What's the Point of Raoul?

Given that we have limited insights into his character, I think it would be interesting to have a sort-of-side-book showing the potential time-skip from Benjamin Detweiler's viewpoint.
Having him react to the regular updates on "what that damned Lost Alpha Harrington and her spawn" are doing and the conclusions that he draws from them could be quite interesting, especially given that the MAlign have lost their best windows into what the Alliance are doing/thinking.
It could even be possible to contrast it with Raul-through-the-Academy, he knows far more than normal due to his family connections while his abilities could let him truly identify/understand other people's ways of thinking.

As I see it, the rubber band has been forever tightening, and it will eventually snap forward 20+ years. It appears to be inevitable. And sooner, not later.

cthia wrote:As I see it, the rubber band has been forever tightening, and it will eventually snap forward 20+ years. It appears to be inevitable. And sooner, not later.

What is the rubber band metaphor supposed to refer to?

ThinksMarkedly wrote:

cthia wrote:As I see it, the rubber band has been forever tightening, and it will eventually snap forward 20+ years. It appears to be inevitable. And sooner, not later.

What is the rubber band metaphor supposed to refer to?

The author's "resistance" to the build-up of storyline and its demands of being advanced. If the author is to deliver to us an enemy who is not simply a cardboard cutout like the SLN, then round one (and possibly more) will go to the MA and the LDs. The GA needs time to find Darius, time to find a way to neutralize MA stealth, time to rebuild the Navies destroyed and time for new characters to grow up and take a bow. The rubber band has been stretching from the author's resistance, and time.

Huge rubber bands are used to supply resistance in many devices. E.g., exercise equipment.

cthia wrote:The author's "resistance" to the build-up of storyline and its demands of being advanced. If the author is to deliver to us an enemy who is not simply a cardboard cutout like the SLN, then round one (and possibly more) will go to the MA and the LDs. The GA needs time to find Darius, time to find a way to neutralize MA stealth, time to rebuild the Navies destroyed and time for new characters to grow up and take a bow. The rubber band has been stretching from the author's resistance, and time.

I agree they time, but do they need more than 15 T-years? That all rests upon whether the MAlign is going to sit quiet in their corner of the Galaxy or not. So do you think they will? Not "should they," the question is "will they?"

ThinksMarkedly wrote:I agree they time, but do they need more than 15 T-years? That all rests upon whether the MAlign is going to sit quiet in their corner of the Galaxy or not. So do you think they will? Not "should they," the question is "will they?"

A longer jump wouldn't have a great impact on the cast of characters since practically all of them have received prolong.

Even 40-50 years wouldn't change much other than the Protectorship of Grayson if you are looking at the major players. Many of the Torch cabinet would be gone, too, but I would argue that Torch's government are minor characters in the current overall storyline.

Considering how the MA has been built up as the ultimate boogeyman that has been lurking in the shadows centuries, ferreting them out shouldn't be an easy or quick task. A generation or two is still very fast in the face of how much prep time the MA has had.

jtg452 wrote:

ThinksMarkedly wrote:I agree they time, but do they need more than 15 T-years? That all rests upon whether the MAlign is going to sit quiet in their corner of the Galaxy or not. So do you think they will? Not "should they," the question is "will they?"

A longer jump wouldn't have a great impact on the cast of characters since practically all of them have received prolong.

Even 40-50 years wouldn't change much other than the Protectorship of Grayson if you are looking at the major players. Many of the Torch cabinet would be gone, too, but I would argue that Torch's government are minor characters in the current overall storyline.

Considering how the MA has been built up as the ultimate boogeyman that has been lurking in the shadows centuries, ferreting them out shouldn't be an easy or quick task. A generation or two is still very fast in the face of how much prep time the MA has had.

well, it would make those now junior officers, senior officers; and children would become seasoned, junior officers

And by that time, Raoul should be exhibiting plenty of those treecat super powers we all know he has.

jtg452 wrote:A longer jump wouldn't have a great impact on the cast of characters since practically all of them have received prolong.

Even 40-50 years wouldn't change much other than the Protectorship of Grayson if you are looking at the major players. Many of the Torch cabinet would be gone, too, but I would argue that Torch's government are minor characters in the current overall storyline.

Considering how the MA has been built up as the ultimate boogeyman that has been lurking in the shadows centuries, ferreting them out shouldn't be an easy or quick task. A generation or two is still very fast in the face of how much prep time the MA has had.

I agree they could wait. But that doesn't answer my question: do you think the MAlign will wait?

ThinksMarkedly wrote:

jtg452 wrote:A longer jump wouldn't have a great impact on the cast of characters since practically all of them have received prolong.

Even 40-50 years wouldn't change much other than the Protectorship of Grayson if you are looking at the major players. Many of the Torch cabinet would be gone, too, but I would argue that Torch's government are minor characters in the current overall storyline.

Considering how the MA has been built up as the ultimate boogeyman that has been lurking in the shadows centuries, ferreting them out shouldn't be an easy or quick task. A generation or two is still very fast in the face of how much prep time the MA has had.

I agree they could wait. But that doesn't answer my question: do you think the MAlign will wait?

Of course they won't wait. The LDs are ready and are either working up, or jockeying for position in unsuspecting systems even as we speak. The MA has waited long enough. And people and systems and planets and governments have Dets to pay. Lenny Dets.