[dkstories] Dreams of a Father

[NaperVic]

Yay! Chapter 24 is up and was good!

[TalonRider]

You're right, this chapter is good. And he left us with a few unanswered questions that qualify as cliffhangers.

 

It sounds like these aliens are getting some inside information or they've been able to break into the communications.

[NaperVic]

It sounds like these aliens are getting some inside information or they've been able to break into the communications.

Yeah, I was thinking maybe they were getting inside info from some rogue Archbishop or perhaps someone else who's performed the rite of Jordan and had some visions...

[Aeroplane]

I do like this series, but this new 'twist' seems a bit too 'convenient' to be believable.

'Current problem solved, need to introduce a new plot element or the series will be bumbling along.' 'Ah here it is, some more aliens.. Which I happen to have the solution to packed neatly in my handbag of tricks.'

Got to be careful with using magic, instant problem solves are no fun. . Would have been nicer and less.. unexpected to the point of disbelief.. if there were hints in the previous 5 or so chapters instead of just a spontanous event.

[wildone]

I do like this series, but this new 'twist' seems a bit too 'convenient' to be believable.

'Current problem solved, need to introduce a new plot element or the series will be bumbling along.' 'Ah here it is, some more aliens.. Which I happen to have the solution to packed neatly in my handbag of tricks.'

Got to be careful with using magic, instant problem solves are no fun. . Would have been nicer and less.. unexpected to the point of disbelief.. if there were hints in the previous 5 or so chapters instead of just a spontaneous event.

 

I found it interesting that you took this view to the current situation, and fully respect your opinion on the story Xeran.

 

I look at it a different way though, I see everything that has happened in this story since where Gareth decides to go and rescue Paul and Frederick as building to this point.

 

As far as the 'magic', I don't necessarily believe the visions were magic. Although magic could be used loosely to describe religious visions I don't think they are one and the same. Magic I feel is an illusion to viewers, or by being able to call on supernatural powers (I'm sure I'm going to take some flak on this statement ) Religious visions have been a part of a lot of religions and not necessarily just Christian ones. I think of Native Americans that some have spirit quests where they seek they're spirits and guide their future lives through those visions. I guess you have to believe in visions or spirits and that is where faith comes in.

 

Way back when Paul and Frederick were first taken from Gareth and Billy, I questioned if they would be brainwashed into religion. My opinion has changed since then as we eventually saw the Prophet taking the opportunity of taking a bad decision by Torrellini into a building peace between the Republic and Federation. Religion and the belief in visions was a major part of getting Garret to see this and since he experienced this, he is somewhat a believer now. Maybe not in the structure of the religion, or the hierarchy of the religion, but maybe just the belief that not everyone knows everything about everything.

 

Enough rambling...Thanks for the chapter Dan . I really am curious why Gareth was so set against Alex destroying the wormhole by Atrix Prime. The line about him not revealing if it was part of his vision or not kind of leaves us out there.....hanging .

Edited January 31, 2009 by wildone

[dkstories]

Actually the set-up for this began in Dreams of a Humanity when it was mentioned that there were no aliens found in the universe. As for hints in the previous chapters, look in the forums. A few people caught the hints that were put into the story. They were there, sorry if they weren't obvious enough.

 

The only thing about the aliens I didn't exactly plan out before starting Dreams of a Father, and one of the reasons the story was held up so long is that I had to work out exactly who they were, what they wanted, and what they were doing. Right now the story is literally just hours into the appearance of the aliens, so we don't know much about them from the story. That will change over the next few chapters, and even more in the third book of the series. As for anyone thinking the magical cooperation of the three human governments is going to be easy, well they haven't read my stories much. Those are some challenges Garret is going to have to face, and it won't just be problems from Earth or the Federation either.

 

I had even thought about bringing them in during the first book, but decided against it to instead focus on Garret and his family, building up their characters and getting to know all of them better, especially some of the secondary characters that otherwise would have been just window dressing for the story.

[Aeroplane]

Ah, when I said magic I was talking about the torpedoes that Garret pulled out of his sleeve from nowhere. . Drug induced hallucinations I can deal with .

 

There is one explanation for Garret doing something wholly out of character (we've seen what he thinks of what happened on Calos) - building planet busting weapons, and that is that he already knew about these new aliens. This I would accept as sufficient motive for suddenly having these magic torpedoes .

 

Is the wormhole that he didnt want closed a wormhole which leads to the place these aliens came from? Has it always been there? There have been a lot of wormholes recently, its hard to keep track of them all .

[NaperVic]

Ah, when I said magic I was talking about the torpedoes that Garret pulled out of his sleeve from nowhere.

 

The purpose of the planet busting torpedoes were to destroy earth, I doubt Garrett envisioned aliens at the time.

 

While the torpedos are successful against the moon ships, they've only taken out 3 of them. The number of torpedos they have or can create in the near future will make just a little dent against the sheer number of moon ships & control ships the aliens have.

 

The human side of this conflict will need other tools in their arsenal to fight the aliens (perhaps biological type weapons).

 

Is the wormhole that he didnt want closed a wormhole which leads to the place these aliens came from?

It seems so, but this the same wormhole that the Atrix's have been using for decades to travel between Atrix Prime & Republic space. The Aliens must use them differently in order to get to their space & back. Edited January 31, 2009 by NaperVic

[TalonRider]

This is my theory. The aliens may be able to navigate these worm holes much like the Borg did in latter episodes of Star Trek:TNG and Voyager. Tho the term used in those shows was, conduit.

[dkstories]

Couple of quick notes:

 

By the end of Chapter 26, a lot of these questions will be answered (especially about the wormholes).

 

Garret has kept a few things from Billy over the years, not the least of which was the development of these torpedoes. I don't really answer why in the stories, but part of it may have been that Billy would have felt obligated to report it to the Republic leadership, and then there would have been demands to make them available for use in the civil war against Leonev.

 

I think Earth is the only planet he could even consider using them on, and well, he ended up NOT using them against Earth after all. These are truly weapons of mass destruction, something Garret doesn't like but will use if absolutely necessary. Transversely, without absolute need, he wouldn't. It's a measure of how deep his feelings for Paul run that he'd bring them to Earth with him as a tool to avenge his son if something bad happened to him.

 

The torpedoes were NOT an intentional development. They were accidental outcomes from research on power generation. However, Garret is not a person to throw away something that has been developed simply because he doesn't like them. Especially because he subscribes to the belief that once something has been developed, it will be developed eventually by someone else.

[NaperVic]

Two large arms ended in hands with seven digits, including an opposable thumb. He stood on two legs, each as thick as a human's torso, and he was wearing some type of armor that was fronted by clear material. Through the clear material, they could see what appeared to be pieces of some type of body suspended in amber liquid, and at the center of the creature's breastplate was a ghoulish head, opening and closing its mouth in what appeared to be continuous screaming. "We are the Burek-ah." A computerized voice on the creature's end translated his harsh, guttural language into Earth Common. "Your long night is over. Put down your weapons, and welcome your rightful overlords. With the Burek-Ro, you will glory in our service, and learn the true path in our service."

 

Based off of these two paragraphs, it appears that the aliens are a symbiotic being, with the Burek-ah being the brains, and the Burek-Ro, being the brawn. Am I interpreting this correctly?

[dkstories]

Based off of these two paragraphs, it appears that the aliens are a symbiotic being, with the Burek-ah being the brains, and the Burek-Ro, being the brawn. Am I interpreting this correctly?

 

Partially correct. The Burek-ah are symbiotic in nature, but it is not quite the benign symbiosis we've often seen in stories before. As for the Burek-Ro - well I guess I can say this without giving too much away. The Burek-Ro are a race that the Burek-ah conquered in another galaxy. They've been ruled by the Burek-ah for millenia and don't even remember a time when they didn't serve the Burek-ah. The Burek-ah plan to add a new race to their society, and call them the Burek-hu. (As in human).

 

What the Ro were before they were conquered by the Burek-ah, they don't even remember. They know no other name for their race beside "Burek-Ro".