Latest blog post: Redraw of chapter 1 is happening (2024-05-11)

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ANTIcarrot

Iskari isn't exactly covering herself in glory here.

The Major is almost certainly following order from on high. She should know this, because she's doing the same. A better way to deal with this would be to impress upon the Major that the patience of her superiors is not unending, and that he needs to make sure that the General (And Protagistan's wider government) understands that. And that way is better, because it also ensures the Major understands it too, which is a vital prerequisite to trying to persuare him to not follow orders if his government tries to do something extremely dumb.

Its also worth noting that the UN doesn't just represent the western powers, but all of them. Including nations that are probably very close to Protagistan (possibly even sharing a border) and prone to military adventurism. Protection against exactly that kind of things is presumably part of the deal they made with the UN. Another part is that Protagistan only has to deal with the UN, as opposed to NATO, the EU, Russia, China, India (et all) all speaking at once and making their own threats and demands.

Though at the same time Protagistan probably isn't too happy about NATO E3s and RC-135s flying racetracks right on the edge of their air space, or about multiple US and Chinese spy satellites overflying one of their major cities.

I really don't understand why they seem determined to break the deal while the ink is still wet.

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Guest

Plus, what's the UN going to do? Send observers?

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Regular
dr pepper

New headache incoming, congrats Major, you've been promoted to Colonel.

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Senior
tully

Guess we can call that a "Paulus promotion"....

Aka , "If things go wrong, you are expected to shoot yourself" .

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Darrell Swanson

UN? Think she is working for the wrong peeps. He should report her immediately to his superiors for leaking national security secrets.

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Senior

No, she's working for a new international organisation setup by the U.N.

https://leavingthecradle.com/comic/114

The Major told them they were "Guests" but Iskra informed him that contact and dealings with the alien are under her agency's jurisdiction.

https://leavingthecradle.com/comic/139

Presumabily "Protagistan" has agreed to all this so if they're not following through on those agreements then Iskra will report as much to her superiors who are in the U.N.

Obviously "Protagistan" don't have to co-operate with the U.N. but it appears they want to at least look like they are, otherwise the Major would tell Iskra to shove it and have her escorted from the base rather than dance around the topic.

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Senior

Not sure if the scientists are talking about the Raharr expedition fleet or the ship Zane is headed for Lunar orbit in. If they have the means to see more than just dots around Jupiter to analyse the fleet they might pick up on the existence of guns on the hulls and determine they're warships. If they're able to better see Zane's lone ship as it approaches they can likely see guns on it at least but the most obvious thing they're talking about is probably Zane's very terse reply to communications and if Iskra gets wind of that as she passes then her report to the U.N. might be pretty quick and dramatic.

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ANTIcarrot

Bare in mind the shuttle they have in their hanger was full of soldiers, and guns.

They should also have a good idea of the mass of the ships and power of their engines by watching them moving, and taking spectral readings of the engine exhaust. It's not hard to jump from '100ton shuttle = 15 soldiers' to 'two 100,000 ton ships = lots of soldiers'.

Protagistan seems to have some soviet lineage in their history, which may be colouring their institutional thinking. Older military experts might subconciously see echoes of USN Carrier Battle Groups in the Aliance 5th Exploration Fleet, and write their reports accordingly.

Or they could be talking about the Major. ^.^

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Wouter215

What I imagine is going through the Major's mind:

...All I had to do was write a few reports every few weeks, notify command about a weather balloon, or order more crates of coffee... I was content, I was happy. Now these aliens show up, I fire ONE missile at them, and BAM. Now I need to command this vastly expanded base that was once a cozy outpost, I have to deal with a captured space alien with one possibly at large, command breathing down my neck, AND this U.N. lady Karen-ing at me! God, can I just be transferred to another outpost? Is that too much to ask?!

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Deoxy

Heh, she acts like she's got him somehow.... um, he's still going to follow the orders he is given by his actual superiors (NOT HER), so if those orders are to prevent her access, he will.

Her demands to him mean NOTHING.

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Senior

Yes and no.

"Protagistan" has made at least a select number of countries in the U.N. aware they have the alien and it's craft. They have presumably agreed to this joint U.N. committee headed by Iskra who was supposed to be put in charge of all contact with Nea and possibly with co-ordinating contact with the fleet. Iskra suggests now that she is also supposed to have access to Nea's equipment. Not sure if that means the ship or just items such as the communication range extender they fetched for her.

Its unclear why "Protagistan" is allowing this joint U.N. team this access and control, but they've presumably agreed to it. Possibly to keep peace between the nations or allow access to foreign tech and expertise in dealing with the issues. It might even be to avoid sanctions or direct conflict considering the importance of the matter, whatever the case, it appears they want to at least give the impression that they're "playing ball" with the U.N. and if Iskra reports they aren't then there could be consequences "Protagistan" wanted to avoid.

If Iskra gets access to Nea at this point she might learn from Nea that they recorded her to contact the fleet... But the last panel suggests Iskra might learn everything she needs from good old talkative civilians... I can't imagine the U.N. being less pleased than learning Zane's response was suggestively hostile.

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Wilson

Protagistan probably realized pretty quickly that, even if they wanted to, they wouldn't be able to keep the rest of the world in the dark about a first contact with extraterrestrials. Add the fact that the first contact was made by a Protagistani surface-to-air missile, and you've got a strong motivation to initiate talks with the UN themselves, to set the tone and avoid becoming an international pariah.

Claiming "full access to the alien" probably won't go very well for the MiB (not sure what to call them), given the lousy first impression they made with Nea. Demanding "full access to her equipment" won't improve her opinion of them either, and it certainly won't endear them to Zane and his fleet. She hasn't even had a chance to mourn the loss of her squad, for all love! In the major's shoes, I'd already be on the phone with General Bahin to figure out if Iskra really has the power she's claiming or if she's bluffing.

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Senior

[headdesks profusely]

Aaaand that should disqualify you both from ever talking to extraterrestrials (on behalf of humanity) again.

Your turn, Mr. von Däniken ...

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Regular
Silence

"God I hate this political BS" says the face of the Major.






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TRIVIA
Raharrs are the most numerous species in the Alliance, making up more than half of its total population.