From: Wil [dreamweaver@keyway.net]
Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2001 9:23 PM
To: JCML
Cc: BPML
Subject: [BLUE PLANET] - Some more thoughts on Jovian Chronicles/Blue
Planet Crossover

Was just doing some more musing on my proposed crossover...

Most of the Solar Nations can exist practically unmolested in a JC universe
where the wormhole exists.  The Mercurian Merchant's Guild would still
operate the lion's share of the vessels in the Solar System as well as the
Serpentis system.  The bulk of the Incorporate would exist on Venus - and,
if I keep the idea of business-as-national-entity behind the Incorporate in
BP, the Venusian corps might be able to grandfather-clause their way into
the same status as their Earth-bound counterparts.  This would give them a
somewhat dual-citizenship, as corporate citizens of Venus and independent
nations as far as Earth is concerned.  Mars is somewhat irrelevant to
Poseidon's existence given their current situation.  It is Earth and the
Jovians that need the most attention.

For the most part, the idea is not to recreate every element in both
settings...really, it's to inject Poseidon into the Jovian Chronicles
universe while still maintaining the feel of Poseidon as it exists in Blue
Planet.  It is entirely possible to simply say that the wormhole and
Poseidon exists in the JC universe, and work out the ramifications from
there.  This would result ina  very different Poseidon, and I want to keep
the feel as is.  Having Colonial Affairs be in charge of the planet is
essential for this, and balkanizing the planet between various JC Solar
Nations would be detrimental.  In BP, GEO controls the wormhole, approves
immigrants to Poseidon, and administers large-scale programs to assist the
natives.  So, what to do?

The first thing that springs to mind is a treaty between the Solar Nations,
placing Poseidon in the hands of a third-party organization with legal
authority to do the things mentioned above.  At first glance, the USN is a
prime candidate for this (especially considering that the GEO was originated
from within the UN).  To undertake such a massive effort, the USN would wind
up being a much larger organization...but with the massive influx of funds
as a result of the Longjohn rush (taxes, tarriffs, fees for licensing, etc)
they would have the money to accomplish what GEO does in BP - at least, on
Poseidon.  SolaPol would still exist, and the GEO (now USN) Shocktroops
would be even more necessary given the relative lack of manpower (in BP, GEO
has resources equivalent to the CEGA - in the crossover, the USN/GEO would
have resources enough to administer Poseidon). It does eliminate the
potential conflict between GEO and the UN in BP, but so far very little has
been made of it other than small remarks in the BP books.

On the other hand, the GEO does very closely resemble CEGA.  In BP, GEO is a
massive planetary (well, interplanetary) government with strong militant
leanings.  There are nations on Earth that do not recognize the GEO's
authority (such as the United States).  The GEO was responsible for bringing
the Earth back from the Blight.  All of these are very reminiscent of CEGA.

A small problem remains though...with the Jovians hanging out in the outer
Solar System, with nearly a century jump in space technologies over a
struggling Earth, it is not likely that CEGA/GEO would rediscover the
wormhole first.  The Jovians would.  It's their interest in another world
that has to be examined in this case.  Administering the most spread out
human society in the history of mankind is a constant challenge, and they
likely would not be up to the task of administering Poseidon as well.  This
leads to two possibilities: allow Posiedon to be administered by someone
else (tying us back to the treaty/USN idea), or claim the planet for
themselves and relocate.  Imagine the sight of hundreds of empty colony
cylinders near Jupiter and the Trojans as the Jovians emigrate enmasse to
the water world.  Still, the expense would be exorbitant and it would be
enormously difficult to relocate the Confed's enormous industrial base.

Finally, with war between CEGA and the Confed looming on the horizon, it
begs the question of the Poseidon colony being left on its own...again...and
the steps that those on Posiedon might take to prepare for the eventuality.
As distant as the wormhole is, with the USN administering the colony, Venus
providing the Incorporate influence and the Merchant's Guild providing the
vessels plying the wormhole route, it is entirely possible that a war
between the CEGA and Confed would have little direct impact on Poseidon.

Okay, done musing now ^_^

"The Batmobile had a morals clause?  He kept a young boy in a cave!" - Drew
Carey
Dreams of Flesh & Spirit: http://www.atomicrumpusroom.net/tribe8/
The Datacore: http://www.atomicrumpusroom.net/jovianchronicles/

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