Subject: [smof-politics] April Political Roundup
From: "Cpt. Mal Fnord, USSR" (23@globalfrequency.fen)
Reply-To: smof-politics@smofcon.fen
Date: 5/01/2012 12:01 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients
What ho, comrades! It's time for the April roundup of all the political
movements in and around Fenspace.
The big news last month was, of course, the launch of the SS Grover's
Corners from the good ol' US of A two weeks ago. By now I'm sure that
everybody in Fenspace knows the basics of the launch so I'm not going to
bother going over them here. The good news is that the Grover's Corners
crew are happy, sane and decidedly staying out of the factional
disputes, so don't nobody try to count coup on them, okay? They'll be
parked at L3 for the moment, getting their bearings and the like. Hat
tips to Buckaroo for throwing himself in front of the East Coast missle
defenses, and to Noah for yeoman catherding in keeping the diplomatic
envoys in line at Stellvia. I'm sure the Corners people appreciated not
having to clean up after multiple NMD hits and a couple thousand
rubberneckers.
That's the good news. The *bad* news is that Grover's Corners might be
the last worldship we see for a while. Apparently, lifting an
asteroid-sized mass not a hundred miles from the capital tends to
*worry* the American defense establishment. Also, President Rudy* was
less than amused with the whole situation. Long story short, the
crackdown's coming again. Between Grover's Corners and the election
season, expect a whole new flood of anti-wave laws in the US in the next
couple months.
Elsewhere in mundane Americana, we're seeing some interesting political
maneuvers within the US military. It didn't make it into the March
roundup, but on 31 March the US Navy took matters into their own hands
and started their own wavetech space program. According to my buddies at
the Undisclosed Location, the squiddies got fed up with the USAF-TSAB
axis and gave an old Seawolf the full wave job. I don't know where they
found enough fen to run the thing, but that's what they did. In any
case, the USS Stingray has been "patrolling" in lunar orbit for the last
month while the brass pours oil upon troubled Pentagon waters. I'm not
going to suggest that anybody try and get the Stingray to, you know,
defect while they're still in legal limbo. That would be Wrong. But it
would also be Funny. So I won't suggest it. (Wink wink, nudge nudge, I'm
lookin' at *you* Starfleet.)
Over in Europe, the situation is starting to ease up a little.
Shockwaves from the Corners launch are radiating (naturally) so expect
some more minor restrictions, mostly in launch mass limits and the like.
I have to give the Eurodanes credit; they may not like to rain fire &
brimstone like the US, but they sure play a mean game of nibbling to
death by ducks. Other than a little more reflexive regulation, things
are getting copacetic between us and Europe. The grapevine in Brussels
has it that the EU is thinking of going into a trade agreement with the
Senshi and maybe the Browncoats. I don't know how accurate that is, but
if it's good, then good for them.
One problem area we're still dealing with is Russia. Our friends in bear
country are whispering that Putin's out to make a power grab. Nobody's
sure yet if that means he's going to "nationalize" wave research like
the rest of the planet, or if he's actually going to try and build his
own little fen empire. On top of that, my contacts at Star City are
muttering dire things about the Vory taking an interest. We'll get back
to that in a minute, but for now let's be on the lookout for sudden
spikes in Russian migration, particularly to the smaller established
factions.
(As an aside, I know a lot of us like to use Mr. Morden as a source for
intel when it comes to Russian matters. I wouldn't. Morden gives good
intel, but that comes with a price. In this case the price is - AFAICT -
he's tight with FSB. When it comes to Putin, his word is not
trustworthy. Remember this.)
Speaking of megalomaniacs who might cause trouble, the Chinese
government put out yet another protest about the "abduction of Chinese
nationals by the scofflaws and pirates infesting the solar system." If
you're wondering what they've got their knickers in a twist about *this*
time, the Republic and the Wizengamot smuggled out another couple
hundred of their people (each!) from Shanghai on the 10th. The crackdown
remains unabated, with rumors that the PLA will try to confiscate any
wavetech that touches their soil. So be on your guard, and if you have
engine trouble in Chinese airspace aim for Hiroshima or Ulan Bator.
Meanwhile, down in God's own country, things are going quite smoothly
for us. The Lollipop Guild** continue to watch out for our interests, as
well as maintain their vice grip on the PM's balls. The Libs - egged on
by the US - made a halfassed demand for handwavium restrictions after
the Corners launch. This demand was very quietly withdrawn after the
Guild made their presence known in Canberra. This bit of cheap comedy
aside, life in Australia has been good for us and the mundanes.
That's the Earthside politics, now it's time for the Fenspace stuff.
Inter-faction spats were down by half last month, which sounds
suspicously like folks are trying to settle down and be good instead of
pranking their neighbors. Or at least, the pranking isn't happening on
an institutional level anymore, which is good enough for me.
Kandor City, the fastest-growing part of our little interplanetary
empire, is showing signs of becoming a mature metropolis; they've
actually hired city workers. I know, I'm as shocked & horrified as you,
but our little town is growing up.
Martian politics are screwing up the terraforming project - again.
Starfleet has registered yet another complaint to the MTP about their
forced relocation once the Vastitas Borealis aquifers melt. Look, guys,
I *know* that Utopia Planitia has deep symbolic meaning for you, but you
signed on to the terraforming agreement like everybody else. Either
learn to swim, or get ready to move in ten years.
Now, for a more troubling subject. I've been hearing more and more about
attacks on mining outposts in the Belt. Thing is, I'm not hearing this
from the usual sources. *None* of the big players in the outer system -
the Browncoats, the Ninjas or the Pirates - are saying word one about
these attacks. What little I've been able to piece together comes from
disgruntled Nivenite rockrats who're willing to let a communist buy 'em
drinks, and my brother cosmonauts in Star City.
Remember back up where I said there were dire mutterings about the Vory?
This is the gist: apparently people from certain organizations
associated with the Vory have been doing some headhunting among the old
Rosaviakosmos ranks. They're offering trips into Fenspace for "certain
favors," what kind of favors I haven't heard, but it doesn't take a
genius to think there's something bad waiting in the wings.
So, is there a mob war (or worse, a mob takeover) about to happen in the
outer system? I couldn't tell you, because the people who would *know*
aren't saying anything. Not to me, not to anybody else on SMOFcon.
THIS IS NOT WISE, PEOPLE!
I know we've all got our disagreements, but goddammit! If something bad
is happening in the Belt, then WE NEED TO KNOW! And the best way to do
that is to SHARE our information! Keeping secrets on this kind of thing
is beyond stupid, and it shames me that I even have to *say* this! So if
you've got information about what's going on, spill it. I don't care if
you think it'll make you look weak in front of your enemies, or in front
of the mundanes, or in front of the girl/guy/whatever you're trying to
impress; keeping intel secret is only going to set off a worse disaster
later. And I swear on St. Yuri's bones, if you bastards withhold
something that gets people killed you'd better pray to God for mercy,
'cause I won't have any. End of rant.
That's the political maneuvering roundup for April, 2012. Here's hoping
we have a quiet and prosperous May.
--Not Nathan Fillion
---
* In order to really make the post-GC handwavium regs feel right I wanted an autocratic dick running the US, and of the current contenders Giuliani fit the bill best. If you disagree, it's open to debate.
** (for the Glossary) Lollipop Guild: (informal, SMOF jargon) Name of the group of Australian fen/fendanes who act on Fenspace's behalf within the mundane Australian government. Rumored to have some very impressive blackmail material.---
Mr. Fnord
http://fnord.sandwich.net/
http://www.jihad.net/
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery
FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information
"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"
From: "Cpt. Mal Fnord, USSR" (23@globalfrequency.fen)
Reply-To: smof-politics@smofcon.fen
Date: 5/01/2012 12:01 AM
To: undisclosed-recipients
What ho, comrades! It's time for the April roundup of all the political
movements in and around Fenspace.
The big news last month was, of course, the launch of the SS Grover's
Corners from the good ol' US of A two weeks ago. By now I'm sure that
everybody in Fenspace knows the basics of the launch so I'm not going to
bother going over them here. The good news is that the Grover's Corners
crew are happy, sane and decidedly staying out of the factional
disputes, so don't nobody try to count coup on them, okay? They'll be
parked at L3 for the moment, getting their bearings and the like. Hat
tips to Buckaroo for throwing himself in front of the East Coast missle
defenses, and to Noah for yeoman catherding in keeping the diplomatic
envoys in line at Stellvia. I'm sure the Corners people appreciated not
having to clean up after multiple NMD hits and a couple thousand
rubberneckers.
That's the good news. The *bad* news is that Grover's Corners might be
the last worldship we see for a while. Apparently, lifting an
asteroid-sized mass not a hundred miles from the capital tends to
*worry* the American defense establishment. Also, President Rudy* was
less than amused with the whole situation. Long story short, the
crackdown's coming again. Between Grover's Corners and the election
season, expect a whole new flood of anti-wave laws in the US in the next
couple months.
Elsewhere in mundane Americana, we're seeing some interesting political
maneuvers within the US military. It didn't make it into the March
roundup, but on 31 March the US Navy took matters into their own hands
and started their own wavetech space program. According to my buddies at
the Undisclosed Location, the squiddies got fed up with the USAF-TSAB
axis and gave an old Seawolf the full wave job. I don't know where they
found enough fen to run the thing, but that's what they did. In any
case, the USS Stingray has been "patrolling" in lunar orbit for the last
month while the brass pours oil upon troubled Pentagon waters. I'm not
going to suggest that anybody try and get the Stingray to, you know,
defect while they're still in legal limbo. That would be Wrong. But it
would also be Funny. So I won't suggest it. (Wink wink, nudge nudge, I'm
lookin' at *you* Starfleet.)
Over in Europe, the situation is starting to ease up a little.
Shockwaves from the Corners launch are radiating (naturally) so expect
some more minor restrictions, mostly in launch mass limits and the like.
I have to give the Eurodanes credit; they may not like to rain fire &
brimstone like the US, but they sure play a mean game of nibbling to
death by ducks. Other than a little more reflexive regulation, things
are getting copacetic between us and Europe. The grapevine in Brussels
has it that the EU is thinking of going into a trade agreement with the
Senshi and maybe the Browncoats. I don't know how accurate that is, but
if it's good, then good for them.
One problem area we're still dealing with is Russia. Our friends in bear
country are whispering that Putin's out to make a power grab. Nobody's
sure yet if that means he's going to "nationalize" wave research like
the rest of the planet, or if he's actually going to try and build his
own little fen empire. On top of that, my contacts at Star City are
muttering dire things about the Vory taking an interest. We'll get back
to that in a minute, but for now let's be on the lookout for sudden
spikes in Russian migration, particularly to the smaller established
factions.
(As an aside, I know a lot of us like to use Mr. Morden as a source for
intel when it comes to Russian matters. I wouldn't. Morden gives good
intel, but that comes with a price. In this case the price is - AFAICT -
he's tight with FSB. When it comes to Putin, his word is not
trustworthy. Remember this.)
Speaking of megalomaniacs who might cause trouble, the Chinese
government put out yet another protest about the "abduction of Chinese
nationals by the scofflaws and pirates infesting the solar system." If
you're wondering what they've got their knickers in a twist about *this*
time, the Republic and the Wizengamot smuggled out another couple
hundred of their people (each!) from Shanghai on the 10th. The crackdown
remains unabated, with rumors that the PLA will try to confiscate any
wavetech that touches their soil. So be on your guard, and if you have
engine trouble in Chinese airspace aim for Hiroshima or Ulan Bator.
Meanwhile, down in God's own country, things are going quite smoothly
for us. The Lollipop Guild** continue to watch out for our interests, as
well as maintain their vice grip on the PM's balls. The Libs - egged on
by the US - made a halfassed demand for handwavium restrictions after
the Corners launch. This demand was very quietly withdrawn after the
Guild made their presence known in Canberra. This bit of cheap comedy
aside, life in Australia has been good for us and the mundanes.
That's the Earthside politics, now it's time for the Fenspace stuff.
Inter-faction spats were down by half last month, which sounds
suspicously like folks are trying to settle down and be good instead of
pranking their neighbors. Or at least, the pranking isn't happening on
an institutional level anymore, which is good enough for me.
Kandor City, the fastest-growing part of our little interplanetary
empire, is showing signs of becoming a mature metropolis; they've
actually hired city workers. I know, I'm as shocked & horrified as you,
but our little town is growing up.
Martian politics are screwing up the terraforming project - again.
Starfleet has registered yet another complaint to the MTP about their
forced relocation once the Vastitas Borealis aquifers melt. Look, guys,
I *know* that Utopia Planitia has deep symbolic meaning for you, but you
signed on to the terraforming agreement like everybody else. Either
learn to swim, or get ready to move in ten years.
Now, for a more troubling subject. I've been hearing more and more about
attacks on mining outposts in the Belt. Thing is, I'm not hearing this
from the usual sources. *None* of the big players in the outer system -
the Browncoats, the Ninjas or the Pirates - are saying word one about
these attacks. What little I've been able to piece together comes from
disgruntled Nivenite rockrats who're willing to let a communist buy 'em
drinks, and my brother cosmonauts in Star City.
Remember back up where I said there were dire mutterings about the Vory?
This is the gist: apparently people from certain organizations
associated with the Vory have been doing some headhunting among the old
Rosaviakosmos ranks. They're offering trips into Fenspace for "certain
favors," what kind of favors I haven't heard, but it doesn't take a
genius to think there's something bad waiting in the wings.
So, is there a mob war (or worse, a mob takeover) about to happen in the
outer system? I couldn't tell you, because the people who would *know*
aren't saying anything. Not to me, not to anybody else on SMOFcon.
THIS IS NOT WISE, PEOPLE!
I know we've all got our disagreements, but goddammit! If something bad
is happening in the Belt, then WE NEED TO KNOW! And the best way to do
that is to SHARE our information! Keeping secrets on this kind of thing
is beyond stupid, and it shames me that I even have to *say* this! So if
you've got information about what's going on, spill it. I don't care if
you think it'll make you look weak in front of your enemies, or in front
of the mundanes, or in front of the girl/guy/whatever you're trying to
impress; keeping intel secret is only going to set off a worse disaster
later. And I swear on St. Yuri's bones, if you bastards withhold
something that gets people killed you'd better pray to God for mercy,
'cause I won't have any. End of rant.
That's the political maneuvering roundup for April, 2012. Here's hoping
we have a quiet and prosperous May.
--Not Nathan Fillion
---
* In order to really make the post-GC handwavium regs feel right I wanted an autocratic dick running the US, and of the current contenders Giuliani fit the bill best. If you disagree, it's open to debate.
** (for the Glossary) Lollipop Guild: (informal, SMOF jargon) Name of the group of Australian fen/fendanes who act on Fenspace's behalf within the mundane Australian government. Rumored to have some very impressive blackmail material.---
Mr. Fnord
http://fnord.sandwich.net/
http://www.jihad.net/
Mr. Fnord interdimensional man of mystery
FenWiki - Your One-Stop Shop for Fenspace Information
"I. Drink. Your. NERDRAGE!"
