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I've been re-reading S.M. Stirling's "Drakon," part of his "Domination" setting. It takes a pretty detailed look at two different Superiors (in OA parlance) who land on present-day (1995ish) Earth with high- and ultra-tech gear.
Unfortunately, the one who wants to introduce advanced technology, clean up Earth's environment, and make the world a better place is the product of a severely fascist, world-conquering culture, so her definitions of "improvement" start with rapid population control (e.g., inoculating human women so their immune systems attack any pregnancy after the first or second) and end with her domination of the planet.
The other Superior is a special forces trooper meant to stop her.
It's a fun read if you're not squeamish. I like it quite a bit more than the rest of the Domination series, which is depressing because the Bad Guys win.
![[Image: images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ5oUF2Mscj6pyLLkJpYjv...rfCQaaNIkK]](http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ5oUF2Mscj6pyLLkJpYjvsVglp30NyUdF3rHCWJirfCQaaNIkK)
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
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"Everbody's always in favor of saving Hitler's brain, but when you put it in the body of a great white shark, oh, suddenly you've gone too far." -- Professor Farnsworth, Futurama
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Sounds like an interesting read. I imagine that a superior arriving on present day earth could become some sort of commercial and philanthropic titan within a within a relatively short amount of time. From there they could directly jump into politics or influence things indirectly. A bit like the film limitless but probably toned down a bit. Not that there would be a guarantee that they would succeed if they tried, they could fail due to mistakes and events outside of their control, but with their abilities and knowledge of advanced technology they'd be far more likely to succeed than your average human.
OA Wish list:
- DNI
- Internal medical system
- A dormbot, because domestic chores suck!
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(10-14-2016, 03:00 AM)Rynn Wrote: Sounds like an interesting read. I imagine that a superior arriving on present day earth could become some sort of commercial and philanthropic titan within a within a relatively short amount of time.
Yep.
Quote:From there they could directly jump into politics or influence things indirectly.
Well, fund a fusion reactor and wormhole generator to signal her home era and timeline, then bring through an invasion force. She gets to be planetary archon of Earth as a "finder's fee."
The spec ops "good guy" (who'd be happy to drop an amat bomb on NYC to eliminate his opponent) is much less trained and skilled in manipulation. He was fumbling toward building an alliance of locals.
Quote: A bit like the film limitless but probably toned down a bit.
"Superior" is a bit of a stretch for their mental capabilities, but dumb they ain't.
Quote:Not that there would be a guarantee that they would succeed if they tried, they could fail due to mistakes and events outside of their control, but with their abilities and knowledge of advanced technology they'd be far more likely to succeed than your average human.
Yep, and the Su on the cover has a Plan B if she gets killed before calling home: make a clone with a DNI carrying a copy of her memories, and bio-bomb Earth to kill everyone except her inoculated local servants. Rebuild from there.
One of the things I like about the book is that Stirling really gives insights into the thoughts and minds of the various main characters. The police officer, the business analyst, and the Superior antagonist are all living characters with well-developed backgrounds. The antagonist is sociopathically blase about getting her way, which is an interesting glimpse into the mind of evil. But then he highlights all the details she ignores - the impact of death, rape, and mass murder - from the perspectives of other characters.
Mike Miller, Materials Engineer
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"Everbody's always in favor of saving Hitler's brain, but when you put it in the body of a great white shark, oh, suddenly you've gone too far." -- Professor Farnsworth, Futurama
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I enjoyed Drakon.
I'm not sure of the name of the author but the OA universe met Gwen in a fanfic some while ago. The Draka opened a doorway to the Archailects and were quickly made obsolete. Sorry for the absence of detail. I remember a plane being drawn from the soil molecule by molecule and painstakingly reassembled if that is something to go on.
SM Sterling lets other authors explore the Drakaverse in "Drakas!" if you can find it.
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(10-14-2016, 11:02 AM)Judgeedee Wrote: I enjoyed Drakon.
I'm not sure of the name of the author but the OA universe met Gwen in a fanfic some while ago. The Draka opened a doorway to the Archailects and were quickly made obsolete. Sorry for the absence of detail. I remember a plane being drawn from the soil molecule by molecule and painstakingly reassembled if that is something to go on.
SM Sterling lets other authors explore the Drakaverse in "Drakas!" if you can find it.
Not quite the OA universe, but definitely some 'OA-esque' elements. A bit of googling turned up what I think is the story in question.
LINK
Todd
