Mandat de l'impératrice des Cieux - Imperial Princess Troubleshooter Space Opera Quest

I utterly missed this earlier, but if you want to take this course of action... well, royals have done coups with far, far less IRL. It's totally a legit path to walk! As the OP notes, your position gives you great responsibilities, and great opportunities. That includes couping the Empress, should you choose to do so.
Or if it's chosen for you, but well, y'know what they say: some people choose to coup, some people fall into coups, and some people have coups thrust upon them.
We're in a position where we could reasonably diplomacy win a coup if we really needed to, advantages of our little sis being paranoid and listening to conspiracies while totally trusting us (or at least trusting us the most/enough out of everyone) is that if we sat down to talk about how we got driven into a corner in some way and how we were driven into a corner we could probably hash out something that would work and have her believe us more than others at least.
 
I'll put it this way. Currently whiskey has no plans for any external threats to the empire. This quest has always been about political intrigue.

I'd point out that the two things are not mutually exclusive. Having foreign agents attempting to exploit internal divisions and play factions to advance their own agenda can very much be a part of the political thriller staple. It's a minor question though.

More pertinently, the sense I'm getting is that the government structure here seems a bit... split. The Monarchs strong official political power in spite of non-hereditary (official) political presence and a entrenched aristocracy puts me in mind of Prussian Constitutionalism, but then the presence of "Great Houses" with their own ambitions and capabilities makes things seem more Neo-Feudal yet there also seems to be a constitution, albiet of the unwritten sort based around conventions and traditions, within which everyone is supposed to be bound. So I'm getting a weird vibe that this is a mix between Great Britain, Imperial Germany, and the Holy Roman Empire during it's more mediocre days.

Which come to think of it, does describe post-Meiji/pre-WW2 Imperial Japan quite well so... kudos for working the FCC so well, I guess? At least the military doesn't seem to be developing the sort of hard-on for death that drove the historical Imperial Japan into dictatorship and destruction.
 
Last edited:
We're in a position where we could reasonably diplomacy win a coup

No, nobody diplomacy's a coup, you know why? Because eventually someone is going to fight back because they don't like that the person who they feel should be in charge isn't. Maybe it will be an absolute loyalist that fancy's themselves in love with the Empress, (even though they know they could never measure up) maybe it's someone who wants Sumeragi in charge, but with the government invested in Ahri as Empress to be, then you either back her play or get ready to fight, preferably both because then you have her at your back as well as being at her's.

Look, as much as i would love for us to save the entirety of the empire, we have to consider the possibility that all hell is going to break loose. When that happens, (note i say when because i feel it's a lot closer than people want to believe) Ahri is going to have to understand Crisis Management and now is the best time to teach her that. This little recon in force in fact is a perfect point of demonstration. We don't have to go in with the entire 13th fleet, just a large enough task force to discourage anyone from trying to jump us. That said, having seen what the 13th has for ships i suggest this until more intel is available.

[ ] Crisis Management
[ ] Reduce 13th Fleet
[ ] Medium Force
[ ] 2-BC
4-CA
10-CL

Political Etiquette is a good thing to learn, but being able to keep your head as a ruler comes before all else. Reduce the fleet to the fast task force i have listed and it gives just enough punch to take on some heavier elements while leaving us enough speed to run from anything we can't take.
 
I'd point out that the two things are not mutually exclusive. Having foreign agents attempting to exploit internal divisions and play factions to advance their own agenda can very much be a part of the political thriller staple. It's a minor question though.

More pertinently, the sense I'm getting is that the government structure here seems a bit... split. The Monarchs strong official political power in spite of non-hereditary (official) political presence and a entrenched aristocracy puts me in mind of Prussian Constitutionalism, but then the presence of "Great Houses" with their own ambitions and capabilities makes things seem more Neo-Feudal yet there also seems to be a constitution, albiet of the unwritten sort based around conventions and traditions, within which everyone is supposed to be bound. So I'm getting a weird vibe that this is a mix between Great Britain, Imperial Germany, and the Holy Roman Empire during it's more mediocre days.

Which come to think of it, does describe post-Meiji/pre-WW2 Imperial Japan quite well so... kudos for working the FCC so well, I guess? At least the military doesn't seem to be developing the sort of hard-on for death that drove the historical Imperial Japan into dictatorship and destruction.
Sigh. Its not going to be a spoiler since it's IC that yui should know

The empire has no external anything. As far as thet know there is only the empire. No other aliens. No foreign powers. Nothing outside the empire
 
I'd point out that the two things are not mutually exclusive. Having foreign agents attempting to exploit internal divisions and play factions to advance their own agenda can very much be a part of the political thriller staple. It's a minor question though.

Please refer to the quoted portion of the OP:

Founded by Hagoromo-no-Kaneo-no-Mikoto, the Golden Orchid Empire has ruled five hundred suns unopposed for nigh as many years. And for five hundred years it has suffered no rival beyond its borders - nor has it met any.

Emphasis mine.

Or in plainer English: The Empire doesn't tolerate any rivals, but it doesn't have to because there are no other foreign polities, it's just the empire, and that's the way it's been for the last 500 years.
 
Last edited:
Okay, wow. That's *very* abbreviated.

That also explains a lot.
There are days when Yui remembers how she got in the navy and wants to hide under a blanket fort out of sheer mortified embarrassment.

To be fair to Yui, she is a competent officer and she's not a trainwreck and she does take her navy career and her duties seriously. Note how, when she was talking to Ahri about Empress, she talked about responsibilities first, then privileges and courtesies. Yonatan was a very strong influence on her; she served directly as his Flag Lieutenant and later as his Adjutant, and indirectly as a warship captain under his Fleet.

We're in a position where we could reasonably diplomacy win a coup if we really needed to, advantages of our little sis being paranoid and listening to conspiracies while totally trusting us (or at least trusting us the most/enough out of everyone) is that if we sat down to talk about how we got driven into a corner in some way and how we were driven into a corner we could probably hash out something that would work and have her believe us more than others at least.

I find the doublethink here a little amusing: on one hand you think the Empire is doomed to balkanise and cannot be saved, and you seem to believe Commander Fleet Operations is wrong in wanting to save the empire, and consider his advice outright hurtful.

And on this other hand, you seem to think that there's no way, no reason, for Yui to consider a coup. She's an Imperial Princess of the Blood, she's 2nd in line for the throne (so if Ahri dies, Yui becomes Empress), a Navy Vice Admiral with connections to other fleet commanders and a fleet personally loyal to her, with significantly more competence than her cousin the current Empress...

Hmmm. She seems like a much, much better choice as Empress... particularly when you realise she's been trained in politics since she was young, and then her dad sent her into the Imperial Navy where she's been for the last 12 years, building connections with other officers and oh yes, she has a pimpfleet built for smacking down people that is completely loyal to her.

Here's something for everyone to consider: Why is the Imperial Royal Guard assigning you a liaison officer? What do you think their agenda is? Read the update again: Yui is aware that smol!Yui is here to serve the IRG's agenda, she just doesn't know for sure what that agenda is.
 
Egon System Intel Brief
FROM: CAPT D. O'Farrel
TO: VADM Y. Akasha

Admiral,

I've generated the intel brief on the Egon system as per your orders. The findings, summarised:

  • Pirate activity in the Egon System is peculiar. Instead of the usual patterns of behaviour when faced with piracy suppression activity, pirate activity in Egon is in waves, as if the pirates are regularly being resupplied and reinforced.
  • Veritas Security Solutions (henceforth "VSS"), the PMC contracted by Egon for piracy suppression, is operating with an aggressive optempo, with heavy use of ammunition and reports of engagements with pirate ships.
  • Overall year to date figures show no appreciable decrease in pirate activity vs last year (measured by pirate sightings, merchant shipping seized/threatened, ransoms taken).
  • VSS is using a hollowed-out asteroid in-system as an arms depot. Shipments to the depot have been increasing in frequency and tonnage over the last several months. More concerningly, VSS is shipping in milspec weapons and has been refitting their ships with milspec ECM suites, as opposed to the civilian-grade weapons and electronics used by most PMCs and armed merchantmen against pirates.
  • Rafidah Aziz-Sumeragi , a senior member of Great House Sumeragi's cadet line and high-ranking executive of Siam-Astra Intergalactic Consolidated Holdings, has spent the last several weeks on the ground in Egon, in private meetings with the Earl of Egon (the system ruler) and his government and civil service.

Please refer to the attached documentation for further details.

My recommendation is that a fact-finding mission be made to Egon to gain a better understanding of the local picture.


Signed,

Captain Daniel O'Farrel
Fleet Adjutant
13th Fleet
 
Last edited:
Ok, so! Egon System intel brief is up. Take your time to read it over and decide, y'alls. Voting will open in 12 hours from now at 1800 GMT today, and we'll close the voting on Friday, 14 December, at 0100 GMT, or 2100 EST on Thursday, 13th December.

I'm going to be too busy to be able to get started on anything until the weekend anyhow >.<
 
Last edited:
  • Pirate activity in the Egon System is peculiar. Instead of the usual patterns of behaviour when faced with piracy suppression activity, pirate activity in Egon is in waves, as if the pirates are regularly being resupplied and reinforced.
  • Veritas Security Solutions (henceforth "VSS"), the PMC contracted by Egon for piracy suppression, is operating with an aggressive optempo, with heavy use of ammunition and reports of engagements with pirate ships.
  • Overall year to date figures show no appreciable decrease in pirate activity vs last year (measured by pirate sightings, merchant shipping seized/threatened, ransoms taken).
So...it's a PvE zone? :lol
 
Ok, this isn't just something hinky going on, this is someone making a setup for an altercation as a prelude to starting a breakaway, thus causing a civil war.
 
Reminder to all, Voting opens in 3 hours from now (which will be when i'm asleep :V)

0200 KL time / 1800 GMT / 1400 EST
 
But Dirt I thought you were a battleship man? :V
Sci-fi is nothing with out small ships darting in to attack a vulnerable big ship and then the camera pulls back centered on the fighters and the capship explodes.

I grew up reading Rogue Squadron, watching Star Wars, playing wing commander and x-wing and tiefighter. Space fighters are my child hood :p

But yes gib nagamon
 
Last edited:
Reminder to all, Voting opens in 3 hours from now (which will be when i'm asleep :V)

0200 KL time / 1800 GMT / 1400 EST
I predict I will woke up to bandwagen
Sci-fi is nothing with out small ships darting in to attack a vulnerable big ship and then the camera pulls back centered on the fighters and the capship explodes.

I grew up reading Rogue Squadron, watching Star Wars, playing wing commander and x-wing and tiefighter. Space fighters are my child hood :p

But yes gib nagamon
What we need is an ultra-super-mega-dreadnought with internal dock that can fit capships. Then we can play carrier with cruisers as the 'fighters'.
 
I'm a little surprised, but I guess people are still discussibg.

Anyhow, voting is open. Go wild y'all. : p
 
Sci-fi is nothing with out small ships darting in to attack a vulnerable big ship and then the camera pulls back centered on the fighters and the capship explodes.

I grew up reading Rogue Squadron, watching Star Wars, playing wing commander and x-wing and tiefighter. Space fighters are my child hood :p

But yes gib nagamon
Y'know, that's kinda what corvettes and DDs could do, if need be... <.<
 
[X] Plan- Flexibility
- [X] Crisis Management
- [X] Reduce 13th Fleet
- [X] Medium Task Force
 
Last edited:
[X] Plan I Guess This Is My Plan
- [X] Constitutional Law
- [X] Disband 13th Fleet
- [X] Medium Task Force
 
Last edited:
[X] Plan- Flexibility
[X] Crisis Management
[X] Reduce 13th Fleet
[X] Medium Force

Your formatting should look like @anowack , if you do it like this the vote tally gets all wonky.

Also it's Task Force, peeps, not just Force.
Adhoc vote count started by Whiskey Golf on Dec 10, 2018 at 9:41 PM, finished with 5 posts and 2 votes.

  • [X] Plan- Flexibility
    [X] Crisis Management
    [X] Reduce 13th Fleet
    [X] Medium Force
    [X] Plan I Guess This Is My Plan
    - [X] Constitutional Law
    - [X] Disband 13th Fleet
    - [X] Medium Force
 
[X] Plan Practical Politick
-[X] Political Etiquette
-[X] Disband 13th Fleet
-[X] Heavy Task Force

[] Plan Practical Politick, Reduced Edition
-[] Political Etiquette
-[] Reduce 13th Fleet
-[] Heavy Task Force

Justification:
1. Etiquette is the #1 hole. Once this is settled, we can start working on other stuff.
2. We can't leave the rim hanging.
3. Go big or go home. Make training cruises great again. :V
 
Last edited:
Fixed, but you did have it as just a medium force in the posted choices
Damn, so you're right. Fixed. Aaaaaaaaaargh.

[X] Plan Practical Politick, Disband Edition
-[X] Political Etiquette
-[X] Disband 13th Fleet
-[X] Heavy Task Force

[X] Plan Practical Politick, Reduced Edition
-[X] Political Etiquette
-[X] Reduce 13th Fleet
-[X] Heavy Task Force


Justification:
1. Etiquette is the #1 hole. Once this is settled, we can start working on other stuff.
2. We can't leave the rim hanging.
3. Go big or go home. Make training cruises great again. :V
My man, you gotta pick either Disband or Reduce, and you can only do 1 plan per person. Give people chance la :V :p

(The feeling i had the first time I managed to put a plan that people voted for, it was euphoric...)
 
Back
Top