military
It seems there is a peck of confusion out there concerning exactly how the âbase platformâ weapons on Imperial heavy cavalry units actually function, and even are mounted (including at least one case of confusion so profound as to believe the rear/local defense guns were âsticking out the back
Cultural Crossovers
Oh, this should be fun â * As weâve said before, mortality sucks. And being the grandfather who loses his daughter and grandson in the same moment sucks unimaginably. * Those who remember the very first trope-a-day will know why one might have to explain the whole alien abduction thing to this
Moments in History
Red Planet, Blue Sky? The news on everyoneâs lips today here in Orbitfall, as well as back home, is the televised deployment of the new soletta array here in Talentar orbit. While not the first step taken, the soletta is the first tangible result of the comprehensive ecopoesis program
worldbuilding
Specialist290 asks: So what do the eldrae make of the idea of âuseless machinesâ? The most famous example, of course, being the machine whose sole purpose, once turned on, is to turn itself back off. (Like so:Â https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z86V_ICUCD4Â ) Insert usual disclaimer about the
meta
On the evergreen question of what about us, Earth-now, the Imperials might find worthy of a little respect, a recent rewatching of Apollo 13 reminds me to mention that our space program, especially of the Apollo era, definitely qualifies. Bear in mind, for one thing, that for various reasons involving
worldbuilding
Phineas Imhoff asks: I have heard mention of the âspacers marlinspikeâ several times, I am curious what exactly is it for? Does it serve the same role as a traditional marlinspike, just recycled in space. Or is it something else? Itâs essentially the same tool, albeit with some minor
military
âSo weâve all laughed at Imperial warship design, even when it scares the hell out of us. Impressive, yes, but also flying hotels. Everyone down to the janitors gets private cabins. And we snicker at the Flight Commanderâs private garden and jacuzzi, and the crew swimming pool, and
Places To Go
OchemĂr Station: The first thing to notice when you board this massive skyfarm cylinder, parked in the EliĂ©ra-Elarion L4 point, is the humidity. Itâs downright wet. (A local fashion outlet, OchemĂr Silks, offers a complimentary change of clothing to visitors, who are heartily recommended to take up the offer.
Core War
(Note: this is set a few years before the Core War.) Palaxias (Imperial Core) System CS EĂĄdinahâs Bower The Admiral kept a Variasotec double-scimitar on his desk, twelve feet long if it was an inch. It wasnât likely that the Admiral himself was Variasotec, of course â nearly three
worldbuilding
From Henry Quirk: What was the inspiration for the Hariven (its design)? âŠand⊠In-universe (in Eldrae-speak): what does âHarivenâ mean? On the former â no specific inspiration, Iâm afraid to say. I just designed the smallest possible viable freighter for the setting, then went through it to strip out all
eldraeic language
tramorĂĄn an-enlĂ©t: (lit. âred giftâ) Related in concept to the trafidĂșr an-enlĂ©t (âblue giftâ), that social manipulation in which a gift that cannot be balanced by the recipient with an equal gift is used to create a favor-debt, the tramorĂĄn an-enlĂ©t is an attractive gift designed to cause harm by
FĂerĂ's Starships of the Associated Worlds
ICED FIRE-CLASS ANTIMATTER TRANSPORT Operated by: Extropa Energy, ICC Type: Antimatter Transport Construction: Islien Yards, ICC Length: 1,600 km (overall) Beam: 3,200 km Dry mass: 39,200 tons (not including cryocels) Gravity-well capable: No; not even low-orbit capable. Atmosphere capable: No. Personnel: 31 * Flight Commander * 3 x Flight