Information I'd love to know

cthia wrote:What was the original strategic consideration for Basilisk Station? I seem to remember reading somewhere that it was slated to be used as an ammunition supply depot for Eighth Fleet. Surely it has been upgraded in strategic importance since then. It didn't seem like the terminus was all that important a strategic consideration with such a light picket, and for the banished. Pavel Young was stationed there for gosh darn sakes! Nuff said. I don't understand how a system bearing a terminus could fall negatively under political consideration, being such an important military objective.

There was no original strategic consideration for Basilisk Station. It was simply intended to be a couple ships maintaining a naval presence in a Manticoran territory, providing customs and coast-guard-type support. Though a number of people argued that, as a terminus of the wormhole junction, it really needed a full station, the powers that resisted any appearance of imperialism made sure that only the bare minimum presence was maintained.

OBS makes clear that, due to Honor's efforts and mistakes by the opposition, the government had successfully convinced parliament that it needed a full permanent station. Eventually several forts were built there.

What SWM says. Basilisk station should have had an entire naval base set up there. But the politics involved prevented that. The very notion of having a bunch of filthy alien savages, I mean... uhh... noble beings that would only be oppressed by humans cruel with their precious and unique culture poisoned by the domineering presence of being included as part of Manticore would be truly abhorrent.


Essentially the Conservatives and Liberals through their racism, and self righteousness and goodness which was a cover for said racism, didn't want the Medusans as part of Manticore. Their was no issue at all about including Matapan or Hennesey both of which are unpopulated into the system. The second a bunch of three legged aliens entered the mix, all hell breaks loose.

Hi Direwolf18,

Only a couple of nits to otherwise excellent points.

It was less overt racism than internal politics.

The Conservative Association was and still is opposed to anything that might risk their position and wealth; which Janacek as First Lord did his best to further by weakening the Basilisk station as much as possible, which led to OBS and the reaffirmation of the SKM's claim to Medusa and the RMN's greatly increased presence.

The Medusans made the contra-indicated alliance of the CA and Liberals possible, and the vote was so narrow Cromarty had to give them some ministerial positions regardless of how incompetent they were.

Which they proceeded to prove.

L

Direwolf18 wrote:What SWM says. Basilisk station should have had an entire naval base set up there. But the politics involved prevented that. The very notion of having a bunch of filthy alien savages, I mean... uhh... noble beings that would only be oppressed by humans cruel with their precious and unique culture poisoned by the domineering presence of being included as part of Manticore would be truly abhorrent.


Essentially the Conservatives and Liberals through their racism, and self righteousness and goodness which was a cover for said racism, didn't want the Medusans as part of Manticore. Their was no issue at all about including Matapan or Hennesey both of which are unpopulated into the system. The second a bunch of three legged aliens entered the mix, all hell breaks loose.

cthia wrote:What was the original strategic consideration for Basilisk Station? I seem to remember reading somewhere that it was slated to be used as an ammunition supply depot for Eighth Fleet. Surely it has been upgraded in strategic importance since then. It didn't seem like the terminus was all that important a strategic consideration with such a light picket, and for the banished. Pavel Young was stationed there for gosh darn sakes! Nuff said. I don't understand how a system bearing a terminus could fall negatively under political consideration, being such an important military objective.

That would be a neat trick, as Eighth Fleet didn't exist until 1913 and Basilisk was officially annexed in 1865. You might be thinking of Trevor's Star, which served as Eight Fleet's forward base, along with hosting Third Fleet more or less permanently.

Again, it comes back to politics. Any time you see something not done in the best way in the HV, it's due to the human element(characters are idiots or selfish - Young, Janacek, High Ridge, Harris, Giancola, etc.), or at the meta level, it's necessary to create the plots. A powerful Basilisk picket installed immediately after annexation? Boom! Your OBS novel just disappeared. Someone else gets sent to Yeltsin's Star. And so on.

munroburton wrote:[a powerful Basilisk picket installed immediately after annexation? Boom! Your OBS novel just disappeared. Someone else gets sent to Yeltsin's Star. And so on.

No, there WAS a powerful Basilisk picket right after annexation. But things change.

kzt wrote:

munroburton wrote:[a powerful Basilisk picket installed immediately after annexation? Boom! Your OBS novel just disappeared. Someone else gets sent to Yeltsin's Star. And so on.

No, there WAS a powerful Basilisk picket right after annexation. But things change.

No, there wasn't.

wastedfly wrote:

kzt wrote:No, there WAS a powerful Basilisk picket right after annexation. But things change.

No, there wasn't.

"Powerful" is a relative term. The original Basilisk Picket force was originally bigger than a single heavy cruiser -- even bigger than one heavy ccruiser reinforced by a single overage, under-gunned, testbed CL.

Will the Harrington Treecats ever have a winning season?

So Honor will know the winning side of baseball.

There were many Manticoran prisoners on Hades who decided to stay, out of fear of reprisal if the plan didn't work. Now that there is an Alliance surely those prisoners will be freed as well?

cthia wrote:Will the Harrington Treecats ever have a winning season?

So Honor will know the winning side of baseball.

As a life-long fan of the Cleveland Indians (second only to the Chicago Cubs when it comes to suffering), I certainly hope so....