Miscellaneous Loroi question-and-answer thread

[Sweforce]

About Loroi hearing and sight. Do they have the same visual spectrum as humans and do they hear the same frequencies? If not Loroi music may be partly inaudible for humans and the other way around. We may see two different colours when the Loroi see just one and vice versa. I know a largely color blind person an it shows. It is like with red green color blindness. Red and green are the same thing for these people and this guy I know have it even worse.

[Arioch]

About Loroi hearing and sight. Do they have the same visual spectrum as humans and do they hear the same frequencies? If not Loroi music may be partly inaudible for humans and the other way around. We may see two different colours when the Loroi see just one and vice versa. I know a largely color blind person an it shows. It is like with red green color blindness. Red and green are the same thing for these people and this guy I know have it even worse.

They are both in a similar range.

Human music isn't anywhere near the top frequency range of our hearing; I would think that would be very unpleasant. Some animals do have vocalizations that are very low or very high frequency, so it's possible that some alien species might have song that is inaudible to us. But the interactions of most everyday physical objects (such as musical instruments might be made of) make sounds that are well within our hearing range, so I'm doubtful that a lot of instrumental alien music would be human-inaudible.

[Sweforce]

About Loroi hearing and sight. Do they have the same visual spectrum as humans and do they hear the same frequencies? If not Loroi music may be partly inaudible for humans and the other way around. We may see two different colours when the Loroi see just one and vice versa. I know a largely color blind person an it shows. It is like with red green color blindness. Red and green are the same thing for these people and this guy I know have it even worse.

They are both in a similar range.

Human music isn't anywhere near the top frequency range of our hearing; I would think that would be very unpleasant. Some animals do have vocalizations that are very low or very high frequency, so it's possible that some alien species might have song that is inaudible to us. But the interactions of most everyday physical objects (such as musical instruments might be made of) make sounds that are well within our hearing range, so I'm doubtful that a lot of instrumental alien music would be human-inaudible.

I got a high frequency hearing disability myself that leads to me miss hearing things. And almost constant tinnitus. One gets used to it. Anyway I was not it really thinking about silent music but rather missing tones making a tuns sound odd.

[Arioch]

I got a high frequency hearing disability myself that leads to me miss hearing things. And almost constant tinnitus. One gets used to it. Anyway I was not it really thinking about silent music but rather missing tones making a tuns sound odd.

Sorry to hear that; I can empathize. For several years after standing much too close to the stage at a rock concert, I had some loss of hearing at higher frequencies -- loud sounds at high pitches would sound "broken up" and could cause physical discomfort. I was lucky in that it seems to have mostly recovered, though I do still often have ringing in my ears... though that can be caused by many different things.

But what we're talking about in my case (and presumably yours) is damage to the ears, rather than a natural range of hearing. I suppose it's possible that an alien might have naturally occurring gaps or distortions in their hearing range, but it would take some unusual environmental conditions for that to be an advantage instead of a disadvantage. Many Earth animals have hearing ranges that are higher or lower than humans', but I've never heard of any having gaps within that range.

[Mr Bojangles]

This popped up over in dragoongfa's story thread and a search of the forum didn't turn up anything. What exactly are the glowing blue panels we see on Loroi ships? Suggestions I've seen over there include heat dissipation panels; sensors; windows; or fake, painted-on windows.

The first two suggestions make quite a bit of sense. I think the last two may have been facetious suggestions...

[Suederwind]

Just a few random questions:
I noticed that the smaller Loroi ships have no shuttles. Do they have some kind of escape pods for emergency situations aboard or how would they evacuate the crew of such a small ship in case of an emergency?
Are there any Loroi sweets or candies?

[Arioch]

This popped up over in dragoongfa's story thread and a search of the forum didn't turn up anything. What exactly are the glowing blue panels we see on Loroi ships? Suggestions I've seen over there include heat dissipation panels; sensors; windows; or fake, painted-on windows.

Sorry that I didn't respond to this earlier. The glowing blue panels are field projection outlets; the ones on the prongs are related to the forward deflector screens, and the ones on the engines and vanes are related to the fields generated by the drive system.

Just a few random questions:
I noticed that the smaller Loroi ships have no shuttles. Do they have some kind of escape pods for emergency situations aboard or how would they evacuate the crew of such a small ship in case of an emergency?

There are three that don't have entries for small craft (the tanker, scout and courier); that may be an oversight, but I'm guessing that I omitted them because I didn't think they would have a full-size Standard shuttle. I think any vessel 150m or larger is probably going to need some kind of small craft for maintenance work or moving crew in a pinch.

Spacecraft generally don't "sink," so I don't think lifeboats are quite as critical as they are aboard naval vessels; whether you get in a capsule or stay aboard the stricken vessel, your survival will probably still depend on timely rescue. Star Wars-style escape pods with re-entry capability might make sense for ships that operate in close proximity to planets, but most warships will often be at too great a distance from, or at too high a relative velocity to, a habitable planet such that the small fuel supply of an escape pod could deliver the occupants safely to the ground.

Are there any Loroi sweets or candies?

Sure, lots.

[Sweforce]

Does Loroi respond well to gifts or do they consider such to be bribes? Let's say an Loroi officer where to visit an regiment on earth, would an old weapon, like some kind of museum piece have a chance to be well received. Let's assume the weapon comes with background story of use in some heroic action.

[Suederwind]

I think any vessel 150m or larger is probably going to need some kind of small craft for maintenance work or moving crew in a pinch.

I assumed something like that, hence the question. So, maybe some kind of "minishuttle" or, to use a nautical term, a "dinghy"? Maybe something in the line of those very small maintenace shuttles in Star Trek?

Star Wars-style escape pods with re-entry capability might make sense for ships that operate in close proximity to planets, but most warships will often be at too great a distance from, or at too high a relative velocity to, a habitable planet such that the small fuel supply of an escape pod could deliver the occupants safely to the ground.

Thats a good point. But if there is a problem aboard a Starship, such a pod could be usefull to get yourself (and a few other crewmembers as well) away from the ship and provide you with supplies, as well as protection, that goes beyond that of a normal spacesuit. Or is the Loroi policy to better kill yourself, than being captured by the enemy?

Edit: Is ritual suicide (like the japanese seppuku for example) among memebers of the Loroi warrior casts a common thing? Or is that totaly unusual?

[icekatze]

hi hi

I don't think there is any matter of policy about it. I suspect that it will be, if nothing else, a matter of personal choice for anyone involved to prefer death over whatever horrors undoubtedly await after being captured.

[Sweforce]

The Wintertide exploded when one of it's reactors went critical. With a bit warning before such a catastrophical event escepe pods are an good option to get non essential crew of the ship while damage control try to handle the situation. Just in case.

[Arioch]

Does Loroi respond well to gifts or do they consider such to be bribes? Let's say an Loroi officer where to visit an regiment on earth, would an old weapon, like some kind of museum piece have a chance to be well received. Let's assume the weapon comes with background story of use in some heroic action.

Any government or military organization that is not completely corrupt will have strict rules regarding the acceptance of gifts. Whether a gift is legal will depend on the value of the gift, who it is given to, from whom, and for what purpose. A warrior may accept an expensive gift from a family member or close friend (if the reason for giving is clearly due to personal relationship, and not the recipient's position), but she may not accept an expensive gift from a subordinate or from a lobbyist. There will be a variety of exemptions (such as gifts under about $20 in value -- you can give a co-worker a birthday card, if you want), and museum pieces might be exempt depending on the situation (especially if the gift is to a unit rather than an individual), but all gifts over a certain value must be declared and registered. Gifts over the legal limit must either be returned, paid for by the recipient, or donated to the government or some other appropriate organization.

For an example of real-life regulations regarding gifts, check out PART 2635—STANDARDS OF ETHICAL CONDUCT FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH of the US Federal Government, subparts B and C.

So, maybe some kind of "minishuttle" or, to use a nautical term, a "dinghy"? Maybe something in the line of those very small maintenace shuttles in Star Trek?

Yes, things like the "workbee" or the very small shuttle that Kirk & co. used to come aboard Enterprise in the opening moments of the first two movies.

Thats a good point. But if there is a problem aboard a Starship, such a pod could be usefull to get yourself (and a few other crewmembers as well) away from the ship and provide you with supplies, as well as protection, that goes beyond that of a normal spacesuit. Or is the Loroi policy to better kill yourself, than being captured by the enemy?

Edit: Is ritual suicide (like the japanese seppuku for example) among memebers of the Loroi warrior casts a common thing? Or is that totaly unusual?

Most Loroi do not worship death the way the Japanese in WWII did, but they are warriors and so there must be some unspoken acceptance that personal safety must sometimes take a back seat to military practicality. If you look at our civilian ocean liners, you'll see a large number of lifeboats stowed along the sides, but if you look at an aircraft carrier (which carries a similar number of people), you'll see very few lifeboats. Part of that equation is that civilian liners operate solo while military fleet vessels will usually have numerous other warships available to aid them if an evacuation becomes necessary, but I think the main part is that military vessels must make concessions to functionality over personal safety that would not be considered acceptable to civilian passengers. The operation of an aircraft carrier would probably be hindered if it had to carry enough lifeboats to carry all 5,500 people on board.

Also, if there is still combat going on in the vicinity of the stricken vessel, then floating about in a small, vulnerable life-pod is probably not a very safe place to be.

[dragoongfa]

From my experience military ships tend to carry inflatable life boats, smaller and thus more practical on a warship. Civilian ships carry those as well but passengers like to see the classic lifeboat instead of a large inflatable raft.

[icekatze]

hi hi

I would think that an old weapon of historical significance might not be given as a gift, but passed on as a responsibility.

I can't imagine that the military doesn't take anything from civilians, but there's got to be Loroi in charge of assigning resources to various divisions within the military. With their form of government though, I wonder does the Emperor has the final say? Is the anger of her subordinates the thing that keeps her honest?

[Arioch]

From my experience military ships tend to carry inflatable life boats, smaller and thus more practical on a warship. Civilian ships carry those as well but passengers like to see the classic lifeboat instead of a large inflatable raft.

This is a good point. I was wondering why modern liners had so few visible boats when compared with their early twentieth century counterparts, whose decks were literally crammed with them -- and that's obviously the answer.

I can't imagine that the military doesn't take anything from civilians, but there's got to be Loroi in charge of assigning resources to various divisions within the military.

The people who allocate resources within the military are themselves military. Civilians pay taxes that support the warrior class, but they don't have any say in how it's spent. There is no civilian oversight of the military.

With their form of government though, I wonder does the Emperor has the final say? Is the anger of her subordinates the thing that keeps her honest?

The Emperor's power is not absolute, but since she's commander in chief of the armed forces, it's pretty close. The military is a powerful constituency, but it's also a dangerous one; the Emperor may be able to resolve issues by force, but so can her enemies. The Second Emperor was removed from power after a brief civil war because she had displeased a large enough portion of her subordinates.

[dragoongfa]

Minor question:

What is the room with the red lighting that the group passes through at pages 37 and 38?

[cacambo43]

In page 49 there's the star map overhead, and I noticed (not for the first time) many of the "constellations" are similar to or fragments of our "modern" constellations. Is this significant or just window dressing?

CJSF

[Sweforce]

In page 49 there's the star map overhead, and I noticed (not for the first time) many of the "constellations" are similar to or fragments of our "modern" constellations. Is this significant or just window dressing?

CJSF

I cannot remember the details but I think I read an Sci Fi story where the protagonist figured out where he was due to the similarly in the visible constellations. Imagine travel through a "Stargate" and then try to figure where you arrived. Some constellations are bound to the same, others distorted but recognisable. It is not like they are on the other side of the galaxy. Time will do the same if you wait long enough. Astrologists tend to not take this into account. A few thousand years ago when astrology was "invented" so or so planet may really have been in constellation whatever but no longer go there due to stellar drift.

[cacambo43]

In page 49 there's the star map overhead, and I noticed (not for the first time) many of the "constellations" are similar to or fragments of our "modern" constellations. Is this significant or just window dressing?

CJSF

I cannot remember the details but I think I read an Sci Fi story where the protagonist figured out where he was due to the similarly in the visible constellations. Imagine travel through a "Stargate" and then try to figure where you arrived. Some constellations are bound to the same, others distorted but recognisable. It is not like they are on the other side of the galaxy. Time will do the same if you wait long enough. Astrologists tend to not take this into account. A few thousand years ago when astrology was "invented" so or so planet may really have been in constellation whatever but no longer go there due to stellar drift.

Yes, but these constellations are connected with the same "lines" - even the "double arm" of Orion. I realize that's not out of the realm of possiblilty (though how probable an exact "connect the dots" would be is another matter), I was just wondering how much of it was deliberate on Arioch's part.

CJSF

P.S. Looking at a current sky map, I see that Arioch drew the constellations on page 49's sky map as a mirror image... So window dressing/convenience, Arioch?

[Arioch]

What is the room with the red lighting that the group passes through at pages 37 and 38?

It's a "kill zone" that separates the brig from the rest of the ship. It has reinforced airlock doors at each end, and the interior can be depressurized or flooded with a variety of lethal agents.

In page 49 there's the star map overhead, and I noticed (not for the first time) many of the "constellations" are similar to or fragments of our "modern" constellations. Is this significant or just window dressing?

It's a rather lazy placeholder. I wanted to do some rather ornate stylized figures, but ran out of time. It's still on my list of things to fix.