Star Trek: Sigils and Unions--The Thirteenth Order

[PSGarak]

Yay, a new update! I loved this sequence and the cliffhanger, too!

[Nerys Ghemor]

Thank you SO much for reading!

[alkhemara]

Thank you so much!

[BrotherBenny]

Full impulse WITHIN an atmosphere??? Are you mad!!!???

Damn that was a nice piece of writing.

[kes7]

Wow, that was intense! Keep it coming!

[CeJay]

I've never quite bought the idea that using your impulse or warp engines would cause terrible danger to the planet because of the gravimetric interference or whatever.

If that was truly the case why bother come up with devestating weapons that could destroy a planet, all you gotta do it use your warp or impulse drive in close proximity to the surface and voila ... wide spread destruction and death.

But I digress. This was actually very cool and intensely written. I had a powerful image in my mind of that Cardassian cruiser falling out of the sky while reading this just for it shoot back up like a rocket along the smaller ships.

Great stuff.

[BrotherBenny]

CeJay wrote:

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I've never quite bought the idea that using your impulse or warp engines would cause terrible danger to the planet because of the gravimetric interference or whatever.

If that was truly the case why bother come up with devestating weapons that could destroy a planet, all you gotta do it use your warp or impulse drive in close proximity to the surface and voila ... wide spread destruction and death.

But I digress. This was actually very cool and intensely written. I had a powerful image in my mind of that Cardassian cruiser falling out of the sky while reading this just for it shoot back up like a rocket along the smaller ships.

Great stuff.

Well think about it, impulse engines are nothing more than a futuristic fusion drive, and we know how devastating fusion can be. And going to warp on/near a planet could destroy it through subspace stresses. Not good at all.

[Nerys Ghemor]

Well...warp drive, due to the entry into subspace, I personally see as more dangerous to the ship than the planet--the gravimetric shear would tear the ship apart if you weren't careful. (Which is why I consider Berat's stunt at Septimus III one of his List of Moving Violations. )

For impulse...I see it as partly related to an ion drive. We HAVE seen an instance where such a drive was inadvertently weaponized (Star Trek IV). However, what I'm seeing is an effect more like a lot of lightning. It charges the atmosphere around it, and when that electricity discharges, you get a lot of lightning strikes. Do that in an inhabited area, or a heavily forested area, and you've just succeeded in starting a damn big forest fire. Or do it in a city and the effect could make it look like an area got firebombed. There is also the possibility of power grid and weather disruptions...not on the order of the Probe, by any means, but on a planet that's more atmospherically active than what I imagine Lessek to be, I think there's the chance of creating a storm (not a huge one, but possible...hell, even a big enough forest fire can create a lightning-generating storm).

So basically, the maneuver is banned partly because of property damage (power disruptions, infrastructure disruption), partly because of ecosystem damage (forest fires, etc.), and partly because of the threat to any life that happens to get caught in any of these conditions.

Not to mention the threat to air traffic in the area (which you saw with that shuttle that took one of the lightning strikes).

THAT SAID...as I said at the top of this segment, I made a decision to only go so far with the science, and I'm aware it may not hold on closer examination...you do have legitimate opinions and I probably did some stuff that may either be flat-out wrong, or impossible. As a writer, I am more interested in dedicating my detail work to the character, culture, and linguistic aspects...so I can live with that.

Thanks for reading, guys!

[Rush Limborg]

WOW!!!

It's bigger than I expected!

A larger-than life explosion of enegy--I would pay THROUGH THE NOSE to see that on the big screen!

My compliments.

[Nerys Ghemor]

LOL, glad you liked!

[Mistral]

Impulse= I. M. Pulse= Ion-Magnetic pulse drive. Ionizing the atmosphere with the engines a Galor would need to push it would raise hell. I thought you were doing something like this-well written!

[BrotherBenny]

Mistral wrote:

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Impulse= I. M. Pulse= Ion-Magnetic pulse drive. Ionizing the atmosphere with the engines a Galor would need to push it would raise hell. I thought you were doing something like this-well written!

Canonically, the impulse drive is a series of fusion reactors. Starfleet have never been able to create a working ion propulsion drive.

[Thor Damar]

Rush Limborg wrote:

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WOW!!!

It's bigger than I expected!

A larger-than life explosion of enegy--I would pay THROUGH THE NOSE to see that on the big screen!

My compliments.

I'm in full agreement with Mr Limborg on this. Seeing a Galor actually move like a warship instead of wallowing dead in space hardly firing(Sacrifice of angels, I'm looking at you...) is a very welcome surprise.

As to Berat's tactics I am assuming that there is a reason for the lighting strike and shockwave attack on the shipyard (it's more effective than orbital bombardment after all) and I may have some idea what the CUW Sheruok will do next but I'll wait until the next exciting installment to confirm my suspicions...

Speaking of suspicious, I wonder if the Hidekiy attack ship was supposed to explode like that?

(by Oralius I love seeing the Cardassians in action righteously kicking arse)

[Nerys Ghemor]

The lightning was uncontrollable; however, Gul Berat had good reason to expect there would be damage to the base. The loss of the attack shuttle, however...everyone hoped that wouldn't happen, but unfortunately...

[Thor Damar]

^ Ah, I was too busy looking for wheels within wheels to realize that the destruction of the attack ship was an unfortunate accident. I guess I'm too used to the Cardassians being ruthlessly devious for my own good.

Still, I'm sure that Gul Berat will not disappoint