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Cavalier Culture (Conjectural)

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Sabin Stargem:
I felt like doing some creative writing.  I didn't have too much information about the Gearhead Factions and the nature of Cavaliers, so I have went ahead and just slapped this together in the name of Fun & Writing.  This means none of it is genuine.


In space, the colonies are structured in ways that are impossible to accomplish on Earth.   Socially, militarily, and physically, the colonies are where everyone in space stay.  Including the notorious 'Cavaliers' that have become quite popular within the last few decades.  To the uninformed, the Cavaliers are basically an sort of mercenary.  But unlike their Earthbound cousins, the Cavaliers are relatively sophisticated and are tied together by the Cavalier Clubs that are found in each colony.

An steadfast tradition begun by the former Privateer and elite test pilot Cavalier, he was an notorious Privateer member, who eventually left due to idealogical differences.  With the great deal of wealth and vast number of mecha he had put together during his youth, he opened the Cavalier Club on Cesena Spinner.  The purpose of the club was simple:  to bring mercenaries together, and allow them to socialize outside of public eyes, and to organize them.  Cavalier's goal was simple, in that he wanted mercenaries fight together and survive their battles.  In Cavalier's biographys, he believed that the way to maturity was through experience.

However, mercenaries tended to die before they can, in Cavalier's words, "Figure things out."  With this purported goal, Cavalier provided important services to mercenaries through the Cavalier Club.  The biggest and probably most notable is the 'BattleNet' system.  Basically, mercenaries are grouped together and sent out to tackle problems as a group.  The overall take from winning battles was smaller, but mercenaries tended to survive more battles, and they were now getting benefits and services that only an organized company could provide adaquetly.  Funerals, mecha parts, information, and allies, the list went on.

In the process, Cavalier also worked to further the reputation and glamor of the Cavaliers.  Not just so that he could get more members, but so that he could also sell more goods and entertainment that pertained to Cavaliers.  More or less, Cavalier made an franchise of sorts.  The Privateers noticed this, and tried to imitate this on Earth and in space.  On Earth, the model failed horribly because of the Earth's lack of isolation when compared to space:  it was difficult to organize things and to be ever-present when you had to travel many miles upon miles to get things done.

In space however, everything was centralized, and as such the Privateers had much more successful.  The Privateers were also much less lawful and were chaotic in nature, though the persons behind the Privateers worked to add an invisible, yet pervasive order to their own organization.  Much like Mr. Cavalier, they tried to make things more cheaper and effective.  Yet, unlike Cavalier they couldn't quite make themselves appear to be competent or moral in the eyes of the public.  Still, the Privateers somewhat succeeded with their imitation, and that was enough for the present.

In any case, most Cavaliers of lower ranks and ability tend to band together, for the reasons and causes already stated.  However, the more experienced and capable Cavaliers increasingly become independent, and was noted by Mr. Cavalier that they tended to leave the Cavalier Club in search of contracts without a cut of their efforts.  Like most business men, he sought out a way to salvage that problem, and hit upon the idea of allowing older members of the Cavalier Club to not deal with cuts.  After all, the Cavalier Club made plenty of money through repairing, restocking, and recharging mecha.  It was more important to keep senior members around.

However...the outbreak of major warfare on Earth and in Space has plagued the Cavalier Club with problems.  Senior members left to join the various militaries, be it out of loyalty or to pursue agendas of their own.  With the loss of so many senior members, things have been especially hard for Cavaliers, since companies and important persons have diverted their attentions to the wars directly.  The Cavalier Club isn't dead, but it has been weakened for now.  Mr.  Cavalier has been recorded saying "Think it not as a loss, but as an opportunity with barbed edges."  Apparantly, Mr. Cavalier has confidence in his franchise.

But what of the meaning of Cavaliers on Earth?  Well, mercenaries on Earth are different from space-bred Cavaliers.  Mercenaries are different in that they are not organized like Cavaliers:  No company to watch after them, and they do things by themselves.  Some would argue that means the Earthbound Mercenaries are superior in that they become more skilled and experience, though it is noted that Earth Mercenaries tend to deal with inferior mecha and components, and are in constant financial crisis.  Of course, if an Earthbound Mercenary is truly successful, then that mercenary tends to become quite rich.  There are no cuts of their take, and they tend to accrue a much greater reputation on Earth than they typically would in space.


- Sabin Stargem, of Heaven & Earth.

Tung Nguyen:
Great stuff! One of the good things about GH is that it can really inspire the imagination.

If you dig through the Yahoo! mailing list archives, you may find some of Joseph's own additions to the GH universe of this nature.

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