UbeOne
Daydreaming CPU
- Location
- Philippines
- Pronouns
- She/Her
*the sounds of Romulans rejoicing*
To Boldly Go... (a Starfleet quest)
- Thread starter OneirosTheWriter
- Start date
- Sci-Fi
-
- Tags
- 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
- Mid-Atlantic
The Lecarre aren't much more dangerous now than they were five years ago; the Syndicate is a lot less dangerous. And quite frankly, our strategic needs in this period* are going to involve a lot of 'hearts and minds.'
We need Starfleet Intelligence to be able to figure out what kind of operations will convince Orions, Yrillians, Dawiar, and so on that the Federation is potentially their friend. That the Syndicate, the Sydraxians, and the Cardassians are their enemy.
Linderley is unsuited for that. He's presumably great for stopping enemy spies from penetrating the Federation, or as good as anyone can reasonably be, but he's not the guy you want when your own spies are trying to go on the offensive, or the guy who wins you propaganda victories when his entire mindset revolves around not telling anyone anything.
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*I think of it as "after Celos, but before the Cardassian-Federation War;" if we're lucky the war never happens but I'm not betting on it.
We need Starfleet Intelligence to be able to figure out what kind of operations will convince Orions, Yrillians, Dawiar, and so on that the Federation is potentially their friend. That the Syndicate, the Sydraxians, and the Cardassians are their enemy.
Linderley is unsuited for that. He's presumably great for stopping enemy spies from penetrating the Federation, or as good as anyone can reasonably be, but he's not the guy you want when your own spies are trying to go on the offensive, or the guy who wins you propaganda victories when his entire mindset revolves around not telling anyone anything.
____________
*I think of it as "after Celos, but before the Cardassian-Federation War;" if we're lucky the war never happens but I'm not betting on it.
aeqnai
Nerdy Homu
- Location
- Laniakea Supercluster
- Pronouns
- She/Her
When we get VADM Intelligence, I want to see if we can't get an officer good for our current aims of covertly courting the Ashalla Pact affiliates with minimum danger of detection. Failing that, I'd like someone who's good at SIGINT, since we'll have need of it in the coming conflict.
Failing both of those, let's just promote Scott, he knows how to run the place if nothing else.
Failing both of those, let's just promote Scott, he knows how to run the place if nothing else.
I would say this (certainly the hearts and minds thing) is mostly FDS job and the clearly seem to be working on it too. Especially since I don' think the kind of a pro-active, cold-war CIA like behaviour is a good fit for the Federation/Starfleet or that it will enjoy much support from the council - you generally run very quickly into complicated grey areas that I think will clash with some of our core values.
Forgothrax
Not Going Gently
- Pronouns
- He/Him
We do need to be promoting up to VA as soon as reasonable so we can hang onto specific people, given that...
Random Member
Gardener of Human Happiness
- Location
- Behind You
I don't think he'll still give his bonus then though.
AKuz
Been Better
- Location
- A Rising Tide of Horrors
- Pronouns
- She/Her
The Expertise will hang around tho, hopefully
- Location
- somewhere
We almost never get any bonuses for flag officers not directly reporting to us, those who used to do so (Chen as commander of UP, T'lorel and Eaton) have moved on and their replacements don't give a bonus now.
Linderley's bonus is far too valuable to trade in for anything else likely to be on offer.
When we voted for him the most popular alternative was Kach blasch Fapok who offered more info on Diplomatic Posture reports, but in retrospect that would have been almost a complete waste: Default diplomatic posture reports already turned out to provide enough info to act on in the way proponents had argued only Fapok would allow, they offered so much info that we rarely needed follow-up, and so many other issues called for reports that in the last 3 years we only had room for single diplomatic posture report.
Improved SIGINT? We have been sitting on the promised option to deploy improved listening posts for a few years, and people generally don't seem to care enough to so much as remind Oneiros to actually include it in the snakepit options as promised, let alone include it in their plans.
An extra report is the only previous bonus actually significant enough to consider as a serious alternative (other than the "better operatives" one that's too vague to really evaluate). However most of our actual reports were just about things we were interested in, without much in the way of actually improving our decisions (for example we didn't change any of our build plans on account of knowing more about Klingon fleet strength).
Linderley's bonus is such that most of the actual benefit is usually going to stay hidden, and even then we already know for a fact that we would have lost the S'harien to the Syndicate without him. Presumably many other hidden rolls were made, and it's somewhat remarkable that there were no successful infiltrations or subversions of Starfleet personnel throughout the campaign. Infiltration is the component of risk by the Syndicate that's least affected by our operations against them because the sorts of resources it requires are by their very nature much easier to hide, and the Syndicate is far from the only faction that poses such a risk. The Lecarre are the next most obvious (and seem to pose significantly more of a danger than previously believed), but we already encountered both shapeshifters and body-snatchers in Captain's Logs, the latter of which came quite close to be a federation-wide disaster, and there are also the canonical brain parasites that appeared in TNG and probably many other yet unknown species. And that's without considering the counter-intel part of his bonus.
Linderley's bonus is far too valuable to trade in for anything else likely to be on offer.
When we voted for him the most popular alternative was Kach blasch Fapok who offered more info on Diplomatic Posture reports, but in retrospect that would have been almost a complete waste: Default diplomatic posture reports already turned out to provide enough info to act on in the way proponents had argued only Fapok would allow, they offered so much info that we rarely needed follow-up, and so many other issues called for reports that in the last 3 years we only had room for single diplomatic posture report.
Improved SIGINT? We have been sitting on the promised option to deploy improved listening posts for a few years, and people generally don't seem to care enough to so much as remind Oneiros to actually include it in the snakepit options as promised, let alone include it in their plans.
An extra report is the only previous bonus actually significant enough to consider as a serious alternative (other than the "better operatives" one that's too vague to really evaluate). However most of our actual reports were just about things we were interested in, without much in the way of actually improving our decisions (for example we didn't change any of our build plans on account of knowing more about Klingon fleet strength).
Linderley's bonus is such that most of the actual benefit is usually going to stay hidden, and even then we already know for a fact that we would have lost the S'harien to the Syndicate without him. Presumably many other hidden rolls were made, and it's somewhat remarkable that there were no successful infiltrations or subversions of Starfleet personnel throughout the campaign. Infiltration is the component of risk by the Syndicate that's least affected by our operations against them because the sorts of resources it requires are by their very nature much easier to hide, and the Syndicate is far from the only faction that poses such a risk. The Lecarre are the next most obvious (and seem to pose significantly more of a danger than previously believed), but we already encountered both shapeshifters and body-snatchers in Captain's Logs, the latter of which came quite close to be a federation-wide disaster, and there are also the canonical brain parasites that appeared in TNG and probably many other yet unknown species. And that's without considering the counter-intel part of his bonus.
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2314.Q1 - Master of Orion - The End
- Location
- Australia
Anti-Slavery Task Force Progress Report
The presence of the additional detective services has ended the Syndicate's nascent counter-offensive by turning almost any asset employed into a single-shot weapon. We believe that, including the last few weeks, only two of the original Shodars remain at large, and they are no longer within Orion Union space, but are keeping their heads down far away. In fact, all in all, we believe have already seen the end of the Syndicate's capacity to exist as a deep state system. They will always exist as a criminal agency, but no more will they be a political entity.
We are still required while the Union government rebuilds so many truly shattered institutions. The PPU has had to be gutted and rebuilt in so many cities and worlds as the Syndicate were cut out of the ranks. Some amnesties have been granted, but in many case cold-bloodedness has been applied, a focus on safety instead of fairness that we have protested against, but it has been a very bitter struggle. The judiciary likewise has been gutted; a truly alarming number of former judges are in the Tukka Maximum Security Penitentiary on Alukk.
For those who were unfamiliar with the Orion Union, the scale of the Syndicate's involvement must come as a staggering surprise. Yet, those of us who have fought here know it is only too believable. The role of the Frontier Judges has been unsung but crucial in ensuring that corrupt judicial members could not continue the revolving door of injustice that allowed the Syndicate to rule the shadows unchecked.
However, as much as the Syndicate will remain as purveyors of illegal goods and deeds, the time of the Syndicate as puppet masters of the fates of the Orion people is at an end.
========================
This is the final Master of Orion post. The Syndicate's ability to operate the state has collapsed. There is no true "end" to provide rewards, as a fight like this, much like most counter-insurgency campaigns, merely fades away rather than ends in a decisive treaty or defeat.
Impact and Cost will no longer be tracked.
-
The presence of the additional detective services has ended the Syndicate's nascent counter-offensive by turning almost any asset employed into a single-shot weapon. We believe that, including the last few weeks, only two of the original Shodars remain at large, and they are no longer within Orion Union space, but are keeping their heads down far away. In fact, all in all, we believe have already seen the end of the Syndicate's capacity to exist as a deep state system. They will always exist as a criminal agency, but no more will they be a political entity.
We are still required while the Union government rebuilds so many truly shattered institutions. The PPU has had to be gutted and rebuilt in so many cities and worlds as the Syndicate were cut out of the ranks. Some amnesties have been granted, but in many case cold-bloodedness has been applied, a focus on safety instead of fairness that we have protested against, but it has been a very bitter struggle. The judiciary likewise has been gutted; a truly alarming number of former judges are in the Tukka Maximum Security Penitentiary on Alukk.
For those who were unfamiliar with the Orion Union, the scale of the Syndicate's involvement must come as a staggering surprise. Yet, those of us who have fought here know it is only too believable. The role of the Frontier Judges has been unsung but crucial in ensuring that corrupt judicial members could not continue the revolving door of injustice that allowed the Syndicate to rule the shadows unchecked.
However, as much as the Syndicate will remain as purveyors of illegal goods and deeds, the time of the Syndicate as puppet masters of the fates of the Orion people is at an end.
========================
This is the final Master of Orion post. The Syndicate's ability to operate the state has collapsed. There is no true "end" to provide rewards, as a fight like this, much like most counter-insurgency campaigns, merely fades away rather than ends in a decisive treaty or defeat.
Impact and Cost will no longer be tracked.
-
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Shard
One and Many
- Location
- Malaysia
It's a fitting 'end' for the syndicate. There was never a single thing, or things we could blow up to win.
That said.. what happens to the acts, Defense requirements and so?
- Location
- USA
Yes, this feels so good.
Bravo! This is how it should have ended. Better than a certain "Mission Accomplished" a president said long ago
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Actually, that's a good narrative reason to recruit additional medical research teams - if our current medical procedures can be spoofed, we clearly need to improve them.
- Location
- somewhere
The huge casualties we took last year are easily enough of a narrative justification...
Torgamous
Aspiring Gynoid
- Pronouns
- She/Her
How high do you think Medical needs to get before it can fix being vaporized by a ship-grade disruptor?