Lieutenant Commander Katie Silver is Echo’s chief science officer. She is engaged to Chief Security Officer Chuck Balbo and joins the expedition to Copious.
Names, outcomes, and discoveries from later histories are concealed in spoiler-light mode.
Also recorded as: Commander Silver, Katie
Scientific work
Silver explains O'Neil cylinders to the senior staff and helps survey Cylli, identifying the central artificial sun and examining the megastructure's entrance. Her enthusiasm for exploration remains evident despite the expedition's losses.[2][3]
Contact with Earth
Silver suggests a technological demonstration to establish credibility with Cyrus Eppleston. A survey probe she deploys redirects Echo's deflection laser toward selected ornaments outside the War Ministry. She later prepares security-redacted ship specifications for Earth's leaders and attends their conference aboard Echo.[4][5]
Technical assessments
Silver identified the key's principle as quantum entanglement and agreed that its encryption could not be bypassed. After the refit she explained that Echo and the scorpion could deflect energy in a manner similar to Cylli, although their thinner armor provided less protection.[6][7]
The lunar projectile
Silver devised the plan to release a perfectly spherical lunar rock from a shuttle's collapsing hypersphere. Its glancing impact destroyed a hawk while preventing the rock's energy from being delivered to Earth. Echo supplied the real-time calculations.[8]
Recovery mission
After Eastcott escaped his cell, Silver helped prepare the scorpion and cut a precisely fitted exit through Cylli's polymer seal. They reached the asteroid base and persuaded Cylli to return. Silver later flew the scorpion in the engagement that Brookes saw as a dogfight inside Cylli; his view of that encounter was supplied by Cylli's deception.[9][10]
Injury
During Brookes' surrender confrontation, he shot Silver in the shoulder. Cylli had reduced both advanced pistols to minimum power, and her Autodoc treatment was expected to restore Silver completely.[10]
Related records
Sources
Simon Evans, The Flaxen Tyranny, first edition (2023). Page numbers refer to the printed pagination of the source edition.
- Chapter 3 · pp. 18
- Chapter 5 · pp. 32–35
- Chapter 6 · pp. 38–46
- Chapter 9 · pp. 64–67
- Chapter 12 · pp. 87–90
- Chapter 21 · pp. 171–172
- Chapter 25 · pp. 209–210
- Chapter 28 · pp. 227–234
- Chapter 36 · pp. 290–303
- Chapter 37 · pp. 304–315