What's the end goal with this kind of post? Are you hoping your complaint changes the author's mind? Farming for likes in a fairly low traffic thread?
The Iron Sith V2 (SW/MCU AU)
- Thread starter Illuviar
- Start date
- Crossover
- Location
- Lake superior, Minoc
It's ok to tell someone you don't like there stuff. I have no idea where this dog pile on the "evil" poster stuff started in the last few months.
But you can not like something. And that's just fine.
A thread with mixed replies is often much more helpful than endless posts agreeing or just asking for more.
That said the author did cover those two parts, saying It would take months or years of progress. And yet trashs on the setting every other post.. So we'll see how things go.
Mixed replies are all well and good, but "I don't like it, I'm leaving" is hardly constructive criticism.
Fellow Human
Verified Roado Rolla
Illuviar said there will be Stark tech as stated in the very comments you're referring to. It just won't magically appear.
If you don't know Illuviar by know, who's been writing these power fantasies for nearly a decade...your loss.
I did warn in the AN at the start of the story that I'm not writing an usual MCU fic. I am bringing the setting down to ground to make it consistent and in line with the story I want to tell. I have no illsuions that I'm writing for a broad audience, and I am certainly not writing this for the average MCU or comics fan.
Phase 4: Changing world II Part 6
Disclaimer: I do not own any movies set up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or Star Wars movies, cartoons, games, books, or comics. They belong to their respective copyright owners. This story is not created with a commercial aim. It is not for sale or rent.
Stark mansion
New York, US
I've been to thousands of meetings over my combined lives. That was how the world, even whole galaxies, were run to a large extent. People meet, talk, make decisions, issue orders, and receive directives. Sometimes it was a quiet, pleasant conversation in the back of a nice club. It could be in one of countless conference and meeting rooms spread across the galaxies; throne rooms, Imperial courts, balls, dinners, and supposedly innocent get-togethers.
I've seen the fate of whole star systems decided by exchanging a few words in a booth, watching a concert.
No matter their importance, most of those meetings tended to be tedious affairs.
Today was no different.
I was in my father's refurbished office. Well, now it was mine. Holographic projectors formed multiple windows in front of the desk, showing me dozens of team leaders working for Stark R&D.
"Good afternoon, folks! It's homework time. Jarvis, send them the notes." I offered an encouraging smile to my minions.
"That's the kind of homework I don't mind doing." Dr. Shaw beamed. "We're making good progress with the precursor materials, Mr. Stark. We can use tweaked conventional methods to get good results. However, there is some contamination doing it that way. We're losing about thirty percent of the end product. Given time or new production methods, we should be able to both increase production rate and mitigate contamination."
"That's good to hear. Run them through a plant once you have a few batches for testing. We need to know if the existing infrastructure will be sufficient. Dr. Shaw, give your team my appreciation. You're about to earn yourselves hefty bonuses." I looked over the holographic windows until I saw the right fellow.
That was Professor Joakim Holt. He has been trying to invent a superior alternative to Kevlar. His goal was a weave that lacked any drawbacks or weaknesses of the alternatives on the market.
So far, the best alternative in the market was a few times stronger but worse at dissipating impacts. It was better at stopping bullets but worse at dispersing their kinetic energy, which meant the wearer would suffer more from the energy transfer.
There were various experimental alternatives in the works, but nothing on the open market yet. Until and unless Rhodey proved correct and the US government ensured I would get what I needed when I needed it, we had a few existing options to play with. The last I heard about that was that there were closed-door discussions between Senate and Congress commissions. For now, the President was reluctant to sign an Executive order to make the Pentagon Memorandum a reality.
"Professor Holt, what do you have for us?"
The aging man looked up from his tablet. His dark eyes squinted at the camera and focused on me.
"The basic idea of armored weave has merit. Sadly, at this time, we lack a better material that can do what you require, Mr. Stark." He smiled. "While it's a tall task you gave us, Mr. Stark, I like that you're shooting for the stars now." Holt sobered up. "Until we have a better alternative, the best option to explore is going to be to take the name literally and try to create an actual armored weave – a combination of Kevlar and the right kind of metal mesh. I'm thinking about some composite soft armor. It will be an interesting challenge to figure out an ablative outermost layer and the right kind of flexible metal cable to mesh with a synthetic weave. If it pans out, the flexible steel idea might be what we need for this project unless we figure out how to make a much better synthetic weave that could do the job itself."
"Thank you, Professor. Dr. Umira?"
She was a middle-aged woman with light brown skin. Dr. Umira was in charge of a metallurgy team working on finding new valuable alloys. Her team got us a gold-titanium alloy five times stronger than titanium alone for use in satellite construction. Needless to say, that discovery made Umira and her team independently wealthy.
"Mr. Stark, you've given us a large list of tasks to complete. As instructed, we've contacted and contracted various vetted laboratories and research centers across the country for assistance. I don't believe we will be in a position to create several of the alloys with the properties you require in the foreseeable future. Other ideas are more practical now, and we're looking at them. An alloy meant to disperse energy and better shield components from electromagnetic weaponry and interference might be within reach. After that point, a composite structure might be the best option for your desired armor types."
"That's less than I hoped for but in line with my reasonable expectations. We can't have everything just because we want it. Keep up the good work, Dr. Umira."
"Next, the exoskeleton prototypes. What's their status?"
"We have the frames for the first test units, and we should be able to begin assembly within a couple of days. The designs appear solid. There are no snags in manufacturing so far. If the test phase is successful, we can begin limited production by the end of the month."
"Excellent. Design status on the powered variants?"
"We're working on perfecting lightweight, durable, and powerful enough servomotors." The design team leader reported. "We can simply plug them into a power source for testing purposes. However, for a proper trial, we'll need better batteries."
"We have teams working on various power cell concepts, better capacitors, and such. Realistically, you'll likely have the other issues ironed out before we have a practical power source for testing. That would be an excellent achievement anyway."
If push came to shove, I might risk sharing the Arc reactor. The issue was that it was an ace in the hole that could give me an advantage, and second, I wasn't sure how well the tech would practically scale up and down. The math said it was possible, and I had one small example in my chest and the large one Howard built. The engineering issues for anything in between, as well as any drawbacks, were in the air. The same was true about the repulsors in the core of the Jericho missiles. I knew the tech had a lot of potential, but I did not know its practical limits with our current tech base. That was for me to explore later when I might find free time for personal projects.
Until then, the plan was to focus on tried and tested technology that I knew would work.
"Dr. Mathews, your team has been looking over the fusion reactor schematics, and you have all the available documentation. Thoughts?"
"We're working on the prototype. It should be viable, and despite going multiple times over the design, we've found no flaws. We're still exploring the details of the larger commercial model and rechecking all the math. So far there are no issues we could find. We'll begin working on smaller designs when we're more comfortable with the designs and better understand the science and engineering you gave us. I'm confident we'll be able to eventually create portable reactors. However, those might be theoretical designs. I don't believe we have the materials science to create small, safe containment vessels that would last for a reasonable period."
"Our dear weapon design teams are next. How is your homework progressing?"
"Boss, I must say I love what you're thinking about! If we ever get it to work, it will be awesome!" Jakie Li grinned like Christmas just came early. "We've been toying with a few mock designs for possible arm and hand configurations for power armor and armored exoskeletons. That way, we can know what ergonomics we need to look at for infantry-scale heavy weapons. Light machine guns and some off-the-shelf grenade launchers will be easy – pick them up and let them rip!" The young man waved his hands in excitement. "Now, for bigger guns, we'll need to rebuild them to partially make them more convenient to use. The expertise will help us design dedicated weapon systems for the new paradigm!" His eyes shone in a way that I might have found disturbing a few months ago.
Jackie loved his job a bit too much, which was fine with me.
"In that regard, boss, when are we going to play with the good toys? Please, we've been good!" Jackie begged.
"When I have the prototype ready and the tech patented. Then you maniacs can happily figure out how to get us a full line of particle beam weaponry – from side arms to vehicle-mounted machine gun equivalents. After that, we'll work on laser weapons for light anti-vehicle work, point defense, and other creative ways to ruin people's day."
"We'll be good, boss! I promise! Just give it here, and we'll fix you up!" Jackie promised.
"Now, it's time for the more mundane work that still makes us money. Communications? What do you have on current gen phones? Do you need other pointers and ideas to toy with?"
Damn it! This was going to be one long-ass meeting. The way things were going, I would be fit to be tied sooner rather than later.
Phase 4: Changing world II
=SI=
Part 6
=SI=
=SI=
Part 6
=SI=
Stark mansion
New York, US
I've been to thousands of meetings over my combined lives. That was how the world, even whole galaxies, were run to a large extent. People meet, talk, make decisions, issue orders, and receive directives. Sometimes it was a quiet, pleasant conversation in the back of a nice club. It could be in one of countless conference and meeting rooms spread across the galaxies; throne rooms, Imperial courts, balls, dinners, and supposedly innocent get-togethers.
I've seen the fate of whole star systems decided by exchanging a few words in a booth, watching a concert.
No matter their importance, most of those meetings tended to be tedious affairs.
Today was no different.
I was in my father's refurbished office. Well, now it was mine. Holographic projectors formed multiple windows in front of the desk, showing me dozens of team leaders working for Stark R&D.
"Good afternoon, folks! It's homework time. Jarvis, send them the notes." I offered an encouraging smile to my minions.
"That's the kind of homework I don't mind doing." Dr. Shaw beamed. "We're making good progress with the precursor materials, Mr. Stark. We can use tweaked conventional methods to get good results. However, there is some contamination doing it that way. We're losing about thirty percent of the end product. Given time or new production methods, we should be able to both increase production rate and mitigate contamination."
"That's good to hear. Run them through a plant once you have a few batches for testing. We need to know if the existing infrastructure will be sufficient. Dr. Shaw, give your team my appreciation. You're about to earn yourselves hefty bonuses." I looked over the holographic windows until I saw the right fellow.
That was Professor Joakim Holt. He has been trying to invent a superior alternative to Kevlar. His goal was a weave that lacked any drawbacks or weaknesses of the alternatives on the market.
So far, the best alternative in the market was a few times stronger but worse at dissipating impacts. It was better at stopping bullets but worse at dispersing their kinetic energy, which meant the wearer would suffer more from the energy transfer.
There were various experimental alternatives in the works, but nothing on the open market yet. Until and unless Rhodey proved correct and the US government ensured I would get what I needed when I needed it, we had a few existing options to play with. The last I heard about that was that there were closed-door discussions between Senate and Congress commissions. For now, the President was reluctant to sign an Executive order to make the Pentagon Memorandum a reality.
"Professor Holt, what do you have for us?"
The aging man looked up from his tablet. His dark eyes squinted at the camera and focused on me.
"The basic idea of armored weave has merit. Sadly, at this time, we lack a better material that can do what you require, Mr. Stark." He smiled. "While it's a tall task you gave us, Mr. Stark, I like that you're shooting for the stars now." Holt sobered up. "Until we have a better alternative, the best option to explore is going to be to take the name literally and try to create an actual armored weave – a combination of Kevlar and the right kind of metal mesh. I'm thinking about some composite soft armor. It will be an interesting challenge to figure out an ablative outermost layer and the right kind of flexible metal cable to mesh with a synthetic weave. If it pans out, the flexible steel idea might be what we need for this project unless we figure out how to make a much better synthetic weave that could do the job itself."
"Thank you, Professor. Dr. Umira?"
She was a middle-aged woman with light brown skin. Dr. Umira was in charge of a metallurgy team working on finding new valuable alloys. Her team got us a gold-titanium alloy five times stronger than titanium alone for use in satellite construction. Needless to say, that discovery made Umira and her team independently wealthy.
"Mr. Stark, you've given us a large list of tasks to complete. As instructed, we've contacted and contracted various vetted laboratories and research centers across the country for assistance. I don't believe we will be in a position to create several of the alloys with the properties you require in the foreseeable future. Other ideas are more practical now, and we're looking at them. An alloy meant to disperse energy and better shield components from electromagnetic weaponry and interference might be within reach. After that point, a composite structure might be the best option for your desired armor types."
"That's less than I hoped for but in line with my reasonable expectations. We can't have everything just because we want it. Keep up the good work, Dr. Umira."
"Next, the exoskeleton prototypes. What's their status?"
"We have the frames for the first test units, and we should be able to begin assembly within a couple of days. The designs appear solid. There are no snags in manufacturing so far. If the test phase is successful, we can begin limited production by the end of the month."
"Excellent. Design status on the powered variants?"
"We're working on perfecting lightweight, durable, and powerful enough servomotors." The design team leader reported. "We can simply plug them into a power source for testing purposes. However, for a proper trial, we'll need better batteries."
"We have teams working on various power cell concepts, better capacitors, and such. Realistically, you'll likely have the other issues ironed out before we have a practical power source for testing. That would be an excellent achievement anyway."
If push came to shove, I might risk sharing the Arc reactor. The issue was that it was an ace in the hole that could give me an advantage, and second, I wasn't sure how well the tech would practically scale up and down. The math said it was possible, and I had one small example in my chest and the large one Howard built. The engineering issues for anything in between, as well as any drawbacks, were in the air. The same was true about the repulsors in the core of the Jericho missiles. I knew the tech had a lot of potential, but I did not know its practical limits with our current tech base. That was for me to explore later when I might find free time for personal projects.
Until then, the plan was to focus on tried and tested technology that I knew would work.
"Dr. Mathews, your team has been looking over the fusion reactor schematics, and you have all the available documentation. Thoughts?"
"We're working on the prototype. It should be viable, and despite going multiple times over the design, we've found no flaws. We're still exploring the details of the larger commercial model and rechecking all the math. So far there are no issues we could find. We'll begin working on smaller designs when we're more comfortable with the designs and better understand the science and engineering you gave us. I'm confident we'll be able to eventually create portable reactors. However, those might be theoretical designs. I don't believe we have the materials science to create small, safe containment vessels that would last for a reasonable period."
"Our dear weapon design teams are next. How is your homework progressing?"
"Boss, I must say I love what you're thinking about! If we ever get it to work, it will be awesome!" Jakie Li grinned like Christmas just came early. "We've been toying with a few mock designs for possible arm and hand configurations for power armor and armored exoskeletons. That way, we can know what ergonomics we need to look at for infantry-scale heavy weapons. Light machine guns and some off-the-shelf grenade launchers will be easy – pick them up and let them rip!" The young man waved his hands in excitement. "Now, for bigger guns, we'll need to rebuild them to partially make them more convenient to use. The expertise will help us design dedicated weapon systems for the new paradigm!" His eyes shone in a way that I might have found disturbing a few months ago.
Jackie loved his job a bit too much, which was fine with me.
"In that regard, boss, when are we going to play with the good toys? Please, we've been good!" Jackie begged.
"When I have the prototype ready and the tech patented. Then you maniacs can happily figure out how to get us a full line of particle beam weaponry – from side arms to vehicle-mounted machine gun equivalents. After that, we'll work on laser weapons for light anti-vehicle work, point defense, and other creative ways to ruin people's day."
"We'll be good, boss! I promise! Just give it here, and we'll fix you up!" Jackie promised.
"Now, it's time for the more mundane work that still makes us money. Communications? What do you have on current gen phones? Do you need other pointers and ideas to toy with?"
Damn it! This was going to be one long-ass meeting. The way things were going, I would be fit to be tied sooner rather than later.
Last edited:
Fellow Human
Verified Roado Rolla
- Location
- Poland
Remove 'I'
Remove 'when'
when
Well, with the Force around there will be Force sensitives born sooner or later though I doubt they will polarize as much as they did in SW. Or is the force too thin for more Force Sensitives to be born? How would more Sith show up anyway? Delkatars holocron was the only one and there shouldn't be any other artefacts like that lying around the galaxy much less Earth.
I'm fine with new Force Sensitives.
Not with other characters from SW setting.
The SW setting as we know it has been gone for a very long time. The holocron shouldn't have survived. I did give the odd hint that it might be as old as the Infinity Stones and shouldn't have been on Earth, in this galaxy, or perhaps even in this universe. The only other SW characters running around are the one MCU Lucas and company created, and they are explicitly fictional, obviously.
Nice.
Because I kinda drop your Worm/SW fic after the reveal that Fortuna is another Sith.
I think it's the Danny one?
I just feel it's much better for the story if there's only one Sith is all.
In the rewrite that's progressing very slowly, Fortuna won't be a Sith. I will still have to find a way to deal with the Deus Ex machina she is in another way. It's the Sith of Brockton Bay.
It depends on the goal of the story.
Phase 5: Changing World III Part 1
Disclaimer: I do not own any movies set up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or Star Wars movies, cartoons, games, books, or comics. They belong to their respective copyright owners. This story is not created with a commercial aim. It is not for sale or rent.
Hammer Industries HQ
New York, US
"Mr. Hammer, I must warn you again, it might not be wise to sue Stark Industries at this time."
Justin Hammer glowered balefully at his lead legal expert. He took a hefty mouthful of whiskey and enjoyed the burning sensation as it went down.
"Stark's trying to get us out of business, the bastard, and he might just do it if we let him!" Justin bellowed. "We're the budget solution for the world over! That's our thing, and until now, there was no shortage of people buying our guns! Now Stark is going after our market share!"
"Even if that's true, Mr. Hammer, it's clear that the US government has found reasons to support him. Trying to sue both the government and Stark…." The old fart trailed off. "We need to know more about the why of it before filing in lawsuits, is all I am saying."
"By then, it might be too late. If Stark's prototype fusion reactor works…." Justin grits his teeth. "And it will work because it's fucking Stark, then the bastard will have a license to print money. Stark Industries will use that to ruthless advantage. We're already seeing it with their ongoing negotiations! Things changed! We can't wait!" Justin smiled for the first time that day. "Think. We won't be the only ones going after Stark. If he gets fusion up and running, Coal's fucked. Once the infrastructure is in place, natural gas and oil prices will really begin to fall" He chuckled. "And not just because everyone's been speculating to raise the prices, betting on the continued increase in prices until we ran out of the stuff, and suddenly, Stark threw a wrench in that scheme too."
Justin drained his glass and pointed at the lawyer.
"Get the lawsuits filed. We won't be the only ones doing it. I feel it might help everyone threatened by Stark to bury the bastard in red tape."
Hydra facility
Russian Federation
Machines beeped and hissed, all tied up to his father. Ivan sat on a nearby chair, staring at a nearby wall painted white. At least the painkillers still worked, even if the dose his father needed was nearly fit to kill a man.
Anton Vanko opened his watery eyes and wheezed. "No regrets, my boy. The mistake was mine, and I'm paying for it. I've made many mistakes, and my only regret is that you ended up here with me."
"It's all right. It certainly beats prison." Ivan mumbled.
Anton wheezed again. "That one was on you. Plutonium, really? You're lucky you're not stuck like me, boy."
Ivan rolled his eyes. He took precautions. His father took precautions too, but they didn't work. Even with the best available materials, there were issues with scaling up and down the Arc reactor they've been working on for nearly a decade. A large one to power up a building or a district could be reinforced, shielded, and with the proper cooling, remain stable. A small one, no larger than a car's battery, can work too. Such designs were close to the edge of what current material science allowed.
Something in between, fit to be portable, potent enough to power up vehicles, and perhaps energy weapons? The last prototype went out of control, burned through its reinforced housing with ease, and created a radiation beam that sliced right through Anton.
It killed Ivan's father then and there, just slowly. Vanko's hands twitched. He wanted to hug his father, comfort him, or shake him for fucking up. He couldn't. As close as his father was, he was behind thick transparent 'curtains' made to catch radiation.
Sooner rather than later, he would have a choice to make. One large dose of painkillers and his father would fall asleep one last time, free of pain. It was either that or watching him fall apart because of the radiation.
It was a stupid accident all around. Suppose they had used a different alloy for the experimental containment vessel. In that case, there might have been no radiation burst, just a powerful energy arch and perhaps a jet of plasma.
Then again, either of those could be lethal if they hit someone.
"Worry not, my son. You'll charge the world! I know it! I taught you everything I know!" He gave him a pained smile.
Anton's teeth were bloody.
Ivan closed his eyes. It was time. There was no need to watch his father slowly die. It wasn't like there was much left to say. He pulled out a small remote from his pocket. It could override the safety restriction on the painkillers his father had access to.
Anton looked at him, then nodded and closed his eyes. Ivan pressed the button.
The Golden City
Wakanda
It was rare for the Tribal Council to meet in an emergency session. Wakanda might not be without issues. However, they seldom raised in importance and danger to require hasty actions.
Today was different. For centuries, War Dogs scoured the world for dangers against Wakanda. They brought back technologies and knowledge to ensure the continued prosperity of their people. These actions, alongside the incredible advances spurred by their vibranium, secured Wakanda's uncontested technological position in the most dangerous decades since the tribes first united in a single nation.
War Dog, after War Dog, reported what they learned. America and Europe stirred. They were on the edge of leading the whole world in an unprecedented technological race, one that had the potential to threaten Wakanda's position of primacy and thus endanger their security.
"This is of no concern to us!" M'Baku scoffed. "Who cares what outsiders do? Our problems are right here, in this city! You've all forgotten our roots and spit on our traditions!"
Old M'Kathu groaned at that outburst.
"We're Wakanda's first line of defense!" The leader of the Border Tribe reminded the Council. "We know what primitive outsider weapons can do! We've built our defenses on assumptions that might soon become obsolete! Our shield and holographic fields hide us and give us specific advantages. We're equipped and trained to fight in close quarters, protected by artillery. We all excel in fighting a type of war the outsiders abandoned long ago because we can force such a fight on any outsider group that attacks us. If this changes, we can lose it all."
"What do you propose, Elder M'Kathu?"
"Go on. Ask our War Dogs how outsiders fight. Let them remind us all what we might face if we're discovered. Look me in the eyes and tell me that what the Americans are working on won't greatly blunt our defensive advantages when ready and distributed among their warriors!"
T'Chaka rubbed his chin and looked at the War Dogs standing tall and proud in front of the Council.
M'Kathu's questions were largely rhetoric. The War Dogs already explained what the Americans were working on. Fusion energy, which by all accounts, they wanted to be introduced as fast as possible. Advanced alloys to better protect warriors and war machines. Stark, a name well known even in these hallowed halls, was working on energy weapons, or so the War Dogs believed.
In time, it might not matter that vibranium would still be better and give Wakanda an advantage. When all was said and done, Wakanda was a small nation. Its army, no matter how advanced and well-trained, was small. The reported changes meant that the price to outsiders for overcoming Wakanda's defenses might turn from an unsustainable one to a blood price governments might be ready and able to pay.
"Buy us time to find new ways to defend Wakanda," M'Kathu announced. "I don't care if this means unleashing our War Dogs on unsuspecting outsiders or if we use the Trade Tribe's contacts to become the ones guiding how the outside world advances! Doing nothing is madness!"
"You'll have us reveal ourselves!" M'Baku erupted. "Such madness goes against all our traditions! I will not have it! Your love for this damn technology got us here in the first place! We've wasted an incredible number of resources in your War Dogs, King T'Chaka! Use them! This is the price of all your hubris!"
T'Chaka suppressed a wince. There was no simple answer that the Council might agree to. Elements within the Merchant Tribe had been pushing for more trade and connection with the outside world for decades, ever since the outsiders began to show commendable levels of civilization and enjoyed a reasonable amount of technology in their daily lives.
M'Kathu spoke sense too. T'Chaka had visited the outside world more than a few times. Because of that and constant reports from the War Dogs, he knew that the outsiders continued to advance faster and faster. At this rate, they would have eventually caught up with Wakanda or at least come close enough to it.
However, recent developments ensured such a thing might happen in his lifetime instead of being something his son or grandson would have to worry about for decades.
It wasn't like the War Dogs hadn't assassinated people before. It happened because people knew too much about Wakanda or got their hands on vibranium. The other reason was darker. This very Council in the past authorized assassinations because someone was dabbling with sciences once upon a time deemed too dangerous for outsiders to possess. The rapidly changing world ensured such assassinations would be largely pointless and dangerous. Knowledge and progress spread like wildfire over the past century. Killing a scientist or even destroying a laboratory with everyone inside would, at best, slow things down. The War Dogs almost exclusively watched and reported for the past few decades instead of acting proactively.
The last time this Council discussed an assassination, it was another Stark. That became a moot point after someone else murdered the man. T'Chaka faced a similar decision for the second time in his life.
Should they kill Howard Stark's son to buy Wakanda more time? Would the risk be worth it? Could he afford not to act?
"I want viable alternatives!" T'Chaka put his foot down. "We're Wakanda's Tribal Council, our people's supposedly wise leaders! Act like it! M'Kathu, elaborate on your position. What do you want us to change in our defense? Why do you believe that unleashing the War Dogs might be wise? And why did you suggest risking it all through revealing who and what we are?"
The heated discussion was far from over when the sunset and artificial lights lit up the city with a bright gold shimmer.
Even if the Merchant Tribe was willing to trade more with the outside world, its leader wasn't too keen on revealing what Wakanda was. The only thing the heated discussion made clear was that no one would support showing Wakanda's technology to the world. Not even if it was in an attempt to guide it in a way that might benefit them best.
That left them with two options – prepare as well as possible for discovery and potential war while ignoring the outsiders or do the same while buying Wakanda as much time as possible.
T'Chaka himself wasn't a fan of either option. They were lacking. Yet, his request for better options fell on deaf ears. He thought about his late brother, N'Jobu's obsession with colonizers and his manic desire for war. That arrogance, that belief that Wakanda could do it all alone, he could see it in the actions and words of almost all of the Councilors.
Even M'Kathu, who warned them of outsider danger, underestimated what unleashing the War Dogs might mean. Even worse, when push came to shove, he didn't vote for sharing any technology with the outside world. How else could the Merchant Tribe even attempt to influence the world at large in a way that matters?!
T'Chaka looked at the bickering Elders, and his heart sank.
Finally, we get a glimpse of Wakanda, and its politics...
Phase 5: Changing world III
=SI=
Part 1
=SI=
=SI=
Part 1
=SI=
Hammer Industries HQ
New York, US
"Mr. Hammer, I must warn you again, it might not be wise to sue Stark Industries at this time."
Justin Hammer glowered balefully at his lead legal expert. He took a hefty mouthful of whiskey and enjoyed the burning sensation as it went down.
"Stark's trying to get us out of business, the bastard, and he might just do it if we let him!" Justin bellowed. "We're the budget solution for the world over! That's our thing, and until now, there was no shortage of people buying our guns! Now Stark is going after our market share!"
"Even if that's true, Mr. Hammer, it's clear that the US government has found reasons to support him. Trying to sue both the government and Stark…." The old fart trailed off. "We need to know more about the why of it before filing in lawsuits, is all I am saying."
"By then, it might be too late. If Stark's prototype fusion reactor works…." Justin grits his teeth. "And it will work because it's fucking Stark, then the bastard will have a license to print money. Stark Industries will use that to ruthless advantage. We're already seeing it with their ongoing negotiations! Things changed! We can't wait!" Justin smiled for the first time that day. "Think. We won't be the only ones going after Stark. If he gets fusion up and running, Coal's fucked. Once the infrastructure is in place, natural gas and oil prices will really begin to fall" He chuckled. "And not just because everyone's been speculating to raise the prices, betting on the continued increase in prices until we ran out of the stuff, and suddenly, Stark threw a wrench in that scheme too."
Justin drained his glass and pointed at the lawyer.
"Get the lawsuits filed. We won't be the only ones doing it. I feel it might help everyone threatened by Stark to bury the bastard in red tape."
=SI=
Hydra facility
Russian Federation
Machines beeped and hissed, all tied up to his father. Ivan sat on a nearby chair, staring at a nearby wall painted white. At least the painkillers still worked, even if the dose his father needed was nearly fit to kill a man.
Anton Vanko opened his watery eyes and wheezed. "No regrets, my boy. The mistake was mine, and I'm paying for it. I've made many mistakes, and my only regret is that you ended up here with me."
"It's all right. It certainly beats prison." Ivan mumbled.
Anton wheezed again. "That one was on you. Plutonium, really? You're lucky you're not stuck like me, boy."
Ivan rolled his eyes. He took precautions. His father took precautions too, but they didn't work. Even with the best available materials, there were issues with scaling up and down the Arc reactor they've been working on for nearly a decade. A large one to power up a building or a district could be reinforced, shielded, and with the proper cooling, remain stable. A small one, no larger than a car's battery, can work too. Such designs were close to the edge of what current material science allowed.
Something in between, fit to be portable, potent enough to power up vehicles, and perhaps energy weapons? The last prototype went out of control, burned through its reinforced housing with ease, and created a radiation beam that sliced right through Anton.
It killed Ivan's father then and there, just slowly. Vanko's hands twitched. He wanted to hug his father, comfort him, or shake him for fucking up. He couldn't. As close as his father was, he was behind thick transparent 'curtains' made to catch radiation.
Sooner rather than later, he would have a choice to make. One large dose of painkillers and his father would fall asleep one last time, free of pain. It was either that or watching him fall apart because of the radiation.
It was a stupid accident all around. Suppose they had used a different alloy for the experimental containment vessel. In that case, there might have been no radiation burst, just a powerful energy arch and perhaps a jet of plasma.
Then again, either of those could be lethal if they hit someone.
"Worry not, my son. You'll charge the world! I know it! I taught you everything I know!" He gave him a pained smile.
Anton's teeth were bloody.
Ivan closed his eyes. It was time. There was no need to watch his father slowly die. It wasn't like there was much left to say. He pulled out a small remote from his pocket. It could override the safety restriction on the painkillers his father had access to.
Anton looked at him, then nodded and closed his eyes. Ivan pressed the button.
=IS=
The Golden City
Wakanda
It was rare for the Tribal Council to meet in an emergency session. Wakanda might not be without issues. However, they seldom raised in importance and danger to require hasty actions.
Today was different. For centuries, War Dogs scoured the world for dangers against Wakanda. They brought back technologies and knowledge to ensure the continued prosperity of their people. These actions, alongside the incredible advances spurred by their vibranium, secured Wakanda's uncontested technological position in the most dangerous decades since the tribes first united in a single nation.
War Dog, after War Dog, reported what they learned. America and Europe stirred. They were on the edge of leading the whole world in an unprecedented technological race, one that had the potential to threaten Wakanda's position of primacy and thus endanger their security.
"This is of no concern to us!" M'Baku scoffed. "Who cares what outsiders do? Our problems are right here, in this city! You've all forgotten our roots and spit on our traditions!"
Old M'Kathu groaned at that outburst.
"We're Wakanda's first line of defense!" The leader of the Border Tribe reminded the Council. "We know what primitive outsider weapons can do! We've built our defenses on assumptions that might soon become obsolete! Our shield and holographic fields hide us and give us specific advantages. We're equipped and trained to fight in close quarters, protected by artillery. We all excel in fighting a type of war the outsiders abandoned long ago because we can force such a fight on any outsider group that attacks us. If this changes, we can lose it all."
"What do you propose, Elder M'Kathu?"
"Go on. Ask our War Dogs how outsiders fight. Let them remind us all what we might face if we're discovered. Look me in the eyes and tell me that what the Americans are working on won't greatly blunt our defensive advantages when ready and distributed among their warriors!"
T'Chaka rubbed his chin and looked at the War Dogs standing tall and proud in front of the Council.
M'Kathu's questions were largely rhetoric. The War Dogs already explained what the Americans were working on. Fusion energy, which by all accounts, they wanted to be introduced as fast as possible. Advanced alloys to better protect warriors and war machines. Stark, a name well known even in these hallowed halls, was working on energy weapons, or so the War Dogs believed.
In time, it might not matter that vibranium would still be better and give Wakanda an advantage. When all was said and done, Wakanda was a small nation. Its army, no matter how advanced and well-trained, was small. The reported changes meant that the price to outsiders for overcoming Wakanda's defenses might turn from an unsustainable one to a blood price governments might be ready and able to pay.
"Buy us time to find new ways to defend Wakanda," M'Kathu announced. "I don't care if this means unleashing our War Dogs on unsuspecting outsiders or if we use the Trade Tribe's contacts to become the ones guiding how the outside world advances! Doing nothing is madness!"
"You'll have us reveal ourselves!" M'Baku erupted. "Such madness goes against all our traditions! I will not have it! Your love for this damn technology got us here in the first place! We've wasted an incredible number of resources in your War Dogs, King T'Chaka! Use them! This is the price of all your hubris!"
T'Chaka suppressed a wince. There was no simple answer that the Council might agree to. Elements within the Merchant Tribe had been pushing for more trade and connection with the outside world for decades, ever since the outsiders began to show commendable levels of civilization and enjoyed a reasonable amount of technology in their daily lives.
M'Kathu spoke sense too. T'Chaka had visited the outside world more than a few times. Because of that and constant reports from the War Dogs, he knew that the outsiders continued to advance faster and faster. At this rate, they would have eventually caught up with Wakanda or at least come close enough to it.
However, recent developments ensured such a thing might happen in his lifetime instead of being something his son or grandson would have to worry about for decades.
It wasn't like the War Dogs hadn't assassinated people before. It happened because people knew too much about Wakanda or got their hands on vibranium. The other reason was darker. This very Council in the past authorized assassinations because someone was dabbling with sciences once upon a time deemed too dangerous for outsiders to possess. The rapidly changing world ensured such assassinations would be largely pointless and dangerous. Knowledge and progress spread like wildfire over the past century. Killing a scientist or even destroying a laboratory with everyone inside would, at best, slow things down. The War Dogs almost exclusively watched and reported for the past few decades instead of acting proactively.
The last time this Council discussed an assassination, it was another Stark. That became a moot point after someone else murdered the man. T'Chaka faced a similar decision for the second time in his life.
Should they kill Howard Stark's son to buy Wakanda more time? Would the risk be worth it? Could he afford not to act?
"I want viable alternatives!" T'Chaka put his foot down. "We're Wakanda's Tribal Council, our people's supposedly wise leaders! Act like it! M'Kathu, elaborate on your position. What do you want us to change in our defense? Why do you believe that unleashing the War Dogs might be wise? And why did you suggest risking it all through revealing who and what we are?"
The heated discussion was far from over when the sunset and artificial lights lit up the city with a bright gold shimmer.
Even if the Merchant Tribe was willing to trade more with the outside world, its leader wasn't too keen on revealing what Wakanda was. The only thing the heated discussion made clear was that no one would support showing Wakanda's technology to the world. Not even if it was in an attempt to guide it in a way that might benefit them best.
That left them with two options – prepare as well as possible for discovery and potential war while ignoring the outsiders or do the same while buying Wakanda as much time as possible.
T'Chaka himself wasn't a fan of either option. They were lacking. Yet, his request for better options fell on deaf ears. He thought about his late brother, N'Jobu's obsession with colonizers and his manic desire for war. That arrogance, that belief that Wakanda could do it all alone, he could see it in the actions and words of almost all of the Councilors.
Even M'Kathu, who warned them of outsider danger, underestimated what unleashing the War Dogs might mean. Even worse, when push came to shove, he didn't vote for sharing any technology with the outside world. How else could the Merchant Tribe even attempt to influence the world at large in a way that matters?!
T'Chaka looked at the bickering Elders, and his heart sank.
=SI=
AN: Here we see some of the fallout of Stark's efforts to begin uplifting Earth. We also see consequence of Hydra Heads being more diverse, and entrenched. Further, this is the first time we get a glimpse at the practical limitations of the Arc technology, which is constrained by the needs of better material science and advancements in other fields to shine, which will be the case with both repulsors, and SW tech Sith Tony is recreating. The Vanko part of the update also indicates that Tony hoarding Arc tech is a mistake...
Finally, we get a glimpse of Wakanda, and its politics...
Last edited:
Honestly I kinda hope this version will be less sith over all too and that tech will be his primary choice of things and force powers will remain situational tools used when tech is not enough...
- Location
- Poland
Remove the red parts
Add a comma after 'best'
Will Ivan still go after Tony? Would be kinda weird for him to seek revenge on Tony when he himself admitted Tony had nothing to do with his fathers death.
He's working for one of the less insane The Hydra groups, on Arc reactors no less. The odds are good that this time around, Tony, his PMC and SHIELD will be the ones going after Vanko. This, like anything even remotely like the events of the Iron Man 2 movie are likely to happen much later in the timeline, roughly around the Insight debacle.
Fellow Human
Verified Roado Rolla
Those snobs won't make the right call. IMO they should take over half of Africa if not all of it, by combination of assasinations, conquest and general uplift of people. Africa is mostly warlords and banana republics, right?
Well even if Wakanda went with my awesome plan, other continental countries wouldn't like it and would trade weapons to defending millitias and rebels. Why, because people in power don't want a strong Africa.
Well even if Wakanda went with my awesome plan, other continental countries wouldn't like it and would trade weapons to defending millitias and rebels. Why, because people in power don't want a strong Africa.
Last edited:
There are somewhat reasonable people in Wakanda, however even the have lived all their lives in an ivory tower so to speak. The thought of sharing tech, is anathema to almost everyone, and at this point, that's likely the only way things won't eventually end in tears.
Africa first got fucked by colonialis, then the way colonialism ended in most places, followed by the Cold War, and good, old fashioned capitalism. Then we've got Hydra meddling in as well, and well no one would be surprised if elements within Wakanda ensured that their neighbours wouldn't rise to be a threat anytime soon.
From what we've generally seen from Wakanda, it might be much easier to sell to most of their leaders and some of their people the assassination and conquest path, than uplift, if uplift means sharing their "sacred" tech.
Hopefully we see a different take on the Ironman 2 plot, with Stark working on fusion vs Arc reactors it won't be a "he stole my stuff" plot. I wonder how this is going to butterfly.
As for Wakanda, this illustrates a major plot point. These people still at their heart are tribals, they have "warriors" not soldiers, they divide their society into tribes, and do not work to advanced themselves. At this point they should be a world power on par or surpassing the US, Russia, and China. What is lacking is the mentality and morality to lead and grow. It will be an interesting clash between ideals when Stark and NATO clash with Wakanda and find out about how they have influenced history.
As for Wakanda, this illustrates a major plot point. These people still at their heart are tribals, they have "warriors" not soldiers, they divide their society into tribes, and do not work to advanced themselves. At this point they should be a world power on par or surpassing the US, Russia, and China. What is lacking is the mentality and morality to lead and grow. It will be an interesting clash between ideals when Stark and NATO clash with Wakanda and find out about how they have influenced history.
- Location
- Poland
No wonder, Africa is the most resource rich continent. If they ever manage to fix their issues and kick out the various Corporations exploiting it a strong African nation is guaranteed to rise. That's a thought. Tony could lobby for and sponsor various movements aiming at stabilizing Africa in order to have access to all the untapped resources just waiting to be fed into the ever hungry mouth of industry. So much free resources would make industrialising Africa a much easier prospect and also open the way to the massive manpower pool that is Africa.
Which they didn't. As far as I know Wakanda didn't have any influence on history.
- Location
- Lake superior, Minoc
Wakanda.. ffs don't get me started on that epic asspull. And for all the trashing you've done about comic book tech your bringing in those guys?
Big issue and truly massive plot device is how they are still hidden. It's not like the land disappears.. its just a big and obvious area of the map that's unclaimed and not explored? Ya right.. Also, they have a single big city. 1. And smaller tribe's living in literly mud huts.
And city's don't dodge. I hope the other countries down there get tired of their shit. And just start lobing shells that way.
And stark's plan is uplifting the world. Not "just those parts of it" once he starts offering those countries clean power and water could be very interesting effects.
Big issue and truly massive plot device is how they are still hidden. It's not like the land disappears.. its just a big and obvious area of the map that's unclaimed and not explored? Ya right.. Also, they have a single big city. 1. And smaller tribe's living in literly mud huts.
And city's don't dodge. I hope the other countries down there get tired of their shit. And just start lobing shells that way.
And stark's plan is uplifting the world. Not "just those parts of it" once he starts offering those countries clean power and water could be very interesting effects.
This is AU and previus chapter clearly stated that Wakand killed anyone working on tech they deemed too advanced for forigner barbarians all in name of Wakandas superiority with wich they did jack shit besides keeping neighborgs down.
Now they are learning consesquences of their hubris of siting on their ass and hufing funes of their imaginded glory.
Edit:
Plus if nations learn about asasinations Wakanda has done in past bieng isolated in global politics will be least of their problems. People & nations tend to take dim view on such things and tend to seek some form of retribution.
Last edited:
The Iron Man 2 plot as we saw it in the movie won't be happening. Anything even vaguelly similar might occur years in the future, around the Insight shenanigans.
Yes, after Wakanda gets revealed, which will eventually happen, it will piss off tons of people. Some of it will be fucking racisim, sadly. Many of the other reasons to be pissed off at Wakanda will be reasonable - their tech could have saved countless lives, it could have prepared Earth for alien invasions, not to mention the huge difference Wakanda could have made in Africa alone. That realisation won't endear Wakanda to nearby countries, especially if someone opens thier mouth in front of a camera and begins ranting about outsiders and colonizers. The King's brother wouldn't have gotten that mindset out of nowhere.
Hell, OTL there are African countries that are trying to do precisely that, and are trying to get investments to help them get there. Sadly, no matter where they look, there are usually all kinds of strings attached. Hell, often the China's the best option, because the Chinesse are more interested in getting infrastructure in place so they can sell goods and get resources out, more than getting the investments paid back conventionally.
That's true. When Tony isn't swarmed with other work, he'll be doing some strategic planing and launching various initiatives to get him what he needs in the long run. A stable Africa, for resources if nothing else, is what he needs. Winning hearts and minds would be a nice bonus.
Baring plot contrivances, and even giving Wakanda an unusual level of geniuses apeparing in such a small population, it makes sense that if nothing else, their War Dogs bouth, or outright stole useful inventions to make up for their tiny human capital. It's not a stretch to believe that different leaders in the past, might have ordered assassinations to slow down the progress of outsiders.That doesn't even need to have official sanction from the King, just a few Elders with connections to the War Dogs having the ears of like-mined spies and assassins.
Vibranium's a bullshit element that offers a great deal of shortcuts. Like mentioned in the last update, a great limitation of everything is material science. The update I just finished and will be soon proofreading and posting, points out another limitation, connected to material science - managing heat. With vibranium, or other alien materials that are rare or non-existent on Earth, you can take shortcuts and advance beyond many limitations of your tech base offers.
While Wakanda will have some incredible toys, those will be literally hand-crafted rare examples of what's possible with vibranium. For example, with enough of it, Tony will be able to solve most issues preventing him from right now building a suit almost as good as the MK 2 we saw in the first movie. Accelerations and high speed maneuvers will still be potentially deadly, even in vibranium armor without inertial dapeners. However, survivability like we saw in the first two movies could be achieved in such a small package. Most of the tech issues that would prevent Sith Tony from building repulsors that small and powerful anytime soon will aloso go away, due to vibranium being durable enough... but I digress.
After the next update I'll get up an informational post about the tech limitations that effect both the SW tech Sith Tony is trying to develop, and the MCU tech he has access to, or developed like Arc reactor, and repulsors. I'll include a desription on how having enough vibranium could solve many issues, even if it's scarcity would ensure that such solutions won't be feasible for mass production and adoption by Earth's militaries.
Now, I mentioned above in this post that Wakanda will face issues from all corners the moment it gets revealed to the world.
That's kind of the only way to square the breach between Wakanda being as advanced as it is, and bringing down the rest of the setting to ground so to speak. Wakanda has some great toys, but has no way to mass produce it's really advanced equipment due to lack of enough vibranium and industry in general. Another thing that cripples it is the small population.
One of the reason Wakanda is so far ahead in this story, is not just vibranium, which offers shortucts to various technologies and sidesteps problems that can't be solved until various scientific and engineering fields are advanced enough without it. The reason is that for at least a century, the War Dogs went around the world, stole research and in some cases, killed scientists, and whole science teams, to ensure Wakanda's technological dominance.
The only saving grace for Wakanda and it's current rulers is that they haven't been doing that in the past few decades. Sadly for them, the Tribal Council is all but certain to fuck up by the numbers in the not so distant future.
Fellow Human
Verified Roado Rolla
...chill mate. Illuviar is working with what he has. He can't fix everything, otherwise he might as well write an original. I'm happy with captain Marvel gone and arc nerfed, that's enough for me.
Nice to hear that, he could just ignore Africa and get asteroids. This is better for Earth, his reputation and influence.
Last edited: