Unnamed lensman/ culture fic.

[Micheal Ryans, Beta pilot]

This looks pretty good so far.

Keep up the good work.

[The Nomad]

A few elements :

Culture weapons' range are in the light-months at least.
Sensors have an absolute upper limit of 20 000 lys, but it all depends on you stealth tech and the "war fog" ( strategic jamming, energy emissions from a battle ) - from the OSF thread, I seriously doubt that GP ships could remain stealthy under a comformtable handful of lys.

According to my calculations IIRC a Culture ROU can dish out multi-gigaton firepower in under a microsecond.

IIRC it is stated in Excession that short of a black or white hole no natural phenomenon in the universe was a threat to a Culture ship. To me this means that with minor precaution a Culture ship could stand near ( read : some million or hundred of thousands of km ) a supernova ( BTW Necron, it was never stated that supernovae were a threat to Culture ships in their conflict with Idirans, while it's not the case with planets and orbitals - it appeared that Culture ships could not protect them while fighting Idirans, that's all ).

It is unlikely that shields would do anything to block a Displacer. Even if they're shielded against "subetheric" emissions ( which could perhaps work on effectors ), you'll have to convice me that there are enough similarities between a) a wormhole and an "emission" b) Lensmen's hyperspace and subether and Cultureverse hyperspace - according to the thread on OSF, it's far from being the case.

Ships apparently "phase in" hyperspace, and can remain here at will and track/destroy opponents in realspace. While this is of very little help against other Culture-level opponents, it is a formidable advantage against other universes.

[NecronLord]

( BTW Necron, it was never stated that supernovae were a threat to Culture ships in their conflict with Idirans, while it's not the case with planets and orbitals - it appeared that Culture ships could not protect them while fighting Idirans, that's all ).

By Excession they are a threat if the ship is unprepared. Now if you've got some proof that said preperations aren't running away, enlighten me with it.

[The Nomad]

( BTW Necron, it was never stated that supernovae were a threat to Culture ships in their conflict with Idirans, while it's not the case with planets and orbitals - it appeared that Culture ships could not protect them while fighting Idirans, that's all ).

By Excession they are a threat if the ship is unprepared. Now if you've got some proof that said preperations aren't running away, enlighten me with it.

I don't have the quote in English, but the paragraph in Excession, from what I remembered, clearly implied that the ship's defensive systems ( ie fields ) were enough to protect it from any natural phenomenon short of a black/white hole.
The translation could however have slightly modified the original thought of IMB, though. If you have the original quote, then please, provide it to me.

[NecronLord]

The Grey Area was fascinatedand appalled. It had grown up within a universe almost totally free from threat; providing you didn't try to do something utterly stupid like plunge into a black or white hole, there was simply no natural force that could threaten a ship of it's power and sophistication; even a supernova held little threat, handled properly.

Occams razor would dictate that the handling implied is to run away and let Inverse Square law do the rest, as that is the meathod which requires the least additional factors.

It's also interesting to note that nothing is said of hypernovae or active galaxy cores (though as the nearest quasar is 1.5 billion light years away, it's well out of the culture's reach)

[The Nomad]

The Grey Area was fascinatedand appalled. It had grown up within a universe almost totally free from threat; providing you didn't try to do something utterly stupid like plunge into a black or white hole, there was simply no natural force that could threaten a ship of it's power and sophistication; even a supernova held little threat, handled properly.

Occams razor would dictate that the handling implied is to run away and let Inverse Square law do the rest, as that is the meathod which requires the least additional factors.

Supernovae have some limited effect on the Grid ( that was in Consider Phlebas IIRC ). Perhaps the "handled correctly" comment was not to sit within hyperspace near a supernova without proper defenses on ( as even small waves in the Grid could be potentially more disastrous than the realspace emissions of the said supernova ) .
That's an non-negligible factor.
Besides, it is rather clear to me that the ship was referring to its defensive systems. "Power", to me, refers to brute offensive force and the amount of damage it is supposed to take. But that's rather subjective... think to it this way : most of Excession's technobabble/whatever was intended to compare the Culture to the Excession. And a Culture starship, whose defenses can perfectly shrug off supernovae, would be vaporised by the Excession's Gridfire... simple as hell, isn't it ?

It's also interesting to note that nothing is said of hypernovae or active galaxy cores (though as the nearest quasar is 1.5 billion light years away, it's well out of the culture's reach)

Wouldn't an hypernova cause massive life extinction throughout entire sectors of the galaxy ? It is unlikely that such an event take commonly place in the Cultureverse's galaxy ( a Culture ship would be far more likely to encounter shitloads of supernovae and black holes in its entire lifespan ), life seems far too widespread and we'd have been told of a disaster of such magnitude... but who knows ?
Galaxy cores are mostly black holes, last time I checked...

[NecronLord]

I have no way of knowing what the effects of a supernova on the grid are. As far as einstinen physics all that would happen in hyperspace would be the gravity well expands while loosing intensity. As far as I can tell the simplest explanation is that they get far enough away. Say a couple of AU...

A quasar is a galactic core black hole that is consuming it's galaxy, and outputs about IIRC 1e12 - 1e14 times the sun's output. (in X rays and output from the accretion disk)
no hypernovae have ever been observed in our galaxy AFAIK... fortunately.

I'm just wondering what either of them would do to an ROU.

[Morat]

Interesting story. I'm looking forward to the rest.

As for the effects of supernovas on Culture vessels, I think their fields could handle it at a fairly close range (relatively speaking). After all, if the defense was to run away, then black and white holes would also pose no threat to Culture ships. They'd be even easier to run away from.

[Currald]

A quasar is a galactic core black hole that is consuming it's galaxy, and outputs about IIRC 1e12 - 1e14 times the sun's output. (in X rays and output from the accretion disk)

??? I thought a quasar was like a young galaxy... Or did the paradigm shift while I wasn't watching?

[NecronLord]

??? I thought a quasar was like a young galaxy... Or did the paradigm shift while I wasn't watching?

It's probably possible for a smallish galaxy to form from the particles emitted from the accretion disk.



Quasar FAQ

[Currald]

Thanks for the FAQ!

[FBHthelizardmage]

ETA for next chapter tommarow or thursday.

[FBHthelizardmage]

Some hours latter

“Yes I’m sure I want to stay.”

“I really would advice against it. Even with your face changed, more than a casual scan from an effector would pick up who you are. The enemy doesn’t seem to share our views on scanning the brains of biological life forms.“

“I can’t just leave! The entire galaxy may be being invaded, but this is the only place we’ve seen significant activity. They, whoever they are, have to be doing something important here, If I can mess it up for them it will be worth staying. “

“You could also be killed.”

“Life is risk.”

“Very well. I must depart now, the enemy is already investing the system.”

“Good luck. “

“And to you. But I won’t need it.”

The Adjuster’s avatar image faded from the screen.
Terrilia sighed and began assembling her equipment.

System Edge

The Super Dreadnaughts and Maulers which made up the Patrol’s first wave saw the Attitude Adjuster just as its first missile arrived on top of them. The planet killing fury of the first missile cluster blew a Super Dreadnaught to atoms and striped the screens from a pair of near by Maulers.

The fleet was spread though real and both levels of hyperspaces. The Patrol had mastered getting into Infra and Ultra space, but had been unable to miniaturise the technology enough for a practical ship drive. So they had hit on simply dropping fleets into all three mediums, they out numbered the culture enough to make such a vessel-heavy solution practical. However, there were still problems, as the Patrol now found.

The Attitude Adjuster dodged through the five dimensional maze of beams and missiles with the skill of long practice. It was red lining its engines for speed, and though still slower in terms of travel speed was flying rings round the (somewhat lumbering by culture standards) Lensman craft.

But the Lensmen craft were closing in. Gradually its escape roots closed. If the galactic patrol computers had been self aware they would have smiled, There was nowhere to run. Then the Culture ship split into 20 then 200 then 2000 as the culture warship deployed its Decoys.

But it wouldn’t get away, the galactic patrol fleet was to fast for that. One by one the images were blasted by beams and super atomic missiles until none remained. The galactic patrolmen overseeing the battle congratulated themselves on their first successful battle.

Near the grid, a small shape moved. Its fields pulling it along at a cautious 10,000 C. its sensors watched the hornets nest it had created behind.
He! He! thought that Attitude Adjuster.

BOOK TWO: The War of Two Universes.
Across the galaxy battle suddenly raged, swarms of Galactic Patrol battle craft engaging the scattered, some what shocked and heavily outnumbered forces of the Culture.

Neither side had really planned this. The Culture had not even known of the Galactic Patrol a month earlier. Now it was being blitzed by billions of alien vessels.

The Patrol on the other hand was losing far more of its fleets than it had anticipated. Even with thirty years intelligence many Galactic Patrol planners had not really comprehended how capable in war even a Culture GCU was. And further, their plans had gone wrong. Surprise, which should have been total, had not been. In some places the Culture forces had up to a week’s warning of the attacks levelled at them.

The planners on both sides took stock of the war and came to one conclusion: it was going to be bloody.

[Micheal Ryans, Beta pilot]

Attitude Adjuster is one cheeky ship.

And that last line is right, its going to be bloody.

[Singular Quartet]

And that last line is right, its going to be bloody.

It most certianly is.

[FBHthelizardmage]

B] Culture Orbital Broken Dawn [/B]
Uegan Velng, the local human head of Contact section (if anyone could be called head of any Culture organisation), looked down from the module’s window at the mass of construction going on around the orbital’s rim and lower surface.

Hundreds of billions of drones and millions of pieces of heavy equipment moved across the surfaces, emplacing warping units, heavy thrusters, and the massive fields that would be necessary to pull the gigantic structure along the grid.

Broken Dawn was leaving this system, current simulations showed preparation for FTL flight would take about a day.

In Uegan’s opinion it couldn’t come too soon. The enemy (this Galactic patrol) had already made three attempts to destroy the orbital, all unsuccessful. The sooner they were safely in the uncharted regions of interstellar space the better.

The first enemy strike had come some 6 hours after the warning. Broken Dawn was a fairly obvious target, its last hub had been some what of an obsessive about making things so the ring carried upwards of three times the usual amount of industry. Currently most of it was turned over to war production.
The enemy's first strike had consisted of a Rocky planet thrown at the system’s star. The rocky sphere was thrown through some kind of worm hole like event, which according to the sensor of the GCU which had been close enough to scan it, linked through the grid into some other universe. Which at least confirmed the invaders’ origin. One of the two militated GCUs in system had blow it apart with a swarm of CCAM missiles. As its drive system was destroyed the debris from the planet began to show some interesting properties, the most interesting being acceleration to what might eventually have been translight speed.

Some deft use of weaponry and fields had prevented any of the chunks from damaging the star, but the planets strange behaviour was the topic of much speculation among the various humans, drones and minds in the system.

The best theory so far was the planet hailed from some radically different universe where everything had a velocity of multiple time light speed.

The second strike had aimed at the orbital, and took the form of a large sphere of something. The stuff had some of the properties of anti matter, it spewed out energy when matter touched it, but unlike normal AM it didn’t use it self up, but rather converted the matter into, well more strange anti matter like stuff.

The sphere had been fielded before it struck the ring by the hub’s quick redeployment of the fields it would soon use to travel in hyper space. It caught the sphere and dumped it back into a stable orbit. It was still there, with several ships shepherding and pocking at it with their sensors.

The display in the module he was riding suddenly flash red, and an alarm began to ring. “Warning “ the module said, “Enemy forces have entered the system!”
Uegan sighed, he had to get a melodramatic module to ride round in. The tiny craft was heading back towards the orbital, for all Uegan knew the battle might already have been over....

Outer system
The Battle was basically over, the last of the enemy recon ships became a radiation shell as a nano hole missile hit it.

The three militarised GCUs (and slew of small weapons platforms that the orbital had spewed out for system defence on short notice), continued scan the area as they curved back to their patrol positions.

The GOU Burning Flesh! Burning Flesh! HAHAHAHA! lay in the system oart cloud and configured itself as if it were a rock. It was the defence’s ace in the hole, and the only real warship. Currently it was watching the feed from one of the long range sensor that had been laid in interstellar space ‘near’ the system. A large force of enemy ships (upwards of 10,000) was approaching the system at a relatively slow (for the enemy’s massively fast drive) 300,000 C.

The reason for their slow pace was the six killer class ROUs harrying them.

The warning of the Galactic patrols impending assault had come about 14 hours before.
The admirals and Gray-Lensmen commanding the Patrol fleet had initially not been too worried about this, a half a day of warning to their initial targets would give the Culture time to redeploy but not much else.

But 14 hours was a long time for a mind.....


To keep up with the much faster Galactic Patrol ships, the Culture had quickly come up with a displacer unit big enough to hold an ROU’s 300 meter length. The great thing about the new unit was that it could clasp down to a sphere less than the bulk of an ROU.... This meant that at least within the displacer 2500 light year range the Culture vessels could travel instantly from one displacer to another and back.

The six Culture warships were currently not attempting to face down the armada head on. Eventually they and the system defences would have to, but for now they were content to launch long range missiles, and lay fields of nasty stealthy mines.

Defiance flag ship of Lensman attack fleet 9822

“GOD DAMN MINES!!!!” William Brass slammed one fist into his desk. It hurt but he hardly noticed. Another five ships to the last field, and not a sight of the enemy.

“ You mustn't blame yourself.” The room’s other occupant was a Palanian. The creature’s environment suit was a mass of frost and the air around it thick with condensing water vapour . “There is nothing effective we can do about them. Pushing pickets out any further would just make them targets.“

“You’re right I suppose...” Brass winced and shook his hand as he looked at the palanian admiral “Ow... but it just galls me to be so helpless. ”

“Helpless? It is they who are helpless, they have no way of stopping us short of our objective. If they had the numbers to engage us, they would have done so. “

“Still, I don’t like to keep losing ships. If the Culture ever gets into full swing we’re going to need them...”

“ I fear William, that if the Culture gets into full swing five or five hundred ships more or less aren’t going to change the outcome one bit. “

[Micheal Ryans, Beta pilot]

It looks like a major battles on the cards.

[Singular Quartet]

Just going to point out a few things...

Hundreds of billions of drones and millions of pieces of heavy equipment moved across the surfaces, emplacing warping units, heavy thrusters, and the massive fields that would be necessary to pull the gigantic structure along the grid.

In the idrian war, the Cutlure were known to flat out destoryed their own orbitals in a sort of scortched Earth policy. Whether or not it was because they couldn't move them or not is unknown.

Broken Dawn was leaving this system, current simulations showed preparation for FTL flight would take about a day.

This would only have worked if the the hub had been extremely paranoid about this sort of thing, and made preparations specifically for it. Given that this orbital appears to be a major industrial center, and with the Idrian war so recent, I can believe it. I'd mention some ofthe more intresting things that could be done with an orbital and to much spare time, but I don't feel like it.

In Uegan’s opinion it couldn’t come too soon. The enemy (this Galactic patrol) had already made three attempts to destroy the orbital, all unsuccessful. The sooner they were safely in the uncharted regions of interstellar space the better.

An orbital's fairly large (14E6 km, IIRC) so its still going ot be noticeable in interstellar space.

The display in the module he was riding suddenly flash red, and an alarm began to ring. “Warning “ the module said, “Enemy forces have entered the system!”
Uegan sighed, he had to get a melodramatic module to ride round in.

GOU Burning Flesh! Burning Flesh! HAHAHAHA!

Now that's a ship name!

To keep up with the much faster Galactic Patrol ships, the Culture had quickly come up with a displacer unit big enough to hold an ROU’s 300 meter length. The great thing about the new unit was that it could clasp down to a sphere less than the bulk of an ROU.... This meant that at least within the displacer 2500 light year range the Culture vessels could travel instantly from one displacer to another and back.

Not sure if that'll work or not, although it does seem reasonable. Sleeper Service would have had to turn sginificant portions of tis own mass into engine in order to get objects displaced outside of another ship's range. I would suggest lowering that number by a thousand or more.

The six Culture warships were currently not attempting to face down the armada head on. Eventually they and the system defences would have to, but for now they were content to launch long range missiles, and lay fields of nasty stealthy mines.

Sneaky bastards. Sound about right.

“Still, I don’t like to keep losing ships. If the Culture ever gets into full swing we’re going to need them...”

“ I fear William, that if the Culture gets into full swing five or five hundred ships more or less aren’t going to change the outcome one bit. “

You are correct sir.

[Stormin]

Just going to point out a few things...

Hundreds of billions of drones and millions of pieces of heavy equipment moved across the surfaces, emplacing warping units, heavy thrusters, and the massive fields that would be necessary to pull the gigantic structure along the grid.

In the idrian war, the Cutlure were known to flat out destoryed their own orbitals in a sort of scortched Earth policy. Whether or not it was because they couldn't move them or not is unknown.

They can move orbitals. the reason they blew up that particular orbital was to make a point. The Idarians had originally promised not to occupy the orbital and would let the civ population stay put. Later they changed their mind and declared that the orbital was to become a military base for the idiaran war effort after all.
Blowing the orbital up in such an artful manner was the cultures way of showing once and for all the extents of their scorched earth policy.
(excuse spelling)

[HRogge]

Just going to point out a few things...
An orbital's fairly large (14E6 km, IIRC) so its still going ot be noticeable in interstellar space.

but the mass/volume of a ring/orbital is nothing compared to a star. It may be long, but it's increddible thin ( compared to astronomical objects ).

Not sure if that'll work or not, although it does seem reasonable. Sleeper Service would have had to turn sginificant portions of tis own mass into engine in order to get objects displaced outside of another ship's range. I would suggest lowering that number by a thousand or more.

The Sleepers Service could build a displacer inside it's mobile hull... imagine what a fixed displacer unit in an orbital could do...


VERY nice story !

[Singular Quartet]

Just going to point out a few things...

Hundreds of billions of drones and millions of pieces of heavy equipment moved across the surfaces, emplacing warping units, heavy thrusters, and the massive fields that would be necessary to pull the gigantic structure along the grid.

In the idrian war, the Cutlure were known to flat out destoryed their own orbitals in a sort of scortched Earth policy. Whether or not it was because they couldn't move them or not is unknown.

They can move orbitals. the reason they blew up that particular orbital was to make a point. The Idarians had originally promised not to occupy the orbital and would let the civ population stay put. Later they changed their mind and declared that the orbital was to become a military base for the idiaran war effort after all.
Blowing the orbital up in such an artful manner was the cultures way of showing once and for all the extents of their scorched earth policy.
(excuse spelling)

Ah, forgot about that.

[Singular Quartet]

Not sure if that'll work or not, although it does seem reasonable. Sleeper Service would have had to turn sginificant portions of tis own mass into engine in order to get objects displaced outside of another ship's range. I would suggest lowering that number by a thousand or more.

The Sleepers Service could build a displacer inside it's mobile hull... imagine what a fixed displacer unit in an orbital could do...

True, and that was also to get outside of another ship's sensor range. The slight problem is that we also don't know how powerful the ship that was following SS had for a sensor range.

[HRogge]

Just noticed something... *evil grin*

with a displacer unit big enough to hold an ROU’s 300 meter length. The great thing about the new unit was that it could clasp down to a sphere less than the bulk of an ROU....

It seems they could use their new "mass"-displacer to transport a displacer unit ! So even a pair of them could work together to travel a huge amount of distance...

[FBHthelizardmage]

Just going to point out a few things...

In the idrian war, the Cutlure were known to flat out destoryed their own orbitals in a sort of scortched Earth policy. Whether or not it was because they couldn't move them or not is unknown.

I'm pretty sure they can. I took this from the end of consider philbus.

This would only have worked if the the hub had been extremely paranoid about this sort of thing, and made preparations specifically for it. Given that this orbital appears to be a major industrial center, and with the Idrian war so recent, I can believe it. I'd mention some ofthe more intresting things that could be done with an orbital and to much spare time, but I don't feel like it.

who can acount for the taste of a mind?

An orbital's fairly large (14E6 km, IIRC) so its still going ot be noticeable in interstellar space.

well yes, but remember the patrols sensor tech is not very good compared to either the cultures, or the culture stealth. If an orbital isn't where its suposed to be, barring a luck break they won't find it.

Not sure if that'll work or not, although it does seem reasonable. Sleeper Service would have had to turn sginificant portions of tis own mass into engine in order to get objects displaced outside of another ship's range. I would suggest lowering that number by a thousand or more.

Well I'm pretty sure that 2500 light years is the cannon number for a big enough displacer....

[NecronLord]

Just noticed something... *evil grin*

with a displacer unit big enough to hold an ROU’s 300 meter length. The great thing about the new unit was that it could clasp down to a sphere less than the bulk of an ROU....

It seems they could use their new "mass"-displacer to transport a displacer unit ! So even a pair of them could work together to travel a huge amount of distance...

I thought that was what they were doing, cruising at velocity X then the second from last would leapfrog the last into 5th place, then 4 would move it to 4 then 3 would move it to 3 2 to 2 1 to 1 and start again, crossing 2500 * 10 Ly (25,000 Ly) in a matter of a second at most.