- Location
- Australia
And now to figure out how the Council will respond..........
To Boldly Go... (a Starfleet quest)
- Thread starter OneirosTheWriter
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- star trek exploration fully automated luxury gay space communism top level canon (canon) #hashtagcontent all-encompassing space amoeba cardassian boy bands cardassian magical girls darkest bureaucracy debate makes the qm cackle like palpatine hoh is an empire quest it has to be foreign infiltrators more ships ship happens singers delenda est starfleet this is not an empire quest ur waifu is collective?
- Location
- Patriarchova
In before Q's vision.
Well nothing specific is really said about them here. Other than they conquer people, prefer to stay on their ships, loot everything they can get their hands on, and use indigenous populations as cannon fodder. A lot of the dating here is derived less from direct accounts, and more from inferring due to archeological research.
In the FASA roleplaying game, the Syndicate was descended from the organizations that won Orion freedom after thousands of years of slavery.
I'm not sure if that is true in TBG, but if it is... The Federation is fighting a war against the Orion successors of their Paul Reveres and George Washingtons.
No. They do not need that propaganda. Because that propaganda is poison.
It will rot their politics. It will encourage them to wrong action. And they'll get even more confused and hurt when the righteous war they are fighting only produces bad results.
As for my vote:
[X] Briefvoice
Because it is an awesome write in.
Pretty sure your vote won't be counted like this. I think you need to start the line with the "[x]" box.
fasquardon
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Yeah, I don't recognize the character you are describing.
My read on Stesk is that he is a "pacifist" because he sees the main weapon of the Federation to be its ideas - remember that in living Vulcan memory the races that became the Federation have come up from being a position of being divided, at each-others' throats and weaker than the Romulans. Now the Federation is so large and powerful that the Romulans, Klingons and Cardassians are all tearing their hair out trying to figure out how to keep up with the explosive growth of the Federation (not only in members and colonies, but also technologically and militarily).
As such, my read on Stesk is he doesn't want the Federation to sabotage its most powerful weapon when it acts. So he's often acting as the voice of restraint, telling other leaders in the Federation "look before you leap".
He doesn't seem to me to be inflexible at all. He seemed quite the opposite while working with the previous admiral on the anti-slavery legislation.
This is how we lose.
Also, if the Syndicate is anything like the FASA-Trek Syndicate, the Orion government has taken a major, major step to openly and forcefully engage with the Syndicate. If it's like FASA-Trek, they are fighting an organization which is older, stronger and which has greater claim to the love of the Orion people than the government itself does.
Really, it's a huge expression of faith in the Federation and its ideals that the Orion government is backing the Federation on this. To let them down would be... Well. It would leave scars in Orion memory that would take decades to fade, at the least.
We shouldn't back them unconditionally, but we should, I think, respect the efforts they are taking and deal fairly with them.
fasquardon
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
The Syndicate sure ain't acting like a bunch of Paul Reveres and George Washingtons now. Also, we've got a pretty firm 'canon' for the Orions in this game, and it contradicts the FASA content on this issue. I think that may be just as well, because I don't think anyone's ever done a version of the Orions in Star Trek canon that's as fun as the one we're playing. I mean seriously, we've got an Orion that:
1) Includes the matriarchal elements of the culture, and the pheromones that are the Orion superpower
2) Includes the hints from canon that the Orions used to be a powerful empire that then collapsed
3) Drops a lot of the weird sexism of the way Orion females are portrayed in canon (in favor of different weird sexism on the Orions' part but that just adds flavor from an RP point of view)
4) Gives the Orions a 'hat' other than 'entire species run by giant criminal organization.' In particular, it makes them 'cyberpunk' instead of 'green exotic dancers.'
5) Provides ample grounds for storytelling and in-character questions about how Orion society works and how its politics affect us.
So I'm pretty happy with this as-is.
2312.Q4.M2 - Council Emergency Session Pt 2
- Location
- Australia
[X] Madame President, let us consider three dimensions here. The political, the strategic, and the moral.
-[X] The political: Amarkia must act and be seen to act, the current government of the Orion Union must not fall, and the actions of terrorists must not be allowed to magnificently succeed in producing precisely the result they want. The strategic: the Federation has been making in-roads against Cardassian-affiliated species everywhere recently. We have achieved successful diplomacy with the Dawiar, the Gretarians, the Yrillians. They are losing the diplomatic war and they desperately need to convert this into a type of war they can win, without being seen as the aggressors. The moral: The people of Amarkia deserve justice, and it must be directed against the actual perpetrators and not misdirected against Orion Union forces.
-[X] The Federation should commit to doing everything in its power to end this crisis and defeat the Syndicate. The Council is going to need to solve the short-term crisis before us by promising action to the Amarki, restraint to the Orions, and somehow managing to deliver on both promises. But that leaves the long term problem. The Amarki are going to keep pushing for more action, because they have suffered more harm at Syndicate hands than any other non-Orions. The Syndicate is going to keep provoking the Amarki, because they want an invasion of hostile foreigners to drive ordinary Orions into the Syndicate's camp. The Union is going to keep resisting Amarki wishes, because they have to maintain the perception of their sovereignty and power to stand up to outsiders. This is a three sided problem, and I believe it can be resolved only by direct communication between the Amarki and Orion Union governments. They must come a politically acceptable agreement about how to work together against the Syndicate, instead of working against each other. I can think of a few suggestions off the top of my head. Perhaps the Orion Union could send an aid caravan to Lironh, and accept the assistance of Amarkian vessels against the Syndicate in return. Perhaps the Amarkians can send in their gendarmes. I don't know; but trying to route everything through the Federation Council puts too many fingers in the pie. On top of our own efforts coming in from outside the region, we need to mediate a positive working relationship between the two species, to stop the Syndicate and present a unified front against Cardassian efforts to break the Federation up.
-[X] That brings us to the overall strategic situation, which I think can be resolved by being open about what is going on here. It may be time to expend some our intelligence assets in order to make the chain of events public. The Syndicate attacks, hoping to provoke a response that justifies a Cardassian-backed coup. It's simple enough that the public of all worlds can understand and terrible enough to shock into not playing along, especially in the wake of the Cardassian coup on Bajor.
-[X] As for the moral situation... I suppose we can count on the good Councillor Stesk to be our conscience there. As far as practical issues go, the most urgent thing to do is send aid and ships to help deal with the recovery and stabilize the situation on the ground. I've already sent orders to our available hospital and engineering ships to make best speed for the area. Starfleet stands ready to assist a strong civilian disaster relief mission, which is what I recommend. We need to make clear that while we want justice, support for the victims is just as important, and that we consider this a criminal act. "
-[X] The political: Amarkia must act and be seen to act, the current government of the Orion Union must not fall, and the actions of terrorists must not be allowed to magnificently succeed in producing precisely the result they want. The strategic: the Federation has been making in-roads against Cardassian-affiliated species everywhere recently. We have achieved successful diplomacy with the Dawiar, the Gretarians, the Yrillians. They are losing the diplomatic war and they desperately need to convert this into a type of war they can win, without being seen as the aggressors. The moral: The people of Amarkia deserve justice, and it must be directed against the actual perpetrators and not misdirected against Orion Union forces.
-[X] The Federation should commit to doing everything in its power to end this crisis and defeat the Syndicate. The Council is going to need to solve the short-term crisis before us by promising action to the Amarki, restraint to the Orions, and somehow managing to deliver on both promises. But that leaves the long term problem. The Amarki are going to keep pushing for more action, because they have suffered more harm at Syndicate hands than any other non-Orions. The Syndicate is going to keep provoking the Amarki, because they want an invasion of hostile foreigners to drive ordinary Orions into the Syndicate's camp. The Union is going to keep resisting Amarki wishes, because they have to maintain the perception of their sovereignty and power to stand up to outsiders. This is a three sided problem, and I believe it can be resolved only by direct communication between the Amarki and Orion Union governments. They must come a politically acceptable agreement about how to work together against the Syndicate, instead of working against each other. I can think of a few suggestions off the top of my head. Perhaps the Orion Union could send an aid caravan to Lironh, and accept the assistance of Amarkian vessels against the Syndicate in return. Perhaps the Amarkians can send in their gendarmes. I don't know; but trying to route everything through the Federation Council puts too many fingers in the pie. On top of our own efforts coming in from outside the region, we need to mediate a positive working relationship between the two species, to stop the Syndicate and present a unified front against Cardassian efforts to break the Federation up.
-[X] That brings us to the overall strategic situation, which I think can be resolved by being open about what is going on here. It may be time to expend some our intelligence assets in order to make the chain of events public. The Syndicate attacks, hoping to provoke a response that justifies a Cardassian-backed coup. It's simple enough that the public of all worlds can understand and terrible enough to shock into not playing along, especially in the wake of the Cardassian coup on Bajor.
-[X] As for the moral situation... I suppose we can count on the good Councillor Stesk to be our conscience there. As far as practical issues go, the most urgent thing to do is send aid and ships to help deal with the recovery and stabilize the situation on the ground. I've already sent orders to our available hospital and engineering ships to make best speed for the area. Starfleet stands ready to assist a strong civilian disaster relief mission, which is what I recommend. We need to make clear that while we want justice, support for the victims is just as important, and that we consider this a criminal act. "
You make your testimony before the closed session of the Council, as does Rear Admiral Linderley and a number of other senior officers. Councillor Korielis has put in an appearance, his first publicly since news of the bombing. He looks as grim as death, like a statue carved of granite. The session ends with nothing decided, but nothing was expected to be decided yet. This is a game you know well. Behind the scenes the power brokers of the factions are working closely. You see Hayley Singh, one of the key members of the Expansionists, absolutely everywhere over the recess.
Your greatest surprise of the morning, of course, is when two Amarkian Councillors, Korielis and Aelanna, approach you and request the full personnel file of Commodore Nash ka'Sharren and Commander Larai Leaniss. They are closed-lipped about why, but you have some ideas.
Observers and ambassadors from the Orion Union space are seen visiting the Expansionists, the Hawks, and the Development faction. The strain on the chief Ambassador is clear to see: the woman looks like she has aged a decade in a matter of days. Starfleet is on the fringes of this discussion, unfortunately. Part of you rails against a perceived, "We're talking about you, not to you" juvenile silliness. But that's civilian control in action. President sh'Arrath and the Council represent the will of the people. Starfleet is merely here to put their will into motion. Still, you keep your ear to the ground and hear whispers of Joint Task Forces, and even a nigh-unprecedented peace-time deputisation of ships.
Hikaru Sulu and Shey ch'Tharvasse help you put the details together. It helps make sure you are prepared when Council staffers putting together the nuts and bolts of the new legislation begin to harass your own staff for assistance.
The following day the 2312 Federation Safety and Unity Act is presented to an open-session of Council by Councillor Iftie Cufriec, a Hawk from Selindra and a better orator than her fellow faction-members. It is co-sponsored by a Development faction Councillor, Arsharra N'Gir of Ollasa IV. You nod approvingly at having an Amarkian and Caitian present the legislation. It won't necessarily play very well in the old core of the Federation, but that isn't the flash-point. You're present in the chamber for the reading, and as Iftie, a tall and elderly Amarkian woman, approaches the dais to speak, you pull out your padd to record her. You aren't the only one. The press corps is filling the gallery to overflowing, and more holocameras than you have ever seen in your life are turned upon Cufriec now.
"Our Federation has been struck a tragic blow," the Councillor begins. "But not a mortal one, for the Federation is more than flesh and blood. The Federation is an ideal, a principle, and a dream, and these are things that may never die, even should all of us who bear them forth perish. Two hundred thousand innocents were slain when the Syndicate struck at Lironh. The tragedy of all those lives cut short will never be forgotten. All in the Federation cry out, not for vengeance, but for justice. Not an indiscriminate furore that visits on other families what was visited upon us. But a justice that lands upon the wicked and passes over the innocent. I call upon this august body to ratify the Safety and Unity Act of 2312, to enable the upcoming Treaty of Selindra which we are writing in concert with the government of the Orion Union.
"This legislation will create a new cooperative body between Amarkia, Alukk, Ferasa, and Sol, to share and coordinate together. It will deputise into Starfleet service over half of the Confederacy of Amarkia Navy to shine the light into the dark places of uninhabited star systems surrounding and within Union space. It will authorise the conjoining of the Amarkian Gendarmes and the Union Aerocommandos into a Joint Ground Operations Command.
"The Aerocommandos are a unit that has been steeped in heavy fighting, trying to liberate their brothers and sisters in Union space from a force that makes a mockery of their traditional roots within their societies, a force that spreads untold misery. I call upon my fellow citizens in Amarkian space, even my kith and kin in Lironh, to not forget our friends among the Union have given their blood, lives, and treasure fighting the same foe that struck us, and done so for years on end. To those beleaguered in the Union, to those who suffer while it seems like the heavens themselves crash to the surface, those who worry about unfamiliar boots upon the soil of their homes, I say this: you have a friend, loyal and steadfast, and an ally skilled and capable in the Federation. We come to you not to conquer, not to claim crude spoils, or luxuriate in vengeance.
"I can only forgive the sceptics. I know we are a thing not often seen in a galaxy that can seem so uncaring. A force out not for gain, but to set others free. Free from suffering, free from tyranny, free from bondage.
"Where the Syndicate wants to see Amarkians weigh into battle against you, we will instead join you arm in arm. I spoke of the Federation as a ideal to strive for, something that will surpass us on this mortal coil. Here we see why the Syndicate resorts to such barbarism. They are a conception of power and control, and these are always fleeting things. They cannot conceive of this immortal ideal, this aspiration that will forever light the way ahead. They kill, because they believe that the dreams of two hundred thousand souls on Lironh die with them. I tell all who listen that they do not.
"We will show them their folly, and on the day they do, they will understand the Federation can never be defeated, and that only peace can lead them forward."
=============================================================
Federation Safety & Unity Act 2312
Starfleet-relevant digest:
- Creation of Joint Ground Operations with Gendarmes and Aerocommandos
- Much of CA-Navy deputised into Starfleet to run heavy patrols of outer-colony worlds and uninhabited systems, including CAS Riala, Friec, Hebrinda, Odala, and assorted escorts.
-- Proviso 1 - Commodore ka'Sharren takes command of the Task Force, with Commander Leaniss promoted as her Flag Captain, to command from the Riala,
-- Proviso 2 - Both are to be initiated into the Amarkian Order of the Lileac.
- ASTF will be placed under a civilian-operated Federation-Union Joint Command
- Very quietly, groundwork is being laid for a fast-tracked Orion Union membership into the Federation, approved by the Development faction. This includes a mechanism for immediate ratification in the even of the commencement of a Cardassian coup attempt to allow Starfleet assets to immediately oppose.
- Federation Resilience increases to 25.
- +1 Starfleet Action during Master of Orion turns
[ ][NAME] Provide a new informal name for the JGOC.
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Night_stalker
Slava Ukraini!
- Pronouns
- He/Him
[JK] Chief Asskicker Supreme
aledeth
The Flesh is Weak
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Lol get fucked Syndicate. Only 5 cost of that Nuke actually stuck, and now we're going even more ham on them.
Also, something about Nash & Leaning getting knighted together like that feels like a treaty-bound marriage.
For name, I kinda wanna go with something cheesy and heroic like Lightbringers, but that brings up uncomfortable DEUS VULT DEUS VULT DEUS VULT comparisons.
Also, something about Nash & Leaning getting knighted together like that feels like a treaty-bound marriage.
For name, I kinda wanna go with something cheesy and heroic like Lightbringers, but that brings up uncomfortable DEUS VULT DEUS VULT DEUS VULT comparisons.
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- Location
- Central Standard Time
[
][NAME] Mobile Infantry
EDIT:
> Deus Vult
[][NAME] Crusaders
][NAME] Mobile InfantryEDIT:
> Deus Vult
[
][NAME] Crusaders
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Katsuragi
The 1%
@OneirosTheWriter - So any kick to the balls for our cost getting so high, or just the "normal" hit such a cost will do to our political will this round?
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
Yes. Yes it does.
While I was really hoping we could have Nash out in the Gabriel Expanse or Cardassian Border Zone, having her recruited for this is pretty darn good too.
And she is just about the most famous mid-ranking officer we have who isn't otherwise busy.
While I was really hoping we could have Nash out in the Gabriel Expanse or Cardassian Border Zone, having her recruited for this is pretty darn good too.
And she is just about the most famous mid-ranking officer we have who isn't otherwise busy.
Random Member
Gardener of Human Happiness
- Location
- Behind You
[JK] Taskforce Friendship
- Location
- Germany
What does that mean?
Any oaths of loyalty towards Amarkia included? Or other promises you might expect from a Knightly Order?
We can't really have a Commodore with divided loyalties.
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Random Member
Gardener of Human Happiness
- Location
- Behind You
Alright, so Amarki and Orions, blue and green. AquaMarines?
Aquamarine is a shade between blue and green, and Marines refers to the Marine Corps (or Space Marines, whatever you want). Or is that too cheesy? I really suck at coming up with names.
Aquamarine is a shade between blue and green, and Marines refers to the Marine Corps (or Space Marines, whatever you want). Or is that too cheesy? I really suck at coming up with names.
- Location
- Australia
I'd have yanked her off the GBZ if she was on it - Nash ka'Sharren's cachet with the Amarki is immense, with Leaniss she's an important cog in getting Amarkia to go along with this.Yes. Yes it does.
While I was really hoping we could have Nash out in the Gabriel Expanse or Cardassian Border Zone, having her recruited for this is pretty darn good too.
And she is just about the most famous mid-ranking officer we have who isn't otherwise busy.
- Location
- USA
.... my god that was amazing!!!! I love love love it. The feeling of the room and then the rejection of fear, rejection of rage to keep the ideals of the Federation alive. A shining beacon on the hill is what we are and will always be and this will send the strongest message we can to the rest of the galaxy. (not to mention drive Obsidian Order nuts trying to understand our response, Tal'Shiar has more exposure to this so won't be so rattled).
What is important here it is easy to espouse high ideals when everything is going well, but to see the true character of a nation look at it when times are difficult. Did they take an expedient option or did they hold true to their ideals even at cost to themselves?
I do want to relate how this differs compared to some real life history. Look at the US during WW2. Pearl Harbor was subject to a sneak attack, and unfortunately in the process we lost some of that ideal of democracy and freedom. What we did then was round up those of Japanese descent and placed them into interment camps for the course of the war, many of them had their homes and business vandalized and after the war were put in tough situation nd not protected from attacks.
To contrast that here, the federation suffered a devastating attack but chose to keep true to their ideals. I like to think we helped with this as I remember when discussing some of the anti-syndicate options there were some we avoided as viewing them as too extreme.
What is important here it is easy to espouse high ideals when everything is going well, but to see the true character of a nation look at it when times are difficult. Did they take an expedient option or did they hold true to their ideals even at cost to themselves?
I do want to relate how this differs compared to some real life history. Look at the US during WW2. Pearl Harbor was subject to a sneak attack, and unfortunately in the process we lost some of that ideal of democracy and freedom. What we did then was round up those of Japanese descent and placed them into interment camps for the course of the war, many of them had their homes and business vandalized and after the war were put in tough situation nd not protected from attacks.
To contrast that here, the federation suffered a devastating attack but chose to keep true to their ideals. I like to think we helped with this as I remember when discussing some of the anti-syndicate options there were some we avoided as viewing them as too extreme.
Gear
Set Moon to Ramming Speed!
Can we adjust our phasers into different colors @OneirosTheWriter?
You probably should include some mention of how long this whole thing is expected to go on since I doubt it is open ended.
All in all it seems like an acceptable solution and certainly one of the better outcomes for such a crisis though I personally am a bit unhappy about how the loyalty of two of our top officers is now split between us and the Amarkian and the general mix of loyalties/ranks happening there.
OneriosTheWriter did a write up on how the Amarkia military uses Chivalric Orders. Here is the bit on the order Nash is getting inducted into:
- Location
- Mid-Atlantic
If so, for someone who used Robespierre like a stage prop, she sure seems to agree with the sentiments of his Orion counterpart.
You're right, but I was suddenly reminded of the episode Devil's Due. Strictly, someone with a transporter and a holodeck could have duplicated most of that.
Now, the catch is, only a Q would do something like that.
Honestly my headcanon version has always been pretty close to this. I mean, if there are supposed to be literate, technologically advanced species like the Orions and Gorn who predate the Hur'q conquests, we can't be totally clueless about what they were like. Things going that far would require the Hur'q to have literally bombed everybody into the Iron Age, and there's too much contradictory evidence indicating that that didn't happen.
- Location
- Germany
I remember that. But in this case the details are very important.
In our Earth-traditions Orders like that included a lot of duties and oaths that an officer whose first loyalty doesn't lie with the Order absolutly can't afford to make.
And Nash is right now Starfleet Commodore. See the possible problem?