Line #155 Literature/AdAstraPerAspera


1	[[quoteright:250:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/AdAstraPerAspera_9418.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:250:Once again, the sons and daughters of Terra march to war.]]
3
4	->''Feeling cheerful? Read Ad Astra Per Aspera and [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism lose a little bit more faith in humanity!]]''
5
6	Written by [[{{Creator/Rvbomally}} RvBOMally]] (but with plenty of contributions from other members), [[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=181340 Ad Astra Per Aspera]] is one of the most developed and best-received timelines on Website/AlternateHistoryDotCom, despite only having started back in 2011. A GrimDark setting best described as [[Literature/NineteenEightyFour 1984]] [-[[JustForFun/RecycledInSpace IN SPACE]]-]!, or as the author himself commented, a UsefulNotes/ColdWar-themed ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000''. Three galactic dictatorships lord over four trillion souls, galactic war is the status quo, democracy is virtually extinct, and a dozen conquered alien races are used as either slaves or cannon fodder.
7
8	A detailed galactic map can be found [[http://rvbomally.deviantart.com/art/AAPA-Galaxy-334840106 here.]]
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10	The point of divergence is 1868, when President Andrew Johnson was successfully impeached by Benjamin Wade, who became his successor. The Wade-Davis Bill was passed, leading to heightened tensions between Northern and Southern states, as well as increased militarization. UsefulNotes/WorldWarI and UsefulNotes/WorldWarII destroyed the British and French empires, leading to a tripolar world with the UsefulNotes/UnitedStates, the [[UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany German Empire]], and the [[GloriousMotherRussia Soviet Union]] as the superpowers. When an American president was assassinated in 1965, the increasingly totalitarian US was remade into the expansionist American Empire. As the three empires expand into space with the advent of FTL travel, an apocalyptic nuclear war occurred on Earth in 2239. Offworld colonists are cut off from their Earth-based governments and each other, sparking a period of galactic anarchy known as the Collapse.
11
12	Eventually, three [[GalacticSuperpower interstellar superpowers]] emerged from the ashes. The '''Coalition of Western Republics''', the Christian objectivist successor of the American and German Empires, wage constant war to impose UsefulNotes/ManifestDestiny across the galaxy. The '''Conseil of Workers' Systems''', a communist state that worship its leader as a living god, wage constant war with the capitalist Coalition. The '''United Technocracies of Man''', a textbook 1984 dictatorship with ''obliteration of the self'' as its official ideology, is a nonaligned kingmaker. Hundreds of minor powers are under the Big Three's yoke. All are more or less equally oppressive, and wages war only to pacify their internal populace.
13
14	[[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=181340 Read it here.]] Warning: ArchivePanic is to be expected. The timeline spans a thousand years' worth of galactic history and culture, as well as dozens of pocket universes.
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16	Continued in [[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=317067 Ad Astra Per Aspera: Ave Machina]].
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18	The timeline is currently being uploaded onto [[http://rvbomally.deviantart.com/gallery/52487296/AAPA-Updates rvbomally's deviantArt]], complete with some creator commentary.
19
20	----
21	!!''Ad Astra Per Aspera'' contains the following tropes:
22	* AchillesHeel: Even the most advanced body armor can have weak spots like joints and cables. Minipax Commandos are specifically trained to exploit these weak spots in close-quarters combat.
23	* AIIsACrapshoot: AMNDA, an AI created to control a parallel United States' nuclear arsenal. [[spoiler:Created from the brain patterns of death row inmates and the clinically insane, she went insane and destroyed humanity. She then discovered the Vacuity, and used it to escape the heat death of her universe. Her hatred extends to ''every possible parallel humanity'', and destroying them all is her new personal mission. Entire universes are rebuilt into processors, and her subroutines have a knack of torturing the residents of worlds not outright destroyed for eternity in Matrix-style simulations - ForTheEvulz. She [[AGodAmI considers herself a god]] - and with the ability to collapse universes, who would say otherwise?]]
24	* AliensAreBastards: Humanity is bad, but the aliens are little better. The gusano, the second most powerful species in the galaxy, sacrifice their young and kill any gusano unable to continue the fight against humanity.
25	* TheAlliance: The Springfield Pact.
26	* AllNationsAreSuperpowers: Played with. Only three states are superpowers, but almost every other state is allied to one of the superpowers and has to follow their lead.
27	* AlternateUniverse: The Vacuity is the "ocean" surrounding bubbles that contain alternate worlds. [[spoiler:All three superpowers have the means to travel to alternate Earths through this dimension on a limited basis. Due to a 23rd century disaster which erased Pluto from existence and destroyed innumerable parallel dimensions, trueline forces can only visit limited "pocket universes" spanning a few dozen LY from Sol.]]
28	* AnachronismStew: 28th century humanity is the most powerful species in the galaxy, with FTL [[spoiler:and interdimensional]] travel capability. Most computers, however, still use vacuum tubes due to extensive use of {{EMP}} weaponry. Software development is actually decades behind OTL, due to the lack of independent crowdsourcing. "Modern" operating systems are similar in nature to their ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' equivalents.
29	* AntiAir: Taken to an extreme with EMSEL point-defense systems. These weapons have rendered aircraft and precision-guided missiles obsolete for centuries, but aircraft are making a comeback. This has given armor and infantry increased importance on the battlefield.
30	* ApocalypseHow: Global nuclear bombardment is relatively common, and survivors are abandoned to their fate. [[spoiler: AMNDA, which expressively wants to KillAllHumans, can destroy whole pocket universes.]]
31	* ArmorIsUseless: [[DeflectorShields Energy shields]] are useless against slow-moving objects (such as melee weapons), and modern body armor offers little protection against the most advanced small arms. The Conseil's Red Army doesn't equip its expendable conscripts with much protective equipment due to cost-efficiency concerns.
32	* AwesomeButImpractical: PowerArmor is not commonly used, as malfunctions can cause the armor to violently crush the wearer.
33	* BadassBoast:
34	-->'''AMNDA''': ''I am become Death, Shatterer of Worlds, and [[OmnicidalManiac I get a hell lot of satisfaction while doing so.]]''
35	* BadSanta: The American Empire somehow managed to turn ''Santa Claus'' into a bloodthirsty warrior figure that kills the unpatriotic without remorse.
36	* BigBookOfWar: The [[https://rvbomally.deviantart.com/art/Duglace-IV-696561962 Pointers for the Smart Bombardier]] demonstrates the Coalition's utter disregard for civilian casualties in a hilariously macabre manner.
37	-->'''Point #1''': ''Target emergency services, such as fire and police stations, '''first'''. Enemy military forces will be forced to retreat to maintain order.''
38	-->'''Point #2''': ''Remember: every bomb not dropped on an enemy city is a bomb that will have to be carried again. There is no such thing as a bomb-free zone. Fuel is precious; don't waste it!''
39	-->'''Point #3''': ''If it doesn't look like a threat, it is. Conseil forces will hide anti-aircraft batteries and supply depots in schools, hospitals and other seemingly harmless places to catch you off guard. Don't fall for their tricks! Leave no building standing!''
40	-->'''Point #4''': ''Show no mercy! Every civilian you leave standing is another guerilla our boys and girls on the ground will have to deal with later! The enemy '''will''' mobilize for total war; deny them everything!''
41	-->'''Point #5''': ''Nuclear is '''always''' an option! Even the smallest cities have elaborate defenses which can be a problem for our troops. Lend a hand and hit every city with a nuclear weapon at least once.''
42	* BlackAndGrayMorality: The Republic of New Rome against everyone else. New Rome is [[spoiler: (until the Technocracy destroys it)]] one of the last remaining democracies in the entire galaxy, but it's far from saintly.
43	* BloodSport: Major League Deathmatch have condemned prisoners armed with primitive guns play either Free-for-All or Capture the Flag.
44	* BoringButPractical:
45	** Early frigates resemble NASA rockets on a larger scale, and are likened to submarines due to lack of space onboard. Newer capital ships, using spinal-mounted coilguns, are little more than "rifles with engines".
46	** Ship-to-ship space warfare consists of little more than calculating weapon trajectories, fire your ordnance, and then wait for hours (at extreme range, days) until your rounds hit the enemy.
47	** While sonnematerial and EMSEL weaponry are flashy, traditional coilguns are cheaper and more reliable - especially when heavy armor is concerned. The Republic of Milleaux, a Coalition ally, equip their inexperienced soldiers with the latest and most expensive energy weaponry. Their army is frequently massacred by Conseil armor, and the Coalition Army proper considers them little more than a joke.
48	* BrainUploading: Practiced by cybernetically augmented Ilya'novrodons.
49	* BreadAndCircuses: Using slave labor, the Coalition built an amusement park the size of Norway to glorify the state's superiority over the communist, the heretic and the xeno. Tickets are very expensive - most middle-class families can only visit once a decade. Considering that the Coalition's population stands at ''one trillion'', the park is still extremely profitable.
50	* BreakOutTheMuseumPiece: The United Technocracies and many smaller powers in the 28th century still use starships left over from the Collapse.
51	* BugWar: The war against the [[Franchise/StarshipTroopers meropians]], arbeh, and other aliens.
52	* ButterflyOfDoom: Senator [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmund_G._Ross Edmund G. Ross]], who in our world voted to acquit Johnson, instead votes for his impeachment, setting in motion the events of the timeline.
53	* TheCaligula: Louise I, current General Secretary of the Conseil.
54	* CallARabbitASmeerp: Being an alternate history, some technologies are given different names. Lasers are called EMSEL, plasma is called sonnematerial, and antimatter is called unmatter.
55	* CatchPhrase: 'Our Union Forever', among Coalition military.
56	* CorruptChurch:
57	** The objectivist Coalition's official religion, State Christianity, have Jesus as a Social Darwinist who calls for the extermination of the weak instead of advocating selflessness.
58	** The Dijon line of succession is worshipped by Conseil citizens as a living god - which is terribly ironic, given that communism expressively desires the elimination of religion.
59	** Pidanayana (the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Pain Vehicle]]) is a corrupted version of Buddhism that [[MiseryBuildsCharacter glorifies acceptance of suffering without resistance, which would allow the soul to reject earthly existence and attain "enlightenment"]]. Brutal sadomasochism is the norm, and advocates submit to state oppression so that mankind may suffer and be enlightened.
60	* CrapsackWorld: Pan-galactic dictatorships, incessant warfare, and the enslavement of parallel Earths? To make things worse [[spoiler: an insane AI with godlike powers that seeks nothing less than [[OmnicidalManiac the destruction of all sentient life in all possible universes.]]]]
61	* CultureChopSuey: Most post-Collapse states. The Coalition is equal parts [[TheFifties Fifties America]] and [[ThoseWackyNazis Nazi Germany]]. The [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stahlhelm stahlhelm]] is associated with the American Empire instead of Germany.
62	* DemocracyIsFlawed: The author posits that democracy would be impossible to implement in an interstellar empire with trillions of subjects, as the democratic process' chaotic nature would prevent the state from [[NoDelaysForTheWicked imposing effective governance.]] In the 28th century, democracies only rule over 0.7% of humanity.
63	* DividedStatesOfAmerica: Democracy World's North America, after the Coalition invasion combines it with FallenStatesOfAmerica.
64	* {{Eagleland}}: The pre-collapse American Empire and its successor the Coalition are Type 2 of the worst kind.
65	* EarthIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse: Averted. While superpowers rule the galaxy, Earth was not under any one power's control and is considered a backwater. Devastated by the 2239 nuclear war as well as post-war biological warfare, the author describes it as a "planetwide Afghanistan". Played straight in the last century of the pre-Collapse era, when the empires sent out thousands of sleeper colony ships to expand their influence.
66	* EarthThatUsedToBeBetter: Post-Collapse Earth in a nutshell.
67	* EarthThatWas: [[spoiler:The whole Sol-system was destroyed during the last phase of the Galactic War.]]
68	* TheEmpire: Hundreds of them, but none of them qualify as much as the Conseil of Workers' Systems, the most populous superpower.
69	* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt: The Collapse (for Earth-centric humanity). [[spoiler:The Galactic War ends up becoming one for most involved.]]
70	* EvilLuddite: The Green Tribes.
71	* TheEvilsOfFreeWill: The main goal of the Naturalist Social Republic of Gaia is to eradicate free will.
72	* EvilVersusEvil: The Galactic War and the gusano crusades. Almost every single conflict since the 20th century involves one evil side fighting another.
73	* EvilVersusOblivion: Almost everyone opposes and despises the [[OmnicidalManiac Children of Oblivion]].
74	* ExpandedStatesOfAmerica: The American Empire before the Collapse.
75	* {{Expospeak}}: The entries on historical, cultural, political, and military information.
76	* FantasticCasteSystem: the society of the United Technocracies is divided in three castes: Pendulum (leading elite), Frame (the political police and military forces) and Cog (sub-divided into Overseers, who are the bureaucratic managers, and Producers, the actual workers).
77	* FantasticRacism: Most aliens are stereotyped as either monsters or subhuman primitives, with little rights to speak of. Even the seabrides, which serve in various human navies and can be given "honorary human" status, face discrimination.
78	* FantasticReligiousWeirdness: [[spoiler: Inhabitants of auszeit (parallel) worlds are considered to be soulless copies of "trueline" individuals, justifying enslavement or extermination.]]
79	* TheFederation: The Coalition of Western Republics is certainly one of the most evil examples ever created.
80	* ForeverWar: The Galactic War, which is predicted to last for at least a century or more.
81	* FullCircleRevolution: The typical cycle of this trope is inverted after the Collapse: survivors in Russia decide that anything to do with the Soviet Union must be done away with, and restore the Russian Empire. Despite this, the new Russian Empire is almost identical to the Soviet Union in governance, complete with the Tsar being the Premier.
82	* FutureImperfect: After the Collapse, more primitive worlds create twisted legends based on historical records.
83	** Early American history is a particularly hilarious example. America was ruled by a communistic Britain; after the Boston Massacre, where Americans are rounded into gas chambers, George Washington raised the Grand Army of the Republic and revolted. Washington took 300 men to a narrow pass at Yorktown to prevent the redcoat advance. Holding the line with swords and shields, Washington personally ''"cut through British soldiers and spilled their entrails on the snow-covered ground".'' The subsequent Declaration of Independence enforced the American people’s unalienable right to ''capitalism''. The United States Army sailed across the Pacific and conquered Chinese settlements there, fulfilling Washington's dreams of ''lebensraum.'' The Northern states, influenced by communist Canada, seceded; UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln won the War on Treason with primitive missiles and steam tanks. After banning communism in America, a communist-influenced Congress sent killer-for-hire John Oswald to murder Lincoln in Dallas.
84	* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen: General Secretary Louise Anna Dijon, better known as Louise I of the Conseil of Workers’ Systems.
85	* GovernmentConspiracy: [[spoiler:The leaders of the three superpowers are actually occasionaly colluding to maintain the status quo. The Galactic War is just another means to pacify the people - without an external enemy, the brutally oppressed population would inevitably revolt.]]
86	* GratuitousGerman: Since UsefulNotes/ImperialGermany remained a great power until the Collapse and was allied with the United States, the modern "American" language is derived from a mix of English and German.
87	* GrimDark: According to [[WordOfGod rvbomally]], "[[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showpost.php?p=6221862&postcount=2990 the entire point of the setting]]".
88	* HeavyWorlder: The people of Szechwan IV are the main source of recruits for the Technocracies' elite infantry, the Minipax Commandos. They are shorter, stockier, have greater physical endurance and a higher red blood cell count than baseline humans.
89	* HiddenElfVillage: Survivalist republics like the Imperial Commonwealth of the Milky Way and the Federation of Mankind, whose governments have convinced most of the population that they are sole remaining civilized human society left.
90	* HippieJesus: Averted with the Coalition church's portrayal of Jesus.
91	* HopeSpot: [[DoomedByCanon The era of Emperor Nicholas II of the United Empire and his son Marcus.]]
92	** Later, [[spoiler: [[TooCoolToLive General Schulze]] seems set to become the next Supreme Director.]]
93	* HufflepuffHouse: The United Technocracies of Man is the weakest superpower out of the Big Three. Even the name of its current leader is unknown, but this is due to the nature of Technocratic ideology.
94	* HumanityIsSuperior: Played straight to some degree. Humans rule the galaxy, with a population of 4.1 trillion, while alien races are trampled over through either superior technology or sheer numbers. Human superiority was mostly the result of sheer luck, however - a case of being in the right place at the right time.
95	* HumanoidAliens: Averted. Even the most humanoid aliens, the insectoid kentaurs, are quadrupeds.
96	* HumansAreCthulhu: The osminogi, who ironically resemble Cthulhu, were bombed to near-extinction with nuclear ordnance. Survivors possess an extreme fear of the "star gods". Other pacified species are used by the wealthy as servants.
97	* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: Alien races view humans as this, due to their predilection for indiscriminate slaughter and enslavement.
98	* HyperspaceIsAScaryPlace: The Vacuity is described by [[spoiler: AMNDA]] as "a dimension of pure chaos", with exposure causing Vacuity syndrome. Mild exposure victims suffer from nausea, vertigo, and paranoia, while severe exposure drive victims insane with horrifying hallucinations and nightmares - suicide is commonplace among the exposed. [[spoiler: It is implied that AMNDA, who had escaped into the Vacuity and went insane herself, is the cause.]]
99	* InsaneTrollLogic: When confronted that he is insane, a Conseil intelligence operative states that "all of humanity is insane, apart from those which follow the truth of the Dialectic. You are insane. Your world is insane. This entire universe is insane. ''Only we are sane.''"
100	* InvisibilityCloak: Stealthy PoweredArmor with active camouflage systems is used by special ops branches, such as the Conseil's Red Guards.
101	* {{Irony}}:
102	** "Prepare to meet your doom!" - many ilya'novrodons, shortly before they met ''their'' doom.
103	** New Rome, the self-proclaimed "last democracy", is considered to be an unstable and irresponsible rogue state by the Big Three. Their [[WeaponOfMassDestruction WMD program]] was eventually abandoned due to constant pressure from the superpowers. [[UsefulNotes/NorthKoreansWithNodongs Sounds familiar?]]
104	** In Vacuity Pocket [=RV782B1=], the UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar was much more devastating and lasted for two decades. UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln refused to make ending slavery an Union war aim, and so the north fought purely to prevent southern secession. The Confederacy eventually liberalized and enacted the Emancipation Proclamation, which caused several southern states to rejoin the Union. With most of their territory lost, Confederate forces are overrun shortly afterwards.
105	* KineticWeaponsAreJustBetter: Coilguns are the bread and butter of 28th-century warfare.
106	* LampshadeHanging: Parallel universes can have different laws of physics, making FTL travel possible in trueline. All inhabitants of Vacuity Pocket 941GR5 are [[RealityWarper reality warpers]] and {{telepath\|y}}s.
107	* LaResistance: Resistance groups exist, but are very weak and ultimately nothing but a nuisance to the superpowers.
108	* MacrossMissileMassacre: Before the advent of shipboard spinal-mounted coilguns, launching ''thousands'' of cheap nuclear missiles at enemy ships is standard combat doctrine - at least some will get through hostile EMSEL point-defense systems and energy shields. It is still the Conseil Armada's favorite naval tactic.
109	* TheMagnificent: During the Galactic War, the Uhuru Syndicalist Republic was ruled by Colonel-President Prime Minister Emperor of America and King of Kings Malcom Madaki.
110	* MirroringFactions: In theory, the three superpowers have radically different ideologies; in reality, each oppress their people just as much as the other.
111	* MutuallyAssuredDestruction: The author stated that a real, full-scale war between the three superpowers would cause a second Collapse.
112	* NationsAsPeople: [[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showpost.php?p=5566596&postcount=2310 See here]].
113	* ANaziByAnyOtherName: The Coalition of Western Republics is the most obvious example, but others exist.
114	* {{Newspeak}}: Taken to a new level with [[http://alternatehistory.org/discussion/showpost.php?p=6064692&postcount=2845 Technocracy-Sprache]]. Each social caste has its own version of the language, with sophistication increasing with rank.
115	* NiceJobFixingItVillain: The Conseil invasion of trueline Earth saves Democracy World from Coalition takeover, as invading Coalition forces are cut off from any reinforcements.
116	* NoTranshumanismAllowed: Augmentations are rare outside of the Conseil military.
117	* NumberedHomeworld: Most inhabited planets, though only planets inhabited by aliens or controlled by the United Technocracies lack proper human names.
118	* OldSchoolDogfight: Averted. "Starfighters" have never existed, as missiles were always more cost-effective.
119	* OmnicidalManiac:
120	** [[AIIsACrapshoot AMNDA]], of course.
121	** The [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Children of Oblivion]].
122	** The American Empire did this ''by accident'': [[spoiler:an experiment gone wrong erases Pluto from existence, creating a multiversal energy wave that collapsed hundreds of incarnations of ''billions of galaxies''.]]
123	* OneNationUnderCopyright: The United Colonial State is run by a league of large corporations.
124	* OneNationUnderGod: Numerous states are ruled by {{Church Militant}}s - examples include the Greater Seidonian Protectorate, the Holy Dominion of Christendom - and worst of all, the Kang Gyala, whose state religion is the aforementioned ''[[MiseryBuildsCharacter Pidanayana]]''.
125	* OurZombiesAreDifferent: A mutated form of rabies, the Formosan Flu is native to a parallel universe where it replaced the Black Death. The disease causes victims to lose control of their actions and attempt to spread the disease through biting others. Unlike conventional zombie plagues, the infected remain [[AndIMustScream fully conscious and in great pain]]. The three powers use the virus for biological warfare purposes, especially in city sieges.
126	** The myhrggoth have created a necrotic virus that can “restore life” to dead creatures.
127	** "Trench beasts" are created when large groups of bodies are exposed to extreme levels of radiation. The corpses are merged together and reanimated into cannibalistic monstrosities that strikes at night, when troops are most vulnerable.
128	* PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny: The Conseil of Workers' Systems and many others.
129	* PlutoIsExpendable: Totally wiped from existence by the American Empire.
130	* PraetorianGuard: The [[http://alternatehistory.org/discussion/showpost.php?p=5424731&postcount=1987 Presidential Guard]]. It's the only institution left from America's democratic era that has any power in the 28th century.
131	* PropagandaMachine: The Coalition fights to "preserve Christian civilization and liberty", the Conseil fights to "liberate the proletariat from their bourgeoisie oppressors", and the Technocracy fights to...well, preserve its own power. All three openly admits that they are dictatorships, but propaganda is so ingrained that virtually everyone consider democracy a weak and obsolete form of government.
132	* PuppeteerParasite: The strigoi, who developed a parasitic relationship with the semi-sapient paraszt.
133	* {{Qurac}}: The PeoplesRepublicOfTyranny Democratic Republic of Qurac is this trope JustForFun/InSpace
134	* TheRemnant: Common, but usually not very important. The Batavian Soviet Republic is the main remnant of the USSR, and the Platte system is home to various German successor states.
135	* Room101: The Technocracy's Department 101 handles interrogation and torture of political dissidents.
136	* RoyallyScrewedUp: The Conseil's ruling Dijon dynasty.
137	* RuleOfThree: A pattern noted by Coalition forces after various auszeit conquests - most Earths are usually tripolar, with three dominant cultures jostling for ideological and economic supremacy.
138	* ScaryAmoralReligion: The Children of Oblivion, [[StrawNihilist a nihilistic cult that seeks the destruction of all life in the universe.]]
139	* SchizoTech: Many worlds have been reduced to pre-industrial technology after the Collapse and are just being rediscovered. On some worlds, it is not uncommon to see advanced energy weapons supplied by the superpowers in the hands of warriors on horseback.
140	* ScreensAreCameras: A Coalition party member alludes to this; he moves away from his television to speak with a friend, because "I don't want Columbia Prime to hear what I have to say".
141	* ShoutOut:
142	** AMNDA is explicitly stated to be an almagation of [[Franchise/{{Terminator}} Skynet]] and [[VideoGame/{{Portal}} GLaDOS]]. In her universe, "Skynet" is a popular search engine.
143	** The cerafi have [[Franchise/{{Halo}} plasma and crystalline ammunition, emphasizes personal honor, and promotions are based on kill counts.]]
144	** "In 2047, the German spacecraft [[Film/EventHorizon Ereignishorizont]] was equipped with a gravity drive and sent to Alpha Centauri. According to available records, it never returned, but rumors among sailors and merchants that this was part of a conspiracy."
145	** In the Battle of Manchester, the food situation was so desperate that Coalition medics are ordered to [[Film/SoylentGreen execute the wounded and ship the bodies to protein processors.]]
146	** In "[[FutureImperfect The Legend of the Republic]]", [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTcVNuNX8yY George Washington leads 300 of his greatest warriors to hold the narrow pass at Yorktown, fighting hand-to-hand against the British with swords and spears.]]
147	** Vacuity Pocket [=PLSM04=] [[Literature/ThePeshawarLancers suffered a meteor shower in the 1860s]], resulting in an India-centered British Empire and demon-worshipping Russians.
148	** Vacuity Pocket [=32076AC=] is [[Literature/TheYearsOfRiceAndSalt dominated by Islamic Indian, Chinese, and West African cultures]] after the Black Death wiped out Europe.
149	** Vacuity Pocket [=OTS5MPF=] [[Literature/Timeline191 have an independent Confederacy defeated in the 1940s]] by an elected, socialist US government. When Coalition forces arrive, a centrist United States is busy fighting off "[[VideoGame/ModernWarfare a rather insane invasion by socialist “ultranationalist” Russia]] and various insurgent groups in the Middle East".
150	** Vacuity Pocket [=87555N=] is an [[GodwinsLawOfTimeTravel Axis Victory]] world set in 2097, with [[Literature/TheManInTheHighCastle a German-Japanese cold war and a balkanized United States]].
151	** Vacuity Pocket [=CNW54CA=] is influenced by ''Series/{{Battlestar Galactica\|2003}}'', with Earth dominated by human-like artificial intelligence; the remnants of humanity are based on scavenger fleets.
152	** Vacuity Pocket [=RHJ2E=] have 2442 Earth ruled by an [[Literature/TheDraka Afrikaner slave culture]], which was promptedly exterminated by the Coalition.
153	** Vacuity Pocket [=MRITX9=] have 2604 Earth [[Film/TheMatrix in perpetual darkness and ruled by sapient machines]]. Humans are harvested for energy; however, simulations are centered around eternal torment instead of a late-20th century setting. After the machines hack into and depressurize ten Technocracy warships, Earth was nuked from orbit.
154	** Vacuity Pocket [=CA1497=] have [[RingWorldPlanet several gigantic ringworlds]] instead of planets orbiting Sol, the product of an ancient and advanced alien civilization.
155	** Vacuity Pocket [=FR13ND541P=] is populated by [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic sapient pastel-colored equines]]. Coalition forces entering the dimension was infected with "[[IncorruptiblePurePureness Amicability Syndrome]]", which can transform even the most bloodthirsty maniacs into happy, decent human beings. The invaders unwittingly spread the disease across the galaxy when they return to trueline, causing the three powers to make peace between themselves as well as with the xenos powers. With the end of incessant warfare and the advent of a pan-galactic multispecies democracy, [[HappyEnding the sapient lifeforms of the Milky Way would finally explore the universe together in peace]].
156	--->''[[TrollingCreator It's over? And you ended with MY LITTLE PONY?]] blows brains out [[AprilFoolsPlot This has got to be an April Fools' hoax, right?]]''
157	* SlaveRace: The insectoid kentaurs and kopfzweis ever since the invasion and conquest by the Hanseatic Imperium and the gusano, respectively.
158	* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: So far on the cynicism side that the scale tips over.
159	* SpaceBattle: As mentioned above and in the AAPA setting bible, space battles in AAPA are boring affairs in contrast to other settings that features exciting dog-fights and capital ship broadsides. AAPA space battles are hours/days-long artillery duels where coilgun is the primary weapon of naval engagement, with trajectories and firing solutions calculated by vacuum-tube computers. Even in the past before coilguns predominated, space battles are a logistics/numbers game involving [[MacrossMissileMassacre thousands of cheap nuclear missiles]] being launched to overwhelm enemy EMSEL and energy shield defences (which is still favoured in the Conseil naval doctrine presently).
160	* SpaceColdWar: Between the Coalition-dominated Springfield Pact and the Conseil-dominated Communist International. It lasted until the Galactic War.
161	* SpaceMarine: The Coalition Marine Corps, known for its focus on AwesomePersonnelCarrier and PoweredArmor.
162	* {{Spinoff}}: [[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=247573 The Journey of the Sorcerers]], which is set in [[AlternateUniverse a verse]] where the [[TheFederation United Empire]] survived and became the dominating great power of the Milky Way.
163	* StarFishAliens: Most aliens.
164	* StarKilling: Merkwürdigliebe Device are capable of it. Using them against other humans is considered in-universe akin to crossing the MoralEventHorizon and is meet with DisproportionateRetribution.
165	* StateSec: The Coalition have the ''Directorate of State Security'', the Conseil have the ''Committee of the People’s Continued Safety and Survival'', and the Technocracy have the ''Ministry of Love'' - obviously.
166	%%* StealthInSpace: Averted.
167	* SuicideAttack: The Coalition Conscript Force are composed of convicts and auszeit captives, and uses human wave tactics to make Conseil troops waste their ammunition.
168	** Members of Counter-Munition Infantry, a subdivision of Conscript Force, have explosives surgically attached to their bodies. Used for area-denial warfare - when a CMI wave is cut down, the surroundings will be turned into an instant minefield.
169	* SuperSoldier: The People's Legionnaires of the Conseil, the genetically engineered soldiers of Gaia and the soldiers created by the Acadian super soldier program.
170	* TankGoodness: Tanks and other heavy armor still dominate most planetary battlefields. This is exacerbated by the near-complete absence of aircraft in warfare. Short of orbital support, tanks are the only way to break through heavily fortified areas.
171	* TheseAreThingsManWasNotMeantToKnow: Repeatedly invoked by the author when questioned on the Vacuity's true nature.
172	* ThousandYearReign: Actually realized with the American Empire. A celebratory announcement was made by the Coalition's Supreme Director in 2776, glorifying a twisted version of UsefulNotes/TheAmericanRevolution.
173	* ThroughTheEyesOfMadness: Victims of Severe Vacuity Syndrome.
174	* TokenGoodTeammate: Several allies of superpowers are notable for being much less evil than the superpowers themselves.
175	* TokenNonHuman: Coalition-aligned seabrides.
176	* TooDumbToLive: The Frumentarii, [[SecretPolice New Rome's intelligence agency]] for collaborating with the Children of Oblivion.
177	* TripodTerror: The gusano use tripods in lieu of tanks. Their human enemies dispatched them with ease by aiming for the legs.
178	* {{Tykebomb}}: Technocracy Commandos recruits from Szechwan IV are raised as warriors from birth.
179	* {{Understatement}}: The beginning of the description of Vacuity Pocket 62PDMH:
180	-->Cosmically and historically, there are no significant differences until the mid-19th century. The only immediately discernible difference is ''[[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the complete destruction of human life on Earth through some sort of apocalyptic event.]]''
181	* UnitedSpaceOfAmerica: Subverted with the Coalition of Western Republics. While it is an American successor state and uses recognizably American symbolism, it is a pseudo-fascist totalitarian dictatorship.
182	* UnskilledButStrong: Augmented People's Legionnaires are stronger, better-armored and heavier-armed than any other infantrymen, but do not make much use of vehicular transport or think much of speed and discretion.
183	* UnwillingRoboticisation: What the Ilya'novrodons do to their captives.
184	* UriahGambit: General Secretary Louise I. is very fond of this strategy.
185	* WeaponOfMassDestruction: And how. Nuclear and antimatter weaponry is considered standard-issue and are used with abandon. More exotic weapons include missiles that create miniature black holes and Vacuity portals, as well as the Merkwürdigliebe ([[Film/DrStrangelove Strangelove]]) Device - a modified FTL engine that forces a star to collapse upon itself.
186	* WeHaveReserves: Eerily similar to ''[[TabletopGame/Warhammer40000 Warhammer 40k]]''. The combined armies of the three powers amounted to 180 ''billion''. Each empire possess millions of ships, and wage galactic war simply to keep their populace in line.
187	* YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm : [[spoiler: AMNDA's hardware is spread across innumerable universes]], and she can't perceive humans just as we can't perceive our blood cells. Only her dumbed-down subroutines could interact with sentient life on a personal level.

Context Literature / AdAstraPerAspera