a cut of domestic sheep prime
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A6
B5
B5
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[LP CYOA] Epic
- Thread starter treave
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On the other hand successfully locating the Tactician's flagship amidst the fleet thanks to those strings and feeding their best military mind to a black hole would be a hilarious way to announce yourself to the Empire, regardless of what happens after.
a cut of domestic sheep prime
Guest
missed this:
for me to pass up. Hmm...
Their best, eh? Crap. I'm tempted to flop back to A. I have no desire to cause serious harm to the Mushu tactically. I want there to be a stalemate between both Empires until we are strong enough to strike at them both. And to be honest, this guy almost seems to respect Senya - one tactician to another. I sense serious bro potential in him in the long run. Still, killing a fleet seems far too
for me to pass up. Hmm...
Baltika9
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We won't be killing fleets here, bro, just clip half of one and then be forced to fight the rest, since our generator (and probably Rei) will be completely drained.
Our choice to leave Belly-A's psychic link open pretty much excludes B as a viable option: he'll be prepared for the worst. Unless we start chain-ramming ships like a pinball.
A is the way to go here: we launched a daring raid, rescued Tarliss' ass, proved our balls to our crew (I'm sure the good Captain will be telling everyone how fucking awesome and cool Senya is), flabbergasted their best tactitian and are about to save our sister and co. Pretty good run, no need to overextend ourselves, get greedy and attract too much attention.
...and if dear ol' mum was shocked at our hijacking the Anhur and bringing hack the Fang, I can only imagine her reactionwhen we teleport in next to Earth with:
An outcast terrorist cult, their leader and a Gieloth.
An asteroid fortress (our second one now! We can name it "Ean's Left Nut", for thematic consistency).
And a Star League Colonel, head of covert operations and Immortal.
The dialogue should be absolutely hilarious.
Our choice to leave Belly-A's psychic link open pretty much excludes B as a viable option: he'll be prepared for the worst. Unless we start chain-ramming ships like a pinball.
A is the way to go here: we launched a daring raid, rescued Tarliss' ass, proved our balls to our crew (I'm sure the good Captain will be telling everyone how fucking awesome and cool Senya is), flabbergasted their best tactitian and are about to save our sister and co. Pretty good run, no need to overextend ourselves, get greedy and attract too much attention.
...and if dear ol' mum was shocked at our hijacking the Anhur and bringing hack the Fang, I can only imagine her reactionwhen we teleport in next to Earth with:
An outcast terrorist cult, their leader and a Gieloth.
An asteroid fortress (our second one now! We can name it "Ean's Left Nut", for thematic consistency).
And a Star League Colonel, head of covert operations and Immortal.
The dialogue should be absolutely hilarious.
a cut of domestic sheep prime
Guest
Didn't treave just say that we wouldn't do that?
treave said:
Um, actually our choice made him delay his approach long enough for us to contact Rei - otherwise B wouldn't be an option at all.
Yeah...I'm not sure about most of your reasoning, but the drawing attention to ourselves bit is a valid point. Seeing as the League decided to decimate our home planet just because of one little nano-plague, and that they forbid all nano-tech research and immortal breeding simply to maintain control, I have a feeling our wiping out an enemy fleet single-handedly would not be taken well - esp. if Tarliss tells them we can kill immortals too...
Also, I hesitate to kill this guy. He disapproves of cold-hearted actions, is intelligent and seems to respect Senya to a degree. As I said, there is bro potential here. He may even be an anti-Theseus - a p. high-level bro, fyi... So I doubt he'd kill Twintails or the others if we leave.
I'm flipping my flop back to A.
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Technobabble time.
Of course, the larger the mass it starts off with, the bigger the bang. Apparently 1 kg gives you about 21.5 megatons.
A typical supernova releases about 1 foe of energy, or 10^44 joules, or 2 x 10^28 megatons or so. A hypernova releases a hundred times that energy, or 100 foe.
The supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy is estimated to be at about 8 x 10^36 kg. Its death will release 7.2 x 10^53 joules, or 7,200,000,000 foe of energy.
We're still quite a bit behind the Big Bang though, which is estimated at 4x10^69 joules.
Black holes with large mass take much, much longer to die off... naturally, that is. So you wouldn't usually need to worry about a burst of energy powerful enough to scour galaxies into stardust.
Of course, the larger the mass it starts off with, the bigger the bang. Apparently 1 kg gives you about 21.5 megatons.
A typical supernova releases about 1 foe of energy, or 10^44 joules, or 2 x 10^28 megatons or so. A hypernova releases a hundred times that energy, or 100 foe.
The supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy is estimated to be at about 8 x 10^36 kg. Its death will release 7.2 x 10^53 joules, or 7,200,000,000 foe of energy.
We're still quite a bit behind the Big Bang though, which is estimated at 4x10^69 joules.
Black holes with large mass take much, much longer to die off... naturally, that is. So you wouldn't usually need to worry about a burst of energy powerful enough to scour galaxies into stardust.
All right, you guys convinced me that killing the Tactician is not a good idea. It'd end the stalemate, and I'm not quite certain that's what we actually want.
Flopping A. But I would like to have a longer chat with the good Deity of the Empire.
Flopping A. But I would like to have a longer chat with the good Deity of the Empire.
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Locking in A, then.
Since that's the case, let's see what happens to Twintails...
She's dead, Jim.
There's no conceivable way you will be able to make it back in time to save her or the rest of Tarliss's team. Then again the moment you chose to ignore the distress signal you pretty much sealed their fate.
Since that's the case, let's see what happens to Twintails...
She's dead, Jim.
There's no conceivable way you will be able to make it back in time to save her or the rest of Tarliss's team. Then again the moment you chose to ignore the distress signal you pretty much sealed their fate.
To all Kyrie fans out there:
She was a cyborg. Get over it. 
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I must say I'm confused on that point as well.
Edit: Derp. I remembered she was there, not that she was imaginary.
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- Joined
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Imperial Crusade
The jump went perfectly, though Rei landed herself in bed for about a week to recuperate from the strain. We left long before the ships of the Empire began arriving. The mental strings that Adrahasis used to monitor our movements snapped as we passed through the wormhole. Even so, he has identified me as being from the Federation; this will surely reach the ears of the Empire.
***
“It is done,” says Mere. “The League has granted asylum for all residents of the asteroid Apophis. The terms that were proposed – that they be considered military resources seconded to the Autonomous Terran Fleet – have been accepted. In return, they are expected to give their lives over to the League in service to our cause. Pretty standard terms, not to worry. We make every culture that we absorb sign something similar.”
“Perfect. Did you tell them why the Empire wanted the asteroid?”
“No,” she shakes her head. “We have a natural aversion to that… thing… aboard the asteroid. If the Council found out you were harbouring such a creature they would have a fleet of battleships rammed up your behind faster than you could beg for mercy.”
“You seem to be fine with allowing it to live,” I say. “Besides, it’s cute, no?”
“Cute? Oh, make no mistake, even now I feel the urge to grind its core to dust… but as I have said, I am more pragmatic than those brain-dead bastards on the Council. I believe we can work together. Your world’s protector indicated as much to me before his end.”
“You spoke to Shulgi?” In hindsight, I shouldn’t be surprised.
“After his capture, yes. He told me quite a bit about the history of your planet. It is rather fraught with disasters. Despite that, there appears to be an element of cooperation between mortals, immortals and these aliens. He placed no importance on it, but I believe this was the only reason your world still survives. Of course, it is just my conjecture,” she smiles. “And no, he did not mention you or even hinted at your existence. I took an interest in you of my own accord.”
“I must say, your interest paid off. I would never have jumped into Imperial space otherwise, so it seems like it saved your life.”
“It still does not square your debt to me. The quantum computer is worth ten of me to the Council. I have no idea how you have managed to keep it hidden from their eyes, but you owe me for not reporting it in. Besides, you have proven yourself to be a very dangerous weapon. I would prefer to keep you away from the Council’s attention... and in my debt.”
“What, are you not afraid of me?” I joke. “I could kill you.”
“You could. I should make sure that you won’t.” With a smile, she suddenly grabs my neck and pulls me close, her lips pressing firmly against mine. I find it in me to respond; perhaps not as eagerly as she hoped for, as she redoubles her assault until she is satisfied.
“Consider that part of your repayment,” chuckles Mere as she pushes me away, licking her lips. “You will find that we can be of great use to each other, Hoshikawa. I hope we will have a pleasurable partnership.”
I say nothing as I watch her walk off. Manipulative bitch; she’s lost quite a bit of her dismissive attitude upon discovering my capabilities, but at least now I can be certain she won’t betray me as long as I am of use to her.
A wolf-whistle echoes in the empty corridor. Looking around, I see Twintails leaning against the wall in her combat suit, a grin plastered on her face. “Quite the womanizer, aren’t you, Senya?”
“When did you-“ I begin, then catch myself. This isn’t her. Rei told me about the messenger that had told her I would be waiting for her; the description matched that of Twintails, but unless she’d learnt teleportation she couldn’t have appeared on the Belesis and then the Apophis shortly after. “You aren’t Twintails, are you?”
She shakes her head.
“Then… Kyrie?”
She pauses for a while, thinking, and then shakes her head again.
“I don’t think so.” she says.
“What are you, then?”
Another shake. “I don’t know.”
“What do you want? Why are you here? How did you get here?” The questions begin to pour forth, as I try to make sense of what I’m seeing before me.
“Well…” She walks up to me. Still as short as ever. Without warning, her fist sinks into my stomach. As I double over in pain, she puts her hands on her hips and looks down at me. Can a hallucination punch me? Am I hallucinating the sensation of pain?
“You’re getting off easy because you didn’t seem to enjoy it all that much.”
“I… what?”
“N-never mind that,” she mutters. “Anyway, you have no time to waste. The Devourer comes. He must be stopped.”
“Could you be any more cryptic?”
She gives me an apologetic glance. “I only know what I should tell you, nothing more. Sorry, Senya.”
“Wait-“
Before I can finish my sentence, she has disappeared again.
***
It takes me a few more days to realize the meaning of her words. The Autonomous Terran Fleet, along with the Star League military, suffered grievous casualties at the assault of Susa. They had been on the verge of victory when a strike force led by Adrahasis swooped in behind them and massacred the Seventh Fleet, leaving behind naught but stardust. My father only barely made it back by the skin of his teeth – our fleet was now down to five ships. This was one of the worst military defeats suffered by the Star League in years. At the same time, the Empire began a concerted push towards Earth. A massive armada of a hundred thousand warships, nearly a quarter of the Empire’s total forces, was tasked with bringing Earth under Imperial control. I had severely underestimated the numbers that the Empire and the Star League could bring to bear – each of their full fleets contained at least a hundred ships, with bumpkin military assets like the Autonomous Fleet being understrength and underequipped.
The launch of the armada was accompanied by a broadcast from the divine Dragon-Emperor, ruler of the Mushuszu Empire. It was a message directed at Earth… a declaration of his crusade. This was how it went.
Envision a platform facing a hundred thousand pointy ships, floating in high orbit above a dull, yellow planet. It is exposed to the vacuum of space. Atop it stands a tall, hulking man, garbed in a blood-red robe and wearing the mask of a dragon. This is the Dragon-Emperor. Bones of real dragons - nasty, native creatures to Khalka - encase his body like armour.
"I have no words for my brave soldiers. You are born and bred to die in my service, and you have already received the blessings for it. You know your role. Do it well, as I know you will."
"I have no words for the Council. You, who are fools serving cowardly shadows, you will abandon this world you think to be meagre and insignificant to me in fear. You will not dare raise a finger against my crusade."
"To the inhabitants of Earth. I am your God Emperor and I have returned to claim my right of rule. If your knee will not bend it will burn. Surrender the planet to me, as well as the bride I seek, and I shall spare your lives. Swear fealty and worship me, and I shall elevate you to riches and power beyond your comprehension."
A spear of lightning flashes in his hand. As the brilliant blue bolt subsides, his fist grips a strange short staff, three-pronged at each end. He raises it, sending a massive tree of electricity sprouting into the inky void.
"I am coming for your world. Prepare if you must, but know that before the might of the Empire your efforts are futile."
"So, there we have it," I say, pausing the recording. "We're pretty sure the bride he seeks is the Messenger - sorry, Selkhet, that's the name you picked - so that makes him a pedophile in addition to being an all-powerful, megalomaniacal immortal."
Selkhet nods, still possessing that child-like body. She's sprawled over Rei like a lazy cat. "I'm technically a few thousand years old. I don't think he's a pedophile, but yes, he wants me for some reason."
"Do you want him?"
She sticks out a tongue at me. "No."
"Well, the Imperial Crusade should arrive in about... three months' time, was it?" I say.
"Yes, Master," says Yua. "That is the closest estimate I can derive from their actions. The quantum computer has proven quite useful with this."
"Alright. I'm assuming the Star League won't be providing any help?" I turn to Mere, who's dressed in a rather skintight outfit today.
"No. The Devouring Emperor is right - they won't raise a finger against the crusade. That's not because they fear him, however, but because they are planning to hit the Empire hard while he is distracted with Earth. The Star League are gathering enough forces to hit the Imperial homeworld and five other crucial systems simultaneously. If they succeed it would cripple the Empire."
"Thank you. Now, before we discuss what we should do, there's also this little message from President Julia of the Federation," I smile. "I won't bore all of you with the details. Suffice to say, she wants us to hand over Selkhet. I'm pretty sure she's gotten word from the League that they won't be giving any protection, so she'll want to throw her lot in with the Emperor. If we refuse, it will be war."
My father sighs, pushing up his glasses with a finger. "The Autonomous Fleet are in no condition to hold off the Federation forces. The Star League has graciously allowed every Terran soldier to return to Federation command - they're basically telling us we are on our own. I would estimate the Federation outnumbers us about a hundred to one at least."
"You're not the only one I can call upon, dad. Iannes has done his part in gathering the city-states of Earth into an alliance. Between the lot of them I think we'll only be outnumbered ten to one. Well, without accounting for the technological advantage and orbital superiority of the Federation."
"I'll have your back, son, but make this call carefully."
"That's why I'm looking for suggestions. Surrender? Fight? Flee?"
***
In the end, the opinions were relatively divided. Rei wanted to stay and fight, though Selkhet was more inclined to run. I don't blame her; having some big red dude say that he's coming for you to make you his bride would scare anyone. Erec, Erika and the White Fang wanted a fight - more particularly, they wanted to fight the Federation first. My father, representing the Autonomous Fleet, suggested that we move our asteroids away from Earth, heading towards the edge of the galaxy, as he deemed staying to be extremely risky. The Earth-bound cities were willing to take up arms against the Federation, but not so much against the Empire. They were ambivalent about the cult's asteroid hanging around the Gate of Ean, which President Julia had been using as proof that I was the devil himself. Funnily enough, the cultists think the same thing about me for different reasons. Finally, Tarliss suggested that I could use the quantum computer as a bargaining chip for the Star League to return and defend us.
As for me, I was wondering what I could achieve with three months' of prep time...
***
A. Surrender to the Federation and hand over Selkhet. Of course, this doesn't mean I am abandoning her; if I wanted to I would have done so earlier. We will use Selkhet's handing-over as a chance to get close to the Emperor for an audience... and an opening for an assassination, should I desire it.
B. Face down the Federation. If it's a fight they want, it's a fight they'll get. Humanity must be united before the Empire arrives if we are to offer meaningful resistance, and if I've to break a few eggs to get there, so be it.
C. Flee into deep space. I'm sure the Federation will try to come after us anyway, but this gives us a headstart and the chance to rebuild some of our depleted forces.
D. Demand a public conference with Julia before we hand Selkhet over. This is the time to drag old skeletons into the daylight. Though I have little evidence on hand, perhaps I can succeed in swaying the people to my side still.
E. I kidnap Selkhet, haul her into my mech and make a jump over to where I think the armada is currently located. The Emperor promised riches and power to those that would serve him. Let's see if he will deliver.
***
A. Approach Erika about unlocking my psyche. If not now, when?
B. I don't. It is still a dangerous proposition and things are far too critical now for me to risk messing up my own mind.
***
A. Begin designing a mass-production version of the black hole generator. This is not the time to be stingy - I want to ensure every one of my allies has access to this power. I cannot fight a hundred thousand warships alone... well, not with any of the current mechs. This will bring me one step closer to creating fleets powered by black hole technology.
B. The black hole generator is too important a technology to be leaked out like this. I keep it for my use alone, instead spending my time building a personal CF that is optimized for the generator at maximum output. Such a mech could conceivably take on the Imperial Crusade.
***
A. Trade the quantum computer for Star League protection. They could probably intervene and delay the crusade's arrival by up to a month and no longer, as they would not be willing to abandon their own push for the sake of blunting the push towards Earth.
B. I keep the quantum computer - I will require it to maximize the potential of the black hole technology, and besides, Yua seems to like operating on it a lot.
The jump went perfectly, though Rei landed herself in bed for about a week to recuperate from the strain. We left long before the ships of the Empire began arriving. The mental strings that Adrahasis used to monitor our movements snapped as we passed through the wormhole. Even so, he has identified me as being from the Federation; this will surely reach the ears of the Empire.
***
“It is done,” says Mere. “The League has granted asylum for all residents of the asteroid Apophis. The terms that were proposed – that they be considered military resources seconded to the Autonomous Terran Fleet – have been accepted. In return, they are expected to give their lives over to the League in service to our cause. Pretty standard terms, not to worry. We make every culture that we absorb sign something similar.”
“Perfect. Did you tell them why the Empire wanted the asteroid?”
“No,” she shakes her head. “We have a natural aversion to that… thing… aboard the asteroid. If the Council found out you were harbouring such a creature they would have a fleet of battleships rammed up your behind faster than you could beg for mercy.”
“You seem to be fine with allowing it to live,” I say. “Besides, it’s cute, no?”
“Cute? Oh, make no mistake, even now I feel the urge to grind its core to dust… but as I have said, I am more pragmatic than those brain-dead bastards on the Council. I believe we can work together. Your world’s protector indicated as much to me before his end.”
“You spoke to Shulgi?” In hindsight, I shouldn’t be surprised.
“After his capture, yes. He told me quite a bit about the history of your planet. It is rather fraught with disasters. Despite that, there appears to be an element of cooperation between mortals, immortals and these aliens. He placed no importance on it, but I believe this was the only reason your world still survives. Of course, it is just my conjecture,” she smiles. “And no, he did not mention you or even hinted at your existence. I took an interest in you of my own accord.”
“I must say, your interest paid off. I would never have jumped into Imperial space otherwise, so it seems like it saved your life.”
“It still does not square your debt to me. The quantum computer is worth ten of me to the Council. I have no idea how you have managed to keep it hidden from their eyes, but you owe me for not reporting it in. Besides, you have proven yourself to be a very dangerous weapon. I would prefer to keep you away from the Council’s attention... and in my debt.”
“What, are you not afraid of me?” I joke. “I could kill you.”
“You could. I should make sure that you won’t.” With a smile, she suddenly grabs my neck and pulls me close, her lips pressing firmly against mine. I find it in me to respond; perhaps not as eagerly as she hoped for, as she redoubles her assault until she is satisfied.
“Consider that part of your repayment,” chuckles Mere as she pushes me away, licking her lips. “You will find that we can be of great use to each other, Hoshikawa. I hope we will have a pleasurable partnership.”
I say nothing as I watch her walk off. Manipulative bitch; she’s lost quite a bit of her dismissive attitude upon discovering my capabilities, but at least now I can be certain she won’t betray me as long as I am of use to her.
A wolf-whistle echoes in the empty corridor. Looking around, I see Twintails leaning against the wall in her combat suit, a grin plastered on her face. “Quite the womanizer, aren’t you, Senya?”
“When did you-“ I begin, then catch myself. This isn’t her. Rei told me about the messenger that had told her I would be waiting for her; the description matched that of Twintails, but unless she’d learnt teleportation she couldn’t have appeared on the Belesis and then the Apophis shortly after. “You aren’t Twintails, are you?”
She shakes her head.
“Then… Kyrie?”
She pauses for a while, thinking, and then shakes her head again.
“I don’t think so.” she says.
“What are you, then?”
Another shake. “I don’t know.”
“What do you want? Why are you here? How did you get here?” The questions begin to pour forth, as I try to make sense of what I’m seeing before me.
“Well…” She walks up to me. Still as short as ever. Without warning, her fist sinks into my stomach. As I double over in pain, she puts her hands on her hips and looks down at me. Can a hallucination punch me? Am I hallucinating the sensation of pain?
“You’re getting off easy because you didn’t seem to enjoy it all that much.”
“I… what?”
“N-never mind that,” she mutters. “Anyway, you have no time to waste. The Devourer comes. He must be stopped.”
“Could you be any more cryptic?”
She gives me an apologetic glance. “I only know what I should tell you, nothing more. Sorry, Senya.”
“Wait-“
Before I can finish my sentence, she has disappeared again.
***
It takes me a few more days to realize the meaning of her words. The Autonomous Terran Fleet, along with the Star League military, suffered grievous casualties at the assault of Susa. They had been on the verge of victory when a strike force led by Adrahasis swooped in behind them and massacred the Seventh Fleet, leaving behind naught but stardust. My father only barely made it back by the skin of his teeth – our fleet was now down to five ships. This was one of the worst military defeats suffered by the Star League in years. At the same time, the Empire began a concerted push towards Earth. A massive armada of a hundred thousand warships, nearly a quarter of the Empire’s total forces, was tasked with bringing Earth under Imperial control. I had severely underestimated the numbers that the Empire and the Star League could bring to bear – each of their full fleets contained at least a hundred ships, with bumpkin military assets like the Autonomous Fleet being understrength and underequipped.
The launch of the armada was accompanied by a broadcast from the divine Dragon-Emperor, ruler of the Mushuszu Empire. It was a message directed at Earth… a declaration of his crusade. This was how it went.
Envision a platform facing a hundred thousand pointy ships, floating in high orbit above a dull, yellow planet. It is exposed to the vacuum of space. Atop it stands a tall, hulking man, garbed in a blood-red robe and wearing the mask of a dragon. This is the Dragon-Emperor. Bones of real dragons - nasty, native creatures to Khalka - encase his body like armour.
"I have no words for my brave soldiers. You are born and bred to die in my service, and you have already received the blessings for it. You know your role. Do it well, as I know you will."
"I have no words for the Council. You, who are fools serving cowardly shadows, you will abandon this world you think to be meagre and insignificant to me in fear. You will not dare raise a finger against my crusade."
"To the inhabitants of Earth. I am your God Emperor and I have returned to claim my right of rule. If your knee will not bend it will burn. Surrender the planet to me, as well as the bride I seek, and I shall spare your lives. Swear fealty and worship me, and I shall elevate you to riches and power beyond your comprehension."
A spear of lightning flashes in his hand. As the brilliant blue bolt subsides, his fist grips a strange short staff, three-pronged at each end. He raises it, sending a massive tree of electricity sprouting into the inky void.
"I am coming for your world. Prepare if you must, but know that before the might of the Empire your efforts are futile."
"So, there we have it," I say, pausing the recording. "We're pretty sure the bride he seeks is the Messenger - sorry, Selkhet, that's the name you picked - so that makes him a pedophile in addition to being an all-powerful, megalomaniacal immortal."
Selkhet nods, still possessing that child-like body. She's sprawled over Rei like a lazy cat. "I'm technically a few thousand years old. I don't think he's a pedophile, but yes, he wants me for some reason."
"Do you want him?"
She sticks out a tongue at me. "No."
"Well, the Imperial Crusade should arrive in about... three months' time, was it?" I say.
"Yes, Master," says Yua. "That is the closest estimate I can derive from their actions. The quantum computer has proven quite useful with this."
"Alright. I'm assuming the Star League won't be providing any help?" I turn to Mere, who's dressed in a rather skintight outfit today.
"No. The Devouring Emperor is right - they won't raise a finger against the crusade. That's not because they fear him, however, but because they are planning to hit the Empire hard while he is distracted with Earth. The Star League are gathering enough forces to hit the Imperial homeworld and five other crucial systems simultaneously. If they succeed it would cripple the Empire."
"Thank you. Now, before we discuss what we should do, there's also this little message from President Julia of the Federation," I smile. "I won't bore all of you with the details. Suffice to say, she wants us to hand over Selkhet. I'm pretty sure she's gotten word from the League that they won't be giving any protection, so she'll want to throw her lot in with the Emperor. If we refuse, it will be war."
My father sighs, pushing up his glasses with a finger. "The Autonomous Fleet are in no condition to hold off the Federation forces. The Star League has graciously allowed every Terran soldier to return to Federation command - they're basically telling us we are on our own. I would estimate the Federation outnumbers us about a hundred to one at least."
"You're not the only one I can call upon, dad. Iannes has done his part in gathering the city-states of Earth into an alliance. Between the lot of them I think we'll only be outnumbered ten to one. Well, without accounting for the technological advantage and orbital superiority of the Federation."
"I'll have your back, son, but make this call carefully."
"That's why I'm looking for suggestions. Surrender? Fight? Flee?"
***
In the end, the opinions were relatively divided. Rei wanted to stay and fight, though Selkhet was more inclined to run. I don't blame her; having some big red dude say that he's coming for you to make you his bride would scare anyone. Erec, Erika and the White Fang wanted a fight - more particularly, they wanted to fight the Federation first. My father, representing the Autonomous Fleet, suggested that we move our asteroids away from Earth, heading towards the edge of the galaxy, as he deemed staying to be extremely risky. The Earth-bound cities were willing to take up arms against the Federation, but not so much against the Empire. They were ambivalent about the cult's asteroid hanging around the Gate of Ean, which President Julia had been using as proof that I was the devil himself. Funnily enough, the cultists think the same thing about me for different reasons. Finally, Tarliss suggested that I could use the quantum computer as a bargaining chip for the Star League to return and defend us.
As for me, I was wondering what I could achieve with three months' of prep time...
***
A. Surrender to the Federation and hand over Selkhet. Of course, this doesn't mean I am abandoning her; if I wanted to I would have done so earlier. We will use Selkhet's handing-over as a chance to get close to the Emperor for an audience... and an opening for an assassination, should I desire it.
B. Face down the Federation. If it's a fight they want, it's a fight they'll get. Humanity must be united before the Empire arrives if we are to offer meaningful resistance, and if I've to break a few eggs to get there, so be it.
C. Flee into deep space. I'm sure the Federation will try to come after us anyway, but this gives us a headstart and the chance to rebuild some of our depleted forces.
D. Demand a public conference with Julia before we hand Selkhet over. This is the time to drag old skeletons into the daylight. Though I have little evidence on hand, perhaps I can succeed in swaying the people to my side still.
E. I kidnap Selkhet, haul her into my mech and make a jump over to where I think the armada is currently located. The Emperor promised riches and power to those that would serve him. Let's see if he will deliver.
***
A. Approach Erika about unlocking my psyche. If not now, when?
B. I don't. It is still a dangerous proposition and things are far too critical now for me to risk messing up my own mind.
***
A. Begin designing a mass-production version of the black hole generator. This is not the time to be stingy - I want to ensure every one of my allies has access to this power. I cannot fight a hundred thousand warships alone... well, not with any of the current mechs. This will bring me one step closer to creating fleets powered by black hole technology.
B. The black hole generator is too important a technology to be leaked out like this. I keep it for my use alone, instead spending my time building a personal CF that is optimized for the generator at maximum output. Such a mech could conceivably take on the Imperial Crusade.
***
A. Trade the quantum computer for Star League protection. They could probably intervene and delay the crusade's arrival by up to a month and no longer, as they would not be willing to abandon their own push for the sake of blunting the push towards Earth.
B. I keep the quantum computer - I will require it to maximize the potential of the black hole technology, and besides, Yua seems to like operating on it a lot.
Aw yeah! This gun be guhd! 
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
Update completed. If you used the Black Hole Cannon, you would have wiped out about 70 ships in one go, while the remaining 30 flee in terror upon the sight of their Deity being terminated. It's their angle of approach that saves them from being entirely destroyed. The Black Hole Cannon (Anhur version) at full power should be able to take out ten thousand or more ships depending on how closely they're packed together. The word spreads that the Star League have perfected a black hole weapon. That, coupled with their resounding success at Susa, emboldens them to launch an all-out assault on the Empire.
Of course, at the same time, the Council comes knocking on your door, Mere unable to deflect their attention since these tales have originated from the Empire...
Black hole tech means that if we keep developing it, eventually we'll be doing something like:
Of course, at the same time, the Council comes knocking on your door, Mere unable to deflect their attention since these tales have originated from the Empire...
Black hole tech means that if we keep developing it, eventually we'll be doing something like:
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