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. (PROSE: SPECTRUM et al.) According to one account, it was a feature of the television series Captain Scarlet. (TV: Death in Heaven)
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
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)
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!)
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!)
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)
