>>Starfleet doesn't have any love for -any- mercenary service, including
>>the Wedge Defense Force... but they -really- aren't overfond of a
>>certain fleet which humiliated the then-tiny Earth defenses in 2368.
>
>As they say, cool. I always thought Star Fleet was run by a bunch of
>chumps.
>(yes this means I like Kirk better than Picard)

Picard's not so bad, when you come down to it; it takes him an age to make a decision (except in crisis) but when he makes up his mind, he is damn -tenacious.-

>>It greatly depends on the situation. However, the CFMF has denied the
>>Psi Corps any access or authority on CFMF vessels, on the grounds that
>>the Psi Act is (in the CFMF leadership's eyes) a violation of the
>>Articles of Federation.
>
>Hmmm! Is there an Intergalatic court to settle those sorts of
>disputes?

You'd think, wouldn't you? Unfortunately, there isn't. The Federation High Council acts as both executive and judiciary for the UF Federation, since its founders never considered that there -could- be any court case involving two opposing Federation members which couldn't be settled in arbitration.

>>The P-S Act was written with a specific species in mind, Zarathustran
>>Fuzzies.

>Oh, my god. Someone has actually referenced the Fuzzies. Oh, like so
>amazingly cool. H. Beam Piper is smiling out there somewhere. Your
>avatar rocks.

That is not my first reference of Piper material. Go back and read 'Privateer: One Fine Mess,' and then find a copy of 'Four Day Planet.'

I love Piper's work and intend to reference him as often as I can find reasonable avenues for his creations.

>>Of the samples, none lasted more than three seasons;
>>NCMM never broadcasted seven of the thirteen episodes taped.
>
>For which we will all remain eternally grateful.

OTOH, it lasted longer than The Martin Short Show. }:-{D

>>Second, thanks to the space-warping effects of Enigma's many, many,
>>many black holes, gravity waves, and other anomalies, Enigma is much
>>larger on the inside than it is on the outside.
>
>Ah well, it was a thought. A bad one mind you...

As it happens, they're not close enough together. Manticore is near the center of the sector, while Barrayar is out on the edges.

>>In any case, I wasn't aware that David Weber was opposed to fanfics.
>
>Alas, he is. Violently. Well, not violently, but definitly legally.
>If you check out Cynthia Gonslaves (yes she exists) FAQ, there is a
>nasty bit of legal threats in there to any aspiring fan fic writers.

Reading the FAQ ('99 version), it appears that Weber is generally flattered by people -wanting- to do fanfic, but terrified of legal repercussions unless he makes an effort to -avoid- the fanfic. As such, he is specifically requesting that fanfics not be posted to a particular newsgroup (and, by inference, that they not be emailed to him). He is -not- going the route of certain other authors (one of whom he mentions by name) and prohibiting fanfics or enforcing legal strictures on their creation.

Redneck