(SPOILERS) Rampant Speculation Based on "What If"

Philip Stanley wrote:You want rampant speculation? Try this:
What if all the snippets that RFC has given us aren't part of the final book at all!!! What if he's just playing with our heads, and wrote all those snippets just to jerk us around, and none of them have anything to do with the actual plot and action in HFQ?
How's that for rampant?
Philip Stanley

USMA74 wrote:

Philip Stanley wrote:You want rampant speculation? Try this:
What if all the snippets that RFC has given us aren't part of the final book at all!!! What if he's just playing with our heads, and wrote all those snippets just to jerk us around, and none of them have anything to do with the actual plot and action in HFQ?
How's that for rampant?
Philip Stanley

You sir have an evil mind.

Expert snuggler wrote:Back on topic, without the threat of the OBS, would Merlin's risk-benefit calculations about operating against the Temple change?

There would still be some scary unknowns which could be devastating to the allies psychologically, and this is at heart a psychological war, with all respect to the dead and maimed.

But without strategic weapons, whatever secrets the temple has are less dangerous.

Expert snuggler wrote:As I remember the book, Merlin was worried that he was taking a horrible chance doing something as un-stealthy as Mach 5.

I'm not convinced that the OBS is the only "arrow in the quiver" of the temple.

It seems rather odd that the Stone of Schuler contains large exe files, and that the activation point is under the temple, and add to that you keep having Shan-Wei's alternative strategies popping up everywhere, Chohiro was not an idiot.

The point being, there is undoubtedly a whole of bunch of tech stashed somewhere for the 1000 year visit. And there is no proof that the Hamilcar was actually destroyed. Remember the fab facilities on the Hamilcar is what overwhelmed the "Fallen" and the little fabbers that they stashed around the planet.

While Merlin's cave and resources might seem to be a lot right now, compared to to what was used against the Fallen, its not even close. If the temple has access to the resources used against the Fallen, Charis doesn't stand a chance it.

Methinks Charis' monopoly on high tech is about to get trumped.

AnalystJohnny wrote:

Expert snuggler wrote:I don't know which should be first but there are some surprising things you can do without electricity.

Lasers can be chemically pumped.

You might even be able to build nuclear reactors, but there wouldn't be much point and they're vastly more difficult than coal. And I can't think of a way to detonate an implosion bomb without electricity. Little Boy would work but good luck doing enrichment without electricity.

Diesel airplanes for logistics and bombing might be the first choice. Diesel trucks might actually be better. Most supplies will still go by ground and mechanical transportation would greatly improve things.

Whatever the technology, it would have to have immediate military uses the way things are now. Scratch lasers, as valuable as they'd be for industry.

Come to think of it, what is the OBS preventing other than electricity? We don't know.

EDIT: Oh my, just thought of something. What if it doesn't profane the sacred fire to use it in the service of God? Nobody knows it, but of course the Temple does so that could be used as a precedent once it's revealed.

Then you could have a radio transmitter broadcasting Archbishop Maikel's sermons, and new hymns based on tunes that get stuck in people's heads. Smuggle crystal sets into non-Charis areas, which everyone will want because of the catchy tunes. Transmit shortwave. Safehold must have an ionosphere.

To the extent the war is in defense of the Church of Charis, the next part of the camel to go under the tent would be military communications.

Once people got used to that, stretch it further and treat the radio network like the Church's semaphore, sneaking in commercial uses. Or just abuse the religious aspects. "Ships in port today include the Duty, with a cargo of copies of the Writ for the faithful, and the Marigold carrying relics of Saint Khody". The fact that they had other cargo, every merchant would already know, so it would be commercial news as well.

The shortwave could be used for propaganda. Look up the etymology of the word.

I'm not sure the whole radio thing would be a very good idea. Even without the OBS you still have the Gbaba lurking out there. Wouldn't want any stray transmissions no matter how weak bringing them in before humanity is ready to fight them again.