Alien Prototype - Tim Waggoner

[Xiggz456]

Middle-of-the-road? This sits right behind Cold Forge for me; I couldn't put the book down.

And Jericho 3 is Venture's facility/planet for the testing of their colonization tech and equipment: ergo prototypes.

Spoiler

Not to mention a xeno that's the first of its kind.

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[HuDaFuK]

Something else that's just struck me as a bit dumb about the whole colonisation being in the early prototype phase thing - they already have a giant f*cking colony on Jericho 3 where the story happens.

[Stitch]

Spoiler

Not to mention a xeno that's the first of its kind.

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Spoiler

I understand that to a certain extent, but it's really more a freak mutation than a prototype.

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[SM]

Something else that's just struck me as a bit dumb about the whole colonisation being in the early prototype phase thing - they already have a giant f*cking colony on Jericho 3 where the story happens.

V-22's focus was on the development of new and improved space colonization technology. The first wave of colonists had already moved out into galaxy, but they were merely a drop in the bucket for what was to come. They lived in small groups housed in cramped space stations, or equally cramped planet-based facilities, but soon larger missions would be looking for opportunities beyond the world of their birth. More ambitious settlements would be established—villages, towns, cities, and eventually entire nations. The future colonists would need better ships, better facilities, and better tools to help them survive, let alone work in the hostile environments they would encounter.
Venture intended to be the number-one supplier of these needs, outcompeting all others, including the almighty Weyland-Yutani.

[Xiggz456]

Something else that's just struck me as a bit dumb about the whole colonisation being in the early prototype phase thing - they already have a giant f*cking colony on Jericho 3 where the story happens.

The way I see it is Venture is testing new colonization products. Similar to an outdoors company testing a new tent or sleeping bag in extreme climates even though folks have been camping since always. Also we know from Resistance that colony ships launch twice a day on Earth; so as long as colonization is booming the demand for new products, be it top of the line or cheap and disposable, will be quite high. Plausibly I have no problems seeing an array of prototype colonization equipment being tested on a fairly hostile planet.

[SM]

Apple didn't stop with the first iPhone.

[HuDaFuK]

They lived in small groups housed in cramped space stations, or equally cramped planet-based facilities...

...except for the 600 people lining in the sprawling Lodge facility.

They clearly already have the tech to establish large-scale bases on other planets, including ones with inhospitable atmospheres.

The way I see it is Venture is testing new colonization products. Similar to an outdoors company testing a new tent or sleeping bag in extreme climates even though folks have been camping since always.

Fair.

[SM]

So once you have a certain piece of technology you never try to improve it?

[HuDaFuK]

Well obviously not.

I just don't think it ties in with the way the novel makes out colonisation hasn't got going yet.

On an unrelated note, something else that just occurred to me regarding this book:

Spoiler

Is this the first canon story to feature eggmorphing?

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[Corporal Hicks]

I believe the one in Defiance is supposed to be an eggmorphing but not sure how well the story puts that across. I can't remember.

[Ultramorph]

I think that was the intention but the story never really circled back to what was going on with particular xeno.

[SM]

Spoiler

Egg morphing wasn't in the draft, and the origin of the egg was worded differently.  I mentioned that you could vaguely hint at egg morphing, but I've not seen the final version.

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[HuDaFuK]

Spoiler

It says the Necromorph "creates" the egg, without explicitly stating how.

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[SM]

Spoiler

I think that's for the best.

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[Corporal Hicks]

Going to be doing an interview with Tim. You know the drill, if you've got questions, throw them up.