[Backstory] TERRAN REPUBLIC BREAKING NEWS 06.01.2642

[bjorntju1]

At 9:00AM today, fleet vessels were rocked by massive explosions on civilian starship Discovery-7 in what has been called “a savage act of treason by unknown agents.” The tragic destruction of Discovery-7 occurred during a previously undisclosed meeting between Mission Commander Thomas Connery, T.R. military representatives and several civilian insurgent leaders. The attacks resulted in the loss of Commander Connery as well as the lives of all other 591 on board.

http://www.planetside2.com/news/feb3backstory

[Raymac]

"When are people going to learn that democracy doesn't work?!?" -Homer Simpson

[Graywolves]

"When are people going to learn that democracy doesn't work?!?" -Homer Simpson

Homer Simpsons, he's wiser than he looks.

[DayOne]

"Hey, we're lost in space and have no way of getting back, this sure would be a great time to stick together and hopefully pull through this."
"Nah, lets just rebel because we're butthurt about being lost in space."
"Great, then what are we waiting for? Lets go destabilise the leadership and risk the entire population of this fleet!"

-NC logic

[Ailos]

I love that piece. "Only a 2% margin..."

[Crazyduckling]

Does anyone else feel like we're getting more significant parts of the story recently, and it will soon lead up to the point where we come in?

[Shotokanguy]

Anyone else having a hard time caring about anything related to lore?

I'm confused how all this fleet stuff is relevant, but to be honest I kind of stopped reading most of the lore stuff a while ago.

Unless it all ends up being remarkably well developed and important to the game, it just seems like a way to distract us so we don't keep whining for screenshots or progress to demanding more video. It's not like the story will even be integrated in the actual game anyway, will it? In the end, we're just going to be shooting dudes.

[DayOne]

Anyone else having a hard time caring about anything related to lore?

Lore is good, it keeps the feel of the game in check and so we don't have things being added into the game that don't fit, i.e. battleaxe wielding wardrobes.

[Espion]

Anyone else having a hard time caring about anything related to lore?

Seems like they're using the lore to lead into the start of beta and release. In which case, this is good news (maybe moreso because the new launcher that PS2 will likely use came today too).

[Vancha]

I'm quite enjoying these little stories. Most of us have strong empire loyalties, it's about time we found out more about how they came to be, what they stand for, what their society's like and philosophies are etc.

[Warborn]

Anyone else having a hard time caring about anything related to lore?

Some care some don't. It's not a big deal. It's probably better than them not even bothering with that aspect of the game.

[Knocky]

"Hey, we're lost in space and have no way of getting back, this sure would be a great time to stick together and hopefully pull through this."
"Nah, lets just rebel because we're butthurt about being lost in space."
"Great, then what are we waiting for? Lets go destabilise the leadership and risk the entire population of this fleet!"

-NC logic

Please....every person with a working brain knows that it was a TR plot to impose martial law on the fleet.



Anyone else having a hard time caring about anything related to lore?

I'm confused how all this fleet stuff is relevant, but to be honest I kind of stopped reading most of the lore stuff a while ago.


Since you kinda stopped reading it....how about you kinda stop trying to bring us down with your pessimistic attitude?

[Crazyduckling]

I used to read these as soon as they came out, but after a while, it was almost too much.

I've started reading the past few to try and find clues about beta.

(around march 10th is my theory. i know i'm wrong, but i'm sticking to it.)

[Hmr85]

BREAKING NEWS at 6!!! More TR Died aboard Discovery-7. Good Riddance to bad rubbish. Less to deal with later.

[Graywolves]

BREAKING NEWS at 6!!! More TR Died aboard Discovery-7. Good Riddance to bad rubbish. Less to deal with later.

They weren't all TR.


Close-minded speratists sometimes forget about collateral damage and the cost of their attacks.


The Terran Republic is above that ideaology. Never harm the innocent.

[Brokinarrow]

They weren't all TR.


Close-minded speratists sometimes forget about collateral damage and the cost of their attacks.


The Terran Republic is above that ideaology. Never harm the innocent.

Bah, I bet it was the TR themselves that planned these attacks. They saw Connery as weak and sought to exploit his death to tighten their control. And they used the ol' "We'll give the power back once the crisis has passed!" Hmmm where have I heard that before.... oooh yeah, goold ol' Palpatine. :lol:

Also, wow, they are really pumping out the lore pieces this week! Getting the story lined up before beta begins, mmmm? :D

[cellinaire]

Anyone else having a hard time caring about anything related to lore?

I'm confused how all this fleet stuff is relevant, but to be honest I kind of stopped reading most of the lore stuff a while ago.

Unless it all ends up being remarkably well developed and important to the game, it just seems like a way to distract us so we don't keep whining for screenshots or progress to demanding more video. It's not like the story will even be integrated in the actual game anyway, will it? In the end, we're just going to be shooting dudes.

Not sure if serious or stupid :eek:

[Atheosim]

NOOOO THOMAS CONNERY DIED NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE TR WITHOUT HIM!?!?!?!

[Canaris]

See that everything that the T.R. does is based on good principles and the rule of LAW,
Our way of running things is what the people wanted, we do everything for the people and .... to the people :D

These back stories are great, have heart Atheosim it seems our friend Councilman Miller has everything covered ;)

Bah, I bet it was the TR themselves that planned these attacks. They saw Connery as weak and sought to exploit his death to tighten their control. And they used the ol' "We'll give the power back once the crisis has passed!" Hmmm where have I heard that before.... oooh yeah, goold ol' Palpatine. :lol:

Also, wow, they are really pumping out the lore pieces this week! Getting the story lined up before beta begins, mmmm? :D

That sir is slander and we have witness's, The Terran Republic would never go that low, we lost a lot of good people when the ship blew, this is most likely the work of hired thugs and anachists.... that NC all over!

Then again we also have to figure at this time there's been a lot of brain washing going on from the barnies, they probably programed some suicide bomber to destroy the ship.

Anarchists and Subversives, if the T.R. had any sense they would have just opened the airlocks on a few ships and tossed out the bad apples!

[FastAndFree]

Anyone else having a hard time caring about anything related to lore?


Nope

All the accusations flying back and forth between the TR and NC, love it :)
Too bad that the VS didn't really exist at this point in the story, or even if they did we know from an earlier story that they practically did nothing but sit around alien artifacts and drink kool-aid until the war started on Auraxis. (And before the fleet got to Auraxis and we could uncover more artifacts and replenish our dwindling approved beverage supplies we couldn't even do that)

Neeeed VS loooooooore

[Knocky]

They weren't all TR.


Close-minded speratists sometimes forget about collateral damage and the cost of their attacks.


The Terran Republic is above that ideaology. Never harm the innocent.


That is easy to say considering the TR don't believe that anyone is innocent.

[FastAndFree]

No it's true, they are totally legit, they just suggest a "security measure" that lets them execute anyone without trial and then it "gets voted by a narrow margin"...

[Tikuto]

connory dead time to troll tr.

[Knocky]

No it's true, they are totally legit, they just suggest a "security measure" that lets them execute anyone without trial and then it "gets voted by a narrow margin"...

Which TOTALLY explains why the TR are so big on the numbers now. Everyone else accepts 2 in a MBT or buggy....not the TR though. This narrow victory they eked by with, damaged their fragile psyche. So now they must one-up the other two empires by 33%.

[Snowfake]

NC = Terrorists

[Akemo]

*I* did not vote for level 2. I'm OK that in a democracy, the majority rules (mostly) but in most democracies there is another option - at least you could move to another country if things got really bad in the your native land. But stranded in space out here, there is no other option. Besides, all the talk about "rescinding" these tyrannical laws is just smoke thrown out by the Terran Republic leadership trying to confuse the people. I did not blow up Discovery-7, but I will NEVER submit to these cracker-jack laws. Remember January 6, 2642 as the day that the New Conglomerate declared: "We will not go gentle into that good night!" We will no longer allow our freedoms - our rights - to be taken away by your authoritarian republic. New Conglomerate FOREVER!!!

[Akemo]

Close-minded speratists sometimes forget about collateral damage and the cost of their attacks.


The Terran Republic is above that ideaology. Never harm the innocent.


We "separatists" know all about collateral damage.

The collateral damage of blowing Discovery 7 up? Almost half of the Terran Republic's military forces in this expedition were destroyed in one fell swoop.

The collateral damage of Level 2? Forty-nine percent of the expedition voted AGAINST Level 2, but now has to live with this fascist regime's unbending laws "For their own good. Because we're TR and we know better than they do what is good for them." Frak that.

[Atheosim]

So a democracy in which you are the minority is automatically a fascist tyrannical dictatorship?

[TheBiscuit]

Yeah the NC don't really have a leg to stand on here when you look at the TR news report. But then again it is a TR news report, not an NC one.

Saying that, TR4L!

[NewSith]

Hmmm... Maybe it was future VS crew that tried to prevent even harder consequences of the meeting, that were foretold by the Vanu. We never know. By crew I mean insurgence that followed a leader that officially became Sov in the future.


And in that case, shame to that leader.

EDIT: hmmm "Sovs"... We really need to lean away from calling VS Vanu now, considering the lore change.

[Vancha]

So a democracy in which you are the minority is automatically a fascist tyrannical dictatorship?
The biggest risk of democracy is the majority becoming a tyrannical dictatorship over the minority, especially when it comes to people's freedoms. A democracy that is nothing but "majority rules" is a very dangerous thing indeed.

[SYNONYM]

Why doesn't the writer have an editor :c

[Atheosim]

The biggest risk of democracy is the majority becoming a tyrannical dictatorship over the minority, especially when it comes to people's freedoms. A democracy that is nothing but "majority rules" is a very dangerous thing indeed.

So what happens then, when the minority gets their way?

[Vancha]

So what happens then, when the minority gets their way?
Democracy is always majority rules, but you have to have measures in place to make sure the majority is not able to make certain decisions that affect the minority. An unalienable right to freedom of assembly, for example (the TR obviously didn't have this).

[Atheosim]

I can understand these laws being in place seeming draconian if they're in place solely to protect the power and control of the regime in place, but if they're there specifically because people are being murdered and injured without them, I don't care what the minority thinks.

[Vancha]

Ah yes, taking away the peoples' rights for their own good. I understand. You could just lock up the murderers, but why bother with due process? Just take everyone's freedoms away! That's much easier.

Your government really has turned you all into quite the little sheeple...

[Atheosim]

If it's the choice of the people to forfeit their rights for safety then who can deny them the privilege to make such a decision?

[Vancha]

If it's the choice of the people to forfeit their rights for safety then who can deny them the privilege to make such a decision?
Even if "the people" (who does this consist of?) were manipulated into voting their rights away, people can never forfeit their natural rights. They can choose not to utilize them, they can be suppressed and they can be violated, but they still have them.


/OOC Assuming you believe in innate human rights, what is it called when the minority's rights are suppressed in a democracy without unalienable rights? It doesn't seem to quite fall under tyranny or dictatorship.

[Atheosim]

There were no implications of foul play on the TR's part firstly and secondly it's my right to piss on your face whether you like it or not, it's society that votes to remove that right from me.

[TheBiscuit]

They don't know who the murderers are, so how can they just "lock them up" as you put it. Given the restricted environment of a space ship, using curfews and random searches seems appropriate to find the perpetrators of the deaths of over 600 people who could potentially kill much more.

The only issue I would have is the without trial part, but then again if its mandatory to vote on the issues, then everyone knows carrying a gun is punishable by death so why would they? If you are from America it might seem alien to not be allowed to have a gun on you but for the rest of the world its not.

If the exact same situation occurred on Earth then the measures would go too far as they would not sufficiently aid in a search, but in space, yeah it seems reasonable. As to who the people consist of as you asked, it says mandatory voting so the people is everyone, this would include civilians, the insurgents (as we don't know who they are), the military etc.

[Brokinarrow]

Ah yes, taking away the peoples' rights for their own good. I understand. You could just lock up the murderers, but why bother with due process? Just take everyone's freedoms away! That's much easier.

Your government really has turned you all into quite the little sheeple...

^ what Vancha said. Winning a vote by 2% does not equal a majority, especially for something as crucial as letting the TR trample your rights. Now whats to stop the TR from planting weapons in people's rooms that they think are trouble makers? They'll be executed before anyone can actually learn the truth. Liberty or death!

[Vancha]

There were no implications of foul play on the TR's part
Does it still need to be implied? Is it not a given?

secondly it's my right to piss on your face whether you like it or not, it's society that votes to remove that right from me.
Ah look, the TR are showing their class. Your right to swing your fist ends where my nose begins...Apply the same to that thing you piss with, if you can find it.

[Graywolves]

If the glorious Terran Republic just wanted to take over the whole thing, they would have simply done it instead of crippling themselves so hard.


It would've been really easy for a professional military to capture all the civilian leadership and hold the food.




The insurgents are obviously attempting to kill everyone.

[BlazingSun]

Story wise I'm tending towards TR this time around. The Terran Republic doesn't seem so oppressiv this time around, so I don't get the NCs motivation. Civilian rebel scum .. damn it.

[magnatron]

I'm thinking there may be a bit of the "Space crazy's" going on. At first i wanted to blame those blasted NC, but not only was everyone really TR at the time. What purpose does it really serve, are they not scanning or flying in the direction said insurgent's want?

are they supposed to let a segment of the population die off so these people arnt so hungry? its not like they have a planet, or a city or hell even a good sized city block. its a pack of refurbished spaceships that have been rocked but a gravitational event they didn't foresee.

maybe if there was more reasoning it would be easier for me to wrap my mind around why you would cause such a loss of resources when everyone is in such a dire situation, now if we had found a planet and all this hubbub began it would make sense to me.

but it just seems a bit too "I'm unhappy so everyone needs to die!". so again its the space crazy's kicking in i think. lets just hope they don't get us all before we are immortal imo, then its on like Donkey Kong.

[Trolltaxi]

I wonder what the NC scum would do with this situation. Open all the food reserves - needless to mention the booze - have a feist, get drunk or high or whatever then turn the whole fleet towards the nearest star and hope that they won't sober up before the ships fall into the plazma...

[Graywolves]

Maybe he was trying to make a pandorum reference?

[Shamrock]

Nope


Too bad that the VS didn't really exist at this point in the story, or even if they did we know from an earlier story that they practically did nothing but sit around alien artifacts and drink kool-aid until the war started on Auraxis. (And before the fleet got to Auraxis and we could uncover more artifacts and replenish our dwindling approved beverage supplies we couldn't even do that)

Neeeed VS loooooooore

The VS are using the seclusion to conduct vital experiments :cool:

I guess well never know.avi - YouTube

[Belight]

All you rebel lowlifes will pay in due time. Our only hope is to work as one in these dire times. Every rebellion and act of terrorism only quickens our doom. Long live the republic!

[Tikuto]

In memory of our Past, of our visionary ex-president Tom Connery,
In memory of our Sundering; of our singularity - our unity!
In memory of our power and weakness...

Tom Connery during humanity's sundering.

[Canaris]

In memory of our Past, of our visionary Tom Connory,
In memory of our Sundering; of our singularity - our unity!
In memory of our power and weakness...

Tom Connory during humanity's sundering. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WibmcsEGLKo&hd=1)

beautiful and deep

In memory of what could have been the Terran Republic Utopia of Auraxis

[Brokinarrow]

In memory of our Past, of our visionary Tom Connory,
In memory of our Sundering; of our singularity - our unity!
In memory of our power and weakness...

Tom Connory during humanity's sundering. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WibmcsEGLKo&hd=1)

Wow, awesome speech. Fits perfectly with Tom Connery's views.

[Graywolves]

Tom Connery, A true Terran Republic Citizen.

It is a shame that greed has found a way to infest itself amongst those in the expedition.

[Tikuto]

Tom Connery, a true consolable visionary.

In this new world the Terran Republic had already failed. It was the Terran Republic that funded this expedition and Connery who instigated it, and it was down to Connery to lead the people as the TR. It was the demoralization of human loss and isolation, the Wormhole collapse, the severance of our infrastructure and falsified promises bringing about the insurrection of partiality.

It is down the Vanu Sovereignty now to reunite the world with their wisdom and enlightenment. "A world where science and progress will lead to all Men's happiness. Let us all unite!"

[Tikuto]

Tom Connery, a true unbound revolutionary.

The Terran Republic had already lost its way since ex-president Connery lost his Presidency and he knew this. Upon recent events he had to make hard decisions and sought peace with several civilian insurgent leaders, which ended badly. The uncontrollable distressed people of insurgents understood Connery's death and Miller's enaction of his late command meant a state of policing indefinitely - a Police State where freedom and innocence is defaced.

It now rests upon the New Conglomerate to redeem, to survive Councilman Miller's absolutions and to lead the way from tyranny and subversion.

[Graywolves]

New conglomerate propaganda.

I can't keep up with your loyalties bro lol

[Akemo]

If it's the choice of the people to forfeit their rights for safety then who can deny them the privilege to make such a decision?

Yeah.. That's what I was pointing out - I did not choose to forfeit my rights.

There were no implications of foul play on the TR's part

Really?!? In a ***TR*** Press Release, the TR was not implicated? I'm in no way saying that this is a TR conspiracy, but really? No kidding!

[Graywolves]

Yup, TR definatley annhiliated their own leadership and ship containing many TR soldiers just so they could do something they could easily do without a vote.

[Atheosim]

Yeah.. That's what I was pointing out - I did not choose to forfeit my rights.


But more people did than didn't.

[Chaff]

I'm old, tired, jaded, lazy,.....so I ain't readin' no BACKSTORY.

Perhaps, Hamma, Marsman, JBoo, and a couple volunteers could do a 4-minute summary using painted sock puppets with cheesey voiceovers.

If they all had at l east 2 or 3 beers each, I'd vote they try to do the ENTIRE PS Lore in a 15 minute blatherfest.

Or, SOE could do some animated 20 minute saga for those who do care, might care, or would be willing to try "learnin' the lore" via that route....at least ONCE.

I've tried reading thru it.....2 or 3 minutes and I'm confused, irritated, bored .... or some combo of those 3.

[Revanant]

Two Important Observations:

1) The destruction of Discovery 7 occurred in 2642.

The war on Auraxis first breaks out in 2845.

That's 200 years of emergency security measures, for a crime almost as old as the United States.

200 years of "temporary" curfews, criminalized speech, and executions without trial.

A man might dream of something more.


2) Level 2 measures were "voted" in by a slim margin--2%.

How many people really think a paranoid military government would abide by a referendum that reduces their power in favor of civilian rule?

How many people think a small manipulation of the voting data to create a favorable result would have been beyond the capability of the TR's military commanders?

This vote was not.

[Graywolves]

Two Important Observations:

1) The destruction of Discovery 7 occurred in 2642.

The war on Auraxis first breaks out in 2845.

That's 200 years of emergency security measures, for a crime almost as old as the United States.

200 years of "temporary" curfews, criminalized speech, and executions without trial.

A man might dream of something more.


2) Level 2 measures were "voted" in by a slim margin--2%.

How many people really think a paranoid military government would abide by a referendum that reduces their power in favor of civilian rule?

How many people think a small manipulation of the voting data to create a favorable result would have been beyond the capability of the TR's military commanders?

This vote was not.


And yet the Terran Republic had every right to heighten their measures as three speratist factions form.

[Notso]

Always fun to read the lore and see what the backstory is like. That being said, I think if they keep it around the same length they have been, five more of those will lead to beta being released.

[Revanant]

And yet the Terran Republic had every right to heighten their measures as three speratist factions form.

The Terran Republic, in hunting its own people, created an army of homegrown "terrorists" and a rebellion of its brightest minds.

Drastic results are the fruit of drastic measures. In this case, the measures were heightened long before the factions existed.

The TR fought a shadow war against illusory threats, until eventually their ghosts became real.

[Revanant]

And yet the Terran Republic had every right to heighten their measures as three speratist factions form.

And governance is not a right, but a privilege. Those who abuse the privilege are inevitably abused in turn.

Before you lay claim to the cloak of "democracy," the voice of a democratic mob is no less a tyranny than the whims of a single man. Without suitable protections for the dissenters, the minorities, democracy is a dictatorship.

Plato made these observations in Republic thousands of years before the TR thought to hold its first referendum and lay claim to the name.

[Brokinarrow]

The Terran Republic, in hunting its own people, created an army of homegrown "terrorists" and a rebellion of its brightest minds.

Drastic results are the fruit of drastic measures. In this case, the measures were heightened long before the factions existed.

The TR fought a shadow war against illusory threats, until eventually their ghosts became real.

And governance is not a right, but a privilege. Those who abuse the privilege are inevitably abused in turn.

Before you lay claim to the cloak of "democracy," the voice of a democratic mob is no less a tyranny than the whims of a single man. Without suitable protections for the dissenters, the minorities, democracy is a dictatorship.

Plato made these observations in Republic thousands of years before the TR thought to hold its first referendum and lay claim to the name.

Right on, nailed it.

[Canaris]

The Terran Republic, in hunting its own people, created an army of homegrown "terrorists" and a rebellion of its brightest minds.

Drastic results are the fruit of drastic measures. In this case, the measures were heightened long before the factions existed.

The TR fought a shadow war against illusory threats, until eventually their ghosts became real.


And governance is not a right, but a privilege. Those who abuse the privilege are inevitably abused in turn.

Before you lay claim to the cloak of "democracy," the voice of a democratic mob is no less a tyranny than the whims of a single man. Without suitable protections for the dissenters, the minorities, democracy is a dictatorship.

Plato made these observations in Republic thousands of years before the TR thought to hold its first referendum and lay claim to the name.

total nonsense, the NC do exist at this time and they are on the ships that set off from Earth

http://www.planetside2.com/news/nov092011backstory

the seed of sedition, greed and betrayal is already infested on the ships, I bet it's the CEO's of the NC aboard the fleet who orchestrated the problems and the fights from the get go.

Most likely they were denied having 2 hot baths a day due to the shortages and decided to take the mission "private" with a hostile take over.

Democracy from the NC, don't make me laugh. ;)

[Tikuto]

:chill:

Hamma, we need a Loremaster!? pimp:

[Revanant]

total nonsense, the NC do exist at this time and they are on the ships that set off from Earth

http://www.planetside2.com/news/nov092011backstory

the seed of sedition, greed and betrayal is already infested on the ships, I bet it's the CEO's of the NC aboard the fleet who orchestrated the problems and the fights from the get go.

My Dear Canaris,

My mistake. When the wormhole closed, with ships still inside, that was surely the result of New Conglomerate orchestration.

Because the alternative--that the fleet was thrown into crisis by an external disaster--might cast some doubt as to whether the events following the disaster were properly handled.

Perhaps the truth is that the New Conglomerate, in the 2600s, was not particularly widespread, well-defined, or popular. And that the Vanu Sovereignty hadn't been born.

Perhaps the truth is that the Terran Republic, faced with a test of leadership borne out of common hardship and human concerns, reacted with inhumanity. Drunk with power and fear, they did their best to stamp out any hint of protest or complaint, deaf to the fact that silencing a symptom doesn't cure the underlying ailments.

Perhaps the truth is that the Terran Republic so mismanaged governance that they created ARMIES of people willing to fight for a different future.

[Aaron]

You know lore must be getting better when people start having these debates about it.

[Akemo]

You know lore must be getting better when people start having these debates about it.

I gotta say, I'm loving this :)

I'm not a big fan of lore for lore's sake, but this is damn fun!