Timewaster's Guide Archive

Imagine: [...]

But that would happen with lines and clips too, right? ^^

Actually, [...]

Damn you, rate of technological advancement!

We also have www.readingexcuses.com, which is pretty sweet.

Now if only that led somewhere.

So the title is "not actually changing", right?

Laughing hysterically.

My work here is done.

Thanks.

On the subject of gravity and the lack thereof: I was thinking mainly of cost efficiency and system reliability. Sure, you can issue magnetic boots to every member of the crew, or you can have pads that lock your boots to the ground, or whatever. But those would be pretty expensive. If the brass have to choose between magnetic boots and more guns, I think they'll always go for the guns. Then there's the reliability issue. The more complex the system gets (i.e. anything using electricity), the more likely it is to fail. So sticking a few rails on the walls and ceilings seemed like the most feasible option to me. If gravity's out for a few seconds, holding on to a rail is easier than switching on magnetic boots. If it's out for longer than that, navigating the corridors in weightlessness should be quicker using the handrails than using those clumsy boots (and would be impossible using pads that lock your feet to the ground or anything similar). Also, there aren't any magnetic boots on ISS.

As for the bullets, I'm actually worrying about the bullets going through characters that will be relevant for the plot later on.

I've read a lot about all these strange new non-lethal weapons, but I think they all have one main drawback, namely that they're a seperate weapons system. For rubber bullets you only have to switch mags (i.e. carry a second mag), whereas one of these other things would have to be taken along beside your actual main weapon.

Having them would make sense for police forces, but not necessarily the military, I think.

You'd probably also have too much collateral damage once you increased the output to eardrum-rupturing levels, at least if there's a hostage standing right next to your target.

Trust me, I've obsessed over the technological issues quite a bit. But I appreciate suggestions such as these, there's always the possibility I overlooked something, or based some aspect or other on an idiotic assumption.


I think I know what the issue with the Padawan to Jedi-evolution is, though. She didn't actually get the info about the gun from Spencer, she got it from the midshipman. Only you wouldn't know that, because all the evidence in the text seems to point towards Spencer. I'll be fixing that... 

Starting off, I couldn't remember if we'd seen Spencer before, but that might just be the "writing group problem" of never having the whole story in front of you at any one time.

Only very briefly. I'll be expanding that bit.

Rubber bullets- it's not clear whether they're the only thing in his cartridge, if he has multiple ordnance options with his weapon, or whether they are simply standard ship-board issue (to avoid perforating the hull).

Multiple options hadn't really occurred to me, I find the whole concept quite cheesy, actually. Multiple types of ammo are usually referenced right before someone pulls out their plasma bullets, or something equally silly.

On the other hand, maybe I've simply read the wrong books. ^^

When Juno was interrogating the Imperial in chapter three, she had to close her eyes and really concentrate to make contact with him, and it took a lot out of her.  But she seems a lot more proficient here- is that lack of subtlety (force instead of persuasion) or is it adrenaline?  Doesn't need to be explained here (not her POV after all), but I'd like to see it somewhere along the line.

Juno gets the next chapter, but I don't think I've explained the previous scene in that at all. Yet.

"Sitrep."- this is obviously military slang, and that's fine, but it'd help if you explained the term right after you used it.

I had hoped it would be apparent from the context, or, even better, that the reader would already know what it means. My explanations of these things tend to feel somewhat clumsy, so I always try to leave them out.

It seems a little odd that setting up jumps is as quick and smooth as you've just presented it.  They don't even seem worried about the incoming missiles.  Did Starfire fire them at extreme range?

Yes, they fired at rather long range. Also, I apparently forgot to show some people being worried.

It seems very odd that they wouldn't have some kind of built-in equipment to allow anchoring to the floor when the gravity goes...

Does it? Another thing that hadn't occurred to me. That's what the handrails on the ceilings were supposed to be for, but I guess I didn't really mention that. Bugger.

The section where you describe the feeling of jumping- it would flow better if you told us what Von Bredow was feeling first- right after telling us he hated jumping- and then explained it.

Sounds like it would work, I'll try that.

Thanks once again for commenting, both of you.

Right, back to universitarian drudgery...

"It was a feeling you couldn't really describe to someone who hadn't experienced it themselves." This might just be a personal thing, but I always grimace a bit when I see lines like this in fiction. I don't know, it just feels like a bit of a cheat.

It seemed like that to me too, to be honest. I think it's also too much of a direct adress to the reader, breaking the fourth wall, if you will.

As to the introduction of new people, I think I'll give Spencer a bit more face time in von Bredow's first chapter, just in case.