OBT Forum

Tresice fromws at the Taurain.

"The good ambassador must have had his holvid player off and been asleep for the last four weeks.  I represent the Terran Hegemony.  As to what we want, I will read the Director-General's recent statement to your leaders."

Tresice picks up a document from within his folder and begins to read from it.

"Leaders of the Inner Sphere and Nearby Periphery,

I am Angus Hamilton, Director-General of the Terran Hegemony.

Though it may take sometime for that information to sink in, please be advised that the Hegemony Government has been reconstituted on Terra, within the City of Geneva, and that your ambassadors here can attest to the fact should you require additional conformation.  An interim period of my Director-Generalship and that of Hegemony President Elizabeth Andreas will end with Hegemony wide elections in three years time.

During the course of this month, forces loyal to the Terran system and state have seized control of all major sites within the Terran system and eliminated any points of resistance from the former ComStar occupiers.  Terra is now ruled by Terrans again and Terrans alone.

At the same time as operations in the Terran system were undertaken, forces loyal to me have seized 93% of the HPG’s currently in service across known space and will have the remainder secure within a week.  You may have noticed some small technical glitches over the past week?  This was due to our operations and we are confident that all Sphere wide communications will be restored to their full capacity shortly.

ComStar no longer exists as a functioning entity, bar a limited number of renegade former members who avoided our recent operations.  All former ComStar materials and property are now the materials and property of the Terran Hegemony.

Now that each of you are informed as to our recent operations, there are some matters that require addressing:

*The Terran Hegemony lays claim to all former territories held at the end of the Star League period;

*The Hegemony Armed Forces will soon be sending forces to reintegrate these worlds back into the Hegemony and end their illegal occupation by former Member State forces;

*Opposition to our rightful territorial claims will be met with force;

*Any attempts to remove industry from these worlds will be met with overwhelming deadly force;

*ComStar is to be broken into the following two divisions and area of responsibility:
Communications Enterprises Inc., which will be a wholly Hegemony owned corporation, responsible for the development, construction and servicing of HPG hardware;

*Starlight Broadcasting Ltd, which will be a company jointly held by all governments, which will oversee the administration of the HPG network.  Each state is invited to appoint one representative, with voting rights based on current national strength.  States which opt out of the administration of Starlight Broadcasting will have their HPG systems disabled.  Permanently.  Starlight will administer Communications Enterprises, though the latter will remain a wholly owned Hegemony Company;

*Any attempt to seize equipment, personnel, or any other material belonging to either Communications Enterprises or Starlight Broadcasting will result in the offending nation having their HPG systems disabled.  Permanently.

*The Terran Hegemony sees the operations of Starlight Broadcasting as lying outside of all other Interstellar activities and will not use its hold over Communications Enterprises as a political bargaining chip or threat; and

*None of the above points are open to negotiation.

Though I am sure this message is a surprise to each of you, I am also sure you will come to value a strong, stable and progressive government that again rules the heart of mankind’s stellar territories.

Yours in a prosperous New Year,

Angus Hamilton

Director-General of the Terran Hegemony

Geneva, Terra, 1st of January, 3026"

The Terran ambassador looks at the Taurian. "Does that answer your question?"

Ambassador Tresice looks across at the Capellan:

"If we asked nicely, would any of your nations give up dozens of worlds to us?"

Ambassador Holstein smiles "Perhaps if the Director-General had shown more sense than hubris, he wouldn't be at war with the largest navy in the Inner Sphere. Now, unless he has a larger navy, he might have the ability to back up his words. But what would that do? He would inherit bombed worlds, filled with a seething populace for a government that hasn't given a damn about them in what? 4 centuries or more? Now it's "Hey, we're back, sorry we killed Uncle Irv in the militia for defending his home. Now let's all sing the new anthem and pledge allegiance to the new flag." My nation has been saying how stupid it is when we do it, so why the hell is my government going to simply go along with it when you claim all kinds of self-righteousness in your government's excuses, Ambassador. The Federated Suns and the Lyran Commonwealth offered you an option that would preclude war. But it seems your self-righteous moron of a leader wants a war, and damn the good sense. We offered plebiscites and a summit on Skye. You called us terrorists. Ambassador. Your leader is talking you and your nation into becoming the pariah of the Inner Sphere."

"Furthermore, your claim of all territories 'at the end of the Star League period.' Well, since all of us were member states, that's a pretty wide purview? So, are we going to sing the old song, 'All I want is a little piece! A little piece of Poland, a little piece of France...' Well, you get the idea, Sorry ambassador. I don't have instructions via war/no war with you yet. But I am empowered to call you feckless twits...and I shall. At least ComStar could be forgiven their religious delusions...yours are just megalomania."

Ambassador Tresice smiles:

"The petulant children do like to whine when another arrives and changes the rules of thier dance.  Our goals have been clearly stated: We will reform the Terran Hegemony.  Should states wish for peace with us, they should withdraw from all former Hegemony worlds.  It really is a simple as that."

"We leave the option for peace or war in your hands.  Leave and peace is assured, stay and fight.  So simple that even a Capellan can understand it."

Tresice looks at the Davion:

"No, our goals are simple and already stated."

J.D. Davion leans over to Ambassador Holstein. "Hamilton claimed to want to restore the Hegemony's borders as of the Star League, not the Star League, I believe."

He raises his voice. "And what will the Hegemony declare or demand next, Ambassador Trescice? The non-negotiable restoration of the Star League? Or of the Terran Alliance? I don't claim any moral high ground in making territorial claims but shall we expect further ultimatums?"

Angus leans over to J.D. Davion "I know that, but the way it's worded, the damn thing is so open ended, it could be taken any which way but loose."

Tresice nods:

"No claim upon the First Lordship or anything beyond the borders of the Hegemony in the 2770s is, or will be made."