Citizens! Welcome to another show courtesy of the Mesh dealing with history and the military (everyone’s favorite two topics if you aren’t into anything warm and fluffy). The Tactical Edge – Military History of the Cosmos – From Thermopylae to the Dominion’s Folly.
Welcome to the Tactical Edge. I am your host Patton Brodmire. I’m very pleased to announce that my show has been picked up by the ISBO* and is also available for download off the Mesh.
This show will be dedicated to the military history of the home planet and the interstellar conquests that followed colonization of space. I will focus particular interest on the rivalry between the two interstellar powerhouses: the Gaule Protectorate, formed in 594 PC in Alpha Centauri, and the Consortium, which dates its foundation back to Old Earth in 1876 PC.
There are of course, official histories, published propaganda, and mutually acknowledged accounts of events that have transpired over the cycles, but, as Mapoleon (one of the famed forefathers of the Gaule Protectorate) said, “History is written by the victors.”
[Editor’s note: Mapoleon Bonmaman is cited as having said, “History is lies that have been agreed upon.” The aforementioned quotation is generally attributed to the British Prime Minister, Willie Churchbill. Patton should be more careful when gathering her references. This has been a HCP (History Check Proof) by the good people at FactFront ™. FactFront -Believe What’s True**]
That said, let me dive straight into a slice of history that I’m certain very few are aware of these days: the Gallic Imperial Guard: the elite Gaule tactical units feared throughout the galaxy. These highly-trained units were first designed to protect the higher echelons of the Gaule Military, but their numbers grew steadily, numbering five battalions at their height, preCat, supported by a special GIG squadron of fighter pilots -the dreaded Soterelles (or grasshopper squadrons). The GIG3 Arverni Brigade (named after an Old Earth Gaule tribe that resisted the BioRome Empire) was composed of five thousand of the finest fighters the Gaule armed forces ever fielded. Known as the “Blue Hornets” for their distinctive blue and black camouflage, their reputation instilled fear into the most hardened of military units. The Hornets were the bane of pirate armadas and freebooter outposts; even the Consortium’s top special forces, the CRABS (Consortium Ranger Airborne Battalion) were wont to engage with these crack troops.
Every single Hornet had two back-up clones on standby at all times -one on site and one at an undesignated Gaule Military Mobile Station (GMMS). GIG troops who’d been cloned many times were highly respected. Tradition dictated that a cloned Hornet would gash their forehead with a scar for the number of times they’d been cloned. Scars were a point of pride and coming across a Hornet with ten gashes across their forehead was something no one wished to encounter. The battalion’s Lieutenant colonel Hector Malveaux was said to carry thirteen scars on his brow. Fool hearted actions by contrast were not respected and the misuse of cloning was frowned upon. Tactical efficiency and cohesion were highly prized and the Hornets had the lowest cloning rates of any of the Gaule’s military.
Rumor has it that the GMMS on which the Hornet backup clones would spawn is still operational and has been unable to make contact post Cat. The idea is not outside the realm of possibility. Special military stations would have had several back-up systems in place, and gestating clones may very well have been immune to many of the effects that damaged their live counterparts. Rumor has it that SAG is feverishly hunting for the station, and who could blame them? What a military boon it would be for the Protectorate to unearth an entire battalion of Hornets.
Well, that’s all the time I have for times past. I hope you enjoyed our time together, it too has now become history. Come back tomorrow, for more of yesterday. This is Patton saluting you!
*ISBO Interstellar Box Office is an umbrella corporation of Old Earth HoBO, itself owned by AboutTimeWarnedYou Cable. Oddly, despite the widespread devastation caused by the Catastrophe and our inability to communicate with the home planet, cable channels are still available (although installation of a cable box will take anywhere from thirty to fifty cycles and you should be available to let the cable person in between 8 am and 10 pm).
** What’s true is what we tell you is true. Trust us -it’s true.