Plenty of feedback...
Religious fundamentalism as a political force in the USA: Fans of Heinlein's "Future History" will already be aware of Nehemiah Scudder. The link shows two ways that having such a person gaining some real power could go - I think both are extreme and unlikely to happen exactly as described. However, Fenspace has gone with the "Libertarian counter-reaction" option.
Shipwreck Island: Please refresh my memory - what was this, when did it happen, and who did it? I thought my knowledge about mainline Fenspace (not the alternates) was near-encyclopedic (heck, I maintain the encyclopedia), but I don't remember this incident.
The Convention as the "Space UN": Er, no. The Convention is the national government of a loose confederation, the Space Patrol is the national police force (comparable to the FBI or RCMP), and Great Justice is the standing army. The "PEPPER Treaty" limits the number and strength of any private military forces.
Dropping Rocks: That would require actually moving rocks into the correct orbits and positions, which (because handwaved drives work on a "larger is slower" principle) takes a very, very long time. While the Convention could physically use Space Rocks as a sword of Damocles over the Danelaw, they can't stage a sneak attack. And we've already established that there are factions that don't like the idea of dropping rocks.
Permanent Danelaw presence in space: Certainly, there's room for everyone who can get there, just as there are enough uninhabited atolls in the South Pacific for everyone who can get there. And we've already established that LEO and GEO are filled with Danelaw artifacts and stations.
USCG at L5: They already have a base on Luna, and I saw fit to put the Convention Authority offices in the same city. This was not a random choice; placing the Convention's permanent address and databank facility in close proximity to the oldest US government presence in Fen territory was intended to show that the Fen were willing to get along with the Danelaw. I'm expecting that Port Luna will eventually turn into Fenspace's "embassy town;" I already picture the USCG administering only Tranquility Base and a civilian government associated with the Convention running the rest of the city.
More later - must go to work now.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
Religious fundamentalism as a political force in the USA: Fans of Heinlein's "Future History" will already be aware of Nehemiah Scudder. The link shows two ways that having such a person gaining some real power could go - I think both are extreme and unlikely to happen exactly as described. However, Fenspace has gone with the "Libertarian counter-reaction" option.
Shipwreck Island: Please refresh my memory - what was this, when did it happen, and who did it? I thought my knowledge about mainline Fenspace (not the alternates) was near-encyclopedic (heck, I maintain the encyclopedia), but I don't remember this incident.
The Convention as the "Space UN": Er, no. The Convention is the national government of a loose confederation, the Space Patrol is the national police force (comparable to the FBI or RCMP), and Great Justice is the standing army. The "PEPPER Treaty" limits the number and strength of any private military forces.
Dropping Rocks: That would require actually moving rocks into the correct orbits and positions, which (because handwaved drives work on a "larger is slower" principle) takes a very, very long time. While the Convention could physically use Space Rocks as a sword of Damocles over the Danelaw, they can't stage a sneak attack. And we've already established that there are factions that don't like the idea of dropping rocks.
Permanent Danelaw presence in space: Certainly, there's room for everyone who can get there, just as there are enough uninhabited atolls in the South Pacific for everyone who can get there. And we've already established that LEO and GEO are filled with Danelaw artifacts and stations.
USCG at L5: They already have a base on Luna, and I saw fit to put the Convention Authority offices in the same city. This was not a random choice; placing the Convention's permanent address and databank facility in close proximity to the oldest US government presence in Fen territory was intended to show that the Fen were willing to get along with the Danelaw. I'm expecting that Port Luna will eventually turn into Fenspace's "embassy town;" I already picture the USCG administering only Tranquility Base and a civilian government associated with the Convention running the rest of the city.
More later - must go to work now.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012