Author's Notes
The Eylau Sequence is a science fiction story about human civilization during a
period of rapid change and discovery. While it is technically post-apocalyptic,
the main story line occurs so long after the disaster that everybody is well
past the original traumatic event and its horrific aftermath. The average
person living in the ES universe thinks about the comet strike of many
hundreds of years before about as often as a 21st century person thinks about
The Black Plague of 1347. In other words not much.
In that respect, the
society portrayed in the story is neither utopian nor dystopian. I would call
it syntopian: People making the best with what they've got, which isn't
too bad even though things could always be better.
An important detail
about the combat depicted in these stories; it is all conducted by unmanned
vehicles. In fact it is not really safe for humans to approach within 10 or 20
kilometers of a ground combat zone, even in armored vehicles. All frontline
combat is controlled at a distance, which is why brigade and division level
officers are commonly referred to as controllers.
FAQ
List Q: How far into the future does The Eylau Sequence take
place? A: Many hundreds of years, probably less than 1,000. The number of
generations that have passed are 13 or 14. But the last several generations
were people who increasingly lived almost 200 years, so the typical generation
count does not play out normally.
Q: Why doesn't The Eylau Sequence
include any of the following common sci-fi elements:
Power Armor
- In the ES universe standard ground weapons are so powerful that even if a
direct hit didn't penetrate the "armor," the occupant would die of blunt force
trauma. Also, power armor is too large and conspicuous of a target for how
slowly it could possibly move, and it has far too many openings for
micro-robotics to noodle into. It's just not a survivable format for the
"modern" battlefield.
Sidearms - A military sidearm is useless
in the ES Universe because prospective human enemies are nearly always at a
great distance. On the rare occasions that one might find one's self within
close range of enemies, they would likely be numerous unmanned vehicles totally
unaffected by a sidearm. The only time you encounter a human enemy is if you
are captured or in face-to-face negotiations, and neither of those situations
requires a sidearm. In the ES Universe, carrying a sidearm in a combat context
is seen as amateurish, because it is a precaution that is ridiculously
unecessary. This does not apply to training or private travel in remote areas
where personal defense may still justify sidearms.
Large Robots
- Small robots are more dangerous.
Large Spaceships - Small
spaceships are more dangerous.
Cyborgs - Robotic systems are
more robust. Cyborg systems are weaker and don't last as long (IE -
commercially inefficient).
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