yeah, whoever did the blink didn't do such a great job if they're finding spacecraft and stuff buried. I'm wrestling with the idea that an Ardentified Valkyrie probably *requires* AI to run correctly if it's sufficiently advanced.
Well, we know one thing at least: Ardent's powers are screwing up the world's balance something fierce.
Scenarios:
1. On takeoff, the Walker shows up, grabs the orbiter in flight and pulls it back to the ground. After the inhabitants get out, another THOOM and another new crater on the moon. The orbiter joins Gavia's nanotech in Alice Grove heaven.
2. On achieving orbit, the new craft is unable to connect with any orbital platform- both craft and orbitals repel each other. Back to Earth for another plan. Pate and Church are not in a good mood.
3. Once Ardent gets aboard the orbiter, it begins to continually evolve. By the time it reaches orbit, both orbiter and passengers have been absorbed into a new, sentient being with godlike powers. Including time travel. In this way we learn who did the Blink.
4. As soon as the orbiter gets in among the orbital platforms, it begins shooting them apart one after another. We then pull back to discover that the Earth is just part of a giant game of Asteroids being played by aliens.
They get to space, and discover that there are no space habitats. There's no sign that there ever were any space habitats. Somebody blinked again.That'd be interesting...and depressing.
4. The only problem with that scenario is the tank shooting down the space craft is always on the Earth's surface. It never rises above them.
Well, given Alice's surprise vs Pate's confidence, I'm getting the feeling that really does know some stuff that she doesn't.
I wonder if it uses the Infinite Improbability Drive.That seems unlikely.
4. The only problem with that scenario is the tank shooting down the space craft is always on the Earth's surface. It never rises above them.
You're thinking of Space Invaders. Asteroids has the ship in the middle shooting at floating objects all around it.
I wonder if it uses the Infinite Improbability Drive.That seems unlikely.
I wonder if it uses the Infinite Improbability Drive.That seems unlikely.
If we can figure out exactly how unlikely it is, we can make it happen!
I wonder if it uses the Infinite Improbability Drive.
I wonder if it uses the Infinite Improbability Drive.
That's impossible.
That Pop was the end of the story. Jeph stopped advertising Alice Grove on QC because he's tired of it. The decreasing frequency of updates was a hint after all.Easily the worst possible scenario.
That Pop was the end of the story. Jeph stopped advertising Alice Grove on QC because he's tired of it. The decreasing frequency of updates was a hint after all.Easily the worst possible scenario.
I wonder if Gavia is thinking of shoving Church out theAirlock/Hatch, and would he burn up rentry or just crash land and be annoyed/
Should they not be floating in zero-g now? (or, more accurately, be in a free fall orbit for the same effect). I guess the ship could still be accelerating up. Don't know how well Newton's second meshes with teleportation :-)
What I find a bit strange is that this party does not carry any luggage. No spare food, water, spare clothes, nothing. Remember how well Sedna and Alice stocked up for the trip across the desert. I guess they don't need to be armed, but it's more like they expect to find the space equivalent of a burger joint sooner rather than later.
Should they not be floating in zero-g now? (or, more accurately, be in a free fall orbit for the same effect). I guess the ship could still be accelerating up. Don't know how well Newton's second meshes with teleportation :-)Pretty close quarters in there, even if Church wasn't on board. Even if it is a zero G environment, everyone's wedged in.
What I find a bit strange is that this party does not carry any luggage. No spare food, water, spare clothes, nothing. Remember how well Sedna and Alice stocked up for the trip across the desert. I guess they don't need to be armed, but it's more like they expect to find the space equivalent of a burger joint sooner rather than later.
Church is bored. "We teleported into space? Ho-hum. Wake me if something interesting happens."Or is Church hugging himself because he's starting to feel spacesick? There's a very good reason NASA's zero gravity training aircraft are all called "the Vomit Comet." Everyone has some weakness, and motion sickness may be his. If Jeph has this in mind, watch for Alice to be taking note.
Meanwhile it's clear that Alice and Sedna have never been to space before. Pate too, for that matter, though for some reason he looks frightened while Alice and Sedna seem merely amazed.
And it's only the above-ground part of the tree.
Yep, called it: big space-going tree.And it's only the above-ground part of the tree.
Going for the bonus points, maybe the roots are sticking into a parallel dimension? I mean, why not?
Right now, I'm most worried that those 'leaves' orbiting around the boll are perimeter defence turrets. Assuming that the Praeses don't want Ardent and Gavia back (and cutting off Gavia's communications suggests that they don't), our intrepid heroes and villains are about to get an uncomfortably warm welcome wagon.
OMG!!!
IT'S A JURAIAN TREE SHIP!!!!!
Meah!! :-D
It's probably not that big, because if it was big enough to cause a noticeable eclipse it would also be easily visible from the ground.
I had a thought. Depending on whether the tree is in geostationary orbit and its mass relative to the moon, its quite possible that the planet would experience arboreal eclipses as the tree passes in front of the moon and the sun.In principle, there's a way to estimate the orbital radius of the tree by looking at the curvature of Earth's image as seen from the spaceship (assuming that the flyer is in roughly the same orbit as the tree), since the radius of the resulting circle can be estimated from its curvature. Given the apparent radius, we can then compute the distance between Earth's center and the spaceship by a straightforward application of plane analytic geometry.
In principle, there's a way to estimate the orbital radius of the tree by looking at the curvature of Earth's image as seen from the spaceship (assuming that the flyer is in roughly the same orbit as the tree), since the radius of the resulting circle can be estimated from its curvature. Given the apparent radius, we can then compute the distance between Earth's center and the spaceship by a straightforward application of plane analytic geometry.
That would permit anyone to determine whether the tree is in geosynchronous orbit.
Actually, no.In principle, there's a way to estimate the orbital radius of the tree by looking at the curvature of Earth's image as seen from the spaceship (assuming that the flyer is in roughly the same orbit as the tree), since the radius of the resulting circle can be estimated from its curvature. Given the apparent radius, we can then compute the distance between Earth's center and the spaceship by a straightforward application of plane analytic geometry.
That would permit anyone to determine whether the tree is in geosynchronous orbit.
That would depend on the focal length of the "camera" used in the making of the image. A telephoto lens would foreshorten distances, making the planet seem nearer, with a larger apparent radius. A wide-angle lens would have the opposite effect.
Granted, these are drawings rather than photos. But the principle is the same: apparent radius is a subjective quality based on foreshortening, as chosen by the artist.
Oops. No, you'r right. Sorry.Actually, no.In principle, there's a way to estimate the orbital radius of the tree by looking at the curvature of Earth's image as seen from the spaceship (assuming that the flyer is in roughly the same orbit as the tree), since the radius of the resulting circle can be estimated from its curvature. Given the apparent radius, we can then compute the distance between Earth's center and the spaceship by a straightforward application of plane analytic geometry.
That would permit anyone to determine whether the tree is in geosynchronous orbit.
That would depend on the focal length of the "camera" used in the making of the image. A telephoto lens would foreshorten distances, making the planet seem nearer, with a larger apparent radius. A wide-angle lens would have the opposite effect.
Granted, these are drawings rather than photos. But the principle is the same: apparent radius is a subjective quality based on foreshortening, as chosen by the artist.
Any three point on a circle define that circle completely. Because the earth is a sphere, the image of the earth through any (reasonable) camera is also a circle. In addition, each viewpoint line is perpendicular to the line which runs from the point at which that line touches the sphere to the radius. (Using the fact that the Earth is a sphere.) Now we have a tetrahedron about which we know a great deal (some faces are isosceles triangles, others are right triangles, and we have a bunch edges.) I'm going to assert without proof that we have enough data to reconstruct the solid completely, from which we can actually compute the distance to the Earth's center.
(ETA: also, we know the exact length of the edges which run from each point were the line from the eye to the point at which the ray grazes the sphere, since we know the radius of the Earth.)
But, as you say, this is a pure and absurd exercise, since Jeph drew it and there's no relationship between the drawing and reality.
(ETA: also, we know the exact length of the edges which run from each point were the line from the eye to the point at which the ray grazes the sphere, since we know the radius of the Earth.)
Das a very big tree.
I'm worried for Gavia. That looks like fear on her face to me.
One might imagine that if those who imparted these tech abilities in Ardent might have had something very far more grand in mind then just long-term interference, subterfuge of things like water pumps in that one town spreading out to corrupt the local folk, given what we've seen from these abilities. Perhaps the point was providing extremely advanced tech that might be used for (or was certainly going to be used for) what's going on now with them getting here. Whoever it is they want for whatever reason. What might the Praeses know about those planetside? Something new in the works? Random chance? Either way, if they have the ability to create things that give abilities to Ardent that allow the things he's been doing, they likely then aren't going to be something that Pate can control or bully or even impact at all, maybe that's what he's learning fast.
Considering all the fantastic possibilities demonstrated by Ardent's ability I'd find it hard to believe that the Praeses couldn't monitor its use. They probably know that he turned an ancient space fighter into a teleporting bubble ship and can shut it down at any time it becomes a problem for them. It's still unclear as to what their scheme is, but most likely they wanted to get those that would oppose their invasion of Earth out of the way. Pate may be an exception. If he's smart he'll accept their offer to be an exalted middle man since I doubt he's going to get anything better. Given his expression I think he's so in awe of what he sees he might just forget to throw his weight around and readily agree without the Praeses providing a demonstration that would probably be aimed at Church.
Why would they offer Pate anything?
Considering all the fantastic possibilities demonstrated by Ardent's ability I'd find it hard to believe that the Praeses couldn't monitor its use. They probably know that he turned an ancient space fighter into a teleporting bubble ship and can shut it down at any time it becomes a problem for them. It's still unclear as to what their scheme is, but most likely they wanted to get those that would oppose their invasion of Earth out of the way. Pate may be an exception. If he's smart he'll accept their offer to be an exalted middle man since I doubt he's going to get anything better. Given his expression I think he's so in awe of what he sees he might just forget to throw his weight around and readily agree without the Praeses providing a demonstration that would probably be aimed at Church.
Why would they offer Pate anything? His only leverage is Church, and it's not clear how much that means in this context. I could see them pushing Church out into space to flail aimlessly as he floats in orbit. At which point Pate is all alone up against a pair of pissed-off immortals whose friend he had murdered.
I'm guessing the whole point of Operation Blue Boy was to collect Alice and bring her up to the orbitals. Maybe Sedna too, but it's hard to see how they could have foreseen that. Pate is probably just an extra baseline human they have no use for. Church might be a bit of a bonus, provided they don't end up having to space him.
OMG!!!
IT'S A JURAIAN TREE SHIP!!!!!
Meah!! :-D
Gavia's look is somewhat confusing, maybe she's never been outside looking in though. Ardent seems happy, to see it and that his command worked (with another teleport?). Sedna is surprised with a sort of wonder, maybe the simple life is too familiar after so long. And, Pate's nearly terrified. He seems to rather keep demonstrating how little he actually knows in detail about anything, his information sources incomplete and lacking, not plain, clear and illustrative.This. Pate realizes that he's bit off 'way more than he can chew, and even Church doesn't have the chops to help him gnaw through it.