Conspiracy Theories of the Rebellion

[Kilgs]

What really happened? Why? Who was in league with whom? The various gaps and inconsistencies create an opportunity for GM's to craft their own brand of the Rebellion. But, even more so, it would be a veritable feeding trough for Imperium conspiracy theorists wearing... whatever the Imperium version of tinfoil hats would be.

So for fun... what are some?

"The Vermene was perhaps the only honest group out there, because at least they tried to kill Margaret when she stopped listening to what they had to say when IRIS started whispering things in her ear about becoming Empress." - Illilek Kullgaan, Traveller News Service interview, 122-1127

Bah, fake news. Everyone knows that Margaret created IRIS out of nothing to manufacture a fake validity to her claim. A secret, psionic agency that no one knows anything about that holds the keys to the succession? That just happens to show up in Margaret's Domain first? Yeah, right. There's a reason Strephon refused to allow them to test him. He knew they were just creations of Margaret and likely would either discredit him or assassinate him.

 

[jcrocker]

Dulinor never really thought he could seize Capital. Why else would he spend so much time stacking the Ilelish Fleet with hard-core loyalists?

 

[Kilgs]

Dulinor never really thought he could seize Capital. Why else would he spend so much time stacking the Ilelish Fleet with hard-core loyalists?

After all, his plan all along was to create a more centralized government. That would have been impossible on a scale such as Imperium. But secession wasn't an option with a functioning Imperium... so smash the Imperium and rule Ielish as he envisioned. His plan was never to take the Iridium Throne... just keep it from stopping his own goal of an independent Ielish.

 

[BRJN]

The Solomani Party deliberately came up with a war strategy "in the event of disputed Imperial succession" that would turn into a stalemate, so after a long time of chaos confusion despair and danger to life / limb / property, being taken over and ruled by the Solomani Party would look like the lesser evil and they could more-easily absorb a big chunk off the Imperium.

 

[Kilgs]

The Solomani Party deliberately came up with a war strategy "in the event of disputed Imperial succession" that would turn into a stalemate, so after a long time of chaos confusion despair and danger to life / limb / property, being taken over and ruled by the Solomani Party would look like the lesser evil and they could more-easily absorb a big chunk off the Imperium.

Not to mention, the growing unrest between Pan-Sophontists and the Solomani supremacists were causing distance between the various entities of the confederacy. A Party position of a "short but victorious war" would cement the Confederation more firmly behind the government. And it would allow them to retake Terra which would do wonders for their support amongst Solomani systems.

Really, it's a win-win for the Party.

Its title comes from a quotation by Vyacheslav von Plehve in reference to the Russo-Japanese War: "What this country needs is a short, victorious war to stem the tide of revolution." That quotation is one of the novel's two epigraphs; the other is a quotation from Robert Wilson Lynd: "The belief in the possibility of a short decisive war appears to be one of the most ancient and dangerous of human illusions."

 

[Whipsnade]

There are a number of conspiracy theory "seeds" littered, purposely or not, throughout both MT and TNE canon.

Among many others, the Solomani border fleets supposedly had standing orders which were supposed to be opened only if news about the death of the emperor arrived and a Hiver manipulator muses in a sidebar that it might be necessary to destroy the Imperium before "fixing" or "pigeon holing" humanity.

I also know that several of the "suspender snappers" involved in the Assassination itself drove our late friend Hans mad. Some existed from the first and others only arose after the retcon which changed the Real Strephon into the real Strephon.

 

[The Pakkrat]

Archduke Brzk Theory

Brzk knew ahead of time that he was to be targeted for an assassination. He didn't tell anyone that he knew from the start of the Rebellion that the Moot would never ratify a non-Human Emperor. He made himself and his family and faction come together and be eliminated, sacrificing all so that he could take the demonizing blame and the hatred of his Antares detractors and his opponents in the Julian Protectorate with him. Those he left behind would be forced to cooperate or be crushed underneath Lucan, (and whatever superweapon was being leaked outward from Core Sector). A martyr requiem to push forward his agenda though it cost Archduke Brzk and his closest their lives.

 

[mike wightman]

Norris gave the Vargr intel that would help them take Corridor and let Norris hide away his new Empire from the troubles of the Rebellion.

Norris invites the Aslan invasion with the obvious - land in district 268 and on other very sparsely settled worlds. He already knows from the Darrian experience that properly handled Aslan can become a great asset rather than a threat.

All of the in universe propaganda about Vargr and Aslan invasions and victories are just a smokescreen for the great work Norris' Intelligence Agencies performed.

Lucan's story is true, he was the survivor of an attempted assassination and Windhook's testimony is fake to stir trouble.

 

[BRJN]

A Party position of a "short but victorious war" would cement the Confederation more firmly behind the government.

It is most important to the Party's purposes that NOBODY in official positions be heard to utter the words "home by Christmas" in relation to the war effort; those Famous Last Words are known to draw the unhelpful attention of whatever deities or fates meddle in the affairs of men.
Long live The Cause.

 

[BRJN]

Inspired by a high overview of Traveller Map with both "Influence" and "Population" turned on:

SolSec had some kind of hold on the duke of Old Expanses, or perhaps he was more loyal to them than to the Imperium. The industrial power of Old Expanses cannot be matched by any Imperial territory closer than the Core. Add that to the existing Solomani Confederation and the powerhouse is unrivalled. How to get enough buffer territory to protect Old Expanses is another problem...

 

[Condottiere]

Probably why they're waiting for some existential threat to hit the Imperium first.

Restoring the Sphere isn't, nor is taking Manchuria.

 

[The Pakkrat]

Archduke Brzk was assassinated by agents sent from the Empty Quarter. They hated a Vargr Archduke that claimed their Sector as part of the Domain of Antares. And oh look, he's right next door, having dinner with his family and closest confidantes on Cerise Station in Antares in 1129.

Empty Quarter also feared the wrath of Lucan for Brzk's efforts to unite the League of Antares, his Domain, the Julian Protectorate and everything in-between since that stinking Ovaghoun Noble learned in 1118 that the Moot would never ratify a non-Human as Emperor.

And just how does a Vargr generating Charisma with one Die manage to keep a Noble title anyway? Brzk, his father, grandfather and ancestors back to Arbellatra - all won the Charisma lottery :CoW:

It was the Empty Quarter.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

After all, his plan all along was to create a more centralized government. That would have been impossible on a scale such as Imperium. But secession wasn't an option with a functioning Imperium... so smash the Imperium and rule Ielish as he envisioned. His plan was never to take the Iridium Throne... just keep it from stopping his own goal of an independent Ielish.

Dulinor never really thought he could seize Capital. Why else would he spend so much time stacking the Ilelish Fleet with hard-core loyalists?

This may be the case. I will have to go review the sources, but IIRC years before Hard Times Dulinor was already officially calling his realm The Federation of Ilelish. By Hard Time the only factions claiming to be the Third Imperium were Norris, Lucan, and Margaret.
At least until Arrival Vengeance.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

Some things concerning The Rebellion are not a conspiracy being explained or retconned in terms of foreshadowing and hindsight in official OTU books published after Megatraveller was done. As an example:

Mongoose's 1st ed Third Imperium book Solomani Rim:
Project Phoenix is a alive and well despite the caches and conspirators being found (only 83% found, not 98%). Several CruRons of planetoid configuration escorts and cruisers have been quietly jumping into Terra's asteroid and Kuiper belts for the last 40 years, then hibernating. Then there was the stockpiling of SDBs that were never found.
As of 1105, Solomani Fleet strength in the system is 3 CruRons and 4 SDB wings. So by the end of 1116, when the news hits Terra....:smirk:

 

[Condottiere]

Considering that the Confederation Navy currently doesn't field cruiser squadrons, nor appear to have administrative variants, that would make the Solar System the largest concentration of Solomani cruisers in the galaxy.

 

[mike wightman]

The Solomani Confederation in the OTU does have cruisers.

 

[Condottiere]

I didn't say they don't, I stated that they don't organize them into field units, presumably because they are solitary creatures.

 

[mike wightman]

And the evidence for that is?

 

[Condottiere]

No modern Confederation Navy order of battle lists cruisers.

More importantly, the Confederation Navy raids the budget allocation for cruisers to build more fast dreadnoughts, while Solomani Security uses it as their black budget for financing and building aforesaid stealth cruisers to infiltrate Imperium space.

 

[Garnfellow]

And the evidence for that is?

The Mongoose Traveller Solomani Rim supplement states that "In contrast to the Imperium, distinct cruiser and destroyer squadrons (CruRons and DesRons) don’t exist in the Confederation's Solomani Rim Fleet" (30). This is consistent with the Mongoose Traveller Solomani module, which states that "The Solomani are short of cruisers, large fleet escorts and destroyers, which in peacetime often leads to larger or smaller ships doing these jobs, and in wartime limits their options for independent raids and strikes" (39).

The Mongoose description of the Solomani Navy in 1105 is consistent with the T20 Rim War era description in Fighting Ships of the Solomani Navy, which in turn is consistent with the order of battle in Invasion Earth.

So the Solomani have cruisers, in particular heavy cruisers, they just aren't organized into CruRons, at least in the Rim.