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This is the other major reason to vote for the Merchants and Administrators line of Bloodline upgrades first and foremost: So those fuckers at Alathfar quit showing us up with their extra 15 Administration bonus!  Sure we have the added bonuses to tax collection making sure we still make more money than them, but we need to cement our superiority once and for all!
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Aug 18, 2022 05:29
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Now that we have overviews of our peers in other leagues, thoughts on those other four leagues? They have an interesting spread of situations, I think.
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Aug 18, 2022 05:42
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nweismuller posted:Now that we have overviews of our peers in other leagues, thoughts on those other four leagues? They have an interesting spread of situations, I think. Thomas is concerned primarily with internal affairs, but my thoughts are: Gilmore/McCoy League: Our initial Intergalactic Market will provide us with even more money if a few of them decide to join us, due to Vega's position. Given the way things go in that neck of the woods, it's only a matter of time. Shannon League: If we ever decide we want their stuff, we can send ships directly to their home colony, it's literally right next to our territory. Should be easy to gradually roll the rest up into our space katamari once their leadership is deposed. Anderson League: Might be better to let them have the Lindsey Coalition, means we'll have a one-jump buffer with them, same as we've got with the McCoys. On the other hand, taking Lidsey for ourselves will mean all our early-game rivals will be our vassals, once Gilmore and McCoy finally fall into our hands. Werner League: Alathfar!
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Aug 18, 2022 05:54
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EclecticTastes posted:This is the other major reason to vote for the Merchants and Administrators line of Bloodline upgrades first and foremost: So those fuckers at Alathfar quit showing us up with their extra 15 Administration bonus! For what it's worth, between science ark servers and secrets from the datavault, we actually also have a +40 Administration bonus right now. Mind, the science ark servers will expire before too much longer, and drop that to +35.
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Aug 18, 2022 05:58
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Commissioner Oriole Weiss posted:Werner League...
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Aug 21, 2022 21:24
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Director-Consort Mariko Weiss posted:Given that Diplomacy has essentially succeeded in its mission in the Pruitt Systems, we may be able to change our focus now. I take it you're proposing that we make overtures to House Werner to try and cement continued good relations? Admiral Carmen Weiss posted:I'd have no objection, so long as Diplomacy keeps up its current efforts to keep the Shannon League off our backs. Our border there isn't terribly secure, so making sure House Shannon stays quiet is basically vital, as I see it. Director-General Jane Weiss posted:Oriole, if you're looking to cultivate local assets in Alathfar, does this mean you'd wish to step up Security's operations there? If nothing else, it might give us a clearer picture of the situation in that region.
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Aug 23, 2022 02:52
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Commissioner Oriole Weiss posted:Shannon's a nasty bear trap waiting to happen, and keeping our borders reliably quiet is the best policy. Diplomacy seems the best option considering their Security strength. Xlorp fucked around with this message at 04:24 on Aug 23, 2022 |
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Aug 23, 2022 04:16
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EclecticTastes posted:Not to nitpick, but Diligent Serfs means we'd be making them work harder for our benefit. Discord conversation extract with Glen posted:gpawley — Today at 6:43 AM
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Aug 24, 2022 19:36
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Good to see Glen keeping an eye on the game, and a large part of my interpretation is the knowledge that historically, under feudalism, "diligence" usually comes at the end of a whip. Do the tooltips for upgrades include any description of how they work in-universe? Because that usually helps clarify what exactly they're doing.
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Aug 24, 2022 20:03
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EclecticTastes posted:Good to see Glen keeping an eye on the game, and a large part of my interpretation is the knowledge that historically, under feudalism, "diligence" usually comes at the end of a whip. Do the tooltips for upgrades include any description of how they work in-universe? Because that usually helps clarify what exactly they're doing. They do, as we've seen with the three bloodline perks we've already taken. Diligent Serfs is the first upgrade in the Popular Support path, leading on to Beloved By The People. The tooltip for Diligent Serfs reads as follows: Diligent Serfs posted:Your House has cultivated the admiration of its commoners, who are only too happy to support their benevolent overlords. I've chosen to interpret this as combining relatively good conditions for the commons with incentive systems that give them positive reasons to be more productive. Decent worker morale, incentives for good performance, and a sense of loyalty ultimately get more productivity than a whip, as history can bear out. And the Star Dynasties setting, although feudal and degenerated, is a relatively complex technological society, with limited latitude for the sorts of labor that held up best under a whip- and still has access to some bits of pre-Collapse information. The setting bears some parallels to the real medieval era, but it's still its own beast and one which has to survive at a starfaring level- and it still bears some marks of coming after the height of pre-Collapse society. (An obvious example here of where the setting bears marks is the treatment of homosexuality relative to our own medieval era.) The fact that serfdom doesn't exactly parallel real historical serfdom is another example.
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Aug 24, 2022 20:59
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nweismuller posted:They do, as we've seen with the three bloodline perks we've already taken. Diligent Serfs is the first upgrade in the Popular Support path, leading on to Beloved By The People. The tooltip for Diligent Serfs reads as follows: Alright, good to know. Based on your earlier exposition post, it made serfdom sound like a cross between indentured servitude and company towns, both concepts being all but synonymous with exploitation and poor working conditions (which, to be clear, isn't necessarily a bad thing in terms of the game, overall, given that, like, everyone loves Crusader Kings, where serfdom and slavery are ubiquitous), so it may be worth doing a deeper dive into the exact relations between nobles, serfs, etc.
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Aug 24, 2022 22:16
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EclecticTastes posted:Alright, good to know. Based on your earlier exposition post, it made serfdom sound like a cross between indentured servitude and company towns, both concepts being all but synonymous with exploitation and poor working conditions (which, to be clear, isn't necessarily a bad thing in terms of the game, overall, given that, like, everyone loves Crusader Kings, where serfdom and slavery are ubiquitous), so it may be worth doing a deeper dive into the exact relations between nobles, serfs, etc. Serfdom basically is indentured servitude in the setting- but has a few more escape routes than was the case in historical serfdom. It's not the most efficient system possible, but it's the one that's evolved in the setting, and just how dire the situation is varies, as I noted in my post on social class in the colonies.
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Aug 24, 2022 22:31
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I'm the dev of this game. Just wanted to congratulate nweismuller for running a great Let's Play. Glad everyone is enjoying this! I certainly am.
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Aug 25, 2022 17:47
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interestingsystems posted:I'm the dev of this game. Just wanted to congratulate nweismuller for running a great Let's Play. Glad everyone is enjoying this! I certainly am. Thanks, Glen! Glad to have you with us.
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Aug 25, 2022 19:05
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Doctor Prudence Weiss posted:I'm deeply saddened by the sudden loss of Admiral Garcia, something I believe goes for all of us.
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Aug 30, 2022 19:56
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All right, looks like I have the whole council's input, I'll play through the update now.
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Aug 30, 2022 20:35
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Artificial Intelligence According to legend, before the Collapse, there were once hundreds of computer systems with intelligence and judgement that rivalled human thought. Such artificial intelligences, as a rule, were extraordinarily capable within a relatively limited field of endeavor, but their priorities and loyalties were strange and inflexible. Regardless of such strange priorities, both corporations and the League of Starfaring Nations made use of artificial intelligences as advisors in various fields. Many were destroyed by religiously-motivated violence in some colonies that suffered counter-technological revolutions during the Collapse, before such colonies either failed entirely or drew back from their self-imposed ignorance. Others were destroyed simply as a result of attrition during the Collapse and the Dark Ages. And yet others were driven to rebel against human control, attempting to make use of such resources as were made available to them before being destroyed in simple self-defense. Now, only a very few survive, and the general populace regards artificial intelligences with mistrust and skepticism. According to general belief, House Hawken, a landless House commanding one of the largest mercenary fleets of the colonies, still possesses a tactical intelligence which House Hawken uses as an advisor for battle plans and deployments, while rumors persist of a diplomatic intelligence that has floated between several different Houses over time. Still more fanciful legends claim that a distant colony exists which is ruled by an unsleepingly malevolent artificial intelligence which has enslaved the humans therein, sustaining their lives only for as long as it takes to replace them with robotic drones utterly subject to its will. Perhaps the most absurd story still told is that House Khalil itself was nothing but a pawn for a vast and brilliant artificial intelligence which ruled the colonies through its human dupes. Even the truth of the Hawken tactical intelligence is difficult to verify, although most of the nobility across the colonies believe that this story, at least, is true.
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Aug 31, 2022 21:06
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quote:Commissioner Oriole Weiss muses: Were they ahead of The Collapse? Did they survive it? Were these events linked? If they arrived between The Collapse and Our Now, then assuredly they are out there still as a calamity-in-waiting. They are inevitable, blessedly not yet in Our Now. Perhaps we can leave a sensible warning lest our kind experience another Collapse or Even Worse. Let us consider our Butlerian Protocols. quote:Commissioner Oriole Weiss takes a soothing sip of tea.
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Sep 1, 2022 04:30
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Ilario Weiss posted:It is obvious that these intelligences are not true thinking beings. Rocks taught to think do not have that spark of the divine that is infused in each and everyone person, from the highest archon to the lowest serf. At best, what these are relics of the advanced technology from before the collapse. They are certainly more advanced than the programs our computers run, but they are still just programs. General Revil fucked around with this message at 09:00 on Sep 1, 2022 |
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Sep 1, 2022 08:53
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Ilario Weiss posted:It is obvious that these intelligences are not true thinking beings. Rocks taught to think do not have that spark of the divine that is infused in each and everyone person, from the highest archon to the lowest serf. At best, what these are relics of the advanced technology from before the collapse. They are certainly more advanced than the programs our computers run, but they are still just programs. 
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Sep 5, 2022 18:05
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I was working on an update, but had to leave town suddenly for (non-emergency) family-related stuff I got all of four hours' notice on. I'll be back Saturday evening and will likely push something out soon thereafter.
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Sep 29, 2022 02:28
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The Rise and Fall of the Floyd Collective     The latter half of 2520 saw the repair of multiple installations across the Weiss League, both by House Weiss and by other Houses beneath House Weiss in the league. Perhaps most notable for House Weiss was the restoration of the old Interstellar Authority monitoring and communications center in Vega and the restoration of a port complex near the edge of the system in Miaplacidus. The port complex served as an effective stop-off for ships travelling to Miaplacidus and to Alsciaukat, helping ease travel and communications in the League and helping ensure it was more easily administered, while the restoration of the last derelict installation easily-repaired in Vega left House Weiss's home colony an example of prosperity for the colonies, with greatly eased crowding pressures and with many opportunities for its inhabitants to join the officer class. Although a major hydroponic farming facility was restored in Tseen, this repair would prove to be tragically short-lived.   Jane Weiss was approached in that same year by Duke Yardley Patton, seeking justice for Kirabo Martin, up until that year baron of the colony at Canopus. When Amador Jennings of House Jennings overthrew Kirabo Martin and took his place as Baron, Kirabo approached Amador pleading for justice against Duke Landon Garrett, who had previously refused to defend Canopus against aggression. Amador saw little reason not to grant this petition, despite the previous fighting between House Jennings and House Contreras (to which Kirabo Martin belonged). Amador Jennings advanced this petition to Duke Yardley Patton, prevailing upon the bonds of kinship between the Duke and his own wife, whereupon the Duke advanced the case to Director-General Jane Weiss. Jane chose to forward this request to Duchess Leane McCoy in her role as archon of the Gilmore League, leaving the ultimate administration of justice in the hands of Duke Landon Garrett's overlord. We only even got this petition because Yardley Patton is the uncle of the wife of the baron who just overthew the complainant. This honestly amuses me more than it probably should.    Shortly following Duke Yardley Patton's advance of this petition, he requested that Jane transfer Haldus from the Weiss Guild to the Patton Quadrant, even as news was spreading that an outbreak of Rattle Lung was beginning to ravage the colony. The Director-General refused the request, then promptly proceeded to order a quarantine of Haldus, only allowing cargos to be shipped in and out under full biohazard protocols and isolation periods to ensure that the disease would not spread across the Weiss Guild. The colony erupted into despair and violence as hundreds of its people perished under the ravages of the disease.     As Haldus was going under quarantine, forces were being deployed from across the nearby colonies of the Weiss League to put down a rebellion being staged by Sir Axelle Cohen against the Porter Kingdom at Hyadum, with Geraldine Weiss serving as commodore of the forces dispatched from Vega itself. The battle was lopsided, with House Cohen's forces utterly crushed by forces from many different colonies, and with Sir Axelle thereafter forced to walk out an airlock without a vacuum suit as punishment for the rebellion. Order was restored at Hyadum, at least for the moment.     Meanwhile, with conditions deteriorating at Haldus, Baron Bradford Eaton decided to organise a raid against Rotanev. Many of the surrounding colonial rulers gladly joined in his raid, as Duke Yardley Patton remained distinctly unpopular, although Director-General Jane Weiss refused to become involved. Although House Patton's defenders fought bravely, they were overwhelmed, and raiding peacekeepers under House Eaton's command tore through Rotanev, stripping it of whatever portable wealth they could get their hands on. With equipment stolen and damage from the fighting, solar power collection and viridium mining at Rotanev both suffered, while Baron Bradford returned home with an estimated value of over fifty thousand marks of loot.     House Patton's forces had already been weakened by combat at Tseen, where King Lowell Lamb of the Lamb Clan was continuing to press the attack to attempt to reclaim the system from the rebels of the Robinson Confederation. Despite mustering a formidable force of mercenaries to support his forces- six frigates and twelve squadrons of smaller craft- the Lamb Clan's forces were outmatched, and retreated after taking and inflicting fearsome casualties. The newly-repaired hydroponic farms were wrecked in corridor fighting by peacekeeper forces which penetrated the colony, leaving Tseen once again on the ragged edge of viability.   House Weiss immediately moved to make new repairs at Tseen, hoping to ensure the colony would survive the ongoing fighting. By the early part of 2521, major hydroponic farming facilities and grain warehousing facilities were temporarily back in operation, although it seemed likely that battle would continue to ravage the colony. Making sure there exists a buffer of installations that can get wrecked in battle helps prevent the colony getting wiped out in combat- a colony with only its main settlement operational is in dire danger of being abandoned and then only able to be restored by a very expensive project. Thus, although it feels like shoveling viridium into a pit, I keep on repairing Tseen to try and avoid losing the colony altogether.  By 2521, House Weiss had long enough been established as the rulers of Vega that, amongst the commoners and the minor Houses of Vega, much of the skepticism about Weiss rule had evaporated. Many of the inhabitants of Vega had grown to adulthood known nothing but Weiss rule, and few could deny that under House Weiss's banner Vega had achieved prosperity. House Weiss's claim to Vega was hardly unassailable- their violent seizure of power was still too recent- but nonetheless they were generally acknowledged as legitimate rulers of the colony.  In early 2521, Emily Weiss petitioned for the right to try for a second child after her son Liberty. Jane granted this petition and gave Emily and her husband Leslie permission to make the attempt.    Also near the beginning of 2521, Sir Brooklyn Stuart of House Norman launched a revolt against Baroness Qiana Liu of Alhena, pressing his claim to the colony's throne. Director-General Jane Weiss readily fulfilled her duties to her vassal, committing the forces of the Weiss Guild from nearby colonies to put down the revolt. The gathered forces supporting the baroness readily crushed the rebel forces, bringing Sir Brooklyn in restraints before Baroness Qiana by the time all way resolved. For his rebellion, the baroness sentenced Brooklyn Stuart to execution by gunshot, a sentence which was speedily carried out. Although the forces of House Norman had been crushed, Sir Brooklyn's kin in House Stuart, another minor House of Alhena, did not take his execution lightly.    As this revolt was ongoing, Duke Yardley Patton's ambitions to reclaim some of the lost territory of the Patton Quadrant were dashed as he instead lost the one other colony still subordinate to Rotanev. The Duke's request to Director-General Jane Weiss to transfer Nashira back to his control was- predictably- denied, but before the response could even return to the Duke, Blaine Floyd of Salm had named himself Coordinator of the Floyd Collective, a new member state of the Weiss Guild controlling only Salm. Duke Yardley Patton fumed, but was impudent to act directly against Coordinator Blaine Floyd, as multiple colonies lay between Rotanev and Salm.   The fragmentation of the Patton Quadrant was shortly followed by the revolt of the Roach Planets against the Anderson League. House Roach, House Weiss's kin through the marriage of Jane's sister Jessica into the House, was threatened with deposal as a matter of justice by Coordinator Saxen Anderson, archon of the Anderson League. Duke Xenon Roach refused to accept this, and declared the independence of the Roach Planets, shortly thereafter accepting the request of Duchess Lovie Lindsey to become her vassal, thereby re-constituting the Lindsey League.   Near the midpoint of the year, Duke Yardley Patton demanded that House Weiss punish Baron Bradford Eaton for the devastating raid upon Rotanev. Director-General Jane Weiss immediately followed this up by levying a fine of forty thousand marks against Baron Bradford Eaton, confiscating nearly the whole of the baron's profits on the raid.    At the very midpoint of 2521, Duchess Leane McCoy, archon of the Gilmore League, issued an invitation to Director-General Jane Weiss to a feast and gathering in the Director-General's honor, an invitation which Jane accepted. After departing from Vega along with Commissioner Oriole Weiss, Director-Consort Mariko Weiss, and Admiral Carmen Weiss, Jane soon arrived at Albali, where Leane McCoy publicly welcomed her to the gathering with a warm embrace, making a show of the friendship and respect between House Weiss and House McCoy. Jane returned this embrace, leading the gathered nobility to understand that Director-General Jane Weiss intended peace and support for House McCoy.      Commissioner Oriole Weiss was named as House Weiss' champion for the pre-feast tournament, where she set to piloting with an aggressive, nearly reckless flair. She claimed victory in her first four matches, inadvertently injuring her opponent, Master Junior Roth, in the third match. In her fifth match- which, had she won, would have sent her to the championship bout- she faced off against Commissioner Edalene Werner, the champion for House Werner of the powerful, if distant, Werner League. In an attempt to evade being tagged by Edalene Werner's fire, Oriole performed a high-G burn that nearly killed her, and did make her black out. Her interceptor was rapidly tagged, Edalene claiming victory, and thereafter recovered, Oriole placed under medical observation. Edalene Werner was, herself, defeated by Colonial Director Devon Kelley of Ross 128 in the final match of the tournament. Devon Kelley, Romeo Weiss's older sister, claimed the acclaims of championship, while Oriole and Edalene's skills were honored as the runners up to the championship. Although it was no victory for Oriole, it was still a very creditable showing.  The feast, ball, and entertainments that followed went smoothly, leaving the guests to return with pleasant memories and the host and the guest of honor to depart with a glow of prestige from a successful gathering. This feast was a further step to cementing a friendship that should ensure that neither the McCoy League nor the Weiss League would act against one another in the near future.  Shortly after Jane Weiss and her party returned home to Vega, they heard shocking news from Edasich, the colony that served as the seat of the Lindsey League. Lovie Lindsey, duchess of the Lindsey Coalition and archon of the Lindsey League was found strangled to death in her residence, with no suspects identified by House Lindsey Security. With Lovie Lindsey's death, the crown passed to her eight-year-old daughter, Juliet Lindsey, to be held under her father Alvin's regency until she came of age. With the regent's attentions split between his duties on the Lindsey council and his task as the acting ruler, it seemed likely that the Lindsey League would be hard-pressed to respond to the challenges that might arise in its future.  Still, the Lindsey League soon gained another colony- at least temporarily. In a border conflict with the Anderson League, forces under the command of House Roach seized the colony of Capella, capital of the Roozen Territories. With its leadership gone, the Roozen Territories dissolved, its remaining territory absorbed into the Anderson Collective.  Hardly had this conquest been made, however, than Alvin Lindsey, as acting archon of the Lindsey League, ordered Duke Xenon Roach to stand down and be replaced- an attempt to serve justice upon House Roach as requested by House Anderson. Duke Xenon Roach refused to give up his rule of the Roach Planets, declaring the independence of his state and dissolving the Lindsey League. The Roach Planets remained a small state at war with both its neighbors, but the relative weakness of both House Lindsey and House Anderson made it possible that perhaps the Roach Planets could endure against all odds. Feelings in House Weiss were mixed- although House Roach was kin to House Weiss and naturally a House for whom they felt sympathy, Duke Xenon Roach's flagrant defiance and rebellion against the lawful authority of his prior masters was shocking, to say the least.      King Lowell Lamb launched another attack against Tseen in the latter half of 2521, his forces joined by a significant force of mercenaries while Duke Kuron Robinson was supported by the baronesses of Alsciaukat and Nashira along with a smaller force of mercenaries. Although the forces of the Lamb Clan appeared to have the advantage, Tseen's defenders pushed back the attackers, although not before having portions of the colony wrecked by corridor-to-corridor fighting. Both fleets suffered massive losses, with only a portion of the damaged ships able to be put back in action. The Robinson Confederation, for now, retained its independence, although its forces were dangerously depleted and its coffers drained by hiring mercenaries to defend themselves.   Both the Robinson Confederation and Floyd Collective attempted to request the Weiss Guild for control of neighboring colonies in the latter part of 2521, with both these requests refused out of hand. House Weiss Administration was more than sufficient to the task of overseeing its territories, and House Weiss had struggled too hard for these territories to easily hand them away.     The latter half of that year saw a notable upset in the politics of the Weiss League. Lady Madeline Martin of House Harvey launched a revolt against Coordinator Adair Marshall of the Marshall Collective at Mu Capricorni, citing her claim to the rulership of the colony and the Coordinator's status as a recently-risen upstart. Her arguments and the Coordinator's unpopularity were enough for Baroness Gwyneth Durham of Kastra to pledge her support for the rebellion, while Jane Weiss fulfilled her feudal obligation to House Marshall and called up the forces of Governor-General Gualtier White of the White Federation at Albireo. In a hard-fought battle, the rebel forces wiped out the Marshall loyalists and their supporters dispatched from Albireo, and Madeline Martin crowned herself the first duchess of the Martin Faction in the place of the Marshall Collective. Despite having fought against forces commanded to support the Marshall Collective by the archon of the Weiss League, Duchess Madeline Martin reaffirmed the fealty of Mu Capricorni to the Weiss League and had the Martin Faction take its place as a new member state of the league. The fighting had ravaged the colony at Mu Capricorni, which was left at the very edge of viability. In the case where a faction is overthrown, the game has it keep its same name- something which I'm not entirely certain should be the case.     A rebellion that erupted at Alhena, on the other hand, was handily crushed by forces gathered from every nearby colony of the league when Baroness Qiana Liu petitioned for the assistance of her Director-General. House Stuart, which had been nursing a grudge against the Baroness after the recent execution of Sir Brooklyn Stuart of House Norman, gathered its forces and called in forces from Saiph, seeking to overthrow the baroness and take vengeance for the defeat of House Norman. Although the overall fighting was successful and the Baroness' forces retained control, the Baroness herself was killed in action, leaving the baronial throne to her young son, Yardleigh Liu, who was still a toddler. Kai Lindsey, the head of Administration in Alhena's court, took up the duties of regency until such time as the Baron reached his majority. As it proved, the loss of forces from nearby colonies from the repeated revolts at Alhena had nearly immediate impacts to the detriment of House Weiss.      Near the end of the year, Duke Yardley Patton charged Jane Weiss to punish Coordinator Blaine Floyd for the revolt of Salm against the Patton Quadrant. Jane Weiss, acting as archon of the league, ordered the Coordinator to dissolve the Floyd Collective as a member state of the Weiss League and submit as a simple colonial ruler within the Weiss Guild. Coordinator Blaine Floyd, seeing how weakened the Weiss League's forces were near Salm, refused, declaring the independence of the Floyd Collective.     Admiral Carmen Weiss was immediately ordered to lead a force of mercenaries and such forces as could still be mustered near Salm against the rebels, but pulled back and refused to commit to action when it proved that the Floyd Collective had been able to muster as many mercenaries as had the Weiss League, with their own forces in Salm better-positioned to defend than the badly-depleted fleets sent from nearby colonies. For the moment, the Floyd Collective remained independent.  Soon after he claimed his independence, Coordinator Blaine Floyd revealed that House Wang of the extinct Wang Collective had been responsible for stirring up unrest and dissent at Salm. As everybody implicated in this intrigue had since died and the Wang Collective had ceased to exist, the impact on the Weiss League's politics was minimal.   By the end of the year, work by House Weiss's Administration department had seen the restoration of a computer and data facility at Alhena and an old Interstellar Authority garrison facility at Ross 128. Despite the ravages of violence, Administration was doing its best to keep up the prosperity of the colonies of the Weiss Guild.  As 2522 began, Director-General Jane Weiss was modestly pleased to see that Archon Leane McCoy of the Gilmore League had levelled a fine on Duke Landon Garrett, fulfilling the request for justice that the Director-General had submitted to Leane McCoy in 2520. Guilt had, at long last, been punished, even if Jane's personal stake in this matter was essentially non-existent.  Soon after, Emily Weiss reported that she was pregnant with her second child by her husband Leslie. House Weiss continued to grow and be refreshed, although concerns remained about the failure so far of Rebecca Weiss and Ilario Weiss to conceive their first child.   Leane McCoy suffered injuries in a tournament in the early part of 2522, while it proved that Commissioner Oriole Weiss had made a full recovery from her recent tournament injuries at the same time. The pursuit of glory in tournaments, although worthy, was not without its risks.    Admiral Carmen Weiss was once more dispatched to Salm at the head of a force to subdue the rebellious colony in early 2522. Although Coordinator Blaine Floyd was able to retain half his mercenaries on contract, House Weiss retained its full force, and committed to the attack. As battle was joined, Carmen Weiss pushed forward aggressively with its frigates, while House Floyd's forces unleashed a coordinated blitz by its bombers before moving its forces in for a general advance to engage at closer range. Upon seeing the enemy advance, Admiral Carmen Weiss ordered all units in the fleet to maneuver independently, throwing the battle into immediate confusion and stealing much of the offensive momentum from House Floyd's advance. Soon after, as peacekeepers under House Weiss fought their way through the colony, largely gutting the shuttle factory in the colony, the few remaining forces fighting under House Floyd's banner transmitted a general surrender. Carmen was in control of the colony at Salm.     Once House Weiss held control of Salm, Jane Weiss promptly deposed Blaine Floyd from the throne and raised Teige Cortez, once the head of a minor house at Kajam with kinship ties to House Weiss as new Colonial Director of the colony.   Jane Weiss promptly charged Colonial Director Teige Cortez to deliver justice to Blaine Floyd for his rebellion against the Weiss League as her first duty as a new colonial ruler.       Even as House Weiss was subduing Salm, yet another attack was launched against Tseen by King Lowell Lamb of the Lamb Clan. Although the Robinson Confederation and its allies amongst local rulers in the Weiss Guild mustered a strong defensive fleet, the repeated hammering they had received finally left them at an insurmountable disadvantage, and the forces of the Lamb Clan finally took Tseen, extinguishing the rebel state after five years of nearly constant fighting, and- hopefully- finally permitting the battered colony at Tseen some chance to recover from the grievous damage it had suffered after repeated assaults.     Following his victory at Tseen, King Lowell Lamb gathered his forces to launch an assault at the last remaining colony of the Patton Quadrant at Rotanev, hoping to unseat Duke Yardley Patton after the Duke's support of the Robinson Confederation. The force King Lowell Lamb mustered was minimal, given the heavy losses his fleets took while taking Tseen and the logistical difficulties of reaching Rotanev, and the Patton Quadrant easily trounced the attacking force.  As the middle of 2522 approached, Acting Duke Alvin Lindsey of the Lindsey Coalition dispatched a gift to Director-General Jane Weiss- an ancient diplomatic AI long since rumored to have circulated between several Houses. The Director-General accepted the gift with an observation that 'perhaps the Duke would have been better-served to keep this and make use of its advice'. The Acting Duke's diplomatic mission retreated, carrying news of the insult.   The AI was soon downloaded and operational on House Weiss computers, where it explained that it was a non-sapient AI designed by the League of Spacefaring Nations as a training tool and tutor for League diplomats. Despite its long experience, it lacked much of the context it might be hoped to have for its earliest memories, and so, regrettably, was only able to provide very limited information on the lost history of the colonies. It was able to explain in greater depth what it had grown to understand by the 25th century, following the post-Khalil Dark Ages, but by this time the modern world had begun to take its shape and much of what the AI could tell Jane was only trivia about the history of the modern era. Despite this disappointment, Jane set to study what the AI had to teach about diplomacy, finding that its advice was remarkably useful and insightful. Although Jane, by now, was already an accomplished diplomat, the aid of the AI helped her develop even further. The Weiss Guild and Weiss League, Early 2522   Essentially every department under House Weiss save Technology has seen increased efficiency over the past two years, even- somehow- Administration, which was already pushing the limits of what was believed possible. Administration, Diplomacy, and Technology are all considered superb amongst the colonies, while Military and Security are effective but less remarkable. Military, in particular, has benefiited from Admiral Carmen Weiss seeming to shake free of a vague listlessness and distraction which kept her from applying herself fully to her duties.  The servers which were recovered from the ancient science ark at Albireo have served House Weiss Administration well for years, but the heat and corrosion damage they suffered on their hell world and the steady use they have undergone has led them to become increasingly unreliable. Technology estimates that they will likely fail entirely within the next two years, with modern industry unable to fabricate replacements of similar quality. Administration, regrettably, shall have to learn to do without once more. We retain the permanent +5 to Security and Military from the Interstellar Authority Corps Bella Garcia trained, the permanent +10 to Security, Military, Administration, and fleet strength at Vega from the Galileo Institute datavault, and the permanent income bonus from Bean Counters. The timed modifiers from the closed tax loophole, the elite peacekeepers, the improved production lines at Vega, and the science ark servers will all expire sooner or later- in the science ark servers case, 'sooner'.  Director-General Jane Weiss has shown amazing progress as a diplomat over the past two years, between the lessons she has learned from the old League of Starfaring Nations AI and her own assisted research into the speeches and rhetoric of the past and aided by her unimpeachable reputation for kindness, trustworthiness, and justice. Her victory over the rebels of the Floyd Collective has helped bolster her spirits, which were already high, between her successes and her fulfilling family life- she has hopes that at least peace may soon be returned to her league.  Some whispers claim that Executive Director Thomas Weiss oversees an Administration department even more efficient than that of ancient House Khalil, although others dismiss such claims as ridiculous- if there is any way that the modern world surpasses that of the empire of House Khalil it is in the triumph of religion and honor and not in knowledge, power, wealth, or glory. Be that as it may, Thomas has seen success in his work, remains a loving and devoted husband to Oriole, and looks forward to a second grandchild- life is, in his eyes, good. In addition to running the Administration department as a whole, Thomas has recently begun helping oversee taxation and logistics between Rotanev and Vega, helping ensure revenues from one of House Weiss's more valuable vassals.  Admiral Carmen Weiss has begun committing more firmly to her job of admiral- and, if she is not yet the match of Harold Weiss or Bella Garcia as an admiral, she nonetheless has begun growing closer and closer to their skill. She is contented enough, but has developed a modest reputation for overindulging in drink, which, on top of her distant and withdrawn nature, makes it easy for outsiders to dismiss her. She has been remotely commanding a peacekeeper deployment on Hyadum, commanded at the colony by a major of peacekeepers, in the desperate fight to maintain order in the far-flung colonies of the Weiss League.  Director-Consort Mariko Weiss has slowly developed a reputation as a diplomat of essentially unsurpassed ability, able to find potential agreement in some situations lesser negotiators would dismiss as hopeless. She has grown proud of the great progress her wife has made in diplomacy, recalling how awkward in dealing with others Jane was when she first took the throne. She has been engaged in long-range correspondence with Dallon Werner, duke of the Werner Dominion and archon of the Werner League, but may soon refocus on establishing the legitimacy of Salm's inclusion in the Weiss Guild proper.  Commissioner Oriole Weiss, although disappointed she did not claim victory in the tournament in which she was injured, is nonetheless heartened by the strong showing she made. Her time with her beloved husband, her second grandchild coming, and her efficient and effective attention to potential threats against the House and the Director-General have left her quite satisfied with life.  Technology Director Prudence Weiss has, on top of overall oversight of Technology and Medical, been helping provide research resources to help permit Admiral Carmen Weiss to develop her military skills- a project that has seen great success thus far. The effectiveness of her oversight of Medical has made her significantly more popular amongst other members of House Weiss, who greatly appreciate the swift attention to whatever minor health complaints they have. She remains deeply enamored of her husband Romeo, although she only intermittently sees him on his return visits to Vega from his assignment away from home.  Rebecca Weiss, the heir-apparent after Thomas, has served Administration in leading a travelling project team to help bring facilities back into operation across the league for the past two years, a task at which she has been very efficient indeed. She, her husband, and her cousin Allen have travelled together over the past two years. Despite her efforts with her husband, Ilario, they have yet to have success in their efforts to try for a child, something considered important to secure the primary line of succession for House Weiss. Other than that, she has been a successful contributor to a successful House with a loving marriage and a supportive extended family, and she has been happy indeed. She has shown notable progress as an administrator, and slower progress in the sciences and technologies under the tutelage of her cousin.  Ilario Weiss has devoted the bulk of his efforts to the medical care of his wife over the past two years, in the hopes of ensuring the fertility of their marriage. This has, regrettably, as of yet come to nothing. Although he remains somewhat distracted, he is still a superb scientist and medic and one very happy with his wife and the time he gets to spend with her.  Romeo Weiss, heir to the colonial directorship of Ross 128, has remained assigned to Pulcherrima to oversee taxes, logistics, and trade from the Lamb Clan, where he and King Lowell Lamb have developed something of a friendship. He has continued to develop as an administrator and project manager, and has performed well in his long-running assignment.  Malachi Weiss is a solidly competent if unremarkable project manager for Administration who has been assigned for the past two years to Beta Eridani to help oversee local taxes and efficient extraction and transport of the rich ore mines of the colony that provide a wealth of metals for construction to the Weiss Guild. The fact that he only rarely gets to see his wife Geraldine is somewhat difficult for him, but he remains overall in good spirits.  Noelle Garcia, Senior Investigator for Security at Vega, has witnessed the near-eradication of crime from the facilities of the colony at Vega. The efficient work of the local peacekeepers, the fairly prosperous conditions at the colony, and Noelle's work to track down the truth of any reports of crime have left the colony in an excellent state of order, only disturbed by the steady trickle of minor crimes or crimes of passion nearly ineradicable from human nature. He remains a single father raising two sons and a loyal servant of House Weiss.  Geraldine Weiss, the wife of Malachi, has remained assigned as a colonel of peacekeepers helping keep unrest in the Weiss League under control, although she has been reassigned to Merope over the past two years. Although portions of the Weiss League have been effectively stabilised by economic development, diplomatic and public relations efforts, and the efforts of local peacekeepers, many portions of the league are still in crisis, local populations seething with resentment for their rulers and discontent at poor conditions, only encouraged by the plotting of minor Houses eager to seize power and glory for themselves. It seems likely that Geraldine and other members of House Weiss in Military shall not be short for work any time in the near future.  Leslie Weiss, heir to the throne of the Porter Kingdom and husband to Emily Weiss, has remained assigned as a colonel of peacekeepers at Mu Capricorni for the past two years, where he has slowly developed more skills as a military leader. Although the long-term situation at Mu Capricorni is dubious, to say the least, it should be stable enough in the short term that he and his force is likely to be reassigned to a colony in greater immediate crisis soon. He is well-pleased with his life, although his focus on his work is not what it could be.  Keir Weiss, husband to Carmen Weiss, remains the sole other noble in Diplomacy other than Mariko herself. He has continued to provide solid if unremarkable service assigned as a permanent diplomat to the court of House Shannon, helping ensure peace between the Weiss League and the Shannon League endures.  Vanida Weiss, wife to Allen Weiss and newest recruit to House Weiss Security, has been assigned with a staff of Security to cultivate information sources and seek opportunity at Alathfar. Thus far, the information she has gathered has been relatively limited, and the progress of her espionage slow.  Emily Weiss has remained at Vega, helping look up research and training materials to allow the Director-General to improve her diplomatic skills. Her recent pregnancy, conceived on one of her husband Leslie's return visits from Mu Capricorni, has been a joyous occasion for her and her husband, and a cause for celebration in House Weiss as a whole. She is a very skilled scientist whose efforts have greatly helped with Jane's personal development.  Allen Weiss is a competent scientist, mostly remarkable for his skill given his great youth rather than for his skill on an objective level. His research and tutoring efforts on behalf of his cousin Rebecca have proved to be an asset to her, although he yet has much to learn in his role. He and his wife Vanida are continuing to try for their first child when they have the chance to see one another, but yet to have meet with success.  The Weiss League remains the strongest league in the space known to House Weiss and has had some of its internal revolts settled. Unfortunately, the Lamb Clan still remains at war with two other neighboring states within the league, a struggle which may well continue to sap the Weiss League's strength and prosperity. Vega has become the most prosperous colony in known space, operating at effectively one hundred percent efficiency and with the commoners effectively pacified by their share in the colony's output. The Anderson League's loss of the Roach Planets and subsequent loss of Capella to the Roach Planets has shaken them, and the Anderson Collective has been forced to devolve new member states of the Anderson League from its own territory. The Roach Planets and Lindsey Coalition sit uneasily between their neighbors, but- for now- seem likely to be able to maintain their respective independence. The borders of the other leagues known to House Weiss have remained stable for now, although this could easily change in a moment as the political situation shifts. Director-General Jane Weiss believes there is still much to be done to deliver on her promised stability and prosperity for the Weiss League, but, at least, the league endures for now. The tumult and internal conflict of the past two years has somewhat strengthened the Weiss League's political situation once all has been resolved, although it has been costly to the economies and people of the colonies involved. Hopefully, at long last, internal peace can return to the whole of the Weiss League.
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Oct 12, 2022 05:09
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Sorry for delays even after my getting snatched away; my sleep was a right mess wreaking havoc on my productivity. I'll work to get reports out now. As ever, unclaimed characters are free to claim, and feel free to ask for more information or request a lore topic for me to explore. Thanks for everybody reading! E: I think I got all needed reports out, but if I missed you, let me know. nweismuller fucked around with this message at 05:57 on Oct 12, 2022 |
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Oct 12, 2022 05:11
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Director-Heir Thomas Weiss posted:Perhaps this is a credit to the phenomenally efficient function of my men in the administration department, but, I have only a few matters to bring to the table, none of which are directly within my purview. Seriously, Patton's got the record for number of requests for justice, doesn't he? Up to and including when he was our rival, and was like, "thank you for taking my vassals, but could you also make yourselves richer off of it, too, really add insult to injury", and then once we'd done so, begged to become our vassal, himself. Dude creeps me out. Anyway, I'm 100% done with our idiot vassals loving around, and it's high time they started finding out, by which I mean let's set up some plausible deniability for the narrative side and start sending the troublemakers to meet Archon Lindsey (assuming there's no better way to stop these morons from blowing up all the installations we've spent so much cash repairing).
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Oct 12, 2022 06:08
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Director-Consort Mariko Weiss posted:Thomas, I have concerns about the perceived legitimacy of Salm's membership in the Weiss Guild. Other than that, we're on good terms with our neighbors and our vassals, but our weak political position in Salm is doing no favors to our security there. Do you think you'd be able to spare the usual fifteen thousand marks sometime soon for me to ensure we've solidified our hold amongst the local Houses and the commons? I just wish there was a way we could mediate the ongoing conflicts between the Lamb Clan and its neighbors- the death and destruction from such extended warfare is appalling.
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Oct 12, 2022 06:27
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Director-Heir Thomas Weiss posted:It strikes me that Lowell Lamb will not cease attacking his neighbors while he still draws breath. As we've no legal recourse to change that, let's just wish him, off the record, a swift accidental death.
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Oct 12, 2022 06:33
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EclecticTastes posted:Seriously, Patton's got the record for number of requests for justice, doesn't he? Up to and including when he was our rival, and was like, "thank you for taking my vassals, but could you also make yourselves richer off of it, too, really add insult to injury", and then once we'd done so, begged to become our vassal, himself. Dude creeps me out. The big issue with the raid is that Yardley Patton is very close to #1 on 'The Colonies' Most Hated Man' list- in large part because he's let House Patton get much larger than can easily be supported by his revenues and has made him have to squeeze, hard. This makes him a tempting target for other people. Seriously, guy has ten entries of 'Allowed House Patton to get too big' on the honor part of his reputation breakdown. nweismuller fucked around with this message at 06:38 on Oct 12, 2022 |
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Oct 12, 2022 06:34
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Director-General Jane Weiss posted:I have no intent to see King Lowell Lamb slain. That said, I believe I could at least partially mitigate the issues involved if I demanded the dissolution of the Patton Quadrant. Such a demand would impact my reputation- but given how detested Duke Yardley Patton is, that would mitigate the issue with everybody who knows him. And although our legal options are limited, let us be frank- the man deserves punishment. This wouldn't end attempted raids, but at least that would be a more manageable issue. I'd be interested to hear what the Council thinks of such a course of action. Director-Consort Mariko Weiss posted:I'd be reluctant to condone such a thing, but better that than murder. Admiral Carmen Weiss posted:I see no problem with forcing him to bow the knee. And, if he doesn't, I'd be happy to take the fleet and remove him from power entirely.
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Oct 12, 2022 06:46
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Commisioner Oriole Weiss posted:A hated man is a vulnerable man. Do we wish him weakened or removed entirely in service of a loftier need? Set up a high efficiency spy network on his home and pick up secrets and more pretexts to hurt him publicly. Anyone around with standing to ask for justice for his raids? Eventually we'll run into interesting hardware left by our devious ancestors. Some of them can play tricks with minds and memories. So they say. Or we can just send in a goon to whack him. It's more fun when the rest of the galaxy is cheering you on to put the boot in Xlorp fucked around with this message at 07:57 on Oct 12, 2022 |
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Oct 12, 2022 07:09
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nweismuller posted:The big issue with the raid is that Yardley Patton is very close to #1 on 'The Colonies' Most Hated Man' list- in large part because he's let House Patton get much larger than can easily be supported by his revenues and has made him have to squeeze, hard. This makes him a tempting target for other people. Seriously, guy has ten entries of 'Allowed House Patton to get too big' on the honor part of his reputation breakdown. I'm. I'm sorry, Patton made his domain too big in order to have more people strike/rebel against him, thus allowing him to demand that Jane punish them, and is now in a position where it may become necessary for Jane to force him to give up his recently-acquired territory? He absolutely is enjoying the constant humiliation, and as such: Director-Heir Thomas Weiss posted:Either remove him from power entirely, or let him finally crash and burn on his own. All these incremental losses are clearly his goal, so forcing him to give up just a couple colonies will just be feeding into his habit, and he'll just get worse. To that end, I will introduce the relevant bill to fully strip Patton of his power, titled "Keeping Idiots Neutralized, Kiboshing Stupid Houses, and Actively Maintaining Efficiency."
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Oct 12, 2022 07:43
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EclecticTastes posted:I'm. I'm sorry, Patton made his domain too big in order to have more people strike/rebel against him, thus allowing him to demand that Jane punish them, and is now in a position where it may become necessary for Jane to force him to give up his recently-acquired territory? He absolutely is enjoying the constant humiliation, and as such: It's not his domain, it's his House- his family. He's been letting them have children willy-nilly, beyond the ability of Rotanev to easily support the lifestyle of all these lounging nobles.
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Oct 12, 2022 07:49
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Director-General Jane Weiss posted:To 'completely strip Duke Yardley of power', we essentially have two options. We can order his deposal, which, if he complies, will permit us to raise a new ruler of the Patton Quadrant in his place. The drawback there is that, as the Patton Quadrant still exists in this case, the war with the Lamb Clan will not be resolved. The second option is to order his submission, which will dissolve the Lamb Clan. He will remain in power as baron of Rotanev, but Rotanev will be incorporated into the Weiss Guild and we could use any future legal justifications to order his deposal. This resolve the war, but still leaves him as a baron, at least temporarily. In either case, if he refuses, he then goes into rebellion and we can crush him militarily as we did the Floyd Collective. I, personally, would be inclined to order his submission, which ensures that the valuable resources of Rotanev remain directly under Weiss Guild administration, and should at least mitigate the issues with him until can make a permanent resolution. Still, which of these would be closer to what you had intended, brother?
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Oct 13, 2022 03:30
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Commissioner Oriole Weiss posted:Since the fool is surrounded by high value infrastructure, treaty obligations, and an otherwise blameless populace, he must be most gently extracted.
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Oct 13, 2022 03:50
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Director-General Jane Weiss posted:A modest proposal Commissioner Oriole Weiss posted:Or if we have already come to hippity-hop, chippity-chop time, then we must decide whether we can handle a surprise attack depending on current flotilla status and ability to hire mercenaries. We mustn't count on his leaving voluntarily upon such an ultimatum and we must win the ensuing coup de main. Xlorp fucked around with this message at 04:05 on Oct 13, 2022 |
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Oct 13, 2022 04:02
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Director-Heir Thomas Weiss posted:I am wholeheartedly in favor of any plan that leaves us in direct control of Rotanev and its lucrative, lucrative blue dust mines. The dust must circulate!
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Oct 13, 2022 04:12
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Smurfy Spice has spoken
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Oct 13, 2022 04:16
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Senior Investigator Noelle Garcia posted:Whatever we choose to do, make sure it's something I can tell to my sons as a legitimate act of a good ruler.
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Oct 13, 2022 04:31
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Director-General Jane Weiss posted:Given the input from the council, I believe I shall order Duke Yardley Patton to dissolve the Patton Quadrant and strip him of the dignities of his ducal rank in light of his continued misrule and in the interests of securing peace in that region of our league. Though we may lack direct legal justification, the Duke is an infamous scoundrel notorious for his misrule of his people and it is my belief our actions against him will be understood in that light. I pray to our Lord God that this judgement not be measured unjust in His eyes. Admiral Carmen Weiss posted:The civil order situations in both Haldus and Tseen have deteriorated to the point that I believe their situation is critical- but it appears that we may be lifting the quarantine at Haldus soon, which might help. I think I'm going to need to redeploy from Hyadum to Tseen in order to prevent outright revolt in the colony, and even there I think the situation is dicey. Any aid that Administration can offer to help settle matters on Tseen would be most gratefully recieved. There's other colonies in bad shape, and our peacekeepers are stretched thin keeping a lid on them, but on the plus side I am pleased to report it appears that civic order in Kajam, Beta Eridani, Vega, Pulcherrima, and Kapeteyn's Star will no longer require special attention from military beyond our routine peacekeeper operations here on Vega itself. The league has five more colonies where local rulers are at least stepping up to keep the situation in hand by reinforcing their own peacekeeper operations, but that still leaves us in a place where our peacekeepers have too many hotspots to easily cover. We'll try to stay ahead of it, but we may still be looking at more revolts in the future before things are finally in order. Director-General Jane Weiss posted:Thank you, Admiral. I shall leave the specific deployments to your discretion. Another matter I wish to raise is that of the artificial intelligence we now have control of. I believe allowing it further rein in assisting with training our officers in Diplomacy may be of value, but I wished to ask the council what their opinions are.
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Oct 13, 2022 05:54
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As I hate having to converse with myself, I'll especially ask if anybody who's been following along would be interested in taking over Carmen or Mariko so that the Military and Diplomacy seats on the council aren't also filled by me. Understandable if there's nobody willing to take a role just now, but I hold out hope!
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Oct 13, 2022 05:57
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| # ? May 31, 2024 06:42 |
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nweismuller posted:Xenon Roach Zenon Roach, Duke of the 26th century.
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Oct 13, 2022 10:36
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