Site Construction

The Wing Commander reboot site has undergone a bit of reconstruction, with each of the short stories being allocated their own section, and the Kilrathi War condensed in term of pages.

Plans have also been made for a Second Edition of An Alternate History of the Netherlands, though the reconstruction of that would take considerably longer as entire chapters may be rewritten and revised.

State of the Union: Cuba

Statehood: July 14, 1852

Population: 22,314,555

Area: 110,861 km2

Capital: Havana

Largest City: Havana

Crops: Tobacco, coffee, pineapples, tropical fruit

Resources: Timber, oil,

Industry: Tourism, medical, biotechnology

Cuba was purchased along with Florida from the Spanish government in 1819. It was admitted to the Union as a slave state in 1852, but did not secede upon the election of Abraham Lincoln. Cuba remained in the Union during and following the War Between the States. During the Third Anglo-American War, Confederate sympathizers rose up and overthrew the state government, and invited the C.S.A. to ‘liberate’ them. Following 1885, Cuba remained a Confederate State until the Great War. In 1914, after fighting their way through the Bahamas, American forces landed on the island, and drove the Confederates from it. At the end of the war, the Union Government was reinstated in Cuba, and Cuba was readmitted to the Union in July of 1919. During the first weeks of World War II, Confederate Marines landed on Cuba and attempted to take the island, only to be delayed by American Marines long enough for reinforcements to force their surrender. Cuba acted as a stepping stone for the invasion of the Confederate Gulf Coast.

Today, Cuba is home to over twenty-two million Americans, nearly half of them over the age of sixty. It is the most popular destination for retiring workers, and this influx of old folks helps spur Cuba’s economy. It drove a great deal of research into medical technology, and even started a biotech boom in the 1990s. Cuba exports a few tropical cash crops, along with oil off its shore, however the bulk of its income comes from retirees and tourists.

State of the Union: Costa Rica

Statehood: August 12, 1869

Population: 4,187,355

Area: 126,617 km2

Capital: San Jose

Largest City: Panama City

Crops: Coffee, Bananas, Sugar, Potatoes

Resources: Timber, Minerals

Industry: Tourism, Pharmaceuticals, Plastics, Panama Canal

Following the Mexican War, several private ventures by Americans into the Central American provinces of Mexico lead to military filibusters. By 1854, such an adventure under the command of William Walker created the Republic of Costa Rica, which immediately petitioned the Congress of the United States for annexation. Costa Rica was added as a free territory shortly before the Civil War. During the Civil War and Third Anglo-American War, the enemies of the United States made no serious attempt to seize Costa Rica. In the 1880s, France in their recently aquired Mexican colony began construction of the Nicarugua Canal. In 1903, the United States purchased the province of Panama from Grand Colombia and annexed it to the State of Costa Rica. During the following decade, a joint American, German and Dutch venture went into constructing a competing canal to the Anglo-French project in Mexico. During both the Great War and World War II, Costa Rica played a strategic role in allowing American victory in both wars. Following the war, ships grew in size, prompting the construction of a third set of locks to the Panama Canal, which were opened in 1979.

State of the Union: Cascadia

Statehood: August 13, 1933

Population: 3,394,155

Area: 450,192 km2

Capital: Vancouver

Largest City: Vancouver

Crops: Wheat

Resources: Timber, minerals, fish

Industry: Forestry, mining, tourism, fishing

The State of Cascadia comprises of the Oregon Country lands between the 49th parallel and 54'40. The land saw little action during the Great War, but was nonetheless ceded to the United States as part of the Permanent Peace between the Americans and the British. The territory was sparely populated, and as with today, more than 60% of the population lived within Vancouver. It was admitted as the 51st state in 1933. During World War II, Vancouver served as a naval base, and as a staging area. The staging area was not so much for Americans, but for Canadians who went off to fight the Japanese in the Aleutians and aid their British cousins elsewhere in the Pacific.

Today, Cascadia is most a sleepy backwater. Much of its economy is based off the resources that are housed in its large area. The biggest industry is that of tourism. The wilderness of Cascadia attracts tourists and vacation-goers from around the county. In the summer, there is hiking and camping, and during the hunting seasons, hunters from both the United States and Canada try their hand. Winter sports keeps the tourists flowing on in, despite Cascadia being one of the coldest states during that time of the year. Its climate allows for less-than-ideal growing seasons, which means much of the state’s food is imported from warmer areas.