Geoffrey Tolwyn
Spaceman
Good morning. You all know why I have summoned you here. You all want to know the
truth, why I did...what I did. You want to know about me and whether I'm a monster or a
god. Well, I'm neither. As difficult as it may be to understand, I'm a human being, just like
you or me, and the actions I took, flawed as they were in hindsight, were necessary
to the survival of the species.
Many of you served with Confed during the war. You all saw the devastation war brings,
the lives lost. Thirty trillion people died on both sides. All because of human
arrogance and stupidity. We thought we could beat the Kilrathi...thought that we were
superior to them. We were wrong...and look at the cost.
Hence, The Plan. You remember The Plan. The Black Lance, and their elite shock troops,
the Dragons: the vanguard, defending the Bastion of humanity. That was the good part.
Unfortunately, as you all know, The Plan had a darker side...the planned devastation of
thousands of worlds and trillions of lives. Their deaths were tragic, but they were
necessary to The Plan. Of course, Colonel Blair and the Border Worlds uncovered The
Plan before it could kick into gear, and in retrospect, it was just as well. There was always
the chance that the Confederation and Border Worlds would tear themselves apart until
there was no one left.
You already know all this, but there is a part you may have missed. Some of you may
recall my remarks, near the end, of how elements of the Black Lance were buried deep
where none would find them. And thus, here I am. You see, the Black Lance did not only
deal in genetic engineering - we worked away feverishly on human cloning. Yes, I know,
human cloning was banned long ago in the 21st century, but once discovered, no
technology can remain inert for long. There were many scientists, deep underground, who
worked away at the forbidden science. We enlisted them and their research for the Black
Lance - mostly as a supplement for the GE programs already in progress, but also in
preparation for that date when cloning was no longer forbidden and we could clone
massive armies of unthinking brutes for the defense of our realm. We also did some
dabbling in robotics and computer technology, hoping to utilize robotic brains for our
next-generation of war machines, and maybe incorporate their technology into the clones.
I know - this all sounds like science fantasy, but this is real, this is reality! We even
had some working prototypes ready by the first stage of The Plan, but there was simply
too much nervousness over them, and we didn't want to deal with the problem of ethics.
There simply wasn't enough time.
I, however, have had plenty of time. You see, as you have undoubtedly figured out,
reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated. Well, partly exaggerated. The cyborg
army plan was not the only result of the cloning project. Shortly after my death in prison, a
secret raid was executed by members of the Dragons to recover my body and resuscitate it
with genetic technology. And it worked, beyond everyone's wildest dreams. I feel twice as
young as I did before - physically, at least. The Black Lance may be hidden, but we are not
totally cut off from society. Each day I have had to read the news, about how the Senate
butchers our military budget and cripples our brave men and women. I swore that they
would pay for their foolishness. And so they did.
Look at the casualties of the Nephilim War. We've lost at least three top-of-the-line fleet
carriers and thousands of lives. It's just like the Kilrathi War all over again - having
reached the top of the hill, we think we no longer need to hold on, and begin the long slide
into oblivion. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance, my friends, eternal vigilance! You
have to run quickly to stand still on the chart of evolution.
And this, in the end, is what the Black Lance is all about - keeping up with the curve,
instead of falling into obsolescence. I know now why the Black Lance failed - to ask
someone to give up their civilization and culture, even for the noblest purposes, represents
a death of sorts. Well, there will be no more deaths. The Black Lance will be strictly
military only - no more war on civilians, and no crackpot dictatorships. I've reorganized
the Dragons in secret - the best of the best, pulled from the dregs of society and fashioned
into a top-notch fighting force. We've got shiny new equipment - granted, the Hellcat V
isn't exactly top-of-the-line anymore, but it blends in a hell of a lot easier than a Lance
would. Besides, we've made certain...improvements that should guarantee our superiority.
All we need now is a place to call home.
The answer is out on the frontier. God knows it’s big enough, and Confed Intell has its
hands full enough keeping an eye on the Cats to pay much attention to going ons out
there. Under it, we will build up our forces and bide our time till the next time the
Nephilim come - and believe me, there will be a next time. Our victory over the bugs
will secure our redemption. We will be hailed as heroes among the populace of Earth -
finally - and then, quietly, we can get back to the real job of rebuilding. For, you see, the
Nephilim were only the first wave. You have heard rumours about the Steltek, haven't
you? Well, they're real, and their empire once spanned the entire galaxy! There are others
out there, just as powerful as the Steltek were, and many of them aren’t friendly. They’re
out there, waiting for Sol to let down her guard, and then to strike. Well, we won't let
them! We'll strike them down cold...together!
To the future,
The late Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn
truth, why I did...what I did. You want to know about me and whether I'm a monster or a
god. Well, I'm neither. As difficult as it may be to understand, I'm a human being, just like
you or me, and the actions I took, flawed as they were in hindsight, were necessary
to the survival of the species.
Many of you served with Confed during the war. You all saw the devastation war brings,
the lives lost. Thirty trillion people died on both sides. All because of human
arrogance and stupidity. We thought we could beat the Kilrathi...thought that we were
superior to them. We were wrong...and look at the cost.
Hence, The Plan. You remember The Plan. The Black Lance, and their elite shock troops,
the Dragons: the vanguard, defending the Bastion of humanity. That was the good part.
Unfortunately, as you all know, The Plan had a darker side...the planned devastation of
thousands of worlds and trillions of lives. Their deaths were tragic, but they were
necessary to The Plan. Of course, Colonel Blair and the Border Worlds uncovered The
Plan before it could kick into gear, and in retrospect, it was just as well. There was always
the chance that the Confederation and Border Worlds would tear themselves apart until
there was no one left.
You already know all this, but there is a part you may have missed. Some of you may
recall my remarks, near the end, of how elements of the Black Lance were buried deep
where none would find them. And thus, here I am. You see, the Black Lance did not only
deal in genetic engineering - we worked away feverishly on human cloning. Yes, I know,
human cloning was banned long ago in the 21st century, but once discovered, no
technology can remain inert for long. There were many scientists, deep underground, who
worked away at the forbidden science. We enlisted them and their research for the Black
Lance - mostly as a supplement for the GE programs already in progress, but also in
preparation for that date when cloning was no longer forbidden and we could clone
massive armies of unthinking brutes for the defense of our realm. We also did some
dabbling in robotics and computer technology, hoping to utilize robotic brains for our
next-generation of war machines, and maybe incorporate their technology into the clones.
I know - this all sounds like science fantasy, but this is real, this is reality! We even
had some working prototypes ready by the first stage of The Plan, but there was simply
too much nervousness over them, and we didn't want to deal with the problem of ethics.
There simply wasn't enough time.
I, however, have had plenty of time. You see, as you have undoubtedly figured out,
reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated. Well, partly exaggerated. The cyborg
army plan was not the only result of the cloning project. Shortly after my death in prison, a
secret raid was executed by members of the Dragons to recover my body and resuscitate it
with genetic technology. And it worked, beyond everyone's wildest dreams. I feel twice as
young as I did before - physically, at least. The Black Lance may be hidden, but we are not
totally cut off from society. Each day I have had to read the news, about how the Senate
butchers our military budget and cripples our brave men and women. I swore that they
would pay for their foolishness. And so they did.
Look at the casualties of the Nephilim War. We've lost at least three top-of-the-line fleet
carriers and thousands of lives. It's just like the Kilrathi War all over again - having
reached the top of the hill, we think we no longer need to hold on, and begin the long slide
into oblivion. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance, my friends, eternal vigilance! You
have to run quickly to stand still on the chart of evolution.
And this, in the end, is what the Black Lance is all about - keeping up with the curve,
instead of falling into obsolescence. I know now why the Black Lance failed - to ask
someone to give up their civilization and culture, even for the noblest purposes, represents
a death of sorts. Well, there will be no more deaths. The Black Lance will be strictly
military only - no more war on civilians, and no crackpot dictatorships. I've reorganized
the Dragons in secret - the best of the best, pulled from the dregs of society and fashioned
into a top-notch fighting force. We've got shiny new equipment - granted, the Hellcat V
isn't exactly top-of-the-line anymore, but it blends in a hell of a lot easier than a Lance
would. Besides, we've made certain...improvements that should guarantee our superiority.
All we need now is a place to call home.
The answer is out on the frontier. God knows it’s big enough, and Confed Intell has its
hands full enough keeping an eye on the Cats to pay much attention to going ons out
there. Under it, we will build up our forces and bide our time till the next time the
Nephilim come - and believe me, there will be a next time. Our victory over the bugs
will secure our redemption. We will be hailed as heroes among the populace of Earth -
finally - and then, quietly, we can get back to the real job of rebuilding. For, you see, the
Nephilim were only the first wave. You have heard rumours about the Steltek, haven't
you? Well, they're real, and their empire once spanned the entire galaxy! There are others
out there, just as powerful as the Steltek were, and many of them aren’t friendly. They’re
out there, waiting for Sol to let down her guard, and then to strike. Well, we won't let
them! We'll strike them down cold...together!
To the future,
The late Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn
