sir_schwick
Archbishop of Towels
Someone else made a thread asking what would happen if the Unity mission had never fragmented. That seems very unlikely, but I am curious what others think would have happened if the mission had landed. More specifically, I am curious how the eventual splits and resulting wars could have occured. Some thoughts are my own as well.
Ascent to Transcendence
Yang is further enticed to this deal by technology trade that provides him with more thought control abilities. Of course this technology had to be acquired directly from Zhakarov through back door channels. The Hive closes its doors to all outsiders two days before the first strike against the Fascist territories. They scramble their elite troops to meet the fanatic shock troops of the UN. Initial combat was fierce and casualties massive for both sides.
The ferocity of the attack eliminated fascist strategic offensive capability for several months. This was long enough for Zhakarov's new military technology to come online and provide a decisive edge in the air war. Now worn down by constant bombing, the fascist states slowly lost the war of attrition. A battered but triumphant believer army slaughtered and converted the defeated bases.
As anticipated by the architects of the campaign, the believers were greatly weakened by the intensity of the war. They graciously took their sovereign land and focused on the construction of cathedrals and religious schools. Militant elements of the holy states diminished quickly in the years of peace that followed. Yang, now without major security concerns, spread throughout his allotted territories. For the moment the mind-worms were enough to occupy most of his time.
Over the following decades the technologists and empaths who had provided the basis for the UN started to become more secluded. Large facilities secretly developed in the Monsoon Jungle for massive experiments involving the mind-worms and advanced technology. As Planet started to awaken, the intensity of mind-worm attacks rose significantly. After New Hague was destroyed by a swarm of mind-locusts the severity of the problem became apparent.
Over the decades the technology/empath cabal had been hording more and more of its research in its secret facilities through the Monsoon Jungle and in the international waters. The other states had begun to achieve military technology parity during this time. In the Holy states a movement emerged claiming the mind-worm risings were connected with the continued existence of non-believers in the Hive and the UN. Crusaders once again rose for conquest of a holy land.
When the war started the Hive decided it was time to turn on the UN. If allowed to absorb the UN, the believers would be too strong to defeat. Yang was safe within his fortress bases from mind-worms, but not the modern weapons technology that would likely be looted from the UN. As one could predict, the UN fared very poorly against the combined forces. The Cabal finally turned its back completely in its former UN patrons. They were preoccupied with another concern at the moment.
The Cabal had discovered that the mind-worm risings were due to the manifesting consciousness of planet. Work on the Voice of the Planet continued throughout the war. After Lal was executed, the Hive and Believers warred on each other. They ignored the secret complexes and sea bases that contained the Cabal. Finally the voice was completed and negotiations began with planet. Deidre and Zhakarov both agreed it was time that humanity move to something greater.
Soon both the Hive and the Believers learned to fear a planet that was sentient. Combing the intelligence of all the parts, the entire fungus network, and the hybrid armies of the Cabal; the Soldiers of Chiron marched forward and decimated all foes. After a quick but extremely violent culling, all those who did not join Chiron were dead.
There's a lot more possibilities of course.
Spoiler The Setup :
Santiago would likely be the first to split. As a few bases were established, she would try to establish autonomy at some of them. Probably under the guise of security against the mind-worms it would be granted. Morgan could not operate fully due to likely UN climate control measures and Deidre. So he would ally himself with Santiago and move industries into the autonomous zones. In response to Santiago and Morgan gaining autonomy for their followers, Yang would demand the same and probably be granted.
Now the UN coalition faces some issues:
A majority of the military-capable left with Santiago. Morgan's departure also means they will have a healthy defense industry to bolster their military strength. Yang's poor relations with both of them prevent an immediate alliance. However in the event of a war he may decide to absorb much of the UN into his Hive.
Until now Zhakarov's research efforts have been hampered by human rights concerns. The need for military and economic technology to deal with a possible separatist threat trumps those concerns. Quiet arrangements are made and less frequented bases are secretly converted into labs for Zhakarov. In exchange for aiding environmental and mind-worm research, Deidre helps suppress knowledge of the new research and enters in a warm alliance with the academician.
Meanwhile the leading theocrats are dissenting against the liberal democratic model of the UN territories. Unlike the fascist separatists, the believers do not want to participate in a corporate-militarist state. This desire to convert the UN homeland requires a quick solution. UN leadership, encouraged by the development of new weapons and increasing infrastructure, strike a deal. The believers will form the shock troops to wage a holy war against the fascist separatists of the morganite/santiago bases. In exchange for extinguishing them, they will gain soverignty over a new homeland composed of the conquered bases. This religious state would have friendly relations and free exchange of people in between.
Ideally this setup would allow the UN to control technology trade with the superstitious religious states. Also the believers would do a majority of the fighting in a potential war, potentially thinning out their numbers to be much less than the UN. This would make it difficult for them to challenge UN sovereignty to decades at least. Only one other factor had to be considered: the Hive.
Yang would be offered a deal to ensure his neutrality during the war. This deal would establish the future borders of Planet. The Hive would have a soviergn area roughtly 3/8 of the land area and 1/4 of the oceans. The religious states would have 1/8 inland. The UN would inhabit the remaining 1/2 of the land and also 1/4 of the oceans. The remaining 1/2 of the ocean would be international waters.
During the time since the separation though, some links had formed between the Hive and the fascists. An alliance during the war was not completely out of the question. If their was an alliance, then the immediate strength of the separatists would be greater than the UN. However balance would come back to the UN as the more advanced research of Zhakarov and the Believers would come to full strength. If the war went on long enough without too much lose for the UN, Deidre's mind-worm army would quickly tip the balance towards assured UN victory. So a few things can happen from here: I will describe them in an adjoining post.
Now the UN coalition faces some issues:
A majority of the military-capable left with Santiago. Morgan's departure also means they will have a healthy defense industry to bolster their military strength. Yang's poor relations with both of them prevent an immediate alliance. However in the event of a war he may decide to absorb much of the UN into his Hive.
Until now Zhakarov's research efforts have been hampered by human rights concerns. The need for military and economic technology to deal with a possible separatist threat trumps those concerns. Quiet arrangements are made and less frequented bases are secretly converted into labs for Zhakarov. In exchange for aiding environmental and mind-worm research, Deidre helps suppress knowledge of the new research and enters in a warm alliance with the academician.
Meanwhile the leading theocrats are dissenting against the liberal democratic model of the UN territories. Unlike the fascist separatists, the believers do not want to participate in a corporate-militarist state. This desire to convert the UN homeland requires a quick solution. UN leadership, encouraged by the development of new weapons and increasing infrastructure, strike a deal. The believers will form the shock troops to wage a holy war against the fascist separatists of the morganite/santiago bases. In exchange for extinguishing them, they will gain soverignty over a new homeland composed of the conquered bases. This religious state would have friendly relations and free exchange of people in between.
Ideally this setup would allow the UN to control technology trade with the superstitious religious states. Also the believers would do a majority of the fighting in a potential war, potentially thinning out their numbers to be much less than the UN. This would make it difficult for them to challenge UN sovereignty to decades at least. Only one other factor had to be considered: the Hive.
Yang would be offered a deal to ensure his neutrality during the war. This deal would establish the future borders of Planet. The Hive would have a soviergn area roughtly 3/8 of the land area and 1/4 of the oceans. The religious states would have 1/8 inland. The UN would inhabit the remaining 1/2 of the land and also 1/4 of the oceans. The remaining 1/2 of the ocean would be international waters.
During the time since the separation though, some links had formed between the Hive and the fascists. An alliance during the war was not completely out of the question. If their was an alliance, then the immediate strength of the separatists would be greater than the UN. However balance would come back to the UN as the more advanced research of Zhakarov and the Believers would come to full strength. If the war went on long enough without too much lose for the UN, Deidre's mind-worm army would quickly tip the balance towards assured UN victory. So a few things can happen from here: I will describe them in an adjoining post.
Spoiler Case I: Ascent to Transcendence :
Ascent to Transcendence
Yang is further enticed to this deal by technology trade that provides him with more thought control abilities. Of course this technology had to be acquired directly from Zhakarov through back door channels. The Hive closes its doors to all outsiders two days before the first strike against the Fascist territories. They scramble their elite troops to meet the fanatic shock troops of the UN. Initial combat was fierce and casualties massive for both sides.
The ferocity of the attack eliminated fascist strategic offensive capability for several months. This was long enough for Zhakarov's new military technology to come online and provide a decisive edge in the air war. Now worn down by constant bombing, the fascist states slowly lost the war of attrition. A battered but triumphant believer army slaughtered and converted the defeated bases.
As anticipated by the architects of the campaign, the believers were greatly weakened by the intensity of the war. They graciously took their sovereign land and focused on the construction of cathedrals and religious schools. Militant elements of the holy states diminished quickly in the years of peace that followed. Yang, now without major security concerns, spread throughout his allotted territories. For the moment the mind-worms were enough to occupy most of his time.
Over the following decades the technologists and empaths who had provided the basis for the UN started to become more secluded. Large facilities secretly developed in the Monsoon Jungle for massive experiments involving the mind-worms and advanced technology. As Planet started to awaken, the intensity of mind-worm attacks rose significantly. After New Hague was destroyed by a swarm of mind-locusts the severity of the problem became apparent.
Over the decades the technology/empath cabal had been hording more and more of its research in its secret facilities through the Monsoon Jungle and in the international waters. The other states had begun to achieve military technology parity during this time. In the Holy states a movement emerged claiming the mind-worm risings were connected with the continued existence of non-believers in the Hive and the UN. Crusaders once again rose for conquest of a holy land.
When the war started the Hive decided it was time to turn on the UN. If allowed to absorb the UN, the believers would be too strong to defeat. Yang was safe within his fortress bases from mind-worms, but not the modern weapons technology that would likely be looted from the UN. As one could predict, the UN fared very poorly against the combined forces. The Cabal finally turned its back completely in its former UN patrons. They were preoccupied with another concern at the moment.
The Cabal had discovered that the mind-worm risings were due to the manifesting consciousness of planet. Work on the Voice of the Planet continued throughout the war. After Lal was executed, the Hive and Believers warred on each other. They ignored the secret complexes and sea bases that contained the Cabal. Finally the voice was completed and negotiations began with planet. Deidre and Zhakarov both agreed it was time that humanity move to something greater.
Soon both the Hive and the Believers learned to fear a planet that was sentient. Combing the intelligence of all the parts, the entire fungus network, and the hybrid armies of the Cabal; the Soldiers of Chiron marched forward and decimated all foes. After a quick but extremely violent culling, all those who did not join Chiron were dead.
There's a lot more possibilities of course.