NationStates Jolt Archive

A few weeks ago I realized that I haven't participated in a war or conflict in over a year. This is for a mix of reasons both OOC and IC. IC, Vernii is a prosperous and massive empire sharing a region near Sol with other prosperous and massive empires (think pre-WWI Europe as an analogy). The last major regional war shook up the balance of power, demolished multiple navies as effective forces, and created an atmosphere of war exhaustion among the governments and general populations of the region as every power set about rebuilding and carving out a new space in the regional balance of power.

Second, any regional conflict is innately high-risk due to the regional players having a rough parity with each other and a network of alliances that virtually guarantees that any conflict between two powers will turn into another regional war (and any low-key conflict has danger of escalation).

Finally, OOC we're all on friendly terms, know each other by RL name, and don't really have much motivation or inclination to ruin each other's shit.

Hence, this thread. First, a bit of background. The various ministries of Vernii's government are in intense competition with each other over often overlapping jurisdictions. One of these is the Ministry of Frontier Security (a sub-ministry of Foreign Affairs). Its duties involve customs, anti-piracy patrols, police work on outposts, protection of domestic shipping, and handling resource or border disputes between parties. These duties are overlapped by the Ministry of Justice and the Imperial Navy, both of which are far more prestigious and better funded, and so every year MFS has to argue for its continued existence when budget planning comes around.

So, the executive officials of MFS are hatching a plan to ensure the survival of their department (and keep their jobs). Since the Navy's sphere of operations is purely regional, they're shifting focus to not simply the frontier of Verniian space, but to the frontier of civilization (which they define as anything not in the Raumreich or in close proximity to Sol).

The basic premise is that they're cobbling together a mercenary fleet to conduct 'humanitarian interventions' for them (allowing plausible deniability, and lets me wrap up some old side stories), and going around finding oppressive and/or imperialist governments and conduct regime change on them in the name of bringing stability, sentient rights, and peace to the frontier.

If you are interested in participating, please post here. I do have a couple ground rules though:

1. No insta-fleets.
2. No engaging in combat for the hell of it (unless you're playing something where it would make sense, like space vikings or what-not). Not to say that there shouldn't be combat (otherwise I wouldn't be posting this), but that it should be justifiable from an IC perspective as a logical extension of national policy (example: your government shouldn't be willing to throw away a fleet and its crew to save some bumfuck farming colony that it hasn't even heard of before from someone else they haven't heard of before either unless it has a good reason to care).
3. Effort-posting is encouraged. The longer the better, include actual characters and dialogue, internal thoughts, etc. Do something that distinguishes your forces and government from everyone else's faceless and figurative redshirts and stormtroopers.

EDIT: I suppose I should clarify potential roles for anyone interested: I intend to mostly go after NPC nations (either of my own creation or perhaps created by others), but if someone signs up and has a particularly antagonistic government than they may attract MFS's attention. Other roles would obviously be the usual 'happening upon a conflict' that occurs with regularity (perhaps attempting an intervention against an intervention?).

(ooc: I am very interested in this idea, and since the Empire slowly socially engineers nations to become members of it's wonderful society. You run around and run into one of my more strategically important worlds ready for a turn over relativly soon and we decide thats not on, bingo presto we're involved in a social engineering turf war.

If you have any form of Instant Messenger Telegram it to me, mines in my jolt profile.)

This sounds interesting, fits my Star Republics current policy as well, we need new planets and resources

Might be interested, for similar reasons to Naggeroth. Well, less with the social engineering to be friends, more of the social engineering of primitive worlds so they kill each other off with conversion bombs.

Seems like a good background for an RP, I guess I'll throw my vote of skill in. If you're interested the Sertian Fleet in the Milky Way will pretty much be coming and going everywhere, setting up weapon smuggling rings in some planets, and could be persauded in buying and selling information if ya know how to contact them... So I guess any involvement with them would be with agents, unless ya do something to get the attention of a scout ship. x3

The Imperial government itself is not overtly Imperialist (expanding beyond all reason), so it normally would not display a pulsing neon light for the attention of your MFS officials...if her frontiers were not in the grips of feudalism. The noble houses, all of which can only operate on the frontiers, are allowed to run amok: taking planets and bickering over territory in defiance of the Imperator Pax. It's all good so long as they don't end up causing a very, very embarrassing International Incident.

Unfortunately, this means they can run roughshod over more primitive races and civilizations without even batting an eyebrow. I'm sure that this department would take an interest in controlling such rampant outrages.

Alright, I'm glad I have some interest in this. I'll write up a more substantial OOC post for this in a bit.

Hey, all. My nation is one of the aforementioned regional powers from Vernii's home region. For a lot of the same reasons he's started this thread, I've decided I'd like to join in on the fun.

I'm not sure how much my legitimate government would be interested in escapades beyond the Reich, but a large portion of this mercenary fleet of yours is made up of Liberation ex-pats. I gotta have some role in this thing.

Hell, maybe the Office of Clandestine Operations might get involved.

I have most of the OP done. It's at approximately 4 pages in length right now, and will probably be divided into multiple posts due to length.

I'm pretty sure a Holy Imperium classifies itself as a country in need of a regime change. I haven't gotten a chance to practice being all Imperial in quite a while. We're not overtly expansionist, but we like getting involved in other people's businesses, if you catch my drift.

And much like Emperatium Drakonicum (we seem to be based off the same thing) our planetary governors have total control over how they govern their planets, so long as they don't do anything stupid.

This sounds like it could bring some much needed liveliness to the forums Since I am a moralistic UFPish Democracy I could *shifty eyes* Loose some money or supplies VIA section 31 to them , I'm in.

I'd definately be keen to get involved.

Ventuus is pretty much a textbook paternalistic empire with the odd bit of brutality thrown in. Her fleet is large, technologically sophisticated and well trained, so all should be going pretty well in the territories of the United Worlds except that the previous king managed to go and conquer a dozen or so new systems in a search for personal glory.

Rather naturally this means that the imperial military under the present king (Victor IV) is overstretched, underfunded, and almost constantly fighting wars of suppression against its newer subjects and the odd older conquest who thinks that now is the time for a nationalist movement.

Established Ventish rule is generally benign, but as piracy and insurgency increase the colonial governments resort to more brutal methods of suppression including the dramatically increased deployment of Djakan Native Contingents in 'peacekeeping' roles (the Djakan being a conquered race, extremely warlike and not particularly keen on the concept of 'sentient rights'. Normally they can be controlled and used very effectively, provided they are distributed with enough Ventish or Skandi troops to keep them in line).

The government at Raithwaite (governing part of the capital city) would be quite happy to shed a couple of worlds if they could work out a way to do so without losing face.

Just letting you guys know I haven't forgotten about this. Its nearing the end of the semester for me so I have a bunch of final projects all coming due at once. In the meantime, the OP is at 4 pages and almost done.

You know, this might be *just* the kind of small-scale engagement I've been looking for. Since my total navy is only a handful of ships (50 at most), anytime I get involved in a fight where people are bringing in hundreds or thousands of ships, I'm lost in the chaos at best, or else taken out of the picture in a single stroke.

This however has potential for even a single ship. TRIAD would take an interest in these little local squabbles, because it provides a perfect opportunity to sell some upgraded weapons to the "locals", on either side of a conflict at that.
War is good for business, so long as you're not fighting it yourself.

Count me in!

Edit: Not to toot my own horn, but I see several names I've never encountered before (ICly or OOCly), why not head over to HERE (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=590784) and add your FT nation to the list I've started?

My nation is one of the aforementioned regional powers from Vernii the Raumreich. I don't think the direct government

The Valinor government wouldn't be directly involved in contesting the expansion of Vernii outside the Raumreich. But it would want to keep an eye on Verniian expansion to see what their traditional rival is up to. I might make a small appearance in the form of the Ministry for External State Security (ESS), and possibly through the Office of Kriegsmarine Intelligence or OKI.

If there is anyone who wants to resist a Verniian intervention, it is likely the ESS or OKI would provide technology and discreet support as a mean of field testing hardware and probing Verniian strategy and tactics. The various arms manufacturers in Valinon may also just want a cheap field testing zone. I'll keep an eye on things if Vernii doesn't mind too much.

Just curious, is this idea going to go IC anytime soon? I don't think I've seen any threads related to this one, but maybe I missed something.

I would like to join up with this. My nation has scouting missions active all over the galaxy in an effort to find places to mine resources. Wheather or not those resources happen to belong to someone is just another hook for conflict, and though i have a large military force, we're not about to reinforce a few scout ships with a fleet.

I would like to join. My nation has a bunch of colonies that are far-flung (reducing the chance of timely reinforcement) and are basically slave labor worlds. Our policy is “Take all their stuff, then strip the world to the core.” Resistance by natives is dealt with harshly, and the world’s are often locations of prison colonies (like Australia for the British)

Just curious, is this idea going to go IC anytime soon? I don't think I've seen any threads related to this one, but maybe I missed something.

Yeah I'm going to try and put up the OP tonight. I've been both sick and dealing with final projects this week. : /

The OP is basically finished however.

Here's (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=592455) the thread. Don't dogpile it all at once of course. I think a series of entrances rather than everyone at once might work best, though its obviously up to each individual player to determine when to best make his/her entrance.

Humm.

You may not be aware of my goa'uld puppet Lord Atum (http://www.nationstates.net/Lord Atum).

Amun (Amon) is one of the various names its leader has appropriated to himself (along with Apep, Tem, Temu, Nefertum) down the years.

Even if we presume that this isn't at all related to him, then he'll still be quite peeved should he learn of it, as he considers himself the Supreme System Lord of all goa'uld, and has moved from a self-interest agenda to a racist agenda, quite determined to do well by his own kind (the psychology of goa'uld is interesting to me, his own, far more so. For a thread with some insight into his thought processes these days, see here (http://forum.nationstates.net/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=100))

If you want to claim this is one of my outlying colonies (Not that I'm planning to lose five hundred million people - that's a backwater? Are you a FT-pop-inflationist or something?) or otherwise have me involved, I'd be rather keen.

Though I can't see how a full scale attack on a world of half a billion people is not a major war, and the only effective retaliation Atum is likely to be capable of against Vernii would be quite large scale indeed (which will reduce him to ineffective but annoying retaliation).

I'd just chosen Goa'uld as a random NPC to beat up on for an initial attack. While I was not unaware of Atum, I was unaware of his titles and simply picked it at random from a list.

I'm really not the type to try and retcon things out of personal self-interest, only if it screws the story up for everyone. If you have ideas, I'll be quite interested in hearing them.

EDIT: On a sidenote in concern to the backwater description; while 500 million is a substantial population, I would keep in mind that Goa'uld systems shown on screen tend to have little real industry it seems, along with not exactly being a thriving center of trade or culture. Also keep in mind this is a comparison from people who are used to systems like Sol, Apha-Centauri, and Gregor.

Well, fair enough, I suppose, if they're from Sol. And yes, the average population of one of the 'Hundred Worlds' of Atumi last time I calculated it was fifty million, with the average living conditions being much like an Ancient Egypt/Roman Empire/Medieval settlement, but idealised for TV viewing, with such conviniences as the flush toilet. And occasional televisual orb things hovering in larger houses and public places, carrying something not unlike North Korean TV (All Leader, All The Time) but conditions vary pretty wildly from that average. Medical and Educational programmes have been mentioned (there's a sinister motive behind them, mind) too.

As for ideas, I was thinking of at least someone escaping by the stargate from here, and the goa'uld waging asymmetric warfare upon the occupiers in retaliation for this fiendish attack. (Shooting the escape pods? You make jaffa children cry!)

Well, if you don't have a problem with it, I can retcon the population down to something more in line with your own numbers. What would you suggest?

EDIT: I also like your idea. Shall we go with it then?

It works as written, anyway. I have an idea for the background of the place now.

If there are going to be more attacks, I would like to volunteer my system for the next one.

Planet's called Jabiim, and is currently being strip-mined. The workers are either prison labor brought in from offworld, or natives (Humans) enslaved and put to work. There is a small resistance movement already in place. (Collaborationist government?)

i work as mercenaries, so i could be hired by someone to fight off the oppressive overlords, or else it could be the mining team idea

If It Isnt in the Raumreich It is A Backwater.

If It Isnt in the Raumreich It is A Backwater.

Shhhh!! You'll make them angry.

<Atum> I am already angry. Insolent humans!

Another outrageously sympathetic snake in this thread.

I swear, typical remorseless bastard behaviour will appear later!

Incidentally, and related: What kind of firepower are you throwing at the installations in cities?

Firecrackers Actual hand grenade Modern cruise missile attack Kilotonnage

The Interplanetary Union of Xharn might be such a government that you might want to look into for such operations. The Union was formed in the outer systems of the Milky Way made up of wayward human colonies that were forced to band together to fight aliens and other galactic powers seeking to remove or wipe out human life in the area.

The Union is highly nationalistic and aggressive with it’s neighbors often raiding and patrolling well outside of Union space seeking preemptive actions on younger or alien civilizations that may one day develop into a threat latter on. The Union has no qualms with killing off a planet or two if it proves a point and destroys as many rival civilizations as possible. The Union is also extremely totalitarian internally never allowing freedom to it’s citizens with one man known as the Leader holding all power in the Union…

Incidentally, and related: What kind of firepower are you throwing at the installations in cities?

Firecrackers Actual hand grenade Modern cruise missile attack Kilotonnage

I'd call it about modern firepower-ish, adjusted up if needed. Rural targets would be more along the lines of kiloton level.

Oh, if you've fleshed out the planet any, in terms of tech level, population distribution, major cities, etc, would you mind explaining them?

Oh, if you've fleshed out the planet any, in terms of tech level, population distribution, major cities, etc, would you mind explaining them?

Don't know when I'll have time to post.

In short, it was substantially more advanced at once. If you were to go into the various bubbles I mentioned, you'd find the ruins of more developed cities, along with various unpleasant surprises.

The remains of monorail type infrastructure exists, but the current cities are more medeval in design and construction, but with an average level of technology raised by smatterings of better-than-modern stuff among the civillians.

Population distribution would be fairly even. Lots of small cities.

More shall be revealed as such information is needed!

Hm, do you have any city names? Like the capital and such. I should have asked earlier, since I'll probably land troops in my next post.

EDIT: Which I will try to write up tomorrow. I'm basically finally done with finals week, and its just mopping up a final project at this point.

Is Vernii still available for this thread?

Is Vernii still available for this thread?

Yeah, I'm still around. I had a week long break between the end of my spring semester of classes, and summer class that starts tomorrow, so I've been busy with friends and such in the meantime. I have a post half-completed, should get it up tomorrow. Sorry about the delay.

You know, I've actually no idea if those pilots are going to 'die well,' or get crushed in sidewalls/wedges, as per canon-honorverse stuff... Either way is good.

Oh ho! I forgot Vernii was using Honorverse tech! This should be fairly amusing.

Vernii been using Honorverse tech since 03, now only third-rate OFS types do :p

Actually I don't really use wedges anymore. As part of an OOC attempt at regional technology standardization, they've been turned into generic drive fields that resemble a sidewall more than their original form. Physical geometry is different now as well, rather than the typical wedge/sidewall geometry, its more of an ellipsoid, with the top and bottom of it being the drive field, the sides and tips being sidewalls.

Basically it means there won't be any wedge ramming for me.

Well, yes. But the important question is, what happens when you fly a death glider into it at a couple PSL?

Summary of casualties thus far:

Two shuttles destroyed (one with over a hundred dead), and another mission killed.

The crew and rifle company that ditched their crashing dropship would probably be coming down somewhere in the countryside around the capital I would imagine (although chances would be really good that they'd be even further from their landing zone than that, I'll leave it up to you).

Quick math check.

I was actually wrong on the twenty seconds, it is in fact six. At thirty two thousand Gs the death gliders have a terminal velocity of around 1920 Km/s, not 320. I can only assume I had some kind of attack of stupidity. Of course, as that's their velocity in the first second, you don't actually need to do anything there.

C'tan are you still around?

Ahaha! I am back! First I had a finals week for a summer class, and then my modem blew a capacitor and fried its network card as well. Those have now been replaced and I once again have regular internet access. I apologize for my disappearance, and hope to have a post up today or tomorrow.

I'm still here, yes. I'm mostly on the new forums these days. But I've been checking this thread fairly regularly.