"Enduring peace cannot be bought at the cost of other people's freedom."
--Franklin D. Roosevelt, Datalinks.
First Planet War
Signals I
Population growth, expansion. War. War never changes. It destroyed Earth, it brought mankind to near-extinction, and despite the awareness of what the wars did to their homeworld, now a barren, irradiated wasteland, driven by megalomania and intolerance, new would-be conquerors began new wars, new wars that could escalate into the first equivalent of the World Wars on Planet..
: I find this Ψ operation and its results most disturbing, Secretary. A symbiotic link? UN citizens with innate psychic talents may gain control over mindworms? Let it be very clear: I am authorizing further research, and I hope this will not be a great mistake, but it is strictly, absolutely forbidden to use these worms in any form against human beings. They are biological weapons far more cruel than the worst chemical and biological weapons ever devised by men, and I am only not demanding the immediate termination of such specimens because they may be needed against hostile mindworms.
: Commissioner Lal, with all due respect, I consider such ethical limitations an enormous waste of potential. Ψ has trained and capable operatives, we have full control of the mindworms and we would never overdo their capabilities to a level of unnecessary cruelty.
: I will consider your request, but remember the rules of engagement, Secretary Bester: you are only authorized to use mindworms against mindworms.
: The Gaians are broadcasting now a telepathic message to all faction leaders! They must have created a very through, organized psychic organization for that, and maybe found ways to awaken ESP on some of their people who were born without it.
: What does this telepathic message say?
: Nothing really important, but they traced all commlinks through such psychic project and are broadcasting everyone's commlinks to everyone.
: This will mark either the beginning of our best chance for peace, or...
: the beginning of the first World War outside Earth.
: Now that we are all together, on behalf of the ideals of the Unity, I am sponsoring elections for Planetary Governor. All peoples will have their voices heard, and the most voted shall win.
: Lady Deirdre Skye, I suggest that people under Police States and other forms of government that make their ability to freely express their own thoughts impossible are ignored in these "elections", for evidently they will be too afraid to not vote for the leaders of their factions.
: As the second-in-command of the Unity, nobody has a greater right to assume leadership of this colonization than I. Let's cut the pleasantries and the rhetoric: We all have ruled our factions for over one hundred years, that speaks volumes about the commitment of those still pushing themselves to the misguided and faulty ideals of democracy, or would you, Commissioner Lal, resign if for a change, you lost the elections of the "Peacekeepers", the same ones you rig every four years to ensure you'll never lose?
: The people of the United Nations are the most educated, conscious and free people in this Planet. If I won every election since Planetfall, that is because I am doing a so good job I am yet to lose an election in the U.N. I wonder what your people would think about you, if they were free to express it, Chairman Yang.
: They all love me, for I tend to all their needs, and this is not really the time to trade stories about our societies. I am sure there will be a proper time for a deeper conversation among us. I see most abstained on their thoughts about how the Planetary Governor should be chosen, and so shall I. Only the Gaian lunatics and your ivory tower intellectuals care about these elections. How can you consider the winner legit considering such a low turnout?
: The charter of the UN does not makes exceptions because of low turnout, Chairman of the Hive. I am disappointed only the Gaians and the Peacekeepers have put their votes, but that does not change anything. I am surprised however, Chairman Yang, that you have not voted for the Gaians only to prevent me from becoming the Planetary Governor.
: I stand for my principles. I do not believe in such folly of elections, democracy, and I will not participate of it. Besides, my opinion about the Gaians is equal at best to my opinion about your Peacekeepers, it does not matter who among you two wins, and in the future, this pointless election, and the very artificial, pointless office of Planetary Governor will be completely forgotten. However, I abide by laws and rules, and thus, for the time being, I reluctantly accept the results.
: You may fancy yourself Planetary Governor, Pravin Lal, but your godless elections will not save you from Hell. Repent while there is time. I still pray for your soul.
: Governor Lal, Morgan Industries is greatly interested in the exchange of technologies and researches, and on a separate deal, 50 energy credits in exchange for all my information about the Believers' bases. We are offering you the following, provided you have enough of worth to purchase them:
[...]
: Your terms are acceptable. Deal.
Many of the United Nations bases are coastal. The sea of the Planet is a new frontier. Somewhat different needs are involved in the engineering of vessels for these oceans than the ones for Earth ships, and the waters have the same fungus issue of the surface, and probably other alien life forms besides mindworms.
Morgan Industries had a plethora of computer programs capable of rewriting themselves based on user input of every kind. For example: Morgan Electronic Arts' videogames with randomly generated achievements, level scaling and dynamic auto-aim for inferior user interfaces that involve massive changes in their code rather than something merely superficial and "cooperative fiction", a new concept of E-books which content is dynamically altered by interaction with fanfic writers, of course too lowbrow for the average Peacekeeper talent, but still, there were better uses to this technology, much better uses.
There was a limit to the "creativity" of Morgan Electronic Arts in how they employed Polymorphic Software in computer games. A very big one, actually.
Another profession long rendered obsolete not mentioned there: games "journalist"
Unfortunately it is too late to pursue the Planetary Transit System. As for Supply Crawlers: they extract one of the three resources from tiles outside the range of the base where they were constructed and transfer them to them. On Transcend the harder limit to max number of bases before extra drones in every base makes them even more useful. Hab Complexes allow for larger populations, Size 16 cities in the case of the Peacekeepers.
With Environmental Economics, the full economic potential of the Planet can be finally tapped. Furthermore, tree farms provide an alternate terraforming paradigm: with tree farms, forests become a desirable option for most areas except moist or rainy high altitude ones where solar collectors will still provide more energy gains.
For Morgan, peace means unlimited exports, which means profit. Naturally, he offers a pact of friendship, and the Peacekeepers accept it because of a very different motivation: a dying hope for peace in this 23rd Century.
Contact with the Gains was also established, in the hopes of valuable technological deals and a pact of friendship that might eventually become something greater.
Since Agenda 23 began, the UN Peacekeepers shared something in common with the Gaians, except the motivations of the UN for its Green economy were very different.
Rovers would make much difference in the still long conflict against the Believers, but there was another reason to finally gain access to such long neglected technologies, for they were stepping stones to something greater, something that could finally turn the tide of the war, now threatened to become a stalemate, decisively in favor of the Peacekeepers.
Mobility, Flexibility... there was one more concept to pursue in tangible means, but it would be their own research rather than a trade.
Democracies have problems in supporting as large armies as tyrannical States. Formers in an environment as volatile as the sea would better be able to defend themselves, while plasma steel is a long needed upgrade, but while successful in offense, the Believers were about to upgrade their offensive capabilities with particle impactors.
The United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition would gain its own naval assets as well, extending considerably their reach and mission capabilities to fight against fundamentalists, dictators, terrorists and all enemies of Democracy.
To provide further support to the Peacekeeper forces, the first self-propelled artillery standardized model of the UN is created: the Peacemaker Artillery will be upgraded whenever necessary, like the Republican Guard already is going through in their transition to plasma steel.
Because of the threats that could exist over the seas and of the high support costs a large enough navy to guarantee naval supremacy would ensue, all naval supply extractors will be fitted with defensive armaments and have armored hulls.
Unarmored vs. Armored ships in Alpha Centauri
Which is better and why?
DISCUSS!!!
In any case, the Andhra Class Combat Foil(Andhra, not Andhaira) was designed to be a versatile combat vessel for the United Nations, and her crew had specialized training from Secretary Bester of the relatively recent U.N. Psychic Research Agency (AKA Psi-Corps or simply Ψ ) to allow them better chances when attacking a possible sea equivalent of the mindworms.
Speaking of mindworms, Bester's pet project may be utterly necessary to ensure the safety of a colony pod heading towards a region with two abundant energy resources for establishment of a new base.
"Life is merely an orderly decay of energy states, and survival
requires the continual discovery of new energy to pump into the
system. He who controls the sources of energy controls the means
of survival."
-- CEO Nwabudike Morgan, "The Centauri Monopoly"
The exchange from fiat currency to real energy as currency was perhaps one of the most interesting socioeconomic developments in the colonization of Alpha Centauri's Planet.
: Human casualties: Zero. Are you sure you want to retain such an arbitrary prohibition on the use of such assets against the enemies of the United Nations, Commissioner. We could be saving countless lives of our citizens!
: "Our" citizens are not more human than those forced to fight against us. You know how cruel and horrific a mindworm attack is, why it is an affront to every possible human right. That rule of engagement will continue!
The war dragged on, but again the Peacekeepers would have the upper hand in technology, another stepping stone towards the skies. None of the electric engines can match the capabilities of fossil fuels in propulsion, torque or acceleration. The new fossil fuels were of the highest octane content, and with them new developments emerged, including missile based weaponry and the prototype for the first turbojet engine designed for planet, where soon a new era of warfare would begin.
Air Power rests at the apex of the first triad of victory, for it combines Mobility, Flexibility, and Initiative.
-- Spartan Battle Manual
: Again, zero human casualties, and there are reports a greater mass of the annelids is now under control by our psi-tamers, which means they will become even more capable, perhaps enough to put a definite end to the war against the Believers. We both know, commissioner, how many lives this war has already taken, and building specialized labs to breed such psi-worms would minimize the final death tolls, make this war end sooner.
: Mindworms are worse than death, Secretary Bester, much, much worse than death. Don't you have any empathy of the humane kind? Why do you insist with your project? Again and the next and next time you suggest it: mindworms are only authorized against other mindworms and use of them against human beings is a direct violation of the U.N. Charter of human rights. Period.
Mindworms, mindworms, it's always about them. At least they served as a crude replacement for Command Centers during the first century of U.N. colonization, turning Green units into very experienced ones.
: A second boil of annelids is firmly under our control, Commissioner. We could raise an army of them. Even one day living under the conditions some of the factions impose on their populace is worse than this unconventional weapon. I am proposing pragmatism, utilitarianism, and Historians will commend the end of such restrictions, I tell you. In fact, mindworm attacks are not, technically, an atrocity.
: And again, they will be used only against other mindworms, no matter how many times you attempt to convince me otherwise.
: You are lucky, Secretary Bester, on how you are not the one who has to explain to the crew of a colony pod why they should trust the mindworms protecting them.
A new offensive started. Thanks to the deal with Morgan, the Peacekeepers now had the knowledge of where every Believer base was located, and they acted on it.
: Just for your information, Commissioner, Mindworms would not cause more noncombatant casualties than conventional forces during the liberation of a base. And I am not disregarding psych damage in this comparison. If anything, there would be a lot less human casualties, if you change your mind about my project's viability in this war.
: I said before: no.
: "Sister" Miriam. Your crimes are many, from homicidal witch hunts to firing people on the spot because a sky fairy hates certain sexual choices as much as Democracy and everything that is humane and advanced. Your people are imprisoned in a Dark Age of your own making, and they are as much of slaves as the drones of the Human Hive. You give me no choice but to commit the United Nations to the active defense of their freedom. *shuts down*
: There is no need of recruiting conventional forces. My Psi-Corps and their mindworms can defend the U.N. Health Authority on their own.
: I am not giving you a pretext to use them against human beings and come up with "I didn't have a choice!" should a sneak attack from the Believers, or from Yang, happen against Health Authority.
The chief aim of their constitution and government is that, whenever public needs permit, all citizens should be free, so far as possible, to withdraw their time and energy from the service of the body, and devote themselves to the freedom and culture of the mind. For that, they think, is the real happiness of life.
-- Sir Thomas More, "Utopia", Datalinks
: Colonel Santiago, think very carefully of what you are going to do in this meeting.
: My commitment is to peace. The United Nations never start wars. Unfortunately that is not enough sometimes.
: Do you take me for a fool?
: Congratulations! You are contributing for the same tragedy of Earth to repeat itself here!
Superior training and superior weaponry have, when taken together, a geometric effect on overall military strength. Well-trained, well-equipped troops can stand up to many more times their lesser brethren than linear arithmetic would seem to indicate.
-- Spartan Battle Manual
Humanity Base will be the primary recruitment and support center for the Peacekeeping Forces.
The sustainable exploration of the natural resources from the forests grown on Planet gains a new boost with the first Tree Farm of the Peacekeepers. Many farms and solar collectors previously built around Information Agency will be demolished, because forests now are better than both in providing food, minerals and energy.
To speed up the liberation of more bases, all Believer bases under occupation were being converted into colony pods, while one of them was left undefended, the Peacekeeper forces limited by the strain they put on support costs.
Then the Believers began to advance, to strike back. One of the liberated bases was defended only by UNATCO operatives, and thus, some unorthodox strategies had to be employed to ensure it will not be retaken by the fanatics before it is fully converted into a colony pod.
: ...speaking of the devil.
: And how do you imagine your needlejets will cross an entire ocean?
: I am no fool, Chairman Yang. The only reason you would ever bother calling me is...
In the year of 1942, the Earth was engulfed in the second most devastating conflict of its entire History.
In the year of 2242, the conflicts on Planet finally escalated to a level akin to that of the Second World War, and thus, the First Planet War began, while on the ongoing conflict against the Believers, tragedy struck as a vicious counter offensive almost obliterated the Liberators advanced onto the next Believers base. Outnumbered, the Peacekeepers finally were revealed the full extent of the threat they faced after their early conquests. The slaughter of Liberator troops was far from the greatest disaster the Peacekeepers went through in that fateful year. Undefended, the Valley of the Faithfuls was attacked by mindworms. Nobody survived.
: As much as it pains me, I had to show you these pictures of the ruins of that Believer base. Do you understand now why I am so reluctant to employ those mindworms your crew captured in this conflict?
: Why do you mourn for those religious nutjobs?
: Don't you ever forget, Secretary Bester, that our goal in this conflict is not to ban their religion, if we do that we will be no better than them. Our goal is to end their persecutions and curbing of every possible liberty in the name of their god.
: That changes nothing, Commissioner. Like it or not, their religion will die without the oppressive and anti-secular environment it thrives upon. There will be no more Believers, even as a religious organization.
The tragedy that caused the loss of three Liberator units was a valuable lesson. The Peacekeepers cannot afford the luxury of having separate defensive and offensive units. The Believers can. Thus, the Liberators are drastically upgraded. First, the new Liberators will be fitted with missile launchers, boosting their offensive capabilities in 50% compared to the previous particle impactors. Second, they will be fitted with plasma steel armor to ensure they have a chance of surviving if attacked first, instead of depending upon Republican Guards transferred to the front lines.
: I do not understand why those nutty Spartans declared vendetta upon us.
Fortunately, while the threat of the Human Hive is massive, the formation of the United Nations Air Force is very, very close. Furthermore, these new technologies will be fundamental to put a decisive end to this war where many of those who started their conflicts against the Peacekeepers are separated from them by an ocean. Some designs will have to be replaced as well.
This could be the decisive advance to finish the Lord Believers for once and all.
For a while, other factions advanced in the key researches first, and have beaten the Peacekeepers in secret projects. The Maritime Control Center will ensure the United Nations will have the best Navy on Planet, having the same effect as if every UN base had a naval yard, ensuring superiorly trained crews, and also allowing all UN ships to move faster through its advanced navigation algorithms.
To buy time for the endangered Liberator units after the Believers counter offensive, UNATCO agents used a special technique, known as D.I.S.C.U.S.S. , to convince Believers forces of how wrong they are using the internal, sketchy logic of their own belief system against what they are doing. Realizing how wrong they were, such Believer forces with the long outdated laser weapons charged in a mostly suicidal attack. The Believers already had access to particle impactors, which was why they were not simply deployed defensively instead.
Many UNATCO operatives died already, and most UN forces were concentrated on the southwest front, leaving their southeastern borders with the Believers relatively undefended. Believer terrorists exploded the Recycling Tanks of High Commission by making their pressure controls fail, and that was really, really shitty from them.
While unpleasant, the sabotage of the Recycling Tanks was not a disaster. The true disaster was a work of random change, as a power overload caused the deaths of too many patients and doctors inside the research hospital of the Commerce Committee, showing again that no matter how much humanity advances, death will always be waiting next door.
After the tragedy, it was time for Lal to listen to his people's opinion on several very serious matters.
1) Relations with the Gaians
A) Sign a treaty of friendship for the extra commerce, and leave it at that.
B) Approach the Gaians and seek friendly relations until a Pact of Brotherhood can be signed, hopefully as a sign peace may yet prevail in this tragic 23rd Century that taints the approaching 300th anniversary of the UN with the first world war outside Earth.
2) General war strategy
A) UNAF will win this war. Keep only a land force large enough to advance, and focus mostly on an air force that will rule the skies, rain missiles on the ground and put an end to the Believers for once an all. Of course, there is no practical way of building Aircraft Carriers... yet.
B) The Liberators must be counted upon. Armies win wars, in the end. Air support will be available, but not at the expense of maintaining the largest possible ground force the UN can afford.
C) Revoke the rules of engagement that forbid use of mindworms against humans, build labs to breed them and let Secretary Bester and his Psi-Corps do their job. Human lives will be spared this way, at least among the citizens of the UN, and the disregard of the Believers for the Planet will make such attacks even more effective.
3) The war against the Spartans
A) They have no means of launching an amphibious operation and are in another continent, at war with the very powerful and dangerous Human Hive. Just insist enough, and eventually they will have to agree with a white peace.
Bi) After the Believers are dealt with, begin a campaign of liberation against these gun nuts, and crush them until they surrender and accept unconditionally the UN Charter.
Bii) Same as above, but only after the Hive is also dealt with
Ci) After the Believers are dealt with, begin a campaign of liberation against these gun nuts until their faction is completely eradicated, for the fundamental values of their dysfunctional society alone are a threat to any enduring peace in this Planet.
Cii) Same as above, but only after the Hive is also dealt with.
4) The war against the Hive.
A) They have no means of launching an amphibious operation and are in another continent, at war with the Spartans. Just insist enough, and eventually they will have to agree with a white peace.
B) The Human Hive is an affront to everything the Peacekeepers stand for: Democracy, liberty and the rule of law. It is a totalitarian hell, a Dystopia made real, the worst possible faction to be born into of the entire Planet, if not of mankind(whether it is worse than Stalin's Soviet Union or Kim Jong's North Korea is not known). A faction like them cannot be allowed to exist, for its mere existence is a crime against mankind, a spit on the faces of Justice and Liberty, another darkest taint in mankind's history, the threat of a future of a boot stomping a human face, forever. Eradicate the Human Hive, give freedom to their people and put Yang on trial for his unforgivable atrocities.
