Hi,
I have overall read now about 20% of the pdf and a) I really like it and b) here my first comments on the Tintamar chapter (I read it twice and searched for corresponding data in the later chapters):
- In general: to me this chapter was a little bit confusing, mainly because things are mentioned that I did not have any explanation yet (f.e. the races) -> I am not sure this chapter should be the first one....
It would probably be harder still if it was moved later in the book as you would then have out-of-context Tintamar Knowledge Base segments that would all be forward references. Once the page count is stable, putting see page XXX references into the chapter would not be difficult.
- I would like to see a timeline table, both for Terrans as for the different aliens
It will go on the wish list.
- I am confused by the portals. What is the difference between "Greater" and "Lesser" portals? A "Lesser" needs a partner portal, a "Greater" not? Or has a "Lesser" portal a specific partner, a "Greater" can use any other "Lesser" as partner?
Reading later on: .. the "incoming" aperture of a portal is closed ... - are there 2 apertures, how do I have to imagine that? How are portals operated (it took me a while do figure out that the humans were the first to discover this secret, at first reading it seemed like it operates always) ?
Quoting directly from the manuscript:
The portals are cylindrical in shape, immobile, made of some unknown material that resists analysis and is seemingly indestructible, and have an aperture at each end. Two types of portals have been discovered so far: lesser portals approximately 500 meters along their length axis with apertures 50 meters in diameter, and greater portals approximately 1km along their length axis with apertures 75 meters in diameter. The portal dimensions restrict the size of starships that can use them.
So: cylindrical in shape with a hole at either end of the cylinder. Tim's sketch is quite reasonable.
Back to quoting:
A starship, which sends a properly encoded pulse of gravity waves (giving the destination), can switch on its Lagrange Drive as it enters one end of the portal. It will then be transferred into a hyperspace dimension where it will move at a hypervelocity of 1 light-year per minute. On completing the transit, the spacecraft will exit into normal space from either the other aperture of another portal or the L4 point of the destination solar system.
So: you send a gravity pulse at the portal, it opens a hyperspace route, which pops you out at the destination system, either in its L4 point or through the other end of the portal (lesser or greater is irrelevant) if there is one in the target system.
Quoting:
One aperture of each portal is solely for entering hyperspace; the other is solely for exiting hyperspace. Lesser portals have a maximum range of 500 light-years. Greater portals are capable of moving ships to any major L4 point or other portal anywhere in the galaxy.
How and why did the humans share this secret with the other races?
The test destination for the first series of portal transits was the Nexus system, so they gave the secret away accidentally.
- What are the distances of the mentioned planets to Sol? I would like to see a table showing all the distances from any system to any system (this table is mentioned, but I did not find it).
That's in the transit table pdf.
Best wishes,
Nicholas
