Home of The Westward Confederation Series

[ReaderPaul]

@P. E. Knapp -- you have the ability to consecutively multi-track, and that is good.  Go ahead an concentrate on one at a time, for an hour or two, or a day, and then switch tracks to a different story or activity.  I can read up to five books at one time, sometimes more, and keep things straight.

Very much enjoying your writings.

[P. E. Knapp]

9 minutes ago, ReaderPaul said:

@P. E. Knapp -- you have the ability to consecutively multi-track, and that is good.  Go ahead an concentrate on one at a time, for an hour or two, or a day, and then switch tracks to a different story or activity.  I can read up to five books at one time, sometimes more, and keep things straight.

Very much enjoying your writings.

Thanks! @ReaderPaul

I was going nuts yesterday when I opened the file for Two for One's next chapter and 2k words were missing from the initial edited version. Not 100% sure why it happened, but I was able to drop back through the revisions and pull it back together. Like today I'm answering comments and posting, while writing. Always busy.

[P. E. Knapp]

Two for One is coming to a close.

The next Book starts Next week.

The fourth book was divided again and is now four books.

[ReaderPaul]

How many books (as far as you know right now) will be in the Westward Confederation series?

[P. E. Knapp]

2 minutes ago, ReaderPaul said:

How many books (as far as you know right now) will be in the Westward Confederation series?

Five (definite) or six more. Possible other books in the World itself featuring other favorite characters.

[P. E. Knapp]

@ReaderPaul asked: Please explain more about the Jump Gates in the discussion forum.  Why are jump gates needed and the difference between jump gates and ships doing jumps?

Need for gates? Distances to long. Jumps can do in minutes or hours, what could take days, months even of travel time.

Ship Jumps have to be plotted to be successful, otherwise you could end up anywhere. In order to do that you need to either be able to see your destination. Either with the scanners, probes or some sort of scanning equipment. Or if you can't see it. You need to be able to lock onto a Jump Buoy. There have been scenes where the pilots need to lock the buoy or target in order to plot the course. What they are doing is locking a destination that is predetermined by placement of a Jump Buoy. That allows ships to make Jumps into other sectors. Which are generally out of scanner range unless someone is feeding you data. How far you Jump depends on the ships Jump Capacitor's Energy Capacity. 

Jump Gates negate the need for ships to use their own Jump Engines, even the need for jump Engines. Since they are the power source for the Jump, they can also propel you to a gate at the other end of the Jump line that is much farther away than a normal ship jump. Shuttles can use these too. Usually found on main routes and high traffic areas. Fees(aka Tolls) for use are cheap, but over time have made many a system rich.

And for the third option, which I don't recall in the first three books, but is in the fourth. Jump Bridges. Which are nothing more than a low powered Jump Gates between a neighboring sector. Originally created because of the frequent traffic between the two sectors and the cost of individual ship jump drives. Again, a situation that requires no jump drive on the ship itself. Shuttles can use this too.

As with all things in space. You can't always count on there being a Gate or Bridge where you are going. Ship Jump drives would be needed as well as the local charts with Jump Buoys noted. Or you could take a chance and Jump to a previous location you have documented in your Jump Logs. Should somebody or something be sitting at your exit point... ooopps doesn't quite cover it and I am not sure how far AAA extends their free towing. Assuming there is enough left to tow. 😀

And through the books, I think 2 and I know 3 has the term Jump Freighter in it. That is what the Malachi's (The twin's family) and Jasenka's (Sasha's family) uses. They are capable of Jumps. Some of the mainline freighters are not. (ie: a trade routes connected by Gates or Bridges) 

Edited November 5, 2024 by P. E. Knapp
additional clarification

[P. E. Knapp]

And today marks the end of Book 3. Love on the Rocks.

That means the real story is about to begin with Book 4. Working Title is Fates, Mates, and Pirates 

The first chapter will post on or about December 22. 

This is where Marc stops chasing every butt he sees, and the real building of the empire begins.

Edited December 14, 2024 by P. E. Knapp
additional clarification

[P. E. Knapp]

Child births in this world: 

Short version: The DNA of the parents. A Specialist to mix them and make any needed changes in the genetics to remove any ailments that might cause problems years down the road. Which does not mean you can make super humans. That is strictly forbidden. But you can adjust for height, body structure, hair or eye color as long as it falls within the donators genetic code.

For example: My height is taller than my parents. Both mine and one of my brothers, but we are the same height as our grandfather from our father's side. That would be an allowed tweak during the mixing of DNA before the final form is seeded to the Birthing Chambers because it is already in the DNA Code, it just didn't express itself with all 5 of us. 

Flip side is. You can have more than two parents. So, for example, if Rory, Hugo and Janek mix their DNA. Someone with Janek's body structure, Hugo's height with Rory's Red hair and the facial features of the three of them... could be quite interesting. 

Once Marc and Adam's children are born, you'll see this selective mixing in action as they actually plan out each child's mix before it is seeded.

Then there is the AI. The use of one during the process can display the final form the child will take. Meaning the child's sex and characteristics from birth up to 16 years old. For family planning you will know what your child will look like after there last growth spurt before their body settles into its adult form.

At the end of the day, it means that families are planned for. They are not created by chance or accident. I will note that it's common to have between tow and four children. Normally. But who said Marc and Adam's relationship was normal...😇

That all being said. You could have a rather large number of children (Think 100's) and have no two the same. Good luck on those diaper changes!🤣

And I'll touch on the Child Raising aspect too while I'm at it. As I am sure it will come up later:

It's not uncommon to have surrogate parental staff in a large family to assist in the childcare of multiple children when they are young. 

[ReaderPaul]

On 11/5/2024 at 2:30 PM, P. E. Knapp said:

Jump Gates negate the need for ships to use their own Jump Engines, even the need for jump Engines. Since they are the power source for the Jump, they can also propel you to a gate at the other end of the Jump line that is much farther away than a normal ship jump. Shuttles can use these too. Usually found on main routes and high traffic areas. Fees(aka Tolls) for use are cheap, but over time have made many a system rich.

And for the third option, which I don't recall in the first three books, but is in the fourth. Jump Bridges. Which are nothing more than a low powered Jump Gates between a neighboring sector. Originally created because of the frequent traffic between the two sectors and the cost of individual ship jump drives. Again, a situation that requires no jump drive on the ship itself. Shuttles can use this too.

As with all things in space. You can't always count on there being a Gate or Bridge where you are going. Ship Jump drives would be needed as well as the local charts with Jump Buoys noted. Or you could take a chance and Jump to a previous location you have documented in your Jump Logs. Should somebody or something be sitting at your exit point... ooopps doesn't quite cover it and I am not sure how far AAA extends their free towing. Assuming there is enough left to tow. 😀

And through the books, I think 2 and I know 3 has the term Jump Freighter in it. That is what the Malachi's (The twin's family) and Jasenka's (Sasha's family) uses. They are capable of Jumps. Some of the mainline freighters are not. (ie: a trade routes connected by Gates or Bridges) 

That raises more questions in my mind.  How far can ship sensors reach, so that a ship may be certain another object is not at the point of the desired Jump?  Does Alexander Knight Industries or the Alexander Knight House have ships which are able to jump further than most?

[P. E. Knapp]

28 minutes ago, ReaderPaul said:

That raises more questions in my mind.  How far can ship sensors reach, so that a ship may be certain another object is not at the point of the desired Jump?  Does Alexander Knight Industries or the Alexander Knight House have ships which are able to jump further than most?

And that is the problem with Jumping. With a Gate or Beacon, there is information available. You know what is at the exit point. A micro-Jump or in-sector jump is close enough that ships sensors would be able to see anything in the sector unless it is cloaked in some way.

As mentioned in the books. Jump areas or Reserve Jump areas are known exit points and entryways. Speed is needed to keep the areas clear of obstructions. Hence why Station Control acts like flight controllers. To keep the flow moving and areas clear.

Blind Jumping with ships Jump drive at long distances (Between Sectors) can be done, but it is at your own risk. That being said. Space is a large place and if you are not jumping into a known shipping lane or asteroid belt. Chances are you would be safe. Hopefully.

As far as range goes. The more power you have available the farther you can Jump. That is why Gates can Jump you farther as they have large power sources. Ships themselves are somewhat limited unless purposely built with powerful energy generation systems and the larger capacitors to support them. An example will come up after the Bonding Ceremony. There is a vessel that Ron describes to Adam as having very long legs. Meaning it can Jump farther than is normal. 

As for the distance itself... *Shrugs* Honestly don't know. I am thinking light years. Further on in the series another ship type is built with a different Propulsion system that far out does anything a Jump Drive could do. That is tied to the several discoveries combined with the ships that were reverse engineered. (The scout and cruiser class vessel) More comes out about where they came from too. At this point nobody is sure where they came from. Just that they are old. (In book time this is 20 plus years down the road... all those projects of Marc's start to pay off.)

A few peeks into the future, but I don't think I gave to much away.😉

[Northerner]

I’m fascinated both by the design of all the future tech, as long as it’s not techno babble, and the future society.
 

Are all the spacers cut off from old Terra, or does Earth still exist as a destination that fulfills an active role, be it culture, tech, or influence? Or, is it mainly a distant museum now? Also, life in space is hard and sometimes lonely. Are pets or bioengineering of animals used? Is food grown, or synthesized?

[P. E. Knapp]

14 minutes ago, Northerner said:

I’m fascinated both by the design of all the future tech, as long as it’s not techno babble, and the future society.
 

Are all the spacers cut off from old Terra, or does Earth still exist as a destination that fulfills an active role, be it culture, tech, or influence? Or, is it mainly a distant museum now? Also, life in space is hard and sometimes lonely. Are pets or bioengineering of animals used? Is food grown, or synthesized?

Earth still exists as head of the Core Worlds Republic. Consider the Westward Confederation as the grandchildren of Earth. They were colonized by Earths daughter colonies. It's also the big gorilla in the room.

There are robots, but people that have the time and funds may have pets... I just never added any. Yet. 

Some animals are bioengineered from earth to adapt them to different planets. Indigenous species are usually not tampered with.

Food. You name it. They have it. If you have read all the books up to book 4, you have heard the mention of Armbrewster Beef, from the planet Armbrewster. Top of the line, succulent beef. Different planets have different delicacies, just like on Earth we have different foods in different countries. But, being on a Station, you'll find importers of just about everything. It is also synthesized food for people that don't like to cook. In book four you will see Adam cooking for Marc and vice versa. It's a personal choice for each individual.

 

[Northerner]

Thanks! My initial read on the Armbrewster beef was that it’s Space Wagyu, freighted at substantial cost and consumed as a flex for the well off. It seems that shipping isn’t astronomical in cost. Makes this reader happy - a future with imitation food is a bleak one.

Now to find the best frosted beer in the five sectors…

I could see Adam and older, retired Marc being a couple of crazy cat ladies with links. Caitlin is a dog person.

[ReaderPaul]

16 hours ago, Northerner said:

Thanks! My initial read on the Armbrewster beef was that it’s Space Wagyu, freighted at substantial cost and consumed as a flex for the well off. It seems that shipping isn’t astronomical in cost. Makes this reader happy - a future with imitation food is a bleak one.

Now to find the best frosted beer in the five sectors…

I could see Adam and older, retired Marc being a couple of crazy cat ladies with links. Caitlin is a dog person.

@Northerner and @P. E. Knapp, I have dyslexia and other vision problems, and read that as " ROASTED beer. the first time read."  Interesting thought about a less common beverage ----

Edited March 9, 2025 by ReaderPaul