OBT Forum

Could Hanse at least get MIIO and DMI assign some resources on keeping some of the less paranoid members of the Calderon Family alive and well.  While at the same time do a PR campaign against the Paranoid members of the TC Government who are more concerned with the FC bogeyman than the pirates plaguing their worlds? 

I don't think Hanse's survival will have much impact other then canceling the party Thomas threw when he heard of Hanse's death.   

Keep in mind at the height of Thomas' paranoia (3047-3055) there was strong opposition to him- starting with Marshal Doru.  And many in the TDF wanted to see them focus on pirate threats, not the Davion boogeyman.  So I could see Doru pushing to increase Mech production, but then funneling it away from the FS border to other areas (maybe covert mech regiments that are being used to help tackle pirate threats).

As for what Hanse should do given his knowledge- absolutely nothing if he is smart.  Nothing he can say will sway Thomas and in 3052 Jeffrey isn't ready to turn on his father.  After 3055, Hanse should funnel aid and intel to the TC through the SIC. (Think the real world where the US and USSR would supply weapons to countries through a third party so that they (US or USSR) could say we didn't supply them)  One critical piece of information that needs to be provided is about the events in the Fronc Region that led to Jeffrey's death.   The best thing Hanse can arrange (from behind the scenes of course) is very close ties between the SIC and TC so that when Sun Tzu goes to launch his war the TC will not aid them, and in fact may aid the SIC in their war. 

I'm going to answer this in reverse order of how you wrote it.

The Calderon family seems to be in the most hazard of any ruling clan in the Human Sphere. Yeah I know life is harsh in the Periphery but scions disappear or get killed a lot more than average. I would wager that the Centrellas and Avellars live without the fear of a sudden demise that the Calderons have.

Is it more hazardous for Calderons or did Thomas' kids just have worse luck? 
Edward was killed in a dropship accident
Janice contracted Brisbane Virus
Ian left to join a merc unit
Felix "vanished" on a star mapping mission (but speculation is that he left the Concordat since he did not want to be Protector and disliked governing)
Jeffrey got screwed by the writers. 

I don't think the Calderons live in fear of sudden demise or being targeted by assassins.  Maybe the argument could be made that the Calderons spend less time in their palace and more time traveling among their people, exposing them to diseases or travel accidents. 

Well what prompted this discussion is Bullrun Concepts (who fled the realm to make upgraded Locusts) and the Mosquito (as proposed by masterarminas) which are different pathways then canon. These optimization efforts do create a possibilities for change.

I will say that butterfly wings and unintended consequences play into my alternate setting a bunch. In other words everything Hanse does creates ripples that change events and characters for the better or worse. What doesn't change as rapidly is the location of a Star League Cache per say and if any significant find is in or near the Taurian Concordat that could be a source of conflict possibly.

In the Canon setting we already have great unrest in the TC from 3051-3055.  Periphery 2e. p.1 on 3051 Marshal Doru was already calling out Thomas' policies as madness and "prompted widespread doubt among many who had once been the Protector's staunch supporters."

"Factions in Taurian society who had long since opposed the Protector looked to Marshal Doru as a potential savior" "assumed he would also willing replace Jeffrey Calderon should the heir-apparent prove to be a chip off the old block"

"Marshal Doru gained his greatest support among the Taurian Defence Force, many of whom had grown tired of the constant vigilance against a war that never came"

See also the sidebar on Page 12 about how the TDF was not able to chase pirates threatening the TC and how they were pissed at the Protector about his decision. 

Handbook MPS adds more details about the Far Lookers efforts to undermine the Protector. 

In 3053 Jeffrey Calderon was already working with Marshal Doru to restore sanity to the Concordat. 


I agree there a ripple effects from events, but the biggest ripples happen the furthest away - for example in 3052 let's say Hanse starts planning to deal with WOB and the Jihad, or to counter the Trinity Alliance.  in 3052 the Taurian situation is almost at its climax- all the pieces for Thomas being removed from office are already there.  At most maybe this moves it up by a year, which means the Canopian Alliance is not fully worked out.  The Concordat is at its boiling point, I just don't see much changing between 3052 and 3055- after that yeah a lot could change.

I like the third party angle but really see the Taurians as a third or fourth tier concern for Hanse himself.

Again if Hanse knows what is going to happen why not make a small effort that could pay off big time.  If the TC and SIC develop close ties (even if the TC and FC don't) it makes it less likely that the TC would be willing to go to war against the SIC.  (yes it could happen but it is less likely). 

Actually carrying forward a warship would still be very difficult, but who do we know who could provide the technical and financial support for this in exchange for a portion of the Taurian construction and would just love to put an extra threat on the FedCom borders? Everyone's beloved Word of Blake, that's who.

That could lead to a coup as the Taurian Concordat get bankrupted trying to get their WarShips built.
And isn't it too early for the Word of Blake to be that efficient?

I will have to go back to the second edition Periphery sourcebook and take a look at diplomatic relations between the Concordat-Compact. I would think that Thomas would view St. Ives and Candace as a Davion puppet but what of the Lyrans? Yes, there is the Federated Commonwealth which taints Taurian relations with House Steiner but there is evidence of at least mercantile ties between the two realms (Hatchetman proliferation). How about the Draconis Combine as a distant ally? There have been fanfics and other tenuous canon links between these Davion borderers but here again détente could have Thomas trusting no one.

Also the Calderon dynasty has had a run of bad luck but one thing I can assure everyone is that a non-Calderon will not become Protector. I always thought the entire concept of Grover Sharplen ascending that particular position was poorly done. If you wanted to make him a Regent or Shogun type figure then fine but the leadership of Taurus should always be in a Calderon sovereign. If Grover was Regent for a distant young Calderon then I could have stomached the whole path that was taken in canon but everything after Jeffrey's death ticked me off. So if you want a reactionary paranoid figure to come to power I'd go that route rather than a non-Calderon just being given the keys to the kingdom. End of rant.

As for the Calderons travelling more on the fringe of civilization with rickety old jumpships to be among their people I could certainly see it. That would be a hazard or more hazardous then the well developed and better maintained space lanes of the InnerSphere. This kind of leads me to drakensis comments on Warships which need a robust space infrastructure in order to get started. Don't get me wrong my friend it is an interesting idea but one that would need time, perhaps a generation (15-25 years), to foster. For starters which plays into the Mosquito concept of masterarminas that uses EndoSteel and Ferro-Fibrous wouldn't orbital foundries be necessary? Those facilities would be evidence to me that such a massive spaceborne industrial effort could be undertaken.

However drakensis I do think Thomas would react to the Review and Optimization Effort (FedCom, Draconis, and ComStar lead to combat the Clans), Bullrun Concepts (the escape of top weapon designers to the InnerSphere), and general LosTech Proliferation with efforts like the Mosquito. I get the sense that even the Capellan Confederation doesn't get a full tech boost until the reborn Star League comes along around 3058 and First Lord Sun Tzu wisely invests in his own nation to supply the SLDF's liberation efforts. Then subsequently the Canopians and Taurians get going circa 3060 aided by the Word of Blake. At this time the Free Worlds League has a big head start on lostech development with the FedCom second and the Draconis Combine third thanks to their beatings at the hands of the Clans. Of course that doesn't factor in ComStar who might be getting ready to crank up Terra's industrial engine.

Before I comment on specifics that have indeed or will be soon unfolding I would like to get a canon 3052 footing here, but this will come.

Quote from: drakensis on July 14, 2019, 12:45:41 AM

Actually carrying forward a warship would still be very difficult, but who do we know who could provide the technical and financial support for this in exchange for a portion of the Taurian construction and would just love to put an extra threat on the FedCom borders? Everyone's beloved Word of Blake, that's who.

That could lead to a coup as the Taurian Concordat get bankrupted trying to get their WarShips built.
And isn't it too early for the Word of Blake to be that efficient?

Why not have them give blueprints for the liberty class jump ships, which would build the income which a warship program would need.
or shipyard which could build jump ships would be useful to the Taurians, which increase taxes which would allow better growth

Yeah you really have the inside track Bradshaw. I will have to post a Salient Horizon: Event Tracker (Official Timeline) on these boards next along with some follow ups to Clarion Call.

You forgot about the Battle of Mars which was a big alternate event we did as well where Focht barely survived a trap by the Master and the Word of Blake. That conflict and the behind the scenes knife fight really changed things.

The Battle of Nyserta went very differently for Diamond Shark and Ghost Bear thanks to more company then originally planned.

Don't forget about the Fire Mandrill 'slave raid' as you guys called it either which kicked off the Hellion's Reckoning.