Also, as noted in the linked thread, I should correct my earlier posts. There is no virus component involved. That's a common misconception. It is simply whatever part of Clarion Note/Call that is messing with hyperspace. So, all of the HPGs that went down initially went down due to Clarion Note/Call. There was also the physical attacks to get some of the remaining operational HPGs. On top of all of that, you also had some HPGs that initially kept working after Clarion, but failed at a later date. The only HPG on record that has successfully been brought back online is the Wyatt HPG (courtesy of Tucker Harwell). That HPG is still operational, making Tucker the only person to successfully find away around the Clarion issue.
It's an incredibly interesting situation, as you have a Blakist plan (Clarion) that was later in the hands of the Republic, yet high-ranking Republic officials (up to and including Stone) have insisted they are not the ones who activated the now-Republic doomsday plan. That makes sense, as this has done nothing but totally jack up the Republic. It also puts the setting in a very fascinating spot, as there is currently no foreseeable way to bring large portions of the HPG network back online, short of Tucker coming up with some miracle network-wide cure or disabling Clarion Note/Call (wherever that may be). How does the setting change if this continues long-term? 100 years without HPGs? 200? The very nature of conflict inside the setting could very well change, as black boxes do not really offer enough of a reliable, widespread network alternative. I don't even want to imagine the havoc this has brought to currency exchanges and interstellar banking.
