Mike Carss

Yeeeah. 😅 I'll admit the physics and how the moon travels across the sky really requires the reader to suspend their disbelief. I'll just wave my jazz hands and say "it's a fa-a-a-antasy story."

If the pactrids and human allies can cross the sea to this new land, I think they'll be safe from the Anberans. After all, the Anberans will have no idea where the pactrids went if they suddenly disappear in a mass exodus.

Indeed. If anyone was curious why this novel was called "The Roaming Sea" yet the story had nothing to do with the sea, now you understand. In film terms, consider it a very late title card. 😄

I've received some criticism in the past that I don't provide enough worldbuilding detail in my stories. I have a love/hate relationship when it comes to worldbuilding. It's a fun exercise, but can quickly devolve into a massive tome of information that ultimately becomes useless to me. I also prefer to hint at details. Yes, this requires the reader to infer or assume information, but I prefer doing that than flatly stating facts. I am trying to change that "habit" though, such as the information dump Callum receives from Eleanor after she breaks him free from gaol. In any case, you've taken the time to ask such interesting questions, so I'll try my best to answer them. It would depend on who they heard it from. Coming from a fellow human, there's a greater chance to believe it. But in Callum's case (being told by a pactrid), doubt is a healthy reaction. Unfortunately, yes. The majority of the population have drunk the kool-aid, so to speak. Again, keep in mind that from their point of view, the "truth" is fact. As readers, we know very early on this is a fascist society and not to be trusted, but Anberans don't know any better. It also doesn't help that fear is a powerful motivator, and does a good job to keep people in line. I believe the upcoming final act will answer this question to your satisfaction. On a technological and societal level, I'd say they're not that much different to Anberans. Of course, the pactrids aren't fascists, and their respect for nature is paramount, dictating how they live. They don't have large cities, only small towns and villages. No, their special abilities are limited to what you've witnessed. It's possible, but given that the rebels/refugees are essentially segregated in their villages, I'd say it's a rare thing. Keep in mind that a gotachi performs the reverse (reads their mind/intents) on any human they capture. Yes, that's not the same thing, but that would explain why Rym seemed confident his own ability to share memories would work with Callum. Haha! Right? The language barrier problem isn't for a lack of interest or want. It's a lack of a teacher. As mentioned above, they're segregated from the pactrids. The next chapter shows their willingness to learn. Thanks again for your questions. It means a lot that my story has captured your imagination. 💗

Life in Brookside required time for Callum to adjust. Everyone’s pace was unhurried, and if a chore wasn’t completed by sundown, the general consensus was ‘there’s always tomorrow.’ That’s not to say nothing was ever completed, though. Despite the relaxed atmosphere, duties and responsibilities were never neglected. At first, Callum grappled with the perception of himself as a hindrance. While the doctor, Gerald, appreciated the fact Callum could assist him, he didn’t have any need for an

Ettor proved to be a harsh and unforgiving travel companion. They pushed hard, stopping only to gather fresh water from a stream. Despite the trooper’s malcontent, he imparted a portion of his rations to Callum upon discovering he had nothing to eat. Callum bashfully accepted it, feeling foolish for so poorly planning his escape from Anbera. With everything that had transpired in the past twenty-four hours, packing food hadn’t crossed his mind. “We’ll stop here for the night,” Ettor announ

To be fair, it's not like he had a chance. He wasn't planning on getting chased into the forest and immediately running into a squad of pactrids. (Sure, he could've slipped those things into a pocket rather than the bottom of his sack, but this was done to keep tension within the reader going as long as possible. 😉)

Indeed. It seems each time Callum encounters new pactrids and shows he's not a threat, they aren't immediately blinded by hate of his kind. A noble trait. Ettor is a grump, but he's a soldier, not an escort.

Despite the pactrids size, strength, and resiliency, the humans still have the advantage of numbers. Their strategy is more akin to guerrilla warfare. More often than not, they're forced into a defensive position, using their dwindling forest as a form of cover. They have been losing this war slowly but surely -- an important fact that will shape the story to come.

“Did you get everything you wanted at your apartment?” Eleanor asked once the city walls were at their backs in the distance. As a precautionary measure, they kept to the open fields, away from the road. “Yeah, luckily,” Callum replied. “Who do you think broke into my place?” She gave him a conspicuous glare, as though it were obvious. “They’re not idiots. They know about those pactrid passes. You made it back, which means you were given one. In the wrong hands, they can do serious d

It's difficult to put yourself in their mindset when this way of life is all they know. Also, it's been shown that thinking otherwise is considered cowardly. It's a very jingoistic society. Check out my reply to Salerion above. As far as we know, yes.

That's just fake news. 😏

Unfortunately a transporter can't send someone anywhere. They need to have been there beforehand. Yeah, those numbers are nearly beyond comprehension. Their government provides monetary incentives for people to procreate. Sadly, it seems to be working.

I think trusting in Eleanor is a safe bet. 😄 Indeed. They've done well in keeping hidden in plain sight using moles within the military, and likely elsewhere, keeping their ears open for whispers of dissent.

Without a view of the sun or moon, the passing of time was impossible to determine. Callum had fitfully dozed off, only to realise the corridor lamp—his only source of light—had guttered out. Another distant flicker continued to burn beyond his line of sight, however, revealing a confusing sight. Something was sitting near the bottom of his cell door. The shape moved, tapping softly against the metal bars. He recoiled in shock, banging his head against the wall. “Hidaro,” the shape whisper

First, I have to say that it's an absolute joy to take in the ponderings and musings of readers brought on by my stories. Thank you, everyone. 💗 As you and others have stated, there are a lot of unknowns here. That's by design. This is third-person limited fiction, with an emphasis on limited. My characters rarely have all the answers. It allows the reader to consider the scant facts provided and come to their own conclusions. Clues are provided as we go along (some more subtle than others), but it's rare that I'll provide all the answers. Like real life, we can't know all the facts of our world -- certainly when it comes to those who control our world. Indeed. You would think someone as high a rank as colonel would know the truth of the war, but as you've surmised, Wrenn seems as surprised as Callum. Is his reaction genuine or subterfuge? This is an interesting point. In hindsight, I should've heightened Wrenn's distrust of Callum -- thinking Callum was somehow under control of the pactrids and could be considered a mole. What we know, however, is that anyone captured by pactrids are interrogated by a gotachi and then either sentenced to death or freed. The difference with Callum was his request to return home. The gotachi Neva is initially taken aback by the request, revealing that it's unlikely a human ever asked that before. Pactrids accept humans like Callum as refugees, never to return to Anbera. From the Anberan's point of view, those people are considered dead or missing in action. Like many fantasy stories, they often provide commentary on our modern world. In this case, wood to them is oil to us. It's a very flexible resource, yes, but our civilization is addicted/reliant to it. (In the case of oil, this is much to the detriment of our health and environment.) Of course, it's also commentary on how we clear-cut forests unsustainably. Once again, thanks for taking the time to write such a thorough comment.

The question remains: how intrusive would this reeducation be? And will he have the opportunity to play along before he is "no longer burdened by these troubling thoughts," as Colonel Wrenn put it.

Indeed. And you guys called it last chapter, too. Callum has now realized -- too late -- that he should've been more cautious and kept him mouth shut.

From the moment Callum laid his head on the pillow, he slept like the dead—an empty lapse of memory between then and now. Shafts of sunlight streamed through gaps in the curtains, swaying gently in the breeze of the open window. He’d been dreaming. The details were a haze, but Rym was there, smiling. Something had interrupted his dream, woken him. Before having a moment to consider it, a banging on his door startled him. Still muddleheaded from sleep, he nearly tripped over his own feet tr

The journey north to the front lines entailed two more days of travel. At first, being free of the rope leash felt wrong, but that subsided a few hours into the hike. Callum’s earlier comment about them simply being travellers seemed prophetic. It felt good walking side by side as equals. The friendly warmth Rym had shown Callum back at the outpost, however, had dissipated. He wasn’t ornery or cryptic with his words as before. Instead, he pulled from a narrow emotional palette, sprinkled w

Your memory is correct. As we've discovered, Callum is terribly ignorant of the facts, but as far as he knows, all trees have been harvested on Anbera land. The few he'd seen in the city were cordoned off -- almost like statues. Why haven't they planted new trees? Perhaps they have, but clearly their need outweighs the wait required for the trees to mature. Anyway, why wait when you can continue to clear-cut what's already there? 🙄 It's utter idiocy. Technologically speaking, if they explored other avenues, I'm sure they could tamp down their insatiable need for lumber. But why do that when it's so easy to obtain? (In case there's any doubt, yes, I'm being wholly sarcastic.) 😉

Perhaps a better question could be: what will it take to change his mind? This question also compliments the comment from @VBlew above. Even with all the evidence before him, Callum still has a hard time believing it.

There's no question Callum is torn about his decision. It can't be easy.

Indeed. It's a mix of idealism and naive hope that sharing his newfound knowledge could open the eyes of his people. The outcome will be revealed next week.