¶ Random Ideas
Just some random ideas I don't want to lose.
¶ Terran Space Stations
Vakasa — Today at 11:03 AM
The Zodiac is, admittedly, a tight squeeze. Honestly, Calysto is overall larger than this. Im thinking this is Earth Station, mostly for civilians, and the Navy has their own, maybe at a Lagrange point.Morgul — Today at 11:08 AM
Hmm. The could even have theirs out at Mars, as kinda a historic 'Fuck You' to the League.Vakasa — Today at 11:56 AM
Or in the belt, or even out past Pluto. I feel like for their Naval Station, they aren’t going to be unhappy if it’s kind of on its ownMorgul — Today at 12:19 PM
Or, knowing then, why not multiple stations?Vakasa — Today at 12:21 PM
That makes sense for them. Refuel/replenish/leave station, dry dock/major repairs station, Naval Command Station, System Sensor station, System Defense StationMorgul — Today at 12:23 PM
Yup. And there's probably one secret station squirreled away, just in case. You can never be too careful with your home system, after all.Vakasa — Today at 2:12 PM
I just had a hilarious thought about that secret station. What if it’s just two Valorous-class in station configuration and anchored to an asteroid in the belt. So sure, secret station, but secret station that can, inside a day, become two cruisers.Morgul — Today at 2:41 PM
...I love that idea.
Hmm.
Can a Valorous-station do any ship building, I wonder? Because I could see some super cheap/janky scaffolding "dry dock" strung up between the two, with some mining equipment on the asteroid, just in case they need to build some new ships in secret.Vakasa — Today at 2:48 PM
Oh probably.
¶ Terran Intelligence
Vakasa — Today at 2:48 PM
Oh probably.
We need to figure out who the McKenzie analogue is. I feel like the actual Head of Intelligence for the Terrans is an utter douche canoe, but their assistant knows what’s up and has earned the respect of the department heads in Intel.Morgul — Today at 2:51 PM
Love that idea.
So, the paths to promotion in the Terran Military are one of these:
- Somehow become a popular public figure that Public Relations decides is going to be their pet for the time being
- Be a member of a family that controls a large, powerful corporate conglomerate
- Be a member of a large crime family
- Be an odd combination of incredibly competent at your job and so naive no one sees you as a threat
b) or be good at pretending to be naive- Be very competent AND excellent at blackmail AND inconvenient to disappear
Vakasa — Today at 2:56 PM
Gregorie started as 4 and became 5, didn’t heMorgul — Today at 2:56 PM
Yup.
But he still falls back on 4b sometimes.
I think the head of Terran Intelligence is a 2 or 3.
I think the assistant started out as 1, the Head snagged them for clout, and they became a 4 into a 5.Vakasa — Today at 2:58 PM
I was thinking Head is 2 with a touch of 1 in his early career. Very pretty but utterly incompetent. Snagged Assistant as a 1, for external clout and sold it to Assistant as “mentorship”Morgul — Today at 2:59 PM
Mmm, I like that.Vakasa — Today at 3:01 PM
Assistant probably met Gregorie and other capable operatives in the 4/5 category, they saw something of kindred spirit/someone who can smooth life out for them, and kind of adopted the Assistant. Advice, suggestions, off the clock training, introductions, all the shit Head should have been doing but has no idea how to do.
So, Head is happy because his branch slowly starts to get really effective and a bunch of rough areas smooth out, and so he doesn’t mess with anything. The department heads are delighted to have someone close enough to power listening to them and then change gets enacted, so they don’t mess with anything. Operatives suddenly have room to operate, resources, clear direction where needed, so those that didn’t have a hand in shaping the assistant fall in line or vanish. The heads of the Party give zero shits so long as their stuff all works, and McKenzie is the only one who is like, “Wait, no” until he seeks out the Assistant and realizes that this kid is the one best capable to getting the shit done in Terran space that he wants to see done.Morgul — Today at 3:12 PM
Hmm. How would you feel about this? Assistant is the one who paired up Gregorie and Anatolie... so after the Rekonin debacle Gregorie wonders if the Assistant is actually working for the Sooni. (He doesn't know their name yet, just that they're some sort of group of augmented humans.) I want him to eventually realize the Assistant is actually on his side, just didn't know about Anatolie. In fact, I'm kinda open to the idea that, maybe, McKenzie has dropped some information on the Assistant...Vakasa — Today at 3:15 PM
Oh hell yeah. And maybe the Assistant had enough bits and pieces of evidence to ID most of the moles in Intel and slowly isolate them, but he was never sure if Gregorie and Anatolie were on the level. Both very good operatives but also both had a high incidence of incidences on their missions that couldn’t be explained. Anatolie because he’s a Sooni, Gregorie because he just kept finding himself dealing with weird shitMorgul — Today at 3:16 PM
Yeah, 100% makes sense to me.
¶ League New Fleet Tour
Approximately one year before the Fall, with renewed tensions on the Terran border, and with the Lyndri declaring war on the NorAellians, League High Command gathered together a fleet of their five newest class lead vessels: The Hermes, the Einstein, the Erebus, the Valhalla, and the Revelation and sent them on a tour of League worlds.
¶ Archigos-class names
For Archigos-class ships attached to Revelation-class ships:
Original Spec Archies attached to LSS Revelation:
LSS Odysseus (in homage to the original name of the AR-1) (if we don't like this one, Perseus)
LSS HectorRefit Spec Archies attached to LSS Shadrach
LSS Molpe
LSS AglaopeRefit Spec Archies attached to LSS Meshach (suffered same fate as Meshach, currently stationed at Anchorage)
LSS Ligeia
LSS TelesRefit Spec Archies attached to LSS Abednego (officially listed as Missing in Action)
LSS Parthenope
LSS Himerope
¶ Greek Monster names
Gorgons:
Stheno
EuryaleSirens:
Thelxiepeia
Peisinoe
Leucosia
Raidne
¶ Novel Timeline
Vakasa — 04/25/2023 4:33 PM
So I’m planning on doing an End of Year Inspection for the Academy (basically finals plus an Admiral inspection of the ship and top cadets, plus “promotion” to next cadet rank ceremony, plus barnburner of a party) and I was wanting to tweak the Academy’s “year” around so that the Annual Remembrance of Charlemagne kicks the year off and the EOY ends the year, with the cadets spending the intervening month or so either on their Senior cruise where they fully run the Moskva, or away at other ships or stations for internships more or less. And I want to orient that so that the Fall happens during EOY for maximum impact on my kidsMorgul — 04/25/2023 4:34 PM
That works for me.Vakasa — 04/25/2023 4:35 PM
So end of May, start of June sometime?Morgul — 04/25/2023 4:39 PM
I keep pushing what chapter the Fall happens in, in the main story. Let me talk through this, see if it all fits.I was thinking of giving the Rekonin some time on her shakedown cruise before the fall. 6 weeks feels about right. Say, three for the 'refit' she has to have to be combat ready, and the month of 'initial shake down she does under the watchful eye of the Erebus after Tel'Erani. Which puts Tel'Erani at... end of Feburary?
That all seems to fit.
Also, 13 weeks for some of the cast to heal from broken bones and other injuries? That seems reasonable, right?Vakasa — 04/25/2023 4:40 PM
Yeah, given some sci-fi space medicine. It also gives Sean a chance to build up a real good hate boner after Tel’EraniMorgul — 04/25/2023 4:40 PM
Yup.
So, right around the New Year is when Operation Fortitude (The Tel'Erani attack op) kicks off... which mean Miranda gets assigned to the Archie around Christmas... and Selene around August the previous year, which I think makes sense as a typical time to pick up new officers. Oddly my bullshit, pulled-from-my-ass schedule all seems to work.
¶ McKinzie's Naming Convetion
McKinzie has adopted a habit of giving names to Intel forces, assets, and agents that come from the Odyssey. Some notable ones:
- Odysseus - McKinzie himself. Never used to his face unless he is very drunk and you're a very close friend or enemy
- Achaeans - The name his inner circle gave themselves after they caught on
- Aeneas - The Zealots as a whole
- Circe - Liz Locke
- Tiresias - Misha Vostok, the Assistant to the Director of Terran Intelligence and someone who McKenzie is actively working with to find the full extent of the Zealot infiltration.
- Perimedes - One of Odysseus' crew
- Eurylocus - One of Odysseus' crew
- Elpenor - Gregorie
- Anticlea - Nyana
- Telemachus - David
- Cassandra - Glyse
- Olympian - a reference to anything Focus related
¶ SDC-13
(Related to this document)
Morgul — Today at 8:08 PM
Do you have a plan/thought on what exactly is fubar'd on 13?Vakasa — Today at 8:17 PM
Nope. I think I will just forever sprinkle breadcrumbs and see where they lead.
Although, the suggestion of an infiltrating GI is suuuuuper tastyMorgul — Today at 8:21 PM
I get the feeling there might just be someone who could walk on the bridge, give the order to re-activate the systems to an otherwise empty room, and everything just comes back online like nothing was wrong. Perhaps with a rather polite voice over the speakers saying, 'Yes sir. Good to see you again.'Vakasa — Today at 8:24 PM
Oh?Morgul — Today at 8:26 PM
I have no idea who.Vakasa — Today at 8:26 PM
See, what that tells me, besides who this mysterious person, is that there is an entire secondary system that is running secretly throughout the ship, because they are ripping out every console and manually checking every wire run and connection.
Which I do kinda love
Morgul — Today at 8:26 PM
...oh, god.
I had a terrible idea.Vakasa — Today at 8:27 PM
Bet mine’s worseMorgul — Today at 8:34 PM
Probably.... here's the thought process I just had: So, one of the nifty things the Dante class has a sort of auto-repair system. It's nanites a la organics; think a cross between bacteria/slime molds. Anyway, it's ripped of Grey tech... well, the whole reason I was thinking about it was this: how would you build a stealth secondary network that can survive physical disconnection? Well, wireless connections. And how do you break out of a faraday cage? Quantum entangled wireless tech; or subspace radio, or hyperspace radio... all more-advanced-than-humans tech. And not what you'd find in a console... so who has access to AI tech, Grey tech, and might benefit from the Rev project failing, pushing McKenzie to move forward with the Dante project instead?I'll give you a hint: she has a pet black hole.
She could 100% have been sabotaging the Rev project from the begining, because she disagreed with the direction McKenzie was taking things.
Vakasa — Today at 8:36 PM
You know what, this actually could dove tail nicely with my horrible thought I just had. > My thought was that Nyana did the sabotaging, or at least set it up to happen (depending on if she’s alive or dead) and did all that to give David or Glyse a kickass ship that either could handle on their own
Especially if the GI is modeled on herMorgul — Today at 8:37 PM
...goddamn it. That's a really nice dovetail.Vakasa — Today at 8:38 PM
It’s the kind of thing that Rhea would do that honors Nyana’s wishes and allows her to move some dangerous pieces off the board for a bitMorgul — Today at 8:38 PM
Completely unrelated thought: What happens when you put a focus user's brain in a jar?Vakasa — Today at 8:39 PM
Depends on if they’re aware that they’re in a jar I’d guess
Focus is Willpower, not some reliance on an organ or microbe or anything, so they could still use some Focus just in a different way I’d guess
Morgul — Today at 8:39 PM
Let's assume like Nil. Knows what they are, has complete systems level access. What shitfuckery could they do with a 'ship body' as it were?Morgul — Today at 8:40 PM
Yeah. A very intentional choice on my part, for exactly this kind of reason.Vakasa — Today at 8:41 PM
If they were fully bonded and adapted to the ship as they’re new body and if they had a deep enough understanding of the various components (or the right comp systems to aid them) they create new weapons, deploy autopiloted fighters, generate missiles at will
Morgul — Today at 8:42 PM
...it's a little terrifying.Vakasa — Today at 8:43 PM
What if that’s the plan on Nyana’s part? Take the Meshach off the field long enough for a GI based on her to regain their Focus and learn the ship well enough to pull some absolute bullshitMorgul — Today at 8:46 PM
Not ready to say 'yes' but I like where that's going. Kinda trippy enough to make sense, and 100% the kind of thing Rhea would do with only minimal prompting. She's an on-again-off-again ally of humanity at best... but nailing a more mechanical approach to GI sure does give her a leg up in some sort of future war between the Grey and the Sooni.Anyway, thought of this random dialogue:
"But I thought she dies?!"
"Only her body." pause "Oh, don't give me that look!"
(I don't know if I'll make this aspect canon, but it's a fun/disturbing thought experiment)
Vakasa — Today at 8:46 PM
If this all turns out to be true, I’m picturing McKenzie getting these updates from > Anchorage, leaning back in his chair and muttering “this whole thing stinks of Nyana and Rhea. Sticks I tell ya”Morgul — Today at 8:49 PM
To that point. If he needed 13 flying again, no offense to his people, but he'd open up his digital rolodex and thumb to the 'Weird Shit' section and start calling in a whole Rogue's Gallery of characters to 'get it solved'.So, he's almost content to let whoever's pulling these strings to keep pulling, seeing where it goes.
Vakasa — Today at 8:49 PM
Except as far as he knows, Nyana is dead and Rhea has never so much as looked at Rev because to her “that shit’s too Sooni even for you Al”Morgul — Today at 8:49 PM
(Also, I think 'SDN-13' Is a great TV Show title.)Vakasa — Today at 8:49 PM
Fuck it really isMorgul — Today at 8:50 PM
Oh, fuck. Um... TV plot pitch.
Research/engineering crew from the Anchorage is investigating her. The Fall happens, and everyone's trying to figure out, "Fuck do we even still have a government?" Life kinda continues on the Anchorage like normal, because what else are you going to do? Right up until it gets attacked, and the research/engineering team has an 'oh, fuck' idea: Manually spin up the subspace engines to do a micro jump just to get out of the line of weapon's fire... use her as a life-boat and hope to not be noticed by attackers.Except, the GI see the threat and decides, "Well, not who I was intended for, but you lot will do." So now they're the 'crew' of a ship with a GI, that has its own agenda and won't explain who it is, how it got there, or what those objectives are; for the moment, it just wants the crew to do what League officers are good at: protecting people and kicking some ass.
Vakasa — Today at 9:03 PM
Ya know what’s brilliant about this? Because the GI has its own schemes, they would outright avoid most major League ships and especially other Revs. But, imagine the second to last episode of the second or third season. The season they’ve been teasing this build up of forces to go defend Earth, because the Meshach can hear all the League chatter for whatever reason. So they spend the third to last episode convincing the GI that it’s time to come out of the shadows and fight and they pick up a set of rendezvous coordinates. Second to last episode starts with them surfacing from subspace and there’s just ship wreckage because a Grey ship heard those coordinates too. Meshach goes on the run in the debris field trying to hide. Very submarine warfare. They finally get some weapons adapted to plasma (possible because McKenzie always wanted the Revs to be back to anti-Grey specs, probably why Rhea wasn’t a fan) they take their one shot, but all they do is bring down some defensive systems. Just before the Grey ship fires, wall of damage hits them from the side and the Moskva and the Terran kids with their rag tag Terran fleet come blazing in. Kill the Grey. Last episode they have a lot of chit chat and then jump to Earth to join the fight.Morgul — Today at 9:05 PM
I kinda love that.
That would be one of those point at the screen, "HOLY SHIT!" moments that the best shows pull off perfectly.Vakasa — Today at 9:06 PM
God I would kill to see my kids on a screenMorgul — Today at 9:07 PM
I'd kill so see my universe on any screen other than mine or yours.Vakasa — Today at 9:11 PM
Some day buddy
¶ Ship Internal Surveillance
Morgul — Today at 8:45 AM
[...] I've been thinking. Inside a military ship, there's no 'expectation of privacy', like there would be in a civilian ship. Doubly-so on a ship doing covert ops. I would think that there's detailed, scary high resolution holographic recordings of, basically, every corridor and major room. Due to cost/other factors, you can't record every habitable space so maintenance areas would be limited to "normal" internal sensors, but on a military ship there would be a whole ass secure network for internal surveillance. 700 years in the future, they're definitely going to be doing that shit. Hell, they do it as much as is practical today.
Even spaces like bathrooms and personal quarters would be recorded.In the League, access would be controlled by some sort of 'double key' system (think nuke launches), and probably also require some filed incident report, with ranking officer able to override, but it would automatically send a red flag up the chain and if there wasn't a good reason for it... SERIOUS consequences.
Terrans: Ranking officer has access. Normal disciplinary system applies. (aka: why is footage of the bathroom treated differently than classified documents?) shrug
¶ League Bridge Design
My initial idea for League Bridge design is that helm/navigation would be specialize stations, not unlike SeaQuest:
However, at Blackhat 2024, I found exactly what I was thinking of:
Near as I can tell, these are: CluVens Manticore chairs. They seem to be a match:
In addition to the chairs, they had a terminal that looked like an overly stylized Terran console to me:
¶ Post-Fall Plot Ideas
- Zealots have taken a body blow but they're far from beaten, especially since they've consolidated power back in the Triangulum Galaxy. They are preparing for a full on scorched earth invasion. So the Zealots still in the Milky Way have been tasked with harassing McKenzie and denying him weapons.
- To this end, they have been experimenting with ways to deny him any potential weapons, like those that could be found or created by finding and exploring ancient NorAellian, or Lyndri, or GikDaa locations. Or ancient Overseer locations.
- Now, Zealots couldn't give a shit about NorAellian, Lyndri, or GikDaa sites. Even their own ancient outposts, they don't care about them. Burn them to the ground. But Overseer sites? Those are basically holy sites. Temples. They aren't burning those down.
- Instead, they've been experimenting with subspace weapons. Retroactively (sort of) we can call Charlemange and the subspace disruptions around Earth during the Fall successful experiments. They've now figured out a way to control the detonation so that the effects would dissipate in a few centuries.
- This way, the Overseer sites aren't damaged, they're just firmly out of McKenzie's reach. Unless, of course, some of our various groups stumble onto the plot and start dismantling it. Yes, we'll lose a few locations, but we'll find a bunch more that are useful.