Wallet
Banned
Do 2008 Obama vs 2016 HillaryComparing Clinton's performance in 2016 and Obama's performance in 2012 produces an...interesting result:
Alternate Wikipedia Infoboxes IV (Do not post Current Politics Here)
- Thread starter Glide08
- Start date
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Eh, maybe. It seems like it'd be an easy win for Obama, though, so I'm not as interested.
How about Trump vs. Romney, Romney vs. McCain, and/or McCain vs. Trump?
Was almost about to scrap this one, as I was having a lot of trouble with the cover, but I hit upon something that I think looks pretty good.
"The alternate history subgenre of rebellion fiction is a genre that basis its plots on scenarios surrounding an alternative outcome of the May 31st Rebellion. Interest grew in the genre after the critical historical evaluations of the period began being published in the late '40s. Three opposing schools emerged surrounding the Rebellion. The Idealists, who believed that the revolution could have restored American democracy, the Counter-Idealists, who held that the revolution would have brought permanent misery to the U.S. if successful, and the Revisionists, who argued that most outcomes of the rebellion would have been equally congruent depending on the length of the rebellion. While most contemporary views lean towards the Counter-Idealist viewpoint, these findings incised many ex-rebels and their supporters, some of whom began writing to "debunk" the rival historians. While fiction cannot debunk a historical paper, it did start a small literature movement, as counterrevolutionary fiction soon followed the revolutionary pieces. Overall, rebellion fiction can be placed into four categories. Wish/revenge fulfillment, pointless dystopia, hard alternate history, and more standard historical fiction. While the majority of works published leans towards the first two categories, there are a few works that manage to escape the genre's cliches and be somewhat well-regarded.
One such work, or at least a possible aversion, is Francisco Doyle's Republic of Heaven. Released in 2064, Doyle evaded many rebel-victory cliches by sidelining the most controversial player of the rebellion, the Black Rose. Rather, Doyle's "point of divergence," the scenario that diverges the narrative from history, is based on the actions of the Faith Party and its paramilitary wing. Doyle's scenario involves a more assertive and courageous Faith Party, which, told in flashbacks, continues its offensive, helps the rebels reach air parity, and ensures a rebel victory. Many Black Rose leaders are conspicuously absent, but their disappearance is hand-waved as them slinking back into the shadows as the Faith Party becomes the vanguard of the revolution. While this is definitely problematic, their absent quickly becomes irrelevant as the Faith Party establishes its new regime. Sidelining its fellow rebels by working with a variety of ex-conservatives from the Moderate Party, the new regime begins to tighten their grip on American life.
Now, the strength of an alternate history or dystopian work relies on its characters. After all, if they are unlikable, the whole reading becomes an academic exercise, rather than a work of art. Doyle chooses a fairly small selection of point of view characters. One key, if infrequent character is the new President, Daniel Just, who from my quick research seems to be a fabricated character. However, with many members of the party's leadership at the time still alive, it does make sense to make a character out of whole cloth. Daniel Just is "ironically" named, as can be expected of "tragic" heroes. Just starts out as someone who wants to do right by God and his fellow man, but ends up being the instrument of the downfall of countless lives. Now, Daniel Just is fairly likable at first, but the transformation from an affable and idealistic revolutionary to a self-absorbed and unaware tyrant is not well paced. Fortunately, Doyle's other characters help pick up the slack. They include Marco Giles, a down on his luck Mexican-American construction worker, and Georgia Duke, a feminist activist that supported the rebellion but is terrified by the new fundamentalist government. They both have a strong sense of dry wit that helps infuse some comic relief into what could easily be a slog. While neither interact with President Just, when they do meet later in the book, Doyle plays them well off each other, and shows that he can write like-minded yet distinct personalities.
The more political and historical details are also well done. The reverberations of the revolution and the regime's policies tend to be realistic, and are often incorporated seamlessly into the prose. Doyle rarely breaks the narrative to deliver exposition, and instead relies on his characters reactions to build his world. This has the added effect of making the situation feel more ambiguous and makes our narrators feel less reliable. While there is one or two places in the book where some details become confusing, I do prefer works that force their readers to think critically on the disparate information they are presented. Overall, Doyle is fairly good on not preaching to the audience. While the work is certainly dystopian, its dystopia develops slowly to the point where you almost don't notice when you reach the rock bottom. The story refuses to rely on shock value, and while there are several good twists, up until the end of the book Doyle does not try to manipulate his reader in forming their opinion of the world. For the most part, he simply presents the world as it is and how it is seen by those living in it.
Overall, Republic of Heaven is better than most rebellion fiction. While it nowhere near compares to Deanna Middleton's Tears of Water, or Arturo Maddox's What I Dreamed For In the Trenches, it outclasses most of Middleton's and Maddox's imitators. However, while I would like to rate this book better, its abrupt and blatant cliffhanger ending is an insult to the reader. While most of the plot lines are wrapped up, the ending twist comes out of nowhere and for no reason, and serves to undo almost everything the main characters have achieved in the book. It was a rude moment, and I'm still cross about it. Up until then, I would have given the book 6 out of 10 stars, but I'm going to give it 2 out of 10. It's still 6 out of 10 if you don't read the last chapter, but that's hardly an excuse. Unfortunately, I have no faith that the sequel will be worth a glance."
~Terence Petersen, Science Fiction Bookwatch
"Republic of Heaven:
Genre: Alternate History (Rebellion Fiction)
Author: Francisco Doyle
Setting: U.S., 2041-42. Columbia, Arizona, California, and Mexico.
Plot: The May 31st Rebellion is victorious over the government forces, thanks to an increased contribution by the Faith Party and the Sons of Jehu. The Faith Party quickly takes a lead in the peace negotiations, and is able to have one of its key leaders, Daniel Just, appointed as President of the new interim government. President Just quickly leads his party in backstabbing their former allies, working with members of the old government to establish dictatorship. These members of the old government are soon backstabbed as well. Elsewhere, in Arizona, Marco Giles, a construction worker, becomes increasingly involved with the regime. While he is initially relieved by the turn of events and the restoration of what seems to be normalcy, he grows increasingly wary of a new project being built by the regime. In California, Georgia Duke, a college activist, attempts to work with her friends to resist the new government. However, when her friends begin to disappear one by one, she panics and flees to escape the country. She meets Marco Giles in Arizona, and two work out a plan to flee to Mexico. In the meanwhile, Daniel Just becomes increasingly guilt-ridden and unhinged, mainly due to backstabbing his former allies.
Ending: Duke and Giles are able to cross the border with minimal fuss. Once in Mexico, they realize that Duke was not being tracked by the regime, and that the pair wasted months of time plotting and carrying out their convoluted escape. Daniel Just is stabbed in the back, with a knife, by a fellow leader of the party. The Faith Party leadership believes that they can pin the blame on assassins and implicate Mexico. So they can invade Mexico. The project that Giles was working on and could never figure out were logistics depots to aid in the invasion of Mexico. Duke and Giles now must flee once more, as the American war machine begins its invasion."
~Republic of Heaven, onlyspoilers.com
"The alternate history subgenre of rebellion fiction is a genre that basis its plots on scenarios surrounding an alternative outcome of the May 31st Rebellion. Interest grew in the genre after the critical historical evaluations of the period began being published in the late '40s. Three opposing schools emerged surrounding the Rebellion. The Idealists, who believed that the revolution could have restored American democracy, the Counter-Idealists, who held that the revolution would have brought permanent misery to the U.S. if successful, and the Revisionists, who argued that most outcomes of the rebellion would have been equally congruent depending on the length of the rebellion. While most contemporary views lean towards the Counter-Idealist viewpoint, these findings incised many ex-rebels and their supporters, some of whom began writing to "debunk" the rival historians. While fiction cannot debunk a historical paper, it did start a small literature movement, as counterrevolutionary fiction soon followed the revolutionary pieces. Overall, rebellion fiction can be placed into four categories. Wish/revenge fulfillment, pointless dystopia, hard alternate history, and more standard historical fiction. While the majority of works published leans towards the first two categories, there are a few works that manage to escape the genre's cliches and be somewhat well-regarded.
One such work, or at least a possible aversion, is Francisco Doyle's Republic of Heaven. Released in 2064, Doyle evaded many rebel-victory cliches by sidelining the most controversial player of the rebellion, the Black Rose. Rather, Doyle's "point of divergence," the scenario that diverges the narrative from history, is based on the actions of the Faith Party and its paramilitary wing. Doyle's scenario involves a more assertive and courageous Faith Party, which, told in flashbacks, continues its offensive, helps the rebels reach air parity, and ensures a rebel victory. Many Black Rose leaders are conspicuously absent, but their disappearance is hand-waved as them slinking back into the shadows as the Faith Party becomes the vanguard of the revolution. While this is definitely problematic, their absent quickly becomes irrelevant as the Faith Party establishes its new regime. Sidelining its fellow rebels by working with a variety of ex-conservatives from the Moderate Party, the new regime begins to tighten their grip on American life.
Now, the strength of an alternate history or dystopian work relies on its characters. After all, if they are unlikable, the whole reading becomes an academic exercise, rather than a work of art. Doyle chooses a fairly small selection of point of view characters. One key, if infrequent character is the new President, Daniel Just, who from my quick research seems to be a fabricated character. However, with many members of the party's leadership at the time still alive, it does make sense to make a character out of whole cloth. Daniel Just is "ironically" named, as can be expected of "tragic" heroes. Just starts out as someone who wants to do right by God and his fellow man, but ends up being the instrument of the downfall of countless lives. Now, Daniel Just is fairly likable at first, but the transformation from an affable and idealistic revolutionary to a self-absorbed and unaware tyrant is not well paced. Fortunately, Doyle's other characters help pick up the slack. They include Marco Giles, a down on his luck Mexican-American construction worker, and Georgia Duke, a feminist activist that supported the rebellion but is terrified by the new fundamentalist government. They both have a strong sense of dry wit that helps infuse some comic relief into what could easily be a slog. While neither interact with President Just, when they do meet later in the book, Doyle plays them well off each other, and shows that he can write like-minded yet distinct personalities.
The more political and historical details are also well done. The reverberations of the revolution and the regime's policies tend to be realistic, and are often incorporated seamlessly into the prose. Doyle rarely breaks the narrative to deliver exposition, and instead relies on his characters reactions to build his world. This has the added effect of making the situation feel more ambiguous and makes our narrators feel less reliable. While there is one or two places in the book where some details become confusing, I do prefer works that force their readers to think critically on the disparate information they are presented. Overall, Doyle is fairly good on not preaching to the audience. While the work is certainly dystopian, its dystopia develops slowly to the point where you almost don't notice when you reach the rock bottom. The story refuses to rely on shock value, and while there are several good twists, up until the end of the book Doyle does not try to manipulate his reader in forming their opinion of the world. For the most part, he simply presents the world as it is and how it is seen by those living in it.
Overall, Republic of Heaven is better than most rebellion fiction. While it nowhere near compares to Deanna Middleton's Tears of Water, or Arturo Maddox's What I Dreamed For In the Trenches, it outclasses most of Middleton's and Maddox's imitators. However, while I would like to rate this book better, its abrupt and blatant cliffhanger ending is an insult to the reader. While most of the plot lines are wrapped up, the ending twist comes out of nowhere and for no reason, and serves to undo almost everything the main characters have achieved in the book. It was a rude moment, and I'm still cross about it. Up until then, I would have given the book 6 out of 10 stars, but I'm going to give it 2 out of 10. It's still 6 out of 10 if you don't read the last chapter, but that's hardly an excuse. Unfortunately, I have no faith that the sequel will be worth a glance."
~Terence Petersen, Science Fiction Bookwatch
"Republic of Heaven:
Genre: Alternate History (Rebellion Fiction)
Author: Francisco Doyle
Setting: U.S., 2041-42. Columbia, Arizona, California, and Mexico.
Plot: The May 31st Rebellion is victorious over the government forces, thanks to an increased contribution by the Faith Party and the Sons of Jehu. The Faith Party quickly takes a lead in the peace negotiations, and is able to have one of its key leaders, Daniel Just, appointed as President of the new interim government. President Just quickly leads his party in backstabbing their former allies, working with members of the old government to establish dictatorship. These members of the old government are soon backstabbed as well. Elsewhere, in Arizona, Marco Giles, a construction worker, becomes increasingly involved with the regime. While he is initially relieved by the turn of events and the restoration of what seems to be normalcy, he grows increasingly wary of a new project being built by the regime. In California, Georgia Duke, a college activist, attempts to work with her friends to resist the new government. However, when her friends begin to disappear one by one, she panics and flees to escape the country. She meets Marco Giles in Arizona, and two work out a plan to flee to Mexico. In the meanwhile, Daniel Just becomes increasingly guilt-ridden and unhinged, mainly due to backstabbing his former allies.
Ending: Duke and Giles are able to cross the border with minimal fuss. Once in Mexico, they realize that Duke was not being tracked by the regime, and that the pair wasted months of time plotting and carrying out their convoluted escape. Daniel Just is stabbed in the back, with a knife, by a fellow leader of the party. The Faith Party leadership believes that they can pin the blame on assassins and implicate Mexico. So they can invade Mexico. The project that Giles was working on and could never figure out were logistics depots to aid in the invasion of Mexico. Duke and Giles now must flee once more, as the American war machine begins its invasion."
~Republic of Heaven, onlyspoilers.com
Whoever loses, we win!Comparing Clinton's performance in 2016 and Obama's performance in 2012 produces an...interesting result:
I don't know what the review is talking about, this ending is great
onlyspoilers.com also sounds like a million-dollar idea for a website.
Pretty boring it seems. Trump won most of the close states. These are raw vote totals, so I'm guessing Trump vs. McCain would be an even bigger Trumpslide than the one pictured here.
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Through A Mirror, Darkly
Amphibious assaults require a significant amount of gunfire support of all sizes, ranging from massive 18" naval guns to small arms fire and everything in between. Landing Ships Medium (Rocket) and Landing Ships Support provide two distinctly different types of support for invading forces. The larger LSM(R)s are based off the standard Landing Ship Medium hull, but with the superstructure pushed to the rear and the main hold filled with vertical launch tubes for Beach Barrage Rockets and reloads. The Beach Barrage Rockets can be armed with high explosives, sub-munitions or chemical weapons. A dozen sub-munition armed rockets can clear a square kilometer of territory, but due to high failure rate of standard sub-munitions, the U.S. has begun moving away from their use in recent years. Landing Ships Support are small craft that are designed to get close to shore (and in some cases, even beach themselves) to provide close gunfire and mortar support for landing troops. Ton-for-ton, LSS's are some of the most heavily armed warships in the United States, and bristle with automatic weapons and mortars. LSS's are also frequently used as anti-aircraft pickets and are paired with radar pickets to act as the first line of defense against enemy aircraft. Some LSM(R)'s have been modified to replace the Beach Barrage Rockets with AGM-255 Boomerang surface-to-air missiles or even SSM-N-28 Scorpio II cruise missiles.
Amphibious assaults require a significant amount of gunfire support of all sizes, ranging from massive 18" naval guns to small arms fire and everything in between. Landing Ships Medium (Rocket) and Landing Ships Support provide two distinctly different types of support for invading forces. The larger LSM(R)s are based off the standard Landing Ship Medium hull, but with the superstructure pushed to the rear and the main hold filled with vertical launch tubes for Beach Barrage Rockets and reloads. The Beach Barrage Rockets can be armed with high explosives, sub-munitions or chemical weapons. A dozen sub-munition armed rockets can clear a square kilometer of territory, but due to high failure rate of standard sub-munitions, the U.S. has begun moving away from their use in recent years. Landing Ships Support are small craft that are designed to get close to shore (and in some cases, even beach themselves) to provide close gunfire and mortar support for landing troops. Ton-for-ton, LSS's are some of the most heavily armed warships in the United States, and bristle with automatic weapons and mortars. LSS's are also frequently used as anti-aircraft pickets and are paired with radar pickets to act as the first line of defense against enemy aircraft. Some LSM(R)'s have been modified to replace the Beach Barrage Rockets with AGM-255 Boomerang surface-to-air missiles or even SSM-N-28 Scorpio II cruise missiles.
Through A Mirror, Darkly
Amphibious assaults require a significant amount of gunfire support of all sizes, ranging from massive 18" naval guns to small arms fire and everything in between. Landing Ships Medium (Rocket) and Landing Ships Support provide two distinctly different types of support for invading forces. The larger LSM(R)s are based off the standard Landing Ship Medium hull, but with the superstructure pushed to the rear and the main hold filled with vertical launch tubes for Beach Barrage Rockets and reloads. The Beach Barrage Rockets can be armed with high explosives, sub-munitions or chemical weapons. A dozen sub-munition armed rockets can clear a square kilometer of territory, but due to high failure rate of standard sub-munitions, the U.S. has begun moving away from their use in recent years. Landing Ships Support are small craft that are designed to get close to shore (and in some cases, even beach themselves) to provide close gunfire and mortar support for landing troops. Ton-for-ton, LSS's are some of the most heavily armed warships in the United States, and bristle with automatic weapons and mortars. LSS's are also frequently used as anti-aircraft pickets and are paired with radar pickets to act as the first line of defense against enemy aircraft. Some LSM(R)'s have been modified to replace the Beach Barrage Rockets with AGM-255 Boomerang surface-to-air missiles or even SSM-N-28 Scorpio II cruise missiles.
Even in the future no one writes articles about radar sets, do they?
It's complicated, niche stuff and you need someone who knows about it and is willing to write about it, and in some cases, those never overlap
BlackentheBorg
Banned
Well, actually, in that timeline, the US Armed Forces are still up there, ranked second-highest in funding. Keep in mind that in addition to guarding earth stuff they also gotta defend the moon, Mars, 17 orbital space stations, asteroids being mined for resources, a United-Nations Dyson Sphere (under construction, of course), hyperspace gateways, etc. etc.
Just how many years has the budget switch been in effect exactly?
Comparing Clinton's performance in 2016 and Obama's performance in 2012 produces an...interesting result:
Even Illinois? Heck...
Inspired by a look at American perennial candidates, I stumbled across this man: Native Alaskan activist Don Wright, who ran for various political offices in Alaska between 1968 and 2010, and who is only remotely famous for being influential in the passage of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act in 1971. So... In a timeline where Alaska achieves independence in 1959 instead of statehood, I'm giving him some political success.
Do you think NASA could pull in the dough to have a budget that expansive? I know asteroid mining would be lucrative, at least.
The 112th Space Vehicle Maintenance and Regeneration Group, often referred to as the “Boneyard,” is an Alliance Navy space vehicle storage and maintenance facility in the Delos System. The space stations and “yards” of the SVMRG are located at various points near the gas giant Porphyrion – at the planet’s Lagrangian points, in orbital facilities, and even on or in orbit of Porphyrion’s moons – and collectively make up the Porphyrion Naval Installation. The SVMRG looks after more than 3,000 space vehicles, currently ranging in size from cruisers to shuttles and fighters. In addition to military and DoD craft, the SVMRG also stores excess of out-of-service craft from all branches of the Alliance government, notably the Departments of Colonization, Exploration, and State.
The SVMRG was officially established in 2124 after three years of exhaustive construction efforts, and was originally tasked exclusively to house military space vehicles. The Delos System was previously uninhabited, and selected as an ideal location for a facility of this nature. The system was out of the way of major trade routes and civilian settlements, providing security through isolation from civilian traffic, but was close enough to military supply lines and the major bases of the Concordia System to make resupply only a mild obstacle. The gas giant Porphyrion, with two dozen satellites, also offered ample room and multiple methods of space vehicle storage.
The mission of the SVRG is multi-faceted. Some spacecraft are stored for the short- or long-term, and kept intact for future use by the military other organizations, requiring only relatively low-level maintenance and modification. Other craft are dismantled wholesale and scavenged for spare parts and other recyclable materials for use by the military or other government agencies. Still more undergo major refit for sale in whole or in parts to the civilian market. Select few craft undergo “permanent storage” (or in effect, destruction) by being piloted deep into Porphyrion’s atmosphere, usually due to some danger preventing more extensive recovery efforts. This is also the primary method of “storage” for unstable Lyle Drives that have exceeded their operating life. The long-term effect on Porphyrion of this method of disposal for hazardous materials has been requested to be studied by multiple private and public scientific organizations.
In addition to the monetary and material benefits of the facility, the Alliance also regards the existence of the SVMRG as the sole suppository for government space vehicles a grave matter of security due the dangerous nature of SVs in general, and military SVs in particular. For decades the SVMRG managed without incident and government confidence in the SVMRG was high; this changed, and changed drastically, following the events of 18 December 2161 and the ensuing hysteria and scandals.
Though detail is scant due to the nature of the attack and much of what is known remains classified, the public record states that on 18 December 2161, several space vehicles, later identified as Hermes-class shuttles and one Shang-Yang-class light freighter, impacted with several key facilities of the Porphyrion Naval Installation in the 11 Area, or primary military storage yard, at speeds ranging from 3-14% c in the case of the shuttles, to Mike 51 in the case of the light freighter. The freighter impacted with PNI Sensor Array Bravo, vaporizing the entire array. A minimum of two, but possibly up to three shuttles collided with PNI Control Station (11 Area), causing massive damage and atomizing large sections of it. A further three shuttle collided with PNI Secondary Systems, nearly completely destroying it. This destroyed or crippled much of the PNI’s defensive picket still in its hangars; elsewhere, it was learned that the two frigates assigned to the PNI were engaged by similar attacks, and were caught up with pursuing “rabbits.” Only ten seconds after these impacts, multiple craft exited from FTL very close to the 11 Area. This included one Surat-class freighter and several more Shang-Yangs, each supporting compliments of shuttles.
The Surat and most of the light freighters departed for various targets in the yard. Rebel shuttles targeted craft in the short- or long-term storage sections, including. Boarding parties targeted the one Montevideo-class cruiser in the yard, as well as many of the Rio Ebro- and Amur-class frigates, brought them online, and maneuvered them to jump to FTL. One of the Shang-Yang light freighter attacked the PNI Mobile Rig Alpha, a moving repair and refit station, disgorging several shuttles carrying boarding parties. These boarding parties used varying methods, including suicide attacks, to subdue the crew, dock it with the freighter, and jump to FTL.
The death total was revealed to be 189 Alliance personnel and an estimated 21-30 attackers. The human cost was mitigated only by the fact that many personnel were in the Concordia System for leave for the Christmas and New Year holiday; had the PNI been fully staffed, deaths could have ran into the thousands.
The theft of forty-eight spacecraft and the Mobile Rig was a devastating strategic and tactical defeat; incidentally, it was also the largest theft, in terms of monetary value and mass of items stolen, in human history. The horrific yet daring attack had sent shocks through the Alliance. Obviously, that (presumed) rebels had now acquired military space vehicles was a massive threat to security. But the attack also sent waves of hysteria through the civilian populace. Prior to 18 December 2161, spacecraft had never been utilized as relativistic kill vehicles by something of an unspoken convention (a law passed by the UEG in 2091 that banned it was technically still in affect, though was little-known and little-cited due to obvious reasons). Their use in this manner caused massive public fear, and though another attack of this type has not materialized, now that “Pandora’s box had been opened,” as Vice President Aayush Malhotra put it, the paranoia about another such attack could never be shaken.
The investigation into the attack ended the career of a dozen Navy officers, including the then-commander of the SVMRG, Rear Admiral Raul Wang, resulting in brig time for five of said officers, including Wang. It also resulted in the resignation of Secretary of the Navy Hector Garcia, and the varying firings, resignations, finings, imprisonment, and disgrace of several DoN, DoD, and administration officials. The investigation revealed what it believed to be deep levels of infiltration by rebel operatives and sympathizers mostly in contractors of the PNI, but also of some military personnel; it also revealed gross and criminal levels of incompetence, negligence, and lax security on part of the convicted and imprisoned officers, and more. The attack caused reform of the Boneyard, including the establishment of a larger defensive picket independent of the base command, a large Marine garrison, and more oversight from command in Concordia.
The SVMRG was officially established in 2124 after three years of exhaustive construction efforts, and was originally tasked exclusively to house military space vehicles. The Delos System was previously uninhabited, and selected as an ideal location for a facility of this nature. The system was out of the way of major trade routes and civilian settlements, providing security through isolation from civilian traffic, but was close enough to military supply lines and the major bases of the Concordia System to make resupply only a mild obstacle. The gas giant Porphyrion, with two dozen satellites, also offered ample room and multiple methods of space vehicle storage.
The mission of the SVRG is multi-faceted. Some spacecraft are stored for the short- or long-term, and kept intact for future use by the military other organizations, requiring only relatively low-level maintenance and modification. Other craft are dismantled wholesale and scavenged for spare parts and other recyclable materials for use by the military or other government agencies. Still more undergo major refit for sale in whole or in parts to the civilian market. Select few craft undergo “permanent storage” (or in effect, destruction) by being piloted deep into Porphyrion’s atmosphere, usually due to some danger preventing more extensive recovery efforts. This is also the primary method of “storage” for unstable Lyle Drives that have exceeded their operating life. The long-term effect on Porphyrion of this method of disposal for hazardous materials has been requested to be studied by multiple private and public scientific organizations.
In addition to the monetary and material benefits of the facility, the Alliance also regards the existence of the SVMRG as the sole suppository for government space vehicles a grave matter of security due the dangerous nature of SVs in general, and military SVs in particular. For decades the SVMRG managed without incident and government confidence in the SVMRG was high; this changed, and changed drastically, following the events of 18 December 2161 and the ensuing hysteria and scandals.
Though detail is scant due to the nature of the attack and much of what is known remains classified, the public record states that on 18 December 2161, several space vehicles, later identified as Hermes-class shuttles and one Shang-Yang-class light freighter, impacted with several key facilities of the Porphyrion Naval Installation in the 11 Area, or primary military storage yard, at speeds ranging from 3-14% c in the case of the shuttles, to Mike 51 in the case of the light freighter. The freighter impacted with PNI Sensor Array Bravo, vaporizing the entire array. A minimum of two, but possibly up to three shuttles collided with PNI Control Station (11 Area), causing massive damage and atomizing large sections of it. A further three shuttle collided with PNI Secondary Systems, nearly completely destroying it. This destroyed or crippled much of the PNI’s defensive picket still in its hangars; elsewhere, it was learned that the two frigates assigned to the PNI were engaged by similar attacks, and were caught up with pursuing “rabbits.” Only ten seconds after these impacts, multiple craft exited from FTL very close to the 11 Area. This included one Surat-class freighter and several more Shang-Yangs, each supporting compliments of shuttles.
The Surat and most of the light freighters departed for various targets in the yard. Rebel shuttles targeted craft in the short- or long-term storage sections, including. Boarding parties targeted the one Montevideo-class cruiser in the yard, as well as many of the Rio Ebro- and Amur-class frigates, brought them online, and maneuvered them to jump to FTL. One of the Shang-Yang light freighter attacked the PNI Mobile Rig Alpha, a moving repair and refit station, disgorging several shuttles carrying boarding parties. These boarding parties used varying methods, including suicide attacks, to subdue the crew, dock it with the freighter, and jump to FTL.
The death total was revealed to be 189 Alliance personnel and an estimated 21-30 attackers. The human cost was mitigated only by the fact that many personnel were in the Concordia System for leave for the Christmas and New Year holiday; had the PNI been fully staffed, deaths could have ran into the thousands.
The theft of forty-eight spacecraft and the Mobile Rig was a devastating strategic and tactical defeat; incidentally, it was also the largest theft, in terms of monetary value and mass of items stolen, in human history. The horrific yet daring attack had sent shocks through the Alliance. Obviously, that (presumed) rebels had now acquired military space vehicles was a massive threat to security. But the attack also sent waves of hysteria through the civilian populace. Prior to 18 December 2161, spacecraft had never been utilized as relativistic kill vehicles by something of an unspoken convention (a law passed by the UEG in 2091 that banned it was technically still in affect, though was little-known and little-cited due to obvious reasons). Their use in this manner caused massive public fear, and though another attack of this type has not materialized, now that “Pandora’s box had been opened,” as Vice President Aayush Malhotra put it, the paranoia about another such attack could never be shaken.
The investigation into the attack ended the career of a dozen Navy officers, including the then-commander of the SVMRG, Rear Admiral Raul Wang, resulting in brig time for five of said officers, including Wang. It also resulted in the resignation of Secretary of the Navy Hector Garcia, and the varying firings, resignations, finings, imprisonment, and disgrace of several DoN, DoD, and administration officials. The investigation revealed what it believed to be deep levels of infiltration by rebel operatives and sympathizers mostly in contractors of the PNI, but also of some military personnel; it also revealed gross and criminal levels of incompetence, negligence, and lax security on part of the convicted and imprisoned officers, and more. The attack caused reform of the Boneyard, including the establishment of a larger defensive picket independent of the base command, a large Marine garrison, and more oversight from command in Concordia.
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After 16 year reign, pontiff dies at age 92; world-wide mourning by faithful
-Western Reserve Chronicle
With no clear favorite, long wait expected for announcement after cardinals enter lockdown
-Alta California Daily
"No unlicensed water traffic permitted within marked exclusion zone, use alternative routes; Fine Schedule IV imposed for violating diplomatic cordon."
-Yerba Buena Harbor Authority Notice
"'No substance' to 'wild claims' of debauchery at conclave, asserts Church spokesman"
-Morning Call
HABEUS PAPAM
-Western Reserve Chronicle
With no clear favorite, long wait expected for announcement after cardinals enter lockdown
-Alta California Daily
"No unlicensed water traffic permitted within marked exclusion zone, use alternative routes; Fine Schedule IV imposed for violating diplomatic cordon."
-Yerba Buena Harbor Authority Notice
"'No substance' to 'wild claims' of debauchery at conclave, asserts Church spokesman"
-Morning Call
HABEUS PAPAM
- Status