24 replies to this topic

[InnerSphereNews]

Age Doesn’t Equal Stability

(13 August 3049)

I’m havin’ a hard time knocking this one out. I keep laughin’ so hard it’s fouling up my typing. Just saw this on the latest newsfeeds off Atreus: “‘Architectural Spotlight: House of Government’; Buildings in Continual Use Since Free Worlds League Founded in 2271.”

Now don’t spin me wrong, gents. By any reckonin’, that’s mighty impressive. After all, we’re marching towards eight centuries of blowhards yellin’ at each other in that purple room of theirs. So I’m not badmouthing the builders…those blue-collars knew what they were about. Thinking they had some serious Roman-blood pumpin’ in their veins.

Yet the vibe of the article (okay, I admit it, got a soft spot for ancient buildings) is one of pride. “See, our government building is the oldest such building in use across the entire Inner Sphere. So that must make us great.”

That’s where the lip twitchin’ comes in. ‘Cause the only thing making them great is that the empire is still in one piece despite how many times they’ve been at each other’s throats with knives, pitchforks and barrels of boilin’ oil. Come on, in the 31st century alone they’ve had Anton Marik’s Civil War and the Andurien Secession!

Now why am I talkin’ architecture to mercs? ‘Cause longevity doesn’t mean squat. Look at Wilson’s Hussars…no sorrier lot of misfits around, yet they keep scraping out a living and making every C-bill scream.

So if you’re gonna take a job with the League, don’t believe their hype about them being the very first Great House…they crack easier than any façade. They just happen to have some mighty fine stucco to slather on the faults to keep it sputtering along…but don’t be surprised if you get plastered along the way. (Oh, I know…shut up!).

Keep it locked and loaded, gents.

—Jacob Hardenson, MercNet

[Galaxy613]

Man, the FWL is just a bunch of honorless fools amirite?

[Greyrook]

♫Proud to be a Free-Worlder, where at least the mercs come cheap♫

[Gattling Fenn]

I'm pretty sure it has been established if you want to be payed well as a Merc you come work for House Steiner.

[Aescwulf]

Hmmm... * confused face *

[Teirdome]

Can't say much good about the FWL, but at least they give people the freedom to criticize their nation.

[Der Zivilist]

Nitsua Asuka, on 13 August 2012 - 12:13 PM, said:

Hmmm... * confused face *

It's in-universe fiction. Don't read too much into it... not everything posted on the front page announces a new Mech or feature

It's adorable that the fictive author picks apart one of the earlier ISN news posts, though.

Edited by Der Zivilist, 13 August 2012 - 12:25 PM.

[Enig]

Their freedom of speech is nice, but true freedom lies in the periphery!

[Chief Tigris]

Gattling Fenn, on 13 August 2012 - 12:11 PM, said:

I'm pretty sure it has been established if you want to be payed well as a Merc you come work for House Steiner.

Or against them to create more work later.. Not only that, more work will amass if more mercs flock to one house.. I'm sure our Merc Corp would love to pick up contracts from the highest bidder but also work to build a reputation, working for one house all the time won't necessarily prove your worth to the others.

Edited by Chief Thunder, 13 August 2012 - 12:29 PM.

[Aescwulf]

Der Zivilist, on 13 August 2012 - 12:23 PM, said:

It's in-universe fiction. Don't read too much into it... not everything posted on the front page announces a new Mech or feature

It's adorable that the fictive author picks apart one of the earlier ISN news posts, though.

I know it's in-universe fiction. But I'm struggling to understand it. But I think that's because I'm still new to the fiction and I try and read the news reports everyday to get a general idea on what's going on in the Inner Sphere

[Der Zivilist]

Ah.

Well, the gist is that he's mocking the news snippet as meaningless chest-beating. They celebrate the oldest government building in the Inner Sphere, yet the Free Worlds League is notorious for being anything but united under a government. They have more internal civil wars than all the other great houses counted together have regular wars, and I'm not sure if they ever managed to have a single leader that was not assasinated, usurped or otherwise violently relieved of his office and/or life.

That's why the Free Worlds League almost never plays a role in any of the novels... they're way too busy killing themselves to be paying attention to such minor distractions as the Succession Wars or the Clan Invasion. On the upside, nobody wants to invade them either, because really, the other great houses wouldn't wanna touch that with a ten foot pole. It's a bit of an in-joke, really.

The Merc units love (but don't respect) the Free Worlds League, because there's always plenty of people there willing to pay you to shoot their neighbors because they dared to comment that your new dress doesn't match your eyes.


*ducks and hides from the incoming onslaught of purple loyalists*

Edited by Der Zivilist, 13 August 2012 - 12:41 PM.

[Aescwulf]

Der Zivilist, on 13 August 2012 - 12:35 PM, said:

Ah.

Well, the gist is that he's mocking the news snippet as meaningless chest-beating. They celebrate the oldest government building in the Inner Sphere, yet the Free Worlds League is notorious for being anything but united under a government. They have more internal civil wars than all the other great houses counted together have regular wars. That's why the Free Worlds League almost never plays a role in any of the novels... they're way too busy killing themselves to be paying attention to such minor distractions as the Succession Wars or the Clan Invasion. It's a bit of an in-joke, really.

The Merc units love (but don't respect) the Free Worlds League, because there's always plenty of people there willing to pay you to shoot their neighbors because they dared to comment that your new dress doesn't match your eyes.

Ah now I understand thank you for taking your time to explain to me

[Gattling Fenn]

Chief Thunder, on 13 August 2012 - 12:29 PM, said:

Or against them to create more work later.. Not only that, more work will amass if more mercs flock to one house.. I'm sure our Merc Corp would love to pick up contracts from the highest bidder but also work to build a reputation, working for one house all the time won't necessarily prove your worth to the others.

Won't necessarily prove your worth to others?

*cough* Kell Hounds *cough*

[Kenyon Burguess]

its not so much internal civil wars, as we just like to keep our closet cleaning out in the open, unlike the other great houses...altho i hear steiner and davion might take a similar stance soon enough

[Zavadan]

FWL Rules Dudes

[Bata]

Haha, nice to see the quality of journalism has improved over the centuries.

[Deedsie]

I'll have to give the League some credit. They come up with some pretty nice battlemech designs.

[Alistair Steiner]

Ouch. A bit of League-hate. While the symbolism of "the oldest government building" in a Great House that makes the Skye Federation look like hardcore Steiner loyalists is delicious irony, I have to say I'm impressed it's still standing after so many said civil wars/successions/etc. So at least there's that.

[Pawnzer2]

Make the mech concepts more original?

[SakuranoSenshi]

FWL has a government?

I thought they just kind of rolled from one general/dictator to the next and hoped things wouldn't be too bad this time.