Cloudbase

Cloudbase was an aircraft carrier and the main headquarters of the Earth security organisation Spectrum. It was usually positioned over Nice, France, but could be piloted to anywhere on the planet. (COMIC: SPECTRUM et al.) According to one account, it was a feature of the television series Captain Scarlet. (TV: Death in Heaven)

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History

A mysterious object

On 2 September 2067, reports poured into TV 21 about a "strange floating aircraft carrier" which had been sighted above Nice. It was described as a massive flight deck slung between four engines. European newspaper reporters chartered aircraft to get a closer look but World Air Force fighters quickly turned them away. Lens Sharpe drew an artist's impression of the craft for TV 21. (PROSE: Capt. Black Expedition Lost!)

Mike Leyton quickly ordered Sharpe and reporter Pete Tracker to Nice in order to investigate what he described as "some mysterious spaceship". (COMIC: The Premonitions) Sharpe could only identify the platform as a "splodge" in his photographs due to the restrictions put in place by the Air Force, though he and Tracker were eventually able to follow Destiny Angel in their own craft after she took off in the direction of Glenn Field. (COMIC: SPECTRUM) After Tracker was able to convince Colonel White to take part in an interview on Spectrum, an image of Cloudbase appeared alongside the article on the front page. (COMIC: SPECTRUM, PROSE: SPECTRUM is Green)

The base of Spectrum

Early days

In 2067, Colonel White, Captain Scarlet and Captain Blue were aboard Cloudbase when the Mysterons announced their threat to destroy Unity City, with White immediately ordering the two Captains and the Angels into action. (COMIC: We Will Destroy Unity City ^[+]Loading...["We Will Destroy Unity City (comic story)"]) The front page of TV Century 21 for its 7 October edition noted Cloudbase had dealt with the matter "with urgent efficency". (PROSE: Captain Scarlet Our Only Hope) One of the Angel aircraft was later Mysteronised and turned back towards Cloudbase. Although Scarlet neutralised the craft by using his own to collide with it mid-air, (COMIC: We Will Destroy Unity City ^[+]Loading...["We Will Destroy Unity City (comic story)"]) as reported on 14 October by TV21 who dubbed Scarlet and Blue "the heroes of the recent mid-sky drama to sabotage Cloudbase", (PROSE: Indestructible) White concluded from the affair the Mysterons intended to use a Mysteronised Cloudbase in their destruction of the world capital and had Cloudbase Control move them away from Unity City on a course for Canberra. (COMIC: We Will Destroy Unity City ^[+]Loading...["We Will Destroy Unity City (comic story)"])

In the aftermath of Cloudbase's unexplained disappearance, TV21 speculated on their front page for 21 October that Cloudbase had been Mysteronised. Panic reportedly "broke out in high society" when it was discovered while World Government officials denied all knowledge of the move but insisted there was no cause for alarm. TV21 added fuel to the fire by explaining that Annil III, their tracking station which circled Earth at twenty orbits a day, had lost all radar and radio contact with the Spectrum base. (PROSE: Mysterons Destroy Cloudbase?) On its 28 October front page, TV21 featured an article which stated the World President had convened a top-level conference at midnight the previous night in response to the vanishing of Cloudbase, attended by various officials including the top Spectrum agents stationed on Earth. (PROSE: 4 Hours to Live!) On 4 November, TV21's special correspondent at Unity City reiterated that official statements denied all knowledge of "trouble of any sort" on Cloudbase. (PROSE: Is Scarlet Dead?)

Cloudbase was targeted again when Captain Black sprayed the surrounding clouds with D17 poison gas which incapacitated the entire crew, excepting Captain Scarlet who was recovering from his plane crash in a purified atmosphere. Scarlet covertly observed Black as he boarded Cloudbase and headed for the flight control room. Attempting to deliver a blow to Black, Scarlet was suddenly overcome by the Mysteron presence which allowed Black to fight back. He forcefully knocked Scarlet into the controls which fused as a result, sending Cloudbase spinning out of control. Scarlet quickly improvised a solution to keep Cloudbase level using part of uniform and then set after Black, who had fled in an effort to escape. He caught up as Black tried to fire up his craft with the ensuing scuffle sending the craft tumbling from Cloudbase without operational engines.

After the poison gas wore off, Colonel White coordinated a search for Scarlet from Cloudbase, later organising team-ups with the World Aquanaut Security Patrol and the World Space Patrol when it transpired he had been kidnapped by Captain Black. (COMIC: We Will Destroy Unity City ^[+]Loading...["We Will Destroy Unity City (comic story)"]) TV21's front page on 18 November noted that according to "unofficial reports" Cloudbase had been radioed by Black. (PROSE: Thunderbirds Fail)

Spectrum no more

In 2068, after Captain Scarlet encountered Captain Black, who had seemingly been freed from Mysteron control, he took him back to Cloudbase so Doctor Fawn could run some tests. Fawn eventually confirmed this diagnosis, as well as the fact Black had no memory of the Mysteron War, deeming him to be otherwise fit for a return to active service. Once Fawn delivered his report to Colonel White, he held a meeting on Cloudbase with Scalet, Black and Captain Blue on how best to take advantage of the Mysterons' apparent loss of power. Scarlet's plan to destroy the Mysteron City with an electrode cannon mounted on a spaceship was approved, later being carried out successfully.

Six months past with no sign of Mysteron activity, prompting World President T.J. Younger to disband Spectrum at the final celebration of humanity's victory, which was a party held on Cloudbase. Following this decision, Cloudbase "[went] into mothballs" at Glenn Field Spaceport. Eventually, it became clear that the Mysterons' defeat had been a clever ruse and the organisation was reformed. White, Scarlet and Blue were together on Cloudbase when the Mysterons reiterated their intent to continue their conflict with humanity by seeking vengeance for the original attack on their city. (COMIC: Traitor Black Gives In!)

Resumed use

In late 2069, the Mysteron agent Tansi Trefoil escaped from Cloudbase in a stolen SPJ. Captain Scarlet attempted to pursue her but soon disappeared himself, with it being reported on 4 October that he had subsequently failed to contact Cloudbase. (PROSE: Zodiac Death Sentence!)

The 2080s and beyond

According to the accounts which dated Spectrum's creation and the beginning of the Mysteron War to the 2080s, the first Mysteron threat to Unity City occurred much later in the conflict (PROSE: Rogues Gallery) when compared to the 2060s accounts, which presented it as one of the first acts. (PROSE: SPECTRUM is Green, Captain Scarlet Our Only Hope et al.) These accounts instead posited that the attempted destruction of Unity City happened around a year or two into the War. (PROSE: Thunderbirds Ready for Action!, Send For Stingray!)

In January 2089, (PROSE: Sniper!) World Senators were keen to know why Spectrum had not responded following a Mysteron threat to Unity City and were angered to find that Cloudbase was moving away from Bermuda, towards the Pacific. Action 21 speculated that this had something to do with Colonel White being against holding peace talks in Unity City on security grounds. (PROSE: Get the Gunman!) Lieutenant Green finally broke Spectrum's silence in February 2089. He explained that they had been attacked with knock-out gas but were now fully recovered. He also promised that agents would be sent to Unity City as soon as an "internal security matter" was cleared up on Cloudbase. (PROSE: Zero X Beats Space Curse!) In March 2089, a local news service in Australia picked up a signal from Cloudbase to Captain Black in which Spectrum agreed to send Angel aircraft to a location chosen by him, beginning rumours that Black and the Mysterons may have surrendered. (PROSE: Captain Black Surrenders)

At the Kaplan Commission, which was formed in order to investigate the assassination of the Kaplan of Astra during a state visit to Earth, friction was expected between Colonel White and World President Lhomel. One of the reasons cited was the fact that Cloudbase had been moved away from Bermuda just as the Astran peace mission was due to arrive. (PROSE: They Watch the World)

References

The Twelfth Doctor mistakenly referred to UNIT's aircraft carrier the Valiant as Cloudbase. Osgood said that Cloudbase was Thunderbirds, before Colonel Ahmed corrected Osgood and reminded her that Cloudbase was from Captain Scarlet. (TV: Death in Heaven)