Probably a consequence of updating the comment system to a newer version, sorry about that.

Hmmm now I see a "Website" text field below the textbox for the actual comment, at least when I insist on the "full comment" form ... test 1: leaving it empty ... preview does not make my nick into a link ...

... success. Test 2: doing a reply with the short form (no "Website" field, no "Preview" button) ... gotta wait for the anti-motor-mouth timeout ... then for what seems to be an outage of the website? ...

... well, seems to be fixed now. (I remember that I once used the Wiki's page on Ktak as "my Website" for a comment because I didn't want to make it into a hyperlink within the comment, chances are that the activated "Remember my form inputs on this computer" had schlepped that extra input field value around ever since.)

Or he just set his implant to Do not disturb, because he didn't wanted to deal with all the distractions while thinking/mulling, and didn't turn it back on when Quantum showed up.

You mean , why bother copying from the finest Statesman when you can just Clone the entire thing?

Now that's 21century thinking outside the box!

(That was Ahshu. Shuru has different colors.)

I think I confused "Shuru" with Ahshu Shearu last name.

Zane practically came up on Earth by kicking through the door to get his crew back, so I think bringing flags to represent the members of the Alliance was really low on his list.

That's assuming that they even have something resembling flags; with coats of arms, tunics (both rather oriented towards being an individual identification), and uniforms, there are quite a couple alternatives even in our history. IIUC flags came about mainly as a means to give a troop a point to orient towards and to give signals, and it's not quite clear to me whether using fabric (rather easily torn) is in fact an ideal choice for the former, not to mention that the concept is a bit outdated in our age of trench-diving, ultrasonic fighter jets, and camo. A flag "flown" in a spaceship's unmoving atmosphere and microgravity (I'd add "limited space" if the sights we've had of their ships did not fly in the face of that) would promise to look similarly ill-placed.

And last not least, you might want to remember what connotation we do have with explorers planting their flag on newly discovered ground ...

[pictures the confusion if the Raharr/Alliance "national" symbol were to have a scented candle set up and lit]

(P.S.: I flipped through pages 167-171, Gharr's dream of his old hometown, and there doesn't seem to be a single flagpole, much less a flag.)

Erm, you can use flags in space, as it'd only need a bit more securing as shown during the Apollo missions, or any other time someone put a flag on the walls of a space station. Afterall, we have traditions and rules for hanging flags from the walls for centuries.

Inside of course. Outside it has no use in fabric form so it's painted on like aircraft roundels, which are often based on the nation's flag, or coat of arms.

Also while flags are not used on the frontline anymore, they are still important part of military life, and losing your unit flag is considered some form of dishonor in some militaries.

And well with the advance in textiles and related technologies, national flags are actually more part of a uniform nowadays, as patches, than before.

And lastly, flags are not the only objects used as national/etc symbols, as most countries use some sort of coat of arms or other emblems alongside their flags. Or some other flag like objects, like Mongolia's Tugs

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tug_(banner)

Flags in a diplomatic context are rather different than explorers flag planting all over the place claiming the land for their country/monarch/eternal president for life and afterlife. For all we know, Zane has something behind him, but it wasn't rendered in the single shot that shows him from the front (as it's a closeup), and weren't mentioned or shown, because it's not important for the story.

He would have a holographic "flag" if he needed one.

I can already see the three little drones buzzing in projecting a glowing blue untextured rectangle.

... now I wonder whether Quantum could pose as a wall of writhing tentacles surrounding a huge eye that follows you around so that Zane can leisurely explain that yes, that is the "flag" of the Alliance ...

They do do it with "a whole fleet" all the time - just not a fleet quite that big. But no, considering that they/Zane do(es)n't trust their own crews with that knowledge, I don't think that the humans will hear about it anytime soon ...

Also....They (aka us) still does not know there is a Multi-species Alliance exploration Fleet here. Not just what they have seen so far which is Raharr....Its gonna be a "Cultureshock³"

Zane could SUGGEST some non-specific threat (that is also so classified that nobody except the higher-ups knows about.) In fact, that's all he knows, besides that it's regarded as a threat. What have these "Ghosts" actually done anyway? I don't have any information besides that, but it must have gotten their attention and given them a reason to find out more.

According to the wiki (with a spoiler alert) the Ghosts could be equal to our Grey. The Alliance have indications of them but has not found any clear evidence of them or their wereabouts.They don't know if they are friend or foe, or if they are just very very cautious but curious of whats out there.

That's just about nothing, but enough to want to know more.

That is called "Always leave them wanting more"

It works, as you have noticed =)