You've just misjumped to the start of the Amaris Coup.....

[JadedFalcon]

The crews of the junpships probably have all kinds of e-books.

Imagine someone handing Kerensky and Dechavilier a copy of Kingdom of the Gypsies, showing Kerensky as a cybernetic immortal orchestrating the Succession Wars.

[Hominid Mk II]

Remind me.. did Kerensky have any representative of the Cameron family under his command at the time? Even if just a cadet branch?

Not AFAIK. Unless Jennifer Winson was really Amanda Cameron.

Because it seems to me that step one is "get a 'gone to hell' succession plan in place should the Hegemony and Star League lose its ruling family entirely".

Because the uptimers would know that the ruling line Camerons are all gone at that point, even if Amaris is hiding it.. and being able to plan to elevate a lesser-Cameron, or how to pick a non-Cameron replacement, would help avoid the Succession Wars getting so nasty.

As the non-canon Field Manual: 2785, and a few other fanbooks set in the same AU, produced by John "Takiro" Luther and his collaborators make pretty clear, It's really not enough to have a Cameron heir. The Terran Hegemony has lost its ability to intimidate the other Member States into remaining loyal to the idea of the Star League and the other Council Lords are pretty much determined to fight each other for the First Lordship come what may. Something like the Empires Aflame AU is probably the best Kerensky can achieve, I think.

BTW, why are people having a go at poor Blake? Most of the blame for ComStar turning into a ruthless pseudo-religious cult is down to Toyama. Blake actually did a very good thing preserving the neutrality (and the very existence) of the HPG network for everybody. Knock off Toyama and Karpov, sure. Leave Blake alone... but maybe put him under surveillance  to be on the safe side.

[Hominid Mk II]

Imagine someone handing Kerensky and Dechavilier a copy of Kingdom of the Gypsies, showing Kerensky as a cybernetic immortal orchestrating the Succession Wars.

Hee hee!  ;D

[Nightsong]

BTW, why are people having a go at poor Blake? Most of the blame for ComStar turning into a ruthless pseudo-religious cult is down to Toyama. Blake actually did a very good thing preserving the neutrality (and the very existence) of the HPG network for everybody. Knock off Toyama and Karpov, sure. Leave Blake alone... but maybe put him under surveillance  to be on the safe side.

Indeed. Blake is just a figurehead/scapegoat for Toyama’s insanity, while he actually did a lot of good things to keep the Succession Wars from turning out like the Dark Age sans Clans. At least until Toyama and especially Holy Shroud I/II.

[glitterboy2098]

As the non-canon Field Manual: 2785, and a few other fanbooks set in the same AU, produced by John "Takiro" Luther and his collaborators make pretty clear, It's really not enough to have a Cameron heir. The Terran Hegemony has lost its ability to intimidate the other Member States into remaining loyal to the idea of the Star League and the other Council Lords are pretty much determined to fight each other for the First Lordship come what may. Something like the Empires Aflame AU is probably the best Kerensky can achieve, I think.

agreed that the Hegemony would no longer be able to threaten. but part of the reason the succession wars were so brutal was the justification that they were fighting over who would be the new lord of the hegemony as well as the star league first lord. if a Cameron or even a McKenna could be put on the throne as the leader of the Hegemony, it gives the Hegemony a chance to organize and survive (especially if no exodus), and removes half the justification for fighting wars over the first lordship. you'd have a greater chance of getting the 5 major states to approach the issue with diplomacy rather than guns.

agreed that an Empire Aflame situation is your best bet, but if the hegemony can hold of the invaders, they could propose alterations to the star league concept that might mollify the others. especially if you have people from the canon 2nd star league around to advise them. implementing a separation between the positions of lord of the hegemony and the first lord of the star league for a start, and then using the voting system and term limits the 2nd SL used so that the non-hegemony lords have chances to be in power. (and then giving the periphery nations votes, so they have a voice)

[Hominid Mk II]

Agreed that the Hegemony would no longer be able to threaten. but part of the reason the Succession Wars were so brutal was the justification that they were fighting over who would be the new lord of the hegemony as well as the Star League First Lord. If a Cameron or even a McKenna could be put on the throne as the leader of the Hegemony, it gives the Hegemony a chance to organize and survive (especially if no Exodus), and removes half the justification for fighting wars over the First Lordship. You'd have a greater chance of getting the 5 major states to approach the issue with diplomacy rather than guns.

A slightly greater chance, maybe. But it might well not be enough. The then-rulers of the DC and the FWL in particular were very ruthless and ambitious and the then-ruler of the FS not that much better. Only the then-rulers of the LC and CC really wanted to avoid war if they could, IIRC.

Agreed that an Empires Aflame situation is your best bet, but if the Hegemony can hold of the invaders, they could propose alterations to the Star League concept that might mollify the others. Especially if you have people from the canon 2nd Star League around to advise them. Implementing a separation between the positions of Lord of the Hegemony and the First Lord of the Star League for a start, and then using the voting system and term limits the 2nd SL used so that the non-Hegemony Lords have chances to be in power. (And then giving the Periphery nations votes, so they have a voice)

That might just work for the other Inner Sphere Member States. Richard Cameron and Amaris between them had stoked up so much separatist sentiment in the Periphery Territorial States that I don't think anything could have kept them in the Star League.

[Nov. Col.]

Empires Aflame but without Kerensky around is probably best case scenario.  FWIW I think they go after Nirasaki sooner to get the data and Pocket WarShips make a difference in the survival of maybe 100 WarShips and dozens of divisions.

[Iracundus]

remind me.. did kerensky have any representative of the Cameron family under his command at the time? even if just a cadet branch?

because it seems to me that step one is "get a 'gone to hell' succession plan in place should the hegemony and star league lose its ruling family entirely"

because the uptimers would know that the ruling line Cameron's are all gone at that point, even if Amaris is hiding it.. and being able to plan to elevate a lesser-Cameron, or how to pick a non-Cameron replacement, would help avoid the succession wars getting so nasty.

AFAIK cadet branches of the family did survive in the main timeline, but by the time Amaris was overthrown the Hegemony was basically a devastated failed state.  Simply installing someone with a drop of Cameron blood would not have changed anything IMO without also an effective policy of rebuilding the Hegemony.  The legitimacy of the Cameron family had already been damaged by Richard Cameron, and any new Cameron ruler installed  would have had to contend with criticism of just being a puppet of whoever put them there. 

[Alexander Knight]

Indeed. Blake is just a figurehead/scapegoat for Toyama’s insanity, while he actually did a lot of good things to keep the Succession Wars from turning out like the Dark Age sans Clans. At least until Toyama and especially Holy Shroud I/II.

Bwahahahahahahaha!  That's cute.  You obviously haven't picked up the 2nd Succession War volume.   >:D

[glitterboy2098]

the reason the hegemony was a failed state in canon though was both lack of official leadership, and the fact that the army took off to deep space.

Kerensky took the SLDF on exodus because he had wanted to avoid a war. instead he left the hegemony to be gobbled up piecemeal by successor states facing minimal and uncoordinated resistance. which gave the successor states all of the hegemony's remaining industrial infrastructure.

with a legitimate ruler in place, and the bulk of the SLDF present to protect the hegemony, even if there are defections, the hegemony would only at worst suffer the loss of some of its border worlds, because a legitimate leader is something the Hegemony can rally around, giving it a chance to restructure and rebuild to make use of what wasn't destroyed during the Amaris coup and civil war. and if the SLDF sticks to a defensive campaign, a legetimate leader also gives weight to diplomatic efforts to achieve ceasefires and treaties.

[Nightsong]

Bwahahahahahahaha!  That's cute.  You obviously haven't picked up the 2nd Succession War volume.   >:D

... Actually I just grabbed it about 8 hours after I posted that. Wow.

[Colt Ward]

*sigh*  I understand the need to put interesting and new stuff in there . . . but really, did we have to make that big of a alteration?  or will it be blamed on 'author perspective'?  I do not have the book but you are making it sound like they wholesale changed who dove off the deep end- its why I kept saying Conrad Toyama should have had a accidental fall in the shower.

[Sir Chaos]

A slightly greater chance, maybe. But it might well not be enough. The then-rulers of the DC and the FWL in particular were very ruthless and ambitious and the then-ruler of the FS not that much better. Only the then-rulers of the LC and CC really wanted to avoid war if they could, IIRC.

That might just work for the other Inner Sphere Member States. Richard Cameron and Amaris between them had stoked up so much separatist sentiment in the Periphery Territorial States that I don't think anything could have kept them in the Star League.

What if this hypothetical new Hegemony rulers disbanded the Star League instead? There would be no First Lord title to fight over.