A plot twist prediction attempt...

Okay, this is just a speculative attempt to predict the possible future plot twist. But IMHO, in the next book(s):

The Archangels would return, but found themselves unable to control the Rakurai array.

My speculation is based on the Charisian current re-armament, and throughout description of their new weaponry & ships. After all, if we have a gun in the plot, it should be fired at some point (A. Chekov), so I really doubt that all those descriptions of coll new Charisian battleships and airships are just to make book bigger

Problem is, that if Archangel's would return, all brand-new Charisian hardware would means nothing. Even if Archangels decided to play on Merlin's rules (i.e. just give technological ideas to their proxies), any relaxation of technological restrictions would make Charis current weaponry irrelevant. Basically, if you could use electricity, you could make anti-ship missile for blowing battleships.

So, the only scenario under which the current Charisian weapons & technology would have any practical use, is if both sides are locked on pre-electrical level. And the only reason why Archangels might do that, is if they aren't sure that Rakurai Array would not start to bombard THEM and their proxies, if they move too far.

After all, we already knew quite a bit of... strange things about Rakurai array:

* It did not react in any significant way on the discovery of Owl SNARC's nearby - SNARC's that obviously behaved quite suspiciously.

* In basically ignored Merlin's steam experiment.

* According to Wylsynn's family legend, the "mightiest weapon of God" could be activated only by putting the Stone (which probably contained Schueller's own personality recording) into the control panel inside the Temple. And those instructions are known ONLY to Wylsynn's. No one else in the whole Church hierarchy - including Clyntahn, who obviously knew... quite a bit more, than most of others - no one else have any clues about such things.

So, my speculations:

Before Archangel's departed, Schueller sabotaged the Temple control over the Rakurai array. He deactivated the return feedback from satellites, and changed access to the system, so only he - in therms of his own stored personality on the Stone - could activate the array. When Archangel's would return in future book(s), they would found themselves unable to actually control the Rakurai Array, and - fearing the possible reaction against THEM - would be forced to "play the game by the book", i.e. using their pre-electrical proxies.

Definitely an amusing alternative.

phillies wrote:Definitely an amusing alternative.

Well, extrapolation, to be exact, of the known data.

Rakurai didn't react on SNARCs on planet.
Both SNARCs near Rakurai were destroyed by Rakurai defensive systems.

Dalin wrote:Rakurai didn't react on SNARCs on planet.
Both SNARCs near Rakurai were destroyed by Rakurai defensive systems.

Or react to SNARCs in orbit or moving around in space or signals from the miniaturized data collectors to SNARCs in orbit, etc.

The Rakurai did react to a penetration attempt within some presently ill-defined defensive perimeter/sphere. That could be a defense system that reacts to objects that are within a certain distance and/or closing on the array's position without alerting the Temple/asking for permission.

It makes some sense as you don't want to put extra time into the command loop by asking for permission to fire from the Temple. Shoot anything close or on an intercept vector makes sense for a defensive system. Particularly one where you don't expect any "good" guys to be around but worry about potential hidden "bad" guys you missed during the War of the Fallen.

What has the Inner Circle worried is any sensible system would have also done an after-action report. Which should mean some response from the Temple. But so far as they can tell, nothing happened or woke up.

Which leads them to the conclusion that something is broken in the system Chihiro and/or Schuler set up. They're just not sure what and are afraid of what the limits are that might wake something under the Temple up.

Dalin wrote:Rakurai didn't react on SNARCs on planet.
Both SNARCs near Rakurai were destroyed by Rakurai defensive systems.

As I stated, it did not react of SNARC's nearby in any significant way. Basically, it just blasted them out of existence, and did nothing more. It did not send an alarm signal to the Temple, and it did not start the active scanning, searching for more unauthorized SNARC's in Safehold air & space. Which is basically what it should do, logically. While the unauthorized SNARC flight by itself is of little consequences, the attempt of high-stealth SNARC to penetrate Rakurai Array defense perimeter was clearly suspicious.

Dilandu wrote:Okay, this is just a speculative attempt to predict the possible future plot twist. But IMHO, in the next book(s):

The Archangels would return, but found themselves unable to control the Rakurai array.

My speculation is based on the Charisian current re-armament, and throughout description of their new weaponry & ships. After all, if we have a gun in the plot, it should be fired at some point (A. Chekov), so I really doubt that all those descriptions of coll new Charisian battleships and airships are just to make book bigger

Problem is, that if Archangel's would return, all brand-new Charisian hardware would means nothing. Even if Archangels decided to play on Merlin's rules (i.e. just give technological ideas to their proxies), any relaxation of technological restrictions would make Charis current weaponry irrelevant. Basically, if you could use electricity, you could make anti-ship missile for blowing battleships.

So, the only scenario under which the current Charisian weapons & technology would have any practical use, is if both sides are locked on pre-electrical level. And the only reason why Archangels might do that, is if they aren't sure that Rakurai Array would not start to bombard THEM and their proxies, if they move too far.

After all, we already knew quite a bit of... strange things about Rakurai array:

* It did not react in any significant way on the discovery of Owl SNARC's nearby - SNARC's that obviously behaved quite suspiciously.

* In basically ignored Merlin's steam experiment.

* According to Wylsynn's family legend, the "mightiest weapon of God" could be activated only by putting the Stone (which probably contained Schueller's own personality recording) into the control panel inside the Temple. And those instructions are known ONLY to Wylsynn's. No one else in the whole Church hierarchy - including Clyntahn, who obviously knew... quite a bit more, than most of others - no one else have any clues about such things.

So, my speculations:

Before Archangel's departed, Schueller sabotaged the Temple control over the Rakurai array. He deactivated the return feedback from satellites, and changed access to the system, so only he - in therms of his own stored personality on the Stone - could activate the array. When Archangel's would return in future book(s), they would found themselves unable to actually control the Rakurai Array, and - fearing the possible reaction against THEM - would be forced to "play the game by the book", i.e. using their pre-electrical proxies.

Posted last week:

Whacky theory--going way out on a limb. Schueler was on the fence with the Langhorne plan, following orders prior to the rakurai attack on Pei Shan-Wei. After that, he joined Kau-Yung. BUT, he followed the same archetype as Duchairn, pretending to go along with Chihiro, knowing the only way to defeat Chihiro was from right next to him. AT some key point, he got control of the Rakurai and that kept Chihiro in check.

(bold added)


Welcome to the conspiracy.

More likely that Schueler sabotaged the systems control center. The entire system needs the KEY to unlock/release the OBS. It can only be used once. After that the system is open and can be directed by duly approved users. I further suspect that there is a digital personality included to ride herd on the CoGA's control of the OBS.

I did suggest this before, Dilandu

Last I checked I wasn't a Russian geneticist, no matter how interesting he might be.

SilverbladeTE wrote:I did suggest this before, Dilandu