The Laurcian
Questions and Answers
Session 1 (Ch. 1-2)

Following are some questions asked by people (Okay, one person) who have read The Laurcian and would like clarification on one point or another. To make the explanations available to all who read, I have compiled the questions and their answers here.


Q: Can the Vornians eat raw meat?

A: Honestly, I've never considered the possibility. I suppose it would be possible, though most would prefer prepared dishes. For them, eating raw meat would be akin to eating dandelion roots and leaves: Possible, but usually reserved for emergencies.


Q: What is the 'Taurian's anatomy?

A: I assume you mean the internal anatomy, since the external isn't that complex or hard to understand (Unless I didn't explain that well enough). Unfortunately, I haven't given too much thought to the matter, and all I have is that some organs, like the heart and kidneys, would exist in both torsos, while others, such as the reproductive organs, would only exist in one or the other, and a few, such as the digestive tract, would somehow span both. I hope that helps!


Q: What was the technology level of the four planets before the war between Laurc and Fent?

A: This is a tricky question, because the technology these species use is fundamentally different from our own, and thus evolved differently through their history. I'll attempt to draw some vague parallels between the worlds and their technology levels at various points in history.

Laurc and Fent have developed at about the same rate throughout their history. At the point the war began, their technology level was a little above ours, and most of their fighting consisted of launching weapons from one planet to the other and trying to destroy those weapons before they could reach their target. Spacecraft were developed, the first ones being single-occupant crafts designed to be as maneuverable as possible. This type of craft is still in use, known as Single Occupant Combat Crafts, or SOCCs. Stations developed as docking and repair stations for SOCCs, and the larger spacecrafts evolved from these as a mobile platform from which to launch them.

Sholtaur and Keltaur were somewhere between the late Elizabethan period and early Industrial era (To use the Earth terms) when the war between Fent and Laurc began. They were virtually ignored through all those generations of war because Fent was too busy attacking and defending against Laurc, and vice-versa. Also, their unusual orbit made it very difficult for spacecraft to enter a stable orbit around either planet.

When Fent and Laurc finally declared truce, their technology level was just under what they have today, and Keltaur and Sholtaur had reached somewhere around our current technology level. Then, with the first flight from Sholtaur to Keltaur acting as the starter's gunshot, Laurc and Fent rushed in and introduced all their high technology to the 'taurians, overwriting whatever technological uniqueness they may have posessed.


Q: What is the Federation's technology like now?

A: Today, all four of the planets share essentially the same technology. Things of note include: Their power generators, which produce a perpetual stream energy. Their weapons, which are exclusively energy-beam based, from their ship's weaponry to their side-arms. Their ships' weaponry, which is still manually aimed by Weaponeers assigned to each weapon. Their ships, which are currently only capable of traveling from planet to planet and not from star to star. Their hand-held weapons, which have the capability of using lethal or non-lethal force (And will be covered in more detail in the story proper). Their displays, which are mostly holographic in nature. Anything else, I've either forgotten, or just not come up with yet.


Q: Is it possible for someone from one planet to have children with someone from another?

A: Up 'till now, there's been too little contact between the four species that make up the Federation for us to know for sure the answer to this question. However, with the Unity employing crew from all four planets, who knows what may happen?


That's all for this session. Future sessions will be answered by a character from the story. If you'd like a question answered, send me a note with the question(s) and which character you'd like to host the next session.