Al Norris

It's interesting that you mention that Olds Cutless. It was the first Oldsmobile muscle car. What most people don't know is that 4-4-2 was not the engine size. It was a marketing scheme: 4 barrel carb - 4 on the floor - Dual exhaust = 4-4-2 ... Tuned right, that 455 V8 would scream!

This constant fantasy of Devin's of making love to Mac in another body seems to be wearing thin with Mac. Maybe Mac should change to be someone else for Devin? Unless he really wants Mac to do a three-way? I guess I'm just too old fashioned, 'cause I always thought that this playing around was for before you committed to another person. Or Devin won't be as fast as he thinks and will get shot! Along those lines, they've just been in the center of a mass shooting event. Nobody is going to be as nonchalant as it was written. Nor would anyone not already outside be allowed to leave. Cops want their paper trail. Others are dead, dying, or wounded and the kids don't even think about that? Yeah, yeah... Just another day for a couple of superheroes!

So the Alien craft is sonar and radar absorbant. It can operate in water and the air. Whether or not it has weapons, we have no way of knowing. We know none were used on the orxhunter. When "blown" out of the water, the craft (or the pilots?) seemed disoriented before it flew off to the north and the sheet ice in the distance. The captured spy-observer seems to have some connection with Jem since it ceased its "singing" only when Jem placed his hand on the containment surface. The creature did not react that way with any of the others. Still too many unknowns to hazard any kind of guess.

We also know that @Geron Kees can conjure up some really bad guys. So I'm keeping my mind open on this story. Communication through water is much different than through air or space. Our knowledge tends to tell us that the higher the frequency, the more information can be passed. FM-type radiation has severe limits in water. Currently, our tech involves Very Low Frequency (VLF) AM in the range of 2Hz to 5Hz. Our subs use this to communicate worldwide. It takes a long while to send or receive complex messages. I never looked into PM, so I don't know its capabilities. Sending information via sound waves might be possible, but consider your standard information output to drive your monitor. If we are talking about something along the lines of an old-fashioned TV display (480p - 640 pixels wide x 480 scan lines (307,200 pixels)) display at 60Hz (the entire screen is refreshed 60 times in one second), that is a lot of data in a very short period of time. We can say that these Aliens utilize visual images since we know that the visual cortex of the Orx was utilized by the blob (control drone?). So we have all this data transmitted by the drone and control data sent back to the drone. Apparently not by sound or radio. [my inner geek could not be held back]

Interesting speculation. I'm not sure but it seems, to me, that Geron has a more devious mind than that!

If the things are alien lifeforms, the colony must find what their purpose is.

Oh, I so want to see these two men meet. I suspect they will either fall in love at first sight (they are almost there now) or within a few heartbeats realize they are not meant to be together.

Umm, not generous. I just try to think of what risk my enemy is willing to take.

It is fairly obvious that the "green things" are not parasites. The "tendrils" are used to attach to the brain of the Orx and likely include neurons to control the Orx. The "green things" are alive and sentient, whereas the Orx is not. Targeting the eye was a good idea, but I do wonder if killing the "green thing" would have been more efficient. The first tactic failed. It was simple and might have been effective had Jem not been able to think fast. It appears (on the surface) that this was how the Chregar was taken. What type of attack will the new creatures devise next? Where do they come from? What do they want?

Lots of speculation as to what Roger presented his father to sign. We need to remember that this was immediately after a stroke and Phil (presumably) was just released from the hospital. Phil is immediately sent to a full-care rehab facility. In this respect, any documents Phil signed that were detrimental to his assets, will be nullified and reversed by any court in the land. Why? Because no one is fully cognitive for a time (varies with the severity of the stroke) after having such a debilitating event. Chances are that regardless of what we may think of Roger, he likely knows this.

It could have been a twist where we view things from Jem's POV and it was Nico who got the romance...

There is so much going on in this story. Much of it is extremely good! Still, there are a couple of sticking points that we all hope will be resolved in Phil's favor. Even though realistically, we also know it can go sideways. sigh.

It is slowly coming together.

I do and it angers me every time I read this chapter! @weinerdog, there are still a lot of "Macho Men" out here. They simply cannot show emotions to their family and then wonder why the kids spread out across the country and never visit after leaving the nest... "The ungrateful SOBs!" - is what I usually hear. Yet they will act emotionally away from family, just like Peter did with Scott, earlier.

Loved the setup that led to romance! Oh, but two fumbling boys on a voyage of discovery. What could possibly be more fun?! I liked the history lesson. Especially the mention of interspatial gravitational pathways (Righoff lines). I wonder if these correspond to wormholes? I also found it interesting that they were far enough north that they should have seen Orx by now. While not entirely unusual, it does have Til wondering.

Oh? Has Kip been to Benteen? Without Charlie??? So they do have Fusion reactors. I was wrong on this idea. So, in 500 years, we have two hunted species that have grouped (banded?) together for defense against humans. The question, for me, becomes whether this is learned behavior or directed behavior. On to chapter 3!

No, we are not all tied to a place like that. Consider kids of military parents (one or both). They move all the time, usually every 2 years. Then there are the kids like me. Single parent, who is always looking for the next "Love of their life." Or perhaps they just can't manage their money or aren't educated and can't find a job that pays well enough. Always moving from one place to another.

Edited to amend: I posted before I noticed that we were already on page 2 and Geron had answered the age-related question(s). Most off-world human colonies generally will keep both planetary time and Earth time. It can get quite confusing! It would be the (various) governments that would keep track of Earth time.

Such a lovely tale! The finding of love, the waiting, and the details of how to consummate their partnership. The restaurant and proposal. Then the ceremony with loving parents and guardian(s - can't forget Aunt Sally). Thank you, @drsawzall. My day is a little brighter now.

Hmm, Benteen was colonized 500 years ago but lost communication with Earth 300 years ago. I can see a digression in power sources within those 3 centuries, so not too surprising. Without easily obtainable fissionable materials (I am discounting fusion technology) or easily obtainable petroleum products (mention was of a dinosaur-like environment - not sure how long it takes to produce coal or oil), I can see steam power as an alternative power source. It seems that somehow certain technologies have survived. Computers and lasers, for instance. That's mostly silicon-based tech. Although, there must also be metals available to sustain not just the computer tech, but the generators for electricity and power transmission. No one seemed too alarmed at the calving of the sheet ice, so we can take that as it has happened enough times before to not worry about it. What seems to matter is the behavior of the Orx. Enough to give rise to speculation that the species is more intelligent than they think. ***** Good opening chapter, @Geron Kees. You have left us with a lot of detail that may or may not come into play, later on.

There is a strong indication that Adam may be gay. It's in the first letter Adam writes to Kai when discussing Kai's ex.

I have owned my home since the early 90s. I haven't paid any attention to rental costs. The only reason I know the assisted living costs is because we had to place my mother-in-law in one. She has now passed, but I kept abreast of those costs.

Um, stereotype Grandma? LOL!!! We have some places up here in Eye-Duh-Who that will simply "absorb" all your assets for the rest of your life... Most of the Assisted Living places near me charge $1500 - $2500 a month. The closer you get to any of our larger cities, the cost goes up almost exponentially.

I love the manner in which this story is growing. By the time our two protagonists are communicating, they are each getting strong emotions from the other. It's funny how writing a letter provides more than simply typing the words. There are subtle clues about a person in the manner of the written text that often do not come through when the words are typed. It will be interesting when these two finally meet.

The first problem with that is figuring out what to tell the parents. The next problem is Scott's growing feelings toward Justin.