Chapter 6: Slaying Dragons
Alpha Site, September 8th 7 M12
Lieutenant Terry Winters stretched his limbs one last time before turning to the munitions specialist standing by. "Everything ready Corporal?" The gunbunny nodded, "As ready as she'll ever be. I've checked over Mathilda's systems three times and made sure to get her a full loadout sir." "Good", replied Winters, "This is going to be one hell of a fight and I'd hate for any snag to muck it up." With that Terry turned to Sergeant Tyson Brooks, his partner, and nodded before stepping on to the ladder leading to the waiting open suit. "Ya know as much as you're worrying I'd much rather be in a Herc instead of outside of one." "It won't change how cramped these suits get Ty," Winters replied. "Oh I dunno sir, it makes us kinda like knights in shining armor," quipped Brooks. "Knights with heavy weaponry," said Winters, cracking a smile just as his armored shell slid closed over his chest, arms, and legs. A moment later the heavy armored dome protecting his head clicked into place, lighting up with camera feed, information on the status of the suit, and ammo loadout.
Winters, Brooks, and the rest of the Hercules platoon moved into position at the foot of the Alpha Site gate ramp as the ring spun up the address. While they waited tensely the personnel of Stargate Command filed into position. Colonel Jack O'Neill, flanked by the members of SG-1 and other high ranking Russian, Chinese, Indian, and Brazilian officers, turned to face the assembled troops. A substantial force of two full battalions with soldiers drawn from all members of the PDC stood fully loaded and ready for battle. "You all know this is going to be one of the most dangerous missions any of us have ever launched. A lot of us might not make it back alive. That said if the intel our Tok'ra friends have provided us is accurate then KINGFISH will strike a major blow against the Goa'uld." Just as he finished the room was filled with a loud whoosh as the gate made its connection to P5Y-108. "Good hunting all of you and I expect to see everyone back here when we're done, dead or alive."
Winters gulped as he waited for the signal from the Moth drone. So named because they were small enough to fit in the palm of the hand Moths had replaced the large, bulky MALPs years before thanks to their greater survivability and compact size. His successes in previous actions led to his promotion to Lieutenant and assignment, along with his squadmate Tyson Brooks, to the Hercules suit program serving as the spearhead of every Gate Corps operation into heavily contested space. As they waited for the signal to come through Winters could feel the sweat congealing on his brow, silently counting down. His heart jumped into his throat as the feed crackled to life, the scan showing the area on the other side of P5Y-108's gate only lightly held by enemy troops. "Alright Hercules Platoon, let's do our thing!" With that the solid seven and a half foot tall Mark 3 suits lumbered forward, sending small earthquakes rumbling through the gateroom as they rushed forward.
Winters felt his entire world shrink, grow, warp, and re-arrange itself as the Hercules suits punched through the gate. In the moment of materialization the air was immediately filled with the crackle of staff fire. Terry Winters felt one such blast catch him full on the chest as another glanced off his right shoulder plate sending showers of sparks flying in every direction. Winters felt himself stumble slightly before catching his footing, turning forward, and opening up. He felt the rattle of his twin automatic rail cannons through the suit punctuated by the sharp, flat thud of high-powered magnetically launched missiles, good for air and ground targets, as his fellow Hercules drivers materialized filling the air with deadly fire. The Jaffa, though certainly bold and disciplined, could barely stand the withering hail of lead and shrapnel as one suit became four, then twelve as the troops of the Gate Corps fanned out.
In moments it was all over. In spite of their best efforts the Jaffa could not withstand the sheer volume of fire pouring into them or the deadly munitions breaking up their positions. "Gate is secure Colonel, we're ready when you are." "Roger that, keep on point we'll be with you shortly," replied O'Neill as troops began rushing through the Stargate taking up position behind the heavily armored suits. Elite PLA, Spetsnaz, and SG Team operators took point immediately, rushing for the tree line as they rapidly blended in with the surrounding terrain. The lighter infantry followed up as quickly as they could, forming up the main body of the intended assault. They moved as quickly as possible over the ridge line up ahead, hugging the hills and trees. The Hercules suits, thanks to their larger size and bulk, stuck to lower ground with Winters leading his platoon as fast as possible.
"Come on come on," he whispered, waiting for the feed to patch in from the Moth drone flying out ahead of the advancing detachment. Tok'ra intelligence indicated KINGFISH would be heavily protected by his most elite Jaffa warriors who had deployed in strength in a recent engagement with the forces of Sokar. The Tok'ra claimed their target, thanks to his age and arrogance, would not pass up the chance to gloat over his triumph against the most hated of the System Lords. If their information was correct, which the Tok'ra claimed two operatives died to retrieve, then the forces of Earth wouldn't have much time to strike.
The tense march was broken by a sudden exclamation over the radio as the screen came to life. "We've got the target Hercules One!" shouted Corporal Xiaoai Wu, one of the newest of the Hercules drivers and a promising young woman from the People's Liberation Army. The Moth feed was filled with over five hundred Jaffa warriors standing at perfect attention in a broad, open field. At the head a massive, robust gray haired man dressed in ancient Greek garb barked at the crowd in Goa'uld. Winters keyed up his internal radio, "Colonel O'Neill we have confirmation of KINGFISH. Repeat we have confirmation of KINGFISH." "Roger that Hercules One. All units engage!"
Off in the distance Mathilda's enhanced audio and external microphones picked up on the sharp clatter of gunfire and flat crumple of explosions. The radio channel rapidly became filled with the chatter of battle as officers and soldiers called for aid and barked orders orchestrating the unfolding cacophonous symphony of Earth's way of war. Gate Corps and SG Team infantry, taking up positions on the ridges and in the trees surrounding the assembled Jaffa, unleashed a torrent of lead and high explosives. The titter of assault rifles was punctuated with the thunder of rocket propelled grenades, mortar fire, and the sharp crack of the newest automatic railcannons. The Jaffa, fighting the way they knew, at first scattered before their Primes restored some semblance of order amidst the roaring of their Olympian master. Having some sense of order they turned and charged the Gate Corps and SG Team personnel as the roar of Death Gliders filled the skies.
"Let's get moving people, we don't want this party getting started without us!" Winters barked into the microphone. First and Second Hercules Platoons picked up the pace, pressing on through low ground and looping around the flank of the enemy forces. The arrival of the Death Gliders had given the Jaffa a second wind, giving them the chance to form up properly and open fire on the Terran soldiers. It was onto this chaotic scene the Hercules troopers arrived on the scene. What Winters and his comrades beheld was carnage. Broken Jaffa and human bodies littered the field, Death Gliders roared overhead blasting troops on the ground with deadly blasts of energy, and amidst the madness the tall, gray-haired System Lord code-named KINGFISH strode through the storm practically impervious to harm. Everywhere he turned great waves of energy blasted forth from his palms knocking over soldiers as easily as bowling pins.
Winters and his platoon immediately locked on the low-flying Death Gliders letting loose a volley of missiles. Soon fighters were tumbling from the sky as the glowering giant turned towards the Hercs, his face a mask of rage and hatred as he marched on them. "Hey big ugly!" shouted Tyson Brooks through his loudspeakers unleashing a volley of slugs, catching the attention of the angry System Lord. KINGFISH turned and toppled Tyson's suit over with a wave of his hand. In that moment things slowed down for Terry Winters as he screamed with a primal fury he didn't know he had, pouring railgun slugs into the System Lord. Every shot detonated on the Goa'uld's energy field but the explosions knocked him off his feet, sending him flying. As KINGFISH found his footing he turned around to see Teal'c's visage of tranquil fury, staff weapon in hand. "This," he growled, "is for my father!" In a flick of an eye before Kronus had the opportunity to respond Teal'c swung the heavy end of his staff. The blurring arc made contact with the mighty System Lord's head sending blood everywhere. The once-mighty Goa'uld crumpled to the ground.
Terry Winters shook himself out of the red fog that filled his mind as the voice of Jack O'Neill echoed through the radio net. "It's time to get moving everyone! There's more Goa'uld on the way and we've got reports of a Ha'tak moving into position in orbit. All personnel make for the gate double-time!" With fluid, practiced ease the Gate Corps and SG Teams melted back into the woods with the Hercules suits in the rearguard laying down a deadly volume of supporting fire. The Jaffa, for their part, attempted to pursue but after Kronus' death at the hands of Teal'c the fight had gone out of them. The loss of air cover and fury of the Herculeses weaponry gave them further reason to hesitate as the men and women of the SGC hurriedly picked up their wounded and dead before retreating for the gate. The next fifteen minutes were the longest of Winters' life as fire rained down from above, Death Gliders swooped in picking off stragglers, and more and more Jaffa warriors closed in. Finally the eternity of danger crawled to an end as the gate dialed up, soldiers rapidly filed in, and the Herculeses held the rear buying time for their comrades to evacuate to Alpha Site. Terry Winters waited at the gate, firing with all he had as the safety indicators ran into the red and ammo ran dangerously low, as his platoon members dragged Tyson's wrecked suit through. Finally Winters joined his fellows just a moment before the gate winked shut.
"The Goa'uld Empire's rapid decline, thanks to the ravages of the Succession War, inadvertently set the stage for the steady rise of humanity as a major force in the galaxy with Terra leading the way. The constant slash and burn of increasingly deadly conflict between the System Lords left many rulers' forces exhausted, resources depleted, and far less capacity for keeping their vassal lords under control. Rebellion in the ranks and Jaffa discontent further crippled the mightiest of the System Lords leaving them exhausted, divided, and more distrustful than ever. In stark contrast the Terrans were scoring victories like the successful elimination of Nirrti and Kronus, liberating previously Goa'uld held worlds and relocating the populations to new sanctuaries, and finding new allies in the growing conflict.
By 8 M12 the Goa'uld Succession War was taking a new turn. Sokar's earlier campaigns, particularly his rapid conquest of Apophis' domain, had scored rapid successes. Unfortunately for the Demon Lord his indiscriminate strategy, reputation, and use of terror tactics mobilized and hardened opposition by the other System Lords across the Empire. Soon he found himself facing stiff resistance on all sides kept in check mostly by the mutual distrust of the System Lords for one another. This was made more difficult by Sokar's practice of eliminating enemy Goa'uld and replacing them with his own loyal servants, greatly reducing the incentive for Underlords and Planet Lords to surrender or defect.
The indecisive conflict was upset by the success of Operation ZEUS and the death of Kronus. The Scythe Lord's death fragmented his realm as ambitious Underlords and Planet Lords scrambled for pieces of his domain. One of the more powerful, Setesh(1), formed his own domain and fought for control of the remainder of Kronus' realm. Heru'ur was in no position to take advantage of the new opportunity thanks to bearing the brunt of Sokar's forces. With the grinding stalemate and breakup of the larger power blocs the League of Independent System Lords imploded thanks to Goa'uld politics. Lord Yu, having carefully shepherded his forces while his allies took the brunt of the greater lords, launched a series of pre-emptive strikes greatly expanding his personal holdings at the expense of the League's existence.
These years would see the first examples of concrete Asgard technical assistance. Following the Tollan Affair the Asgard feared the Goa'uld could no longer be held to the terms of the Protected Planets Treaty. Unfortunately for them the situation was not as simple as sending scientific data to Earth directly. Not only was Asgard technology nigh-on magical compared to human developments the Asgard had to give aid that wouldn't catch the attention of the Goa'uld. As per the terms of the Protected Planets Treaty the Asgard were barred from providing scientific or technical assistance to protected worlds. Breaking this part of the agreement meant a challenge from the Goa'uld the Asgard lacked the means to resist.
All of this was made worse by the increasing losses inflicted on the Asgard by the Replicators. The best solution the High Council saw was to build up Earth's technological capabilities. After much debate and discussion, thanks in part to earnest advocacy by Supreme Commander Thor and Freyr, the High Council decided to extend direct, covert technical assistance to the PDC. They gladly accepted and by the beginning of 8 M12 working examples of simple artificial gravity technology, improvements to fusion power processes, high quality alloys and superconductors, and simple energy shields. These new technologies and the necessary scientific understanding were a major boost forward for Earth.
All throughout the galaxy the intensity of the Goa'uld conflict was further fueled by the actions of Terran and Tok'ra forces. In conjunction with KEYSTONE the allies launched Operation BOCAGE, a deliberate campaign of sabotage, disinformation, and decapitation strikes. One of the many successes of BOCAGE was exacerbating the breakup of the League of Independent System Lords by sabotaging troop mobilizations and feeding the League Lords misinformation guaranteeing all would fall to infighting out of pride during Lord Yu's betrayal. Another was the continued sabotage of Sokar and Heru'ur's supply trains ensuring their war would grind on to indecisively.
These efforts accelerated the breakup of the fringes of the Empire giving KEYSTONE and ASYLUM's planners to adjust to a rapidly changing situation. When the KEYSTONE-ASYLUM campaign was first launched the SGC did not expect to see many concrete successes and had only surveyed half a dozen worlds as sanctuaries. The realities of the Goa'uld Succession War would have dramatic impact on both. KEYSTONE met far more success than the planners' wildest dreams as the devastation of the Succession War inspired revolts in every System Lord's domain giving the SGC far more successes than expected.
ASYLUM, for its part, scrambled to keep up with the far greater than expected flood of liberated peoples. Not only were there many more KEYSTONE evacuations than initially expected but the problem of displacement and refugees became a major one for the SGC. The needs of the victims of the Goa'ulds' war saw the number of ASYLUM worlds supported by Terra swell with more being surveyed daily. To cope with these challenges the PDC founded a new organization on February 2nd 8 M12, the Resettlement and Reconstruction Agency, tasked with supporting the rebuilding and relocation process for liberated human populations.
In these early years the RRA faced the herculean task of providing food, shelter, power, medicine, and law enforcement for over a billion humans speaking a multitude of different languages from an even more dizzyingly vast group of cultures and societies by Stargate. This enormous challenge was made easier for the RRA by the outpouring of gratitude from the liberated populations for their saviors but goodwill would only go so far before starvation and deprivation took their toll. One of the first solutions to the many problems facing the RRA was recruiting the most competent, able ASYLUM refugees to handle critical functions like peacekeeping and civil defense. The most elite recruits in the Planetary Defense Forces, as they were called, were offered the chance to serve in the Gate Corps. Many jumped at the opportunity to take the fight to the hated parasites who had once enslaved them.
The RRA also worked to bring in technical advisors, establish facilities for teaching the relocated populations how to manufacture and use modern Earth technology, and built up the best infrastructure possible. The reasons for this policy were twofold. The main justification, which formed the foundation of UN policy during the early Unification period, was humanitarian. PDC authorities argued it would have been morally indefensible to leave the relocated populations in anything less than the best conditions for recovery and rebuilding possible. The second, and more compelling, reason was material. Even with the considerable success of the ASYLUM program the number of humans liberated barely scratched the surface of the Goa'uld Empire's vast resources. The demands of galactic war meant the PDC could not pass up on mobilizing as many resources as possible. These requirements saw the construction of the most sophisticated energy and manufacturing technology, labs, and other facilities to manufacture the needed equipment for doing battle with the System Lords.
The policies of the RRA were one facet of the greater policy of the Planetary Defense Commission. The PDC's main goal, as established in the Brasilia Charter, was to do everything possible to defend Earth and humanity from all offworld threats. This same, overriding goal drove PDC policy on offworld human allies. As the SGC reached further out into space they discovered increasing numbers of worlds previously occupied by the Goa'uld who were left abandoned and free to develop on their own. The PDC, upon First Contact, offered technical advice and military advisors to allied worlds on the condition such aid be used to establish cohesive, global defense policies.
Unfortunately this was not without tragic accidents. In some worlds First Contact was met with suspicion, hostility, and caused turmoil and upheaval domestically speaking. One of the hallmark examples of the dangers of the pursuit of galactic allies was the tragic demise of Dr. Daniel Jackson on Langara during a botched weapons test where Dr. Jackson suffered from a lethal dose of radiation saving the lives of a group of Langaran scientists on August 8th 7 M12. In spite of this very difficult start Langara would become a critical Earth ally in future years providing samples and critical data for developing the naquadriah refining process. In exchange the Langarans were given technical, scientific, and military aid. Other worlds would see similar arrangements setting vital precedent for what we know today as Uplift.
All of these efforts played a critical role in expanding and solidifying Terra's offworld network. The Alpha and Beta military sites were expanded to handle the increased scale and tempo of Gate-based operations. Delta Site was expanded with plans laid out for infrastructure sufficient to support a population of two hundred million inhabitants by 15 M12. Epsilon Site, Earth's second refuge world, was founded shortly after with a similar infrastructure goal set for 19 M12. To support these efforts and bootstrap Earth's industrial and manufacturing base the PDC approved the expansion of offworld prospecting activities with the formal establishment of four new offworld sites. These mining colonies were expanded to include increased scale of production through automated methods, refining plants, and expanded infrastructure load for moving goods offworld. These colonies provided Terra with a vital supply of naquadah, trinium, platinum, and a host of other materials vital to the war effort."
From Chapter 6: Building a New Galactic Civilization, Political History of Our Galaxy by Prof. Li Feng, published in 59 M12
Quote:
Originally Posted by PolitBrit
The UN Security Council and General Assembly are debating expanding the size of the Peacekeeping Corps to 750,000 standing troops, 5 new major bases, and a small fleet of combat ships to escort troops overseas. Link is here:
UN Considers Expanding Size of Peacekeeping Corps
Considering their successes in Korea, Afghanistan, and Africa I think it makes sense to expand the size of the Peacekeeping Corps. What say the members of the board?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Europhile
Does the UN really need that many extra troops? UNASUR and the EU have some very solid federal units, the US military is quite potent, and the PLA would never tolerate disorder in their sphere of influence. The size of the Peacekeeping Corps is already more than enough to meet their current commitments, why should they need more?
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Originally Posted by TechSabby
The only reasons that would make sense for the Peacekeepers to expand is either they expect future operations to be more expensive or they are planning to increase their tempo.
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Originally Posted by Kawl00ny
I think you're both making kneejerk assumptions. The Peacekeepers are much better than the old system of volunteer detachments and with the growing instability in the Middle East we can't show weakness in the face of the Goa'uld. I don't see why giving the UN the extra resources to keep the peace is such a problem.
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Originally Posted by EndtheFed
This cannot stand! Every time the Peacekeepers take action the independence of every society is threatened. How long will it be before Blue Helmets are patrolling our streets and have us living under their boots? This is one step too far!
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Originally Posted by WonderFromDownUnder
Chill out. The Peacekeepers have never operated without the support of other major military forces like in Korea and Congo. Their bases are scattered all over the world and most couldn't win a fight on their own with any military force worth their salt. Besides the Peacekeepers have no navy to speak of.
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Originally Posted by TechSabby
No navy yet. The new expansion would give them a task force of missile cruisers and a larger supply chain.
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Originally Posted by Kawl00ny
That's hardly enough to challenge the People's Liberation Navy and could never threaten something like the US Navy or the Royal Navy.
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Originally Posted by ZuluScholar
I think their successes in Africa fully justify the expansion. Unlike past cases of operations where there were lots of cases of abuses by volunteer detachments the new Peacekeepers are highly professional. They've given a lot of the young people in South Africa an option other than poverty and is bringing the world closer together in peace. I think that's worth it regardless of the existence of the Space Snakes.
From General Discussion Thread "Peacekeeping Forces Proposed Expansion Approved", September 7th 8 M12
"The growth of new infrastructure for power transmission, storage, and generation were one of two key aspects of the global grid that developed on Earth during the early years of the Interstellar Revolution. The other was the revolution in communications technology on a global scale. These two elements were key in making the later leaps in technological development and global unification possible.
Increased power capacity and efficiency already had considerable effects on the world of electronics. Combined with increasingly efficient forms of data storage the capabilities of digital technology soared and costs dropped. By 8 M12 95% of all humans on Terra had reliable cellular and Internet access 24 hours a day through a combination of laptops, smartphones, tablets, and other increasingly advanced digital devices. These newer forms of technology benefitted from more advanced polymers and the efficiency offered by solid-state superconducting, or SSS, systems putting the quality and bandwidth of data transmitted several leaps ahead of the norm of even five years earlier. Real-time streaming video, buffer-free teleconferencing, and solid reliability had become the norms of digital communication.
The infrastructure supporting these systems experienced a similar revolution. Datacenters, Internet hubs, and supporting technology like modems became increasingly efficient reaching undreamed of levels of throughput. Most mobile devices on the eve of Unification measured their upload and download rates in terabytes per second with landline connections capable of data loads an order of magnitude higher. These data loads made the global grid's capacity substantially higher leading to massive leaps forward in computer technology and programming.
The best example of these advances was the rise of the forerunners to modern artificial intelligences. The first examples, following the arrival of SSS systems on the market, were fairly crude and simple by modern standards only capable of handling a handful of complex tasks. Even these, compared to the programming of earlier periods, were a huge leap forward for manufacturing, production, and social organization.
Proto-AIs accelerated the growing revolution in the world of economics. Work that once required specialized teams of human operators could now be processed by artificial intelligences capable of handling the wide range of variables, possibilities, and outcomes in any given situation. The Proto-AIs found application in managing transportation systems, organizing and running supply chains, and running automated security systems.
The perfect example of the combination of all these technologies came on August 12th 8 M12 when the Toyota Motor Corporation opened the first near-fully automated factory. 90% of all production work was performed by automated systems, all raw materials were assembled on the spot by 3D printers, the vast majority of the work was managed by early artificial intelligences, and a human work force of 97 technicians, engineers, and a handful of managers to keep the place running. The Toyota Automated Factory set production records by their second quarter in operation. The message was clear: the years of mass-based labor as a factor in economic production were over."
From Chapter Five: Building the Global Grid, The Interstellar Revolution by Prof. Eduardo Garza, published in 55 M12
1. Also known as Seth, Setesh managed to escape from Earth following First Contact and rose through the ranks of Kronus' service thanks in part to his intimate knowledge of Earth history and culture
"The newly reformed Stargate Command, now under the authority of the Planetary Defense Commission, was already becoming a very different force. The demands of interstellar warfare had changed the SGC from the relatively modest exploration force it was when founded to the first truly global military force in Terran history. The SGC's mission had expanded considerably. It began as the command center for all offworld, gate-based operations launched by the US military and focused on a handful of highly specialized operatives. Following First Contact it changed dramatically, becoming a force capable of fighting extended offworld campaigns against the Goa'uld and intervening decisively in the defense of PDC allies. Hand in hand with these changes came new responsibilities.
The first major development was the SGC's expanded role in building galactic resistance against the Goa'uld. A critical element in this mission was building up the capabilities of offworld allies and the ASYLUM worlds. Terra alone simply did not have the resources to fight the Goa'uld on its own and could not defend every ASYLUM and allied world. To address this problem the SGC sent technical and training advisors to bring their allies and protectorates up to par in terms of combat capabilities. Some worlds, like Orban and Langara, were relatively sophisticated technologically and needed little aid technologically but were somewhat lacking in military tactics and training. Others, like Abydos, needed the full spectrum of assistance to come up to par.
In the case of ASYLUM worlds the challenge was far more serious. These planets consisted of resettled and relocated refugee populations in need of basic services and protection. Unlike other Terran allies ASYLUM worlds had to build up manufacturing and transportation infrastructure from scratch, establish a working economy, and establish sufficient social stability for personnel to be spared for military service. These troops became the first of the ASYLUM Planetary Defense Forces. Most PDF units, unlike Terran and Terran-allied forces, were lacking in heavy equipment usually depending on aircraft and human-portable lighter equipment for striking power. These troops were expected to put up as stiff of resistance to the Goa'uld as they possibly could understanding it was unlikely they could fully repel them on their own. Key to early PDF doctrine was intensive training in insurgency and guerrilla warfare to make these worlds as difficult to secure for the Goa'uld as possible and buy the SGC time to send reinforcements.
These policies began bearing critical fruit for the galactic struggle in 7 M12 when the Alpha Site Agreement was reached. Negotiated between the SGC and offworld allies all allied worlds with soldiers up to par were permitted to send volunteers for service in the Gate Corps and the famed SG Teams. These troops were the best of their homeworlds and brought with them a unique set of perspectives, assumptions, and ideas to the table bolstering the SGC's military capabilities numerically and qualitatively. In 9 M12 the ASYLUM worlds were included in the ASA sending their best and brightest to fight the Goa'uld across the galaxy. ASYLUM world volunteers proved to be some of the fiercest, most determined soldiers to serve in the SGC. The vast majority had lost friends and family to Goa'uld oppression and cruelty. All vowed they would do all they could to bring justice for the victims of their age-old enemy.
To support these efforts the infrastructure for Gate-based operations was greatly expanded under the PDC. Alpha and Beta sites had already grown considerably in the years since their founding as the tempo and scale of offworld operations increased. Originally both locations were intended to be launching points for operations to better protect and, as necessary, isolate Terra from the threat of off-planet diseases and uncontrollable technology. Numerous cases would validate this reasoning with the Alpha and Beta sites successfully containing numerous plagues, nanite systems, and other threats to Terra's safety long before they reached the planet's surface.
Over time these bases grew dramatically. The needs of near-constant raids, operations, and warfare across the galaxy forced these bases to expand. The first priority, made easier by the rise of 3D printing, was to ease the burden on the supply systems necessary for maintaining operations. To meet the demand for top of the line weaponry, ammunition, food, and medicine Alpha and Beta site manufacturing operations were greatly expanded. Sustaining these efforts was a parallel push to build up the transportation and raw material refining operations at each site. This, in turn, saw an increased demand for labor to supervise, maintain, and expand such operations. The result was the growth of the Alpha and Beta sites not just as military bases but as population centers. Alpha site reaching 150,000 permanent inhabitants by 5 M12 and Beta site hitting 80,000 permanent inhabitants in the same year.
These bases also saw unforeseen and considerable expansion of their on-site research and alien technology analysis facilities. This was thanks to the growing quantities of war booty brought back by Gate Corps and SG Team operations. Everything from staff weapons and zat guns to Death Gliders and Al'kesh were recovered in varying stages of intactness by SGC personnel giving Science Corps members plenty of samples to work with. The most prized of the SGC's treasure trove as of 8 M12 was the successful recovery of two fully operational Tel'taks and the reconstruction of a third using scavenged parts in 9 M12. War booty not analyzed on-site was transported at the highest priority by Gate or captured hyperdrive-capable craft to Omega Site and highly specialized research facilities like Hashima Island, Area 51, Porton Downs, and the Harbin Center. The growing quantity of examples of Goa'uld technology gave researchers multiple copies, working examples, and models to work with giving more room for more thorough testing. Some devices, like staff weapons and zat guns, were easily obtained making it easier to understand their secondary systems and technical layout. Others, like hyperdrives, were in limited supply complicating research efforts giving scientists a handful of very precious, hard to acquire samples.
During the years of the PDC period Stargate Command shifted focus away from KEYSTONE and HIGHLINE towards new campaigns intended to continue what earlier work had begun. Operations focused more on doing whatever was possible to directly undermine the Goa'uld as much as possible. KEYSTONE had opened the way yet it was a campaign conceived and executed based on limited information and understanding of the Goa'uld. For every success found in KEYSTONE there were far more defeats, stalls, and failed pushes leading to the SGC to re-evaluate their approach to war with the Goa'uld. Increased assistance from the Tok'ra played a key role in the re-assessment process.
The first of the two major campaigns embarked on by the SGC was Operation BOCAGE. Built on the foundation of Tok'ra intelligence the intent of BOCAGE was to disrupt, hamper, and in other ways undermine the means for the System Lords to wage war. Unlike KEYSTONE, which focused on staging whole sale uprisings and revolts, BOCAGE focused on hamstringing Goa'uld operations as much as possible. This was done through a campaign of sabotage and assassination. Priority targets were shipyards, repair facilities, and manufacturing plants in a bid to weaken the Goa'uld's means to fight as much as possible.
Another element of BOCAGE making it very different from previous campaigns, like Operations ZEUS and MENGELE, was the deliberate targeting of mid-level Goa'uld military and economic administrators. The logic of this shift in priority was that by weakening the ranks of the Goa'uld the SGC would do more damage than by taking out high-visibility and heavily guarded System Lords. Killing Goa'uld administrators and officers began to pay off very swiftly with many System Lords encountering increasing problems handling day to day functions. Losing the trained personnel needed to keep their domains functioning System Lords found themselves struggling to keep their fleets in action.
Side by side with BOCAGE was Operation BURMA ROAD. Intended to fully replace KEYSTONE BURMA ROAD was meant to truly shred Goa'uld power by hitting them at their weakest: the Jaffa. For eons the Goa'uld depended on the Jaffa to make the empire work. Whether being used as soldiers, clerics, or lower-level administrators the Jaffa were the tendons of the Goa'uld Empire ever since Pelops first used Ancient technology to create them. Indispensable as elite shock troops, administrators, and loyal enforcers if the Jaffa were ever to turn on their masters the Goa'uld Empire would crumble.
BURMA ROAD was intended to speed up this process. Jaffa revolts were growing and making the jump from defections and battlefield mutinies to open revolts. Units, thrown into a meatgrinder unlike anything they'd seen before, were increasingly refusing to follow orders. In other cases administrators turned on their overlords out of disgust, opposition, or sheer frustration at the demands of total mobilization of Goa'uld resources for the Succession War. BURMA ROAD provided critical support to these rebels by moving critical supplies to Jaffa contingents, providing emergency evacuation support, and scouting out refuge worlds for Jaffa rebels.
The experiences of BURMA ROAD and growing numbers of Jaffa volunteers and defectors led to a major change in how the SGC handled such asylum-seekers. Prior to the founding of the PDC Jaffa volunteers were integrated either into the Science Corps or SG Teams on a case by case, ad hoc basis. The PDC's new policy was intended to further expand the growing Jaffa rebellion by providing the space and means for training, organizing, and safe havens. The result was the Jaffa Auxiliary Corps. All members, whether they were soldiers or scientists, were extended the same rights as all other SGC personnel with the understanding they were essentially political exiles in asylum. With leaders like Teal'c, Bra'tac, and Ishta the JAC rapidly became a cohesive, organized military force in its own right. Uniting all the members of the Corps and underlying their preparations was the expectation one day the JAC would take their leave of the SGC to lead the revolt more directly. At its founding this was seen as a far-off over-arching goal rather than an immediate likelihood."
From Chapter 7: Escalating Galactic War, The History of Stargate Command Volume I: Once More Into the Breach! by Major Kyle Schroeder, SGC, published in 54 M12
"The Oil Crash was one of many signs of the end of the age of fossil fuels. In this moment oil became virtually worthless with world-changing effects. Everywhere oil producing regions, communities, and polities were sent reeling as their economic foundation, already in decline thanks to the growth of renewable energy, was wiped out from under them. Unemployment soared in these regions as local and national governments struggled to cope with the increasing instability.
Nowhere was the Oil Crash more devastating than in the Middle East. For decades the petro-states of the Persian Gulf and North Africa depended politically and economically on the extraction and refining of crude oil. The total evaporation of oil's value kicked off a series of revolts, rebellions, and revolutions across the region destroying seemingly invincible autocracies. The worst of the violence was in the Arabian Peninsula where Saudi Arabia and the Persian Gulf oil states collapsed almost overnight. Mobs of angry, hungry guest workers and Arabs attacked compounds, besieged palaces, and chased the former rulers out.
The sheer scale of the upheaval, violence, and destruction saw a surprisingly rapid response from regional authorities. In the face of the explosion of the Arabian Peninsula the Arab League moved into action with Egypt and Iraq leading the way. Both nations successfully rallied the League to approve a regional peacekeeping action voting to deploy troops. In the United Nations General Assembly they succeeded in winning Peacekeeper support for humanitarian support and security. 300,000 personnel were mobilized from across the Arab League with another 150,000 Peacekeepers authorized to support the effort. Iraq was the first to move with 50,000 swiftly occupying the Emirate of Kuwait followed by the rapid deployment of troops to secure the Hejaz. By the year's end the Arab League-UN force had all but the desert interior under stable occupation and with UN approval remained as the security forces for the Arabian Peninsula Reconstruction Agency. APRA would be another success in the UN's growing tally in establishing and maintaining lasting socio-political stability on Earth.
Just as the Arab League was proving its worth during the Oil Crash the European Union became an increasingly integrated and cohesive entity. On March 8th, 7 M12 the member-nations of the European Union officially released the proposed Constitutional Treaty to the public, initiating a series of referendums across Europe. The result was no surprise as nation after nation voted in favor. The Constitutional Treaty went into effect on January 1st, 8 M12 following the approval of the United Kingdom a month earlier, and the European Union truly became the government for all of Europe. Everything from Poland and the Baltic States to Turkey, Portugal, Iceland, Finland, and Norway was integrated into a single supernational federation becoming the first superstate. The newly consolidated EU was to be administered by a directly elected European Parliament, with full legislative powers, and the popularly elected Council of Ministers serving as the EU's executive body.
UNASUR saw similar pushes to consolidate the nations of South America into a single, cohesive bloc. The first major step forward, made much easier by the widespread adoption of the Nuevo Peso, were the first elections for the Congress of South America held on August 1st, 7 M12. One of the first acts of the newly-established Congress was the push to double the size of ECAS, establish permanent bases for ECAS forces in every member-nation, and the founding of the South American Investigative Service or SIAS. The expansion of ECAS and founding of the SIAS were critical steps forward in the consolidation of continental government in South America. The strengthening of ECAS, justified by their successes in Colombia, gave leaders much-needed support in dealing with guerillas in the hinterland and reduced defense costs for UNASUR members. The SIAS provided UNASUR member-nations with a central clearinghouse for information and cross-border coordination of law enforcement efforts, operating on a model best described as a hybrid of pre-Unification INTERPOL and the American Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The African Union, following the example of the EU and UNASUR, created their own continental legislative body in the form of the African Assembly on March 8th, 9 M12. This was followed swiftly after by the establishment of the Africa Force on June 7th, 9 M12 to serve in a similar capacity to EuroForce and ECAS. In East Asia the sprawling Shanghai Co-operation Organization underwent critical reforms culminating in their re-organization as the East Asian Co-operative Organization on September 8th, 7 M12. EACO, the time of its founding, was somewhere between NAFTA and the Arab League in terms of cohesion and structure. Primarily economic in form EACO's members, consisting of Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Korea, Taiwan, and Mongolia, pledged mutual defense, open borders, and a pledge to synchronization of economic regulations in ten years.
The loss of influence at home coupled with the growth of Chinese influence abroad sparked an unexpected yet effective reaction on the part of the United States and NAFTA. Fearing Chinese economic expansionism and the loss of once taken for granted influence in Latin America the United States led a series of strenuous, closed-door negotiations culminating on September 8th, 7 M12 with the establishment of the Pacific Free Trade Agreement. The PFTA united the US, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, and the Pacific island states into a single free trade and free movement area. India, driven by similar fears, pressed forward with their own diplomatic offensive forming the South Asia Free Trade Agreement. Through binding together the economies of India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan on January 9th, 8 M12 SAFTA was a shield against Chinese influence and a potent mechanism for bringing the region together. Russia followed these efforts and the growing power of the EU through strengthening the Commonwealth of Independent States, calling for a referendum on a new Union Treaty in 9 M12.
The most profound change of this period was the passage and implementation of the Ban Reforms of 8 M12. Ban Ki-Moon, who was elected as UN Secretary General following his spearheading of the successful occupation of North Korea, saw the rise of super-states like UNASUR and the EU as a major problem for the structure of the UN Security Council. After an intense campaign of lobbying the Secretary-General pushed through a series of measures on August 8th, 8 M12 intended to resolve the problem. Security Council membership, for nations who were part of supranational federations like the CIS, the EU, EACO, the AU, and UNASUR, was now restricted to a single Security Council representative for their entire federation. The two vetoes previously held by Britain and France were re-assigned to the EU and UNASUR, respectively, while representation in the General Assembly would be based on the principle of one nation, one vote regardless of supranational status. The Ban Reforms set several critical precedents for the United Nations and were critical in laying the legal foundation for Unification."
From Chapter 3: The Rise of the New Global Order, The Origins of the Modern World by Prof. Andrea Masters, published in 61 M12
"The numerous changes to life on Earth brought by the Interstellar Revolution should have brought enormous betterment for people's lives across the board. After all the rise of efficient renewable energy, cheap power production, 3D printing, automation, and solid state superconducting computers caused a number of far-reaching economic transformations. Labor needs and cost fell to unprecedented lows as production of all kinds became highly inexpensive in every way possible. Such conditions meant the massive armies of workers needed during the Industrial Period were no longer needed. Ideally this would have resulted in societies where labor and drudgery became things of the past.
Unfortunately for many living in the pre-Unification period this was not the case. Economic decision-making the world over was largely dominated by private interests whose main objective was to maximize profit and capital accumulation. This system, while effective for creating a plethora of consumer goods and comforts improving the global standard of living, could not function to its same potential in the changing socio-economic conditions of the period. Falling workforce sizes and crashing labor costs resulted in widespread unemployment, reducing spending power on the part of the average consumer and concentrating wealth in even fewer hands.
Only a handful of professions remained valuable and well-paying, most of which were highly technical and required very specialized training and education. These technicians were critical for designing and maintaining the highly complex technological systems dominating the global economy. Above them was corporate management and the owners, creating an increasingly shrinking mid-level element in an increasingly poor world. Outside of the owners and highest level managers job security was highly precarious at best. Even with the necessity of educators and technicians shrinking labor requirements meant the number of positions in need of filling was decreasing year by year. Many of these otherwise comfortable workers lived one paycheck away from destitution.
In the face of such massive unemployment national and supranational governments moved to provide whatever forms of alleviation they possibly could. Unemployment and housing benefits were expanded and extended, food aid programs soared in size, and police forces were bulked up to keep order in an increasingly uncertain world. These efforts were hamstrung by the growing fiscal crisis stimulated by the labor deficit. Governments had traditionally depended on taxing the income and economic activities of the population to meet their spending needs. As labor forces and incomes collapsed these revenue generating mechanisms imploded, leading to increasing shortfalls and cutbacks to social services. Economic consumers, caught in the middle of shrinking safety nets and falling income, were forced to take on enormous debt loads to make ends meet. Such debt-dependency created an additional, growing expense for many as rising interest costs sapped what little income they had.
Municipal and regional governments, facing the worst shortfalls, responded by increasing aggressive policing tactics using the funds collected in the form of bail, fines, and court fees to meet the spiraling costs of public relief programs. Asset forfeiture laws, first implemented in the United States during the 980s M11 as part of a series of anti-narcotics measures, became increasingly common in their existence and purview. The proceeds of the sale of seized assets, expropriated bank accounts, and confiscated real estate. In some cases the funds brought in by these measures were the majority of municipal and regional revenues.
These dire economic conditions accelerated the growth of the superstates and their acceptance by member-nations. Superstates provided their members with critical fiscal stability, shoring up an already desperate monetary situation. Organizations like the European Central Bank, the Bank of South America, the East Asian Monetary Fund, and the Arab League Bank provided members with bailout funds, low-interest sovereign loans, and generous repayment plans. The growth of deficit financing led to rising sovereign debt levels and the rapid growth of these organizations. Low-level inflation was averted thanks to the limited circulation of these funds through the wider economy but even still they were largely a stopgap measure.
In response to the growing instability, lack of services, and social upheaval across the planet many private business interests responded by taking up the slack for local law enforcement, limited social services, and resources like low-income housing for dwindling work forces. On paper these additional benefits made private sector employment an increasingly popular option in practice these resources came with very deep, painful fishhooks. In many cases workers were forced to take out loans from their employers to cover the cost of such forms of relief. Others discovered, much to their dismay, these benefits expired immediately following termination of employment throwing many onto the streets and into poverty. To better keep order many of these corporate communities employed security measures like walls, reinforced gates, and closed-circuit security systems in every street and home.
As these processes accelerated thanks to the growing interconnection of the global economy and the consolidation of free trade zones and networks people's lives became increasingly desperate. Public assistance, thanks to overstretched resources, was barely enough to survive on. Increasingly draconian policing measures pushed already desperate people closer to the edge, shrinking already limited pools of resources and assistance. The mass demonstrations during the Kinsey Coup and the Oil Crash were one symptom of the deeper problem of chronic, widespread underemployment and unemployment. The huge numbers of impoverished people, their precarious conditions, and dwindling opportunities created a massive powder keg of unrest waiting for just the right spark to set off. The vast, unemployed masses grew increasingly discontented as corporate and state police forces reacted with growing harshness and violence. These actions poured further fuel into the raging fire of popular outrage, escalating tensions worldwide."
From Chapter 4: Origins of the Post-Scarcity Economic Order, Globalization and First Contact by Prof. Dipesh Iyer, published in 48 M12
"ROS CHILDS: Welcome to ABC News at noon. Today's top story: millions take to the streets worldwide demanding sweeping changes to social welfare systems and an end to controversial police practices. We go now to Sarah Clarke who is coming to us live from Sydney.
SARAH CLARKE: Thank you Ros. In cities around the world massive crowds of people have come out demanding immediate relief to their economic woes and an end to police asset seizure laws.
*Cut to footage of massive crowds in downtown Sydney. Banners have slogans like, "Respect Human Dignity", "No More Corporate Bailouts", and "End Free Trade". Tens of thousands fill the streets.*
CLARKE: Many of the people taking to the streets are destitute, living mostly on government benefits and private charity. Around the world most of the crowds taking to the streets today are utterly impoverished living one benefit check away from eviction and worse.
*Broadcast shows footage of huge crowds in New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Johannesburg, Cairo, Hong Kong, Kolkatta, and Berlin. Everywhere banners denounce cutbacks to government services and evictions of poor families.*
CHILDS: Sarah do you think these demonstrations will have any sustaining impact on the debate on austerity raging in many of the world's capitals today?
CLARKE: Many of the people marching today hope this will be the case but others aren't so optimistic. The steady, growing string of job losses and layoffs in white and blue collar sectors and fierce competition for what work is available have many discouraged.
CHILDS: Thank you Sarah. According to our sources at Parliament House fierce debate rocks the Commonwealth Parliament on how to respond to the growing unemployment crisis with many predicting another round of austerity cuts is in store for Australia."
ABC News at Noon, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, May 1st 8 M12
"The culture of the post-Contact world was defined by the many different reactions people had to the widespread knowledge of the Goa'uld, the threat they posed humanity, and the increasing tensions on planet Earth. The common denominator for all people was fear and this showed in popular culture of the period. The critical element of this period was the shared nature and unprecedented form of the Goa'uld threat. There was no other period in human history where the whole planet was at the mercy of a massive, alien force with overwhelming firepower and military force. Even the threat of planetary nuclear war during the Cold War period could not compare in terms of sheer anxiety and fear. Unlike the people of the mid 950s and 960s M11 post-Contact humanity had no red phone or assurance the Goa'uld would or could be reasoned with.
These fears saw three main reactions across the planet. These can be best summarized as resistance, denial, and shock. These were rooted in basic fight, flight, and freeze responses making up the foundation of human psychology. Humanity, facing an unbelievably massive change to their understanding of the universe in a highly traumatic fashion, reacted instinctually and needed the means for processing their new reality. Each major impulse saw its own unique cultural manifestations with examples across all genres of popular culture.
Those responding in a fight-like fashion were drawn to a new wave of stories and narratives of heroic resistance to overwhelming danger. Heroic fantasy, space operas, science fiction, and war movies came to dominate popular culture like never before. Some of the best examples of the wave of epic fantasies sweeping the planet were the Lord of the Rings saga, Harry Potter, S.S. Rajamouli's famous Ramayana, Sung-su Kim's Romance of the Three Kingdoms film series, the works of Hayao Miyazaki , and Nickelodeon's Avatar franchise. Characterized by epic yet relatable heroes struggling against mighty odds these stories were held up as an inspiration for humanity in dark times. They also offered a feeling of escape from the world of the everyday viewer. Miyazaki's works are especially well-known for a combination of escapism and focusing on interpersonal problems, emphasizing the common humanity of his characters and subjects.
In science fiction and space operas there was a similar emphasis but with more focus placed on human ingenuity. Problems were resolved less through grit and epic clashes but more through cleverness and quick thinking. A revived Doctor Who, Spielberg's Star Wars prequels(1), Star Trek's Deep Space Nine and Enterprise, Disney's Tron franchise, and the highly successful Torchwood series(2) were hallmarks of the resistance response in the world of science fiction. These works gave a sense of hope in a different sense less through direct appeals to the human spirit and more through demonstrating the power of human intellect and ingenuity. When facing a foe of indescribable yet technological power stories of overcoming such strength
Supplementing these classics was a return to World War II epics across the globe. Russian and Chinese cinema came to the fore in this genre exploring the Eastern Front and Chinese theaters of the later World Wars period with examples like Burma Road, Nanking, 1000 Days, and Deliverance as long-standing genre classics. India's most famous work from this period was Sunset in Asia, a four hour epic depicting the lows and highs of the struggle in Burma and British-held territories in East Asia. Along with American and British-produced series like Band of Brothers, The Desert Rats, Anzio, and Pacific epics these stories invoked the most recent human conflicts where the stakes approached those of the war with the Goa'uld. Video games based on these conflicts became record best-sellers across the board.
Denial was the second major reaction to a world with the Goa'uld. Many, faced with the sheer existential horror of what the Goa'uld threat presented, responded by seeking escape into a safer world where things seemed less dangerous than what faced people in reality. These works gave people such an option, providing a form of psychological sanctuary in a world of increasing danger and uncertainty. Fiction inspired by such a reaction was characterized by a combination of human dominance in their environment and a degree of technological mastery bordering on the fantastic.
One of the most famous examples of denialist fiction was Star Trek: Voyager. Its stories, unlike Deep Space Nine and Enterprise, focused far more on the sophistication of human technology and the exploration of the unknown. Struggle against impossible odds was replaced with the many difficulties of long-term deep space exploration and internal crew struggles. Many challenges in these series were resolved through clever application of science and technology. These television series were quite popular entries to the Trek franchise, praised for the inventiveness of the storylines and the contrast of superscience with very human problems.
Steampunk, a previously very minor genre, sees a similar explosion of interest. In stark contrast to the stellar setting of Star Trek steampunk works were set either on Earth or Earth-like planets. Technological development in such settings took on the forms and contours of Earth's Industrial Period with sophisticated devices built on foundations of steam power, clockwork mechanisms, and black powder. Jules Verne and HG Wells served as major sources of inspiration for the genre with its popularity exploding at the outset of M12. These works gave their readers a place for escape from the larger world replacing it with one of boundless optimism, wonder, and nostalgic novelty.
Stories of swashbuckling pirates also leapt across screens the world over, offering an escape to a seemingly simpler time of high seas adventure. Pirate media came to be produced on virtually every continent with a number of different variations on the general theme. Some, like American-made Pirates of the Caribbean, the Irish film series The Pirate Queen of Connacht, and the Hong Kong-produced Wang Zhi, and the Algerian epic Turgut Reis were sympathetic to their pirate stars portraying them as heroic adventurers, free spirits, and rebels striking out against their enemies with impunity and charismatic aplomb. Others, such as the Shanghai-made-Yu Dayao, the British Master and Commander series, and the Egyptian-made Hunting Raynald, focused on those fighting the pirates. Depicted as forces of order and law the pirate hunters became a different sort of hero adding further depth to the growing genre.
The final common reaction shown in popular culture during the Contact period was one of total shock. Humanity, faced with an existential crisis unprecedented in human history, responded by retreating into further fear and horror. On its face this reaction is surprisingly contrary reaction but further examination argues otherwise. Horror stories historically have been used by human cultures across the galaxy as tools for teaching survival lessons and entertainment. Other stories dealt with the uncertainties unleashed by the enormous changes in the wake of First Contact.
Cosmic horror would see a resurgence like no other genre of horror. The Goa'uld, as far as humanity was concerned, as a nightmare made flesh. As organic parasite capable of making their victims prisoners in their own body for eternity armed with incredibly sophisticated weaponry the Goa'uld were a horrifying enemy on every level. Their possible and known capabilities became fodder for those inspired the works of authors like Howard Philips Lovecraft. The sheer, unstoppable horror of the monstrosities of this subgenre, dwarfing the Goa'uld in many ways, posed an ever-present danger only delayed by luck, extraordinary sacrifice, and a great deal of suffering along the way. Every medium saw an explosion of such works with Guillermo del Toro's blockbuster classic In the Mountains of Madness and John Carpenter's The Call of Cthulhu as two of the best examples of cosmic horror in action.
Cyberpunk was the second major expression of the shock reaction to Contact. Fueled heavily by the massive upheaval unleashed by rapid technological developments cyberpunk became a venue for social commentary. Cyberpunk works of fiction focused on the increasing power, granted by technology, concentrated in the hands of a distant few. The sheer opulence of the powerful in cyberpunk stories was contrasted with the widespread, endemic poverty rampant the world over. In some cases cyberpunk crossed over with more conventional science fiction with the Sci Fi Channel's Battlestar Galactica as a perfect example. Such works saw high technology not as the answer but the cause of humanity's downfall."
From Chapter 5: Living Under their Shadow, The Future is Out There: A Cultural History of the Turn of the Millennium by Prof. Travis Wingate, published in 59 M12
1. Steven Spielberg agreed to helm the Star Wars prequel series following the tragic, unexpected death of George Lucas in a car crash during the immediate upheaval following First Contact on April 23rd, 998 M11.
2. Which received generous funding from a number of benefactors linked to the IOC and later the PDC. Some theorize it was intended to serve as a sort of bait and switch form of coverup to better conceal the existence of the Stargate Program.