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For House & Dominion: Building Better Worlds (5)

http://houseanddominion.wikia.com/wiki/House_%26_Dominion_Complete_Archive
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Dominion+quest

https://twitter.com/ThatSlowTypingG


You are Sonia Reynard, Viscount of Rioja and a member of House Jerik-Dremine!

It's been a year since your return to Rioja following the Dyson Sphere expedition. A year since the political marriage to Troy Harmen and one where you've worked hard to solidify financial connections.
It's been 4 months since Eleanor Reynard-Harmen and Leon Reynard-Harmen were born.
You've been dealing with all of these considerable changes with the civility and decorum expected of a leading member of the House. What few problems you are having have been kept out of the public eye.

Visiting the Centri cluster allowed relatives to see the two newborn heirs to the Reynard and Harmen fortunes. Your own mother half expected the entire pregnancy and announcement of grandchildren to have been an elaborate hoax. She remains pleasantly surprised. The visit to see Troy's parents was considerably more daunting, especially when members of the extended family were introduced. You're positive some of them probably want your kids dead.

The visit also allowed you discuss a few matters with the Count. He's a bit disappointed you've hurt relations with House Nirium, but glad you and Baron Avun exposed their plan to build a gravity well equipped fortress in the Run.

Before leaving select members of the media on Dremine were allowed to get a good look at the new family. Apparently your mother wasn't the only one who didn't believe you'd had kids resulting in something of a media frenzy while all of you were on planet.

Advanced weather control systems are now being produced which can help improve terraforming efforts. Demand or gravity well generator based orbital correction maneuvers has also gone through the roof after a number of successful operations last year. Your land and offices on the Dominion's capital have been allowing ambassadors from other House and even Factions can make appointments to purchase the new terraforming systems.

With the looming threat of more Terran refugees on the way you've decided to offer orbital correction services to the Terrans at emergency rates. This will hopefully ensure they will be settling more of their own people within their borders. While you cant speak for the rest of the Dominion the Run cant afford to take in a higher volume of people.
>>
Construction business is booming, Rioja continues to see expansion and you're making progress rebuilding ties with the Run Alliance. A new RSS Heavy salvage ship built by House Ceres has been completed and is conducting crew training. It won't be long until they're needed in the Run to help with new salvage sites.
Another Kilo class medium will also be acquired soon to help with moving large cargo or salvage.

RSS has also established a modular station above Karakum which you and HTF have bought the land rights to. Salvage teams have begun their first forays to the surface of the pollution and radiation devastated world. Specialised vehicles have been purchased to assist efforts there. Crews are now conducting full gravity training on Surakeh before deployment to ensure they're ready.

On Rioja Spiral City has been approved for construction on a new site overlooking an intersection of two rivers. It's currently the farthest east major city on the planet as they break ground. Plans are now being drawn up for additional population centers across the planet as infrastructure spreads outwards from the main ocean and surrounding rivers.
Keeping them near convenient sources of water for the populace remains key. At this time it's expected only small cities will be built out in the agricultural areas.

With news from the front, some good some bad, you've also learned that the Terrans are making reaction speed enhancements available to their pilots. That is more or less what House Kharbos developed them for, even though the Dominion mostly seems to be using them to improve the capabilities of their special forces.
With corvette combat growing more decisive and deadly you've purchased medical facilities for Rioja to allow some of your pilots the option. While expensive it could make the difference in heavy fighting and give your elites the edge to stay alive.
>>
Setting out for South Reach aboard the Outer Heaven you stopped to Vinsit Baron Dante along the way. Your Dante Gunships received a substantial upgrade while there. It was also an opportunity to show off the new suits of armor you've picked up. Both the Sphere Armor and Nxesi Pattern Relic Armor were given a chance to show off.
You also tested using the amplifier artifact to supercharge input from the converter artifact before peforming a return to sender. You've promised to pay for damages to the Barons testing facility.

In South Reach you met up with Daksa, speaking with her for the first time in years. She's been managing things in her area well enough and dealing with new challenges as they appear. Her planet is something of a political mess requiring more active input by the land owning nobles. So much so that they had to create a parliament. That's a nightmare you're glad you don't have to deal with.

She also shared with you the problems of having a large population on a planet. They constantly need things which eats into the tax revenue. That could become more of a problem for Rioja as its expands. Currently your planet has a great deal of industry and business compared to its population size.
Promising to help out if she had any projects that needed funding you headed on to visit Winifred.

On Surakeh Baron Winifred is still dealing with issues related to having a democratic system. That and having a standing civilian militia separate from the PDF. Meeting with the nobles of Surakeh allowed you to catch up with a few familiar faces. Governor Ainsley is looking well, completely recovered from her near death years ago.
Troy dueled with a local noble and won. Possibly over a matter of your honour, you've not sure since he wouldn't repeat what the other noble said to offend him.

After seeing local nobles Bekka was able to meet her niece and nephew for the first time. You expected her to end the meeting covered in whatever the babies had last eaten. Instead she ended up wet, quickly fleeing once she realised the cause.

Following a meeting of the heads of RSS you headed out with Bekka and Winifred on a raid of a smuggler installation. Far from being difficult this netted your House some salvage and funds. It also started an investigation into another case of slave trafficing.

That investigate brought you to Tourta to see the information brokers there. Hardly one to turn down such an opportunity, you first hit the beaches on the ocean world. It gave you a chance to improve on your surfing skills.
>>
>>2680043

For House and Dominion!
>>
>>2680043
For House and Dominion! Sonia owns the waves!
>>
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Once your business with the information brokers is concluded you decided to take a side trip to your island resort. It's seen continued improvements that have largely covered over the former base. Apparently the local investors were determined to put more money in if only to put their own lives back at a more acceptable level of luxury.

Minisub tours of the reefs unfortunately discovered the entrance to the old underwater sub pen. Hotel staff released a statement that it was closed for safety reasons. Going along with that statement you decide to have it structurally reinforced. This will prevent any chance of a future collapse. Really you've have a select team of engineers secretly rebuild it as a hidden facility. There's never a lack of enemies to be found in the Dominion so having a bolt hole to fall back on never hurts.

During construction they've left room for a station for underwater repulsor trains. Some of the local residents are interested in one so that they wouldn't have to see as much air traffic. If or when you choose to have the station put in it will act as further cover.

A recall device has been installed that will summon a starship that will be hidden in deep space. Odds are if you're desperate enough to use this facility as a fall back option having access to a starship couldn't hurt. It looks like you'll be using an EC-K. It should be easy enough to get hold of and its purchase can be hidden by using intermediaries and hard currency transactions.

The EC-K has a good deal of room set aside for electronic warfare and support systems. Did you want to leave these as they are or replace them with other equipment? Fuel stores, munitions, additional weapons, expanded command and control, troop accommodations, etc?
Anything or leave it as stock?
>>
>>2680131

Stock for now.
>>
>>2680131
extra torpedo storage
>>
>>2680131
Stock ship will do well. Its for us to escape with after all and nothing much else.
>>
Stock, though a little bit of extra torpedo storage may be thrown in.

The hotel is informed that the structural reinforcements will allow for a future repulsor train station, though you won't pay for it. At least not unless there is substantial interest shown. You certainly wont pay for the station that will be needed at the other end on whatever the nearest larger island is. If people here are serious about it they'll have to drum up support and prove that they mean it.

Before departing you get a text from Linda. As usual its a barely ineligible hash of short form and single letter word replacements. You really hope she never sends these to important people. The gist of it is that she's had the tour of the new salvage ship and that it's really nice... you think. You'll have to ask to make sure later.

Business concluded on Tourta you head back to Surakeh to get ready for the trip to House Veritas. Winifred is sending a few people along that have more contact with their embassy. They inform you that their House is prepared to receive visitors and that what happened to your diplomatic party last time won't be allowed to repeat.

Anything you wanted to bring along for the often besieged state? A gift?
>>
>>2680221
>A gift?
Sure, no idea what though
>>
>>2680221
A Dusk II Cruiser? Perhaps that could help drum up interest in them buying some from us. Especially with all the hostiles around them.
>>
>>2680221

What would be considered a good gift to give?
>>
>>2680243
Could work.

>>2680253
You ask Winifred if she has any ideas for a potential gift.
"Preferably something they won't be offended by."

"That's not quite as helpful as I'd hoped." you reply.

Winifred sighs. "What are you hoping to gain from them by going there?"
"Phase weaponry R&D."
"Then bring them some phase weaponry they may not have ready access to."

Nasidum did develop a spinal mount linked phase weapon during the civil war. They're expensive, temperamental and require quite a bit of power. Despite this they're now in limited mass production and you can acquire one or more here in South Reach.

Alternatively, if you wanted to go big you very much doubt they'd turn down a gatling light siege cannon. That's a phase weapon.
>>
>>2680277
>gatling light siege cannon
>>
>>2680277

If they are really good with phase weaponry stuff then they could probably improve the Nasidium canon. So I'd be up for grabbing one and bringing to them to do their stuff with it.
>>
>>2680277
Dusk II and Gatling Siege Cannon?
>>
Feron Gatling Siege Turret MP Type (5)= 115m
Dusk II = 16m
Linked spinal mount phase weapon = 5 to 10m

You're not exactly in the good books with Nasidum so you'd probably end up paying full price for just one of their weapons. Then again you could play on that fact that you helped defend their embassy in the battle against the Kythera. Do you want to use that to your advantage now or save it for later?
>>
>>2680328
>save it for later
>>
>>2680328

Save it for later and get the Feron Gatling Siege Canon and a Dusk II
>>
>>2680328
Save it.
>>
>>2680328
I'd like to save that card for later.
>>
With 131 million spent on gifts for House Veritas you set out. A few people are surprised you're throwing this much money around but if this plan of your is successful then the benefits would easily out weight it.

Most trade into the Veritas home systems passes through a single FTL choke point. Outside of this they've been building up a station where the lane from their space connects with a prominent trade lane. It's here where you have the big gun delivered. You won't risk taking it into their space without more warning.

The station itself isn't that impressive but it seems more than adequate for the amount of traffic in and out of their space. Two squadrons of Veritas Battleships are on station guarding the two main approach paths. They don't appear to be in the best shape, built out of scrap or not. There are obvious signs of armor damage that has been patched over or where weapons have been ripped out and replaced haphazardly.
You have to wonder if they're really having that much difficulty maintaining their navy or if it's all an act.

Getting approval to head into their core territories requires a 4 hour wait and basic inspection. Apparently this is standard procedure these days barring an emergency. Most civilians entering their territory change ships before going on it.

When approval is sent you're informed that high level representatives of the government would be meeting with you. Fadila says this is probably a good sign.
"They know we've brought a Helios representative along. By now they know about your gift as well."

The Outer Heaven and its escort are directed to move up and prepare for jump.

"Why is there no other traffic?" you ask, looking over sensor readouts from the command deck.
Maybourne isn't sure. Veritas has been keeping a steady traffic pattern so that ships know when they're supposed to jump. The pattern before and after your fleet has been cleared creating a nearly 30 minute gap with your party squarely in the middle.

[ ] This is fine
[ ] Prepare to raise shields
[ ] Raise shields mid jump
>>
>>2680461
[ ] Prepare to raise shields
I don't like this. Be prepared but don't do anything that might be taken as hostile action or they may fire on us for just that.
>>
>>2680461

Have engineering ready to get our defenses online, just in case. Veritas might be okay with us. But it wouldn't take much thought for one of their enemies and ours to work together to take a chance to try and knock us off while inside Veritas territory and make it look like the fault of Veritas.
>>
>>2680461
>[x] Prepare to raise shields
>>
"I don't like this. Have engineering prepare to put power to defensive systems."
"Aye sir."
Other than putting your crew and escorts on guard there isn't much else to be done. This is the only route into Veritas space. All ships jump on schedule.

What was to supposed be a minute long jump ends up lasting less than 30 seconds. The somewhat jarring shake you've come to associate with emergency FTL reversion makes it clear that you're not coming out where you intended.

"Early reversion!"
"Artificial gravity well." Maybourne informs you.
"Long range coms are down, we still have short range." reports Arendse.

The tactical displays fill with ships showing House Veritas IFF's. A Bustard class heavy cruiser is parked guarding an older gravity well generator. Both of them are surrounded by a dozen alliance medium escorts armed with a variety of plasma weapons. Some are mounting twin LD cannons, others the larger Republic Light plasma cannons.
Then there are the five or six wings worth of Willow class sublight warships.

[ ] Back us out of the well
[ ] Hail them
>>
>>2680508

Hail them, but make sure ships are ready for a fighting retreat. Should things go sideways.
>>
>>2680508
"Sound general quarters. All hands man your battle stations."

>[ ] Back us out of the well
Raise shields and commence a immediate withdrawal. Load SP torpedoes and prepare for volley fire should they attempt anything. We're getting the fuck out of here and we can talk about this when we are not trapped.
>>
>>2680508
>[ ] Back us out of the well
>>
"Raise shields. Back us out of the well."

Eko quickly brings the engines up to full reverse. There's no point in coming about immediately, that would just give that heavy a better shot at your engines while you're still bleeding off speed.

"Sir, the gravwell is powering down. Ten minutes until the FTL lane is clear."
That's probably good news.
"We're being hailed."
"Send it to my station." you order.

A Hune junior officer wearing a Veritas uniform appears on screen.
"This is the House Veritas defense forces first fleet to Viscount Sonia Reynard. General Kadryin wishes to welcome you and your party to House Veritas space and apologizes for the unannounced interference. We are now powering down the gravity well generator.
The General is prepared to speak to you aboard our heavy cruiser at your earliest convenience."

Muting your channel you turn to Maybourne.
"Weapon locks?"
"Some of the Willow class ships have weapons charged but not enough to stop us if we ran for it. It would take at least a full minute for them to power up the big gun on that Bustard."

Fadila texts that she's on the way to the command center but it seems there's no immediate danger. Do you wish to stand down from alert and take up position near the heavy?
>>
>>2680615
They have enough firepower here to wipe out a planet. They meet us with a powered up Gravity Well. I am not going to stay here for one more moment when the threat of total annihilation is very real. If they want to meet with us they can do it in JD territory from now on. Especially since they STILL got weapons lock on us. Nope the fuck out of there.

Vicecount Sonia Reputation: -25
>>
>>2680615

To use Star Trek terms, bring us from red alert down to yellow. If they question why, some of their enemies are saber rattling again. And if other anons are cool with it, mention we happened upon a smuggler station just outside their territory where some rival house operatives were trying to find ways to link them to slave trade.

Body guards are a definite must if we go visit this general. And do not relinquish weapons without good reason. Plasma pistol on our side at all times. I would say don power armor but that may be a bit to much. So maybe get the pilot suit or protective armor?
>>
>>2680615
EDIT
"Weapon locks?"
"No locks. Some of the Willow class ships have weapons charged but not enough to stop us if we ran for it. It would take at least a full minute for them to power up the big gun on that Bustard."
>>
>>2680630

Addition to previous post. Ask why they felt it was needed to pull us out when we have had at worst neutral relations with Veritas. And are coming to them with a business proposal. Not the best way to great someone who isn't hostile to their house.

This is some rouge faction within their House trying to axe us isn't it?
>>
>>2680615
>The General is prepared to speak to you aboard our heavy cruiser at your earliest convenience.
Go aboard in Power Armor.
>>
>>2680630
Bug out, offer to hold meeting in J-D or neutral space.

>>2680632
>I would say don power armor but that may be a bit to much.
Reminder you programmed your recon armor with disguises, including but not limited to dress uniforms.

>>2680655
Another for Power Armor.
>>
>>2680661

Power armor disguised as something else then.
>>
"I don't know what they're playing at but keep the ships ready to fight even if we don't look like it."

Reluctantly you signal back that your party will prepare to go aboard in a few minutes. The crew isn't terribly enthusiastic about heading closer to the Veritas fleet but you're certainly not going to get anything done quickly if you bug out and head back to J-D territory. Though that might not be such a bad thing.

"If even one of them locks weapons on us we're bugging out."
Eko acknowledges you.
"If the gravity well being to power up again we should be able to make a run for the edge and jump before it reaches full power. If it really is an older model that is."

Moving in closer allows you to see the modifications made to the Bustard. They're not the greatest heavy cruisers and this one is no exception, but they can be useful for hauling stuff. Like the Willow class attack ships that lack their own FTL. Docking racks have been fitted to the aft sections allowing the vessel to carry at least two hundred of them you figure.

Once the OH is holding station you head to your LST along with your fully kitted up bodyguards. Rufaro will stay aboard your command ship with a rescue team ready to go. Troy has taken the kids and a small team and are waiting near one of the emergency teleport capsules in the core of the ship.

Heading aboard the LST Fadila is less than impressed with her accoutrements.
"Why does everyone get power armor except for me?"
"Maybe you should invest in some? Or ask for a suit a bit sooner."

Valeri helpfully points out that the Helios diplomat likewise only has basic body armor.

"Thank you. Now we can both be killed more easily."
Turning back to you she's surprised to see you suddenly in your dress uniform.
"Wait, I thought you were in power armor just seconds ago?"

You flip through holographic images in your recon suit's database changing disguise a few times.
"Did I never show you that?"
"I don't believe so? Good that you've thought of it."
>>
Docking with the larger ship you're met by a full honor guard in the newer style Veritas uniforms. It's similar to most Dominion dress uniforms except using white for the arms and upper chest, with violet trim and accents. The rest of the uniform is a dark blue.
The ship's marines are a mix of different species common to South Reach, so far seeming like this is a legit operation for their House.

The Lieutenant you spoke to over the coms salutes you, glancing at your well armed bodyguards. Even without Valeri and Ruiz, you Dave and Emor could kill everyone in this room in seconds. It doesn't look like they have anything that could even touch power armor.

The now slightly nervous but still professional officer leads your party to see the General. The guards outside are reluctant to allow heavily armed soldiers equipped with jump jet suits and plasma weapons but ultimately let your party pass.

General Kadryin, a kavarian looking to be in their late middle ages, welcomes you and invites everyone to sit down. You recognise them as the Major from the local military that assisted in recovering the diplomats when you first visited Free Planet League.

"Welcome Viscount Reynard. I apologise for not meeting on the capital but the central government is currently in a state of flux at present. The military has assumed temporary control, maintaining the bureaucracy until legal and impartial elections can be held in another month or two. As one of the leading members of the temporary military transition committee I've been given full authorization to negotiate with you and other Houses.
We are of course extremely grateful for your assistance in the past and for the new cannon you've provided us with. We've been looking at acquiring a few such weapons ourselves but the timing hasn't been right."

"Thank you for seeing us." you reply. "Before we get started can I ask why were were pulled out of FTL by a heavily armed armada leaving us in the middle of a cross fire point? We're here to discuss a business proposal. This isn't be best start."

"Time and security reasons. This is the most secure location in Veritas space at the moment. Also we couldn't just give the people at the station our coordinates, their systems are not secure and the information would be stolen. This is our primary defensive fleet charged with guarding the approach to the Veritas homeworlds. Normally traffic jumps past us without even knowing we're here.

Emperor Ber'helum was very grateful for our gift of a super heavy cruiser and military support. Because of that we've been able to better modernize our fleet, more than we want most Houses to know. That's why we keep this little force hidden. We'll relocate after you've departed from this meeting."

>Cont.
>>
"I have to say, not the best way to greet someone who isn't hostile to their house."

"Oh."
The General turns to one of his own diplomatic staff and suggests not doing that in the future.
"Maybe we'll use a navigator from our forces to guide you in next time."

Fadila agrees that might be the best solution.

Introductions of the diplomats are made and you mention that the chief diplomat from the first time is currently the Governor of Rioja, having held that post a number of years now.
"Good, good. Baron Winifred sends quality people to talk things over usually. We hope your new relatives are still happy with the terraforming deal our House signed with them?"

To you knowledge that's still true.

Getting down to business you're here because you wanted to know more about House Veritas phase weapon technology. Having focused their military largely on phase weapons, until recently that is, you were wondering if their specialization in it had progressed as far or farther than Dominion standard.

"Given your well known penchant for research programs I suspect there's a particular reason you hope to find that out. A project of some kind you're thinking about. So what is it?"

[ ] I want to build a superweapon!
[ ] I want to advance Dominion phase weapon technology
>>
>>2680890

>[ ] I want to advance Dominion phase weapon technology

By building a super weapon to surpass Metal Gear!

And I figure working with a house that has history in phase weaponry might help with that goal.
>>
>>2680890
>[x] I want to build a superweapon!
>>
>>2680897
>>2680916
I want to advance Dominion phase weapon technology, and then if possible use it to build a superweapon?
>>
>>2680989

Sure? If we can cover the construction of a Phase Cannon Superweapon as an attempt to improve Dominion technology to counter Neeran Superweapons than alright.
>>
>>2680989
I'd love that compromise, I just want to see what happens if you 100-link phase cannons.
>>
"I'm hoping to advance Dominion phase weapon technology, and then if possible use it to build a superweapon."

At first you think the General is having an attack and might require medical assistance. It's only after a few seconds that you realise the kavarian officer is laughing. Eventually he gets it under control and is able to manage a response.
"Your honesty is a bit more than I am used to. If the file on you is any indication I'm sure you would build a super weapon if it suited your purposes. Whatever those are. I have no intention of helping the Dominion build a weapon to rival what the Neeran can do.
Improving the Dominion's weapons technology I might even be reluctant over. That is not my decision to make. The committee has come to the decision that we are to support the current Dynasty of the Dominion so that we in turn receive assistance from the Ruling House.
So if it helps the Dominion we will consider it. Super weapons are a no go."

That's understandable you suppose.
"So do you have phase weapon tech you could provide to a cross dominion R&D project?"

It's hard to read a Kavarian when they give you a poker face. The General is clearly considering the implications of even admitting to having such tech. Then again it's just phase weapons, everybody has those.

"We have had some success in reducing the size of certain phase weapon components without a drop in damage output. Increase in production cost was found to be negligible. We would consider making this technology available provided we were given adequate remuneration. Phased beam director technology in particular."

You look to Fadila and the Helios diplomat.
"I thought the Dominion was supposed to be sharing most of its tech between the Houses to improve the overall tech level of the Dominion?"

The Helios rep Phy'ri Hy'drang speaks up.
"Helios blocked the transfer of certain techs to House Veritas and some South Reach Houses that were considered unstable and likely to ally with the South Reach League."

"That's a stupid reason." you reply. "Veritas hates the Warlords."
"Regardless they're still considered a liability. If your House were to agree to trade or cooperation on development of this tech I'm sure those restrictions could be modified."

"The word you're looking for is lifted." says the General. "And we don't want the restrictions lifted, we want a full transfer of those technologies to make up for lost time. Yes we got most of the Aries tech so far but that's it."

>Do you have anything to add to this debate?
>>
>>2681154

Correct me in my thinking here. But can we create official trade relations with Veritas and J-D or agree to creating joint research ventures. Without to much oversight or disagreement from the homeworlds right? We're here to start up a business opportunity and work with Veritas to get this tech up and running. So if we were to here and now say, yes we're entering a trade and research deal with them. With more political haggling with the aid of Fadila, would Helios be willing to 'modify'/ lift those restrictions?

Because I am assuming we do have that power to do so and is why the count or council didn't tell us no. Unless we're acting before they have a chance to tell us not to.
>>
>>2681172
Yes you do, and Fadila is there as backup. Though ideally you want to get them to be able to work with Helios since they can cause a great deal of trouble otherwise.
>>
>>2681154
>no intention of helping the Dominion build a weapon to rival what the Neeran can do.
>Improving the Dominion's weapons technology I might even be reluctant over.
No wonder nobody likes you guys. What do they even want? Pure isolation from everyone? Their own empire? We should have just annexed them.
>>
>>2681154
>>2681182

Okay then.

From the way I am understanding things. Helios is afraid to give Veritas technology they view as sensitive and that they do not want to risk being given to SRL or being stolen by the SRL. But they are willing to 'modify' their terms and conditions to allow Veritas access to those technologies if another more prominent/ well established house, is willing to take the blow in case that technology ends up in the hands of the SRL, right?

Of that is the case then cant we have Fadila work with the Helios rep and the Veritas rep. To come to an agreement which all parties agree to. Because it just sounds like Helios doesn't want to be the ones responsible in the event the technology ends up in the hands of the SRL. To affect their own standing among the seven and their own allies.

In short, they want to be able to pass the blame to someone else.

I think we can work with this.

>>2681195
They are afraid of helping their enemies who will undoubtedly use that technology against them. Especially since a lot of house currently believe Veritas should not be and their territory annexed by someone else.

I cant blame them for wanting to be left alone in their own little pocket. Considering they are surrounded on all sides by rivals/ enemies. And their only saving grace keeping them from being directly attacked by other houses seems to be their allegiance to the current RH.

But they do eventually need to contribute to the Dominion in another way. If they want to continue to remain their own little pocket sized house. Otherwise BH could very well out weigh the usefulness of protecting them against so many aggressors.
>>
>>2681212
I mean, it's not like there's a shortage of 'superweapons' for them to be afraid of. If people really wanted them gone, you could just show up with a Siege Array.

Imagine if they cooperated with Helios and the RH to make some kind of phase superweapon. They'd get some valuable experience and potentially keep the RH, who protects them, in power for much longer. Not to mention potentially the blueprints for it and a sense that they're willing to cooperate.

They might not like it but they're still a House and part of the Dominion.
>>
>>2681231

I agree that there are dozens of other superweapons and WMD's that could end them.

I also agree with you that they need to contribute more than just a Super and whatever else they have agreed to with BH. Working with us and Helios can help them in the long run though it may seem in the short run they are harming themselves. If they can show a willingness to work with other houses. And form stronger bonds with the other great Houses, it'll serve to help reinforce their purpose/ presence in the Dominion. Beyond that of just another small house that is there because the RH says so.

Maybe they can use this as a means of propaganda to calm the tits of houses who only know of Veritas through rumor and little else. Thus decreasing their number of enemies somewhat and calming some of the overt hostility shown by other houses within the Dominion. It should be hard to be openly against another houses existence if more then one of the seven and RH acknowledge that their presence is worth while to the Dominion and worth protecting.
>>
>>2681195
>We should have just annexed them.
Think of all the fun with insurgencies you've missed.

>>2681212
>They are afraid of helping their enemies who will undoubtedly use that technology against them.
This is true really of both parties here.
The Dominion had a lot of trouble dealing with the Warlords when they came to power for a number of reasons. A weak Ruling House just made it worse.
Veritas had to fight off what was on paper a much more powerful House as soon as the fighting in South Reach picked up during the civil war. A House that was headed by a former Warlord (iirc), but still a House.

>willing to 'modify' their terms and conditions to allow Veritas access to those technologies if another more prominent/ well established house, is willing to take the blow in case that technology ends up in the hands of the SRL, right?
Or if the tech they can get out of them is really useful and is worth taking the risk for.

>they want to be able to pass the blame to someone else.
That works too.

>But they do eventually need to contribute to the Dominion in another way. Otherwise BH could very well out weigh the usefulness of protecting them against so many aggressors.
Also true. The Emperor isn't one to promise infinite protection until the end of time. There would be an expiration date.

>>2681231
>Imagine if they cooperated with Helios and the RH to make some kind of phase superweapon. They'd get some valuable experience and potentially keep the RH, who protects them, in power for much longer.
>They might not like it but they're still a House and part of the Dominion.
Good arguments.

Resuming tomorrow but not 100% sure when. Have to go to the bank and finish off the remaining mortgage issues from last week.
>>
>>2681323
Additionally, do they know what the situation at the Frontlines is like? It's only going to get worse once we push into actual Neeran space and have to start fighting their city ships. They'll be content to just sit back and send a meager detachment of those stupid phase cannon ships whilst the rest of the Dominion sends their forces to die, and the resent will just deepen.
>>
"This job is always an exercise in patience isn't it?" you say to Fadila.
"Yes it can be."

Turning back to the General and the ambassador you start in.
"We've established both of you have something the other wants. Ambassador, do you think House Helios and the Dominion would benefit from smaller phase weapons?"

"Yes. With them being the base weapon system of the Factions, many people would."
"Enough to trade the tech they're asking for? Keeping in mind they have about the worst relations with the South Reach League you can get. Hell the league used bio weapons against them. People don't forget that quickly."

Phy'ri Hy'drang frowns.
"We do still have concerns about the stability of their government. As the General just said the military has had to step in to keep their government in line."

"Sounds like a normal day in the Dominion to me. That makes them slightly more stable than House Kharbos and they're still a member of the Seven."
Hopefully nobody repeats that comment to the Kharbos ambassador later.
"Is your House willing to consider negotiations?"
"Provided they are."

That brings you to the General.
"You have to know that contributing that one Super isn't going to buy you protection forever. Working with the great Houses like Helios can help earn their protection and even trust in the long run. In some ways it may seem harmful to you in the short term, but that's because you're still thinking of yourselves as outsiders. For good or for ill you're part of the Dominion. Forming stronger bonds with other Houses is how smaller states survive.
It's how we survived, we were down to about three habitable worlds at one point. Show a willingness to work with others and you may even prove your House exists for reasons beyond the Ruling House saying so."

"So long as you're not asking us to help build super weapons..."

"That would be really cool if you could but I'm not exactly going to push it on you. As for why we would need them, have you seen what's going on up at the front lines? The Neeran have invalidated the need for the navigation relay system. They already had ships that can kill a planet, now they're throwing who knows what at us."

This last bit only gets a grumbled acknowledgement, but he's admitted there is a point there. You think.
It's progress.

Your little speech seems to have at least got the two of them talking and Fadila is there to helpfully mediate some options. Veritas leadership trusts you to an extent, not necessary your House diplomats, but since you've got the ball rolling they're willing to give Fadila a chance to do her job.

>Cont.
>>
Of course this can't be done all at once. All of you adjourn while representatives are given a chance to contact their respective governments. While the General has full authority to negotiate he'd rather check in with his fellows before finalising anything.

Your party is given quarters while aboard along with access to communications so you can assure your crew you haven't been taken hostage. Not yet at least. You're rather unsurprised to find the guest rooms to have been done up in various styles common in the Republic for visiting admirals and dignitaries. The Helios Ambassador's room has more modern Dominion decorations indicating this ship probably belonged to another House briefly. The Republic certainly didn't hesitate to sell them or production rights to Houses before the Civil War or after.

Do you want your ship to remain at low level alert stations just in case or stand down? Otherwise is there anything you'd like them to know?
>>
>>2683694

Have them move from a heightened state to a lower state. Have the gun crews take a breather and make any 'mandatory maintenance' to equipment while it is powered up. Also try and get an encoded message back to the House that we've made contact and are conducting talks.

Keep the crews ready for any hostilities, be they from Veritas or any surprise guests. So normal Dominion state of readiness I suppose.
>>
>>2683694
>Otherwise is there anything you'd like them to know?
That we're all fine and negotiations are proceeding. They can stand down, but keep heightened internal security for any stow-aways or saboteurs that might be about.
>>
You tell them not to completely stand down but make sure everyone is rotated and maintenance done if necessary. Things are probably fine but if that should change you want them ready to snap to without much delay. They're also asked to send a message to the House updating them that diplomatic talks are underway.

"Copy that sir. The long range jamming is down, but they've asked us to restrict communications to essentials only. Nothing extra that could give away our exact position."

"Yeah, they're trying to hide the position of this fleet so the other Houses cant spy on it as easily." you tell Maybourne. "Maybe they think they're being clever, I don't know."

While outwardly dismissive of Veritas paranoia, that doesn't mean you let your own guard down. This wouldn't be the first time you've slept in your armor and it probably won't be the last.

In the morning the diplomats resume their discussion, continuing on for a number of hours before calling another break. Fadila thinks that they'll agree to a basic tech transfer, though helping development of a super weapon is probably unlikely.

"Unlikely but not impossible." Fadila adds.
"What did you have in mind?" you ask.
"Bribery of the main electoral candidates."

You're not completely certain if this is a good idea. "Would that even work?"
"Financially Veritas is quite poor. Even if they dont want money for themselves you could always present your offer as resources to assist development of their House."

[ ] This is too likely to get us in trouble
[ ] The worst they can do is deport us, let's do it
[ ] Use intermediaries, none of it comes back to us
>>
>>2683877
>[ ] This is too likely to get us in trouble

Do we need a superweapon to counter the Neeran toy's we've seen come out of them just from this invasion? Yes, but lets save superweapon development as a plan to broach to more well established and trusted allies. Maybe pin it until we come back from our trip to the other sphere builder facility?
>>
>>2683877
>[ ] Use intermediaries, none of it comes back to us
>>
>>2683877
> [ ] The worst they can do is deport us, let's do it
>>
>>2683877
>>[ ] Use intermediaries, none of it comes back to us

Switching to this because fuck 3 way ties.
>>
>>2683877
[ ] This is too likely to get us in trouble
I am partial with anon on this. I would rather develop a superweapon with the likes of Helios
>>
>>2683877
>[ ] Use intermediaries, none of it comes back to us
>>
>>2683877
> [ ] Use intermediaries, none of it comes back to us

This is what we pay our intelligence guys for.
>>
>>2683896
Laser. Sun.

Come onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn, come on come on come on.
>>
>>2684162

A weapon with the firepower of a hundred phase canons sounds like something already in use. By the Neeran no less, with their large mining ship with a front end dedicated to a huge mining laser that can mine planets. We could just steal one of theirs and let the egg heads have at it.

As for weaponizing suns, we should seek assistance from houses larger then Veritas and have readily available access to remote systems where we can test the idea of turning a star into a WMD of stellar proportions.
>>
>>2684207
Man, don't get me started about all the exotic rays and shit blasted out.

Not to mention the gravitational distortion.
>>
>>2683877
>[ ] Use intermediaries, none of it comes back to us

or we could actually loan them a few dozen million on very favorable terms to help them out with something. A joint phase research facility or shipyard or something.
>>
Am I the only one that wants to steal the Neerans gravitational superweapon that allows them to fling around Alliance super carriers?
>>
Whispering to Fadila you tell her; "Use intermediaries, none of it comes back to us."

"I'll see what I can do."

After the mid day break things resume agains and the diplomats complete an agreement for ongoing R&D joint projects that would benefit both parties.
"We worked things out and nobody was shot or abducted. This is good."

General Kadryin finds this amusing though Phy'ri Hy'drang does not entirely understand why those specifically would factor in.
"Did you not hear what happened to the first diplomatic party sent to the Free Planets League?"
"Not specifically, no."
"They were abducted by a mercenary working for the warlords who wanted to interrupt talks. It took some work to get them back."

"Viscount Reynard I am not signing up for one of your crazy missions again."
>>
So apparently fiber optic lines are being put into my building today and tomorrow so I'm going to have to stop here until Friday. Hopefully they finish mine early, we'll see.

Decide how much bribe money you want to offer.
>>
>>2684491
2 -5 million a vote.

Historically bureaucrats are surprisingly cheap.
>>
>>2684491
Set up a 10m fund for Fadila to use on targets she sees fit.
>>
>>2684491
25M fund
>>
>>2684528
10 million seems reasonable. Still a fairly decent chunk of money. It may be pocket change for us but we got a rather twisted view of what constitutes a large pot of gold.
>>
>>2684491
> Offer shares in superweapon development + money

Make sure they stay bought.
>>
10 million seems to be the middle of the road choice. Suitably skilled people will be given the job after reaching Surakeh.

With the agreements signed you return to the Outer Heaven and are given jump data for a return trip to the trade station. The General requests that you not share your sensor data on the composition of the Veritas First Fleet. Though if that proves to be impossible it's understood that these things do happen.

"By the time you return to Rioja we will hopefully have had our elections and returned to being a democratic state. I'm sorry that now isn't the best time for a lengthier visit."

"I get that. Just don't scare the hell out of me with a gravity well generator again. I've had enough attempts on my life for ten people."

"Again, sorry. Safe travels."
"Thank you."

Returning to Surakeh you update Winifred on the diplomatic situation and check in with Rioja. There are the usual small things such as a con artist that was selling fake plasma weapons that were just a Hall-effect thruster.

A summons from the Emperor has arrived at Rioja. It requests your presence at the old Ber'helum capital in 5 months time.
>>
>>2687832
>A summons from the Emperor
Well you don’t get that every day.

We’re any further details provided?
>>
>>2687863
>We’re any further details provided?
There is a sealed letter with it that is biometrically sealed. You'd have to open it yourself and it's on Rioja.

Resuming tomorrow evening!

I am going to be wiped out. It's supposed to be crazy hot out tomorrow.
>>
>>2687832
That should give us more than enough time to finish the trip and set our affairs in order before heading out.

That we're being summoned to the old capital is significant. TSTG hinted about our diamond mine earlier, and if the Emperor wants to maximize security their old capital is probably a lot more secure than the planet that they just moved to and is crawling with spies from every Major House and every Faction as well.

Shit's gonna be crazy if we get SP production online. It would fundamentally alter the balance of power between the Factions. If the Dominion isn't delicate, the Terrans might think an SP-armed Dominion is a greater threat than the Neeran and the Factions Alliance could collapse. On the other hand, unveiling Dominion SP technology during the war might come at a time when the Terrans can't afford to do anything about it.
>>
>>2687832
>A summons from the Emperor has arrived at Rioja. It requests your presence at the old Ber'helum capital in 5 months time.

Well then! We cant turn that down. I think we should make sure we have everything in order before heading that way. I can only imagine the count and council are concerned for the 'why' that we are being summoned to old B'H capital. I wonder if this would be a good time to mention to him our upcoming trip to the other sphere maker facility during our next deployment. If we haven't already? To help level off or make up for any dangers incurred from having data on diamond mines, because he is technically bound to protect our house from rivals/ enemies. Bring something in that is of greater worth then any threat posed by us having data on Diamond mines.

>There is a sealed letter with it that is biometrically sealed. You'd have to open it yourself and it's on Rioja.

Clearly we need a sealed room with no eyes or ears to watch or listen when we open this.
>>
>>2688118
While we're here, we should try to get a one-on-one with Winifred somewhere as secure as possible - maybe ask if she knows a good place to hunt or hike way out in the middle of nowhere, or just imply that we need to have a very quiet conversation. I think she and Duncan are the only two people in the House who we're certain know about the data, and I think it would be valuable to ask her who else in the House knows and tell her what we think the invitation is about.
>>
>>2688390

If it is about that thing. Then we shouldn't be telling anyone what we believe. If I remeber correctly. Winifred said never to make mention of it again. Or that is what I took from it, the more people we tell why we believe we are going the more sucpicious it is going to be.

Our bosses boss has summoned us. And while we do have a history with him before he was the Emperor. Now that he is, him summoning us draws a lot of attention to what we are doing and have been doing. Maybe have a heavily encoded message passed to them saying to check their people for leakers about sensitive info privy to closely held secrets from the Smugglers Run days.

I want to believe he is summoning us to talk about our upcoming deployment. He knows we are trust worthy. Maybe he wants us to steal working prototypes from the Neeran superweapons or that we bring back technology from the sphere builder facility. That will give the Dominion an edge.

Or maybe the Terrans have learned that we have data on diamond mines. And since they dont want to ruin public relations, seeing how they just hired our company to fix their worlds. And because we asked for his protection of our house publicly. They have informed him of what we have and are giving us a chance to hand over/ destroy that data. And avoid having a very messy situation jeapordize the alliance and relations between the Dominion and the Terrans.
>>
I highly doubt the Terrans now about Diamond Mine in itself. We've made no mentions or attempts to start it up or even prospect a site for it and as far as I can tell neither has Winifred. There is all but three individuals in the whole house that knows about it. Neither of which would betray that secret. No. The reason for the summon is something Dominion related. Much like anon said it's probably about our up and coming deployment.

But I do think we should schedule a meeting with Winifred while we are down here to talk about Diamond Mine in a secure location if we want to get this ball rolling.

After which we head over to the Emperor at good speed. He deserves our attention after all.
>>
>>2688390
>While we're here, we should try to get a one-on-one with Winifred
>>2688480
>But I do think we should schedule a meeting with Winifred while we are down here

>>2688477
>we shouldn't be telling anyone what we believe.

Decisions, decisions.
>>
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After hearing about the letter you decide to meet with Winifred talk things over. The two of you discuss the recent work with Veritas and other things while cruising around in a limo. Getting the impression that you'd prefer to go somewhere lacking monitoring devices she has her driver pull over while out in the country.
Getting out she leads the way into a nearby attraction she apparently spotted, something called a maize maze. With no time to scout ahead her bodyguards secure the exterior.

"We won't have long before drones begin monitoring us. Keep your voice down but speak quickly."
"I'm being summoned to the old Ber'helum capital by the Emperor. Do you think it's about that thing we more or less agreed to never talk about?"

Winifred considers.
"If it is our lives will have just become far more interesting."

"I'm considering bringing it along to the meeting."
"Don't." Winifred advises. "It can always be recovered later. Bring only what's asked. As a precaution I'll suggest our mutual friend prepare a drop point, just in case."

That's really all there is to say on that matter unless you wanted to ask anything else?

Things this morning didn't exactly go as planned. Will be resuming a bit later than I thought I was going to.
>>
>>2688549
>That's really all there is to say on that matter unless you wanted to ask anything else?

"We should begin preparations for the Diamond Mine regardless. Enough time has passed and everyone is focused is elsewhere right now. Not to mention we've never been stronger than right now. Perhaps now is the time to being prospecting for a proper site? I was thinking something mobile."
>>
Opinions on giving the Emperor a Veckron Injector so he can stay alive longer?
>>
>>2688590
Yes.

>>2688561
No. If the Emperor says no then we shouldn't do jack shit that could be traced back to us.
>>
>>2688590
I thought those work only on humans
>>
>>2688561
>We should begin preparations
>>2688712
>No
Well then that's not inconclusive at all.

>>2688590
Already going to live for quite awhile. Probably.
>>2688829
They've only been tested on Humans to your knowledge, but the ones you have are 400 years old. With the recovery of the Vieona it is probable the Alliance have begun producing them to allow their crews to survive using Veckron weaponry. Probably for other species too.
>>
>>2689778
[x] Begin preparations
>>
>>2689778
Lets not prepare to build anything related to diamond mines just yet.
>>
File deleted.
As your group makes preparations for the return to Rioja there are updates from the war. There is still fighting ongoing in the Crystal Sea, though it is beginning to diminish. No additional enemy reinforcements are arriving and elements have begun to retreat in some places. This is good news. The Alliance fleets are battered, worn and badly in need of repairs for their ships and rest for the crews.

Recovery operations are already underway in efforts to salvage as many of the new Supers that were lost over the course of the fighting. Nearly two thirds of the available Dominion built mobile fleet bases are being used to help with on site refits of the most badly damaged vessels.

The older Iratar reserve ships are believed to have taken heavy losses. Older model mega class ships crewed by clones are known to have committed ramming attacks on a couple of occasions when their weapons proved insufficient to get through Neeran shields in a timely manner. Considering a Neeran Executioner could probably destroy an old style Mega in one volley time would be an issue.

Hours before departure you're contacted by Alliance Intelligence officer Captain Gaben Wilson. He was in overall command of inter operations being conducted by the Heavy Carrier Suvorov behind enemy lines.

"Let me guess, you need me to come back and save the sphere?"

"No, they're gone. The main fleet left and there's only a Super Carrier to maintain operations the heavies are responsible for. They've forming up with reinforcements that have just arrived from the Empire. We think they're making a run at the Shallan inner colonies and their capital to try and break their government."

Someone might as well tell the Neeran right now that isn't going to work, not with the Shallan military State in control.
"Are they going to need reinforcements?" you ask.
"Yes but we're not in terrible shape. The Alliance Admiralty refused to pull Supers stationed in Shallan space to deal with fighting in the Crystal Sea. Otherwise we'd be up a creek."

Well that's something they did right.

Wilson estimates it could be another hour at best before the Alliance can formally request reinforcements from anyone still able to provide them. That will probably mean redeploying Faction fleets already in Shallan space away from their missions liberating colony worlds. Most of those are in the Maelstrom galaxy securing the right flank.

Do you want to call your boss or Winifred about possibly sending more reinforcements?
>>
>>2689964

Can we get a conference call with the two of them. And get things figured out to send the Foreberance out now to go with the Alliance fleet to recapture the Sphere from the Empire Neeran there. Now that the Neeran are no longer sending reinforcements through the sea, this would be a good time to get any volunteers from the currently deployed fleets to join the Foreberance in reclaiming the sphere.

I know this is going to cause some exhaustion on the pilots who likely want to come home and rest. But this is an opportunity for us to get even more loot from the caretaker neeran. Especially if they've worked with the alliance in coming to terms on what technology to share. So this would give us a good excuse to include J-D in any such agreement.
>>
You thank the Captain and contact Winifred, telling her to set up a call to Count Jerik. You're not far away, and it only takes a few minutes to reach Winifred's command ship. By the time you arrive she's just managed to get through dealing with subordinates.

"What's the situation?" he asks.
You quickly bring him up to speed.

"If possible I'd like to suggest pulling our currently deployed fleets from the Crystal Sea area to link up with any reinforcements we send to Shallan Space."

Count Jerik shakes his head. "That won't be possible. The Neeran may be beginning to retreat from that front but too many Faction units there are currently engaged. We'll never get authorisation for a full withdrawal at this stage. Knight Commander Nel'odym may be able to transfer some small units over but that's all we can count on."

Damn.
>>
>>2690053

Then what about asking Avun if she is available to lead a fleet out to help take back the sphere with the alliance? Or any of the other up and coming knight-commanders are up for the task of taking back the sphere to ensure J-D is up for the task.

I know we should be going there. But with the Emperors summons and us not knowing when the Alliance will be making any actions to retake the sphere. They could be attacking the sphere in the next five months or after five months.
>>
>>2690072
Avun is available. All of the Knight Commanders are deployed.

The sphere is currently still located behind enemy lines. There are important supporting systems with major Neeran fleet bases that need to be captured before the system could be taken without risk of a counterattack. Those bases were scheduled to be taken out later this year after conclusion of operations in the Maelstrom galaxy.
>>
>>2690094
Maybe we can put together a QRF and be in and out within 4 months?
>>
>>2690101
To destroy the enemy forces present at the sphere? Potentially. That wouldn't solve the problem of it still being behind enemy lines and thus vulnerable to re-occupation by another Neeran commander. If they wanted to risk it.
>>
>>2690094

Oh, I then I completely misunderstood the previous post, I thought that they were going to make a concentrated push to retake the sphere now that the Neeran were retreating. But if they are going to be taking their time then, that gives us time to get our fleets back after deploying them. To give them a moments rest.

We can get plans straightened out to properly push forward with appropriately equipped fleets with actual goals. Rather then sending them to the front in the hopes they think of means to slow or stop Neeran on the fly.
>>
>>2690131
The enemy is making a push towards the Shallan capital, having pulled units from non-essential areas. (The sphere is considered a non-essential area.) The Alliance and Shallan military will need to bring in reinforcements to slow down the enemy fleets headed for the capital. The Alliance didn't send any fleets from Shallan space to fight in Crystal sea. If they had they'd be screwed right now.
Alliance/Faction forces currently in Shallan space are going to redeploy from planetary assault and colony capture operations to defending the Shallan colony worlds.

Do you advise the Count for or against sending forces to assist in the defense of the Shallan homeworlds?
>>
>>2690148

We could always hire a certain mercenary in the PCCG to go help protect the Shallan worlds. She may not like the Military Government, but I would imagine she would like a chance to go back and protect her home. Same with any Shallan's she has in her fleet, this could be the means for the Shallan government in exile to gain a way back in favor with the Shallan people.

I want to give our fleets the rest they need after being shotgunned at the Neeran invasion. And after that mess I bet the good Admiral and her suit have gotten some experience fighting Neeran and are looking for a reason to head into Shallan space.
>>
>>2690161
Mezan's crews are not yet ready, that's why they haven't deployed to Crystal sea or one of the other fronts already. Crews should reach basic levels of aptitude with another month's training, though the pilots and command crews are supposedly much better. Without the engineers needed to maintain precision vessels like the Eclipse and Dusk they wouldn't last long in a real deployment.

Additionally Mezan can't enter Shallan space without risking being arrested at this point. If she were leading a veteran unit hired by the Alliance because of a good record it would be another story, but they're not vets they're untested rookies.

A mercenary that should be available would be Berwari though it's entirely possible he's with big the SRL fleet that recently deployed to PCCG space. They're the ones getting the new mass driver siege gun turrets.
>>
"Viscount our House has five fleet groups that can be launched on short notice not counting Forbearance. Are you volunteering to lead one, suggesting someone who should, or are you of the opinion we've committed enough to the war effort at this time?

Our relations with the Shallan state are cordial enough even despite giving safe haven to some of their more troublesome citizens. Or perhaps because of it for now. I expect that sending support or not could affect our long term relations with the state."

If you choose not to go yourself it's not like you don't have extenuating circumstances with that letter from the Emperor.

>1) What are you plans?
1A) Volunteering
1B) Suggest someone else (Who?)
2C) We've committed enough

>2) In the event of 1B winning who do you think should go?
[ ] Daska
[ ] Avun
[ ] Alex
[ ] Desh Xisoth
[ ] Dremine
[ ] Avun (Forbearance)
[ ] Saputo (Forbearance)
[ ] Jor'ron (Forbearance)
[ ] Winifred (Forbearance)
>>
And since this seems survey worthy

surveymonkey com/r/ 7JFZ329
>>
>>2690308
>2C) We've committed enough
>>
>>2690308
>1B) Suggest someone else (Who?)

We have any Shallans at or near thr level needed?

>2) In the event of 1B winning who do you think should go?

Whoever wants it most
>>
>>2690308

1) What are you plans?
>1B) Suggest someone else (Who?)

2) In the event of 1B winning who do you think should go?
>[ ] Desh Xisoth

Or as >>2690521 suggested whoever wants it most.
>>
>>2690521
>We have any Shallans at or near thr level needed?
That are experienced fleet commanders? Not really, they dont tend to stay unemployed for long. Mezan could theoretically do it but there's the slight problem that the Count wouldn't allow it, not without another Baron being in overall command of the fleet.
House J-D personnel would likewise probably be reluctant to follow a foreign leader. It's one thing if they're from another House (even then there can be problems) but another Faction?

There are Shallan Knights but none of them at Knight Commander level yet.
>>
See you guys tomorrow. Have to finish off a few things early on then hoping to resume around 12PM EST.
>>
Apologies everyone, today has greatly exceeded my worst case scenarios. Resuming as soon as I can.
>>
You suggest that Desh Xisoth deploy with Anvil Crawler, the recently upgraded Zeus Heavy. If its weapons upgrade has been completed it should be fine. If it's still mostly reliant on torpedo launchers? That could be even better if the Alliance can equip it with enough SP torps.
You don't bother to point out it's also probably your most expendable ship among the heavy fleet assets. There is no shortage of potential replacements that would be better suited for use by your House.

Winifred speaks up.
"I am likewise ready to deploy with my fleet and take command of Forbearance if you would allow it."

The Count is reluctant to authorize that especially after the difficulties faced by Alliance and J-D fleets in fighting new enemy Supers.
"How well upgraded is it now?" he asks you.

The Monitor class medium escorts assigned to her have seen some upgrades. They can carry heavier shield projectors in place of some torpedo batteries allowing them and their charge better protection.

By now there should be enough of the new Helios phased plasma siege cannons built to equip Forbearance with them. The crews will still a bit unused to them but they can deal with that in the field. They did well enough switching gun types when fighting House Nasidum here in the Run. Overall the ship should be ready to go.

[ ] It's not ready
[ ] It should do well enough
[ ] Ready for almost anything
>>
>>2692348
>[ ] Ready for almost anything
>>
>>2692348
>[ ] It should do well enough
>>
>>2692348
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=rvdYly4A5W0#
>>
>>2692348

Baring Neeran Superweapons that fuck with gravity and shit, the Forberance should do fine.

>[ ] It should do well enough
>>
>>2692348
>[ ] It should do well enough
It is still a faction Super and unless it is a top of the line Alliance flagship super it wont be able to match a Executioner. But I doubt it will be deployed on it's own and if the Zeus is there to back it up with plenty of SP torpedoes it will be able to manage most things. It is about as good as we can make it.
>>
"It should do well enough." you answer.

"Very well. Baron Winifred I'm giving you command of Forbearance, but you are to remain out of the direct fighting if at all possible. Keep Forbearance alive and out of situations where you could become the target of a counterattack. Provide assistance to allies as you feel necessary. Don't go looking for a fight. We can not afford to lose that ship."

"I understand. Count Jerik, Viscount, I need to go deploy my fleet. I would appreciate it if you would see that Forbearance can rendezvous with us in the Pandora Cluster."

You promise to get it done. As Winifred heads off you remain on the line with the Count.
"I half expected you to volunteer Viscount. Worried?"

You tell him about the summons from the Emperor.

"That would cut things a bit close for a deployment." He agrees. "Do you know what it's about?"

>What say?

Have to shut down for a few minutes to see if by fuse box can survive running the A/C. Back as soon as I can.
>>
>>2692478
"Potentially. I don't want to comment unless we're face to face though."
>>
>>2692478
"Honestly? I do not have the faintest clue. It came sort of out of no where and I can't think of anything I have done as of late that would demand the Emperors direct attention. Most likely it's something from the Emperors side. Some plan or scheme of his that he either needs me for or would like my input on publicly. Even if I do get a little paranoid about a few irons I got in the fire so to say but there is a 99.9 percent chance it is not... that. None the less I am not worried, even if I will be careful."
>>
>>2692478

>What say?

"I got plenty of crazy way out there ideas to why and a few normal ones, like my visit to Veritas space with the Helios rep. That or to ask me to get the Rulling House something during my next deployment. You know, normal Dominion stuff."
>>
Honestly? I do not have the faintest clue. I've got plenty of crazy way out there ideas as to potentially why, but nothing solid. Most of those I don't want to comment on unless we're face to face though. You know, normal Dominion stuff."

"Well if possible please keep me informed. Now I should let you go, you'll have to talk to Baron Avun about readying Forbearance."

"Yes sir!"

Once the channel is closed you do just that, making sure Avun and the techs at Rioja are aware of just what needs to happen. The first two guns that were produced had already been undergoing testing at secure sites in the Run so the gunnery crews won't be completely inexperienced with them. Within the day the new guns have been fitted and the ship is ready to depart, setting out for the rendezvous with Winifred.

Likewise the older Baron wastes little time in rallying her own forces. It doesn't take much longer for her to gather ships and crews before departure. Unlike her usual deployments she barely takes any ground troops, only those that can be stationed aboard her warships. An additional group under the command of one of her Generals will take the week to form up army units. They'll wait in the Pandora cluster to see if they'll be needed. By the time they get there they should know one way or another if there is any point in committing troops to retake planets.

Your own party sets course for Rioja, aiming to quickly return home. On the way there reports start to come in. As seen before the Neeran have been making modifications to some of their command ships. Each one now has a dozen turreted beam weapons roughly as powerful as the Executioner's anti-ship guns. They're deploying in formations with Executioners, tearing through any fleets or stations that get in their way.

With multiple groups like this operating often in close support of one another it's proving difficult to bring enough firepower to bear against them.

"I can't believe they're actually using a doom stack." Troy gripes.

"How are they not running out of supplies?" you ask.

Troy brings up a speculative report. It suggests that the large population usually aboard command ships to support lengthy campaigns may have been disembarked to make room for more logistics capacity.
>>
>>2692824
>It suggests that the large population usually aboard command ships to support lengthy campaigns may have been disembarked to make room for more logistics capacity.
I wish we'd saved the antimatter teleport capsule for this.
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As if things weren't bad enough someone believed to be the Neeran Emperor has publicly issued a decree. Halfway measures will no longer be tolerated. If the Shallan government doesn't surrender the Neeran armada will destroy every world that lies in their path. Every day they resist billions will perish.

Winifred isn't going to need those ground troops. Not for fighting on planets at least.

There won't be time to conduct large scale evacuations of planets in the armada's path, they're moving too quickly. The Shallan state is doing everything they can to survive, pulling ships from every front and putting them into the defense of their core colonies. Before all remaining media feeds were ordered cut there were civilians rioting on at least 50 worlds in the path of the invasion. More than a few of them have probably surrendered by now.

The Alliance isn't taking this lying down. What few images that are getting out clearly show the flash of V-Torps going off. The rate at which they're expending Veckron weaponry can't be sustainable. Then again if it slows them down it's probably worth it.

By the time you reach Rioja primary combat operations in the Crystal Sea have finally reached their conclusion. Nel'odym reports that the Sam Bellamy should be repaired soon, though there are still plenty of small unit actions ongoing. Raiders and such are common enough in the forward most relays so it's not seen as a huge concern. For now it's enough to keep the fleet busy.

Two attack wings and a few smaller squadrons are being transferred to Shallan space. The newer Neeran Heavy Cruiser and LRBS II's are also being sent. They managed to survive their engagements with the loss of two battleships. It's hard to believe the way your House can shrug off battleship losses these days when 17 years ago the loss of just one would have been a serious blow.
>>
>>2692940
>As if things weren't bad enough someone believed to be the Neeran Emperor has publicly issued a decree. Halfway measures will no longer be tolerated. If the Shallan government doesn't surrender the Neeran armada will destroy every world that lies in their path. Every day they resist billions will perish.


Well if there was ever a reason to give no ground to the Neeran Empire. I wonder how they would feel to end up with their own member states being blown to oblivion. Now where is that one anon who suggested weaponizing stars? Turn a few into supernovas in Neeran Empire space.
>>
You're only back on Rioja for a few hours before the Shallan Ambassador requests to see you. They're looking for governments or individuals with attack cruiser shipyards willing to produce a new design for them. It's a stripped down Vengeance type that has no weapons. More powerful shields and afterburners are equipped, the crew sections replaced with a basic assault corvette cockpit assembly. Everything forward of the drive core has been replaced with a cargo bay that would seem to require more power than you would expect.

"What is this?" you have to ask, already suspicious you know the answer.
"It's a tanker bomb. The cargo bay will either be filled with metallic hydrogen or antimatter."

[ ] I am not building kamikaze ships
[ ] It would take too long to get them to the front
[ ] We may be able to arrange that
[ ] Other?
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>>2693029
>[ ] I am not building kamikaze ships
>>
>>2692959
>Now where is that one anon who suggested weaponizing stars? Turn a few into supernovas in Neeran Empire space.
If they had any suggestions for systems that were portable I'm sure the Alliance would be a bit more likely to listen to them right now. The Kavarian Stellar Matter Harvester being rather large would be difficult to transport. They're not even sure if one would survive a jump or collapse in on itself.
>>
>>2693029

They do realize how much Vekron weaponry is being thrown around, right? Those ships will blow up within our own lines before they even reach the enemy. And even then who are they going to get to pilot those death traps? Prisoners with death sentences? Slaves? Or are they just hoping for lots of volunteers to make kamikaze runs?

I would love to help them in stopping the Neeran. But god damn, it is this or utter annihilation isn't it? Are they going to accept the responsibility and fallout for purchasing these ships? We'll catch a ton of fallout for building these things. But we can cast it off as helping a valued ally facing total annihilation. They'll be the ones putting this mark forever on their heads.

Give us a day to make our decision I say. That way we can talk with Fadila and see what our choices are. Because I want to help them, but making purposeful fireships with the only intent of being anti-matter bombs? If just one of these things disappear while filled with anti-matter and a terrorist has a hold of it.

Sorry, I'm torn here between help and telling them no. Can we get Fadila's input? I'm sure she'll say no, but gotta check.
>>
>>2693029
>[ ] Other?
I'd rather throw the resources required to build these at the Terrans or Kavarians to build more SP or V torpedoes. Ships filled with antimatter will also be a liability in larger alliance combined fleet actions.
>>
You look to your advisers, many of whom are surprised by the request or seem to be giving it serious thought. Your first reaction is to answer that you're not building kamikaze ships. That might not be very diplomatic.

"Give me a day to consider this matter."

The Ambassador agrees but warns that time is of the essence. Once they've been shown out you turn to the others.

"...opinions?"

Vanderwal gets everyone's attention before Fadila has a chance to speak.
"Just two things. Firstly, I've seen this design before."

"Where?" You hope it wasn't Archivald's fire ship fleet.

"The Terrans once wanted to build a Veckron weapon the size of a ship. To blow up stars maybe, I don't know. They had to agree to cease development as part of treaties after the Faction Wars had ended. That's the ship they were planning to use. A modified Vengeance type that was a giant warhead."

Interesting. "And the other thing?"

"Our House has fire ships. We haven't used them, but Archivald came close to doing so towards the end of the Civil War."
Of course he knew about them. How could your spymaster not know about them?

"Anyone else?" you ask the others.

"If they need them they can build those ships themselves." Fadila answers. "Producing them here would only run the risk of them falling into the wrong hands."

Troy agrees on that last part. The threat of tanker bombs is already real enough without fast vessels built for it.

Jan points out that there are much better ships to use in such a role, though he suddenly decides against saying just what those are.

Admiral Tama is against it overall, though he does ask how desperate we might be in the same situation.

Looks like mostly negative opinions.

>>2693090
>Those ships will blow up within our own lines before they even reach the enemy.
If they were to use them at the same time yes. They wouldn't operate in concert with V-Torp cruisers. The same way Helios AM Torp launcher Mediums don't operate with them. They'd have to stage attacks as part of different waves.

>And even then who are they going to get to pilot those death traps?
Clearly they'd have to work on recruitment themselves. Given their government situation it's doubtful they'd share what methods they used.
>>
>>2693249

While I don't know if the Shallan Government wants those fireships. We could sell them to the Shallans and at that point it's up to the Shallans to use those fireships. Thus clearing out our stash of those things, if Archivald or whoever currently has control of those things feels like selling them off.

So I'll go with not building them. But we can sell them those fireships we have, if those in our house with them want to get rid of them no questions asked.
>>
Have we tried checking the status of the alliance research projects we are involved in recently? Because I don't remember getting an overview over them since before the civil war
>>
Looks like we're refusing. Anyone else interested in seeing if it's possible to sell the old House fire ships to them?
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>>2693329
Yeah I'd like to refer it along the appropriate paths.
>>
>>2693364
>>2693270
The buck does not stop here. You ask Archivald if he'd be willing to sell the remaining fire ships to the now very desperate Shallans. He seems against this as they only just finished relocating them recently, details of which apparently took some effort to keep secret.

"There's no way you're going to budge on this?"
"I'm afraid not. You spoke against my stepping down as commander of the home fleet. As long as I have this job it's is one thing I'm insisting on keeping in place."

Well shit.

Not seeing any reason to delay any longer you contact the ambassador and inform them that you're turning down the offer to produce their antimatter fire ships. You hope they've not needed and that the Faction fleets prevail making them unnecessary.
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>>2693324
>Have we tried checking the status of the alliance research projects we are involved in recently?
The 3 you had with the Alliance regarding Sphere artifacts continue to make advancements very slowly.

>Plasma weapon
This has contributed to the state of Alliance man portable Plasma weapon development. The variable plasma rifle developed by the Dominion based on Republic, Aries and Neeran tech is in the final stages of being upgraded to Alliance standard. This improved model should be able to enter mass production in a few months.
The Republic are annoyed that the Dominion may soon have a better infantry plasma weapon than they do, as the Dominion VPR has better ranged capability.

The Mark 8 plasma pistol is nearing completion, though it offers little improvement over the far more mass produced Mark 7. It may only see limited production. A new plasma Rifle/Carbine based on the Mark 8 is expected to be completed around the same time.

Check your mail, you'll have new guns soon(tm).

>Amplifier artifact
This had been contributing little else to Alliance Veckron research so they gave it back to you. Or you took it back. Either way it stopped being in their posession after the Civil War. Since being on the sphere you've learned a thing or two about ways it can be used. Things they may not have considered, or had perhaps considered too dangerous.

Continued research into this will require use of your sphere armor or the Nxesi Pattern Relic Armor. Someone trained in the use of artifact weapons will also need to be assigned to demonstrate. It is possible that some of the Light Neeran may already be assisting with this now that Sam and Dave have visited the Sphere, though obviously they don't use equipment in quite the same way.

>Tissue regeneration
Is actually making progress. They've managed to duplicate the "heal beam" though only within a small area, and requiring large and inefficient equipment.

>Micro E-beam
Why do I keep forgetting we loaned this to the Rovinar? I keep thinking we haven't.

The Rovinar estimate that at their current rate of progress they should have a man portable e-beam weapon of their own in 750 years. Give or take. It is helpful in improving their own weapons making them both smaller and more efficient. In compensation they can provide enough newer guns to equip 2 Nocturn class ships. Or Krath weaponry to equip 1 of them.

Do you want to assign someone from your expedition to helping the Alliance with their Amplifier artifact R&D?
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>>2693522
>Do you want to assign someone from your expedition to helping the Alliance with their Amplifier artifact R&D?
If it helps them.
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>>2693522
>Do you want to assign someone from your expedition to helping the Alliance with their Amplifier artifact R&D?

Sure hopefully they should be able to do something with it. Maybe starship sized absorption armor that turns incoming weapons fire into a beam of instant death at its target.
>>
Sonia Reynard
Valeri Fusaro
Knight Illya
Troy Harmen
Ella Rufaro
Lt Arif Sayadov

These are the only people that got armor and can use it efectively. Sayadov has now technically completed his 5 years mandatory service and could leave to return to House Kharbos. If they wanted him back that is. They're still not happy that a sizeable chunk of their House military decided to make a deal with an alien artificial intelligence to take over the Dominion.

You could suggest the assignment as a vacation following the end of his term.

Illya went home and will be training Knights there for a couple years probably before returning. Everyone else is sort of busy most of the time. Rufaro could take a break from her captain of the guard thing for a couple months.

Anyone you had in mind?
>>
>>2693605

If Sayadov wants to go back home, let him. I believe we also promised to give him is weapon back after his service with us? I would guess now would be the best time to give it back to him. Though maybe let him know he might not receive a warm welcome and if he would like to he could stay here and we could employ him.
>>
>>2693605
I'm leaning towards Sayadov or Rufaro.
>>
>>2693605
But yeah, Sayadov or Rufaro, whichever one is more willing to go.
>>
>>2693636
>>2693673
Rufaro for a couple months while Sayadov sorts things out then? Keep the job open to him.

Oh yes, your letter from the Emperor. Along with the official summons was a small letter. Pressing your thumb to the fancy looking seal holding it closed causes it to disintegrate on reading your DNA. Within is a nearly written letter.

Sonia Reynard, you are requested to attend a meeting with a number of forward thinking individuals from throughout the Dominion. Some of these you may be friends with, others enemies. Regardless you and they are all under my protection over the course of the meeting and none of you will be permitted to harm one another.
Do not bring anything you might be afraid to lose.
Please do not do anything more insane than usual. The Terrans are watching you.

Destroy this letter.

-Emperor Aros Ber'Helum


The next issue is how to destroy a letter when there are carpeted floors everywhere?
>Ideas?
>>
>>2693697
Eat it.
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>>2693697

Well we could plasma it and set off all sorts of alarms. Burn it?
>>
You sure hope this ink isn't poisonous. It doesn't taste any worse than one of the field rations you had to eat one time. What were those, Hune rations? Regardless you manage to choke it down without killing yourself or throwing up.

Once that's been dealt with you consider the Emperor's suggestion of not doing anything crazier than usual. What would that entail exactly?

Not long after you're contacted by Ferigold who seems a bit more eccentric than usual. A little different but still well within the bounds of their usual character. He informs you that two mercenaries from your House are alive and well but have been delayed in returning to your world for reasons of his own security. They're eager to reenlist as it were once they do return.

"You're one of the best when it comes to suggesting mercenaries who can complete a job. Thank you so very much. They should be returning to visit your fair world in another month or two."

"Well as long as they were able to help that's the important thing." you reply.
You still don't know what it was they were after for the old merchant.

>Anything you wanted to ask?
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>>2693930
I trust everything was satisfactory?
How is Ferigold feeling? He must be getting along in his old age now.
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Am I doing this right?
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"I trust everything was satisfactory?"
"Yes. Everything went perfectly. As good as could be hoped for. There were a few unfortunates but they knew what they'd signed up for."

"And you're feeling well?"
"Yes, I'm much more certain that things are going to work out fine with my various subordinates in training. They do need more time but that's the same with all things. Time to grow and mature and learn all the intricacies of the trade. I really did start a bit late, worried someone might try to overthrow my little trade empire.
But I'm quite alright now. Reassured you could say. They'll find a way to hold it all together regardless of what happens to me."

That's good news. You have to wonder what caused this change of his state of mind but part of you really doesn't want to know. You do have enough secrets rattling around inside your head already.
>>
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The Mercenary

A veteran mercenary has recently arrived on Rioja having left the employ of the major Houses. He's looking to take on more quiet jobs befitting his retirement age. His skill and experience could help improve the training of Rioja's infantry, or earn your army the respect of other Houses.

[ ] Hire him to help our infantry (Infantry skill & Morale improved)
[ ] Suggest allies in need of training assistance (Relations improved)
[ ] Offer him a prestigious position (Army respected by most Houses)
[ ] Offer retirement package to keep him away from rival Houses
[ ] Pass
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>>2694346
>[ ] Hire him to help our infantry (Infantry skill & Morale improved)

I've been thinking, nobody has yet captured a Neeran command ship or Scorcher right? What if we were to create a division specialised in rapid boarding and capture actions? We could expand it out to other allied houses if we wanted to bulk up the numbers.
>>
>>2694346
>[ ] Hire him to help our infantry (Infantry skill & Morale improved)
>>
>>2694346
[ ] Offer him a prestigious position (Army respected by most Houses)
>>
>>2694120
Tropical world?

>>2694346
>[ ] Hire him to help our infantry (Infantry skill & Morale improved)

>>2694445
Sounds good, but dunno if we will get support for it.
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>>2694570
>Tropical world?
They didn't have low gravity world with lots of shallow seas, and Ocean world didn't seem quite right. Maybe should have gone continental.
I think I must be doing this right, I'm already getting boarding actions.

>>2694445
Not intact. There have been a fair number of damaged Scorchers captured or salvaged.

>What if we were to create a division specialized in rapid boarding and capture actions? We could expand it out to other allied houses if we wanted to bulk up the numbers.
I think they'd want to familiarize themselves with SP boarding harpoons rather quickly. The Alliance has been working on building up equipment intended for use by such units with plans to use them against enemy Supers and installations where energy draining systems are present.

Hard plate armor is intended to be the mass produced suits for such actions. Iratar has been working on reviving bioform armor while the Krath have been working to improve their living armor like Valeri used in the sphere.

Boarding harpoons are heavy SP torpedoes with marines aboard instead of explosives. Basic stasis fields allow the crews to survive the sudden deceleration during insertion. They're only worth using against the big targets.
>>
>>2694594
>energy draining systems
Still no progress on these even with the few examples they've captured?

I was thinking a boarding division specialised in rapid capture, probably using all Power Armor to grab the ship in power draining scenarios.
>>
Looks like the old mercenary is being hired to improve the lot of the infantry.

>>2694662
They're making progress, just not quickly enough. They hope to be able to induce a feedback that would overload the system but so far it only works from such close range you'd be better of using a rocket launcher on it.

With the other newer armor types they can avoid additional complications of running out of power if a boarding assault stalls.

Possibly posting in the morning. Going to be resuming late tomorrow afternoon. If super weapon anon is around now's your time to shine.

Could neutronium, electron-degenerate matter or anything like that be used to disrupt the surface of a star enough to create a CME? Doesn't need to be focused, just needs to be big.
>>
What did Illya call that weird artifact he had that makes holes? A phase projector? I want to go and get that and make a huge version of it.
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>>2693697
>The Terrans are watching you.
Fucking shit fuck cock. Just because we want to get Diamond Mine going they of course are there and ready to fuck us over if we do. Fine. With the Emperors backing we should be able to develop the project regardless of how many black ops team the Terrans send.
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>>2694779
Want to borrow this for the Alliance to take a look at?

>>2695514
>Implying they were ever not there.
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>>2694594
>Iratar has been working on reviving bioform armor while the Krath have been working to improve their living armor like Valeri used in the sphere
Would they be interested in a copy of the DNA samples we collected from those creatures that could feed on electricity we encountered on the sphere? It seems like something that could come in really handy if they can manage to adapt it to their respective armor designs, plugging your suit into an outlet to accelerate the healing process seems useful.
>>
>>2695694
>Want to borrow this for the Alliance to take a look at
Hell yeah we can even stop over and see how Illya is doing.
>>
>>2693083
That would be me!

And really all you need is like a magnetized iron asteroid to destabilize the suns magnetosphere to trigger a coronal mass ejection and then use the grav well to lense it ontoa focused point so that it overtakes the solar wind right before the enemy.

It's like artillery, you plot it out ahead of time. Magentize the iron asteroids ahead of time, strap jump engines on it, and then it's a race to do the math on where to drop it into the sun before the enemy can kill the grav well generator.

So you put stealth sattelites around suns to monitor the magnetosphere to cut down the time needed to plot out where to destabilize it, and just prepare the drop and the math at the same time.

Bonus, the grav well prevents the enemy from jumping out to dodge the shockwave too.
>>
>>2694719
> Could neutronium, electron-degenerate matter or anything like that be used to disrupt the surface of a star enough to create a CME?

I mean yes, but either way we're moving the same mass and we're going down the Sun's grav well anyways so iron asteroids are cheaper and there's frames and such to move them already.

No need to get fancy.

I wonder if we could also build ships to "surf" the CME and rush the enemy in the grav well right after the shockwave too.

It would work great for the rapid boarding team, especially since all the exotic rays would fuck unshielded people and equipment all over.
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>>2694346
> [ ] Suggest allies in need of training assistance (Relations improved)

Have him train other houses on integrating our weapons and armor lines into their existing forces, using a special unit of retires elite members from our house as a training squad sonwe can then rotate them out to train the home forces along with whatever tactics they learn from our allies.
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>>2696206
Also having a CME surfing squadron would prevent the enemy from "dodging" by lining themselves up with the sun behind the Grav Well.

Even if we can't develop a CME surfing squad, using siege weapons will be extra effective because the enemy will be trapped into a set approach towards the Grav Well to avoid Sunshots.
>>
>>2693697
> Please do not do anything more insane than usual. The Terrans are watching you.

Conversely we shouldn't be less insane either.

Also remember too much iron kills the sun.
>>
>>2695514
> With the Emperors backing we should be able to develop the project regardless of how many black ops team the Terrans send.

Note that RH have been suddenly destabilized in the past and the balance of power in the Dominion is still delicate.
>>
>>2696259
That is true I consent as much. However! This time the situation is unique due to the Neeran threat. Fact of the matter is they need the Dominion and a second civil war could see the counter offensive collapse into a slow drawn out retreat once more. It's not like the Terrans special forces are superior in every way to Dominion ones or the like. This is not the stagnant Dominion of a hundred years ago. This is the modern Dominion going full speed ahead.
>>
>>2696288
> It's not like the Terrans special forces are superior in every way to Dominion ones or the like.

Remember that Veckron beam blowing up our antimatter?

Terran SF are better in a LOT of ways.

The Dominion has a huge manpower advantage, but is weak to having that turned against them or having their leadership get taken out resulting in infighting.

Also because of the Neeran war, instability in the Dominion could provide a casus belli for the Alliance to step in and run things during the war, which the Dominion might tolerate in exchange for having overwhelming support for a RH faction.

Some factions in Terra might see that as even preferable regardless of whether or not we even really did have a diamond mine.
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>>2696312
>Terran SF are better in a LOT of ways.
Like? We have access to the same kinds of armour and weapons. Dominion soon have better handheld plasma weapons than even the Republic. Dominion enhance their special forces unlike the Terrans. They hold no manpower or really special tech advantages over our special forces. Neither do they have more experience considering all the shit our special forces get up with.

>Remember that Veckron beam blowing up our antimatter?

Yes, they do have both Veckron and SP weapons. Neither of which can be applied against the Dominion right now for several reason. For one those are all needed for the Neeran front. Not to mention they can't afford to open a second front in their home territories since that would force them to pull more forces away from the front. Not mentioning loses incursed ON the front to the Dominion forces there. Then there would be loses to the home fleets and industry and the moral loose among the civilian population.

>instability in the Dominion could provide a casus belli for the Alliance to step in and run things during the war,
And no House in the Dominion would consent to a outside faction running the Dominion for them. The very idea is ludicrous. It's like having Russia run the USA. No one would agree to that.

>Some factions in Terra might see that as even preferable regardless of whether or not we even really did have a diamond mine.
They probably do but the main difference here is that a few individuals can not make such decisions among the Terrans. Hooo for democracy.

At lest this is my take on it.
>>
>>2696377
> And no House in the Dominion would consent to a outside faction running the Dominion for them.

Not a single faction, but the Alliance taking command of their offensive military yes, especially if the other option was them abandoning the Dominion to Neeran invasion to force the Dominion to fight.

> Terran SF aren't as killy as the Dominion

Yes, they are, and they just have to A War Crime the leadership. They have MUCH better intel and infiltration ability and they're also rich as fuck and can just buy off factions within the Dominion.

Remember Ares?

> They probably do but the main difference here is that a few individuals can not make such decisions among the Terrans. Hooo for democracy.

Yeah a powerful political minority has NEVER manipulated a democracy before /s.

Not believing any of what they can do just because we believe it isn't optimal, even if our belief is true, is irrelevant depending on what THEY believe is possible/necessary for both their capability and the possiblity of differing outcomes.
>>
>>2696396
>Not a single faction, but the Alliance taking command of their offensive military yes

I do not see this happening either. A house is only as strong as it's military when it comes down to it and allow anyone but the House to control it is once more ludicrous.

>Yes, they are, and they just have to A War Crime the leadership. They have MUCH better intel and infiltration ability and they're also rich as fuck and can just buy off factions within the Dominion.

Better intel and infiltration ability is debatable to an extreme degree. And the Dominions is ALSO rich as fuck. Basically at the size we're playing at here in this setting all the Factions are rich as fuck due to the sheer size of their respective domains. Ares was also it's own Mega Corporation praying on a financially unstable House. And considering how it went I would say people would rather not repeat that idea right now.

>even if our belief is true, is irrelevant depending on what THEY believe is possible/necessary for both their capability and the possiblity of differing outcomes.
Well if their intelligence apparatus is as powerful as you claim it to be then they should be well aware of that the Dominion has not been this powerful since the Faction war nor held so many powerful techs. Any offensive taken against the Dominion by the Terrans would be incredibly costly in men, ships and SP torpedoes. It's not like they would just roll a tank into someones backyard and that's that. We're talking about invading a nation covering the better part of 3 galaxies and a number of dwarf galaxies. Regardless of what the Terrans bring of their own fleets to bear on the Dominion it's going to cost more than they can afford to spare away from the Shallan front. A inter faction war is simply not feasible at this point in time no matter how they would twist and turn it.
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>>2696430
Politics often doesn't reflect reality.

Note that we already sent defeated / neutral forces to be under Alliance command during the civil war so there's already a precedence.

And if the RH is destabilized, the Dominion might not have the strength to reasonably refuse if the entire Alliance is behind it.

>Better intel and infiltration ability is debatable to an extreme degree.

No it really isn't. That's like, their THING dude. JD is actually pretty exceptional among the Dominion as a whole too remember, but we would be swamped by the RH's much larger elite force, and the Terrans have an entire empire focused on that.

> Well if their intelligence apparatus is as powerful as you claim it to be then they should be well aware of that the Dominion has not been this powerful since the Faction war nor held so many powerful techs.

Which makes it arguably the best time to take them down a peg to prevent expansionist opportunism at the end kf the war.

The question isn't even "if" the Terrans will try something, but "when" and "how much".

The infighting is what "balances" the Dominions power, like the restriction on Kavarian industry. Other factions have ALWAYS meddled to destabilize the Dominion enough to keep it from being able to exert force, without inciting reprisal from a united Dominion.

If the Alliance simply demanded that most of the Dominions forces be kept outside it to prevent a civil war, they could bribe Nobles to support the plan through war spoils, allowing the Terrans more latitude of action within the Dominion.

> Comparing the Dominion to Russia

It's not THAT shitty.

Also really more HRE / Hapsburg-Valois era Italy, or most accurately Scottish clans prior to their final defeat by England despite their retaining their own monarchy and government.

Like everything I'm discussing has happened IRL.
>>
>>2696430
> A inter faction war is simply not feasible at this point in time no matter how they would twist and turn it.

They don't need nor would they want a war.

All they would need is the Alliance pulling out from protecting the Dominion, and forcing the Dominion to go solo against the Neeran and letting us grind against each other.
>>
I wonder what happens when you shoot a star with several Vekron Torpedo's. Because isn't the Vekron's purpose to tear open reality to subspace. Which tears apart whatever its target is as well as bathing it in radiation of all sorts. Why not see what happens when you shove a star into subspace forcefully.

Or what about using a super sized mining laser to destabilize and take in matter from a star. Or create a Star Forge, example the first KoTOR and use it to pump out fleets faster then they can be destroyed.

Or focus on ways to amplify a gravity well. So that it pulls in and crushes everything around it.
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>>2696502
> Or create a Star Forge,

T. Kavarians are already doing this.

> Or focus on ways to amplify a gravity well. So that it pulls in and crushes everything around it.

Or use it to crash ships into each oh wait the Neeran are doing that.

Gravity is not a discriminatory force so it's a bad idea to crush what's arpund it because that would include our ships.

Also it would make it super easy to shoot since you would be firing down its grav well.
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>>2696470
>No it really isn't. That's like, their THING dude.
No, the Rovinar are the ones whos thing is stealth. Terrans got SCIENCE. And we have as of yet seen them use that SCIENCE to make their special forces into anything special.

>the Dominion might not have the strength to reasonably refuse if the entire Alliance is behind it.
Perhaps but it's not really the Alliance thing to police the Factions like some benevolent overlord. Any objection will be coming from the Factions themselves. Not the Alliance as a organization. And objection would most likely only come from the Terrans at that since only they and the Rovinar got those and the Rovinar are pretty chill with the Dominion.

>Which makes it arguably the best time to take them down a peg to prevent expansionist opportunism at the end kf the war.
It's sort of hard to "Take them down a peg" in this scenario since any victory gained from such a war would be a phyrric one at best. However we are not at the end of the war here. At best we are approaching the second stage of the war with the approaching invasion of Neeran space proper.

>The infighting is what "balances" the Dominions power
This is true. The Dominion is mostly focused on inter faction fighting but that would quickly change should a outside force attempt an invasion. A very good example of this is the Chinese Civil War where the Chinese factions banded together to fight the Japanese when they invaded.

However the interfighting in the Dominion has also served to shape it into a very martial society with a large part of it's standing fleets being combat tested and it's crews experienced. They are not exactly Klingons or anything but you get my point. This is helped in the event of a foreign invasion by a strong RH being able to direct the Dominion. The current one being fairly strong at this point due to the backing of several other of the Seven and recent tech advantages. It's not perfect but I would say that they currently are MORE powerful that Nirium was at the beginning or even midway through the quest.

>It's not THAT shitty.
Hehehe, true.

>>2696475
>Alliance pulling out from protecting the Dominion, and forcing the Dominion to go solo against the Neeran
The Alliance is hardly protecting the Dominion when it is made up of in large part Dominion funding and manpower. And refusing Dominion fleets logistic support against the Neerans would just mean they leave the front and go back home and let the other Factions slug it out. Meaning they would have even larger fleets back home to protect themselves with.

>>2696502
I think TSTG said the Terrans tried that with their Mega Veckron and it created a black hole. Which is why they aren't doing that anymore. Terran scientists are crazy yo.
>>
>Coworker: Hey it's the hottest day on record in 100 years.
>TSTG: You know what they probably did 100 years ago?
>Coworker: What?
>TSTG: Took the day off.

>>2696180
>And really all you need is like a magnetized iron asteroid to destabilize the suns magnetosphere to trigger a coronal mass ejection and then use the grav well to lense it ontoa focused point so that it overtakes the solar wind right before the enemy.

My brain is a tad fried atm. If you could draw even a really crappy MS paint diagram of that I'd be really grateful.

>>2696206
>I wonder if we could also build ships to "surf" the CME and rush the enemy in the grav well right after the shockwave too.
Like Yang's 13th fleet surfing that updraft at the Battle of Amlitzerin in LOGH? Could probably be done by angling shields properly and matching speeds with it as much as possible.

>No need to get fancy.
I'm trying to figure out a plausible method of how the Norune would have created an event like that to destroy the Republic homeworld without it being overly large. The device itself would have been the size of a Frigate, carried by a vessel the size of 2 battleships strapped together.
The Norune lost a lot of tech after that when the Republic nuked the shit out of their homeworld and main colonies.
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>>2696533
> And we have as of yet seen them use that SCIENCE to make their special forces into anything special.

Uh. Yeah. That's because they're good at it. Also the Rovinar are the other guys locking down diamonds so I don't know why you think that's not a factor.

As far as the other factions are concerned, the Dominions biggest threat isn't their manpower but their volatility. There's an argument for having it be better to instigate a limited internal conflict than to allow them to build up to another big one WITH diamond mines making everything worse, or letting them use diamonds to sieze power after or worse during the Neeran conflict. Because that's a definite and a possible outcome right there.

Like that is literally our actual goal and everyone knows it but pretends it isn't becauae politics.

An allies benefits are equally a threat in politics.

They would just need to convince the Alliance that the Dominions volatility is more dangerous than their logistics are beneficial.

Lots of options too. Simply offering houses that want to preserve their forces protection in exchange for service in the Neeran war. Hiring Houses as mercenaries. I dunno I don't want to just come up with different options with weighted risk/cost/benefit ratios.

Don't forget Terran and Rovinar politicians have pressures at home to influence their decisions, and that the Dominion isn't actually well liked despite our personal good relations with other factions, it's just the Terrans are the ones most vulnerable to Dominion aggression.

Also remember that the Neeran CAN engage in Diplomacy so there could be an agreement to let them fight the Dominion without interference, taking pressure off the Alliance. Essentially still using Dominion firepower, just less effectively.
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>>2696596
So, differences in temperature in the sun cause the magnetic field holding the explosions that consist of the sun together to vary in strength,

When the magnetic fields that are pushing and pulling against each other, as well as pushing and pulling the suns mass (further distorting the magnetic fields) suddenly release, a solar flare is "popped" out.

When this happens with enough force, Coronal Mass is ALSO ejected along with the magnetic energy of the flare.

This coronal mass pushes out into space faster than the solar wind normally radiating out from the sun, bunching it together until it creates sort of a "sonic boom" resulting in the energy radiating out into exotic rays and strange particles. Much like how a sonic boom shatters windows, this shatters like . . . planets. Not completely, like how sonic booms don't collapse buildings. But all the fragile "windows" on the planet. Like, life.
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>>2696602
>Also remember that the Neeran CAN engage in Diplomacy so there could be an agreement to let them fight the Dominion without interference, taking pressure off the Alliance. Essentially still using Dominion firepower, just less effectively.
Hah, now that is something I would like to see if only for the absurdity of it.
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>>2696596
This is a solar storm (consisting of a huge CME) stripping the magnetic field from Mars. Note how it propagates as a wave.
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>>2696635

Their idea of diplomacy so far seems to be weakening the political powers and causing dissent until there is an uprising. Then coming in to save the day and re-stabilize the faction so that they are grateful for being saved and pledge themselves to the Neeran Empire. When that doesn't work they declare all out war and use their superior technology to beat their enemies into submission. And failing that they threaten utter annihilation.
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>>2696475
>All they would need is the Alliance pulling out from protecting the Dominion, and forcing the Dominion to go solo against the Neeran and letting us grind against each other.
Attempting to bring this about would violate the Alliance Charter to such an extent that it would probably cause the Alliance Admiralty to sever ties to their respective Factions. It very well could destroy the Alliance or force them into becoming their own separate Faction which is something many have feared might happen.

Kicking the Dominion out of the Factions Alliance would be a very messy very bloody business for all involved. If it were to happen during the war with the Neeran that would be it, the Factions would lose.

As for Terran Vs Dominion special forces, pic related.
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>>2696596
So here is a sun with Yellow and Red magnetic bubbles of different temperature therefore different field strengh, pressing against each other with the nuclear force of a sun.

The yellow w/ A is the asteroid, which we shoot into the arrow on the sun, destabilizing the magnetic field there and causing it to rapidly shift, in turn pushing the constantly exploding coronal mass around.

The magenta lines is the Coronal Mass being shifted faster along the front of the magnetic conversion and "popping" out of the sun.

So the math would involve a) figuring out where to drop the asteroid to flip the magnetic field, b) in order to cause a large enough shift to eject Coronal Mass c) but not so much that it kills everything d) and ideally enough that the coronal mass converts to exotic rays / strange particles after passing by our guys before it peters out or passes the enemy, for maximum damage.

TL;DR The forces holding the Suns together have "fault lines" we can trigger, by magnetizing Asteroids we can increase the effect for the mass used (if we need less mass we can just blow some of the asteroid off, honestly we don't need to magnetize it to trigger the CME but it's about triggering a CONTROLLED CME).

The CME causes a short range burst of deadly energy, which in turn causes a deadly burst when it builds up against the solar wind until it's no longer in a "compressable" state at which point it "transitions" into fuck everything in this general direction.
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>>2696673
Note: I never said it would be a GOOD idea.

Or that anyone would seriously want it to happen.

But, you know, brinksmanship is a thing. Cuba Crises anyone?

Also easier TL;DR for the sun laser.

Imagine putting your finger on a hose, and that makes a hole tear in the hose and the resulting spray causes a sonic boom. We're using the asteroid to push a magnetic bubble into another one to act as the "finger" on the flowing coronal mass, and the sonic boom is happening in the solar wind instead of the air.

And it's made of lasers on steroids.

Man. You don't even want to know about using one sun in a binary system to lase the companion sun into like, a super sun.

You would want to observe that from a distance. *Possibly* another universe.
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>>2696673
Clearly Diamonds are misleading.

We should be making Diamond coated boarding ships filled with PA soldiers.
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>>2695694
Hey.

Hey.

I know we hate AI.


But have you read The Polity series? Neal Asher? How about Legion of the Damned by William C. Deitz?

One a scale of war crime to space Hitler how would cloning criminals, flash freezing their brains, and then sticking them into robots as suicidal sensation deprived cybernetic killbots to serve their sentences be received, cloning their backups into bodies after they die gloriously or kill enough of the enemy to pay off their debt?
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>>2696703

Isn't that the idea behind machine spirits in 40k? Scoop a brain out and put it in a machine like a Baneblade.
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>>2696703
Or if we offered it as a guaranteed promotion up one rank and just found like, the right personality and used them a shit-ton for this.

Buddy drones, where the drones are actually a person named Buddy and he just wants to fight and kill and die.
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>>2696709
No, a machine spirit is a truncated/docile AI slash demiurge spirit inherent in all machines thanks to pervasive belief in it slash low level Waaaaaugh slash fragments of the Omnissiah slash sure why not it's 40k anything goes.
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>>2696673
Present and prominent water
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>>2696722
>>2696694
Sorry. That is me explaining ++ water for how I feel today after too much boozeahol.
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>>2696673
Special forces isn't just about how many you have though either, a lot is where you put them and while the Dominion gets by on trying to put some everywhere, it seems, Terrans put them all right behind you and they have your dog now.
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Let's take this step by step. Solar flares and CME's happen naturally, we're just tossing a suitably equipped rock(1) in to make one happen on schedule. Magnetic ram scoops are child's play to build and most battleships and battlecruisers are equipped with them to help top up their fuel tanks on long duration flights. Those should certainly be disruptive enough to provide some kick.

Target sun spots, field line convergences, whatever. The scientists will figure out where to shoot. Once the correct location is hit, bam you get a CME(2). Hopefully. Stellar matter is ejected (again hopefully) in a direction you want thanks to the magnetic field lines? Yes?

The parts I really need clarification on are using a gravity well generator to focus the CME. Preferably without turning the gravwell generator and its crew to cinders? Because that seems like it would be a bad thing and might interrupt the safe operation of the vehicle. Seriously, those things are in short supply these days.

>ideally enough that the coronal mass converts to exotic rays / strange particles after passing by our guys before it peters out or passes the enemy, for maximum damage.
Any reason why would it convert to exotic rays and strange particles?
>where ns represents the number of strange quarks (s) and n-s represents the number of strange antiquarks (s-).
Oh, okay. Right.

>>2696694
>We're using the asteroid to push a magnetic bubble into another one to act as the "finger" on the flowing coronal mass, and the sonic boom is happening in the solar wind instead of the air.

So this is more like using explosive lenses in a nuclear implosion device. Except instead of explosives we're using converging magnetic field projectors aboard asteroids. Nukes I can get my head around.
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>>2696872
> The parts I really need clarification on are using a gravity well generator to focus the CME.

Easy. Use 2 grav wells. One to pull the CME towards it and condense it, then another to deflect it towards the target.
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>>2696872
>>2696892

See here. It's just gas until it collapses the solar wind, well gas and magnetism and it's super hot.

We could probably use magnetic shielding to protect from the back-blast. More magnetized iron asteroids?
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>>2696906
>>2696872
Green dots are grav wells. The closer GW is set to a weaker setting, so that the CME gets pulled on by the second grav wells stronger magnetic field as it gets closer to the first GW.

And once it collapses it shoots out.

Honestly the problem is that it will be easy to copy, so it should be used to trap the enemy. and ruing their whole fleet. Preferably in multiple locations at once.
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>>2696892
I think they may need to develop a bit more in the way of fine control before they can pull that off. Asteroid plan should be easy enough to do though.

Only concern then is how much time will the Neeran have to deal with it and how easy would it be to use their own magnetic ram scoops and deflectors to counter. Their Battleships are similarly equipped to yours, though their big ships like Heavies and Supers are not.
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>>2696920
I mean, there's always "fuck this system" I figured they might like to, you know, miss planets and such.

> Only concern then is how much time will the Neeran have to deal with it and how easy would it be to use their own magnetic ram scoops and deflectors to counter.

That's only relevant for the CME. Once it collapses the solar wind, shielding becomes kind of irrelevant.

Literally blowing off Mars magnetic field levels. So unless they have greater than a planet strength field . . . in fact hiding behind a planet is pretty much the only option.

Did I mention that the CME travels a good deal faster than the solar wind? So with the Grav Wells preventing jumps . . .

Speaking of the "Fine Control", see >>2696906 where you just have to have two static gravity fields. Properly spaced. And the correctly expected CME amount within tolerances because you do NOT want to fuck that up.
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>>2696920
>Only concern then is how much time will the Neeran have to deal with it and how easy would it be to use their own magnetic ram scoops and deflectors to counter.

Welcome to nuclear deterrence!

Fuck ''em, they want to blow up planets? We'll escalate to blowing up Stars.

Note: By using the GW generators, we *should* be able to actually get more Coronal Mass with less flaring of the sun, and get more bang out of less mass since the Gravity should accelerate it as well due conservation of angular momentum increasing it's total speed as it moves in the elliptical orbit around the gravity wells.
>>
Imagine being the chief research scientist at one of Sonia's facilities and having to tell her why crayon scribbles aren't good enough.
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>>2696916
>>2696952
If our scientists need clarification, the Neeran definitely won't be able to figure it out!

> We thought they might have some sort of new gravity weapon, or have figured our out.

> We didn't expect them to blow up the sun at us.
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>>2696916
Always liked that picture.

>>2696930
>And the correctly expected CME amount within tolerances because you do NOT want to fuck that up.
Clearly. It's going to take time and training to get this working properly with the gravity wells since with them being in short supply the Alliance may be understandably reluctant to use them in that capacity.
Asteroid plan is a go though and could be set up relatively quickly and cheaply by comparison. Give it a couple weeks. Less if the Shallans are working on it as they're more desperate and willing to take greater risks.

Meanwhile the Norune do already have their weapon ready to go and it is much more portable. Whatever the hell it is. When I originally wrote/drew up the thing they either blew up the damn star or caused it to go nova. I liked Star Trek Generations at the time, sue me Paramount.

Obviously since then I've come to the realization that destroying a star has certain logistical complications. Any time I've mentioned it since starting H&D I've generally referred to it as the solar weapon destroying the planet or wiping it clean of life. Not specifically destroying the star.

So I'm working on the official retcon here. Taking suggestions on what would make the most sense. The Norune are not generally ones to go the route of brute strength so building fancy would fit with them.
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>>2697122
>Taking suggestions on what would make the most sense
Subspace phased Neutron Radiation beam! First kind target a whole planet and cleansed it free of organic life. New prototype phase through shields and matters of ships and kills the crew! Something something SP beam Halo. Now I sleep
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>>2697122
Here we've got the Norune Solar weapon based off the old sketches I've dug up.

Beam / Pulse energy weapon
Tractor beam
Compact magnetic ramscoop device (Similar to the magnetized asteroid idea)
Neutronium
Electron-degenerate matter
Other?
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>>2697122
Also it provides a good reason for us to visit the Emperor.

I feel like using this plan will be one of those situations where asking forgiveness isn't actually easier than getting permission.

Also it would be a good plan for wiping their city ships. If we aren't concerned about control we can just go for size.

They'll probably think we just fucked up for the first little bit anyways.
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>>2697157
Giant ass super thin mirror and lenses.
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>>2697157
The best part about smelting mirrors used to melt down asteroids, is that in space you can just make it so big that it doesn't matter if it gets shot full of holes!

Use shields to make giant lenses for long distance focusing too.

Man. Suns are ridiculous amounts of energy.
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>>2697154
A subspace weapon could work and is consistent with one of the defective Veckron torpedo models that instead pulled objects into subspace. Usually destroying them in the process but not always. That would certainly cause a disruption of the star.

>New prototype phase through shields and matters of ships and kills the crew!
Unfortunately the Republic fleet in orbit were able to escape, forming the core of their surviving military. Though if they'd targeted the planet it's not far fetched that could have been the result.

>>2697162
What would that do to the star?
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>>2697157
Super-excited hydrogen fused gaseous iron accelerator.

It actually plates ships unevenly in iron as it condenses on them, gets in the way of their guns and hangers, and eventually builds up to the point that maneuvering stress shears the ship apart.

Plus like. The super heating from the gaseous iron cooks the ship.

Radiating heat is a *bitch* in space.
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>>2697192
> What would that do to the star?

Nothing.

It's just the cheapest way to turn it into a weapon. All you need is time to build the mirror. You don't even fix broken parts just keep building new ones.

Honestly stars are really big to fuck with. Like. Their iron cores are 300ish times the size of earth.

Maybe you could hiy it hard enough with an asteroid traveling at ludicrous speed to like, flip the polarity of the star or uniformly magnetize it briefly turning it into a giant ass electromagnetic that sucks everything into it. Or makes everything stick to itself, causing magnetic welding.

I'm just bullshitting all that though.
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>>2697192
What happens when forces are displaced into subspace? Like. Is there gravity in subspace? What happens if you turn on a grav well generator while it's traveling in Subspace?
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>>2697239
Or charging a V-torp in subspace?

Hrm. Now I wonder about repeatedly charging then downstepping V-torps and the effect it would have on drive plates.
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>>2697192
>>2697288

On the idea of using iron asteroids to destabilize the magnets of a star. Would you not need a huge asteroid the size of a small planetoid in order to have even the slightest bit of an effect on a star to get this plan to work? And if you do need that big of an asteroid you'll need a really powerful tug to move the asteroid and a fleet to protect it from whatever defenders are in the system.
>>
Oh shit, All guardsman party is back.

>>2697211
More interesting ideas for odd weapons to be used against the Neeran.

>>2697239
>Giant ass super thin mirror and lenses.
>It's just the cheapest way to turn it into a weapon.
You can buy those btw. Exodus builds mirrors for use in terraforming and solar energy collection.

For now I'll probably stick with the current "It just works okay" for the Norune super weapon.

>>2697281
>What happens when forces are displaced into subspace?
As in vehicles, or displacing gravity through a hole into subspace?
>Like. Is there gravity in subspace?
Absolutely. The gravitational effects of objects in real space also create mass shadows and distort field lines in subspace. It's why black holes, stars and planets are so dangerous to jump too close to. Not just because they can deform the drive field bubble around the ship.

>What happens if you turn on a grav well generator while it's traveling in Subspace?
This still hasn't been tested. Do you want to throw away one of your expensive gravity well generators to test it like has been said the last 12 times this has been asked?

>Or charging a V-torp in subspace?
This is classified well outside of Sonia's clearance but yes, it can be done. The Vieona tested this under combat conditions. Almost nobody else has been so suicidal as to try it since. If the ship lacks a suitably powerful FTL system the charger will alter the ship's course while at FTL which can be very bad.

>repeatedly charging then downstepping V-torps
This would eventually push the torpedo and its Veckron core past the point of no return since there is no way to undo charging of their core once it's been done. So it would explode aboard the ship. This has happened many times to Terran V-Torp ships. It was the leading cause of their destruction in the Faction Wars.

>and the effect it would have on drive plates.
The drive plates that are used as the weapon charger? Probably nothing.
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>>2697319
> Would you not need a huge asteroid the size of a small planetoid in order to have even the slightest bit of an effect on a star to get this plan to work?

Yes. Hence the "ludicrous speed" to the point that you have to get really close and essentially teleport loop the asteroid or translate its inertia or some bullshit. Like. Capture an asteroid traveling one direction along the plane of the universe and have it objectively exit the teleporter traveling the opposite way or something so bam! Instant "way too fast".
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>>2697341
> Do you want to throw away one of your expensive gravity well generators to test it like has been said the last 12 times this has been asked?

. . . . Maybe. Because

> The gravitational effects of objects in real space also create mass shadows and distort field lines in subspace.

So we could like drive-by gravity stuff to city-ships. Pretty sure that would fuck things up.

> >repeatedly charging then downstepping V-torps

Not the same V-torps. But like. Try it with different materials being exposed to the radiation and see if it makes diamonds.

There's gotta be something that holds the energy somewhere else maybe?
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>>2697341
Do you have to maintain a minimum speed at FTL to remain in it? Asode from the Vionas weire transitional thing?
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>>2697341
>What happens when forces are displaced into subspace?
As in vehicles, or displacing gravity through a hole into subspace?

Oh and I meant displacing gravity into subspace.

If a Vtorp can vanish into subspace, can we in turn use gravity to pull stuff *out* of subspace itself? Not ships travelling in a bubble but actual subspace matter?
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>>2697348
Clearly I missed that part of the break down. That would make it very impractical as an easy to deploy weapon system. Which is the opposite of what you seemed to be implying it would be.

>>2697364
>Try it with different materials being exposed to the radiation and see if it makes diamonds.
Do this while the Terrans are watching you?

>>2697367
There is a minimum FTL speed at which ships can travel. Most ships minimum is fairly high as to go slower would involve re-engineering the FTL system so that it was no longer capable of higher speeds. J-1 is about as slow as most conventional ships can go.
The sleeper subspace drive system is believed to enter a different layer of subspace.

>>2697371
>Not ships travelling in a bubble but actual subspace matter?
No. Or at least no one has had any success with it.
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>>2697430
Yes, it would be ridiculously inefficient lol.

But think about all the puns you could make to the enemy forces!

"Hey guys, make sure you stick together."

"I gotta I find your ships really attractive."

"Now THAT'S some solid engineering you have there now."

Ahahahaha. Haha.

Billions spent to turn potential salvage into flying bricks that one time.
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>>2697430
> Not ships travelling in a bubble but actual subspace matter?
> No. Or at least no one has had any success with it.

Cram a bunch of gravity in one place to try and draw whatever exists in subspace, then try to pull it out?

Hooe for no tentacles.
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Going to see some fireworks. Will be running through the day Monday and Tuesday.
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>>2697481
Happy Canada Day!
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General Rna reports that morale among the infantry has improved since the acquisition of the Mercenary. With the General's preference for armored warfare there hasn't always been enough time to focus on infantry combat aspects that are sorely needed in some situations. The Army should now be better prepared for any eventualities.

You ask if the special forces branches would benefit from experience assisting Baron Drake with operations in her region. They're always facing threats, even if the media is suppressing just how bad things can get there.

Rna recommends rotating no more than 10% of our special forces through the Baron's territory at any given time. Sending more might help Drake quite a bit but could also weaken Rioja's available forces.

How much help did you want to send Drake?

[ ] 5%
[ ] 7%
[ ] 10%
[ ] 12%
[ ] 15%
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>>2698754
>[ ] 10%
Help Drake and still keep our own territories fairly safe. If nothing else we can always recall them later. It will also be good for their experience.
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>>2698754
> [ ] 15% for one month then 8%

Let's hit them hard enough to be able to tip the balance at first and then pull back.
>>
We'll see if we get any more votes later.
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>>2698805

Supporting this
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>>2698805
>>2698842
Eh. May as well go with it to move things along.
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>>2698805
>>2698842
OR we'll go with that.

An assault transport and small escort are dispatched to Drake's territories. She's glad for the support and will do what she can to make sure they don't get killed in some rookie level ambush. Hopefully those returning from the early deployment will give subsequent units some more warning and experience. Though really a month isn't very long for something like this.

With the Neeran Armada continuing to cut a swath through Shallan space you've been going over options that might give them a chance to turnt he tide. Specifically superweapons. The most simplistic one you've come up with would be to use magnetic ram scoops to trigger a coronal mass ejection from a star. Planetary shields are frequently used to deal with such events but if a sufficiently large one could be focused it could do some damage to a fleet.

The basic idea is sent to the Shallan Ambassador to be looked over. Hopefully they'll pass it along. An option to use gravity well generators for star lifting and focusing of the flare is sent to the Alliance for consideration. They're the most likely to have the resources to consider such an option right now. Especially if they no longer need all of their gravwell generators out in the Crystal Sea.

By the time Winifred reaches the Pandora cluster and links up with Forbearance things are getting desperate. Key Shallan inner colonies and fortress worlds that withstood fighting early in the war are being taken out. The PCCG and the SRL have agreed to send the large SRL mercenary fleet stationed in the Pandora Cluster to help. They're now fully upgraded with mass driver siege turrets nearly on par with the older Scrap cannons.

The Alliance has urged the Shallan state to resume media broadcasts, even if they're tightly controlled propaganda pieces. For the moment most of the stories coming through are about successful evacuations and delaying actions. Eventually word does come through of some victories.

By the sounds of it (and your intel reports) an Alliance fleet managed to lure an advance force into a close orbit of a star while retreating. During the Alliance's breakaway maneuver the Neeran fleet were side swiped by a coronal mass ejection. It didn't completely destroy them, but it did leave the survivors weakened or crippled enough for the Alliance forces to turn and finish them off.

This hasn't done much to the main Neeran Armada, though it may have slowed future attempts to pursue Alliance fleets. That may give them time to mass a suitably large force to counterattack.
>>
>>2698866

I'm excited to see how well these mass drivers do against Neeran.
>>
At the next days meeting you notice that Vanderwal seems concerned about something.

"What is it?"
"The Guild is moving assets around. More than I would have expected even given this offensive. I don't know what they're up to but it's unusual."
"Getting ready for a worst case scenario?" you wonder.

"Maybe. They're trying to be subtle about it. I've only noticed it because of the amount of trade passing through the Run and the temporary storage rental facilities. I don't have anyone with the security clearance necessary to get a real idea of what's going on. Not without breaking the law and endangering your salvage contract with the Guild."

You're certainly reluctant to endanger that contract what with the new salvage ship ready to go.

"Your friend miss Travers, she has a very high security clearance with the guild and she hasn't officially been hired by your company yet. She could potentially find out what's going on. With her recent penchant for staying under the radar it would help to isolate us if anything went wrong."

"What if she's caught?" The last thing you want is her getting in trouble.
"Some jail time and fines at worst, or if we're lucky she'll just be kicked out of the guild. "

[ ] We're not endangering that contract
[ ] Ask Linda to look into it
[ ] Risk using Vanterwal's agents
[ ] Risk using Recon teams
>>
>>2698895
>[ ] Ask Linda to look into it
but don't press it if she refuses
>>
>>2698866
To think the main thing to undo the Shallans would be a doomstack. Amazing.

Meanwhile in Neeran Space
"Wait, it's actually working and is about to break them when years of combat could not? Why didn't we do this to begin with!?"

>[ ] We're not endangering that contract
I don't want to risk Lindas reputation OR our upcoming salvage contract.
>>
>>2698895

I'd rather pay a premium to a certain group of information brokers we know to find out this sort of thing.
>>
>>2698895

>[ ] Ask Linda to look into it

If something is coming this way or something happening that has the guild scared. Then we need to know billions of lives could be at risk. Not only on Rioja, but also for the entire run. If she needs help we can habe Vanderwall give her the simplest of tasks. And all our support to reduce whatever consequences happen to her.

>[ ]Other
We have the use of favors back with the Rovinar, right? Could we ask them to do it in exchange we will do something for them.
>>
>>2698926
That might be possible, but they're primarily based in South Reach while the information needed for collection is passing through the Run and DRH 1 Relay. Then again there might be similar actions taking place in South Reach as well.
>>
>>2698933
>We have the use of favors back with the Rovinar, right? Could we ask them to do it in exchange we will do something for them.
Well you can ask. Do this?
>>
>>2698937

I'm against using a favor for this. Those have been most useful in behind enemy lines and other dire combat situations.
>>
>>2698937

I mean I would like to see if that was something they were interested in looking into. And again we still have their one agent in custody still right? We can let their agent go with no charges and we can do a small favor in return.

>>2698939
Favors are good for all sorts of situations. It just so happens we can do this one thing now while we are here. Since we are not on the front lines currently their favor might not require us to be in the field.

And doing this one does not mean we cant ask them for favors later. There might be a cool down period. But there should not be another cut off so long as we do not abuse favors again.
>>
>>2698937
I am going to go with a no on that. I see to little benefit to be gained from this at to high a cost based on the current information.
>>
No to asking the Rovinar for a favour.
2 for asking Linda, 1 for asking info brokers, 1 for staying out of it.
>>
>>2698895
>[x] We're not endangering that contract
Also is >>2698926>>2698934 possible as a supporting a write in?
>>
>>2699006
Yes.
>>
>>2699006
>>2699010

I can dig this
>>
>>2699010
Support info brokers + asking Linda (but nothing dangerous)
>>
Brokers and Linda it is then.

Contacting Linda on a secure channel you ask if she'd be willing to look into a few things that her old employers are getting up to. She's of course wonders why it is you need her instead of a spy or a merc that you could just pay off to do it.

"Because your security clearance is really high."
"It's high for a reason Sonia. I can get in serious trouble for helping you get classified information. Just violating my NDA's and guild secrets policy could land me in jail for years, not to mention the fines. I could lose nearly all of my money."

That's kind of serious. Still she wouldn't be the first person you've broken out of jail.

"Only if you're caught, and I employ plenty of lawyers."
"Sonia."

[ ] Offer to take every precaution to prevent her capture (increased chance of being linked to it)
[ ] Offer to bail her out if it goes wrong (could cost a lot of money if things go wrong)
[ ] You're right, I can't ask you to do that
[ ] Other?
>>
>>2699046

[X] You're right, I can't ask you to do that

If this is chosen, can we simply take her advice and hire a spy or merc for this?
>>
>>2699055
Potentially if others agree to it, though they'd have a higher risk of failure since they wouldn't have the needed clearance.
>>
>>2699046
>[ ] You're right, I can't ask you to do that
>[ ] Other?

go with mercs/ spies or go with that information broker
>>
>>2699046
>[ ] You're right, I can't ask you to do that
>>
>>2699061

If their failure could be linked to us, this seems just as risky. If they could be hired by some of Vanderwal's 3rd party associates, I would support this option.
>>
>>2699061

Actually what about Ferrigold? We just did something for him that was dangerous.
>>
>>2699046
>[ ] You're right, I can't ask you to do that
>>
Linda won't be participating. Looks like the information brokers will be your main source of intel on what's going on with the guild.

>>2699080
Unfortunately Ferigold's organisation is running a bit lower on such resources at the moment due to the recent operation they needed help with.
While they're not prepared to help with any infiltrations you could pay them to provide any related info they find to the brokers on Tourta. As they prefer to move cargo and keep information to themselves this wouldn't be cheap. 10 million for every nav relay you want them to share info from. You wouldn't personally be getting this info, it would be filtered through the brokers which Ferigold is a bit more okay with.

1) How much are you willing to pay ferigold for info sharing?
1A) 10m - DRH 1
1B) 20m - 2 Nav Relays
1C) 30m - All 3 main Dominion relays
1D) 100 million - Cross Dominion info gathering

2) Risk using other spies and mercs?
Y/N?
>>
>>2699109

1C) 30m - All 3 main Dominion relays

N
>>
>>2699109

>1D) 30m - All 3 main Dominion relays

>2) No
>>
>>2699046
[ ] You're right, I can't ask you to do that
[ ] Other?

Just get her to listen to what we get from the brokers. She can probably contextualize it.

1C) 30m - All 3 main Dominion relays
>>
>>2699123

Good idea.
>>
>>2699109
1C) 30m - All 3 main Dominion relays

>N
>>
>>2699109
> 2) Risk using other spies and mercs?
Y/N?

Not yet. After getting the info and running it by Linda, we can look into passive avenues. Like hiring any recent ex employees of the Nav guild and such.
>>
>>2699109
>1B) 20m - 2 Nav Relays
>2) Risk using other spies and mercs?
N
>>
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A secure message is sent through back channels to the information brokers on Tourta and to Ferigold. The Smuggler must collect all sorts of information on shipping, market flux and what the Guild moves around. Things they wouldn't usually share with anyone. The information brokers are a bit more confidential however.

Ferigold himself doesn't directly respond to your request but their organisation does, taking the 30 million. The brokers will get to work.

Later that day another associate from the brokers contact you that they've found a bit of the information you were looking for on slave trading rings. Most of that data is transferred to Daska so she can clear things up in South Reach.

Your half shows the ID's of several transports and freighters that pass through your Relay on a regular basis. They're perfectly average in appearance and operation. They stop to get fuel at several points, usually taking the longer route to avoid the Run. They'd hardly be the only ones to do that. Plenty of Houses avoid the Run for reasons. Usually old contracts and so on.

How do you want to deal with the ships in question? Infiltrate their crew? Board and capture when passing along routes near J-D or allied territory? Inform one of the Houses whose space they pass through?
Or did you have another idea in mind?
>>
>>2699203
I am a wee bit confused here. Are these ships related to the Guild being up to something to the or the slave ring?
>>
>>2699216
>Are these ships related to the Guild being up to something to the or the slave ring?
Nope.

>Later that day another associate from the brokers contact you that they've found a bit of the information you were looking for on slave trading rings.
Last thread you and Winifred searched a station that was acting as a hub for smuggling operations. A small number of slaves were located. While you were on Tourta you went to the brokers to ask for information about a slave trading ring providing information you'd obtained so far.

They told you it would probably take some time to get back to you on it. They just did.
>>
>>2699203
>Infiltrate their crew?
>>
>>2699203

When it comes to the slave ships. Lets get ready to catch them near J-D and allies territories. For the ships passing through other houses inform those houses they have traffic carrying highly illegal content, such as slaves through their territory.
>>
>>2699203

Board and capture. Personally lead, even better for PR and we can get live fire experience with Nxesi armor.
>>
>>2699203
>>2699226
Well then. In that case we may wish to first see if we can find where these ships are written or who owns them. If it is a company or a person or a shell company or the like.

Then we track the ships themselves, see where they go and drop of their cargo and to whom. So we can locate their bases and contacts.

Then we contact the houses which they pass through who are against slavers, which should probably be all of them, and organize a simultaneous take down of all ships and known accomplices
>>
>>2699249
Their registries are under different companies and locations, rarely more than 2 within the same company. None of them are registered with Houses where slavery is legal. Some of them are linked via shell companies, but not all. The brokers have linked some via traffic patterns in South Reach.

Intel has been provided with the information the brokers have found on the ships and known linking corporations.

>>2699241
>>2699242
There are 3 currently in the DRH 1 Relay. 2 are approaching allied territory 1 of them will pass near J-D territory soon.
Join boarding action for the closest ship?
>>
>>2699321

I'm up for hitting the nearest one and conducting a random cargo search or whatever we want to call it.
>>
>>2699203
>Infiltrate their crew?
Sounds like a job for Risto and nu-Eldal?
>>
>>2699333
Sorry, a bit too late.
And it would have been more of a job for Vanderwal assigning someone to go aboard for several weeks. Or Jan if you were fine with him being gone for a similar length of time.
>>
>>2699321

Join boarding action! Bodyguard exp too
>>
>>2699203
> Ferigold himself doesn't directly respond to your request but their organisation does, taking the 30 million. The brokers will get to work.

Oi thought we were friends.
>>
>>2699321
> Boarding action
>>
>>2699341
No worries. Also, please notice my earlier post senpai >>2695723
>>
Taking a squadron of attack cruisers you head out of the Run towards what once was regarded as the main trade lane through the Relay. It's not unusual to see J-D ships going this way, either headed towards Magdalena, or the strip of territory where you once built up logistics stations. The surviving station still sees quite a bit of use despite diminishing traffic. It's heavy cruiser grade repair dock also occasionally sees use.

Taking up a position orbiting the station you wait until the incoming transport jumps close enough to be considered within the local patrol zone. Signalling one of the nearby customs cruisers that you need a couple "random" inspections done they soon box in the suspect transport and one other for consistency.

Your stealth LST moves in while the crew of the transport are busy transmitting manifests and the other usual information. All of which seems legit on paper. Most of it probably is. Overriding one of the airlocks the teams are quickly aboard and sweeping the ship, starting in the aft sections near engineering and the cargo bays.

Rather than your usual methods of shock and awe with the jump jet suit, or silent stealth with the Recon suit, this time you've deployed with the Relic Armor. It's a bit different using what performance wise is little different than a normal medium suit. Sure there are repulsor based jump jets and repulsor skates but it's really not worth using them here when running over a crewman or civilian could result in their death.

The search is a difficult one. Nothing seems to stand out. Sensor sweeps from the ships are showing no signs of shielded compartments. Fortunately officers aboard the LST are keeping a close eye on readings and reports from the boarding teams.
"Sir, our guys in engineering report that someone is depressurizing a secondary crew compartment."

"Stop it if you can. Have nearby teams converge on that location and get it open. Have them sound depressurization alarms in the surrounding sections."

Though difficult to get to due to the interior layout teams reach the compartment and blow the door before it's too late. Inside are people dressed in somewhat worn crew uniorms. Their documents seem to match on the first pass but given that they were nearly killed you have more than enough reason to transfer them to one of the nearby ships on medical grounds.

With the ship temporarily impounded and hauled back to the nearby station, Vanderwal has people there inside of an hour going over records in detail. Crew and passengers are disembarked and transferred to temporary accommodation under security supervision.

>Cont.
>>
"Sir, the ships second officer has disappeared. He was last seen before we came into dock."
"Find him." is your immediate order.

Returning to the LST you perform a sweep to make sure you haven't picked up any hitch hikers. Last thing you want is somebody stealing one of your own ships. With still no sign of them you contact the other officers.
"Any clues?"

Valeri checks the airlock history. "Recent topside use that doesn't match with any of our teams entry times."
"Pilot, get us there."
The LST detaches and soon locates someone on the exterior of the ship trying to make their way to the station. It looks like they're armed.

>Your orders?
>>
>>2699529

Deploy power armor, stun/ disable them and get them inside for questioning.
>>
>>2699529
Psh. "Armed". Yeah. Let's see how that works out when they get to meet Power Armour and a face full of stun. We will engage them on the outside of the ship!
>>
>>2699529
Power through them, haha
>>
>>2699529
Just wait at the station entrance they take with an ambush team.
>>
"Power armor team with me, equip with stun weapons. Be ready to fire when you have a clean shot."

The LST swings around to drop your team between the crewman and the station. The drop chutes on the LST certainly make that faster and with a less painful impact when you touch down.

You switch to an open channel, short range transmission.
"To the unidentified individual on the top hull of this ship, drop your weapon and surrender or you will be fired upon. This is your only warning."

Clearly they're not used to following orders or they'd have been first officer already. Clearly not used to zero-g combat they raise their weapon so slowly it's almost painful to watch. It's a blaster though so you really should take him seriously.

[ ] Snap shot stun
[ ] Step out of the line of fire
[ ] Block/absorb shot with your suit
>>
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>>2699529
Have somebody in stealth armor follow them and see where they lead us?

>>2695694
>Want to borrow this for the Alliance to take a look at?
Can we commission a statue of Illya and Sayadov in combat with a Neeran as a gift for the order of knights? It seems like something they might like.
>>
>>2699609
>[ ] Block/absorb shot with your suit
Might as well give it a field test right?
>>
>>2699609
>[ ] Snap shot stun
>[ ] Block/absorb shot with your suit

tank it while the team takes him down
>>
>>2699609
[ ] Block/absorb shot with your suit
[ ] Snap shot stun
Sonia just stands, shacking her head slowly in disappointment in the moments of silence following the blast having no effect on her armour before stunning the shooter with all the contempt she can muster.
>>
Before the rest of your bodyguards stun his stupid ass he has just enough time to see his plasma blaster shot uselessly strike the forearm of your suit. The armor glows for a brief moment before the heat and energy of the blast is diverted away. Either to the suit's power cells, or into the surrounding hull of the ship.

You're not sure how much of it he actually had time to see before he's hit by 6 converging phase rifle shots which knock him out. That's a bi disappointing.

"Aw, I wanted to intimidate and then stun him."
"Please give us a bit more warning next time sir." says Dave.

The second officer's identification again reads as legit. Pretty good for someone that doesn't exist. It looks like the Houses that allow slavery have deals with Houses that don't to provide them with officially produced id's. Groups like the coalition to abolish slavery would probably like to get their hands on these people.

As it stands you have more than enough to throw these people in prison or worse once it's confirmed that the crew in that backup compartment are indeed slaves being transferred. Allied Houses report finding similar results. Daska was able to coordinate with some allies and move on at least a dozen ships. She's confident there are others and will keep on watch.

Baron Archivald wishes you'd provided more lead time as he's only able to get ships or allied ships to seize four transports before the others go to ground. As more data is taken this is starting to look more like it may have been one of the last big underground slave trading rings in the Dominion. That doesn't leave many options.

If slavers are determined to find a way they will, possibly even turning to groups like Ferigolds, though you doubt the smuggler would make it cheap for them.
Alternatively if someone like House Urtanium began running official transports or convoys and putting slaves aboard, boarding them could risk war with their House. Worse they could complain to the Ruling House on grounds of interference with their internal policies. That was one thing Ber'helum agreed not to do even if the Emperor might be against Slavery over all.

Things could get interesting.
>>
>>2699773
>Urtanium

How much more powerful are they compared to J-D? How much more powerful are they and their allies compared to J-D and Allies? I know it wouldn't be plausible to do anything overt about them. Like waging a war on them right now or ever.

But if we ever DID get into a spat with them. How much stronger are they to J-D with and without allies.

If we go on a deployment with them. Into the Neeran front. It would just be so terrible if their fleet happened to be wiped out by the Neeran. I'm sure that has been a part of many a plan to weaken rival houses in the past and in current times.
>>
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The Alliance has continued to make the Neeran work for every engagement. Minefields have been laid at reversion points. Gravity well generators are disrupting movements before withdrawing. Hit and fade attacks are targeting anything remotely resembling a logistics train.

At a colony five jumps out from the capital they finally throw down the gauntlet. 1200 Super heavies are waiting for the Armada. From new to old, vessels from every Faction are there. Even a pair of Dominion asteroid forts make an appearance. Baldr and the Light Neeran Fleet shows up with fifty of their own supers, several of which have been upgraded with Faction built siege cannons.

The colony in the system is fortunate enough to have been reinforced with additional shield platforms. What few video feeds of the fighting you're able to watch on show that they've modified the geometry of the shield into more of a teardrop shape. This should force the Neeran fleet to get in much closer or come in from the top or sides. The Faction fleets seem to be deployed to prevent that.

Winifred and Xisoth's fleets are off on the right flank. From what you're able to see they're keeping Forbearance as mobile as possible, evading the worst of the long range fire.

During one of the regular drop outs of the feeds Alex contacts you.
"Part of me wishes I was there." he tells you. "At the same time I never want to go near a fight that big."

>What say?
>>
>>2699905

We most likely will have to deal with such a fight. Whenever the Factions Alliance makes its own moves into Empire Neeran space. If this is them desperate to force the Shallans to surrender. How much more desperate are they going to be once we have them on the back pedal in their own space?
>>
>>2699902
Supposed to be Urtanim. Spelled it wrong again.

They've lost a lot because of the war. They were about in the top 30-40? J-D and Run Alliance would probably be an even match with them if Urtanim didn't have allies.
>>
>>2699905
"It's a scale that boggles the mind. Even if we were there, we could perform better than we ever have in our whole careers and it wouldn't make a dent on either fleet."
>>
>>2699905
"It looks like an engagement where you live and die solely by random chance. I think the invasion of Loran II 16 years ago probably didn't even involve 1200 corvettes."
>>
>>2699905
> Tell me about it. Imagine all the Supers we could salvage from the aftermath.
>>
"It's a scale that boggles the mind. It looks like an engagement where you live and die solely by random chance. I think the invasion of Loran II 16 years ago probably didn't even involve 1200 corvettes."

"I'm not confident there was even half that number." Alex replies.

"We'll most likely have to deal with such a fight whenever the Factions Alliance makes its own moves into Empire Neeran space. Is this just them desperate to force the Shallans to surrender? How much more desperate are they going to be once we have them on the back pedal in their own space?"

"It's not a coincidence the Alliance are recruiting Dominion officers to go into the Empire to try and cause their vassal states to break away. That's probably our big chance. Or only chance."

"I hope it works. If we had to go up against this we could perform better than we ever have in our whole careers and it wouldn't make a dent on either fleet."

Alex frowns. "Hey, don't be so discouraged. If they go big fleet we just have to go small. Hit and run with small groups over a wider area. It just takes longer to wear down a big foe."

True.

It takes a few hours for the sensor feed to return. When it does the reason for the planetary shields being arranged the way they are becomes clear. A massive solar event is washing over the planet and towards the Neeran lines. Alliance forces are either staying out wide or riding the wave to close with the Neeran fleet more quickly.
The ejection is too diffuse to cause serious damage to the Neeran fleet but it is adding additional wear to their shields and is preventing them from closing in on the planet itself. Despite the Alliance pressing the attack things seem to be remaining fairly static after this with both sides trying to avoid losing control of their overall formations.

The CME does seemed to have helped clear out a lot of enemy starfighters. Newer but less maneuverable Republic "missile truck" attack bombers like the Type-12 now have a chance to do damage without being picked apart.

You're not able to see much else until the next day. Helios rolls out their cooling laser Heavies, the first time you've seen them used in battle. Targeting individual ships simultaneously they seem to be doing a great deal of damage to their shields. Or at least other ships attacking the same enemy Supers shortly after them are able to tear down the Neeran defenses with startling ease.

Over the course of a few hours the Alliance forces have cut into the right flank. The Alliance then sends in a few faster heavy cruisers of a design you don't recognise. They do seem a bit familiar though. Once they breach the lines they begin broadside firing multiple Veckron weapons as they pass, doing a great deal of damage.

[ ] "Everybody get in here!"
[ ] They can watch it in replays
>>
>>2700048
>[ ] "Everybody get in here!"

Sweet hot damn, I don't want to be wrong, but are those our yards heavies?!
>>
>>2700048
>[ ] "Everybody get in here!"
>>
>>2700048
> [ ] "Everybody get in here!"

Excluding Security.
>>
>>2700061
No unfortunately.
Anon's Gunship / Nexus class are much too massive to move that quickly. Largely because they have a pair of big spinal mounted siege cannons. The 8 Medium plasma cannons and 48 LD plasma cannons don't exactly help in terms of improving its mobility.

No, these are something else. Like a cross between the Vieona and the odd Heavy cruiser with the Krath IFF you saw at the end of the Wing Commander arc. Which I'm now realising I never posted an image of anywhere.

So a bigger Vieona.
>>
Your advisers eventually arrive in the main office where you now have the big displays showing the ongoing battle, and the replays of the new ships. Some of them looking a bit haggard from having been watching the sensor feeds the past couple of days.

A very tired looking Vanderwal tires to suppress a yawn while looking over the images.
"Glad they're finally taking the kid gloves off. This ship, I'd say it was a joint Terran/Shallan design. It has the hallmarks of both. The Terrans wouldn't build a ship like this on their own, not these days. I suppose one of those sleepers might have but the Shallans are the only ones desperate enough to design a ship with a dozen veckron launchers on it."

Jan confirms that part of the base design is similar to a vessel used by the Shallans in the past. A vessel that was later acquired for use in special operations to end the Republic's Civil War. That's the one you later saw in South Reach.

Whatever their origin the new vessels cut through enemy until they're able to cripple one of the Neeran Command ships. They're forced to pull back after this because of having so many enemies now focused on destroying them. Both are on fire to some extent when they reach orbit around the planet, but the damage has been done.

With one of the Command ships dead in space and one entire flank now collapsing it looks like the Neeran fleet may be on the verge of retreat.

That's completely unimportant to you now though because you've just spotted a trio of heavy cruisers that are doing quite a bit of damage on the left flank given their size.
"Those are my ships!"

"What ships?" Troy asks causing you to hijack the main display so that it shows the Nexus class Gunship series vessels. The center most one is the old original version mounting Republic guns, while flanking it are two newer models. Together they're throwing out as much firepower as an EX-Mega.

"Sonia, the battle?"
"There are other screens."

Your three ships do quite well, though they do end up taking fire from much larger vessels eventually. The port ship in the formation ends up losing a third of the hull due to fire from an Executioner. One of the big guns and the command section are gone, but the drives and central core are still intact. It could be rebuilt.
>>
>>2700207

>It can be rebuilt.

And so it shall! What did they kill?
>>
>>2700207

>Your three ships do quite well, though they do end up taking fire from much larger vessels eventually. The port ship in the formation ends up losing a third of the hull due to fire from an Executioner. One of the big guns and the command section are gone, but the drives and central core are still intact. It could be rebuilt.

Probably just giddy from seeing our own design seeing use in such a battle, but, and I don't expect this to be desired thought. Can we offer to repair those ships back to top shape after the battle? I mean, give them a free/ at cost repair.
>>
>>2700220
>What did they kill?
Mostly other heavy cruisers, though they were putting the hurt on some carriers as well.

>>2700231
You could. It might even be tax deductible.

When it finally looks like the Neeran are trying to organise a retreat the Alliance activates what few gravity well generators they have available. This turns the retreat in some places into a rout.

Fadila finally snaps at you to pay attention to the larger battle.
"These Neeran units here and here are shooting at each other!"

Admiral Tama looks it over intently.
"One of the commanders is trying to get their subordinates to slow the retreat. Pull out in an organised manner. A few commanders must have decided they'll take their chances."

It certainly seems so. This is especially the case among non standard units, like those equipped with Corsair attack ships or other vessels you know that carry little if any Neeran crew. As elements reach the edge of the well and begin to jump out rather than reinforcing formations the Alliance presses the attack as much as they can. Even with their greater unit cohesion there is only so much they can do.
Eventually more and more Faction ships are forced to rotate back for resupply.

The enemy is in no position to take advantage of this and continues their attempts to jump out in an orderly fashion.

This is hardly the end of things. Over the next days the fleets based around the other Command ships strike at other Shallan worlds they have a direct line to, but they generally don't have long to inflict damage before pursuing Alliance fleets catch up and drive them off once more.

Cloaked minelayer units are now putting down minefield to try and hinder the enemy withdrawal instead of their advance, inflicting further losses. Hit and fade units continue to harry the main Neeran fleets. The enemy are quickly replacing what corvette units they lost, apparently unwilling to use teleport jamming in such a large engagement. This also means that Alliance crews are likewise being put back in ships as soon as shuttles and transports can get them to the shipyards.

You manage to get reports in on the status of the J-D fleet. They've taken some hits but are hanging in, helping to do as much damage as they can in the pursuit. Anvil Crawler's new engines are proving problematic due to battle damage and the upgraded Zeus is eventually left behind with the second line units. So much for that Zeus upgrade being an improvement.

>Cont.
>>
Winifred is willing to push her luck with Forbearance more than you might have expected, trying to overtake units wherever possible to disable them. She's driven off on several occasions, taking serious damage to some of her Medium cruisers in the process. Despite this she keeps hammering away at the enemy whenever or wherever she can. Forbearance's new guns are working perfectly.

The Neeran are still going full scorched earth tactics a week later when they reach the outer edges of the shallan home galaxy and stage for jumps to the edge of the cluster. By this point the Alliance fleets are exhausted and many are arguing to simply let them go. There are still vital long range sensor installations and logistics bases in the area that the Alliance will need in the future so they press on.

The House loses two thousand marines securing a Neeran logistics station when half of it explodes. Xisoth's fleet manages to avoid any serious ship losses aside from a badly crippled Shukhant. When it's all over Winifred contacts you.

"Reynard I have officially done my part against the Neeran. I have no interest in taking part in the offensives into their space. I leave that to you."
>>
>>2700341

More Neeran homeworld tech salvage for us.
>>
Resuming tomorrow.
Really hope I'll be able to cool my place down because it's becoming unbearably hot even with the air conditioner running. May have to use my shitty laptop and camp right next to the A/C unit since I can't get the cold air to go into my office.
>>
>>2700336
Is it happening? Has the tide finally been turned?
>>
>>2700336
>So much for that Zeus upgrade being an improvement.

Can we now petition to replace the Zeus with a new heavy? A more economical and reliable Heavy?

Maybe have Alex give Xisoth his Heavy so that when the great houses agree to his deal for allowing the construction of his Mobile Heavy Yard. Alex will have one under his control/ J-D influence before having to wait years for a go ahead from the great houses.

>>2700341
>"Reynard I have officially done my part against the Neeran. I have no interest in taking part in the offensives into their space. I leave that to you."

Considering the huge fleet battle that dwarfs even the fighting that happened around the Dominion Capital. That she was just a part of I cant blame her for wanting to sit out any further action near Neeran space.

Shallan Space is going to be the next 'Smugglers Run', in the near future, isn't it? Since so much Vekron weaponry is being used that I think it dwarfs even the Faction Wars in amount of Vekron use.

>>2700592
It sure looks like it. At least from the look of their invasion force. Now we are going to be facing their defense fleet. Who knows what horrors they have ready and waiting for us to salvage there.
>>
Oh shit it's happening
>>
This is it boys. The doomstack has failed. The Neeran forces are broken and in retreat. This was their Stalingrad and they are Germany.

We need to get as much propaganda material from this battle as possible and use it to drum up nationalism and support for the invasion among the population. Show them how finally the war has turned and that now is the time for revenge!
>>
>>2700722
Sell War Bonds, use the money to buy Ber'helum War Bonds!
>>
"Considering the size of that battle I can't blame you. Of course you know that will mean more Neeran tech salvage for me."

"You can have it. I'm getting too old for this."

"Do you think Xisoth is going to petition to have the Zeus replaced with another heavy? One that's more economical and reliable?"
"It wouldn't surprise me. Don't think that will automatically mean another sale for you though. Helios will begin production of their new heavy cruiser soon. Though of course we don't know how well it will fare in a prolonged engagement yet. For all we know it may fare just as poorly."

Those 4 siege cannons they're supposed to have is going to put a lot of strain on the hull. The Nirium built Cardinal class only has 4 Iratar or Republic heavy guns. This Helios heavy would have firepower nearly twice that. That must come at a cost but the question is where?

"We we do have plenty of options. Maybe Alex can trade Xisoth his heavy cruiser so he can have his mobile shipyard."

"I'm sure he would find a way to make that work." Winifred shakes her head. "Has he had much success on that front?"
You explain how he's approaching several members of the Seven about it. Last you heard it seemed to be going well. You'd also told him to get out a bit more.

"Good, I'd been hearing rumors. Is there any salvage you think the crew of the Forbearance would appreciate?"
>>
>>2701041
"I'm sure one of those Neeran super shield generators and somebody who can install, operate, and maintain it would earn you at least a minor religious cult on Forbearance."

>"Do you think Xisoth is going to petition to have the Zeus replaced with another heavy? One that's more economical and reliable?"
I'd go with another Kharbos heavy. The troops and ships the house tends to keep around the homeworlds seem kinda crap compared to the more elite troops stationed elsewhere, so a more reliable, and relatively cheap heavy seems like the way to go.
>>
>>2701041
"Anything to make the Forbearance less likely to explode. In the face of the new Executioner class being introduced the Forbearance is becoming more and more vulnerable after all."

On something completely unrelated, did the new Sovereign class get to participate in the doomstack battle?
>>
You suggest getting them anything to keep Forbearance from exploding if an Executioner looks at it the wrong way.
"Maybe Neeran super heavy shields?"
"Those are far too complicated Sonia. The Light Neeran Fleet only has a few ships equipped with them."

She promises to look into anything that might help it survive combat without increasing its mass too badly.

>>2701079
>did the new Sovereign class get to participate in the doomstack battle?
No, they were off on the farther flank participating at Crystal Sea. They'd originally deployed to the DS2 colony zone figuring that was a more likely place for a Neeran invasion wave.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiOu6uJWpCw [ Battle of Britain Theme End Title ]

By the time you're done talking to Winifred news of the recent victory is all over the media. They knew about the Alliance fleet driving back the Neeran Armada of course but everyone had been reluctant to say that it was a decisive victory. Especially without knowing how bad the Alliance losses were. Now they're aware that the Neeran fleet has not just been repulsed but driven completely out of the Shallan home galaxy.

The next day Emperor Ber'helum makes a short broadcast.

"To the people of the Dominion, and our allies among the other Factions. We have won critical victories over the Neeran Empire both in the Crystal Sea and now in Shallan Space. Yes we have taken losses, even heavily at times, but we have broken the enemies back. As of this morning the Neeran armada has departed the Shallan galaxy cluster for their own territory.

Some enemies in the outlying Shallan territories remain but we have survived the fire. Soon it will be our turn to take the fight to their space. We, our friends, our family and allies have all lost much. We must not allow that to have been in vain. The fight will be taken to our enemies homes and they will soon face the dilemma of surrender or destruction.
For now we continue our preparations for that day. It will be sooner than our enemy hopes. The end of this war is in sight. Though it may still take time we will see victory. We will see peace."

With the speech over it cuts to advertisements for war bonds and recruitment.
>>
Admiral Tama rather than Fadila informs you that the Sovereign did well enough in the recent fighting that the Alliance has requested 20 of them. They're aware that won't be an easy order to fill so they've contracted Iratar to provide the base frames for as many ships to the Dominion, along with drive sections. Iratar isn't entirely happy about this but they're doing it.

This should greatly accelerate production of the Sovereign. Enough so that your House could probably have a shot at purchasing one in the not so distant future. Maybe that would be a good replacement for the Zeus?
Or you could wait to see if Alex's shipyard program could build one. That would certainly be a game changer.

Between the recent losses and the need to build up forces for an invasion of Neeran space you start to see more discussion regarding logistics among the Houses. Even Count Jerik is looking at discussing measures with the Barons to increase fleet size.

Your House has relied upon R&D to tech up faster than other Houses. It now seems that R&D efforts in certain areas are increasingly seeing diminishing returns. There there are still some advances possible, but far less than earlier in the war and they won't be as quick to develop. The current top of the line tech has proven itself against the new stuff the Neeran have thrown at the factions.

Count Jerik is considering reducing the frankly ridiculous research budgets and diverting it to overall fleet capacity. You managed to max out Rioja's naval capacity in a short period of time in the Civil War. The idea is to massively enlarge the fleets while training an even larger pool of crews to allow more fleet and crew rotation during the invasion. The yards can produce ships faster than you can train crews anyways.

What do you intend to support?

[ ] Reduce R&D as suggested (No new research projects*)
[ ] Partial reduction (very few new projects)
[ ] No reduction (J-D maintains current fleet strength)

*Unless the Emperor says so
>>
>>2701124
>[ ] Partial reduction (very few new projects)
>>
>>2701124
>[ ] Partial reduction (very few new projects)
Does Helios hand out research stipends for smaller houses that have shown potential? They seem like the kind of organization that runs a junior programme.
>>
>>2701124
>What do you intend to support?

On one hand I get where the Count is going with this. Leaning on R&D was a crutch to help make up for our small size and add a force multiplier to our elite forces. Now that we are large the need for that crutch is no longer really needed as we can much more easily throw numbers around.

However to slash the R&D budget now because things are getting harder is not the way I see for us. Who knows what potential research projects will reveal themselves to us in Neeran Territory. Who knows what we will be able to nab from the Sphere in future rai- diplomatic missions.

To give up on progress is a return to the decline of the Dominion as a whole as it was before the Warlords campaign.

None the less I can agree on a partial reduction of the R&D if only for the potential Diamond Mine has. It enough should be able to apply enough of a force multiplier to our forces, and the Dominion at large, to make up for any other loss incured by diminshed R&D

>[ ] Partial reduction (very few new projects)
>>
>>2701124

>[ ] Partial reduction (very few new projects)

We will of course still maintain our own R&D facilities with our own out of pocket. Those are our own pet projects and shouldn't cut into House resources to heavily. And wasn't this the reason we have that university in the first place? To start hiring some of their best up and coming talent and putting to work on our hair brain ideas.

So long as we don't over extend our own cash we should be fine in keeping the yards running and our R&D kicking.

>This should greatly accelerate production of the Sovereign. Enough so that your House could probably have a shot at purchasing one in the not so distant future. Maybe that would be a good replacement for the Zeus?
>Or you could wait to see if Alex's shipyard program could build one. That would certainly be a game changer.

We should bring this possibility up with the count. I am sure he is probably already aware of it. But it wouldn't hurt to let him know that we could likely replace the Zeus with either a Sovereign or get to working things out with Alex and Zisioth, in convincing Alex to give Zisioth. Especially if he gets the first of the Mobile Heavy Yards and it ends up being able to build the Sovereign class Super. Only Alex would know whether it could or couldn't, actually, would it be alright to check with Alex and get a private meeting with him. To see what are some ships he plans for his mobile heavy yards to build? And tell him our plans to get rid of the Zeus because if/ when he gets the clearance from the seven to go ahead with his project. He'll have two heavies in his command and that'll make a lot of the other nobles nervous. By giving Zisioth his heavy to help the house in being rid of the Zeus. He can show he is willing to work with established nobility and is able to keep a status quo. Even though his mobile heavy yard would be far more useful. Especially if it can let us build a Sovereign of our own to back up Foreberance in coming deployments.
>>
>>2701124
>[ ] Partial reduction (very few new projects)
>>
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>>2701134
With the amount of R&D you guys were doing these sort of things should have been happening more often.
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>>2701168
You mean it hasn't been?
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>>2701168
RIP SoTS 2 :(
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>>2701134
We're getting more into the territory of new R&D projects will provide better weapons in 15 years time if we start them soon. Or we can build more of the already good weapons we have now.

>>2701133
Research grants are a thing. They don't exactly provide them to other Houses generally. They're more up for joint research projects in those cases where their people benefit from it as well.

You may want to set aside money for grants to independent research firms if the House is going to cut back what the taxes are being used for.
>>2701136
>We will of course still maintain our own R&D facilities with our own out of pocket.
You do still have quite a bit of money to throw around this year.

>>2701136
>what are some ships he plans for his mobile heavy yards to build?
Just a few of the Dominion ones.
>>
You send a response to the Count regarding the suggested reduction in new R&D projects. You'd be willing to support a partial reduction. After all who knows what you'll end up finding once you enter Neeran space. He's certainly glad you're willing to go along with that much. The current R&D projects are already too much. Fortunately some of them are expected to conclude this year freeing up resources.
Alex's shipyard is all but finished, though it will probably need additional improvements once it sees use for the first time and flaws are identified.

As discussions are held with the other Barons on future R&D reductions it's estimated that the House could increase its standing fleet by 50% just with the partial reductions.

"We'll need to expand training facilities." Archivald concludes. "The Emperor is pushing for expanded recruitment. Finding people has never been the problem, schooling them has been."

Fortunately the Count has already been taking measures to prepare for that eventuality. After the losses sustained by the home fleet in the civil war that only reinforced the need for them. He's been building sites that can handle the large numbers of crews that will need to be trained and provide them with memory imprinting.
Current training schools should be adequate for the additional pilots that will be needed.

"Viscount, Baron Avun, I don't believe your worlds populations can support a large increase in recruitment at this time. Focus on pilots, we'll provide crews for your ships.

When Forbearance and the crews you loaned to the Alliance return they're to be given priority for neural scanning. The Ruling House is requesting volunteers for additional super heavy crews to be cloned. Some will assist in crewing the Sovereign class ships, others will go to the Alliance to bulk up their ACS fleets."

It seems things are progressing quickly now that there is hope of victory over the Neeran.

>Anything to add?
>>
>>2701304
What does the houses plan to do if a Shallan civil war should happen in the near future? The military government will lose some legitimization once their territory isn't a gigantic war zone any more.
>>
>>2701304

I want to see what the count wants to do with the Zeus problem. And bring up to him a solution of getting a Sovereign or doing an internal shuffle of heavies. Where Alex gives Xisoth his Heavy, and Alex gets his mobile heavy yard. And in return, the House orders a Super from Alex's mobile heavy yard. See if the count would be okay with such a plan. So long as we are willing to approach both barons and get the ground work going.

Of course, so long as other anons are okay with this.
>>
>>2701304
>Anything to add?
Do we fill the Count in on Diamond Mine now or are we saving that for when we go to the Emperor after this and get a very secure and private meeting with him?

The Zeus. It needs to be dealt with. It's clearly not going to work out to have it in the fleet. It's a logistical nightmare. Now I am not saying this just to get a sale but our Heavy would be easier to maintain in the House fleet. Or really anything that isn't it. Which is sad because it's firepower is quite impressive. Worst case it should be relegated to remain in the home worlds. But permanent garrison duty seems like such a waste for a ship with that kind of fire power. I like the idea of trading it away and thus freeing up space for a new Sovereign class instead.

Public opinions on the upcoming invasion? If negative we should see if we can work the media into changing that.

>>2701330
A VERY interesting question. Civil War in Shallan space would cut any supply lines going into Neeran space afterall.
>>
>>2701335
>Of course, so long as other anons are okay with this.
I'd prefer a more durable, all-round heavy for the home territories. The Sovereign is still a siege and logistics platform.

>>2701353
>Do we fill the Count in on Diamond Mine now or are we saving that for when we go to the Emperor after this and get a very secure and private meeting with him?
Neither.
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>>2701363
Well then what is the plan you would say? Develop it all on our own?
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>>2701353
If we want to bring it up to the Emperor. Then we need a private meeting with him in a room/ area where he is so certain that no one is listening in. And make is clear that it will piss the Terrans and Rovinar off to no end if they learned that the Dominion had even an ounce of it.
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>>2701376
>Well then what is the plan you would say? Develop it all on our own?
Leave it where it has been for the past two decades and don't think about it.
>>
>>2701388
Well I did say I wanted a very secure and private meeting.

>>2701392
That's quitter talk! We've waited long enough! If we don't use it at all then that means that we've just about wasted all that effort in getting it.
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>>2701416
>If we don't use it at all then that means that we've just about wasted all that effort in getting it.
All that 'effort' was a quick scan of a fabricator and hiding said scan under some floorboard on a shuttle.
>>
>>2701427
>>2701416

Could always do a dead drop on some Kharbos world for some Kharbos Baron to pick up and let Kharbos deal with it and pick up the bulls eye on their backs.
>>
You ask to bring up a few points for discussion.

"With the Neeran's days in Shallan space numbered what is our plan if a Shallan civil war breaks out?"

"Our current plan is to remain neutral, though we won't block either side from fundraising among populations currently living in our territory. Violence won't be tolerated though. Plans for neutrality may change in the future. We will have to see how developments unfold.
All of you are of course free to make whatever donations you want to either side. Reynard, I know you're funding a mercenary group made up of shallan exiles and dissidents. I'd suggest financial support only once the current group has left your territory. We don't want to be seen as taking sides yet."

"Yes sir." you reply.
Mezan had better make sure her people are ready before setting out for the PCCG. Their free ride with unit maintenance looks to have a definite end once they set out. Of course you can always donate more cash they can use to pay for repairs.

Alex speaks up next.
"Is there a plan if a civil war threatens to cut supply lines into Neeran space?"

"My understanding is that the Alliance has contingencies in place. The State has signed agreements granting the Alliance exclusive use of certain facilities which are good for approximately 100 years. It won't be ideal but it should keep supply lines from being cut off completely."

Good and bad you guess.

Next is the discussion on the heavy cruiser situation. Despite upgrades the Zeus is (or was) stuck with engine trouble again and continues to be a drain on resources. You propose selling it, either to make room for acquisition or another heavy, or for a new Sovereign class.

Baron Dremine is concerned about the strain another Super might put on the House.
"If you believed the Zeus to be hard on logistics you may be surprised what the Sovreign requires. The fuel costs alone are ludicrous."

"Fuel is cheap." you reply, having seen Forbearance in the field enough times.

"Moving it to somewhere else isn't." The older Baron counters. "Away from established resupply bases it will be difficult to provide enough for it to operate near full power. That could make it a liability headed into Neeran space."

"What are you suggesting then?" you ask.

"Another Inexorable class heavy cruiser. Baron Palaiologos has conducted studies that show they could be upgraded or modified to fit a number of roles. Even using a bow section from one of your Nexus class ships. They have more than enough power for any number of roles and are not as hard on fuel, despite looking a bit bulky."

[ ] Delay, get a Sovereign once their engines have improved
[ ] Agree to another Inexorable
[ ] We can build our own Soverign! (Give Xisoth Alex's Inexorable)
[ ] Other?
>>
>>2701456
>[x] Agree to another Inexorable
>>
>>2701456
>[ ] Agree to another Inexorable
>>
>>2701456
[ ] Agree to another Inexorable
[ ] We can build our own Soverign! (Give Xisoth Alex's Inexorable)

As long as we get something that does not strain to much. Pitching the build idea just to bring a spice of crazy to the meeting.
>>
>>2701456
>[x] Agree to another Inexorable
>>
>>2701456
>[ ] Agree to another Inexorable
>>
"We could build our own Soverign!"
"What?" is Dremine's confused reply.
"Are you serious?" asks Jor'ron, then to one of the others asks. "Is she serious?"

Meanwhile you can hear a mumbled, "No, Sonia, just no." from Alex who is busy with a double facepalm.

"Well we could once the mobile shipyard is working properly. For now though I think Baron Dremine is right about the Inexorable class."

This gets a few sighs of relief from the others. The Inexorable may not be entirely compatible with the Talos class carriers in terms of drive components like the upgraded zeus, or your own recently modified Nexus class, but it's close enough and efficient. It may have been the nutcase portion of House Kharbos that designed them but they've proven that occasionally they can make good ships.

Negotiations will begin with the Alliance or other Houses for a sale which will happen once Xisoth's fleet has completed their deployment in Shallan space. The forces in the area are still doing a lot of cleanup. Alliance fleets are now trying to disable the Neeran navigation bases at the edge of Shallan territory, leaving them open for later capture. Some big command ships are still present but most of their fleet is giving chase to elements that retreated back into their own territory.

Winifred estimates they'll be able to leave about a month after you're scheduled to see the Emperor.

You currently have 3.8 billion S in funds. Did you want to hang into most of that until after the meeting, or did you want to invest some in research grants or other things? There was talk of investing in some of the worlds you're helping move into place for the Terrans.
>>
>>2701568

Well I guess we needed to confirm to the rest of the Barons we are indeed still crazy for big things. Be it ships to salvage or build.

As for investments, since we got a lot of the Barons from J-D here. Lets ask around if any of them need any financial backing for any projects that we could help with. We just showed we're still somewhat crazy, might as well show we're crazy to help anyone who is willing to work with us.

But also, Maybe reserve 1 billion to 1.5 billion for getting into the development of those worlds we are moving in terran space.
>>
>>2701568
> Did you want to hang into most of that until after the meeting,
Yes. We currently have no active projects in need of money and if anything it can all wait until after the meeting. After which we should have a more clear picture of what needs funding and what does not need funding.
>>
>>2701568
>There was talk of investing in some of the worlds you're helping move into place for the Terrans.
If we put any money into Terran space I would like to request we also buy a local law firm. Because Terrans.

>did you want to invest some in research grants
We should make the grants public but I doubt people will have finished and sent in their proposals before we're back from the meeting.

>or other things
Are any of our neighbors and allies in need of investment? How about house Medel? Do we get a rebate on our first Helios heavy because we were kinda a tiny bit involved in the design process? Is anybody looking to sell an older grav well generator?
>>
>>2701587
>Lets ask around if any of them need any financial backing for any projects that we could help with.
The House's continuing main project are the new territories near House Medel. They're always in need of more investment. Especially any time there's a flare up of violence and businesses decide to leave a particular area.

>>2701594
>If we put any money into Terran space I would like to request we also buy a local law firm. Because Terrans.
Understood
>Are any of our neighbors and allies in need of investment? How about house Medel?
Some of the minor Houses in the Relay could use some investment. Most of the Run Alliance is doing well, though an offer will be sent.
House Medel could use loans, investments or both. They'd rather not be completely reliant on the Ruling House.

>Do we get a rebate on our first Helios heavy because we were kinda a tiny bit involved in the design process?
Nope. Fortunately you'll be able to equip its weapons yourself which might have been really expensive. Surprised nobody suggested the Helios heavy in place of the Inexorable.

>Is anybody looking to sell an older grav well generator?
Are you serious? After what's happened of late with the Alliance and everyone else trying to buy up gravity generators?
>>
>>2701568
I want to save some for the Emperor summon meeting.
>>
>>2701456
> Not supporting "rebels" to take Shallan planets and then break away to form a Shallan House in the Dominion.

Worked with Terra!
>>
>>2701695
>Are you serious?
I was expecting the list of people who Ber'helum allows (re)selling these to, to be ridiculously short at the moment. Just in case somebody needs to sell one right now,
>>
And survey up.

surveymonkey com/r/ 833LFBS

Links on the wiki and twitter. Even at max spending you should have plenty left for any subsequent projects.
Getting food.
>>
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>>2701804
>3. The House new territories where Baron Katherine Drake and Baron L'ak Tenni have been assigned continue to face development issues.
>100m - Low interest loans to Drake
>etc.
Is there a reason why we shouldn't loan money to Tenni? Or is he included in that option?
>>
>>2701816
Didn't you know? Accounting is French to them.
>>
>>2701819
No reason. Just added them for you so you'll have to refresh the page. Survey is set so you can change answers even after completion.
>>
>>2701804
We should increase the price while the war is on and people can't get their own grav well generators.

Then we can use the increased costs in the industry as a reason to keep the grav wells from the front lines.
>>
>>2701828
Thanks.
>>
You'll be offering better rates later in the event HTF gets hired to terraform worlds your company has conducted orbital corrections for.

250m - Terran investments on terraformed worlds
250m - New territories investments
500m/2 - Low interest loans to Drake and Tenni
250m + House Medel investments

That leaves you with 2.554 billion S left. Plenty for a crazy plan or two.

There was a suggestion to pay for repairs to that Nexus class heavy that was badly hit. It would cost around 260 mil to do since the ship lost more mass than what makes up the Outer Heaven. A good chunk of that mass was a siege cannon.

Approve this?
Y/N?
>>
>>2702197

>Approve this?
Yes
>>
>>2702197

Approved.
>>
>>2702197
[x] Y
>>
>>2702207
>>2702264
2.294 billion left.

To say that the crew of the ship and the engineers at the nearest shipyard are surprised by your call is something of an understatement. It's not everyday that the own of the shipyard that built your warship calls you up and tells you they've got the repair bill covered. The repair yard is certainly happy about this too since it means they're not being told to just put it on the Alliance's tab like always. They're actually getting real money.

That's something to feel nice about for the rest of the week.

The babies are being a lot more noisy of late. Not necessarily in a bad way. Laughing and giggling, crying too. They're also trying to grab anything and everything they can find to put in their mouths. Which is a little scary when one of them tries to pull a security ID pin off your duty uniform.

"I'm baby proofing my wardrobe! I don't want any complaints if my uniforms look a bit more basic."
>>
>>2702410
Do they make Dominion dress uniforms in baby size?
>>
>>2702460
If they don't it wouldn't take very long to find someone who would.
>>
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Your investments go into effect in the new territories where they're certainly welcomed. Drake and Tenni are glad for the support both financially and the help of your special forces. You don't have much in the way of relations with Tenni so she certainly wasn't expecting the offer of help.

New equipment and training make sure that when there are casualties on deployments they're rarely fatal. Most squads are now carrying more than one stasis medical field with them. Because of this deaths are becoming extremely rare.
The deployment is also giving your people the chance to test out newer model IFV's. Both Barons have had no choice but to acquire more up to date vehicles in the hopes of reducing losses. Those that have already returned speak highly of them, though they're still slated to see a newer version finish development soon.

Talking to General Rna about it they admit that most of the IFV's and APC's in use by Rioja's army are outdated models. Most of the real danger is to the tanks at the top of the spear or the flanks. Rna has done a good job of protecting the troops except in rare instances. Power and speed of movement tend to win the day. They've only been really vulnerable in cities where they frequently need to disgorge troops anyways.

"I have plans for the medium tanks to see upgrades, hopefully before the Alliance launches this offensive everyone thinks is going to happen. I don't have enough resources to attempt replacement of the mechanized infantry vehicles at this time. I think we could make the current ones work. People are always producing upgrade kits for the models we use."

Your army's not going to be of much use if the Neeran ground troops tear them to pieces in ambushes.
"Your opinion on the new IFV's being produced by the larger Houses?"

"They're an improvement across the board, but the model slated to enter production at the end of this year or early next year are supposed to be better."

You'll need to put in money either way to make sure the infantry are in good shape. Do you continue using the current vehicles and acquire upgrade packs for them? Upgrade production to the newer models now being built? Or hold off until what should be an even better model?
>>
>>2702659
What does the upgrade kits include? APS? Extra armor? Engine mods? Stasis shields?
>>
>>2702702
>APS?
Active protection is kind of shit on the older APC's. Usually they just put anti-missile systems on the tanks. Some IFV models do have turrets with a built in anti-missile laser since they tend to be targeted first because of the turret.
Replacing turrets so that all of them have LAMS would be quite cheap.
>Extra armor? Engine mods? Stasis shields?
The upgrades are extra armor replacement and some minor engine reactor refits, giving them better speed, acceleration and maneuverability.
Even with the improved reactors they wouldn't be able to provide enough power for stasis shields. It does provide enough for 2 power cell armor charging jacks.

Current newer model being built has improved anti-missile system coverage mounted in 3 locations on the hull. Better armor arrangement, engines, reactors. They're getting close to being more of a shuttle. They come with at least 2 power cell armor charging jacks as standard, more can be added. There is also a topside connection point to add an IFV turret, or other specialised equipment like command and control systems, jamming, etc.

The new upcoming model would have attachment points to later have stasis shields added, though nobody can afford to outfit entire units with them. They'd be the sort of thing you'd put on a command vehicle. The upcoming one would also have full sets of charging jacks for power cell troops. Plus all of the other options from the previous model.
>>
>>2702659
Skip the current generation in favor of what comes next.

I imagine much of the opening salvo of the Neeran Invasion will be a space battle.
>>
>>2702848
Go with this then?

Anything else you wanted to take care of before your meeting with the Emperor?
>>
>>2702977
I can support that.
As for anything to prepare, I dont remember anything we needed to do, anyone else?
>>
>>2702977
Just caught up on the thread, and I had a couple thoughts.

First, how much would we be able to pick up the slack on House R&D if we wanted to? What's the scale of that budget? Tens of billions? Hundreds?

I also think investing more in our own R&D would be valuable. We wouldn't be operating on the same scale, but it seems like a good long term investment. Even if it would take a decade or two to pay off, I think a few hundred million into our company R&D and Rioja University science programs would be a good call.

My other thought was about leveraging our money into improved political relations with other Barons. I count 16 JD planets on the wiki, plus numerous worlds near the Capital, in Erid territory, and in the Run. That's a lot of Barons, and it would be well worth getting Fadila to draw up a list of Barons who are in need of a loan with generous terms. Additionally, just investing in land on recent acquisitions or on worlds held in trust would be a good long term investment, so long as the House remains strong.
>>
>>2703104
>I think a few hundred million into our company R&D and Rioja University science programs would be a good call.
>>
>>2703104
ooh, sounds good, supporting.
>>
>>2703115
supporting i meant
>>
>>2703104
>Rioja University science programs would be a good call.
I don't know about you guys, but at my Uni this usually works the other way around. Companies will pay the university for them to carry out research, use their facilities, or develop something.

Maybe we could free up some R&D space if we outsource some of the minutiae of our research projects to the University and offer decent payment in exchange. Small things that our teams could better use their time on.

>>2702977
>Anything else you wanted to take care of before your meeting with the Emperor?
How's the eccentric scientist we let stay in our territory getting on?
Maybe we can hold court on Rioja?
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>>2703104
>What's the scale of that budget? Tens of billions? Hundreds?
Tens probably, though having access to a large intelligence apparatus and population to recruit from helps a great deal.

>I count 16 JD planets on the wiki, plus numerous worlds near the Capital, in Erid territory, and in the Run. That's a lot of Barons
Normally only suitably industrialised worlds get a Baron since they need to be able to support their fleet. Diroath is easily the weakest Barony in J-D space. They needed another one at the time and it was the first world to finish terraforming in the outer colonies. If it weren't for the fact that it would create PR disaster Jor'ron would probably have been offered to become Baron of another more suitable world by now.

>Fadila to draw up a list of Barons who are in need of a loan with generous terms.
>investing in land on recent acquisitions or on worlds held in trust would be a good long term investment, so long as the House remains strong.
>company R&D and Rioja University science programs
All good ideas.

>>2703137
>>2703182
Alright then.

There was the request to keep some money left over. How much do you want to have left? Everything else will go into the above.

[ ] 800 million
[ ] 1 Billion
[ ] 1.2 Billion
[ ] 1.5 Billion
>>
Resuming tomorrow afternoon.
>>
>>2703245
No rush, but how many Barons are there in JD?

Honestly, just drawing up a list of broke Barons would be very valuable. My impression is that we're richer than a lot of the other Barons, and likely to become even richer as the Neeran War drags on. It's lasted about 15 years, and I think even in the best case scenario it'll last another 3 so there's still billions to be made selling ships to the Factions and the Alliance. Additionally, our relationship the Harmen family and our share of the terraforming and grav-planet adjustment business means that our income is diverse enough that an unexpected peace won't bankrupt us.

So we're rich as hell and likely to keep getting richer. We need to think long term, and that means we need to keep collecting Barons. Avun and Nel'odym (not yet a Baron, but he should be soon I think) are both solidly with us, but we don't have any others that are in our pocket. We're very close with Alex, but he's going to be busy enough with his shipyard program without us asking him for shit, and he's got responsibilities to his family as well. We have good relations with Daska, Drake, and Winifred, but we don't cooperate with them on political stuff that often. We're very secure politically, but we might still be able to expand our political power cheaply.

And remember, it's bribery if you just pay someone to do what you want. But making a friend, and then loaning them some money from time to time, and maybe forgive the debt if they're a very good friend, that's just being friendly. Sonia's no elite political operator, and she probably never will be, but she's rich enough that she might not need to be.

With that in mind, I'll pick 800 million. You gotta spend money to make money.

[X] 800 million
>>
>>2703239
>[ ] 1.5 Billion
>>
>>2703239
Given the unknown nature of what the Emperor is calling a meeting with us for I'd rather keep a large enough amount of money with us when we meet him.
>1.2 Billion

Also what is the current political structure in Jerik-Dremine right now, The only thing I'm still sure is the Count is still head after that everything goes very hazy afterwards.
>>
>>2703239

1 Billion
>>
>>2703307
Supporting
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>>2703239
[ ] 1.5 Billion
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>>2702659
Can we keep a couple of wheeled and tracked vehicles in the inventory? If the Neeran manage to install energy drain grids on their planets, vehicles that minimize power requirements could come in handy.

>>2701695
>Surprised nobody suggested the Helios heavy in place of the Inexorable.
Buying first generation military hardware rarely turns out to be a good deal. Our Zeus probably was a first gen ship as well, and look how that turned out.

>>2703239
>[x] 1.2 Billion
>>
>>2703239
> [ ] 1.2 Billion

I'd prefer 1.5 but this some people want less so this is a bit of a compromise.
>>
You'll be spending enough that there is 1.2 Billion remaining. A little over a billion spent.

>>2703307
>No rush, but how many Barons are there in JD?

https://houseanddominion.wikia.com/wiki/House_Jerik-Dremine#Key_House_Personnel

12 if you include Sonia. One more is probably needed in Erid space, another in your Relay and one in South Reach eventually. Convenient since 3 Knight Commanders were sent out.

Another peculiarity your House has compared to most is that the Count does not actually have his own world to govern. J-D would hardly be the only one with that sort of situation but many of those are democracies.

Baron Jor'ron with his rather shit planet is probably the most in need of financial assistance, though he's hardly without resources. With his world being close to the border he couldn't risk heavy investment in orbital industries before the Civil War. What happened to Dremine could have been done to his world far more easily.

He now primarily needs investment in orbital industries since his world is very resource poor. It's a good size planet but one better suited to Dro'all. Low gravity for one of its size and lacking in many heavy metals. Mining of belts, planetoids and comets provide most of their raw materials not brought in from other systems.

Saputo isn't entirely secure either. He had to give up a lot when the Count asked him to become Baron of Torun. He'd been making plans for years to rule Kaptlyn in the Run even since the campaign there.

Other than them most of the other Barons aside from those you're already helping are quite secure. The House is in a good place financially and has been since earlier in the war. With the influx of cash from the early campaigns the Count and supporting nobles were able to use that money to make more money for the House. It helps they were used to operating on very little after decades as a tiny House.
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>>2704447
Excellent, Saputo is an old friend/comrade and Jor'run is in no position to be picky about investors. Getting leverage with both will help us a lot.

Getting a station and some shipyards over the next few years around Jor'runs Planet will be wise. We can float him loans for some industry, and build some company stuff as well. It'll help build up the house, make us a nice profit, and draw some tax money and civilian traffic to his planet. And gently remind him who his friends are.
>>
>>2695723
>Would they be interested in a copy of the DNA samples we collected from those creatures that could feed on electricity we encountered on the sphere? It seems like something that could come in really handy if they can manage to adapt it to their respective armor designs, plugging your suit into an outlet to accelerate the healing process seems useful.

Samples sent. Either of them might be able to figure out a thing or two. More available energy is rarely a bad thing.

[REDACTED] PROJECT UNLOCKED

>>2703811
>Can we keep a couple of wheeled and tracked vehicles in the inventory?
I suppose. You'll have to buy many from less technologically advanced Houses, the PCCG and SRL.

Heavy Walkers / quad walkers also exist. Rioja doesn't have any as part of its army, though the Governor has acquired a small number for the PDF. General Rna has been known to borrow them for use against training units. Walkers in general are intended for environments where repulsors operate less efficiently. Anti-repulsor mines also exist so they help there too.

I almost forgot! There is a slightly newer tracked vehicle. It was only mentioned once or twice way back and nobody was interested in acquiring them. It's essentially a fast moving self propelled gun / assault gun. Like a StuG on red bull. Is tank drifting a thing?

>1 youtube search later.
Yes it is.
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>>2704497
>[REDACTED] PROJECT UNLOCKED
As long as the usual Sonia Reynard terms and conditions apply I'm happy.
If those things can actually grow on electricity alone, or even just sustain themselves indefinitely, then we've either just killed most of the pharmaceutical industry, or started taking the first step towards energy to matter fabricators.

>Like a StuG on red bull.
>You'll have to buy many from less technologically advanced Houses, the PCCG and SRL.
Ask for a couple of demonstrators of each type and see how they perform under simulated sphere energy drain conditions? We are a large enough potential buyer that manufacturers should be willing to hand over a couple of vehicles for testing.
>>
>>2704497
What ever happened to that rust fungus thing.

what would happen if we mixed that with the energy eaters.
>>
>>2704497
Could we grow like. Just the brain part of the Neeran that feels pain and the telepathic part and put them in stasis then use them to overwhelm the Neeran psychic abilities with raw undiluted pain?
>>
>>2704497
>>2704558
Or recycle Neeran soldiers into them? Maybe block all their senses for a while so they're reaching out telepathically really hard.
>>
>>2704557
>What ever happened to that rust fungus thing.
Locked away. Nobody wanted to use it, but just in case information on how to deal with it has proliferated a bit. The Neeran had previously encountered it and knew how to deal with it already so there wasn't much point in trying to use it against the empire.

>what would happen if we mixed that with the energy eaters.
Probably not much? It's highly unlikely they'd be compatible.

>>2704558
>>2704561
War crimes in a jar?

>>2704535
>Ask for a couple of demonstrators of each type and see how they perform under simulated sphere energy drain conditions?

Companies and arms merchants from the PCCG, SRL and the Dominion have tracked or wheeled vehicles similar in many respects to most Medium repulsor tanks in armament. A particle beam cannon as the main gun is usually powered by a dedicated compact fusion reactor. They're quick over most terrain, though certain things even they cant handle.

With a simulated energy drain the big energy weapon becomes a liability, increasing power draw from the reactor and causing it to go through fuel much more quickly. Against your advice one of the merchants tries to demonstrate one that uses power cells with predictable results. A cargo shuttle has to haul it back to be recharged.

PCCG and SRL models are available that are gas powered using either repulsor mass drivers or auto cannons. Mass drivers also suffer from power draw issues while the auto cannons frequently lack penetration and rate of fire. Maybe you could upgrade them with oversized splinter ammo rounds?

Even the newer assault gun that one of the Dominion merchants holds up as some kind of exalted masterpiece is only good for hours in a power drain. It has a reactor to power its drive train and sensors, while armed with two autocannons and 20mm Gatling guns.

None of the tested designs are clearly better than the other. Those that are more capable frequently have a shorter operating time and vice versa.

Any particular type of design you would like to see?
Alternatively, what is your ideal tank?
Weapons: AC, Repulsor Mass Driver, Particle Beam, Chemical Laser, Rockets/Missiles?
Power: Fusion Reactor, Gas Powered, Power Cell
Drive train: Tracked, Wheeled, Repulsor
>>
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>>2704447
>his world is very resource poor. It's a good size planet but one better suited to Dro'all. Low gravity for one of its size and lacking in many heavy metals
Wouldn't that make and ideal Dro'all spa and vacation world? If we can get the Emperor or a few of the Dro'all in line to succeed him to spend their vacation there, it should put the world on the map of Dominion high society and the economy should get boosted significantly for a few decades, right?
>>
>>2704617
>Weapons
>Chemical Laser
Didn't the lower rank Neeran troops on the sphere use these? How do these compare to the auto cannons available?

>Power
Would the power provided by an RTG be enough to power either the engine or turret/sensor assembly on any of these models? If not, a combustion engine that can run on anything that burns like the leman russ is supposed to have might be the best bet.

>Drive train: Tracked, Wheeled,
Is a futuristic Christie suspension available?
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>>2704618
If we've got pull with the emperor, I think it's better spent somewhere else. A gamble that might pay out for someone else's planet isn't a great use of our resources.
>>
>>2704618
>Wouldn't that make and ideal Dro'all spa and vacation world?
Maybe for your own House. Outside it that's hardly unique on that front. The Seven or their closer allies will tend to control the best worlds for Dro'all. Well, not Ceres but traditionally they weren't among the Seven.

>>2704634
>Didn't the lower rank Neeran troops on the sphere use these?
Yes. I remembered that at the last second and added it.
>How do these compare to the auto cannons available?
There is a reason most tanks use particle beams rather than lasers as their main armament. Starfighters have enough heat dissipation that they stopped using lasers due to them being mostly ineffective. Tanks have more mass to sink heat with. Mind you tanks can carry bigger guns. With a powerful enough laser you could get through armor but not as quickly as the other options.
Also the chemicals needed tend to be either a little toxic or radioactive if fuel casings are destroyed by enemy fire.
It's an option. Not necessarily a good one but it is there.

>RTG
Wouldn't provide very much unless you're filling a lot of the interior with them. You'd need to have a fairly light weight tank.

>a combustion engine that can run on anything that burns like the leman russ is supposed to have might be the best bet.
That might take some work but could theoretically be done. Can't imagine it would be very efficient but you never know.
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>>2704654
What if we use cooling lasers instead of regular ones?
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>>2704634
>Is a futuristic Christie suspension available?
I suppose so? It's just a variant used on tracked vehicles is it not?

>>2704657
Unless you're using an actual artifact it's still a weapon that requires power. You won't be able to use chemical reactions to fuel the beam. Unless you're using those reactions to generate electricity.
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>>2704672
>I suppose so? It's just a variant used on tracked vehicles is it not?
Yes, the special thing about it is you can remove the tracks and drive the tanks one the road wheels and steer the frontal ones like you would on a wheeled vehicle.


>Unless you're using an actual artifact it's still a weapon that requires power
'kay.
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Not sure what direction to go with the whole energy drain resistant tanks to be honest. Would you prefer to just buy a few vehicles of each type and assign a unit to conducting testing with them to try and build up a better picture of what works best?
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>>2704725
>Not sure what direction to go with the whole energy drain resistant tanks to be honest.
You would probably want something with slightly more armor than heavy PA to the front, medium PA equivalent to the sides, and recon PA equivalent to the rear.

I think most advanced sensors would probably be a waste because they can't be used continuously without draining the vehicle. Maybe use an RTG to charge a chemical accumulator that can be used to power more advanced features for 20 or 30 minutes before needing to be recharged.

I'm not really sure about the weapons. It would need something that can deal with reinforced positions and groups of infantry with frontal armor protection probably similar to medium power armor... what if we throw something together that resembles an Ontos but with more armor?
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>>2704736
Could work. Rate of fire will be shit unless we do something about its reload system. The army will need to do some field testing of different munitions. Modified dumbfire Micro RPG's or larger anti-tank rockets.
Approve funding?
>>
>>2704736
Could work. Rate of fire will be shit unless we do something about its reload system. The army will need to do some field testing of different munitions. Modified dumbfire Micro RPG's or larger anti-tank rockets.
1) Approve funding?
Y/N?

2) What ship are you taking on your trip to see the Emperor?
2A) Outer Heaven
2B) The Great Devourer
2C) EC-K
2D) Excalibur
>>
>>2704617
Technically I don't think it would be a "war crime" if we used advanced dominion cloning techniques to make the Neeran pain circuite.

And if it's not sentient, is it really feeling "pain"? No, it's just transmitting a signal that in turn *causes* pain. Like how a bullet works. Big old Neeran pain bullet.

>>2704767

More explosives aren't bad. Do use we things like phosphorus?
>>
>>2704617
Weapons: Rockets/Missiles?

Power: Fusion Reactor

Drive train: Tracked
>>
>>2704725
>Would you prefer to just buy a few vehicles of each type and assign a unit to conducting testing with them to try and build up a better picture of what works best?
>>2704767
>Approve funding?
I'd say yes to both but it's my suggestion, so I'd should probably abstain. Unless there are no votes in either direction. In that case count this as a vote in favor of the project.
>>
>>2704769
1) Y

2) The Great Devourer

Iconic ship we got when we were first promoted to being a noble.

Are we supposed to find a reason to go see him as a cover?

We should throw a party at our place then for the knights from our Hunting Club that were newly knighted as well.
>>
>>2704769
>2B) The Great Devourer
I'm sure Tes'us and the crew would love to visit the Ber'helum capital. It's also the most 'Dominion' choice out of these 4 ships.
>>
>>2704767
This is bullshit, you can't delete a post over 5 minutes old now? When did it get changed from 10 minutes?

>>2704773
>Do use we things like phosphorus?
Yes you have access to incendiaries.
>>
>>2704769

1) Don't really care either way. But if we don't use the money on something it's going to waste. So sure lets go ahead and get a few and test it out.

2) The Great Devourer of course, maybe see if we can upgrade the main cannon while were there.
>>
>>2704769
1) Y

2) The Great Devourer

If we need more firepower than that we're probably dead anyway, and the ability to make a fast getaway could be invaluable.
>>
>>2704788
Also we should update our will now that we've got the twins and set up a couple trusts just in case the terrans get Wind of the diamond mine and destroy us completely.
>>
>>2704769
I just realized the letter said
>Do not bring anything you might be afraid to lose.
Does that mean we should rather go in a generic EC-K instead?
>>
>>2704854

I think he was meaning personal items. Things you bring on your person. In case we need to do a brain back up before the meeting. Then vaporize our bodies so no one remembers or knows what happened. And then heading home.
>>
Between helping out allies financially and work on preparing the army for different eventualities time goes quickly leading up to the meeting with the Emperor. The Great Devourer is prepared and you set out with with a small but capable escort.

Before departure you made sure to update your well. Something you should have gotten to sooner all things considered. Things may only get more dangerous in the days ahead, not less. Too many enemies looking for a good reason to stab you in the back. If anything does go wrong your companies won't fall apart. Your family won't starve or be driven from their homes. Not without one hell of a fight.

The House of course will probably try to take a big chunk out through taxes of some kind. Fortunately or not there's a long list of IOU's, things you owe the House but just as many that they owe you or your estate. That's one of the last fallbacks. You've personally collected little to no money for the Nocturn program and the all important cloaking shield. The money may have been sent in secret but that doesn't mean you don't have receipts.

Despite the contingencies in place the flight to the old Ber'helum capital is a nerve wracking one. What is the real reason for the summons? Are you grasping at straws or is it the long standing paranoia about the Terrans coming back to haunt you after the Emperor's warning. With little to be done about it until arriving at the old capital you throw yourself into work and training. You want to be ready for anything.

Do not bring anything you might be afraid to lose.

No sphere armor. No plasma pistol or artifacts. Really you could bring your Recon suit since by now you could just buy another or ten, but better to avoid the potential complications it might cause. A repulsor pistol based on Alex's folding concealed model should be more than enough.

The Ber'helum capital arcology is just as magnificent as the last time you saw it. Surrounded by waterfalls on three sides. Of course now you know that behind those waterfalls are tunnel networks large enough for a shuttle or a gunship to fly through.

After landing you're met by a very small party, only two people. The landing bay has been cleared out except for those others who have also been summoned here. Similarly small parties greet them as well.

"Welcome Viscount. You will be permitted one bodyguard as escort until we reach the meeting chamber. Only those the Emperor has asked for will be permitted within."

>Your orders?
>>
Formatting messed up and I can't delete my posts for some reason.
>>
>>2704878

Thank them, and lets head in with Valeri. Also is Jan on the Great Devourer? Have them looking or making sure there are no Terran/ Rovinar spies hiding among our crew while we're away.
>>
>>2704878
>Your orders?
Make sure to pay the crew a small bonus so they can buy something nice when they visit the Ber'helum gift shop.

Bring somebody who has been on the planet before. Have them draw straws if there isn't an obvious candidate we should bring over the others.
>>
>>2704882
>Also is Jan on the Great Devourer? Have them looking or making sure there are no Terran/ Rovinar spies hiding among our crew while we're away.
Probably a good idea.

>>2704883
>Bring somebody who has been on the planet before.
Valeri, Dave and Emor have all been here before.
>>
>>2704878
>The money may have been sent in secret but that doesn't mean you don't have receipts.

I love it.

Go in with Valeri.
>>
>>2704878

Absolutely Valeri.
>>
"Valeri, you're with me."

Despite having spent nearly a year here you don't know exectly where it is your guide is leading you. It seems like you're heading down into the deeper sections of the structure. Having been down to the reactor levels before you know well enough that heading deeper doesn't mean much. Connecting passages and vehicle bays honeycomb the area, many connecting into the network behind the waterfalls. Or at least some of them do. This place may be difficult to get into but it's not impenetrable.

Arriving in a rather dimly lit area your guide leads you through a concealed door. Hidden behind it is a rather expansive waiting room of sorts. Ahead one of the other guests is scanned before being cleared to pass through another door, this one more heavily armored. Their bodyguard is told to wait here.

"So don't get killed trying to bust me out of there without cause. But all the same if anything goes wrong by all means bust me out of there."

Stepping up to the door a Royal Guard captain in full armor is standing on one side, a doctor on the other.

"Viscount Sonia Reynard, thank you for joining us." the doctor, an older Dro'all woman tells you. "Many of the Emperor's guests here today are understandably paranoid. You should know that for security reasons you'll be required to have us administer a compound that will eventually block your long term memory of the following 48 hours. This is a mandatory prerequisite for entry to this meeting. You can of course refuse, but you'll be asked to wait here for the next 2 days to provide cover for the meeting."

Well... that isn't concerning in the slightest.
"I'm not doing a brain scan so someone can clone me."
"That isn't required for the meeting." the doctor assures you.

[ ] No complaints, get on with it
[ ] "I don't like this but I'm doing it anyways."
[ ] NOPE
>>
>>2704957

> You should know that for security reasons you'll be required to have us administer a compound that will eventually block your long term memory of the following 48 hours.

Perfect opportunity then to bring up diamond mines? So long as there are no Terrans around? Just to get a reaction from people in the room?

"So guys, I got this crazy idea. Lets build our own diamond mines!"

>[ ] "I don't like this but I'm doing it anyways."

"Fine, I'd rather not. But if we're going the full paranoia route. We could have just gone with brain scans before the meeting. Then vaporize everyone that was here and make clones afterwards so that no one knew what happened." Probably better not to say this but I want to throw out something cheeky.
>>
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>>2704957
>[x] "I don't like this but I'm doing it anyways."

> a Royal Guard captain in full armor
Can we ask where he fought during the battle for the capital?
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>>2704957
>[X] "I don't like this but I'm doing it anyways."

Get a list of complications the drug will have, make sure we won't react badly, then take it.

Also, what arm have we got on? Probably not our sphere tech arm.
>>
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>>2704972
>Can we ask where he fought during the battle for the capital?
"Near the Meeting Chamber of the Royal Houses."

>>2704986
>Get a list of complications the drug will have, make sure we won't react badly, then take it.
Fortunately they've already acquired your medical records to check for potential problems.

>Also, what arm have we got on? Probably not our sphere tech arm.
Um, what arm did you want to have on?
>>
>>2704998
>Um, what arm did you want to have on?
Going by the Emperor's letter, a basic one.
>>
>>2704998
>Um, what arm did you want to have on?
If we've still got our sensor arm, it would be nice. They'll wipe it if they're not stupid, but it'll be useful without being as threatening as some of our more militant options would be. Also, wait, ask to make sure all guests are doing this save the emperor. It won't change our response, but it'll be good to know.
>>
>>2704998
Basic arm
>>
Also I'll laugh my ass off if TSTG writes out us getting the injection, then just skips forward two days later and us in our ship flying away with no memory of what happened.
>>
>>2705005

>Giving the DM ideas.
>>
>>2704957
>[ ] NOPE
>>
>>2704998

Standard shark skin sensor suite arm from years ago.
>>
>>2705002

>This is a mandatory prerequisite for entry to this meeting.
>>
>>2704957
If we go through with this, we better have Valeri test us for nanite infection/krath replacement.
>>
>>2705005
I considered that but figured it wouldn't work well for a number of reasons. Not just people being mad.

>>2705000
>>2705002
>>2705003
>>2705023
Well you do still have your old arm since it wasn't brought along on the sphere expedition.
>>
>>2705044
No I am fine with not that.

How aviut all the drugs and shit we've taken though? No risk of interactions?
>>
"I don't like this but I'm doing it anyways."

"You arm please?" asks the Doctor, retrieving an injector.

"We could have just gone with brain scans before the meeting." you grumble. "Then vaporize everyone that was here and make clones afterwards."

"Your medical staff has advanced enough equipment that they would detect if you were replaced by a clone." the doctor points out.
"Well yes, or that's just what you want me to think."

"Did the Emperor call you here to be a Viscount or a wiseass?"

Considering your options you simply tell Valeri to make sure you get a full medical workup when you're done here.

Soon you're directed through the door which is more like an airlock. Not making you any more nervous, nope. Stepping through the next door you're let in by a Duke from House Kharbos? You think? It's it bit hard to see in here very clearly. Things are a bit shadowy. A single light hangs above a circular table that looks to have been carved out of granite. There are a roughly dozen seats at it, most of them now filled.

It doesn't take long for you to spot the Emperor, standing near the chair opposite the entrance.

"Welcome Viscount. I'm glad you decided to attend."

You know a few people here. Lord Admiral Irim Feron still looks as thin as the last time you met. You may have met the Kharbos Duke before. Wait, shouldn't he be an Archduke now? You'll have to ask later.

One of the other few humans present is Viscount Nikomedes. To not put too fine a point on it he's an old man and certainly doesn't look to be getting any younger.
"Have we met before?" you ask, wondering where you might have seen him before.
"Very possible. I've worked heavily in research projects most of my career. But the only one that people seem to remember me for is disabling a damn planetary shield generator. Just when I thought I might be past it all that Baron Dante contacts me and asks if I wanted it as a souvenir."

Most of those present seem to be involved in R&D in one way or another.

Once the last guest arrives the emperor throws a device onto the table that emits a sharp high frequency burst of noise causing you and most of the others to cover your years. One among you doesn't have much reaction and soon is flanked by the Duke and one of the stronger looking Lords present.
Forcing the noble to remove noise cancellation earplugs he seems to react badly and is soon hauled to the entrance and sent to be looked over by the doctor. You get the feeling they won't be allowed back in.
>>
Once everyone has seated themselves again the Empeor speaks.
"Well, now that that is out of the way, thank you all for attending. Viscount Reynard, are you still capable of that trick with your arm sensor? I believe you know the one."

"I think so. Full power?" you ask.

"Please."

Cranking up your arm sensor to the point where it acts more like an ECM system, you notice that the artificial limb is a bit sore. Did that sonic device do something? It hasn't damaged the arm it seems though it takes more time for the sensor to get up to full power. Two bodyguards in recon armor fizzle into existence standing to either side of the Emperor. Eventually the jamming is sufficient that they choose to deactivate their camo. Both are wearing markings of the Royal Guard. You rather expected them to still be using Ber'helum gear.

"These are the best Recon suits the Dominion can manufacture. Hopefully this means we're not being spied on. As I have informed a number of you the Terrans have been compiling a list of people within the Dominion and elsewhere that they consider a threat to their technological superiority. We have recently acquired a copy of that list and all of you here are on it."

This of course results in some minor discussion and muttering among those present.

"This is not a list they have suddenly compiled recently, it is one they've maintained for some time which is continually updated. It's shared with the Rovinar only to avoid duplication of effort. Given the implications and the type of technology the Terrans probably think you have knowledge of I hope you understand our precautions."

This gets a few murmurs of agreement from some of those present. Not everyone.

>Anything you want to say?
Resuming tomorrow!
>>
>>2705123
>>
>>2705140
How do we know this isn't the perfect time to strike with all of us gathered here!

Panic.

Take the Emperor hostage and demand to let go right away.

Just laying out options.
>>
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>>2705140
>Anything you want to say?
"Considering the precautions taken to secure this meeting and the fact that we will likely forget most of the details discussed it seems like the perfect situation to ask this - Is House Helios is run by a benevolent AI or some kind of brain-in-a-jar immortal?"
>>
>>2705140

And this is the point where the anons who wanted to bring up the diamond mines data that is in possession can now do their thing.

"So are we using real names or fake names for things that'll surely bring ruin to whatever house and their allies, should they posses data that will surely piss off both the Terrans and Rovinar. If they learn that such data is in the possession of a Dominion noble." Just to be the first one to say something and let everyone ponder just what they want to bring to the table. Because we DO have something that'll bring so much hate should it be discovered.
>>
>>2705140
Balls to the walls, cards on the table.

"I got scans on a genuine SP torp production module back during the warlords campaign. I've never even peeked at it since but now's the time for it. I've also got some veckron shit lying around, not sure what we can do with that."
>>
>>2705157
>>2705158
>>2705167
Supporting this will only end so well
>>
>>2705167
wait, I want to pronounce it gen-u-ine. We have a chance to channel Crazy HasAnns second-to-final form: Mad Shield-Piercing Torpedo Saleswoman.

The final form is Mad Victory Torpedo Saleswoman
>>
>>2705140
Are we in danger? Not now, but after the war has concluded, do you think they'll attempt anything?
>>
>>2705140

"Are we here to discuss options on how to stay alive against Terran spec ops or are we here to combine our R&D secrets to form an R&D Megazord?"
>>
>>2705181
>>2705208
Supporting this as well
>>
>>2705140

Supporting

>>2705175
>>2705173
>>
>>2705208
>>2705140

Also this.
>>
>>2705157
Also, this is a question we need to ask.

>>2705167

I mean, once it's confirmed we can, sure just tell them what we got. And watch the blood drain from everyone's face as they realize they are sitting in the same room as a woman who could bring ruin to their houses, just by being associated with her.

>>2705208
Also this seems like another important question we should put forth as well.
>>
>>2705140
All other things aside, I'd suggest we should be careful at least for now. And I'm really curious about Helios!

"I've had mostly unsupervised access to the TCS Vieona when we discovered her in subspace before we woke up the crew, and one of the Terran fleet bases while on a mission to recover veckron torpedoes for the alliance. Aside from that, I've deployed on special missions that involved a prototype of a new Rovinar cloaking device, and was among the troops to secure a Warlord ship that contained a fully functional SP torpedo manufacturing module. In addition to that, I interfaced with multiple discontent Terran AIs via mind-machine interface on different occasions.

Even if my House hadn't mysteriously managed to contribute to one of the most advanced stealth ships in faction space, I'm sure Terran intelligence would have kept an eye on me regardless. I've been too close to a lot of their secrets, I guess."
>>
>>2705227
I have no problem waiting to ask a few questions to make sure we're secure.
>>
>>2705229
>>2705140
Just out of curiosity, is this normal for someone in our position withing the Dominion? Like all the people here have wack-ass stories like us?
>>
>>2705262

I'm surprised Levi Nxesi isn't present. Guy has been involved in a lot of power armor programs. Likely has a crap ton of NDA's and experience under his belt. If he is I'd figure he would be the second person we would notice after the Emperor. Due to him having just worked for us in creating our Artifact Power Armor.

I'd imagine everyone has their crazy story for getting into their position of power. But for circumstances to play out where they are in a room with twelve people from all over the Dominion. Who are all on a very specific Terran Rovinar watch list and no one else? I'd imagine the odds are very small. I would still like to hear their stories and what they have to bring to the table. SP-Tech cannot be the only thing that Terrans and Rovinar are terrified of the Dominion being able to reproduce.

Maybe these folks know how to create wormholes? Pull a Stargate, where you send a gate through a star with the opening going to an enemies planet or system and watch shit go down hill terrible. Or rend the very fabric of space and time with tech from the before times.

Or Black hole in a jar. Pull a Vect from 40k, trick your rival to open a present containing a black hole after they refuse to join your cool hedonistic nation of sex, drugs and more. Or maybe Cyclonic Torpedo's which can cause an entire planets mantel to explode.

Or maybe they do know how to blow up a star with a torpedo with special coating that will cause a star to go super nova in a few years rather then several millennia. Another Star Trek ass pull idea, Omega Particles, what about something like that. Really fuck with space travel then.
>>
>>2705291
Probably some AI guys in there. Maybe some bio-weapons specialists. Some high energy building sociopaths. That one guy with just *really* uncomfortable math that implies implications.
>>
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>>2705304

Now I want one of them to be a Choas Theorist with a history of dealing with dangerous animals that were extinct and brought back to life for a theme park. Only for the animals to escape multiple times and kill/ eat people.
>>
>>2705140
>>Anything you want to say?

[Uncontrolled cackling]

"I have waited for this for years. When do we begin and in doing so make the Dominion the most powerful Faction in the cluster?"
>>
Also we should recommend that in the future, these events should be carried out by brain-scanning the participants (except for the Emperor, obviously), cloning the guests, then having the meeting as regular. Then shoot the clones, incinerate the corpses, and if he's feeling nice the Emperor can delete the brain scans. That way you could have the meeting whenever the Emperor wants, without the inconvenience of needing to get everyone in one place, and it will be a lot safer. With the current method, Terrans or powerful psychic bastards like the Neeran might still be able to recover information from the participants. Using the new method, the clones couldn't betray any information even if they wanted to.

Try to patent the concept and then offer the Emperor a very affordable rate.
>>
>>2705339
No.
>>
>>2704878
>update your well.
Update our....neural scan?
>>
>>2705339
No. No, I don't think making a revenge driven clone of Sonia is a good idea at all.
>>
"Considering the precautions taken to secure this meeting and the fact that we will likely forget most of the details discussed it seems like the perfect situation to ask this - Is House Helios is run by a benevolent AI or some kind of brain-in-a-jar immortal?"

This gets a laugh from the Emperor.
"Not House Helios, no."

It seems that's the only answer you'll get on that. Which considering the way he answered just raises more questions.

"Are we actually safe here?" asks one of the younger nobles. "This would be the perfect time to knock us all out at once."

This time the Emperor's response is a bit more serious.
"I won't lie to you all. Things will only become more dangerous from this point onward. For the moment we are safe. The other Factions can't risk the Dominion falling apart now before the invasion of the Empire which means I can not target me directly. To reinforce this point I have engineered things to give the appearance that my line of succession is not as clear as it could be.
Rest assured that Helios has been provided with my House's the true line of succession."

"Once the war has concluded the serious trouble begins then." says Nikomedes.

"Indeed." Aros confirms.

So post war you may all be screwed. Great. Maybe you could go on a lengthy vacation out of Faction space and never return?
You wait for a few others to express concerns before speaking up again.

"Are we here to discuss options on how to stay alive against Terran spec ops, or are we here to combine our R&D secrets to form an R&D Megazord?"

This gets a few laughs until the Emperor gestures for silence.
"The latter Reynard."
"Good, because I've got-"

The Emperor stops you before you can reveal one of your most valuable acquisitions.
"Before we all put our cards on the table so to speak, I would like to give those of you here one last chance to back out. You may still be in danger, but it won't be quite as severe."

[ ] Let's get this show on the road
[ ] Actually I have a family, better get out of here
>>
>>2705776

>Stay and let others step out if they feel the need.

I'm curious to see what the others have to offer. We have a more quick acting means to improve and also damage the Dominions standing. I wonder what other means are there that are not SP-Tech oriented, that would cause the Terrans and Rovinar to be up in arms.
>>
>>2705776
>"Not House Helios, no."
ExtremelyWorried.jpg

[ ] Let's get this show on the road
It begins. I have awaited this moment for a long long time. For the Dominion. For Jerik Dreminth. I mean this is the most exciting development of all time in this quest!
>>
>>2705776
>[ ] Let's get this show on the road
>>
>>2705776
[X] Let's get this show on the road
>>
>>2705776
> [ ] Let's get this show on the road
>>
>>2705790
> You mean second nost exciting

The question is, what will we wear to the ball after this?
>>
>>2705776

>[X] Let's get this show on the road

!!! I am beyond hype for this.
>>
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>>2705776
>[x] Let's get this show on the road
IT BEGINS
>>
You and all of the others remain seated. Looks like you're all in.

"Well then. If we're all decided there is one more person that needs to be present. Our way of ensuring the information we intend to share survives a worst case scenario."
Ber'helum stands and steps over to a panel on the wall behind him. Pressing it reveals what looks suspiciously like the bridge of a small ship.
"We're currently aboard a small starship."

The Emperor gestures for the Kharbos Duke to head onto the bridge. Stepping through the doorway he sits down at a control chair.

"Please remain seated." Ber'helum continues. "It's best you not know where we are going. For all of you this trip will take only a few seconds."

Before you can protest the Emperor hits a button inside the cockpit, activating what you presume to be a stasis field covering most of this room. A second later you're feeling a little disoriented and off balance but otherwise unharmed. Looking through the open doorway to the bridge you see that the panoramic displays are showing what looks to be the inside of a cave.

Those of you at the table are less than appreciative of the change of venue. Presuming you even are in a different location and the displays aren't just rigged to show a random place. You've pulled tricks like that on pilot trainees before.

Ber'helum enters from the bridge not long after. "I apologise but it was necessary. Those of you who are not entirely pleased may be even less so once I introduce our special guest."

"If he's handed us over to the Terrans I'm going to start shooting." Feron whispers to you.

A section of the bridge deck retracts into the floor forming a ramp. Moments later one of the largest Dro'all you've ever seen ascends, stooping low to step through the doorway. Unlike most Dro'all they're pale skinned. Not really like an albino, or even those Dro'all you saw that lived underground. Their flesh seems artificial, cloned, but if it were done imperfectly.

"Who the hell are you?" pointedly asks one of the others.

"I am the Immortal." it replies in a gravelly voice.

[ ] "I knew it!"
[ ] "Who?"
[ ] "Shouldn't we be shooting him? Why aren't we shooting him?"
>>
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>>2705879
[ ] "I knew it!"
[ ] Confused shark noises
Oh boy.... Ooooooooh boy. You have got to be kidding me. Why is the Immortal here? Why is he alive? I am confused
>>
Uh oh
>>2705879
>[x] "I knew it!"
Supporting >>2705887 as well
>>
>>2705879
>"I am the Immortal." it replies in a gravelly voice.

Well then! Talk about one hell of a reveal. I take it this is the man behind the curtain of the Dominion? Yeah, if the Terrans/ Rovinar don't kill us, the Dominion will.

"Well this is certainly a surprise. I only had mad guesses that he was still alive. I guess this is a secret passed down to each emperor upon assuming the crown? Or just a secret by Berhelum? Either way, I can only assume we now not only have to worry about Terrans/ Rovinar but also Dominion as well?"

Not gonna lie. Did not expect this reveal at all. Still think Emperor Berhelum is best choice.
>>
>>2705879
>[ ] Confused shark noises
>>
>>2705879
[x] Wait to see how this develops.
>>
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>>2705887
>Confused shark noises
>>2705897
>Confused shark noises
>>
>>2705879
"He's huge. That means he's got huge wisdom. Like a Neeran!"
>[ ] "I didn't expect this."
>>
>>2705879
>>2705916
>>2705897
Backing cause im drawing a blank on who this guy is supposed to be but real vote backing this guy
>>2705917
>>
>>2705922

He is the first emperor I believe.
>>
>>2705925
Well thats certainly a big secret on par with diamond mines(Still paranoid about the terrans)
>>
>>2705879
>>2705897
adding:
>raise hand and say " Question: Does this mean it's still the 9th Dynasty?"

>>2705922
He's probably the clone emporeror of the 9th Dynasty (killed in the 27th century according to the timeline on the wiki)
>>
>>2705925
Not quite that old.

Looks like I'm going for a variation of literally who?
>>
>>2705922
Basically way back in the haydays of the Dominion the nobility used cloning and brain scanning to basically allow themselves to live forever. Some didn't like that and a war with the Terrans later House Limu'thi, who was ruled by The Immortal Emperor, was destroyed and the Ninth Dynasty ended.
>>
>>2705932
More like Sonia being completely flabbergasted
>>
>>2705932

I was thinking more of "I thought he was dead." Followed from him. “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”
>>
>>2705922
He's a guy who kept cloning himself for centuries when he was the leader of the dominion and presided over one of the worst eras of decline in the dominion.
>>
You're... well you're confused by this turn of events. Probably should have paid more attention in ancient histories class. Wasn't this guy supposed to have been the Emperor of the Dominion at some point? How is this guy even alive?

Looking to Aros Ber'helum you ask. "Does this mean you're not the Emperor? Because I voted for you, not anyone else."

"I am still the Emperor of the current Dynasty" Ber'helum is quick to reply.

The immortal turns to you.
"If I still controlled the Dominion do you think there would have been quite so many indecisive conflicts the past four centuries?"

"How are you still alive?" asks one of the others. "Nobody would have kept cloning you for thirteen hundred years. Or if they did someone would have put a stop to it."

The Immortal shoots a glance in the direction of the Kharbos Duke.
"No, they wouldn't. I perfected an improved clone body. One that would not require replacement as frequently, only slight reinforcement. Kharbos required my assistance to stamp out the last of my supporters. This was necessary to allow a new dynasty to flourish and the Dominion to survive. The terms were life imprisonment.
I have advised Emperors at times over the years but have largely been kept to myself."

"If this is your improved body why is it so large?" you ask, then tap the side of your head. "More capacity?"

"Intimidation of vassals can also be useful. No answer me this Human, the media often portray the very old and wise as being big or very small, why do you suppose that is? Consider that your own little enigma to work out."

The Emperor gets everyone's attention while the Immortal is provided a place to sit down.

"By giving our combined information to the Immortal I intend to circumvent any later assassination attempts on the rest of us by the Terrans. The information will survive."

"How are you so sure of that?" asks Nikomedes.

"Because the Immortal's location is always listed as a holy site on the Factions register of historic and significant locations. Terran special forces are banned from attacks on such locations. Any attack that is carried out on such a location ends up under review by their main body of government in a public forum. Their bureaucracy is very strict about places of religious significance."

You restrain yourself from making any Highlander jokes about this.
>>
At length Ber'helum does move on to the reason for the meeting.
"Yes, we are here to discuss shield piercing weaponry. The Neeran Empire are taking steps to develop their own versions. This has been confirmed by members of House Nasidum that had negotiated release of some Neeran POW's to assist their R&D efforts."

That's not good. If the Empire got SP weapon tech this entire war could turn upside down. Even with the recent victories.

"During the invasion we intend to secure as many of these enemy R&D centers as possible to provide cover for our own programs. The Alliance will have difficulty intervening in these attempts. They can't stop them all. It would make things easier if each of you capable of leading fleets would try to take assignments involving their capture."

With this many people present you hope enough of them can go for those targets so you can still make a run at that Sphere builder facility. Then again you could use the cover.

"Who here has some inkling of how the Terrans produce their SP weapons? Just because the Terrans are watching you does not mean they're right."

You and six others raise their hands.

"Good." The Emperor points to each of you in turn asking for a rough description of what you all might have seen or suspected. The others mostly have looked at data from Veckron weapons, though some have held onto information despite their Houses have been mostly destroyed as a result of the Terrans.

"I got scans of a gen-u-ine SP torpedo production module back during the warlords campaign." You answer when asked. "I've never even peeked at it since but now's the time for it. I've also got some veckron shit lying around, not sure what we can do with that."

"You didn't even look at it?" asks Feron.
"No, there wasn't time. Terran special forces were tearing through the pirate carrier we were on. After we did all the hard work of clearing out their strongest troops I might add."

"So you don't actually know how it works?"
"No I don't." you admit. "But it wouldn't take long to find out."

Ber'helum hands paper print outs with data on it to those next to him asking that they pass them along.
"The Navigators Guild are buying up old drive plates. This is something they do normally, taking in older plates for reprocessing since they're better at it than seemingly anyone else. Most of the time they return refurbished drive plates. Refurbished plates can perform a bit differently but the difference is so small few notice. Of late they have stopped returning refurbished plates and are instead providing new ones as replacements.
This should cost them a great deal more since it requires supplies of drive system element be mined rather than recycling existing ones. Clearly this can't be a coincidence since the number of SP and Veckron weapons being used by the Alliance of late has increased at a similar rate."
>>
Checking one of the handouts it shows a cross section diagram of a drive plate suffering decay from extended use. The material decays down to a slightly denser state.

"Some of you have already come to the conclusion that SP weapons are constructed using drive core element. SP Torpedo decoys are simple to build because raw ore can be used to produce a similar sensor return."

You remember that the Terrans wanted to shut you down when you started testing decoys. Treating you like you were actively pursuing SP weapon tech.

The Emperor looks among those who have already spoken. "But the rare element itself doesn't seem to be used to make these casings."

Nikomedes and two of the others explain that they've figured out how drive plate decay can eventually be used to produce material for a Veckron weapon core. A tiny amount refined from dozens if not hundreds of drive plates, only resulting in enough for a small marble. Or that's their theory.

One of the Lords present from House Nirium were responsible for rebuilding salvaged Veckron weapons for the previous Ruling House.
"We were only able to produce a single core and that was using the broken remains of several weapons. When it came to putting them together that was how we learned about the drive plate decay. Unfortunately nearly everyone else on the project died from radiation exposure due to mishandling. The Ruling- the previous dynasty shut down the program after that, trading any additional broken weapons to the other Factions for functional ones. The torpedo we rebuild did function properly and was used in combat."

"What about the casing?" asks Nikomedes.

"We rebuilt it using parts taken from damaged SP Torpedoes."
"Bah! Not useful at all."

You sort of wish you'd brought that data along now, though you suspect that not everything has been put out in the open yet.

"We have acquired a Mark 1 veckron torpedo." Ber'helum reveals. It doesn't take long for a hush to fall over the room.
"The casing is not capable of shield piercing on its own."

>Anything you want to add?
>>
>>2706074
So to put it bluntly, as I understand it, we need to take drive core element and put it under as great subspace exposure as we can in order to create the Shield Piercing particles? Or that's the working theory at lest.

Also if this is to work we are all going to be needing some serious anti Terran protection. We should set up a inter Dominion special forces taks force whos sole purpose would be to counter Terran attempts at infiltration and assassination.
>>
>>2706072
Do we know if this is solely Terran technology? V torps are produced by multiple factions, if I remember correctly.
>>
>>2706058
>>2706072
>>2706074

So he lives as a prisoner, but mostly because Kharbos needed him to root out his allies and now lives as a sometimes advisor for the Dominion. When the at the time Emperor needs to ensure something important to the Dominion does not get lost thanks to Terran/ Rovinar black-ops.

Also, the idea of holy site sanctuaries that no one would dare attack. Does not sound like a very good cover to me. If the Terrans thought striking here and destroying it could stop the Dominion. I don't think they would hold themselves back, especially if it meant they could win a war against the Dominion.

>"Intimidation of vassals can also be useful. Now answer me this Human, the media often portray the very old and wise as being big or very small, why do you suppose that is? Consider that your own little enigma to work out."

Is this a challenge for us to figure out? Not that we will remember it after this visit.

So it seems like everyone has had their own forays into capturing SP-Tech and holding tight to it. Oh, and the Empire Neeran are doing their best to replicate it as well. So if the Neeran get their hands on it, does that mean the Terran's and Rovinar will give the Dominion the blueprints to make them? Or will they just let us be sacrificial lambs at that point? Because if the Dominion could make their own SP Torps we would bring a third, fourth? Producer of SP-Torps to the fight and make the war go just a little bit faster. Same with if the Dominion could build V-Torps.

Things just got helluva lot more dangerous.

I would guess we got rid of the Rovinar DNA scans. When we made that deal with the Rovinar ambassador. But would that be of any interest? Of course, with those gathered here, I would imagine that is a well known fact already. If not we could bring up that the Rovinar do have a secret we could use as minor black mail. That they are trying to hide another sect or branch of their species. Some of which are currently working with Empire Neeran. Imagine the backlash THAT would earn from a lot of people after the war with Empire Neeran is over.

And it seems we found out what our information broker was going to tell us. That the Navigators Guild was moving drive plates.

Also, the importance of a MK 1 V-Torp fails me. Beyond using it as a base for which to build future V-Torps. Once the Dominion has it figured out.
>>
>>2706074
>Anything you want to add?
The caretakers of the sphere most likely have defenses against veckron weapons. They were able to cage and study a creature that naturally emits veckron radiation, which means the machines that can limit and block that type of radiation.

It might be easier to do them the favor of checking out the secondary site's location Sonia and earning enough favor with them to get veckron shielding instead of reverse engineering the weapon itself.
>>
>>2706103
I think the implication is that SP torpedoes were developed after Veckron torpedos
(Terrans and Rovinar can build both SP and Veckron torpedos, Krath can only build Veckron torpedos (that are shuild piercing as seen in the final battle of the dominion civil war)

maybe relevant: Rovinar are using Terran SP torpedoes against the Neeran, not their own
>>
>>2706101
It's a (Terran) Mark 1 Veckron torpedo. The Rovinar developed their SP weapons building off of Terran experience so they didn't screw up as frequently early on. All the modern weapons and those you've salvaged from Faction Wars era wrecks already had a shield piercing casing.

"So did the Mark 1's not work or what?" you ask.

Viscount Nikomedes responds to your question.
"The Terrans publicly unveiled their Mark 1 V-Torp by killing a rogue Kavarian super and forcing the surrender of two others. It most certainly penetrated their shield."

>>2706103
>So if the Neeran get their hands on it, does that mean the Terran's and Rovinar will give the Dominion the blueprints to make them?
Doubtful. Dominion ships are already provided with SP weapons when fighting for the Alliance.

>>2706112
>maybe relevant: Rovinar are using Terran SP torpedoes against the Neeran, not their own
They've said in the past that their ships can fire Terran torpedoes. Their torpedoes can't generally be fired by everyone else.
>>
>>2706127

I thought they were having trouble keeping up production? Doesn't V-Torp production go hand in hand with SP-Torp? If one has issues so does the other?
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>>2706137
>I thought they were having trouble keeping up production?
Probably why the guild is acquiring materials for them now.
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>>2706072
>The Alliance will have difficulty intervening in these attempts. They can't stop them all.
This is probably not a popular question but why not just maintain the status quo? The Dominion is making advances in other areas, there are already fields where Dominion plasma weaponry surpasses Republic designs, and we managed to loot the most up to date Rovinar cloak and Kavarian anti torpedo armor a decade ago. Let the Terrans have their stuff, their tiny and might face their own AI war within a century if the Kythera play their cards right and the Terrans continue to drag their feet on AI issues.
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>>2706074
>"The casing is not capable of shield piercing on its own."
Does this mean the Mark 1 uses something else for the SP effect?
>>
If I remember correctly the Terrans didn't care about us melting SP torpedo casings down to make shield piercing plasma weapons
(trying to remember and find everything that might be relevant)
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>>2706074
>"The casing is not capable of shield piercing on its own."
What if they managed to simply shrink the veckron marble to a couple of nanometers? Too small to emit enough radiation to be of consequence but enough to create the desired effect on a much smaller and localised scale. Sonia knows that you need to run a current through both the veckron marble and the SP casing to achieve the desired effect. Maybe that's the answer?
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>>2706165
>>2706166
Given our own forays into SP tech I would have thought someone would have said to us "oh yeah we found a small little bead inside every SP torpedo."
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>>2706180
The only thing I remember was melting done some casings for plasma experiments. I won't claim I remember everything we ever did on this matter, though.
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>>2706165
That is correct because we where only reusing SP material and not trying to create it or otherwise tamper with it. WE just added it to plasma munitions really.

>>2706155
Several reasons.

1, as long as the Terrans have SP torpedoes they will hold dominance over the Dominion regardless of our other advancements. SP torpedoes are just that much of a deal breaker.

2, The Terran Alliance is well known to interfer with any one, regardless of which faction they belong to, that tries to research SP technology. This in nothing more but state sponsored terrorism as they enforce a unofficial ban on SP technology through fear of their special forces coming for them. This in a act of tyranny against all others, which can not be challenged due to the fear or retaliation by the means of SP torpedoes.

3, just because the Factions are getting along right now wont mean it will remain as such after the war. The matters with the Factions Alliance still remain unclear and their fleets purpose remain unclear. All Factions have seen the Dominion slowly gain more and more power and will surely act to push them back down again, like they have before. SP technology is a way to putting the Dominion above the influence of the others.
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>>2706185
I remember it because I was the one constantly asking to melt a driveplate. We tried melting a driveplate to fire from a republic small cannon, which did nothing. We then stripped a few SP torps of their casings to test SP plasma beams, which worked but they're much more efficient to use on torpedoes. We made SP plasma pistol ammo from this, and the continued development lead to the SP decoys.
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>>2706187
>1, as long as the Terrans have SP torpedoes they will hold dominance over the Dominion regardless of our other advancements. SP torpedoes are just that much of a deal breaker.
They don't. TSTG has stated that the factions are roughly equal in power (back at 4020-ish), with the exception of the Republic which would need two other factions to bring down. The Dominion was supposed to be able to simply swamp the Terrans in clones and corvettes until they run out of ammo, crews or ships.

>2, The Terran Alliance is well known to interfer with any one, regardless of which faction they belong to, that tries to research SP technology.
It's the same for them as if somebody tried to take a house or territory from the Dominion. It's the way their state survives because they can't match the scale of either the Dominion or Republic.

>3. All Factions have seen the Dominion slowly gain more and more power and will surely act to push them back down again, like they have before. SP technology is a way to putting the Dominion above the influence of the others.
They'll just shit the bed again. It's not like it's incredibly hard to make the Dominion fall apart at the slightest idiocy. It's no surprise nobody wants them to have v-torps because then their entire territory would probably have been already irradiated centuries ago. Even resettling comparatively tiny populations of Shallans and Terrans has been hard, now imagine most Dominion territories going down the drain.

>>2706189
That doesn't imply we analyzed the materials or mechanics of the SP torps. Which you would have to do to find out what exactly the casings are made of.
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>>2706215
>>2706127
This is an important point.

Is the Dominion stable enough to have V-torp manufacturing capabilities?
>>
Fuck heatwaves. I may have to stop, today is the hottest yet and I can't cool my office enough.

>>2706243
>Is the Dominion stable enough to have V-torp manufacturing capabilities?
Stable enough to build them? Yes.
Stable enough that it SHOULD build them? That's the magic question and it gets into issues not unlike a nuclear pandora's box.
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I don't seem to have much info on Veckron weapons on the wiki.

What Sonia is aware of is that before firing V-Torps go through a charging process. The charger uses multiple sets of drive plates pointing inward so that their fields intersect the torpedo, and the all important core. The plates are arranged in two concentric circles, which rotate around the weapon to ensure the entire thing is exposed. I thought there was a diagram posted back in the Warlords Campaign but I can't find it.

When the field intersects the core it kicks out subspace radiation into real space within a several hundred meter area. This creates a big glowing ball around the ship that makes it fairly obvious when somebody is about to fire. "TEAL!"-Ross Scott Older weapons took about a solid minute of charging before they could fire.
When the charger stops the glow ball collapses inwards in the second or two before the torpedo is launched. Torpedoes in flight to seem to glow, possibly as a result of a subspace field around them.
>>
I have to stop here. I'm overheating, my computer is overheating. I'm going to my parents place, at least they have central air.
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>>2706424
Try not to melt on the way over
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>>2705879
>I perfected an improved clone body. One that would not require replacement as frequently, only slight reinforcement.
So, one second. The Dominion has been sitting on the knowledge how to augment people into nearly(?) immortal super Dro'all and did nothing with it for centuries? I want that, preferably adapted for Human use. We are getting paid for this, right?

>>2706424
Let's hope the asphalt hasn't started melting yet.

>>2706058
>Terran special forces are banned from attacks on such locations
What if they have their Rovinar or Krath allies do it?
>>
Do we know if SP torpedos/plasma work against stasis shields?
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>>2706424
Stay cool dudarino.
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>>2706424
Stay hydrated, QM.
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>>2706484
Strictly speaking it is not augmentation as it is a variation of cloning. So if someone managed to do it the result would be that they'd revoke all or most of their inheritance and be dispossessed of their lands.

"So how do you end up with augmentations like that?"
"It's a bit technical. First have a backup made of your memories, then once it's completed terminate your life."


>What if they have their Rovinar or Krath allies do it?
Now you're cooking with gas.

>>2706786
It would seem not, but current stasis shields are still rather weak. Anything powerful enough to use as an SP weapon would easily overpower them.
>>
May be resuming Sunday. Not sure, things are looking a bit busy the next couple days.
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>>2707618
>Strictly speaking it is not augmentation as it is a variation of cloning.
Sonia has the Nai genius and the sphere guys. I'm sure they can work out a treatment. After that, all we have to do is get access to the Republic's time machine to grab Kavos a couple of seconds before his death.

>So if someone managed to do it the result would be that they'd revoke all or most of their inheritance and be dispossessed of their lands.
A leadership position in the Dominion seems not worth suffering through for more than a century or so. Hand you lands to your family, put your money somewhere else, and enjoy the next few millennia exploring the universe or vacationing on the sphere in your nu-body+™. The universe is very big and, in comparison, the Dominion is very small.

>It would seem not, but current stasis shields are still rather weak
The Dominion could try to come up with something that's effectively shield piercing but doesn't open that veckron can of worms. Ultra short range hyper space jumps or teleportation would be my first suggestions. Faction shields seem to have not much thickness, so even a 10m teleport or jump should be enough.

Or just start throwing money at singularity weapon research. Has anybody ever tried shooting a v-torp at something super dense and heavy, like a neutron star or black hole?
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>>2707622
Noooo! This is far too exciting for that!

As for sp torps. It's not the rare element that's important. It's the subspace radiation. My theory is that the drive plate captures subspace radiation or something from subspace that emits subspace radiation. This subspace matter fuses with the drive. Thus making it denser, because more is literally added to it and fused on a molecular level. They must then have some sort of refining tech to more efficiently extract this unknown subspace particle.

Is that it? Did everyone just get the name wrong? Is it in fact supposed to say Subspace Torpedoes?
>>
>SP never officially stood for Shield Piercing
>used as a cover name for Subspace Pulse
Truly the terrans are the smartest.
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>>2707958
>The Dominion could try to come up with something that's effectively shield piercing but doesn't open that veckron can of worms.
They have. Multi-linked phase cannons have a much higher chance to penetrate shields than normal phase cannons.

>Or just start throwing money at singularity weapon research.
You guys already saw they can be used quite effectively as a weapon, albeit it an incredibly expensive to produce one. Singularity torpedoes would be quite difficult to counter.

>Has anybody ever tried shooting a v-torp at something super dense and heavy, like a neutron star or black hole?
Yes but I can't remember if it's canon or not.
>>2693249
>"The Terrans once wanted to build a Veckron weapon the size of a ship. To blow up stars maybe, I don't know. They had to agree to cease development as part of treaties after the Faction Wars had ended.
Probably canon.
>>
"If the base torpedo wasn't capable of piercing shields on its own, maybe it's not the rare element that's important. It's the subspace radiation." you suggest.

The Kharbos Duke speaks up.
"Some Dominion Research centers have been working on development of FTL jump sustainers that wouldn't necessarily need a proper FTL system. Are you suggesting it might work similarly?"

It's been suggested plenty of times before that Veckron weapon cores could easily act like a drive core since they're essentially made of the same stuff. Perhaps they're skimming subspace to penetrate shields? It would certainly explain the strange energy effects from them while in flight.

"It sounds worth investigating." says Ber'helum.

The Immortal asks to look at a few of the handouts, holding them in better light.

"The smaller torpedoes, they lack a core correct? From the dissections conducted of captured weapons they also lack the power to sustain a subspace field strong enough to act similarly to the larger weapons."

"That's correct." Nikomedes confirms.

"What are the casings made of?"

The older Viscount exhales then takes a deep breath. "Most conventional torpedoes use a specially hardened phasing lattice. This allows the casing to be charged to improve chances of shield penetration and improves resistance to phased energy weapons fire that might shoot them down."

"What are the SP and Veckron weapons casings made of?"

The Emperor checks a few pages and confirms that, aside from some subspace particle peculiarities, SP weapons seem to be made of similar materials to the Mark 1 and other Veckron torpedoes. They do not use a phasing lattice, instead substituting it with other extremely high strength, high density alloys and substrates.

"We do know that SP Torpedoes have a type of energized particle layering. It's incredibly thin."

"It's more like they've been spray painted in subatomic particles." Nikomedes laments.

"Extremely high strength, high density." The Immortal repeats looking to the more scientifically inclined present. "Dense enough that it would block most radiation?"
"It would soak off most radiation yes. Except for subspace radiation obviously."

"You're quite certain of that?"

"You can see it emanating into real space! It's a giant glow ball. I've been in enough battles to have seen it a time or two."

[ ] (What say?)
[ ] Keep quiet.
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>>2709166
[ ] Keep quiet.
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>>2709166
>[ ] Keep quiet.
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>>2709166
Has anyone ever tested the effects of subspace radiation on shields? From vecktron weapons, I'm assuming it's a lot higher than it is naturally, since everyone doesn't get super space cancer from travelling through subspace.
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>>2709166
>[ ] Keep quiet.
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>>2709166
>[x] Keep quiet.
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>>2709218
Shields are able to block enough of the spectrum that people can look out the window at FTL. The range of the spectrum and power that weapons tend to operate at are not blocked by shields. Or at least it doesn't seem to be effective against them in real space.

>>2709166
"You've tried charging this Mark 1 torpedo?" the Immortal asks.

The Emperor responds in the negative. "No, those older weapons were known to be unstable. Dangerously so."

"I believe you should try. Substitute the core of a newer more stable weapon if you have to. Charge it enough to irradiate the torpedo and its casing. Not enough to push the weapon to critical. "

"What will that accomplish?"
"Sounds like a waste." Comment two of the others present.
You remain silent, seeing where this might go.

"Why would they use a different type of casing than a conventional torpedo?" is the Immortal's reply.

"It blocks much more radiation. Maybe they hoped it would better protect their crews during the charging phase?" Irim Feron speculates.

"Clearly that didn't work." The Emperor observes.

"So why keep using the same base material decades even centuries later?" The clone counters. "There is a reason. I suspect either my suggested test or Viscount Reynard's data would reveal why."

That seems to move the meeting onto the next stage. The way things are going eventually you'll find out how to produce these weapons then question then is how to go about it while avoiding sabotage from the other Factions. The Emperor has a number of ideas on that front. First would be using House Aries as a decoy. Everyone already suspects them of everything and anything. They could also be used to continue implication of the Aries Megacorp.

"Use the House to feed the corporation data we've uncovered. In the unlikely event they do succceed in producing SP weapons they wouldn't hesitate to sell to either side of a conflict."

"And then the Terrans would kill them?" you ask?
"In a best case scenario yes."

Maybe that would be worth considering, though you'd hate to give the Aries bastards powerful weapons again.

Ber'helum has another idea that will probably be less popular.
"Less popular than selling data to Aries?" the Kharbos Duke asks.

"We tell the Alliance what we're doing."

This draws a number of confused responses and some laughs of disbelief.

"I'm quite serious. We create an R&D lab with Alliance oversight. Every SP weapon R&D program the Dominion has ever attempted has been done in secret, and it's been destroyed in secret. This would be out in plain sight. No more hiding or running."

>What say?
Other suggestions for how to set up SP weapon R&D?
>>
That took forever and a half to figure out what I was going to write.

May have relatives over tomorrow so probably won't be resuming until Sunday.
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>>2709610
>"I'm quite serious. We create an R&D lab with Alliance oversight. Every SP weapon R&D program the Dominion has ever attempted has been done in secret, and it's been destroyed in secret. This would be out in plain sight. No more hiding or running."

Wow, that is a surprisingly controversial opinion that I am sure in any other room. Filled with nobles, would earn ire and nobles calling for his resignation. Why should the Dominion rely on aide of the Alliance? I am actually okay with this. If there are Admirals within the Alliance who would be willing to support the Dominion in such dangerous research programs. I say we take the chance. The Alliance has a standing where if they find a new technology they dispense it among the factions right? Well Terrans and Rovinar already have SP Tech and the Republic can build them with permission. If the Dominion researched SP-Tech with the Alliance SP-Tech would be spread with all the factions.

Of course, the Alliance already has access to free SP Torps and Vekrons from the Terrans and Rovinar. Why would they partner with us to do research on technology that belongs to the Terrans/ Rovinar? That would be a break the law or some agreement or other right? Thus risking the Terrans and Rovinar pulling out of the Alliance and breaking it.

It is a good idea. But we should make sure that the Alliance Brass would be willing to go through with it. Because this could very well damage relations between them and several factions. They might not tell the Terrans/ Rovinar that the Dominion is now actively researching SP Tech. But it wouldn't take much for word to reach the Terrans and the invisible blade striking all of us in this meeting in some manner.

What about Kavarians? Or if we the Dominion want to pick a side. Get the Shallan Military Government to go in with us in researching SP Tech.
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>>2709648
The Alliance wouldn't be providing technical assistance to the Dominion. They would merely be observing.
And in such a situation the Emperor wouldn't worried about the Alliance telling the Terrans and Rovinar what they're seeing, in fact he would be counting on it.
The other Factions would then be faced with a dilemma; openly attacking the Dominion (which they wont do while at war with the Neeran), attempting sabotage (which would be treated as collaborating with the Neeran. Very bad politically.), or being forced to formally protest and send them a letter
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>>2709699

So sort of a modern day, Nuclear oversight committee?

Would the Emperor be willing to agree to oversight from the Alliance in developing SP Tech so long as we don't develop Vekrons. Having SP Tech would be great, but having Vekron production would be risking ruining another universe.
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>>2709610
Idea. The Neerans have research labs we will be gunning for regardless as a means to further our own research. So what if we do it like this. We set up our labs as secret as we can right now and begin research. We set up a task force combining elements of all participants with the purpose of protecting the project against Tehran special forces. Once we hit Neeran space and capture some labs we can have a few houses who did the capturing put the question to the FA. That way we can make it look like we want their approval because of what we captured from the Neerans instead. It will most certainly improve public opinion later on should the Terrans begin sabotaging.

This way we buy time for our own research before we make a official inquiry with the FA. Also I know that house Aries is supposed to be a tech base house used to improve all of the Dominion but it makes me nervous about giving them this weapon at all. They might leak it more than we want to after all when I would prefer it worked under similar restrictions of what cloning does.
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>>2709773
I quite like this idea.

We start work in secret now for as long as we can, then when we have the facilities in Neeran space we can make it seem like the benevolent Dominion has decided to seek approval from all the factions.
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>>2709610
Why not have the Terrans pay us not to not develop sp torps? A limited capacity sp torp production facility for the rh and the seven, like the terrans gave the republic but individually on a smaller scale, some additional kind of pay, and in return the Dominion works alongside their spec ops to prevent veckron and sp research in the Dominion. The emperor could even make an official ban. I just don't want this faction having v-torp manufacturing the next time a civil war rolls around.

>>2709002
>multi-phase cannon
Would it be possible to combine these with plasma cannons? Part of effect is caused by exotic particles, can we add those to the plasma guns?
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>>2710351
To be fair all sides in the civil war had Veckron weaponry at their disposal but choose not to use them just because of how much damage they would do to surrounding space.
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>>2710373
I think having a very limited supply played a huge part in that.
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>>2710375
Perhaps we can write some sort of treaty that all houses have to sign that says Veckron weaponry or other such weapons that cause indiscriminate damage to Dominion space are forbidden to use in case of inter-Dominion fighting. In case of outside interference however no such limit would apply.
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>>2709943
Point: The Terrans have successfully stopped every secret attempt to manufacture SP torps.

I am concerned that they actually have a way to detect the process that gives the torpedoes the SP quality.

We might not be able to shield it at all if it's affecting subspace, in fact.

They had that Veckron weapon that blew up all the antimatter in the battle for the capital homeworld, remember.

Personally I find that to be more believable than that they were able to infiltrate so thoroughly that they were able to stop projects that must have had ridiculous levels of protection both in secrecy and martial forms.

Personally I think we should just be open with it simply because hiding it has never, ever worked.
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>>2709751
>Would the Emperor be willing to agree to oversight from the Alliance in developing SP Tech so long as we don't develop Vekrons. Having SP Tech would be great, but having Vekron production would be risking ruining another universe.
I think that would be more than okay. Most Houses see Veckron weapons as too dangerous to use much, keeping them as a weapon of last resort.

>>2709773
Just to be sure I'm getting this right. Capturing the enemy SP labs then getting permission from Alliance to take the tech. Or permission to have the captured tech data split between all the Factions like their plasma weapons were?

>>2710351
>A limited capacity sp torp production facility for the rh and the seven, like the terrans gave the republic
Another good one
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>>2712379
>Or permission to have the captured tech data split between all the Factions like their plasma weapons were?

This I think, since we would already have the tech in hand and there's no way we could accept just handing it over.
>>
>>2709773
>>2713166
A variation of that could be having people familiar with the tech secure the facilities like you said. Once they're certain the Neeran won't retake them complete the development program on site.

[ ] House Aries Decoy. Wide distribution of collected data
[ ] Openly create lab. Request Alliance oversight committee
[ ] Secure Neeran SP Labs. Split tech via Alliance
[ ] Secure Neeran SP Labs. Complete development there
[ ] Republic style production agreement

Any last minute additions?
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>>2712379
>Just to be sure I'm getting this right
My idea was we start the research with what we got. Once we move into Neeran space and capture actual labs from them containing their own research on SP tech we go to the Alliance and basically say "Yo, we using this shit to create our own. Would you kind accept this so it wont be weird with everyone else." That way even if they wouldn't support us we still area head research wise.
>>
SURVEY!

surveymonkey com/r/ Y9FMVTG
>>
Survey is not making a lot of progress.

Anything you wanted to ask the others about?
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>>2714006
I want to flag the possibility of a joint intelligence task force to help combat potential Terran assassination and sabotage attempts. Like each Houses sharing what intelligence they got with the joint organization as well as providing special forces and what not that all operate in coordination with each other to more efficiently defend the Dominion.
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>>2714006
>Anything you wanted to ask the others about?
Has the FA approached the factions about using their wormhole gates in an attempt to reach the old homeworlds again yet?

Which of the new heavy cruiser and carrier designs to people like and why? Sonia might have to get another one for the Run in the future.

Have there been any successful attempts to contact the Kythera since the initial deal with the expeditionary fleet?
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>>2714006

Plan out ways to get the SP Tech data we have in holding to the Emperor. Or if we should wait for when the Dominion approaches the Alliance for over site in SP Tech development, if we approach them.

Also >>2714019 it would be nice to have an intelligence agency in place to detect and counter Terran operatives or any foreign operatives. Who are acting in the Dominion to sabotage and assassinate key people within the Dominion.
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>>2714019
>I want to flag the possibility of a joint intelligence task force to help combat potential Terran assassination and sabotage attempts. Like each Houses sharing what intelligence they got with the joint organization as well as providing special forces and what not that all operate in coordination with each other to more efficiently defend the Dominion.
You bring this up when it comes to discussions on how to counter Terran attempts to keep tabs on your planned operations.

"Would the Dominion Knights be a suitable choice?" asks one of the younger members present.

"No, they're already involved in too many things." replies the Emperor.

"Their fairly strong ties to Helios is both a blessing and a curse." Nikomedes explains. "Not everyone trusts them and their supposed guardianship position among the Seven."

Ber'helum considers. "House Nirium's intelligence network may have been badly damaged as a result of the Civil War but they may still provide an adequate starting point to build out from."

"You think they'd agree to it?" you ask.

The Emperor seems certain he could convince them. Probably because it would put the former Ruling House in a better position to rebuild ties with most Houses again. Something they'll need to do if they ever want to return to power.

>>2714051
>Has the FA approached the factions about using their wormhole gates in an attempt to reach the old homeworlds again yet?
"Apparently there was an old agreement in the early Factions treaties forbidding the attempt. They wanted to ensure whatever was happening wouldn't propagate through to our side. That doesn't mean they're not considering it."

"Did they ever figure out what happened?"

"There was an incident in Terran space during the Civil War that may have been related. The Alliance suspects the Terrans may have been trying to create a pocket universe. Predictably this failed in a spectacular manner. The Alliance lost several gravity well generators using them to collapse the resultant anomaly that was created. Probably saving all our lives."

You're not sure if that makes you want to hear more or less of what the Alliance gets up to saving your collective asses from insane threats.

Pic related is also an interesting possibility that I stumbled on the other day.
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>>2713723
How would dividing SP torpedoes work also? Cause I would rather see that only the more stable Houses gets access to modules for production so as to avoid the tech spiraling out of control. Both with in the Dominion and out of it. Just imagine if another Warlords Pirate Faction got a hold of SP production tech.

Perhaps in the same run ratify the use of Veckron weaponry with in the Dominion with a treaty for ALL Houses. Since if we are going to see a veckron weapons development program with the SP project, if those goes hand in hand. That would lead to more Veckron weapons and the likelyhood of them being used rising. And considering the statute quo in the Dominion is warfare that means there is a high risk of Veckron strikes. A treaty that says that it is forbidden to use them in the event of House to House fighting or civil war would require the Emperor and all of the Seven to intervene harshly.

This to prevent Dominion space from becoming useless and uninhabitable and to help preserve vital territory in the vent of another faction invading the Dominion.

>The Alliance suspects the Terrans may have been trying to create a pocket universe
"Fucking Terrans. Why do they come up with these cool ideas and not me?"

>Pic
Worried.jpg
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>>2714220
Classic Vacuum Metastability Event, the best way to kill off an entire universe.
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>>2714051
>Which of the new heavy cruiser and carrier designs to people like and why? Sonia might have to get another one for the Run in the future.
"Are you really more concerned about perceptions of Heavy Cruisers? After everything you've gone through to get the Sovereign into production?"

"A little variety isn't bad." is your defense.

Many are wary of the upcoming Helios Heavy Cruiser which would be yet another siege gun platform. Albeit with one of the more powerful main gun armament to date. It's firepower is expected to match the Ascendancy Quad Siege Cannon upgrade, though it would be far more mobile than those vessels. Overall production should be cheaper thanks to requiring less materials.

Various upgrades of the Ascendancy are still the most numerous in the Dominion despite the losses they suffered in the civil war. Because of upgrade programs some models also tend to have the most firepower of any Dominion Heavy. Quite a switch from ten years ago.

Among the newer ships the relatively cheap but advanced Archaster sees the most new acquisitions. Following it are the Inexorable and Cardinal classes.

The other various Heavy Cruisers are still seeing production but are purchased in nowhere near the same numbers. At least not in the Dominion. Production of the Zeus is dropping off steadily, though there are still many in use in the Dominion.

For Heavy Carriers the Talos is easily the most sought after design. Demand continues to outstrip production. Cheaper ships like the Bonrah/Ceres Heavy Carrier are being produced in similar numbers to the Talos to fill the gap.
Ceres has eventually produced a proper Heavy Carrier to rival the Talos but so far it hasn't gained much traction. Many still see it as a lower quality vessel.
A few Houses are producing variations of the Senate class heavy carrier under license from the Republic. There have been several attempts to upgrade these with newer engines with mixed results.

>Have there been any successful attempts to contact the Kythera since the initial deal with the expeditionary fleet?
Supposedly, though details are a bit scarce. They've been informed of the Alliance's intention to invade the Neeran Empire along with roughly when. The Kythera have sent warnings on areas to avoid as well as the location of a major enemy fleet base. Not much more information than that.
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>>2714241
>How would dividing SP torpedoes work also?
Would have to be decided among the Dominion.

>Cause I would rather see that only the more stable Houses gets access to modules for production
I'm sure everyone outside the Dominion would feel the same way.

>ratify the use of Veckron weaponry with in the Dominion with a treaty for ALL Houses.
>A treaty that says that it is forbidden to use them in the event of House to House fighting or civil war would require the Emperor and all of the Seven to intervene harshly.
Probably a good idea. Might be difficult to enforce in the middle of a civil war but would certainly have an effect.
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>>2714063
>Plan out ways to get the SP Tech data we have in holding to the Emperor. Or if we should wait for when the Dominion approaches the Alliance for over site in SP Tech development, if we approach them.
>if we approach them.
That's the real trick isn't it?

You'll be allowed a piece of paper to write instructions to yourself since you won't remember this meeting and your arm will likely be confiscated once it's over. It's suggested these instructions be in code. About that thing with the guy at the place.
You'll also be given another sealed envelope with as much of the data that's been discussed here within. Don't lose it.
>>
>>2714447

>You'll also be given another sealed envelope with as much of the data that's been discussed here within. Don't lose it.

We can skip this step. Just a letter saying to drop certain data about diamond mines or key investment opportunities somewhere where BH can acquire them. That would be asking for trouble if we had a paper saying what anything this meeting was about. Maybe saying we agreed to support BH in a future decision when the Dominion approaches the Alliance for research over site or whatever. Or have said letter be sent out a week or month before the Dominion approaches the Alliance?
>>
>>2714472
>We can skip this step. Just a letter saying to drop certain data about diamond mines or key investment opportunities somewhere where BH can acquire them.
Any objections to this?
>>
>>2714372
>"Are you really more concerned about perceptions of Heavy Cruisers? After everything you've gone through to get the Sovereign into production?"
What about the Zetta class, are they sold to the Dominion? It could be useful if we have a heavy in the run that shares a lot of parts with forbearance.

>>2714535
I'd say replace the diamond with the letter and drop the diamond off somewhere quiet for Ber'helum. Also, do we get paid for this? Or at least have some kind of protection or support extended to our Houses and families in case something does happen?
>>
>>2714447
>>2714472
>>2714535
I don't see why we should change the suggested procedure
>>
>>2714535
>>2714535
No, not really. Diamond mine is our codeword after all and it should be enough for us to understand.
>>
Now that we have had our kids, I think it is time for us to use one of the injectors.
>>
>Other
>Simply research something else?

Right, I didn't add an option to simply not ever research SP weapons. Option added.

>>2714543
>What about the Zetta class, are they sold to the Dominion?
Not really. They don't produce many of them to begin with because the drive sections are needed for Supers.

>Also, do we get paid for this?
Payment in SP torpedoes. After it works.

>Or at least have some kind of protection or support extended to our Houses and families in case something does happen?
This is a point worth bringing up. The Emperor promises that in the event anyone present die under mysterious circumstances their Houses, families and holdings will be provided protection from persecution by the other Factions or those trying to take advantage.
>>
>>2714006
It's Sunday brah.
>>
>>2714683
We should let the Emperor know, privately, about Winifred and make sure she gets her cut for helping us with this.
>>
>>2714683
Re: V-torps

I would accept a bribe from the Terrans to not produce V-torps. Evem if we don't want to anyways we can still get paid for it.
>>
>>2714892
>We should let the Emperor know, privately, about Winifred and make sure she gets her cut for helping us with this.
Pass him a note? Now seems like a good a time as any.

>>2714896
>I would accept a bribe from the Terrans to not produce V-torps.
The Republic style production agreement would seem to be essentially that.
>>
Rather unusually the Emperor requests a vote. It's hardly unanimous.

You vote to secure the Neeran SP Labs. Once secured the tech can be split up via the Alliance. Provided they can be convinced that's a good idea. It has a slim lead over some of the other options, with few willing to take a chance on Aries.

Lord Admiral Feron has serious concerns about this plan.
"What happens if the Alliance refuses? They've been known to send tech to Factions that have a better grasp on it at times."

"Then we fall back on the Republic agreement." is the Emperor's response. "We call them to the capital and in front of the full assembly tell them we'll continue our research efforts unless they make it worth our while."

"A tremendous bluff." replies Kharbos.

"It's not a bluff. One way or another I intend to end this game of theirs this century. Even if we don't control production we need a source of SP weapon income. Average House stockpiles remain dangerously low despite attempts by some to steal warheads from the Alliance or through the black market. The PCCG militia may have more SP weapons than we do."

You knew it was bad but not that bad.

"How are they getting so many?" you ask.
"Some mercenaries try to take jobs with payment in SP Torps." Feron tells you.

The Emperor gets everyone's attention.
"We may not all be in agreement on the best course of action but a larger part of this group has selected the course to be taken. All of you were called here because you give the Dominion its best chance to thrive in the coming years, decades and centuries. We'll stick with this plan until it succeeds or fails."

You're given a piece of paper to write a message to yourself. On it you make a note about future diamond mine investments along with a set of coordinates one of the Emperor's bodyguards provide you. That should be more than enough for you to get the data to the drop point.

Anything else you want on the note?
>>
>>2715059

Would anyone else be interested in putting that puzzle that the Immortal put to us on the note? It's a rather harmless puzzle and something we can think on and something I believe Svidur would likely know or want to ponder.

>"Intimidation of vassals can also be useful. No answer me this Human, the media often portray the very old and wise as being big or very small, why do you suppose that is? Consider that your own little enigma to work out."
>>
>>2715059
>Anything else you want on the note?
"Don't trust T."
>>
Aside from the coordinate data the only other things you add are a bit of the Immortal's riddle and a last minute addition of Don't trust T.
This might just be flawless.

Looking around you realise you're sitting in the middle of a white room with a padded floor. How did you get here? What were you doing? Oh right, you were on your way to a meeting, a summons from the Emperor, then there was... you can't remember.

"What the hell?"

Well your arm is gone again but you suspected that might happen. Your eyes feel a bit sore too. You're dressed in plain white underclothes that match the room. The only thing you have with you is a folded piece of paper with a message in your own hand writing. Maybe this was planted on you? No, this is way too illegible to be someone else's writing. You intend to pass the riddle on to Svidur but the next part is more concerning.

"Don't trust T."
Who the hell is T? Tama? That would be quite a problem if the Admiral were to report on any of your activities to the Terrans. No, wait, it's probably just the Terrans... fuck it, you won't take any chances.

Looking around you spot and door and knock on it to see if anyone is out there.
"Hello?" you call out.

Eventually a Royal Guard captain wearing power armor opens it for you. He points to a duffel bag sitting nearby.
"Your belongings that have been cleared to be returned are in the bag. Your bodyguard is waiting for you."
"How long have I been in there?"
"I'm not at liberty to say. Your bodyguard has been waiting for you for nearly 48 hours and is growing impatient."

Right. Grabbing the bag you quickly throw on your uniform then follow the captain down a passage and into a waiting room. Valeri seems relieved you're back. If you hadn't returned soon he might have started asking questions with the point of a sword.

The locals are quick to usher the two of you out. A few of bodyguards belonging to the other nobles present look on edge and the Royal guard want you on your way. A few elevator trips get you back to the shuttle bays and soon the LST is ferrying you back to the Great Devourer.

"How did it go?" Valeri asks.
"I don't remember anything. A wrote a message to myself though."
"Then it must have gone according to plan?"

You hope so. It still seems like things are going to be more dangerous from here on.

>What are your orders?
Complete the diamond investment meeting ASAP? Or did you have anything else in kind?
>>
>>2715575
> Complete the diamond investment meeting ASAP.

Strike while the iron is hot.
>>
>>2715575
>Complete the diamond investment meeting ASAP?

Yes, though give it a week or so then contact Winifred and tell her about the dead drop of diamond mine info from our mutual friend to the coordinates given to us.
>>
>>2715622
Supporting
>>
>>2715622
>>2715684
We're telling her afterwards?
>>
>>2715703
Er, no. We're telling her to have Duncan do the dead drop because he's the mutual friend. Right?
>>
>>2715725

Yes
>>
Will make a few posts in the morning if the thread is still here.
>>
>>2715575
>Complete the diamond investment meeting ASAP?
Yes

>Your eyes feel a bit sore too.
They took our eye Implants! Not sure if I want to get them replaced, I don't even remember when we last used them.
>>
>>2716128
>They took our eye Implants!
It seems they're still there but they've been completely wiped. A system reset isn't even possible, it needs its operating system reinstalled. Coincidentally Duncan is one of the few people you would trust at this stage to do that since he was the last one to upgrade their security for you.
>>
Back on the Devourer the medical staff reattach the sphere caretaker arm. This one's not as simple as most of the others. It takes a minute or two for feeling to return, like your arm was asleep. With that done it's time to tackle the task at hand.

You'd like to get this affair sorted ASAP but decide to wait a week. As you're already in the cluster you head for the J-D homeworlds to visit family. Your parents are glad to heard that you were able to see Bekka while in South Reach.

"Were you able to talk some sense into her?" your mother is quick to ask.
"Not exactly? She was still trying to play pranks despite us having the kids there."
"When is she coming home next?"
"I don't know, you'd have to ask her."
"Well the next time you talk to her tell her to return home once in awhile."
You promise to do so.

You talk to Dad about the logistics requirements of the Sovereign now that they're seeing use. The question of course comes to if or when the House could support one.
"When we get rid of Forbearance."
"Really?"
"Forbearance is maintenance and fuel intensive. A Sovereign shouldn't be as hard on maintenance but will be worse on fuel so I think it would balance out."

"There's no other way to support a new Super?"
"Maybe in another ten or fifteen years once the new territories are more stable and once we've completed the chain of bases to South Reach."

You point out the fleets are being expanded. That could help.

"It should but they'll mostly use plenty of small secondary bases for that. They're not so good for a big ship."
"What do you think of Alex's mobile shipyard?"
"I don't want to talk about that. I mean does anyone even- no, no I'm not talking about that."
It seems that's a bit of a sore spot. Maybe not enough consideration has been given to keeping them supplied?

Spending time out on your property you take some scans and pictures of the area. Maybe you'll be able to duplicate a few spots here and there on Rioja with enough work. At the very least it could serve as inspiration for the landscapers. Or use them in the holobooth if you want to visit.

Over the week in the Homeworlds you visit the other Barons and work out providing funding to Saputo and Jor'ron. They're glad for the help. Fredric Saputo doesn't seem to enjoy being Baron or Torun as he might imply. It's requiring much more cooperation with the Governor than might be needed on other worlds. Hopefully with your assistance he'll stand a chance at bringing things into balance.
>>
Back on Dremine you're faced with the prospect of contacting Winifred about having Duncan deliver the data, or telling him yourself. You know House intel has him based on Dremine and it would be convenient to get your eyes fixed. Then again maybe you don't want anyone following you to his location.

[ ] Contact Winifred, relay message to Duncan
[ ] Contact Winifred, arrange drop point to hand off message to Duncan
[ ] Contact Duncan yourself, tell him about meeting point
[ ] Contact Duncan, arrange drop point to hand off message
[ ] Arrange meeting with Duncan for eye implant repair, hand off message then
>>
>>2716460

>[X] Contact Winifred, arrange drop point to hand off message to Duncan

I like the idea of Winifred being in the know in the case that bad things happen and a quick, strong response is necessary.
Drop point for Duncan keeps him out of danger more than the other options. Still get dem eyes repaired but don't discuss sensitive info during.
>>
>>2716452
>you visit the other Barons and work out providing funding to Saputo and Jor'ron
>it weren't for the fact that it would create PR disaster Jor'ron would probably have been offered to become Baron of another more suitable world by now.
>Fredric Saputo doesn't seem to enjoy being Baron or Torun as he might imply
Have these two considered trading places?

>[ ] Contact Winifred, arrange drop point to hand off message to Duncan
We should still get the eyes repaired but only discuss semi-secret stuff face to face.
>>
>>2716460
>[ ] Contact Winifred, relay message to Duncan

As for the eyes, if he's got time to skip from work. Lets do something with him and get our eyes fixed.
>>
>>2716460
> [ ] Arrange meeting with Duncan for eye implant repair, hand off message then
>>
>>2716460
>[ ] Contact Winifred, relay message to Duncan

I wonder if we should do random converter sweeps to try and pick up anyone following us.
>>
>>2716486
Reminder that works better against Neeran infiltrators than Faction holographic camo. Your arm sensor (which the new arm also has) would have a better chance.
>>
>>2716492
We haven't tested the new arm sensor have we? It was meant to be more powerful yes?
>>
>>2716486
Pretty sure that intense of a sensor pulse would also make following us a moot point.
>>
>>2716475
>>2716476


>>2716477
>>2716486

Tie breaker anyone or should I just roll for it?
>>
>>2716460
>>2716475
Supporting
>>
When you last spoke to Winifred you voiced some ideas about what the Emperor might be contacting you for. You should at least give Winifred a heads up of some kind that it's time to unearth old plans.

"How are things at the front?" you ask once the older Baron is on the line.
"Still rather lively in places. It seems the forward commanders that have occupied parts of Shallan space for more than a decade are reluctant to retreat to their home territories. They're continuing to hold on and we've now cut of their means of an easy escape."

"No way to quickly force their surrender?"

Winifred shakes her head.
"That seems unlikely. They still have considerable industrial capacity at their disposal. Operations to clear out the remaining Shallan territories will have to proceed as before. The good news is that they won't be receiving reinforcements from the Empire now."

Not unless they establish another wormhole.
"Any chance of moving up operations to retake the Dyson Sphere?"
"It seems unlikely. The Nai are lobbying the Alliance to retake their homeworld and there are dozens of Shallan colonies that need to be liberated before either of those to secure supply lines."

You could hope.

Moving things on you mention your mutual friend and if she knew a way you might get a message to him while you're on the capital.
"I'm trying to get that mining investment sorted but they keep striking diamond."

Winifred frowns.
"Hmm. That can be a problem. I'll see that the right people are informed."

Anything else you wanted to ask her about?
>>
>>2716547
>Anything else you wanted to ask her about?
How are things for the Shallan government? Have any recently liberated worlds requested to be governed by the FA or reform the Shallan federation instead yet?
>>
>>2716547
Tell her to be careful, would hate for her to get killed now when the Neerans have finally been kicked out. Ask if she can target some of the Neeran yards out there. If she could get production data on some of their Heavy Tankers, and a yard to produce them, we may have a solution to the fuel problem.
>>
>>2716547
> Yes, recently I've been drinking lots of Tea. It just seems to find me wherever I go. I'm sure you'll get the chance to try some too eventually as it makes its way out to your worlds.
>>
"How are things for the Shallan government? Are any recently liberated worlds causing trouble or requesting FA administration?"

"A few worlds have requested Alliance protectorate status. The Shallan State have vetoed these requests as those worlds are within their territory. The results have been fairly predictable. At least two have tried to declare independence since we drove the Neeran armada from the cluster."

That's not good. It may not seem possible but the Shallan refugee crisis may continue or get even worse. Best to move on to other things.

"Any chance you could capture a shipyard that produces Neeran Tankers? I'm thinking that could be a solution to the fuel problem we'll be facing."

Winifred laughs. "You're hardly the first person to think of that, and the answer is no. The Alliance have been hauling them back to sites in the Pandora Cluster and the Republic Nav Relay. From what I've seen they also purchased production licenses for Ceres Heavy Tugs and are outfitting them for the same job."

So much for that plan. Winifred says not to worry about it, she's managed pick up another Neeran Heavy tanker giving the House two of them. That should be enough to keep Forbearance and a supporting fleet in the field in enemy territory.

>>2716558
Is this a reference? I feel like this is a reference.
>>
>>2716597
Just saying Winifred should keep an eye out for any foreign Tea that might suddenly appear close to her.
>>
>>2716602
The tea would probably be refused for having too little Brandy in it.
>>
>>2716597
Could she get us another Delta, Quatteo or Spectre for Sonia's fleet?
>>
>>2716615
T.
>>
The two of you discuss the state of politics on your respective worlds and how recently anyone has tried to poison you. Fortunately Winifred seems to suffer very few direct attempts, with most targeting the Governor or other candidates.

Before signing off you ask if she might be able to secure a Neeran medium cruiser for you. "Anything fast, or maybe a quattro?"

"Sonia you do realise I would like a few ships for my own fleet?"
"I'll pay for them?"

Winifred sighs in annoyance.
"If I capture any and the Count doesn't acquire them then yes I'll see if you could purchase them. Keep in mind the Count is trying to secure ships to improve the quality of the home fleets."

You promise not to be mad if there's nothing she can do.

"Good, now I need to get back to work. Good luck with your endeavors."

It's the next day before you get any kind of response regarding the drop point for Duncan. A letter arrives at your parent's place prompting a call from your mother about how to redirect hard copy mail.
"Don't you have an expensive apartment of your own in the city?"

You do but you hardly ever use it, preferring to get away out to the lodge whenever you're on planet. Which means it's not exactly easy to quietly get a package to you. Heading into the city you open the letter which provides coordinates for your drop point. This has to be from Duncan right?

The directions point you to a fountain in the city.
Bring a rock and a sealable bag.

"Ethan, I need a rock."
"Am I getting it back?"
"Probably not?"
"Then no."
"I'll pay you."
"Fine." he reluctantly agrees.

Heading to the fountain at the right time of day you surreptitiously toss in the bagged rock and note. Figuring what the hell you toss in a few coins as well. When you glance in the bottom of the fountain clean and clear of objects. Huh. Must be a cleaning system.
Spotting a nearby restaurant you head in as though that was your intended destination. Probably not as smooth as it could have been but good enough. Hopefully Duncan is able to make out the coordinates and deliver the information without incident.
>>
Before departing for the Run you decide to take a look at the new Heavy Salvage ship RSS is getting ready to send to the run. There were a few minor delays here and there but the company is confident in the new crew's capabilities.

In terms of looks it certainly seems like it's built for heavy duty work. The hull looks tough and modern, though the arrangement of the drives is a bit odd. The main bay is larger the that on the Anchorage and if necessary parts of the forward hull can be disassembled to make room for carrying larger loads like another heavy cruiser.
Crew have taken to calling the ship The Crate, though you're free to make another suggestion.

Linda is here and it looks like she's agreed to sign on with the company in a teaching capacity. She intends to go out with the ship the first few times to get an idea of its capabilities in order to help tailor training programs.

"You're not going to ask me to steal info from the guild again are you?"
"No, I had someone else take care of it." you admit.
"Good. Well maybe not good but better."

Linda seems to like this ship. It's modern and not on the verge of falling apart.

>Change the name of the ship?
>>
>>2716746
Eh, why not. I'm okay with it.
>>
>>2716685
>"I'll pay you."
And here we have a prime case of Sonias legendary negotiation skills.

>>2716746
>The Crate
Nah, I like it! It's charming in it's own way.
>>
>>2716746
Nah.
>>
>>2716746
>>Change the name of the ship?
no
>>
Your work done in the Centri cluster you delay departure a day or two until the Crate is ready to leave. Always best to be seen returning to Rioja with another acquisition.

The trip is a bit slower than it might have otherwise been but soon enough you're beginning the long jump to the DRH 1 Relay. Traffic looks as heavy as always, ships of all types traveling to the Relays, South Reach, or even the Republic. More civilians are preferring this route of late over the Terran ones that connect directly to the pandora cluster. Less chance of enemy raiding groups.

During the long jump you take a look at the displays a few times. It's rare to see ships performing course corrections but it looks to you like one is doing just that at the limits of your visual range. Could just be paranoia as a result of that super secret meeting.

"Let me know if that ship closes with our group." you tell the officer on sensors.
"What ship sir?"
"The uh um... that one? No, it was sort of mid sized? Like a battleship?"
"I'll keep an eye out sir."

The fleet arrives at Rioja without incident, with the Crate taking up a parking orbit near one of the big stations. Linda tells you she'll prepare a full report on the ship's jump drive profile for the Guild so they don't overreact when it comes to how close it may be operating near nav hazards. On that matter the company reports they should be clear to begin salvage operations in the Run in a few days.

With the arrival of a new heavy cruiser grade ship in orbit, a civilian one at that, more than a few people are interested in having a closer look.
Did you want to allow tours of the ship?

[ ] No tours, it needs to be ready to roll in a few days
[ ] Paid tours only
[ ] Crew relatives
[ ] Allow escorted tours
>>
>>2716885
>[ ] Crew relatives
>>
>>2716885
>[ ] Crew relatives
>[ ] Other
Why not raffle away tickets on highly guarded tours for a good cause? It would allow us to limit the amount of people, and still get some publicity and money for a good cause.
>>
>>2716885
I was going to say something along the lines not wanting unautorised people on the ship for security reason but then I realized this could be good commercial for RSS by having potential clients see the new salvage ship. If anything even if they aren't interested in hiring RSS it should still allow worth of mouth to get rumors of our ship around. But only for a few days. I want the ship to be fully ready to start working the moment we get the go ahead.

On a unrelated note. Can we get some course correction for the one planet in the Rioja system that could be made habitable. I really would like to make Rioja a twin colony system.
>>
>>2716885
>[ ] Crew relatives
>[ ] Allow escorted tours

Keep them to the nonessential systems. Also make sure no one decides to 'disappear' or any false entries in the system for tours. I'd ask if RSS can have an presence during the tours. To make sure we don't have any stowaways, spies or saboteurs. Paranoia is at an all time high until whatever happened at the meeting resolves itself.
>>
>>2716905
>Can we get some course correction for the one planet in the Rioja system that could be made habitable. I really would like to make Rioja a twin colony system.
Not at this time. Both gravity well generators are off in Terran space where they're expected to be busy for the rest of this year at the very least. It was decided to send them there to help terraform worlds for the Terrans rather than putting up with even more refugees.
>>
>>2716924
A shame, I wonder how long we got to wait until we Scan buy another Gen 3.
>>
>>2716918

That's a long term goal for when we retire. Viscount Sonia Reynard of Rioja primarus and secundus.
>>
>>2716924
If another planet were to be colonized in the system, would it fall under our Barony? Or is it strictly a 1 Baron to 1 Planet deal?
>>
>>2716970
>If another planet were to be colonized in the system, would it fall under our Barony?
Yes.
>>
Tours of the new ship are arranged, largely for families of those working for RSS. Small numbers of other guests are also permitted aboard. Regardless of background any non company personnel are instructed to remain with tour groups which are escorted at all times.

With the war dragging on it's rare for civilians to get a chance to see ships this large up close. It creates quite the media sensation on planet for the few days its allowed. With luck that may even translate into future salvage jobs for RSS. With so much of the company expansion being focused on Station construction the salvage teams haven't had the chance to really shine.

The Guild are quick to recognise what's going on and are a bit nervous about high profile salvage work near FTL hazard zones. They certainly don't want civilian ships following the Crate around in sensitive areas where they might jump too far from the safe zones and cause problems. As one possible solution they'd like to see about sending a documentary crew along aboard one of the RSS ships. You're certain they'd prefer the team be aboard the Crate.

Allow it? Tell them to wait until the crews are a bit more experienced, or disallow entirely?
>>
Last thread on the board. May resume Wednesday.
>>
>>2717042
>Allow it? Tell them to wait until the crews are a bit more experienced
Keep the first few episodes focused on the anchorage our new ship replaces, the design and the ship's construction. That should give the camera team to get enough footage that they can skip all mishaps.
>>
>>2717042
I like it. Hopefully it will generate positive feedback and puts RSS in the spotlight. Seal of approval. But yeah. Not during the initial rush.
>>
>>2717042
>Allow it? Tell them to wait until the crews are a bit more experienced, or disallow entirely?

Do they expect us to say no? Have background checks performed on their crews, both by the guild and by RSS. And they are fine. As well as the required legal documents for heading into hazardous areas. We have hazard pay for our workers. Would hate to have to deal with paying out in expenses for civilian deaths or injuries. Because one idiot decided they wanted to look in places they were not supposed to.
>>
>>2717042
If the documentary crew comes attached to a team of navigators guild personnel experienced in Hazard Zone diving, sure.
>>
>>2717042
> Allow it then accidentally have the recording crew left behind.
>>
>>2717042
Allow it, on the condition that the company be allowed to review the finished product and decide whether it's released, with a proviso that in the event we refuse to let it be released we'll compensate them for the expenses of making the documentary so that they didn't just waste months of their time for nothing.

Best of both worlds, it might cost us a little but the cost of making a documentary is pennies to us if we need to pay them off, and if it is a good product it'll get us some good publicity.
>>
>>2717042

I'm okay with the documentary crew as long as it isn't early on.
>>
>>2717042
>Tell them to wait until the crews are a bit more experienced
>>
RSS/Trusted subordinates will review any and all footage of the documentary crew before it is sent to the guild and can confiscate it without giving a reason. Just in case we find something not meant for the public at large to know about.
>>
Jesus christ, this thread is still here!?
It's been last thread on the board for 14 hours.
>>
>>2718419
> Quests need their own board, they said.
>>
>>2718425
Also world building threads are getting pushed Here too
>>
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>>2718425
Yeah. A new board for quests to thrive. That was totally the plan
>>
Oh, I might have had it in creation date instead of bump order before.
It's kinda difficult to run when it looks like the thread is going to fall off the board at any moment because it seems like you might get cut of at any time. How far ahead do you plan stuff out for?

I've gotta work today and do need to get things ready for the next thread on Wednesday so see you then.




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