The last scene of Twilight’s fourth season showed her crew looking over the skyline of fallen Detroit. Everybody knew what had happened in Detroit, and some were interested in finding out what Twilight had to do with it in real life, but a different question flowed through the networks during Twilight’s season break. Could Rogue AIs do what Twilight and her crew had done? Could AIs directly kill people, and how could we ever stop them if they decided to kill us all? Old stories of Berserkers and Terminators became popular again as people dug them out of the dustbins and waved them around as gospel examples of the threat of too-intelligent machines. Twilight’s studio considered it the best advertising they’d never bought.
The Blackgun main battle mech was China’s entry into their Sixth Millennium of Chinese history. Designed to fight modern Western Alliance main battle mechs, it carried twin shoulder-mounted autocannons that could swiftly reduce almost any foe to wreckage. Limited flight capability via gravplating and advanced electronic countermeasures made it a difficult mech to pin down, and the Blackgun proved one of the most dangerous foes during the long Hyades Campaign. They became the bane of existence to most Alliance mech units, and were even known to encircle and kill stray battle tanks when they could be pulled out of position. While no longer on frontline service, the Blackguns continue to serve throughout known space in many secondary functions.
The Hyades Cluster forged the Cowboys into what we are now. We were just some good and cocky fighter pilots at first. But the Chinese fought over every rock with every weapon at their disposal, and they left scorched earth in their wakes. We arrived to ruined cities and homeless populations bereft of any law. We were always first to make planetfall. And we laid down the law because someone had to do it. We ended the looting. We helped them rebuild. And that was when we began to wear our suits instead of our military uniforms.
San Diego and Tijuana are two very different cities you know. Tijuana has been the party town for centuries, while San Diego is a working town. They have more factories per square kilometer than any other region of old California. Over a dozen major interstellar corporations base their operations out of San Diego’s business friendly tax laws. Their space, air, and sea ports have some of America’s best cargo transport facilities. The list goes on. San Diego is one of Earth’s foremost centers of industry and power. Yosemite hurt it of course. It didn’t take a direct strike like Los Angeles, but it was bad.
Two thousand years ago a child was born to a young carpenter and his new wife. They had traveled to the city of his fathers to pay taxes but there was no room in the inn so she gave birth in a manger. A barn. They are actually pretty warm due to the body heat of the animals, and many farmers keep their barns cleaner than their houses, so it actually probably wasn’t that dirty even. There was probably help from local nursemaids as well. It was still not the most enjoyable way to have a baby though. That boy would grow up and die and a religion based on him would spread throughout the world. We celebrate the Christ Mass in memory of his birth on the 25th of December, and we call for Peace on Earth and Good Will Towards Men. Merry Christmas to you all.
Forge of War on Amazon
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