May The Invisible Hand Be With You - (Star Wars CK2-Style Quest)
- Thread starter Dr. Snark
- Start date
- Sci-Fi
-
- Tags
- star wars canon what canon tsundere dice ck2 quest actions have consequences all the credits all work and no play makes ciaran a dull girl best sister capitalism ho! despairing qm teetotaller society member gotta catch 'em all insanity looting off the rails sage dice approaching spicy sheev tsundere asajj
Killerflood
Corporal Cannonfodder
- Location
- Saṃsāra
I would much like "A Serious Ciaran is a Scary Sight". We've gotten plenty of light-hearted Ciaran but it's rare that we see what she's truly capable of.
- Location
- 7 Treasure Hoards in 7 Sacred Hills
-The Next Generation meets Thrawn for Dinner
Yus.
Yus.
Ardion Prosili
An (im)Perfect Cell
1 -What Could have been the Shatterpoint Crit reward
2- A Serious Ciaran is a Scary Sight
3- Ciaran becomes a Kaleesh Goddess
In weighted order for me
Oh wow I'm looking forward to that.
Would this be an immediate sequel to part 1 (Ciaran's conversation with Anakin when he was visiting Mandalore), or would it be more of a thematic follow-up (Anakin wrestling with how he views the Jedi Order, perhaps after Ciaran's conversation with him at the Coruscant party)? If the first, meh; if the second, that'd be my top pick. Besides that:
Either one of these sound fantastic. I'd encourage you to focus on canon omakes -- I love that Dr. Snark has been letting us contribute to the direction of the story....
Speaking of which: cortosis materials report, hopefully coming up next.
- Location
- USA
This. We hardly ever see her when she's serious.
This sounds interesting.
- Location
- Seattle, WA
I vote for this, but only if John de Lancie shows up.
Otherwise, this.
- Location
- Asia
Nice. No corner of the Holonet will be safe from the reaches of Ciaran's rarepupper pics.
Bones
Don't look behind you.
- Location
- Behind you.
Yes and no. While I love the VA and his musical theme, he hasn't done much yet. For the most part so far all he's done is make vague, ominous statements about crushing the rebels and that's about it. The few times he personally confronts the Ghost crew they get away and he, again, makes vague, ominous statements about how his net is closing and soon they'll be his. And this is with him having the full might of the empire at his back, instead of whatever the Imperial Remnant could scrape together in he books.
Whatever trap he's set, it better be bugf**k amazing for all the buildup it's getting.
- Location
- USA
The Rebels cast aren't in the movies, so his trap might actually kill them. Then again, I don't watch the show myself so I can't really make an accurate prediction here.
Spoilers ahead for Rebels:
Thrawn's goal isn't the destruction the Lothal Cell, rather he wants to gather the Rebel leadership and combined fleets in one place so he can rip the heart of the Rebellion. He's playing the part he was described as 'evil Sherlock Holmes in Space'. He's gathering the high tech equipment to bolster his forces, allowing minor defeats to build psychological profiles of his enemies and using these defeats to get rid of incompetent Imperials.
It's shown he knows about the Fulcrum network and hinted that he is well aware that Kallus is the spy he's looking for, but rather than exposing him Thrawn uses him to feed information to the Rebels that causes them to act as he wants.
His last victory was his use of infiltration droids with several layers of contingencies, which though he lost a Star Destroyer he has now narrowed down the location of the base due to where the droids visited.
It's shown he knows about the Fulcrum network and hinted that he is well aware that Kallus is the spy he's looking for, but rather than exposing him Thrawn uses him to feed information to the Rebels that causes them to act as he wants.
His last victory was his use of infiltration droids with several layers of contingencies, which though he lost a Star Destroyer he has now narrowed down the location of the base due to where the droids visited.
- A Serious Ciaran is a Scary Sight
- Ciaran becomes a Kaleesh Goddess
those are my picks
- Ciaran becomes a Kaleesh Goddess
those are my picks
- A Serious Ciaran is a Scary Sight
We've only seen serious Ciaran once or twice, most prominently when she questions Thrawn's motivations for staying with the Abyss Watchers. Serious Ciaran is the time you break out Sith theme music. Most people forget she's someone who could literally kill you by using the force to twist your neck (because Force Choke is reserved for when she has the time and she wants to get a point across).
We've only seen serious Ciaran once or twice, most prominently when she questions Thrawn's motivations for staying with the Abyss Watchers. Serious Ciaran is the time you break out Sith theme music. Most people forget she's someone who could literally kill you by using the force to twist your neck (because Force Choke is reserved for when she has the time and she wants to get a point across).
- Location
- USA
- A Serious Ciaran is a Scary Sight
- Location
- madison
I really hope there is a scene where padma/anakin/obi rush to save lady ciran from some giant assassination attempt, only to find her standing untouched in the middle of a sea of corpses. she's up there with the silencer in terms of personal skill.
- Location
- Tulsa Oklahoma
[X] A Serious Ciaran is a Scary Sight
Does anyone even remember the last time Ciaran had to take something seriously? I honestly am unable to recall such a time.
Now, on a different topic, does anyone else think that a few individuals that are in the know see the conflict between Ciaran and Palpatine as a conflict of titans, with them being caught in between?
Does anyone even remember the last time Ciaran had to take something seriously? I honestly am unable to recall such a time.
Now, on a different topic, does anyone else think that a few individuals that are in the know see the conflict between Ciaran and Palpatine as a conflict of titans, with them being caught in between?
Night_stalker
Slava Ukraini!
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I gotta be honest, I am really torn. On one hand, Ciaran becoming a Goddess is fucking amusing if only because you know we'll be rubbing it in so many faces on the Jedi it'll be hilarious.
On the other hand, Serious Ciaran sounds very tempting.
Cortosis Application Reports (Canon Report)
RA 167/762
ABYSS WATCHERS: RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
LH-3210 ORACLE
15:2:31
PRELIMINARY REPORT FOR:
Var Zheen, CSO
Cheriss Sair, CRO
Lady Ciaran
Cheriss Sair, CRO
Lady Ciaran
SUBJECT: Materials Analysis for Cortosis and Derivative Alloys
ABSTRACT: 'Cortosis' is suitable for far more than merely lightsaber proofing, and restricting its use exclusively for anti-Force operations would be a tremendous waste of potential. If secured in sufficient quantities, cortosis-based products would have a wide array of military and economic applications
CONTENTS:
PART I: PURE CORTOSIS
PART II: CORTOSIS ALLOYS
ANALYSIS: The three most important properties of quad-refined '95-plus pure' cortosis ore (henceforth 'cortosis') are its ability to redirect electromagnetic energy, heat resistance, and extreme fragility.
The first of these is easily the most distinctive quality: when exposed to a very strong magnetic field (e.g., those used to contain the plasma field of a lightsaber), cortosis redirects and distorts the magnetic field, generating a destructive feedback loop that will almost certainly cause the field to collapse, and possibly inflict serious damage to the emitters.
The second notable property lies in the material's resistance to thermal energy. This appears to be an extension of the first: heat is somehow distributed far more widely through the material, drastically increasing the energy required to affect a single point. Combined with a remarkably high melting point, this renders cortosis extremely resistant to efforts to warp, melt, or burn through it.
The final notable property is far less encouraging: unalloyed cortosis is extraordinarily brittle and prone to shattering. It is only slightly harder to damage or destroy by kinetic force than porcelain or standard silicate glass, a most undesirable quality for armor or weaponry.
ESTABLISHED USES: These are known applications of pure cortosis, already demonstrated to work as intended.
Lightsaber-disrupting shields: though far too brittle to be used as general armor, a shield designed to block and disrupt a lightsaber is perhaps the most obvious use of the material. This would require only a slab of cortosis, a strap to secure it, and some training.
Lightsaber-disrupting blade: cortosis can be honed to a respectable cutting edge and serve as an effective assassination weapon. Though even light armor would render such a blade all but useless, few Force Users utilize such basic precautions, trusting in the Force to ensure their safety. In addition, as most Force Users will instinctively parry an attack rather than dodge, this would allow the cortosis blade to pass through their saber for a clean killing blow. While a pure cortosis blade would likely shatter in short order, this may be a viable niche weapon.
Lightsaber-disrupting armor segments: a full suit of armor would be impractical, but cortosis may feasibly used for armor segments such as gauntlets or chest pieces. If used correctly, the wearer would induce their opponent to strike the cortosis armor to create an opening.
EXTRAPOLATED USES: These are applications of known properties of pure cortosis, and extremely likely to work as intended with minimal R&D.
Composite armor layer: cortosis could be sandwiched between layers of more traditional armor. A lightsaber strike would burn through the first layer of armor, but short out upon reaching the cortosis layer. One possible concern would be the cortosis conducting and trapping the heat of the lightsaber strike, but this is expected to be a manageable problem.
Lightsaber-disrupting chaff: a cloud of finely-ground cortosis particles could be employed to disrupt an enemy's lightsaber, especially if they are wary of striking armored targets. One possible concern would be that the cloud would affect every lightsaber weapon in its field, friend or foe. Another concern would be that a 'Force push' might disperse or repel the cloud. Nevertheless, this may be an effective surprise tactic.
Composite blade layer: cortosis could be coated over part of a weapon's striking surface. While a pure cortosis blade would be of limited functionality, a partial coat could enable the weapon to disable a lightsaber attack while retaining its normal use.
THEORETICAL USES: These are applications of pure cortosis that appear feasible, but would require significant R&D to develop into usable products.
Blaster-disrupting chaff: in theory, a sufficiently dense cloud of cortosis particles should be able to disrupt blaster bolts or other energy weapons. While this is sure to be expensive, such use would give a force armed with slug-throwers, grenade launchers, and other projectile weapons a clear edge. Initial testing of this has been quite promising.
Sensor disruption: in theory, adding trace amounts of cortosis particles to a standard smoke should render the smoke opaque to most sensors, as pure cortosis should scramble all returning signals. A sufficiently powerful sensor might overcome the interference, but the threshold would be high enough to rule out most if not all personal-portable sensors from detecting through it.
Thermal mesh implants: in theory, applying a cortosis mesh as subdermal implants should render an individual extremely resistant to blaster fire. The nearby fatty tissue would cushion the cortosis from the kinetic impact of blaster fire, while the heat could be redirected to a dedicated heat sink. This application is quite ambitious, but promising -- such an enhanced individual would be invulnerable to most forms of energy weapon.
High-performance heat sinks: due to its ability to redirect and resist thermal eneergy, pure cortosis could be used for extraordinarily effective heat sinks. Preliminary models indicate that a heatsink designed to take full advantage of the material would outperform any existing design of similar weight and volume, which could then be used for super-compact energy generators or heavy turbolaser weapons. However, the high cost and natural fragility of the material, as well as its tendency of disrupting electromagnetic fields, would greatly limit such applications.
The first of these is easily the most distinctive quality: when exposed to a very strong magnetic field (e.g., those used to contain the plasma field of a lightsaber), cortosis redirects and distorts the magnetic field, generating a destructive feedback loop that will almost certainly cause the field to collapse, and possibly inflict serious damage to the emitters.
The second notable property lies in the material's resistance to thermal energy. This appears to be an extension of the first: heat is somehow distributed far more widely through the material, drastically increasing the energy required to affect a single point. Combined with a remarkably high melting point, this renders cortosis extremely resistant to efforts to warp, melt, or burn through it.
The final notable property is far less encouraging: unalloyed cortosis is extraordinarily brittle and prone to shattering. It is only slightly harder to damage or destroy by kinetic force than porcelain or standard silicate glass, a most undesirable quality for armor or weaponry.
ESTABLISHED USES: These are known applications of pure cortosis, already demonstrated to work as intended.
Lightsaber-disrupting shields: though far too brittle to be used as general armor, a shield designed to block and disrupt a lightsaber is perhaps the most obvious use of the material. This would require only a slab of cortosis, a strap to secure it, and some training.
Lightsaber-disrupting blade: cortosis can be honed to a respectable cutting edge and serve as an effective assassination weapon. Though even light armor would render such a blade all but useless, few Force Users utilize such basic precautions, trusting in the Force to ensure their safety. In addition, as most Force Users will instinctively parry an attack rather than dodge, this would allow the cortosis blade to pass through their saber for a clean killing blow. While a pure cortosis blade would likely shatter in short order, this may be a viable niche weapon.
Lightsaber-disrupting armor segments: a full suit of armor would be impractical, but cortosis may feasibly used for armor segments such as gauntlets or chest pieces. If used correctly, the wearer would induce their opponent to strike the cortosis armor to create an opening.
Composite armor layer: cortosis could be sandwiched between layers of more traditional armor. A lightsaber strike would burn through the first layer of armor, but short out upon reaching the cortosis layer. One possible concern would be the cortosis conducting and trapping the heat of the lightsaber strike, but this is expected to be a manageable problem.
Lightsaber-disrupting chaff: a cloud of finely-ground cortosis particles could be employed to disrupt an enemy's lightsaber, especially if they are wary of striking armored targets. One possible concern would be that the cloud would affect every lightsaber weapon in its field, friend or foe. Another concern would be that a 'Force push' might disperse or repel the cloud. Nevertheless, this may be an effective surprise tactic.
Composite blade layer: cortosis could be coated over part of a weapon's striking surface. While a pure cortosis blade would be of limited functionality, a partial coat could enable the weapon to disable a lightsaber attack while retaining its normal use.
Blaster-disrupting chaff: in theory, a sufficiently dense cloud of cortosis particles should be able to disrupt blaster bolts or other energy weapons. While this is sure to be expensive, such use would give a force armed with slug-throwers, grenade launchers, and other projectile weapons a clear edge. Initial testing of this has been quite promising.
Sensor disruption: in theory, adding trace amounts of cortosis particles to a standard smoke should render the smoke opaque to most sensors, as pure cortosis should scramble all returning signals. A sufficiently powerful sensor might overcome the interference, but the threshold would be high enough to rule out most if not all personal-portable sensors from detecting through it.
Thermal mesh implants: in theory, applying a cortosis mesh as subdermal implants should render an individual extremely resistant to blaster fire. The nearby fatty tissue would cushion the cortosis from the kinetic impact of blaster fire, while the heat could be redirected to a dedicated heat sink. This application is quite ambitious, but promising -- such an enhanced individual would be invulnerable to most forms of energy weapon.
High-performance heat sinks: due to its ability to redirect and resist thermal eneergy, pure cortosis could be used for extraordinarily effective heat sinks. Preliminary models indicate that a heatsink designed to take full advantage of the material would outperform any existing design of similar weight and volume, which could then be used for super-compact energy generators or heavy turbolaser weapons. However, the high cost and natural fragility of the material, as well as its tendency of disrupting electromagnetic fields, would greatly limit such applications.
PART II: CORTOSIS ALLOYS
ANALYSIS: When pure cortosis is alloyed with durasteel, it results in a material characterized by a nano-scale honeycomb lattice. This 'cortosis alloy' loses most of its original ability to redirect electromagnetic energy, though the alloy enhances both physical resilience and thermal resistance.
Due to changes at the atomic and molecular level, cortosis alloys are no longer capable of 'shorting' out lightsaber weapons in such a distinctive manner. The alloy's conductivity is sufficient, however, to reduce the concentration and thus penetrating power of lightsaber and similar weapons.
The effect on ion weaponry has been inconsistent so far: the cortosis alloy either entirely negates the ion bolt, or amplifies and focuses the effect seemingly at random. More analysis is needed in this matter.
Due largely to the nano-scale lattices, cortosis alloys remove most of the crippling fragility of pure cortosis. The honeycomb structure is vulnerable to sufficiently grave kinetic shock, and a strike powerful to shatter the lattice would effective render the impact site standard-gauge durasteel.
Finally, the alloy actually improves on pure cortosis's resistance to thermal energy. The honeycomb structure distributes heat and serves to hold melted durasteel in place. The threshold for burning or piercing through the alloy is so high, that it would be more energy-effective to simply vaporize the material in its entirety.
ESTABLISHED USES: These are known applications of cortosis alloys, already demonstrated to work as intended
CONCLUSIONS: See 'Abstract'.Due to changes at the atomic and molecular level, cortosis alloys are no longer capable of 'shorting' out lightsaber weapons in such a distinctive manner. The alloy's conductivity is sufficient, however, to reduce the concentration and thus penetrating power of lightsaber and similar weapons.
The effect on ion weaponry has been inconsistent so far: the cortosis alloy either entirely negates the ion bolt, or amplifies and focuses the effect seemingly at random. More analysis is needed in this matter.
Due largely to the nano-scale lattices, cortosis alloys remove most of the crippling fragility of pure cortosis. The honeycomb structure is vulnerable to sufficiently grave kinetic shock, and a strike powerful to shatter the lattice would effective render the impact site standard-gauge durasteel.
Finally, the alloy actually improves on pure cortosis's resistance to thermal energy. The honeycomb structure distributes heat and serves to hold melted durasteel in place. The threshold for burning or piercing through the alloy is so high, that it would be more energy-effective to simply vaporize the material in its entirety.
ESTABLISHED USES: These are known applications of cortosis alloys, already demonstrated to work as intended
Lightsaber-resistant blade: due to interactions with the magnetic field, a weapon of cortosis alloy would repel a lightsaber blade, enable its wielder to engage a lightsaber-equipped enemy for quite some time before losing its effectiveness. Of course, attempting to engage a Force User in melee combat is usually regarded as suicide, even with a specialized weapon, but a number of our more skilled combatants would likely seek to take advantage of such a weapon. This is perhaps the simplest application of cortosis alloys.
Lightsaber-resistant armor: while it would not provide significant protection against most other forms of attack, armor of cortosis alloy would provide a great deal of protection against lightsabers, allowing even the modest thicking of a B1 battledroid's armor to resist several strikes from a lightsaber. This is perhaps the most common application of cortosis alloys.
Lightsaber-resistant plating: though it would provide no additional resistance to other forms of demolition (explosive charges, etc.), wall plating or blast-doors of cortosis alloy would be far more capable of containing and capturing lightsaber-equipped individuals. In addition, such plating would also resist most forms of plasma-based cutting tools.
EXTRAPOLATED USES: These are applications of known properties of cortosis alloys, and extremely likely to work as intended with minimal R&D.Lightsaber-resistant armor: while it would not provide significant protection against most other forms of attack, armor of cortosis alloy would provide a great deal of protection against lightsabers, allowing even the modest thicking of a B1 battledroid's armor to resist several strikes from a lightsaber. This is perhaps the most common application of cortosis alloys.
Lightsaber-resistant plating: though it would provide no additional resistance to other forms of demolition (explosive charges, etc.), wall plating or blast-doors of cortosis alloy would be far more capable of containing and capturing lightsaber-equipped individuals. In addition, such plating would also resist most forms of plasma-based cutting tools.
Heat-resistant armor layer: any composite armor design that could shield a layer of cortosis alloy from kinetic shock would benefit from greatly increased resistance to burn-through. The main concernw ould be shielding the alloy from any and all kinetic attacks, as relatively little shock could disrupt the lattice required for maximally-effective heat resistance.
Heat shields: while the vulnerability to kinetic shock makes it a challenging material to fashion as armor, a heat shield of cortosis alloy would require a far thinner layer than conventional materials. However, the increased cost would make this practical only in niche applications, such as low-profile insertion pods or other high-performance uses.
THEORETICAL USES: These are applications of cortosis alloys that appear feasible, but would require significant R&D to develop into usable products.Heat shields: while the vulnerability to kinetic shock makes it a challenging material to fashion as armor, a heat shield of cortosis alloy would require a far thinner layer than conventional materials. However, the increased cost would make this practical only in niche applications, such as low-profile insertion pods or other high-performance uses.
High-performance heat sinks: in theory, cortosis alloys should have far broader applications for use as heat sinks than pure cortosis -- the alloy would be cheaper, more durable, on only slightly less expensive. It would still be expensive, and somewhat prone to losing thermal conductivity if damaged. However, it would still outperform almost any heat sink of similar mass. The min concern would be finding the best material to alloy cortosis with, as well as manipulating the 'honeycomb' lattice to maximize conduction while minimizing heat retention.
Ion-proof armor: the strange and inconsistent reaction of cortosis alloys to ion bolts has hinted that it may be possible to find a mixture that harmlessly redirects any ion blasts from around the subject, providing complete protection from personally portable (or larger) ion weapons while only requiring a very thin layer of armor.
Compact high-capacity cables: similar in theory to ion-proofing, though in the opposite direction. It a cortosis alloy could be found that could reliably channel electricity, it would allow for a far greater energy-transfer-to-volume ratio than anything else on the market. Combined with its tremendous heat resistance, and we would very likely be able to corner the high-end conduit market almost overnight.
Ion-proof armor: the strange and inconsistent reaction of cortosis alloys to ion bolts has hinted that it may be possible to find a mixture that harmlessly redirects any ion blasts from around the subject, providing complete protection from personally portable (or larger) ion weapons while only requiring a very thin layer of armor.
Compact high-capacity cables: similar in theory to ion-proofing, though in the opposite direction. It a cortosis alloy could be found that could reliably channel electricity, it would allow for a far greater energy-transfer-to-volume ratio than anything else on the market. Combined with its tremendous heat resistance, and we would very likely be able to corner the high-end conduit market almost overnight.
REPORT PREPARED BY:
Irits Kejorn
Lead Researcher, Exotic Materials
Abyss Watchers: Research & Development
Lead Researcher, Exotic Materials
Abyss Watchers: Research & Development
A/N: Full credit goes to @random_npc.
- Location
- madison
daaamn, that's some really amazing formatting.
@Dr. Snark, I'm not sure if you saw my question posted shortly before the latest Turn Results.
Specifically, at the very beginning of this quest, we spent our first-ever Learning Actions on equipping our forces with body & helmet cameras. This was supposed to enable more comprehensive after-action reports, and provide a +5 bonus on all Martial actions.@Dr. Snark -- I found another default bonus from the last thread!
{spoilers}
So... do we get to keep it?
...And when that failed, we tried again the following turn:
However, when that second roll finally did succeed... that +5 Martial wasn't added to the front page, wasn't applied to our Martial Actions for Turn 3, and wasn't mentioned by anyone in the thread after that point. By all appearances, it looks like people just plain forgot about it.
So... do we get to keep it?
Alternately, would you be willing to treat this like you did with the 'training facilities': give us a cheap base upgrade that lets us regain the original bonus, but in a way more suited to the current size & scale of our operations?
Specifically, I'm imagining something like the X-Men's battle room -- holographic tech does exist, and we apparently have recording of pretty much every fight our troops have been involved in over the past fifteen years. We could use the room for dry-fire combat simulations (for training), or more detailed after-action reports (extrapolating from individual body cams to give a complete view of the battlefield), or 3D space-battle simulations to train our navy. Heck, we could even have Thrawn develop some of the scenarios, like Spock designing the Kobayashi Maru in Star Trek.
I imagine we could build the upgrade on Taris, to start making that planet our military center, just as it's already becoming our economic center. Alternately, attach it to our Kalee facility, so the local CNS Academy would get some use out of it.
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