Anthony K. Baggaley posed the following:
> The question is- What would have been the course of the Rebellion
> if the virus had never been created? (discuss)
The following may be way off the deep end but ...
When Lucan claimed the Iridium Throne he prevented the Moot from
meeting for quite some time. There were limits to the length of time he
could do so and eventually they did meet although nothing was decided.
No definite validation for any of the potential rulers of the Imperium
was made: not quite half the Moot was divided between Lucan and Dulinor,
Norris received the next largest support followed by Margaret and a few
backers sided with Strephon in addition to a number of abstentions.
The Moot then broke down into arguing, shouted threats, and ultimately
several brawls. Eventually enough order was restored to adjurn. The
members of the Moot (and this meeting included one of the largest turn-
outs ever) then went their separate ways - seeking those whom they
supported to claim the Iridium Throne.
Intense fighting among the four factions broke out and continued for
the better part of a decade. Norris, for many varied reasons, did not
enter the fray. During this period no one within the bounds of the
former Imperium if caught by those from a different faction ( and
travellers from outside the Imperium were attacked by all the factions).
During this period of civil war Margaret's faction was reduced to the
point of continuing only as an underground liberation/terrorist
(depending on your point of view) movement. Stephon's forces also took
a beating and was confined to a few systems and a handful of ships in
various states of disrepair.
The remaining two factions each ended up controlling roughly half of
the remaining central Imperium. No clear victor emerged and both
continued to claim the mantle of the Third Imperium. Both factions
carry on limited actions against one another.
The situation is not unlike Europe of the Dark Ages with petty nobles
attacking the other faction to prove their mettle. Barons and Knights
often use this method to try to gain repute and ingratiate themselves
himself or herself with their superiors.
End part 1 of 2