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Skyward Chapters 12-14 Discussion


Chaos

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Really like the chapters this week, lots of good one-liners! I feel that not to much happened, but that we are getting set up for something big later. Hopefully we get 3 more next week so I can come up with some questions to ask Brandon about how the novella is going to affect Skyward. I also can't wait for Spenca to plug in the space ship. Anyone else think that Spenca is going to be really good at using the light-lance. (Thanks for the hyphen Brandon)

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Hmm. It oddly felt like not much happened in these three chapters.

Biggest things:

  1. Rig washed out of his own accord. Sounds like mechanics are a separate thing, so I could see him turning up as one of those.
  2. The other cadets know that Spensa doesn't have a bunk or access to the mess hall. They seemed pretty nonchalant about it. I would have expected more teasing (even though Cobb would have put the kibosh to it immediately)
  3. Spensa is definitely going to be the most adept at the light-lance. That means we have Jorgen/Jerkface specializing in flight maneuverability, Kimmalyn/Quick specializing in destructors, and Spensa/Spin specializing in the light-lance (which totally reminds me of the wire used in Ender's Game, btw).

 

Random speculation:

The slug is part of the ship. That is to say, it *is* the AI of the ship.

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Sad, but it looks like Rig washed out. That being said it wasn't unexpected since Brandon gave us plenty of hints. I did notice though that right before Rig washed out Spensa noticed a second seat in the ship.... I don't think it's to far a stretch to say that Rig might be involved with this old ship. 

I'm also starting to get worried about the ownership of the ship. Rather than accepting it, I think Ironsides if going to try to detain and scrap the ship for parts like the acclivity ring which they have stated multiple times are extremely valuable. So I definitely see some potential conflict there. 

Also I'm almost positive now that this is not defending Elysium. "'We’ve tried to reverse engineer Krell technology,' Cobb said in a calm voice, a striking contrast to the insanity around me. Nedd screamed as he was hit. Morningtide went down quietly. 'But we have failed. They have better destructors and better shields. That means, fighting them, you’re outgunned and out-armored.'" In defending Elysium it is stated numerous times that Earth is not slightly ahead, but monumentally ahead of all the other species so unless this is hundreds of years later there is no way that the other species would be ahead of the humans. So with this I am almost a 100% sure that this is based in the universe of Firstborn cine all species were fairly equal and there was established conflict. Furthermore it makes sense it is in Firstborn since it is established there that they had massive ships with very large crews, their technology is not as earth based as seen with the personal shields (which I daresay reminds me a lot of the shields that they use on the fighters and around the base.), the holographic displays which we do see in Firstborn, and the light lines which I can see fitting into the more advanced Firstborn technology.

@Govir:Random speculation: The slug is part of the ship. That is to say, it *is* the AI of the ship.

Sounds fun but I don't think so "The slug dropped onto the rocks there. 'And you doubted me.'" The slug left the ship so wouldn't the AI have to be tethered to the ship at all times?

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7 minutes ago, mr.bug said:

Sounds fun but I don't think so "The slug dropped onto the rocks there. 'And you doubted me.'" The slug left the ship so wouldn't the AI have to be tethered to the ship at all times?

My thought is that the slug is an artificial being, which is normally housed in the ship. Basically the brains of the AI, while being removable. With that explanation, I'm thinking similar to how in Star Wars they have droids that lock into the X-Wings as extra processing power / AI.

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The slug will definitely be pertinent to the story, and it being a synthetic lifeform or AI is a good guess, I like it. For some reason as I was reading the chapters I couldn't help but feel that it had something to do with the Krell though. Like that was what the Krell actually looked like and the "wicked armor" referenced in other chapters was an exoskeletal suit they operate. Probably not the case, because I also feel like the Krell might be other humans.

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Those chapters are...short. I hope, Skyward does not turn out to be too short, since I really like the setting and Spensa - though she might be a bit bloodlusty (I am still not certain whether she is serious or just messing around with her comments).

The technology seems to fit into the Firstborn universe, together with the ship names. Wheather control and shield-tech fit together, as well as names like "Stormwind", "Perpetual", "Windless", "Defiant" and "Voidhawk". I am waiting for chapter 17 and the klage dynamics to appear. Just a hunch...

@sin165: Great slug! Just as I imagined it. It doesn't look eatable, does it? I think Spensa is right not to eat it....

Edit: Well...my hunch was wrong, obviously Defending Elysium is the "prequel" - nearly a spoilery one as that goes, since some mysteries are not really mysteries when you read DE not so long ago ;-)

Edited by Pattern
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I too thought that the slug could be a Krel, or another kind of alien, the previous inhabitants of the planet, maybe he kept in hibernation until Spensa "unfreezed" him??

But the most interesting part is that I took for granted the "the dragon" would be the Ship, and know It seems that could be a flutist slug :)

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6 hours ago, Pattern said:

Those chapters are...short. I hope, Skyward does not turn out to be too short, ......

Skyward is going to be young adult. Unfortunately, all of Brandon's YA books seem short. But I mean, only if you compare them to Oathbringer or Mistborn ;-)

I definitely also got the vibe that the slug is part of the ship. I don't like slugs :unsure: If it's the ship's AI I'm wondering how Spensa and the slug will communicate - does it learn Spensa's language, does it already speak it, telepathy?

 

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On 10/24/2018 at 1:46 PM, mr.bug said:

Sad, but it looks like Rig washed out. That being said it wasn't unexpected since Brandon gave us plenty of hints. I did notice though that right before Rig washed out Spensa noticed a second seat in the ship.... I don't think it's to far a stretch to say that Rig might be involved with this old ship. 

I'm also starting to get worried about the ownership of the ship. Rather than accepting it, I think Ironsides if going to try to detain and scrap the ship for parts like the acclivity ring which they have stated multiple times are extremely valuable. So I definitely see some potential conflict there. 

Also I'm almost positive now that this is not defending Elysium. "'We’ve tried to reverse engineer Krell technology,' Cobb said in a calm voice, a striking contrast to the insanity around me. Nedd screamed as he was hit. Morningtide went down quietly. 'But we have failed. They have better destructors and better shields. That means, fighting them, you’re outgunned and out-armored.'" In defending Elysium it is stated numerous times that Earth is not slightly ahead, but monumentally ahead of all the other species so unless this is hundreds of years later there is no way that the other species would be ahead of the humans. So with this I am almost a 100% sure that this is based in the universe of Firstborn cine all species were fairly equal and there was established conflict. Furthermore it makes sense it is in Firstborn since it is established there that they had massive ships with very large crews, their technology is not as earth based as seen with the personal shields (which I daresay reminds me a lot of the shields that they use on the fighters and around the base.), the holographic displays which we do see in Firstborn, and the light lines which I can see fitting into the more advanced Firstborn technology.

@Govir:Random speculation: The slug is part of the ship. That is to say, it *is* the AI of the ship.

Sounds fun but I don't think so "The slug dropped onto the rocks there. 'And you doubted me.'" The slug left the ship so wouldn't the AI have to be tethered to the ship at all times?

(My Theory: The Krell are also humans)

The weapons wouldn't matter because this would be centuries after DE, and the weapons would spread throughout the world

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23 hours ago, MountainKing said:

(My Theory: The Krell are also humans)

The weapons wouldn't matter because this would be centuries after DE, and the weapons would spread throughout the world

Im possitive its not DE just becouse at the begining of the book, the PC described that a single missil from us took down the most advanced alien ship like it was nothing, and that was the reason why they didnt disclosure the FTL travel drive, the PC thought humans would wipe out everything and was protecting the other races.

Im with the "they are humans" theory.

 

What i really wonder is what are those threaders or cables that they describe behind the krell ships, hope at some point we will find out.

 

 

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10 minutes ago, Alejo_arg said:

What i really wonder is what are those threaders or cables that they describe behind the krell ships, hope at some point we will find out.

Those sound like they could be from an automated building process (i.e. HARRE).  There's no incentive for the auto factory to complete the assembly process because there's no performance benefit (vice human desire for things to look good from an aesthetic perspective).  

Still on board the DE band wagon though (the first thing the aliens would do in the event of war would be steal the humans tech).  

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7 hours ago, Alejo_arg said:

the PC thought humans would wipe out everything and was protecting the other races

Defending Elysium spoilers

Spoiler

But at the end, the PC (or at least Jason) change their mind. The alien races are hiding their true nature and basically suppressing (read: imprisoning) anyone that doesn't agree with the "higher enlightenment" [I want to use the word Fascism, but I'm not sure that's 100% correct]. In any event, I got the feel that the end of DE was going to be a war, Humans against everyone else, trying to help the aliens that are being suppressed.

 

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I was sort of dancing around that in a separate thread. I'd assume that the humans would know the difference between armor and a shell or exoskeleton. I think there's a possibility that they are some form of energy being or mental projection (AI would sort of fit into this, but a true AI wouldn't need a "Pilot" it would be built into the ship). 

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On ‎10‎/‎30‎/‎2018 at 6:17 PM, Govir said:

Defending Elysium spoilers

  Reveal hidden contents

But at the end, the PC (or at least Jason) change their mind. The alien races are hiding their true nature and basically suppressing (read: imprisoning) anyone that doesn't agree with the "higher enlightenment" [I want to use the word Fascism, but I'm not sure that's 100% correct]. In any event, I got the feel that the end of DE was going to be a war, Humans against everyone else, trying to help the aliens that are being suppressed.

 

Fascism is an economic system (it's what happens when the government allows business owners to retain title to their companies, but tells the companies how to operate and what to make), so you're right that it's not correct.  The word you're looking for is either Totalitarianism, or Authoritarianism.  And that, of course, is pretty much a required adjunct of both Fascism and Communism.

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