Fulcrum

The Fulcrum is an opposition movement within the society aboard the starship Daban Urnud. Shipboard sources describe the community as split “between the Fulcrum and the Pedestal,” with the Fulcrum identified as aligned with the Gan (strategic command) and counterbalancing policies associated with the Pedestal, the Urnud/Tro axis. Reports also connect the Fulcrum’s leadership and core support to Fthosians.

Context and First Mentions

References to the Fulcrum arise in accounts of everyday life and politics within the Orbstack—sixteen linked habitation spheres—where populations from different worlds live, work, and study. In these reports, the Fulcrum and the Pedestal are presented as the two principal poles of shipboard politics. The division hardened after the visitors took station near Arbre.

Relationships and Affiliations

• Counterpart and opponent: the Pedestal (Urnud/Tro axis aligned with the Prag)
• Institutional alignment: Tradition and outlook associated with the Gan (strategic authority), as contrasted with the Prag (tactical authority)
• Reported leadership base: Fthosians
• Sympathizers/advisers: Jules Verne Durand, a Laterran linguist familiar with Orth, is described as covertly sympathetic to the Fulcrum
• Support among others: Some Laterrans are described as leaning pro‑Fulcrum (as opposed to pro‑Pedestal), reflecting a wider split in sentiment aboard the ship.

Actions and Reported Activities

• Symbolic restitution plan (“blood for blood”): After the death of the Warden of Heaven and the return of his body to the surface, members identified with the Fulcrum proposed conveying their own blood samples to Arbre as a symbolic exchange. Guided by an analemma signal attributed to Fraa Orolo, Jules Verne Durand identified Ecba as a site of special significance for the delivery. Lise, Jules’s wife, attempted to board the probe to carry out the plan but was shot during the attempt; she is later identified as the deceased occupant of the recovered probe Lise.

Role and Characteristics

• Position: Described as the shipboard opposition, counterbalancing the Pedestal’s influence and advocating a course aligned with the Gan’s authority and outlook.
• Composition: Detailed membership is not enumerated; reports emphasize a strong Fthosian contingent with broader support implied across the Orbstack.

Status

Active and salient in shipboard politics, especially since arrival near Arbre. Recent accounts depict Fulcrum supporters as embarrassed by the handling of the Warden of Heaven and inclined toward conciliatory symbolic gestures, while the Pedestal has reacted tactically to unfolding events. Specific leaders, numbers, and organizational structure remain undescribed in current sources.

Recent Developments

• Initiation of four‑party talks: Following the destruction of the World Burner and the emergency that followed aboard Daban Urnud, leaders initiated four‑way talks that named the Fulcrum as one of the parties alongside the Pedestal and the two Arbran authorities—the Sæcular Power and the Mathic World, working through the Antiswarm.
• Opening ceremonies and accord signing: At a public meeting pool in an Urnudan orb, the four parties’ leaders gathered and co‑signed a set of accords aboard a ceremonial barge. Representation included Gan Odru from the Gan‑aligned tendency and Prag Eshwar from the Prag‑aligned side, together with an Arbran minister and a Thousander.
• Sentiment inside Laterran communities: Observers noted that Laterran opinion aboard the ship is split between pro‑Fulcrum and pro‑Pedestal leanings; even those sympathetic to the Fulcrum may view Arbran actions cautiously in light of shipboard casualties.