The Shadow of Old Transgressions (Homeworld/Mass Effect Crossover Quest)
- Thread starter Arcanestomper
- Start date
- Crossover Sci-Fi
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- Tags
- homeworld mass effect
Just for the record I know I've been slipping on the updates in all my quests. So I think it's only fair to tell you all that I've been kind of running out of steam when it comes to writing them. I know that sounds kind of bad, but I fully intend to keep running all of them. I haven't lost interest, I've just kind of had an all pervasive writer's block when it comes to writing anything.
Honestly I'm not sure how to fix that, but I plan to at least try and reorganize how I approach them, and maybe try and do a bit of extra writing done in the times when I do have a spark of creativity. All of which is to say I can't promise more regular updates, but thought I should at least let everyone know why the updates have been slower.
Honestly I'm not sure how to fix that, but I plan to at least try and reorganize how I approach them, and maybe try and do a bit of extra writing done in the times when I do have a spark of creativity. All of which is to say I can't promise more regular updates, but thought I should at least let everyone know why the updates have been slower.
A question while your here, are we going to learn the Kadeshi and Keeper research skills now that we have had the opportunity to see them work?
Well the thing is the Kushan, Kadeshi, and Irunese are not exactly that on the level of the Bentusi. It's more than just a technology thing. It's because the crew of a frigate simply can't put the same kind of effort that even a single Unbound Bentusi can into something. It's why I've been putting the Flicker races as a single option instead of multiple.
That said the Keepers probably can keep up. I'll split them off into their own research option and give the specialty of Progenitor tech.
If I was going to give them specialties the Kushan would be Metallurgy, the Kadeshi would be Propulsion, and the Irunese would be Logistics.
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Understandable.
Looking back at the Project list, we apparently have a Drone core for one of the eight or so Gatekeeper variants. Is that a hard limit, or would that core be broadly compatible with roughly similar mission profiles? The Magus is a fair bit more cerebral, but lugging two anti-capital ion cannons or a defense field would require an offhand change in programming by an Unbound who is going to do the decision making for them in combat anyway.
You'll need a drone for each different class of ship. I could say that if it only has minor weapon variations it could use the same drone core, but in that case it would basically be the same class anyway.
Archivist Grim
Totally not AI
- Location
- The abyss
- Pronouns
- He/Him/They
Time to see what's going to occur with the reapers
Turn 8.2: The Siege
Core Space
Arak SystemThe Grand Conclave
Deciding that there is no time to waste the fleet immediately recalls as many of the acolytes and resource drones as will fit in the hangars. Which isn't all of them. In order to cleanse the megalith quite a few extra were made and these are ordered to self destruct in order to prevent Bentusi technology from falling into the wrong hands.
With that done the rest of you form up for entry into hyperspace and begin calculating the vectors needed for the first of many jumps needed to reach the Grand Conclave. As usual you are the first one to calculate the quantum waveform and quickly distribute it to your friends. After a few moments to align your hyperspace cores quantum gates engulf you all and you are away.
Despite the hurry though there is no real way to speed up the journey. You must still jump from system to system to realign yourselves in real space and charge your hyperspace cores. So you have quite some time to discuss what you might find and how to counter the threat of the Void Wraiths.
It is during one of those discussions that Oracle 13 proposes a solution to the subversion beam weapon employed by the wraith flagship. By tuning a defensive field specifically for the infection particles it can be made more efficient and less power hungry. This will allow every ship in the fleet to mount one of these downsized modules. Although they won't help against anything else it's a relief to not need to worry about being subverted anymore, and Aurora makes several spare modules to distribute to any allies you might meet in the Arak system.
Unfortunately what it won't do is protect against the other side of the subversion weapon. Which is that it is a quite powerful energy blast in addition to its more insidious properties. And unfortunately even down scaled as they are the immunity fields are too large to be mounted on your acolytes, cherubs, and dervishes. They will need to rely on their ability to dodge to survive.
Still even a partial solution is enough to improve the mood in your fleet substantially. You have made progress against countering the wraiths before you even met them again. It is a source of great optimism for you and your friends. Something you dearly need as you finally exit the quantum gates into the Arak system.
The Arak system is home to the grand conclave, which in turn has governed the galaxy for almost three thousand years. Successive governments have come and gone, but all have worked to improve the security of the seat of their government, and as such the Grand Conclave is the most heavily defended station in the galaxy. Not even Bentus is as heavily protected, though Bentus can of course far jump at any time they need to.
The defenses of the Grand Conclave are numerous and multi-layered. Three separate spheres of interdiction prevent hyperspace jumping along any but approved channels. Each sphere is covered with defense stations the size of small moons, and has its own separate defense fleet. These are in addition to the Arak System's system defense fleet, the Grand Conclave's guardians, and whatever Taiidan patrol fleets happen to be in the area.
Despite all this Ulysses's projections were that the Wraiths would still win given time. So you expected to arrive at a pitched battle, but even those expectations did not prepare you for the sheer carnage before you.
The Arak system defense fleet has been massacred. Hundreds of wrecks drift through space from tiny interceptors to hulking battleships and everything in between. The massive debris fields centers around the burned out ruin of the defensive stations of the first sphere. It seems you have arrived too late for the start of the siege and the wraiths are already working on the second sphere.
And the wraiths in question have quite an imposing fleet. Four flagship class dreadnoughts float amid a mass of missile cruisers and carriers with a small number of wraith destroyers escorting them. These in turn are surrounded by a swarm of subverted Turanic raiders and Taiidan ships with black armor patchily covering what you know suspect is battle damage from subversion weapons.
The worst of it though is what is at the very center of the formation. A massive ship covered in twisted red organic matter. Your tactical submind pins its energy emissions as being from the very first flagship you fought, but it has been subsumed and extended. The crimson matter hasn't just replaced its lost bow section, but extended it to nearly twice the length of the other dreadnoughts. Plasma throwers dot its hull and the entire forward section seems to be a massive plasma cannon. Even as you watch it emits a plasma ball the size of a cruiser at the main defensive station anchoring the second sphere.
Fortunately said station is a monster in its own right dwarfing even the infected dreadnought and with defensive fields that turn aside even that massive bombardment. Supporting it are the elite battleships and cruisers of the Conclave Guardians. They are crewed by the most veteran crews of the Taiidan Republic and their ships have been augmented with hoarded progenitor technology. So for now they are holding their own.
It is somewhat concerning however that these are the only defending ships you can see. The Taiidan patrol fleets that normally guard the conclave are nowhere to be seen, and there isn't enough battle wreckage or subverted ships to account for them.
That is not the most immediate concern however. No the question currently being debated in the fleet is how will you contribute to this fight.
[ ] Surprise Attack
You have a little bit of time before the wraith ships are able to register your arrival. Time in which you can make a tactical hyperspace jump directly into the wraith fleet. Surprise and speed will allow you to do a great deal of damage. Though not enough to win this fight on its own. It would be best to hit the wraith capital ships. Their escorts can be dealt with later.
-[ ] Target: The Infected Dreadnought
-[ ] Target: The other dreadnoughts
-[ ] Target: The missile cruisers
-[ ] Target: The carriers
[ ] Build Up the Fleet
There is a substantial amount of debris that can be salvaged. In the time before the wraith notice you and divert their forces to engage your fleet Aurora and Iuno can put it to good use and produce some additional drone warships while the rest of you build up your strike fighter force.
[ ] Rendezvous with the Guardians
You can go around to the other side of the Conclave and convince the Guardians to open up part of the sphere for you to slip in. This would allow you to communicate with them to both coordinate a defense and transfer your immune modules to them.
[ ] Write In
Perform some other strategy I haven't thought of.
[x] Rendezvous with the Guardians
With how we don't have a fleet the most impactful thing we can do is prevent the ability by the enemy to replace losses with the casualties of their enemies and our allies.
With how we don't have a fleet the most impactful thing we can do is prevent the ability by the enemy to replace losses with the casualties of their enemies and our allies.
I am fine with this outcome. So long as we save the fleet, and it's irreplaceable tech as well as the political entity they are guarding, they can be dealt with as able once the various flicker races fully mobilize.
- Location
- United States
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[X] Rendezvous with the Guardians
It is working yes.
[X] Surprise Attack
-[X] Target: The Infected Dreadnought
Might as well hit them while we can. An attack from behind might well give us a chance to take that massive pain in the ass out of commission (again).
Though perhaps we could send one vessel to rendezvous with the Guardians - say Aurora, so she can make plenty of those modules?
-[X] Target: The Infected Dreadnought
Might as well hit them while we can. An attack from behind might well give us a chance to take that massive pain in the ass out of commission (again).
Though perhaps we could send one vessel to rendezvous with the Guardians - say Aurora, so she can make plenty of those modules?
- Location
- USA
[X] Surprise Attack
-[X] Target: The Missile Cruisers
Our last fight had our missiles giving us a respectable advantage once we didn't have to worry about the Wraith's missiles. We have counters to the carriers, the dreadnoughts are tough but equaled by the defense stations, the super-dreadnought is too much for us to be if real impact.
Secure our missile dominance, then regroup with the Guardians and focus on the Carriers. Let the defense stations stymie the dreadnoughts until we remove their support and begin overwhelming them with missiles and fighters.
-[X] Target: The Missile Cruisers
Our last fight had our missiles giving us a respectable advantage once we didn't have to worry about the Wraith's missiles. We have counters to the carriers, the dreadnoughts are tough but equaled by the defense stations, the super-dreadnought is too much for us to be if real impact.
Secure our missile dominance, then regroup with the Guardians and focus on the Carriers. Let the defense stations stymie the dreadnoughts until we remove their support and begin overwhelming them with missiles and fighters.
TheOmnimercurial
Dragon Bard
- Location
- UK
I think a Multiple approach may be best.
Ulysses to surprise attacked the Dreadnought.
Send a messenger to the Guardians with design data for Field Protection Vs subversion.
While building upon our Drones and Drone Commanders.
Ulysses to surprise attacked the Dreadnought.
Send a messenger to the Guardians with design data for Field Protection Vs subversion.
While building upon our Drones and Drone Commanders.
the siege cannon wont do enough damage to the dreadnaught to matter, it wont even kill the cruisers unless it sets off a chain reaction, the reason the siege cannon is so good is because its an aoe weapon that will kill most of its targets escorts meaning you can send in a wave of bombers to finish off most enemies, but the dreadnaught will be escorted by battleships and cruisers which wont die and it can likely just dock its fighter escort because of the siege cannons projectile travel time
Geas
Meat Thing
One cannot overlook that the siege cannon is one of the most powerful ship-mounted weapon systems there is, arguably surpassed only by the main guns of Progenitor Dreadnoughts and Sajuuk. Will it kill the flagship? No (it might not do any appreciable damage at all without further analysis of the Void Wraiths and adjusting its damage output to compensate ala Homeworld Cataclysm), but remember that this is a gun that will literally vaporize anything the size of a destroyer or smaller, and can seriously cripple almost anything else.
With that being said...
[X] Surprise Attack - Blitz Attack
-[X] Target: The carriers
I say target the carriers with Ulysses's siege cannon. It'll heavily-damage the carriers and destroy or cripple a significant number of their escorts, and more importantly hinder their ability to harass us and the Guardians. Edit: after that siege cannon surprise, we rush the carriers and hammer them while they're still reeling from having a baby star blow up in their faces. I also think that having Aurora and Iuno hang back - or better yet - attempt to rendezvous with the Guardians while the rest of our fleet blitzes the carriers would be ideal. Normally I don't like splitting my forces, but I don't like the thought of those two getting stuck in with us if something goes wrong.
Edit: to further expand, I'm fairly certain that between the rest of our little flotilla and Flicker Friends, we can blitz the hell out of those carriers and probably take out a number of the missile cruisers.
Best case scenario, we take out every carrier, hammer the crap out of a number of those missile cruisers, and wipe out no small fraction of the escorts, then full burn right for the safety of the Guardians' defenses before those dreadnoughts and that monster flagship can fully reorient themselves and retaliate. At the very least, we should be able to savage the hell out of those carriers and force the Void Wraiths to reorder their line of battle to protect them.
Either way, we'll almost certainly take some hits escaping from the Void Wraiths' formation, but with our newly augmented defenses that damn subversion beam is a damage-only threat, one that can be managed as long as our more delicate Flicker Friends are shielded by the bulk of our larger ships. When we make it back to the Guardians, Aurora and Iuno, we can slap some very hasty patches onto the hits we do take, then coordinate with the Guardians for a proper counter-offensive.
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- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
[X] Surprise Attack - Blitz Attack
-[X] Target: The carriers
I agree with the plan to hit the carriers and retreat. If we take out their mobile forces we can win a long range siege weapon duel once we retreat to the fixed defenses.
-[X] Target: The carriers
I agree with the plan to hit the carriers and retreat. If we take out their mobile forces we can win a long range siege weapon duel once we retreat to the fixed defenses.
[X] Surprise Attack - Blitz Attack
-[X] Target: The carriers
-[X] Target: The carriers
Voting 8.2
Hmm, technically rendezvous won, but four people did want the surprise attack. They just wanted a different target. I know it's already been a while, but I think I would like it if there was one or two more votes. I won't wait too long though. If there isn't a deciding factor by tonight I will go with a merged option.
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