OT: Hell is For Heroes.

[Baron Munchausen]

That's it? An E.E. Smith space battle and no follow up for a dozen different characters who've appeared in the story but haven't been heard from in a long time?

[AgentZero]

You have anyone in particular in mind, Munch? Everyone else is either dead, or fulfilled their purpose in the story. I write stories about defining moments in my character's lives, not their biographies. Which is a good thing, really, seeing as how my main characters are immortal, there can be no bittersweet ending for them as they lie on their deathbed surrounded by loved ones, content in knowing that their life's work is done. There can be only a brutal, violent death for Kagan and Alice, but I decided to end things on a slightly less depressing note. Or maybe they don't meet a bad end. Maybe the two of them are there to witness the death of the last star in the universe, to be left alone as the only living beings in all of existence. But then what?

That being said, if you think I forgot about someone important, by all means tell me who, and maybe they might get a paragraph or two when I go back through the whole editing phase.

[Baron Munchausen]

Well, there were so many plot twists maybe I've lost count/track of characters. Or maybe it's not so much the characters (although I do wonder what happened to the guy (?) who could turn into a table) but just the plot itself. Right here at the end we get a bald statement about 'manipulating galactic events'-- implying some pretty massive backstory details -- and yet no explanation. How was this 'manipulating' done from a fleet of thousands of warships that had to remain concealed? What sort of resources does a warfleet carry for long-term (really long term) covert activities? What sort of 'galactic events' do you manipulate, or can you manipulate, to influence the behavior of aliens that are no longer even in contact with the culture/civilization you have access to? (Living entirely on this single mothership, it doesn't seem likely that they are very susceptible to infiltration or psy-ops...) It's just a very sudden 'pow' ending that seems disappointing because it so abrupt.

[AgentZero]

Baron Munchausen said:
Well, there were so many plot twists maybe I've lost count/track of characters. Or maybe it's not so much the characters (although I do wonder what happened to the guy (?) who could turn into a table) but just the plot itself. Right here at the end we get a bald statement about 'manipulating galactic events'-- implying some pretty massive backstory details -- and yet no explanation. How was this 'manipulating' done from a fleet of thousands of warships that had to remain concealed? What sort of resources does a warfleet carry for long-term (really long term) covert activities? What sort of 'galactic events' do you manipulate, or can you manipulate, to influence the behavior of aliens that are no longer even in contact with the culture/civilization you have access to? (Living entirely on this single mothership, it doesn't seem likely that they are very susceptible to infiltration or psy-ops...) It's just a very sudden 'pow' ending that seems disappointing because it so abrupt.

That's a fair critism. I suppose part of the abruptness of the ending is a result of the battle between two parts of my mind; one insisting I finally finish the story, and the other pointing out that it is 5am and I should be sleeping. But do bear in mind that this is Alice we're talking about. Or rather, a small army of them. I believe the amount of mischief they could get into is inversely proportional to the odds of them ever telling one what they were up to.

Though I only really aluded to it, the Enemy are a race of interstellar scavangers. They drift from galaxy to galaxy, seeking out advanced civilizations, only to all but anihilate them, then take what resources & technology they desire before moving on to a new area of space. Of course, since none of the characters in HifH are aware of this, it makes it difficult to explain without feeling like the explanation was cludged in there. I thought about putting in a scene or two aboard the Enemy mothership, but since in my mind the Enemy are unknowable, and entirely incomprehensible to the human mind, I don't see how I could write that.

Komatsu was working on the hypothesis that, in order to lure them back, one would not need any agents aboard any of their vessels; one would simply have to make it appear that the Terran Imperium once again had something worth taking. I'm of the thinking that might need to work it's way into her exposition at the end, though I'm also thinking that said exposition is quite long enough as it is.

As for the warfleet, that's fairly easily explained. You might have noticed no mention of any crew on any of the ships. That's because they were essentially drone ships, slaved to the Murder of Creation and under the fine control of their individual A.I.s The Murder was used as Komatsu's base of operations, the rest of the fleet was hibernating in the deepest reaches of null-space. Which is why one did not see them trundling around until Komatsu's plan was coming to fruition, at which point they became the answer to more than one, "What the hell was that?"

Now that I think about it, I did leave rather a lot out of the big ole ending exposition...

[TurinTurambar]

Well then, we all eagerly await the next post that begins:

Epilogue:

-----------------------

TT

[TurinTurambar]

Did I just make "Captain" or is it just that I haven't been here much in the last year?

[capnq]

TurinTurambar said:
Did I just make "Captain" or is it just that I haven't been here much in the last year?

You were promoted at post 800. Rank table in FAQ

[Puke]

That was plesant. I look forward to the next entirely different AZ story.

its been so long i've forgotten earlier parts though, it would be cool if it was all together in one easy to read place - kinda like Dogscoff did when he put his all on a webpage.

[AgentZero]

Puke said:
That was plesant. I look forward to the next entirely different AZ story.

its been so long i've forgotten earlier parts though, it would be cool if it was all together in one easy to read place - kinda like Dogscoff did when he put his all on a webpage.

Once I'm done a few revisions, it'll probably wind up in se.net's fanfic section. I'll add a little linky here when that's done.

[Baron Munchausen]

AgentZero said:
As for the warfleet, that's fairly easily explained. You might have noticed no mention of any crew on any of the ships. That's because they were essentially drone ships, slaved to the Murder of Creation and under the fine control of their individual A.I.s The Murder was used as Komatsu's base of operations, the rest of the fleet was hibernating in the deepest reaches of null-space. Which is why one did not see them trundling around until Komatsu's plan was coming to fruition, at which point they became the answer to more than one, "What the hell was that?"

Now that I think about it, I did leave rather a lot out of the big ole ending exposition...

Well, that answers the question I did not ask... about how 15,000 warships were supporting themselves out there. But that doesn't answer the questions I did ask, about how you go about 'manipulating galactic events' from completely outside the political or social context of the times.

Suggestion for the revisions: The 'original' Alice could remember more things, fragments of the 'long exposition' that Admiral Alice had to deliver at the end, without completely spoiling the story. When they discover that the Taurans are back, for example, she could 'know' that the aliens operating the warships are not the 'real' Taurans. The final explanation could still be held to the absolute end, but this 'hint' makes it seem less like a 'gotcha' or cop out.