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To Boldly Go... (a Starfleet quest)

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To Boldly Go... (a Starfleet quest) Starfleet Ship Design Bureau, Refit ("To Boldly Go...")
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Then consider the opportunity cost of each side. If we go all in on the Cardassians, then we might be able to pry the Chrystovians out. But we'd be giving up any our Corewards/Rimwards ambitions to do it.

We know that there's another total war brewing between the Gorn/Ittik-ka that we probably won't be able to do anything about if all our ships get tied up in a war.

Up north, the Harmony have done some serious shady shit that we know of and the Licori are a powder keg that might erupt into a rebellion.

All things that we won't have ships to deal with if we go to war just to save the Chrystovians who we have no actual alliances/treaties with.
 
We can't keep the Cardassians from invading, but I think we can prevent them from annexing. And that's my primary concern. Well that and the genocide.
 
[] We should intervene in the Chrystovian invasion.

Extremely ambivalent here, since I don't see how much good we can do directly for them. However, the fact that the ISC is going to intervene tips it for me. We need each other to effectively contain Horizon, and I don't want to see them bleeding out and then getting conquered from behind. Ideally would could secure a mutual defense pact to prevent that, but would they believe we'd uphold it if we back down here? The fact that HoH is sending a force just pushes it forward more.
 
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Omake - Ranger Up - Shadows
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    • Ranger Up​

    "What's this, Lieutenant Commander?"

    Victoria Villeneuve laid down the PADD in her hands and steepled her fingers in front of her face, waiting for a response from the Yan-Ros woman seated across the desk from her. The vibrantly red-haired woman in question remained in a position of attention even while seated. "It's a request to take a sabbatical, Ma'am."

    "To Vail, yes." Victoria said, nodding. She pursed her lips slightly. "You've been spending a lot of time in the simulators and the gym lately. More so than usual, anyway, and it only kicked up after we got word that the Cardassians were invading… who were they again? On the other side of the galaxy from us."

    "I have been lax in my physical fitness regimen. I was simply getting back up to speed." Piyra stated. Her face was a mask, the faintest ghost of a smile on her lips. "Nothing more. Also, the Chrystovians, ma'am."

    Victoria sighed and rubbed her temples. "Right. Them." she said with a shake of her head. She pressed her thumb to the biometric scanner at the base of the pad, approving the sabbatical. "You can go when your sabbatical date starts - which should be the next time we hit port anyway."

    "Thank you, ma'am."

    "Just answer me one thing?"

    "Ma'am?"

    Victoria looked at her soon-to-leave security officer. "Hypothetically speaking, if you were to happen to receive, say, a request from your old Ranger team to go on a walkabout on a planet that's soon to be dealing with… unfriendly elements putting boots on the ground, what would you do?"

    Piyra blinked languidly. "Hypothetically, I might spend some time on a walkabout, ma'am."

    The Captain nodded slowly, and sighed again. "Be safe, Lieutenant Commander. I'd like to see you come back again. You're a good officer."

    Piyra rose and smiled. "What an odd thing to say, ma'am. I'm just taking some time off from Starfleet, that's all. I'll be back, someday." With that, she bowed slightly and left Victoria's cabin.

    Victoria picked up her steaming mug of cocoa. "I certainly hope so." she murmured.

    --

    This is to be the first part of a series of omakes regarding the Chrystovian Crisis, regardless of the way we choose here.
     
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    • SynchronizedWritersBlock said:
    If we do go to general war, and then total mobilization, it's not really a question of do we win, but of how hard we win and at what nonmilitary cost. The Pact is powerful, but not against a fully committed Federation.
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    Thing is, would Federation be fully committed? Council is divided on the issue, with no strong supporters for war. And it would not be an easy war, too. If the losses start pilling up, especially if things go badly in the STO, how long will it take for the councilors to flip to the opposition, with current votes against growing more entrenched?
     
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    slybrarian said:
    [X] We should intervene in the Chrystovian invasion.

    Extremely ambivalent here, since I don't see how much good we can do directly for them. However, the fact that the ISC is going to intervene tips it for me. We need each other to effectively contain Horizon, and I don't want to see them bleeding out and then getting conquered from behind. Ideally would could secure a mutual defense pact to prevent that, but would they believe we'd uphold it if we back down here? The fact that HoH is sending a force just pushes it forward more.
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    I read this
    anon_user said:
    Interstellar Commonwealth
    The ISC is heavily lobbying the Federation for intervention, while being cognizant of Harmony activities. They have offered two options. One is to send a Pathfinder squadron, along with a Guardian squadron and a Sentry scout cruiser to assist. The other is to expand their diplomatic efforts in Harmony border states, in an attempt to hold the line while we respond. Given their ship numbers and performance, it is unlikely they could out-diplomance Harmony.
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    as indicating that the ISC will only intervene if we do. They offer to assist, and to hold the line against the Harmony, but not to intervene on their own.
     
    [X] We should intervene in the Chrystovian invasion.

    Changing my vote. I'm not completely convinced it's the right move, but more and more I think not intervening is the wrong move. If the ISC and Horizon back us here, then it's three of the six major powers in the area against one. That's about the only way I can see the Cardassians backing down. If we pass here, I highly doubt the Horizon will offer again. And while I know their offer is highly suspect and comes with its own problems, I don't think we can pass it up. That and not angering the ISC is why I changed my mind.
     
    KnightDisciple said:
    I....ugh. I hate votes like this. I don't feel like I can make a good decision, because neither of them is good.
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    I agree with you, but I also agree your statement in regards to the mechanics of this vote. The fact that the actual options we'll have for either choice is locked in a black box is really not helpful. IC, we'd know what all the possible options for each choice are, but for the vote we're presented with what seems to be an ideological choice without knowing at all the mechanics of how either would play out. There was a post where Oneiros said we could use the choice for intervention to sneak our way into deliberately starting a war. If one of the options for intervention is actually "abuse your authority to cause a massive war," then not only do I wish that was clearly communicated, but I'm also afraid what kind of extreme stuff the QMs might expect us to vote for even if we chose not to intervene.
     
    sunrise said:
    I expect support for the war to rise once the first reports go out after we liberate Bajor.
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    What are we going to get out of liberated bajor that we're not already getting from the diaspora in terms of motivation? The Cardassians have not reached the death camps phase, they're strip-mining sure, but we knew that already. It's not gonna make the STO and the Indorians feel any better about getting dragged into a war for some random bunch of weirdoes who like to give antimatter to prewarps.
     
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    sunrise said:
    I expect support for the war to rise once the first reports go out after we liberate Bajor.
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    If. If we liberate Bajor.
    Nervos Belli said:
    [X] We should intervene in the Chrystovian invasion.

    Changing my vote. I'm not completely convinced it's the right move, but more and more I think not intervening is the wrong move. If the ISC and Horizon back us here, then it's three of the six major powers in the area against one. That's about the only way I can see the Cardassians backing down. If we pass here, I highly doubt the Horizon will offer again. And while I know their offer is highly suspect and comes with its own problems, I don't think we can pass it up. That and not angering the ISC is why I changed my mind.
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    The Horizon are too far away to offer more than the token (and yes, it's only token) support they've promised till now. They clearly just want us to be busy while they take our Coreward neighbors.
     
    Still deciding, but I find it very interesting that the HoH is offering to support an intervention. Is it a trap? Or a genuine offer (which might help reduce UFP-HoH tensions).

    Certainly, a HoH taskforce supporting an intervention would be a great intel opportunity.

    fasquardon
     
    Any HoH deployment serves the interest of their interdimensional mind controlling AI taskmasters leadership first and foremost.
     
    fasquardon said:
    Still deciding, but I find it very interesting that the HoH is offering to support an intervention. Is it a trap? Or a genuine offer (which might help reduce UFP-HoH tensions).

    Certainly, a HoH taskforce supporting an intervention would be a great intel opportunity.

    fasquardon
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    The HoH population is likely interested in intervening. However, they will not be able to deploy a serious force, and WILL NOT draw down their diplowar task force. If we draw down, and we will have to in a war, the HoH will almost certainly make massive progress. Therefore, it is both genuine and a trap.

    In addition, the ISC offer is a small task force (and make no mistake, it IS small, the CSF is not a large navy), OR helping us cover the HoH while the fleet is away, not both.
     
    Random Member said:
    If. If we liberate Bajor.

    The Horizon are too far away to offer more than the token (and yes, it's only token) support they've promised till now. They clearly just want us to be busy while they take our Coreward neighbors.
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    That doesn't mesh with what the update says. A large squadron does not mean token support to me. Yes, they could be lying. But if tjere's one thing our interactions with the Horizon have convinced me, it's that they believe they are the good guys. And we know they've been happy to intervene in force on multiple occasions in the past. So funnily enough I actually do believe their offer is genuine. Their own self-image wouldn't allow for anything else.
     
    You know, I'd laugh if it turns out that actually, in spite of all the ominous stuff going on, the Harmony of Horizon is actually a fairly decent neighbor. With some warts in the past, a few off-the-reservation types that they can't publicly admit to and strongly certain that their own approach to a peaceful polity is correct, but fundamentally able to get along with the Federation.

    Man, would that be hilarious. All that effort between two 'decent' polities, each convinced the other has dark secrets, while the less-decent surrounding powers take advantage.

    EDIT: Mind you, it's probably not the case - it's Star Trek, 'new' polities almost always are hiding dark secrets. Old ones usually are too, of course ^^;
     
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    My hypothesis is that they are one exorcism of a mind control entity away from being exactly that, without most of their society ever having realized anything changed.
     
    Simon_Jester said:
    My hypothesis is that they are one exorcism of a mind control entity away from being exactly that, without most of their society ever having realized anything changed.
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    That's kind of the direction my own suspicions lie - that they're got some kind of well-meaning "controller" (extra-dimensional entity, Friend Computer writ large, or the Illuminati) that doesn't really 'grasp' people in charge of their decision-making. For their own good. For the greater good as well.

    Fortunately, I rather feel "battles" with the Harmony will continue to be diplomatic in nature, with a bit of friendly espionage thrown in for good measure. Both sides are happy to try and prove their own form of benevolence is best by convincing each other and bystanders.

    (Of course, until said controlling entity loses its grip on reality, naturally.)
     
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