Hard Light Productions Forums
General FreeSpace => FreeSpace Discussion => Topic started by: The Historian on September 24, 2010, 01:14:46 am
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Welcome to the Automated Historical Resource Retrieval Agent (24th century)! Please enter a query:
> Welcome Message
"The future of humanity depends on how well it learns the lessons of the past" --Taris Ulrich
The AHRRA (Automated Historical Resource Retrieval Agent) was developed and is maintained by the University of Hawaii as a lightweight, interactive engine for retrieving historical information. Text, Audio, Video from all of known history are indexed and searchable using simple queries. The AHRAA is also capable of actively seeking out missing data and adding it to the master database... your queries tell it what to look for! In addition, the AHRRA now includes an interactive personal log feature, which can optionally be added to the master database. Let your personal record become part of history!
This volume of the AHRRA deals with events from the 24th century, up to the present. Last update was 9/23/2395 00:06:43 Earth Standard Time. Official maintainer: Tannik Seldon, PhD.
We hope you enjoy using this system!
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Hmmm, OK. Wise and revered auto-historian,
>When did Humankind first make contact with extra-terrestrials?
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Mankind's first encounter with alien life occurred early in 2320, with the Parliamentary Vasudan Empire. The exact date of first contact is a subject of much debate, but certainly occurred before the first official meetings in March 2320.
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Well this seems informative.
> Why did hostilities between Terrans and Vasudans commence?
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> Why did hostilities between Terrans and Vasudans commence?
Many results for this query, no universal consensus. The following answer currently has the most "informative" votes:
"In many ways, the war was probably inevitable. Ironically, this is probably because the two species were too similar... similar enough that the inevitable differences became somewhat amplified. One thing the war taught us is that it's easier to misunderstand someone who is somewhat like you than someone totally alien.
Both species were also at a new prime in their power and rising fast, and were overconfident in their ability and perceived supremacy. They were both expanding their territories quickly, and had little interest in sharing their resources. For both races, there were enough people willing to fight to maintain that "supremacy" that it was probably only a matter of time before an excuse was found.
The excuse came with the death of the Vasudan Prince Mihos. A growing handful enterprising individuals from both species had begun trading... not all of it of the legal kind. Terran illegal drugs were a smash hit with the Vasudans who tried them. One meeting between Terran drug smugglers and Vasudan buyers erupted into violence; the cause is unclear, but it was likely due to simple greed on one or both sides (although cultural differences may have also come into play). When the smoke cleared, Prince Mihos was among the dead.
The Vasudans accused the Terrans. The Terrans blamed the Vasudans. The critical negotiations of the time were stalled, and military forces marshaled. A week later, Vasudan ships opened fire on a Terran patrol that they believed was violating their territory. The Terran ships were destroyed, and war was officially declared the next day.
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Interesting.
> What has been the speculation of general consensus as to why the Shivans appeared and attacked the Terrans and Vasudans when they did?
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I read something similar to the above on another site a few years ago. I think it was mentioned in a FS1 backstory piece that Eishtmo wrote, although I'm not certain of that.
Official maintainer: Tannik Seldon, PhD.
Are you a psychohistorian as well, perchance?
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Right.
> The destruction of the GTD Goliath occurred in which year, and in what major battle?
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I read something similar to the above on another site a few years ago. I think it was mentioned in a FS1 backstory piece that Eishtmo wrote, although I'm not certain of that.
You may well be correct:
the AHRRA now includes an interactive personal log feature, which can optionally be added to the master database. Let your personal record become part of history!
> Have there been any recent (past 15 years) reported encounters of Shivan vessels in GTVA space (should the GTVA still exist)?
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What happened to Sol after the Great War? :nervous:
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> What has been the speculation of general consensus as to why the Shivans appeared and attacked the Terrans and Vasudans when they did?
At the current time, the prevalant theory among xenopsychobiologists is that the Shivans were simply carrying out the orders of their creators. They were the Destroyers, and when they found new species traveling by subspace, they attacked. Once Terrans and Vasudans entered subspace, it was only a matter of time until they were discovered by the Shivans.
> The destruction of the GTD Goliath occurred in which year, and in what major battle?
According to this resource (http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Battle_of_Rexias_4): the Goliath was destroyed by Kamikaze Vasudan pilots in 2323, during the battle of Rexias 4.
> Have there been any recent (past 15 years) reported encounters of Shivan vessels in GTVA space (should the GTVA still exist)?
Yes, the most notable of which was the Third Shivan War, 2382-2384.
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Query: background data on the 3rd Shivan War.
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Well, this is interesting. It may well be a bot, but it shares an email prefix with another member of this forum.
> Who unleashed you upon this board?
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> What happened to Sol after the Great War?
After the Great War, Sol was cut off from the rest of humanity, as well as the Vasudans and the Shivans. As was the case for Terrans and Vasudans outside of Sol, the years following the end of the war were a period of reconstruction and social change. For those of Earth and the inner colonies, it was a time of great uncertainty. Would the Shivans return? What would happen to the rest of humanity? Would they ever be able to leave their home system again?
The first decade or so saw a great strides in military technology, fueled largely by the fear that the Shivans would return and find them. When they did not after ten years, then twenty, then thirty, military interests became largely secondary. Colonization stalled as well: although there was still plenty of territory to claim in the asteroids and moons of the outer planets, there was little interest. The generation that had survived the Terran-Vasudan war was content to rest, free from the cares of the rest of the galaxy.
Forty years after the end of the Great War, all but the youngest generation had more or less given up on expansion, happy in their relative quiet and stability. The rising generation, however, dreamed of the glory days of exploration and danger... dreams that were soon to come true with the reunification in 2375.
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> Who unleashed you upon this board?
The AHRRA (Automated Historical Resource Retrieval Agent) is provided as a free public service by the University of Hawaii (Earth) and is funded by government grants and users like you. Editions are also available in New Chinese and Common Vasudan. We hope you enjoy this service, and find it both useful and enlightening!
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> Mode switch: Vasudan
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> Mode switch: Vasudan
oshi
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> Mode switch: Vasudan
Not available on this edition. Please download the AHRRA Vasudan Edition to enjoy all of the same history, translated. The translated edition is sponsored by the Society for the Preservation of the Vasudan Language.
Query: background data on the 3rd Shivan War.
This is a very broad query. Please clarify if you are looking for a high-level summary of the 3rd Shivan War, or something more specific.
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>Mode switch: New Chinese
>人类在接触哇速丹以后都有了哪些重要科学进展？
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Sounds like someone is having fun.
> Query : List of front-line ship classifications in use by the GTVA in 2395 (for both the Terran and Vasudans parts of the fleet).
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Why didn't I read this earlier?
Bloody awesome stuff.
Mister historian, please can you tell me a complete list of sporting victories and winning lottery numbers for the month of October 2010.
Also I request hardware specs on the computers in use on Orion class destroyers at the time of the first Shivan incursion.
Also, who's president after Obama?
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Mister historian, please can you tell me a complete list of sporting victories and winning lottery numbers for the month of October 2010.
Me too :lol:
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According to this resource (http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Battle_of_Rexias_4): the Goliath was destroyed by Kamikaze Vasudan pilots in 2323, during the battle of Rexias 4.
Gah! I wrote that article! Okay uh...
> Detiula Station was located in which system?
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> Mr. Historian, who are you?
edit: Oh, and BTW...
:welcome:
HA!! And congratulations on aging yourself 385 years younger than your actual self :lol:
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>Has any contact been established between Earth and the rest of the colonies since the Great War?
>What is your present system date?
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>Why did the Shivans make the Capella sun go nova, why did they not use the juggernaut fleet against us?
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>query: is there someone that you need killed, master?
oh wait...
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>What was the outcome of the 3rd Shivan war?
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>Why did Command let Bosch escape? Why did we destroy that cargo? Can we live with being pawns if it all makes sense?
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***The auto historian system is currently experiencing high traffic and may be subject to some delays. Please be patient!***
> Mr. Historian, who are you?
Please refer to the Welcome Message (http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=71716.0). This software is an automated information retrieval and response generation agent for history topics from the 24th century.
>Has any contact been established between Earth and the rest of the colonies since the Great War?
In 2375, 40 years after the Great War, the GTVA successfully completed a subspace gate from Delta Serpentis to Sol, using technology from the Knossos portal discovered during the Second Shivan Incursion. Almost universally, both halves of divided humanity were very happy to see each other. Although there were a few minor rebellions, and a bit of political tension involved in merging two governments, the reunification was on the whole a stunning and peaceful success.
Although some people of the older generations in Sol had mixed feelings about being reconnected with the rest of the universe, the majority, especially the younger generations, were thrilled. They had the entire universe back. Their brothers and sisters on the other side had not only survived, they had prospered, and even managed to survive another fight with the Shivans. Pride in humanity was at an all-time high.
The reunification marked the start of the largest wave of colonization and expansion in Terran history (although current colonization efforts will likely surpass it in a few years). Sol still had more industrial capacity and population than the rest of the Terrans combined. The conditions for expansion were just right: a large population highly motivated to travel the stars, plenty of industrial capacity to support them, and a humanity filled with confidence in themselves ready to continue to push outward.
The reunification also marked an important turning point in Terran-Vasudan relations. Although they remained cordial and friendly, much of the bond that had resulted from mutual dependence during the reconstruction and Second Shivan Incursion disappeared. The Terrans simply did not feel like they needed the Vasudans anymore. The schism was gradual, and never resulted in more than incidental violence, but by the end of the Third Shivan War, it was complete, and was certainly a major factor in the Vasudan Exodus.
>What is your present system date?
The current date is 9/25/2395.
>Why did the Shivans make the Capella sun go nova, why did they not use the juggernaut fleet against us?
This is an area of ongoing research and debate among xenopsychobiologists. The best-supported theory at this time is summed up by Tirana Hisoko in her 2393 paper, On the Capella incident:
In conclusion, then, the Ancient portal in Gamma Draconis was as much as surprise to the Shivans as it was to the GTVA, and its opening placed the GTVA uncomfortably close to one of the vulnerable Shivan Command Centers. This vulnerability needed to be closed, and was higher priority even than acting out their mandate to destroy all advanced life. In characteristic Shivan mode, they patiently took care of one problem at a time. Dealing with the humans could wait a few more decades... but as the last Shivan war showed us, they didn't forget we were there.
There are a number of criticisms of this theory, foremost among them being that the Sathanas fleet was sufficient at the time to wipe out the entire GTVA and that Gamma Draconis would have been a more logical choice for creating a supernova. Most of all, Hisoko's theory makes no attempt to explain what happened to the Shivan juggernauts that were observed to enter subspace after triggering the Capella supernova.
>What was the outcome of the 3rd Shivan war?
The last great battle of the Third Shivan War, the Gemini Offensive, resulted in total, unconditional victory over the Shivans. Please query about the offensive for more details.
>Why did Command let Bosch escape?
All government records relating to Bosch are still classified and unavailable to historians. Please petition your planet's senator to release this information!
It is worth noting that the ETAK technology discovered on board the Iceni was the foundation of the technology used to end the Third Shivan War and defeat the Shivans. Whatever Bosch's role was in the events of the Second Shivan Incursion, it is likely that we owe much of our present victory to him.
> Query : List of front-line ship classifications in use by the GTVA in 2395 (for both the Terran and Vasudans parts of the fleet).
The GTVA was disbanded in 2387. Please rephrase the query.
> Mister historian, please can you tell me a complete list of sporting victories and winning lottery numbers for the month of October 2010.
This edition of the AHRRA contains data primarily related to the 24th century. Please refer to the 21st century edition for that data. We apologize for the lack of cross-edition connectivity, this is a planned feature for the next version of the auto-historian software.
> Also I request hardware specs on the computers in use on Orion class destroyers at the time of the first Shivan incursion.
Second-generation Orion destroyers, such as the GTD Galatea, used a distributed array of 48 Lansing Computers.
> Detiula Station was located in which system?
Unknown. If you have records pertaining to this topic, please input them into the AHRRA and they will be added to the master archive.
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Well this just got a lot less interesting.
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The GTVA was disbanded in 2387. Please rephrase the query.
wat
> Please outline the details of the disbanding of the GTVA. Was it a peaceful one, or did it involve hostility between the Terrans and Vasudans?
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> Please list all notable events on the date April 17th 2369...
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I'll bite.
> What was the Gemini Offensive?
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> Please outline the details of the disbanding of the GTVA. Was it a peaceful one, or did it involve hostility between the Terrans and Vasudans?
The reunification also marked an important turning point in Terran-Vasudan relations. Although they remained cordial and friendly, much of the bond that had resulted from mutual dependence during the reconstruction and Second Shivan Incursion disappeared. The Terrans simply did not feel like they needed the Vasudans anymore. The schism was gradual, and never resulted in more than incidental violence, but by the end of the Third Shivan War, it was complete, and was certainly a major factor in the Vasudan Exodus.
Auto-Historian:
> Has there been contact with any living extra-terrestrials besides the Vasudans and Shivans? If so, when and where?
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>What was the outcome of the 3rd Shivan war?
The last great battle of the Third Shivan War, the Gemini Offensive, resulted in total, unconditional victory over the Shivans. Please query about the offensive for more details.
Your universe just got boring.
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Restating request:
Please attach detailed schematics, diagrams, blueprints, any and all informational documents on Lansing computers as used aboard second generation Orion class destroyers.
Request service record of Admiral Wolf, last commanding officer of the GTD Galatea.
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> Please list all notable events on the date April 17th 2369...
- 10th anniversary of Tau Ceti III colony's founding
- Construction begins on the first Pisces-class destroyer
No other notable events found for this date.
> What was the Gemini Offensive?
The Third Shivan War began in 2382. Incredible numbers of Shivan ships simply appeared on the edge of Terran space and began to systematically destroy everything in their path. The GTVA fought back at enormous cost. Although by this time technology in weapons and ships was a credible match for the Shivans, the Shivans had overwhelming numbers on their side. Most of the war was fought in desperate actions around jump nodes, trying to contain the Shivans before they could break through and flood a new system. Once a system was taken by the Shivans, it was rarely recovered.
The Gemini Offensive was a carefully planned and timed operation. In late 2384, the largest single Terran fleet ever created was assembled, then launched in a blitzkrieg assault against the Shivans. The Gemini fleet smashed through Shivan battle lines. Instead of attempting to regain territory as previous attacks had done (and failed), they continued pushing deep into enemy territory. Their goal, as understood by the fleet, was to reach one of the Shivan command centers, normally held far behind the front lines, and destroy it. The hope was that, like the destruction of the Lucifer in the Great War, destroying a command center would cause the remaining Shivans in the area to lose their ability to fight cohesively, and buy time for the GTVA to push back.
In reality, the goal was much more ambitious. Destroying the command center was the backup plan: the primary objective was to take advantage of all of the research that had been done on Shivan psychology, biology, and communications over the years. This was the culmination of an effort that began before the GTI rebellion, continued with Bosch's ETAK, and further developed through experimentation on captured Shivans. The result of all of this was essentially a psychological virus: a set of communication codes that could break into and reshape the Shivan psyche. Their creators had left avenues of control; humanity was able to find and exploit them.
When the Gemini fleet finally reached a command center, after weeks of near non-stop fighting and tremendous casualties, the command center was boarded and the virus implanted, resulting in it being broadcast to all Shivans within it's influence. Within minutes, they had all ceased to fight. The effect cascaded from one command center to another, and as far as is known, all Shivans everywhere. The war was over.
Follow-up "directives" were later implanted and broadcast, making the Shivans first docile, then subservient. The Shivans had not merely been defeated: they had been tamed, and were now fully under the control of humanity. What should be done with them has been one of the defining questions of the past decade.
> Please outline the details of the disbanding of the GTVA. Was it a peaceful one, or did it involve hostility between the Terrans and Vasudans?
The taming of the Shivans was, naturally, extremely controversial. Most people were elated by the guarantee that the Shivans would never be a threat again. Many believed that the Shivans should be destroyed altogether, and a few argued that having demonstrated our power over them, we should leave them in peace. Many more were simply uncomfortable with the idea of turning their former enemies into slaves, either out of mistrust or guilt.
Ultimately, though, the factions in favor of "taming" prevailed, for two main reasons. First, in case there were other races who could provide a threat to Terran interests, the combined might of the Shivan fleet network would guarantee victory. Second, the economic opportunity was too great to ignore. Without the Shivans, the Terran reconstruction could have taken painful decades. While the debate over whether or not to free the Shivans raged, they were used for reconstruction... and were shown to be extremely effective, reliable, and efficient in doing so. In addition, the Shivans had knowledge and control of a vast network of subspace nodes and systems, all of which could be exploited for the further expansion of humanity. Terran-controlled space would be expanded by an order of magnitude or two... nobody was quite sure how vast the Shivan holdings truly were. The "sad necessity" of destroying the Shivan mind would be turned to good use, rebuilding the destruction the war caused and fueling new commerce and colonization.
In the end, the debate simply lost momentum instead of coming to a decisive resolution, leaving the factions in favor of taming as the de facto winners. Public sentiment against it was simply not strong enough to overthrow something that was undeniably responsible for a quick recovery and a new age of prosperity and growth.
As mentioned, the decision was far from universal. The Vasudans, in particular, wanted no part of this new empire. They had probably been planning their full separation for a while, but the prospect of this new galactic empire, both in terms of scope and means, was too much for the pacifist, non-expansionist Vasudans. In early 2387, the "Vasudan Exodus" began. Vasudans retreated to a set of systems accessible through only a few subspace corridors, then constructed gates that inhibited intersystem jump nodes instead of stabilizing them. They officially withdrew from the GTVA, announced their intentions, and set a deadline for Terrans in their territories to evacuate. A number of human colonies behind Vasudan space elected to remain with the Vasudans, but most chose to leave. On the scheduled date of October 3, 2388, the switch was thrown and all access to Vasudan territories was cut off. No Vasudans have been seen since that day.
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Historian, although I find the shivan pacification sad due to an end of what I find to be an enchanting facet of human history. . . . The exodus of the Zod Scum fills me with something I've not felt genuinely for ages.
I'm filled with, Joy :)
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Oh, so this was a marketing stunt. :(
I was hoping for some kind of spiritual successor to the FSURP.
(And for the record Detiula Station is located in Antares)
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Oh, so this was a marketing stunt.
Wasn't it obvious? - I still wonder which project is advertised here....
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Wasn't it obvious? - I still wonder which project is advertised here....
I guess it was. I was hoping it was a marketing stunt for something other than what it turned out to be.
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yeah well...
Defeated Shivans.
Frakking TAMED BUTLER Shivans.
A complete schism between Terrans and Vasudans.
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I think you just destroyed every single major theme in FS in one fell swoop.
[EDIT] I think I'll explain to you, whoever's writing this plotline, the gravity of what you've just done.
Freespace 1. Terrans and Vasudans have been warring for 14 years over some complication during negotiations that escalated (or so I can only assume). And yet, when the Shivans arrived, their leaders realized that the original incident and all the hate garnered during the war are not as important as their species' survival. And so they formed an alliance to fight the Shivans... and that alliance prospered. By FS2's time, Terrans and Vasudans have formed a central government and are cooperating beyond anything that could be expected between alien species.
The Shivans have already proven themselves to be an incredibly formidable foe. We escaped destruction during the Great War by only a few minutes, and even then we didn't come out of it unscathed. They destroyed a massive proportion of Terran forces before we even started posing a threat.
Move on to FS2 now. We invade Shivan space beyond the Knossos portal. The Shivans, in return, start decimating our forces once again. It takes the destruction of a destroyer and several supporting warships just to neutralize the Ravana... and then we happen upon the Sath. And when we think that's all over, the Shivans show up with an entire fleet of them. The GTVA loses its state-of-the-art flagship, the Colossus. Yet the Shivans don't try to destroy the GTVA- they settle for causing a star to go supernova.
The Shivans are an extremely deadly, unbeatable foe. But it's not just that. They're truly enigmatic. We have no idea why they do what they do, especially during the Second Shivan War.
Your mod destroys what the Shivans stand for by having the GTVA not only defeat them, but understand them. That's a big no-no in the FS universe.
Your mod also destroys what the GTVA stands for. It's like that ST:TNG episode "Darmok"- the conflict that threatened the very survival of both races caused them to group together, and that alliance lasted and grew stronger during Reconstruction. Somewhere in your mod's universe, FS2's Khonsu II is rolling in his grave.
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>Rundown of the Gemini Fleet
>Casualties suffered by the Gemini Fleet
>Method of locating the Command Center
>Probability that Shivans aren't just playing possum while their brethren gather a few galaxies worth of more Shivans to come down on your insolent arse like a ton of red and black bricks?
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Let's just see how deep this heresy runs...
> Request: Do Shivan historical records exist?
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Your mod destroys what the Shivans stand for by having the GTVA not only defeat them, but understand them. That's a big no-no in the FS universe.
Your mod also destroys what the GTVA stands for. It's like that ST:TNG episode "Darmok"- the conflict that threatened the very survival of both races caused them to group together, and that alliance lasted and grew stronger during Reconstruction. Somewhere in your mod's universe, FS2's Khonsu II is rolling in his grave.
Now, was this really necessary? It's his (I think) mod, he can present it how he wants.
> Query: Recent threats to current Terran government.
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Well, he can do what he wants with the FS universe, even if it destroys the foundations on which FS's writing was built. I'm probably not going to play it unless it's damn good in its own right.
I guess it's not objectively bad, but as a FS campaign, it's a plot that shouldn't necessarily be told in the FS universe.
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Your mod destroys what the Shivans stand for by having the GTVA not only defeat them, but understand them. That's a big no-no in the FS universe.
Your mod also destroys what the GTVA stands for. It's like that ST:TNG episode "Darmok"- the conflict that threatened the very survival of both races caused them to group together, and that alliance lasted and grew stronger during Reconstruction. Somewhere in your mod's universe, FS2's Khonsu II is rolling in his grave.
Now, was this really necessary? It's his (I think) mod, he can present it how he wants.
I have to agree. While I find some elements of the Historian's timeline somewhat unplausible, we haven't heard the whole story and should refrain from making wholesale statements like quoted above.
On further tangent I find Scotty's question about the antagonists in the story after third shivan war an interesting one...
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Query- Piscies class destroyer
Query- What is the reigning the Terran power called?
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Addendum: Please include threats both internal and external.
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>Rundown of the Gemini Fleet
The Gemini fleet consisted of:
12 Pisces Destroyers
30 Odysseus corvettes
40 Aeolus II cruisers
Approximately 1000 fighters and bombers
This represented about a third of the GTVA's available fighting force at the time, and the population of a large city. The fact that the fleet was assembled from fighting front-line forces in less than two weeks, then immediately dispatched, was no less than a strategic and logistical miracle.
>Casualties suffered by the Gemini Fleet
Casualties were very high. By the time a command center was found, Half of the fleet was gone. Another third was lost in the battle to take the command center.
>Method of locating the Command Center
The command center was located using a combination of monitoring Shivan communications and recon using stealth fighters.
>Probability that Shivans aren't just playing possum while their brethren gather a few galaxies worth of more Shivans to come down on your insolent arse like a ton of red and black bricks?
Not impossible, but considered extremely unlikely. This question was raised during the initial debate about the taming, and it was pointed out that any deception by the Shivans made no logical sense. Their capacity was, and still is, more than sufficient to entirely eradicate humanity.
The question of whether other Shivans exist, untamed and unaffected by the virus, has not been resolved. The possibility is certainly there, but no sign of them has been found to date. If any were encountered, Terran strategy would most likely involve using the tamed Shivans against the hostile ones.
Please attach detailed schematics, diagrams, blueprints, any and all informational documents on Lansing computers as used aboard second generation Orion class destroyers.
Request service record of Admiral Wolf, last commanding officer of the GTD Galatea.
Requested data attached in this file. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0)
*Possible datastream corruption detected. An administrator has been advised, and we will attempt to repair the incorrect link as soon as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
Auto-Historian:
> Has there been contact with any living extra-terrestrials besides the Vasudans and Shivans? If so, when and where?
There are no records of any new species contacts since the end of the Third Shivan War. It is presumed that if any advanced civilizations were present, they must have been destroyed by the Shivans.
Despite this, in recent years there have been a number of unsubstantiated rumors from the newest colony worlds. The stories usually take a form involving the discovery of primitive or semi-primitive artifacts. None of these stories have ever been substantiated, to the great frustration of xenoarcheologists. Trying to trace the rumors has always resulted in a dead end. The most likely case is that there are civilizations out there that have not yet discovered subspace and attracted the attention of the Shivans.
> Request: Do Shivan historical records exist?
No Shivan historical records have ever been found. It is not believed that there are any records to find: their creators never gave the Shivans any urge to record history. All we know about Shivan history is what has been extracted from the minds of individuals, and amounts to little more than a creation mythos. They know that they were made by the Creators, and tasked to purge the galaxy of those who would threaten them.
> Query: Recent threats to current Terran government.
Addendum: Please include threats both internal and external.
There have been a few minor border disputes among the new colonies, several of which threaten violence. Tamed Shivans have been dispatched to keep the peace, in many cases over the objections of the colonists. Many of the colonies, especially the older ones founded before the taming of the Shivans, still want nothing to do with the Shivans and resent their presence in any degree.
Official statement from the office of the President:
"At this time, the New Terran Republic does not recognize any credible threat to the future of humanity, except that which comes about through our own internal divisions and strifes. We are using all available assets to ensure the continued safety and prosperity of every Terran citizen and colony."
Query- Pisces class destroyer
The Pisces-class destroyer was designed to be the backbone of the Terran fleet following the Second Shivan Incursion. Specifically, it was designed as an effective counter to ships like the Sathanas juggernaut and Ravana destroyer. The long-range railgun and beam weaponry was a crucial part of the design, but still more critical was a new generation of jump engine allowing greater precision in jump coordinates and shorter spool-up times. The Pisces was designed to engage ships with more powerful weaponry through tactical subspace jumps into a weakly defended area (such as behind a Sathanas), do credible amounts of damage, then jump out again before the target could effectively respond. The Pisces destroyer, and the lightning-attack tactics it facilitated, were crucial to both holding the line during the Third Shivan War and the final Gemini Offensive.
Query- What is the reigning the Terran power called?
After the GTVA was disbanded, Terran governance was reorganized as the New Terran Republic.
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> Number of life sustaining planets and/or moons. Terraforming capabilities. Number of NTR controlled systems.
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> What is Admiral Petrarch's first name?
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No Shivan historical records have ever been found. It is not believed that there are any records to find: their creators never gave the Shivans any urge to record history. All we know about Shivan history is what has been extracted from the minds of individuals, and amounts to little more than a creation mythos. They know that they were made by the Creators, and tasked to purge the galaxy of those who would threaten them.
> Is there any solid evidence of the existance of the Creators or is their existance only theorised due to information extracted from the Shivans?
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So how powerful were these Pisces destroyers...
> What were the estimated Shivan casualties during the Gemini Offensive? How many Sathanas juggernauts were destroyed?
Also
> What are the current combat statistics for fighters when flown designated as Alpha 1?
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> Number of life sustaining planets and/or moons. Terraforming capabilities. Number of NTR controlled systems.
Terrans currently control over 300 systems directly, and an unknown but much larger number indirectly through the Shivans. Of these, 47 contain life-sustaining planets and moons. 1471 systems have now been at least visited by humans, and 43 new uncolonized systems that have been recently discovered contain "prime" planets capable of supporting humanity with a minimum of terraforming.
Terraforming technology has existed and been used for a century and a half. Nevertheless, it is generally a slow process, requiring several decades of careful planning and execution. Since the Third Shivan War, the preferred method for colonization has been to simply hunt through systems that formerly belonged to the Shivans and select the most habitable planets.
Considering this, it is strange that no sign of other intelligent life has yet been found, except for unsubstantiated rumors of artifacts.
> What is Admiral Petrarch's first name?
James.
> Is there any solid evidence of the existance of the Creators or is their existance only theorised due to information extracted from the Shivans?
No archaeological evidence of the "Creators" of the Shivans has ever been found. However, the Shivans are undeniably a created species, carefully designed for a specific task. The fact that they could be reprogrammed at all using specific communications patterns is the single best evidence for this.
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>What happens to humanity (and zodanity) once the Shivans are absolutely, definitively, no longer a threat?
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> Number of life sustaining planets and/or moons. Terraforming capabilities. Number of NTR controlled systems.
Terrans currently control over 300 systems directly, and an unknown but much larger number indirectly through the Shivans. Of these, 47 contain life-sustaining planets and moons. 1471 systems have now been at least visited by humans, and 43 new uncolonized systems that have been recently discovered contain "prime" planets capable of supporting humanity with a minimum of terraforming.
Terraforming technology has existed and been used for a century and a half. Nevertheless, it is generally a slow process, requiring several decades of careful planning and execution. Since the Third Shivan War, the preferred method for colonization has been to simply hunt through systems that formerly belonged to the Shivans and select the most habitable planets.
Considering this, it is strange that no sign of other intelligent life has yet been found, except for unsubstantiated rumors of artifacts.
> What is Admiral Petrarch's first name?
James.
> Is there any solid evidence of the existance of the Creators or is their existance only theorised due to information extracted from the Shivans?
No archaeological evidence of the "Creators" of the Shivans has ever been found. However, the Shivans are undeniably a created species, carefully designed for a specific task. The fact that they could be reprogrammed at all using specific communications patterns is the single best evidence for this.
Well I guess it's now clear that this is the Sushistorian.
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I'd also say this is more of a fanfiction thing. But, imho imho.
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/me hugs Sushu.
I thoroughly enjoyed this topic til you RUINED the magic.
:nervous:
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>Has any further research been done on the ancients?
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> What is Admiral Petrarch's first name?
James.
It's Francis. :p
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> What is Admiral Petrarch's first name?
James.
It's Francis. :p
I think it's Robertloggia.
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Unlike most of the people around here, I like this new history setting... Shivans tamed, well damn me!
What can be so much worst than Shivans, enough to deserve a campaign, I wanna know.
Query> How is the taming control over Shivan monitored, and by whom.
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CNN, Fox, or Disney............
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CNN, Fox, or Disney............
CSPAN
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Well I guess it's now clear that this is the Sushistorian.
:nervous:
SUSHI FAIL!
Well, guess I screwed that up. :p Trouble with juggling multiple accounts is that inevitably you get them mixed up... alright, I confess, it was me. :) Goober, feel free to merge the historian account with this one, it doesn't have a use anymore.
I intend to continue adding responses as long as people want to keep making queries.
The bad (or maybe good, depending on your perspective) news: this is it. No campaign announcement is involved here. Judging by the responses, I doubt many people would be interested in a campaign in this universe anyway. :) I would, of course, but I don't have the time or talent to put together the multiple Freespace campaigns (or even just one) it would take to tell the story I've envisioned properly. So, I decided to have a bit of fun and tell it in a decidedly nonstandard way instead, that would still allow for some fun surprise revelations. Lazy? Maybe. But it's what's within my means. In short, I envisioned a history with multiple campaign settings that I find interesting for various reasons, but with no way to realize them in actual Freespace gameplay, settled for this instead.
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Query> How is the taming control over Shivan monitored, and by whom.
All Shivans have been re-programmed to serve humanity as their prime motivation. That's about the only constant. Although the NTR government attempted to keep the details of Shivan control secret, they failed, and anyone with the right technological resources (anybody with a reasonable amount of money) can reprogram any Shivans they get their hands on for their own specific purposes. Naturally, laws exist to prevent people from tampering with the "don't kill humans" directive, and there are psychobiological barriers that attempt to prevent certain kinds of reprogramming, but these obstacles are surmountable with the right technological and financial resources. Officially, at least, there are no incidents of humans using Shivans to kill other humans. In actuality, there have been several, and more are likely to come.
One of the side effects of this is that Shivan control becomes almost a form of currency. Power and prestige is, in significant part, determined by how many Shivan resources you directly control...
EDIT: To answer the question of who initially distributes control, the NTR government distributes control over various Shivans to all of the various system sub-governments (in theory, based on need), who have a lot of autonomy over how they choose to further distribute that control. In some systems, nearly everyone has a Shivan or two. In others, they are controlled by a small segment of the population. This scheme is, of course, only as equitable as the politicians who administer it are honest... which also varies wildly by location.
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The bad (or maybe good, depending on your perspective) news: this is it. No campaign announcement is involved here. Judging by the responses, I doubt many people would be interested in a campaign in this universe anyway. :) I would, of course, but I don't have the time or talent to put together the multiple Freespace campaigns (or even just one) it would take to tell the story I've envisioned properly. So, I decided to have a bit of fun and tell it in a decidedly nonstandard way instead, that would still allow for some fun surprise revelations. Lazy? Maybe. But it's what's within my means. In short, I envisioned a history with multiple campaign settings that I find interesting for various reasons, but with no way to realize them in actual Freespace gameplay, settled for this instead.
*reads this quote and gets a strange feeling*
I was going to try something similar (well not exactly similar but w/e eh XD) with a combination of text and maybe some artwork since the plot in my head isn't clear and/or consistent either, just a random collection of scenes in my head that even I have trouble remembering... not to mention that scenes I forget sometimes get replaced with new ones I think up on the spot, for better or for worse (usually the latter though :().
I admit to totally not reading anything in this thread but hey, kind of nice to know someone else would try a stunt like this first... though I wouldn't put mine in GenFS if I did. Probably in the fan work section.
Or maybe I didn't get your whole idea after all. XD
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>How large was the empire of the Ancients (how many systems and planets did they take control of)?
>How many ships did they have at their climax?
>How many species did they encounter and destroy?
>How many ships did the Shivans use to crush the Ancients? What were the flagships of the Ancient and Shivan armadas?
>Give me the official title of the BGreen and how much power is required to shoot it out (in watts).
>Who is Command (the balding, black guy from FS2)? Briefly describe him.
And finally,
>What type of music did Terrans listen to during the 24th century? Describe.
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>How large was the empire of the Ancients (how many systems and planets did they take control of)?
>How many ships did they have at their climax?
>How many species did they encounter and destroy?
>How many ships did the Shivans use to crush the Ancients? What were the flagships of the Ancient and Shivan armadas?
This edition of the AHRRA contains data primarily related to the 24th century. Please refer to the Ancient history edition for that data. We apologize for the lack of cross-edition connectivity, this is a planned feature for the next version of the auto-historian software
:D
>Who is Command (the balding, black guy from FS2)? Briefly describe him.
Looks like you already did. :P
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what was the position, rank and spacial location of said black dude communicating on the command coms channel
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>Who is Command (the balding, black guy from FS2)? Briefly describe him.
(http://www.empireonline.com/images/features/100greatestcharacters/photos/19.jpg)
Does he look like a *****?
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>Did James T. Kirk:
1. Co-exist with the GTVA
2. Come from an alternate reality
3. Exist in a franchise created by Terrans in the 20th century
??
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Now we're getting really silly. Only one worth answering:
>Has any further research been done on the ancients?
Nothing new of note has been discovered about them that you don't already know. :)
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Err...it's been two days. Mind if you keep us updated...
I hope this won't be some dying thread again, Sushi... :nervous:
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Err...it's been two days. Mind if you keep us updated...
I hope this won't be some dying thread again, Sushi... :nervous:
Actually, I'm pretty sure this has run its course. I'm not going to answer your questions about the Ancients because they aren't relevant to the time period I was exploring, and I'm not going to worry about silly Captain Kirk questions. :)
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Well then let's get things back on track, shall we? :p
> Was any evident of Admiral Bosch's ultimate fate ever discovered?
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Well then let's get things back on track, shall we? :p
> Was any evident of Admiral Bosch's ultimate fate ever discovered?
All files on Bosch remain classified. Please petition your planetary senator for the release of these records!
I never really decided exactly what to do with Bosch, so this is kind of an open end thread in the timeline. Most likely, his attempts to communicate with the Shivans in their own language interested the Shivans enough that they didn't kill him immediately, but once they determined he wasn't one of the Creators, they probably killed him. The destruction of Capella means that even if he had escaped, he wouldn't have had a (known) way to get home.
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I'm not going to answer your questions about the Ancients because they aren't relevant to the time period I was exploring, and I'm not going to worry about silly Captain Kirk questions. :)
>Give me the official title of the BGreen and how much power is required to shoot it out (in watts).
>Who is Command (the balding, black guy from FS2)? Briefly describe him.
And finally,
>What type of music did Terrans listen to during the 24th century? Describe.
Hmm...seems like you're no longer a bot, eh? :P
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He never was. He was always the Sushistorian.
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> What was the main driving force behind the forming of the GTA and what role did the United Kingdom play in it's developement.
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> What was the main driving force behind the forming of the GTA and what role did the United Kingdom play in it's developement.
See:
http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php?topic=72104.0
Pretty sure it's good enough for the Historian. :)
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I'll have to check the tech room out on that one. Does it are mention UK yes? Good question bro by the way. I'll NOT hit you today :)
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I'll have to check the tech room out on that one. Does it are mention UK yes? Good question bro by the way. I'll NOT hit you today :)
Actually, I have no idea if it mentions the UK or not, but if it doesn't, you can safely assume that it was not directly relevant to the formation of the GTA. ;)
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I'll have to check the tech room out on that one. Does it are mention UK yes? Good question bro by the way. I'll NOT hit you today :)
The UK would have if Mr. Cameron hadn't decided on savage cuts to the Pan-Terran exploration effort.
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Okay, here's one...
>when does Russia drop "Da Bomb"?
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They don't. At any rate:
This edition of the AHRRA contains data primarily related to the 24th century. Please refer to the Pre-Colonization edition for that data. We apologize for the lack of cross-edition connectivity, this is a planned feature for the next version of the auto-historian software
Thank you for your time. :D
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>Details, history, and specifications of the most powerful Shivan military assets