[Darius]

The reunion of two Terran factions after fifty years goes horribly wrong. What happened, and why did things go as wrong as they did?

Two dossiers detailing and analysing the disastrous first contact with the UEF and the ensuing conflict that follows have been placed online.

You can read them at the website, under Media --> Prose.

Contains spoilers for BP: Age of Aquarius.

[FreeSpaceFreak]

Spoiler:

...tactical meson bombs, which would become critical in the later stages of the war.

Where in the story does the campaign start?

[Narvi]

Tactical meson bombs are launched by the larger vessels of the Orestes fleet. They're the armament for the torpedoes.

Incidentally, holy ****, now the war makes sense. Could have used the background in the first release, but whatever.

[eliex]

Spoiler:

Just read the two dossiers, and all I can say is wow.
You have really shed some light over the reasoning of the GTVA's decision to attack Sol although with the strained relationship between the Terran and Vasudan halves of the Alliance I wonder how much resources the Vasudans would commit and how that might affect the GTVA-systems beyond Sol.
Admiral Petrarch died.
The second dossier has been excellent in acting as a kind of epilogue to the events of AoA and has set out the scene well prior to the actual events of WiH. From the reactions of Admiral Calder, I have a feeling that there might be more than 2 opposing factions during the war.  Tongue
However, I am curious since in the second dossier it mentions that the Terrans are heavily in debt with the Vasudans. Coupled with most of the forces attacking Sol being Terran how long can the Terrans afford to keep the war going?

[The E]

Indeed. This is easily one of the best extrapolations of the post-Capella GTVA I've read so far. The sheer amount of sociopolitical background presented here (Especially most of the info in part 2) really do give AoA (and presumably WiH as well) the kind of storytelling edge it needs and deserves.

[Darius]

Thanks The credit however must go to the most eloquent General Battuta who did a stirling job in taking what was presented and discussed in AoA and the WiH campaigns and putting it all together into an incredibly readable, deep and organised essay. He's also done a great job of filling in the gaps left in the storyline while keeping it within the BP canon.

Where in the story does the campaign start?

The second essay ends around four-five months into the war, and the campaign starts 18 months after AoA.

[eliex]

Thanks The credit however must go to the most eloquent General Battuta who did a stirling job in taking what was presented and discussed in AoA and the WiH campaigns and putting it all together into an incredibly readable, deep and organised essay. He's also done a great job of filling in the gaps left in the storyline while keeping it within the BP canon.

Aye, General Battuta's writing was top notch, filled with much content but no dragging. 

[Maverick]

Man this is getting so exciting... with all this information being released, it shows that WiH is nearing its total completion and will soon be released... I'm itching to delve into this war and see it through to its conclusion.

[asyikarea51]

I'm assuming this was written in such a manner that there's no "true right true wrong"?

[General Battuta]

Thanks, folks. Praise is really appreciated. In fact, it makes me write more. PRAISE MOAR NAO.

And yeah, as with everything in WiH, it tried to stay bilateral. (Darius just implemented a simple but chilling feature in a recent mission that really made me think about the consequences of shooting down GTVA pilots.) The GTVA attack needed to make sense for the story to work.

[Kolgena]

These things are really not helping me stay patient for WiH's release.

[Snail]

The total population of Capella (250 million) was distributed evenly across the GTVA in a smooth and well-run diaspora. But the loss of the Capella system and its node connections had critical economic ramifications. The journey between Vega and Epsilon Pegasi was now a 5-jump trip instead of a simple 2-jump hop, increasing transit time and costs for outlying colonies in Mirfak, Adhara, and Procyon. Small increases in shipping costs, combined with the desperate need for commandeered civilian ships to help move and resupply the Capella refugees, led to a massive economic collapse that began in the outer systems but eventually shook the entire Terran half of the GTVA. (The shipping troubles were only one cause; a general atmosphere of fear and insularity after Capella also contributed).

Yeah, that's cool.

[NGTM-1R]

Spoiler:

However, I am curious since in the second dossier it mentions that the Terrans are heavily in debt with the Vasudans. Coupled with most of the forces attacking Sol being Terran how long can the Terrans afford to keep the war going?

Spoiler:

Don't be reading too much into it, now. The Vasudans were not consulted on the planning, but were undoubtedly part of the analysis. Recent Vasudan history with religion is not pleasant (Hammer of Light), and they know the value of forward defense against the Shivans better than anyone. Being unable to mount it cost them their homeworld. They may well end up supporting the war.

In fact the decision by the Terran half of the alliance not to involve the Vasudan half may have been purely political; Terrans shedding Terran blood is less easily twisted to form a second take on the NTF's Terran Supremcist ideology.

[General Battuta]

The total population of Capella (250 million) was distributed evenly across the GTVA in a smooth and well-run diaspora. But the loss of the Capella system and its node connections had critical economic ramifications. The journey between Vega and Epsilon Pegasi was now a 5-jump trip instead of a simple 2-jump hop, increasing transit time and costs for outlying colonies in Mirfak, Adhara, and Procyon. Small increases in shipping costs, combined with the desperate need for commandeered civilian ships to help move and resupply the Capella refugees, led to a massive economic collapse that began in the outer systems but eventually shook the entire Terran half of the GTVA. (The shipping troubles were only one cause; a general atmosphere of fear and insularity after Capella also contributed).

Yeah, that's cool.

Shipping between those two systems was reduced to a Snail's pace.

[Thadeus]

Spoiler:

Considering the Vasudans conducted joint operations alongside Terrans against the second Shivan incursion (including pilot transfers) and how much they helped out with relocating refugees, I'm amazed that there is so much animosity between the Terran and Vasudan governments. I expected the lack of Vasudans in AoA to be the result of not wanting to portray an alien attack on Sol, but it seems they just don't get along.

[eliex]

Spoiler:

Don't be reading too much into it, now. The Vasudans were not consulted on the planning, but were undoubtedly part of the analysis. Recent Vasudan history with religion is not pleasant (Hammer of Light), and they know the value of forward defense against the Shivans better than anyone. Being unable to mount it cost them their homeworld. They may well end up supporting the war.

In fact the decision by the Terran half of the alliance not to involve the Vasudan half may have been purely political; Terrans shedding Terran blood is less easily twisted to form a second take on the NTF's Terran Supremcist ideology.

Spoiler:

True. After all we actually do know that there will be some Vasudan military support; shown by a screenshot on WiH posted about mid-way last year about a Vasudan Sobek attacking UE forces.

[General Battuta]

Spoiler:

Considering the Vasudans conducted joint operations alongside Terrans against the second Shivan incursion (including pilot transfers) and how much they helped out with relocating refugees, I'm amazed that there is so much animosity between the Terran and Vasudan governments. I expected the lack of Vasudans in AoA to be the result of not wanting to portray an alien attack on Sol, but it seems they just don't get along.

It's a matter of economics, for the most part. And as eliex points out, we've got some hints that the Vasudans will be involved, and all the sparks that we perceive falling from the Forge of Genius suggest the matter shan't be neglected!

[asyikarea51]

PRAISE MOAR NAO.

/is not praising, but will give respect where it's due since it's the least I can do XD

I'm just not into Blue Planet's take on a post-Capella scenario tbh. For me, the mod's assets are half the blame but at least there's the (plausibility in it / it makes sense), + models/textures/music etc are hard to come by, so no argument.

But I guess it's the storyline and polish that keeps it... "there"...

[Androgeos Exeunt]

And as eliex points out, we've got some hints that the Vasudans will be involved, and all the sparks that we perceive falling from the Forge of Genius suggest the matter shan't be neglected!

We've had a lot of hints, actually.

[General Battuta]

PRAISE MOAR NAO.

/is not praising, but will give respect where it's due since it's the least I can do XD

I'm just not into Blue Planet's take on a post-Capella scenario tbh. For me, the mod's assets are half the blame but at least there's the (plausibility in it / it makes sense), + models/textures/music etc are hard to come by, so no argument.

But I guess it's the storyline and polish that keeps it... "there"...

'There' in a good way or 'there' in a bad way?

Well, do you have any suggestions? Did you read the dossiers over?

I'm curious as to how you think the assets could be improved, too. Darius gets all the music from custom sources (and does at least a chunk of it himself, I believe?).