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Will fiction TTL make a monkey out of those who classify and dehumanize other peoples.

Well between The Final Society and There and Back Again there does seem to be a bit of Tit for tat fictional implied insults.
I got a mixture of Tolkein's love of epic mythos, C. S. Lewis' flair for allegory and metaphor, sharing Robert E. Howard's surname and a Terry Pratchett reference.
So that's where that reference came from! I knew i didn't make it up.

But yes I basically combined various authors traits. If theres another fantasy author he may have a diffetent combination of elements.
 
Interlude: The Prodigal Son
Separated at Birth I Pic CXCVIII.jpg

Interlude: The Prodigal Son

“The man is a traitor.”

“It was a ruse to infiltrate the enemy.”

“Bullshit.”

The two men were arguing quietly, so as to avoid being overheard, but no less heatedly for all of that.

“He ignored an order from his Commander and Chief, defected to the Snakes, served them for years, and helped them rebuild their navy.”

“Perdue was a Geoist piece of shit who did more to empower the Snakes than anything Klein ever did and he plotted to have the admiral killed. And accusing the admiral of responsibility for the Drakian Naval Reforms is pure slander.”

“Bullshit.” The first man said again. He was a graying career officer in the State Department, old enough to have escaped military service during the Great Wars, young enough to have escaped military service during the World War. He had been in his prime when the Fleet Admiral was still one of the most powerful figures in American politics, and he remembered that time well.

“Klein was never loyal to anyone other Klein. If it served his purpose to turn coat, then he turned coat. There was never any plan to infiltrate the enemy.”

“What the hell does he have to do to convince you that he’s on level?” The second man asked with exasperation. He was an aide sent by the President, young enough that his memories of the Fleet Admiral’s tenure were those of a dimly recalled golden childhood, in the days when America still ruled the world. His hands were dry and cracked- the legacy of a minor case of germaphobia that he had picked up while serving in the Pacific- and he had strong opinions about civilian leaders second-guessing the military.

“He beat the Snakes so badly he almost liberated the whole Near East, he infiltrated their leadership, escaped with secret documents and an enslaved Rex leader, predicted the invasion of Italy before it happened, beat that invasion, and liberated Rome, so you tell me exactly what he ever did that went against American interests.”

The Diplomat made a dismissive sound, but declined to answer. He knew when a debate wasn’t worth having.

“We’ll be New York Harbor soon.” He shaded his eyes against the sunrise and studied the passing shore of Long Island. “You’d best wake up your hero if you want to give him a chance to dress and eat before we arrive.”

The Aide turned- presumably to do just that- when a door behind them opened, and the subject of their debate joined the pair on deck.

Arthur Klein, former Chief of Staff for the United States Navy and newly pardoned for treason, violating American neutrality, and a series of other offenses, had more in the way of crow’s feet and grey hair than when he’d last seen these waters, but he was fit for an older man. There was something of his famous charisma about him, something in the way he carried himself. He gave off an impression that he believed he could do anything, and he made you want to believe he could too.

“This day, of all days, demanded an early start!” The ex-Admiral rubbed his hands against the chill and gave a smile that nearly split his face.

“Speak of the devil sir.” The Diplomat- ever a professional- offered his hand. “We were just talking about waking you up.”

The Aide came to attention, and that he refrained from shaking hands was by no means a slight. “Welcome home, Admiral.”

“It has been a long time coming!” Klein shook the offered hand and returned the salute. He squinted momentarily at the shore.

“What on Earth is that?”

The Aide- who was a New Yorker and knew Long Island far better than the Diplomat- looked in the same direction.

“That, sir? A local businessman built it in ’48.”

“It looks like a copy of the Peace Gate[1] in Berlin.”

“It is, sir, but twice the size. The businessman was an immigrant, a Fascist who had to leave Germany when the Rex came to power and he wanted to honor the new German Prime Minister, I forget his name-”

“Wilhelm Tannhäuser,“ the Diplomat cut in, “of the New Reds.”

“That’s right. The Tannhäuser Gate. It’s supposed to symbolize a new age of friendship between America and Germany, or something like that. The President built a housing community of the same name[2] for veterans and their families there in ’53.”

“Well it’s certainly nice to see that America is taking better care of its heroes.”

“Yes, sir!” The Aide said enthusiastically.

The Diplomat left his thoughts unsaid.

[1] The original name of the Brandenburg Gate. It’s still a major Berlin landmark ITTL, but it holds a rather different position within the German zeitgeist.
[2] Roughly in the same location as OTL Shirley, New York
 
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Wait if Klein is seventy-one now, then Stoker would be a hundred and two! Unless Drakian Biological studies have gotten that far advanced, either he's a vegetable with others ruling in his name, or this takes place after he is dead. Either way, I can't wait to see the post war Societist powers, especially Drakia and Russia.
 
Also, the Princely States, do they act like Bantustan's? Or are they the same as the Indian Princely States? Also where is Insulindia? Is it Micronesia?
 

Jessicajess

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Also, the Princely States, do they act like Bantustan's? Or are they the same as the Indian Princely States? Also where is Insulindia? Is it Micronesia?
I believe the ones closer to the Dragon's nest are like Batustans. And those in the northern part of Africa and in the Middle East are like Indian Princely States.
 
Unrelated: if there's a Radical Geoist political party in the US (the Homeland Party), is there a fringe Societist Party, or is it supressed as a terrorist organization? It would probably have to operate in secret, and given the likely Southron base for such a group would probably be more like a KKK analogue than an actual political party.
 
Wait if Klein is seventy-one now, then Stoker would be a hundred and two! Unless Drakian Biological studies have gotten that far advanced, either he's a vegetable with others ruling in his name, or this takes place after he is dead. Either way, I can't wait to see the post war Societist powers, especially Drakia and Russia.
More interesting to know about would be the daughter that Klein cuckolded Stoker with, she would be of age by now.
 
Wait if Klein is seventy-one now, then Stoker would be a hundred and two! Unless Drakian Biological studies have gotten that far advanced, either he's a vegetable with others ruling in his name, or this takes place after he is dead. Either way, I can't wait to see the post war Societist powers, especially Drakia and Russia.

Klein was born in 1885 and is 71 as of 1956. Stoker was born in 1864 and was 86 in 1950 when he finally died. The state of medical technology is well ahead of OTL though, and members of the global elite with access to the best doctors routinely make it into their 80s and early 90s.

Also, the Princely States, do they act like Bantustan's? Or are they the same as the Indian Princely States? Also where is Insulindia? Is it Micronesia?

They used to function similarly to Indian Princely States with the added caveat that often acted as local enforced for Drakia. Since Stoker came to power they've been closer to Bantustans.

Nice Blade Runner reference. :)

Thank you friend. :)

Unrelated: if there's a Radical Geoist political party in the US (the Homeland Party), is there a fringe Societist Party, or is it supressed as a terrorist organization? It would probably have to operate in secret, and given the likely Southron base for such a group would probably be more like a KKK analogue than an actual political party.

Good question. The USA has a Radical Geoist Party in the same way that OTL America had a Communist Party in the '40s and '50s, except there's no anti-Geoist equivalent of the Second Red Scare here because there are no Radical Geoist countries left in existence to be scary. Having a Societist Party in the USA right now would be like having a Nazi Party during World War II- the American Societist party was banned and its leaders arrested as soon as the Second Draco-American War began, and given how it ended they're still suppressed. There are individuals and even a few groups of individuals with Societist sympathies, there are no active Societist organizations.

More interesting to know about would be the daughter that Klein cuckolded Stoker with, she would be of age by now.

She was born in November of 1938 (the warrant for Klein's arrest was issued in December 1938), it's now Fall of 1956, so Fortuna Stoker is just a few months shy of her 18th birthday.

EDIT: Oh, by the way I just started posting The Space Pirate King on this website.
 
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She was born in November of 1938 (the warrant for Klein's arrest was issued in December 1938), it's now Fall of 1956, so Fortuna Stoker is just a few months shy of her 18th birthday.
Would you subject her to the dice, though? She may as well be a compelling character. Will she be a true-blue Societists, or will she forsake it for the princess-in-solitude life it made her?

Remember the Situation,

Deus ex Machina
 
I doubt there are 5% of Americans right now that would give Perdue favorable ratings. If he's alive (and even if he's dead) I bet that not a day goes by where his house isn't egged by random people
 
Would you subject her to the dice, though? She may as well be a compelling character. Will she be a true-blue Societists, or will she forsake it for the princess-in-solitude life it made her?

Remember the Situation,

Deus ex Machina

Huh. Roll a d20 and tell me what you get without reading this spoiler.

13 or below we go with nurture- she was raised by true-blue Societists in Drakia, 14 or above we go with nature and she's her father's daughter

I doubt there are 5% of Americans right now that would give Perdue favorable ratings. If he's alive (and even if he's dead) I bet that not a day goes by where his house isn't egged by random people

Which is a little unfortunate- Perdue was a well-meaning President who introduced Geoist economic reforms and fought to maintain civilian control over the military. But all he's going to be remembered for is losing to Drakia.

Will there be a movie, Death of Stoker in this universe?

If there isn't, then there should be!
 
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