There has been considerable doubt in the US that the Ubermenschen are real, and not just propaganda tools. The film that Hightower showed to the President at the end of chapter 1 was the first clear footage of them that anyone had seen.

Hightower always believed the Ubers were real, and felt that the US needed its own super-soldier force to counter them, but he was mocked for his belief. He convinced President Roosevelt to fund his projects, which each produced a single successful candidate. Hightower put those five exceptional people together to form The Specialists, but before they were quite combat ready, Roosevelt died.

Since Truman and the Pentagon brass thought that The Specialists was just one crazy guy’s plan to fight imaginary bogeymen, he suspended the project, preferring to fight the war with proven techniques like bombs and guns. But thanks to Frank Goetz, the team was kept around as a propaganda tool.

why does truman not want use the specialists in battle, i’m a little fuzzy about lightning lasses explanation.

Yep, Alexander’s right. The Army paid for an autonomous robot that could be mass-produced, and Max wasn’t able to deliver in time, so now’s he’s got to fake it till he makes it.

The Hermes exoskeleton has actuators at the joints that amplify Henry’s movements, which is what allows him to move faster than he otherwise would. But as for whether or not he’s faster than than Max Schnell, I’m afraid you’ll have to wait and see!

If I remember correctly, he was originally supposed to be making an autonomous robot (or remote suit) but couldn’t get it to work without in-situ human balance reflexes. I don’t know how the funding/support status of the project would be affected by the revelation, but I suspect it wouldn’t be helped. As well as which, this means he gets to ride into battle with his heroes rather than being kept at base – imagine the PR disaster if the kid got killed, and how much worse it’d be if the generals sent him in willingly than if he ‘stowed away’.

I was wondering why does max need to keep the secret that he pilots the golem, couldn’t tell general hardcastle that he is the only one who can pilot it

I think Denver will be our one and only con appearance this year. We went to Mid-Ohio (Columbus) last year, mostly because I live in the Cleveland area and it was pretty easy to get to. Since Shawn lives in the Denver area, the Denver con is a no-brainer.

Cons that are closer to home (one of our homes, anyway) are not as much of a financial drain as they could be; cons are definitely NOT a money-making affair for us, but it’s fun getting out there and meeting people. Next year we might go a little further afield, and NY is a possibility.

Oof! That sounds like an enormous job!