The "Hand of Starling": Knights of the Sphere: The Real Power Behind the
Republic? 12/15/3133
INN - Interstellar News Network
SHADOW: Well met, Truth-seekers! We are the Hand of Starling and we’re back on
the air with the show the Republic doesn’t want you to see! I’m your host, Shadow.
With me as always are my fellow Illuminati, Phantom and Wraith.
PHANTOM: Beware the shadows!
WRAITH: In secrets, reality lies!
SHADOW: Welcome, gents. Before we begin today’s topic: “Knights of the Sphere:
The Real Power Behind the Republic?,” our question of the week here comes from a
viewer using the on-line nick of Synnik. He (or she) says: “Starling Group, in a
previous show, you mentioned the build-up of ’Mechs by The Republic through a
supposedly outlawed facility on Irian. Are there others like this, throughout the state?”
WRAITH: Alert! Loaded question! Alert! Loaded question!
PHANTOM: ’Tis a sign of enlightenment!
SHADOW: Indeed it is, gentlemen. Synnik, that is indeed an excellent—albeit loaded—
question, and it shows you have indeed been paying attention. Yes, in fact, the Hand
of Starling has learned there are many factories throughout The Republic that continue
to produce heavy military hardware such as BattleMechs and armored vehicles that
have done so since the MMRP first went into effect. Other facilities we know of exist
on Epsilon Eridani, Outreach, and (of course) Terra. The powers that be— whoever
they are—would like us to forget that the state exists through its military strength, but
believe us when we tell you that the army our Republic has on the field is nothing
compared to the army it still has tucked away.
WRAITH: Well said, Brother Shadow!
SHADOW: Right. Now, on to the topic at hand. The Knights of the Sphere, carefully
chosen for their stalwart support of The Republic, be it military, political, scientific, or
commercial, have been the symbol of hope and strength since Devlin Stone himself
founded our great nation--
PHANTOM: Laying it on a bit thick, aren’t you, Shad?
SHADOW: Damn it, Phantom! You’re ruining my set-up! Anyway, the question is: Is
the Exarch really in charge, or are these elite men and women the true power behind
the throne? Brothers, what say you?
WRAITH: Could there be any question otherwise?
PHANTOM: Oh, definitely the power behind the throne!
SHADOW: Back it up, folks.
WRAITH: Oh, you got it! Item One: The political structure. Devlin Stone created a
system in which citizenship comes through service to the state, rather than merely
being born into it. Nice, in a communist sort of way, as it guarantees that your tax
base supports only those who work for the good of the empire. It also helps
indoctrinate a new series of followers dedicated to perpetuating the state. The better
citizens are then chosen as Knights-Errant, who then progress to full Knighthood, and
finally the Paladinhood. Laid out in accordance with Stone’s wishes, the Knights and
Paladins became the pinnacle of leadership, martial prowess, and the de facto political
elite of the Republic – even planetary governors and legates have to bow to their will
in times of crisis. And from where are the Exarchs nominated? The ranks of the
Paladins. By the very system, it’s a self-perpetuating structure that keeps The
Republic in firm control, and the Exarch, who rises from the ranks of the Knights,
remains a part of that societal order.
PHANTOM: Spot on, Brother Wraith! And for Item Two: the current Exarch. Not to
put too fine a point on it, but come on! The man’s a flake! Try as they may, the
media could not make him look competent enough to run an interstellar nation after
Devlin Stone left, and his utter inability to do more than issue vague reassurances of
an imminent recovery have not exactly demonstrated able and strong leadership since
the HPG collapse.
WRAITH: Unless, of course, he’s behind the grid collapse...
PHANTOM: Well, again, could he have done it, or the Knights?
WRAITH: Ahhhh…
PHANTOM: Yes, now you see the whole truth, my enlightened friend. Not only do
we have an incompetent at the realm, but a realm out of control, rudderless as it were.
And why might that be? Well, it’s simple. This being the first time a Paladin has risen
to the Exarchship, Redburn may have simply “forgotten” where his true allegiance
lies—the Knights. While he’s off promoting free trade initiatives with the Lyrans, it
seems, would have been the perfect time for a coup, but we can’t have those kinds of
questions, the Knights figure. Instead, either as a test, or as an object lesson to the
man who would make himself king, the Knights launch an operation aimed at
destabilizing the government at large. Who else would have access to almost the entire
communications grid and the manpower to take it down in one coordinated strike,
after all? Sure, they enlisted help, but the end result is the same. A comm grid
smashed, and a mediocre leader suddenly showing just how mediocre he really is!
SHADOW: So what are you saying, Phantom? That the Knights not only are the base
of the Exarch’s power, but also its bane? That they engineered the blackout to
humiliate and topple one of their own who got too big for his breeches?
WRAITH: It all makes perfect sense, Brother Shadow. But there’s even more to it
than that. We also know that there exists a legion of Shadow Knights who support the
public Knights, a commando force if you will to incite or contain chaos as necessary.
These people may never be elected Exarch, but their power is just as considerable,
and they’d be in prime positions to execute a plan such as this. In accomplishing the
twin tasks of sowing chaos throughout The Republic and demystifying the office of
the Exarch, they shift the power more into their court, as the brave warriors that
make up the Knights now become seen as the last thin red-and-black line between
order and total anarchy—
PHANTOM: Right, and when it’s over, we’ll see a discredited post of Exarch,
dominated by the effective executive command of a council of Paladins. Elections will
become meaningless, save to pick the next Paladin who will in turn choose all other
Knights in support of the order he was raised to serve. As the Knights begin to re-
assert control and get the HPGs back on-line, we’ll see even more converts from the
so-called “Fringe Prefectures”—
WRAITH: Those parts of our neighbor states who try to follow a Republican
example?
PHANTOM: Yeah, them. Sold on seeing us recover quicker than anyone else—since
the Ghost Knights will be able to continue to disrupt the other comm nets with
impunity—these mini Prefectures will be more easily swayed to join us and viola! Not
only are the Knights now firmly in control without any pretense of following an
Exarch, but they’re in charge of an even bigger Republic that we didn’t have to invade
to conquer.
SHADOW: Diabolical!
WRAITH: Indeed! The only question is; how far will they go before the rest of the
Inner Sphere takes notice?
SHADOW: A worthy discussion for another time, perhaps, as we’re about out of
time here. Come back next week, Truth-seekers, as the Hand of Starling continues to
lift the veil of conspiracy and brings enlightenment to all!
Republic? 12/15/3133
INN - Interstellar News Network
SHADOW: Well met, Truth-seekers! We are the Hand of Starling and we’re back on
the air with the show the Republic doesn’t want you to see! I’m your host, Shadow.
With me as always are my fellow Illuminati, Phantom and Wraith.
PHANTOM: Beware the shadows!
WRAITH: In secrets, reality lies!
SHADOW: Welcome, gents. Before we begin today’s topic: “Knights of the Sphere:
The Real Power Behind the Republic?,” our question of the week here comes from a
viewer using the on-line nick of Synnik. He (or she) says: “Starling Group, in a
previous show, you mentioned the build-up of ’Mechs by The Republic through a
supposedly outlawed facility on Irian. Are there others like this, throughout the state?”
WRAITH: Alert! Loaded question! Alert! Loaded question!
PHANTOM: ’Tis a sign of enlightenment!
SHADOW: Indeed it is, gentlemen. Synnik, that is indeed an excellent—albeit loaded—
question, and it shows you have indeed been paying attention. Yes, in fact, the Hand
of Starling has learned there are many factories throughout The Republic that continue
to produce heavy military hardware such as BattleMechs and armored vehicles that
have done so since the MMRP first went into effect. Other facilities we know of exist
on Epsilon Eridani, Outreach, and (of course) Terra. The powers that be— whoever
they are—would like us to forget that the state exists through its military strength, but
believe us when we tell you that the army our Republic has on the field is nothing
compared to the army it still has tucked away.
WRAITH: Well said, Brother Shadow!
SHADOW: Right. Now, on to the topic at hand. The Knights of the Sphere, carefully
chosen for their stalwart support of The Republic, be it military, political, scientific, or
commercial, have been the symbol of hope and strength since Devlin Stone himself
founded our great nation--
PHANTOM: Laying it on a bit thick, aren’t you, Shad?
SHADOW: Damn it, Phantom! You’re ruining my set-up! Anyway, the question is: Is
the Exarch really in charge, or are these elite men and women the true power behind
the throne? Brothers, what say you?
WRAITH: Could there be any question otherwise?
PHANTOM: Oh, definitely the power behind the throne!
SHADOW: Back it up, folks.
WRAITH: Oh, you got it! Item One: The political structure. Devlin Stone created a
system in which citizenship comes through service to the state, rather than merely
being born into it. Nice, in a communist sort of way, as it guarantees that your tax
base supports only those who work for the good of the empire. It also helps
indoctrinate a new series of followers dedicated to perpetuating the state. The better
citizens are then chosen as Knights-Errant, who then progress to full Knighthood, and
finally the Paladinhood. Laid out in accordance with Stone’s wishes, the Knights and
Paladins became the pinnacle of leadership, martial prowess, and the de facto political
elite of the Republic – even planetary governors and legates have to bow to their will
in times of crisis. And from where are the Exarchs nominated? The ranks of the
Paladins. By the very system, it’s a self-perpetuating structure that keeps The
Republic in firm control, and the Exarch, who rises from the ranks of the Knights,
remains a part of that societal order.
PHANTOM: Spot on, Brother Wraith! And for Item Two: the current Exarch. Not to
put too fine a point on it, but come on! The man’s a flake! Try as they may, the
media could not make him look competent enough to run an interstellar nation after
Devlin Stone left, and his utter inability to do more than issue vague reassurances of
an imminent recovery have not exactly demonstrated able and strong leadership since
the HPG collapse.
WRAITH: Unless, of course, he’s behind the grid collapse...
PHANTOM: Well, again, could he have done it, or the Knights?
WRAITH: Ahhhh…
PHANTOM: Yes, now you see the whole truth, my enlightened friend. Not only do
we have an incompetent at the realm, but a realm out of control, rudderless as it were.
And why might that be? Well, it’s simple. This being the first time a Paladin has risen
to the Exarchship, Redburn may have simply “forgotten” where his true allegiance
lies—the Knights. While he’s off promoting free trade initiatives with the Lyrans, it
seems, would have been the perfect time for a coup, but we can’t have those kinds of
questions, the Knights figure. Instead, either as a test, or as an object lesson to the
man who would make himself king, the Knights launch an operation aimed at
destabilizing the government at large. Who else would have access to almost the entire
communications grid and the manpower to take it down in one coordinated strike,
after all? Sure, they enlisted help, but the end result is the same. A comm grid
smashed, and a mediocre leader suddenly showing just how mediocre he really is!
SHADOW: So what are you saying, Phantom? That the Knights not only are the base
of the Exarch’s power, but also its bane? That they engineered the blackout to
humiliate and topple one of their own who got too big for his breeches?
WRAITH: It all makes perfect sense, Brother Shadow. But there’s even more to it
than that. We also know that there exists a legion of Shadow Knights who support the
public Knights, a commando force if you will to incite or contain chaos as necessary.
These people may never be elected Exarch, but their power is just as considerable,
and they’d be in prime positions to execute a plan such as this. In accomplishing the
twin tasks of sowing chaos throughout The Republic and demystifying the office of
the Exarch, they shift the power more into their court, as the brave warriors that
make up the Knights now become seen as the last thin red-and-black line between
order and total anarchy—
PHANTOM: Right, and when it’s over, we’ll see a discredited post of Exarch,
dominated by the effective executive command of a council of Paladins. Elections will
become meaningless, save to pick the next Paladin who will in turn choose all other
Knights in support of the order he was raised to serve. As the Knights begin to re-
assert control and get the HPGs back on-line, we’ll see even more converts from the
so-called “Fringe Prefectures”—
WRAITH: Those parts of our neighbor states who try to follow a Republican
example?
PHANTOM: Yeah, them. Sold on seeing us recover quicker than anyone else—since
the Ghost Knights will be able to continue to disrupt the other comm nets with
impunity—these mini Prefectures will be more easily swayed to join us and viola! Not
only are the Knights now firmly in control without any pretense of following an
Exarch, but they’re in charge of an even bigger Republic that we didn’t have to invade
to conquer.
SHADOW: Diabolical!
WRAITH: Indeed! The only question is; how far will they go before the rest of the
Inner Sphere takes notice?
SHADOW: A worthy discussion for another time, perhaps, as we’re about out of
time here. Come back next week, Truth-seekers, as the Hand of Starling continues to
lift the veil of conspiracy and brings enlightenment to all!
| December 15, 3133 |
