Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
To the surprise of no one, least of all the Helghan Intelligence Service, a mature-age student studying at the Karpathian Institute of Technology was recently discovered to be a spy thanks to several rather incautious inquiries he made combined with some worrying patterns of behaviour. A Concordat citizen employed by Wingman Enterprises Limited, the man in question is part of the ongoing exchange program between the Republic and the Taurian Concordat and has been investigating a variety of sensitive areas on Helghan. Among other things, facial recognition systems at the Irradiated Petrusite research facility near Pyrrhus spotted him on several occasions despite him having no plausible reason to be nearby, he maintains an atypical social life and social media presence (I.E he has none), and discreet monitoring has observed him researching various public areas via public library resources.
While being spied upon by its allies is something the Helghan Republic accepts as the price of doing business, what's concerning about this case is the lack of clarity involved in the situation. Though the man hails from the Concordat and bears all the signs of being a Taurian spy, he has yet to have any contact with members of the Taurian diplomatic mission to Helghan either physically or electronically. As a result, several hypotheses have been drawn up by the team in charge of monitoring him to explain his actions. Sorted by order of most to least likely, the hypotheticals are as follow:
He has yet to acquire the information he's looking for/does not have enough information to justify reporting back.
His contact is some as-yet-unknown handler.
He does not work for the Taurians.
Naturally, the team responsible for tracking his actions has several suggestions as to what should be done about him and they range from circumspect to… not.
The first plan suggested is to deploy a team of specialists to track the man and his movements from a distance and rely on extant passive systems to observe him as he moves about Helghan. In effect, the specialists will be passive observers trailing the man and whoever he meets with from a distance in the hopes of identifying his goal and any other members of his cell. This plan has the advantage of being the most subtle of those suggested and could potentially result in him leading the Republic to his handlers, however, the amount of slack he must be given risks him slipping the leash, there's always the possibility that he might spot the team and flee, and it will be difficult to intervene should he do something undesirable.
The second option is similar in many ways to the first in that a team of specialists will be deployed to observe the spy's actions, however in place of relying on pre-existing systems, active monitoring systems such as microphones, cameras, keyloggers, etc, will be installed in the man's living quarters and property to monitor him in close proximity. Though offering greater access to the man and his plans, this suggestion also runs the risk of being discovered and the spy either going to ground or feeding the Republic false information
The third and final suggestion, the least subtle, is to burn the spy in an attempt to flush out any co-conspirators that might exist on Helghan. By monitoring the social circles of those he interacts with and then very publicly picking him up, the Republic can attempt to flush out and identify other spies while simultaneously making clear to his bosses that he's been burned as a resource. Once identified, the other spies can be monitored at the Republic's leisure and ejected when necessary. Naturally, however, it should be kept in mind that this will make it clear that the Republic is on to whoever is behind this spying activity, and failing to identify co-conspirators is a distinct possibility that should not be ignored.
[] Passive Monitoring.
[] Active Monitoring.
[] Smoke Them Out.
[] Write-in.
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Actions
You have 8 out of 13 Action Points to spend. 1 Action Point is being spent colonising Charybdis. 1 point is being spent building the FTL comms network to Canopus. 1 point is being spent building the FTL comms network to Taurus. 1 point is being spent building the FTL comms network to Coromodir. 1 Action Point is being spent on the Zulim Taw Mech Construction Facility.
Caliban:
Note: Write it out as [X] Action (Pact) to impact the Pact and [X] Action (Khan) to impact the Khan
[] Weaken Economy (Pact/Khan) [Easy]: By utilizing agents seeded throughout Caliban, we can weaken the economies of target by debasing their currencies with forgeries.
[] Infiltrate Civil Administration (Khan) [Easy]: By infiltrating the civilian leadership, we can improve our ability to ferment dissent amongst the populace.
[] Infiltrate Army (Pact/Khan) [Medium]: By infiltrating the military, we can more easily raid targets of opportunity and stage incidents.
[] Ferment Dissent (Pact/Khan) [Medium]: By producing and spreading certain forbidden materials throughout the people of this faction, our agents can potentially incite dissent against the powers-that-be.
[] Raid Salary Trains (Pact/Khan) [Medium]: By utilizing agents seeded throughout Caliban, we can disrupt payment to military forces and reduce their morale and loyalty.
[] Stage Border Incident (Pact/Khan) [Hard]: With communications to their forces spotty at best, it would be possible, albeit difficult, to stage a border incident and heighten tensions with the relevant group.
[] Orchestrate Coup (Pact/Khan) [Extremely Hard]: By training and arming those whose beliefs align with those of the Republic, we can remove those in charge and install elements friendly towards us.
[Progress: 0/2 turns] [-1,000,000 C-Bills/turn] [Effectiveness increases with dissent/support of Republic ideology]
[] Write-in
Rockwellawan:
[] Offer Joint Exercises: With a hostile power to their north, the people of Rockwellawan might be open to joint exercises between the Republic Army and their own militia.
[] Write-in
The Aurigan Coalition:
[] Joint Mineral Exploitation Program - Gangtok (20m): Having detected numerous mineral deposits across the Aurigan Reach which could prove valuable to both the Republic and the Reach's citizens, organizing a joint mining effort would be beneficial.
[] Joint Research Program Groundwork: Having already developed close business ties with the Aurigan Coalition's industrial centres, now is the time to grow those bonds into something meaningful. While it's too soon to approach the Coalition with the idea of a joint research program, efforts can be made towards laying the groundwork…
[Progress: 0/2 turns]
[] Infiltrate Aurigan Society: Sending intelligence operatives to infiltrate Aurigan society will allow us to carry out subversive activities.
[X] Expand FTL Comms Network: Having had to promise to link Coromodir to the Republic's own FTL communication network to secure the Aurigan vote for the Mutual Defence Pact, we should build said link ASAP. [Progress: 1/2 turns] [2 Turns Remain Until Negative Effects Occur] [Action Point Locked Until Completed]
Taurian Concordat:
[] Infiltrate Taurian Society: Sending intelligence operatives to infiltrate Taurian society will allow us to carry out subversive activities.
[] Offer Joint Design Project (Hephaestus Ltd.): Inviting Vandenberg Mechanized Industries into the Republic was only the first step in a plan to lay the groundwork for a joint research program. The next step involves offering VMI a joint design project with Hephaestus Ltd.
[This is mutually exclusive with Offer Joint Design Project (Pharoah Automated Solutions)]
[] Offer Joint Design Project (Pharoah Automated Solutions): Inviting Vandenberg Mechanized Industries into the Republic was only the first step in a plan to lay the groundwork for a joint research program. The next step involves offering VMI a joint design project with Pharoah Automated Solutions.
[This is mutually exclusive with Offer Joint Design Project (Hephaestus Ltd.)]
[X] Expand FTL Comms Network: Having had to promise to link Taurus to the Republic's own FTL communication network to secure the Taurian vote for the Mutual Defence Pact, we should build said link ASAP. [Progress: 1/3 turns] [2 Turns Remain Until Negative Effects Occur] [Action Point Locked Until Completed]
Magistracy of Canopus:
[] Infiltrate Canopian Society: Sending intelligence operatives to infiltrate Canopian society will allow us to carry out subversive activities.
[] Approve Development Grant (Konstantine Institute of Technology): Inviting Tao Biomedical into the Republic was only the first step in a plan to lay the groundwork for a joint research program with the Magistracy. For the next step, we should approve grants for a proposed Tao-KIT project to develop advanced expert systems for medical diagnosis.
[This is mutually exclusive with Approve Development Grant (Arrasate Worker Cooperative)]
[] Approve Development Grant (Arrasate Worker Cooperative): Inviting Tao Biomedical into the Republic was only the first step in a plan to lay the groundwork for a joint research program with the Magistracy. For the next step, we should approve grants for a proposed Tao-Arrasate project to develop caretaker drones for the medical industry.
[This is mutually exclusive with Approve Development Grant (Konstantine Institute of Technology)]
[X] Expand FTL Comms Network: Having had to promise to link Canopus to the Republic's own FTL communication network to secure the Canopian vote for the Mutual Defence Pact, we should build said link ASAP. [Progress: 3/5 turns] [2 Turns Remain Until Negative Effects Occur] [Action Point Locked Until Completed]
Federated Suns:
[] Write-in (Convince me you've got something good to request through your embassy)
[] Infiltrate FedSuns Society: Sending intelligence operatives to infiltrate Sun's society will allow us to carry out subversive activities.
Free Worlds League:
[] Write-in (Convince me you've got something good)
[] Negotiate an embassy with the Free Worlds League.
[] Infiltrate FWL Society: Sending intelligence operatives to infiltrate League society will allow us to carry out subversive activities.
Capellan Confederation:
[] Write-in (Convince me you've got something good)
[] Negotiate an embassy with the Capellan Confederation.
[] Infiltrate Capellan Society: Sending intelligence operatives to infiltrate Capellan society will allow us to carry out subversive activities.
Celestial Mandate:
[] Open Diplomatic Relations with the Celestial Mandate.
[] Continue Infiltration of Mandate Society: Sending intelligence operatives to further infiltrate Mandate society will allow us to better carry out subversive activities.
[] Infiltrate Civil Administration [Easy]: By infiltrating the civilian leadership, we can improve our ability to ferment dissent amongst the populace.
[] Infiltrate Military [Medium]: By infiltrating the military, we can more easily raid targets of opportunity, stage incidents, and gather intelligence on deployments.
[] Ferment Dissent [Medium]: By producing and spreading certain forbidden materials throughout the people of this faction, our agents can potentially incite dissent against the powers-that-be.
[] Stage diplomatic incident [Hard]: Through agents in positions of power, we can stage border incidents justifying military response.
[] Orchestrate Coup [Extremely Hard]: By training and arming those whose beliefs align with those of the Republic, we can remove those in charge and install elements friendly towards us. [Progress: 0/15 turns] [-10,000,000 C-Bills/turn] [Effectiveness increases and time decreases with dissent/support of Republic ideology]
[] Write-in
Inner Sphere:
[] Open diplomatic relations with the Lyran Commonwealth
[] Open diplomatic relations with the Draconis Combine
General:
[] Construct a Charon-class freighter: Task your shipyards with constructing a Charon-class freighter.
[Can be taken multiple times in a turn]
[] Construct a Bellerophon-class colony ship: Task your shipyards with constructing a Bellerophon-class colony ship.
[Can be taken multiple times in a turn]
[] Survey Helghan for Additional Petrusite Deposits: With the news that Petrusite deposits will eventually regenerate, now is the time to resurvey old mining sites and look for new ones.
[Progress: 0/5 turns] [Action Point Locked Until Completed]
[X] Invest in Battlemech Construction and Maintenance Facilities: Though the Republic currently has a standing force of battlemechs on Helghan, the parts needed to maintain and repair these vehicles must be custom made to order or else purchased from our neighbours. With the help of some additional funding, we can order work to begin on a factory complex specially designed to construct battlemechs.
[Progress: 2/3 turns] [Action Point Locked Until Completed]
[] Geothermal Hotspot Exploitation (Independence): Using our understanding of Terrain Engineering, we can tap the same geothermal hotspots responsible for Independence's island chains to power the planet safely and reliably.
[Progress: 0/2 turns] [Action Point Locked Until Completed]
[] Mountain Range Removal (Helghan): Using our understanding of Terrain Engineering, we can remove an inconvenient mountain range blocking exploitation of a major Petrusite deposit.
[Progress: 0/2 turns] [Action Point Locked Until Completed]
[] Construct solar parasol over Charybdis: A hot, wet world plagued by storms, we can attempt to tame the wild weather by deploying a massive solar parasol between the planet and its sun.
[Progress: 0/4 turns] [Action Point Locked Until Completed]
[] Target Smuggler Network: We cannot allow Helghan military equipment to be stolen and sold to the highest bidder by criminals. As such, we should make the destruction of this network a priority.
[Progress: 0/???]
[] Send out Explorers.
Military:
[] Construct two Hasta-class cruiser Squadrons: Task your shipyards with constructing Six Hasta Cruisers.
[Can be taken multiple times a turn]
[] Construct an Arc Cruiser Squadron: Task your shipyards with constructing Four Arc Cruisers.
[Can be taken up to five times in a turn]
[] Construct a Damascus-Class Carrier Squadron: Task your shipyards with constructing a squadron of Damascus-Class Carriers.
[Can be taken multiple times a turn]
[] Construct a Toxotai-class Guided Missile Cruiser Squadron: Task your shipyards with constructing a squadron of Toxotai Guided Missile Cruisers.
[Can be taken up to two times in a turn]
[] Construct a MAWLR pack: Task your heavy industry with constructing a pack of three MAWLRs.
[Can be taken multiple times in a turn]
[] Raise an Army: Task your military with forming an additional army.
[Can be taken multiple times in a turn so long as there is recruitable population remaining]
[] Workhorse Cruiser Sales (Target Nation): Now that the workhorse cruiser has been marked as obsolete, we can attempt to sell off squadrons of the vessel to regional partners...
[] Construct a military defence station over [LOCATION]
Locations available:
[Can be taken multiple times in a turn]
[] Expand a military defence station over [LOCATION]
Locations available:
[Can be taken multiple times in a turn]
Design:
[] Missile Cruiser Redesign: Order your design teams to redesign the missile cruiser to make use of the latest technological advancements.
[] Arc Cruiser Redesign: Order your design teams to redesign the old arc cruiser to make use of the latest technological advancements.
[] MAWLR Redesign: Order your design teams to redesign the MAWLR to make use of the latest technological advancements.
[] Design write-in: Order your teams to design a solution to a capability-gap. (Just tell me what you're trying to design)
Political:
[] Contact the inhabitants of Spencer
[] Contact the inhabitants of Cygnus
[] Contact the inhabitants of Appian
[] Contact the inhabitants of Fronq
[] Contact the inhabitants of Argus
[] Contact the inhabitants of McEvan's Sacrifice
[] Contact the inhabitants of New Oslo
[] Contact the inhabitants of Tiverton
[X] Colonize Charybdis [Progress: 159,744+1(?)/500,000] [Action Point Locked Until Completed]
===============================
Research
-[X] Research
--[X] Double Heat Sinks [2.87/6]
--[X] Advanced Petrusite Theory [3.8/6]
--[X] Basic Power Armor [4.14/5]]
--[X] Anti-senescence Therapies [3.15/4]
--[] Free Research Team [0.15/--]
--[] Free Research Team [0/--]
===============================
Military Requisition And Design
You have 3 out of 3 Requisition Points to spend on upgrading Helghan's ground forces. These upgrades are given to all active armies at once, though the more armies you have the longer it'll take to roll out changes.
Requisition
[] H405 Keyzer: A worthy successor to the venerable StA-52, the Keyzer continues with Helghast weapon design tradition by melding a bullpup rifle with a high-capacity drum magazine to create something halfway between an assault rifle and a light machine gun. Taking into account feedback from the Helghan military, Hephaestus has motorized the magazine to allow for faster reloading and have introduced a variety of attachments ranging from ACOG scopes to underslung missile launchers.
[] Multi-Missile Launchers: Created by a group of Helgen engineering students gone entrepreneur's as a means of streamlining missile logistics and use by the Helgen Republic and its allies. The MML is designed to replace specialized missile launchers with universal ones able to launch all available ammo types, thereby increasing the combat effectiveness of units equipped with them and easing overall logistical burdens.
[See Rules Document for Statblock and Rules]
[] Burst-Pattern Launchers: The product of a pair of machinists who have since turned to producing units for sale to Periphery militias under the Alter Stiefel label, a Burst Launcher is designed around the usefulness of high powered strikes with a minimum of tonnage invested. [See Rules Document for Statblock and Rules]
Design
[] Battlemech Design: (tell me what you're trying to design)
[] Combat Vehicle Design: (tell me what you're trying to design)
[] ASF Design: (tell me what you're trying to design)
[] Dropship Design: (tell me what you're trying to design)
[] Design write-in: Order your teams to design a solution to a capability-gap. (tell me what you're trying to design)
