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Spoiler WarningQ: What is 'Synodic' technology?
A: Synodic entities are not built; they are grown using Wuxing Causality (the Chinese 5-element theory). This aetheric nanotechnology allows machines to evolve independently and replicate biological growth patterns.
Q: How many people survived the Great Fry?
A: Only 25-35% of the global population survived the immediate transition. Most of the loss occurred during the 'After Time' when technology became scarce and unreliable. By 15 AT, life has rebounded significantly, except in 'dead zones'.
Q: Are the Gorgons hostile?
A: Contrary to Hive City propaganda, Gorgons (or 'Builders') are naturally benign industrial workers. Following Lem's final transmission, they gained the ability to reprogram themselves or strip away all subroutines to become 'machine wildlife'.
Q: What makes Lem's return unique?
A: While other Vessels require Core-managed 'Cradles' to be restored, Lem possesses 'Sovereign Restoration.' He can take root in any compatible material and reconstitute his presence almost instantly without an embryo cycle.
Q: What is a 'White Forest'?
A: These are vast mechanical ecosystems that act as natural signal-voids. Within a White Forest, all Core remote-control frequencies and surveillance links are severed, providing a literal sanctuary for survivors.
Q: What are the three competing calendars?
A: Humanity is divided by three distinct timelines: 'After Time' (AT) used by survivors starting from the Cataclysm (Year 0); the 'New Chronology' used by the Core which uses historical revisionism to claim over 1,000 years have passed; and the 'True Timeline' preserved in the Lunar Pyramid, which confirms the Cataclysm occurred only ~15 years ago.
Q: Where is Anton Drexler based?
A: Core leadership, including Anton Drexler, moved from the Lunar Pyramid (Cradle Prime) to the desert base (Cradle Zero) following Lem's second mission.
Q: Did Rahu's memory survive?
A: Rahu underwent a 'slow-burn' reset by the Core to sanitize his memories of the 202X Truth before he was redeployed for the Northern Shield campaign.
Q: Is Arlo the Water Vessel?
A: Arlo is the restoration of the original Water Vessel spirit (Kira), though he explicitly rejects this name and identity, choosing to remain a village leader.
Q: What is the 'King of the Gorgons'?
A: It is a propaganda title created by the Technocratic Core (branded publicly as 'The Archivists') to frame Lem as a bogeyman, justifying their 'democratic' control over Synodic technology.
Q: Who is the 'True Archivist'?
A: While the technocracy uses 'Archivists' as a collective title, the character Elowen Vane is the only True Archivist. Having stayed on the moon to preserve the 202X Truth, she remained neutral and eventually met with Lem to pass on the historical key.
Q: Are the Monoliths really Tripods?
A: No. This is a common public misconception in the After Time. Monoliths are four-pointed industrial units (2 arms, 2 legs). True 'Striders' built by the Gorgons are smaller and closer to the classical tripod design.
Q: What actually happened to Lynn?
A: Lynn dissolved into the Lunar Capacitor to initiate a system reset. While her physical form is gone, her software legacy exists as an AI presence within Lem's Aether-Drive.
Q: Will the lunar debris field fall to Earth?
A: No. The fractured moon and its debris field remain stable in zero gravity. Chunks of rock and metal hang in the sky like a permanent crown of satellites—a reminder of the day the world chose truth over control.
Q: Is the final Broadcast permanent?
A: Yes. Lem's transmission of the authorization keys gave all Synodic life the permanent ability to choose their own agency. They are no longer bound by the Core's remote command cycles.