So,
Rescue #2 is finally out and...
YASSSSS SO MUCH WORLD BUILDING!
I think it's safe to say I've been enthusiastically chomping at the bit for this one.
Here's a smattering of thoughts.
The ships! 
Okay, so the Sulaco's Conestoga class ships weren't commissioned until around 2169-ish. So clearly these are an earlier design iteration, possibly early Hellespont carriers or something totally different; older than the Conestoga's but not quite as old a class the janky ancient Europa which was probably contemporary with the first gen of USCMC from the turn of the century (circa 2101) and sold to the private sector after decommissioning. The class shown here is probably a subsequent generation commissioned in the 2120's, having those weird side mounted launch bays in lieu of the dual Particle Beam gun placements of the later designs.
The modified lander. I *love* the modified Lander. I can't wait to model it.
Stellar CartographyFinally more info on this system! So um, spoiler alerts, I guess...? Well, only if you're as nerdy about this stuff as I am...
Going back to the first issue, the advanced training on Mars is likely taking place on the Sinai or Solis Planum just South/Southeast of Camp Hanneken in the Valles Marineris.
So, apparently the 'Home Planet' is a terrestrial Super Earth with an appx diameter of 127,427.9 km (79,180mi), hopefully it's reeeeally light and porous like a marshmallow or our heroes are gonna get squished by the gravity something fierce. The system's star appears yellowish, like Sol, and given how close it is, (just a 9 day jump from Earth), this could be as close as the Rigel Kentaurus system, around either Alpha Cen A or B. But I've got some other ideas that might better fit the bill if you wanna get super nerdy about it. Also, since the clunky name 'Home Planet' sounds like something a Navi would come up with, I'm going to tentatively refer to the big world as Doren and the smaller world as the Forest Moon of Doren. A small homage to the old wook-ee/e-wok inversion from you-know-where.
This also gives us a rough size for the Forest Moon, check check it.
Other Design nods
I Love the turnabout design of the gun Zula offers Alec. The design aesthetic of the Sulaco was supposed to be reminiscent of a giant floating gun, and this gun seems to be reminiscent of a tiny Sulaco. Pretty rad.
The deus ex "saccus dorsualis" from the last series is apparently called a Hex Shelter. I really want one.
Regarding the timelineIn issue #1 of this series Alec mentions growing up in El Hoyo, a suburb of Mexico city, so, ostensibly Alec is from Mexican culture. Given his features from this series and the other interpretation from Resistance, it would seem to indicate that he might be Filipino. Which, if accurate, would make him the first Filipino character of the franchise, which would be pretty cool. This also likely puts the opening scenes of Resistance in Mexico city as well. Since Alec is sent away by his family upon, what is presumed to be his coming of age, this would most likely his Quince Anos, a practice gaining ever more popularity in this day and age but which would presumably be even more common in the future, making him 15 in Resistance.
The average age for Marine recruits is 18-28, so at first I figured this story probably takes place 8 (plus or minus 5 years) years after Resistance's 2140; but it could be as early at 2143 or as late as 2153.
According to this issue, back on Earth, El Hoyo was finally evacuated 5 years ago, this was some time after our heroes lifted off, but not apparently simultaneously with those scenes. A better clue about our current time is Amanda specifically referring to the meteorites falling from the Forest Moon to the blue "Home Planet" over the last *half dozen* years; a figurative term seeming to mean roughly six years, as one wouldn't presumably wouldn't describe 5 years as 'half a dozen', but could conceivably describe 7 or so years as half a dozen. So given that the meteorites were caused by Davis' nuke detonation of the W-Y blacksite. I'm gonna say this is probably
2147 or
48.
Also, unless there's some weird word bubble shenanigans happening here, which is not out of the question considering the shifting tenses and perspectives throughout, Zula is apparently also from El Hoyo. Aw, fams. <3
I'm really stoked about how this series is turning out so far, but it's really anybody's game still. When will we find out about the crazy cloaking super androids??
