Destruction of the Vesuvius/Black Lance

frostytheplebe

frostytheplebe

Seventh Part of the Seal
1. Was downing the Vesuvius really all that necessary? I just find it hard to believe that the entire crew (if any) were actual black lance operatives. Not to mention that Tolwyn was already on a drop ship heading for Earth at that point. If the crew were just legit confed crewmen, how many of them died needlessly so that Blair could get to Tolwyn?


2. Do we have any information about what happened to the Black Lance and their "GE Products"?
The program had been canceled years ago and the assembly's attitude toward Genetic Enhancements was made pretty clear by Paladin's reaction to hearing about it. Would they have been able to live normal lives? If you look, both Star Trek and SeaQuest, they had very strict ways of dealing with GE products. I was wondering if it would be the same with WC.
 
According to Star Soldier, they're kinda outlaws, i think. Confed pays 20,000 credits for taking a former lancer down (Letters to the editor).
 
The thing that did you in is that "GE Products" doesn't really make sense in any other context.
 
To attempt to justify things here (mind you there is nothing to entirely support this:

1) The Vesuvius had to be destroyed in order to make sure that Blair could actually make it to Earth. If the Vesuvius were left active she could have radioed earth (Provided that Blair made it through her entire fighter wing, which again, would be very difficult) to tell them that Blair was on an attack run on the Assembly. Thus, on sight over earth, he would have been blown to kingdom come.

2) As someone else said, it seems that they have become outlaws.
 
If you recall, the Intrepid's original objective was not to destroy the Vesuvius, but merely make it to Earth before the supercarrier arrived. Unfortunately, aside from a little shortcut the smaller Intrepid could make, they were going the exact same route, and bound to cross paths. Blair didn't want to attack Vesuvius - not because he felt bad about killing ConFed crews, but because it would be impossible to fight head-to-head against a newly minted carrier. Tolwyn was the one to force the fight, unaware that Blair had friends on board the St. Helens.

There was really no way to know that Tolwyn was off the ship at the time they reached Sol. And at Sol, every ConFed ship, Black Lance or not, thought the Intrepid was an enemy intruder.

Sadly, the crew of the Vesuvius were pawns in Tolwyn's game, and he used them as such - like fodder, so he could complete his mission. Tolwyn, no doubt, found the most loyal members of the fleet to crew his new flagship, and they were going to do anything in their powers to shoot down "traitor" Blair.

If you think about it, all the deaths in the Border Worlds Conflict were needless. The little war was orchestrated by Tolwyn for his Master Plan (tm). But the Vesuvius in particular stood in the way of Blair and the Assembly, and to let it send wave after wave of fighters would bring doom to the human sectors of the galaxy.

The deaths of those otherwise naive, "innocent" pilots and crewmembers aboard the Vesuvius were unfortunate, but a small price to pay to ensure peace, justice, and freedom. And it's a poor comparison to the untold thousands who died within the Border Worlds Alliance at the hands of members of the Confederation "just following orders."
 
Most of the guys you kill in WC4 are, 'normal people' regardless of side. The Vesuvius wasn't special.
 
I always wondered what was done with the hulk of the Vesuvius. Certainly it wasn't left to float around Sol.
 
Dyret said:
Recovered and chopped up?
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I can't recall any mention of it after WC4/TPOF. You'd think they would have salvaged the hulk and done something with it...maybe become a part of a later series Vesuvius-Class or something.
 
Dundradal said:
You'd think they would have salvaged the hulk and done something with it...maybe become a part of a later series Vesuvius-Class or something.
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I think that's a fair assumption. Flashpacks, after all, are meant to supercharge the atmosphere within a ship to destroy life support and fry anyone inside. The hull, as well as many internal systems, would remain relatively unscathed.
 
Dundradal said:
I can't recall any mention of it after WC4/TPOF. You'd think they would have salvaged the hulk and done something with it...maybe become a part of a later series Vesuvius-Class or something.
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Yeah, I guess they wouldn't let the presumably intact super-armor go to waste. I have no idea how hot burning atmosphere is, but the transport scene always gave me the impression that it didn't leave much hope for any sort of internal systems.
 
I think that's a fair assumption. Flashpacks, after all, are meant to supercharge the atmosphere within a ship to destroy life support and fry anyone inside. The hull, as well as many internal systems, would remain relatively unscathed.
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I doubt it; superheating the hull kills everyone aboard... and in the process ignites all of the ships' munitions, fuel, etc. It relies on the same secondary explosions that a torpedo is trying to start -- it's just a more certain kill. I would assume the wreck would be salvaged in the same manner as any other destroyed ship... but it's not a case of an entire supercarrier sitting around waiting to be rebuilt.
 
Bandit LOAF said:
I doubt it; superheating the hull kills everyone aboard... and in the process ignites all of the ships' munitions, fuel, etc. It relies on the same secondary explosions that a torpedo is trying to start -- it's just a more certain kill. I would assume the wreck would be salvaged in the same manner as any other destroyed ship... but it's not a case of an entire supercarrier sitting around waiting to be rebuilt.
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I was thinking along the lines of the material being fed right back to the foundry ships that built it originally to construct other vessels. No reason to waste all that good material.
 
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