Sparta-Gaian relations

[Kassiopeia]

We will have to consider that it's very possible that they'll turn our offer down. Our door is closed after that happens, if the PKs get Wealth immediately the next turn they'll have way more ammunition against us.

EthCalc is an important tech to us is it not? We need it for the Maritime Command Centre.

[Googlie]

Not the MCC (Flex and Ind Auto for that) but for the Citizens' Defense Force (Int Int - comes from Eth Calc and Doc Loyalty)

IIf they did say no, I'm pretty certain we'll get EthCalc from a Zak techsteal (it was Zak's highest tech I gave him in the sim I ran, and that's what I got in the probe action - and AFAIK there's a really strong probability that the prober steals the highest tech that the probee has)

And I don't see much likelihood of their turning our request down (unless they did already have it). It's a free tech for them with no downside (as they believe that we haven't yet met Morgan) to them. Why would they deny themselves it just to make sure that we don't get it?

(And, of course, if they did deny us it, we could trade anyway, and justify it on the basis that we found their denial grounds for vendetta - and were pondering excatly that - which, of course, nullifies the embargo

[Googlie]

(Where are Lt Colonel Maniac and Captain Zeiter when we need them?

Still off in the forests on manoevers? Hugging Trees?)

[Kassiopeia]

Hmm. Okay, I'm fine with the coming clean suggestion. I'll wait for some others in the Junta to OK it (mainly Krysias) and I'll make a post.

[Googlie]

They might haggle the "intellectual property" clause (as it is their Ind Auto that is netting both of us Eth Calc, notwithstanding that it is we who have the contact with Lal

(Hey, maybe we let them ontrade it to the Angels, in exchange for us on-trading Ind Auto to Zak!! That way they have an incentive to agree)

And I'm sure that KK will heave a sigh of relief if we do decide to go the honesty route. From his last post I was inferring that he really didn't want to go underhand.

(And Ethical Calc will be another item on our Morgan trade list)

But I'd PM and e-mail Illuminatus as well as posting to the Embassy - and give a time limit, of, say, till midnight GMT (I can't sit here with the turn stalled on my PC for hours)

[Googlie]

I went ahead and did it anyway, then saved and closed the turn, taking no further action.

On something as important as this, the Mods surely will let me replay it if the Gaians refuse (I would have, as CMN of the last game) as it's unreasoinable to have the game sitting on the PC, tying it up, for a whole bunch of hours.

But when contacting Illuminatus, do stress the urgency (say that the turn is paused in midplay while we are awaiting their reply)

[Snoddasmannen]

I vote for coming clean.

[Kassiopeia]

Midnight GMT? That's only two hours. Not enough. I could go to the Poly IRC server and try to hail him there though? Edit: He's no longer there. Probably not online either. I find it very unlikely he'll respond in time.

[Googlie]

Well - the midnight was when I had the PC locked up in the game. Now we can be more flexible - maybe till, say, 2300 PST (which would be 0700 GST)

An alternative occurs to me

Maybe we pay the Gaians to lift the trade embargo (say 50 ec's)

"We have been contacted by an AI faction who wishes to acquire Industrial Automation (not the Hive). If you are willing to waive the trade embargo on Ind Auto we would be happy to pass over 50 ec's from the deal. (All 4 human-controlled teams now have it - Morgan is running WEALTH, so must have - so technology proliferation among the 4 teams is not an issue in this instance)

The turn is on 'pause' right now, so a speedy reply would be appreciated"

Then a few turns later we can try and sell them Ethical Calc for 100 ec's (or whatever)

[Kassiopeia]

GST?

I like the 50 ec thing, I'll post that and PM it to some prominent Gaians to get the info to them ASAP

[Kassiopeia]

I posted it, please review it for any problems, I'll start setting up the PM and email "bombardment"

[Googlie]

LOL - GMT (I did that in the last ACDG as well, when giving a deadline.

GST is our Canadian Goods and Services Tax, the equivalent of the French VTA or the UK VAT

[Googlie]

Originally posted by Kassiopeia
I posted it, please review it for any problems, I'll start setting up the PM and email "bombardment"

I meant with the 50 ec's deal not to mention EthCalc at all - just exactly as i wrote in that little 50 ec's post

[Kassiopeia]

It actually stands for "Greenwich Standard Time", but I put in "GMT" to not throw them off.

And our GST/VAT/VTA is the ALV. 22%, except 12% for some particular products (at least food methinks).

[Kassiopeia]

I changed "Ethical Calculus" to "certain goods and services", so it can be anything from a Declaration of Vendetta to ECs