Yeah, after the crushing defeat at Saturn, Brynes Secret Project better be pretty bad ass or its game over for the UEF. Regardless, I think that in some form, there will be a reunification of Sol with the GTVA, whichever side wins, because the ultimate trump card still remains - the Shivans.
Think about it. The GTVA went to war to stop Ubuntu from spreading, in a way, they may have already won. They've hardened resolve in Earth to fight against them, and introduced Ubuntu to its first external test. I think that even if the UEF wins, the GTVA has still secured its goal, because the pacifism they were afraid of could not and would not have survived the war.
The vibe im getting off the message of the Vishnans in AoA about bringing the rest of the race to 'enlightenment' is that ultimately, Earth has the right idea. So I can see Ubuntu spreading, but i guess, 'Evolved Ubuntu', because the Ubuntu that developed on Earth can't work either, it grew in isolation. This war will have gone a LONG way towards teaching the people of the UEF that the universe is a cold and unforgiving place, and that the lesson they can learn from the GTVA is that they need to be ready to defend themselves.
Besides, if and when the Shivans return, can you imagine the awesome force that the combined armament of GTVA weaponry and UEF style weaponry could dish out? Allthough I've noticed we seem to refer to the Shivan's as idiots who always throw hordes of fighter craft at their enemies until something breaks. That strategy has worked for them in the past, but who's to say they are incapable of changing their tactics and updating their hardware? They've been knocking down races for thousands upon thousands of years, I'm pretty sure they're adaptable.
Anyways, I'm rambling. I think, based on the imperatives laid out by the Vishnans, certain things need to happen to guarantee humanity's survival, and neither side will be recognizable when the dust settles.
While on that point though, I had to get past the whole Vishnan thing before I really thought about it. I never liked the whole spiritual enlightenment theme of AoA, it was a real departure from what I was used to. A good story by far, and I'm pumped for the next installment... but I dunno. I liked the Shivans when they were a roving genocidal force difficult to define and without any great purpose except perhaps they didnt like it when people started picking on other races (drawing from the Ancient monologues here). It felt more rewarding to think of an ultimate victory over the shivans as a product of our determination and military prowess then because we found enlightenment. Just my two cents, but its not my story, and its a good story, and im pumped to see where the final conclusion of it goes.
