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Vilcabamba

 Vilcabamba
type
TVTItem
 Vilcabamba
label
Vilcabamba
 Vilcabamba
page
Vilcabamba
 Vilcabamba
comment
Vilcabamba is an Alternate History short story by Harry Turtledove. It was initially published for free online (here), and later printed in the anthology book The Best of Harry Turtledove.Fifty years ago, an alien race known as the Krolp invaded Earth and quickly conquered the whole world, wielding advanced weapons that humans are defenceless against. The protagonist, Harris Moffatt III, is the President of a rump United States in the Rocky Mountains. A treaty between his father, President Harris Moffatt II, and the previous Krolp governor of North America guaranteed the independence of his territory, but now that silver has been discovered under Utah the Krolp are planning to strip mine the region, which will render the USA uninhabitable. To try and preserve his country, Moffatt has no choice but to fight a war he knows he can't win.
 Vilcabamba
fetched
2023-06-07T23:43:37Z
 Vilcabamba
parsed
2023-06-07T23:43:37Z
 Vilcabamba
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Vilcabamba / int_14ed6ab7
type
Does This Remind You of Anything?
 Vilcabamba / int_14ed6ab7
comment
Does This Remind You of Anything?: There are pretty unsubtle parallels between how the Krolp treat humans and how Europeans treated Native Americans. Moffatt even briefly considers that this may be Laser-Guided Karma on the USA for the sins of their founding.
 Vilcabamba / int_14ed6ab7
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1.0
 Vilcabamba / int_14ed6ab7
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1.0
 Vilcabamba
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Vilcabamba / int_14ed6ab7
 Vilcabamba / int_18d15922
type
Title Drop
 Vilcabamba / int_18d15922
comment
Title Drop: The Secretary of Defense tells Moffatt the story of how the Inca tried to retreat to Vilcabamba and preserve a remnant of their civilisation. Neither of them are blind to the parallels with their situation.
 Vilcabamba / int_18d15922
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1.0
 Vilcabamba / int_18d15922
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1.0
 Vilcabamba
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Vilcabamba / int_18d15922
 Vilcabamba / int_1b8c7503
type
The Exile
 Vilcabamba / int_1b8c7503
comment
The Exile: Out of respect for the fact that Moffat was once an independent ruler, the Krolp spare his life and take him to live as an exile in the Krolp capital St. Louis after they defeat the USA.
 Vilcabamba / int_1b8c7503
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1.0
 Vilcabamba / int_1b8c7503
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 Vilcabamba
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Vilcabamba / int_1b8c7503
 Vilcabamba / int_2206fd8c
type
Fallen States of America
 Vilcabamba / int_2206fd8c
comment
Fallen States of America: The "free" United States consists mostly of the Mountain West and a portion of southwestern Canada, largely because the Krolp don't consider it worth their time to rule it directly.
 Vilcabamba / int_2206fd8c
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1.0
 Vilcabamba / int_2206fd8c
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 Vilcabamba
hasFeature
Vilcabamba / int_2206fd8c
 Vilcabamba / int_23e32a30
type
Genre Deconstruction
 Vilcabamba / int_23e32a30
comment
Genre Deconstruction: To the Alien Invasion story. The aliens don't have a convenient weakness to a common element on Earth, nor can humans find a clever way to shut down their advanced technology. The Krolp easily overwhelmed the initial military response and swiftly occupied most of the world. The few remaining independent human governments exist only at the Krolp's largesse in the territories they consider too poor or inconvenient to conquer. A few decades ago, the three most powerful surviving nations: America, Russia and China, set aside their differences, launched a valiant coordinated uprising... and were quickly crushed once more. The Americans pulled the old genre trick of stealing alien technology in the hopes of fighting back, but quickly found that they can't replicate it. It's so advanced that they don't understand it well enough to reverse-engineer it, and even if they did they don't have the technological manufacturing base to even make the tools they would need to build it. As such, they have a small stockpile of Krolp weapons which are enough to maybe hold off a small squad of Krolp or protect the President from being outright murdered in a diplomatic meeting, but nowhere near enough to fight a war.
 Vilcabamba / int_23e32a30
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 Vilcabamba / int_23e32a30
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Vilcabamba / int_23e32a30
 Vilcabamba / int_26d18908
type
Puny Earthlings
 Vilcabamba / int_26d18908
comment
Puny Earthlings: Krolp are bigger, stronger and tougher than humans, even without their advanced weapons and effectively impenetrable body armour.
 Vilcabamba / int_26d18908
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1.0
 Vilcabamba / int_26d18908
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Vilcabamba / int_26d18908
 Vilcabamba / int_3ed23024
type
Surprisingly Realistic Outcome
 Vilcabamba / int_3ed23024
comment
The Americans pulled the old genre trick of stealing alien technology in the hopes of fighting back, but quickly found that they can't replicate it. It's so advanced that they don't understand it well enough to reverse-engineer it, and even if they did they don't have the technological manufacturing base to even make the tools they would need to build it. As such, they have a small stockpile of Krolp weapons which are enough to maybe hold off a small squad of Krolp or protect the President from being outright murdered in a diplomatic meeting, but nowhere near enough to fight a war.
 Vilcabamba / int_3ed23024
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 Vilcabamba / int_3ed23024
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Vilcabamba / int_3ed23024
 Vilcabamba / int_4e3d253b
type
Downer Ending
 Vilcabamba / int_4e3d253b
comment
Downer Ending: The Krolp win.
 Vilcabamba / int_4e3d253b
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1.0
 Vilcabamba / int_4e3d253b
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 Vilcabamba
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Vilcabamba / int_4e3d253b
 Vilcabamba / int_6f214508
type
Foreign Culture Fetish
 Vilcabamba / int_6f214508
comment
Foreign Culture Fetish: It's mentioned that many humans in the occupied territories deliberately mimic the Krolp, reasoning that their culture must be superior if their technology is. Even in the rump USA, humans adopt Krolp expressions, imagery and customs just through cultural osmosis.
 Vilcabamba / int_6f214508
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 Vilcabamba / int_6f214508
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 Vilcabamba
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Vilcabamba / int_6f214508
 Vilcabamba / int_768ae1c9
type
Les Collaborateurs
 Vilcabamba / int_768ae1c9
comment
Les Collaborateurs: The Krolp have human functionaries assisting in the administration of the territories they directly control.
 Vilcabamba / int_768ae1c9
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 Vilcabamba / int_768ae1c9
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 Vilcabamba
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Vilcabamba / int_768ae1c9
 Vilcabamba / int_79974fb8
type
Rock Beats Laser
 Vilcabamba / int_79974fb8
comment
Rock Beats Laser: A minor example. The American forces communicate by AM radio because it's so primitive that the Krolp don't have a means of tapping it.
 Vilcabamba / int_79974fb8
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1.0
 Vilcabamba / int_79974fb8
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 Vilcabamba
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Vilcabamba / int_79974fb8
 Vilcabamba / int_81c72ad5
type
Vestigial Empire
 Vilcabamba / int_81c72ad5
comment
Vestigial Empire: The United States and Canada are reduced to the Rockies. Peru, and some other countries (likely including Russia and China) are in the same situation.
 Vilcabamba / int_81c72ad5
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 Vilcabamba / int_81c72ad5
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Vilcabamba / int_81c72ad5
 Vilcabamba / int_8f0c88f
type
Invincible Villain
 Vilcabamba / int_8f0c88f
comment
Invincible Villain: The Krolp aren't individually invincible, it is possible to kill them, albeit at such a cost that it's usually a Pyrrhic Victory. Collectively they are so advanced compared to humans that they simply cannot be beaten.
 Vilcabamba / int_8f0c88f
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 Vilcabamba / int_8f0c88f
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Vilcabamba / int_8f0c88f
 Vilcabamba / int_954ad71c
type
Evil Colonialist
 Vilcabamba / int_954ad71c
comment
Evil Colonialist: The Krolp. They're explicitly compared to the Spanish conquistadores who destroyed the Inca.
 Vilcabamba / int_954ad71c
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 Vilcabamba / int_954ad71c
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Vilcabamba / int_954ad71c
 Vilcabamba / int_970c790a
type
Big Bad
 Vilcabamba / int_970c790a
comment
Big Bad: Vrank is the Krolp governor of North America and the one in overall command of the Krolp forces attacking the USA.
 Vilcabamba / int_970c790a
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1.0
 Vilcabamba / int_970c790a
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 Vilcabamba
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Vilcabamba / int_970c790a
 Vilcabamba / int_986c3163
type
Mouth of Sauron
 Vilcabamba / int_986c3163
comment
Mouth of Sauron: Prilk is explicitly noted as having no independent executive authority, he just carries the messages.
 Vilcabamba / int_986c3163
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1.0
 Vilcabamba / int_986c3163
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Vilcabamba / int_986c3163
 Vilcabamba / int_997d5872
type
"Ass" in Ambassador
 Vilcabamba / int_997d5872
comment
"Ass" in Ambassador: Prilk, the Krolp envoy to the USA, is about as polite as Krolp get, which is still horribly rude by human standards.
 Vilcabamba / int_997d5872
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1.0
 Vilcabamba / int_997d5872
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 Vilcabamba
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Vilcabamba / int_997d5872
 Vilcabamba / int_9b06e314
type
Greater-Scope Villain
 Vilcabamba / int_9b06e314
comment
Greater-Scope Villain: The Krolp ruler back on their homeworld. His name is never even mentioned, but he is the one who okays the mining in Utah.
 Vilcabamba / int_9b06e314
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1.0
 Vilcabamba / int_9b06e314
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Vilcabamba / int_9b06e314
 Vilcabamba / int_9d94dcfd
type
Persecution Flip
 Vilcabamba / int_9d94dcfd
comment
Persecution Flip: The basic premise is aliens invading Earth and subjecting the United States to the same kind of colonialism they inflicted on the Native Americans. There is also mention of the Krolp strip-mining Spain, who had previously colonised and extracted vast quantities of mineral wealth from South America.
 Vilcabamba / int_9d94dcfd
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 Vilcabamba / int_9d94dcfd
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Vilcabamba / int_9d94dcfd
 Vilcabamba / int_b578811d
type
Scary Dogmatic Aliens
 Vilcabamba / int_b578811d
comment
Scary Dogmatic Aliens: The Krolp are a blatant allegory for Western colonialists.
 Vilcabamba / int_b578811d
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1.0
 Vilcabamba / int_b578811d
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 Vilcabamba
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Vilcabamba / int_b578811d
 Vilcabamba / int_c4ee877a
type
Assimilation Academy
 Vilcabamba / int_c4ee877a
comment
Assimilation Academy: The children of human collaborators and the leaders of the few remaining "independent" human countries are educated in Krolp fashion at "finishing schools" to Krolpify them, in a clear parallel to the notorious Indian schools. The conditions are actually pretty pleasant, since the idea is to get the students to want to serve the Krolp willingly, but it's still cultural erasure. Moffatt himself spent time in one as a youth and remembers that when he got out he looked down on his fellow humans and didn't want to go home. He's grown out of it, and now he hates the Krolp, but he's also worried that the brainwashing may take better on his son, who's in a finishing school right now.
 Vilcabamba / int_c4ee877a
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 Vilcabamba / int_c4ee877a
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Vilcabamba / int_c4ee877a
 Vilcabamba / int_ce2969d8
type
Spiritual Antithesis
 Vilcabamba / int_ce2969d8
comment
Spiritual Antithesis: To Worldwar by the same author.
 Vilcabamba / int_ce2969d8
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 Vilcabamba / int_ce2969d8
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Vilcabamba / int_ce2969d8
 Vilcabamba / int_e1226e2c
type
Bizarre Alien Limbs
 Vilcabamba / int_e1226e2c
comment
Bizarre Alien Limbs: The Krolp are centauroids: four legs and two arms. It's unclear if six limbs is typical for creatures on their world.
 Vilcabamba / int_e1226e2c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Vilcabamba / int_e1226e2c
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Vilcabamba / int_e1226e2c
 Vilcabamba / int_e70127
type
The Mole
 Vilcabamba / int_e70127
comment
The Mole: The US government has informal contacts among humans in Krolp-administered territory who engage in acts of sabotage and assassination when war is declared.
 Vilcabamba / int_e70127
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 Vilcabamba / int_e70127
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Vilcabamba / int_e70127
 Vilcabamba / int_e8659c7e
type
SufficientlyAdvancedTechnology
 Vilcabamba / int_e8659c7e
comment
Sufficiently Advanced Technology: Krolp technology is utterly incomprehensible to humans. As an example, Krolp of sufficient rank have a miniature star just hovering over their shoulder. An actual star. Clarke's Third Law is explicitly mentioned.
 Vilcabamba / int_e8659c7e
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 Vilcabamba / int_e8659c7e
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Vilcabamba / int_e8659c7e
 Vilcabamba / int_f243e0a7
type
Dangerous Deserter
 Vilcabamba / int_f243e0a7
comment
Dangerous Deserter: There are a few Krolp renegades hiding out in the "free" USA. It's unknown exactly what crime they committed, but Moffatt reflects it must have been pretty terrible for them to have been reduced to living among humans.
 Vilcabamba / int_f243e0a7
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 Vilcabamba / int_f243e0a7
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Vilcabamba / int_f243e0a7
 Vilcabamba / int_f4548f8a
type
Hereditary Republic
 Vilcabamba / int_f4548f8a
comment
Hereditary Republic: Moffatt inherited the office of President after his father, Harris Moffatt II, was killed. There's no mention of even a sham election. Moffatt II inherited it from his father Moffatt I, who appears to have been the last President to actually be elected.
 Vilcabamba / int_f4548f8a
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 Vilcabamba / int_f4548f8a
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Vilcabamba / int_f4548f8a
 Vilcabamba / int_f56aeb67
type
Alien Invasion
 Vilcabamba / int_f56aeb67
comment
Alien Invasion: And conquest, and occupation, and colonisation.
 Vilcabamba / int_f56aeb67
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 Vilcabamba / int_f56aeb67
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Vilcabamba / int_f56aeb67
 Vilcabamba / int_f7cee9b
type
Last Stand
 Vilcabamba / int_f7cee9b
comment
Last Stand: What the USA's war essentially amounts to.
 Vilcabamba / int_f7cee9b
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 Vilcabamba / int_f7cee9b
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Vilcabamba / int_f7cee9b
 Vilcabamba / int_fe30beaa
type
DeathByAThousandCuts
 Vilcabamba / int_fe30beaa
comment
Death by a Thousand Cuts: Moffatt knows he can't beat the Krolp in a straight-up fight, so he resorts to guerrilla tactics, assassinations and terror attacks. The ultimate goal isn't even to win, just make the war so costly that the Krolp give up.
 Vilcabamba / int_fe30beaa
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Vilcabamba / int_fe30beaa
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ItemName
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Vilcabamba

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