The Christmas War (continued from ..low-key invasion)

Meanwhile,

back
on
Ceres

I'm guessing it's easier to start a new topic rather that convince everyone who wants to talk about 9/11 to start their own thread. Also, not everyone has the rights to create a new thread. Thus this.

Talk among yourselves. Topic is the current arc.

Thanks

This is a no blow up zone, please?

The big flaw I see in the UW's plan is that even if they can summon an overwhelming force to take Ceres, they instantly have a cat herding problem. The Belters are so used to making their own decisions that I can only see them taking their business elsewhere leaving the UW with a slum on an asteroid. Loosing Ceres strikes me as more of an inconvenience to the Belters than a full scale disaster. In essence, the UW can't take Ceres without killing the goose laying the golden eggs.

True,

Ceres is the hub and the most obvious target but the Belt is big and distant assets saved the day last time. So say the UW steals the final assembly factory, the sub assembly and parts plants may be untouched and on back to the mines on some rock as far away as, well, way far away.  Centralized ecconomy trying to understand decentralized and then some.

Maybe they didn't know Reggie is away. Maybe the plan is a decapitation strike. Grab Reggie and hold him hostage, and then everybody has to do what they say.

Maybe they didn't know Reggie is away. Maybe the plan is a decapitation strike. Grab Reggie and hold him hostage, and then everybody has to do what they say.

I assume that JThomas speaks in jest. The thing about Anarchy is that, ahem, it is a society with no rulers; that is, no single "head."

Sure, Reggie probably has a lot of influence - but he's not the only one. We see Prof Ed. quietly arranging a few things. No doubt others are doing likewise.

In fact, strip #638 has Bert saying "turns out the mall administrators already had the same idea." -- that's how decentralized decision-making works. A lot of people toss out ideas; some of those get implemented. People with a good track record tend to find it easier to promote their ideas. Troublemakers tend to be ignored.

Maybe they didn't know Reggie is away. Maybe the plan is a decapitation strike. Grab Reggie and hold him hostage, and then everybody has to do what they say.

I assume that JThomas speaks in jest. The thing about Anarchy is that, ahem, it is a society with no rulers; that is, no single "head."

Sure, Reggie probably has a lot of influence - but he's not the only one. We see Prof Ed. quietly arranging a few things. No doubt others are doing likewise.

You know that and I know that. But does the UW know that? The last I heard they thought Reggie was the king who could sign treaties and give orders.

That’s the point.  Its not what we know about Reggie that's important.  Its about what Earth thinks.  I still believe they are under the impression Reggie is important.  That fact they made their move while he was away is too much of a coincidence.

They think he is crucial.  The question is will he be important to this story at all.  I believe he will be, perhaps rallying the Martians to the aid of Ceres.

He might be the deus ex Machina.  This will be either a cop out or an exciting plot twist.

I suspect that this arc will be finished well before the happy couple finish rejuve.  Reggie and Babette the Elder will most likely be sitting this crisis out while various other competent Cerereans (there seem to be quite a few) take care of things.  But I Am Not One Of The Authors.

Let them sleep. Prof Ed will save the day being a student of both physics and apparently Sun Tzu.

I wonder about any underground free market resistance groups on the other occupied worlds, Luna and Mercury are mentioned. There was some small amount of private business even under Stalin, bartering beets for shoelaces scale but it did happen.

So, do the other guys do anything?
What are the Belt's ecconomic ties to them?
If Ceres wins again and they find out, and the will via TN, then what?
The last like facebook helping overthrow Mubarak.

The big flaw I see in the UW's plan is that even if they can summon an overwhelming force to take Ceres, they instantly have a cat herding problem. The Belters are so used to making their own decisions that I can only see them taking their business elsewhere leaving the UW with a slum on an asteroid. Loosing Ceres strikes me as more of an inconvenience to the Belters than a full scale disaster. In essence, the UW can't take Ceres without killing the goose laying the golden eggs.

Wouldn't it be more the resources they are interested in? After all Ceres is believed to be a big source of water off our world which seems to be what EFT goes by. That would be valuable in the region. Valuable enough to exert some effort to control but probably not valuable enough to go on a rampage for.

The big flaw I see in the UW's plan is that even if they can summon an overwhelming force to take Ceres, they instantly have a cat herding problem. The Belters are so used to making their own decisions that I can only see them taking their business elsewhere leaving the UW with a slum on an asteroid. Loosing Ceres strikes me as more of an inconvenience to the Belters than a full scale disaster. In essence, the UW can't take Ceres without killing the goose laying the golden eggs.

Wouldn't it be more the resources they are interested in? After all Ceres is believed to be a big source of water off our world which seems to be what EFT goes by. That would be valuable in the region. Valuable enough to exert some effort to control but probably not valuable enough to go on a rampage for.

Because NEVER BEFORE in human history, have big countries go on rampages and unspeakable wars to gain negligible, some merely symbolic territories.

I don't think that a population of 100 000 people with a Hong Kong on steroid economy and hard currency in circulation would be a ''little'' price.

The UW can tax Ceres real gold, not fiat paper continentals

Because NEVER BEFORE in human history, have big countries go on rampages and unspeakable wars to gain negligible, some merely symbolic territories.

I don't think that a population of 100 000 people with a Hong Kong on steroid economy and hard currency in circulation would be a ''little'' price.

The UW can tax Ceres real gold, not fiat paper continentals

True big nations have gone on rampages but always for a bigger goal. Even if that goal is simply survival.

As for taxing them gold. Gold is worthless, why would they want gold? Outside of a handful of industrial or tech uses there is no value to gold.

As for taxing them gold. Gold is worthless, why would they want gold?

Tell it to all the central banks holding gold

Outside of a handful of industrial or tech uses there is no value to gold.

Did you forgot that gold in currency not only for the Belt and for Mars, so the UW would have something else besides Continentals-fiat toilet paper and could make a shopping spree to import whatever they lack on earth.

Ceres industrial and mining base will be come handy for the UW also.