Resistance movements and rebellion (in space)!

[The Grinning Bandit]

I had some questions or thoughts or whatever about rebellion in the setting, where it's happened before, what form it could take, and whether it would be interesting to RP.

1) Are there any existing examples of rebellion in SARP history? The only I'm aware of is the Red/Green wars in Nepleslia, which was more of a civil war/power struggle between long-term rival political factions, though it could still be counted.

2) How could rebellion come into practice in a setting like SARP's? It seems like starships would have a much smaller role, more as transports (for rebels and smuggled supplies) than as a part of a military fleet, though it could be possible for rebels to take up the same tactics as pirates, which are apparently fairly successful. It seems to me like rebellion would be focused more on planetary action, though - organizing actions and resistance within the local populace, based around local politics and culture. There's also the question of which nations or areas would be suitable for it - the core of Yamatai, for an unsuitable example, seems way too fanatically nationalist to ever think of damaging the Empire.

3) Is there any interest in RP involving this kind of story? Something that would focus primarily on political intrigue, local culture, surgical strikes on the underbelly of a nation, and more interaction with ordinary folks and domestic police forces than with the interstellar military.

 

[SSharp]

There is currently a (rebelling) resistance movement on Khorsovarolor.

The Lead-Up to "Occupation"
The Khorsovarolor Incident

The "Occupation"
The Occupation of Khorsovarolor

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Besides that, there are NMX Terror Cells apparently operating everywhere in the Kikyo Sector, and recently has been quite active in Nepleslia's Funky City.

Hope that helps.

 

[Aendri]

If you're willing to go farther back, Neplesia splitting from Yamatai, or Yamatai revolting from under Elysian rule, though the second is a good ways back.

 

[Fred]

Some time ago, around the point when I joined the forum, there was a member named Sekiko whom had something of a rebellious movement going against the Yamatai Star Empire. I think it was called Nairan.

I have vague recollections about it involving some of the people whom had a penchant for pirate plots, as well as one of Sekiko's characters...

I think I remember Sekiko's protagonist for that small rebellion movement being a mistreated girl (the name "Sen" comes to mind, though I could be confusing it with another of Sekiko's characters) taken in by the Ketsurui as a servant/adopted child. She was something of a protege of Hinosami's (Hanako's name back then) and got on-board the YSS Nozomi on its launch.

The girl had... mental troubles to the point of eventually devolving into trying to eat herself despite Hinosami's best effort to act as a caring older sister. She was eventually left out of the plotship - supposedly to be brought to some mental institution.

Well, until she got into Nairan and was apparently one of the people in charge. Nevertheless, Nairan never really seemed to get off the ground. One factor then was the futility of raising any kind of rebellion toward Yamatai - when those got serious, they kinda got mercilessly squished down at the time. Fortunately for Nairan, it's members were never sufficiently active to ever build up anykind of momentum that would motivate Yamatai to do that.

Sorry if this sounds muddled. This seemed like old stuff when back when I joined up more than four years ago. Maybe someone who's been around longer and who's better informed could clarify. ^_^;

 

[SUBLIMEinal]

I remember Seki. She was on her way out not long after I joined. Was Nairan Eve's group? Or was that something to do with Black Spiral?

 

[The Grinning Bandit]

I dig everything that's been brought up so far, though it seems as though there is a bit of predictability in all these rebellions - either the resistance immediately amasses a large base of support and separates from the original entity, or engages in a futile military revolt against an incredibly stronger opponent and is crushed.

Either way, these resistance movements seem to be particularly of a nationalist or separatist nature, easily solved by either crushing them outright or allowing them to have their little piece of the solar system and saving everyone the trouble of a messy military conflict.

Khorsovarolor looks a little bit more interesting - I only skimmed through it, but it seems like the real-world parallel would be Vietnam, with a civilian population completely dedicated to ousting foreign invaders, clever enough to maintain their insurgency and willing to fight until one side is dead.

For all of this, I don't see any/many rebel movements with objectives beyond "just let us have our country and leave us the fuck alone". No space communists, anarchist pirates, neo-neo-Nazis.

It seems like there still remains to be a plot (or a plotship, or whatever you'd like to call the traditional sort of plot) focused around the PCs as revolutionaries. I imagine this might be because PCs are usually reactionary, responding to the threat of an external force rather than plotting schemes of their own - or possibly because of the idea that, with politics acted out on an interplanetary scale, no group of a half-dozen people could play a role in enacting significant change. I'm interested in what sort of difficulties and opportunities would arise from testing those assumptions, or whether it's even possible (or desirable!) to do so.

 

[Fred]

I remember Seki. She was on her way out not long after I joined. Was Nairan Eve's group? Or was that something to do with Black Spiral?

Sekiko sort of waxed and waned out of the site. you probably saw her the last time she was around. The only character she could roleplay then was Mizuho.

Nairan wasn't related with Eve and Black Spiral as far as I'm aware.

 

[Ira]

Well the Gartagens are still pretty green, but I am planning on putting dissident factions in the mix to add some flavor.

 

[Nyton]

Oh but you know what? They DID have a brief meeting with Eve on Nepleslia at one time. I think it was around the time of the SMX parasite invasion because I recall a lot of chaos going on at the time. The meeting didn't go well since Nairan did not like Eve's methods and Eve decided to eliminate them since they were of no use. Nairan members narrowly escaped but that I believe was the last I ever read about Nairan and to some extent Eve before the Daughters of Eve/Black Spiral/SMX events began to transpire.

 

[Fred]

Oh, I think I remember it now. Naraku used telekinesis to use ties to try and strangle them, right?

So, yeah. That pretty much confirms they're not in cahoots with the Daughters of Eve.

Good memory, Nyton-sir.

 

[Exhack]

The main line Iroma RP right now is actually entirely based on the aftereffects of continued fringe rebellions on the borders of their space and the subsequent exodus and colonization undertaken every time they put one down. It's more of an examination of the results than an outright rebellion plot, though, and the PCs are currently in the somewhat morally ambiguous position of leading the spearhead to retake those rogue diaspora colonies as a means to ensure a lasting peace.

 

[Ira]

I'm sure their is plenty of room for dissident factions. Every nation has them.