Rukatin
Malfunctioning NPC at Best.
@LordSunhawk Are GriffTigers among prospective colonists for Griffen IV?
Quest Deep Periphery Quest (Battletech Sandbox Empire Builder)
- Thread starter LordSunhawk
- Start date
Val the Moofia Boss
Well-known member
[X] Attempt to mediate between both sides and keep the peace
I do agree that by trying to satisfy both, we will likely satisfy none, and that pragmatically crushing the Drac civilians would be the path of least resistance... but I'd rather at least try to maintain some moral integrity, so I'll vote for the attempt at peace.
I do agree that by trying to satisfy both, we will likely satisfy none, and that pragmatically crushing the Drac civilians would be the path of least resistance... but I'd rather at least try to maintain some moral integrity, so I'll vote for the attempt at peace.
I suppose we'll see how long moral integrity lasts when a grandkid is killed by an ISF car bomb while on patrol.
Turn 57 - Our Cause is Just, We Won't Be Beaten
Turn 57 - Our Cause Is Just, We Won’t Be Beaten
----------
Griffon
You decide to match Siriwan’s formality with your own, but to put the Kuritan off balance you go for maximum European style formality.
Apart from a slight twitch, she doesn’t react as she enters the banquet hall, the twitch barely noticeable, and seemingly more of a sort of mental ‘reset’ than anything else, as if she were shifting gears, and sure enough, when she reaches precisely the point demanded by etiquette she dips into a quite smooth curtsey, despite wearing a kimono which is plainly not suited for such.
What follows is hours of meaningless small talk, about topics ranging from the quality of the food to the lovely weather. She seems endlessly patient, another point to the young lady. You do revise your estimate of her age downward a bit, she’s likely still a teenager, no more than 20 at the most, with the very slightly unfinished look of one that age that is only obvious under close examination. Yet she holds herself with impeccable poise.
You also notice that she has callouses on her hands of the sort developed with hours on the range and training salle. This is not some pampered flower of a noble girl good only for the whirl of the social circuit.
Finally you get to the meat of the discussion, once the last dishes are cleared away and it is time for serious talk over after dinner drinks. You note that she takes the tiniest possible sip of champagne, barely even wetting her lips, before setting it aside.
“You have come to me seeking terms for peace.” You open up with, lifting one eyebrow to turn the phrase into a question.
“Indeed, Your Imperial Majesty.” she replies, catching your volley and sending it back without revealing much of anything.
That sets the tone, and several interesting bits come out. When asked about what her bottom line terms are, she rather surprises you.
“The Kuroisora and Sukaishi systems, and that the body of my mother be repatriated from Nowa Warszawa.” she says promptly, “Beyond that, if my little brother comes into your power, that you treat him kindly as he is but a small boy and innocent of our father’s crimes.”
“So you admit that…” you are interrupted before you can finish.
“That my father is a monster, unworthy of his position?” she asks, crooking one eyebrow. “That he, like my grandfather before him, succumbed to pride and ambition?” she waits a beat. “Do you happen to know what is required for a man to join the Otomo or the Amphigean Assault Group under my father’s rule?”
“No, beyond skill at a mech.” you reply cautiously.
“The candidate must prove their loyalty to the Dragon by personally executing, with a sword, an elder family member, to show that they place their loyalty to the Dragon above mere family ties or respect for their elders. My elder brother was the commander of the Amphigeans, and proved his loyalty to the Dragon by beheading our mother at my father’s command.'' She says the entire thing in a very calm conversational voice.
You blink at that, “And yourself?”
“I am but a mere girl, Your Imperial Majesty, hardly worthy of service to the Dragon. I was sent as a child to a monastery on Kuroisora, no doubt to hide the shame of having a mere daughter.'' She takes a sip of water, perfectly composed. “When my brother disappeared, father saw fit to summon me to Okusawa, on the pretext that I was to take my brother’s place as his heir. Unfortunately, I was quite aware that this was but a pretext.” Another sip of water. “And so I declined, with a most respectful letter advising my esteemed father that as the only remaining family member suitable for me to prove my loyalty to the Dragon was, in fact, the Dragon, I would be most pleased to show the depth of my devotion.”
She smiles, and it does not reach anywhere near her eyes. Indeed, if a hungry Great Shark had seen that smile, it would turn and swim the other way as fast as possible, knowing itself in the presence of a deadlier predator.
“I am informed that Father did not take it well, but was constrained in his response. His naming me Gunji-no-Kanrei was a pretext that arrived mere hours before your reconnaissance flotilla did, along with a command to return to Okusawa for ‘strategic consultations’. Most proper for the Gunji-no-Kanrei to do so, of course, but I was able to delay.” She smiles again, a bit more warmly. “Takeda Daido, who has taken up the mantle of Emperor, was most accommodating of my request to form a bakufu in His name, and named me Shogun. The people of Kuroisora and Sukaishi have most graciously sworn their loyalty to the bakufu, and I have confirmed their leaders as daimyo.” She takes a sip of water. “Thus my bottom line, Your Imperial Majesty. I make no claims to New Sekigahara, Atarashi, or Okusawa, and have no wish to be associated with the abomination that is Kilburrough. If the people of those worlds wish to desert my father’s failing regime for my realm, they are welcome to emigrate, apart, of course, for ISF agents of my fathers.”
You raise an eyebrow at that, having let the young woman speak freely and mentally filing away information… why would the Dragon summon her to Okusawa and not New Sekigahara, for example… “You are so confident in your ability to identify ISF agents, then?” you ask, only to get an unexpected laugh from the young woman.
“Your Imperial Majesty, my father is a pretentious fool who sees enemies behind every blade of grass. Any who wish to serve him as an ISF agent are required to sacrifice the small toe on their left foot to prove their devotion to the Dragon. Simply require any you suspect to remove their shoes, or if you wish to be subtle, invite them inside a traditional space where etiquette demands that they remove their shoes. Any with amputated little toes on the left foot can safely be determined to be ISF agents.”
-----
Nowa Warszawa
With the additional forces in place it has become a waiting game. Tensions continue to boil over between the Polish and non-Polish populations, but your infantry are generally able to keep things from escalating past shouting, the occasional fisticuffs, and rude language. It’s quite amazing how polite suits of power armor can make people.
There are still guerrilla attacks, but they are scattered. One Orb Weaver has been badly damaged with a roadside IED, and a Soldatin took a rocket propelled anti-armor grenade to the cockpit, shaking up the pilot but only requiring minor repairs.
It is also proving nearly impossible to put together a civilian government independent of your authority, the native Poles tend to settle disputes with their fists, with many accusations of collaboration being constantly leveled between political opponents, even when both were members of the Home Army itself. It’s rather maddening, almost a year in and there’s not even the start of a governing structure in place beyond ‘defer to the Griffon Commander’ which is pulling you away from actually prosecuting the war.
With the influx of forces, especially the additional Assault Regiments, your thoughts shift to offensive operations. The next smallest continent on the Nowa Warszawa is defended by three conventional regiments of armored vehicles and a sizable infantry force, but no Mechs and no significant fixed defenses that have not already been reduced by orbital bombardment.
You believe that you can take the continent by storm, with a major drop comprising 1st, 2nd, and 5th Brigades of the 1st Armored Division. This way you would have far more than the classic 3 to 1 force disparity deemed adequate for offensive operations, especially considering the differences in unit quality.
The Navy meanwhile would like to hit Atarashi with another raid, making use of 2 Monolith-class jumpships to transport a mixed force of 8 Bainbridge-class Parasite Destroyers, 6 Shannon-class Parasite Armored Cruisers, 1 Royal Sovereign-class Parasite Battleship and 1 Newport-C logistics vessel. The objective of the raid is a mix of reconnaissance and asset denial.
The presence of the new modular White Tower defense station in orbit over the planet pretty much seals your orbital control.
-----
You decide to think about what you had learned from Siriwan, although you do send the intelligence about the little toes to the forces on Nowa Warszawa. She strikes you as a dangerous young woman in some ways, but only to her enemies. The question is if you count in that category. By all accounts she has rather impressed the head of the local Shinto shrine, you had met with the priest after and learned that Siriwan evidently had served as a miko at a similar shrine as a girl, while also learning actual Bushido from the monks.
Considering that said priest’s general opinion of Kuritas was that they practiced Bullshit-o rather than Bushido, that is high praise indeed.
Between diplomacy and running the war you are unable to take the time to attend all of the keel laying ceremonies for the new dropship construction, but from the reports it is all going according to budget and time frame, much more smoothly than the last few years had been.
You also miss the celebrations on Griffon IV as the final touches are put on the new artificial oceans, lakes, and rivers. DoME literally moved mountains, dug seabeds, and in general worked their industrious little hearts out to massively transform the landscape of the planet. For the first time in millenia rivers are flowing freely from mountains to the sea. More work is required to make the planet a true garden world, and you will need to decide if it is worth continuing to devote DoME resources to that project. A second round of artificial waterways, oceans, and such would be required if you wish to do so, but in return the planet would be almost as pleasant a place as Griffin’s Roost itself by the conclusion of it all.
A number of factories are upgraded on Griffon IV as well, bringing light/medium mech production up to just short of one and a third regiments a year. Orbital factories are also upgraded, increasing ferro fibrous and double heat sink availability.
The shipyards are expanded on schedule, with the Griffin’s Roost yards starting to look like something that could soon accommodate small warships, while the second jumpship slip around Nowy Gdansk is progressing well. Likewise the new yard orbiting Griffon IV is taking shape nicely. The refit and repair yard is also growing on schedule and will soon be able to accommodate the Morristown, assuming your R&D into the component technologies stays on schedule.
Speaking of research, work on electronics and communications base technologies have been completed, resulting in some significant benefits to related R&D areas.
Meta Event - 1
Dynasty Luck - 7
Imperial Approval - 2
Approval Change - 0
Political Event - -1
Imperial Economy - 1
Economic Event - -1
Research Event - 6
Griffin’s Roost
Economy - 6
Population - 10
Rating Change - 6
Nowy Gdansk
Economy - 7
Population - 13 (critical)
Rating Change - 2
Griffon Inner Asteroid Belt
Economy - 9
Rating Change - 3
Griffon II Orbitals
Economy - 5
Rating Change - 6
Griffon IV
Economy - 2
Population - 3
Rating Change - 6
Dynasty Luck - 7
Imperial Approval - 2
Approval Change - 0
Political Event - -1
Imperial Economy - 1
Economic Event - -1
Research Event - 6
Griffin’s Roost
Economy - 6
Population - 10
Rating Change - 6
Nowy Gdansk
Economy - 7
Population - 13 (critical)
Rating Change - 2
Griffon Inner Asteroid Belt
Economy - 9
Rating Change - 3
Griffon II Orbitals
Economy - 5
Rating Change - 6
Griffon IV
Economy - 2
Population - 3
Rating Change - 6
Plan: Offensive Turtling
Military [$ 36,305,272.12 ]
Upgrade All Ferro Fibrous Foundries [70]
Target - 70
Roll - 24
Result - SUCCESS
Construct White Tower System Defense Fortress Nowa Warzsawa Orbit [90]
Target - 90
Roll - 57
Result - SUCCESS
Lay Down Major Unit [Construction - $2,775,756.48 ]
-Tarawa [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 19
Result - SUCCESS
-Tarawa [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 6
Result - SUCCESS
-Tarawa [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 27
Result - SUCCESS
-Newport [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 47
Result - SUCCESS
-Newport [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 19
Result - SUCCESS
-Newport [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 49
Result - SUCCESS
-Newport-C [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 17
Result - SUCCESS
-Newport-C [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 50
Result - SUCCESS
-Ensign [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 22
Result - SUCCESS
-Ensign [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 58
Result - SUCCESS
-Ensign [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 30
Result - SUCCESS
-Ensign [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 59
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 17
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 85
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 43
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 42
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 18
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 66
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 84
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 20
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 39
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 52
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 79
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 30
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 72
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 56
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 96, edcaliban reroll - 66
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 96, Decim reroll - 70
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 42
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 76
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 2
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 25
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 23
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 84
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 3
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 98, HereticNep reroll - 81
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 39
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 53
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 84
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 57
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 2
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 39
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 84
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 47
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 82
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 12
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 39
Result - SUCCESS
Purchase New Units [$ 1,313,126.64 ]
5 Carrier Wings [75]
(4 for Silver Towers, 1 for White Tower)
Target - 75
Roll - 52
Result - SUCCESS
1 Planetary Defense Wing [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 13
Result - SUCCESS
1 Pathfinder Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 21
Result - SUCCESS
3 Assault Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 30
Result - SUCCESS
1 Armored Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 71
Result - SUCCESS
3 Mechanized Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 8
Result - SUCCESS
Interior [$ 45,795,000.00 ]
Focus Development on Griffin IV [65]
Target - 65
Roll - 47
Result - SUCCESS
Expand Factory 80 [105]
Target - 105
Roll - 68
Result - SUCCESS
Expand Factory 81 [105]
Target - 105
Roll - 19
Result - SUCCESS
Expand Factory 82 [105]
Target - 105
Roll - 81
Result - SUCCESS
Upgrade All DHS Foundries [70]
Target - 70
Roll - 54
Result - SUCCESS
Build Orbital Factory Ferro-Fib Nowy Gdansk [110]
Target - 110
Roll - 44
Result - SUCCESS
Build Orbital Factory DHS Griffin's Roost [110]
Target - 110
Roll - 89
Result - SUCCESS
Expand Refit and Repair Yard [100]
Target - 100
Roll - 52
Result - SUCCESS
Expand Orbital Shipyard Griffons Roost [100]
Target - 100
Roll - 74
Result - SUCCESS
Expand Orbital Shipyard Nowy Gdansk [100]
Target - 100
Roll - 95
Result - SUCCESS
DOME - Planetary Sculpting - Artificial Oceans - Griffin IV* [45]
Target - 50
Roll - 4
Result - SUCCESS
DOME - Planetary Sculpting - Artificial Riverbeds - Griffin IV* [65]
Target - 100
Roll - 91
Result - SUCCESS
DOME - Planetary Sculpting - Artificial Lakes - Griffin IV* [95]
Target - 70
Roll - 85, ShadowArxxy - 46
Result - SUCCESS
Diplomatic [$ 2010000 ]
CULTURE - Monuments Ho! [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 11
Result - SUCCESS
Political [$ 0 ]
Research [$ 131,000,000.00 ]
Electronics lvl 6 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 16
Result - SUCCESS
Improved Communications Lvl 6 [95]
Target - 95
Roll - 66
Result - SUCCESS
Intelligence [$ 2000000 ]
Justice [$ 1000000 ]
Military [$ 36,305,272.12 ]
Upgrade All Ferro Fibrous Foundries [70]
Target - 70
Roll - 24
Result - SUCCESS
Construct White Tower System Defense Fortress Nowa Warzsawa Orbit [90]
Target - 90
Roll - 57
Result - SUCCESS
Lay Down Major Unit [Construction - $2,775,756.48 ]
-Tarawa [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 19
Result - SUCCESS
-Tarawa [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 6
Result - SUCCESS
-Tarawa [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 27
Result - SUCCESS
-Newport [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 47
Result - SUCCESS
-Newport [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 19
Result - SUCCESS
-Newport [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 49
Result - SUCCESS
-Newport-C [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 17
Result - SUCCESS
-Newport-C [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 50
Result - SUCCESS
-Ensign [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 22
Result - SUCCESS
-Ensign [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 58
Result - SUCCESS
-Ensign [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 30
Result - SUCCESS
-Ensign [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 59
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 17
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 85
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 43
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 42
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 18
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 66
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 84
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 20
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 39
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 52
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 79
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 30
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 72
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 56
Result - SUCCESS
-Bainbridge [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 96, edcaliban reroll - 66
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 96, Decim reroll - 70
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 42
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 76
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 2
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 25
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 23
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 84
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 3
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 98, HereticNep reroll - 81
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 39
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 53
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 84
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 57
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 2
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 39
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 84
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 47
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 82
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 12
Result - SUCCESS
-PGL-50 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 39
Result - SUCCESS
Purchase New Units [$ 1,313,126.64 ]
5 Carrier Wings [75]
(4 for Silver Towers, 1 for White Tower)
Target - 75
Roll - 52
Result - SUCCESS
1 Planetary Defense Wing [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 13
Result - SUCCESS
1 Pathfinder Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 21
Result - SUCCESS
3 Assault Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 30
Result - SUCCESS
1 Armored Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 71
Result - SUCCESS
3 Mechanized Regiment [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 8
Result - SUCCESS
Interior [$ 45,795,000.00 ]
Focus Development on Griffin IV [65]
Target - 65
Roll - 47
Result - SUCCESS
Expand Factory 80 [105]
Target - 105
Roll - 68
Result - SUCCESS
Expand Factory 81 [105]
Target - 105
Roll - 19
Result - SUCCESS
Expand Factory 82 [105]
Target - 105
Roll - 81
Result - SUCCESS
Upgrade All DHS Foundries [70]
Target - 70
Roll - 54
Result - SUCCESS
Build Orbital Factory Ferro-Fib Nowy Gdansk [110]
Target - 110
Roll - 44
Result - SUCCESS
Build Orbital Factory DHS Griffin's Roost [110]
Target - 110
Roll - 89
Result - SUCCESS
Expand Refit and Repair Yard [100]
Target - 100
Roll - 52
Result - SUCCESS
Expand Orbital Shipyard Griffons Roost [100]
Target - 100
Roll - 74
Result - SUCCESS
Expand Orbital Shipyard Nowy Gdansk [100]
Target - 100
Roll - 95
Result - SUCCESS
DOME - Planetary Sculpting - Artificial Oceans - Griffin IV* [45]
Target - 50
Roll - 4
Result - SUCCESS
DOME - Planetary Sculpting - Artificial Riverbeds - Griffin IV* [65]
Target - 100
Roll - 91
Result - SUCCESS
DOME - Planetary Sculpting - Artificial Lakes - Griffin IV* [95]
Target - 70
Roll - 85, ShadowArxxy - 46
Result - SUCCESS
Diplomatic [$ 2010000 ]
CULTURE - Monuments Ho! [75]
Target - 75
Roll - 11
Result - SUCCESS
Political [$ 0 ]
Research [$ 131,000,000.00 ]
Electronics lvl 6 [85]
Target - 85
Roll - 16
Result - SUCCESS
Improved Communications Lvl 6 [95]
Target - 95
Roll - 66
Result - SUCCESS
Intelligence [$ 2000000 ]
Justice [$ 1000000 ]
----------
Griffon
You decide to match Siriwan’s formality with your own, but to put the Kuritan off balance you go for maximum European style formality.
Apart from a slight twitch, she doesn’t react as she enters the banquet hall, the twitch barely noticeable, and seemingly more of a sort of mental ‘reset’ than anything else, as if she were shifting gears, and sure enough, when she reaches precisely the point demanded by etiquette she dips into a quite smooth curtsey, despite wearing a kimono which is plainly not suited for such.
What follows is hours of meaningless small talk, about topics ranging from the quality of the food to the lovely weather. She seems endlessly patient, another point to the young lady. You do revise your estimate of her age downward a bit, she’s likely still a teenager, no more than 20 at the most, with the very slightly unfinished look of one that age that is only obvious under close examination. Yet she holds herself with impeccable poise.
You also notice that she has callouses on her hands of the sort developed with hours on the range and training salle. This is not some pampered flower of a noble girl good only for the whirl of the social circuit.
Finally you get to the meat of the discussion, once the last dishes are cleared away and it is time for serious talk over after dinner drinks. You note that she takes the tiniest possible sip of champagne, barely even wetting her lips, before setting it aside.
“You have come to me seeking terms for peace.” You open up with, lifting one eyebrow to turn the phrase into a question.
“Indeed, Your Imperial Majesty.” she replies, catching your volley and sending it back without revealing much of anything.
That sets the tone, and several interesting bits come out. When asked about what her bottom line terms are, she rather surprises you.
“The Kuroisora and Sukaishi systems, and that the body of my mother be repatriated from Nowa Warszawa.” she says promptly, “Beyond that, if my little brother comes into your power, that you treat him kindly as he is but a small boy and innocent of our father’s crimes.”
“So you admit that…” you are interrupted before you can finish.
“That my father is a monster, unworthy of his position?” she asks, crooking one eyebrow. “That he, like my grandfather before him, succumbed to pride and ambition?” she waits a beat. “Do you happen to know what is required for a man to join the Otomo or the Amphigean Assault Group under my father’s rule?”
“No, beyond skill at a mech.” you reply cautiously.
“The candidate must prove their loyalty to the Dragon by personally executing, with a sword, an elder family member, to show that they place their loyalty to the Dragon above mere family ties or respect for their elders. My elder brother was the commander of the Amphigeans, and proved his loyalty to the Dragon by beheading our mother at my father’s command.'' She says the entire thing in a very calm conversational voice.
You blink at that, “And yourself?”
“I am but a mere girl, Your Imperial Majesty, hardly worthy of service to the Dragon. I was sent as a child to a monastery on Kuroisora, no doubt to hide the shame of having a mere daughter.'' She takes a sip of water, perfectly composed. “When my brother disappeared, father saw fit to summon me to Okusawa, on the pretext that I was to take my brother’s place as his heir. Unfortunately, I was quite aware that this was but a pretext.” Another sip of water. “And so I declined, with a most respectful letter advising my esteemed father that as the only remaining family member suitable for me to prove my loyalty to the Dragon was, in fact, the Dragon, I would be most pleased to show the depth of my devotion.”
She smiles, and it does not reach anywhere near her eyes. Indeed, if a hungry Great Shark had seen that smile, it would turn and swim the other way as fast as possible, knowing itself in the presence of a deadlier predator.
“I am informed that Father did not take it well, but was constrained in his response. His naming me Gunji-no-Kanrei was a pretext that arrived mere hours before your reconnaissance flotilla did, along with a command to return to Okusawa for ‘strategic consultations’. Most proper for the Gunji-no-Kanrei to do so, of course, but I was able to delay.” She smiles again, a bit more warmly. “Takeda Daido, who has taken up the mantle of Emperor, was most accommodating of my request to form a bakufu in His name, and named me Shogun. The people of Kuroisora and Sukaishi have most graciously sworn their loyalty to the bakufu, and I have confirmed their leaders as daimyo.” She takes a sip of water. “Thus my bottom line, Your Imperial Majesty. I make no claims to New Sekigahara, Atarashi, or Okusawa, and have no wish to be associated with the abomination that is Kilburrough. If the people of those worlds wish to desert my father’s failing regime for my realm, they are welcome to emigrate, apart, of course, for ISF agents of my fathers.”
You raise an eyebrow at that, having let the young woman speak freely and mentally filing away information… why would the Dragon summon her to Okusawa and not New Sekigahara, for example… “You are so confident in your ability to identify ISF agents, then?” you ask, only to get an unexpected laugh from the young woman.
“Your Imperial Majesty, my father is a pretentious fool who sees enemies behind every blade of grass. Any who wish to serve him as an ISF agent are required to sacrifice the small toe on their left foot to prove their devotion to the Dragon. Simply require any you suspect to remove their shoes, or if you wish to be subtle, invite them inside a traditional space where etiquette demands that they remove their shoes. Any with amputated little toes on the left foot can safely be determined to be ISF agents.”
-----
Nowa Warszawa
With the additional forces in place it has become a waiting game. Tensions continue to boil over between the Polish and non-Polish populations, but your infantry are generally able to keep things from escalating past shouting, the occasional fisticuffs, and rude language. It’s quite amazing how polite suits of power armor can make people.
There are still guerrilla attacks, but they are scattered. One Orb Weaver has been badly damaged with a roadside IED, and a Soldatin took a rocket propelled anti-armor grenade to the cockpit, shaking up the pilot but only requiring minor repairs.
It is also proving nearly impossible to put together a civilian government independent of your authority, the native Poles tend to settle disputes with their fists, with many accusations of collaboration being constantly leveled between political opponents, even when both were members of the Home Army itself. It’s rather maddening, almost a year in and there’s not even the start of a governing structure in place beyond ‘defer to the Griffon Commander’ which is pulling you away from actually prosecuting the war.
With the influx of forces, especially the additional Assault Regiments, your thoughts shift to offensive operations. The next smallest continent on the Nowa Warszawa is defended by three conventional regiments of armored vehicles and a sizable infantry force, but no Mechs and no significant fixed defenses that have not already been reduced by orbital bombardment.
You believe that you can take the continent by storm, with a major drop comprising 1st, 2nd, and 5th Brigades of the 1st Armored Division. This way you would have far more than the classic 3 to 1 force disparity deemed adequate for offensive operations, especially considering the differences in unit quality.
| [] | Approve Operation Bronze Predator |
| [] | Deny Operation Bronze Predator |
The Navy meanwhile would like to hit Atarashi with another raid, making use of 2 Monolith-class jumpships to transport a mixed force of 8 Bainbridge-class Parasite Destroyers, 6 Shannon-class Parasite Armored Cruisers, 1 Royal Sovereign-class Parasite Battleship and 1 Newport-C logistics vessel. The objective of the raid is a mix of reconnaissance and asset denial.
| [] | Approve Operation Cookie Crumbles |
| [] | Deny Operation Cookie Crumbles |
The presence of the new modular White Tower defense station in orbit over the planet pretty much seals your orbital control.
-----
You decide to think about what you had learned from Siriwan, although you do send the intelligence about the little toes to the forces on Nowa Warszawa. She strikes you as a dangerous young woman in some ways, but only to her enemies. The question is if you count in that category. By all accounts she has rather impressed the head of the local Shinto shrine, you had met with the priest after and learned that Siriwan evidently had served as a miko at a similar shrine as a girl, while also learning actual Bushido from the monks.
Considering that said priest’s general opinion of Kuritas was that they practiced Bullshit-o rather than Bushido, that is high praise indeed.
Between diplomacy and running the war you are unable to take the time to attend all of the keel laying ceremonies for the new dropship construction, but from the reports it is all going according to budget and time frame, much more smoothly than the last few years had been.
You also miss the celebrations on Griffon IV as the final touches are put on the new artificial oceans, lakes, and rivers. DoME literally moved mountains, dug seabeds, and in general worked their industrious little hearts out to massively transform the landscape of the planet. For the first time in millenia rivers are flowing freely from mountains to the sea. More work is required to make the planet a true garden world, and you will need to decide if it is worth continuing to devote DoME resources to that project. A second round of artificial waterways, oceans, and such would be required if you wish to do so, but in return the planet would be almost as pleasant a place as Griffin’s Roost itself by the conclusion of it all.
A number of factories are upgraded on Griffon IV as well, bringing light/medium mech production up to just short of one and a third regiments a year. Orbital factories are also upgraded, increasing ferro fibrous and double heat sink availability.
The shipyards are expanded on schedule, with the Griffin’s Roost yards starting to look like something that could soon accommodate small warships, while the second jumpship slip around Nowy Gdansk is progressing well. Likewise the new yard orbiting Griffon IV is taking shape nicely. The refit and repair yard is also growing on schedule and will soon be able to accommodate the Morristown, assuming your R&D into the component technologies stays on schedule.
Speaking of research, work on electronics and communications base technologies have been completed, resulting in some significant benefits to related R&D areas.
Knowledgeispower
Ah I love the smell of missile spam in the morning
So did we off the young Kurita's older brother? Because it seems like to me we might have done so.
To answer a few questions. Yes, young grifftigers may be interested in moving to Griffon IV, the elders however stick to GR, mostly because they don't fit in dropships very well.
Yes, your forces did kill the eldest child of the Dragon, he was the CO of the attack that hit you and was killed in action on Castor.
Yes, your forces did kill the eldest child of the Dragon, he was the CO of the attack that hit you and was killed in action on Castor.
Orangeduke38
Well-known member
[X] Approve Operation Bronze Predator
[X] Approve Operation Cookie Crumbles
[X] Approve Operation Cookie Crumbles
SuperHeavy
Well-known member
She is sane and can't call on any help from home without getting executed, really this is some of the best qualities we could have hoped for.
Val the Moofia Boss
Well-known member
[X] Approve Operation Bronze Predator
[X] Approve Operation Cookie Crumbles
The text seems to imply that Gunji's little brother is on Nowa Warszawa, presumably being held in the Dragon's fortified palace. Seems like it would be in our best interests that we don't obliterate or gas the Dragon's fortified palace and try to retrieve Gunji's younger brother and hand him over to maintain good relations with our new Shogunate neighbors.
[X] Approve Operation Cookie Crumbles
The text seems to imply that Gunji's little brother is on Nowa Warszawa, presumably being held in the Dragon's fortified palace. Seems like it would be in our best interests that we don't obliterate or gas the Dragon's fortified palace and try to retrieve Gunji's younger brother and hand him over to maintain good relations with our new Shogunate neighbors.
Several bits of relevant information.
Siriwan Kurita is 19, raised in a Shinto monastery by monk's who actually followed real Buddhism and taught her the Way of the Sword from a very young age. She is very accomplished for her age, but follows the precept that a Master of the Way is one who knows that they have not Mastered the Way.
She did bring a single attendant, who is slightly older than her, from the same monastery, who acts in some ways like an NCO dealing with a brilliant young officer, reminds you a great deal of Sergeant Ngo.
Bakufu is literally 'tent government' and is the formal name for the Shogunate. In theory, Siriwan is running the empire on behalf of the emperor, rather than in her own right. This is significant because House Kurita claims to rule in their own right in the Draconis Combine, with no possible authority aside from themselves.
Siriwan Kurita is 19, raised in a Shinto monastery by monk's who actually followed real Buddhism and taught her the Way of the Sword from a very young age. She is very accomplished for her age, but follows the precept that a Master of the Way is one who knows that they have not Mastered the Way.
She did bring a single attendant, who is slightly older than her, from the same monastery, who acts in some ways like an NCO dealing with a brilliant young officer, reminds you a great deal of Sergeant Ngo.
Bakufu is literally 'tent government' and is the formal name for the Shogunate. In theory, Siriwan is running the empire on behalf of the emperor, rather than in her own right. This is significant because House Kurita claims to rule in their own right in the Draconis Combine, with no possible authority aside from themselves.
edofthesquid
Well-known member
By the powers of Ba we clearly need to start scoping out her acceptableness as an adopted grandchild.
[X] Approve Operation Bronze Predator
[X] Approve Operation Cookie Crumbles
Let's keep them off balancd
[X] Approve Operation Bronze Predator
[X] Approve Operation Cookie Crumbles
Let's keep them off balancd
Val the Moofia Boss
Well-known member
Thinking of marrying off one of grandkids as a marriage alliance might be feasible? Their child/descendants could eventually have a claim to power, and if they are predisposed towards us, then the Bakufu could eventually become a pseudo-vassal state of Griffin.
[joking?]
Nah, as a good Ba that isn't an option. Now if love blooms, that is one thing, but no politics. Thankfully, as a good Ba, there are many options for love to bloom. If that fails, just use the supernatural powers of a good Ba to bully her into accepting you as a adopted Ba.
Edit: note, the bullying may include cookies.
[/joking?]
edofthesquid
Well-known member
Yeah this was pretty much my line of thought - dynastic marriage isn't something we want to force, but unofficial adoption and/or pushing grandchildren her way seems like a winner
Thors_Alumni
Well-known member
[X] Approve Operation Bronze Predator
[X] Approve Operation Cookie Crumbles
[X] Approve Operation Cookie Crumbles