Posted by: Theodidactus
« on: May 17, 2014, 03:47:30 PM »[ooc]sorry guys, I ran into finals week and forgot that I'm a person that students depend on. I will post the next episode tonight.[/ooc]
Posted by: hunter james
« on: May 16, 2014, 12:43:56 PM »Lt. Commander Andre Rochat will privately speak to Lt. Co. Hutchinson telling him that he is willing to anything required of him and that the communications of second fleet will be under control of the the coup.
Posted by: Theodidactus
« on: May 14, 2014, 09:51:24 AM »"Just to sate my curiosity, Lieutenant Commander, does the Colonial Guard know of this plan? I'm aware there has at least been talk among them of deposing Franca, and I just want to make sure that this is a quick, clean coup and not the start of an internecine conflict with an enemy at our doorstep." Dr. French keeps an inquisitive tone throughout, attempting to not let on that he fears a struggle over the imminent power vacuum.
"Elements of the guard have been plotting something since the man was elected..." he replies. "However, we simply cannot be sure how large these elements are...they likely amount to nothing more than a pitiful minority. We know a comparatively low-ranking member of the guard was recently reported. That, however, is all we know. Assuming we all complete our assigned tasks, this will be quick, and very, very clean."
Posted by: Malikane
« on: May 12, 2014, 07:45:51 PM »Gregoire takes the communicator silently. For better or worse, the die is cast. He listens to others' questions and the responses, but does not add any of his own.
Posted by: Owen Quillion
« on: May 12, 2014, 06:25:05 PM »"Just to sate my curiosity, Lieutenant Commander, does the Colonial Guard know of this plan? I'm aware there has at least been talk among them of deposing Franca, and I just want to make sure that this is a quick, clean coup and not the start of an internecine conflict with an enemy at our doorstep." Dr. French keeps an inquisitive tone throughout, attempting to not let on that he fears a struggle over the imminent power vacuum.
Posted by: Theodidactus
« on: May 12, 2014, 05:56:53 PM »Gregoire notes the oppressive silence following the discussion with distaste. He has his own doubts, and he is not overly optimistic on their chances of pulling this off successfully. Still, he is quite certain that the Concordant has overstepped his bounds, and with that motivation in mind he pragmatically considers the alternatives. If the Ophiuchians do counterattack, having the ships of the Fourth Fleet would be invaluable. If that fleet is destroyed by the Concordant's goals, then that could leave humanity open to a devastating counterattack.
"I volunteer, with one reservation. If we succeed, who is to take command? Having no clear chain of command in the middle of a war like this could be as disastrous as not acting at all. Admiral Griffiths? Is he the man to rule?"
Smiling smugly, the officer declares "yes, he is."
Yao Yab Wu speaks up, her voice soured with skepticism...
"you want him...to kill the concordant?"
The officer shakes his head.
"It takes a special sort of man to kill another man. Down the barrel of a gun, virtually everyone not wearing combat fatigues looks to be an innocent. We have another man for that job."
He slides a standard communicator across the table to his new volunteer.
"this is in all respects a standard communicator. There is nothing suspect about it, it will pass all inspections...because it is a standard communicator. communication, gentlemen, will be our most powerful tool. You will take this. In less than two weeks, you will find yourself aboard the Raphael, walking side by side with Admiral Griffiths and the Concordant himself. Something will happen. Something that, for obvious reasons, I cannot divulge. You will know it when it happens. You will report the following:
- The Concordant is dead
- The Concordant was killed by a militant faction of the colonial guard
- Strategic Command has ordered complete radio silence on all military channels in the Epsilon Eradini system, effective for one hour.
As for the rest of you..." he says, looking out over the room "You will attend to your duties until the right moment, when you will be called upon to serve us once again. You will not fail us. I know you are made of stronger stuff than that. I cannot answer many of your questions, there are untrustworthy people in our midst. Do any of you have any that I might be able to answer?"
[ooc]He won't answer many...but he might answer a few. Get them in before I post the next episode later tonight!
having moments like during my election fiction where I want every side to win cause the future possibilities for all are fun[/ooc]
Posted by: Malikane
« on: May 11, 2014, 10:55:12 PM »Gregoire notes the oppressive silence following the discussion with distaste. He has his own doubts, and he is not overly optimistic on their chances of pulling this off successfully. Still, he is quite certain that the Concordant has overstepped his bounds, and with that motivation in mind he pragmatically considers the alternatives. If the Ophiuchians do counterattack, having the ships of the Fourth Fleet would be invaluable. If that fleet is destroyed by the Concordant's goals, then that could leave humanity open to a devastating counterattack.
"I volunteer, with one reservation. If we succeed, who is to take command? Having no clear chain of command in the middle of a war like this could be as disastrous as not acting at all. Admiral Griffiths? Is he the man to rule?"
"I volunteer, with one reservation. If we succeed, who is to take command? Having no clear chain of command in the middle of a war like this could be as disastrous as not acting at all. Admiral Griffiths? Is he the man to rule?"
Posted by: MagusXIX
« on: May 11, 2014, 06:54:50 PM »Just to be clear, they are looking for a civilian to volunteer, correct? They wanted an outsider. Lt. Col. Claude reports directly to Admiral Griffiths, so she's likely fairly well known and already mistrusted by Franca.
Posted by: Theodidactus
« on: May 11, 2014, 02:52:56 PM »The Officer's reply is clipped and almost annoyingly free from any useful information. Whether he is putting up a Facade or not is unknown, but his attitude conveys more than his words: he and his fellow officers are in charge of the situation. Nothing can happen they have not anticipated. Their actions and the result are effectively inevitable, nothing can stop this now. They are simply looking for actors, men to play parts.
He says: "Communication with the Enlightened Lords has been difficult, but we believe...no, we know, that translators resigned too quickly. We know why. Our SECOND action will be to broker some kind of peace with the Lords. Our FIRST action will be to withdraw the fleet, and save thousands of lives."
He throws sinister glances to the armed guards in the room.
"Now, do...I...have...a...volunteer?"
He says: "Communication with the Enlightened Lords has been difficult, but we believe...no, we know, that translators resigned too quickly. We know why. Our SECOND action will be to broker some kind of peace with the Lords. Our FIRST action will be to withdraw the fleet, and save thousands of lives."
He throws sinister glances to the armed guards in the room.
"Now, do...I...have...a...volunteer?"
Posted by: 3_14159
« on: May 11, 2014, 07:53:51 AM »Lt. Co. Luciana Tourinho is deeply divided on the issue. On the one hand, it seems clear that the Concordant is not acting in Humanity's best interest, on the other hand the whole plot seems rather sketchy, and the final goals unclear.
Seeing as no one else seems to answer the call for volunteering, he asks Hutchinson: "Sir, what kind of change are you, are we, trying for? What happens should we succeed in brokering peace with the Enlightened Lords? And what if we can't?"
Seeing as no one else seems to answer the call for volunteering, he asks Hutchinson: "Sir, what kind of change are you, are we, trying for? What happens should we succeed in brokering peace with the Enlightened Lords? And what if we can't?"
Posted by: MagusXIX
« on: May 10, 2014, 08:18:46 PM »Lt. Col. Claude's main concern is that it may be impossible, too late, to broker peace with the aliens. If the aliens won't have peace, then a coup would seriously gimp humanity against an outside threat that could potentially wipe out her entire species. Who is right and who is wrong doesn't particularly concern her at the moment, due to the magnitude and potential consequences of what is being suggested. After an apparently long silence (no one has spoken up yet!) Lt. Col. Claude will cautiously, politely, and with as much decorum as she can muster, address her concerns to her superior officer, and ask if any of the civilian experts could enlighten everyone about the probability of brokering a peace with the aliens so soon after such blatant acts of hostility. While voicing her concerns, she will be very careful to make it appear as if she is unfazed by the passion with which these men would seek treason, as well as nonplussed by the cowardly methods (assassination is what seems to have been suggested!)
While she has lost respect for the officers present, mostly due to their chosen method and not necessarily their intentions, she'll reserve judgement of Admiral Griffiths until such a time as she can look him in the eye with her newfound knowledge.
Of course, she remains diligent in her mission to protect the xenologists.
While she has lost respect for the officers present, mostly due to their chosen method and not necessarily their intentions, she'll reserve judgement of Admiral Griffiths until such a time as she can look him in the eye with her newfound knowledge.
Of course, she remains diligent in her mission to protect the xenologists.
Posted by: Theodidactus
« on: May 10, 2014, 12:02:01 PM »here's the best intelligence from the ophiuchian front right now:
Kupier 75 sits at a critical hyperlane intersection in Ophiuchian space. Numerous inhabited systems wait behind those jump points, including the home system of the Enlightened Lords. The lords had been threatening war for more than a decade...but nothing happened. The Fourth Fleet was ordered into the system in early april of this year in order to score a single, decisive blow against the alien menace. After quickly overwhelming the jump point defense, they were to hold the intersection against all comers. Intelligence believed the primary attacks would come from Ophiuchi itself, and that the fourth fleet's powerful short ranged weapons would easily overwhelm enemy craft that jumped through...instead, the fourth fleet found itself fighting off attack after attack from guard posts within Kuiper 75 and the neighboring HO Librae system. The fourth fleet has successfully repelled 2 fleets of equal tonnage and one fleet of significantly higher tonnage, but its ships are badly damaged and their primary weapon, the short ranged but incredibly powerful cobalt torpedo, has almost been fired to depletion.
On April 30th the fleet was ordered back from the jump gates, to a small gas giant orbiting Kuiper 75-C. The concordance has been unwilling to sound retreat, officially because they have gained an immense strategic advantage by taking kuiper and believe they can continue to control these spacelanes, particularly denying the Lords commmerical traffic, with long ranged Polaris missiles fired from the fourth fleet's missile cruiser. The official strategy is to hold the system until a further decision is made: the third fleet might be sent in to support the second if a counterattack on human systems seems unlikely, and that's partially what will be discussed aboard the Raphael
Kupier 75 sits at a critical hyperlane intersection in Ophiuchian space. Numerous inhabited systems wait behind those jump points, including the home system of the Enlightened Lords. The lords had been threatening war for more than a decade...but nothing happened. The Fourth Fleet was ordered into the system in early april of this year in order to score a single, decisive blow against the alien menace. After quickly overwhelming the jump point defense, they were to hold the intersection against all comers. Intelligence believed the primary attacks would come from Ophiuchi itself, and that the fourth fleet's powerful short ranged weapons would easily overwhelm enemy craft that jumped through...instead, the fourth fleet found itself fighting off attack after attack from guard posts within Kuiper 75 and the neighboring HO Librae system. The fourth fleet has successfully repelled 2 fleets of equal tonnage and one fleet of significantly higher tonnage, but its ships are badly damaged and their primary weapon, the short ranged but incredibly powerful cobalt torpedo, has almost been fired to depletion.
On April 30th the fleet was ordered back from the jump gates, to a small gas giant orbiting Kuiper 75-C. The concordance has been unwilling to sound retreat, officially because they have gained an immense strategic advantage by taking kuiper and believe they can continue to control these spacelanes, particularly denying the Lords commmerical traffic, with long ranged Polaris missiles fired from the fourth fleet's missile cruiser. The official strategy is to hold the system until a further decision is made: the third fleet might be sent in to support the second if a counterattack on human systems seems unlikely, and that's partially what will be discussed aboard the Raphael
Posted by: Owen Quillion
« on: May 10, 2014, 10:58:05 AM »(I may have a more in-character response later, but Dr. French's feelings on the matter are as thus:
He does suspect that a government without a Concordant at the head might run more efficiently (note his one character trait), and furthermore he has suspected something was amiss with this military operation and is very deeply concerned that the Concordant stands accused of intentionally riling the Opichiuans given the threat they represent. He stands sympathetic to this cause... but has no intention of volunteering blindly, either, since it goes against his nature. He's willing to stick his neck out but not without a fully formulated plan.
He's also disturbed at the mention of 'crippling the Colonial Guard', especially given the implication that there are at least three variables in this problem - Loyalists, the Guard conspiracy, and whatever this conspiracy could be called.)
He does suspect that a government without a Concordant at the head might run more efficiently (note his one character trait), and furthermore he has suspected something was amiss with this military operation and is very deeply concerned that the Concordant stands accused of intentionally riling the Opichiuans given the threat they represent. He stands sympathetic to this cause... but has no intention of volunteering blindly, either, since it goes against his nature. He's willing to stick his neck out but not without a fully formulated plan.
He's also disturbed at the mention of 'crippling the Colonial Guard', especially given the implication that there are at least three variables in this problem - Loyalists, the Guard conspiracy, and whatever this conspiracy could be called.)
Posted by: 3_14159
« on: May 10, 2014, 07:30:18 AM »There's one answer I need before formulating my action: What's the official reasoning for not withdrawing or resupplying Fourth Fleet?
Posted by: Theodidactus
« on: May 08, 2014, 05:28:48 PM »I am curious what is meant by "Franca has already lost his mandate to rule." Should he already have been replaced by someone else, according to law?
Hutchinson seems to be speaking hyperbolically, rather unbecoming of an officer. Franca secured power in a narrow decision and has been politically unpopular on quite a few worlds...but of course he's not a politician, he's just a military commander.
Of late, he's made a few military decisions that seem rather...stupid, to put it bluntly. He ordered a sudden, unexpected, apparently unnecessary attack on the Neighboring "Enlightened lords of Ophiuchi", hostile aliens that claimed all stars within 50 light years of their home...but mostly kept to themselves. This attack has been rather unpopular even among the admirals and dukes close to Franca, but voting him out of office at this point would be foolish: there is no clear replacement and it would lead to internal struggles that would weaken humanity in the face of a likely Ophiuchian counterattack. Technically, the concordant is elected by the six admirals and two dukes, in reality he's got both dukes in his pocket, the loyalty of several large worlds, and at least 2, possibly 3 of the admirals. he's never going to get replaced.
Cynics at all levels suspect that Franca ordered the attack in the first place to solidify his control over the navy, which was fragmenting due to natural stresses and strains of leadership. In the best possible light, Franca's attack was an attempt to decisively win a war against an alien threat that was festering for years while humans did nothing. In the worst possible light, Franca's attack was an opportunistic way to increase his power at the expense of a small fleet and a few thousand starmen.
