Hey all, you may have noticed that the Tatarus event stopped due to a burnout of the main author there. Since we feel bad screwing you over a event that was dropped due to RL, you get a good end on that. The prisoners taken from Chinook (Gaid at the time) were returned safely in exchange for the prisoners you took during the battle. Yay!
[X] Plan CANUT
-[X] [IndComm] Begin Energy Collection Operations on Shei 8a (Quality 9) [10BR]
-[X] [MilComm] Recruit ex-Ares personnel directly into existing units [2BR]
-[X] [MilComm] Form Modern Planetary Army [6BR, 3SR, 3E]
-[X] [MilComm] Fortify the Radiant-Bestreer Gate [5BR, 5SR, 3E]
-[X] [SciComm] Bypass Charter Fabricator Rights Management for Rhodes [3SR, 3E]
-[X] [SocComm] Resident Embassies [5 BR]
-[X] [SocComm] Encourage Retraining [No cost]
-[X] [MedComm] Provide aid to Underground Labour Organizations x2 [3SR x2, 3E x2][6SR, 6E combined]
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[x] Crazy uncle Tom's crazy projects
[x] [Home Force] Captain Erina Kozlova
[x] [Mobile Force] Commodore Stephanie Rousseau
Begin Energy Collection Operations on Shei 8a: N/A, Automatic, Completed
Recruit ex-Ares personnel directly into existing units: 17+2+18/20 =37/20, Completed
Form Modern Planetary Army: 10+2+37=49/40, Completed
Fortify the Radiant-Bestreer Gate: N/A, Automatic, Completed
Bypass Charter Fabricator Rights Management for Rhodes: 16+5+03/20=24/20, Completed
Resident Embassies: 7+8(+2 Omake)=17/30, Incomplete
Encourage Retraining: 17+8+(2 Omake)+14/40=41/40, Completed
Provide aid to Underground Labour Organizations x2: 3+20+7=30, Automatic
Spending: 64BR ,38SR, 21E
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[Recent Front Page Articles on the popular game related Chain-Link special interest page "Villy's Game Round-Up"]
"The Third Russian Revolution and Green Tomorrow" said:
In Games criticism, the phrase "Third Russian Revolution" is often applied to the explosion of innovative and high quality independent titles that came from that particular Earth nation in the middle of 21st century; a consequence of the end of an autocratic regime and the flowering of liberal and left-leaning sentiment.
Games from the "Third Russian Revolution" category are often compared with those made in the Americas at the same time, as both are characterized by an optimistic view of the future, 'solarpunk' aesthetics, the feeling of having broken free from a period of stagnation or decay, and experimentation in what exactly a game could be and do.
However, contrasted to games of the American "Green Tomorrow" school, Third Russian Revolution games often also veer into absurdist cynicism and a feeling that this too will end.
Eventually as the Third Russian Republic and the Democratic Federation went their separate ways so did Third Russian Revolution and Green Tomorrow, diverging completely into "Cosmoliberalism" and "New Socialist Realism". But for nearly fifteen years in the mid 2100s, if you wanted to play the most innovative and artistic titles coming from the most talented devs around, you would look to the siblings of the Third Russian Revolution and Green Tomorrow schools…
Today's Talking Simulator is going to be a deep dive into Baby Carrot Gaymers' recent title "High Tide".
HIgh Tide is, simply speaking, the most authentic surfing simulator on the market today.
Or well, I assume it is, being only a novice until last week.
But the actual meat of the experience is that it is also a simulator of that ephemeral period of adolescence where you got your first unpaid internship, started your first relationship, and still tried to be seen as cool (And failing at it).
Which I understand isn't actually a universal experience. But "High Tide" is a sort of pastiche of a feeling and a time you didn't personally experience but know that you could have, if your life had gone slightly different.
High Tide perfectly encapsulates a range of feelings associated with a very specific time and place… and also includes some of the best water simulation ever put into a headset....
"Review: Under the Pale Blue Curtain (Spoiler: it's a 99.5/100 game)" said:
Under the Pale Blue Curtain is an exciting entry in the nearly extinct genre of Stage Adventure that has recently been rediscovered by the Elysium Stage and Shakespeare Guild.
It is a fairly conventional Stage Adventure in form, Actors on stage, simple platonic props, and a requirement to bring your own imagination.
What sets Blue Curtain apart from other recent shows like Frankish Pie and The Death and Unlife of a Marketing Drone is the dedication to improvisation shown by the game's actors. It seems the secret to making the Stage Adventure really pop is to blend the standard genres with perspective-challenging dark comedy and top flight improvisational comedians.
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When I arrived at the Persephone Sunside Theater I was ushered onto an opulent shag carpet that would later play a surprising role in the plot...
"Review:Space Jam Jams (Spoiler: it's a 99.5/100 game)" said:
Perhaps the most punny work to come out of a game Jam (and avoid this if you don't have a taste for puns). Space Jam Jams is a visual novel based off of Space Jam. The obvious question, 'which Space Jam' is the game's central conceit. The visual novel can be continuously manipulated by a number of mechanics, changing the 'setting' from among many different Space Jam's.
A game coming out of the 'flowering of AU' movement originating in the fanfiction community, Space Jams rejects the concept of a singular 'canon' and instead delights in ambiguity. Such a focus may turn off players who want a coherent story, as the game will almost always force changes and retcons upon the players' individual world even if the player attempts a single, coherent story. At the moment it also suffers from a limited series of combinations, and repetition shows up after a few hours of gameplay.
Even so the system, while limited in the demo, shows promise, as players can compare entirely different worlds, and even import data from other players to modify their own world…
This week I've got my eye on the expansion of a number of gems that come out of that Youth Programmers' Game Jam we spoke about a few months back.
The first title is When the Moon Finally Falls, an exploration of the last days of the Roman Kingdom and Roman Republic, United States and Democratic Federation, and Charter Controlled Elysium via the conceit of remembering past lives. The game plays with themes of cycles and how to break them as well as the decay of an ideal. The game is, I think, often over-concerned with historical accuracy, but also incorporates a hint of mysticism that I'm not sure lands but I'm definitely interested in experiencing.
Next is a personal favorite of mine: Sudden Star / All Death, which has a simple premise: you're a Grim Reaper pursued across twelve increasingly awe-inspiring stages by increasingly well armed and well skilled Charter mercenaries hoping to carry out a hit on you. It's not a particularly intellectual game, but it is damn fun, and plays very smoothly, incorporating a variety of alternate player forms and weapons based off of those of various psychopomps from ancient mythology.
Next is the Final Fantasy Restoration Project. While the long running series is well known in the public consciousness nearly 300 titles have been rendered unplayable by the advance of time and technology. Thanks to nationalisation of the personal classic games collection of one Mr Yang, and the talents of a team of dedicated youths, we may be close to playing these classic games.
Previous Charter rereleases of these games were marred by attempts to "modernize" the games, instead this FFRP is focusing not on content changes but simply in making the code run on modern computers, without reliance on a nested series of overly-elaborate emulators. When they finish the project, the team plans to distribute the project along with fabber plans for older computer equipment if you want to play the games on their original hardware anyway...
"Revisiting the "Open Skies" Franchise Fifty Years On" said:
"It has been fifty years since the fifth game in the Open Skies franchise finally landed on platforms to near universal derision.
Though nearly a decade of patches turned the game into an infamous classic and a moderate financial success, Forlorn Hope Brigade's magnum opus was a victim of its own hubris. To such an extent that no one has ever attempted to match it since despite it ultimately sticking the landing.
Many games promise that every choice counts, that every word and action will have consequences. In practice this is usually extended into a sequel at best, or ultimately discarded aside from minor aesthetic and narrative changes at worst.
But in 2180, Hermes-Ishtar backed just about the most ambitious games projection history: an epic quintet of games that would tell the stories of three generations of spacers in a low-fantasy galaxy at war with itself and a mysterious force from deep time.
For nearly twenty years and four games Forlorn Hope Brigade managed to maintain the charade that they were pulling it off, leading to unrivaled anticipation for the fifth game "Open Skies: House of Time" as it was expected that it would finally draw the series to a satisfying conclusion.
But the release of the fifth game in holiday season 2203 would prove to be a disaster of historic and iconic proportions. To this day, many hold that the game would have done financially better to have not tried to deliver on its promise at all...
"Review: Sheol's Struggle (Spoiler: it's a 99.5/100 game)" said:
The first game developed by native Sheolites, Sheol's struggle is at first glance a standard tactical simulator and FPS, taking the role of a squad-leader (known as a 'Rate') fighting the Ares forces in Sheol. However anyone who tries to play it as such will be quickly disabused of the notion. Unlike the games such as the "Commendation" series, these enemies are not stand in for warlords and anarchists ready to be mowed down in the hundreds. Each enemy is not merely tough, but stronger, tougher and more damaging than anything you can call on.
In order to be successful, one must use stealth, ambushes, and numbers to take enemies down, accepting casualty ratios that are almost always unfavorable. Because of this Struggle does not have a single 'main character', as some missions are completely unsurvivable, and you can only hope to damage the enemy, or evacuate your own people, trying to do as much as possible before your entire squad dies.
One disturbing element to my Elysian eyes is the dehumanization of the enemy that is so recognizable from other games in the genre. Especially as I personally know some of the Ares personnel that were affected by the poverty draft.
On the other hand, as one who has never been shot at, it is very easy for me to say this. And it must be noted that those personnel now in Radiant are not the same as those who engaged in quite literal baby murder.
Crazy Uncle Nox Tom's project's are the talk of Radiant. The project, which allows even those at home to help contribute to our defense, has captured the imaginations of many people. Arguments have even broken out over monopolizing community fabbers for the projects.
But one other problem remains that many don't consider after fabbing the parts for half-a dozen Hellburners. How do you transport it all to a launch site, and where do you put it when you get there? And what does this have to do with the Radiant Wargaming Guild? Read on to find out!
Journal of M Chakrabarti, Congressional Delegate
July 15th, Mostly clear skies, light drizzle
The victory in Shei has greatly brightened spirits in the General Congress and bolstered our faith that MilComm and the Congressional Navy can stop whatever the Charters throw at us.
I hope that the new ideas that were mooted in the closed session are enough to make that confidence a reality.
I really do feel a growing confidence,
Added to this is the rapidly advancing pace of our collaboration with the Fliveons labour underground, and it's beginning to make us feel like we can do anything.
A potentially deadly feeling, to be honest.
And yet.
I hope that nothing dissuades us from it.
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INDUSTRIAL COMMITTEE REPORTS
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Fortify Shei-Osliem Korolev-Chandraehskar gate
The SCMC's position has been strengthened by being proven right, as it were, about gate fortifications, and several wavering regional councils have fallen in line with the party vote. Despite our insistence that no further Charter attacks in force could come from that chain, the Compact Navy worries them enough to rebuild their defences anyway.
When we asked the SCMC to delay construction for a few weeks until the new gate defence designs were finalized we were accused of attempting to undermine their authority and they pushed ahead with construction along the line of the traditional defensive lay out.
After that I stopped pushing back, except to impress upon them how important it is that we not fire first at any Solarian Navy force. I can only pray they listen.
Gordon Zhu
Construction Coordinator, Shei System
Project Progress: Automatic
Project Result: Build defences at that gate strong enough to bloody a small attacking force
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Begin Energy Collection Operations on Shei 8a
Fortification construction is taking a significant amount of energy, and Sheol's old grid simply can't keep up much longer. We've assisted in planning a modern energy collection complex in Shei.
Hopefully this new solar collection facility will help to reduce the burden on our networks across the board.
Gordon Zhu
Construction Coordinator, Shei System
Project Progress: Automatic
Project Result: Increase E Production Infrastructure to Level 1 on selected planet
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MILITARY COMMITTEE REPORTS
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Recruit ex-Ares personnel directly into existing units
A large portion of personnel with space-borne experience that had declined to enlist with Radiant after the liberation of Sheol have come back and volunteered for duty after the engagement in Shei. It seems to be a mix of guilt, response to pleas from shipmates aboard, and feelings of revenge.
While not all these reasons are strictly healthy we need the trained spacers to fill out depleted crew slots, especially on Shieldmaiden, as many of the injured are still going to need several months of organ grafts, reconstructive surgery, and physical therapy before they're up and running, so the relatively low death counts betray just how stretched our crews are.
As well, while the vast majority of our immigrants -and thus our new recruits- are not trained spacers, we still need them to fill out the ranks of our rapidly expanding Ground Forces.
Elena Li
Elysian Deputy Military Recruitment Coordinator
Project Progress: 37/20 Completed
Projected Results: +1 to All-Radiant Congressional Defence Committee bonus. Completion contributes 20 progress to the Shei Redeployment Program.
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Fortify the Radiant-Bestreer Gate
The ongoing fortification of the Radiant-Bestreer Gate is our first opportunity to put into place the new defensive doctrine pioneered by the Radiant Wargaming Guild.
While we did lose some time programming the new fabber designs, hard work by our people and the change in doctrine from heavy Tactical Assault Missile Shoal use to Limited Mobility Platforms saw the project completed ahead of schedule and well within the original budget.
This gave us enough time to revisit the Gaid-Thoa defences and change the layout to the heavy LMP doctrine. However the defences still are surrounded by large numbers of TAM Shoals, which is not necessarily a bad thing, just unsustainable in the long term.
Whenever the Charters arrive, they'll be in for a nasty surprise.
Rachel Kayode
Construction Coordinator Radiant-Bestreer Gate Fortification Project
Project Progress: Automatic (Omake bonus applied to refit the Gaid-Thoa Static defences to the new doctrine) savage a small attacking force
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Form Modern Planetary Army
If, Allah forbid, the force that is undoubtedly coming our way from HI is simply too large to best with our own small navy, the fighting will undoubtedly come to the ground here in Radiant, and perhaps once more in Sheol as well. The SCMC has plenty of experience, preexisting hardened sites, and with their own industry expanding they've now got the tech to match-- anyone that tries to engage a Sheolite defense complex is in for a rude surprise.
The same is not true for us. Elysium barely has a police force nowadays, let alone an army-- the old police largely resigned or were exiled, and public safety forces don't have much to do, in all honesty. Solve the occasional murder or rape, and keep a coast watch on the Tartarus Archepeligo, that's about it.
While we can put out ground equipment effectively as needed, we don't have the people to use or crew that equipment ready. There's no way we can actually put together a professional army of the size needed to beat off an invasion in only a few months, but with the help of accelerated XR training, and with the stiffening of trained ex-Ares Immigrants, we should be able to get a pair of fully professional divisions and enough militia units together delay HI ground forces long enough to get a professional force running.
Writing that down, it sounds hideous, and it will cost too many lives. But we've got to prepare for the worst.
Muhammed Tyson
Training Coordinator, Elysium Defence Forces
I do feel somewhat guilty for high-grading the best trained and most experienced recruits from the Elysian Defence Forces, but the Congressional Liberation Army Corps will be seeing action even if the Charters never set foot on Elysium.
Instead of focusing on entrenchment and concealment the three divisions of the CLAC has been drilling in offensive actions, especially orbital drops and urban close combat. Specifically I've been training our people on mock ups of Fliveons facilities and outfitting the OpFor like a Rhodes security force.
When the time comes to deploy to Fliveons the Congressional Liberation Army Corps will be ready.
Alex Sanders
Training Coordinator, Congressional Liberation Army Corps
Project Progress: 49/40
Projected Results: Found a new Planetary Army military service for use on the offence and defence, add Permanent +2E upkeep to the ARC
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SCIENCE COMMITTEE REPORTS
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Bypass Charter Fabricator Rights Management for Rhodes
The Rhodes bypass has been a fantastic success. To that I must not only credit the work left over from our previous DRM, but also the Fliveons MedComm Investigatory project whose data was immensely helpful in cracking the basic Rhodes patterns. We now have access to every single space drill Rhodes has ever re-patented.
As well as a number of actual useful inventions such as the 'Rhodes Yggdrasil', a toolbox sized device that literally grows 'roots' from itself to harvest rare elements from the ground.
Shirley Riaz
Professional Union of Laboratory Technicians and Coders Understudy
Perhaps just as relevant as the mining tools are the dizzying array of specialist fabbers that massively improve the speed of printing, from the handheld to the household appliance. We're still sorting through them all, particularly as many of them have simply been obsoleted by improved models, but I wouldn't hesitate to say that most of their competitive manufacturing advantage comes from pairing the right fabber to the right print job. They even show up in the strangest places, such as climbing tools like their grappling hook gun, providing kilometers of rope out of a small slug of diamond feedstock.
Callista Moreno
Professional Union of Laboratory Technicians and Coders Spokeswoman
Slow but steady wins the race. Even in the face of a headwind. Even in the face of a headwind of hot air from a ruling clique who are increasingly suspicious of you.
We've had to move slowly on Sheol itself to avoid causing friction with the SCMC, and most of our progress so far has been by highlighting the educational links between our worlds. The Generals desire home-grown expertise so that, ironically, they'll have to rely on us less for their domestic programs.
While the regional governors have been more receptive to exchange programs and building consulates, we've had to pick and choose when and where we take them up on their offers. There is a lot of prestige to be gained as a Regional Governor in hosting an Elysian consulate or exchange program and we've been learning that we don't just have to balance the Governors with the Generals but also balance the various Governors against each other to prevent political ruptures.
Jeremy Cross
Sheol Liaison Program, Sheol
We're making good progress, thanks to the curiosity for new cultures created by the immigration of ex-Ares personnel to Elysium, our people have also been eager to meet directly with Sheolites and even travel to Sheol itself for non-work purposes.
At the moment we've mostly been converting sections of unused resort complexes to host Sheolites and these jury-rigged consulates have been flooded with volunteers.
Jennifer Porcher
Sheol Liaison Program, Elysium
Project Progress: 17/30
Projected Results: Improve relations with the SCMC and the Sheolite population as a whole, +2E upkeep per quarter once completed
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Encourage Retraining
We…. we've done it. I can't believe it. Just two years ago we discovered HALF of our population was engaged in complete make-work. Now… anyone who wants to work, can. And it didn't take brutal wages or starvation if they didn't work. All over, people are doing things.
More things, in less time. Can you imagine? We have effectively twice as much population working, and each one is doing more than they were when they were working 100 hours or more hours a week. It just shows how hollow the Charters are. We were breaking our backs… for nothing.
I'm proud of us. Scicom, Soccom, Medcom. All of us helped contribute to this. Without IndComm we never would have had the resources to do it, and without MilComm the safety. And it wasn't just a top-down corporate-driven effort. A rise in hobbyist science programs has created a small fad for entry into the hard sciences. People don't need to be told to do great things, because it is what they do all the time if you give them the opportunity.
Nigel Rodriguez
Delegate, Elysian Social Welfare Union
Project Progress: 41/40
Project Results: Projected Results: Gain an extra die into one of either IndComm, MilComm, or SciComm
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MEDIA COMMITTEE REPORTS
Provide aid to Underground Labour Organizations x2
"Fliveons has a near-total lack of military space assets, which means that if we could spare our navy to enter the system we'd be able to effectively declare victory. We can't afford to leave Radiant unguarded now, though, especially after the Battle of Sheol.
"That means it's going to come down to underground unions vs. local security forces. The good news is, local security forces don't have anything beyond helicopters and light APCs-- nobody maintains tanks in an area you think you don't need them, which means they'll have to print and train serious combat forces on the go.
"The bad news is, labor organizations barely have small arms and first aid kits. We're going to be fabricating a lot of ATGMs, rifles, and other basic kit to turn our allies into a proper paramilitary."
Green Three Ninety
Fliveons Liaison Agent, Military Committee Shei Liberation Project
"While most of our focus has been on direct material aid in weapons and support equipment, we also deployed a combined SciComm-MedComm technical assistance team that have jokingly dubbed themselves 'The Congressional Liberation Hacker Collective'.
"While everyone expected our Hackers to be able to run circles around the local Rhodes infotech security people, we didn't expect the level of incompetence on display by the Rhodes people.
"Thanks to a combination of social and network hacking that took advantage of the overworked, underfunded, and often ignored state of Rhodes server security our people now have complete control of the Fliveons intranet.
"Everything from internal communications to security drone IFF is now in our hands.
"Suffice it to say, unless and until Rhodes changes all their passwords we and the Underground Labour Organizations have a decisive advantage. Perhaps the decisive advantage."
Black Four Sixteen
Local Agent-In-Charge of Media Committee Fliveons Investigatory Project
Project Progress: 37/25
Project Results: Projected Results: Fliveons Underground Labour Organizations grow in membership and are better able to engage in pitched combat with Rhodes security forces.
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Thanks to the completion of the retraining program you now have another die in:
As a heads up, I might be a while on the next update because I'm currently collating and systematizing the Congressional Navy as well as a number of Charter Forces.
However that means that I have discovered that our list of craft commanders is in dire need of populating. So, like with the call for companies (which is still open) I'm putting out a call for Congressional Navy captains.
If you would like to submit an officer that is now in command of one of our craft, please submit an entry as below:
NAME:
BIO:
CN SERVICE HISTORY:
COMMAND TRAITS:
NAME: Stephanie Rousseau
BIO: Former Ares Combat Solutions Captain who became disillusioned with the Charters after a career spent watching Sheol and the atrocities unfolding below. When Contacted by Radiant's agents, she gladly decided to join their plans to liberate Shei and successfully brought the system garrison over to the All-Radiant Congress.
CN SERVICE HISTORY: Commanded the response to the first HI incursion, chasing off Hermes' Will and Hermes Grace. Commanded the Second Battle of Sheol.
COMMAND TRAITS: Objective oriented, unflappable, aggressive, prefers attacks and operations to come from unexpected angles.
There will be some minor mechanical and narrative differences based on their personalities (Nothing major, and it'll be something like "Cautious," "By the Book," or "Aggressive" not "Unkillable", "Has never missed an attack in his life" or "The Next Nelson")
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BEAR IN MIND: There is a very good chance that these Captains will be killed in battle whenever the Charter counter-attack lands. So bear that in mind.
Also: All things considered, this call will probably also be open ended and will continue for the foreseeable future.
Last edited:
November 2253, General Sesssion of the All Radiant Congress
>They are idiots for having the main couple actually get together. Now they are going to have to break them up next episode, and they didn't even properly boost the marriage. It's just gonna bring the entire thing down.
Don't even John. Like, how? How did they just… fucking move on and actually do an episode about them actually learning to interact together. Yes, it was sickening cute, and fuck, they even had the other harem members start to interact with others. Fuck, I never though they'd get to pair Sakura and Anne together. I can't believe they actually were allowed to do that.
I looked up the metrics and the rating are off the charts, everyone is saying this season is amazing. And like I can't even pretend they are wrong. Just.
I hate those Radiant bastards, out on the frontier. I couldn't get away with half of that with Matt breathing down my neck. I wish I could work on something like that.
A possible complaint was detected in your latest email. If you have complaints, please address them to HR. Your email has been auto forwarded to them for review.
>If you are on the writing team, please take note of the seasonal requirements. Any deviation from these will result in a rewrite and reprimand. I will be personally reviewing these.
So awesome we have this sort of support from Matt. I can't imagine Radiant had that sort of support. I'm so excited to write for a show I've never written for, for an entire new season. With no previous script notes.
Editinator: Hey, you there?
Anonymous: Yeah. You sure this app is anonymous?
Editinator: Matt Sims is a gigantic asshole who wouldn't know good writing if it bit him. His mark-ups are an insult to editors everywhere, and despite being richer than all of us, steals from the company donut box without paying.
Anonymous: Oh, wow. Okay, one sec.
Anonymous changed name to Real Movie Writer
Editinator: Congrats by the way.
Real Movie Writer: Ugh, can't believe that shitty last season of MotS was what did it, but apparently, they feel I'm reliable and can take directions. So here I am.
Editinator: Any idea what the movie is about
Real Movie Writer: None.
Editinator: Well if you get any idea, or they need a good editor, let me know.
Real Movie Writer: So got the down low, this is still hush hush, so no sharing. And this is anonymous right?
Editinator:Yes.
Editinator: Again
Editinator: I'm the one who requested the almond donut Matt likes got 'thai spice' that one time. If I should leak, you may leak.
Real Movie Writer: Holy shit really? The department got an entire lecture on that, and dangerous poisoning potential.
Editinator:Aside being anonymous the change was on the order. If Matt had actually read it…
Real Movie Writer: Lol yeah Okay, so it's a space adventure movie, part of a planned quintilogy. Only like, instead of normal ones it's starting in the middle. So, planning two prequels, two sequels (or maybe 3, talk of a sextilogy).
Real Movie Writer: It starts out on the frontier. Captain Raleigh out checking on the frontier, investigating a colony that has gone mysteriously silent. When he arrives, he finds himself under attack by a Ares Captain (he's HI, cause lol). Turns out the systems have revolted and are now going full pirates, only he's far in, being chased by the captain through the pirate system. Big tension
Editinator: Huh, that actually sounds pretty cool.
Real Movie Writer: Yeah, we are only at pitch stage right now, gotta write up ideas for the writers meeting.
Editinator: How did it go?
Real Movie Writer: Ugh I don't want to talk about it
Real Movie Writer changed name to Stupid Baby Movie Writer
Stupid Baby Movie Writer: Ugh, got basically all of my ideas show down. Like nothing. Biggest one was the callout for my writing of Robespierre. I had her as like this, dark and tragic figure driven by anger and Ares stuff (was watching that new program on it recently) and got massively shot down. "She's a pirate" "She's supposed to be the bad guy".
Stupid Baby Movie Writer: Nothing on Raleigh either. Apparently, they have an actual HI frontier captain coming in to consult. No idea why when we've never had that before. About the only thing I got through was the love interest ideas, but like, 99% sure that she's going to be completely cut down. Maybe I can get a side-story credit?
Editinator: ☹ :Hugs:
Stupid Baby Movie Writer: I'd be home pigging out on chocolate and ice cream, but who actually has time for that.
Editinator: I know a few few good VR's I use.
Stupid Baby Movie Writer: lol
Stupid Baby Movie Writer: Wait, really?
Editinator: Yeah, they are kinda low quality. Cause like I can't find any that aren't by women (well on NB) and like, whole sensation feels to weird. I ain't paying for artificial dysphoria. Most guys are missing out by not enjoying a pig out, and I feel VR's are missing a major market.
Stupid Baby Movie Writer: Side Hussle?
Editinator: Oh wow am I tempted. See, these ideas are why you are the writer.
Editinator: Probably wouldn't work, would count as acting, and get me in trouble with editor's association.
Stupid Baby Movie Writer: And thinking about stuff like that is why you are an Editor.
"This is going to need a deft touch. I'm going to veto this whole pack of lies the previous guys started in on. We need to hammer out a real narrative. One that feels real." Jerrod Kecskemet says, cracking the seal on a package of smoked vat meat and shaking it out onto a napkin he'd procured from a side table. "Old Atlantean classic, I consider it brainfood. If you're interested?" he says raising the bag and offering it to the other three men in the room.
"Thanks, but no thanks," says Mark Charleston holding a hand up to loosen the dull golden tie on his immaculately tailored suit. "Not my thing." He looks at the far wall meaningfully. "Now, if you were to offer me something to drink..."
Justin Case languidly raises a hand, cybernetic muscles rippling under a black polo shirt. "Yeah, sure, toss'er here."
Admiral Archer Milovanovik shakes his head, looking out of place in the red and white uniform of Mars Interstellar Security, arms crossed. "No thank you, I do appreciate the offer though Mr. Keckesmet."
Jerrod chuckles as he lightly tosses the bag towards Case, and leans back in his chair to pull out his phone and key in a command. "Let me guess," he says, studying Charleston, "you're a Chrysky kinda guy, right?"
Charleston gives a confused smile as a small robot detaches from a cabinet and approaches the table with a bottle of something golden and a white tray of small crystal glasses. "Yeah, how'd you know?"
"Used to have the account for a bunch of Cernunnos near frontier luxury goods, I know your demographic inside and out." He grins as he takes a glass from the robot. "Heck, son, my campaigns are probably the reason why you even know about this stuff."
Case snags a glass as well, and the Admiral refuses with a polite shake of his head.
"So, as I was saying, narrative control is hard, you can try to ignore something big, keep it off everyone's lidars, but eventually something will crack." He holds up his cup to the robot and it pours a small amount of the golden liquid.
"Not much of a problem if you aggressively plug all the leaks," says Case with a chuckle, and downing a shot of the Chrysky with a single quick motion. "There's a hell of a lot of secrets I've seen people take with them to the grave."
Jerrod shrugs. "That may be, but silence is an opportunity cost. And the more you try to bury something, the less control you'll have over its narrative."
Milovanovik uncrosses his arms and taps the table harshly. "You can't be telling us that we're just going to tell the truth. That two entire colonies, over four hundred million people have decided to reject the rest of humanity and plunge themselves back into a Long Hot Decades type of chaos?"
Jerrod shakes his head, and leans forward in his chair. "Not the way you think." He makes an exaggerated frown and lowers his voice harshly, "There's the truth," he smiles and returns his voice to a pleasant cadence, "And there's the truth!" he finishes brightly.
"Narrative control." says Charleston wonderingly, turning his chair slightly and resting an arm on the wooden table, "If you tell the story, you can tell it the way that you want it heard. The same story in and out of the boardroom."
Jerrod snaps his fingers and points at the HI Security security executive. "The young man gets it. Four hundred million people don't just go rogue. There's a story there that we want to tell, our way."
Justin shrugs. "Well, we know there's autonomous and nationalist sentiment out there on the larger frontier worlds. Bunch of anarchist shit too." He holds up his left hand and counts down his fingers with the other. "They don't just got Black Summers in the frontier, they got Black Falls, Black Winters, and Black Springs out here too."
Milovanovik has been studying Jerrod carefully as he speaks, "We can think big. There is brand and morale damage from this mutiny, but if we can…" he pauses to collect his thoughts and put them in rows like ordered soldiers, "we can make this work for our employers, we can move to root out bad actors, highlight that order is slipping across the frontier."
Jerrod claps his hands together, "Exactly Admiral, this can be a win for all of us." He holds a hand to his breastbone. "Us," he points the hand towards the ceiling, "our employers," he then sweeps the hand to indicate somewhere beyond the conference room the three men are in, "and the entire frontier."
Charleston finishes his second glass of golden alcohol. "We can be heroes if we play our cards right."
Case snorts, "Someone has to lose. Someone always loses."
"Yang, Zachary, the men who already lost control. They lost." says Jerrod dismissivly, "And why not, Yang…" the marketing man waves his hands in the air speculativly, "ran human trafficking rings, turned his beaches into brothels, and who knows what."
Case cocks his head at the older and much smaller man speculatively.
Jerrod continues, "Zachary didn't run a prison, let's say he, uh, went full General Zaroff, began to hunt the most dangerous game. Sheol was no longer a prison, it was a game preserve."
"The locals had to do something, these were evil men." Charleston looks at his open palms in mock horror. "But like all revolutions they went too far. They stole, they broke, they killed."
Milovanovic leans forward slightly, "Bad actors don't reflect badly on the company as a whole. Not if the company does everything in its power to make things right once the abuses come to light."
"But now the Iconoclasts and Warlords are in control," says Jerrod conspiratorially. "It will take heroes to save the people from them, and afterwards, we can rebuild the frontier, more efficient, more moral… more profitable." The rail thin man leans back in his seat and smiles, lifting the crystal glass to his lips. "And as for the men that saved the entire frontier… well, to the heroes go the rewards."
Stupid Baby Movie Writer changed name to I was right all along
I was right all along changed name to I was write all along
I was write all along:So, how are you doing?
Editinator: You know, you can just say what you want, instead of fishing for me to ask.
I was write all along: But you love it!
Editinator: Alright, hit me.
I was write all along: So had a big wig come today. Guy in charge of 'coordinating the media campaign' (this movie's gonna be big apparently). So you know what he told us?
I was write all along: Throw out the entire script. Apparently Robespierre and the other revolution leaders are supposed to be like, 'good people gone wrong'. That the leaders of the colonies had gone wrong and abusive and they weren't wrong to fight them. "They were heroes once." But like, not anymore.
I was write all along: Dark heroes gone too far.
Editinator: I think I know where this is going.
I was write all along: Exactly what I wanted all along. Of course, I got no credit, and I couldn't say it in the meeting. So, he got all the acclaim. Same assholes telling me it was terrible were telling him he was a genius.
I was write all along: But I got the last laugh. Cause when he wanted more ideas, I was all ready with a backstory. So he praised me and said he wanted me working on bits with her backstory. Fuck yeah
I was write all along: Stuck in meeting with HI Captain
I was write all along: Captain Ego
I was write all along: Wants captain not to be captured by Robespierre
I was write all along: Like, it's the entire key scene, and how we get her backstory and like the only time the interact in person.
I was write all along: He was gonna escape anyways.
I was write all along: Now it's his love interest/ (though like she's now more eye candy than full love so what's she even here for?) who is captured. And he rescues her, so she looks like a total idiot.
I was write all along: And of course I got assigned to it.
I was write all along: Fuck it, I'm gonna write the best damn piece I can.
Editinator: Sorry, was busy, but sounds good.
Quotes the exclusive interview with the Director of the latest movie to be coming out. "Empty Passages."
"One of the big things that made this movie controversial was that I was criticizing HI itself, you know? I got a lot of pushback on it, but frontier abuses are something I'm really passionate about. It's a lot darker, and more ambiguous than others. Like, Robespierre is evil, but you can feel for her, you know? So I fought and, thankfully I had just enough support to push it through. It wasn't easy, I tell you."
"Any other things you had to fight for?"
"Oh lots." (Laughs) "I think the one I'm most proud of is Captain Calla Loria. There are a lot of augment actors, but not any in big roles, and I think that's a major problem. Fighting to have her as the captain of Ishtar's Saber was not an easy fight."
Select Comments from critical, compiled for data on Empty Passages receptions.
"A masterful and boldly political drama"
"How Director Hall got away with this bold a stance we may never know… but it is a blessing he did."
"A triumph for art as expressive."
"Possibly the most important film of the decade."
Select Comments from Tumblr.com, compiled for data on Empty Passages receptions.
"OMG I WANT Robespierre to capture me. Screw getting rescued."
"That scene where she takes out her sword and lifts it under Loria's chin, please me."
"Anyone else up for getting augments?"
"Hey, so I saw the movie and um, I think I'm gay."
"We are all gay after that movie."
"MFW no dark revolutionary wants to kidnap you."
"Guys, we really need to stop. Robespierre is actually super-problematic, and her controlling Loria and refusing to let her go is really unhealthy."
"Tumblr: Killing people is wrong, unless I'm hot for them. I hate this hellsite"
"Edited myself into the sword scene."
"The Virgin Atlantis poster: Wants to be railed by a Captain playing pretend swordwoman.
The Chad Olduvai poster: Want to be railed by intelligent, genius 7'6"commander of ALL REVOLUTIONARY FORCES"
"Why not both? Robespierre can capture me and present me as a prize for Nyame's harem.
I was write all along: OMG
I was write all along: So like you know how I was bitching about credit?
I was write all along: Well that bigwig I talked to you about earlier?
I was write all along: Apparently he wrote a letter on my behalf. And they updated the credits in reshoots!
Editinator: Seriously, this guy need a good editor?
I was write all along: Actually…. You do non-fiction books?
Editinator:Yeah, I've done a few before.
I was write all along: He said he had a writer friend who was doing a book on instability in the frontier, I can ask if they need a good editor
-
Journal ofM Chakrabarti, Congressional Delegate
November 2nd, Light Drizzle
The tension is palpable, I found myself snapping at Hector Star, a man I have worked together with most amicably in the past.
I don't believe that arguments over watershed ecology management are worth losing friends over, and yet I came close.
Part of me almost wants the Charter counter-attack to land and end our miserable wait.
-
Current Approximate Population: 362,350,000 (Approximate, Sheolite population surveyed for industrial planning purposes)
Trust: 80 (The populace is ecstatic, population growth bonus)
BR Stockpiles: 101
SR Stockpiles: 64
Energy Generation: 74
Current Baseline Draw: 35
Free Capacity: 39
-
Shei Redeployment Program:
Having decided to simply cut the Gordian's knot and resettle the ex-Ares personnel from Sheol to Elysium.
Right now the Elysian population is relieved that immigration has restarted, the bulk of the ex-Ares people are happy that the immigration process has resumed, and the Sheol Supreme Central Military Command is distracted by an internal political crisis, meaning that as of August 2252 there are likely no developing social or diplomatic issues in the future.
In order to ensure that this massive wave of immigration is able to be peacefully integrated into Elysium's existing population without creating issues, you will need to contribute to the overall project's progress target by putting dice into a number of different projects whose roll results will be added directly into the below tag. Some narrative events or other projects will serendipitously add progress as a byproduct of their completion.
Between the six troop ships that Rousseau took intact, eight warp capable former Hermes-Ishtar passenger liners, and dozens of non-warp cruise ships, each quarter approximately 400,000-600,000 ex-Ares people will be arriving on Elysium looking to integrate with the local population.
If you are unable to keep the project percentage above the immigration percentage, the incoming population and the project tag, social issues will develop that may have long term consequences.
Classically, mass numbers of unpaid troops with nothing to do and no prospects ends badly for governments. Good luck!
Program Progress: 114/150, 76%
Immigration Progress: 1,940,000/3,000,000, 65%
Project Results: Add a dice into MilComm, gain a dice bonus. Sheol pleased
-
Voluntary Emergency Military Precedence Measures:
The VEMP Measures involve a general pre-authorization for military projects to use computer time without previous scheduling requests, ability to pre-empt previously scheduled surface to orbit launch windows and orbital tracks, a first call on all new resources, and a reorganization of networks and administrative capacity to streamline cooperation on military projects.
While this will inconvenience the population and reduce the Congress' own administrative slack and flexibility, on the whole it will serve to increase your ability to fight a military conflict against the Charters.
At the moment the implementation of the VEMP Measures are currently being left up to the discretion of the ARC's General Congress, the body which conducts long range planning and high level coordination and administration for the All-Radiant Congress.
Implementation of the VEMP Measures have locked your Focus into MilComm for the foreseeable future, and reduce trust loss due to brownouts from going over the spare E(nergy) capacity. You have gained an extra dice in MilComm for the duration of the VEMP Measures giving you three total dice in MilComm. These measures will remain in place until either the threat is widely seen to have passed or you vote to return to peacetime operations.
If any of the following vote options are included in the winning plan vote, the VEMP Measures will be ended or expanded for the next General Session of the All Radiant Congress:
[ ] [VEMP] End Implementation of VEMP Measures
Some are concerned that existing measures may not go far enough to secure our Independence from military action by the Charters and are pressing for an expansion to our measures
[ ] [VEMP] Implement Eminent Domain Measures
By adding eminent domain measures, MilComm and the General Congress gain the ability to not only have first crack at resources and infrastructure, but are able to lay claim to existing resources and infrastructure as long as they can justify it as a war measure increasing the resource budget.
Resource budget increases by somewhere between 10 and thirty percent in exchange for a proportionate but small trust loss per quarter
[ ] [VEMP] Institute Skills Requisition Program
While MilComm does it's best to attract personnel with useful skills, or train volunteers in rarer skills, a number of fields with more esoteric or harder to train skills remain in high demand by MilComm. This proposal is for an expansion of VEMP rules to draft individuals with these skills part time for the duration of the conflict.
Small trust loss per quarter in exchange for a proportionate dice bonus to MilComm, IndComm, and SciComm for war work.
[ ] [VEMP] Industrial Strikecraft Quotas
As the ARC lacks military equipment, a number of people have proposed that the VEMP Measures include a requirement that for each community to receive offworld resources, they must dedicate some time and resources to printing and assembling a small number of strike craft for home defence.
Add between two to six Strike Craft Wings to your order of battle, that will be distributed to the Radiant Self Defence Force for home guard use at a proportionate but small trust loss per quarter.
-
MEETING OF THE GENERAL CONGRESS
(For the following plan, each project requires a die to be assigned. Each dice is a d20 plus the category bonus that will be rolled to progress on the project. Some projects will require certain resources to complete, please make sure those are on hand. Some projects complete automatically. Excess progress may be shifted to other projects in that section. Please vote by plan by picking a FOCUS and then assigning dice to projects. Project costs are Per Die)
Pick one option, thanks to focus being put in that category, it gains one extra dice to spend this turn, and will open up more options in that category next turn:
[ ] [FOCUS] Industry Committee
[ ] [FOCUS] Military Committee
[ ] [FOCUS] Science Committee
[ ] [FOCUS] Social Committee
[ ] [FOCUS] Media Committee
VEMP Measures in effect, no focus vote
-
INDUSTRY COMMITTEE (Two One Die)
"Shei's done some amazing work, while big-project wise they don't have everything, they are practically modernized at the individual level, that's the power of exponential growth."
-Asphodel Environmental Commission: +5 to dice rolls involving Radiant system construction
-Orbital Industrial Workers Union: +2 to dice rolls on industrial rolls
-Shei Planning Assistance Commission: +3 to dice rolls involving Shei system construction
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Project: Begin Mining operations for BR
The Industrial Committee has presented plans to begin basic resource extraction in both Radiant and Gaid, and though we have little practical and institutional experience at doing so, the Committee is confident in the ability of our workers.
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations on Radiant-2 (Quality-7)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations on Gaid A-1 (Quality-10)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations in Gaid Asteroid Belt (Quality 1)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations on Gaid B-2 (Quality 10)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations on Gaid B-3a (Quality 7)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations on Gaid B-3a (Quality 8)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations on Shei B-1 (Quality 15)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations on Shei B-2 (Quality 12)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations in Shei B-I Asteroid Belt (Quality 1)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations in Shei B-II Asteroid Belt (Quality 2)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations on Thoa 1 (Quality 6)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations on Thoa 2 (Quality 13)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations in Thoa I Asteroid Belt (Quality 1)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations on Thoa 7 (Quality 2)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations in Thoa II Asteroid Belt (Quality 2)
Dice Bonus: +2 (+7 Radiant)
Project Completion: Automatic
Cost Per Die: 10 BR
Projected Result: Increase BR Production Infrastructure to Level 1 on selected planet
-
Project: Expand BR production to second level
The Industrial Committee has presented plans to expand our existing BR mining facilities. As we now have some practical and institutional experience with doing so, the Committee believes in the ability of our workers to complete these projects on time and on materials budget.
[ ] [IndComm] Expand BR mining operations on Radiant-1 to level 2 (Quality-7)
[ ] [IndComm] Expand BR mining operations on Gaid B-1 to level 2 (Quality 15)
[ ] [IndComm] Expand BR mining operations on Gaid B-4 to level 2 (Quality 12)
[ ] [IndComm] Expand BR mining operations on Gaid B-7 to level 2 (Quality 14)
[ ] [IndComm] Expand BR mining operations on Thoa A-3a to level 2 (Quality 2)
Dice Bonus: +2(+7 in Radiant)
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost Per Dice: 40BR
Projected Result: Increase BR Production Infrastructure to Level 2 on selected planet
-
Project: Expand BR Production to fifth level
The Industrial Committee has presented plans to expand our existing BR mining facilities. As we now have some practical and institutional experience with doing so, the Committee believes in the ability of our workers to complete these projects on time and on materials budget.
Projected Result: Increase BR Production Infrastructure to Level 5 on selected planet
-
Project: Begin Production operations for SR
The Industrial Committee has presented plans to begin special resource extraction, synthesis, and processing across ARC controlled space. As we have some practical and institutional experience at doing so, the Committee is confident in the ability of our workers to complete these projects on time and on materials budget.
[ ] [IndComm] Begin SR mining operations on Gaid A-2 (Quality 7)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin SR mining operations on Gaid A-4 (Quality 5)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin SR mining operations on Shei B-6 (Quality 8)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin SR mining operations on Shei B-6b (Quality 8)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin SR mining operations on Shei B-7 (Quality 13)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin SR mining operations on Thoa 4 (Quality 4)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin SR mining operations on Thoa 4a (Quality 4)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin SR mining operations on Thoa 5 (Quality 8)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin SR mining operations on Thoa 6 (Quality 5)
Dice Bonus: +2(+7 in Radiant)
Project Completion: Automatic
Cost Per Die: 10 BR
Projected Result: Increase SR Production Infrastructure to Level 1 on selected planet
-
Project: Expand SR Production to level 2
The Industrial Committee has presented plans to expand our existing SR mining facilities. As we now have some practical and institutional experience with doing so, the Committee believes in the ability of our workers to complete these projects on time and on materials budget.
[ ] [IndComm] Expand SR mining operations on Thoa 3 to level 2 (Quality 5)
Dice Bonus: +2(+7 in Radiant)
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost Per Dice: 40BR
Projected Result: Increase SR Production Infrastructure to Level 2 on selected planet
-
Project: Expand SR Production to level 3
The Industrial Committee has presented plans to expand our existing SR mining facilities. As we now have some practical and institutional experience with doing so, the Committee believes in the ability of our workers to complete these projects on time and on materials budget.
[ ] [IndComm] Expand SR mining operations on Shei B-5 to level 3 (Quality 5)
Dice Bonus: +2(+7 in Radiant)
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost Per Dice: 70BR
Projected Result: Increase SR Production Infrastructure to Level 3 on selected planet
-
Project: Expand SR Production to level 4
Now that you have platforms for SR manufacture and extraction in place, it's time to expand their production capacity. As we have some practical and institutional experience at doing so, the Committee is confident in the ability of our workers to complete these projects on time and on materials budget.
[ ] [IndComm] Expand SR production on Radiant 3a (Asphodel) to level 4 (Quality 9)
Dice Bonus: +2 (+7 in Radiant)
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost per die: 100 SR
Projected Result: Increase SR Production Infrastructure to Level 4
-
Project: Begin Energy Collection Operations.
The Industrial Committee has presented plans to expand our energy collection facilities. As we have some practical and institutional experience with doing so, the Committee is confident in the ability of our workers to complete these projects on time and on materials budget.
[ ] [IndComm] Begin Energy Collection Operations on Gaid B-5 (Quality 3)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin Energy Collection Operations on Shei B-4 (Quality 3)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin Energy Collection Operations on Shei B-7a (Quality 6)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin Energy Collection Operations on Shei B-7b (Quality 2)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin Energy Collection Operations on Shei 8 (Quality 6)
[X] [IndComm] Begin Energy Collection Operations on Shei 8b (Quality 9)
Dice Bonus: +2 (+7 in Radiant)
Project Completion: Automatic
Cost Per Die: 10 BR
Projected Result: Increase E Production Infrastructure to Level 1 on selected planet
-
Project: Expand Energy Collection Operations to level 3.
The Industrial Committee has presented plans to expand our existing energy collection facilities. As we have some practical and institutional experience with doing so, the Committee is confident in the ability of our workers to complete these projects on time and on materials budget.
[ ] [IndComm] Expand Energy Collection Operations on Gaid A-3 (Quality 4)
[ ] [IndComm] Expand Energy Collection Operations on Gaid B-6 (Quality 7)
[ ] [IndComm] Expand Energy Collection Operations on Shei B-3 (Sheol) (Quality 12)
Dice Bonus: +2 (+7 in Radiant)
Project Completion: Automatic
Cost Per Die: 40 BR
Projected Result: Increase E Production Infrastructure to Level 2 on selected planet
-
[ ] [IndComm] Sheol Urbanization Program
As of now most of Sheol's population lives in cramped, barrack-like conditions underground or in isolated valleys and mountain passes. The Planning Commission would like to start building entirely new cities for them to take advantage of all the space and resources Ares has prevented them from being able to use. Given we're working on industrial areas, it should be an easy sell to build "worker's quarters'' and support systems and before you know it, boom, you've got a bustling metropolis.
Dice Bonus: +5
Project Progress: 20/40
Cost Per Die: 15BR, 2SR, 5E
Projected Results: Increased relations and improved quality of life for Sheolite people, opens up new projects. Adds energy usage for Sheolite population to energy cap calculations.
-
[ ] [IndComm] Veteran's Colony Program
Some very bright people have let IndComm know that a historical solution to demobilization of troops was the founding of planned 'Veteran's Colonies,' where retired and demobilized soldiers would settle with their families.
The current proposal is to expand existing cities and resort communities with districts specially built to house incoming demobilized ex-Ares personnel from Sheol.
Instead of the dichotomy of piecemeal and haphazard city growth, or the resort communities planned to cater to the whims of their temporary guests (and not their permanent inhabitants) under Hermes-Ishtar, our people are excited to stretch their legs by building places for people to thrive.
Though some worries exist about soulless standardization, the project's architects plan to interview each incoming shipful of immigrants and gather data on what their ideal communities would look like, then build it before the ship arrives.
If this project is successful, our urban planners believe that it could be a template for a rebuilding of Elysian and Sheolite communities.
Project Progress: Automatic
Dice Bonus: +2
Cost Per Dice: 5BR, 3E
Projected Results: Add roll to Shei Redeployment Program Progress.
-
[ ] [IndComm] Expand E Production on Elysium
While Radiant currently possess more than sufficient power generation, the Industrial Committee believes that we could easily increase generation by building many more of the tidal generators that use the high tides caused by the Elysium/Asphodel binary system along with simple renewable resources such as wind and solar power and fusion reactors as baseline power.
Dice Bonus: +2
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost per die: 100 BR
Projected Result: Increase Production Infrastructure to Level 4 on Elysium
-
[ ] [IndComm] Smallcraft Yards in Radiant
Unlike frigates or capital and assault ships, smallcraft are comparatively simple, and don't have built-in warp drives. While this means they're strictly limited to local defense, they're also cheap, fast to build, and can be ferried by tow or cargo ship to other locations if needed.
Using blueprints of Ares design, you can now build Ares-pattern strike craft and combat drones. However building a dedicated yard will allow you to build these craft more cheaply and quickly. You will be able to pump out any type of smallcraft that fits its dimensions-- fighters, bombers, interceptors, or assault shuttles. Even cargo shuttles, though you have plenty of those at the moment.
They brush off the fact you don't have a lot of experienced pilots trained to fly them. They'll come, in time.
Dice Bonus: 7
Project Progress: 0/30
Cost per die: 5 BR, 5 SR, 3E
Projected Results: Gain a basic smallcraft yard.
-
[ ] [IndComm] Cottage Industry Strikecraft in Radiant
Between the introduction of new Ares strikecraft designs and the results of a procurement panel chaired by Defence Coordinator Awhina you now believe that you can build strikecraft from standard industrial fabricators.
Sadly, this will not be an efficient process as building a dedicated facility as these strike craft will be printed in parts and then later assembled with human labour time, but it will still produce ships that we currently do not have.
Thankfully, some modern combat drones are small enough that they can be produced alongside these craft without much additional strain.
Dice Bonus: 7
Project Progress: 0/30
Cost per die: 7 BR, 7 SR, 5E
Projected Results: Gain a wing of modern strike craft that will be commissioned in the Congressional Navy
-
[ ] [IndComm] Expand BLG with household nanofabricators
Many of the distribution issues with the BLG can be solved by repurposing fabbers for household use. They can even print food-- though it's not exactly what anyone would call fresh. Nevertheless, as long as the planetside infrastructure is up, you've solved the issue with the BLG.
Dice Bonus: +2
Project Progress: 3/40
Cost per die: 5BR, 5SR, On completion permanent +2BR, +2E upkeep per 50 million citizens
Projected Results: +5 Trust, Raise Trust Floor by 5, Improve General Congress Focus Vote
-
[ ] [IndComm] Monuments to Independence
You know what free people are free to do? To use their resources on pointless, wasteful, and profitless extravagances like majestic monuments to our freedom.
With nearly two years passed since the March Days evicted Hermes-Ishtar from Radiant, there are calls for us to immortalize that victory, and those since, in literal stone.
Let's make it an event for everyone, to let the universe know, for all time, that we did something worth celebrating!
Project Progress: 0/15
Dice Bonus: +2
Cost Per Dice: 3BR, 1SR, 1E
Projected Results: +5 Trust Bonus
-
Project: Fortify Korolev-Chandraehskar gates
The Charters are coming. You don't know when they'll arrive, but they'll come, and they'll be mad. Unless you do something about that. And one of the most effective measures of self defence is putting up fixed defences around your KC gates.
Until now you haven't expanded the barebones defences that Hermes-Ishatar and Ares set up around your local gates. With the cat now out of the bag, there's nothing stopping you from filling that space with fire and steel.
[ ] [IndComm] Fortify the Radiant-Akleod Gate
[ ] [IndComm] Fortify the Radiant-Xotreh Gate
[ ] [IndComm] Fortify the Radiant-Bestreer Gate
[ ] [IndComm] Fortify the Radiant-Gaid Gate
[ ] [IndComm] Fortify the Radiant-Fliveons Gate
[ ] [IndComm] Fortify the Radiant-Shei Gate
[ ] [IndComm] Fortify the Thoa-???? Gate
[ ] [IndComm] Fortify the Thoa-Signia Gate
Dice Bonus: +7
Project Completion: Automatic
Cost Per Die: 5 BR, 5SR, 3E
Projected Result: Build your defences at that gate enough to bloody a small attacking force
-
Project: Return RFS Chinook to civilian use
The first of two proposals developed by the OIWU to refit the RFS Chinook. This project would see the Chinook returned to her original use as a mass transport for civilian use, as well as refitting her nearly to her former state of the art in colonization equipment. As a colony transport she would be able to carrying hundreds of thousands of passengers for indefinite periods of time without need for outside support, and would also be capable of founding a new colony on a suitable frontier world, a process that would see her again stripped of her internals and then converted into a barebones orbital station.
Unfortunately, without access to many of the enterprise grade blueprints from Cernunnos, we will not be able to rebuild the complement of terraforming equipment and fully restock the genetic repository that the Chinook cannibalized for other projects. Nor can we replace the mining equipment, or the haulers. Much of these were only necessary for settling more difficult planets, and can be eschewed for garden worlds. And, as the Chinook people themselves demonstrated, with the right blueprints and knowhow, we don't even need a terrestrial world at all.
Dice Bonus: +7
Project Progress: 00/75
Cost Per Dice: 20BR, 5SR, 4E
Project Results: Gain a vessel that can transport upwards of 100,000 or more passengers at one time along with everything they need to colonize a new world with ease.
-
Project: Convert RFS Chinook to a space station
The second of two proposals developed by the OIWU for RFS Chinook is to return it to its intended end function of a permanent space station, a process that the Chinook reversed to tow their new, larger habitat to Gaid. Apparently, the modifications they had made enabled the station to support some 22,500 people, more than double the intended maximum permanent carrying capacity. From what they tell us, it had to do with converting the parks and recreation spaces to "food forests," whatever those are. These food forests have been functioning for generations with minimal to no maintenance, something unheard of in Charter space.
Restoring her to her full function will require replacing and refitting of the aquaponics and aeroponics facilities, refitting the tanks into wet manufacturing bays, and refurbishing the many patches she has from meteorite impacts. Additionally, the blueprints to build two expansion habitat rings are still unused, enabling us to eventually triple Chinook's capacity at the cost of never moving her again.
Dice Bonus: +2(+5 Shei, +7 Radiant)
Project Progress: 00/45
Cost Per Dice: 10BR, 10SR, 3E
Project Results: Gain a space station to a system of your choice which provides a number of bonuses to projects and events in that system. Permanent +3E upkeep. Opens up vote of where to station RFS Chinook.
-
Project: Build Orbital Cruiser-sized Dock
With the unlocking of Ares military grade FRM's access to the plans for Great Heathen, Janissary, and Golden Horde class cruiser-sized craft and Hochseeflotte-class Frigates we can now begin construction of medium ship types. Or we could, if we had a dock capable of it, which we do not. Because of the increased infrastructure required for medium sized ships, such a dock will have to be constructed from scratch.
Dice Bonus: +2(+5 Shei, +7 Radiant)
Project Progress: 00/50
Cost per die: 20BR 10SR and 7E
Project Results: Produce a dock capable of creating frigate, cruiser, light tender and light carrier class ships. Permanent +3E upkeep.
-
MILITARY COMMITTEE (Three Dice)
"On with the fight for the cause of humanity! March, march, you toilers, and the galaxy shall be free!"
-Courier Crewperson Community: +5 to dice on military rolls for smaller warship fabrication
-All-Radiant Congressional Defence Committee: +2 to dice on Military Rolls.
-Defence Coordinator's Maria Awhine: +2 to Commando and small unit operation rolls
[ ] [MilComm] Begin Corvette Construction at Orbital Yard 1
Dice Bonus: +7
Project Cost: 0/2 quarters of production
Cost for Project: 20BR, 12SR, 6E
Projected Results: Launch a New Model-class corvette
-
[ ] [MilComm] Begin Corvette Construction at Orbital Yard 2
Dice Bonus: +7
Project Cost: 0/2 quarters of production
Cost for Project: 20BR, 12SR, 6E
Projected Results: Launch a New Model-class corvette
-
[ ] [MilComm] Convert RFS Chinook into a Dreadnaught
One of two proposals to emerge from the newly created Naval Design Commission of the Congressional Navy, this refit package would see Chinook armed with heavy armour, heavy guns and missiles, and tasked with the brutal close-in fighting of defending or taking KC gates in the face of heavy opposition. This is in addition to the fabrication facilities necessary for field repairs and replenishing her missile stocks while on campaign.
The refit involves using Chinook's frankly absurd level of heat dissipation for a spinal capital laser, the installation of coilgun turrets and missile tubes to provide capital class firepower. The liquid droplet radiators will need to be replaced with Curie point radiators to support combat maneuvering. While the primary mirror serves as a micrometeorite shield and radiator in flight, plans are being drafted to replace it with a diamondoid composite frontal glacis. Finally, the habitation ring will be removed and a warp drive installed around the agricultural ring to shed nearly 60% of Chinook's mass, providing an incredible boost to acceleration, delta v, and maneuverability.
Dice Bonus: +7
Project Progress: 15/125
Cost Per Die: 25BR, 15SR, 5E
Project Results: Gain a converted Dreadnought that is specialized in taking and holding KC gates in slugging matches. Permanent +5SR logistics cost added to budget.
-
[ ] [MilComm] Convert RFS Chinook into a Mothership
One of two proposals to emerge from the newly created Naval Design Commission of the Congressional Navy, this refit package would see Chinook reimagined as a carrier for corvettes, small one-man strikecraft, and the drone swarms they oversee. She will be fitted with heavy fuel and materials storage facilities, docking facilities to transport corvette vessels while under warp, and purpose-built Naval fabbers that would allow her to replenish her drone complement at combat relevant speeds.
With a ship this size, that's a hilariously large number of attack craft. Hundreds and hundreds of manned strikecraft each launching in control of an entire flight of drones. More than any typical cruiser-weight carrier, or even a full sized fleet carrier. Chinook will never be able to take a hit like a fleet carrier might, but if you've got well over three times the strikecraft of an Ares Shinano-class, does it really matter?
As something of a bonus, Chinook will still have room to carry masses of troops and the equipment and lifters she needs to deploy them to a planetary surface in the face of hostile defences. She already comes with docking collars for some 30 lifters, tankers, and haulers which can be reinforced to serve as additional corvette docks, but there is a vast amount of space to install more. While it's impossible to speculate on how much total mass she can carry until a full inspection has been done, we have no doubt that we will be able to carry a tremendous amount of corvettes, strikecraft, troops, and cargo, and will be able to freely change her complement to suit the needs of the mission without further refitting.
Dice Bonus: +7
Project Progress: 15/75
Cost Per Die: 30BR, 20SR, 5E
Project Results: Gain a converted Mothership that is designed to carry corvettes, manned strikecraft, drone swarms, and troops, as well as possessing the onboard capacity to repair, refuel, and support them in the field. Maneuvers like a stuck pig, though. Permanent +5SR logistics cost added to budget.
--
[ ] [MilComm] Acquire a civilian liner for conversion to an auxiliary cruiser
Without the need to avoid questions like "Hey, why does that passenger liner have gunports?" MilComm has begun plans to arm some of the warp-capable passenger liners that we inherited from various Hermes-Ishtar travel lines into auxiliary cruisers.
While they'll be nowhere as effective as a purpose built warship, they'll be a hell of a lot more effective than nothing.
While MilComm has already begun negotiations to acquire two of the passenger liners from their crews, they've also requested that the General Congress negotiate with the crews of the liners we're using to relocate the ex-Ares personnel from Sheol to Elysium to convert their ship to military use.
Doing so will reduce the immigration rate by approximately 15,000 people a quarter and will ever so slightly increase tensions with Sheol and the ex-Ares people due to slowing down the Sheol-Elysium transfer rates.
On the other hand, free warship!
(Can be taken until you're out of liners)
Dice Bonus: +7
Project Completion: Automatic
Cost Per Die: 5SR, 3E
Projected Result: Gain a warp capable auxiliary cruiser
-
Project: Fortify your Korolev-Chandraehskar gates
The Charters are coming. You don't know when they'll arrive, but they'll come, and they'll bring death and fire. Unless you do something about that. And one of the most effective measures of self defence is putting up fixed defences around your KC gates.
Until now you haven't expanded the barebones defences that Hermes-Ishatar and Ares set up around your local gates. With the cat now out of the bag, there's nothing stopping you from filling that space with fire and steel.
[ ] [MilComm] Fortify the Radiant-Akleod Gate
[ ] [MilComm] Fortify the Radiant-Xotreh Gate
[ ] [MilComm] Fortify the Radiant-Bestreer Gate
[ ] [MilComm] Fortify the Radiant-Gaid Gate
[ ] [MilComm] Fortify the Radiant-Fliveons Gate
[ ] [MilComm] Fortify the Radiant-Shei Gate
[ ] [MilComm] Fortify the Shei-Osliem Gate
[ ] [MilComm] Fortify the Thoa-???? Gate
Dice Bonus: +7
Project Completion: Automatic
Cost Per Die: 5 BR, 5SR, XE
Projected Result: Build your defences at that gate enough to bloody a small attacking force
-
[ ] [MilComm] Smallcraft Yards in Radiant
Unlike frigates or capital and assault ships, smallcraft are comparatively simple, and don't have built-in warp drives. While this means they're strictly limited to local defense, they're also cheap, fast to build, and can be ferried by tow or cargo ship to other locations if needed.
Using blueprints of Ares design, you can now build Ares-pattern strike craft and combat drones. However building a dedicated yard will allow you to build these craft more cheaply and quickly. You will be able to pump out any type of smallcraft that fits its dimensions-- fighters, bombers, interceptors, or assault shuttles. Even cargo shuttles, though you have plenty of those at the moment.
They brush off the fact you don't have a lot of experienced pilots trained to fly them. They'll come, in time.
Dice Bonus: +2
Project Progress: 0/30
Cost per die: 5 BR, 5 SR, 3E
Projected Results: Gain a basic smallcraft yard.
-
[ ] [MilComm] Cottage Industry Strikecraft in Radiant
Between the introduction of new Ares strikecraft designs and the results of a procurement panel chaired by Defence Coordinator Awhina you now believe that you can build strikecraft from standard industrial fabricators.
Sadly, this will not be an efficient process as building a dedicated facility as these strikecraft will be printed in parts and then later assembled with human labour time, but it will still produce ships that we currently do not have.
Thankfully, some modern combat drones are small enough that they can be produced alongside these craft without much additional strain.
Dice Bonus: +7
Project Progress: 0/20
Cost per die: 7 BR, 7 SR, 5E
Projected Results: Gain a wing of modern strike craft that will be commissioned in the Congressional Navy
-
[ ] [MilComm] Encourage Emergency Local Strikecraft Cottage Industry Production
Between the introduction of new Ares strikecraft designs and the results of a procurement panel chaired by Defence Coordinator Awhina you now believe that you can build strikecraft from standard industrial fabricators.
Sadly, this will not be an efficient process as building a dedicated facility as these strikecraft will be printed in parts and then later assembled with human labour time, but it will still produce ships that we currently do not have.
To that end MilComm would like to build a new coordination subcommittee to put out a call across the All Radiant Congress for individual communities to build what they can and donate them to the Navy for Home Defence use.
Dice Bonus: +7
Project Progress: 0/30
Cost per die: 6E
Projected Results: Gain a randomly decided per turn, but small and consistent (and most of all free) trickle of strike craft into the Navy's stockpiles.
-
Project: Create Orbital Cruiser-sized Dock
With the unlocking of Ares military grade FRM's access to the plans for Great Heathen Light Cruisers, Janissary tenders, Golden Horde Light Carriers, Cossak frigates, New Model corvettes, and various support auxiliaries we can now begin construction of medium capital craft types. Or we could, if we have a dock capable of it, which we do not. Because of the radically different infrastructure required for medium sized capital craft, such a dock will have to be constructed from scratch.
Dice Bonus: +2
Project Progress: 00/50
Cost per die: 20BR 10SR and 7E
Project Results: Produce a dock capable of creating cruiser, frigate and light carrier class ships. Permanent +3E upkeep.
-
[ ] [MilComm] Permanent Special Forces Training Division
While the Military Committee has been relying on our Defence Coordinator's personal special forces experience to plan and execute operations, some delegates fear relying on a single point of failure.
By setting up a Permanent Special Forces Training Division, we would institutionalize Awhine's knowledge within the Military Committee and provide a pool of experienced special forces operatives that can be drawn from to conduct training or operations.
Dice Bonus: +4
Project Progress: 6/30
Cost Per Die: 2BR, 1SR
Projected Results: Makes Awhine's personal bonus permanent and gains +1, permanent +1E cost
Proposed By: Delegate @Gladsome praetorian on Discord
-
[ ] [MilComm] Found a Military Intelligence Service
While MilComm and Defence Co-ordinator Awhina recognize the excellent service provided by the analysts and agents of MedComm, they also would like resources to be put towards creating a separate Military Intelligence Service organized by and from MilComm that answers directly to the General Congress.
As a direct response to MedComm's priorities not always aligning with that of MilComm, this organization would be tasked specifically with intelligence operations and analysis that are directly relevant to military matters. Gathering of troop numbers, equipment specifications, deployment patterns and so forth; things that MedComm's people, no matter how talented, do not have the expertise or specialization to make the most out of.
Dice Bonus: +4
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost Per Die: 1E
Projected Results: Found a new Military Intelligence Service that will provide a passive accounting of nearby military assets, open up new projects.
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[ ] [MilComm] Institute System of Awards and Honors
With recent victories and sacrifices, and the personal recommendation of Commodore Rousseau, the Military Committee would like to institute a system of Awards and Honors to issue to individuals and units who perform acts of remarkable service, heroism, or make sacrifices for the cause
Dice Bonus: +2
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost Per Die: 1BR, 1E
Projected Results: Add progress to MilComm rolls each roll after a battle occurs based on triumphs and sacrifices.
-
[ ] [MilComm] Liberate Fliveons
With the labor underground on our side, we can begin the liberation of Fliveons. Unlike Shei, we don't have to worry about significant Charter fleet presence. Even so, Rhodes security forces on the ground are formidable and we need to be certain that the combined force of the local revolutionaries and whatever we can spare can overwhelm the Rhodes garrison to prevent ugly scenes of mass death and destruction.
Dice Bonus: +4
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost Per Die: 8E
Projected Results: Potential to take control of Fliveons system. Results are dice dependant
SCIENCE COMMITTEE (Two die)
"Okay so I know you are new here. So I don't blame you. But this is Ghost imager 2-A, it likes Chinese takeout. I don't know why, but it does. That is why we leave empty Chinese takeout boxes as an offering on the desk next to it. When you moved those boxes, you angered it, and that's why it doesn't work.'"
-Elysium Free Physicists Alliance: +5 to Dice rolls involving experimental physics projects
-Professional Union of Laboratory Technicians and Coders: +2 to dice rolls on Science Rolls
-Free Time: +3 to next Blue sky research
[ ] [SciComm] Assist with Prototype Wormhole research -FTL Communications
Developing on the already established laboratory work conducted on Elysium, it may be possible to create a prototype for a fixed location interstellar communications device. Once we have the prototype in hand, we can begin iterating on this technology. It is expected that this project will require moderate amounts of SR and E to see to completion.
[ ] [SciComm] Assist with Prototype Wormhole research -Personal Wormhole
Developing on the already established laboratory work conducted on Elysium, it may be possible to create a fixed location interstellar travel device large enough for a single individual to travel through. Once we have the prototype in hand, we can begin iterating on this technology. It is likely that this project will require large amounts of SR and E to see to completion.
Dice Bonus: +7
Project Progress: 03/???
Cost per die: 10SR and 5E
Projected Result: Unlocks Personal Wormhole Prototype
-
[ ] [SciComm] Crack Advanced Cernunnos Fabricator Rights Management 'prints
Building on our success with unlocking and analyzing Cernunnos blueprints, we should be able make rapid progress stripping anti-consumer protections built into Cernunnos' more exclusive catalogue of blueprints. Without having access to the private keys for the blueprints, we will first have to crack the DRM protection, but the tools we've built up will streamline this process significantly.
[ ] [SciComm] Bypass Charter Fabricator Rights Management for MSI
Building on our success with unlocking and analyzing HI blueprints, we should be able make rapid progress stripping anti-consumer protections built into MSI's extensive catalogue of blueprints. Without having access to the private keys for the blueprints, we will first have to crack the DRM protection, but the tools we've built up will streamline this process significantly.
[ ] [SciComm] Crack Advanced Rhodes Fabricator Rights Management 'prints
Building on our success with unlocking and analyzing Rhodes blueprints, we should be able make rapid progress stripping anti-consumer protections built into Rhodes' more exclusive catalogue of blueprints. Without having access to the private keys for the blueprints, we will first have to crack the DRM protection, but the tools we've built up will streamline this process significantly.
Dice Bonus: +2
Project Progress: 04/30
Cost per die: 3SR and 3E
Projected Result: Unlock Rhodes heavy industrial grade 'prints
-
[ ] [SciComm] Bypass Charter Fabricator Rights Management for Omoikane
Building on our success with unlocking and analyzing HI blueprints, we should be able make rapid progress stripping anti-consumer protections built into Omoikane's extensive catalogue of blueprints. Without having access to the private keys for the blueprints, we will first have to crack the DRM protection, but the tools we've built up will streamline this process significantly.
[ ] [SciComm] Crack advanced Hermes-Ishtar Fabricator Rights Management 'prints
Building on our success with unlocking and analyzing HI blueprints, we should be able make rapid progress stripping anti-consumer protections built into the blueprints whose keys were deleted by the Charter Loyalists. Without having access to the private keys for the blueprints, we will first have to crack the DRM protection, but the tools we've built up will streamline this process significantly.
Dice Bonus: +2
Project Progress: 03/30
Cost per die: 3SR and 3E
Projected Result: Unlock HI production grade 'prints
-
[ ] [SciComm] Subvert Hermes-Ishtar Communications Network across Charter Space
Our hacking team believes they've found an exploit using the interaction of the emergency and priority broadcast systems within the H-I Buoy network that will allow them to insert media for gate transfer without requiring system keys. This means that, until technicians on-site reset their networks, we will have free reign to broadcast anything of our choosing for a few days, and resetting only purges the data-- not the vulnerability. The only way to get around this would be to completely rewrite the (century-old) firmware and all its legacy and compatibility coding for the buoys and manually reimage them, along with replacing the older variants-- and there's an awful lot of buoys out there. It would be a long time before H-I would be able to totally shut you out.
Dice Bonus: +2
Project Progress: 4/45
Cost Per Dice: 5SR and 5E
Projected Results: Ability to send unjammable messages across Humanity's entire communications network at a time of our choosing for between several hours to several weeks per system. Once used, H-I will begin attempting to counter with their own project.
-
[ ] [SciComm] Document Charter Abuses, Radiant
They say that all happy families are alike, and all unhappy families are unhappy in their own unique way.
The same applies to the Charters and the systems they've controlled. Direct encounters have shown us that the tyranny of Hermes-Ishtar in Radiant and Ares in Shei have taken different forms and that they may be hard for others to understand.
A coalition of academics, social workers, and journalists are requesting the resources and public attention in order to create an organization dedicated to documenting for all time the excesses and evils of Charter misrule.
Naturally, the first stage will be a project to document Hermes-Ishtar's impact on Radiant before they were driven out in the March Days.
Dice Bonus: +2
Project Progress: 12/25
Cost Per Die: 1BR and 2E
Project Results: Add a dice bonus to foreign relations, along with narrative advantages.
They say that all happy families are alike, and all unhappy families are unhappy in their own unique ways.
The same applies to the Charters and the systems they've controlled. Direct encounters have shown us that the tyranny of Hermes-Ishtar in Radiant and Ares in Shei have taken different forms and that they may be hard for others to understand.
A coalition of academics, social workers, and journalists are requesting the resources and public attention in order to create an organization dedicated to documenting for all time the excesses and evils of Charter misrule.
Now that Shei is free from Ares control, we can begin the long and arduous project of documenting the astonishing array of abuses that unfolded not just on Sheol, but across the system.
Dice Bonus: +2
Project Progress: 01/25
Cost Per Die: 1BR and 2E
Project Results: Add a dice bonus to foreign relations, along with narrative advantages.
-
SOCIAL COMMITTEE (Two Dice)
"In meeting with Sheol, we have to remember that while we may be the 'big sister' we are not their mother. Walking the tightrope of doing what is right, while respecting their own agency is something we need to be careful about.."
-Congress of Caregivers and Physicians: +3 to all Social roll dice
-Ex-Marketing Division Gang: +5 to Propaganda rolls
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[ ] [SocComm] Institute System of Awards and Honors
With recent victories and sacrifices, and the personal recommendation of Commodore Rousseau, the Military Committee would like to institute a system of Awards and Honors to issue to individuals and units who perform acts of remarkable service, heroism, or make sacrifices for the cause
Dice Bonus: +8
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost Per Die: 1BR, 1E
Projected Results: Add progress to MilComm rolls each roll after a battle occurs based on triumphs and sacrifices.
-
[ ] [SocComm] Encourage Emergency Local Strikecraft Cottage Industry Production
Between the introduction of new Ares strikecraft designs and the results of a procurement panel chaired by Defence Coordinator Awhina you now believe that you can build Strikecraft from standard industrial fabricators.
Sadly, this will not be an efficient process as building a dedicated facility as these Strike craft will be printed in parts and then later assembled with Human labour time, but it will still produce ships that we currently do not have.
To that end MilComm would like to build a new coordination subcommittee to put out a call across the All Radiant Congress for individual communities to build what they can and donate them to the Navy for Home Defence use.
Dice Bonus: +8
Project Progress: 0/30
Cost per die: 6E
Projected Results: Gain a randomly decided per turn, but small and consistent (and most of all free) trickle of strike craft into the Navy's stockpiles.
-
[ ] [SocComm] Use RFS Chinook to transport Immigrants to Elysium
At the moment RFS Chinook is mainly filled with the food forestry that provided the bulk of the Chinook people's diet. As Elysium and Sheol are more than capable of feeding themselves and the other two systems of the ARC this capacity isn't terribly relevant to military or long term civilian use.
Chinook can still, however, carry large numbers of passengers. Especially for a trip from say Sheol to Elysium. By using this capacity Chinook can transport upwards of 300,000 and change immigrants from Sheol to Elysium, greatly increasing the speed of completion on our promise to transport the ex-Ares immigrants from Sheol to Elysium. CO₂ scrubbers will need to be added, food fabricators cracked, and worn down machinery will need to be replaced and refit, but almost all of it can be done by onboard work crews while the colony craft is underway.
Dice Bonus: +3
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost Per die: 1BE, 1SR, 1E
Projected Results: Increase immigration rate for the Shei Redeployment Program by approximately between 100,000-300,000 individuals until the next General Session of the All-Radiant Congress.
-
[ ] [SocComm] Integrate Chinook people into the Congress
With the arrival of the Chinook people in Gaid, we have gained a large population of spacers experienced in all aspects of life outside a habitable biosphere. While they are already slowly finding their own feet in a suddenly much wider universe, SocComm believes that a dedicated "Welcome to the Congress" program will help them acclimatize faster and form much tighter links with our society, as they learn from us and we from them.
Dice Bonus: +3
Project Progress: 0/15
Cost per die: 5BR, 1SR, 1E
Projected Results: Add a bonus to MilComm or IndComm, in Gaid, open up Gaid Projects.
-
[ ] [SocComm] Chain Integration Program
The previous smashing success of the chain integration project has led to calls for its expansion across Elysium as many more communities begin to clamour for their own seed communities of former Ares employees.
In addition to the structures used in the first round of immigration, we've also set up mentor programs for both new immigrants and new host families and communities that will further smooth over any issues that arise from the clash of two very different cultures.
New urban expansion will also be planned with these new immigrants in mind as we take onboard the recommendations from the first wave.
With this program in place, SocComm has no doubts that we will be able to house and integrate as many immigrants as we have the resources and administrative capacity for.
Dice Bonus: +3
Project Progress: Automatic, roll determines results
Cost per die: 2BR, 1E
Projected Results: Add roll to Shei Redeployment Program Progress
-
[ ] [SocComm] Resident Embassies
To facilitate rapport between our systems, the committee has proposed that most major cities on both Sheol and Radiant receive small embassies or consulates, there for the purpose of aiding travel between systems, resolving cultural differences, and preempting any possible diplomatic issues.
Dice Bonus: +8
Project Progress: 18/30
Cost per die: 5 BR
Projected Results: Improve relations with the SCMC and the Sheolite population as a whole, +2E upkeep per quarter once completed
-
[ ] [SocComm] Expand BLG with household nanofabricators
Many of the distribution issues with the BLG can be solved by repurposing fabbers for household use. They can even print food-- though it's not exactly what anyone would call fresh. Nevertheless, as long as the planetside infrastructure is up, you've solved the issue with the BLG.
Dice Bonus: +3
Project Progress: 04/40
Cost per die: 5BR, 5SR, On completion permanent +2BR, +2E upkeep per 50 million citizens
Projected Results: +5 Trust, Raise Trust Floor by 5, Improve General Congress Focus Vote
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[ ] [SocComm] Immortality Guarantee
Functional Immortality has been a practical reality for the wealthy since the mid 2020s, and has long been a leading cause of why workers will permanently indenture themselves into Charter service. With this program implemented no longer will our people have to work or die. By overwhelming popular demand, this program is paired with the full legalization of voluntary euthanasia.
Dice Bonus: +3
Program Progress: 08/50
Cost per die: N/A
Projected Result: When Project is Completed have a permanent upkeep cost of 5BR, 5SR, and 5E per 50 million citizens, a permanent propaganda dice bonus, raise the trust floor by +10, and get one free die.
-
[ ] [SocComm] Found Youth Organization
Taking a cue from some old Earth traditions, and a similar collection of organizations on Sheol, we urge the Congress to found an all Congress-wide youth organization. Not only would such a program foster ties of solidarity across our population, but it would encourage civic spirit, help with youth socialization, and allow us to disseminate more obscure life skills that are not currently part of the Paths to Enlightenment program.
Membership in the program will be entirely voluntary and it will also be run by local community volunteers with each individual branch federated into a larger congress with its own delegates to the All-Radiant Congress.
Dice Bonus: +3
Project Difficulty: 02/25
Cost Per Dice: 1BR
Project Results: Add Youth Organization to SocComm as a +2 bonus to Youth, Education, and Civics rolls as well as other potential bonuses.
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[ ] [SocComm] Document Charter Abuses, Radiant
They say that all happy families are alike, and all unhappy families are unhappy in their own unique ways.
The same applies to the Charters and the systems they've controlled. Direct encounters have shown us that the tyranny of Hermes-Ishtar in Radiant and Ares in Shei have taken different forms and that they may be hard for others to understand.
A coalition of academics, social workers, and journalists are requesting the resources and public attention in order to create an organization dedicated to documenting for all time the excesses and evils of Charter misrule.
Naturally, the first stage will be a project to document Hermes-Ishtar's impact on Radiant before they were driven out in the March Days.
Dice Bonus: +3
Project Progress: 12/25
Cost Per Die: 1BR and 2E
Project Results: Add a dice bonus to foreign relations, along with narrative advantages.
They say that all happy families are alike, and all unhappy families are unhappy in their own unique ways.
The same applies to the Charters and the systems they've controlled. Direct encounters have shown us that the tyranny of Hermes-Ishtar in Radiant and Ares in Shei have taken different forms and that they may be hard for others to understand.
A coalition of academics, social workers, and journalists are requesting the resources and public attention in order to create an organization dedicated to documenting for all time the excesses and evils of Charter misrule.
Now that Shei is free from Ares control, we can begin the long and arduous project of documenting the astonishing array of abuses that unfolded not just on Sheol, but across the system.
Dice Bonus: +3
Project Progress: 01/25
Cost Per Die: 1BR and 2E
Project Results: Add a dice bonus to foreign relations, along with narrative advantages.
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[ ] [SocComm] Monuments to Independence
You know what free people are free to do? To use their resources on pointless, wasteful, and profitless extravagances like majestic monuments to our freedom.
With a year passed since the March Days evicted Hermes-Ishtar from Radiant, there are calls for us to immortalize that victory in literal stone.
Let's make it an event for everyone, to let the universe know, for all time, that we did something worth celebrating!
Project Progress: 0/15
Dice Bonus: +7
Cost Per Dice: 3BR, 1SR, 1E
Projected Results: +5 Trust Bonus
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MEDIA COMMITTEE (Two Dice)
"You know what the difference is between Christmas this year and Christmas two years ago?
"In one, I knew Christmas would be a high-stress coordination of a propaganda campaign to direct violent mobs to loot storehouses, leaving them emptied and filled with dead bodies.
"In the other, I'm helping with the liberation of Fiveleons.."
-Creator's Forum: +2 to all media dice rolls
-TrophyCase Social Media Team +2 to external propaganda
-Market Segment Analysis Hobbyists' Club +5 Signals Intelligence
-Guild of Professional and Amateur Performers: +5 to Human Intelligence
Special Note: We have a limited time to trigger a general uprising in Fliveons on our own timetable. Despite our best efforts the Rhodes security services are beginning to suspect that something is going on and they're preparing for a crackdown.
While we believe that in a straight fight the underground unions can hold their own, it will still be risky to leave them on their own. We have at absolute mostsix months to trigger an uprising in Fliveons before either Rhodes or the Workers themselves move.
-
[ ] [MedComm] Encourage Emergency Local Strikecraft Cottage Industry Production
Between the introduction of new Ares strikecraft designs and the results of a procurement panel chaired by Defence Coordinator Awhina you now believe that you can build strikecraft from standard industrial fabricators.
Sadly, this will not be an efficient process as building a dedicated facility as these strikecraft will be printed in parts and then later assembled with Human labour time, but it will still produce ships that we currently do not have.
To that end MilComm would like to build a new coordination subcommittee to put out a call across the All Radiant Congress for individual communities to build what they can and donate them to the Navy for Home Defence use.
Dice Bonus: +2
Project Progress: 0/30
Cost per die: 6E
Projected Results: Gain a randomly decided per turn, but small and consistent (and most of all free) trickle of strike craft into the Navy's stockpiles.
-
[ ] [MedComm] Document Charter Abuses, Radiant
They say that all happy families are alike, and all unhappy families are unhappy in their own unique way.
The same applies to the Charters and the systems they've controlled. Direct encounters have shown us that the tyranny of Hermes-Ishtar in Radiant and Ares in Shei have taken different forms and that they may be hard for others to understand.
A coalition of academics, social workers, and journalists are requesting the resources and public attention in order to create an organization dedicated to documenting for all time the excesses and evils of Charter misrule.
Naturally, the first stage will be a project to document Hermes-Ishtar's impact on Radiant before they were driven out in the March Days.
Dice Bonus: +2
Project Progress: 12/25
Cost Per Die: 1BR and 2E
Project Results: Add a dice bonus to foreign relations, along with narrative advantages.
They say that all happy families are alike, and all unhappy families are unhappy in their own unique ways.
The same applies to the Charters and the systems they've controlled. Direct encounters have shown us that the tyranny of Hermes-Ishtar in Radiant and Ares in Shei have taken different forms and that they may be hard for others to understand.
A coalition of academics, social workers, and journalists are requesting the resources and public attention in order to create an organization dedicated to documenting for all time the excesses and evils of Charter misrule.
Now that Shei is free from Ares control, we can begin the long and arduous project of documenting the astonishing array of abuses that unfolded not just on Sheol, but across the system.
Dice Bonus: +4
Project Progress: 01/25
Cost Per Die: 1BR and 2E
Project Results: Add a dice bonus to foreign relations, along with narrative advantages.
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[ ] [MedComm] Insert Assets into Xotreh
Currently controlled by Omoikane, Xotreh appears to be a system deliberately lost by the bureaucracy. With a population barely cresting 54,000 individuals, the bulk of the inhabitation is limited to seasteads on the icy ocean world of Xotreh B4a, unofficially known as "Sushi". By all indications, "Sushi" is being used by Omoikane to dump workers with poor records and incorrigible troublemakers. The Media Committee wants to insert a team into the system under the cover of regular commercial traffic. Once we have a tap into system communications and agents on the ground MedComm planners will begin to plan to encourage Xotrah to throw off Omoikane and join the Congress.
Dice Bonus: +12
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost per die: 1SR
Projected Results: Insert Assets into Xotreh, new projects on completion.
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[ ] [MedComm] Insert Assets into Bestreer.
Officially owned by Cernunnos, Bestreer is barely inhabited, with only a gate maintenance team and a SAR station. The few hundred Cernunnos employees appear to have the same extremely relatable gripes and problems that all spacers relegated to backwater worlds have. The Media Committee wants to insert a team into the system under the cover of regular commercial traffic. Once we have a tap into system communications and agents on the ground MedComm planners will begin to plan to encourage Bestreer to throw off Cernunnos control and join the Congress.
Dice Bonus: +12
Project Progress: 0/10
Cost per die: 1SR
Projected Results: Insert Assets into Bestreer, new projects on completion.
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[ ] [MedComm] Expand contact with Fliveons Organized Crime
As the "meritocratic" internal corporate culture of Rhodes amounts to a de facto caste system, a large and surprisingly active internal black market is found on most Rhodes worlds, and Fliveons is now different.
Adapting the playbook run by Agent Gabriel Wright and Rousseau's clique in Shei, our agents will attempt to tap into the existing extra-legal systems in Fliveons in order to find ways to subvert Rhodes hold over the system and make contact with elements willing to help us for pay.
While we have no desire to allow these organized crime syndicates to continue operation once Fliveons is liberated, that does not mean that in the interim they cannot be a knife to place in Rhodes' back.
Dice Bonus: +7
Project Progress: 1/25
Cost per die: 3SR, 2E
Projected Results: Subvert Rhodes' control over Fliveons
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[ ] [MedComm] Flood Fliveons with Propaganda
(Can be taken same turn as [MilComm] Liberate Fliveons)
One method to soften Fliveons up might be to simply flood the airwaves with Elysian produced ARC media and propaganda. The propaganda would focus on breaking the illusions of those who still believe in Rhodes' promises of land on Oyu Tolgoi and showing that they can simply have it now. As well as showing the work-culture possible out of charter control.
This would, needless to say, blow your cover, but really at this point, the cover is rather blown.
Dice Bonus: +9
Project Progress: 0/10
Cost per die: 6E
Projected Results: More likely to disrupt Rhodes operations and encourage defections.
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[ ] [MedComm] Provide aid to Underground Labour Organizations
(Can be taken same turn as [MilComm] Liberate Fliveons)
Fliveons isn't the first Rhodes planet that has had an underground labor organization. They have gotten very good at making sure that any unions that get too powerful are broken up, often violently.
Unlike most, Fliveons' unions have some else on their side: us.
While the plans for smuggling in weapons and armor are important, just as important is the project of smuggling in fabbers for clothes, food, and basic medical supplies. The sort of things that let members leave their jobs to protest with a safety net, and show those who need help that Rhodes buybacks and loans aren't the only options.
Dice Bonus: +7
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost per die: 3SR and 3E
Projected Results: Fliveons Underground Labour Organizations grow in membership and are better able to engage in pitched combat with Rhodes security forces.
--
[ ] [MedComm] Insert Assets into Akleod
The last of Radiant's surrounding systems, Akleod is home to a Mississippi Interstellar transshipment hub. The just over 5000 inhabitants of Akleod are concentrated in an orbital station above Gnat's Ass (Akleod 2). It appears that the MSI Junior Executive in charge of Akleod is an utterly venal individual who had several under the table deals with Vice President Yang and other member's of Radiant's former rulership. The Media Committee wants to insert a team into the system under the cover of regular commercial traffic. Once we have a tap into system communications and agents on the ground MedComm planners will begin to plan to encourage Akleod to throw off MSI control and join the Congress.
Dice Bonus: +12
Project Progress: 0/10
Cost per die: 1SR
Projected Results: Insert Assets into Akleod, new projects on completion.
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[ ] [MedComm] Insert Assets into Osliam
A rare system with a brown dwarf orbiting a G-type star (just barely in the limits of what's considered a single system rather than a binary), and with a Jovian planet orbiting that, and on top of that treasure trove a dual ice giant binary, Osliam presents a golden research opportunity, and was bid on by Omoikane despite its otherwise sparse resources and poor habitable prospects.
Our information on the system is scarce and we have little data on the six hundred and fifty or so thousand inhabitants of the system.
The Media Committee wants to insert a team into the system under the cover of regular commercial traffic. Once we have a tap into system communications and agents on the ground MedComm planners will begin to plan to encourage Osliam to throw off Omoikane control and join the Congress.
Dice Bonus: +12
Project Progress: 0/25
Cost per die: 1SR
Projected Results: Insert Assets into Osliam, new projects on completion.
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[ ] [MedComm] Reassess Media Committee Responsibilities
It's an unusual quirk, and one that is understandable considering Radiant's origins, but a lot of resources and responsibilities have been placed under the oversight of the Media Committee.
Everything from espionage, to communications, to foreign affairs, to social programs have fallen under the purview of the Media Committee, much to the consternation of other sections of the Congress who feel that those resources and responsibilities would be better allocated their way.
Completing this project will begin an attempt to shift one or more of the Media committee's responsibilities, and their attached resources, to a different committee.
Dice Bonus: 0
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost Per Die: N/A
Projected Results: Create a subvote to shift resources and responsibilities to other committees
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Project: Dispatch Diplomats
While our Diplomatic Corps is still in its infancy that doesn't mean that we can't begin making open contact with our neighbours. Opening contact, will open up new possibilities for dealing with neighbouring systems and the Charters they represent. Though a more comprehensive ability to engage in diplomacy can only begin once a Diplomatic Corps head has been elected.
[ ] [MedComm] Open relations with Osliam
[ ] [MedComm] Open relations with Fliveons
[ ] [MedComm] Open relations with Bestreer
[ ] [MedComm] Open relations with Xotreh
[ ] [MedComm] Open relations with Akleod
Dice Bonus: +2
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost per die: 2E
Projected Results: Opens up options for diplomacy, trade, and avoiding hostility with individual Charters.
A cheer goes up from the assembled delegates as the vote is read off for support of the liberation of Fliveons, a section of MilComm delegates clapping uproariously.
Face carefully controlled, the Speaker of the General Congress looks up from the tablet in his hands, "The preliminary vote of support for the Federation of Five Lions Revolutionary Unions has passed with unanimous approval. We now move to the matter of material support for the Federation-"
The Speaker comes to a sudden -and unprecedented- halt, as one of his aides whispers something in his ear.
A confused buzz spreads across the former theater that had been converted into a meeting place for the General Congress, worry and excitement spreading in equal measure as confusion as the speaker speaks with hushed tones with his aide and someone in a Congressional Navy uniform.
With a final nod, the speaker turns back to his podium and raises his hands, "Delegates! Delegates!" He shouts, his voice barely audible above the din, "DELEGATES!" he says, activating the chamber's sound dampening system.
The unnatural silence that follows, draws all attention to him.
"Delegates, we have received a report from Thoa-"
Several someones gasp and chatter excitedly under the cover of the sound dampening.
"- that a large Hermes-Ishtar force has arrived." he checks his notes, "The Fleet Carrier Ishtar's Light, the Cruiser Ishtar's Sword, as well as the return of Hermes' Grace and Hermes' Will. It is a much smaller force than we'd feared. But the Navy's analysts can't tell us if this squadron is only the first wave of a much larger force."
The speaker's podium lights up with thousands of requests from Delegates to speak, and he turns around and addresses an unheard question to the Naval officer, then turns back, "I'm going to call an hour long break, then when we return, I will be declaring a closed session, and some of our high ranking comrades from the Military Committee will be here to address your questions."
Yes.
It is time for another EVENT.
The Charters are here.
The vote will not close.
Just like the Congressional Delegates in game, you will have to plan during a time of uncertainty and crisis.
And again, when this is over all the updates will be collated into a proper update.
December 2253, Special Session of the All-Radiant Congress: Ceasefire Proposal
A cheer goes up from the assembled delegates as the vote is read off for support of the liberation of Fliveons, a section of MilComm delegates clapping uproariously.
Face carefully controlled, the Speaker of the General Congress looks up from the tablet in his hands, "The preliminary vote of support for the Federation of Five Lions Revolutionary Unions has passed with unanimous approval. We now move to the matter of material support for the Federation-"
The Speaker comes to a sudden -and unprecedented- halt, as one of his aides whispers something in his ear.
A confused buzz spreads across the former theater that had been converted into a meeting place for the General Congress, worry and excitement spreading in equal measure as confusion as the speaker speaks with hushed tones with his aide and someone in a Congressional Navy uniform.
With a final nod, the speaker turns back to his podium and raises his hands, "Delegates! Delegates!" He shouts, his voice barely audible above the din, "DELEGATES!" he says, activating the chamber's sound dampening system.
The unnatural silence that follows, draws all attention to him.
"Delegates, we have received a report from Thoa-"
Several someones gasp and chatter excitedly under the cover of the sound dampening.
"- that a large Hermes-Ishtar force has arrived." he checks his notes, "The Fleet Carrier Ishtar's Light, the Cruiser Ishtar's Sword, as well as the return of Hermes' Grace and Hermes' Will. It is a much smaller force than we'd feared. But the Navy's analysts can't tell us if this squadron is only the first wave of a much larger force."
The speaker's podium lights up with thousands of requests from Delegates to speak, and he turns around and addresses an unheard question to the Naval officer, then turns back, "I'm going to call an hour long break, then when we return, I will be declaring a closed session, and some of our high ranking comrades from the Military Committee will be here to address your questions."
-
[2253/11/14 20:35] [2253/11/16 00:35]
The next time a Flash Alert arrives the Congressional Speaker is asleep in the downtown Persephone apartment that he'd rented for forty years on an executive assistant's salary and decided to stay in after the Revolution because he'd grown to love the nighttime view the apartment block had of Elysium's capital.
It takes him a while to fully wake up, seven hour nights might be natural, but they're sure as hell hard to stirr from.
When he finally groggily pulls himself from the last wisps of a dream and squints his eyes to read his loudly trilling work tablet he stiffens and sits upright in bed, activating the bedroom lights, and accidentally waking his partner.
"Ahgh, fuh, hah, what time?" She says, holding her hand over her eyes to block out the light.
"It's just after midnight."
"I thought this job didn't come with late night calls? You're a fucking important man now."
"Sorry Sarah, you know my number was up for the Speaker's job this month." He yawns, and says, "If I'd known that it would involve midnight homework I would have said no."
Or rather he thinks it blurrily in that place half between waking and sleep where sometimes your brain just doesn't quite do what you want it to.
"So, what's the big deal?" she asks, grabbing a hair tie from the side table, pulling long black and orange locks of hair off her face as she wakes up.
"There are more, ehhhh, Charter guys," he says, blinking into the light. "New Squadron just entered Thoa. Enough that I'm no longer confident that our defence in Gaid will hold."
"Well, fuck, that's not good."
"No, it's not, a couple of what MilComm identified as 'Kaiserreich-class Battlecruisers', whatever those are, a pair of cruisers like our Shieldmaiden, and a quartet of frigates like that one… uhm, that one we captured?"
"Righteous Tempest."
"Yeah, that one, I don't know who names these things at Ares. MIS Hood and MIS Lutzow -those are the battlecruisers, the cruisers are Valkyrie and Myrmidon?"
"That tracks," she says, half her attention focused on her own tablet, making connections. "Hood and Lutzow are historical battlecruisers, and Myrmidon and Valkyrie are also words for a kind of warrior, like Shieldmaiden was."
"What about Robert E Lee, Vasiliy Chuikov,Mao Zedong, and Clydesdale?"
"Well the first three are pre-space generals, and the last is a kind of horse?"
"Huh, oh yeah, that's my bad, three frigates, and a courier. Not that that makes a lot of difference."
"So, are we dead?"
The Speaker looks out the window at the twinkling lights of Persephone, tracing the lights of public transit moving back and forth down the city's wide boulevards, "I don't…" he closes his eyes and takes in a deep breath, "Awhina and Mansur assured me that the defences we had in Gaid were more than able to take on Ishtar's Light and her squadron," his eyes open again and he shifts to put his feet on the cool carpet of the bedroom, opening his eyes on the unaware nightlife of the city he loved and had the honor of representing to the All-Radiant Congress, "It must be possible to win, I don't think God would allow us live in a universe where evil always wins."
His partner groans as she swings her feet out of bed as well and nods, "Okay, that's... reassuring, I guess, one would almost think we made a mistake by provoking some of the most powerful organizations in human history" she pokes him and yawns, "you go get ready to address the rest of your congress, give them hope, and I'll talk to Mansur to whip up a dossier for you to that with," she says, pulling the blankets off the bed. "Chop chop."
-
[2253/11/15 12:23] [2253/11/16 16:23]
"At least I'm at dinner this time." says the Speaker with a weary sigh, then looks around at the trendy Olduvai-Euro nuWave fusion restaurant, and it's unsuspecting patrons, "An excellent place to learn we're all going to die."
"Sorry?" says one of his colleagues over a spoonful of soup.
The speaker grandly holds out his tablet of office and reads grandiosely, "ACSS Yorktown, Eurymedon, La Rochelle, Cape Rachado, Second Schooneveld, Matapan, Pondicherry, Valcour Island, Kerch Strait, Galveston Harbour, Cape Sarych, River Plate, Third San Francisco, Scipio Africanus, Suleiman I, Louis Botha, Fort Ware, Fort Mackinac, Fort Osage, Arabian, Columbian Mustang."
The other two men and three women at the restaurant table look at each other with… deep concern.
"Yeah, that does sound like we're fucked," says a SocComm representative leaning back in her chair and staring at the sky, "I don't know if we can take on all three of those forces at once."
"If it helps, the last five are fast tankers and couriers."
"Not really, no," says a MedComm Delegate that the Speaker had worked with ghost managing an animation studio, "Well, maybe, I'm not an Admiral, but they keep telling us that a defended gate is like a barrel filled with buzzsaws."
"There are also the six troop transports with fancy Latin names that I haven't mentioned"
"Again, not better," says the Speaker's friend. "I, for one, am happy to welcome our new battlecruiser friend into our space."
"Actually, that first one, Yorktown, is a 'British Empire class fleet tender' and the next twelve are corvettes," he shrugs fatalistically, "Then a trio of frigates, not more capital ships."
One of the women shoves a bread roll up against her mouth and screams into it, her shrill apoplexy attracting a couple of curious, and concerned, glances from across the restaurant. "I fucking knew I should have supported more VEMP measures," she says, after the rest patiently wait for her to finish.
The last man, a delegate representing some sort of sports workers' collective, shrugs. "Ah, well, fuck, we did all we did, all there is to do now is wait and hope our secret weapons work." He holds up the little card that has the restaurant's wine and spirits selection on it. "Anyone else want to join me in getting just utterly and legendarily daylight wasted to celebrate our coming victory over impossible odds?"
-
[2253/11/17 04:36] [22253/11/17 23:21]
"It's midnight, what is it this time?"
"That first group, the one with that carrier, Ishtar's Light has arrived at the gate. Rousseau transmitted the ultimatum we drew up in the Congress, the one asking them to respect our space and our independence."
"I bet that went well, the Charters are usually pretty stand up guys."
"It's actually really weird, the guy in charge is that Charleston guy again, the one that kidnapped those people during that raid. But it's like I'm watching Rousseau talk to herself, he sounds just as overblown and melodramatic as she does. Well more so actually, it's not like he's listening to her, he's giving us all kinds of dramatic assertions to things like the 'Democratic right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of property' and he's demanding that she surrender or he will attack."
"That's dumb, gimme that."
-
[2253/11/17 16:51] [2253/11/18 11:36]
"If you'll look here, we have the signals from our people in the Gaid system represented in the Holotank," says Admiral Mansur politely. "This is where we'll be watching the battle play out."
The Speaker nods, looking around the Congressional Navy's command center, at the rings of Navy personnel surrounding the group of Congressional Delegates chosen to observe what the journalists were hyping as the 'First Real Battle of Gaid."
"And Charleston's ultimatum is almost over?" asks one of the delegates.
Mansur nods. "That's right."
"You would think that he would wait for the rest of that force to arrive," says the Speaker. "But I guess he has no idea what's waiting for him. Or he doesn't believe in what we're capable of."
"Not a move that I would make," says Admiral Mansur gravely. "But it could be that he's going to make a feint to see what he can draw out without risking the whole of their force."
The Speaker nods. "That would be why Awhina is saving those fireships then?"
Admiral Mansur shifts uncomfortably, "Yes, and why she's in Gaid to oversee the entire operation. She's held back the HELLBURNER craft for this round, but has okayed CERES deployme-"
The older man is interrupted by a sudden expansion of blue lights across the Holotank that dominates the room.
"That's them," says someone quietly.
It is impossible for the Speaker to follow what it is going on in front of him, and he is relying on the Navy Admiral for commentary. "He's deployed all his strikecraft, but the Shoals we have deployed are chewing them up, I'm not liking the accuracy on our platforms, and we'll have to adjust that."
"Have we lost anyone?" asks a Delegate uncertainly.
"Follow the blue lights," says Mansur, "But no, it looks like Rousseau is letting the defences do most of the work and maneuvering to catch their attention while the CERES drones are moving in." He gives a half-smile, then chuckles. "I keep having to remind myself that she's aggressive, not stupid," he says in an quiet aside to the Speaker.
The Admiral cocks his head as the lights begin moving at a much different pace and he reaches over to hit some kind of control on his wrist.
"-render, you are outmatched, Charleston, those drones have disabled your ships, and your strikecraft are destroyed," comes from the Holotank, a small image of Commodore Rousseau's face having now popped up on it.
"If I must surrender to save my people, so be it," comes from a file photo of Charleston. "I will surrender my vessels. But know this, we shall be avenged, because warlords like you always fail to subdue civilization in the end. Admiral Milanovic will see that we are avenged."
"What," says the Speaker, as the audio cuts off.
"No. Really. What?" he repeats as the room erupts in cheering, "Did he just…?"
Admiral Mansur leans in close, voice raised, "Lose? Yes, Ishtar's Light, Ishtar's Sword, Hermes' Grace and Hermes' Will have just surrendered." He reaches out to shake the Speaker's hand with a broad grin cracking his usually stern face, "She'll take some time to fully sweep, repair, and crew, but Mr. Speaker, congratulations on our first capital ship."
-
[2253/11/25 10:59] [2253/11/26 05:44]
"I'm afraid that I need to interrupt this discussion on budgeting for Congressional Navy repairs, but I feel the need to inform all of you that the first Ares squadron has just arrived at the Thoa-Gaid gate and are now refueling."
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[2253/11/25 23:00] [2253/11/26 17:45]
"- and the ayes have it. The general congress will be extended under emergency measures for the next two days." The Speaker steps back from the microphone to listen to an intern deliver their report.
Stepping forward again, he speaks to the congress, "I've just received word that the second wave of ships has finished refueling, and has yet to issue an ultimatum. Defense Coordinator Awhina expects that this means that they will wait until the third wave reunites with them to crush us with overwhelming force."
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[2253/11/30 13:23] [2253/12/1 08:08]
"I'm afraid that I have another interruption Delegates, Admiral Milovanovik has been reinforced with the third squadron and has issued us an ultimatum calling for our surrender.
"Defence Coordinator Awhina has, naturally, sent our own demands back, and she does not expect to reach a negotiated settlement before the ultimatum ends tonight at midnight."
-
[2253/12/1 01:31] [2253/12/1 20:16]
The Speaker for the General Session of the All Radiant Congress had never expected to be called to speak to the entire public, he'd expected to serve out his month in peace and then hand off the role of Speaker to the next Delegate chosen by sortition, but history makes fools of all men.
He looks into the camera, watching the person behind the set slowly count down to zero, and the Speaker forces himself to stop fidgeting with the items he'd artfully arranged around the desk that sat in the middle of an office set that once hosted the most successful political thriller series in Elysian history.
MedComm had begged him to use the set because it was far more dignified than the cramped former theater storage space that he was used as a Congressional Delegate. And one that would hopefully match the seriousness of the moment.
Three.
Two.
One.
"My name is Alexander Hunter. You may not know my name, but you know my office.
"I currently serve as the Speaker of your All-Radiant Congress, and I am here today to speak on behalf of not just the Congress, but the Congressional Navy, to inform you of the course of what has been dubbed by many as the Second Battle of Gaid.
"I am here to give you the official version of the events of that battle.
"At 01:31, a Charter force of two battlecruisers, two light cruisers, five frigates and five corvettes under the command of Admiral Archer Milovanovik of Mars Interstellar Security entered Gaid via the Thoa-Gaid Korolev Chandhraksar Gate in order to begin the resubjugation of our people.
"Opposing him were the local fixed defences and Chinook volunteers, as well as the Congressional Navy's Home and Mobile Forces under the Command of Commodores Kozlova and Rousseau, overseen by Defence Coordinator Awhina.
"Thanks to the efforts of people across the All-Radiant Congress, also on station were eight HELLBURNER fireships that had been built in record time by our people. During the confusion of Admiral Milovanovik's transit, six of the HELLBURNERs were able to close with his task force, and their deployment ripped the heart out of Admiral Milovanovik's formation.
"Targeting the heart of the Charter fleet, Look at Me Mom and Huggles destroyed the battlecruiser Hood, the Please Work destroyed the cruiser Valkyrie, and the NB Gender Reveal destroyed the Myrmidon. I personally thank each and every one of you who volunteered your time and resources into the HELLBURNER project.
"With the enemy force damaged and in disarray, Commodore Rousseau ordered a strike into the heart of the Charter formation to destroy their last remaining capital ship. During this firing pass the rest of Mobile Force cleared a path that Shieldmaiden was able to use to cripple the MIS Lutzow, Admiral Milovanovik's flagship, injuring him and setting that battlecruiser adrift.
"With the beating heart of their formation ripped out, and their chain of command completely severed, the remaining ships from the Charter formation either surrendered or routed.
"While many did manage to retreat successfully, we took a number of other craft as prizes, including the Lutzow herself, as well as an unconscious Admiral Milovanovik.
"This in exchange for a handful of losses. We lost the majority of the gate's fixed defences, as well as a third of our strikecraft, the Lake Champlain, and the Targe.
"I know that I, for one, will never be able to forget the sacrifice of those ships and their crews.
"Put in sum: We won, by the efforts of our people and the Congressional Navy combined, we've won a victory that will go down in history alongside Saratoga, Valmy, and Detroit. We live, we love, we fight, we win.
"Further details are available from official MilComm sources, such broadcasts will be following this one, for those who want them. Good evening, and stay safe."
The camera light snaps off and Alexander Hunter sags visibly in his chair, dropping his head into his hands as his elbows land on the hard artificial wood of the desk, and lets out a shuddering breath.
He begins to weep, weep in an ugly manner, shuddering breaths letting out the sobs of a month of bottled up stress and terror that slowly transform into a laugh just as ragged and ugly.
The Speaker of the All-Radiant Congress feels a hand on his shoulder and he pulls back up, blinking tears of joy out of his eyes, as he registers the cheering, and weeping, and utter bedlam that the studio had descended into.
"Hey, well, we're going to get to live all the way to Christmas and beyond," says his long time partner and common-law wife, tears in her own eyes, as she squeezes his shoulder and then drops down to her knees to give him a tight hug.
"Yeah," he says after a long moment, "yeah, we are."
A/N said:
Hey, so uh, you guys got lucky. We ran test combats before the real one, with the forces arrayed, you usually were able to hold the gate at immense cost, losing well over half your vessels plus your fixed defences
But when we ran the combat for real, everything fell into place. The HELLBURNERS ripped the heart out of the enemy formation and afterwards, Rousseau and Shieldmaidenpersonally mission-killed Lutzow in the battle that followed.
Afterwards, with the rest of their formation taking fire, and their entire chain of command ripped apart, the remaining forces either fled or surrendered.
Between both battles you captured:
Hermes' Will (crippled) A Cossak-class frigate Hermes' Grace, another Cossak-class frigate Ishtars' Sword, a Great Heathen class light cruiser Ishtars' Light, A United States of America class FLEET CARRIER MIS Lutzow (crippled), a Kaiserreich-class BATTLECRUISER MIS Robert E Lee, a Cossak-class frigate MIS Chuikov , a Cossak-class frigate MIS Mao Zedong, a Cossak-class frigate
As well as the Hermes-Ishtar Regional Operations Chief Mark Charleston and Mars Interstellar Security Admiral Artyom "Archer" Milovanovik, who evacuated MIS Lutzow unconscious having been severely wounded. And a few thousand other Charter personnel who are now the ARC's Prisoners of War.
You got ungodly lucky, and only lost:
Basically all your fixed defences. Zephyr Wing, a wing of Switchblade strikecraft, though the CO and many of the pilots are alive CNS Targe, an old patrol cruiser, killing Captain Kanti Pandit CNS Lake Champlain, killing an unnamed NPC captain
However, it is not a total victory, Admiral Weylon Kang and a large number of Charter vessels now have control of Thoa, and are too strong for the current Congressional Navy to dislodge by force.
I rans sims before the actual battle. White squadron, ironically, was always something of a paper tiger, if he had waited for the other forces he would have been a major contributor. But made several mistakes. Or really one large one, which led to smaller ones. His large one was acting as if you would have no other ships than what you saw, because of course you couldn't really produce things. Since you captured Thoa, they never got to see the fixed defenses go up, and had no idea that you captured ships, built others and got a few wings worth of veteran volunteers from the Chinook.
Since he's angling for the 'hero of the story' in order to secure his post-battle prestige, he ran ahead. Charleston is good at gambling what he needs to advance, last time, it paid off for him perfectly, this time, it didn't. If he had stayed with the others, he would not have suffered defeat-in-detail.
Second fixed defenses are buzzsaws, there is a reason that Charters use dreadnaughts to force gates with defenses. His strike craft, some of the heart of his attack power, got murdered by them. Much as Charleston is arrogant, I don't think even he would have tried to force it if he had realized you had proper defenses up.
Finally, he had an inefficient attack pattern. His need to be the 'hero' of the story meant he was going for the big cap ships, which are tougher when supported with lots of fixed defenses. Our ships murdered his weaker ships first, leaving him less supported. CERES let you capture then, but even had he fought on, he wouldn't have done anything effective in follow-up rounds.
This was not true of round two. Red force was meant to be deadly. Originally red went next with blue holding back. You still won too easily, since your fixed defenses took the brunt of the attacks leaving little named-char death (Though Kozlova was cursed and kept dying). So we added in part of blue force, not all since some of them would be off securing other systems, but some. The second wave was meant to jump in after you used fireships in round one.
We simmed this, and in the sim test you lost over half your ships.
The following captains have lost their ships (roll for survival, might have lived)
Commodore Victor Raine
Ara Helge
Kanti Pandit
Karl Xanothos
Samuel Smiles
Martin Pagonis
Sumac Barros
Rouge Napier
Shayla McLean
CO: CNS Lake Champlain
Jean-Paul Beaumont
One ship that I think I lost the records of which it was when going through notes
Plus all your fixed defenses
Weirdly both Kozlova and Rousseau survived.
Rousseau isn't too surprising, she was on Shieldmaiden which is a tough ship, but (CNS Blair Mountain) (Kozlova's ship) kept dying on the easier battles, so amazing it survived that one).
Then after we concluded that the sim ran well and added the last minute captains in that hadn't been, we did the real thing. And, of course your fireships rolled unbelievably well, and managed to make two strikes against battlecruiser one to kill it, while like half of your entire force targeted the other battlecruiser to to cripple it with overwhelming firepower.
Both of them were like untouched in the simulation until round 4, and the Lutzow was the last surviving ship on their side.
Ed: Amorous Intent said:
Okay, you need to research wormhole comms already so my smooth brain doesn't have to handle calculating all these lightspeed delays from system to system.
It is, by all measures, a glorious victory, a stunning revolutionary triumph that will stand alongside such battles as Saratoga and Valmy, where ragtag bands of mixed regulars and militia volunteers have seen off a veteran force and placed their mark indelibly in the annals of history.
A victory marred by the mental transformation of the connection between Gaid and Thoa from a handshake between liberated siblings into the entrance into a hungry all consuming gullet.
As they work at sorting the remains of humans from that of their craft, and hurry to rebuild the wall of weapons that was the difference between slavery and freedom in the last battle, Chinook workers cast quick, uncertain looks up at the silver ring that marks the entrance to an unfriendly void.
For their part, the Congressional Navy crews that still have their weapons laid over the exit lanes from the Gaid-Thoa gate also picture as something now unwholesome, also picture the gate as the entrance to a gullet, and fear the day that they will be ordered into the broken, gnashing teeth of the defences undoubtedly springing up on the other side.
The level of malevolence that the gate has built up in the Radiant and Chinook psyche is such that, when a signal comes through from the other side a week and a half after the Second Battle of Gaid, Liberte's watch officer very nearly panics and order his command crew to open fire on empty space.
-
It is a simple thing really, Mr. Jerrod Kecskemet, a man who claims to have been recently vested with plenipotentiary powers by the boards of Ares Combat Solutions and The Hermes-Ishtar Company is requesting a sit-down with our leaders or their representatives in order to discuss terms of a ceasefire or even to hash out a path to a permanent peace.
He admits that while an overzealous HI and Ares police action may have soured us on peaceful cooperation, our victory has given room for cooler heads to prevail on both sides. We may even reach an agreement that is mutually beneficial and pave the way for our return to the fold of Compact civilization.
If we would like to open negotiations, he is prepared to meet with representatives of whatever government we have aboard one of the strikecraft hangers that the Chinook built close to the Gaid-Thoa KC gate.
If we reject the offer, he claims to have no idea when such a possibility would occur again.
The head of your diplomatic service, Veronica Stardust, is willing to hear him out and meet with him along with her team at the requested location.
[ ] Reject the offer of Talks
[ ] Accept the offer of talks and begin
[ ] Accept the offer of talks and wait for the response from the Sheolites and Chinook before beginning negotiations.
If you do accept the offer of talks, we would also request that you submit what you think that Ambassador Stardust's objectives should be during the talks, and what sort of concessions should she seek to wring out of the Charters.
[X]Plan: All Sheol + More Vemp
-[X] [[IndComm] Sheol Urbanization Program. (15 BR, 2 SR, 5 E)
-[X] [MilComm] Found a Military Intelligence Service (1 E)
-[X] [MilComm] Institute System of Awards and Honors (1 BR, 1 E)
-[X] [MilComm] Liberate Fliveons (8 E)
-[X] [SciComm] Bypass Charter Fabricator Rights Management for MSI (3 SR, 3 E)
-[X] [SciComm] Subvert Hermes-Ishtar Communications Network across Charter Space (3 SR, 3 E)
-[X] [SocComm] Chain Integration Program (2 BR, 1 E)
-[X] [SocComm] Resident Embassies (5 BR)
-[X] [MedComm] Flood Fliveons with Propaganda (6 E)
-[X] [MedComm] Document Charter Abuses, Radiant (1 BR, 2 E)
-[X] [VEMP] Industrial Strikecraft Quotas
-[X] [VEMP]: Institute Skills Requisition Program
[X] Plan: Directions, Miss and Otherwise
- [X] Accept the offer of talks and wait for the response from the Sheolites and Chinook before beginning negotiations.
-[X] Ask about important local trading data, such as what is one system beyond our immediate neighbors (or just beyond Thoa), and of course the basic data about everything in the Osliam chain, mixing it all together in a generalized demand about knowledge of the 2-3 neighboring systems on each side, or whatnot.
-[X] An open and free line of communication of some form directly to the Compacts and its government.
-[X] Put in some spurious requests for licenses and so on and suchforth in a way that might delude them as to what we do and do not know... making sure not to have it be anything too easily guessed out. Obviously we have plenty of Ares products, maybe. But there's definite ways we could make it look like we're weaker than we really are, industrially.
-[X] A prisoner exchange is required, one that gets us all of our stolen people back.
-[X] A ceasefire of 2-4 years might be arranged, but only and specifically between HI, Ares, and individual participants, the latter of whom (IE: Shei and Chinook) who may choose to opt out of one or more of the ceasefires if they so desire. Any such ceasefire, however, includes the right to refuse passage to warships, maybe with some nonsense clauses that allow us to bribe them or them to (try) to bribe us. Anything else is up to those Charters making their own deals or so on.
--[X] Explain to Shei ahead of time that they can refuse any ceasefire with Ares, and since Ares has to go through Radiant... also explain the Osliam chain plan, that most of the planets down the chain are unlikely to be HI or Ares, and so can be liberated, or at worst temporarily bypassed.
-[X] Reciprocal non-news media exchange: we can set things out as 'Radiant products', they can beam things into the feed and etc to try to sell them to us.
--[X] They probably think they can win any such exchange because they believe we don't understand how to make 'movie magic.' If they demand a cut of the profits, make a show of being very reluctant, but agree. Since, y'know, it's all gonna be free.
-[X] Explain to SCMC and Chinook that any ceasefire wouldn't touch on, well, the Osliam chain, and explain just what it is you want and why. Before the conference even begins.
--[X] Ask what their demands and requests are, and try to work around or with them ahead of time.
[IndComm] Begin Energy Collection Operations on Shei 8b (Quality 9): N/A, Automatic
[IndComm] Sheol Urbanization Program: 11+5+20= 36/40
[MilComm] Found a Military Intelligence Service: N/A, Automatic
[MilComm] Institute System of Awards and Honors: N/A, Automatic
[SciComm] Bypass Charter Fabricator Rights Management for MSI: 6+2+3=11/20
[SciComm] Subvert HI Communications Network across Charter Space: 18+2+4=24/45
[SocComm] Chain Integration Program: 6+3+2=11, Automatic
[SocComm] Resident Embassies: 15+8+18=41/30
[MedComm] Flood Fliveons with Propaganda: 5+9=14/10
[MedComm] Document Charter Abuses, Radiant: 16
Spending: 24BR, 8SR, 30E
-
"Okay, one last time, Jerrod is a household name back home. He's that rarest of men: a self made man," Amanda Redcrest, the eldest member of the triumvirate that was Radiant's head diplomat says, then adjusts her silver-black AR glasses she always wears, before continuing, "Child of middle class Columbian tech workers, graduated University of Columbia at New New York in 2132."
Briefly breaking focus from adjusting the fit on a low cut red blazer, Ambassador Stardust, catches her senior aid in the personal mirror that she is using. "So he then, like, worked his way up through Zhang and Daughters Action Marketing, turning the company's fortunes around and earning himself a personal fortune by seeing them bought out by Ares before jumping ship to found his own agency," she recites from memory, long blond swinging slightly from side to side as she checks her profile from as many angles as she can.
Red blazer, frilled white dress shirt, and black pencil skirt, all fit properly? Check.
Gaudy, tasteless Diamond jewelry that indicated a low status origin? Check.
Blond hair halfway down her back styled in a way that indicates a slight lack of care? Check.
Make-up a tad flirtier and with eyeshadow more colourful than what old money considered respectable? Check.
Finally, Elysium's head diplomat changes her posture slightly, becoming more relaxed and adopting a lazy self-satisfied grin she'd stolen from a real son-of-a-bitch of a casting director who was now a permanent resident of the Tartarus prison archipelago.
Satisfied, and getting a nod both her aides, Stardust hands her personal mirror to her senior aid who checks her own profile, making sure that her severe black haircut that screams 'touring the facility and picking up slack' is landing exactly the way she intended, and complemented the black blazer and dress slacks that she'd picked out.
The final member of the triumvirate that was the All-Radiant Congress' top diplomat, Kayla Hayashi, breaths in and out deeply several times, having assured herself that her own appearance was much less put together than her counterpart "Diplomatic Aide" in Redcrest, being dressed similarly, but with less care shown to presentation of hair, clothing, and makeup.
After gently dishevelling her long red hair one last time Hayashi closes her eyes and takes a long slow breath in, followed by a long slow breath out, trying to get herself into the mindset of someone with far more enthusiasm than sense. "After founding his agency, Jerrod earned enough to keep his firm independent of the Charters, though many note the tendency for his protégés to be hired away by various firms within the Charters. He definitely had no lack of clientele! Why, I've heard, he saved the careers and fortunes of seventy-six separate Members of Parliament," she finishes in a conspiratorial sing-song and a smile as empty as the sky on a Persephone summer day.
Amanda gives her colleague a thumbs up and then adjusts her standing posture, stretching her arms and cricking her neck back and forth a couple times with an intent look before favouring one of the files in her hands with a look of barely concealed rage and annoyance. "Despite this success, Jerrod eventually retired to set up a school for aspiring young marketers and PR agents." Her words are clipped and professional, and now sprinkled with a hint of a refined Atlantean accent/ "Though he, naturally, cited a desire to work at a slower pace and give back to the following generations, many observers have noted that Kecskemet's informal power networks have grown substantially as his students have found work from the halls of the New York Presidium to Elysium's tourism department."
Ambassador Stardust nods approvingly, and glances at a timepiece on the wall, "So, like, what does this tell us about the guy?"
"I dunno," says Hayashi with a carefully flippant flip of her hair with a fidgeting hand. "Don't underestimate him."
"Mr. Kecksemet most likely always has a larger game afoot," says Redcrest, arms crossed and resting her chin on a single knuckle of her hand, "We're going to need to look for patterns in how he operates, to see what his larger game is… and how he's going to be making it work for his ability to sit as a fat and happy spider at the center of a web."
Stardust smiles fondly at her two counterparts. "So, like, this also means that he knows how the game is played, what all the moves and stuff is." She gives a practiced and stunning smile. "And we know how he expects it to be played." The smile transforms into a grin and she giggles, like a schoolgirl with a secret. "And maybe we can play the way we want to play."
"Risky, risky indeed, but if we can pull this off… well, we can extract concessions from him that he doesn't even know are concessions…" says the raven-haired woman with an eyebrow meaningfully raised.
"Then we can, like, totally fuck him!" finishes Hayashi, before breaking into loud laughter.
At first Redcrest merely cracks a slight smile, but eventually that breaks and she joins the other two in a self-reinforcing wave of mirth that is as much burning off nerves as it the self-evidently and inherently hilarious concept of a trio of XP starlets trying to run a con on one of the Compact's smoothest operators.
The laughter begins to fade after a moment when Redcrest becomes distracted by something that's appeared on her AR glasses, and her expression instantly snaps back to a heavily put-upon professionalism.
She takes one last deep breath.
"Well girls, looks like it's showtime."
-
Journal Entry of M Chakrabarti, Congressional Delegate:
Ceasefire negotiations. Ceasefire negotiations with THE CHARTERS.
Absolutely no way that those can go wrong.
Especially when our Ambassadors should be arriving alongside news of Fliveons' liberation.
-
INDUSTRIAL COMMITTEE REPORTS:
-
Begin Energy Collection Operations on Shei 8b (Quality 9)
"As the scope of our Congress grows, so too does its voracious need for energy. Luckily, if we can find the time to build collection operations, there's plenty of spare energy out there for us to use. Despite the distraction the leadup and aftermath of the Second Battle of Gaid has posed, we've managed to start up a new plant in Shei with the assistance of the SCMC-- their appetite for energy has skyrocketed from what could reasonably be provided with carbon fuel plants into the modern age, and before long I suspect their entire system will be festooned with as many power stations as it's feasible for them to build."
Delegate Harold Carver
General Congress representative to the Commission for Shei Orbital Construction
Project Completion: Automatic
Projected Result: Increase E Production Infrastructure to Level 1 on Shei 8b
-
Sheol Urbanization Program
The SCMC isn't willing to get rid of their warren-like complexes, preferring instead to mothball them for emergency use as shelters should they find themselves without control of the orbitals once more.
Provided that we helped them construct high-speed rail lines to these complexes, they've agreed to build more traditional urban sites of their own design.
I'm happy to note that with the raw feedstock and the trains themselves provided, they're putting the finishing touches on their new regional capitals, complete with rail networks on each continent. The outlying areas could still use some towns-- they're barren other than hidden bunkers-- but the vast majority of the population now has a central location to live, work, and play in. Now, if only the SCMC would stop putting in so many cameras...
Leena Cinnamon
IndComm representative to the Shei Supreme Council for Urban Development
Project Progress: 36/40 (SHEOL WILL BE FINISHING ON THEIR OWN, BUT THEY'RE HAPPY WITH THE HELP)
Projected Results: Increased relations and improved quality of life for Sheolite people, opens up new projects. Adds energy usage for Sheolite population to energy cap calculations.
-
MILITARY COMMITTEE REPORTS:
-
Found a Military Intelligence Service
Forming a dedicated military intelligence service was a simple matter of reorganizing personnel from inside MilComm, especially the Congressional Navy's analyst department, as well as MedComm volunteers into what is being provisionally labelled as the "Permanent Commission for Military Intelligence".
Despite some difficulties in ironing out a unique mix of military professionalism and civilian laxness, brought by merging the best of MilComm and MedComm, the PCMI is already showing results despite this rocky start, as we are beginning to get a view of the activity within Thoa, as the remaining 'Blue Squadron' of the 'Liberator Task Group' under Admiral Weylon Kang scrambles to convert local resources into their own fixed defences, including the construction of a number of TAM Shoals.
In the coming months the PCMI hopes to have a rough estimate of all hostile forces in neighbouring systems and to begin hardening MilComm, the Radiant and Gaid System Defence Forces, the Congressional Liberation Army Corps, and the Congressional Navy against outside espionage attempts.
Captain Sierra Mysts
Adjutant Coordinator of the Permanent Commission for Military Intelligence
Project Progress: Automatic
Projected Results: Found a new Military Intelligence Service that will provide a passive accounting of nearby military assets, open up new projects. +1 to Military Intelligence or Counter-Espionage Rolls.
-
Institute System of Awards and Honors
While this was originally a MilComm proposed project, thanks to MilComm being generally busy for a variety of reasons this fourth quarter, the final selection was left up to a joint Commission made up of MilComm, SocComm, and MedComm.
There were hundreds of proposals from various groups, to sort through, suggestions from everything from the re-introduction of Roman laurel wreaths up to the introduction of special holographic shrouds.
However, in the end it was a delegate suggested selection of awards drawn up by the Commission on Extraordinary Recognition that was adopted at a General Session.
Thanks to the influence of Defence Coordinator Awhina's professionalism drive and a desire on the part of SocComm to keep the awards simple and heartfelt winning out over MedComm's instincts for grandiosity, MilComm has instituted a system of awards that wouldn't be unfamiliar to any military service member of the last half millenia.
In addition to a system of formal recognitions for events like time served or craft served on, five special awards were adopted to recognize both Civilian and MIlitary feats of courage and service.
After intense internal debate by the Commission, it was decided that all awards could be granted to both units and individuals, in Red and Gold categories, with red trim added to the ribbons of individual award recipients and gold to awards issued to units such as squads, flight crews, and craft departments.
Though it is likely that the list will be expanded as need demands, for now the five awards adopted by the All-Radiant Congress are:
Shamelessly stolen used with the permission of @Artificial Girl , who created them for this purpose
All-Radiant Congressional Order of Heroism - Can be awarded by congress independently or recommended by military chain of command, but must be confirmed and awarded by congress. Worn around the neck on a black and gold ribbon, a golden hexagonal badge emblazoned with wreath, globe, and six-pointed star. Military version adds crossed swords to the badge (i.e. Order of Heroism 'with swords' for military recipients) Each angle of the hexagon with alternating purple and red gemstones. There is only 1 level of merit in this order and it is the highest honor that the congress can bestow on a citizen (or non-citizen) of the All-Radiant Congress. As the highest award of the ARC, it is typically only awarded for combat actions above and beyond the call of duty as well as for non-combat heroic actions performed at great risk to one's life (i.e. engineering and natural disasters, exceptionally dangerous rescues, etc.) On the reverse, name and rank (if applicable) of recipient, date of issue, 'For heroism in service of the people and their representatives in the All-Radiant Congress'
Pandit Staraka All-Radiant Congressional Order of Valor - Second-highest military award in ARC space. Named in honor of captain Kanti Pandit who was lost along with her vessel in the battle to protect the Gaid gate. A six pointed golden star suspended from a red ribbon, central purple stripe flanked by yellow stripes on the ribbon. In the center of the star a triumphal wreath surrounding a shield. The shield is enameled with the colors of the ARC banner and the wreath in green. On the reverse, script which includes the recipient's name, rank at time of award, date of award and the text 'For Valor.' Awarded to members of the Congressional Navy and Congressional Army who exhibit valor in the face of the enemy. 3rd-1st class depending on actions taken and circumstances surrounding the recommendation/award. 3rd class is the medal worn on the ribbon, 2nd class adds a golden bar on the ribbon, while the 1st class adds golden bar and gemstones to the point of each star (e.g, Pandit Star, Pandit Star with bar, Pandit Star with bar and diamonds). One of the only ARC decorations specifically available only to military personnel and only for actions taken in combat or in the face of the enemy.
Starfarer's Crescent aka Astronaut's Crescent aka Chinook Crescent - A unique award for actions taken in space, whether in combat or in civilian application. This can be awarded in acknowledgement for completion of dangerous, complicated, or otherwise difficult voidcraft piloting (i.e. emergency docking procedures at high speeds, retrieving escape pods from dangerous gravity wells, exceptional feats of navigation, etc.), the rescue of stranded voidspeople or any other heroic or notable action that takes place in space but does not merit either the Pandit Star or the ARC Order of Heroism. For civilians, the highest possible space award before the ARC Order of Heroism. Can be awarded to civilians or military personnel and for actions during war or peace time. Suspended from a blue and silver ribbon, a hexagonal enameled black badge on which is mounted a crescent crossed by a stylized voidcraft (bearing a striking resemblance to the Chinook) in silver. The military version is issued 'with swords.' On the reverse, name and rank (if applicable), date of issue, 'For excellence/heroism/exceptional skill/etc. in space.'
All-Radiant Congressional Medal for Electronic and Digital Excellence - Another joint civil and military award. Hung on a dark blue and white ribbon, a hexagonal badge with gilt edges and a dark blue enameled field with lighter blue representation of binary code; over this a crossed lightning bolt and key in gold. The military version features crossed swords. Awarded for outstanding contributions in the field of computer programming, electronic and cyber warfare, and other computing/cybernetic accomplishments in service to the people and their representatives in the All-Radiant Congress. On the reverse, name and rank (if applicable) of the decorated personnel, date of issue, and the script 'For excellence/heroism/exceptional skill etc. in cybernetic warfare/electronic warfare/computer programming/etc. in service of the people and their representatives in the All-Radiant Congress.'
All-Radiant Congressional Order of Merit - Third highest military decoration, second highest civilian decoration below the ARC Order of Heroism. Catch-all medal/order for meritorious actions taken in service to the people of the ARC. On a yellow ribbon with purple stripes, a hexagonal medal in bronze (3rd class) silver (2nd class) or in gold (1st class) on which is emblazoned a hand holding aloft a torch. On the 3rd and 2nd class, the edge of the hexagon is enameled with purple, on 1st class with red. On all versions, the torch flame is enameled red and yellow, the torch in black. As with other decorations, the military version adds crossed swords to the medal. On the reverse, the name and rank (if applicable) of the recipient, date of issue and the text 'For meritorious service to the people and their representatives in the All-Radiant Congress'. This order can be issued for meritorious actions in labor, medicine, culture, and other fields and is awarded for excellence and diligence in military service that does not necessarily involve the risk of life or for actions taken in combat with the enemy, but can be if it is determined such actions do not merit the Pandit Star.
"With the schema approved by the General Congress last week the first awards of each type were awarded to the following five persons:
The very first All-Radiant Congressional Order of Heroism was a Red Trim variant posthumously awarded to art student and protestor Gemini Villenueve who was recorded as the first person killed in action during the March Days. Her highly visible, and widely immortalized death during a spirited resistance to a Persephone Police Department street charge is widely regarded as helping galvanize the street resistance at the nadir of spirits during the first night of fighting on Persephone's streets.
The first All-Radiant Congressional Order of Valour was a Gold Trim variant and naturally posthumously awarded to the crew of CNS Targe, and Captain Kanti Pandit in whose honour the award was introduced.
The First Starfarer's crescent was a Gold variant awarded collectively to the crew of the Search and Rescue craft "Never Falter" who launched themselves into the thick of the fighting during the Second Battle of Gaid and rescued over three dozen Congressional Navy and Charter personnel who would likely have died without Never Falter's presence.
The first All-Radiant Congressional Medal for Electronic and Digital Excellence was a Gold Trim award given to the mixed civilian and military team known as 'The Congressional Liberation Hacker Collective', whose actions in Fliveons, totally subverting the Rhodes security apparatus, certainly prevented tens or hundreds of thousands of deaths during the Liberation.
All-Radiant Congressional Order of Merit was a gold trimmed, 1st class award issued to the adhoc former ARG team that envisioned and carried out the first stages of the operation to maintain the charade of Charter control of Radiant; buying critical time for the All-Radiant Congress to find its feet.
Thanks to the Commission's good work MilComm is now considering keeping it as a permanent fixture that will be responsible for vetting, and issuing new awards, as well as developing new ones as circumstances arise.
Stephanie Wells
SocComm delegate to the Commission on Extraordinary Recognition
Project Progress: Automatic
Projected Results: Add progress to MilComm rolls each quarter after a battle occurs based on triumphs and sacrifices.
-
Liberate Fliveons
Well. With the Congressional Liberation Army Corps no longer needed at home, they were itching to get out there and make a contribution to the cause just like the Navy has. Our technicians tried a different approach this time-- they flooded the entire bandwidth of the intrasystem comm network with noise and propaganda, and effectively blinded anything without their own sensor suite, and gagged anyone without their own bespoke communications gear.
As it turns out, the number of sites that had both of those at the same time was zero-- a considerable oversight. The local C-levels did not like the surprise of a full division of combat-ready troops with accompanying equipment hot-dropping into contested areas like paratroops-- if you handed paratroops heavy tanks. And they had less than 12 hours' warning before the drop.
Rhodes strongpoints folded like cards given a sudden reinforcement on the ground, and in their haste to provide light vehicles and weapons to fight the underarmed and poorly mechanized labor unions, they'd neglected to build the kind of weaponry that could fight armored companies or power armoured grunts. Hell, native Sheolian old-model tanks would have done fine, if slower. Armor is armor, and guns really haven't gotten that much better in the centuries. Certainly not enough to go through a front glacis plate.
The rest you can probably work out on your own. Local troops meant Rhodes officials couldn't run and hide, so other than securing the surrender of a few orbital stations with shuttles full of very polite soldiers, we can officially declare Fliveons liberated!
Though as, unlike Sheol, there was no universally recognized governing body, it may be some weeks or months before the current situation settles down enough for us to find out what the "All-Fliveons Revolutionary Congress," actually does in a practical sense.
Colonel Raymond Washington
XO, Congressional Liberation Army Corps -Fliveons Expeditionary Force.
Project Progress: 21/Automatic, so it went just about as good as possible
Projected Results: Potential to take control of Fliveons system. Results are dice dependant
-
SCIENCE COMMITTEE REPORTS:
-
Bypass Charter Fabricator Rights Management for MSI
"Good news everyone, we have dildos.
"MSI's biggest business may be shipping, but they have so many odds and ends that we now have plans for. Including, among other things, a database with over 2000 different sex toys, 230 brands of ramen, those nice office supplies that you used to have to buy yourself, and motorcycles so absurdly badly designed that we just didn't even put them on the fabbers. Also,apparently MSI owns Funko Pop not HI, (go figure) so um… We have Funko's, so… Many… Goatdamn… Funkos.
"Do you realize they saved every Funko design individually? And in ultra-detailed versions? We went for the database there because we thought it was the ship and station designs given how big it was. I don't know if it was designed by a madman or is the most evil form of copy-protection yet, but it means we don't have the juicy stuff yet, though we think we should have it next quarter.
"But for now, we have dildos,and Funkos,and showing that the movies are sometimes right and some things you are better off not knowing existed, one Funko-dildo."
Shirley Riaz
Professional Union of Laboratory Technicians and Coders Understudy
Subvert Hermes-Ishtar Communications Network across Charter Space
"Okay, so good news, we've been very successful at our early tests of how the broadcasting system works. Maaaaaybe too successful, to everyone near Radiant buoy 8 who got an emergency broadcast warning that 'I AM A GENIUS BOW BEFORE ME PUNY MORTALS,' I apologize, it was not meant to do that.
"What this means is that we've got the basic version of a single buoy, this isn't going to help if we can't get the systems to register a valid 'send' from one to the other across buoy, and then across systems and buoy networks, each of which requires progressively higher clearances and more working. So…. 10,000 miles behind us, and 10,000 to go."
Callista Moreno
Professional Union of Laboratory Technicians and Coders Spokeswoman
Project Progress: 24/45
Projected Results: Ability to send unjammable messages across Humanity's entire communications network at a time of our choosing for between several hours to several weeks per system. Once used, H-I will begin attempting to counter with their own project.
-
SOCIAL COMMITTEE REPORTS:
-
Resident Embassies
Thanks to enthusiastic participation on both Sheol and Elysium, we have managed to get our 'Resident Embassies' project online far sooner than anticipated! This is actually hella more ominous than it sounds.
So, well, like, it appears that the first peacetime elections to the Sheol Supreme Soldiers' Council has radically changed the internal composition of the body that the Generals of the Sheol Supreme Central Military Command theoretically answer to.
Yeah, it, like, turns out, that the Soldiers' and Officers' councils actually still have teeth? And they used the General Staff's preoccupation with fortification and the Regional Governors to outmaneuver them and stuff. A surprise to be sure, and a mostly welcome one!
Because, like, unbeknownst to us, a series of shocking political maneuvers on the part of the Soldiers Council made it so that along with the change of year the SCMC's general staff were also completely changed over with new officers.
So then military commands across Shei were reorganized with hundreds of old guard officers retired in what our people on the ground have politely tried to avoid calling a purge. (It was a purge.) Most of said retired officers have all spontaneously decided, of their own free will, and with no prompting AT ALL from our local consulate and embassy staff, to emigrate to Elysium. And some have even volunteered for positions within the Congressional Navy and Congressional Liberation Army Corps.
So we, and the Sheolites, dodged that particular bullet, uh, knife? Guillotine? We avoided what looked like it could be, like, bloody at any rate.
Sadly, the move does not end Sheol's internal strife as the Soldiers' Councils are still dead set on political centralization and the Regional Governors are in large part proponents of a planetary Federalism. Some Regional Governors who were conscripted into military service remain in uniform while military-appointed councils remain in control of their Governorates.
The remaining Governors have now scheduled a new conference to discuss planetary de-mobilization and the shifting of power into the hands of regional, civilian, authorities, and the drawing up of a provisional constitution to be ratified at said convention. Most of the proposed plans include democratic participation via a pure geographical representative system.
Naturally, I guess, the Soldiers' Councils hate this, and want a unitary state where everyone's a reservist, and society is run along, like, military lines, but with democratic participation? I'm not sure of the details yet, but it appears to be a total expansion of military democracy and near elimination of the civilian sphere. On the other hand they really like us, and consider us to be their allies in Interstellar Revolution.
Anywho, while we are slowly gaining influence with both factions, we now appear to be getting drawn into their conflict, and both sides are looking to use us as impartial arbiters in their political knife-fights.
Dipali LeMet
Adjutant Director, Permanent Commission for Shei Diplomacy
Project Progress: 41/30
Projected Results: Improve relations with the SCMC and the Sheolite population as a whole, +2E upkeep per quarter once completed
-
Chain Integration Program
"...Speaking of those purged generals and their supporters, that made for a bit of awkwardness with the um, integration program. Since a lot of the liberation and army are former Ares. So far it hasn't gone that badly but…
"Been thinking about what MedComm uncovered… imagine that the PPD had a training force on another continent, sure it didn't directly affect what you experience, but like, would you want to work with, or be near them?
"Or another way to put it, imagine you got exiled to Tarturus, even if it's nice, imagine how you would feel about that.
"The point is that we've had to, like, be careful to not import Sheol's new internal political issues, and also not restart old wars which has had us stepping carefully the last month."
Dipali LeMet
Adjutant Director, Permanent Commission for Shei Diplomacy
Omake Bonus Applied: All-Radiant Congress Interfaith Dialogue Council (+2)
Project Progress: 11/Automatic,
Projected Results: Add roll of 11 to Shei Redeployment Program Progress
-
MEDIA COMMITTEE REPORTS:
-
Flood Fliveons with Propaganda
Quantity has a quality all its own. Or, at least that's what the MedComm technicians were telling us as they shoved terabytes of streaming archives of daily life on Radiant through the buoy emitters, right on the design spec before burnout.
I mean, it seems to have worked, if the newscasts to the ground are anything to go by. Course, they're on a delay because they have to ship the drives back to orbit to tightbeam back to us-- channels are still completely blocked, and will be until we get word to stop.
Until then, enjoy watching the triviality of everyday life in a world free from you instead of accessing your military comms, Rhodes. I hope you choke on it.
Black Four Sixteen
Local Agent-In-Charge of Media Committee Fliveons Investigatory Project
Project Progress: 14/10
Projected Results: More likely to disrupt Rhodes operations and encourage defections.
-
Document Charter Abuses, Radiant
"Has any planet been founded decently?
"We've taken a multi-pronged approach to the problem. First, SocComm has worked with therapists (side note, we need more therapists, even three years later, we need more. I don't think there is anyone here who doesn't need one and has just pushed it aside for now.) to talk with those of the early days who were willing. Helping to both finally help with something they were forced to repress, and to share it, if they were willing. In addition, looking at the records again with a critical eye, one now more familiar with what a charter terraforming looks like. Finally, some Sheol contacts have given us another piece of the puzzle.
"The Persephone Dome was one of three main domes Hermes Ishtar used for housing workers. It wasn't technically the biggest, but the largest, Zagreus housed the larger quarters for security and those middle management needed at the time. Even now, with all our data, we can't be entirely sure which had more, only make a guess.
"Radiant Colony was supposed to be ready to host the first wave of vacationers by 2195, and thanks to that unrealistic time-table, management considered it behind schedule. To cut time off the build schedule, Persephone dome was built without adequate foundations, the fabbers that were supposed to have finished the job having been turned to other terraforming projects as soon as possible.
"As is the way of unfinished projects, eventually, something broke. And in a wave of shuddering steel steel the dome collapsed in seconds, crushing to death nearly all below on a clear morning in March 2188.
"The collapse galvanized the fractured labor movements at the time to action, resulting in strikes, active union organization and other methods that would be familiar to those in Fiveleons unions. Sadly, they had no one to help, and H-I cracked down. The President of Frontier Destinations (the Hermes-Ishtar subsidiary that oversaw the terraforming project), Maxwell Carpenter was noted as being enraged, angry that 'his' workers would dare to rebel, to turn on him and his 'visionary' project.
"While the collapse left more deaths by numbers, it was the crackdowns that became the source of much of the trauma that followed. They were brutal, Frontier Developments authorizing full arms against protestors, and many who weren't killed outright were dragged off, often entire habs, never to be seen again.
"When the unrest was finally quelled, many of those who had been there reported a sense of defeat, and a new certainty that the crackdown proved that the Charters could never be beaten.
"Afterwards in the ultimate display of power, Frontier Developments and Hermes-Ishtar erased the Persephone Dome collapse and everything that followed. No mention of the collapse or the struggle afterwards directly exists in official colony records, and those who came in after would never know, only be told by the survivors to keep their heads down. Perhaps the final indignity was that Maxwell Carpenter then used the 'riots' as an explanation for why the project was behind schedule, causing him to be acclaimed by his peers and official Elysian history for having the 'grit' to work through 'delays'.
"The final piece of the puzzle, what happened to the rioters who were captured, was solved with the aid of Shei. Now yes, most of you are probably putting 2+2 together and getting 4. Carpenter decided that if they didn't want to help terraform his glorious vacation planet, they would be prison labor for terraforming a prison planet. We actually only found out they had been sent there (rather than just killed and dumped into the sea or void) when our Embassy and Consulates opened up. Hundreds of Sheolites came in claiming descent from one of the original workers, wanting to know what that meant for them. Did get one funny story out of them, which was that the actual terraforming work wasn't any worse, even if the after-party was.
"Eventually, the statue in Persephone's central park dedicated to Maxwell Carpenter as the 'Visionary Founder of Elysium' was torn down during the March Days on principle alone, torn down by a crowd of university students from Persephone Technical College that had broken out of a kettle centered on Carpenter (Now Villenueve) square.
"But with the full story out we now we are planning to replace Carpenter's statue with something more worthy. The current leading replacement candidate is a stone memorial that features the arms and upper bodies of workers dressed in 2180s vintage vacc suits buried beneath rubble, and surrounding them are Elysians in dress contemporary to the March Days reaching down to pull them out of the wreckage and simultaneously fighting off fleeing security forces wearing the insignia of both the now long defunct Frontier Developments and that of the Persephone Police Department.
"The leading runner up is a statue of Maxwell getting kicked in the dick. Uniquely the statue would be made of wood and let the college students try to burn it down each year. We'd put a fence and some volunteers around it, so that students can always get some experience in burning things security doesn't want them to.
"We'd also like to donate a similar monument to Sheol, to memorialize the prisoners sent there but I think it would be better to finish tracking them down and consulting before determining what to send."
Julia Bird
All-Radiant Congress Deputy Archivist
"Thanks to the liberation of Fliveons we've been able to confirm an old local Spacer story about the colony ship Frontier Spirit and her fate.
"During Elysium's early years, the terraforming project was run to an exacting schedule, with corners cut and worker safety disregarded. Naturally, this led to unrest after the Persephone Dome collapse.
"However, due to Maxwell Carpenter's refusal to give less than rosy status reports to Frontier Developments HQ and Hermes-Ishtar itself, incoming shipments of materials and workers were not stopped. Carpenter often recruited new colonists into ad-hoc security brigades where possible, but when Frontier Spirit arrived in Elysian orbit with 10,000 passengers and crew, Carpenter was faced with the prospect of having to house and feed 10,000 people he didn't have the room or resources for.
"Rather than slip behind schedule by dedicating his limited resources to caring for Frontier Spirit's colonists, he refuelled the craft and sent them back up the chain where he sold the colony ship to a Rhodes subsidiary engaged in terraforming a world in the near-Frontier.
"That is the story that the Spacers knew, but thanks to Rhodes records recovered from Fliveons where Frontier Spirit (Later renamed Lucky Claim after passing into Rhodes service) eventually came to rest after conversion into an orbital platform, we now know the rest of the story:
"Nearly half the colonists died of starvation or violence before Frontier Spirit arrived at the excitingly named RTC-SF-09, and were forced to sign onto Rhodes terraforming work under duress. Eventually, once work began in Fliveons, Lucky Claim was sent back down the chain along with the remaining three thousand colonists decades after first being turned away from Elysium."
Aaron Jeffersons
Investigator, Elysium Charter Abuse Documentation Program
"A few of the things the Persephone Police Department did between their founding in 2198 and dissolution in 2251:
"Mount Olympus Field Trips: PPD would often relocate homeless individuals, or anyone else unable to prove their employment, to the foothills of Mount Olympus forcing them to have to walk over a hundred kilometers to the coast if they wanted to return to Persephone. They often excused these by oblique references to Elysium's mild climate.
"While they would officially only drop them off, many were left with injuries from the brutal treatment, often directed specifically at the leg area. There were even jokes about betting pools, though the inability of the PPD to distinguish between those they took for Field Trips seems to have meant these rarely materialized in practice.
"113 Mediterrainian Street: Though never officially recognized by HI or the City, the warehouse at 113 Med Street was widely rumoured to be the PPD's private blacksite for torturing confessions out of prisoners.
"During the second night of the March Days, 113 Med Street was stormed by protestors, and all but the most lurid rumours of prisoner treatment were confirmed.
"The subsequent near total gutting of 113 Med Street by arson is blamed on both enraged protestors and a deliberate coverup by the PPD.
"The "Apogee" Customer Service Program: When tourist belongings were reported stolen, PPD customer service reps would, if possible, print similar items and they would be returned to those making the complaint along with assurances that the perpetrators had been caught.
"Not especially vile, just scummy.
"Beach Lounging Ordinance: Due to the size of Elysium, even claiming multiple acres of beachland for tourist vacations still left much available. While there were no truly 'public' beaches, many were allowed at deeply discounted rates to encourage beach activity and offer a picture of a tropical paradise. During busier tourism seasons the PPD would conduct 'cleaning' operations around Persephone-adjacent beaches, using loitering ordinances to remove anyone who did not fit the 'profile the planet was trying to project'. While in theory a minor infraction, being picked up this way could lead to any number of other problems.
"Post-Independence studies of PPD records indicate that PPD would use the ordinances to clear out beachgoers not adhering to the strict guidelines on 'demographic clarity' that often changed depending on whatever marketing strategy was in vogue.
"The School Officer Assistance Program Scandal: The rare scandal that blew up long before the March days, SOAP was a program that was supposed to provide help to schools and other places with children present. Though initially widely seen as a success, nearly two decades after the program began a number of former students came forward to complain about sexual abuse at the hands of SOAP officers. Shortly after their accusations were corroborated and it was revealed that complaints made at the time had been buried by school and police administrators.
"In an investigation that lasted from 2234 to 2237 it was discovered that organizationally the PPD knew about the abuse and quietly transferred accused SOAP officers to street positions and used slush funds to buy the silence of schools and those families who could not be intimidated into silence. In the aftermath of the report nearly a dozen officers and administrators were put in prison and the program cancelled.
"After independence, PPD records were cracked open and it was revealed that nearly a hundred individuals had been identified by the PPD as participating in child abuse and those who had been convicted of a crime had been scapegoated to protect the rest.
"Hotties list: One of the few abuses that while, technically not an official program, was part of the PPD's internal culture and was widespread throughout the entire department.
"The "Hotties List" was an internal department email chain that went to most PPD officers. The List used PPD resources to track down 'hot' actors and set-up reasons to patrol or engage around their places of work and, especially, homes. This even included abuse of police access to private surveillance cameras to view List targets inside their homes.
"Extensive discussions of which ones were 'actually hot' and what they did at home were common topics of discussion, and at times jokes were made about arresting the lovers or friends of Listed individuals. Jokes that were sometimes acted upon by PPD officers.
"A scandal erupted when regular list participant Officer Karl Cartwright ended up murdering the object of his obsessions as well as their lover. The scandal was buried by claiming that it was a drug bust gone bad, though even at the time there was considerable outrage and skepticism.
"Operation Intellectual Shield: As part of that Hermes-Ishtar wide Intellectual Property Protection campaign of the mid forties, the PPD launched 'Operation Intellectual Shield', which involved using tactical combat teams to storm the houses of suspected fanfiction authors and illegal fabber owners.
"Not intended to single handedly catch all home fabbers and fanfic authors, Intellectual Shield was supposed to provide a very public demonstration of the consequences of violating Intellectual Property laws.
"Though there is no indication that Operation Intellectual Shield measurably reduced the rate of pirate fabrication and fanfic authorship, internal records show that the PPD was pleased with their efforts despite the officially recorded accidental deaths of eighteen suspects and three officers over the five years the project was implemented.
"With all of these abuses and more revealed, I find it a minor miracle that so many PPD officers survived the March Days. Though with the utter hatred that Persephonians have for the old PPD I suspect that many ex-Officers will never be allowed to leave the Tartarus Archipelago."
Project Progress: 30/25
Project Results: Add a dice bonus to foreign relations, along with narrative advantages. 5 progress overflow to Document Charter Abuses, Shei.
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Stored Omake Bonuses (One extra 1d4 roll to an incomplete project):
IndComm
-Shoestring a review MilComm
-Modern M(ili)tary Theory,Tactical Considerations : The Kirklin mine, Cassana's Sacrifice, Better Lucky Than Good SciComm
SocComm
-Tactical Manuals, MedComm
-Old War Stories, Counterintelligence
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The Congressional Navy is preparing to add two capital ships to its' forces: MIS Lutzow, formerly of Mars Interstellar Security, and Ishtar's Light, formerly of Hermes-Ishtar Security
The orbital drydock teams and skeleton crews that are working up these two capital ships have agreed that it will avoid a lot of problems if they hand the issue of naming such important ships over to the General Congress.
Which means that it is up to YOU to vote on names for your two new capital ships:
[ ] [BattleCruiser] Write In
A Kaiserreich-class Battlecruiser, formerly MIS Lutzow was designed with extended operational endurance and enough firepower anything she could reasonably expected to encounter.
She was battered by the Congressional Navy during the Second Battle of Gaid, with Shieldmaiden crippling the larger vessel during a chaotic engagement, whereupon she was subsequently abandoned by her crew and retrieved by Chinook recovery teams.
She has since been under haphazard repair by a combined Radiant-Chinook team in the inner Gaid system. Though she is not yet ready for service, she is ready for a name.
[ ] [Fleet Carrier] Write In
A United States of America-class Fleet Carrier, formerly Ishtar's Light was intended for long term deployments in the frontier and can support up to four wings of strikecraft and their attendant drones.
She was surrendered intact by Hermes-Ishtar Regional Security Operations Chief Mark Charleston at the end of the First Battle of Gaid after he had spent his ship's strikecraft wings in futile attempts to breach the gate defences and found his ships blanketed with suicide drones.
While the carrier was taken intact and is now fully crewed, it will be a while before you have worked up a full strikecraft compliment.
Februrary 2254, General Session of the All-Radiant Congress
"Language! This isn't an Atlantian rafter, this is Vasily's. You're a Member of Parliament, have some tact and gravitas, man."
"No, no, no, we just had an Ares whistleblower tell us that they and Aitch Eye just lost an entire fleet to a bunch of jumped up anarchist cells on the frontier. Entire systems have fallen."
"Ares whistleblower, MSI asset."
"What?"
"MSI burned one of their assets to get this out. I'll lay it out over dessert if you're still interested in the gossip then."
"Okay, either way, Jim, Erika, Zheng, this is… this is perhaps the biggest crisis I've ever seen in my sixteen years of representing Nova Britannia. An entire section of the Frontier is in revolt!"
"You're still new, man. A newbie. Erika and I both remember that Great Black Summer that raged through New York a few decades back. The Great Black Summer of 2187, that was a crisis."
"Fucking sea of Black flags passing a mere fifty stories beneath my apartment window. I have never been more terrified in my life. I was only a hundred meters away from the entire membership of the Detroit Revolutionary International Brigade. Fucking monsters one and all."
"Langu-"
"Fuck you Zheng. Anyway, I don't think it's our problem yet."
"How the hell isn't this a Parliamentary problem? Things are starting to leak to us, when everything comes out in a year do you think the stock market is going to react well to 'Oh, BTW, the entire spinward frontier is a sea of anarchist chaos'?"
"Oh, it'll be horrible… for the Prime Minister. As I said this isn't the opposition's problem, it's our opportunity."
"She's right, elections are in eighteen months after all. Imagine what would happen when everyone finds out-"
"-right before the election-"
"-yes, right before the election, that a PHRL PM and Cabinet allowed the frontier to burn for their entire term."
"Oh, fuck."
"Yeah, fuck, indeed. The fighting's already over, HI's working out some kind of ceasefire or peace treaty. But when the news finally goes public just before the election…"
"An incoming InDev government, elected in a wave election, would have carte blanche to implement major structural reforms. Break the chains of centralization and Earthward focus that caused the problem. Finally unleash the Charters and solve the problem once and for all."
"Then why doesn't the government move now, to put this down?"
"And risk throwing the market into chaos during election season? No, whatever we do about all this Frontier unrest, it's going to happen after the election."
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The dress uniform of the Congressional Liberation Army Corps is a thing of black and red, with gold and purple highlights; severe lines and dark colours setting it apart from the lying whites and pastels that Charter cops and mercenaries liked to use.
Jessica Tanaka has no idea if the uniform based on the colours of the Congress' flag will last, much like how she doesn't know if the CLAC itself will last, both being less than half a year old. Half a year to go from being a twinkle in Defence Coordinator Awhina's eye to marching through the streets of the newly liberated (and renamed as of last night) Red Lion City.
The Elysian based reporter still isn't used to the claustrophobia that is walking Fliveons' (or wait, had they renamed it Five Lions yet? Or was that just a rumour? This system had so many rumours, so many shouted ideas) surface, the cramped orbital platforms, the low domes and underground bunkers, the streets still filled with the remnants of barricades and the burnt out husks of Rhodes Security and Mars Interstellar Security vehicles.
Tanaka is currently standing atop one of those husks to get a good view of the marching Radiant troops, one black boot standing atop the Peacekeeper light blue paint and the other gripping the cracked and blackened metal that shows how the beast died.
She's currently bundled up in a light grey vacsuit with the helmet folded up and stowed on her back. Fliveons is colder than her preference, but it was already cramped enough without trapping herself in her own personal tin can. Next to her sit a trio of locals, former and current industrial workers who'd fought against Rhodes and Ares goons to liberate this city, and also expert guides who knew its current flows and complexities as much as any individuals can be said to.
"So," she says, as she watches a Congressional Wendingo main battle tank with a half dozen troops riding atop it pass by, "by this time tomorrow all the Elysian troops will be off your planet and back aboard their transports. Do you think that the All-Fliveons Revolutionary Congress will be able to keep order when they're gone?"
One of her companions, a gaunt, bald, fellow sitting next to her with some kind of improvised rifle slung over his back just grins up at her. "Don't see why not, we got the militias now, and all the loyalists is cooped up in Command Two until the trials." He waves lazily at the passing troops. "Kinda sad to see them go honestly."
Tanaka keeps her eyes (and that of her time-delayed eventual audience) on the city street. "Why is that? Is that a popular sentiment here?" Inside the reporter chafes at the stiffness of her suit's material as it ever so slightly restricts her movement; she didn't need to get a body armour rated suit, but did anyway and now she regrets it.
The small man who called himself Jakob shrugs. "Yeah, don't see why not, they's know what they're doing right? Like, we got our bones yeah? But it don't bother me none if they's staying around. We could use some pointers on how's foundation's laid."
Tanaka gives a non-committal hum, then turns to look at the rooftops of the nearby buildings where other people, lone figures, groups, and families, watched on. "That's honestly a much different sentiment than what I experienced in Shei, where the less the All-Radiant Congress tells them what to do the happier they are."
The woman standing next to her, also bald, but not quite as gaunt, a different kind of improvised rifle cradled in her arms, gives a bark of laughter, "No offence to our Sheolite Comrades but that's dumb as fuck, you guys seem to know what you're doing."
Tanaka snaps her head around to the woman Jessica knew as Melissa Iron. "Wait, really?"
"Uhh… yeah. Radiant has destroyed two entire Charter fleets and dropped tens of thousands of men here when we needed them. You don't get to do that without knowing what you're doing." The thin woman points below. "Look, that's an army with their own equipment, uniforms, and flags, that's the kind of thing you do when you've got your shit together."
"We can't even decide on what we want to call our system," contributes the last member of their little group, a man in a Mars Interstellar Security soldier's uniform, covered with ash and blood and with a black cloth tied around his arm. "On the other hand, we've already organized the elections to our own system Congress. So." he shrugs, "It's not like we're helpless. It's just nice to have a trailblazer to follow."
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Consider denouement.
Not the denouement, only the left stars becoming iron, the true cold iron iron at the end of the universe before even that is gone. But a denouement nonetheless. The battle's over, won for now, even if the war is just starting. It comes in many forms, but perhaps at its core, two are most prominent. The celebration and the mourning.
For the victorious, there is more celebration than mourning, but both occur.
Behold Radiant, a former jewel of the twin gods, now the beacon of defiance. It is not the first to do so. It will not be the last.
Behold Radiant's grandeur. In the streets are cheering and parties and wild abandon, for they have faced the gods and they have lived. They have lived. Crying and laughter mix.
Behold Radiant's halls, where the dignity of the celebration takes place. Medals and speeches are given. Here is a place where mourning, grand and solemn takes place.
Yet this does not exist just in these halls. Consider an apartment, where four, two older, and two younger, watch the screen. On it one Shayla McLean is presented with honors for valor. See her, says one of the older women to her children, look at her ears, she is like you. You can be that.
There is nodding from one and argument vis a vis whether the ears are really the same, since wolves and cats are not the same thing from the other, who was always more argumentative. The final member, earless, but of a thoughtful mind, dives into her phone, offering studies on how the basis of the genetic changes are not so different as they might think.
In others, after the solemn ceremony, the mourning continues. Here, in private, it is with as much wild abandon as the celebrations below. Crying and empty beds and sorrow and anger. Anger at many things. The corporate gods for the death of their loved ones. Those below for celebrating when others are dead. The dead, for dying. Even themselves, for living when the dead are dead.
There is nothing so lonely as emptiness when others are full.
Pull away from this, not merely the planet, but the system entirely. Across spatial distortions to the system where the clash took place. Those who live within this space see the mourning and celebrations on Radiant. And they are proud, for others, an entire planet is celebrating what they helped with, what they were a critical part of. The ceremonies of Radiant celebrate and mourn them.
The mourning here is not so private. Many of their oldest, most experienced paid the butcher's price. Here the mourning is not so alienated. They have their own ceremonies; they are not unused to death. A rock is written with each name, and thrown into the void, to serve as an eternal marker that a person once existed, and does no longer.
Sheol is not unused to deaths.
They are unused to this.
There are no dead of their own to mourn in this battle. There are no heroes of their own to celebrate. They celebrate for the destruction of the god of battle who kept them in chains. They mourn those who saved them.
Some also celebrate those who betrayed the god of battle, those who died. Others do not. Not should they need to. Most ignore them, and celebrate without thinking too hard about where many of those who fought former allegiances lay.
They are not used to this, but they have been getting so. They do not like it. The helplessness. They love it; everyone is alive. Even so, above the skies, the first parts of their station are laid. It is a grand dock, suitable for both ships of industry… and ships of war.
Next time a battle happens,they will have their own heroes... and their own deaths.
Perhaps most chaotic of all is Fliveons, where a very different battle is celebrated. Even so they have their own heroes, their own deaths. Their celebrations and mourning are uncertain, different. Should they celebrate like Radiant? Some say they had their own ceremonies before. But those ceremonies cannot claim to be untainted; they were influenced, constrained and manipulated by those who held them in bondage.
And yet… and yet for all that those who would master men wish otherwise, the ceremonies were not all theirs. They were those on Rhodes. But then, are Radiant's ceremonies theirs? The mark of Radiant, or perhaps they are simply the mark of a free people? In Fliveons debate rages.
Current Approximate Population: 362,350,000 (Approximate, Sheolite population surveyed for industrial planning purposes)
Trust: 86 (The populace is ecstatic, population growth bonus) (+10 victory bonus)
BR Stockpiles: 104
SR Stockpiles: 66
(Edit from the future, the bolded are the corrected numbers)
Energy Generation: 76
Current Baseline Draw: 29
Free Capacity: 39 (8 E dedicated to ship repairs)
Shei Redeployment Program:
Having decided to simply cut the Gordian's knot and resettle the ex-Ares personnel from Sheol to Elysium.
Right now the Elysian population is relieved that immigration has restarted, and while the bulk of the ex-Ares people are satisfied with incorporation, a small minority of the most recent immigrants are feeling alienated from Radiant. Sheol is currently embroiled in internal political disputes, meaning that as of February 2253 there are likely no developing social or diplomatic issues in the future.
In order to ensure that this massive wave of immigration is able to be peacefully integrated into Elysium's existing population without creating issues, you will need to contribute to the overall project's progress target by putting dice into a number of different projects whose roll results will be added directly into the below tag. Some narrative events or other projects will serendipitously add progress as a byproduct of their completion.
Between the six troop ships that Rousseau took intact, eight warp capable former Hermes-Ishtar passenger liners, and dozens of non-warp cruise ships, each quarter approximately 400,000-600,000 ex-Ares people will be arriving on Elysium looking to integrate with the local population.
If you are unable to keep the project percentage above the immigration percentage, the incoming population and the project tag, social issues will develop that may have long term consequences.
Classically, mass numbers of unpaid troops with nothing to do and no prospects ends badly for governments. Good luck!
Program Progress: 125/150, 83.33%
Immigration Progress: 2,510,000/3,000,000, 83.66%
Project Results: Add a dice into MilComm, gain a dice bonus. Sheol pleased
(For the following plan, each project requires a die to be assigned. Each dice is a d20 plus the category bonus that will be rolled to progress on the project. Some projects will require certain resources to complete, please make sure those are on hand. Some projects complete automatically. Excess progress may be shifted to other projects in that section. Please vote by plan by picking a FOCUS and then assigning dice to projects. Project costs are Per Die)
The VEMP Measures involve a general pre-authorization for military projects to use computer time without previous scheduling requests, ability to pre-empt previously scheduled surface to orbit launch windows and orbital tracks, a first call on all new resources, and a reorganization of networks and administrative capacity to streamline cooperation on military projects.
While this will inconvenience the population and reduce the Congress' own administrative slack and flexibility, on the whole it will serve to increase your ability to fight a military conflict against the Charters.
At the moment the implementation of the VEMP Measures are currently being left up to the discretion of the ARC's General Congress, the body which conducts long range planning and high level coordination and administration for the All-Radiant Congress.
Implementation of the VEMP Measures have locked your Focus into MilComm for the foreseeable future, and reduce trust loss due to brownouts from going over the spare E(nergy) capacity. You have gained an extra dice in MilComm for the duration of the VEMP Measures giving you three total dice in MilComm. These measures will remain in place until either the threat is widely seen to have passed or you vote to return to peacetime operations.
Voluntary Emergency Military Precedence Measures:
The VEMP Measures involve a general pre-authorization for military projects to use computer time without previous scheduling requests, ability to pre-empt previously scheduled surface to orbit launch windows and orbital tracks, a first call on all new resources, and a reorganization of networks and administrative capacity to streamline cooperation on military projects.
While this will inconvenience the population and reduce the Congress' own administrative slack and flexibility, on the whole it will serve to increase your ability to fight a military conflict against the Charters.
At the moment the implementation of the VEMP Measures are currently being left up to the discretion of the ARC's General Congress, the body which conducts long range planning and high level coordination and administration for the All-Radiant Congress.
Implementation of the VEMP Measures have If any of the following vote options are included in the winning plan vote, the VEMP Measures will be ended or expanded for the next General Session of the All Radiant Congress:
[ ] [VEMP] End Implementation of VEMP Measures
Some are concerned that existing measures may not go far enough to secure our Independence from military action by the Charters and are pressing for an expansion to our measures
[ ] [VEMP] Implement Eminent Domain Measures
By adding eminent domain measures, MilComm and the General Congress gain the ability to not only have first crack at resources and infrastructure, but are able to lay claim to existing resources and infrastructure as long as they can justify it as a war measure increasing the resource budget.
Resource budget increases by somewhere between 10 and thirty percent in exchange for a proportionate but small trust loss per quarter
[ ] [VEMP] End Institute Skills Requisition Program
While MilComm does it's best to attract personnel with useful skills, or train volunteers in rarer skills, a number of fields with more esoteric or harder to train skills remain in high demand by MilComm. This proposal is for an expansion of VEMP rules to draft individuals with these skills part time for the duration of the conflict.
Small trust loss per quarter in exchange for a proportionate dice bonus to MilComm, IndComm, and SciComm for war work.
[ ] [VEMP] End Industrial Strikecraft Quotas
As the ARC lacks military equipment, a number of people have proposed that the VEMP Measures include a requirement that for each community to receive offworld resources, they must dedicate some time and resources to printing and assembling a small number of strike craft for home defence.
Add between two to six Strike Craft Wings to your order of battle, that will be distributed to the Radiant Self Defence Force for home guard use at a proportionate but small trust loss per quarter.
Pick one option, thanks to focus being put in that category, it gains one extra dice to spend this turn, and will open up more options in that category next turn:
[ ] [FOCUS] Industry Committee
[ ] [FOCUS] Military Committee
[ ] [FOCUS] Science Committee
[ ] [FOCUS] Social Committee
[ ] [FOCUS] Media Committee
VEMP Measures in effect, no focus vote
MEGA-PROJECTS
Hi everyone, we at the secret cabal are proud to introduce MEGA-PROJECTS
MEGA-PROJECTS are large scale projects that will likely require large investments of time and resources, but have great rewards (or avoidance of problems) at the end. Both the industrialization of Sheol and the resettlement project are types of mega-projects.
Two types of Mega-Projects exist, Autonomous Projects, and Guided Projects. Autonomous Projects automatically complete without any need for further commitment, but spend/tie up required dice and/or resources for the length of the projects. Guided Project costs will always be applied at the start of the next general session, not the current one. All projects will be tagged.
In addition, some Mega-Projects will require a decision now, these are marked [Urgent] and a vote will automatically be taken this turn. Others can wait to start, the only cost of delay is that they are delayed.
[Urgent]The Future of Fliveons
Report from Colonel Cassie Mohammed, temporary head of the Fliveons Liberation Commission
Fliveons isn't the first planet we've liberated, but the reception we've received has been very different from Sheol, which basically wanted all our people withdrawn home as soon as possible as they asserted their independence and autonomy.
Many in Fliveons are actually sad to see our people withdraw (and as someone who shamefully worked for Ares and has more than a few deployments under her belt, it is a very, very weird feeling to be wanted). Even as I compose this message, our comrades in Fliveons are debating if they even want to be an independent system, or if they should simply join themselves with the All-Radiant Congress.
While a small number of partisans for both sides have dug in, the position of the majority is currently in flux and the vast majority are looking to see what Elysium's reaction is. (And booooyyyyy does that sentiment terrify me and the native Elysian officers that I've talked to).
Like it or not, we have to make a decision on what we want to do about Fliveons.
[ ] The All-Radiant Congress welcomes Fliveons to integrate their people into the All Radiant Congress.
Starts Fliveons integration mega-project, that will result in Fliveons populations, organizations, and voices integrated into the Congress on the exact same basis as previous Radiant based groups.
Will result in full integration of Fliveons, with the immediate addition of their resources, and an additional IndComm dice, IndComm bonuses and bonuses to any other integration projects upon completion. This project is a Guided Project, and SocComm estimates that the project progress required as mild. (somewhere between 40 and 75 points).
[ ] The All-Radiant Congress councils Fliveons to assert their own sovereignty
(Reject integration, will open up projects to aid an independent Fliveons and a wider project of alliance between Radiant, Shei, and Fliveons)
[ ] The All-Radiant Congress announces a non-interference policy.
(Do not give advice, the provisional All-Fliveons Revolutionary Congress will work out a decision on their own. This may result in some additional project friction whichever option the AFRC comes to)
-
Osliam Chain Campaign
We know that the Osliam chain is not only a dead end but, as of Captain Ericson's breakout attempt, completely empty of warp capable craft. At the same time, the entire chain from Osliam through to Ascension is aware of our presence, and if any of the systems farther up the chain possess industry, we may find their knives in our back one day.
In addition, recent delves into frontier histories have shown just how fragile new colonies, such as those of the Osliam chain, can be without aid.
And these colonies have been without outside assistance for over a year.
While we could take the chain slowly and methodically using our current organization, after a review by the Permanent Commission for Military Intelligence (PCMI) a joint Milcom and Medcom task force has proposed the formation of a full military expedition, one that liberates each member system of the Osliam Chain as part of an extended campaign (Autonomous Project) rather than trying to use our previous tactics.
[ ] Break the Osliam's Chain's… Chains
Begin preparation for the liberation of the Osliam Chain.
This is an Autonomous Project that will have a cost of 1 MilComm and 1 MedComm dice until completion, as well as a constant and changing amount of resources . In exchange we will begin Liberating the Osliam Chain, and this campaign will almost certainly be faster and more efficient than trying to take a sequence of projects one by one, and will occur automatically. If need be, the Campaign can be halted early, but doing so will result in the dice committed still being spent the turn they are recalled, as the expedition must switch gears mid-mission.
While the Campaign's operations will be largely automatic, voting for this Mega-Project will unlock a Special Closed Session of the All-Radiant General Congress that will allow you to set a budget, cut loose a Congressional Navy Force, select a CO for that force, elect a Congressional Representative to oversee the entire expedition, and set rules of engagement.
INDUSTRY COMMITTEE (Two One Die)
"Shei's all done and grown up, my baby is ready to fly on her own. Wonder what project is next?"
-Asphodel Environmental Commission: +5 to dice rolls involving Radiant system construction
-Orbital Industrial Workers Union: +2 to dice rolls on industrial rolls
-Shei Planning Assistance Commission: +3 to dice rolls involving Shei system construction
-VEMP Skills Requisition Program: +2 to dice rolls on war related activities
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Project: Begin Mining operations for BR
The Industrial Committee has presented plans to begin basic resource extraction in both Radiant and Gaid, and though we have little practical and institutional experience at doing so, the Committee is confident in the ability of our workers.
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations on Radiant-2 (Quality-7)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations on Gaid A-1 (Quality-10)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations in Gaid Asteroid Belt (Quality 1)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations on Gaid B-2 (Quality 10)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations on Gaid B-3a (Quality 7)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations on Gaid B-3a (Quality 8)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations on Shei B-1 (Quality 15)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations on Shei B-2 (Quality 12)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations in Shei B-I Asteroid Belt (Quality 1)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin BR mining operations in Shei B-II Asteroid Belt (Quality 2)
Dice Bonus: +2 (+7 Radiant)
Project Completion: Automatic
Cost Per Die: 10 BR
Projected Result: Increase BR Production Infrastructure to Level 1 on selected planet
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Project: Expand BR production to second level
The Industrial Committee has presented plans to expand our existing BR mining facilities. As we now have some practical and institutional experience with doing so, the Committee believes in the ability of our workers to complete these projects on time and on materials budget.
[ ] [IndComm] Expand BR mining operations on Radiant-1 to level 2 (Quality-7)
[ ] [IndComm] Expand BR mining operations on Gaid B-1 to level 2 (Quality 15)
[ ] [IndComm] Expand BR mining operations on Gaid B-4 to level 2 (Quality 12)
[ ] [IndComm] Expand BR mining operations on Gaid B-7 to level 2 (Quality 14)
Dice Bonus: +2(+7 in Radiant)
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost Per Dice: 40BR
Projected Result: Increase BR Production Infrastructure to Level 2 on selected planet
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Project: Expand BR Production to fifth level
The Industrial Committee has presented plans to expand our existing BR mining facilities. As we now have some practical and institutional experience with doing so, the Committee believes in the ability of our workers to complete these projects on time and on materials budget.
Projected Result: Increase BR Production Infrastructure to Level 5 on selected planet
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Project: Begin Production operations for SR
The Industrial Committee has presented plans to begin special resource extraction, synthesis, and processing across ARC controlled space. As we have some practical and institutional experience at doing so, the Committee is confident in the ability of our workers to complete these projects on time and on materials budget.
[ ] [IndComm] Begin SR mining operations on Gaid A-2 (Quality 7)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin SR mining operations on Gaid A-4 (Quality 5)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin SR mining operations on Shei B-6 (Quality 8)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin SR mining operations on Shei B-6b (Quality 8)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin SR mining operations on Shei B-7 (Quality 13)
Dice Bonus: +2(+7 in Radiant)
Project Completion: Automatic
Cost Per Die: 10 BR
Projected Result: Increase SR Production Infrastructure to Level 1 on selected planet
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Project: Expand SR Production to level 2
The Industrial Committee has presented plans to expand our existing SR mining facilities. As we now have some practical and institutional experience with doing so, the Committee believes in the ability of our workers to complete these projects on time and on materials budget.
[ ] [IndComm] Expand SR mining operations on Thoa 3 to level 2 (Quality 5)
Dice Bonus: +2(+7 in Radiant)
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost Per Dice: 40BR
Projected Result: Increase SR Production Infrastructure to Level 2 on selected planet
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Project: Expand SR Production to level 3
The Industrial Committee has presented plans to expand our existing SR mining facilities. As we now have some practical and institutional experience with doing so, the Committee believes in the ability of our workers to complete these projects on time and on materials budget.
[ ] [IndComm] Expand SR mining operations on Shei B-5 to level 3 (Quality 5)
Dice Bonus: +2(+7 in Radiant)
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost Per Dice: 70BR
Projected Result: Increase SR Production Infrastructure to Level 3 on selected planet
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Project: Expand SR Production to level 4
Now that you have platforms for SR manufacture and extraction in place, it's time to expand their production capacity. As we have some practical and institutional experience at doing so, the Committee is confident in the ability of our workers to complete these projects on time and on materials budget.
[ ] [IndComm] Expand SR production on Radiant 3a (Asphodel) to level 4 (Quality 9)
Dice Bonus: +2 (+7 in Radiant)
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost per die: 100 SR
Projected Result: Increase SR Production Infrastructure to Level 4
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Project: Begin Energy Collection Operations.
The Industrial Committee has presented plans to expand our energy collection facilities. As we have some practical and institutional experience with doing so, the Committee is confident in the ability of our workers to complete these projects on time and on materials budget.
[ ] [IndComm] Begin Energy Collection Operations on Gaid B-5 (Quality 3)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin Energy Collection Operations on Shei B-4 (Quality 3)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin Energy Collection Operations on Shei B-7a (Quality 6)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin Energy Collection Operations on Shei B-7b (Quality 2)
[ ] [IndComm] Begin Energy Collection Operations on Shei 8 (Quality 6)
Dice Bonus: +2 (+7 in Radiant)
Project Completion: Automatic
Cost Per Die: 10 BR
Projected Result: Increase E Production Infrastructure to Level 1 on selected planet
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Project: Expand Energy Collection Operations to level 3.
The Industrial Committee has presented plans to expand our existing energy collection facilities. As we have some practical and institutional experience with doing so, the Committee is confident in the ability of our workers to complete these projects on time and on materials budget.
[ ] [IndComm] Expand Energy Collection Operations on Gaid A-3 (Quality 4)
[ ] [IndComm] Expand Energy Collection Operations on Gaid B-6 (Quality 7)
[ ] [IndComm] Expand Energy Collection Operations on Shei B-3 (Sheol) (Quality 12)
Dice Bonus: +2 (+7 in Radiant)
Project Completion: Automatic
Cost Per Die: 40 BR
Projected Result: Increase E Production Infrastructure to Level 2 on selected planet
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[ ] [IndComm] Veteran's Colony Program
Some very bright people have let IndComm know that a historical solution to demobilization of troops was the founding of planned 'Veteran's Colonies,' where retired and demobilized soldiers would settle with their families.
The current proposal is to expand existing cities and resort communities with districts specially built to house incoming demobilized ex-Ares personnel from Sheol.
Instead of the dichotomy of piecemeal and haphazard city growth, or the resort communities planned to cater to the whims of their temporary guests (and not their permanent inhabitants) under Hermes-Ishtar, our people are excited to stretch their legs by building places for people to thrive.
Though some worries exist about soulless standardization, the project's architects plan to interview each incoming shipful of immigrants and gather data on what their ideal communities would look like, then build it before the ship arrives.
If this project is successful, our urban planners believe that it could be a template for a rebuilding of Elysian and Sheolite communities.
Project Progress: Automatic
Dice Bonus: +2
Cost Per Dice: 5BR, 3E
Projected Results: Add roll to Shei Redeployment Program Progress.
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[ ] [IndComm] Expand E Production on Elysium
While Radiant currently possess more than sufficient power generation, the Industrial Committee believes that we could easily increase generation by building many more of the tidal generators that use the high tides caused by the Elysium/Asphodel binary system along with simple renewable resources such as wind and solar power and fusion reactors as baseline power.
Dice Bonus: +2
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost per die: 100 BR
Projected Result: Increase Production Infrastructure to Level 4 on Elysium
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[ ] [IndComm] Smallcraft Yards in Radiant
Unlike frigates or capital and assault ships, smallcraft are comparatively simple, and don't have built-in warp drives. While this means they're strictly limited to local defense, they're also cheap, fast to build, and can be ferried by tow or cargo ship to other locations if needed.
Using blueprints of Ares design, you can now build Ares-pattern strike craft and combat drones. However, building a dedicated yard will allow you to build these craft more cheaply and quickly. You will be able to pump out any type of smallcraft that fits its dimensions-- fighters, bombers, interceptors, or assault shuttles. Even cargo shuttles, though you have plenty of those at the moment.
They brush off the fact you don't have a lot of experienced pilots trained to fly them. They'll come, in time.
Dice Bonus: 9
Project Progress: 0/30
Cost per die: 5 BR, 5 SR, 3E
Projected Results: Gain a basic smallcraft yard.
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[ ] [IndComm] Cottage Industry Strikecraft in Radiant
Between the introduction of new Ares strikecraft designs and the results of a procurement panel chaired by Defence Coordinator Awhina you now believe that you can build strikecraft from standard industrial fabricators.
Sadly, this will not be an efficient process as building a dedicated facility would be, as these strike craft will be printed in parts and then later assembled with human labour time, but it will still produce ships that we currently do not have.
Thankfully, some modern combat drones are small enough that they can be produced alongside these craft without much additional strain.
Dice Bonus: 9
Project Progress: 0/20
Cost per die: 7 BR, 7 SR, 5E
Projected Results: Gain a wing of modern strike craft that will be commissioned in the Congressional Navy
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[ ] [IndComm] Expand BLG with household nanofabricators
Many of the distribution issues with the BLG can be solved by repurposing fabbers for household use. They can even print food-- though it's not exactly what anyone would call fresh. Nevertheless, as long as the planetside infrastructure is up, you've solved the issue with the BLG.
Dice Bonus: +2
Project Progress: 3/40
Cost per die: 5BR, 5SR, On completion permanent +2BR, +2E upkeep per 50 million citizens
Projected Results: +5 Trust, Raise Trust Floor by 5, Improve General Congress Focus Vote
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[ ] [IndComm] Monuments to Independence
You know what free people are free to do? To use their resources on pointless, wasteful, and profitless extravagances like majestic monuments to our freedom.
With nearly three years passed since the March Days evicted Hermes-Ishtar from Radiant, there are calls for us to immortalize that victory, and those since, in literal stone.
Let's make it an event for everyone, to let the universe know, for all time, that we did something worth celebrating!
Project Progress: Automatic
Dice Bonus: +2
Cost Per Dice: 3BR, 1SR, 1E
Projected Results: +5 Trust Bonus
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Project: Fortify Korolev-Chandraehskar gates
The Charters are coming back someday. You don't know when they'll arrive, but they'll come, and they'll be mad. Unless you do something about that. And one of the most effective measures of self defence is putting up fixed defences around your KC gates.
With the cat now out of the bag, there's nothing stopping you from filling that space with fire and steel, and given the past two battles where they were involved, they might spell the difference between victory or defeat.
[ ] [IndComm] Fortify the Radiant-Akleod Gate
[ ] [IndComm] Fortify the Radiant-Xotreh Gate
[ ] [IndComm] Fortify the Radiant-Gaid Gate
[ ] [IndComm] Fortify the Radiant-Fliveons Gate
[ ] [IndComm] Fortify the Radiant-Shei Gate
Dice Bonus: +7
Project Completion: Automatic
Cost Per Die: 5 BR, 5SR, 3E
Projected Result: Build your defences at that gate enough to bloody a small attacking force
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Project: Return RFS Chinook to civilian use
The first of two proposals developed by the OIWU to refit the RFS Chinook. This project would see the Chinook returned to her original use as a mass transport for civilian use, as well as refitting her nearly to her former state of the art in colonization equipment. As a colony transport she would be able to carrying hundreds of thousands of passengers for indefinite periods of time without need for outside support, and would also be capable of founding a new colony on a suitable frontier world, a process that would see her again stripped of her internals and then converted into a barebones orbital station.
Unfortunately, without access to many of the enterprise grade blueprints from Cernunnos, we will not be able to rebuild the complement of terraforming equipment and fully restock the genetic repository that the Chinook cannibalized for other projects. Nor can we replace the mining equipment, or the haulers. Much of these were only necessary for settling more difficult planets, and can be eschewed for garden worlds. And, as the Chinook people themselves demonstrated, with the right blueprints and knowhow, we don't even need a terrestrial world at all.
Dice Bonus: +7
Project Progress: 00/75
Cost Per Dice: 20BR, 5SR, 4E
Project Results: Gain a vessel that can transport upwards of 100,000 or more passengers at one time along with everything they need to colonize a new world with ease.
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Project: Convert RFS Chinook to a space station
The second of two proposals developed by the OIWU for RFS Chinook is to return it to its intended end function of a permanent space station, a process that the Chinook reversed to tow their new, larger habitat to Gaid. Apparently, the modifications they had made enabled the station to support some 22,500 people, more than double the intended maximum permanent carrying capacity. From what they tell us, it had to do with converting the parks and recreation spaces to "food forests," whatever those are. These food forests have been functioning for generations with minimal to no maintenance, something unheard of in Charter space.
Restoring her to her full function will require replacing and refitting of the aquaponics and aeroponics facilities, refitting the tanks into wet manufacturing bays, and refurbishing the many patches she has from meteorite impacts. Additionally, the blueprints to build two expansion habitat rings are still unused, enabling us to eventually triple Chinook's capacity at the cost of never moving her again.
Dice Bonus: +2(+5 Shei, +7 Radiant)
Project Progress: 00/45
Cost Per Dice: 10BR, 10SR, 3E
Project Results: Gain a space station to a system of your choice which provides a number of bonuses to projects and events in that system. Permanent +3E upkeep. Opens up vote of where to station RFS Chinook.
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Project: Build Orbital Cruiser-sized spacedock
With the unlocking of Ares military grade FRM's access to the plans for Great Heathen, Janissary, and Golden Horde class cruiser-sized craft and Hochseeflotte-class Frigates we can now begin construction of medium ship types. Or we could, if we had a dock capable of it, which we do not. Because of the increased infrastructure required for medium sized ships, such a dock will have to be constructed from scratch.
[X] [IndComm] Build Orbital Cruiser-sized spacedock in Shei
[ ] [IndComm] Build Orbital Cruiser-sized spacedock in Radiant
Dice Bonus: +4(+7 Shei, +9 Radiant)
Project Progress: 00/50
Cost per die: 20BR 10SR and 7E
Project Results: Produce a dock capable of creating frigate, cruiser, light tender and light carrier class ships. As well as large-size civilian ships. Permanent +3E upkeep.
MILITARY COMMITTEE (Three Dice)
"Peace, this calm, is simply a pause for breath before the next conflagration."
-Commodore Stephanie Rousseau
"Okay, yes she's been staring out the window for the last hour saying things like 'the next storm is on the horizon'. But like she also just won the battle with nearly no losses, she's probably earned a bit of…. Whatever it is she's being right now."
-Lieutenant Aaron Grey, Aide to Commodore Rousseau
-Courier Crewperson Community: +5 to dice on military rolls for smaller warship fabrication
-All-Radiant Congressional Defence Committee: +2 to dice on Military Rolls.
-Defence Coordinator's Maria Awhine: +2 to Commando and small unit operation rolls
-VEMP Skills Requisition Program: +2 to dice rolls on war related activities
-Permanent Commission for Military Intelligence: +1 to Military Intelligence and Counterespionage
-Heroes +1d4 to all Milcom actions this turn
-And Martyrs +1d4 to all Milcom actions this turn
[ ] [MilComm] Formalize guidelines for MilComm pre-authorization
At the moment much of what MilComm does on a day to day basis does not need direct Congressional approval thanks to the implementation of VEMP Measures.
However, these structures are ad-hoc and temporary. DC Awhina and her staff would like to formalize MilComm's organizational structure to include a regular budget, defence construction streamlining, recruitment, and permanent formal guidelines on the divide between the civilian and military spheres.
Dice Bonus: +4
Project Progress: N/A
Cost per Dice: N/A
Projected Results: Unlock a special session of the General Congress for issuing guidelines to the new commission. Possible mechanical unlocks include: using a single dice to activate craft builds at multiple spacedocks, using a single die to begin construction of more than one gate defence project, permanent formalization of some VEMP Measures.
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[ ] [MilComm] Begin Corvette Construction at Orbital Yard 1
Dice Bonus: +9
Project Cost: 0/2 quarters of production
Cost for Project: 20BR, 12SR, 6E
Projected Results: Launch a New Model-class corvette
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[ ] [MilComm] Begin Corvette Construction at Orbital Yard 2
Dice Bonus: +9
Project Cost: 0/2 quarters of production
Cost for Project: 20BR, 12SR, 6E
Projected Results: Launch a New Model-class corvette
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[ ] [MilComm] Convert RFS Chinook into a Dreadnaught
One of two proposals to emerge from the newly created Naval Design Commission of the Congressional Navy, this refit package would see Chinook armed with heavy armour, heavy guns and missiles, and tasked with the brutal close-in fighting of defending or taking KC gates in the face of heavy opposition. This is in addition to the fabrication facilities necessary for field repairs and replenishing her missile stocks while on campaign.
The refit involves using Chinook's frankly absurd level of heat dissipation for a spinal capital laser, the installation of coilgun turrets and missile tubes to provide capital class firepower. The liquid droplet radiators will need to be replaced with Curie point radiators to support combat maneuvering. While the primary mirror serves as a micrometeorite shield and radiator in flight, plans are being drafted to replace it with a diamondoid composite frontal glacis. Finally, the habitation ring will be removed and a warp drive installed around the agricultural ring to shed nearly 60% of Chinook's mass, providing an incredible boost to acceleration, delta v, and maneuverability.
Dice Bonus: +9
Project Progress: 15/125
Cost Per Die: 25BR, 15SR, 5E
Project Results: Gain a converted Dreadnought that is specialized in taking and holding KC gates in slugging matches. Permanent +5SR logistics cost added to budget.
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[ ] [MilComm] Convert RFS Chinook into a Mothership
One of two proposals to emerge from the newly created Naval Design Commission of the Congressional Navy, this refit package would see Chinook reimagined as a carrier for corvettes, small one-man strikecraft, and the drone swarms they oversee. She will be fitted with heavy fuel and materials storage facilities, docking facilities to transport corvette vessels while under warp, and purpose-built Naval fabbers that would allow her to replenish her drone complement at combat relevant speeds.
With a ship this size, that's a hilariously large number of attack craft. Hundreds and hundreds of manned strikecraft each launching in control of an entire flight of drones. More than any typical cruiser-weight carrier, or even a full sized fleet carrier. Chinook will never be able to take a hit like a fleet carrier might, but if you've got well over three times the strikecraft of an Ares Shinano-class, does it really matter?
As something of a bonus, Chinook will still have room to carry masses of troops and the equipment and lifters she needs to deploy them to a planetary surface in the face of hostile defences. She already comes with docking collars for some 30 lifters, tankers, and haulers which can be reinforced to serve as additional corvette docks, but there is a vast amount of space to install more. While it's impossible to speculate on how much total mass she can carry until a full inspection has been done, we have no doubt that we will be able to carry a tremendous amount of corvettes, strikecraft, troops, and cargo, and will be able to freely change her complement to suit the needs of the mission without further refitting.
Dice Bonus: +9
Project Progress: 15/75
Cost Per Die: 30BR, 20SR, 5E
Project Results: Gain a converted Mothership that is designed to carry corvettes, manned strikecraft, drone swarms, and troops, as well as possessing the onboard capacity to repair, refuel, and support them in the field. Maneuvers like a stuck pig, though. Permanent +5SR logistics cost added to budget.
--
[ ] [MilComm] Acquire a civilian liner for conversion to an auxiliary light cruiser
Without the need to avoid questions like "Hey, why does that passenger liner have gunports?" MilComm has begun plans to arm some of the warp-capable passenger liners that we inherited from various Hermes-Ishtar travel lines into auxiliary cruisers.
While they'll be nowhere as effective as a purpose built warship, they'll be a hell of a lot more effective than nothing.
While MilComm has already begun negotiations to acquire two of the passenger liners from their crews, they've also requested that the General Congress negotiate with the crews of the liners we're using to relocate the ex-Ares personnel from Sheol to Elysium to convert their ship to military use.
Doing so will reduce the immigration rate by approximately 15,000 people a quarter and will ever so slightly increase tensions with Sheol and the ex-Ares people due to slowing down the Sheol-Elysium transfer rates.
On the other hand, free warship!
(Can be taken until you're out of liners)
Dice Bonus: +9
Project Completion: Automatic
Cost Per Die: 5SR, 3E
Projected Result: Gain a warp capable auxiliary cruiser
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[ ] [MilComm] Acquire a civilian liner for conversion to an auxiliary light carrier
Why stop at cruisers? You know what liners have? Lots of space. Clear out a few indoor shopping malls, waterparks and all 6 theaters and you have plenty of room for hangers. Well, plenty might be a little generous, but still, enough for a wing or two.
While MilComm has already begun negotiations to acquire two of the passenger liners from their crews, they've also requested that the General Congress negotiate with the crews of the liners we're using to relocate the ex-Ares personnel from Sheol to Elysium to convert their ship to military use.
Doing so will reduce the immigration rate by approximately 15,000 people a quarter and will ever so slightly increase tensions with Sheol and the ex-Ares people due to slowing down the Sheol-Elysium transfer rates.
On the other hand, free warship!
(Can be taken until you're out of liners)
Dice Bonus: +9
Project Completion: Automatic
Cost Per Die: 5SR, 3E
Projected Result: Gain a warp capable auxiliary carrier
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[ ] [MilComm] Acquire a civilian liner for conversion to an auxiliary light tender
Why stop at cruisers? You know what liners have? Lots of space. Clear out a few indoor shopping malls, waterparks and all 6 theaters and you have plenty of room for hangers. Well, plenty might be a little generous, but still, enough for a corvette or two.
While MilComm has already begun negotiations to acquire two of the passenger liners from their crews, they've also requested that the General Congress negotiate with the crews of the liners we're using to relocate the ex-Ares personnel from Sheol to Elysium to convert their ship to military use.
Doing so will reduce the immigration rate by approximately 15,000 people a quarter and will ever so slightly increase tensions with Sheol and the ex-Ares people due to slowing down the Sheol-Elysium transfer rates.
(Can be taken until you're out of liners)
Dice Bonus: +9
Project Completion: Automatic
Cost Per Die: 5SR, 3E
Projected Result: Gain a warp capable auxiliary fleet tender
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Project: Fortify your Korolev-Chandraehskar gates
The Charters are coming back someday. You don't know when they'll arrive, but they'll come, and they'll be mad. Unless you do something about that. And one of the most effective measures of self defence is putting up fixed defences around your KC gates.
With the cat now out of the bag, there's nothing stopping you from filling that space with fire and steel, and given the past two battles where they were involved, they might spell the difference between victory or defeat.
[ ] [MilComm] Fortify the Radiant-Akleod Gate
[ ] [MilComm] Fortify the Radiant-Xotreh Gate
[ ] [MilComm] Fortify the Radiant-Gaid Gate
[ ] [MilComm] Fortify the Radiant-Fliveons Gate
[ ] [MilComm] Fortify the Radiant-Shei Gate
Dice Bonus: +9
Project Completion: Automatic
Cost Per Die: 5 BR, 5SR, XE
Projected Result: Build your defences at that gate enough to bloody a small attacking force
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[ ] [MilComm] Smallcraft Yards in Radiant
Unlike frigates or capital and assault ships, smallcraft are comparatively simple, and don't have built-in warp drives. While this means they're strictly limited to local defense, they're also cheap, fast to build, and can be ferried by tow or cargo ship to other locations if needed.
Using blueprints of Ares design, you can now build Ares-pattern strike craft and combat drones. However building a dedicated yard will allow you to build these craft more cheaply and quickly. You will be able to pump out any type of smallcraft that fits its dimensions-- fighters, bombers, interceptors, or assault shuttles. Even cargo shuttles, though you have plenty of those at the moment.
They brush off the fact you don't have a lot of experienced pilots trained to fly them. They'll come, in time.
Dice Bonus: +4
Project Progress: 0/30
Cost per die: 5 BR, 5 SR, 3E
Projected Results: Gain a basic smallcraft yard.
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[ ] [MilComm] Cottage Industry Strikecraft in Radiant
Between the introduction of new Ares strikecraft designs and the results of a procurement panel chaired by Defence Coordinator Awhina you now believe that you can build strikecraft from standard industrial fabricators.
Sadly, this will not be an efficient process as building a dedicated facility as these strikecraft will be printed in parts and then later assembled with human labour time, but it will still produce ships that we currently do not have.
Thankfully, some modern combat drones are small enough that they can be produced alongside these craft without much additional strain.
Dice Bonus: +9
Project Progress: 0/20
Cost per die: 7 BR, 7 SR, 5E
Projected Results: Gain a wing of modern strike craft that will be commissioned in the Congressional Navy
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[ ] [MilComm] Encourage Emergency Local Strikecraft Cottage Industry Production
Between the introduction of new Ares strikecraft designs and the results of a procurement panel chaired by Defence Coordinator Awhina you now believe that you can build strikecraft from standard industrial fabricators.
Sadly, this will not be an efficient process as building a dedicated facility as these strikecraft will be printed in parts and then later assembled with human labour time, but it will still produce ships that we currently do not have.
To that end MilComm would like to build a new coordination subcommittee to put out a call across the All Radiant Congress for individual communities to build what they can and donate them to the Navy for Home Defence use.
Dice Bonus: +9
Project Progress: 0/30
Cost per die: 6E
Projected Results: Gain a randomly decided per turn, but small and consistent (and most of all free) trickle of strike craft into the Navy's stockpiles.
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Project: Create Orbital Cruiser-sized Spacedock
With the unlocking of Ares military grade FRM's access to the plans for Great Heathen Light Cruisers, Janissary tenders, Golden Horde Light Carriers, Cossak frigates, New Model corvettes, and various support auxiliaries we can now begin construction of medium capital craft types. Or we could, if we have a dock capable of it, which we do not. Because of the radically different infrastructure required for medium sized capital craft, such a dock will have to be constructed from scratch.
[ ] [MilComm] Build Orbital Cruiser-sized spacedock in Shei
[ ] [MilComm] Build Orbital Cruiser-sized spacedock in Radiant
Dice Bonus: +4
Project Progress: 00/50
Cost per die: 20BR 10SR and 7E
Project Results: Produce a dock capable of creating cruiser, frigate and light carrier class ships. Permanent +3E upkeep.
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[ ] [MilComm] Permanent Special Forces Training Division
While the Military Committee has been relying on our Defence Coordinator's personal special forces experience to plan and execute operations, some delegates fear relying on a single point of failure.
By setting up a Permanent Special Forces Training Division, we would institutionalize Awhine's knowledge within the Military Committee and provide a pool of experienced special forces operatives that can be drawn from to conduct training or operations.
Dice Bonus: +4
Project Progress: 6/30
Cost Per Die: 2BR, 1SR
Projected Results: Makes Awhine's personal bonus permanent and gains +1, permanent +1E cost
Proposed By: Delegate @Gladsome praetorian on Discord
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SCIENCE COMMITTEE (Two die)
"Okay, everyone. I know the Teacher team moved the Chinese food container. I know you told them not to. I have talked to them about it. However, stealing their Ghost's school-teacher doll, and replacing it with a teacher Funko-Pop was way, way beyond the pale. Now, I am not going to look, they are not going to look, if this afternoon the doll arrives in either my office or back where it was, we can pretend this never happened."
-Elysium Free Physicists Alliance: +5 to Dice rolls involving experimental physics projects
-Professional Union of Laboratory Technicians and Coders: +2 to dice rolls on Science Rolls
-Free Time: +3 to next Blue sky research
-VEMP Skills Requisition Program: +2 to dice rolls on war related activities
[ ] [SciComm] Assist with Prototype Wormhole research -FTL Communications
Developing on the already established laboratory work conducted on Elysium, it may be possible to create a prototype for a fixed location interstellar communications device. Once we have the prototype in hand, we can begin iterating on this technology. It is expected that this project will require moderate amounts of SR and E to see to completion.
[ ] [SciComm] Assist with Prototype Wormhole research -Personal Wormhole
Developing on the already established laboratory work conducted on Elysium, it may be possible to create a fixed location interstellar travel device large enough for a single individual to travel through. Once we have the prototype in hand, we can begin iterating on this technology. It is likely that this project will require large amounts of SR and E to see to completion.
Dice Bonus: +7
Project Progress: 04/???
Cost per die: 10SR and 5E
Projected Result: Unlocks Personal Wormhole Prototype
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[ ] [SciComm] Crack Advanced Cernunnos Fabricator Rights Management 'prints
Building on our success with unlocking and analyzing Cernunnos blueprints, we should be able make rapid progress stripping anti-consumer protections built into Cernunnos' more exclusive catalogue of blueprints. Without having access to the private keys for the blueprints, we will first have to crack the DRM protection, but the tools we've built up will streamline this process significantly.
[ ] [SciComm] Bypass Charter Fabricator Rights Management for MSI
Building on our success with unlocking and analyzing HI blueprints, we should be able make rapid progress stripping anti-consumer protections built into MSI's extensive catalogue of blueprints. Without having access to the private keys for the blueprints, we will first have to crack the DRM protection, but the tools we've built up will streamline this process significantly.
[ ] [SciComm] Crack Advanced Rhodes Fabricator Rights Management 'prints
Building on our success with unlocking and analyzing Rhodes blueprints, we should be able make rapid progress stripping anti-consumer protections built into Rhodes' more exclusive catalogue of blueprints. Without having access to the private keys for the blueprints, we will first have to crack the DRM protection, but the tools we've built up will streamline this process significantly.
Dice Bonus: +2
Project Progress: 14/30
Cost per die: 3SR and 3E
Projected Result: Unlock Rhodes heavy industrial grade 'prints
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[ ] [SciComm] Bypass Charter Fabricator Rights Management for Omoikane
Building on our success with unlocking and analyzing HI blueprints, we should be able make rapid progress stripping anti-consumer protections built into Omoikane's extensive catalogue of blueprints. Without having access to the private keys for the blueprints, we will first have to crack the DRM protection, but the tools we've built up will streamline this process significantly.
[ ] [SciComm] Crack advanced Hermes-Ishtar Fabricator Rights Management 'prints
Building on our success with unlocking and analyzing HI blueprints, we should be able make rapid progress stripping anti-consumer protections built into the blueprints whose keys were deleted by the Charter Loyalists. Without having access to the private keys for the blueprints, we will first have to crack the DRM protection, but the tools we've built up will streamline this process significantly.
Dice Bonus: +2
Project Progress: 03/30
Cost per die: 3SR and 3E
Projected Result: Unlock HI production grade 'prints
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[ ] [SciComm] Subvert Hermes-Ishtar Communications Network across Charter Space
Our hacking team believes they've found an exploit using the interaction of the emergency and priority broadcast systems within the H-I Buoy network that will allow them to insert media for gate transfer without requiring system keys. This means that, until technicians on-site reset their networks, we will have free reign to broadcast anything of our choosing for a few days, and resetting only purges the data-- not the vulnerability. The only way to get around this would be to completely rewrite the (century-old) firmware and all its legacy and compatibility coding for the buoys and manually reimage them, along with replacing the older variants-- and there's an awful lot of buoys out there. It would be a long time before H-I would be able to totally shut you out.
Dice Bonus: +2
Project Progress: 24/45
Cost Per Dice: 5SR and 5E
Projected Results: Ability to send unjammable messages across Humanity's entire communications network at a time of our choosing for between several hours to several weeks per system. Once used, H-I will begin attempting to counter with their own project.
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[ ] [SciComm] Document Charter Abuses, Shei
They say that all happy families are alike, and all unhappy families are unhappy in their own unique ways.
The same applies to the Charters and the systems they've controlled. Direct encounters have shown us that the tyranny of Hermes-Ishtar in Radiant and Ares in Shei have taken different forms and that they may be hard for others to understand.
A coalition of academics, social workers, and journalists are requesting the resources and public attention in order to create an organization dedicated to documenting for all time the excesses and evils of Charter misrule.
Now that Shei is free from Ares control, we can begin the long and arduous project of documenting the astonishing array of abuses that unfolded not just on Sheol, but across the system.
Dice Bonus: +2
Project Progress: 06/25
Cost Per Die: 1BR and 2E
Project Results: Add a dice bonus to foreign relations, along with narrative advantages.
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[ ] [SciComm] Document Charter Abuses, Fliveons
They say that all happy families are alike, and all unhappy families are unhappy in their own unique ways.
The same applies to the Charters and the systems they've controlled. Rhodes is as abusive as any other.
A coalition of academics, social workers, and journalists are requesting the resources and public attention in order to create an organization dedicated to documenting for all time the excesses and evils of Charter misrule.
Now that Fliveons is free from Rhodes control, we can begin documenting the array of abuses that unfolded. Due to it's recent colonization, the abuses list is somewhat shorter, though not for lack of abuses.
Dice Bonus: +2
Project Progress: 00/10
Cost Per Die: 1BR and 2E
Project Results: Add a dice bonus to foreign relations, along with narrative advantages.
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SOCIAL COMMITTEE (Two Dice)
"New observation: There is no cure for the blahs more potent than being on the winning team."
-Congress of Caregivers and Physicians: +3 to all Social roll dice
-Ex-Marketing Division Gang: +5 to Propaganda rolls
[ ] [SocComm] Encourage Emergency Local Strikecraft Cottage Industry Production
Between the introduction of new Ares strikecraft designs and the results of a procurement panel chaired by Defence Coordinator Awhina you now believe that you can build Strikecraft from standard industrial fabricators.
Sadly, this will not be an efficient process as building a dedicated facility as these Strike craft will be printed in parts and then later assembled with human labour time, but it will still produce ships that we currently do not have.
To that end MilComm would like to build a new coordination subcommittee to put out a call across the All Radiant Congress for individual communities to build what they can and donate them to the Navy for Home Defence use.
Dice Bonus: +8
Project Progress: 0/30
Cost per die: 6E
Projected Results: Gain a randomly decided per turn, but small and consistent (and most of all free) trickle of strike craft into the Navy's stockpiles.
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[ ] [SocComm] Use RFS Chinook to transport Immigrants to Elysium
At the moment RFS Chinook is mainly filled with the food forestry that provided the bulk of the Chinook people's diet. As Elysium and Sheol are more than capable of feeding themselves and the other two systems of the ARC this capacity isn't terribly relevant to military or long term civilian use.
Chinook can still, however, carry large numbers of passengers. Especially for a trip from say Sheol to Elysium. By using this capacity Chinook can transport upwards of 300,000 and change immigrants from Sheol to Elysium, greatly increasing the speed of completion on our promise to transport the ex-Ares immigrants from Sheol to Elysium. CO₂ scrubbers will need to be added, food fabricators cracked, and worn down machinery will need to be replaced and refit, but almost all of it can be done by onboard work crews while the colony craft is underway.
Dice Bonus: +3
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost Per die: 1BE, 1SR, 1E
Projected Results: Increase immigration rate for the Shei Redeployment Program by approximately between 100,000-300,000 individuals until the next General Session of the All-Radiant Congress.
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[ ] [SocComm] Integrate Chinook people into the Congress
With the arrival of the Chinook people in Gaid, we have gained a large population of spacers experienced in all aspects of life outside a habitable biosphere. While they are already slowly finding their own feet in a suddenly much wider universe, SocComm believes that a dedicated "Welcome to the Congress" program will help them acclimatize faster and form much tighter links with our society, as they learn from us and we from them.
Dice Bonus: +3
Project Progress: 0/15
Cost per die: 5BR, 1SR, 1E
Projected Results: Add a bonus to MilComm or IndComm, in Gaid, open up Gaid Projects.
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[ ] [SocComm] Chain Integration Program
The previous smashing success of the chain integration project has led to calls for its expansion across Elysium as many more communities begin to clamour for their own seed communities of former Ares employees.
In addition to the structures used in the first round of immigration, we've also set up mentor programs for both new immigrants and new host families and communities that will further smooth over any issues that arise from the clash of two very different cultures.
New urban expansion will also be planned with these new immigrants in mind as we take onboard the recommendations from the first wave.
With this program in place, SocComm has no doubts that we will be able to house and integrate as many immigrants as we have the resources and administrative capacity for.
Dice Bonus: +3
Project Progress: Automatic, roll determines results
Cost per die: 2BR, 1E
Projected Results: Add roll to Shei Redeployment Program Progress
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[ ] [SocComm] Expand BLG with household nanofabricators
Many of the distribution issues with the BLG can be solved by repurposing fabbers for household use. They can even print food-- though it's not exactly what anyone would call fresh. Nevertheless, as long as the planetside infrastructure is up, you've solved the issue with the BLG.
Dice Bonus: +3
Project Progress: 04/40
Cost per die: 5BR, 5SR, On completion permanent +2BR, +2E upkeep per 50 million citizens
Projected Results: +5 Trust, Raise Trust Floor by 5, Improve General Congress Focus Vote
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[ ] [SocComm] Immortality Guarantee
Functional Immortality has been a practical reality for the wealthy since the mid 2020s, and has long been a leading cause of why workers will permanently indenture themselves into Charter service. With this program implemented no longer will our people have to work or die. By overwhelming popular demand, this program is paired with the full legalization of voluntary euthanasia.
Dice Bonus: +3
Program Progress: 08/50
Cost per die: N/A
Projected Result: When Project is Completed have a permanent upkeep cost of 5BR, 5SR, and 5E per 50 million citizens, a permanent propaganda dice bonus, raise the trust floor by +10, and get one free die.
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[ ] [SocComm] Found Youth Organization
Taking a cue from some old Earth traditions, and a similar collection of organizations on Sheol, we urge the Congress to found an all Congress-wide youth organization. Not only would such a program foster ties of solidarity across our population, but it would encourage civic spirit, help with youth socialization, and allow us to disseminate more obscure life skills that are not currently part of the Paths to Enlightenment program.
Membership in the program will be entirely voluntary and it will also be run by local community volunteers with each individual branch federated into a larger congress with its own delegates to the All-Radiant Congress.
Dice Bonus: +3
Project Difficulty: 02/25
Cost Per Dice: 1BR
Project Results: Add Youth Organization to SocComm as a +2 bonus to Youth, Education, and Civics rolls as well as other potential bonuses.
[ ] [SocComm] Document Charter Abuses, Shei
They say that all happy families are alike, and all unhappy families are unhappy in their own unique ways.
The same applies to the Charters and the systems they've controlled. Direct encounters have shown us that the tyranny of Hermes-Ishtar in Radiant and Ares in Shei have taken different forms and that they may be hard for others to understand.
A coalition of academics, social workers, and journalists are requesting the resources and public attention in order to create an organization dedicated to documenting for all time the excesses and evils of Charter misrule.
Now that Shei is free from Ares control, we can begin the long and arduous project of documenting the astonishing array of abuses that unfolded not just on Sheol, but across the system.
Dice Bonus: +3
Project Progress: 06/25
Cost Per Die: 1BR and 2E
Project Results: Add a dice bonus to foreign relations, along with narrative advantages.
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[ ] [SocComm] Document Charter Abuses, Fliveons
They say that all happy families are alike, and all unhappy families are unhappy in their own unique ways.
The same applies to the Charters and the systems they've controlled. Rhodes is as abusive as any other.
A coalition of academics, social workers, and journalists are requesting the resources and public attention in order to create an organization dedicated to documenting for all time the excesses and evils of Charter misrule.
Now that Fliveons is free from Rhodes control, we can begin documenting the array of abuses that unfolded. Due to it's recent colonization, the abuses list is somewhat shorter, though not for lack of trying.
Dice Bonus: +3
Project Progress: 00/10
Cost Per Die: 1BR and 2E
Project Results: Add a dice bonus to foreign relations, along with narrative advantages.
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[ ] [SocComm] Monuments to Independence
You know what free people are free to do? To use their resources on pointless, wasteful, and profitless extravagances like majestic monuments to our freedom.
With three years passed since the March Days evicted Hermes-Ishtar from Radiant, there are calls for us to immortalize that victory in literal stone.
Let's make it an event for everyone, to let the universe know, for all time, that we did something worth celebrating!
Project Progress: Automatic
Dice Bonus: +7
Cost Per Dice: 3BR, 1SR, 1E
Projected Results: +5 Trust Bonus
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[ ] [SocComm] Form Galactic Outreach! Commision
Our colleagues in SciComm have already taken the first steps towards loosening the Charter's stranglehold on interstellar communications.
If and when that work is finished we will have a golden opportunity to reach people with a message of opposition to the Charters. Perhaps the first that they will ever encounter.
The amount of work that SciComm is giving to the technical mission of breaking the Charter's monopoly demands an equally great amount of effort on our part in breaking the intellectual and ideological hold the Charters have.
To that end a joint working group of the Congressional Diplomatic Corps and the Media Committee have proposed the creation of a commission for pre-planning what we want to say when Sci-Comm flips the switch and we have access to the largest mega-phone in Human history.
Dice Bonus: TBD
Cost Per Dice: N/A
Projected Results: Unlock a special session of the general congress for issuing instructions to the new commission.
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[ ] [SocComm] Promote Heightened Vigilance
Despite our victories in Gaid, an entire Charter fleet still sits on our doorstep.
We cannot afford to let our vigilance slip now. Many are now seeing the charters as nothing more than a house of cards that will collapse at the slightest gust.
This is a dangerous idea. Organizations do not stride the galaxy like colossi for centuries without having some serious muscle, and the fleets sent against us were a fraction of what the Charters can throw at us, nevermind the Compact and the rest of the First Colonies.
We need to remind our people of the dangers that still exist.
Dice Bonus: +8
Project Progress: 0/25
Cost per die: 2E
Projected Results: Halve the loss of trust due to VEMP and other emergency measures.
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MEDIA COMMITTEE (Two Dice)
"Battlefield victories are nothing without the ability to win the peace afterwards. And that kind of victory will be our duty. Never forget that."
-Creator's Forum: +2 to all media dice rolls
-TrophyCase Social Media Team +4 to external propaganda
-Market Segment Analysis Hobbyists' Club +5 Signals Intelligence
-Guild of Professional and Amateur Performers: +5 to Human Intelligence
[ ] [MedComm] Encourage Emergency Local Strikecraft Cottage Industry Production
Between the introduction of new Ares strikecraft designs and the results of a procurement panel chaired by Defence Coordinator Awhina you now believe that you can build strikecraft from standard industrial fabricators.
Sadly, this will not be an efficient process as building a dedicated facility as these strikecraft will be printed in parts and then later assembled with Human labour time, but it will still produce ships that we currently do not have.
To that end MilComm would like to build a new coordination subcommittee to put out a call across the All Radiant Congress for individual communities to build what they can and donate them to the Navy for Home Defence use.
Dice Bonus: +2
Project Progress: 0/30
Cost per die: 6E
Projected Results: Gain a randomly decided per turn, but small and consistent (and most of all free) trickle of strike craft into the Navy's stockpiles.
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[ ] [MedComm] Document Charter Abuses, Shei
They say that all happy families are alike, and all unhappy families are unhappy in their own unique ways.
The same applies to the Charters and the systems they've controlled. Direct encounters have shown us that the tyranny of Hermes-Ishtar in Radiant and Ares in Shei have taken different forms and that they may be hard for others to understand.
A coalition of academics, social workers, and journalists are requesting the resources and public attention in order to create an organization dedicated to documenting for all time the excesses and evils of Charter misrule.
Now that Shei is free from Ares control, we can begin the long and arduous project of documenting the astonishing array of abuses that unfolded not just on Sheol, but across the system.
Dice Bonus: +6
Project Progress: 06/25
Cost Per Die: 1BR and 2E
Project Results: Add a dice bonus to foreign relations, along with narrative advantages.
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[ ] [MedComm] Document Charter Abuses, Fliveons
They say that all happy families are alike, and all unhappy families are unhappy in their own unique ways.
The same applies to the Charters and the systems they've controlled. Rhodes is as abusive as any other.
A coalition of academics, social workers, and journalists are requesting the resources and public attention in order to create an organization dedicated to documenting for all time the excesses and evils of Charter misrule.
Now that Fliveons is free from Rhodes control, we can begin documenting the array of abuses that unfolded. Due to it's recent colonization, the abuses list is somewhat shorter, though not for lack of trying.
Dice Bonus: +6
Project Progress: 00/10
Cost Per Die: 1BR and 2E
Project Results: Add a dice bonus to foreign relations, along with narrative advantages.
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[ ] [MedComm] Insert Assets into Xotreh
Currently controlled by Omoikane, Xotreh appears to be a system deliberately lost by the bureaucracy. With a population barely cresting 54,000 individuals, the bulk of the inhabitation is limited to seasteads on the icy ocean world of Xotreh B4a, unofficially known as "Sushi". By all indications, "Sushi" is being used by Omoikane to dump workers with poor records and incorrigible troublemakers. The Media Committee wants to insert a team into the system under the cover of regular commercial traffic. Once we have a tap into system communications and agents on the ground MedComm planners will begin to plan to encourage Xotrah to throw off Omoikane and join the Congress.
Dice Bonus: +12
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost per die: 1SR
Projected Results: Insert Assets into Xotreh, new projects on completion.
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[ ] [MedComm] Insert Assets into Bestreer.
Officially owned by Cernunnos, Bestreer is barely inhabited, with only a gate maintenance team and a SAR station. The few hundred Cernunnos employees appear to have the same extremely relatable gripes and problems that all spacers relegated to backwater worlds have. The Media Committee wants to insert a team into the system under the cover of regular commercial traffic. Once we have a tap into system communications and agents on the ground MedComm planners will begin to plan to encourage Bestreer to throw off Cernunnos control and join the Congress.
Dice Bonus: +12
Project Progress: 0/10
Cost per die: 1SR
Projected Results: Insert Assets into Bestreer, new projects on completion.
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[ ] [MedComm] Insert Assets into Akleod
The last of Radiant's surrounding systems, Akleod is home to a Mississippi Interstellar transshipment hub. The just over 5000 inhabitants of Akleod are concentrated in an orbital station above Gnat's Ass (Akleod 2). It appears that the MSI Junior Executive in charge of Akleod is an utterly venal individual who had several under the table deals with Vice President Yang and other member's of Radiant's former rulership. The Media Committee wants to insert a team into the system under the cover of regular commercial traffic. Once we have a tap into system communications and agents on the ground MedComm planners will begin to plan to encourage Akleod to throw off MSI control and join the Congress.
Dice Bonus: +12
Project Progress: 0/10
Cost per die: 1SR
Projected Results: Insert Assets into Akleod, new projects on completion.
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[ ] [MedComm] Insert Assets into Osliam
A rare system with a brown dwarf orbiting a G-type star (just barely in the limits of what's considered a single system rather than a binary), and with a Jovian planet orbiting that, and on top of that treasure trove a dual ice giant binary, Osliam presents a golden research opportunity, and was bid on by Omoikane despite its otherwise sparse resources and poor habitable prospects.
Our information on the system is scarce and we have little data on the six hundred and fifty or so thousand inhabitants of the system.
The Media Committee wants to insert a team into the system under the cover of regular commercial traffic. Once we have a tap into system communications and agents on the ground MedComm planners will begin to plan to encourage Osliam to throw off Omoikane control and join the Congress.
Dice Bonus: +12
Project Progress: 0/25
Cost per die: 1SR
Projected Results: Insert Assets into Osliam, new projects on completion.
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[ ] [MedComm] Reassess Media Committee Responsibilities
It's an unusual quirk, and one that is understandable considering Radiant's origins, but a lot of resources and responsibilities have been placed under the oversight of the Media Committee.
Everything from espionage, to communications, to foreign affairs, to social programs have fallen under the purview of the Media Committee, much to the consternation of other sections of the Congress who feel that those resources and responsibilities would be better allocated their way.
Completing this project will begin an attempt to shift one or more of the Media committee's responsibilities, and their attached resources, to a different committee.
Dice Bonus: 0
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost Per Die: N/A
Projected Results: Create a subvote to shift resources and responsibilities to other committees
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Project: Dispatch Diplomats
While our Diplomatic Corps is still in its infancy that doesn't mean that we can't begin making open contact with our neighbours. Opening contact, will open up new possibilities for dealing with neighbouring systems and the Charters they represent. Though a more comprehensive ability to engage in diplomacy can only begin once a Diplomatic Corps head has been elected.
[ ] [MedComm] Open relations with Osliam
[ ] [MedComm] Open relations with Fliveons
[ ] [MedComm] Open relations with Bestreer
[ ] [MedComm] Open relations with Xotreh
[ ] [MedComm] Open relations with Akleod
Dice Bonus: +2
Project Progress: Automatic
Cost per die: 2E
Projected Results: Opens up options for diplomacy, trade, and avoiding hostility with individual Charters.
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[ ] [MedComm] Form Galactic Outreach! Commision
Our colleagues in SciComm have already taken the first steps towards loosening the Charter's stranglehold on interstellar communications.
If and when that work is finished we will have a golden opportunity to reach people with a message of opposition to the Charters. Perhaps the first that they will even encounter.
The amount of work that SciComm is giving to the technical mission of breaking the Charter's monopoly demands an equally great amount of effort on our part in breaking the intellectual and ideological hold the Charters have.
To that end a joint working group of the Congressional Diplomatic Corps and the Media Committee have proposed the creation of a commission for pre-planning what we want to say when Sci-Comm flips the switch and we have access to the largest mega-phone in Human history.
Dice Bonus: TBD
Cost Per Dice: N/A
Projected Results: Unlock a special session of the general congress for issuing instructions to the new commission.
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[ ] [MedComm] Promote Heightened Vigilance
Despite our victories in Gaid, an entire Charter fleet still sits on our doorstep.
We cannot afford to let our vigilance slip now. Many are now seeing the charters as nothing more than a house of cards that will collapse at the slightest gust.
This is a dangerous idea. Organizations do not stride the galaxy like colossi for centuries without having some serious muscle, and the fleets sent against us were a fraction of what the Charters can throw at us, nevermind the Compact and the rest of the First Colonies.
We need to remind our people of the dangers that still exist.
Dice Bonus: +8
Project Progress: 0/25
Cost per die: 2E
Projected Results: Halve the loss of trust due to VEMP and other emergency measures.
Since there are so many updates, I'm putting a 7 8 hour moratorium on voting.
Everyone, with the votes close, y'all are gonna have a few subvotes.
Currently the plant from our end is to write-up the Chain vote first, which should be the easier of the two. The other, the GOC is going to be a lot more open ended, since it's 'what do we want to do with our shiny new toy, and how do we want to prepare ourselves to do that best'.
To that end, we want to make sure that we know what sort of options people want. Examples of options that might be considered and example of projects you might unlock are here and here. But those are only the ones that were thought of when giving examples and we want your own suggestions. By compiling those now we can do a write-up with options including analysis by your various committees on how viable they think a option is and what sort of project would likely be needed to be done to make it most effective.
While we will try to make sure we get everything I think it would help if suggestions could include #GOCsuggestion in the post, so we don't miss any.
March 2254, Special Session of the All-Radiant Congress: Osliam Chain Commission
It is a simple matter to put together the Special Commission on the Osliam Chain, your campaign to liberate everything Spinward of Shei, but it is also something of a tedious one. Officers need to be vetted, budgets proposed, and directions drafted.
In the end your efforts, as the General Congress of the All-Radiant Congress can be divided into two categories, the [Military] side of things and the [Civilian] side of things. Which means that this vote will produce two separate plan votes.
For the first, please format it like so:
[ ] [Military]
-CO:
-Units Assigned:
-Rules of Engagement:
-CO:
Please look through the list of Congressional Navy officers located in the status panel pinned to the top of the page and select one at the rank of Captain. (DC Awhina advises that moving Rousseau, Kozlova, or Raine from their posts would negatively impact the Navy's effectiveness if a major Force CO was so abruptly reassigned at this time, and that this expedition will give the Navy a chance to expand it's bench.)
-Units Assigned:
Please look through the list of Congressional Navy Mobile units currently attached to Home Force and Mobile Force and add those craft to a list to be dispatched as part of this expedition. Auxiliary craft will be assigned automatically per the size of the military force.
-Rules of Engagement
Write in when and where it is appropriate for this expedition to use force. While your people on the front will use their best judgement, these instructions will be their guiding light.
[ ] [Civilian]
-NPC Delegate on Mission:
-Directions:
-Civilian Priorities:
-NPC Delegate on Mission
Please select one of the NPCs from the following list to represent your interests on this campaign, provide civilian control, and make time sensitive decisions.
-Directions
Please provide a brief description of what sort of campaign you want the force to wage. (Ie: "Aggressive, Cautious, Emphasise speed, take your time"
-Civilian Priorities:
Please rank the following list from 1-5 (with 1 the highest and 5 the lowest), which prioritises the budget and type of civilian groups attached to the force from MilComm and MedComm:
-Logistics
-Espionage
-Diplomatic
-Archival
-Transport
Name: Jeffery Ng
DoB: 2122
Current Position: Congressional Delegate for First Wave Colonists
Originally born in Sol in the early decades of the last century, Jeffery Ng has led a long life on both Earth and Elysium.
Born on Luna to a spacer coup valuable to the initial HI settlement team that he was offered a permanent contract to stay on and organize the Radiant Space Patrol. A contract that ostensibly came with full lifetime medical insurance including longevity treatments.
Taking HI up on the offer, Jeffery was quick to discover that his medical insurance didn't extend to his wife and she died of old age in 2205. Though Ng remarried in 2215, he never forgot the pain of life giving treatments being denied to those he loved as he also outlived his two eldest children.
He continued on as Space Patrol quartermaster, and then Space Patrol commander until the 2239, when he decided to again retire to a job as a spaceside tour guide for a number of Elysium's resorts.
When the March Days of 2251 struck, Jeffery and his old protege Gregory Mansur were instrumental in bringing the whole of the Space Patrol and Radiant's orbital infrastructure over to the revolutionary side nearly entirely intact.
Afterwards Ng served in the Congress as a Delegate for the initial colonists and on the Military Committee specifically as the voice for retirees where he has been a constant voice for calm, and cautioning against overextending the Congress' reach.
During the Battles of Gaid, he was notable for publicly, and privately, never losing faith in the abilities of Congressional Navy repeatedly stating that "There was no use in considering anything but victory," and has served as one of the most high profile boosters of the Navy in the General Congress and often acts as MilCom's unofficial messenger to that body.
The proposal to assign Ng as the Congressional Representative is based on his popularity with both the Navy and the Congress, his decades of experience, loyalty to Radiant, and the knowledge that he'll refuse to overextend the expedition.
Leadership Traits:
-Experienced
-Unflappable
-Unwilling to take risks
-Well liked by the Congressional Navy
-Somewhat Parochial
Name: Sheila Bissonnette
DoB: 2201
Current Position: SciComm liaisons to MilComm, delegate for the Free Information League
A Sol native, Bissonnette moved to Radiant with her family in 2211, and subsequently spent the rest of her life in-system.
Educated at Elysium University, Sheila was an undeniably talented scientist, and a surprisingly effective team leader, but her habit of rapidly becoming disenchanted with her research for Hermes-Ishtar caused her to be blacklisted from promotion by 2235.
For her part Sheila contends that her, and her people's, talents were wasted on rent-seeking and incremental improvements to existing research. Instead she was always searching for ways to open up new avenues of study. (Ironically it was this "unreliability" that got her blacklisted from the one program in Radiant that would hold her interest.)
When the protests started, Sheila led her team into revolt, winning many of the Hermes-Ishtar's scientists over to active participation by giving a speech angrily denouncing Hermes-Ishtar's extended and insulting wasting of their talents. In the minutes following, she helped mastermind the jamming of communications that helped keep our revolution quiet from the Charters.
Since being selected to represent the Free Information League on the Science Committee, Dr. Bissonnette has pushed hard for resources to be budgeted to investigate new technologies that would break existing strategic and tactical paradigms, a position that has made her a leading figure in the newly formed 'Jeune Ecole' social circle.
In recent years she's acted as a go-between for SciComm and MilComm, backing many proposals for modernizing the ARC's military doctrines and equipment.
Dr. Bissonnette's candidacy for the position of Congressional Representative is predicated on her familiarity with Omoikane's way of thinking, her excellent organizational skills, and the knowledge that she will never let the military run roughshod over her.
Leadership Traits:
-Efficient leader
-Quick thinker
-excellent inter-Committee relations,
-no military experience,
-believes she knows best
-stubborn
Name: Alexander Hunter
DoB 2185
Current Position: Municipal Delegate for Persephone Downtown
The child of two Frontier Destinations terraforming workers, he was left an orphan at an early age when both his mother and father died during the Persephone Dome Collapse. Luckily, Alexander was adopted by his paternal aunt and uncle, mid-level Frontier Destinations accountants, and raised as their own child.
Despite the chaos of Elysium's early years of terraformation and settlement, Alexander Hunter had a normal and unexciting childhood before entering Persephone University's Business program and graduating with a Masters of Business Administration and was hired on as an assistant manager at a coastal theme park.
Though an intelligent and diligent young man, Alexander found that he had trouble climbing the corporate ladder as he refused to play the same game of backstabbing and skullduggery practiced by many of his fellows.
Moving between jobs in an attempt at social mobility, Hunter eventually came to rest acting as an executive assistant at an Elysian animation studio. Though still unable to climb much higher on the social ladder, his boss' frequent absences and lackadaisical attitude led to Hunter and a small coterie of his fellow employees virtually running the company of their own accord.
While in his professional life Hunter experimented with horizontal organizational schemes, in his personal life he married Sarah Harrington, a manager at a Persephone art supply store, and they spent two decades raising a family together.
It was that family that led to both parent's slow and steady entrance into radical politics.
In an attempt to make a better world, Alex and Sarah joined local activist movements dedicated to popular reforms like giving Elysium representation in the Compact Parliament, local Home Rule, decreased Charter authority, and police defunding.
However, after decades of stymied progress, derision, and peninsular failchild rule the two found that they had drifted into a leadership role in a loose network of Persephone underground political movements, where widespread trust in Alexander's even-handed nature led him to a de facto leadership role of the Perseophone underground.
When the March Days arrived, Alexander and Sarah debated the merits of revolution versus reform and came down firmly on the side of revolution, leading the two to throw their weight into organizing behind the lines to support street fighters. And near the end Alexander personally negotiated the surrender of the Persephone Police Department's last holdouts in exchange for a promise of fair trials.
Afterwards, Hunter was elected to the All-Radiant General Congress as a Municipal Delegate for Persephone, where for the first three years he blended into the background of the General Congress until pure chance saw him in the position of Congressional Speaker during the First and Second Battles of Gaid.
Though the Speaker's position is rotated monthly, his conduct during the crisis has seen his profile and popularity skyrocket across the ARC, though, in his own words, "All my good ideas are actually my wife's."
While his candidacy as Congressional Representative is fueled by his recent fame, Hunter's reputation for fair dealing and steadiness in a crisis, as well as being exactly the sort of man that the Charters would take seriously in negotiations recommends him for the job as well as expectations that he will be able to assert civilian control in the face of possible military overreach.
Leadership Traits:
-Good Negotiator
-Steady in a crisis
-Not a military man
-Cautious
-The very picture of a sober and sensible politician
Name: Kay Maclaine
DoB 2225
Current Position: Congressional Delegate for First Wave Colonists
The child of two middle-class parents who were always on the edge of sliding into lower class Kay graduated Eubuleus University program with a Masters of Economic Statistics. Despite the graduation Key remained never managed to achieve the middle class dream of steady employment and was often noted on post evaluations as being 'far too concerned with the fiddly bits, and not actually looking at what her results said.' Though later post-project-evaluation reports would indicate improvement on that.
While not a major participant of the March days Kay participated in the first rounds of the retraining programs. Since then she has bounced between numerous projects covering nearly every single com that makes up the Radiant congress. Helping with committees on things that that ranged from re-writing the statistics-manual to indicate major ways of massaging data that should be avoided, to up Radiant's first off-world mining station, to writing "Jam Remix" a fanfiction an AU of "Trump up and Jam" focusing on the minor character Michelle Obama where she tears herself away from her husband and ends up hooking up with one of the "Tunes'" hackers, a rabbit-augment named Lola.
It was her work with the Radiant Wargaming guild that pushed her into true prominence. As the final publisher behind their most radical proposal, Kay was catapulted into prominence following the battle of Gaid and the extreme success measures such as the new defenses and hellburners. Resulting in her candidacy for the General Congress as a representative for the Radiant Union of Statisticians and Associated Professions.
Despite her initial reaction upon finding out of said candidacy being "Oh goat, Oh goats." Kay has accepted the proposal for elevation. Her time in Congress has focused far less on radical military theory and far more on domestic issues. Specifically driving off of work from her participation in the Radiant history community. In a paper Co-Authored with Sarah LaFleur she has argued that discriminatory policies and unequal treatment has left legacy effects on communities such as genetic descended Augments or those with workplace cyberization needs. Correcting this will require more than ending the treatment, but active programs of identifying needs and differences and correcting for them.
This stance has made her a surprisingly controversial Delegate. The notable racial policies of the police departments (both in Persephone and elsewhere) cast a long shadow. Many departments gathered statistics on 'trouble areas' that were used for patrol routes and even suggested interaction guidelines determining if an officer should be 'police and non-confrontation' or 'take charge of the situation immediately'. Many see Kay's proposals as echoes of such policies.
Less controversially, she has also shown major support for expanding community youth programs.
The proposal to assign Kay as the Congressional Representative is based on her popularity with SocCom, thoughtful mindset, and her focus on making sure the expedition makes sure to focus on helping the societies that are liberated to be viable.
Leadership traits:
-Theoretical military knowledge, but aware of own limits
-Economic Statistician with a post liberation recovery focus
-Casualty adverse
-Middle class markers
-On the Autism spectrum, mild difficulty with face to face negotiations
-Less directly assertive than other candidates
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Report from the Permanent Commission for Military Intelligence:
OSLIAM SYSTEM
A rare system with a brown dwarf orbiting a G-type star (just barely in the limits of what's considered a single system rather than a binary), and with a Jovian planet orbiting that, and on top of that treasure trove a dual ice giant binary, Osliam presents a golden research opportunity, and was bid on by Omoikane despite its otherwise sparse resources and poor habitable prospects.
Osliam 1: A rare hot ice giant, this planet is actively shrinking on a measurable time scale. It must have migrated in as a much larger planet recently.
Osliam 1a: This once-rock-ice moon is now a tiny molten ellipse barely holding together.
Osliam 1b: This somewhat larger moon changes color unusually with its day, as the shade of its parent cools lava to a dull red before emerging back into the light heats the lava back to a healthy orange glow.
Osliam 1c: This entire moon glows dull red in its day, just barely solid, and cools to an unusually smooth moon in its night.
Osliam I: This asteroid belt was probably a planet before Osliam 1's passing tore it to shreds.
Osliam 3: A hothouse planet with a relatively thin atmosphere, it retains temperatures and pressures that are survivable with heavy-duty equipment on the surface—when it's not raining sulfuric acid, that is.
Osliam 4: This small Martian planet seems to have collected some of Osliam 1's offgassing in its move inwards, and has a renewed temporary atmosphere.
Osliam 5a: This planet seems to have survived at the edge of the frost line by siphoning gas off its smaller twin.
Osliam 5b: Barely a gas giant, this planet was probably only slightly smaller than Osliam 5a in the distant past.
Osliam 6: The focus of Omoikane colonization in-system, Osliam 6 retains plate tectonics from the nearby brown dwarf but no atmosphere, an odd combination.
Osliam 7: A brown dwarf, this substellar object long ago burnt its deuterium and now lies slowly cooling, glowing dimly red. It is, however, still giving off a prodigious amount of low IR radiation.
Osliam 7a: Once its own planet, Osliam 7a was captured at some point by Osliam 7, perhaps in the same interaction that threw Osliam 1 to its suicidal innermost orbit.
Osliam 7a1: This icy moon is simultaneously shrinking and becoming more habitable—while its outer layers of ice are sublimating, the fierce tides of its complex interplay with Osliam 7 and 7a are heating the inner ocean to temperatures comparable to terrestrial water sources. Some scientists even suggest a pocket of water vapor is forming under the ice, and may form an internal "sky" for as much as a hundred million years before the outer shell sublimates entirely.
Osliam 7a2: This moon is less lucky; its tides are so strong that they seem to slowly be ripping the moon apart. It won't have the honor of becoming more than an ephemeral ring; the same complex tides tearing at it will rapidly disperse its debris field. While it lasts, though, it's easy water harvesting.
Population: 650,000
A Cernunnos export colony specializing in a native foodstuff popular among humanity's upper class.
Gentle Repose: A pastoral, low-population agricultural planet, Idyllia 1, known to its residents as Gentle Repose, is home to native single-celled organisms and a moss-grass analogue that is both edible and supposedly tasty to humans. The allure of eating completely alien food unlike anything on Earth commands a high price, and the planet now has well over 15% of its land area dedicated to cultivation of this pseudo-grain. 1.17g.
Idyllia 2: This miniature Neptune is a long way from Gentle Repose; the intervening space is unusually empty.
Idyllia 3: An icy world.
Idyllia 4: A Jovian planet, this boasts a host of irregular moons—probably what's left of the planetesimals and asteroids that would normally be in the inner system.
Idyllia 5: The largest of the three Jovians in Idyllia, this is the only of the trio to have formed and hung onto its own moons.
Idyllia 5a: A rocky moon.
Idyllia 5b: A rocky moon.
Idyllia 6: This Jovian planet is unsettled and clearly out of equilibrium—sometime in the last ten million years, something big hit it, and it still hasn't fully recovered.
Idyllia 7: This may be the source of the Idyllia system's unusual makeup—this Uranus-sized planet's orbit suggests it's actually an interstellar capture, and the process of its capture was most surely not gentle.
Population: 250,000
A new colony under development as an MSI hub for Ascension local space, MSI hasn't deigned to give it an official moniker as of yet until phase one terraforming and colony building is complete.
Waystation 1: A scorching-hot rocky planet.
Waystation 2: A slightly-less-scorching-hot rocky planet.
Waystation 3: A gas dwarf, this mini-Neptune forms the major half of the habitable binary pair.
Waystation 3a: The habitable world of Waystation, 3a is clearly fresh off the heels of some calamity—perhaps an asteroid impact, or a GRB. Whatever it was, only simple life survives at the ocean's surface, and the desiccated remains of forests of fern analogues in continental interiors tell observers that even decomposing microbes didn't survive on the surface in great numbers and are only now beginning to creep back on land from the coasts. The ozone layer is nonexistent, and a decent amount of atmosphere seems to have been stripped off the planet as well, despite its magnetic field. Only a high partial pressure of oxygen keeps the surface livable.
Only a year before the March Days, a colony ship headed here to begin breaking ground on a new colony. There's been no news since.
Waystation 4: There are telltale signs of past simple life here. Sadly, whatever atmosphere was once here has eroded away, leaving only a cousin of Mars with more polar ice.
Waystation I: An asteroid belt.
Waystation 5: An unremarkable Jovian planet.
Waystation 5a: A rock-ice ball.
Waystation 6: This Jovian planet is more massive than Jupiter, but not big enough to become a brown dwarf.
Waystation 6a: An icy moon.
Waystation 7: A "puffy" Jovian, its radius far outstrips its mass.
Waystation 7a: An inner-system capture, this moon is big enough that it holds a tenuous atmosphere stripped from its parent planet even during its winter, new gas flowing in constantly as its old atmosphere freezes.
Population: 20,000 (Estimated up to 300,000 on colony ship)
An unremarkable pass-through to the new frontier, Capitata's only feature is a large F-class star and a hot Jupiter.
Capitata 1: This Jovian planet must have sent the rest of the system's planetesimals out into the dark when it spiraled inwards towards its star. Tidally-locked and hot enough to glow, it leaves a trail of ionized gas in its orbit that leaves its daytime surface and eventually crashes back to the nightside on its next year or blows away in the stellar wind.
Outmaneuvered by Omoikane's claim to Ascension, the other Charters banded together to build a gate here to another chain, in hopes that they could siphon off what looks to be a commanding position on the spinward frontier. A Rhodes-sponsored gate construction fleet, overseen by a Charter Navy detachment, is in the final stages of construction to a transit system beyond.
Raphanus 1: This Venus-sized object is in the beginning stages of being broken apart by Raphanus' Roche limit.
Raphanus 2: An ice-rock world.
Raphanus I: An asteroid belt.
Raphanus 3: This Jovian shepherds not one, but two asteroid belts—one either side of its orbit.
Raphanus II: An icy asteroid belt. Rhodes has been mining this area for water and raw materials to supplement onboard supplies during gate construction.
Ascension: Only recently settled, this incredibly rare dual-terrestrial system was only revealed by Omoikane Innovations Group after a spate of buying and corporate conflict had depleted much of the other Charter's liquid reserves, and was thus auctioned to them with little conflict. It's not hard to see why, between the two near-virgin planets and the total of 4 jump points.
Ascension 1: A Venusian world.
Intelligence: A warm, wet world, the archipelagos near the tropics have wet bulb temperatures that mandate shade or shelter in the hottest hours. Native flora and fauna are inedible but generally non-toxic.
Cunning: Intelligence's moon, it still rotates close-in to its parent planet, making partial and full eclipses common.
Wisdom: The colder twin to Intelligence, Wisdom's large ice caps have locked up much of the free water, leaving the weather dry and the seas low. Simple life here shares relation with Intelligence's, suggesting a panspermic origin.
Ascension 4: This world replicates Antarctic conditions year-round; habitation is possible with shelter and outside resupply, but with two much more habitable worlds in the same system it's been written off save for scientific outposts.
Ascension 5: This planet is newer than the rest; a catastrophic impact temporarily turned the original planet in this orbit into an asteroid belt and gas cloud before coalescing once again.
Ascension 6: A Jovian planet.
Ascension 6a: This moon is tidally stressed enough to remain wholly rocky even beyond the frost line.
Ascension 6b: Farther out, this moon resembles Europa, likely with a subterrene ocean.
Ascension 7: An unremarkable ice giant.
Ascension 8: A gas giant which must have switched places with Ascension 7 at some point in the past.
Ascension 9: Similar to Pluto—if Pluto was the size of Luna. Eccentricity of orbit occasionally places it closer than both Ascension 7 and 8 for a small fraction of its year. Scientists say this orbit is unstable and will decay within a few million years. Models are split on whether it will collide with Ascension 7 or 8, be ejected, or settle into a new orbit.
Population: 5.5 Million
Our intelligence on the Osliam chain remains thin on the ground, but our observations of the system from Shei indicate that the local Charter forces have minorly fortified the Osliam-Shei gate, and that a lot of freighter traffic has been headed spinwards. Unusually, there do not appear to be any mobile forces in the system aside from a small number of non-warp capable freighters.
Osliam-Shei gate fixed defences Order of Battle:
2x Manticore-Pattern TAM Shoal
1x Blindfire-Pattern LMP Constellation
1x Wing of Switchblade Strikecraft
At the moment we do not have any access to internal Charter communications, aside from public broadcasts on Osliam which are requesting that Osliam colonists respect the planetary state of martial law interspersed with pre-recorded entertainment programs.
The limited external observation that we are able to make of Osliam VI (The primary inhabited world in the system) tells us very little other than normal terraforming preparation activities have been halted.
Osliam and Ascension are currently governed by Omoikane Vice President Heather Mendez, and she is likely to be our primary adversary, and out of everyone friendly to our cause, Consul Jennifer Mueller (ARC Consul at our Greencreek Valley City consulate on Sheol) knows her best, having attended school with her and meeting her several times since then. Consul Mueller has this to say about VP Mendez:
Mendez is the pinnacle of a blockheaded Charter faildaughter with a single-minded drive to show up everyone that ever slighted her. When we were at ShangU together I respected her because she had a single minded focus on the hard sciences, and a drive to prove that she could be an intellectual force in her own right.
Which is to say that even being the third child of a member of Omoikane's board she wanted to earn whatever position she found herself in.
I don't know what happened after that in her life, but next time I met her was after I ended up in Radiant. I met her when she was passing through to be Omoikane's Executive VP of Spinward Frontier Operations and de facto governor of Ascension and Osliam.
She had a chip on her shoulder a kilometer wide and plans for how she'd bring all the Omoikane internal factions to heel and prove that she had what it took to climb up the Omoikane ladder. She'd abandoned her interests in science for political backstabbing and moved to apply her brilliant mind to understanding the twists and turns of corporate espionage and backstabbing.
Naturally she called me an obsessive underachiever who'd tantrumed her way to failure and I called her a manipulative faildaughter trying to earn Daddies' love by being a walking stereotype of a bitchy girlboss CEO. We still hooked up, and I'm going to delight in waving Elysium's accomplishments in her stupid exec face after we beat the shit out of her little pocket empire.
