Battletech Welcome to the Jungle

PsihoKekec

Swashbuckling Accountant
Good interlude, shows well how Comstar managed to play of Successor States for centuries, but I have an issue with the timeline, ROM learned of the cores in May and by the start of the September one was not only stolen but also replaced? Operations of such complexity generally take more time, especially since Lyrans would have tightened the security around all sites, even the bait ones, after the first breach.
 

Speaker4thesilent

Crazed Deplorable
Good interlude, shows well how Comstar managed to play of Successor States for centuries, but I have an issue with the timeline, ROM learned of the cores in May and by the start of the September one was not only stolen but also replaced? Operations of such complexity generally take more time, especially since Lyrans would have tightened the security around all sites, even the bait ones, after the first breach.
Yeah, the timeline is tight, but the Capellans run a Command economy. One of the few things that’s good for is quick turnaround on high priority espionage missions. Especially with Com* subtly greasing the wheels.
 
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The Unicorn

Well-known member
Also half the fun for this was writing how ROM looks at the new Thud and jumps to the totally incorrect conclusion (that it was going to have Artemis) using flawed logic.
No, the fun part is that based on that conclusion they gave the Capellans Artemis in the "Lyran Data Core" the Capelans stole. Sooner or later that information is going to leak, the contents of the data core will probably leak long before any technical data, and since the Lyrans know the datacore did not actually have Artemis they're going to wonder who gave the information to the Capellans.

Also, I disagree with your description of their logic as faulty, their logic was impeccable, they just started from an incorrect premise.
 
onfederation to help them develop and produce more advanced BattleMechs, and then arrest the spy later that day for embezzlement. If it becomes necessary, at some point down the line we can also ‘discover’ who the thief was working for and use that to place political pressure on the Capellans for one concession or another
Hmmm. Ah but what if the capellans not desiring the wrath of comstar for stealing and mad max being very suspicious of this 'windfall' decide to give the money back and disavow these actions.

Also I like how no one in comstar is thinking about what the FWL is up to. They really should. Because I imagine Janos Marik and Jaime Wolf will be finding Kristofers mail to be just fascinating reading.
 

Speaker4thesilent

Crazed Deplorable
Hmmm. Ah but what if the capellans not desiring the wrath of comstar for stealing and mad max being very suspicious of this 'windfall' decide to give the money back and disavow these actions.

Also I like how no one in comstar is thinking about what the FWL is up to. They really should. Because I imagine Janos Marik and Jaime Wolf will be finding Kristofers mail to be just fascinating reading.
Wait and find out :p
 

The Whispering Monk

Well-known member
Osaul
Also the more ComStar tries to use ROM in this matter the more likely they are to have someone figure out major intel group not belonging to any of the major Intel services is around

I'm actually looking forward to the BIG REVEAL when the major powers realize that Comstar is up to shenanigans...and MAY IN FACT be responsible for the lack of tech growth in the IS. Of course...I REALLY want to see how big a brick Comstar craps when they realize they're Out of the Closet...so to speak.
 

Knowledgeispower

Ah I love the smell of missile spam in the morning
I'm actually looking forward to the BIG REVEAL when the major powers realize that Comstar is up to shenanigans...and MAY IN FACT be responsible for the lack of tech growth in the IS. Of course...I REALLY want to see how big a brick Comstar craps when they realize they're Out of the Closet...so to speak.
Especially since at this point they have the 3 Dantes as the only active warships in their fleet and the ComGuards are greener than grass and are way smaller than they later would be
 

Crazyone47

Active member
I'm actually looking forward to the BIG REVEAL when the major powers realize that Comstar is up to shenanigans...and MAY IN FACT be responsible for the lack of tech growth in the IS. Of course...I REALLY want to see how big a brick Comstar craps when they realize they're Out of the Closet...so to speak.
Im not so sure it would be a big reveal though.
Like it or not kinda like Christian Denominations and churches today Comstar does provide assistance to desperate people who need it. It just so happens that in doing so they have gained themselves a lot of power which they use for many unsavory things like any large organization in real life. And Comstar has made itself indispensable to current Inner Sphere society in ways beyond humanitarian and charitable assistance.
Taking down Comstar wouldnt just bring down the baddies it would also mean that governments would need to use a lot of effort, manpower and respurces to fill the gaps that used to be filled by Comstar otherwise they will have a lot of desperate, angry and dead citizens.
And I am not convinced that any IS power is willing to go through all that trouble yet.
So there will probably be no public BigReveal. It is more likely to just become another shadow war in the Inner Sphere
 

The Unicorn

Well-known member
Taking down Comstar wouldnt just bring down the baddies it would also mean that governments would need to use a lot of effort, manpower and respurces to fill the gaps that used to be filled by Comstar otherwise they will have a lot of desperate, angry and dead citizens.
The desperate and angry citizens would be told the fault is the Comstar Leadership, the dead citizens would be used as a bloody flag as they attempt to take over Comstar's assets.

However you're greatly over estimating the effect of taking down Comstar. What you're describing is what would happen if someone waved a magic wand and made all of Comstar's personell and assets disappear.
First the IS nations will be doing their best to capture Comstar assets intact, and when it comes to their more charitable efforts will be successful at that pretty much 100% of the time, so while the funding for the faciliteis may disappear, the facilities themselvs will be there, meaning it's not going to be a case of suddenly the services are unavailable, but of (at worst) gradually less and less services being available.
Second, the vast majority of the lower ranks in Comstar, and pretty much everyone who would allow themselvs to be captured much less be willing to cooperate with the successor states, especially after the discovery of what the upper ranks in ComStar were doing would be highly invested in the charitable operations, so the chances of them dismantling them are Nill, and they'd almost certainly argue against any plan to de-fund them.
Third, in the short term, the successor states need to let former Comstar members keep running Comstar banks and facilities, unless some Blakist managed to destroy evetything of course, in which case the lack of Comstar charities is the least of their worries. In the long term just the economic boost from not having to deal with Comstar would reduce the need for those charities, the improvement in standard of living from improved technology and increased trade would reduce the problems further...well unless all out wart breaks out, in which case again, the lack of charities will be the least of anyone's problems.
 

PeaceMaker 03

Well-known member
I see a PR BATTLE, first and foremost.
If most of C* knew what ROM had done it would lead to defections or at least a shake up of leadership in C* if it becomes known C* has helped kill billions for political reasons.
ie.
Not sharing water purification and terraforming tech. Alone is reason to crush C*. Think of the limited service to the Bulls, MoC, and Other Periphery nations, now think if the hit every station at the same time and they can cobble together enough tech to put together a HPG primer or manufacturing?

The Bulls would have little love for Terrian organization, now how much would the Lyrans pay for HPG tech? or FWL?

Hell open bidding for the first IS NATION to buy new Bulls HPG tech give them a 5-10 year exclusive on the tech.
. This might be wrong answer though better to set a price in $$$$, goods(jump ships) and production lines/ tech. This would distribute the technology so C* has less reason to nuke the bulls.
Know it might sit badly in the Bulls belly but might be worth selling to fed rats, so they do not see value in attempting to seize the tech.
 

Crazyone47

Active member
The desperate and angry citizens would be told the fault is the Comstar Leadership, the dead citizens would be used as a bloody flag as they attempt to take over Comstar's assets.

However you're greatly over estimating the effect of taking down Comstar. What you're describing is what would happen if someone waved a magic wand and made all of Comstar's personell and assets disappear.
First the IS nations will be doing their best to capture Comstar assets intact, and when it comes to their more charitable efforts will be successful at that pretty much 100% of the time, so while the funding for the faciliteis may disappear, the facilities themselvs will be there, meaning it's not going to be a case of suddenly the services are unavailable, but of (at worst) gradually less and less services being available.
Second, the vast majority of the lower ranks in Comstar, and pretty much everyone who would allow themselvs to be captured much less be willing to cooperate with the successor states, especially after the discovery of what the upper ranks in ComStar were doing would be highly invested in the charitable operations, so the chances of them dismantling them are Nill, and they'd almost certainly argue against any plan to de-fund them.
Third, in the short term, the successor states need to let former Comstar members keep running Comstar banks and facilities, unless some Blakist managed to destroy evetything of course, in which case the lack of Comstar charities is the least of their worries. In the long term just the economic boost from not having to deal with Comstar would reduce the need for those charities, the improvement in standard of living from improved technology and increased trade would reduce the problems further...well unless all out wart breaks out, in which case again, the lack of charities will be the least of anyone's problems.
Okay I was kinda thinking Comstar lower ranks would start warring among themselves and make that service infrastructure highly damaged in the process.
And please note Comstar banks cannot just be taken over.... At the very least wothout coordinated seizure of monetary assets among Periphery and Inner Sphere powers economic turmoil would be an understatement as C bills are eliminated
 

The Unicorn

Well-known member
Okay I was kinda thinking Comstar lower ranks would start warring among themselves and make that service infrastructure highly damaged in the process.
The lower ranks might fight, but they'd use words, not anything that would damage the equipment since even among ROM most of them want to help people the only question would be weather or not they believe the evidence of the upper ranks crimes.
And please note Comstar banks cannot just be taken over.... At the very least wothout coordinated seizure of monetary assets among Periphery and Inner Sphere powers economic turmoil would be an understatement as C bills are eliminated
First you are thinking of modern fiat currency, not Specie currency like the C-Bill. The C-Bill is defined as a certain amount of HPG service, that whoever controls the HPG network de-facto has possession of those C-bills.
Second, why do you think such a seizure would need to be coordinated?
 

Crazyone47

Active member
Why do you think such a seizure would need to be coordinated?
Because otherwise the governments will likely claim the others have falsified records when they deal with c billsand that will send the currency tumbling down because no one will nelieve in it.
And I doubt that the lower ranks will all use words. Although you are right in that I may have overestimated the amount of fanatics there are in Comstar
 

The Unicorn

Well-known member
Because otherwise the governments will likely claim the others have falsified records when they deal with c billsand that will send the currency tumbling down because no one will nelieve in it.
How will coordinated seizure stop that? For that matter why do you think anyone would make that claim in the first place?
And I doubt that the lower ranks will all use words. Although you are right in that I may have overestimated the amount of fanatics there are in Comstar
I think you are greatly UNDER estimating the number of fanatics in the lower ranks of Comstar, the issue what they are fanatic about.
 

Crazyone47

Active member
How will coordinated seizure stop that? For that matter why do you think anyone would make that claim in the first place?
I think you are greatly UNDER estimating the number of fanatics in the lower ranks of Comstar, the issue what they are fanatic about.
It was the worst economic thing I could think of and I am coming offf a 40k binge which means I believe the worst things will inevitably happen.
 

Atarlost

Well-known member
All of that is survivable. Anywhere that can't sustain life out of its own resources and isn't a major mineral producer and/or industrial center with substantial jumpship traffic died centuries ago.

There will be economic dislocations, but it'll be peanuts to the succession wars. Every nation has their own currency for internal trade and no one's relying on international trade except some of the weaker periphery nations for weapons. Maybe the MoC and OWA suffer serious pirate problems if currency exchanges don't stabilize before they run out of spare parts. I don't think their lives are more important than the poor citizens of major nations that could recover if they had unredacted physics textbooks and their best and brightest weren't afraid to go into research because their best and brightest are capable of recognizing patterns.

Cappie defense doctrine relies more than most on FTL comms I think so they might get many of their worlds conquered, but they're mostly going to lose them to the Feddies and FWL and that's a quality of life improvement for most of the population and a probability of continued life improvement for most of the former "haves" because they're also those at risk of coming to the Chancellor's attention.
 

Yellowhammer

Well-known member
Guys, this is getting to be a bit of a derail, the more so since the Successor States already have known that ComStar has it's own agenda that is not the same as theirs. See what happened at the start of the Second Succession War. (Plus Comstar has done the Steiners and Kuritas dirty in canon). It's a bit more suited for a general Battletech thread than this particular story which has a very different focus than ComStar shenanigans.

All this information will be doing is to give further proof to the Lyrans that ComStar is involved with the technological decline of the Inner Sphere. (and to the Mariks that ComStar was involved with Anton's Rebellion)

Unfortunately, they can't easily get rid of the Blakists (although all of the Great Houses both want to and have secret contigincy plans to harm ComStar/infiltrate ComStar along with additional plans marked 'what to do in case of Interdict'.
 

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