What can my MC destroy that will inspire the human race to stand up to their alien enslavers?

[lonewolfwanderer]

Good Evening Chronicles!

I hope everyone here had a fantastic new years and christmas! Blessings to you all for the coming year...

I haven't been around in awhile, but am returning with the prospects of my 2nd WiP. I'm a little stumped for ideas on what my MC can destroy.

Now, without giving away the story, the jist of what's happening is my hero isn't actually going to defeat all the bad guys (which is an alien race) himself, but rather he is going to inspire the human race to stand up to the villains and take action against them, which at the moment they aren't doing, or aren't capable of doing due to the circumstances. This is done by gathering followers (or building an army), gathering supplies and intel, and destroying something of the aliens that will definitely be noticed and help to inspire the human race back into action...

But i'm not too sure what that noticeable thing could be... It needs to be challenging enough to create a strong conflict, big enough to be noticed around the globe (by both humans and aliens), yet small enough that it doesn't leave the alien race too weak that any potential follow up story is left with a weak conflict.

So i'm reaching out to Chronicles here for a bit of help... any ideas?

 

[alchemist]

*warning - stream of consciousness coming*

The mothership, or is that too big? Maybe compromise -- they have three or four ships and he destroys one.

Or their big alien-architecture base? It really depends on your story, your cultures, your aliens. It could be something hated by humans, a symbol of the invaders. Maybe the prison where any freedom fighters are held.

 

[lonewolfwanderer]

*warning - stream of consciousness coming*

The mothership, or is that too big? Maybe compromise -- they have three or four ships and he destroys one.

Or their big alien-architecture base? It really depends on your story, your cultures, your aliens. It could be something hated by humans, a symbol of the invaders. Maybe the prison where any freedom fighters are held.

Hmmm.... well most of the fighting will be done on earth because the aliens have colonized it (sneaky bastards), so space ships won't be anytime soon. maybe fighter's etc, but no motherships (though on second thought, i do need somewhere for the alien council to reside and mothership seems to be ideal).

I do like the prison idea, however... Especially if it's a big prison, used for both human freedom fighters and human sympathizers, and there my MC could find more supporters for his cause.... That's got the noggin working, thanks!

 

[Phyrebrat]

You should have this site in your bookmarks...

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Porn the Aliens like that installs root kits & trojans to mess up all their computer systems.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

It would be best if it is something already integral to the story in some way. That way it doesn't look like you've just dropped it in there so he will have something to destroy. Alternatively, you could figure out what it is first and then weave it into the story, avoiding the same problem. However, something of such importance usually works best if it is organic to the plot.

 

[mosquiter]

Maybe have your MC kill a hard*ss alien minion who has been harassing the human population. Or show them that there is no Wizard of Oz, but a skinny creep in charge of alien Goebels-like propaganda. Or go for the Queen or the King himself: have the MC break through to the spaceship tier no human has ever been and make a selfie with a dead tyrant.

 

[Brian G Turner]

What can my MC destroy that will inspire the human race to stand up to their alien enslavers?

Internet!

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Internet!

Difficult, as technically it doesn't really exist, which is why US DOD lost control of Arpanet.
At least though people would have more time.
Karl Marx was wrong, TV isn't the opium of the people, 'tis facebook, twitter and cat web sites,

 

[ShotokanXL]

I would say the destruction of a local alien base or headquarters would have the effect that you desire. Not the main base of operations, as you say that you don't want the aliens crippled, but a local garrison or base that is controlling the sector that the MC is based in. Destroying such a place would show that the alien oppressors CAN be hurt and could spark a wave of uprising centered around the MC's actions.

 

[M Harold Page]

Destroy the link to the alien homeworld. Now the aliens must fight without reinforcements or resupply.

 

[HareBrain]

Single Female Lawyer.

 

[LittleStar]

Destroy the link to the alien homeworld. Now the aliens must fight without reinforcements or resupply.

Ooh, I like something like this.
Gives you something that shows there actually is hope for the humans after all, if the rest of the aliens don't know what's going on and there are just the earthbound ones to worry about. And at the same time it adds extra dimensions to the aliens, who now have to fight to survive and keep control, with no hope of back up.

 

[AnyaKimlin]

I think it needs to be something precious to the humans something important to them. At the risk of being crass, the attack on the offices of Charlie Hebdo probably brought the closest reaction to what you want. Can he attack something and frame the aliens somehow?

 

[Toby Frost]

I think there are three options, assuming that he's attacking the aliens. Firstly, he destroys some symbolic thing (a statue or the like) which inspires everyone to rise up, at which point I'd wonder why they hadn't bothered to do so already. I think I'd probably go for a raid on a terrible prison, resulting in the freeing of many dangerous rebels who could join the hero, so it's symbolic and practical. Secondly, he destroys a military target, but I'd wonder why the enemy had put all their eggs in one basket like that (not that it's impossible that they would do so). Thirdly, he does something so drastic that it forces everyone to reconsider their position, like the dropping of the atom bomb - perhaps not incredibly deadly in itself, but something that will obviously change the entire situation for everybody.

Are there collaborators, or different factions of alien that could be turned on each other? Perhaps the hero could do something that made the collaborators look foolish, and forced the aliens to directly intervene. That could raise the stakes and persuade more people that it was a life-and-death situation.

The other thing is that there would probably be vicious and indiscriminate retribution (a la Lidice). That in itself might not actually help the oppressors: for one thing, it would make them all the more hated, and for another, it would show that they were running scared. It might not make the hero very popular in some parts, though, which could be interesting in itself. The stage between "statue explodes" and "big party" could be very interesting.

 

[lonewolfwanderer]

Are there collaborators, or different factions of alien that could be turned on each other? Perhaps the hero could do something that made the collaborators look foolish, and forced the aliens to directly intervene. That could raise the stakes and persuade more people that it was a life-and-death situation.

In my story there are the aliens, who have colonized earth and enslaved humans, and of course, the humans. Among the aliens, there is a social hierarchy which i'm still busy building, but it's based on the closer you are genetically to the 3 leaders, the higher your social status. With this scenario, there is "poverty" among the aliens, and there are also many aliens that sympathize with the humans.

Since the humans' enslavement, mankind has been divided into 3 "factions": slaves, rebels and alien sympathizers. Alien sympathizers have turned their backs on mankind in favor of whatever the aliens have to offer. Slaves are controlled, and in a very difficult position to revolt, and rebels are disorganized and hardly in a position to be fighting head on against the aliens, although they do conduct small raids on "less guarded" alien encampments. Some rebel factions even raid other rebel camps and are more "criminal", or barbaric, in their approach. It is not uncommon to find a few human sympathizers (i.e aliens) among the rebel camps.

The other thing is that there would probably be vicious and indiscriminate retribution (a la Lidice). That in itself might not actually help the oppressors: for one thing, it would make them all the more hated, and for another, it would show that they were running scared. It might not make the hero very popular in some parts, though, which could be interesting in itself. The stage between "statue explodes" and "big party" could be very interesting.

I quite like this... it will help to create an "imperfect" hero. I just got to figure out a way to implement it.


This story has the potential to run over the course of a few books. Maybe i need to look at the ultimate resolution, and think of how mankind can achieve it, and by working backwards i can figure out what the first book's goal is. Though, now that i think about it, I already have that goal.... My MC needs to gather followers and begin uniting the rebels, slaves and human sympathizers into a single army. I just need to think of a major conflict for the WiP

Maybe my MC can return to the slave camp he escaped from, and free his family and/or friends... If this camp, or wherever he was, is big enough, this could help create the situation i desire. But is that conflict big enough for a climax? I think i need to return to the drawing board for a bit...

Thanks for the help folks

 

[MemoryTale]

How exactly are the human slaves controlled? If they're controlled via some kind of mind control, then knocking out a control transceiver would be a good target. Or if they're controlled via old fashioned whips and chains, then maybe attacking a local jail and/or killing a locally hated slave lord. I like the slave lord idea because it can be a nice mini-climax for your book if the slave lord has been giving your hero trouble before.

 

[lonewolfwanderer]

How exactly are the human slaves controlled? If they're controlled via some kind of mind control, then knocking out a control transceiver would be a good target. Or if they're controlled via old fashioned whips and chains, then maybe attacking a local jail and/or killing a locally hated slave lord. I like the slave lord idea because it can be a nice mini-climax for your book if the slave lord has been giving your hero trouble before.

I'm tending to prefer the old fashioned method of whips and chains etc, just with more modernized equipment. Mind control just seems.... meh... boring. Slave Lord could work. Could be the slave lord that was in charge of the slave camp my MC escaped from... could be a form of revenge.

 

[psychotick]

Hi,

If everything they are is based on genetic similarity to their progenitors (?) then maximum psychological impact woul be achieved by somehow damaging their ability to determine said similarity. On Earth you might try damaging the labs that do the analysis. A better target though I assume it won't be on earth, would be the trio themselves - something that wipes out their DNA. More doable would be the record keeping system that says alien X is this close to Y. And if you have the technology a DNA virus that can run through a population and scramble just a little of the alien DNA - it doesn't have to be harmful - would be devastating. (You said there are alien sympathisers. Maybe they could help with tech and access.)

Cheers, Greg.

 

[paranoid marvin]

In the dead of night he could scrawl all over the walls of their base 'Aliens go home'?