Sterbelicht - One Sacrifice At A Time Against The Galaxy (40K)

[RaptorusMaximus]

Right, here's my proposed plan:

[] Plan Vox Damage Control and Restructuring
-[] [Military] Militarize The Schools Of Paladins
-[] [Psykana] Sing a Song
--[] Silence, Protection, Grounding, Perception
-[] [Other] Vox Primus Infiltration: Events on Vox Prime have shifted the dynamic rapidly, and as such the servants of the Star Child mush shift in response. Alongside this newest batch of supplies, new orders will be relayed: until further notice, operations on Vox Prime are to scale back, cease expansion efforts, and go to ground. Allowing the numbers of people under the umbrella of the Star Child to dwindle somewhat is acceptable to allow our pursuers to lose the proverbial scent and prevent them from cracking down on us. In addition, this resupply will focus on sending personnel and material to begin infiltration efforts throughout other levels of the Hive-Cities of Vox Primus to establish a functional intelligence network to learn more about both how everything on Vox Primus functions and hopefully more about the history and current state of the Van Zandt Duchy as a civilization. These Intelligence Networks are to take all efforts to avoid exposing themselves-converting others to the Star Child's Light should only be undertaken if operatives are 100% certain that doing so will not jeopardize the network.

If anyone has any issues or questions or suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them.

 

[One Autumn Leaf]

It is when you wait to subvert the entire underhive before starting to push up.

We delayed that too much and now we reap the rewards.

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It's not even that we delayed too much. We went about it the wrong way. We have to send everyone underground for a bit. Gather more intel, and go into hiding. We need to get dossiers on the Duchy, preferably before fighting them. See how this works. Probably best to do that with the Agency. Get them to gather intel for us on how this state works.

Other than that, it's annoying but not unsalvagable.

 

[10ebbor10]

Because the Orks, soul-eating Xenos, and Cabal of Unfettered Hope weren't enough.

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Anyway, I'm having a thought here.

Local warhammer nerds.
Do any of you know of any "soul eating xenos species"?

Additional traits are :
- The ability to at least passingly immitate humans.
- A tendency to fly into big nets.
- The ability to do something fucky with sensors.
- Something that would make using big ships against them a bad idea.

 

[The Laurent]

It's just sorta frustrating because it's kinda expecting us to always know what to do with write-ins, when we basically only have information if we ask the QM?

 

[Amilia]

It's not even that we delayed too much.

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We could have started a lot sooner. we initially infiltrated Voxx to help us conquer Voxx. I think we got a little lost in the sauce thinking what would happen after we took Voxx than how we would actually do it in the first place.

 

[One Autumn Leaf]

@HeroCooky if we build the propaganda for the foreigners would that handle the info gathering and analysis? Also, can a Free Action be used to send our people into hiding? Scaling back as it were?

 

[RaptorusMaximus]

Anyway, I'm having a thought here.

Local warhammer nerds.
Do any of you know of any "soul eating xenos species"?

Additional traits are :
- The ability to at least passingly immitate humans.
- A tendency to fly into big nets.
- The ability to do something fucky with sensors.
- Something that would make using big ships against them a bad idea.

Click to shrink...

...could be the Slaug? The worm-men who are somewhat linked to the Necrons and/or the Rangadan? That's the only thing that comes to mind-more likely they're some original creation of Cooky's.

 

[Alectai]

(Shrug).

Generally speaking, we haven't needed to actually specifically gather intelligence on rival powers. This is the first time that... Well, we apparently had to to identify that "They're 5/5 Dogmatic but have also become Actually Competent".

We actually put together an intelligence agency, that specifically also includes subversion, and... Apparently we still need to specifically get a dossier--but only about Van Zandt evidently because we still generally at least get a broad overview of our neighbors?

But apparently the broad overview of Van Zandt as "Basically Imperials with a few neat toys" is an intentional deception that we couldn't break passively and they're actually "5/5 Dogmatic but have actually mitigated all the actual flaws with the doctrine but keep most of the strengths?"

I mean, I was one of the ones banging hardest on the drum "WE ARE NOT READY TO POKE VOXX PRIMUS", but I got overruled and largely forced into the wilderness since for being apparently willing to be complicit with an atrocity because I thought we weren't ready for that. I tried to roll with it once it became clear where the thread zeitgeist was going, but I guess the fact I tend to overestimate any threats we run into kind of torpedoed my credibility, hence why I haven't really won a turn vote that wasn't a no-brainer for a good long while.

I am, admittedly, a bit bitter about it, but I've been trying to move past it. Having it pointed out that I was, in fact, correct and we were in No way ready to even hope to do anything about Van Zandt is kind of depressing me. But what else is new, I didn't win the vote and thus we got involved, and my influence since has been largely restricted to ship design.

 

[The Laurent]

Right, here's my proposed plan:

[] Plan Vox Damage Control and Restructuring
-[] [Military] Militarize The Schools Of Paladins
-[] [Psykana] Sing a Song
--[] Silence, Protection, Grounding, Perception
-[] [Other] Vox Primus Infiltration: Events on Vox Prime have shifted the dynamic rapidly, and as such the servants of the Star Child mush shift in response. Alongside this newest batch of supplies, new orders will be relayed: until further notice, operations on Vox Prime are to scale back, cease expansion efforts, and go to ground. Allowing the numbers of people under the umbrella of the Star Child to dwindle somewhat is acceptable to allow our pursuers to lose the proverbial scent and prevent them from cracking down on us. In addition, this resupply will focus on sending personnel and material to begin infiltration efforts throughout other levels of the Hive-Cities of Vox Primus to establish a functional intelligence network to learn more about both how everything on Vox Primus functions and hopefully more about the history and current state of the Van Zandt Duchy as a civilization. These Intelligence Networks are to take all efforts to avoid exposing themselves-converting others to the Star Child's Light should only be undertaken if operatives are 100% certain that doing so will not jeopardize the network.

If anyone has any issues or questions or suggestions, I'd be happy to hear them.

Click to shrink...

Lemme take a crack at it, I'm not sure if decreasing our numbers makes sense when we have active industry/etc going on.

 

[RentingViewer]

(Shrug).

Generally speaking, we haven't needed to actually specifically gather intelligence on rival powers. This is the first time that... Well, we apparently had to to identify that "They're 5/5 Dogmatic but have also become Actually Competent".

We actually put together an intelligence agency, that specifically also includes subversion, and... Apparently we still need to specifically get a dossier--but only about Van Zandt evidently because we still generally at least get a broad overview of our neighbors?

But apparently the broad overview of Van Zandt as "Basically Imperials with a few neat toys" is an intentional deception that we couldn't break passively and they're actually "5/5 Dogmatic but have actually mitigated all the actual flaws with the doctrine but keep most of the strengths?"

I mean, I was one of the ones banging hardest on the drum "WE ARE NOT READY TO POKE VOXX PRIMUS", but I got overruled and largely forced into the wilderness since for being apparently willing to be complicit with an atrocity because I thought we weren't ready for that. I tried to roll with it once it became clear where the thread zeitgeist was going, but I guess the fact I tend to overestimate any threats we run into kind of torpedoed my credibility, hence why I haven't really won a turn vote that wasn't a no-brainer for a good long while.

I am, admittedly, a bit bitter about it, but I've been trying to move past it. Having it pointed out that I was, in fact, correct and we were in No way ready to even hope to do anything about Van Zandt is kind of depressing me. But what else is new, I didn't win the vote and thus we got involved, and my influence since has been largely restricted to ship design.

Click to shrink...

You are currently overestimating the situation, we got hit with a setback, now we just have to take appropriate action in order for the infiltration to continue its progres. Like, you saw this and immediately take it as a sign that this is doomed to failure and that the infiltration was never going to work? If they had taken out the whole leadership or hit all of the infiltrators' bases then what you are saying could have had some sense

 

[The Laurent]

-[] [Other] Vox Primus Infiltration: Events on Vox Prime have shifted the dynamic rapidly, and as such the servants of the Star Child mush shift in response. Alongside this newest batch of supplies, new orders will be relayed: until further notice, operations on Vox Prime are to scale back, cease expansion efforts, and go to ground. Allowing the numbers of people under the umbrella of the Star Child to dwindle somewhat is acceptable to allow our pursuers to lose the proverbial scent and prevent them from cracking down on us. In addition, this resupply will focus on sending personnel and material to begin infiltration efforts throughout other levels of the Hive-Cities of Vox Primus to establish a functional intelligence network to learn more about both how everything on Vox Primus functions and hopefully more about the history and current state of the Van Zandt Duchy as a civilization. These Intelligence Networks are to take all efforts to avoid exposing themselves-converting others to the Star Child's Light should only be undertaken if operatives are 100% certain that doing so will not jeopardize the network.

Basically, I don't think we should allow ourselves to dwindle because we have active industry and farming, so dwindling risks losing actual things. We also should definitely send the Templars and etc at those enemies and etc? In targeted ways, that is!

 

[Amilia]

I think that after the heat dies down we need to start playing smarter in Voxx.

We shold start pushing into the Hives proper, in particular key industries and guilds like the water guilds. That way they can't disrupt us without also disrupting themselves.

 

[RaptorusMaximus]

Basically, I don't think we should allow ourselves to dwindle because we have active industry and farming, so dwindling risks losing actual things. We also should definitely send the Templars and etc at those enemies and etc? In targeted ways, that is!

Click to shrink...

If we have to shutter factories or such to keep the Dutchy from fully figuring out what's up, I feel like that's a sacrifice we'll have to make. We can abandon assets in a controlled manner, shuttering and hiding operations to be reclaimed at a later date, when we need them.

I do think we should avoid losing farms or other growing facilities as much as possible, but anything else I feel would be acceptable to abandon in a controlled manner as necessary.

I also don't want to commit the Templars to assassination efforts until our intelligence network is in place for us to know specifically what to target, I figure we can free-action order that shit next turn once we have a good idea of who and what's going on in there.

I should probably add something about asking the Lamenters if they have a squad of Marines good at covert ops they'd be willing to send along to help us out.

 

[The Laurent]

If we have to shutter factories or such to keep the Dutchy from fully figuring out what's up, I feel like that's a sacrifice we'll have to make. We can abandon assets in a controlled manner, shuttering and hiding operations to be reclaimed at a later date, when we need them.

I do think we should avoid losing farms or other growing facilities as much as possible, but anything else I feel would be acceptable to abandon in a controlled manner as necessary.

Click to shrink...

If we're doing that, we need to concentrate production because our people kinda... rely on getting that?

But actually, since we did just take the Hive Agriculture, how's the Ag situation on Voxx Primus, @HeroCooky ? Any slack at all (by the terrible standards therein.)

 

[RaptorusMaximus]

If we're doing that, we need to concentrate production because our people kinda... rely on getting that?

Click to shrink...

Well yeah, I'm proposing essentially a controlled retraction of our holdings, so as we stop expanding and lose people to the general state of living in the Underhive we shutter facilities that are no longer needed due to not having as many people to sustain.

 

[The Laurent]

...that's kinda another problem, honestly? We often literally don't hear about things unless we actively ask about them (see a bunch of our Research), even if we invest actions to do it!

I've asked about Voxx Primus literally every chance I can get in the generic "Hey, what can you tell me about how things are going?" sense I can, @HeroCooky , and so literally all of what I know is what you're willing to tell me. Nothing you said really seemed to indicate that anything was different from the Imperial norm so I... took that as read?

Like I kinda figured that the due diligence of asking the person who actually knows this stuff would... suffice?

 

[Decimus]

To be fair, as pointed out, we infiltrated the underhive, there's likely not much we could've learned or seen there that would've been relevant besides "people are suffering" or similar such things.

Probably time for us to focus more on infiltrating the other organizations and figure out who's hunting us.

 

[The Laurent]

To be fair, as pointed out, we infiltrated the underhive, there's likely not much we could've learned or seen there that would've been relevant besides "people are suffering" or similar such things.

Click to shrink...

I mean, the internet exists? Hell, we've sent infiltrators up into the Defense Stations/etc with the orders to climb and they apparently noticed nothing different or notable?

Like it feels like one of those things where if the QM is expecting us to actively be able to know this stuff, then it discourages write-ins.

Because man do I feel like the dumbest, most worthless motherfucker alive, @HeroCooky , if apparently adding a single line (back when we took the first action) going, "Oh, also try to gather information about them, because you won't do this unless we tell you to" would have solved the problem.

 

[PurposefulZephyr]

--[] Silence, Protection, Grounding, Perception

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Uncertain about this song.
We don't know what this will result in. We know those ones:
1) Void Perception Struggle - Blind Our Foes.
2) Protection Perception Struggle Silence - Hide Those Who Must Be Hidden
3) Silence Void Struggle Perception - Let Nothingness Reign
Ignoring Perception-based ones, as they seem more intel-gathering focused.
I would suggest 2), since it hides our people directly, because 1) would be potentially noticed by our foes (their divinations scrambled, etc.).

But I feel I should ask:
@HeroCooky
Silence, Protection, Grounding, Perception
Silence, Protection, Grounding, Perception, Home
Can you tell us what vibes do you feel from those Songs?

 

[Decimus]

I can't say much about the Noosphere/internet, but again, following the stereotype of the underhive, I'm not sure our people would even have access to that.

Ditto with our defense station people, they might learn technical bits here and there, maybe some rumors or news from ship deployments, but outside of that there's not much for them to figure out unless they climb higher.

Though it's weird for dedicated and professional infiltrators to not immediately try and gather as much info as possible using any means necessary, so I'll give you that.

Maybe we should have our organization that handles that take a step back and focus more on the general idea of external intelligence rather than active infiltration? Something that might prevent any future mistakes.

 

[10ebbor10]

To be fair, as pointed out, we infiltrated the underhive, there's likely not much we could've learned or seen there that would've been relevant besides "people are suffering" or similar such things.

Click to shrink...

We, originally, infiltrated the underhive.

We did explicitedly infiltrate the PDF, defense stations and shipbuilding industry after that.

-[X] [Voxx Primus] A press-gang of this sort is neither subtle nor fast. Indeed, it is painfully slow, an ongoing years' long nightmare, especially as they run through unhealthy, sick people with impunity and then make more. Now is the time to begin infiltration, using carefully picked, healthy, strong, and Faithful volunteers to be "press ganged" to build the ships, operate them, and perhaps even serve as the troops they might think necessary to face whatever nonsense is the cause of this. These hand-picked agents are to be trained by our best people, both spies and preachers, to focus on gathering information and seeing loyalties and moods if they're assigned to a ship, and providing such information: ship types, speed of manufacture, news and scuttlebut and more, to those back home, who can of course pass it along.
--[X] Additionally, try to get some people into the local SDF and defense stations... high rank does not matter, and it is not as if the Imperium is a meritocracy anyway. Even a janitor in a Defense Station can learn many things, and the priority should be over slow, thorough infiltration rather than any sort of immediate sabotage or trickery.
--[X] If the situation permits, those within the structures can try to convert people, but in the end for these purposes, a live spy is better than a dead martyr, and so caution is to be the watchword and is to be drilled into them.

Click to shrink...

 

[The Laurent]

I can't say much about the Noosphere/internet, but again, following the stereotype of the underhive, I'm not sure our people would even have access to that.

Ditto with our defense station people, they might learn technical bits here and there, maybe some rumors or news from ship deployments, but outside of that there's not much for them to figure out unless they climb higher.

Though it's weird for dedicated and professional infiltrators to not immediately try and gather as much info as possible using any means necessary, so I'll give you that.

Maybe we should have our organization that handles that take a step back and focus more on the general idea of external intelligence rather than active infiltration? Something that might prevent any future mistakes.

Click to shrink...

Like to clarify here, just because now I'm stressed again, this is the text of the school that literally everyone we send there comes out of, having spent an action on it:

Schools of Preachers and Paladins - With the beginning of the legend of the Chamleon-Class ship and the dire need to fight back against both Chaos and Heresy, as well as spread the word of the Glimmering Federation, a major push for training schools for holy revolutionaries, missionaries, diplomats, and more has begun. Focusing on those trying to spread the Faith or build up the communities of Faith and aid those existing to encourage them against any repression in hostile circumstances, thrive in acceptance, or indeed be willing to infiltrate successfully even the worlds of Chaos. The best schools, the best preparation work, for a horde, a righteous army, of missionaries of all kinds to uplift the worthy, convert the unworthy, and smite the evil. (Training with weapons and armor, small-scale unit tactics, and large-scale strategies for improved infiltration are mandatory.)

 

[10ebbor10]

Ditto with our defense station people, they might learn technical bits here and there, maybe some rumors or news from ship deployments, but outside of that there's not much for them to figure out unless they climb higher.

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Eh, the basic structure of all the systems involved should be apparent, if only because people are expected to interact with them.

Your average Eastern German border guard might not have known the entire personel list of the Gestapo, but they would know it existed.

 

[Walliseatscheese]

What I'm hearing, having caught up a little, is that we've learned a valuable lesson about how infiltrations will need to be structured in the future, but otherwise are in a recoverable position.

 

[The Laurent]

Wait... yeah, we literally did the School of the Federations action before we started infiltrating Voxx Primus?

What I'm hearing, having caught up a little, is that we've learned a valuable lesson about how infiltrations will need to be structured in the future, but otherwise are in a recoverable position.

Click to shrink...

Yeah, we can cope, but it's also sorta, like... we took actions to create canonically expert infiltrators, but because we didn't tell them to gather information, they didn't gather information. And because we, as voters, assumed that the enemy was like the Imperium or basically the Imperium, the QM decided that this meant that the infiltrators would similarly spend two centuries learning basically nothing about the Duchy...

So like, I dunno. I feel as I said stupid and idiotic but also really frustrated?