I got an impression that Clarion Call, the Blackout, is a project of Stone's but someone else triggered it. FM3145 fiction has Stone saying he just designed a gun but didn't fire it (EDIT Of course, he could be just claiming he literally, physically didn't activate it even if he ordered it to happen). But admittedly it and Rock of the Republic do also imply Stone is hiding something. Perhaps his trigger is also a plan of Stone's but one that went rogue?
If the Blackout was indeed Stone's plan, it would've made more sense as a military contingency. Perhaps it even started as one, but Stone steered it to another direction.
RotR kinda has Stone implying it was supposed to happen at some point though, and presumably cause a slow collapse while leaving the Republic a shining citadel to look up to. Me thinks Stone has been reading too much Asimov's Foundation, and thought he could do Hari Seldon, only without math or psychic powers to back up his plans.
Really makes me think David Lear was the brain and soul behind the Republic, while Stone was the face. But being the face made him think he was the soul, and ate away his brain.
Very human. Stupid? Undoubtedly. But humans tend to be pretty shit at planning stuff through. (I think that if WWII were to be told as a story and quite factually, audiences wouldn't believe it because of the amount of stupidity and human failings it has.)
If the Blackout was caused at the wrong time, there question who did it is still unanswered. Actually kinda hoping there is no external enemy, because Blakist remnants or agents of the Homeworld Clans would be just Jihad part II or Clan Invasion II in spirit. And basically no one else makes sense. Except the Super Wolverines who protect the Inner Sphere from aliens.
If the Blackout did happen when it was meant to, i wonder if the Fidelis might be behind the military strike parts and other physical disruption. They were pretty secret force and probably capable of sabotage as well. Alternatively, Stone has another similar secret. Wolverine survivors? Not serious on this one but it gets the idea across.
I do like these revelations, and they don't me dislike the Republic, because it has good ideas in it.
As for the Fortress Wall, i think the KF-core requirement implies Hyperspace Interceptors, of the options Shattered Fortress gave us. Interceptors would presumably be single use devices, hence the KF-cores being in limited supply.
I suppose the Disruption Field theory is possible though, using KF-drives as "bombs" when incoming ship is detected, with the "bomb" disruption field reversing/misjumping the incoming ship's jump.
