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Author Topic: What If?: Nature jumps the Amaris Coup  (Read 5617 times)

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fitzgerald

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What If?: Nature jumps the Amaris Coup
« on: January 19, 2012, 01:31:53 AM »
December 24th, 2766:  23:00 (PST)
Puget Sound, North America.

A magnitude 9.9 quake, with it's epicentre 35 km SE of Victoria, occurs.

An earthquake Seismologists have been fearing for centuries, occurs when the Juan de Fuca Plate finally slips with a titanic release of energy.

What the earthquake fails to destroy, the tsunamis, and numerous severe aftershocks do.  The Pacific Northwest is destroyed, and all along the Pacific Coast the damage & death toll is immense.


Unity City is destroyed, and with it all the Cameron's who had gathered for Christmas.

Oh and the ruler of that barbarian state Stefan Amaris.

 
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Knightmare

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Re: What If?: Nature jumps the Amaris Coup
« Reply #1 on: January 19, 2012, 11:04:01 AM »
Hmm...no Camerons and no Stefan Amaris?

The Coup is still possible. It would probably depend on two things coming from the RWR. One, a suitable Amaris replacement (i.e. a power hungry underling with enough pull in the RWR military to make the call and see the RWR Army follow.) Two, the RWR C&C apparatus surviving relatively intact.

Finally, perhaps a complete lack of response from the Terran Hegemony, Star League and Member-States in response to the disaster.

In all honesty, any environmental disaster devastating enough to wipe out Unity City (because lets face it, to take out the whole family the city is going out Atlantis-style) would probably also wipe out Amaris's cadre of top officers/followers as well. Since we really don't know how much pre-planning was disseminated to RWR line units, the bulk of the RWR may not have even been aware the hammer was going to fall until hours before launch, so they might continue their garrison with little change...after all, I wonder if those planned strikes were part of earlier "training" exercises, etc., designed to plan a coup without actually planning a coup....

Speaking of which, this is a question I'm hoping Liberation of Terra Volume I will answer: How much of the "plan" was known prior to Christmas. If execution of the Coup was well known in the RWR army in advance, then the Coup was a colossal failure on the part of Star League intelligence. 

At any rate, I still think execution of the Coup would come down to surviving RWR personnel. If Von Strang survived, or someone of similar caliber who thought they could pull the Coup off (if they even wanted to - maybe a homage to the late, great Amaris?), then I think it could still "go down." After all, the RWR units are still in place around the Hegemony. All you're really looking for is an execution order to trigger the attacks.   
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Dread Moores

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Re: What If?: Nature jumps the Amaris Coup
« Reply #2 on: January 19, 2012, 12:27:22 PM »
I actually don't think much changes. With the Star League/Hegemony suffering the loss of their ruling line through such an unforeseen tragedy, the people of the Hegemony will simply draw closer together. Someone will step out of the masses to lead the Hegemony, likely after a large recall of troops out of the Periphery.
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Ice Hellion

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Re: What If?: Nature jumps the Amaris Coup
« Reply #3 on: January 19, 2012, 01:45:19 PM »
Interesting question: did the Rim Worlds Republic have any other "talented" officer/politician or combo?
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Takiro

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Re: What If?: Nature jumps the Amaris Coup
« Reply #4 on: January 19, 2012, 10:42:13 PM »
Interesting but just one possible nitpick. Didn't the Star League develop geological stabilizers that were essentially giant shock absorbers set in sensitive areas? Plus I find it hard to believe that Unity City and/or the residence of the First Lord (the Star Palace?) weren't built with the best methods available (can you say the highest of building codes). With such high technologies  such a disaster inflicting such a loss of life is doubtful. Not saying the earthquake isn't possible but damage is likely significantly reduced.
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Vhen

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Re: What If?: Nature jumps the Amaris Coup
« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2012, 02:20:40 AM »
Earthquake is not the killer.


It would be the tidal wave.
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Swords of Fire

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Re: What If?: Nature jumps the Amaris Coup
« Reply #6 on: January 20, 2012, 02:43:12 AM »
Lots of options depending on who inherits (or if anyone inherits) control of Amaris's power.

Von Strang has always seemed to me like the person most feared in the RWR, and as Amaris's enforcer/chief lackey certainly could have kept most of the Republican units under control but to undertake the actual coup. . . . Mmm, i'd say if he did try then not all of the RWR would follow him, if he didn't he could have extracted the RWR units from the Hegemony with little difficulty but I could see the RWR fracturing shortly afterwards dependent on who exactly was Stefan Amaris's heir apparent (I'm guessing S U Amaris, followed by Stephan Amaris, and Stephen Amaris).

If Von Strang dies, I'm guessing the RWRM would pull out of the Hegemony in bits and pieces as commanders fought the desire to return home with an unknown central authority in the mix. I can't see any other Cameron of age wanting the RWR units to remain in the Hegemony. Star League collapses shortly afterwards because next Cameron in line is an idiot (certainly possible, but I can't see SL surviving anyway due to House Lord stupidity) and because the House Lords want a war.

Of course the scenario I would love to see just for the sake of general chaos (although it would never happen) would be Von Strang discovering the death of Amaris, and with the predominant thought being 'the man I love has died, I shall destroy this world for destroying him' destroying Terra in massed nuclear bombardment. Hegemony doesn't collapse but one hellishly vengeful SLDF descends on the RWR reminiscent of Furloughs March across Taurian space. SL dissolves anyway because every living Cameron was apparently on Terra, but the Hegemony survives. Kerensky doesn't leave because the Hegemony is still whole and functioning (although all bureaucrats on Terra are atomic ash  ;D). And we end up with a six way 1st Succession War, with a half a dozen RWR fringe states around the Lyran border with the strength of an anemic OWA and a desire to rebuild and get revenge on Kerensky.
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Re: What If?: Nature jumps the Amaris Coup
« Reply #7 on: January 20, 2012, 04:33:53 AM »
My own thoughts on this little idea.

Following such a cataclysm, both the SLDF and House's would rush in assistance, including troops, pretty much throwing a big spanner in the works of any Republican plans for a stab in the back.  I think the idea of a compartmentalised attack is probably true, so apart from a few high ups in the RWR, who are just as out of touch as anyone in the Hegemony and would miss the window to launch the attack, no one in the Hegemony would know what Amaris really planned

With no Cameron’s, the old fight for the throne, starting with bickering and degenerating into war would still happen, even with whoever the Hegemony finds to rule.  Not being a Cameron, the other Lords would only see them as Director-General, not heir apparent to the Star League.

With things falling apart, the SLDF would fracture, but the TH would likely come out best, with far more complete formations staying loyal to Terra than any other particular state.

The war in the Periphery would wind down quickly, not causing as much damage as before, but the RWR, with all the extra toys, would become a real player in the Succession Wars.  Instead of a 6 way bout, I would see a 7 way bout with the Taurians and Canopians being bigger players than before.

However, with the SLDF so much stronger than before and its troops and ships across so many states, the 1st SW is going to be EPIC!

Even if it is just the TH/SLDF trying to bring the other 5 idiots to heal, because even if the SLDF fractures, the Hegemony is going to have one hell of a force.

That’s my 2 cents.
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Re: What If?: Nature jumps the Amaris Coup
« Reply #8 on: January 20, 2012, 03:09:40 PM »
That's assuming Black, that whoever picks up the reins of the Director-Generalship decides fighting for the First Lordship and/or Star League is worth it.

If Kerensky is voted Director, or assumes control of the Hegemony, I don't know if a Succession War would start.

If the Hegemony is as well off as suggested then the nation isn't easy pickings, nor could any Member-State lay claim as heir apparent on the grounds of absorption. The internal workings of the Star League would also still function (not having been usurped or stopped with a decade-long Coup.)

Outside of removing the Cameron family, the Star League and the Hegemony is completely intact, and operating under business as usual.

If anything, I see Kerensky, or another semi-neutral figure (perhaps the next Director-General) working to amend or suggest amending the Star League Accords. Perhaps something along the lines of the Second Star League, with a rotating First Lord position. With the SLDF still a formidable force, and the Hegemony still supporting it, I don't see the same "opportunity" the Council Lords used to assert their own claims to the throne.
 
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Ice Hellion

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Re: What If?: Nature jumps the Amaris Coup
« Reply #9 on: January 21, 2012, 12:10:22 PM »
The way you describe Von Strang, he sounds like a kind of super political commissar but not like a strategist/politician.
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Re: What If?: Nature jumps the Amaris Coup
« Reply #10 on: March 08, 2012, 10:07:24 PM »
Quote from: Ice Hellion on January 21, 2012, 12:10:22 PM
The way you describe Von Strang, he sounds like a kind of super political commissar but not like a strategist/politician.

He might have been Ice.
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