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[LP CYOA] Epic
- Thread starter treave
- Start date
Esquilax
Arcane
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2010
- Messages
- 4,833
Offer proof that Kawano is a spy. Perhaps we can schedule an execution.
Haha, she just said that she had "sources". It could also be Kadowaki or Hasting.
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
I'm... not seeing how knowing about the troubles in the meeting marks someone as a spy. It could be anyone in the room. Would the Council use her as a spy, or... remember how Shulgi could influence minds? How Nabu could set 'subroutines'? Think long term, hide a mental command inside all of the Admirals (they were fighting for the Star League before this, it's not that impossible) that would switch on at the right time and make them your loyal slaves... Oh, my.
Well, point is, don't get too paranoid just yet.
You're jumping at shadows. 
Jester
Arbiter
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2013
- Messages
- 1,493
Trave old boy Codex always jumps at shadow of shadow since conclusion of Ean and Shulgi war, that is somewhat like custom in this CYOA is it not?Well, point is, don't get too paranoid just yet.
It would be indeed, although I am afraid that 6 clones would be far from enough.
Hey, I flopped remember? But did anyone listen?
You did what you could, now lets enjoy the slaughter shall we?
a cut of domestic sheep prime
Guest
a cut of domestic sheep prime
Guest
Didn't they, though? o_O
Seriously, think of all the knowledge Sek would have had about the world, the masters, the gieloth. We wouldn't have been nearly as blind as we were. It would have completely changed the way we played the game.
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2008
- Messages
- 11,370
Delta Hunt
Eighty thousand cruisers and five thousand CFs against a numerically inferior force composed of a balanced mix of ship classes sounds like a fair battle, but we lack the heavy firepower required to take down the well-armoured battleships quickly. It had taken us almost seven hours just to get into range; following behind were five thousand super-heavies and battleships lead by Jheverg, who would be close enough to provide supporting fire within two hours, if we can manage to pin down Delta for that long. Just chasing after them on a straight path would be futile; already we’ve lost a few careless ships to mines left behind in their wake, forcing us to slow down and spread out. Once we get closer, Delta would definitely deploy drones to screen their retreat and block our path. We have enough fast cruisers to pull off a pincer attack, but they would definitely be expecting us to do so now that we’ve encountered the mines, and reconfigure their defensive formation accordingly. Defeating all of them before their escape would be almost impossible.
“This is Anhur-Shu to all units. Raven, Serpent, execute Formation T2. CF companies 01 to 10 will defend Raven and Serpent from any incoming drones. All Federation cruisers, form up behind Captain Garland’s Unbreakable Spirit and ready anti-fighter counter-measures. CF companies 11 to 20 are to switch to heavy weapons load-out and prepare to target enemy battleships. Captain Garland, I’ll clear a path through the center. Charge in behind me if you think you can keep up.” Amidst the replies of acknowledgement from the various unit leaders, I hear Garland laugh in approval.
“Senya, if you don’t move fast enough I’ll ram my ship into your frame’s arse.”
“I’m counting on that. Anhur-Shu to all units, prepare to execute the operation on my mark. ETA is five minutes.”
The minutes tick down as we approach Sector Armada Delta. At two minutes, their cruisers begin to turn around to prepare for interception. At one minute, the fleet begins to release small, silvery ships into their surroundings: drones. Each drone is an eight metre-long silvery spike and carries its own set of twelve missiles, as well as one particle beam gun.
“Go.”
With a single word, the cruisers from Raven’s Lance and Serpent’s Wing break away at full speed in two directions, leaving behind a long arc of glowing exhaust trails with the smaller lights of the Federation CFs intertwined amongst them. The Imperials were trained and drilled to operate in rigid formation; I had spent plenty of time studying their tactics under Adrahasis’s tutelage in order to command them effectively. Formation T2 would have them approach Delta in a simple pincer attack. Their timing is perfect – such a simple formation is something every one of their cadets would have had drilled into them before they were 14, but simple is good enough for me.
The Empire’s cruisers formed the main bulk of our task force and cut a majestic sight as they swooped towards Delta. The League’s cruisers and drones, on the other hand, had already begun to reorient themselves right when the first Imperial ships start moving… as if they have already expected such a move.
Perfect.
Let’s start off the festivities with a bang.
While they’re watching the Empire, with only a small, perfunctory squadron of drones sent my way, I fire a black hole at them. From this distance and angle I wouldn’t be able to do much damage, but the black hole’s passing sweeps up and sucks in many of the mines that had littered our path. The little drone squadron fares no better; nor does their mothership, a rather unfortunate cruiser that the black hole smashes into and begins gorging on, swallowing it and three of its comrades nearby before dissipating.
Rei pushes Anhur-Shu to full speed immediately, understanding what I want to do. I switch to the Ring Slaves and release all sixteen of them into the battlefield. There would still be mines scattered beyond the reach of my initial attack, and this could catch my allies as they charge in.
“Yua, I’ll leave control of the Ring Slaves to you. Hunt down and destroy all remaining mines on the fleet’s trajectory.”
“Aye aye, Master!”
She might not be able to dogfight a drone with the rings, but mine clearing would be just fine. The Ring Slaves zig-zag rapidly off into space, leaving behind explosions to mark where they had cleared the mines. In front of me, Delta is attempting to respond to my three-pronged attack. They had not expected a small force to attempt to break through the center. Their commander is not inept, however, and the drones rapidly reform and head towards us en-masse. He is probably planning on destroying the smaller force quickly, judging correctly that the pincers don’t have enough firepower to face down his battleships. I retake control of five rings from Yua and spread four of them out, facing the drones.
The moment the drones get into range, they fire their first round of missiles – these run right into the gravity mines I had dropped through the rings. The initial wave of missiles is crushed together into blooming balls of rapidly dissipating energy restrained by the strong gravity field, along with a few dozen drones that had strayed too close. That still left thousands coming at me. “I’m charging up the Reactive Armor System,” says Rei. “The timing is yours.” The mech’s frame begins glowing a bright yellow as the armour begins to leak the supercharged energy. We fly forward, right into a second wave of missiles and beam fire. Anhur-Shu dips alarmingly as we narrowly avoid a salvo of particle beams launched from the enemy battlefleet.
“We’ll lose control of the energy if we get hit too much.” I give Rei a casual warning.
“Don’t worry about me, just concentrate on the best timing.”
“If you say so. Anyway, we’re in position.”
Anhur-Shu comes to a sudden stop in the middle of the drone swarm and I unleash the concentrated energy, allowing it to explode outwards. The violent flare fries the surrounding drones. Hundreds of them are charred to a crisp. I immediately fold the gravity wings around the frame as another salvo hits our location. Evidently, the enemy is not stunned into inaction by my display of power. The beams break through the wings, although they are weakened enough that they only score the outside of our armour. If they could bring more ships to bear we would have been done for, but then again, if they could, I wouldn’t have tried this tactic.
“Rei, keep moving.”
“No problem.”
Now that we’ve punched a hole in their drone screen, Garland and the rest of the cruisers swarm in after me. We charge into the middle of the enemy formation, heading right for the heart of their fleet. The CFs anchored to their cruisers begin firing their heavy ordnance as we do so, concentrating on targets of opportunity. In the meantime, Raven and Serpent are successfully tying down the cruiser escorts at the flanks. We are not inflicting damage without loss, however; a CF tumbles past me, speared clean through the cockpit by a dead drone, and I see a flock of Raven’s cruisers get caught by a salvo from the League’s battleships and get wiped out.
“Yua, give me the statistics.”
“Our losses are estimated to be at 9% for cruisers and 3% for CFs. The enemy has lost 5% of their ships and 1% of their drones.”
This looks like it is going to be a long fight – my unexpected move has thrown their center into disarray for now, but Delta is competent enough that once they regain their footing they could easily surround and trap us. Now… which ship was it that Volkin was said to be on again?
“The Euristydes is over there, Master.”
“Sweet. Thanks, Yua. Garland, you there?”
“Of course I am, Senya. What do you need?” Garland seems to be very pleased to be in the thick of things with his upgraded cruiser.
I give my orders. “Hold out for a little longer. I’ll draw their fire. You lead the charge out the other end of their fleet. We’ll blow right past them.”
“Just like a hurricane, eh?”
“I’m hoping for worse. Get to it, Captain.”
“Roger that, Sir!”
We turn and head towards the Euristydes. It’s usually surrounded by thousands of battleships, but they’ve been lured out of position by the Federation charge, attempting to stomp out the bee-like cruisers and the ant-like CFs. I fly straight towards Volkin’s flagship at full speed. Rei takes Anhur-Shu past the incoming salvos, which are getting more and more frenzied as we close in. I return the favour and fire a full volley of all my weapons at the ship.
It doesn’t work as well as I had expected. The armour of the super-heavy battleship appears to be layered with a super-dense material; even my graviton cannons fail to penetrate the hull fully. I only manage to do superficial damage. I have definitely not heard of the League possessing this level of materials technology – it would probably be impermeable to almost all of our conventional weapons unless we adopt extreme measures. It looks like the rest of their ships aren’t as well-protected, however.
Still, as I expected, they recall the drones to the Euristydes’s aid, drawing them away from Garland and his ships. The battleships begin to turn their guns towards us instead. Smart decision; giving me time to probe at the flagship at my leisure would be the stupidest thing they do today. Staying here any longer would be fatal. As the drones converge upon me, I warp away. The jump brings me back to the Federation cruisers. I’ll act as their rear guard while they blow their way past Delta at high speed.
Yua gives me the latest report. “Friendly losses are now at 15% for cruisers and 10% for CFs. The enemy has lost 14% of their ships and 14% of their drones.” The rate of destroyed drones has risen quickly; it looks like the CF companies are starting to adapt to the drones’ patterns. Of course, the drone controllers are probably working on new routines even as we fight, but we can win this; even without battleship support, even with just a cruiser force at my command, I can see victory at hand. I begin to lay down the moves that will checkmate Volkin Swicks in my mind.
Suddenly, an emergency communication comes in – from an enemy shuttle near the jump point. It’s identifying itself as Mere.
“Hoshikawa, get away from that drone!” She doesn’t bother with any formalities, screaming at me with urgency in her voice.
“What drone?”
“I believe it’s that one, Master.” Yua magnifies the target in question and points it out. It’s constructed a bit differently from its fellows – long spindly spikes fold outwards as it rotates in place. The blue blinking lights on the spikes begin to flash more rapidly as the drone transforms into something that looks like a ring.
I have a bad feeling about this. It would probably be best to get out of the way. I quickly calculate the possible vector of any attack coming from the drone. The safe directions would be… Opening communications to all units, I give them the trajectory and shout for them to move towards the closest direction that would bring them out of the line of fire. Then, it happens.
The destruction is instantaneous. All that is left behind are husks of wrecked ships and one of the gas giants, Gelmark I, boiling away into the vacuum. I could not even detect what had caused it, but whatever it was; it was powerful enough to wreck planets in a single shot. There was no flash of light or massive explosion. In the distance, the remnants of Delta have jumped, the drone having been deployed in such an angle that it wiped out everything between us and the armada… including some of their own ships.
“Cruiser losses are at 56% and CF losses 44%. Enemy losses are estimated at 20% of their ships and 30% of the drones.”
The area covered by the attack had been massive. Just what was it?
“A faster-than-light cannon.” says Mere. I had almost forgotten she was still there. “Project V. It wasn’t supposed to be deployed here, though, not so soon. Volkin panicked, thought you were going to win. The Council will not be pleased.”
“Why did you warn us?”
“I’m defecting,” she smiles thinly.
“You’ll forgive me if I don’t exactly trust you at the moment, Lady Mere.”
“I did say we would have a pleasurable partnership, didn’t we? As it turns out, my relationship with the Council is not very pleasurable right now. I think you are a safer bet and a more entertaining partner.”
“After getting my forces wrecked by the League’s new toy?”
“After them messing up like this and letting you know what you’re up against. I would prefer to be on your side now, since whatever you devise to take out the Council definitely won’t be pretty.”
“How did you know I would be here?”
She shrugs. “I didn’t. I only identified you when you broke away from the fleet and charged Volkin’s ship. I was travelling with Delta as a consultant. So, how about it? I can tell you about their plans and their weapons. I am of use to you, and you will be of use to me. Once you got rid of the Emperor, the Council changed their tune pretty quick. Nothing’s worse than a bunch of assholes suddenly realizing that their greatest enemy is gone.”
“What do you want?”
“The Council dead. The League is better off without them.”
“What about the gods they want to meet?”
“That… I have no idea.”
I keep my face carefully impassive. I don’t think she’s telling the whole truth about that.
“I don’t think we can make a deal unless you are entirely truthful.”
“Oh, but a lady must have her secrets, Hoshikawa.” She flutters her eyelids mockingly. “You could dispose of me once you learned everything I knew. I am taking a risk by delivering myself into your hands. You are taking a risk by accepting me. It’s fair.”
“For someone who’s taking a risk, you seem to be parked awfully close to a jump point.”
“I’m not stupid, Hoshikawa. I know how violent you can become at the drop of a hat.”
“Do you think going back to the League would work out now? I’m sure they caught you warning me. Volkin is probably going to report it to the Council once he exits slipspace.”
She looks slightly pensive as she shakes her head, though her smile remains. “I’ll just hide as you duke it out with the League and claim your pyrrhic victory.”
***
A. I accept her offer. We definitely need to find out about this new weapon that the Council has; just knowing it attacks faster-than-light isn’t enough for me to develop a counter-measure for it. Even if she may turn on me, I can always prepare for it. Better to have her where I can keep an eye on her.
B. I accept her offer… conditionally. She will deliver her head, and only her head, into my hands. It won’t harm her, as an immortal, and I’ll still get to pick her knowledge. This will allow me to keep her where she can do less damage should she turn traitor. It might not endear her to me, but I am in no mood to be overly accommodating.
C. I reject her offer. At this distance she’ll be able to run off before I can shoot her, but I just can’t trust her enough to let her travel with us. I'll handle the League without her help.
Eighty thousand cruisers and five thousand CFs against a numerically inferior force composed of a balanced mix of ship classes sounds like a fair battle, but we lack the heavy firepower required to take down the well-armoured battleships quickly. It had taken us almost seven hours just to get into range; following behind were five thousand super-heavies and battleships lead by Jheverg, who would be close enough to provide supporting fire within two hours, if we can manage to pin down Delta for that long. Just chasing after them on a straight path would be futile; already we’ve lost a few careless ships to mines left behind in their wake, forcing us to slow down and spread out. Once we get closer, Delta would definitely deploy drones to screen their retreat and block our path. We have enough fast cruisers to pull off a pincer attack, but they would definitely be expecting us to do so now that we’ve encountered the mines, and reconfigure their defensive formation accordingly. Defeating all of them before their escape would be almost impossible.
“This is Anhur-Shu to all units. Raven, Serpent, execute Formation T2. CF companies 01 to 10 will defend Raven and Serpent from any incoming drones. All Federation cruisers, form up behind Captain Garland’s Unbreakable Spirit and ready anti-fighter counter-measures. CF companies 11 to 20 are to switch to heavy weapons load-out and prepare to target enemy battleships. Captain Garland, I’ll clear a path through the center. Charge in behind me if you think you can keep up.” Amidst the replies of acknowledgement from the various unit leaders, I hear Garland laugh in approval.
“Senya, if you don’t move fast enough I’ll ram my ship into your frame’s arse.”
“I’m counting on that. Anhur-Shu to all units, prepare to execute the operation on my mark. ETA is five minutes.”
The minutes tick down as we approach Sector Armada Delta. At two minutes, their cruisers begin to turn around to prepare for interception. At one minute, the fleet begins to release small, silvery ships into their surroundings: drones. Each drone is an eight metre-long silvery spike and carries its own set of twelve missiles, as well as one particle beam gun.
“Go.”
With a single word, the cruisers from Raven’s Lance and Serpent’s Wing break away at full speed in two directions, leaving behind a long arc of glowing exhaust trails with the smaller lights of the Federation CFs intertwined amongst them. The Imperials were trained and drilled to operate in rigid formation; I had spent plenty of time studying their tactics under Adrahasis’s tutelage in order to command them effectively. Formation T2 would have them approach Delta in a simple pincer attack. Their timing is perfect – such a simple formation is something every one of their cadets would have had drilled into them before they were 14, but simple is good enough for me.
The Empire’s cruisers formed the main bulk of our task force and cut a majestic sight as they swooped towards Delta. The League’s cruisers and drones, on the other hand, had already begun to reorient themselves right when the first Imperial ships start moving… as if they have already expected such a move.
Perfect.
Let’s start off the festivities with a bang.
While they’re watching the Empire, with only a small, perfunctory squadron of drones sent my way, I fire a black hole at them. From this distance and angle I wouldn’t be able to do much damage, but the black hole’s passing sweeps up and sucks in many of the mines that had littered our path. The little drone squadron fares no better; nor does their mothership, a rather unfortunate cruiser that the black hole smashes into and begins gorging on, swallowing it and three of its comrades nearby before dissipating.
Rei pushes Anhur-Shu to full speed immediately, understanding what I want to do. I switch to the Ring Slaves and release all sixteen of them into the battlefield. There would still be mines scattered beyond the reach of my initial attack, and this could catch my allies as they charge in.
“Yua, I’ll leave control of the Ring Slaves to you. Hunt down and destroy all remaining mines on the fleet’s trajectory.”
“Aye aye, Master!”
She might not be able to dogfight a drone with the rings, but mine clearing would be just fine. The Ring Slaves zig-zag rapidly off into space, leaving behind explosions to mark where they had cleared the mines. In front of me, Delta is attempting to respond to my three-pronged attack. They had not expected a small force to attempt to break through the center. Their commander is not inept, however, and the drones rapidly reform and head towards us en-masse. He is probably planning on destroying the smaller force quickly, judging correctly that the pincers don’t have enough firepower to face down his battleships. I retake control of five rings from Yua and spread four of them out, facing the drones.
The moment the drones get into range, they fire their first round of missiles – these run right into the gravity mines I had dropped through the rings. The initial wave of missiles is crushed together into blooming balls of rapidly dissipating energy restrained by the strong gravity field, along with a few dozen drones that had strayed too close. That still left thousands coming at me. “I’m charging up the Reactive Armor System,” says Rei. “The timing is yours.” The mech’s frame begins glowing a bright yellow as the armour begins to leak the supercharged energy. We fly forward, right into a second wave of missiles and beam fire. Anhur-Shu dips alarmingly as we narrowly avoid a salvo of particle beams launched from the enemy battlefleet.
“We’ll lose control of the energy if we get hit too much.” I give Rei a casual warning.
“Don’t worry about me, just concentrate on the best timing.”
“If you say so. Anyway, we’re in position.”
Anhur-Shu comes to a sudden stop in the middle of the drone swarm and I unleash the concentrated energy, allowing it to explode outwards. The violent flare fries the surrounding drones. Hundreds of them are charred to a crisp. I immediately fold the gravity wings around the frame as another salvo hits our location. Evidently, the enemy is not stunned into inaction by my display of power. The beams break through the wings, although they are weakened enough that they only score the outside of our armour. If they could bring more ships to bear we would have been done for, but then again, if they could, I wouldn’t have tried this tactic.
“Rei, keep moving.”
“No problem.”
Now that we’ve punched a hole in their drone screen, Garland and the rest of the cruisers swarm in after me. We charge into the middle of the enemy formation, heading right for the heart of their fleet. The CFs anchored to their cruisers begin firing their heavy ordnance as we do so, concentrating on targets of opportunity. In the meantime, Raven and Serpent are successfully tying down the cruiser escorts at the flanks. We are not inflicting damage without loss, however; a CF tumbles past me, speared clean through the cockpit by a dead drone, and I see a flock of Raven’s cruisers get caught by a salvo from the League’s battleships and get wiped out.
“Yua, give me the statistics.”
“Our losses are estimated to be at 9% for cruisers and 3% for CFs. The enemy has lost 5% of their ships and 1% of their drones.”
This looks like it is going to be a long fight – my unexpected move has thrown their center into disarray for now, but Delta is competent enough that once they regain their footing they could easily surround and trap us. Now… which ship was it that Volkin was said to be on again?
“The Euristydes is over there, Master.”
“Sweet. Thanks, Yua. Garland, you there?”
“Of course I am, Senya. What do you need?” Garland seems to be very pleased to be in the thick of things with his upgraded cruiser.
I give my orders. “Hold out for a little longer. I’ll draw their fire. You lead the charge out the other end of their fleet. We’ll blow right past them.”
“Just like a hurricane, eh?”
“I’m hoping for worse. Get to it, Captain.”
“Roger that, Sir!”
We turn and head towards the Euristydes. It’s usually surrounded by thousands of battleships, but they’ve been lured out of position by the Federation charge, attempting to stomp out the bee-like cruisers and the ant-like CFs. I fly straight towards Volkin’s flagship at full speed. Rei takes Anhur-Shu past the incoming salvos, which are getting more and more frenzied as we close in. I return the favour and fire a full volley of all my weapons at the ship.
It doesn’t work as well as I had expected. The armour of the super-heavy battleship appears to be layered with a super-dense material; even my graviton cannons fail to penetrate the hull fully. I only manage to do superficial damage. I have definitely not heard of the League possessing this level of materials technology – it would probably be impermeable to almost all of our conventional weapons unless we adopt extreme measures. It looks like the rest of their ships aren’t as well-protected, however.
Still, as I expected, they recall the drones to the Euristydes’s aid, drawing them away from Garland and his ships. The battleships begin to turn their guns towards us instead. Smart decision; giving me time to probe at the flagship at my leisure would be the stupidest thing they do today. Staying here any longer would be fatal. As the drones converge upon me, I warp away. The jump brings me back to the Federation cruisers. I’ll act as their rear guard while they blow their way past Delta at high speed.
Yua gives me the latest report. “Friendly losses are now at 15% for cruisers and 10% for CFs. The enemy has lost 14% of their ships and 14% of their drones.” The rate of destroyed drones has risen quickly; it looks like the CF companies are starting to adapt to the drones’ patterns. Of course, the drone controllers are probably working on new routines even as we fight, but we can win this; even without battleship support, even with just a cruiser force at my command, I can see victory at hand. I begin to lay down the moves that will checkmate Volkin Swicks in my mind.
Suddenly, an emergency communication comes in – from an enemy shuttle near the jump point. It’s identifying itself as Mere.
“Hoshikawa, get away from that drone!” She doesn’t bother with any formalities, screaming at me with urgency in her voice.
“What drone?”
“I believe it’s that one, Master.” Yua magnifies the target in question and points it out. It’s constructed a bit differently from its fellows – long spindly spikes fold outwards as it rotates in place. The blue blinking lights on the spikes begin to flash more rapidly as the drone transforms into something that looks like a ring.
I have a bad feeling about this. It would probably be best to get out of the way. I quickly calculate the possible vector of any attack coming from the drone. The safe directions would be… Opening communications to all units, I give them the trajectory and shout for them to move towards the closest direction that would bring them out of the line of fire. Then, it happens.
The destruction is instantaneous. All that is left behind are husks of wrecked ships and one of the gas giants, Gelmark I, boiling away into the vacuum. I could not even detect what had caused it, but whatever it was; it was powerful enough to wreck planets in a single shot. There was no flash of light or massive explosion. In the distance, the remnants of Delta have jumped, the drone having been deployed in such an angle that it wiped out everything between us and the armada… including some of their own ships.
“Cruiser losses are at 56% and CF losses 44%. Enemy losses are estimated at 20% of their ships and 30% of the drones.”
The area covered by the attack had been massive. Just what was it?
“A faster-than-light cannon.” says Mere. I had almost forgotten she was still there. “Project V. It wasn’t supposed to be deployed here, though, not so soon. Volkin panicked, thought you were going to win. The Council will not be pleased.”
“Why did you warn us?”
“I’m defecting,” she smiles thinly.
“You’ll forgive me if I don’t exactly trust you at the moment, Lady Mere.”
“I did say we would have a pleasurable partnership, didn’t we? As it turns out, my relationship with the Council is not very pleasurable right now. I think you are a safer bet and a more entertaining partner.”
“After getting my forces wrecked by the League’s new toy?”
“After them messing up like this and letting you know what you’re up against. I would prefer to be on your side now, since whatever you devise to take out the Council definitely won’t be pretty.”
“How did you know I would be here?”
She shrugs. “I didn’t. I only identified you when you broke away from the fleet and charged Volkin’s ship. I was travelling with Delta as a consultant. So, how about it? I can tell you about their plans and their weapons. I am of use to you, and you will be of use to me. Once you got rid of the Emperor, the Council changed their tune pretty quick. Nothing’s worse than a bunch of assholes suddenly realizing that their greatest enemy is gone.”
“What do you want?”
“The Council dead. The League is better off without them.”
“What about the gods they want to meet?”
“That… I have no idea.”
I keep my face carefully impassive. I don’t think she’s telling the whole truth about that.
“I don’t think we can make a deal unless you are entirely truthful.”
“Oh, but a lady must have her secrets, Hoshikawa.” She flutters her eyelids mockingly. “You could dispose of me once you learned everything I knew. I am taking a risk by delivering myself into your hands. You are taking a risk by accepting me. It’s fair.”
“For someone who’s taking a risk, you seem to be parked awfully close to a jump point.”
“I’m not stupid, Hoshikawa. I know how violent you can become at the drop of a hat.”
“Do you think going back to the League would work out now? I’m sure they caught you warning me. Volkin is probably going to report it to the Council once he exits slipspace.”
She looks slightly pensive as she shakes her head, though her smile remains. “I’ll just hide as you duke it out with the League and claim your pyrrhic victory.”
***
A. I accept her offer. We definitely need to find out about this new weapon that the Council has; just knowing it attacks faster-than-light isn’t enough for me to develop a counter-measure for it. Even if she may turn on me, I can always prepare for it. Better to have her where I can keep an eye on her.
B. I accept her offer… conditionally. She will deliver her head, and only her head, into my hands. It won’t harm her, as an immortal, and I’ll still get to pick her knowledge. This will allow me to keep her where she can do less damage should she turn traitor. It might not endear her to me, but I am in no mood to be overly accommodating.
C. I reject her offer. At this distance she’ll be able to run off before I can shoot her, but I just can’t trust her enough to let her travel with us. I'll handle the League without her help.
Baltika9
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
- Messages
- 9,611
That was a disaster. Half our force, lost.
Well, at the very least we know what we're up against now. There will be hell to pay later.
As for Mere, I think I trust her, more than I trust some of our Admirals, but I'll hear what you guys have to say first.
Well, at the very least we know what we're up against now. There will be hell to pay later.
As for Mere, I think I trust her, more than I trust some of our Admirals, but I'll hear what you guys have to say first.
But it could have been worse. At least we got information about their project.
Baltika9
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
- Messages
- 9,611
Here's the thing, though, this wasn't a trap. There were no ambushes and Epsilon didn't jump out of nowhere. Swicks was geniunely withdrawing his forces. He just fucked up and had to use the League's trump-card to escape.
And while I'm glad we forced the reveal so early on, half our Battlefleet eas entirely too big of a price for that, the leadership will be livid. Jherveg especially, his loyalty depends on Senya's competence.
Jester
Arbiter
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2013
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- 1,493
Half of small fleet for this info and rebellion princes lady to harem to increase paranoia? It went much better than i feared, still i wonder if we could get that info for free. Hmm even if it would be interesting to get pet head, i don't think that Ean nor our staff would like that and we have to much on our plate already.
Edit. I am actually happy about V-project reveal, when i think what we could lose to it.
I vote A.
if we will get to paranoid we always can send her somewhere far, far, far away.
Edit. I am actually happy about V-project reveal, when i think what we could lose to it.
I vote A.
if we will get to paranoid we always can send her somewhere far, far, far away.
Hmmm, how about proposing a mind pact? We don't harm her, she doesn't feed any real intel on us to the League 
Esquilax
Arcane
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- Dec 7, 2010
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- 4,833
Considering the potential nightmare scenarios that were possible, this wasn't bad. Yes, losing half our cruisers and CF's is bad (our battleships remain untouched, however), but we did force Volkin to reveal his weapon and take out a portion of his own force as well. treave, is there any way that we could somehow notify Ean's group of this development?
You're speaking from the benefit of hindsight, but the reality is that we'd constantly be suspicious of her motives. We'd be wondering if everything she said was just a ploy for her to gain her freedom. It isn't quite as simple you describe.
Speaking of hauling heads around, I am also not in favour of that option here. If Mere is trustworthy, then having her up and about is no threat, and if she isn't, there are plenty of ways for her to fuck us over that don't require the use of her body. B doesn't really make us any safer, IMO - I guess it might if she tries to do anything crazy like hijacking the Sword of Ean while we're away, but the threat she represents is psychological, not physical. I suppose this is a clue:
I find this inconsistent - Vajra was black holed, so how are they able to use it? Perhaps having more pieces makes it more powerful? In any case, I suppose a valid countermeasure to Project V would be to find the location of Vajra and steal it, though that is of course easier said than done.
And give up the opportunity of feeding her false intel to pass to her superiors in case she's still with the League? Never!
Voting A for now, could be convinced to flop to C.
You're speaking from the benefit of hindsight, but the reality is that we'd constantly be suspicious of her motives. We'd be wondering if everything she said was just a ploy for her to gain her freedom. It isn't quite as simple you describe.
Speaking of hauling heads around, I am also not in favour of that option here. If Mere is trustworthy, then having her up and about is no threat, and if she isn't, there are plenty of ways for her to fuck us over that don't require the use of her body. B doesn't really make us any safer, IMO - I guess it might if she tries to do anything crazy like hijacking the Sword of Ean while we're away, but the threat she represents is psychological, not physical. I suppose this is a clue:
I find this inconsistent - Vajra was black holed, so how are they able to use it? Perhaps having more pieces makes it more powerful? In any case, I suppose a valid countermeasure to Project V would be to find the location of Vajra and steal it, though that is of course easier said than done.
And give up the opportunity of feeding her false intel to pass to her superiors in case she's still with the League? Never!
Voting A for now, could be convinced to flop to C.
- Joined
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- 11,370
She doesn't know how to do a mind pact.
You can try passing messages through Kyrie but her link to them isn't as strong. Not guaranteeing anything.
As for Vajra, three possibilities to consider.
The Masters taught them how to make a full fledged one.
The weapon can be operated with a single piece.
Mere is lying.
You can try passing messages through Kyrie but her link to them isn't as strong. Not guaranteeing anything.
As for Vajra, three possibilities to consider.
The Masters taught them how to make a full fledged one.
The weapon can be operated with a single piece.
Mere is lying.
I agree that this was not a disaster. We now know about project V.
And Mere defecting, while it might be a ploy, could still work to our advantage. She's clearly not the manipulator Senya is, so even if she is a double agent, I fully expect Senya to make the most of that.
A
And Mere defecting, while it might be a ploy, could still work to our advantage. She's clearly not the manipulator Senya is, so even if she is a double agent, I fully expect Senya to make the most of that.
A
Baltika9
Arcane
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- Jun 27, 2012
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- 9,611
Speak for yourself. I'd be trying to figure out how to make a Gieloth-human-Immortal hybrid.
Anyway, about Vajra: it's likely that they got the one piece to work with some help from the Masters. This was probably their weapon of choice against the Devourer.
Ours was just better.
Kayerts
Arcane
- Joined
- Jan 28, 2011
- Messages
- 883
The 20% of the enemy losses comes out of their battleships and super-heavies as well as their cruisers, so it's not a total disaster. Much better than if we'd learned about their cannon in an engagement with a full fleet.
Anyway, Mere is highly untrustworthy.Getting aboard the Sword of Ean means she can potentially get access to our bomb. The massively paranoid part of me wonders if the entire setup wasn't just a ploy to put her in position. Head in a jar isn't exactly an appealing offer to her, but it does imply that our offer of protection is on the level, and that we won't just kill her after she ponies up the intel. B.
Edit: Use of jar considered unwarranted, flopping to A.
Anyway, Mere is highly untrustworthy.
Edit: Use of jar considered unwarranted, flopping to A.
Now wait a moment. Who said anything about putting her aboard the Sword of Ean? Can't we ask the nice Imperial Deities in charge of our two Legions to play host before entrusting her to Ean's and Adrahasis' care?
Anyway, since no mind pacts are allowed for the moment, I say A.
Anyway, since no mind pacts are allowed for the moment, I say A.
Baltika9
Arcane
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2012
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- 9,611
I can't agree there, bro. The only reason she's jumping ships is because the Council are arrogant, obnoxious cunts.
Senya was anything but in their previous encounters. Sure, she's slippery and is using us to kill the fuckers, but that's all there is.
I'm just not sure how our Commanders will recieve this: lost half the force on Senya's initiative and now we're bringing a League defector onboard. WTF!?
Senya was anything but in their previous encounters. Sure, she's slippery and is using us to kill the fuckers, but that's all there is.
I'm just not sure how our Commanders will recieve this: lost half the force on Senya's initiative and now we're bringing a League defector onboard. WTF!?
a cut of domestic sheep prime
Guest
B, YOU GIANT FAGGOTS! B!!!!
Esquilax
Arcane
- Joined
- Dec 7, 2010
- Messages
- 4,833
Kayerts, this definitely wasn't a ploy to put her into position. Volkin didn't know we were coming, so neither did Mere. I'm not saying she's trustworthy, but this is definitely something Mere came up with on her own.
Now for some analysis:
This is a curious choice of words. "It will end the war in our victory" seems so final, so certain. I suspect that this is how the game is supposed to end, it's how the Masters ensure a victory for their team provided there's a war. When it comes time for the epic showdown between the Star League and its final rival, Project V is unleashes a knockout punch and its over.
Also, based on what she said:
I don't think she's lying about the first part - she really hates the Council and wants them dead. Our relationship with Mere has been a mutually beneficial arrangement for a long time. She didn't rat us out to the Council about our quantum computer, and we rescued her aboard the Belesis. Basically, as long as she needs us in some way, she's going to aid us. I think that despite her hatred of the Council the Masters still do hold some sway over her - when she heard about Selkhet, she felt an urge to destroy her core. I think that there's still plenty of ways for her to "serve her gods" while offing the Council. In fact, maybe she thinks she'll be rewarded more if she's the only one to make it to the finish line.
I also agree with Baltika9 in that we are definitely going to be clashing a lot with our commanders, especially Jheveg, if we go with A. He's a fanatic and his cruisers were hit pretty hard, so when he sees Mere being given free reign, he is going to be very pissed off. His loyalty is contingent on us kicking ass, so this is going to cause problems.
Now for some analysis:
This is a curious choice of words. "It will end the war in our victory" seems so final, so certain. I suspect that this is how the game is supposed to end, it's how the Masters ensure a victory for their team provided there's a war. When it comes time for the epic showdown between the Star League and its final rival, Project V is unleashes a knockout punch and its over.
Also, based on what she said:
I don't think she's lying about the first part - she really hates the Council and wants them dead. Our relationship with Mere has been a mutually beneficial arrangement for a long time. She didn't rat us out to the Council about our quantum computer, and we rescued her aboard the Belesis. Basically, as long as she needs us in some way, she's going to aid us. I think that despite her hatred of the Council the Masters still do hold some sway over her - when she heard about Selkhet, she felt an urge to destroy her core. I think that there's still plenty of ways for her to "serve her gods" while offing the Council. In fact, maybe she thinks she'll be rewarded more if she's the only one to make it to the finish line.
I also agree with Baltika9 in that we are definitely going to be clashing a lot with our commanders, especially Jheveg, if we go with A. He's a fanatic and his cruisers were hit pretty hard, so when he sees Mere being given free reign, he is going to be very pissed off. His loyalty is contingent on us kicking ass, so this is going to cause problems.
ScubaV
Prophet
- Joined
- Feb 20, 2011
- Messages
- 1,022
Yes, 50% loss of cruisers and CF's was unfortunate, but infinitely better than a full cluster of super heavy battleships being the first to encounter their secret weapon. All in all, I'd call our gamble a success. As for the current vote, I'm inclined toward A. Note this quote from the Belesis:
Mere seems to lack great mental defenses. I think Ean, or perhaps some other psionically-inclined Empire immortals, could keep good tabs on her while she's with us. Therefore I don't want to unnecessarily aggravate her with B. Sorry Lambchop.
Mere seems to lack great mental defenses. I think Ean, or perhaps some other psionically-inclined Empire immortals, could keep good tabs on her while she's with us. Therefore I don't want to unnecessarily aggravate her with B. Sorry Lambchop.
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