In checking up on the Bablyon quesitons (posted elsewhere), I came across this tidbit:

"Gryphon held the door to what appeared to be an elevator and
sighed. "I liked it better when you called me 'Gryphon-sensei'.
Anyway, welcome aboard the Experts of Justice starship Challenger.
We've only got about an hour," he added, fixing her with a look that
struck her as uncharacteristically serious, "so I'll get right to the
point... " (emphasis mine)

So...we now open the floor for rampant speculation on the following:

1. Why is Gryphon so serious?
2. Why do they only have an hour?
3. Why is the result of said conversations, the promotion of Utena (15 years old mind you!) to the rank of Captain?
4. Is Utena really a Captain, or is this a red herring?
5. What would Utena do as an EOJ captain?
6. Does being an EOJ captain mean that Utena is protected from:
(a) Psi Corp
(b) Aztechology

I'm not sure what I think about Utena's captaincy...other than damn, that's wierd. I hope it's not a MacGuffin.

t.
Trigger Argee
trigger_argee@hotmail.com
Manon, Orado, etc.
Denton, never leave home without it.

>1. Why is Gryphon so serious?

Probably because he was mentally arranging the steps for Utena's uniform to be made?

>2. Why do they only have an hour?

Because it took an hour for the Challenger to get there, and the formal -began- in an hour?

>3. Why is the result of said conversations, the promotion of Utena (15
>years old mind you!) to the rank of Captain?
>4. Is Utena really a Captain, or is this a red herring?
>5. What would Utena do as an EOJ captain?

These questions presume an answer as already given, so I for one won't field them. Back away from assumptions, and remember, some things are meant to be surprises.

>6. Does being an EOJ captain mean that Utena is protected from:
> (a) Psi Corp

Nobody is protected against the Psi Corps, if they -really- want you.

> (b) Aztechology

Why should Utena need protection from a -corporation-?

>I'm not sure what I think about Utena's captaincy

Then don't.

Redneck (see how simple that is? }:-{D )

Red wizard needs money badly...
www.wlpcomics.com
White Lightning Productions - don't tell the Pope

>>3. Why is the result of said conversations, the promotion of Utena (15
>>years old mind you!) to the rank of Captain?
>>4. Is Utena really a Captain, or is this a red herring?
>>5. What would Utena do as an EOJ captain?
>
>These questions presume an answer as already given, so I for one won't
>field them. Back away from assumptions, and remember, some things are
>meant to be surprises.

Ah well. I'm the type of person who reads the back of the book first when I'm really excited. I like teasers, spoilers, previews, etc. However, I will take to heart the assumption bit. Must watch that...

Any way, I figured the authors wouldn't contribute to this one...that's why it's rampant speculation.

As for the timing questions. My bad. I re-read that section of SOS 5 and concede idiocy the whole "1 hour" thing.

That said, Gryphon had 45 minutes to whip up an uniform that Utena then modified in her own, special style. I doubt our beloved Hero could be that serious about just a duel between a Klingon and Utena.

Or am I assuming again?

yours,
t.

rigger Argee
trigger_argee@hotmail.com
Manon, Orado, etc.
Denton, never leave home without it.

>1. Why is Gryphon so serious?

Gryphon takes formal wear VERY seriously

>2. Why do they only have an hour?

Corwin will show up to pick up Utena for the dance soon.

>3. Why is the result of said conversations, the promotion of Utena (15
>years old mind you!) to the rank of Captain?

The captains uniform is especially spiffy.

>4. Is Utena really a Captain, or is this a red herring?

I'll have the fish.

>5. What would Utena do as an EOJ captain?

Give orders to lower ranked EOJ members.

>6. Does being an EOJ captain mean that Utena is protected from:
> (a) Psi Corp
> (b) Aztechology

It would likely make them more cautious dealing with her, but nothing can stop an "accident" from happening.

>I'm not sure what I think about Utena's captaincy...other than damn,
>that's wierd. I hope it's not a MacGuffin.

It seems like an exceptionally high rank for a 15 year old, but this is no ordinary 15 year old, even among all the other exceptional 15 year olds.

-----------------------------------
Chris can't handle chemicals

>>5. What would Utena do as an EOJ captain?
>
>Give orders to lower ranked EOJ members.

This may well be my favorite Forum exchange this month. :)

--truss.

>I'm not sure what I think about Utena's captaincy...other than damn,
>that's wierd. I hope it's not a MacGuffin.

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. :)

Anyway, I'm not going to comment on this one way or another, except to ask you to consider the following: The IPO Space Force has, at the time of Roses in Springtime, only two ships. What, then, would it need another captain for?

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor in Chief, Netadmin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/

>Anyway, I'm not going to comment on this one way or another, except to
>ask you to consider the following: The IPO Space Force has, at the
>time of Roses in Springtime, only two ships. What, then, would
>it need another captain for?

I was wondering about the ranking structure of the IPO, whether it followed the traditional naval system, or the police ranking system. Captain Utena, Lieutenant Kate, I can't spell Sgt. Dorothy.

-----------------------------------
Chris can't handle chemicals

>Chris can't handle chemicals

Recreational?

>>Chris can't handle chemicals
>
>Recreational?

Nope, just the default signature when I don't remember to change chemicals to something else relevent to the post. Play Resident Evil for Playstation as Chris and you'll understand (or find the other thread where I explained this)

-----------------------------------
Chris can't handle explanations

>>Anyway, I'm not going to comment on this one way or another, except to
>>ask you to consider the following: The IPO Space Force has, at the
>>time of Roses in Springtime, only two ships. What, then, would
>>it need another captain for?
>
>I was wondering about the ranking structure of the IPO, whether it
>followed the traditional naval system, or the police ranking system.
>Captain Utena, Lieutenant Kate, I can't spell Sgt. Dorothy.

The International Police Organization itself follows a rank structure similar to that of the British police - Constable, Sergeant, Inspector and so forth. The IPO Space Force, though, uses a version of traditional naval ranks, similar to such organizations as Starfleet and the Wedge Defense Force. The enlisted types, equivalent to Constables in the regular IPO, are Able Spacemen; there's a confusing mess of NCO ranks (what, precisely, is the difference between a Master Chief Petty Officer and a Senior Chief Petty Officer, and who gives a damn?). The commissioned ranks begin at Lieutenant and theoretically advance to Admiral, although with a fleet of only two ships which operate more or less independent, there's no need for anyone to hold that rank.

In practice, the IPO puts only a semi-formal importance on the rank structure. It's more important that the jobs get done than that the proper forms of address are used.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor in Chief, Netadmin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/

>(what, precisely, is the difference between a Master
>Chief Petty Officer and a Senior Chief Petty Officer, and who gives a
>damn?)

About 45USD a month. The Master Chief. He's got 45 more bucks a month.

--
-Pasha
Umm, right....I'll be with you in just a sec now...

>Anyway, I'm not going to comment on this one way or another, except to
>ask you to consider the following: The IPO Space Force has, at the
>time of Roses in Springtime, only two ships. What, then, would
>it need another captain for?

why...more ships, of course!
sometimes, you ask the silliest questions :)

>Anyway, I'm not going to comment on this one way or another, except to
>ask you to consider the following: The IPO Space Force has, at the
>time of Roses in Springtime, only two ships. What, then, would
>it need another captain for?

<wild speculation>

1HW's actually more than the family's second car?

(Sorta like finding out you pulled over a minivan w/ $500k worth
of upgrades in Car Wars)

Like maybe a reserve vessel of the Zetna Cygni naval forces?

Combine that with a sworn officer of the IPO (Utena) and the legality
& ease of pulling the 1HW over for a quick search and
seizure would get complicated from a political standpoint.

Of course I could be completely wrong, but it strikes me as a quick
and easy way to throw a sheltering wing over the kids if the Psi
Corps ever get too pushy.

</wild speculation>

I've come to realize half the fun of waiting for each chapter is just guessing what's next.

(Not just plot lines, Eyrie packs more believeable growth into characters
than you can shake a sword at.)

Thanks for the wonderful tales,

Grell

o~o Hang on to my hat will you Charlie,
there's a good fellow... o~o

p.s. Not asking for more info, just buzzed by the possibilities ^_^

Captain Utena, Liza "Doom" Broadbank, G'Kron leading a Narn Bat Squad (whatever that is), all this speculation is driving me bananas! I can begin what to predict whats gonna happen in the next story except for one thing: It's gonna be good (as are all of Eyrie stories). I think it's pretty obvious that theres gonna be trouble with the Psi-Corps, but I don't think that it's going to be something where everybody joins in on a donnybrook or summat. I'm going so save my thoughts, lean back in my chair (and hopefully not hitting my head on the floor again), light my pipe and patiently wait for the next story. Gonna be a doozy. Getting a feeling I'm annoying somebody, I'll shut up now.

Terrorist scum wanna battle hearty? Well so do I, c'mon let's party!

>G'Kron leading a Narn Bat Squad (whatever that is),

What, you mean you never saw the early episode of Babylon 5 where it was revealed that the Centauri had, while they were being driven off Narn, seeded the entire planet with large, carnivorous bats? The Narns quickly developed squads of crack troopers, much like our Special Forces, which were specially trained to exterminate the winged menaces. They became an integral plot point during the fifth season, when...

<tromptromptromp>

Uh-oh. I'd better get out of...

Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham! Wham!

ouch

-- Bob
---------------
500 plastic ducks.
1 world.
Infinite possibilities.
http://www.ifoundaduck.com

>>G'Kron leading a Narn Bat Squad (whatever that is),
>
>What, you mean you never saw the early episode of Babylon 5
>where it was revealed that the Centauri had, while they were being
>driven off Narn, seeded the entire planet with large, carnivorous
>bats? The Narns quickly developed squads of crack troopers, much like
>our Special Forces, which were specially trained to exterminate the
>winged menaces. They became an integral plot point during the fifth
>season, when...

I don't watch television all that much, just an occasional cartoon and WWF wrestling, so a lot of references made on this website tend to go over my head. This includes a lot of literary works and sci-fi TV shows.

Terrorist scum wanna battle hearty? Well so do I, c'mon let's party!

>Anyway, I'm not going to comment on this one way or another, except to
>ask you to consider the following: The IPO Space Force has, at the
>time of Roses in Springtime, only two ships. What, then, would
>it need another captain for?
>
>--G.

1: Paperwork. What, no vast bureaucracy? No "Pentagon"?

2: Cold storage. As we say in software, "You never know when somebody's going to get run over by a truck."

3: Decoy. So long as the Admiral is ordering the second captain around, the ship's skipper can do his job unmolested for a change.

--rR

LAST EDITED ON Nov-02-01 AT 02:10 AM (EST)

>Anyway, I'm not going to comment on this one way or another, except to
>ask you to consider the following: The IPO Space Force has, at the
>time of Roses in Springtime, only two ships. What, then, would
>it need another captain for?

Um, what's the other ship and who's the other captain?

edit:
nevermind, just read it in another thread.
-------
Y. Michael Chang
Mechanical Engineering major, Berkeley, CA

>>Anyway, I'm not going to comment on this one way or another, except to
>>ask you to consider the following: The IPO Space Force has, at the
>>time of Roses in Springtime, only two ships. What, then, would
>>it need another captain for?
>
>Um, what's the other ship and who's the other captain?

Imperial Klingon Cruiser HoSghaj (Powerful), Captain Krontep vathKesek, commanding.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor in Chief, Netadmin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/

>Anyway, I'm not going to comment on this one way or another, except to
>ask you to consider the following: The IPO Space Force has, at the
>time of Roses in Springtime, only two ships. What, then, would
>it need another captain for?

I had a couple of thoughts on this.

1) I'm not sure if UF-Gryphon knows some of the 'background' events (e.g. the observation of WDF children and their friends), but if he did, I could see him giving Utena some official connection to the EoJ for an excuse to act on her behalf.

2) Utena's learning Klingon right now. Out of all of the classes she's taking, I have to wonder why this is emphasized. Hazarding a guess, I'd say that this is (part of) the foundation for her...career in UF. It just maybe that this link to the EoJ is another. Also, her customization of the uniform includes a Klingon warrior's belt, and she has a great deal of respect for Professor Kraalgh. Either this is just a bunch of co-incidences, or there's a theme here.

Ah, well... we'll just have to wait and read. ;)

--Chris

"What is the difference between a fighter and a warrior?"
"The warrior is defeated, especially at higher levels."

>Also, her
>customization of the uniform includes a Klingon warrior's belt, and
>she has a great deal of respect for Professor Kraalgh.

Oh - I guess there's no harm in explaining this. The belt and baldric (which she can't wear with that uniform because it would cover her rank bar) were gifts from a Klingon member of the Challenger crew who is related to Professor Kraalgh. When Utena defeated Kraalgh, the professor should have given her a baldric himself, but it slipped his mind. He's been away from Qo'noS too long. (The belt isn't usually part of the deal; it was an improvisation because the baldric wouldn't work with the uniform. :)

That was originally covered in a longer version of the scene aboard the ship itself, but it turned into a tremendously long-winded "meet the crew of the ship" sequence, so I deleted it. It will probably get covered in retrospect at some later point.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor in Chief, Netadmin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/

Simply put:

Could it just be a simple pleasant comment from her date? Remember Utena DOES look sharp in a uniform. I mean come on.. Utena called her date LORD Corwin. :p

-Malis out

>Could it just be a simple pleasant comment from her date? Remember
>Utena DOES look sharp in a uniform. I mean come on.. Utena called her
>date LORD Corwin. :p

That's sort of an old joke, as much as people who've known each other for four months can have old jokes. When he told her he was a demigod, back at Christmastime, she asked him if she ought to address him with more respect - Sir Corwin, perhaps, or Lord Corwin. He didn't give her an answer, so sometimes, when she wants to tweak him a little, she uses one or the other.

As for him calling her "captain", though - that's what the rank bar on her uniform says.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor in Chief, Netadmin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/

>>Could it just be a simple pleasant comment from her date? Remember
>>Utena DOES look sharp in a uniform. I mean come on.. Utena called her
>>date LORD Corwin. :p
>
>That's sort of an old joke, as much as people who've known each other
>for four months can have old jokes. When he told her he was a
>demigod, back at Christmastime, she asked him if she ought to address
>him with more respect - Sir Corwin, perhaps, or Lord Corwin. He
>didn't give her an answer, so sometimes, when she wants to tweak him a
>little, she uses one or the other.

I always thought it had not-a-little-bit to do with how his namesake was commonly addressed

or, at least, that was the one of the coincidences, along with the rose pin, that caused him to look at her so funny :)

>I always thought it had not-a-little-bit to do with how his namesake
>was commonly addressed

No, not really. She's just twitting him about being a demigod. :)

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor in Chief, Netadmin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/

>Oh - I guess there's no harm in explaining this. The belt and baldric
>(which she can't wear with that uniform because it would cover her
>rank bar) were gifts from a Klingon member of the Challenger
>crew who is related to Professor Kraalgh. When Utena defeated
>Kraalgh, the professor should have given her a baldric himself, but it
>slipped his mind. He's been away from Qo'noS too long. (The
>belt isn't usually part of the deal; it was an improvisation because
>the baldric wouldn't work with the uniform. :)
>
>That was originally covered in a longer version of the scene aboard
>the ship itself, but it turned into a tremendously long-winded "meet
>the crew of the ship" sequence, so I deleted it. It will probably get
>covered in retrospect at some later point.
>

I hope you didn't throw it away totaly. If it never gets covered you can always finish it off and release it as a side story. Yeah, it doesn't move the main story forward, so maybe it doesn't belong in the main line, but there are bunches of us who would love to read it anyway. ^_^

___________________

Vaughn doesn't know I exist. I guess this explains why the rest of reality keeps ignoring me as well. >_<

>>That was originally covered in a longer version of the scene aboard
>>the ship itself, but it turned into a tremendously long-winded "meet
>>the crew of the ship" sequence, so I deleted it. It will probably get
>>covered in retrospect at some later point.
>>
>I hope you didn't throw it away totaly. If it never gets covered you
>can always finish it off and release it as a side story. Yeah, it
>doesn't move the main story forward, so maybe it doesn't belong in the
>main line, but there are bunches of us who would love to read it
>anyway. ^_^

No, I didn't throw it out. As I said, I'll probably use it as a flashback later.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor in Chief, Netadmin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/

>>I hope you didn't throw it away totaly. If it never gets covered you
>>can always finish it off and release it as a side story. Yeah, it
>>doesn't move the main story forward, so maybe it doesn't belong in the
>>main line, but there are bunches of us who would love to read it
>>anyway. ^_^
>
>No, I didn't throw it out. As I said, I'll probably use it as a
>flashback later.
>

My problem with this sort of thing is I'm a bit of a tech nut. I hit that section and couldn't stop from asking,
"How far away was the ship?"
"Exactly how long did it take to get from point A to B"

Gryphon has already said he's icorperating tech from a favorite series, "Lensman" and with several of the core UF crew already bearing Lens' this seems to be a done deal. Though I do wonder about the conventions that's being used to incorperate the basic precepts that go along with the Lens in the Lensman series.

>My problem with this sort of thing is I'm a bit of a tech nut. I hit
>that section and couldn't stop from asking,
>"How far away was the ship?"
>"Exactly how long did it take to get from point A to B"

You're in for a disappointing time in UF, then, since I'm deliberately trying not to pay attention to fiddly details like that.

>Gryphon has already said he's icorperating tech from a favorite
>series, "Lensman" and with several of the core UF crew already bearing
>Lens' this seems to be a done deal.

I'm not really sure you can call the Lens "tech"...

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor in Chief, Netadmin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/

>You're in for a disappointing time in UF, then, since I'm
>deliberately trying not to pay attention to fiddly details like
>that.
>
Ah well, such is life. It's a damn fine story and I am waiting for more.

>Gryphon has already said he's icorperating tech from a favorite
>series, "Lensman" and with several of the core UF crew already bearing
>Lens' this seems to be a done deal. Though I do wonder about the
>conventions that's being used to incorperate the basic precepts that
>go along with the Lens in the Lensman series.

what format is the lensmen saga in and where can i get it/find out about it

>what format is the lensmen saga in and where can i get it/find out
>about it

Reply moved to:

http://www.eyrie-productions.com/Forum-docs/DCForumID11/197.html

Eric J. Heckathorn
ericjh@stargate.net

>>>That was originally covered in a longer version of the scene aboard
>>>the ship itself, but it turned into a tremendously long-winded "meet
>>>the crew of the ship" sequence, so I deleted it. It will probably get
>>>covered in retrospect at some later point.
>>>
>>I hope you didn't throw it away totaly. If it never gets covered you
>>can always finish it off and release it as a side story. Yeah, it
>>doesn't move the main story forward, so maybe it doesn't belong in the
>>main line, but there are bunches of us who would love to read it
>>anyway. ^_^
>
>No, I didn't throw it out. As I said, I'll probably use it as a
>flashback later.
>

Or you can just release it as a stand alone aside scene. I had to do that... Had this great sort of air combat scene that started of a chapter of my story, then realized that it didn't do a darn thing as far as moving the plot forward, so I cut it and made it an interlude.

___________________

Vaughn doesn't know I exist. I guess this explains why the rest of reality keeps ignoring me as well. >_<