HFQ Official Snippet #11

Nice Snippet Mighty Wizard Weber

Oh, I like how you explained Ninian was "passing info under his (and Owl's nose)".

Hi,
some thoughts on the Aivah section:
A bit unexpectedly, we're off to Nimue's cave. That implies a flashback, possibly in the next snippet. Because there are some important questions yet unresolved:
Does Aivah already know the truth, and does Sandariah?
Is Aivah on Shan-wei's side or not?
Her being on a trip to the cave is a very strong indicator for the answers to both questions being "yes".
Then, there's the small issue why certainly everyone is going to that cave (obviously not only Aivah), although Aivah's reason would be particularly interesting.
Finally, the reason for these Spanish sections in Kohdy's diary is still unresolved.

Whatever the answers turn out to be, I guess that this part of the story will carry us through at least the first part of HFQ. And how RFC will make the CoGA a serious threat is even less clear. So, there should be something unexpected - besides the Spanish Inquisition...

Finally, we know how BGV will be clearing the Northland gap. I just wonder if Nybar will realize what's hitting him.

Randomiser wrote:

JeffEngel wrote:It looks like it's a transport arrangement that's going to take more than a 1-2 person delivery and extraction though, or that something much larger is going to be needed soon enough, what with air lorries being prepped for personnel transport. I'd surmise Aivah/Ninian has a large evacuation she'll need done, and she's got a genuine need to check out the available gear personally. Or at any rate, familiarizing her with OWL, with VR-projecting contact lenses, and everything she'd need to consider the equipment and capabilities without eyeballing it directly, would take more time and trouble than they can afford before the stealth buses are needed.

I can't imagine what would justify imperilling security to that degree. After all they specifically didn't do a high tech intervention to save Gwyllym Manthyr and his men because it would have meant revealing too much to too many people. (Same thing, implicitly, for the Wylsynn Circle's families.) Having made that tough a decision who could Aivah possibly have to evacuate that they would take the risk for?

I don't know either. But the comments about prepping those air lorries for passenger transport - and that they're not hopelessly unstealthy - suggests that Aivah and Merlin may have things in mind that neither of us can guess at.

There's also a question of how much risk it would be. If the APC's or air lorries can get around without being noticed under conditions that can be predicted or generated, and if there's some critical need to move groups of people larger than two at a time about, then there may be sufficient value and acceptable risk to make it worthwhile. My own guesses would run more toward getting weaponry to Nynian's agents in Zion, but that's mostly a cargo thing.

As it stands, we're mostly getting teased without the meat to chew on.

JeffEngel wrote:

JeffEngel wrote:It looks like it's a transport arrangement that's going to take more than a 1-2 person delivery and extraction though, or that something much larger is going to be needed soon enough, what with air lorries being prepped for personnel transport. I'd surmise Aivah/Ninian has a large evacuation she'll need done, and she's got a genuine need to check out the available gear personally. Or at any rate, familiarizing her with OWL, with VR-projecting contact lenses, and everything she'd need to consider the equipment and capabilities without eyeballing it directly, would take more time and trouble than they can afford before the stealth buses are needed.

Randomiser wrote:I can't imagine what would justify imperilling security to that degree. After all they specifically didn't do a high tech intervention to save Gwyllym Manthyr and his men because it would have meant revealing too much to too many people. (Same thing, implicitly, for the Wylsynn Circle's families.) Having made that tough a decision who could Aivah possibly have to evacuate that they would take the risk for?

I don't know either. But the comments about prepping those air lorries for passenger transport - and that they're not hopelessly unstealthy - suggests that Aivah and Merlin may have things in mind that neither of us can guess at.

There's also a question of how much risk it would be. If the APC's or air lorries can get around without being noticed under conditions that can be predicted or generated, and if there's some critical need to move groups of people larger than two at a time about, then there may be sufficient value and acceptable risk to make it worthwhile. My own guesses would run more toward getting weaponry to Nynian's agents in Zion, but that's mostly a cargo thing.

As it stands, we're mostly getting teased without the meat to chew on.

Yupp, pretty much. I think when we get told the whole of Aivah's story including the journal of Kohdy it will become clear why Merlin and the inner circle brought her in on the secret this quick and why they are making air transportation available to her. It must be something very important to the overall strategy to risk exposure with the less than ideal stealthed transports in my opinion.

Hey all,

Regarding Aivaah, I think we need to remember that we were given two part to the story and not told how much time happened between the two. I will grant you that they seem to lead into each other, but it seems like there was more to the story of the first part before the second part. Also remember, RFC can change the bit to suit his needs. He has warned us about that often enough.

Something to consider about the Airbus. They might not be part of an overall plan. They may be something that Merlin decided he may need after having to transport just two people (and the difficulties involved).

Why they are going to the Mountains of light may be for very different reasons. Aivaah does not strike me as someone who would risk the use of high-tech anything on any operation because of the danger. I am more inclined to think that it is a stopping point where she may get information directly from Owl, and that Merlin may use the time to find out what she intends to do. There has to be some reason he was concerned about wanting a second trusted companion.

JeffEngel wrote:I don't know either. But the comments about prepping those air lorries for passenger transport - and that they're not hopelessly unstealthy - suggests that Aivah and Merlin may have things in mind that neither of us can guess at.

There's also a question of how much risk it would be. If the APC's or air lorries can get around without being noticed under conditions that can be predicted or generated, and if there's some critical need to move groups of people larger than two at a time about, then there may be sufficient value and acceptable risk to make it worthwhile. My own guesses would run more toward getting weaponry to Nynian's agents in Zion, but that's mostly a cargo thing.

As it stands, we're mostly getting teased without the meat to chew on.

I will put my Moxanna points up (Oops sorry wrong universe) :

- Nynian needed to get back to Zion fast,
- From what we know of her organization it can be one of 3 things, either an assassination, another rescue of probable victims of the inquisition if she don't act, or possibly recover some SSK artifacts. All the rest can be done from distance
- She brings another person with her
- Owl is prepping 2 air lorries
- there is another pilot

The only logical conclusion for me is a rather big evacuation at 2 different places. It must be Vips (and their families), so that their escape is useful to the Charis-Sidammark alliance.
Nimue is the other pilot and can provide security at the second place. it could be the sisters of the orders themselves, but why the urge ?

A special op insertion don't make sense as there is agents already on site so it must be going out of Zion (or at least temple lands).

Of course the Master trannyr has probably another pink rabbit in his hat.

alj_sf wrote:

It must be Vips (and their families), so that their escape is useful to the Charis-Sidammark alliance.

That would imply a rather large contingent being admitted to the circle all at once.

~Tonto

Randomiser wrote: quote="Keith_w" quote="N7axw"

Jeff, giving them a quick flight to Zion doesn't mean they have to be shown the cave. That's taking them in a whole lot deeper than they need to know if it's just a transport arrangement. Merlin could have gone, 'Ok Aivah , I have access to a flying machine from the time of the Archangels. As you see, it only seats 2.'
/quote

Since they are heading for the Mountains of Light, they are not heading for Zion. Unless the SSK is located there, their destination is Nimue's cave. /quote

Yes Keith, but that quote is aimed at an earlier comment of Jeff's. Aivah's declared aim was a quick trip to Zion. My point was precisely that fulfilling that did NOT require the current trip.

Yes she did, but they aren't going there yet, and as I recall, she didn't say when she needed the quick trip to Zion, just that when it was necessary, it was going to be on short notice so she was, effectively, giving a heads up to Merlin so he could accept the need and make the necessary preparations. Heading to the Mountains of Light means that, for some reason as yet unknown to us, he is taking them to the cave.

Is it written anywhere that the snippets have to be continuously sequential?

Keith_w wrote:

Is it written anywhere that the snippets have to be continuously sequential?

By tradition and practice snippets are contiguous and sequential unless otherwise specified.

~Tonto

Tonto Silerheels wrote:Keith_w wrote:

Is it written anywhere that the snippets have to be continuously sequential?

By tradition and practice snippets are contiguous and sequential unless otherwise specified.

~Tonto

But there's probably several pages left out leading up to this section.