In response to a wondering, which response grew too long to post as a replying comment. Mark Atwood: I do have to wonder what the Republic could possibly gain by invading the Empire. If their xenophobic political factions gain power, their cause is better and cheaper served by just destroying
Just a Machine: Averted (and extremely rude) in all civilized polities. (Played straight in less civilized places, until it’s also averted… all too often, if the Silicate Tree or the more bloody-minded abolitionists get their way, with bullets, missiles, and orbital bombardment. They really hate people who think this
FLEETS MOBILIZE Fleets are mobilizing across the spinward constellations of the Associated Worlds this week in response to the unwarranted incursion by the Voniensan Republic, in clear violation of the Worlds-Republic Demarcation Convention. In addition to the Imperial Spinward Fleet, task forces from the League of Meridian, Nal Kalak, the
Judge, Jury, and Executioner: The job of the Fifth Directorate, where existential threats and other excessionary events are concerned. Rather strictly forbidden for everyone else (including the Shadow Fleet, Imperial State Security, etc. – although their legal procedure can, and often does, vary to fit the necessities of the cases they
“Join The Army,” They Said: While it’s never as yet been shown on screen, I am pretty certain both that the advertising is pretty realistic about the nature of war, but also that the recruitment slogan for the Imperial Military Service is along the lines of: CIVILIZATION HAS ENEMIES.
From: Karr mor-Kadrek, Fleet Security To: Virni Alman, Fleet Communications Subject: Re: War warning – procedure? File it. Nice of the home office to send it through, but even cutting the corner of their space, what’s the worst they could do to us? It’d take ’em ten years just
Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Averted three times over. Firstly, because of the ethical problems (the people who are very cautious and gentle about imprisoning the accused because they don’t own their people are hardly going to endorse torture). Secondly, because it doesn’t work, assuming you have any reason
FROM: CINCSPIN (CS LIBERTY’S PRICE) RELAY TO: ALL UNITS, SPINWARD FLEET COPY TO: CORE COMMAND ***** WILDFIRE WILDFIRE WILDFIRE ***** FLEET CONFIDENTIAL E2048 ***** STRATEGIC ACTION MESSAGE 1. THIS MESSAGE CONSTITUTES A WAR ORDER. 2. CINCSPIN DECLARES CASE SABLE, REPEAT, CASE SABLE. 3. AS SUCH, RULES OF ENGAGEMENT F6-UNLIMITED ARE THEREFORE IN
…of the trope-a-day worldbuilding technique I use is the recurring nightmare I have that someone is collecting them all in one ridiculously large file they plan to dump on TV Tropes en masse. Which isn’t really the point of the exercise and I’m sure would annoy them right
It’s Not Porn, It’s Art: While not a legal distinction – for obvious reasons – the important distinction between the socially acceptable (and indeed regarded as something of an art form) erotica and the socially unacceptable pornography is that the former requires (a) appealing characters, (b) some semblance of a
FROM: BORDERLINE DEFENSE MATRIX (107 – CHARACH) RECEIVED AT: BORDERLINE DEFENSE MATRIX COMMAND RELAY TO: CINCSPIN (CS LIBERTY’S PRICE) ***** EXPEDIENT ***** FLEET CONFIDENTIAL E256 ***** SITREP INCURSION INCURSION TRANSIT DETECTED REPEAT TRANSIT DETECTED SIGNIFICANTLY EXCEEDING TREATY PARAMETERS AT REPUBLIC GATE, CHARACH SYSTEM. MORE FOLLOWS. AUTHENTICATION ROSE FLARE GALL DIADEM GALLANT CREEK / 0xAC2243D0E891B336
To: the Idiot Riggers in Habitation Module 4V and Their Damn-Fool Party Friends Re: Your Still Yes, I know about your still. No, I’m not going to shut you down, because if you don’t have the still I know about, you’ll just set up one l don’