- Location
- The Middle of the Howling Wilderness
See, I was thinking the "Super-Orion" was an Orion who trained at 100x normal gravity.
-
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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?
See, I was thinking the "Super-Orion" was an Orion who trained at 100x normal gravity.
- Location
- Australia
"You merely adopted the gravity, I was born in it..."
- Location
- madison
given they were going up against an explorer with nothing more advanced than fusion torches, that's actually fairly impressive.
- Location
- Patriarchova
- Location
- Aotearoa
Wow, these new holosuites make for amazing battle replays.
Handled Like Unruly Children huh?
Thors_Alumni
Proud member of Thors Class VII from Liberl
- Location
- Liberl Zemuria.
Random Starfleet Officer: That painting looks just about right for that debacle, I still wonder what those imbeciles were thinking.
Random Federation Ambassador: They weren't thinking, That was the problem but thankfully we got it sorted out.
Famous painter that painted the picture that total doesn't look like @Leila Hann: I am so happy that you like my painting good sirs.
- Location
- Patriarchova
Note the pilot's antennae.
- Location
- alphen aan den rijn
wonder what that would look/feel like from the not SF side of things?
ether the agressor or the none-agressor would have to looking at things very very worried
Maelore
Totaly not a Romulan
- Location
- Fairfax, VA
Well since they were going for an Operation British recreation he had to be there somewhere.
2326.Q2 - Discord
- Location
- Australia
Credits to @AKuz and @SynchronizedWritersBlock for contributing parts of the narrative.
Kahurangi told you there'd be days like this.
The feast and famine of fortunes festooning your desk defies reason. Yet you don't believe in fortune. There is preparedness and there is disaster. You lived your life prepared, because you know that to let your manufactured genius outstrip your hard work is the essence of complacency.
And complacency kills. Just ask the Rixx Scrutineers. Whatever is left of that Task Force, anyway.
The casualty lists are as ugly as the tears in the Betazoid embassy reception where you paid your respects, skeleton bones of text sprawling down the data padd screen like you're back in the Orion Civil War. Things have slowed for a moment after that early rush, giving you a chance to gain perspective on the report from SFI.
Despite the calamity that befell Task Force Yoke, there is a galaxy in the balance, waiting for you to tip the scales. You inhale and hold it, then let it all out, the heat radiating out to leave an Andorian winter in your chest. No Vulcan logic this with the dispassion of shackles. There will be missteps. There will be setbacks. The Singers, too, will misstep, and stumble. But you will make them stumble more than they can make you stumble.
Vengeance self-immolates, complacency corrupts, despair paralyses, hope misleads. Instead you are a steely-eyed spacer, who fought the Biophage, who faced down all the twisted splendour of the void, who faced budgetary committees. So you reach for the report once more.
[Q1 Lifetime Access: 4/20]
[Q1 Banked Access: 0]
[Q1 Lifetime Disruption: 14/25]
[Q1 Banked Disruption: 4]
Work has been done to "hold the line" on the Felis government, using the Courageous's datadump to best effect possible in what is quickly becoming a polarized post-truth environment given the number of influential lawmakers under Harmony influence. Our identification often cannot be followed up due to obstructionism in the legislature and courts. These are typically pro-corporate lawmakers, and it appears that many major Felis corporations, especially those with independent ships that have accepted Harmony assistance over the years, are likely suborned under Singer control.
[Harmony Asset Confirmed: Felis Corporate Fleets]
In better news, our research project has borne fruit in rudimentary detection in a medical scanning procedure to discover the Singer nanochips. However, the number of false positives and null results make the scan uncertain at best, and it is best used to follow-up other existing evidence.
[Pallas-Abat Institute: +4 Disruption]
[Q2 Fleet Events Recap: +10 Disruption]
[Discord Milestone: 28/25]
---
Intel Operations Reports
Following back some of the intelligence data that Task Force Wave uncovered at Edel-Noshadd led to an intelligence outpost in what has been codenamed the Canary system. The Hummingbird was hard-pressed to keep undetected near the advanced sensor suites on that station, but a plan was developed to get a closer look. With judicious use of the ship's deceptively simple looking deflector dish, some phased polarons, and a ready supply of exotic ores in planetary rings nearby, a window in which the sensors would be blind was arranged. After that, it was a simple race to get onto the surface of the station and back out before they had a chance to re-phase the sensors.
[4 Disruption, +1 Breakthrough to [T4] 2330s Computing Installations, now [DATE 2335]]
We made some more friends among the Bolians when Appleseed put the capstone on a long-term infiltration job run by the Ked Paddah. A Harmony operation in the government network that tracks all budgetary transactions was passing notice because it was not funnelling resources to anyone, only away from groups opposed to the Harmony.
They were pleased with the evidence we uncovered and are willing to share leads based on analysing which groups they attacked the hardest. Which is just as well, because some suspicions were raised by our other operation in Bolian space.
[3 Disruption, +5 Relations with Bolians]
The only real saving grace to this operation is that the Rangers and the muscle from One-Nine were so over the top in raiding this facility that I just don't think there was much of anything left standing that could prove exactly who was behind it. Oh, everyone suspects, but most anything resembling proof got plasma-cooked.
It was meant to be a simple raid, in with phasers on stun, grab a set of documents detailing Harmony plans for the system, and, well. Look, I've attached a nice montage of explosions for you.
[2 Disruption, -5 Relations with Bolians]
A truly wicked attempt at suborning part of the Okatha-Earth Data Trunk was uncovered and resolved by Task Force Necklace. Investigations had commenced upon reports of impersonation attempts around a relatively unsecured maintenance hub that supports the Point 15 SFI supercomputer facility that supports Rigel based signal communications. After getting hold of the intended payload, Necklace traced and resolved a potential zero-day flaw in one of the update systems.
[Access Blocked]
This was a disaster that we're still piecing together. Intel reports began to pile up about a potential Singer data incursion on Canum. An unrelated person was set-up to take the Scrutineers to a set of logic nodes in the planetary network for inspection, and they walked straight into a cross-fire of robotic disruptor turrets. Casualty lists are attached but it will take possibly up to half a year to reconstitute the force with suitable candidates and get the replacements up to standard.
[4 Access, Task Force Yoke is damaged and out of action for 2 Quarters]
[Q2 Lifetime Disruption: 37/25]
[Q2 Lifetime Access: 8/20]
+1 Bonus to anything marked Morshadd or Bolarus
Task Group Wave - Special Projects Office 24 Team A, Team B, Field Intel Office 44 Team B, Irregular Ops Office 46 Team C, SS Hummingbird NC-2821
Task Group Season - Field Intel Office 49 (Arcadian) Team A, Team B, Irregular Ops Office 46 Team B, Padani Tiger Team: Charlie, SS Appleseed NC-2653
Task Group Sunglass - Gate Team One, Gate Team Two, Starfleet Security Team, SS Taci
Task Group Fastener - Special Projects Security Office 19 Team A, Team B, Field Intel Office 44 Team A, Irregular Operations Office 46 Team A, SS Slipper NC-2544
Task Group Waterfall - Yan-Ros Ranger Team 12, Team 26, Special Projects Security Office 19 Team C, Yan-Ros Runabout
Task Group Guardrail - Commando Teams Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Bureau of Foreign Intervention Tiger Teams Alpha, Bravo, CMF Prosperity
Task Group Gopher - Office 43 Team A, Team B, Starfleet Security, Runabout BG-1
Task Group Greensleeves - Office 43 Team C, Starfleet Security x2, Runabout BG-2
Task Group Yardarm - Office 20 Team A, Team B, Padani Bureau of Internal Records (Auditor Group) Team Alpha, Runabout BG-3
Task Group Yoke - Rixx Scrutineer Team A, Team B, Starfleet Security, Runabout BG-4
Task Group Necklace - Office 23 Counter-Intel Team 1, Team 2, Starfleet Security, Runabout BG-5
---
You put the PADD back on the desk and press your lips thinly as you let the concepts and facts roll and coalesce. The Inferences build states, and from states you build conclusions, and from conclusions you claw out insights like a miner chipping away the rock from the gemstones.
"I suspect you think you're terribly clever, Singers," you mutter aloud.
To be fair, they were. They were very, terribly clever, if accursed in many ways by their erratic nature. But you have been laying plans that span decades. Did you plan for this exact scenario, unfolding in this exact manner? Of course not. What you are is a strategist, not some soothsayer to read the tea leaves for fortunes. Twenty six years ago you took in hand three ships as the head of the Explorer Corps. And with every step of the way since, you have built, one spar atop another.
A quick tap makes the communicator sitting on your desk. "Admiral T'Lorel."
"Admiral Chen?" comes back a composed Vulcan voice.
"You have a go; start the operation."
-
"Dropping to impulse, aye, Captain," announces Honiani helm from their position at the fore of the great ornate bridge.
A moment later the field of elongated stars drops away and the walls appear to disappear in favour of a projection of their surrounds: a great gas giant shot through with almost neon pinks and blues across the equator comes up instead. And in front of that, a sight almost breathtaking. Three starships hang in orbit as the planet slowly spins below them, their sleek forms belying the palpable weight. They shimmer with the light reflected from the planet.
"Unknown con...!" calls the sensor officer, their sudden alarm disappearing to leave a cavernous silence in its wake.
"Sensors?" asks the Captain.
A much more mellow and thoughtful tone than the original replies. "Starfleet classes in orbit, Captain. One Ambassador, two Excelsiors. Sensors didn't pick them up until we were almost on top of them..." A somewhat wry tone comes over the sensor officer. "Almost like a reverse cloak, actually, they're emitting in nothing but visible light ranges. I ran active searches and even this close I'm getting ghost echoes rather than proper contacts."
"Since when can they do that?" asks the first officer, not even hiding the surprise as they rear back from their customary spot beside the Captain.
"What does Starfleet feed their Explorer Corps anyway?" the Captain mutters.
"We're being hailed, sir," comes another officer's voice
"By which one?" the Captain asks.
"All three, Captain."
The view of the surrounding star system disappears and the leading wall is replaced by three women in the brilliant crimson of the Starfleet uniform, pure white command markings on their collars. Jeanette Deveraux of the Sarek, Zara ka'Athnon of the Courageous, and Jennifer Zhang of the Enterprise.
"Welcome to the 27 Charity star system, Captain Andus Virend, we've been expecting you and the Lakhept," begins Captain Deveraux of the Sarek.
"We have a data packet for you from the Crenellations," says Captain Zhang of the Enterprise. "We're transmitting the packet.." the dark-haired Human turns her head slightly to look just offscreen, "...now."
"It's time to make some noise, Captain Virend, it's time to play hide and seek with some mean cheaters," says Captain ka'Athnon of the Courageous, a beaming smile on her pale blue face.
-
Of the four ships, the Basilica is the safest, its job only to fake a plasma blow out of the warp drive near the border, in a place chosen to offer just enough opportunity to the Harmony to start drawing their forces out.
It works, as Harmony Scientist-pattern cruisers begin to extend out, intent on offering the sort of aid that comes with the very worst of hidden strings. Corvettes are dispatched to escort the cruisers, something expected after recent disappearances.
-
Enterprise drops from warp speed directly where her Captain means her to be in maneuver calculated down to the smallest fraction of a fraction of a second, a plan so intricatly devised that Captain Jennifer Zhang doesn't need to give a verbal order. Instead her attention is focused on the timer counting down on the viewscreen in front of her.
She knows that, standing at the tactical station behind her, Commander Tiirid is conducting a rapid analysis of the emissions of HDPV Artist, her aging Choreographer-pattern emissions control systems no match for the advanced sensor arrays wielded by the pride of Starfleet. He releases a low trill of victory as he finds exactly what he was looking for.
She knows that deep in the bowels of Enterprise's engineering sections the Indorian Chief Engineer Neroth has worked with his customary precision to tune her ship's systems just so. Tuned so that her navigational deflector dish can project the exact perfect particles at the exact perfect frequencies.
With the modifications made by Neroth, and the data curated by Tiirid, Lieutenant-Commander M'hrana weighs and dismisses thousands of possible inputs, narrowing them down by criterion worked out well in advance.
Three seconds short of Enterprise's twelve second deadline Enterprise's navigational deflector dish erupts in a brilliant display of white and blue light. HPDV Artist has no time to react before her shield bubble is filled with a near uncountable number of exotic particles penetrating her defences in a single gap too small to be detected by anything short of bending the rules of the universe itself.
Artist lumbers into motion, straining to move along her starboard axis, away from Enterprise's sudden appearance. A mixture of Gaeni research and Starfleet ingenuity blinding her long range sensors catastrophically.
Artist's Lindtrid engineering lead curses behind his painted mask as he considers the damage done to his beloved vessel's aging sensor systems. Somewhere between Horizon and Dawnrim shipyards a Singer is expressing similar sentiments as she revises her yard schedules.
"USS Enterprise! This is HPDV Artist! Cease your aggression at once. We will move to defend ourselves if you continue your unwarranted emissions barrage!"
Zhang waits until her comms officer brings up Artist's hail onscreen before raising her eyebrow in a move as calculated as her vessel's recent operation, "My apologies Artist. We seem to have mistaken your vessel for one of our own while conducting a training exercise."
On the bridge screen a Tseskiya, whose white and red Peacekeeper Directorate uniform cap sports the intricate triple ray sunrise pattern of a Harmony ship captain, appears. He practically radiates righteous anger; his eyes stare angrily from underneath his cap's brim and across the void separating his ship from Zhang's, "Enterprise! You cannot believe that I'm blind enough to believe that! Artist in no way resembles any operational Federation vessel!"
"Believe what you will Captain." Zhang shrugs and smiles self-deprecatingly, "It was a simple error in judgement on our part. Perhaps you should have your superiors lodge a formal complaint with the Diplomatic Service."
The avianoid captain continues to bristle, "You can believe that my report will be made with the strongest language I am capable of!"
"Understood Captain. In order to demonstrate that Enterprise in no way means to provoke the Harmony of Horizon, we will withdraw with no further ado and leave you to your patrol."
-
Even as Enterprise blinds the subsector's sensor and control node, two light-years rimward, another two massive starships drift together in space. Microthrusters fire in tiny bursts as their duotronic computers, aging but still among the top hundred supercomputers in the quadrant, execute a dynamically programmed set of corrections to bring the ships closer and closer, until Courageous's nacelles drift to rest practically on top of Sarek's. On the bridge of Sarek, Captain Devereaux sets down a now-empty cup of tea, a habit she'd picked up from Rosalee McAdams, who took it from Victoria Eaton before her, and so on down a long line of ship officers who pre-dated United Earth.
With a muttered prayer, the young Honiani woman at the helm releases the ship from manual braking, and the Sarek's warp core rumbles to life. For three long seconds the plasma pressure builds, as the program the Sarek's engineers built finds the power to envelop Courageous in Sarek's warp field. Then the two ships crawl slowly into warp, building speed towards Warp 6 even as Lieutenant Idorica in Engineering nervously taps at a console, using the shields and deflector to feed subspace sheer factors that might reveal the doubled mass back into the Sarek's EPS grid. The plasma matrix builds and builds in excess energy as the warp core ramps well past its intended output for the Sarek's speed.
"Execute when ready," is the only order Captain Devereaux gives. The Honiani helmswoman wastes no time, jamming the manual throttle to full forward and overriding the careful tow and feedback loops in microseconds. Sarek's warp core goes to 110% power as she hurtles along at warp 11, warp 12, warp 13 and climbing, lancing directly towards the heart of Harmony of Horizon space at speeds exceeding the ship's specifications by a massive margin. One moment Courageous can be seen on the rear viewscreen, the next the ship shrinks and disappears as if a magician has hidden it.
--
And in that moment, Courageous's warp core flickers to life. It is a flickering candle alongside Sarek's blazing supernova, just one more ripple spiraling out of the tsunami-like subspace retort that Sarek has left in her wake. Even as megatonne-sized starbase sensors try and fail to filter through the noise and Public Safety, Peacekeeper and Security Directorate ships scramble to converge on Sarek's trajectory, Courageous rides the distraction straight into a seemingly-empty subsector that Sarek bypassed in an instant, her warp drive flickering out along with every other emission, sensor, and thruster.
For the next two weeks as Courageous drifts, Jime Okaar and Starfleet field all manner of diplomatic protests from the Harmony. Even as the perfunctory statements from the Diplomatic Service are being read to the Felis Ambassador to relay to the Harmony's diplomats, the Courageous drifts into position beside a large, spindly, black starbase that Captain ka'Athnon quickly nicknames "The Sleepy Spider".
The module they deploy on a corner of the starbase started its life as a simple shipping container, but it is unrecognizable now. Not just heavily sensor damped, but fitted with Gaeni holographic emitters. When there is any cause for suspicion, a miniaturised monotronic computer stealths the whole system. But when the suspicion phases, it deploys an isolinear computer and subspace comms buoy that control how Starfleet Intelligence plan to skim data from the True Harmony.
-
Zara ka'Athnon races down decks that few to no fully organic beings have ever walked, And certain none have ever raced. The bulk of her airtight hazardous encounter suit in no way slows her down.
Every few meters she puts a piece of colourful putty on an otherwise unremarkable section of plating, and one of the handful of officers chasing behind her spends a couple brief moments making additions and alterations that would surely shock the station's Singer designers if only they knew.
Zara thinks very loudly as she runs, her internal dialogue full of exciting facts that Zarael taught her about the care and feeding of Singer internal communications systems -There is no place for easily detectable communications signals, so instead she relies on Courageous' telepathic contingent to read her mind and forward her instructions to those officers following her.
With each instruction, the Andorian woman makes sure to send along a small emotional ping of pleasant satisfaction and pride. Something very easy to do with a cew that she loves so much.
With shocking rapidity Courageous' team are able to rewire the True Harmony network with new circuitry of Starfleet's own cunning devising.
Returning to the ship, they apply the lightest braking thrusters to fall away from the Singer network hub,
This is followed by after another two weeks of caution, in which Zara runs a number of "Trust Building Exercises" that look an awful lot like parties complete with cake, Courageous turns and make a Warp 5 exit back out of Harmony space.As she moves, Courageous' wake is minimised by a crew of engineers who are not just geniuses with their machines, but happy to rewrite previously accepted subspace theories on the fly.
-
Dozens of lightyears away you stand in the Mission Control Room of the Explorer Corps, where all attention is on a small parcel of space far coreward. Nothing is present in the subsector, and even as you stare intently at the displays it remains so.
But still you wait. The confidence of having spent every day of your career in the presence of the very finest officers and crew; the confidence of your own engineered intellect; the confidence of knowing that this is another step on decades of crafting an ever closer to perfect union of talent and equipment ... all of it tells you Captain ka'Athnon is on her way.
It happens while you look down to take a drink of water, infuriating that small part of you who says the saw that a watched kettle never boils is a crock. T'Lorel leans over to observe, "It appears we have restored telemetry to the Courageous.
You take a moment to put on a little show for the clustered aides, not looking up at the screen as you swirl the ice cubes in your cup. "Of course we have. Zara was always going to bring them home again."
---
Guidance
- The Singer networks, while a computer environment, are impossible to interpret through traditional outside interfaces. According to Zarael's data, prospective Singers are slowly trained to navigate the network, their perceptions of it filtered by their mentor. They start with a virtualized interface and slowly grow accustomed to processing the data directly. We are accessing our data tap using a crude simulation of this beginner's virtual interface, replicated through a Gaeni holosuite.
- We hope that our most skilled slicers will be able to penetrate Harmony military and intelligence secrets eventually, but for now we have deliberately limited ourselves to attempting to decode and read data we're skimming, building a better picture of how non-virtualized minds may comprehend it and mapping relationships between Singers. A hack is not advisable at the time, as direct access with our current methods will no doubt appear clumsy and reveal our data taps when detected.
- With rudimentary access to their actual network achieved, we can shift to an offensive in realspace. The fleet should prepare for kinetic operations to disrupt or end the possibility of a Harmony offensive.
Current Federation Objectives: Disrupt Offensive Preparations / Map Singer Relationships
Current Harmony Objectives: Prepare for Offensive / Increase Access Gain
Lifetime Access: 8/20 to next Milestone
Available Access: 4
Available Purchases: 4 each
2326.Q2 Access Spending:
- Plant Level 2 (1 to 3 levels, increases defensive event rate)
Current Neutral Polity Subordination
(Level 0 to Level 3 - 0 or 3 for two quarters means they align for or against)
Felis Level 2
Bolians Level 2
Licori Nobles Level 1
Nessic Level ? - Pending TF Alarm reports
Therans Level ? - Pending TF Alarm reports
Carth Level ? - Pending TF Alarm reports
Current Sleeper Cells
5 suspected cells including:
Felis Corporate Fleets
Currently Federation Allies
Interstellar Commonwealth
Outer Space Alliance
Morshadd Commune
Current Harmony Allies
(Requires Chip Detection to undo alignment)
Rithe Level 3
Lifetime Disruption: 37/50 to next Milestone
Available Disruption: 27
Available Purchases: 5 each
---
Please vote in plan format for your Disruption spending!
[ ] [DISRUPT] Plan Name
-[ ] Undo Subordination of Neutral Polity (reduces 1 level of possible 3, 1 per power per quarter)
-[ ] Move on Suborned Polity (make an attempt to put a Harmony Ally back into play, may require event or battle to access, success depends on chip detection level)
-[ ] Sweep Sleeper Cell (success depends on chip detection level)
-[ ] Chip Detection Level 2 (2 available of 3 total levels)
-[ ] Singer Network Data Level 2 (1 to 3 levels, increases offensive event rate)
[x] [DISRUPT] Plan Hold The Line
-[x] Undo Subordination of Felis
-[x] Chip Detection
-[x] Undo Subordination of Felis
-[x] Chip Detection
Kahurangi told you there'd be days like this.
The feast and famine of fortunes festooning your desk defies reason. Yet you don't believe in fortune. There is preparedness and there is disaster. You lived your life prepared, because you know that to let your manufactured genius outstrip your hard work is the essence of complacency.
And complacency kills. Just ask the Rixx Scrutineers. Whatever is left of that Task Force, anyway.
The casualty lists are as ugly as the tears in the Betazoid embassy reception where you paid your respects, skeleton bones of text sprawling down the data padd screen like you're back in the Orion Civil War. Things have slowed for a moment after that early rush, giving you a chance to gain perspective on the report from SFI.
Despite the calamity that befell Task Force Yoke, there is a galaxy in the balance, waiting for you to tip the scales. You inhale and hold it, then let it all out, the heat radiating out to leave an Andorian winter in your chest. No Vulcan logic this with the dispassion of shackles. There will be missteps. There will be setbacks. The Singers, too, will misstep, and stumble. But you will make them stumble more than they can make you stumble.
Vengeance self-immolates, complacency corrupts, despair paralyses, hope misleads. Instead you are a steely-eyed spacer, who fought the Biophage, who faced down all the twisted splendour of the void, who faced budgetary committees. So you reach for the report once more.
Discord - Anti-Harmony Operations
Events
Disruption and Access are earned through events. There are two categories: Fleet Events which are rolled in the Coreward Theatre at the moment, and Intel Operations, which are intel-team events that are rolled in their own special theatre.
Fleet Events are randomly offensive or defensive, but either generates Disruption on success and Access on failure.
Intel Ops offensive and defensive events are rolled separately as planned events. Offensive events generate Disruption on success and Access on failure, with a Rec-T or Hul-T to avoid team damage on failures. Defensive events block Access on success. Note: your normal ship bonuses don't apply to these events, so no double response etc.
The event system is flexible and will be actively manipulated with purchases and as the conflict progresses.
Lifetime Progress
We track both Lifetime Disruption/Access earned, starting from 2326.Q1. This lifetime track doesn't go away no matter what. Lifetime Disruption triggers narrative milestones on a fixed track - special events, progress of a war, and so on. This will progress the plot and unlock new spending options.
The Harmony also earns Lifetime Access. When they reach Lifetime Access milestones, we get to choose which of their milestones to trigger from a fixed list - this allows us QMs some narrative control over how the Harmony acts and reacts.
So for example, in Q1 you have 14/25 Lifetime Disruption. You also have 14 Disruption available to spend. In Q2 you could potentially hit the 25/25 milestone, which progresses the conflict and opens up new options during the Q2 vote.
Spending
In addition to Lifetime Disruption/Access, you can also spend your Disruption and the Harmony can spend their Access. This doesn't take away from Lifetime progress, and anything unspent rolls forward to the next quarter.
Spending Disruption allows you to customize how you defend the Federation and attack the Harmony or the Singers. The opposition can also spend Access to customize how they attack the Federation and defend the Harmony.
In addition, as the crisis accelerates we may deploy the State of Emergency / State of War mechanics, which will involve quarterly Snakepit spending, however the conflict is current too low-key for that.
Guidance
Each quarter, if either side reaches a milestone it will be posted before the quarterly summary. Then there will be a post with a summary of Disruption and Access earned during the quarter. In this post there will also be intelligence on where Starfleet Command and Starfleet Intelligence sees the conflict going, both your current goals and what you think the Harmony is up to. In addition, Harmony access spends will be listed. Then you can choose to spend Disruption.
Rest assured, the main body of Singers have an overall plan on how to deal with you ferals, but how good a plan it might be and how you disrupt it is in the air. They are staring down the barrel of an industrial juggernaut not seen in this quadrant since the height of the Orion Empire, so expect them to pull out any aces they've been holding. Likewise, the Federation has a plan. And the first move is to ensure that after the battles are over, it's possible to emerge with a victory.
Events
Disruption and Access are earned through events. There are two categories: Fleet Events which are rolled in the Coreward Theatre at the moment, and Intel Operations, which are intel-team events that are rolled in their own special theatre.
Fleet Events are randomly offensive or defensive, but either generates Disruption on success and Access on failure.
Intel Ops offensive and defensive events are rolled separately as planned events. Offensive events generate Disruption on success and Access on failure, with a Rec-T or Hul-T to avoid team damage on failures. Defensive events block Access on success. Note: your normal ship bonuses don't apply to these events, so no double response etc.
The event system is flexible and will be actively manipulated with purchases and as the conflict progresses.
Lifetime Progress
We track both Lifetime Disruption/Access earned, starting from 2326.Q1. This lifetime track doesn't go away no matter what. Lifetime Disruption triggers narrative milestones on a fixed track - special events, progress of a war, and so on. This will progress the plot and unlock new spending options.
The Harmony also earns Lifetime Access. When they reach Lifetime Access milestones, we get to choose which of their milestones to trigger from a fixed list - this allows us QMs some narrative control over how the Harmony acts and reacts.
So for example, in Q1 you have 14/25 Lifetime Disruption. You also have 14 Disruption available to spend. In Q2 you could potentially hit the 25/25 milestone, which progresses the conflict and opens up new options during the Q2 vote.
Spending
In addition to Lifetime Disruption/Access, you can also spend your Disruption and the Harmony can spend their Access. This doesn't take away from Lifetime progress, and anything unspent rolls forward to the next quarter.
Spending Disruption allows you to customize how you defend the Federation and attack the Harmony or the Singers. The opposition can also spend Access to customize how they attack the Federation and defend the Harmony.
In addition, as the crisis accelerates we may deploy the State of Emergency / State of War mechanics, which will involve quarterly Snakepit spending, however the conflict is current too low-key for that.
Guidance
Each quarter, if either side reaches a milestone it will be posted before the quarterly summary. Then there will be a post with a summary of Disruption and Access earned during the quarter. In this post there will also be intelligence on where Starfleet Command and Starfleet Intelligence sees the conflict going, both your current goals and what you think the Harmony is up to. In addition, Harmony access spends will be listed. Then you can choose to spend Disruption.
Rest assured, the main body of Singers have an overall plan on how to deal with you ferals, but how good a plan it might be and how you disrupt it is in the air. They are staring down the barrel of an industrial juggernaut not seen in this quadrant since the height of the Orion Empire, so expect them to pull out any aces they've been holding. Likewise, the Federation has a plan. And the first move is to ensure that after the battles are over, it's possible to emerge with a victory.
[Q1 Lifetime Access: 4/20]
[Q1 Banked Access: 0]
[Q1 Lifetime Disruption: 14/25]
[Q1 Banked Disruption: 4]
Work has been done to "hold the line" on the Felis government, using the Courageous's datadump to best effect possible in what is quickly becoming a polarized post-truth environment given the number of influential lawmakers under Harmony influence. Our identification often cannot be followed up due to obstructionism in the legislature and courts. These are typically pro-corporate lawmakers, and it appears that many major Felis corporations, especially those with independent ships that have accepted Harmony assistance over the years, are likely suborned under Singer control.
[Harmony Asset Confirmed: Felis Corporate Fleets]
In better news, our research project has borne fruit in rudimentary detection in a medical scanning procedure to discover the Singer nanochips. However, the number of false positives and null results make the scan uncertain at best, and it is best used to follow-up other existing evidence.
[Pallas-Abat Institute: +4 Disruption]
[Q2 Fleet Events Recap: +10 Disruption]
[Discord Milestone: 28/25]
---
Intel Operations Reports
Following back some of the intelligence data that Task Force Wave uncovered at Edel-Noshadd led to an intelligence outpost in what has been codenamed the Canary system. The Hummingbird was hard-pressed to keep undetected near the advanced sensor suites on that station, but a plan was developed to get a closer look. With judicious use of the ship's deceptively simple looking deflector dish, some phased polarons, and a ready supply of exotic ores in planetary rings nearby, a window in which the sensors would be blind was arranged. After that, it was a simple race to get onto the surface of the station and back out before they had a chance to re-phase the sensors.
[4 Disruption, +1 Breakthrough to [T4] 2330s Computing Installations, now [DATE 2335]]
We made some more friends among the Bolians when Appleseed put the capstone on a long-term infiltration job run by the Ked Paddah. A Harmony operation in the government network that tracks all budgetary transactions was passing notice because it was not funnelling resources to anyone, only away from groups opposed to the Harmony.
They were pleased with the evidence we uncovered and are willing to share leads based on analysing which groups they attacked the hardest. Which is just as well, because some suspicions were raised by our other operation in Bolian space.
[3 Disruption, +5 Relations with Bolians]
The only real saving grace to this operation is that the Rangers and the muscle from One-Nine were so over the top in raiding this facility that I just don't think there was much of anything left standing that could prove exactly who was behind it. Oh, everyone suspects, but most anything resembling proof got plasma-cooked.
It was meant to be a simple raid, in with phasers on stun, grab a set of documents detailing Harmony plans for the system, and, well. Look, I've attached a nice montage of explosions for you.
[2 Disruption, -5 Relations with Bolians]
A truly wicked attempt at suborning part of the Okatha-Earth Data Trunk was uncovered and resolved by Task Force Necklace. Investigations had commenced upon reports of impersonation attempts around a relatively unsecured maintenance hub that supports the Point 15 SFI supercomputer facility that supports Rigel based signal communications. After getting hold of the intended payload, Necklace traced and resolved a potential zero-day flaw in one of the update systems.
[Access Blocked]
This was a disaster that we're still piecing together. Intel reports began to pile up about a potential Singer data incursion on Canum. An unrelated person was set-up to take the Scrutineers to a set of logic nodes in the planetary network for inspection, and they walked straight into a cross-fire of robotic disruptor turrets. Casualty lists are attached but it will take possibly up to half a year to reconstitute the force with suitable candidates and get the replacements up to standard.
[4 Access, Task Force Yoke is damaged and out of action for 2 Quarters]
[Q2 Lifetime Disruption: 37/25]
[Q2 Lifetime Access: 8/20]
| Name | C | S | H | L | P | E | R | Ride |
| Offensive Teams | ||||||||
| Wave | 8 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 9 | Hummingbird |
| Season | 6 | 9 | 13 | 0 | 11 | 9 | 9 | Appleseed |
| Sunglass | 6 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 6 | SS Taci |
| Fastener | 8 | 6 | 15 | 0 | 8 | 9 | 9 | Slipper |
| Waterfall | 13 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 6 | Yan-Ros Rb |
| Guardrail | 8 | 6 | 18 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 9 | Prosperity |
| Defensive Teams | ||||||||
| Gopher | 6 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 5 | BG-1 |
| Greensleeves | 5 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 5 | BG-2 |
| Yardarm | 5 | 8 | 12 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 5 | BG-3 |
| Yoke | 3 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 10 | 5 | 5 | BG-4 |
| Necklace | 1 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 5 | BG-5 |
Task Group Wave - Special Projects Office 24 Team A, Team B, Field Intel Office 44 Team B, Irregular Ops Office 46 Team C, SS Hummingbird NC-2821
Task Group Season - Field Intel Office 49 (Arcadian) Team A, Team B, Irregular Ops Office 46 Team B, Padani Tiger Team: Charlie, SS Appleseed NC-2653
Task Group Sunglass - Gate Team One, Gate Team Two, Starfleet Security Team, SS Taci
Task Group Fastener - Special Projects Security Office 19 Team A, Team B, Field Intel Office 44 Team A, Irregular Operations Office 46 Team A, SS Slipper NC-2544
Task Group Waterfall - Yan-Ros Ranger Team 12, Team 26, Special Projects Security Office 19 Team C, Yan-Ros Runabout
Task Group Guardrail - Commando Teams Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Bureau of Foreign Intervention Tiger Teams Alpha, Bravo, CMF Prosperity
Task Group Gopher - Office 43 Team A, Team B, Starfleet Security, Runabout BG-1
Task Group Greensleeves - Office 43 Team C, Starfleet Security x2, Runabout BG-2
Task Group Yardarm - Office 20 Team A, Team B, Padani Bureau of Internal Records (Auditor Group) Team Alpha, Runabout BG-3
Task Group Yoke - Rixx Scrutineer Team A, Team B, Starfleet Security, Runabout BG-4
Task Group Necklace - Office 23 Counter-Intel Team 1, Team 2, Starfleet Security, Runabout BG-5
---
You put the PADD back on the desk and press your lips thinly as you let the concepts and facts roll and coalesce. The Inferences build states, and from states you build conclusions, and from conclusions you claw out insights like a miner chipping away the rock from the gemstones.
"I suspect you think you're terribly clever, Singers," you mutter aloud.
To be fair, they were. They were very, terribly clever, if accursed in many ways by their erratic nature. But you have been laying plans that span decades. Did you plan for this exact scenario, unfolding in this exact manner? Of course not. What you are is a strategist, not some soothsayer to read the tea leaves for fortunes. Twenty six years ago you took in hand three ships as the head of the Explorer Corps. And with every step of the way since, you have built, one spar atop another.
A quick tap makes the communicator sitting on your desk. "Admiral T'Lorel."
"Admiral Chen?" comes back a composed Vulcan voice.
"You have a go; start the operation."
-
"Dropping to impulse, aye, Captain," announces Honiani helm from their position at the fore of the great ornate bridge.
A moment later the field of elongated stars drops away and the walls appear to disappear in favour of a projection of their surrounds: a great gas giant shot through with almost neon pinks and blues across the equator comes up instead. And in front of that, a sight almost breathtaking. Three starships hang in orbit as the planet slowly spins below them, their sleek forms belying the palpable weight. They shimmer with the light reflected from the planet.
"Unknown con...!" calls the sensor officer, their sudden alarm disappearing to leave a cavernous silence in its wake.
"Sensors?" asks the Captain.
A much more mellow and thoughtful tone than the original replies. "Starfleet classes in orbit, Captain. One Ambassador, two Excelsiors. Sensors didn't pick them up until we were almost on top of them..." A somewhat wry tone comes over the sensor officer. "Almost like a reverse cloak, actually, they're emitting in nothing but visible light ranges. I ran active searches and even this close I'm getting ghost echoes rather than proper contacts."
"Since when can they do that?" asks the first officer, not even hiding the surprise as they rear back from their customary spot beside the Captain.
"What does Starfleet feed their Explorer Corps anyway?" the Captain mutters.
"We're being hailed, sir," comes another officer's voice
"By which one?" the Captain asks.
"All three, Captain."
The view of the surrounding star system disappears and the leading wall is replaced by three women in the brilliant crimson of the Starfleet uniform, pure white command markings on their collars. Jeanette Deveraux of the Sarek, Zara ka'Athnon of the Courageous, and Jennifer Zhang of the Enterprise.
"Welcome to the 27 Charity star system, Captain Andus Virend, we've been expecting you and the Lakhept," begins Captain Deveraux of the Sarek.
"We have a data packet for you from the Crenellations," says Captain Zhang of the Enterprise. "We're transmitting the packet.." the dark-haired Human turns her head slightly to look just offscreen, "...now."
"It's time to make some noise, Captain Virend, it's time to play hide and seek with some mean cheaters," says Captain ka'Athnon of the Courageous, a beaming smile on her pale blue face.
-
Of the four ships, the Basilica is the safest, its job only to fake a plasma blow out of the warp drive near the border, in a place chosen to offer just enough opportunity to the Harmony to start drawing their forces out.
It works, as Harmony Scientist-pattern cruisers begin to extend out, intent on offering the sort of aid that comes with the very worst of hidden strings. Corvettes are dispatched to escort the cruisers, something expected after recent disappearances.
-
Enterprise drops from warp speed directly where her Captain means her to be in maneuver calculated down to the smallest fraction of a fraction of a second, a plan so intricatly devised that Captain Jennifer Zhang doesn't need to give a verbal order. Instead her attention is focused on the timer counting down on the viewscreen in front of her.
She knows that, standing at the tactical station behind her, Commander Tiirid is conducting a rapid analysis of the emissions of HDPV Artist, her aging Choreographer-pattern emissions control systems no match for the advanced sensor arrays wielded by the pride of Starfleet. He releases a low trill of victory as he finds exactly what he was looking for.
She knows that deep in the bowels of Enterprise's engineering sections the Indorian Chief Engineer Neroth has worked with his customary precision to tune her ship's systems just so. Tuned so that her navigational deflector dish can project the exact perfect particles at the exact perfect frequencies.
With the modifications made by Neroth, and the data curated by Tiirid, Lieutenant-Commander M'hrana weighs and dismisses thousands of possible inputs, narrowing them down by criterion worked out well in advance.
Three seconds short of Enterprise's twelve second deadline Enterprise's navigational deflector dish erupts in a brilliant display of white and blue light. HPDV Artist has no time to react before her shield bubble is filled with a near uncountable number of exotic particles penetrating her defences in a single gap too small to be detected by anything short of bending the rules of the universe itself.
Artist lumbers into motion, straining to move along her starboard axis, away from Enterprise's sudden appearance. A mixture of Gaeni research and Starfleet ingenuity blinding her long range sensors catastrophically.
Artist's Lindtrid engineering lead curses behind his painted mask as he considers the damage done to his beloved vessel's aging sensor systems. Somewhere between Horizon and Dawnrim shipyards a Singer is expressing similar sentiments as she revises her yard schedules.
"USS Enterprise! This is HPDV Artist! Cease your aggression at once. We will move to defend ourselves if you continue your unwarranted emissions barrage!"
Zhang waits until her comms officer brings up Artist's hail onscreen before raising her eyebrow in a move as calculated as her vessel's recent operation, "My apologies Artist. We seem to have mistaken your vessel for one of our own while conducting a training exercise."
On the bridge screen a Tseskiya, whose white and red Peacekeeper Directorate uniform cap sports the intricate triple ray sunrise pattern of a Harmony ship captain, appears. He practically radiates righteous anger; his eyes stare angrily from underneath his cap's brim and across the void separating his ship from Zhang's, "Enterprise! You cannot believe that I'm blind enough to believe that! Artist in no way resembles any operational Federation vessel!"
"Believe what you will Captain." Zhang shrugs and smiles self-deprecatingly, "It was a simple error in judgement on our part. Perhaps you should have your superiors lodge a formal complaint with the Diplomatic Service."
The avianoid captain continues to bristle, "You can believe that my report will be made with the strongest language I am capable of!"
"Understood Captain. In order to demonstrate that Enterprise in no way means to provoke the Harmony of Horizon, we will withdraw with no further ado and leave you to your patrol."
-
Even as Enterprise blinds the subsector's sensor and control node, two light-years rimward, another two massive starships drift together in space. Microthrusters fire in tiny bursts as their duotronic computers, aging but still among the top hundred supercomputers in the quadrant, execute a dynamically programmed set of corrections to bring the ships closer and closer, until Courageous's nacelles drift to rest practically on top of Sarek's. On the bridge of Sarek, Captain Devereaux sets down a now-empty cup of tea, a habit she'd picked up from Rosalee McAdams, who took it from Victoria Eaton before her, and so on down a long line of ship officers who pre-dated United Earth.
With a muttered prayer, the young Honiani woman at the helm releases the ship from manual braking, and the Sarek's warp core rumbles to life. For three long seconds the plasma pressure builds, as the program the Sarek's engineers built finds the power to envelop Courageous in Sarek's warp field. Then the two ships crawl slowly into warp, building speed towards Warp 6 even as Lieutenant Idorica in Engineering nervously taps at a console, using the shields and deflector to feed subspace sheer factors that might reveal the doubled mass back into the Sarek's EPS grid. The plasma matrix builds and builds in excess energy as the warp core ramps well past its intended output for the Sarek's speed.
"Execute when ready," is the only order Captain Devereaux gives. The Honiani helmswoman wastes no time, jamming the manual throttle to full forward and overriding the careful tow and feedback loops in microseconds. Sarek's warp core goes to 110% power as she hurtles along at warp 11, warp 12, warp 13 and climbing, lancing directly towards the heart of Harmony of Horizon space at speeds exceeding the ship's specifications by a massive margin. One moment Courageous can be seen on the rear viewscreen, the next the ship shrinks and disappears as if a magician has hidden it.
--
And in that moment, Courageous's warp core flickers to life. It is a flickering candle alongside Sarek's blazing supernova, just one more ripple spiraling out of the tsunami-like subspace retort that Sarek has left in her wake. Even as megatonne-sized starbase sensors try and fail to filter through the noise and Public Safety, Peacekeeper and Security Directorate ships scramble to converge on Sarek's trajectory, Courageous rides the distraction straight into a seemingly-empty subsector that Sarek bypassed in an instant, her warp drive flickering out along with every other emission, sensor, and thruster.
For the next two weeks as Courageous drifts, Jime Okaar and Starfleet field all manner of diplomatic protests from the Harmony. Even as the perfunctory statements from the Diplomatic Service are being read to the Felis Ambassador to relay to the Harmony's diplomats, the Courageous drifts into position beside a large, spindly, black starbase that Captain ka'Athnon quickly nicknames "The Sleepy Spider".
The module they deploy on a corner of the starbase started its life as a simple shipping container, but it is unrecognizable now. Not just heavily sensor damped, but fitted with Gaeni holographic emitters. When there is any cause for suspicion, a miniaturised monotronic computer stealths the whole system. But when the suspicion phases, it deploys an isolinear computer and subspace comms buoy that control how Starfleet Intelligence plan to skim data from the True Harmony.
-
Zara ka'Athnon races down decks that few to no fully organic beings have ever walked, And certain none have ever raced. The bulk of her airtight hazardous encounter suit in no way slows her down.
Every few meters she puts a piece of colourful putty on an otherwise unremarkable section of plating, and one of the handful of officers chasing behind her spends a couple brief moments making additions and alterations that would surely shock the station's Singer designers if only they knew.
Zara thinks very loudly as she runs, her internal dialogue full of exciting facts that Zarael taught her about the care and feeding of Singer internal communications systems -There is no place for easily detectable communications signals, so instead she relies on Courageous' telepathic contingent to read her mind and forward her instructions to those officers following her.
With each instruction, the Andorian woman makes sure to send along a small emotional ping of pleasant satisfaction and pride. Something very easy to do with a cew that she loves so much.
With shocking rapidity Courageous' team are able to rewire the True Harmony network with new circuitry of Starfleet's own cunning devising.
Returning to the ship, they apply the lightest braking thrusters to fall away from the Singer network hub,
This is followed by after another two weeks of caution, in which Zara runs a number of "Trust Building Exercises" that look an awful lot like parties complete with cake, Courageous turns and make a Warp 5 exit back out of Harmony space.As she moves, Courageous' wake is minimised by a crew of engineers who are not just geniuses with their machines, but happy to rewrite previously accepted subspace theories on the fly.
-
Dozens of lightyears away you stand in the Mission Control Room of the Explorer Corps, where all attention is on a small parcel of space far coreward. Nothing is present in the subsector, and even as you stare intently at the displays it remains so.
But still you wait. The confidence of having spent every day of your career in the presence of the very finest officers and crew; the confidence of your own engineered intellect; the confidence of knowing that this is another step on decades of crafting an ever closer to perfect union of talent and equipment ... all of it tells you Captain ka'Athnon is on her way.
It happens while you look down to take a drink of water, infuriating that small part of you who says the saw that a watched kettle never boils is a crock. T'Lorel leans over to observe, "It appears we have restored telemetry to the Courageous.
You take a moment to put on a little show for the clustered aides, not looking up at the screen as you swirl the ice cubes in your cup. "Of course we have. Zara was always going to bring them home again."
---
Guidance
- The Singer networks, while a computer environment, are impossible to interpret through traditional outside interfaces. According to Zarael's data, prospective Singers are slowly trained to navigate the network, their perceptions of it filtered by their mentor. They start with a virtualized interface and slowly grow accustomed to processing the data directly. We are accessing our data tap using a crude simulation of this beginner's virtual interface, replicated through a Gaeni holosuite.
- We hope that our most skilled slicers will be able to penetrate Harmony military and intelligence secrets eventually, but for now we have deliberately limited ourselves to attempting to decode and read data we're skimming, building a better picture of how non-virtualized minds may comprehend it and mapping relationships between Singers. A hack is not advisable at the time, as direct access with our current methods will no doubt appear clumsy and reveal our data taps when detected.
- With rudimentary access to their actual network achieved, we can shift to an offensive in realspace. The fleet should prepare for kinetic operations to disrupt or end the possibility of a Harmony offensive.
Current Federation Objectives: Disrupt Offensive Preparations / Map Singer Relationships
Current Harmony Objectives: Prepare for Offensive / Increase Access Gain
Lifetime Access: 8/20 to next Milestone
Available Access: 4
Available Purchases: 4 each
- Create Sleeper Cell
- Plant Level 2 (1 to 3 levels, increases defensive event rate)
- Suborn Minor Power (0 to 3 levels, 1 per power per quarter)
- Pick Defensive Event (replaces a random defensive event with one of Singer's choice)
- Plant Level 2 (1 to 3 levels, increases defensive event rate)
- Suborn Minor Power (0 to 3 levels, 1 per power per quarter)
- Pick Defensive Event (replaces a random defensive event with one of Singer's choice)
- Plant Level 2 (1 to 3 levels, increases defensive event rate)
Current Neutral Polity Subordination
(Level 0 to Level 3 - 0 or 3 for two quarters means they align for or against)
Felis Level 2
Bolians Level 2
Licori Nobles Level 1
Nessic Level ? - Pending TF Alarm reports
Therans Level ? - Pending TF Alarm reports
Carth Level ? - Pending TF Alarm reports
Current Sleeper Cells
5 suspected cells including:
Felis Corporate Fleets
Currently Federation Allies
Interstellar Commonwealth
Outer Space Alliance
Morshadd Commune
Current Harmony Allies
(Requires Chip Detection to undo alignment)
Rithe Level 3
Lifetime Disruption: 37/50 to next Milestone
Available Disruption: 27
Available Purchases: 5 each
---
Please vote in plan format for your Disruption spending!
[ ] [DISRUPT] Plan Name
-[ ] Undo Subordination of Neutral Polity (reduces 1 level of possible 3, 1 per power per quarter)
-[ ] Move on Suborned Polity (make an attempt to put a Harmony Ally back into play, may require event or battle to access, success depends on chip detection level)
-[ ] Sweep Sleeper Cell (success depends on chip detection level)
-[ ] Chip Detection Level 2 (2 available of 3 total levels)
-[ ] Singer Network Data Level 2 (1 to 3 levels, increases offensive event rate)
Thors_Alumni
Proud member of Thors Class VII from Liberl
- Location
- Liberl Zemuria.
Some good mostly bad. I just cant tell what is what.
Himmelhand
Giant Sinkhole 2020
- Location
- Midwestern US
This is awesome! Sad to see the hurt to TF Yoke, but generally we have a lot of things to work with here.
Here's a plan to start that discussion:
[ ] [DISRUPT] Fundamentals and Pushes
-[ ] Undo Subordination of Neutral Polity (reduces 1 level of possible 3, 1 per power per quarter)
--[ ] Bolians
--[ ] Felis
--[ ] Licori Nobles
-[ ] Chip Detection Level 2 (2 available of 3 total levels)
-[ ] Singer Network Data Level 2 (1 to 3 levels, increases offensive event rate)
This plan would push them on a wide front, getting the Licori nobles starting to fully align with the Federation, plus moving the other two neighboring polities further away from Harmony control. Before going after sleeper cells it's probably best to get a better grasp of chip detection.
Here's a plan to start that discussion:
[ ] [DISRUPT] Fundamentals and Pushes
-[ ] Undo Subordination of Neutral Polity (reduces 1 level of possible 3, 1 per power per quarter)
--[ ] Bolians
--[ ] Felis
--[ ] Licori Nobles
-[ ] Chip Detection Level 2 (2 available of 3 total levels)
-[ ] Singer Network Data Level 2 (1 to 3 levels, increases offensive event rate)
This plan would push them on a wide front, getting the Licori nobles starting to fully align with the Federation, plus moving the other two neighboring polities further away from Harmony control. Before going after sleeper cells it's probably best to get a better grasp of chip detection.
Random Member
Gardener of Human Happiness
- Location
- Behind You
[X] [DISRUPT] Plan Random
-[X] Undo Subordination of Neutral Polity (Licori Nobles)
-[X] Sweep Sleeper Cell (success depends on chip detection level)
-[X] Sweep Sleeper Cell (success depends on chip detection level) x2
-[X] Chip Detection Level 2 (2 available of 3 total levels)
-[X] Singer Network Data Level 2 (1 to 3 levels, increases offensive event rate)
-[X] Undo Subordination of Neutral Polity (Licori Nobles)
-[X] Sweep Sleeper Cell (success depends on chip detection level)
-[X] Sweep Sleeper Cell (success depends on chip detection level) x2
-[X] Chip Detection Level 2 (2 available of 3 total levels)
-[X] Singer Network Data Level 2 (1 to 3 levels, increases offensive event rate)
- Pronouns
- They/Them
"Is Admiral Chen doing a supervillain monologue to herself in an empty office"
"Yeah, that happens, you get used to it"
Well, the obvious stuff is increasing Chip Detection, Singer Data Network, and shifting the Licori Nobles to a 2-quarter timer before they align with us. I'd also like to sweep the Felis Corporate Fleets sleeper cell - they got revealed, so sweeping them up is far more likely to work, even if we don't have the full level 3 chip detection I still think we have a good chance. I'm not sure if the Singers would have multiple sleeper cells in Felis given they seem to only have 5 or so, but removing a sleeper cell in Felis is probably almost as useful as undoing subordination (because the sleeper cell won't be able to redo subordination), so for the last bit I'd probably sink it into making a bit more progress with the Bolians. Hopefully that'll reduce the amount of shootouts necessary in their space.
So, that'd be
[ ] [DISRUPT] Move and Countermove
-[ ] Undo Subordination of Neutral Polity (reduces 1 level of possible 3, 1 per power per quarter)
--[ ] Bolians
--[ ] Licori Nobles
-[ ] Chip Detection Level 2 (2 available of 3 total levels)
-[ ] Sweep Sleeper Cell (success depends on chip detection level)
--[ ] Felis Corporate Fleets
-[ ] Singer Network Data Level 2 (1 to 3 levels, increases offensive event rate)
So, that'd be
[ ] [DISRUPT] Move and Countermove
-[ ] Undo Subordination of Neutral Polity (reduces 1 level of possible 3, 1 per power per quarter)
--[ ] Bolians
--[ ] Licori Nobles
-[ ] Chip Detection Level 2 (2 available of 3 total levels)
-[ ] Sweep Sleeper Cell (success depends on chip detection level)
--[ ] Felis Corporate Fleets
-[ ] Singer Network Data Level 2 (1 to 3 levels, increases offensive event rate)
She cut herself off from true supervillainy.
That's where a true supervillain monologue would be something like, 'I have not prepared for your scenario, but for all scenarios! T'Lorel! Release the Explorer Corps!'
- Location
- Infraspace
Enerael
We Shall Wake to Sanity
Well! That was... a thing.
Poor Scrutineers.
Loved the EC op!
We are clowning their Access income. 2 enemy actions to our 5, and we reached the first threshold too. Could have been pure luck, but hopefully not!
Note that they kept 4 Access in reserve. They are planning something and I don't like it. Edit: Misread, disregard.
-[ ] Undo Subordination of Neutral Polity (reduces 1 level of possible 3, 1 per power per quarter)
Licory Nobles look promising, at worst it burns 4 Access, which with our significantly higher Disruption income seems well worth it, at best we get another ally.Also burns that worrying stockpiled Access next turn or the one after.
-[ ] Move on Suborned Polity (make an attempt to put a Harmony Ally back into play, may require event or battle to access, success depends on chip detection level)
Not yet, we need chip detection first for the only current option. Though I expect at least one of the space greeks to need this. That's gonna be one dangerous op.
-[ ] Sweep Sleeper Cell (success depends on chip detection level)
Needs cleaning, spare Disruption should go here I really think. Those sleeper cells will be nasty if activated.
-[ ] Chip Detection Level 2 (2 available of 3 total levels)
A given. Top priority.
-[ ] Singer Network Data Level 2 (1 to 3 levels, increases offensive event rate)
Very high priority!
So.
[] [DISRUPT] Plan Enerael Draft
-[] Chip Detection Level 2 (2 available of 3 total levels)
-[] Singer Network Data Level 2 (1 to 3 levels, increases offensive event rate)
-[] Undo Subordination of Neutral Polity (reduces 1 level of possible 3, 1 per power per quarter) - Licory Nobles
-[] Sweep Sleeper Cell (success depends on chip detection level) x2
In order of priority.
Now, to check already made plans for interesting ideas or matches... a match!
[X] [DISRUPT] Plan Random
-[X] Undo Subordination of Neutral Polity (Licori Nobles)
-[X] Sweep Sleeper Cell (success depends on chip detection level)
-[X] Sweep Sleeper Cell (success depends on chip detection level) x2
-[X] Chip Detection Level 2 (2 available of 3 total levels)
-[X] Singer Network Data Level 2 (1 to 3 levels, increases offensive event rate)
Get rekt Singers. This is for the Rix Scrutineers and countless others.
:rude emoji
Poor Scrutineers.
Loved the EC op!
We are clowning their Access income. 2 enemy actions to our 5, and we reached the first threshold too. Could have been pure luck, but hopefully not!
-[ ] Undo Subordination of Neutral Polity (reduces 1 level of possible 3, 1 per power per quarter)
Licory Nobles look promising, at worst it burns 4 Access, which with our significantly higher Disruption income seems well worth it, at best we get another ally.
-[ ] Move on Suborned Polity (make an attempt to put a Harmony Ally back into play, may require event or battle to access, success depends on chip detection level)
Not yet, we need chip detection first for the only current option. Though I expect at least one of the space greeks to need this. That's gonna be one dangerous op.
-[ ] Sweep Sleeper Cell (success depends on chip detection level)
Needs cleaning, spare Disruption should go here I really think. Those sleeper cells will be nasty if activated.
-[ ] Chip Detection Level 2 (2 available of 3 total levels)
A given. Top priority.
-[ ] Singer Network Data Level 2 (1 to 3 levels, increases offensive event rate)
Very high priority!
So.
[] [DISRUPT] Plan Enerael Draft
-[] Chip Detection Level 2 (2 available of 3 total levels)
-[] Singer Network Data Level 2 (1 to 3 levels, increases offensive event rate)
-[] Undo Subordination of Neutral Polity (reduces 1 level of possible 3, 1 per power per quarter) - Licory Nobles
-[] Sweep Sleeper Cell (success depends on chip detection level) x2
In order of priority.
Now, to check already made plans for interesting ideas or matches... a match!
[X] [DISRUPT] Plan Random
-[X] Undo Subordination of Neutral Polity (Licori Nobles)
-[X] Sweep Sleeper Cell (success depends on chip detection level)
-[X] Sweep Sleeper Cell (success depends on chip detection level) x2
-[X] Chip Detection Level 2 (2 available of 3 total levels)
-[X] Singer Network Data Level 2 (1 to 3 levels, increases offensive event rate)
Get rekt Singers. This is for the Rix Scrutineers and countless others.
:rude emoji
Last edited:
Enerael
We Shall Wake to Sanity
Hm. On further thought we have Chip Detection lvl 1 of 3 if I understand it correctly, and can have lvl 2 next Discord turn. Given the "success depends on chip detection level " of Sleeper Cells, it might be wiser to postpone that a turn on two. Also, do we get bonuses to clearing identified Sleeper Cells or maluses to clearing the unknown?
Disruption is precious and failing at sweeping would be costly.
Yeah I think that I will go with this:
[X] [DISRUPT] Plan Enerael
-[X] Chip Detection Level 2 (2 available of 3 total levels)
-[X] Singer Network Data Level 2 (1 to 3 levels, increases offensive event rate)
-[X] Undo Subordination of Neutral Polity (Licori Nobles)
-[X] Undo Subordination of Neutral Polity (Felis)
The two must haves, Licory Nobles to force Singers to respond or lose them, Felis because I am sure that them joining up against the HoH would help the ISC and therefore the overall effort greatly, freeing up quite a few of their assets at the very least.
Leaving 7 Disruptions in reserve, because this Disruption windfall does not seem like it will repeat itself anytime soon, and if we get 10 Disruption next Q as we did the last we would not have enough to follow up on either the Felis or Licory Nobles should Singers counter us there, or if they target the Bolians. Also saving up for a throughout sweep once we have better/finished Chip Detection.
Disruption is precious and failing at sweeping would be costly.
Yeah I think that I will go with this:
[X] [DISRUPT] Plan Enerael
-[X] Chip Detection Level 2 (2 available of 3 total levels)
-[X] Singer Network Data Level 2 (1 to 3 levels, increases offensive event rate)
-[X] Undo Subordination of Neutral Polity (Licori Nobles)
-[X] Undo Subordination of Neutral Polity (Felis)
The two must haves, Licory Nobles to force Singers to respond or lose them, Felis because I am sure that them joining up against the HoH would help the ISC and therefore the overall effort greatly, freeing up quite a few of their assets at the very least.
Leaving 7 Disruptions in reserve, because this Disruption windfall does not seem like it will repeat itself anytime soon, and if we get 10 Disruption next Q as we did the last we would not have enough to follow up on either the Felis or Licory Nobles should Singers counter us there, or if they target the Bolians. Also saving up for a throughout sweep once we have better/finished Chip Detection.
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They did not. Lifetime Access since 2326.Q1 was 8, this quarter they spent 4 on boosting the level of their plants and Q1 they spent 4 on Suborning the Felis. Pretty sure that's why they increased plant level, because they realized they had way less access income than we had disruption income.
- Location
- Outside the Box
- Pronouns
- She/Her
IIRC we have to identify which sleeper cell we're sweeping, right? Plan Random might need editing.
Trek canon: Starfleet is bad at stealth. The Romulans abd Klingons have ships designed to cloak.
TBG canon: Cloaking devices are a neat trick, but real stealth is having sensors so powerful they can see everyone's blindspots. Even if they're blindspots you haven't made yet. (At this point I'm expecting our two oldest great power neighbors to start investing in tech to counter Federation stealth techniques.)
[] [DISRUPT] Two to Unsubordinate
-[] Undo Subordination of Neutral Polity (reduces 1 level of possible 3, 1 per power per quarter)
--[] Felis
--[] Felis x2
--[] Licori Nobles
-[] Chip Detection Level 2 (2 available of 3 total levels)
-[] Singer Network Data Level 2 (1 to 3 levels, increases offensive event rate)
Edit: Plan invalid.
Every polity we bring down to 0 subordination is a polity that the Singers must counter or instead concede. So by bringing two polities down to 0 we'll either bring them permanently to our side or slow down Singer tech-up actions. Since we have the Disruption this turn to do our own tech-up actions in addition to removing Singer progress, doing both means no matter what the Singers spend Acces on to counter, we end up ahead.
Trek canon: Starfleet is bad at stealth. The Romulans abd Klingons have ships designed to cloak.
TBG canon: Cloaking devices are a neat trick, but real stealth is having sensors so powerful they can see everyone's blindspots. Even if they're blindspots you haven't made yet.
(At this point I'm expecting our two oldest great power neighbors to start investing in tech to counter Federation stealth techniques.)[] [DISRUPT] Two to Unsubordinate
-[] Undo Subordination of Neutral Polity (reduces 1 level of possible 3, 1 per power per quarter)
--[] Felis
--[] Felis x2
--[] Licori Nobles
-[] Chip Detection Level 2 (2 available of 3 total levels)
-[] Singer Network Data Level 2 (1 to 3 levels, increases offensive event rate)
Edit: Plan invalid.
Every polity we bring down to 0 subordination is a polity that the Singers must counter or instead concede. So by bringing two polities down to 0 we'll either bring them permanently to our side or slow down Singer tech-up actions. Since we have the Disruption this turn to do our own tech-up actions in addition to removing Singer progress, doing both means no matter what the Singers spend Acces on to counter, we end up ahead.
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