Episode 14 SPOILERS and Finale Predictions

I had 2 hours sleep last night. I kept reading up until the point that just keeping one eye open was too much. I fell asleep and jump started myself back awake 4 times before I gave up on it. Finished it this morning and beginning re-read.

Deliberatly Unspoilery spoilers

I agree with Justin, shields good. Little anticlimax tic in they're one use so far, but it's a satisfying feeling knowing that finally vlad doesn't have to worry so much about repairing hulls 🙂

Super Falcon! Out of nowhere and into my wildest dreams. Will miss the building hopping though.

Expecting great things from the attack ships now.

What happened to Nash was so cruel. Considering what Rossele got left with! Poor Poc was pretty much scouting the jung on his own!!! Actually i think it'd him I feel the most sorry for.

I think Tilli needs to either get help from someone smart or have his people checked for the nani's. I mean everything should work first time!!!

Oh my god Dumar is a god damn genius #trogian horse 101

Havibite with a scruffy beard for some reason stands out? We all remember haven right? Planet of no hope, where indemtured people go to di-pay off there debts? I agree that it's sircumspect but no way a leading character who was all but confirned to be dead could still be alive!

For Ep15 I would like to see old takaran recruits abandoned in place at the end of they're terms making an appearance in the PC Alliance. They're were enough of them.

Given that in atmo defense is still a priority, I suspect that there will be either modifications to the Kalibri platform to provide jump cover or a new atmo jump platform. Something that they can launch from a space carrier in low orbit. They still have to liberate worlds, so this will be a necessity.

I don't know about the JKKVs. Seems pretty... crappy... to me. Having to run up a ship to a sizable fraction of c? Quantity does have a quality all its own, but when the effectiveness drops... eh? No thanks. Let's just hope the fault was due to a peeper. That can be easily fixed.

Trojan horse? Do you mean the Jar-Whatever allied ship broadsiding the Jung? Wasn't that Roselle's idea?

As for Tug - the data core copies were rigged to explode when he died. There was no explosion when he died, and someone would have noticed and mentioned by now if their estate went up in a fireball. My guess? Clone or something else they found and used out of the data core. Maybe just a reprogrammed Ghatazhack that had his face reconstructed.

On other notes:

Jessica seemed kind of out of it again. She did a crappy job in 13 and now she's going off and threatening Ghatazhack?

Given that the Karuzara's days of jumping are over, I fully expect to see a gigantic ZPED and shields installed. Two reasons for this. 1) It IS a vulnerable target. Without jump it could easily be taken via the thinner layers of crust.
2) The ZPED would prevent a boarding team from jumping away with a drive when they are within range of the asteroid. By putting several large ZPEDs on board, they could prevent that and power some crazy powerful shields.

Atmospheric Fighters - The Combat Jump Shuttles are still a thing, they just have precious few of them. I Imagine a future Super Eagle will be redesigned to have a micro jump drive and be the atmospheric jump fighter of choice (as I imagine the Falcons are all going to be upgraded to Super Falcons)

Trojan Horse - first to collect the Jung Troops - That was Dumar's Idea, (and now that I think of it, the alliance did that in Savoy as well, still it was funny to see that it worked so well) with the battleship after that I will give that to Roselle, but its just a continuation of the previous charade.

I think that Roselle is a good choice for a Battleship Captain. I couldn't understand why an obnoxious loud-mouth was next in line for an Explorer class! (Especially with the stated mission profile of diplomatic vessels / back up to the Defender class)

Captain Poc & Commander Willard for Frigate Captains?

I'm glad someone noticed (Deliza) how bad the Falcon losses were, becoming a fighter pilot in the Alliance was practically a death sentence. The new Super Falcon seems a bit over powered in this story though, it took out the frigates so easily.

Actually I think the final battle read like it had huge parts edited out. Why wasn't the S-Falcon taking point defence fire and only missiles? Why did the Aurora jump into battle at such close range when Nathan so often jumps in to light seconds or minutes out to assess the situation before making an attack jump? Why did the Aurora loose all her forward jump emitters in the first volley from the Jung battleship when in all other battles there has been enough redundancy to last longer. Why did the Jung battleship even get the first shots off at the Aurora. There was no closure on what happened with the missing JKKV, do we just assume it missed, but Tilli couldn't confirm the self destruct?

Sorry, to be picky, I did thoroughly enjoy the read and I had trouble putting it down to get some sleep 🙂

The super eagles do look like the best bet to take over the atmospheric air support role, although it's looking like any significant ground invasions will be on hold for the time being for the lack of infantry, or perhaps the infantry school the Ghatazhak had on Earth will start turning out some recruits.

During the withdrawal on Kohara, it was remarked several times how surprising it was the Jung soldiers were appearing on the front lines so quickly and in numbers, I thought it was leading somewhere like the Jung had stealth transports or something crazy, I guess it was just tunnels they were using after all?

We have seen the Jung use Tunnel systems before on Earth, so I'm not surprises to see it was not an isolated incident. I particularly liked how the Jung built a massive tunnel system in a system they had control of for decades!!!

And now the Jung Ground forces remind me of sewer rats...

Exactly! Sewer Rats! And what's the best way to get rats to leave the sewer? A flood. (Or in Sci Fi, glassing the planet.)

That's where I got the idea. In nature, animals sense a catastrophe and leave before that catastrophe happens. So I figured the best way to get the Jung to leave Kohara willing was to have one of their own tell them that Kohara was about to be glassed.

Hell, I'd leave.

Nash I think although she seemed like a spoilt teenager, this time I think it showed character progression form the last book. also she has been operating with out I would say a mentor since the beginning of the serious although Nathan out ranked he always gave her a lot of freedom, which I think has lead to her current attitude and may be why she wasn't picked in the first place for a long term undercover roll she need to get some experience. I think Tallios is now becoming that Mentor for her.

Yes Jess needed a slap down, she had the rank to stop most people from doing it. But Jess will use Telles to get Gatazack training, then Telles has no excuse to leave her behind on missions. Telles doesn't know what he just did...

I cannot wait to see what reaction the insignificant others have to they're partners abandoning them like that... I'm not the best with relationships but I'm sure abandoning to a planet glassing is worse then cheating. I hope they get returned to Tau Ceti. 😉

First 28% or so of Book 14 is intense.

Do any of them know the term Golden BB. A small (or not so small) shot in the exact right spot to take out the, in this case, emitters.

JKKV, What would happen if the path for the JKKV was exactly through the middle of the ship when it jumped? Can a jump field take out a shield?

Waiting to see what Deliza does to those Eagles. Atmospheric and jump etc.

I really like how no one commented on the ground warfare of Kohara at the end of Ep14. I guess we were all used to the ghatazack kicking ass and taking names, that the idea of them "loosing" an engagement didn't figure into our synopsis...

I think that we all need to take a minute an consider what the Ghatazack will do going forward, as they really don't seem to like loosing...

That Ground battle though.

I know that we all want to kill the Jung fleets, but I really like how Scott immediately jumped onto capturing that Battleship! I'm actually a little disappointed that the celsetia and Aurora couldn't get away and leave the battleships dock with each other an have a massive ship boarding battle... but that couldn't happen because of the aurora's jump emitters being shredded.

Did the Aurora really do an escape jump of 2 Light years or was that because of the additional energy spike caused by the Nukes? never mind, yes energy spike.

I wounder what the Jung thought when the Celestia jumped into the engagement with shields... my thoughts were, "Oh God they have shields! Why didn't anyone tell us they had shields!!!", "Because they are all dead Ensign, now fire on the un-shielded one all forward guns."

So the finally of the Series do you think were going to see this 20LY exclusion zone round sol established, then perhaps some kind of truce with the Jung.

Also as far as I'm aware Tanner isn't included in the Exclusion zone, and isn't is about time, the Jung made a secluded stop their. surely the Tannan JUNG had Com-drops which wouldn't have reported in yet. we going to see a couple of Super Falcons Station their to defend the system.

Note for Future Recon of a system befor battle, as we know you can view a system from 3-4 light months out, surely you she scan the system, from 4 LM out move for ward a week note any force changes and go back through the week and watch the ships coming or going then draw up a picture of the JUNG movement Corridors and such. also will avoid a trap like the one set up in the Tau-Cetia System

1) Alliance (Celestia / Scout 1) attack Jung fleet (BP BB 2xCrs 6xFrgs) on the way to Earth (from 82 E-place)

2) Alliance contact 82 E place (no Jung warships) possibly no need of ground attack.

3) Alliance arrives to clear other Jung systems in 20 Light year exclusion zone but Jung Fleets absent?

4) Jung attack on Earth timed to arrive same time as Tanna is attacked (but spotted by Super falcon patrols just before attack) (Aurora, Celestia, and Captured Jung Battleship defending - Captured Jung Battleship ordered off mid battle to defend Tanna)

5) Jung Surprise Attack on Tanna (Attack ships and Super Falcons with Captured Jung Battleship arriving in support)

(Obviously if the two attacks were to happen at the same time then neither the Aurora or the Celestia could travel the 47 light years to reach the Tannan system... but if the Battleship had a few ZPED's installed as apposed to Antimatter drives then either a multi jump or super long jump could be arranged / and awesome... mostly awesome)

I took my time reading the book and finally finished. I liked the book, and loved the setup for the finale.

I was convinced that the Aurora was toast until Roselle saved the day, did not see that coming, and he, imho, is the perfect captain of that monster. This alone proved Dumar knows what exactly he is doing.

Also glad Deliza is getting to use her technical abilities, I think this is a situation where everyone needs to use their strengths, or they will not be able to survive.

Every one needs to contribute, in any way they can.