My lovely niece warned me a long time ago, "Uncle, you have to make
these scenarios more palatable. You know that bunch, they're not going to simply assume the givens and proceed from there. Yadda yadda yadda."
Oh drats.
As I told her in that eventful thread, I'm not quite interested in the foreplay which led up to the Galaxy's disaster. I'm interested only in the aftermath. However, I really do understand ThinksMarkedly's concerns of wanting to know what caused this snafu, to better be able to judge the SL's... disposition? LOL
I'm not laughing out of disrespect, or because it isn't a valid concern. I'm laughing because the notion is applied to the SL. I'm laughing at the notion that Manticore's fate would ultimately depend on any other intangibles besides what the almighty SL would want--as a result of its Greed, Arrogance, the huge green expansionist streak running down it's back, and um, the aforementioned centuries long festering resentment--regardless and completely independent of
any cause. It is illogical to apply normal human logic and sentiments to the MA or the SL.
Very illogical. But truly sweet, like grandma.
What
does make me roll over busting a gut giggling is the notion that this is "out of the blue" after centuries of enduring the MBS cornering the Galaxy's markets. Maybe one of the Mandarins had a relative aboard a freighter where there was an incident. Maybe a SL registered freighter was impounded for smuggling which led to a shooting incident. Or just maybe a Mandarin woke up on the wrong side of the bed fed up with the uppity neobarbs, tabled a motion to squash them and it was seconded, thirded, fourthed, and fifthed. Or, maybe they just saw the writing on the wall and wanted to strike before the Haven Sector became The Great and Powerful Oz.
Or, maybe the oldest beef of human kind and human nature in human history was the catalyst of the war. A woman. A beautiful woman. As thus,
it is said, it was with Troy.
Beowulf. Beowulf. Where for art thou lovely
Beowulf? Fornicating with the enemy doing things you mustn't.Your "slip" is showing, Beowulf. And the Gorilla is pounding his chest. You don't mess with another man's girl. You don't
dare dream about a Gorilla's girl.
The cause nor the battle is what interests me. The disposition and dispensation of the enormous booties does.
Do note: The scenario describes a quartet of Mandarins and SLN officers who are not wearing blinders. They know what they're up against. They send the equivalent of two Raging Justices all at once! And then some!Who knows, maybe a non-nanited MA operative grew a conscience and had a hand in it too.
Late edits are owed to the grammar police. Who still may be lurking.
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