Comments on: STORM FROM THE SHADOWS — snippet 84

By: Drak

Drak — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 03:34:51 +0000

Depends on what characteristics Mesa wants for its Alpha lines. I seem to remember a DW comment that Anisimovna would not want to meet Honor or Thandi Palane in a dark alley. I'd comment that she has shown a healthy fear of taking on bodyguards of this gamma line.

The byplay is more likely to impress on them her importance.

By: piotr1600

piotr1600 — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 02:02:31 +0000

I think it would be much more satisfying if it were some completely different technology – especially one that played havoc with 'normal' detection / operations / expectations! (think about what a PITA that could be…) The 'good guys' (basically anyone non-Mesan!) would have to figure out how to deal with it before Really Bad Things happened…

By: piotr1600

piotr1600 — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 01:50:26 +0000

Probably get hit with multiple shoes for this, but can't someone please off the (to me) extremely annoying Anisimovna character? Out of all the characters in the entire freaking series she is the only one that fills me with just copious amounts of concentrated bleah… The Detweilers are collectively doing a creditable impersonation of an Evil Overlord(TM) – complete with super-secret weapons / technology (streak drive), programmed uber-henchmen, and what smells like a Glorious Plan for Total Known Space Domination – all fantastic! But Anisimovna… I'm going to have to get the EARC just to find out if she manages to get away yet again when whatever she's up to this time falls apart – yet again. Please DW, surprise me pleasantly with her falling down some stairs or something equally stupid & fatal!

By: chris

chris — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 12:33:48 +0000

My guess would be that the streak drive simply allows travel in the next band. I recall earlier that the drive would be easily replicated by others. Therefore, it is probably an incrimental improvement of existing technology, rather than something completly new.

By: ezhz

ezhz — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 12:20:04 +0000

Streak Drive – It's like Larry Niven's Mark II hyperdrive…

Except drive physics are different here… perhaps it lets them easily translate into the zeta bands? Or rho bands, or omega bands…

By: John Roth

John Roth — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 07:51:35 +0000

Anisimovna is from a Mesan Alpha line. She's probably capable of taking everyone in the room out without breaking a sweat. The byplay is to keep other people from noticing. At least, that's what I'm getting out of it.

By: 1JH

1JH — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 06:02:46 +0000

The drive is interesting in its our right, but the staged disagreement hsa more potential. Obviously they know he will not be allowed into the President's presense, but is there more? Is he being posted outside to do something? Is this the first time in a coming pattern, so that he will be unremarked later? Clearly they anticipate violence, or at least potential for violence.

By: kingpaul

kingpaul — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 05:25:54 +0000

Well, we know from Honor of the Queen that Truman bounced her ship off the iota band.

===
"How high did you take her, Commander?"

"Too high. We bounced off the iota wall a day out of Yeltsin."

Despite himself, Alexander flinched. Dear God, she must have taken out all the interlocks. No ship had ever crossed into the iota bands and survived—no one even knew if a ship could survive there.
===

By: Mike_G

Mike_G — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 14:49:16 +0000

It works because the author imagined it. What more explanation is necessary?

Let me guess: it tunnels its own portable wormhole. Does it matter?

By: Mike_G

Mike_G — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:45:25 +0000

So was "infinite improbability drive", even though that's probably the best name ever for one of these FTL plot devices.