(urth) Cumaean???

[Jeff Wilson]

Pedro Pereira wrote:
> 
> 
>  > Date: Sun, 16 Dec 2007 20:05:37 -0600
>  > From: jwilson at io.com
>  > To: urth at lists.urth.net
>  > Subject: Re: (urth) Cumaean???
>  >
>  > Pedro Pereira wrote:
>  > > <<A question I have always wondered is why Typhon didn't equip the
>  > > Whorl is FTL (Faster than Light) technology. He tells Severain that
>  > > he would put his capital on another World, and that he could travel
>  > > between worlds, meaning that he could do so within his lifespan,
>  > > thus FTL transport. So my idea is that the FTL technology wasn't
>  > > capable of moving a Whorl sized ship (like the Hero technology could
>  > > do), or my favorite reason is that Typhon didn't want to educate his
>  > > colony ships with any more technology than he had to (within
>  > > reason). He wanted a STL (slower than light) ship so that upon
>  > > arrival to the new system the ship couldn't start a new rebeling
>  > > empire that had FTL technology.>>
>  > >
>  > >
>  > > There's no indication that I remember that says that FTL travel is
>  > > possible.
>  >
>  > "'Once I ruled this planet and many more.'"
>  > "'My physicians, of whom I naturally had the best of many worlds...'"
>  > "'My astronomers had told me that this sun's activity would decay 
> slowly.'"
>  > "'...those to whom I had given control of such ships as could reach the
>  > stars had fled in them...'"
>  >
>  > Along with the gravity-bending boat in the mountain, this indicates
>  > Typhon had access to effects that transcended relativity, (as reversed
>  > gravity and FTL would both do).
> 
>  
> Couldn't he be traveling through Ysod instead, like the Tzadskiel ship? 
> That would require no FTL speed and the results could be similarly 
> satisfactory.

The Ship *is* a form of FTL, with time travel as a side effect of 
combining FTL and relativity. This is evident from Severian's 
descriptions of the external universe seen while the Ship is in motion 
in URTH. Relativistic time distortion is such that different places are 
at different times "relative" to a speedy traveler, and the difference 
increases with speed. Once the effective speed goes FTL, the traveler 
can reach those places before the distortion smooths out again, granting 
time travel even if one dodges through Yesod or a wormhole or some other 
method of avoiding going FTL locally.

This is borne out by Ossipago, Babartus, and Famulimus who have a flying 
saucer with a near-instantanous transporter, travel between it and the 
relativistic Ship, and have their personal timelines reversed with 
respect to Urth time, recreating the famous gedankenexperiement I allude 
to above.

-- 
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com
< http://www.io.com/~jwilson >