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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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My first thoughts are to go for the internal Federation infiltrations first. But there isn't enough storage to complete even that.

I am uncertain - did the collective Singers actually intend for Zarael to help the Federation? Or did they expect her suicide?
 
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AKuz said:
"Yes," Zarael says, almost reluctantly, "I could have. I have always wanted to draw back from the typical… tools, the other Singers employed. But despite my best efforts, I remain as reliant on them as ever," Zarael says with regret, "My time on Yalla was my own eccentric project, to attempt to steer without the use of our typical devices. But if our method of control is an art, oratory is a much harder one. Ultimately, we can make someone do anything, and soothe their troubled psyche after the fact. But to say the right words, to make Wolfe put down the phaser, or to make you tougher, as I would with any Speaker candidate… that is much more difficult."
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Ha! Zarael was the Yalla Spike! That's why Courageous couldn't find any sign of records-she'd already moved herself into the main computer core.
 
[65kq] -Full theoretical underpinnings of Singer Psychi-Cybertech.

I know it's costly, but this right here seems more important to me than all the other options taken together...
 
AKuz said:
[65kq] -Full theoretical underpinnings of Singer Psychi-Cybertech.
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I think we have to go for this if we want any kind of long-term solution to the Harmony problem. Throwing our analysts at this should hopefully teach us to detect Singers, proving their existence to the Federation as a whole, and effectively neutering the Harmony's espionage capabilities-with their intelligence-gathering completely reliant on the Singers, their advantage over the rest of the quadrant balances on a single brick that we can kick out.

Also? There are Starfleet officers and Federation citizens actively compromised by Harmony psy-tech. The faster we can safely remove them the better.
 
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Forgothrax said:
@AKuz Mechanically speaking, is this a "statline git" option, or does it open up weaknesses, or is it a +tech option?
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Statline git as well as opening up other options that come from having the plans to look at. Though we're not talking, for example, the level of damage Caitians letting the Lecarre steal copies of our sensors.
 
Plan thoughts:
My immediate wish is to peek at their ship stuff, which is probably the worst possible options. Options 2, 3, and 6 looks at ships specs. At worst we get the CSHLPD ship stat values. At best we get massive boosts to our ship building tech. I feel this is a massive trap because the Harmony isn't going to be dealt with by speeding up the next gen of ships. We might get some percent-bonus on attacking/defending against those ships, but that's a war.
 
Voting for the cybernetics is a trap. If we know it exists and Zara has the summary on it, then Intel can put together an op to capture and extract the tech from a Singer. Proving it is relatively easy once you know about it.
 
[X] Plan Infiltration and Past Crimes
-[25kq] -Full details of planned operations in Felis space.
-[15kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration of Nessic space.
-[15kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration of Licori space.
-[10kq] -Full records of the Harmony's actions when they intervened in Padani space.
-[05kq] -Full records of the Harmony's actions in regards to their intervention on Kelowna.

So, here's my thinking on this very early plan. Knowing that implants are being used for subversion is less important than knowing that subversion is happening, because full details on what subversion is occurring will imply that implants were used, based on how it was supposed to occur or is currently occurring. As to the options about subversion themselves, I think that showing it occurred to non-member species is more important than what's going on inside the UFP, in the long run. The UFP is much more likely to say "we believe our own service, Starfleet, when they say we've been infiltrated" than other powers are. So, we need to show it happened to all of these various minor powers, as opposed to being something directed against the UFP.

I also support getting the details on past infiltration and subversion operations against the Padani and Tauni on the basis that they have the right to know everything that happened, and deserve to have the various operations against them recognized. Also, it gets us two more powers that have been infiltrated for relatively low kiloquaddage.
 
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I am pleased that we have things measured in kiloquads. (Or isotons, but we aren't dialling in torpedo yields here, so.) Real units are just so unreliable when one peers into a wild SF future.
Also, debates about compression algorithms and data formats of the future are great but not what I'm here for.
 
Raw90 said:
[] Plan Infiltration and Past Crimes
-[25kq] -Full details of planned operations in Felis space.
-[15kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration of Nessic space.
-[15kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration of Licori space.
-[10kq] -Full records of the Harmony's actions when they intervened in Padani space.
-[05kq] -Full records of the Harmony's actions in regards to their intervention on Kelowna.

So, here's my thinking on this very early plan. Knowing that implants are being used for subversion is less important than knowing that subversion is happening, because full details on what subversion is occurring will imply that implants were used, based on how it was supposed to occur or is currently occurring. As to the options about subversion themselves, I think that showing it occurred to non-member species is more important than what's going on inside the UFP, in the long run. The UFP is much more likely to say "we believe our own service, Starfleet, when they say we've been infiltrated" than other powers are. So, we need to show it happened to all of these various minor powers, as opposed to being something directed against the UFP.

I also support getting the details on past infiltration and subversion operations against the Padani and Tauni on the basis that they have the right to know everything that happened, and deserve to have the various operations against them recognized. Also, it gets us two more powers that have been infiltrated for relatively low kiloquaddage.
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I would like to get at least one internal info outline-knowing the full details makes it more likely that we can capture their information intact when we move against them, and we have the most readily available resources in Federation space. Maybe the Laio?

Strategywise I'm also not sure about the Nessic-they're so distant we can't regularly contact them with this info, and if the Harmony reacts to them finding out by going full salt the earth we can't protect them.
 
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-[10kq] -Full records of the Harmony's actions when they intervened in Padani space.

This one in particular seems like a very useful take, another great pwoer on our side is very if we want to face the Harmony down at some point. Though it could have unintended consequences. With the truth revealed the Padani might take soem radaicals teps to neutralize the threat...
 
Ato said:
-[10kq] -Full records of the Harmony's actions when they intervened in Padani space.

This one in particular seems like a very useful take, another great pwoer on our side is very if we want to face the Harmony down at some point. Though it could have unintended consequences. With the truth revealed the Padani might take soem radaicals teps to neutralize the threat...
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The Padani already completely believe that the Harmony is a threat. I believe it's been noted that they're in the planning stages for a massive preemptive strike.
 
I'm actually not certain that cybernetics is a trap. We haven't been able to detect it and a summary is a far-cry from theoretical underpinnings. Our neighbours haven't been able to do much without actual dissections and mind-rape, those are less than invasive and non-conclusive until after the damage.

It could provide jamming or at least some certainty against further infiltration and provide a path towards (undamaging) removal.

Okay, with how the math works out let's get one possible plan out of the way.

[] Plan Short-and-Long Term:
-[65kq] -Full theoretical underpinnings of Singer Psychi-Cybertech.
-[05kq] -Current Harmony Military deployments.

Both plans will (likely) provide short-and-long term paths on proceeding.
Short:
-Harmony deployments prevent us from planning our next deployments in the dark. Prepare for likely invasion paths or disruption. It'll give us a full accounting of their military assets and we can plan accordingly.
-Psychi-Cybertech info will (likely) halt further infiltration through detection, and hopefully jamming to disrupt coordination efforts.
Long:
-In case of invasion, in either direction of the border, it'll let us make long-term plans on how to defend ourselves or dismantle them.
-Might give us a way to, ideally, bring the Harmony to the surface of their society. Somehow prevent the Singers from direct manipulation/puppeting the populace, but allowing the Singers to cooexist peacefully. Hit directly on the network that's the primary cause of the problem.
 
Still thinking about going for Full theoretical underpinnings of Singer Psychi-Cybertech but if not this i would take of the other options:

[] Plan Border intel
[25kq] -Full details of planned operations in Felis space.
This might get the Felis on our side in the struggle vs the horizon
[15kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration of Nessic space.
They have convinced one of the 4 powers in this region to join finding out that it was based on the singers work will cause a lot of trouble for them
[15kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration of Licori space.
Maybe we can help end the civil war in that region with this information
[05kq] -Full records of the Harmony's actions in regards to their intervention on Kelowna.
Part of the tauni live inside horizon space this might help us with those worlds.
[05kq] -Current Harmony Military deployments.
In case of them snapping and starting a war
[05kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration of Laian space.
Spending the last 5 points
 
[] Plan Cut the Branches
-[25kq] -Full details of planned operations in Felis space.
-[15kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration of Licori space.
-[15kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration of Bolian space.
-[15kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration of OSA space.
-[05kq] -Full records of the Harmony's actions in regards to their intervention on Kelowna.
-[05kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration of Laian space.
-[05kq] -Current Harmony Military deployments.

Okay, Forgothrax's point that we could theoretically get the understanding to put together anti-Singer countermeasures normally now that we know this exists is a good one. We have two victims who will need deep medical scans and a lot of therapy to study. So here's a plan focusing on cutting off the Harmony's current outreach programs that we can reach, identifying operations we can raid inside our space, and knowing where we stand if they decide to react by shooting at us. Their operations within our space itself that we know of aren't that extensive-the Honiani file, for example, is probably at least 4/5's season 1 Picard speeches about religion. Provided we can identify the mole on the Council, we can clean up our coreward members with internal policing campaigns and help from the member fleets.

I consider the Licori and OSA especially critical, because the Harmony is currently going full ragemode on the OSA and the Licori are in the middle of a civil war. Those situations are likely to become full-on crises when the reveal hits and knowing what the Harmony assets are is critical.
 
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Interesting!
And now we have to choose basically either the implants plus either the Tauni interventions (as most damming) or the Laian interventions (as the most recent), or some package of their other society-hacking. I agree with Raw90, the 'conventional' ship spec intel we can leave for conventional intel gathering.
 
AKuz said:
You can save 70 kiloquads of data:
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*screams in frustration*
AKuz said:
[65kq] -Full theoretical underpinnings of Singer Psychi-Cybertech.
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I don't know. I don't think it's a trap, but taking this probably means we can't really frustrate the HoH's current operations for a while because we dropped that info for this.
AKuz said:
[40kq] -Full specifications on the Harmony's currently deployed military vessels.

[30kq] -Full specifications on the Harmony's next generation frigate program.

[20kq] -Proposed specifications for the Harmony's next-generation cruiser program.
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Meh, can theoretically be gained through normal intel. Theoretically. Whether we have enough ap....
AKuz said:
[05kq] -Current Harmony Military deployments.
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I am not sure what good this would do us?
AKuz said:
[10kq] -Full records of the Harmony's actions when they intervened in Padani space.

[05kq] -Full records of the Harmony's actions in regards to their intervention on Kelowna.
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This would certainly be a blow to their current diplomatic standing.
AKuz said:
[25kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration in Honiani space.

[20kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration in Rigellian space.

[15kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration in Amarki space.

[05kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration of Laian space.
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AKuz said:
[25kq] -Full details of planned operations in Felis space.

[15kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration of Licori space.

[15kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration of Nessic space.

[15kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration of Bolian space.

[15kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration of OSA space.
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*sigh* Do we focus on getting rid of our internal infiltration (that Councillor is probably hiding in one of these files) or on their infiltration of our neighbours that we're trying to diplomance?
 
Here's my list. I think we can deal with their infiltration of Federation members the old-fashioned way now that we have a clue of what they are.

We owe it to the Tauni and Padani to save their data. If we're going to have ANY chance to save the Bolians we need their data. That brings us up to 30 kiloquads. We can get the data on any two of {Felis, Licori, OSA, Nessic (Space Greeks)}

The Felis are in great danger of being subverted, and we know the Harmony has committed malfeasance among them in the past. That's important. We have leads on the Licori and have an access advantage over the Harmony there.

I'd rather get the data on the Nessics, which we can SHARE with the Nessics and thus halt the Harmony's further efforts in Nessic space, and rely on us being able to contain the Harmony actions in the OSA by other means.

Basically, my priorities are to get data on Harmony operations in the most vulnerable places, the ones where we have the least ability to stop the Harmony using conventional techniques... and to find full records of the information that will explain what happened to the Tauni and the ISC. In particular, IMO it would be unconscionable NOT to take this opportunity to learn what happened to the Tauni, because the Tauni themselves do not fully know and have lost much of their hope of ever uncovering the truth thanks to the accidental destruction of their moon.

[X] Plan Protect the Vulnerable, Remember the Victims
-[25kq] -Full details of planned operations in Felis space.
-[15kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration of Nessic space.
-[15kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration of Bolian space.
-[10kq] -Full records of the Harmony's actions when they intervened in Padani space.
-[05kq] -Full records of the Harmony's actions in regards to their intervention on Kelowna.
 
Glassware said:
[] Plan Cut the Branches
-[25kq] -Full details of planned operations in Felis space.
-[15kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration of Licori space.
-[15kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration of Bolian space.
-[15kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration of OSA space.
-[05kq] -Full records of the Harmony's actions in regards to their intervention on Kelowna.
-[05kq] -Full details of Harmony infiltration of Laian space.
-[05kq] -Current Harmony Military deployments.
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Eh, we can only take 70kq, and your plan takes 85kq.
 
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