The Edge of Midnight: Masterthread

[CanSoc]

Hello all,

I thought I'd start a thread on TrekBBS to introduce The Edge of Midnight, my ongoing fan "non-fiction" work. Some might be familiar with it through Dwight's fantastic cartography work, as detailed in this thread. For the uninitiated, The Edge of Midnight is best described as a History of the Federation Cold War, written from the perspective of an in-universe historian in the early-mid 24th century (2335-2340; post-Khitomer, but before Narendra III). It is a rather grand attempt to link the various beats, threads, interpretations and contradictions of the Federation-Klingon 'relationship' that Trekkies have seen from Errand of Mercy through to Discovery and Strange New Worlds, via the books, beta canon, FASA guides and a healthy dose of my ideas.

Beyond an exploration of the expected - Starship duels, ship design and derring-do on the final frontier - I've also been exploring the internal political life of both the Federation and the Klingon Empire. The aim is to try and make sense of how different they both feel in The Original Series to their presentation in later shows, without undermining or retconning elements - a bit of a challenge, but one I enjoy!

The work - both the main prose narrative and additional content - is hosted at https://edgeofmidnight.weebly.com/. The first book - The Business of Risk - can also be downloaded in a rather beautiful PDF here. It covers the lead-up to and impact of Star Trek: Discovery's Klingon War and the transition from the post-war period into the gruelling cold war of the 2260s.

Book two - The Arsenal of Freedom - is currently being written and uploaded as I finish chapters. It will cover the first seven years of the 2260s; the road to the Organian War and "Errand of Mercy." If you're inclined toward The Site Formerly Known As Twitter, you can follow along at @EoMProject.

There is also an audio (!) version on Spotify here, which is worryingly close to catching up with my writing!

Thank you for reading this introduction,and for (hopefully) checking out the site and the book(s)! Feel free to ask me any questions here; I'll also be using this thread to update you on any new chapters/content as it comes.

 

[Praetor]

For anyone wondering if you should give this a try, if you're on this board, you absolutely should. It's wonderful.

 

[Ogrebear]

This is a superb piece of work- I really liked the Raktagino Revolution chapters giving such insight into the Empire’s inner workings.

 

[CanSoc]

Just dropped a new Chapter on The Edge of Midnight Website:

Chapter 16: You Say You Want a Revolution

“Mister Wescott look and see,
Is there a reform in your bill for me?
I been waiting a long, long time.
Since I cast that vote of mine!”
- Please Mister Wescott, 2263.

While previous chapters of The Edge of Midnight have had a large focus on frontier skirmishes and the interactions of the two great powers, chapter 16 is a deep dive into the internal politics of the 2260s, through the lens of a counter-coup on Qo'noS and the struggle for political and social reform in the Federation. It is also my attempt to try and add some logic to the Federation's attitude to genetic modification, and how that contradicts its' utopian ideals.

"There were plenty of arguments – both then and now – against genetic manipulation. The idea that any augment can become Khan Noonien Singh remains a typical scaremonger’s line. Declassified research into the work of both the original “special development committee” of the 20th-21st century, and the botched resurgence of their work by Dr. Arik Soong, generally suggests that the violent social Darwinism of the “first” and “second” generation of Augments was a deliberate manipulation made by scientists trying to make “racial supermen” from scratch: that, combined with their upbringing in brutal conditions by people trying to create the perfect dictator, ensured that these “augments” would always see the jackboot as the nature next step.​

The UFP had been built on the unequivocal belief that all sentients are born equal, and shall live equally; how can you square that with societies that deliberately take measures to be better? The concept of deliberate betterness was the real fear: even if it did not make another Khan, how do you deal with a galaxy where one child has to live with the fact that another can be made better than them? “It is one thing for a human to know that a Vulcan can walk calmly through a desert,” remarked the anti-augment activist Huli Crow, “or a Tellarite to know that an Andorian can hear twice as much as they can. That’s an evolutionary difference. But what are we meant to do when we know that some Illyrian can just decide to become a superhuman? Or that a Denobulan can just delete their defects if they feel like it?” It was not just the fear of domination: it was the fear of being left behind the ‘first amongst equals’."​

I hope everyone enjoys it!

 

[CanSoc]

I've also uploaded some of the "trailers" I've made for fun along the way.

The Long Twilight Struggle

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

Peace Through Strength

To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.

Accept third party cookies

 

[Praetor]

I absolutely loved the new chapter,, and the inclusion of Admiral Marcus is a nice touch.

I had wondered how exactly you were going to handle L'Rell's fate and you didn't disappoint.

 

[Arpy]

I’m not seeing the latest chapters on Spotify — any plans to do audio versions of them?

 

[CanSoc]

I’m not seeing the latest chapters on Spotify — any plans to do audio versions of them?

Not yet, I'm afraid: Steven, who records them for me for his own enjoyment, has had a busier year than he thought so far so he's a bit backed up right now.

I am still pottering on with the next chapter though: might even be done by the end (!) of september!

 

[CanSoc]

Some extra ancillary art to tide everyone over until the next chapter:
IS PARIS BURNING? A popular political history of the 2260s: well loved by its' readers, but almost certainly reviled by proper academics for the writers' dramatic license.

I also have commissioned - amongst other portraits - this art of Admiral Nogura himself, as well as a character biography of "The Grand Old Man" here.

It's also worth hopping over to the main site to have a look at the Stellar Cartography section, which uses DEWLine's excellent projection of the galaxy as a base to contextualise the events of the books a little.

 

[CanSoc]

A New Chapter has arrived!

Chapter 17: Triumph and Tragedy

"At the edge of the main street, three figures were gingerly clambering past the group of abandoned Kobaxite tanks. They had just got over the last one when Lieutenant Sh’Yshanli fired a shot into a wall next to them, sending them skidding back into a dark. After a moment, the three figures appeared again. The Lieutenant frowned, then stood up at the barricade, rifle raised as they moved into the street.

‘Stop right there!’ she yelled.

‘Who’s asking?’ one of the figures yelled back.

‘Lieutenant Sh’Yshanli, UFP Marines!’

‘Marines? Why the hell are you shooting at us then? We’re the bloody Paras!’“

Chapter 17 is a story of two parts: the first being the Kobax Affair of summer 2263, in which an attempted coup on the border world of Kobax is foiled by a daring airborne operation: while not, perhaps, a bridge too far, it was very much a planet too far for the Klingon Army. This humiliation, of course, would have consequences, especially for the Aristocratic Oligarchy that was struggling to reverse L'Rell's revolution in government. The seeds of the futurist, ruthless and sinister Klingon Empire of classic Trek are sown on "Pink K’ajardjaj", the Night of Blood and Dishonour.

Until Kobax, most of the Army leadership (including Kesh) still supported Lornak: many senior admirals, while accepting that the Aristocracy were a real ‘enemy within’ were happy to let them “throttle on their leash as that struggled to get free”.[32] Yet after the humiliation at Kobax, they smelt weakness – just as they had after Acamar. There are elements of K’ajardjaj and its’ aftermaths that were clearly planned months, if not years in advance: the complete destruction of aristocratic leadership; the isolation of Qo’noS’s communications with the Empire; and, crucially, the widespread capture and execution of potential opposition leaders throughout the provinces. Yet none of this would have been possible without the catalyst of the grain shortages, late along the total humilitation of the Battle of Kobax. That ten-day fait accompli by Wescott, Rittenhouse and 2nd Orbital may be the fulcrum around which the 23rd century turned. In removing L’Rell, the armed forces had bitten off the hand that had fed them; but in removing Lornak, they savagely mauled the only person left holding the leash.​

​

Between 11 Maktag and 46 Xan’lahr (19th Feburary 2264), The political regime of the Klingon Empire was transformed at the end of the bayonet. The Imperial Governorships – impotent under Durak and L’Rell – were given real power through control of military garrisons, with authority over house holdings in their regions. Military requisition authority was extended to the property of nobility. Several border planets – used mainly by minor nobles for smuggling – were seized and turned into military bases, include Laktar II, Wa’Yukla (Angentenar XI) and two of Vico-Enol’s moons which had been ’donated’ by L’Rell to a loyalist from the Mo’Kai family. The army augmented their own power by distributing seized wealth back to the rural peasantry. The gesture, which appears to have been a top-down decree, earned the army a great deal of goodwill, especially in the anti-spinward regions which supplied a great deal of the conscript manpower. “There was a great deal of ‘peace, land and gagh’ in the early months,” Kang recalled. “I suspect it was to steel the people for what was to come.” It was not that Sturka wished to rule an austere Empire: as much as the new Premier was a teetotaller, he understood that a happy people were a willing people. And he would need much of their will in the coming years.​

 

[CanSoc]

A New Chapter!

Chapter 18: Tides of Freedom.

Chapter 18 is all about Reform and the 2264 election. This is, perhaps, the most important political moment of the 23rd century, as the colonial frontier - the "fringe" - is given an overt voice for the first time. This is the moment that Wescott thinks will cement his legacy: for his opponent, Admiral Marcus, it is a fleeting time to stand in the limelight as the "voice of reason" in a chaotic time. Other crises continue to bubble under the surface - Altair, Tandar, and a dozen others - and yet, as always happens in an election year, what matters is never what you expect.

What exactly the ‘frontier’ (if there was a *single* frontier) wanted out of reform was increasingly unclear. The OSF-P, which had held a disciplined, united platform under Th’rhahlat for nearly a decade, had crumbled after the Broadhurst government, split between those who were willing to entertain the Charterite vision of ‘central reform’ and those who were still wedded to the post-Colonial Crisis idea of radical decentralisation. The former, while they’d taken most of the party in the post-Broadhurst split, had haemorrhaged support in and out of the Assembly in a collection of public ideological and personal disputes. The assumption in late 2262 that the Charterites could rely on a bloc of 24 Frontier Councillors had vanished in the space of a year. Even the rump party wavered on the brink. At a public reform rally in Lagos, Councillor Willard Z. Pao (Daran V) would promise the crowd that his party “would never endorse a reform bill...that did not give every colony their own say in the political future of the union, or any legislation that tied the future of a single colony to their bigger neighbours.”[6] “Our own allies are sharpening their knives with Admiral Marcus,” Hedford told AR Vale.​

​

Marcus had very few substantial criticisms of the programme, beyond the fact that it was at the top of the agenda over Starfleet Allocations. He leaned very heavily on the detailed critiques of Pagros Sh’Belulos, who actually had some grasp on its’ constitutional implications. A rather pathetic routine emerged in which Sh’Belulos would make a detailed attack on government legislation in council, Marcus would parrot it in public later in the day, and then the following days’ press would carry Marcus’s critique without any credit to Sh’Belulos. It was a tedious display, and yet Marcus’s media prominence meant that many of the more camera-shy Andorian’s points were very quickly integrated into the public conversation. The Marcus-Sh’Belulos ‘Puppet Show’, as Nieu Berliner dubbed it, was an amusing display of conservative inefficiency. Yet somehow, it worked: wavering councillors agreed with Sh’Belulos, and the public lapped up Marcus’s pomposity. For a professional serviceman who couldn’t garner enough colleagues to fill a retirement party, Marcus had a better edge for the public mood than even Wescott.[7] He had been smart enough to support the Internal Representation Act (which, much to the surprise of the Palais) had passed with only minor amendment, only to turn like a time on the rest of the ‘Four Acts’ before the momentum could really take hold. The Hedford – Phoenix reform bill was his main target, tying the Civil Liberties and Legal reform proposals into one “hydra-like beast”.​

 

[CaptainCalvinCat]

Heyo, this all looks interesting and I just clicked the "spotify"-Link, but my computer says "Nope, there's nothing there."

 

[CanSoc]

Heyo, this all looks interesting and I just clicked the "spotify"-Link, but my computer says "Nope, there's nothing there."

oh dear! Try this link: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/edge-of-midnight

 

[CaptainCalvinCat]

oh dear! Try this link: https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/edge-of-midnight

Yup, that works, and this whole thing looks awesome - slight problem, at least I have: I have no spotify, is there another way to download it, or does one have to have an account there? Thank you in advance and LLAP.

 

[David cgc]

Yup, that works, and this whole thing looks awesome - slight problem, at least I have: I have no spotify, is there another way to download it, or does one have to have an account there? Thank you in advance and LLAP.

This link should allow you to subscribe to the audiobook feed and download the files to listen offline in any podcast-playing app.

 

[CaptainCalvinCat]

Thank you very much, @David cgc .

 

[CanSoc]

This link should allow you to subscribe to the audiobook feed and download the files to listen offline in any podcast-playing app.

Thank you David! Will double check tomorrow and ensure it's uploaded to Apple podcasts etc. as well.

Also: got a nice update from The Friend Of The Project who does the audio recordings pro bono for me: hopefully will have chapters 15 through 18 available on the audio feed across December!

 

[CanSoc]

Over Acamar, a total war is imminent. Everyone - Klingon, Starfleet and Politican - is willing to risk everything to ensure victory. Only one person will actually take the risk, however, and push the quadrant that much closer to disaster.

The next chapter of the audiobook is out now! Check it our on spotify here. There is also an apple podcasts feed which should cover a gap until i transfer completely to an independent site.

As another treat: earlier this year someone drew the cartoon of Peter Broadhurst I described! You can find out a little more about President Broadhurst himself in his profile here.

 

[Admiral_Young]

I just wanted to say I discovered "Edge of Midnight" last year, and absolutely love everything about it! So good. The detail. The obvious passion for the material.

I was wondering if there is plan to do the Jonathan Archer biography one day? This perhaps a tremendous undertaking, and perhaps too ambitious but as soon as I saw that as one of the books the in universe character wrote, I needed it!

 

[CanSoc]

I just wanted to say I discovered "Edge of Midnight" last year, and absolutely love everything about it! So good. The detail. The obvious passion for the material.

I was wondering if there is plan to do the Jonathan Archer biography one day? This perhaps a tremendous undertaking, and perhaps too ambitious but as soon as I saw that as one of the books the in universe character wrote, I needed it!

Thank you very much!

I don't think I'll ever do the Archer Biography - but who knows? Since this project started it's become part of the Tranquility Press webring of trek fan non-fiction works. One of the supported projects is a 'new' history of the Earth-Romulan War; they've done a lot of interesting groundwork on setting up the place of Archer and United Earth in the 22nd century galaxy so I (or they!) might eventually have a go at it!