Spartan Diplomacy

[Mead]

I'm going to try to enter into some casual PM discussions with Kass to keep open lines of communication. What , in generl terms, should we be looking for?

Mead

[arginine]

... I'd like to find out if the Angels and/or Gaians are at war with the Hive, and if they are engaging in esponage. In particular I want to know how they got Prog. Psych. and why they have it. It doesn't seem consistent with an 'alliance' going for doc: airpower. They could just steal Prog. Psych later if they were not in a rush to get it.

We might as well rush for the PEG, Angels or not, as it will give us nice benefits.

[Micha]

PEG won´t just simply give us nice benefits, it usually determins Morgan´s victory... (at least in SinglePlayer)

[Mead]

I got this PM from Googlie.

I have no clue (really), how does this work and how do we get the pictures?

Mead

Pics of the SCC Hunter's Voyage

I've uploaded them to 'Poly, but they have a disclaimer prohibiting linking them to other non-Poly sites (and I've already been banned once for "illegal" pics)

So here they are. Just copy the text into a thread on your 'Poly private forum, and they'll replicate.

MY 2141 - First Contact


2142

2143

2144

2145

I'll do another batch after the next 2 or 3 - in the meantime I'll still post them to the embassy (you know there's a box there that you can check to get an e-mail notification of when a fresh post is made?)

Mead

[Mead]

Gawd, this is scary.

I posted message hopeing for help, and the picures just appeared, all by themselves, without any help. Spooky.

Does this mean that we have captured the photos and that Sparta cannot change them later?

If so, then good. If not, then how to we keep them from being modified without our knowledge or consent?

Mead

[jtsisyoda]

If you click on "edit" you can see the link is to the Poly upload feature... I guess one of the Spartans uploaded the pics there. We can do a right-click, save image, if we want to keep our own copies. They'll probably have to delete them from the upload eventually, since there's a limit to the number of uploads you can do.

[paramir]

do they not like us or are they always mean?

[jtsisyoda]

I think they're a little irritated, plus they're roleplaying a bunch of hard core soldiers who aren't allowed to smile.

[arginine]

Fresh from the Embassy:

Re: ACDG-3 Possible Morgan-Sparta blockbuster deal

Dear Mr. Mead

While Major Kassiopeia is engaged in other, pressing, non-Federation business, I have been empowered to suggest a variant of the earlier, aborted, proposed deal.

(And by way of preamble, it's hard getting the Junta to think of dealing with Morgan - you guys are really tight lipped about what techs we have that you may be interested in.)

Here's something I put before the Junta yesterday for their consideration (I call it The Googlie Manifesto)

*************************************************

The Googlie Manifesto

Clean Reactors and the Ascetic Virtues by 2160

Bio Engineering (clean reactors) needs Gene Splicing (which we have) and Neural Grafting, which in turn needs Industrial Automation (we both have that) and Secrets (which we have)

So ... if Morgan Industries agrees to research - and pass on to us - Neural Grafting and BioEngineering, we'll give Morgan Industries Secrets and GS, (and prolly something else too - I imagine Ecological Engineering would be of most interest.)

Planetary Economics (the Ascetic Virtues) needs Adaptive Economics (which Morgan Industries should research - for the PEG if for nothing else) and Intellectual Integrity (which Sparta will shift to imminently - but we need to probesteal Doc Loyalty from Yang first - thus probably triggering a Vendetta we're not ready for yet.)

So a deal might look like:

Sparta gives Morgan:

Secrets of the Human Brain

Gene Splicing

Ecological Engineering

Intellectual Integrity, when researched

Morgan gives Sparta:

Neural Grafting

Bio Engineering

Adaptive Economics

Planetary Economics

We'll undertake not to build the Planetary Energy Grid nor the Ascetic Virtues provided Morgan Industries undertakes not to build the Neural Amplifier and permits us to trade or sell those techs (after any associated SP's have been completed) - but only to the AI

*************************************************

This is exploratory - and unlike my previous attempt this time it has the support of the Junta (along the lines of "see what they might be interested in doing - what lines are they currently researching, what do we have that may interest them")

Be aware, though, that the diplo lines are humming after your completion of the PTS. Everyone remembers Kody's brilliant play last game (where the Hive went on a binge of colonypod building - found a new base, size 3, quickly complete 2 colony pods that in turn found new size-3 bases) and can extrapolate Morgan having, say, 30 to 40 size 3 bases by 2160 or so. You don't need rec commons with the +1 talent that the HGP gives you and the -1 drone that the PTS gives you (we note that already Vander Eudaimonics is again only a size-1 base, so the popbooming has clearly started)

As well, the ganging up has begun. However, as much as it is in my power to do so, Sparta will remian as a neutral middleman for as long as possible.

The Hive, too, is worrying us. Currently the good Chairman is producing no less than 15 impact-weaponed units, and is researching gatling weapons!! We need Silksteel Armour and Chaos weapons ASAP

I'm known within the Junta as the leader of the "Morgan Wing" so I keep trying to engineer some deals that will benefit both our factions. But I do need to deliver from time to time. Otherwise the Junta might just bow to the pressure that's building and join the ABM axis (anyone but Morgan)

I await your response

Googlie (Lieutenant-Colonel)




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Commanding Officer, Spartan Engineering Corps; Commanding Officer, Spartan Special Forces

[Micha]

Wow, don´t know whether to laugh or to gulp at that last paragraph...

Sounds reasonable, however those many techs will slow our research rate, while they save us several years researching them on our own (apart from SotHB we´d go for them anyways).

I´d say yes on the tech trade, if only to appease Sparta... Also, they most likely speak the truth about the Hive, which is a threatening news to us...

[jtsisyoda]

One small problem-- we already have GS.

[Mead]

Originally posted by jtsisyoda
One small problem-- we already have GS.

Yeah, I saw that too. It's going to take a little time for me to read this and digest it.

What do we want to do?

I'll reply to Googlie (and Kass) to let them know I read it and that we are trying to figure out what to do.

One thing that I have noticed (even before I read this latest message from them) is that they really, really want to know what we are reseaching. Are they concerned that we might be getting ready to build the PEG? If we did tell them we were researching Adaptive Eco would they pass that onto the DA or Gaians to ensure that someone other than Morgan would build the PEG?


It will probably be at least tomorrow before I think we are ready to consider an appropriate response to Sparta's latest message. I'll just acknowledge its receipt.


Mead

[jtsisyoda]

I posted this for them:

We appreciate the effort to strengthen ties, and are interested in further cooperation. First, though, it should be noted that we already have Gene Splicing.

Beeline discussions are still being held in Morgan boardrooms, but we might be interested in cooperating toward DAP. I'm pressed for time, so please continue these discussions with Mead.

[Mead]

I posted this in the embassy.

Lt Col Googlie

I just saw your exploratory proposal and I'm intrigued.

Let me pass it on to the Corporation and we'll see what we can do.

It looks like there are tremendous opportunities for continued mutual profit for both the Junta and Corporation.

Mead
CDO, Morgan Corp.

Mead

[arginine]

I was hoping to wait a few turns to meet the AIs and finish the PEG before we did any further dealing.

I say we keep the deal small for now. Lets now get Bioengineering quickly. They reserach neural grafting, and then we research bioengineering. NEITHER party will get to trade the techs. Kick in a little bit of cash ~50 EC to get speed, and diffuse complaints about not being able to trade the techs.

The Spartans know we are going to go for the PEG (thanks to our clause in the tech trade deal). The PEG is a highly desired Morgan Project. Furthermore, we got Prog Psych a few turns ago, which is not good for much. I think that alone says we are going for the PEG soon...

The part about the PTS does worry me and the human factions "ganging up"...

Also, the Hive's climbed the powergraph quite nicely. We have not dealt with them...

For myself, I am going to play a less active role in this game.