hi hi

Thats one way to let someone know you mean business. I mean, the Loroi were on alert when Alex first arrived, but Fireblade didn't bother with the heavy armor. My guess is that this may be a partially a procedural thing, and if they were going to meet Greywind, it would make some bit of sense that they'd want to dress up fancy. (I was going to say that Reed looked kind of like the door guard on page 36, but her hair was the wrong color... but I guess maybe she was just dyeing it? )

If they were worried about being exposed to vacuum, the face plate could close, and they could have a capsule of sealant that would auto release on significant pressure changes and seal the gap for their hair. Apparently long hair is a badge of honor so I guess it makes sense that some loroi would want to display it even if its not practical.

Is it possible that you saw her first in that "sketch" http://www.well-of-souls.com/gallery/im ... color2.jpg

I think it would be more accurate to say that the Loroi place importance on different things than Humans do.

It's easy to look at how Humans have done things throughout history and assume that this model is optimal for all places and all times (after all, Humans are damn clever), but I think that's probably not true in many cases... and it's certainly not desirable when considering the creation of a fictional alien culture in which, whenever possible, one would like to consider alternative paths to those that Western Humanity has taken.

Long hair was the norm -- and in some cases the badge -- of warrior culture in Earth history right up to the Industrial age, when "soldiers" began to replace "warriors." Read about the Spartan 300 at Thermopylae and their hair-care standards, if you're curious what a "warrior" culture thought about hair. Long hair was abandoned in Western militaries around the turn of the century, partially for hygiene reasons, but mainly for issues of the larger concept... the soldier, giving up his individuality for the good of the greater whole. This is what you need when the mechanics of combat require that being a soldier means standing up in lines at close range to be shot, and returning fire without complaint.

The Loroi, partially out of tradition, and partially because of the abilities of their Teidar lieutenants, completely skipped the early versions of ranged weaponry, and continued into the late-industrial era with infantry that was totally dependent on melee weapons and armor. They did not make the transition from "warrior" to "soldier" in this era, and by this time the petty concerns of hygiene in regards to long hair were of no serious concern -- they already had antibiotics and decent practices of hygiene.

Among the Loroi, it's the oldest and most exalted and powerful who have really long hair. I think it's only sensible to expect that they will treat this subject with what we might consider an undue amount of attention.

Another thing I just realized:
"...no visitors except the security officers who were constantly trying to get me to eat."

Is it just me, or does that sound like the most adorable of all things?

Could just be me, but that sounds kinda, y'know, creepy. Of course, I realize that in context it's substantially less creepy, and, depending on how it went down, could be adorable, or at least cute or amusing, but if you remove the context and look at just that one line ...

I seem to recall this from one of Arioch's explanations on the nature of psychokinesis.
I just did a search of the forum quotes files, but couldn't find it.

I recall somthing similar, but i´m maybe be wrong, too.

For sure i recall that Fireblade is able to kinda "propel" herself in the void. Comes in handy when your ship disintegrates in a battle, and was probably the cause why she survived so many ships.

oooo, new page!!

in the royal navy if the ship is entering a potential combat zone then all personal go to combat stations with all the gear they need, even if there's no real point, bridge crew will put on easily ID'd uniforms and fireproof stuff too, i guess the Tempest has entered a zone where fighting is expected, common sense then to put on some armour, especially on ship, explosive decompression make you fly through those corridors (like Alex did at the start) shrapnel will be flying around too, having that armour on might just save your life

I don't think that's an adequate explanation.

We've already seen Tempest in an actual battle, in a situation where they knew they were surrounded by an opponent who had the numbers and firepower on hand to destroy them, in the direct aftermath of a battle with said enemy.

Fireblade was not wearing this suit of armor.

And that was while she was standing guard over an unknown, unidentified alien life form with unknown abilities and powers in their medical center.

So she'd have had to have worn her armor during the battle that took place in the prologue, and then taken off her armor while confronting an unknown life form that they seemed to regard as a potential enemy and potential danger, while the entire rest of the bridge crew and all the other Teidar and Soroin and such on duty that we saw also removed their armor or neglected to wear their armor while on duty in a combat zone... it just doesn't add up, to me.

Wouldn't a large aperture for hair in the helmet be a huge point of vulnerability in hand-to-hand combat? "Insert axe here?"

Lots of oddities in this page really. The combat armor is a big one. Are they expecting direct physical combat with something? Possibly ceremonial in some way?

Another strange thing is that the only people to visit with Alex were the security staff. During the whole span of time between this chapter and the last neither Tempo nor Beryl could find the time to either discuss the diplomatic situation or milk him for further information? I wonder what is going on? Are they in a running string of battles? Is there some sort of problem on the ship?

A third oddity is that they're always trying to get him to eat. Given the relative difference in food requirements, I would have expected that they'd be more likely to accidently under feed him than attempt the opposite. Also! I'm wondering about how they're going about this. It really could be running the entire spectrum from endearing to downright disturbing.

Trying to fatten him up for the slaughter.

Nah, the entire ship is actually watching him on closed circuit TV. They were taking bets on what would make him throw up and how far the vomit would fly. Oddly enough, Fireblade is cleaning house at this game - something about being telekinetic gives you a deep understanding of projectile vomit physics.

An axe is of no concern for a Teidar. A bullet maybe a little more.

I´d rather just pull their hair.

The free flowing hair yet tightly armoured bodies clashed with me on first viewing. However, if it's meaningful for the Loroi culturally and ritualistically, I look forward to this unfolding. But ... Hair ... it's so expressive. I await unfolding discoveries.

I don't think a medieval-style melee helmet would have such an aperture or need one. A typical medieval pot-helm with a lobsterback is no barrier to having long hair (and Earth melee fighters of this period typically did have long hair).

In this vein... go ahead reach your hand out to try and grab an armed combatants hair when they are threatening you with a sword or weapon... be prepared to loose that offending limb!

Also in modern combat with rifles and mostly ranged combat... no one EVER gets, on average, close enough to care or even be able to take advantage of someone with long hair... its a non-issue.

Clearly the Choo Choo train, and the airplane was used in order to coax Alex to eat. Bubbling noises from their lips may have been used.

Wouldn't surprise me if they're babying him, since they put frequent attention on their male Lorois.

I just sorta assumed that if melee were so useful for so long, then current armor would still have designs shaped by its demands.

After all, scifi has taught me nothing if not that, in the future, we will fight with swords.

Oh, so just because she's a witch, you think the Storm Witch fattens lost travelers up to eat them.
That's an offensive stereotype, and entirely false. German folktales aren't known for their factual accuracy.
The Storm Witch would gladly feast on Alex's heart even if he were nothing but gristle and bones! There'd be no point to fattening him up!
I hope I cleared up this all-too-common misconception.

I would be surprised if they were looking at him like that already. Maybe in the future, but right now I suspect that most of them are falling more on Stillstorm's side of things.

Well, during the "sparring" with the Umiak in Chapter One, none of the Loroi bridge crew wore armoured suits...

That's actually not the truth. The only places where close quarters fighting was relatively rare was ww2 and Korea. But modern battlefields are showing a very fast necessity for soldiers to know how to handles themselves in close quarters hand to hand.

It's also one of the reasons why many modern militaries are actually still keeping he bayonett. It's not just a ceremonial piece of gear.

To be honest, the biggest reason for shorter hair in militaries is mostly traditional though as well as making sure it doesn't get in the way.

i think am the only one who caught that joke You pervert! i was there first!


As for the Armor. i doubt it related to entering into an combat zone... Naam was in a combat zone if not the center of it. and they did come to help a fleet that was there (the fleet that battled the umiak when the bellarmine Came into the sector)

I don't know why she put an heavier armor (Reed as a guard must had this on all the time when on duty) but if i had to guess. Ether it a "passenger suite" (look at smaller ship, the nota next to the acceleration "*10 G Max with unprotected passengers.") Or Fireblade usually wear the armor but wasn't doing it since she had to interrogate Alex.

forgive my ignorance if this has already been adressed but is Alex getting any nutrients from the Lori Food he is eating? Do Lori need the same vitamins, minerals and nutriants that Humans need? come to think of it what does Fireblades telekinesis run on?

For the sake of plot convenience Arioch has decided that Loroi food is nutritionally compatible to humans.

What he said the last time I brought this up was that to Humans some Loroi food is edible, a few are disgusting, and some are no doubt deadly poison. No doubt when they get some time they are going to show Alex every piece of salvage they recovered and ask him what it is/was. Hopefully that includes some MREs.

And I really really hope Loroi can eat chocolate.