bunnyboy wrote:looks like something out of a Hentai tentacle video.
because there is other kind of hentai than the tentacle one?
Three Worlds Collide was that a book?
Well I assume so. Tentacle is what you hear about though.
An Internet 'book' I guess. It was broken up into eight pages. It was supposed to explore morality and what you do when you meet someone whose morality is different to yours. According to humans in the story, the answer to that is "Act superior, hypocritical, run away and blow up stars".
If every cloud had a silver lining, there would be a lot more plane crashes.
RedDwarfIV wrote:
An Internet 'book' I guess. It was broken up into eight pages. It was supposed to explore morality and what you do when you meet someone whose morality is different to yours. According to humans in the story, the answer to that is "Act superior, hypocritical, run away and blow up stars".
So pretty firmly in the 'humans suck' school of science fiction. Soapbox science fiction generally doesn't appeal to me. Thanks for the review
"Everyone wants to make everyone else live their way."
Great premise, terrible conclusion, terrible alternate conclusion.
In a first contact scenario like that, someone twisted like me would've been the crew's saving grace.
My Reaction to the Silicates: "We disagree with you, but we will not fire; that is how our society runs; we're sending literature on the prisoner's dilemma from the human perspective to you now. Why do your children have to feel terror when you eat them? And why should we adhere to your reproductive plan when it doesn't suit our own environment and physiology? Your dedication to art in communication is laudable."
My Reaction to the Super-Happies: "I'll come aboard as diplomatic advisor immediately provided you agree to avoid human space until we establish some sort of protocol- word of caution, we're so fractious and violent a species that our own scientists prevented knowledge of the stardrive's military applications from being made known- we only just found out about this because the Silicates corrected the FTL math we've been using to spread across the stars; you can subdue us, but the only thing you will save are colonies full of ashes and militants orbiting stars about to melt down. Furthermore, I'm placing your weapons officer under arrest on behalf of the Silicates you just vaporised in a fit of emotion- there is clearly a downside to your mode of society. I expect I'll be quarantined to avoid- stressing your crew unduly once I've been modified."
I just couldn't identify with the humans in the story. They were as alien as all the others because they couldn't get off the author's soapbox and act like people.
Personally, I thought the alternate conclusion wasn't too bad, at least after having read the main conclusion. I have to wonder, how many humans would have comitted suicide after being modified by the Super-Happies because they didn't feel human any more? How many people caused themselves massive injuries because of what was effectively artificially-induced insensitivity to pain? The entire human race would have to live like CIPA sufferers. If I'd been on the human ship's crew, I'd have pointed out how problematic that would be.
And then I'd be shouted down by that character who said the Silicates were making up excuses when they said there was an evolutionary reason for their eating babies.
If every cloud had a silver lining, there would be a lot more plane crashes.
It wasn't evolutionary though, the infanticide is purely an emplaced social behavior to deal with rampant starvation and their groupthink solution to the prisoner's dilemma. There is nothing to excuse because there is no moral problem for the Silicates; they removed anyone who would cause a problem- I reject morality as objective because it leads to the Supper-Happy and Silicate reactions. Really the story boils down to a simple question: what if aliens were stupid and intractable and humans equally so? OR What happens when two or more intractable parties attempt to negotiate with high stakes?
Answer: self-mutilation of the group in self-defense and wanton bloodshed of the other(s).
Cy83r wrote:It wasn't evolutionary though, the infanticide is purely an emplaced social behavior to deal with rampant starvation and their groupthink solution to the prisoner's dilemma. There is nothing to excuse because there is no moral problem for the Silicates; they removed anyone who would cause a problem- I reject morality as objective because it leads to the Supper-Happy and Silicate reactions. Really the story boils down to a simple question: what if aliens were stupid and intractable and humans equally so? OR What happens when two or more intractable parties attempt to negotiate with high stakes?
Answer: self-mutilation of the group in self-defense and wanton bloodshed of the other(s).
I still maintain that I'd get shouted down.
If every cloud had a silver lining, there would be a lot more plane crashes.
Although, now that Tempo is around, maybe she can lend an authoritative hand. Not sure why she would do so though, but perhaps we'll find out more about what her angle is in the upcoming pages.
OH MY GODS! Tempo! {ba-bump!} I don't know about the rest of you... but with that much beauty around {Fireblade, Beryl, AND Tempo}... I think poor Alex may be in danger of brain damage to mortals... have the Loroi no mercy on poor men?!? Even a young healthy man can only take so much heart-racing desire!
All joking aside, why do I have the distinct feeling the this transfer is very 'hush hush' and that Stillstorm hasn't authorized it?
I mean I can't imagine that Stillstorm would allow three of her most senior officers go on a trip to Seren to escort an Alien who may be an enemy agent. Fireblade is probably the lead Teidar of Tempest, Tempo is the intelligence and diplomatic officer while Beryl is a high ranking Listel as well. Beryl alone I can understand been allowed to leave because the other Listel we saw at the bridge also had gold colored insignia; but bot Fireblade and Tempo added to the mix? And on a mission that will take 'many days' just to go to Seren?
I doubt that Stillstorm would allow so much talent leaving at the same time.
Then there is Alex's incarceration; someone would expect that he would be 'detained' in a way for the duration of the trip until he would be transferred to more appropriate authorities but why at the brig? Putting him under guard in an empty storage that would be quickly accommodated with some furnishings would serve the same purpose while showing some respect to someone who is a potential ally (even if heavily suspected to be an enemy agent). However the Brig offers something that a storage room doesn't and that is a heavily monitored and easily defensible position.
I have a feeling that even if Stillstorm didn't openly approve of such actions, some other Loroi openly voiced support for doing something drastic to Alex and that someone (Tempo with Fireblade's support) made sure that Alex was at the one and only place where crew access was heavily restricted and the guards were allowed to shoot anyone not authorized to be there.
I wonder if that's the case (or something similar) if Alex will apologize to Fireblade for his rudeness earlier.