[DesVoeux]

Two*questions regarding the late President Haeffner:

1) Why did the Big D choose Haeffner as his running mate?

2) Who ordered Haeffner's death, and why?

The first question I have a vague recollection was answered or at least hinted at in Super Tuesday, but I unloaded all my old SR2 and SR3 books last year. As far as I know, there has been no good hint as to #2's answer. (But then, I've never read any of the novels.)

[Crimsondude]

Oh, this is going to be good.

/sits back with a bowl of popcorn

[Fortinbras]

The answer to #1 is, I think, more complex than I'm willing to commit to, but as I recall, it had to do with Damien Knight recommending Haefner as a compensation for getting Alice Matrix comatized as well as the fact that he was on the Echo Mirage team and could be trusted. Don't quote me on that.

As for #2, System Failure pretty much implied that Colloton was in cahoots with Alamos 20,000 after she used the same quote as the Alamos girl who kidnapped Kyle. The fact that Colloton is a two term president now was pretty good motivation as well.
That's about a definitive as you're going to get. No one is going to put out anything that spells out what happened in black and white, but much like you're pretty sure Shane and Butch & Sundance bought it, you can be pretty sure it was Colloton's doing.

[FastJack]

The answer to #1 is, I think, more complex than I'm willing to commit to, but as I recall, it had to do with Damien Knight recommending Haefner as a compensation for getting Alice Matrix comatized as well as the fact that he was on the Echo Mirage team and could be trusted. Don't quote me on that.

Kyle wasn't actually part of Echo Mirage, but it can be inferred that he knew some stuff about it since he and Alice were married at the time.

[Fortinbras]

That's right. I thought he was the mascot or something, but I'm thinking of someone else.

I think Clockwork Asylum goes into more detail about the Big D's motivation to pick Mr. Haeffner for the spot.

[Abstruse]

The answer to #1 is, I think, more complex than I'm willing to commit to, but as I recall, it had to do with Damien Knight recommending Haefner as a compensation for getting Alice Matrix comatized as well as the fact that he was on the Echo Mirage team and could be trusted. Don't quote me on that.

Kyle wasn't actually part of Echo Mirage, but it can be inferred that he knew some stuff about it since he and Alice were married at the time.

I can't give any specific info to back me up because it may have been years since I read whatever I read that gave me that impression, but I remember something about Kyle not knowing (but suspecting) Alice was in Echo Mirage and definitely not knowing about AI Alice being the consciousness/remnant/impression/proto-eghost of Alice Haefner.

[DesVoeux]

I don't think Kyle Haeffner knew about Alice the e-ghost... in System Failure, President Haeffner clearly is thinking that if he dies, at least he'll get to join his late wife. (And, because Alice bites it in Crash 2.0 , he does.)

Perhaps I'll dredge up a copy of Clockwork Asylum... I've never read a Shadowrun novel, may as well give it a try.

I'd be disappointed if Colloton is the secret Big Bad. She's seems like as good a person as any in the Sixth World, and frankly, being President of the UCAS for eight years doesn't seem like that much of a payoff for a complex treason plot. (Especially since her term has been pretty mellow, all things considered.)

[CanRay]

I so want the old novels re-released, even if in e-form.  And new novels too!  Because I'm a greedy bastard that way.

[Malex]

I'd be disappointed if Colloton is the secret Big Bad. She's seems like as good a person as any in the Sixth World, and frankly, being President of the UCAS for eight years doesn't seem like that much of a payoff for a complex treason plot. (Especially since her term has been pretty mellow, all things considered.)

It's never that simple. The worst people are the ones you'd never suspect.

Wasn't there some ploy done by a Nationalist group that wanted to reclaim the parts of the US taken by the NAN? Haven't gotten to System Failure to read too much into that yet.

[Loki]

I'd be disappointed if Colloton is the secret Big Bad. She's seems like as good a person as any in the Sixth World, and frankly, being President of the UCAS for eight years doesn't seem like that much of a payoff for a complex treason plot. (Especially since her term has been pretty mellow, all things considered.)

Don't know about her being the a Big Bad (the 6th worlds big enough for more than one) but she is at the least a big player in/for the New Revolution. I think it's pretty clear that the "Alamos 20k Coup" was really a splinter of the NR who thought they had a chance in the turmoil of the crash. Colloton's troops that "found Haefner murdered" quoting the same stuff as his captors makes me think cooler heads in the NR realized a hostile takeover at that point would fail but by sacrificing the members who jumped too fast and disguising it as Alamos they could use to gain political capital and public support. The fact that her two terms have been largely peaceful for the UCAS while several of the NAN have collapsed and Aztalan's embroiled in war makes the days of the "good ole USA" look pretty swell. Especially if CAS decides (or an "incident" decides for them) to enter the azzie kicking party. IMO New Rev's going for the hearts and minds before they unleash the shock and awe.

[Malex]

I'd be disappointed if Colloton is the secret Big Bad. She's seems like as good a person as any in the Sixth World, and frankly, being President of the UCAS for eight years doesn't seem like that much of a payoff for a complex treason plot. (Especially since her term has been pretty mellow, all things considered.)

Don't know about her being the a Big Bad (the 6th worlds big enough for more than one) but she is at the least a big player in/for the New Revolution. I think it's pretty clear that the "Alamos 20k Coup" was really a splinter of the NR who thought they had a chance in the turmoil of the crash. Colloton's troops that "found Haefner murdered" quoting the same stuff as his captors makes me think cooler heads in the NR realized a hostile takeover at that point would fail but by sacrificing the members who jumped too fast and disguising it as Alamos they could use to gain political capital and public support. The fact that her two terms have been largely peaceful for the UCAS while several of the NAN have collapsed and Aztalan's embroiled in war makes the days of the "good ole USA" look pretty swell. Especially if CAS decides (or an "incident" decides for them) to enter the azzie kicking party. IMO New Rev's going for the hearts and minds before they unleash the shock and awe.

Good ole propaganda to the rescue. 

[CanRay]

Also, they might have been a bit behind the Seattle Gubernatorial Election of 2070, ensuring Brackhaven (*Spit*) got elected.

Not that much help was needed, considering the other two choices.   

[Frostriese]

But if Colloton is an ideological NR member, and maybe even with Alamos 20k ties, why hasn't she used her two terms to even try to impose some of her ideological leanings on the country?

[Malex]

But if Colloton is an ideological NR member, and maybe even with Alamos 20k ties, why hasn't she used her two terms to even try to impose some of her ideological leanings on the country?

Why unmask yourself so soon? Play it out, gain a powerbase, stack the odds in your favor, then strike when things are just right.

[Loki]

Timing is everything. To respark the nationalistic fervor need to win popular support they do still need a disaster, one that will fit their narrative better than the crash did.