Dispatch Ajax! Podcast
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Dispatch Ajax! Podcast
Memory Gamma: Terra Prime and the Specter of Col. Greene
Though the geopolitics were a complicated web of interconnected parts, certain events before, during and after Earth’s 3rd World War are undisputed. At least, today.
One of the most infamous figures in Human history is Colonel Phillip Green - a key player in the build-up to war and the literal fallout to follow. He’s viewed - rightfully - as one of the biggest villains ever to walk the Earth.
As World War 3 raged on Allied New United Nations and Eastern Coalition troops alike became disillusioned and deserted their posts to follow a new way they believed would ultimately prevail.
Sovereign nations, including the United States, essentially ceased to exist following the war, the country falling into barbarism, carved up into fiefdoms controlled by competing warlords, Such as Green. He had slowly amassed a loyal army and began his brutal reign over the pacific northwest of North America.
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Speaker 3:Though the geopolitics were a complicated web of interconnected parts, certain events before, during and after Earth's Third World War are undisputed, at least today. One of the most infamous figures in human history is Colonel Philip Green. A key player in the build-up to war and the literal fallout to follow. He's viewed rightfully as one of the greatest villains to ever walk the Earth. Earth may be a paradise today, but crime does still exist in the universe, some mundane, some on a galactic scale. This is a journal of the most memorable, most important crimes in the Milky Way galaxy and the complex beings who commit them. Erroneously rumored to have aided in a few of Khan Singh's proxy wars, in what would later be known as the Eugenics Wars, green did have an enthusiasm for the philosophy of purity for human advancement. It took even more world-shattering events for him to refine his own take on eugenics and the conditions under which to put it in action. The world had taken a hard turn to the right, villainizing immigrants and minorities who rallied lower classes behind the increasingly wealthy who were exploiting them, blurring the lines between information and propaganda so as to delegitimize those who could expose the truth, destabilizing democracies and institutions established after the Second World War to prevent exactly what was about to become realized, as the climate worsened and the population swelled. The nation-states who guided these malevolent actions did so not out of some sort of hardline ideology, but rather a new form of Cold War. Instead of proxy wars, nations such as the Russian Federation and the People's Republic of China sought to weaken other nations' stability so as to gain a stronger position in the race to stockpile dwindling natural resources. This led to a worsening of the environment, as the only nation-states who had the ability to effect actual change elected populist demagogues and oligarchs with fascist tendencies, intentionally denying the glaring crisis in order to appease the polluting industries for which they serve. And in classic human fashion, this bred even more reactionary extremism led by narcissistic strongmen who simply used such causes as vehicles to power. Such is the story of many human revolutions.
Speaker 3:The Ottoman movement was a political ideology that became a banner under which like-minded neo-fascists united. The organization centered on the belief in the survival of the human race by removing those individuals who were weak or deformed in some way. Enter Philip Greene, a former military officer with hawkish views. Green began to tout himself as a warrior for the optimum movement and took the mantle of eco-terrorist to curry favor. With the throngs of angry citizens who were suffering from catastrophic climate changes, he began a campaign of brutal attacks against anyone he deemed guilty or in his way. His group utilized suitcase-sized nuclear weapons and viral attacks to wreak havoc as early as 2026, and over the course of a quarter century he would be responsible, either directly or indirectly, for the deaths of 37 million people.
Speaker 3:As World War III raged on, allied new United Nations and Eastern Coalition troops alike became disillusioned and deserted their posts to follow a new way they believed would ultimately prevail. Sovereign nations, including the United States, essentially ceased to exist following the war. The country, falling into barbarism, carved up into fiefdoms controlled by competing warlords such as Green. Carved up into fiefdoms controlled by competing warlords such as Greene. He had slowly amassed a loyal army and began his brutal reign over the Pacific Northwest of North America. Many survivors who followed Greene saw his actions as necessary. Many died, but the colonel secured enough food for his enclave and security from a chaotic world.
Speaker 3:The nuclear exchanges that made up the war lasted a very brief time, but the ramifications would define the rest of human history. Over the next decade, nearly 600 million would die and eat to radiation, poisoning, disease, famine and abject cruelty. The survivors would suffer the consequences of the atomic horror as it would be known Cancers, mutations, the literal unraveling of one's own DNA. Most fought to survive, but quietly wished they had died with their friends and loved ones. And it was here where Colonel Green would cement his legacy. All that he had done to this point would give him justification to fulfill his own vision of humankind. The deformed, inutilated, the unfortunate masses who were riddled with nuclear poison but weren't killed in the initial assaults. They would receive the brunt of his new worldview. Barely three years after his ceasefire into the war, he ordered the execution of hundreds of thousands of radiation-addled survivors so that the future generations would not endure the horrible disease Mercy he claimed necessary for the survival of the species. Green outlined his rationale in a now-famous speech.
Speaker 2:In the shadow of this incalculable devastation, we find ourselves facing a colossal challenge. There's an entire world to rebuild, Not only our cities and homes, but mankind itself. Now is not the time for timidity and second-guessing. We will pass on the scars of mutation and decay to future generations. For the sake of our children and our children's children, we must reject the impure and cast it out.
Speaker 3:Though the peoples of Earth by and large put aside such ignorance and bloodlust to truly rebuild their shattered world, there are truths of the human condition that will never be expunged. Change can breed fear, and fear can breed hate. In the early 2150s, the Zindi Council committed an infamous attack on Earth. They tested a device that gashed two hemispheres and killed seven million. This would eventually change the course of history and initiate a series of events that helped establish the United Earth as a major interstellar power. On a much bigger stage, those who fostered anger over the Zindi attack, however, saw their attempts at creating a peaceful coalition with other worlds as an assault on Earth's sovereignty. They'd fought to unite humanity, and now some had embraced a caustic, dangerous type of pride, one of true racism and xenophobia, the same attitudes that led to the atomic horror. One such man was John Frederick Paxton. Paxton's father had pioneered the Orpheus mining operation on Luna, earth's first industrial enterprise on another world. Their family was filled with pride over the fact that they'd established Earth's first self-sufficient off-world facility. But just like the European immigrants who established themselves on the North American continent, their pride was misguided. Like the European immigrants who established themselves on the North American continent, their pride was misguided. In those cases, building communities plainly ignored the other ramifications. People already lived there. In Paxton's case, he believes Earth's expansion should benefit only Earth. They should take whatever worlds they desired inhabitants. Be damned Colonialism through and through.
Speaker 3:He idolized Philip Green and everything he stood for. And, like Green, his beliefs weren't just taught. He may not have founded it, just as Green may not have founded the Optimum Movement, but Paxton led a human supremacy organization known as Terra Prime. They had emerged soon after first contact, pushing back against what some saw as acquiescence to the Vulcans, some felt Vulcan sought control over Earth and actively repressed its technological advancement. Some members drew inspiration from the policies of Colonel Green, rightfully regarded as a genocidal madman, with regards to the ethics of eugenics and genetic purity the ethics of eugenics and genetic purity. For years, the group was a powerful voice in Earth's rebuilding and reorganization, with members such as later famous Prime Minister of United Earth Parliament, nathan Samuels. Obviously, his views became more enlightened as Samuels himself proposed the coalition of planets, the Federation's early incarnation. In the following years, terra Prime had lost much of its clout, barely making waves when they denounced the launch of the NX-01 as an exploratory vessel. Why should we try and get along with the inferior species, they whined. Then the Zindi attacked. Terra Prime was once again thrust into the mainstream as fear gripped human beings who still remembered a devastating war. But as diplomats of the local group of worlds gathered in San Francisco in 2155, paxton set Terra Prime into action, transforming it from a simple far-right pity party to a full-fledged terrorist cell.
Speaker 3:The last ship named Enterprise to bear the name without the call number 1701 was crucial in establishing the relations that led to the historic summit During what would later be known as the Babel Crisis. The Enterprise helped align Vulcan, tellar, earth and Andor to fight a plot by the Romulan Star Empire to sow discord between the powers. The Romulan Senate launched an officially sanctioned mission to construct a series of drone ships which would effectively assume the appearance and weapon signatures of diverse range of other planets' vessels. The moonshot experimental vessel used a remote location or telepresence to operate from a remote location on Romulus or telepresence to operate from a remote location on Romulus. The project was likely built using a captured Vulcan or other species with the power to communicate telepathically, however with no living test subjects.
Speaker 3:Romulus would require a new specimen. They had purged their ability to harness telepathy, failing to reawaken the trait in the Romulan medical trials, and it was unclear whether they knew of the Reman-limited telepathic abilities. Their answer came in the form of an Aenar, a nearly extinct species from Andoria who shared a common ancestor with those referred to as Andorians. In the past, the Andorian and Tellarite species had disagreed over trading arrangements. To resolve this dispute, a conference was held on the neutral planet Mabel. In the months preceding November 2154, andorians lost six freighters along the Andorian-Tellerite border, which they believed to be destroyed by Tellarite vessels. They were in fact Romulan drones. With the help of the Enterprise crew, the local group of worlds came together to uncover the plot and used the help of the Aenar to destroy the drones by forcing them to fire on each other. The Romulans had achieved the opposite of what they intended. Rather than destabilize the region and incite conflict, the four species were brought closer together. The task force of 128 ships that formed the sensor grid was a historic first joint operation between Earth, vulcan, andor and Talar. It was the first step in ending years of hostilities between the four powers and brought them closer towards forming the Coalition of Planets and, eventually, the Federation.
Speaker 3:Yet Terra Prime had designs to end humanity's peaceful alliances. They had obtained DNA from the Enterprise science officer and Vulcan liaison T'Pol and its chief engineer, charles Tucker, and cloned the first Vulcan-human hybrid, their child. Essentially, though, they had little to do with it. Paxton was betting that the rest of humanity simply needed the shock of such a child's existence to stir xenophobia and rage. At worst he would be like a dog whistle to those leaning his way, at best he would spark anger and disgust. Though Paxton knew the child would be an important symbol in history, he didn't grant it the dignity of a living thing. It was to be disposed of.
Speaker 3:When all was said and done, he broadcast a message to the world during the gathering of diplomats and world leaders, with a demand and a threat Terra Prime had activated the propulsion system of the mining facility a feature little known to most and moved the entire base to Mars, specifically near the Verteron Array. The Array was a powerful directed energy device based on the surface, used to redirect comets and asteroids toward the ice caps, since terraforming had yet to create a full protective atmosphere. This meant it was a powerful device, much like a starship's main deflector, and could be used as a devastating weapon, a fact that Paxton demonstrated by targeting and destroying part of Luna. An irony, really. The demand All non-human life would have to leave the Sol system immediately. The threat Paxton warned that if any extraterrestrial remained on the surface when time expired, he would fire the Vertebrata Ray directly at Starfleet Command, the institution he believed was responsible for putting all humanity at risk. Through the viewscreen, paxton pontificated that Terra Prime was devoted to the protection of life in all of its diversity. So for the following 24 hours they would allow aliens safe passage through the solar system, as long as they agreed to leave peacefully.
Speaker 3:This magnanimous overture was hollow, of course, even if they had convinced themselves it was truly their philosophy. Throughout human history, the politics of hate, derision, racism, nationalism, tribalism have never been fueled by a respect for life. No matter how it's framed or justified, this mode of thinking is at the heart of what tore humanity apart and pushed it to the brink of extinction. Sadly, the dog whistle did resonate with some who were still polarized by the Zindi attack, and demonstrations broke out at numerous alien embassies. Tension and unease settled over San Francisco like a fog. Samuel's espouse the Virtues. Earth had evolved since putting aside its violent past, but had humankind actually embraced change? The others wondered aloud, unable to interrupt the broadcast of propaganda by Paxton, the Enterprise's Captain, john Archer, knew Terror Prime meant to make good on its threat and they knew he was coming for him.
Speaker 3:His plan was to draft a comet set to impact the Martian polar cap Aboard Shuttle Pod 1, hazards befell them. Within the Martian atmosphere, there was a jarring pocket of turbulence. The shuttlepod's engines shut down and without warning, leaving them in freefall. The navigation console locked up and the polarized hull plating went offline. The shuttlepod spiraled out of control and screamed toward the surface of the planet. They had been sabotaged. One does not get assigned to the Enterprise without being among the best and brightest. However, as the Valiant crew found its way to safety at Carl Sagan Memorial Station just before the comet's impact, the landing party infiltrated the transplanted mining facility, sparking a desperate firefight. One chamber saw Newport crack and become compromised in the exchange. Mars may be changing, but it was still an untamed wilderness to use the vernacular of the colonialists.
Speaker 3:Men like Paxton, who gave his final villain motivation speech to John Archer when pinned down by the Enterprise crew. Humans should take any planet they chose and assert their dominance over their galactic neighbors. Hos and assert their dominance over their galactic neighbors. His vitriol spilled into the realm of the personal as he began to disparage Captain Archer's father, an architect of the technological exchange with Vulcan that led to the creation of Earth's most advanced engine. Paxton spoke about Henry Archer as a traitor who had turned his back against humanity. In his eyes, henry sold out humanity in his ambition to reach Warp 5. In his eyes, henry sold out humanity in his ambition to reach Warp 5. But that mode of thinking proved hollow and self-destructive once again as Paxton enacted his pointless, desperate last strike and fired the array at Starfleet headquarters, an attack which missed badly and simply veered into the San Francisco Bay. It had been sabotaged by Commander Tucker, the man whose DNA Paxton had used to make a political statement of an innocent child. Paxton was taken into Starfleet custody unharmed to face justice, the only appropriate way for a society to grow out of its cycle of violence. Unfortunately, the child of T'Pol and Tucker died.
Speaker 3:It was never viable to begin with, but the consequences of his actions continued to ripple over the planet and throughout the Quadrant. Peace had been set back years due to the all-too-human habit of creating violence out of fear. Much like Colonel Green, john Paxton thought himself a great man destined to be revered by countless generations to come. And, like Green, his real motive was not a cause or philosophy. Such things were merely vehicles, means to an end. Not a cause or philosophy. Such things were merely vehicles, means to an end. Paxton's true cause was his own self-importance, and there is little more dangerous in our universe than a man with megalomania sowing fear and exceptionalism among the masses. Philip Green was not the first such man in Earth's history, but due to John Frederick Paxton, it became clear the possibility that, under the right circumstances, he may not be the last. As the human author George Orwell wrote in Earth's 20th century, power is not a means, it is an act. One does not establish a dictatorship in order to safeguard a revolution.
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