless someone is in need of My Little Pony ride, that is.