That frankly just makes sense given the sheer amount of effort that was put in to get those resources into space, it would be silly to send them down when you can reuse them far more effectively where they are when you have the ability to reprocess them to build or expand new stations and orbital networks.
Who knows some of the damage sustained to the orbital network could be fixable once it can be examined too.
So we completed our plan goals, well that's good to hear and on the nick of time as well! Would have liked to finish off the Shell Plant this turn as well but that's not the end of the world.
But now that this Plan is more or less finished it's time to look to the future and with us not having to put everything out and rebuild everything. I think we can shift to more Space/Military(Navy needs some love!) heavy focus because I for one want to keep an edge over NOD forces for when they return and well more Space is always a win for me.
So we completed our plan goals, well that's good to hear and on the nick of time as well! Would have liked to finish off the Shell Plant this turn as well but that's not the end of the world.
But now that this Plan is more or less finished it's time to look to the future and with us not having to put everything out and rebuild everything. I think we can shift to more Space/Military(Navy needs some love!) heavy focus because I for one want to keep an edge over NOD forces for when they return and well more Space is always a win for me.
Who knows maybe they'll be an option for that next turn so we can get some Background mil upgrades without us having to spend dice on it. Though I'd feel like that'd be for the research part of the upgrade the actual rolling out of new gear would still be up to us.
I'm not sold on a military focus tbh, we've spent 50+ years trying to beat Nod by having the bigger gun and despite handing them their asses on a platter in every pitched battle we fight they have a habit of coming back regardless. Trying the same thing yet again is probably asking for the same results yet again.
Not that I think we should ignore the military, GDI's "peacetime" is what we would call "a constant global Forever War that kills thousands of people every month" so the fighting's never going to be over and the shootymans need their toys. But I also don't think it needs to be the focus, just keep the three dice active every turn and spend the rest of the budget on addressing the root causes. We've tried "spend more on big guns" before, for generations, and yet Nod still exists and hates us as much as ever.
The tertiary education system getting operational again is going to unlock research programs. It's not quite DARPA but the D in DARPA has always been kind of problematic, the general idea of "government funded research to make cool things" is definitely on the table. Granger the upjumped physics professor is just probably going to make it relatively civilian focused compared to what e.g. Cherdenko might have.
I'm not sold on a military focus tbh, we've spent 50+ years trying to beat Nod by having the bigger gun and despite handing them their asses on a platter in every pitched battle we fight they have a habit of coming back regardless. Trying the same thing yet again is probably asking for the same results yet again.
Not that I think we should ignore the military, GDI's "peacetime" is what we would call "a constant moderate intensity global Forever War that kills thousands of people every week" so the fighting's never going to be over and the shootymans need their toys. But I also don't think it needs to be the focus, just keep the three dice active every turn and spend the rest of the budget on addressing the root causes. We've tried "spend more on big guns" before, for generations, and yet Nod still exists and hates us as much as ever
We need to spend on military if for no other reason then aliens exist and Nod is going to attack us eventually. Also well we're a defense program heart.
But I think Granger did more damage to Nod with Yellow zone investments and opening up talks with the Forgotten then most military commanders.
Build housing, food supplies and water supplies? Were worth multitudes of tanks and mechs.
But I think Granger did more damage to Nod with Yellow zone investments and opening up talks with the Forgotten then most military commanders.
Build housing, food supplies and water supplies? Were worth multitudes of tanks and mechs.
The Hawks will not inaccurately claim that the housing, food supplies and water supplies are just tools Nod will use and abuse, because Nod absolutely will try and do that. But so long as the supply lines are secure and deliveries on time and dependable? GDI's 'we would like for the shooting to stop' looks far better than Nod's 'fight and die for the technology of the future', or whatever excuse they want. If GDI does things right, Nod will go from a powerful theocracy with global reach to a religiously fueled terrorist network, to a bunch of old men and women complaining bitterly about 'the good old days' they never saw.
It'll take literal centuries, probably, but it's quite possible.
It was mentioned our efforts so far have chipped at one percent of Nod's support base. We have not really done much in the grand scheme of things. We have housed most of the Yellow Zone refugees on GDI territory and aided the Forgotten but they are a small portion of the human population. Let us not delude ourselves in believing that we have meaningfully weakened Nod's support base yet. We have barely even started.
When it comes to the kinds of impact that you have been having on the Brotherhood's recruitment effort, so far they have been pretty minimal. You have been hurting them in some ways, but there are a lot of yellow zones where you just don't have a major presence. Look at the Chinese interior, the Stans, India, large chunks of Africa, and the like.
It was mentioned our efforts so far have chipped at one percent of Nod's support base. We have not really done much in the grand scheme of things. We have housed most of the Yellow Zone refugees on GDI territory and aided the Forgotten but they are a small portion of the human population. Let us not delude ourselves in believing that we have meaningfully weakened Nod's support base yet. We have barely even started.
We'll get more, further, as we keep these efforts up. Right now, everybody is basically looking to see if the Granger administration is an aberration, a PR ploy or an actual and foundational shift in GDI's policy assumptions.
We'd need to push out, further into the Yellow Zones and extending the programs to there to really bring down Nod's support, but it's possible.
I assume that the relationship between the GDI and the free market advocates right now is roughly akin to that one scene from the Big Short.
"Are you fucking us Granger?"
"Yeah, I'm fucking you. You will come to me for funds and I will gouge your eyes out. But you know what? You won't even care because you will be making so much fucking money. Right now I get the cherry and the sprinkles but you do what I say and you get the rest of the sundae."
Road Reconstruction Phase 2 387/300
In cooperation with the repair crews tasked with the reconstruction of the blue zones, rapid progress is made. Destroyed tanks are lifted out of ditches and specialists clear unexploded munitions, while the SCED work crews watch from afar. Before long the roads around Harper are fixed and the street signs up again.
Expand VTOL Airfields 231/200
The final stretch to finish what meets the bare requirements for an airfield is not a difficult one. Concrete is poured, pre-fabs are erected and connected to water and electricity. So far Harper never bothered with an airfield, cargo was delivered via train or ship and passengers used the civilian airport a few kilometers away. But now the spaceport meets the requirements for air cargo operations.
Decontamination Hub 43/100
In theory the contamination hub is very similar to the harvester maintenance hangar, but the safety precautions are far more strict, even stricter than GDI's laws on food safety. The inside's air has to be filtered multiple times by sonic scrubbers and conventional filters. Precautions that make the hub more difficult to build, but remain necessary.
Power Grid Overhaul 243/200
With someone who knows his trade, the industrial work crews got to work. Checking the entire grid for elements that had been repaired hastily or worked suboptimally, before they went to work. Over the course of three months, most of the grid was replaced, the biggest power wins gained with more efficient transformers for the base's power plants.
Construction Robots 56/300 3/3 AP
The parts are all there, either requisitioned or manufactured in local workshops. But work has been slow. The mechanics have to study the assembly instruction extensively, mistakes are made and parts have to be disassembled more than once to correct them. Nevertheless progress is made.
Aroma Armory Coffee Makers 29/50 1/1C
A similar problem is faced by those working on the coffee machines. The biggest hurdle is the grinder, made up from 5 iridium mills that require careful assembly. Anna has already promised to improve the work flows to avoid such low progress in the future.
Hire Bureaucratic Staff 5/5C 123/50 Done
It is done, clearances are given out, contracts are written up and candidates have been reviewed. More than planned in fact, for another round of funding we could double the bureaucratic stuff.
This Side/Omake Quest was allowed by Ithillid and is supposed to be fun. Things happening in CarterQuest will be affected by the main one, but unless Ithillid says otherwise it is noncanon
Carters Management Adventure Q4 2053
Space Expansion
With the Enterprise on the way to reach stage 2 and funding for ASAT II approved by the treasury, Space Command and related organisations have been more motivated than usual. (+1 to all Dice this turn)
The Legitimacy of the SCED
GDI mostly discontinued all space exploration efforts in the 2000s and currently its budget is paid out of Space Command, if it were to get its own Funding Carter will need to make a case to the next budget committee.
Finish Prepare for the next Budget Plan before Q1 2054
Auxiliary Dice (AD): Auxiliary Dice cost Capital, the C cost for each category is specified in the header. The cost is added to all other costs.
Infrastructure (3 Dice): +31 (AD cost: 2C)
[ ][Carter]Expanded Power Production 0/150 0/5C (1C/Die)
As usual for GDI bases, Space Force bases produce their own power. Given the various expansions to the bases the grid will need to be expanded with the GDI prefab power plans. (Power+)
[ ][Carter]Chemical Plant Outer Shell 0/100 0/4C (1C/Die)
It is not apparent, but a lot of industrial processes require all kinds of chemicals and not all materials can be produced via physically processing raw materials, like plastic. A dedicated production plant for these materials will make Space Force operations even more independent from the whims of the GDI economy. The beginning is relatively easy, just a standard industry prefab-hall from the GDI catalogue. (Will produce 2 AP/turn after an Industry project to install the machinery is completed)
[ ][Carter]Train Construction Robot Use (Requires one Die. Can only be taken after [ ]Construction Robots is completed or the same turn as [ ][Carter]Requisition Construction Robots. Gives a +5 Bonus)
Tiberium (3 Dice): +6 (AD cost: 5C)
[ ][Carter]Tiberium Spikes 0/400 (1 AP or 4C/Die + 2C/Die)
Now that we have free access to all kinds of parts previously unobtainable due to the state of emergency a variety of new construction options opens up. One of them being a number of Tiberium spikes to get access to the various dormant subterranean Tiberium Deposits around the Space Force Bases. (Raw Resources +++, Personnel -, Power --)
[ ][Carter]Tiberium Waste Recycling Plant 104/200 (1 AP/Die or 5C/Die + 2C/Die)
While the Möbius process is efficient, a small amount of unrefined slurry remains, more with the prefabricated refineries than the high tech industrial ones. By reprocessing it with a specialised second refinery we can achieve the maximum yield of resources. (Resources + per Stage of Tiberium Harvesting, Power -, Personnel -)
[ ][Carter]Decontamination Hub 43/100 3C/Die
Article 7 of GDIs convention for space exploration declares that equipment meant to land on or come close to other planets is to be cleaned according to standard C#43 to avoid spreading the infection beyond earth. Such a Hub is required for missions beyond High Earth Orbit. (Personnel -, Power -)
[ ][Carter]Train Construction Robot Use (Requires one Die. Can only be taken after [ ][Construction Robots] is completed or the same turn as [ ]Requisition Construction Robots. Gives a + 5 Bonus)
Industry (3 Dice): +6 (AD cost: 4C)
[ ][Carter]Thorium Nuclear Plant 0/500 (1 AP or 5C/Die + 2C/Die)
Normally used to produce energy for industrial sites and GDI's largest bases, the Thorium plant is not available as a prefab and as such will need to be built completely on site. (Power +++++ (10), Personnel-)
[ ][Carter]Part Fabrication Plant Upgrade Stage 3 18/75 (3C/Die)
The part Fabrication Plant can still be filled with more machinery, from industrial presses to highly advanced 3-D printers. (Power -, Personnel --, Raw Resources-, Advanced Parts+)
[ ][Carter]Automated Assembly Line Phase 2 40/200 (1 AP or 7C/Die)
As the third in the row of the "Industry-M"-line of prefab buildings, the one meant for the automated assembly line stands tall and identical to the other ones. Erecting it proved no issue after the experience gained with the two other ones. All that is left is installing the industrial robots, which you currently cannot order, but for which you have the blueprints and operating software.
(Power-, Personnel -)
[ ][Carter]Upgrade Assembly Plant Stage 1 0/400 (1 AP or 7C/Die)
It is possible now to upgrade the plant to the highest standards using nothing but the parts it produces itself in an escalating cycle of improvement. (Power -, Personnel -, additional Assembly Die)
[ ][Carter]Train Construction Robot Use (Requires one Die. Can only be taken after [ ][Construction Robots] is completed or the same turn as [ ][Carter]Requisition Construction Robots. Gives a + 5 Bonus)
Assembly (3 Dice): +6 (AD cost: 7C) (Progress limited by assigned Parts)
[ ][Carter] Titan Rocket System 0/100 0/1 AP
The Titan is the lightest of the launch vehicles in GDI's arsenal. It is reliable, robust and reusable, but can only carry a small payload compared to its powerful siblings. (Enables orbital launches of up to 1 APs worth, 6C launch cost, max 8 launches per quarter/turn)
[ ][Carter] Atlas Rocket System 0/300 0/5 AP
The Atlas was the workhorse with which the Philadelphia was built. A far more powerful rocket than the Titan System it is also known to be maintenance heavy and expensive to fuel. (Enables launches up to 8 APs worth, 20C launch cost, max 6 launches per quarter/turn)
[ ][Carter]Leopard Class Transport 0/500 0/20 AP (AP can be requisitioned for 1 AP ~ 2C)
The Leopard is the crowning achievement in ground-orbital transportation. Its powerful fusion drive gives it a truly ridiculous amount of lifting power and cargo space. (Enables Launches up to 40 APs worth, 1C|1 AP launch cost, max 2 launches per quarter/turn)
[ ][Carter]V-35 Ox Squadron 0/400 0/8 AP (AP can be requisitioned for 1 AP ~ 1C)
With the Airfields being under construction, SCED can start construction of a squadron of transport VTOLs to actually use them, helping the Division's growing logistical loads for both material and personnel.
[ ][Carter]Construction Robots 56/300 3/3 AP (AP can be requisitioned for 1 AP ~ 3C)
With the Blueprints for the new construction robots available to nearly all of GDI, SCED can build their own ones, either from their own parts or ordered replacement parts.
[ ][Carter]Aroma Armory Coffee Makers 29/50 1/1C
With the Exploratory Divisions staff spread over three sides, people start to miss the excellent coffee being served at Harper Spaceport. Building additional copies of the Aroma Armory is an easy feat, the parts not that hard to get.
[ ][Carter]Mission: Research Base (Write-in) 0/1000
-Luna 0/800
-Mars 0/750
[-][Carter]Launch Herschel-Luna
Transfer Possible: Always
Time for Transfer: 1-3 days (instant, same turn)
Mission Duration: 18 months (6 turns)
Requirements:
-Decontamination Hub
-Probe Development
-Atlas Rocket System
-1 Orbiter probe (1AP Launch)
[-][Carter]Lauch Ahnert-Luna
Transfer Possible: Always
Time for Transfer: 1-3 days (instant, same turn)
Mission Duration: 18 months (6 turns)
Requirements:
-Decontamination Hub
-Rover Development
-Basic Drive Module Development
-[ ]Unmanned Orbiter (Luna) Mission Finished
-Atlas Rocket System
-1 Rover (1AP Launch)
-1 Basic Drive Module (1AP Launch)
[-][Carter]Launch Olberth-Mars-A
Transfer Possible: Launch Window
Launch Windows: 26 months (7.5 turns), next one: Q3 2053
Time for Transfer: 12 months (4 turns)
Mission Duration: 18 months (6 turns)
Requirements:
-Decontamination Hub
-Probe Development
-Titan Rocket System
-1 Orbiter probe (1AP Launch)
[-][Carter]Launch Olberth-Mars-B
Transfer Possible: Always
Launch Windows: 26 months (7.5 turns), next one: Q3 2053
Time for Transfer: 12 months (4 turns)
Time for Transfer during Launch Window: 9 months (3 turns)
Mission Duration: 18 months (6 turns)
Requirements:
-Decontamination Hub
-Probe Development
-Basic Drive Module Development
-Atlas Rocket System
-1 Orbiter probe (1AP Launch)
-1 Basic Drive Module (1AP Launch)
Bureaucracy (3 Dice): +6
[ ][Carter]Reach out to the Universities 0/150
With tertiary schooling options on the way to completion, it is time to make contacts with the administrations and professors before the other GDI development branches can snack up all the good ones.
[ ][Carter]Reserve Enterprise Working Hours (Requires one Die)
The Enterprise nearing the first real stage of operation has opened up an interesting option. The delivery of missions in small parts with assembly relegated to the personnel in orbit. It should take a little paperwork to set it up, but Carter being the Commanding Officer of Space Command helps.
[ ][Carter]Hire Bureaucratic Staff 0/5C 73/50
Before SCED can start to work independent from Space Command they need their own administrative staff to manage the bureaucratic work, as well as office space, equipment and security clearances. (+1 Bureaucracy Die, Office Space -, Just requires Capital this turn, no Die, for completion)
[ ][Carter]Set up Development Division 0/2C 0/75
The Anchorage Test site is a good basis for a future SCED Development division, but there is planning- and procurement work to be done before Anchorage can be properly equipped and specialised personnel hired.
[ ][Carter]Staff Hire (1 - 5)C (Requires one Die)
(Personell +(1 - 5))
[ ][Carter]Requisition(Requires one Die)
-[ ][Carter]Construction robots 10C
With the New Moscow Robotics Works having spun up production, a new line of construction drones is available to the Initiative. SCED can requisition some too, for a price of course.
-[ ][Carter]Requisition V-35 Ox squadron 0/10C (Requires one Die)
With the Airfields being under construction, SCED can requisition a squadron of transport VTOLs to actually use them, helping the Division's growing logistical loads for both material and personnel.
[ ][Carter]Prepare for the next Budget Plan 0/75
A list of projects, plans and their uses and effects for the Initiative to convince the suit wearers of the budget committees that the Space Command Exploratory Division deserves a slice of the budget pie.
The preparations need to be done this turn so I am putting 3 dice on that but I am willing to make that 2 dice and one on the development Division so we can design a probe.
Planning is for nearby missions while work continues on the decontamination hub with one dice as it will be several turns before we have a probe designed and build.
I'm doing a slightly different plan, slimmed down a bit, to put everything into getting an additional die on Part Fabrication. Because, well, look at the percentages I listed there.
Only 2 dice on the outer shell, because of the massive Infrastructure bonuses.
We're at +4 Resources per turn, so +Tib or +Resources is less relevant. And we can afford to put only 1 die on the Decontamination Hub because we won't need it next turn.
[X][Carter] Carter's Terrible Fab(ulous/rication) Plan Infrastructure (3 Dice): +31 (AD cost: 2C) 2/3 dice, 6C
-[X][Carter]Chemical Plant Outer Shell 0/100 0/4C (1C/Die) 2 dice, 6C 94.05% Tiberium (3 Dice): +6 (AD cost: 5C) 1/3 dice, 3C
-[X][Carter]Decontamination Hub 43/100 3C/Die 1 die, 3C 51% Industry (3 Dice): +6 (AD cost: 4C)
-[X][Carter]Part Fabrication Plant Upgrade Stage 3 18/75 (3C/Die) 3 dice + 1 Aux die, 16C Stage 3: 99.98% Stage 4: 95.58% Stage 5: 65.27% Stage 6: 19.34% Assembly (3 Dice): +6 (AD cost: 7C) (Progress limited by assigned Parts) 3/3
-[X][Carter]Construction Robots 56/300 3/3 AP (AP can be requisitioned for 1 AP ~ 3C) 2 dice
-[X][Carter]Aroma Armory Coffee Makers 29/50 1/1C 1 die Space Command Mission Planning (5/6 Dice) +5
-[X][Carter]Mission: Unmanned Orbiter (Venus 32/50-in) 1 die
-[X][Carter]Mission: Unmanned Orbiter (Jupiter 37/50) 1 die
-[X][Carter]Mission: Unmanned Lander (Mars 137/150) 1 die
-[X][Carter]Mission: Manned Landing (Luna 0/300 ) 2 dice [X]Bureaucracy (3 Dice): +6 3/3, 5C
-[X][Carter]Hire Bureaucratic Staff 0/5C 73/50 5C, no dice needed
-[X][Carter]Prepare for the next Budget Plan 0/75 3 dice
