Sparta-Gaian relations

[Googlie]

The Gaian Embassy is closed indefinitely

By Executive Order of the Junta - MY 2146

[Googlie]

Got this PM from Chaos Theory:

PM from Chaos Theory to Googlie
Spartan-Gaian embassy
I noticed that our embassy is offline, but the error message is confusing, suggesting that it may be voluntarily offline. Is this something you have any control over or knowledge about?

To which I replied:

reply from Googlie to Chaos Theory
my first reply was botched, so here goes again. We asked Drogue or Method to post the following in your 'Poly private forums (following Illuminatus final rejection of any trade deal):

*************************************************
Embassy closure story inserted here

*************************************************
I took it offline earlier today - it's tantamount to Sparta recalling its Ambassador and expelling the Gaian Ambassador

We'll have to wait and see what that produces.

[Kassiopeia]

Great job you're doing here, negotiating with the Angels and the Morganites. I couldn't have had and don't still have the needed time to pull something like this off.

[Drogue]

Originally posted by Googlie
I've asked drogue to publish the short Embassy story somewhere in the Gaians' Private Forums

Um... which short story? Wouldn't it be better to write it as an article in the Spartan datasheet?

[Maniac]

I demoted myself to Major Maniac following the implosion of the Gaian Wing.

Hey Googlie, now you're once again Lt-Colonel, and I a Major, should I become the Curator of the Military Museum now?

[Maniac]

Originally posted by Drogue

Um... which short story? Wouldn't it be better to write it as an article in the Spartan datasheet?

I copied it into our IC Story thread.
What's the "Spartan datasheet" btw?

Edit:

Originally posted by Googlie
Do we want to downgrade in the game from treaty to truce?

How can we do that?

[Googlie]

Originally posted by Maniac
Hey Googlie, now you're once again Lt-Colonel, and I a Major, should I become the Curator of the Military Museum now?

Absolutely - that's destined to be the posting for disgraced Officers!!

Originally posted by Googlie
Do we want to downgrade in the game from treaty to truce?
******************************************
Replied to by Maniac
How can we do that?

Good point. I see that's it's only a Pact that we can dissolve thru the right-click or the diplo window.

I guess we're stuck with a Treaty then

[Googlie]

Hmm - I see that Illuminatus tried to block our time extension

Very unfriendly

[Kassiopeia]

Such animosity from the hippies.

(And all the while Major Kassiopeia is indefinitely occupied by 'family matters', the Morganite wing slips in its own officers and slowly starts to take over the diplomatic corps...)

[Googlie]

GGIE

[Drogue]

Originally posted by Googlie
Hmm - I see that Illuminatus tried to block our time extension

Very unfriendly

Unfriendly possibly, but his concern was that the rules regarding the time limit was not adhered to. In response I said that in exceptional circumstances, when the 48 hours had been used but there was simply too much to do, I would grant an extension without penalty. I don't want to be anal and make everyone follow the exact rules to the letter, it removes the fun. However prompt turn playing is important so people don't get bored, so it will be done rarely, and quick playing in the past will make me look more favourably when a delay is needed.

Illuminatus was concerned that I was going to be soft on extensions, when I had said I would enforce them. This is not the case, though flexibility is important. It's also worth noting I looked over the forum before I granted it, to see how the 48 hours had been used and why an extension was needed. Please do not expect that an extension will be automatically granted, if I do not see a reason, it holds up the game needlessly, which none of us want.

[Googlie]

Major Maniac was furious.

He stormed into the Command Center where Lieutenant-Colonel Googlie was studying the latest situational holovids, and rapped his command baton sharply on the table, attracting the Lieutenant-Colonel's attention.

"What is the meaning of this ..... outrage" he demanded. "Demoted, given the ceremonial title of Curator of the Military Museum? Have you gone mad?"

Googlie looked up speculatively.

"Sauce for the Gander, eh? Major"

"What the hell's that supposed to mean?" demanded the Major.

"Ah, what a short memory we have, do we not?" Googlie murmured. "Remember, dear Major, that when my Morgan initiative was shot down by the Junta you were quick to force a demotion on me - to Staff Sergeant, even, as I recall. Be thankful, after the fiasco of your so-called Manifesto which your bedmates the Gaians shot down, that you are still a Major. Now, if you don't mind, I'm somewhat busy. Don't you have some manoeuvers that you are supposed to be on?"

Major Maniac looked frostily at the Lieutenant Colonel.

"Oh, yes," he replied. "I certainly do."

He turned on his heels and left.

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

"But, sir, isn't that tantamount to mutiny?" asked Raoul, the acknowleded prototypical Spartan Kel - that group of soldiers recruited largely from the Laconian province which comprised Santiago Citadel and Gythium Harbour. They were the under Major Maniac's direct command - and known as the Kel - Killer Elite Laconians - armed with the latest in impact weaponry.

"Not at all," replied the Major. "I'm still co-chair with Googlie, and rank really means nothing. It's power that counts. He's in the Command Center at Citadel, and I'm here - with you - at Sparta Command. Let's go."

The two guardsmen lounged at ease - yet still vigilant - by the doors of the Embassy, then snapped to attention as they saw the platoon approaching.

"Bloody hell," said one - "it's Maniac. And he's got a bodyguard of those friggin Kel's, too"

The Major stepped up to them.

"Fire the locks" he commanded.

"I can't do that, Sir," one replied. "Captain Rynn's orders."

"Oh, it's Captain now, is it? The Lieutenant Colonel wasted no time, did he?"

"Major...... Sir?" asked the trooper.

"Never mind - step aside. Raoul"

The hulking Kel unslung his weapon and levelled it at the lock on the Embassy door. One round was sufficient as the 10 mm caseless kinetic energy blast blew the lock like confetti in a breeze.

Major Manic reached for the notice and ripped it from the door, and turned to the two troopers:

"This Embassy is again open for business. And it's Lieutenant-Colonel to you, trooper. Raoul - secure the building"

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

The Junta met later that evening. Lieutenant-Colonel Googlie had arrived from Citadel, and Major Kassiopeia was back from his diplomatic mission. Captain Snoddasmannen sat with Googlie, but across the table sat Caoptain Zeiter and Kapitan KrysiasKrusader, both firmly in the Maniac camp. Captain Primus Pilus was present by holovid, and it looked for a time that his vote would be crucial.

But after discussion, matters reahced a conclusion.

"Very well," Lieutenant=Colonel Googlie assented. "You have made your points. I agree with the re-opening of the Gaian Union Embassy. I agree with your re-instatement as Lieutenant-Colonel. I agree with the changes to the bases' build orders and worker reallocations. Now call off your hounds and let's get down to business".

Lieutenant-Colonel Maniac looked to the door, where Raoul stood impassively.

"You may stand your men down, Lieutenant," he said.

Lieutenant Raoul relaxed, and then barked the order:

"Spartan Kel, withdraw to barracks"

The platoon of Impact Infantrymen, who had been ringing the walls of the Junta council room, turned and filed out.

As the doors closed, Googlie was heard to murmer:

"Ah, yes. The Reichstag precedent."

[Googlie]

This, by Illuminatus, in the now re-opened Embassy:

Posted in the Embassy by Illuminatus

We are not amused by your RolePlay charade - you have only proven to be completely untrustworthy since you are willing to tamper with this forum without our consent in order to convince us there is a terrible struggle withing Sparta. Mindgames do not work on us.

You would do best to leave this forum alone - we will ask Drogue to create a private forum at Eventis where further negotiations will be conducted (if any), and history of message exchanges shall be transfered there as well, therefore do not tamper with this forums again if you have any honour left.

To which I replied:

Posted by Googlie in he Embassy

Sheesh - lighten up, Illuminatus

Remember, I CMN'd the ACDG-2. I know how important it is to keep the integrity of these private fora intact and free from tampering. There was never any question that it'd be closed for, at most , a couple of days

But if we can't roleplay, what's the point of playing??

Googlie

[Snoddasmannen]

Originally posted by Googlie
This, by Illuminatus, in the now re-opened Embassy:

I don't know Illuminatus, but it's a shame that he seems to be genuinely upset about our stunt. Actually physically closing the embassy was a really cool idea (it would never have occured to me), and it fits in well with the roleplaying too. How can he be upset at an effort to create more roleplaying? Well I can sort of see his point, but I guess I just think he's over-reacting.

So I regret nothing, and I hope the Junta will join me in a cheer for all the other crazy stunts we will pull in the future.

And great stories Googlie, I really like them

[Maniac]

Can I post this in the Gaian embassy? I doubt it will have any effect, but you never know.



May I add my voice to this debate as supporter of Sparta-Gaian cooperation and writer of the Maniac Manifesto?

"This truly shows that you are interested only in your benefit."

But of course we are looking out for our own interest and benefit! Anything else would be utterly foolish. (This is a non-cooperative victory game after all.) There can only be one faction to dominate Planet. We are open and publically admit we hope it will be us. Don't you hope it will be you?
Other factions may pretend to act in the benefit of all Chiron, but surely that's just an ideological disguise. Instead we Spartans perform diplomacy out of a 'realpolitiker' point of view, and don't pretend to be someone else than we truly are.

"Sparta refused to trade Lal's or Morgan's frequencies"

With the above in mind, can you call us "uncooperative" for not wanting to give up our sole biggest advantage? I certainly don't think so. Unless you call cooperation "caving in to whatever desires the other has." We see cooperation in another light. We only make proposals or accept them when they are in our benefit. If the other party thinks they'll gain too, cooperation will arise. If the other party doesn't think they'll gain, no cooperation will arise. In other words, cooperation = mutual gain and interests. And not some idealistic unrealistic notion of "altruism". It's as simple as that.
So let's have a look at your other examples of our uncooperativeness:

"Sparta refused to trade us Ethical Calculus or Doctrine: Flexibility in past"

We are more than willing to trade you and the Angels Ethical Calculus and Doctrine: Flexibility, IF the price is right. Unfortunately you have not yet agreed to an offer the majority of the Junta found acceptable. IIRC you once offered us Biogenetics and a small sum of credits for DocFlex, but we consider Biogen practically useless. You might counter we received Biogenetics some time later anyway, but that was because we gave away a tech with an equally small trade value, namely Gene Splicing. As you cleverly made use of our forgetfulness to add our planned embargo to the Gene Splicing<->IndAut right away, you managed to negotiate a short embargo period. If the embargo period was longer, we would never have traded away gene splicing in return for such an unimportant technology as Biogenetics.

So surely you do not want to deny us the right to refuse a trade offer if we deem it not in our benefit? Just like you have the right to refuse the many Spartan trade offers if you don't like them, as you have done many times.

"Sparta introduced increase of prices, because of 'free flow of information' with Angels."

Do you think Sparta should trade away technologies we have a monopoly on, if the consequence was the technology quickly spread to all other factions, denying us profit we could get by trading the tech further ourselves? Would you do that?

"if Sparta truly intended to organize an anti- Morgan block, why would it oppose granting technologies to others, liberating our way to beelines?"

Did we not propose to give you technologies in my Maniac Manifesto?

"Nothing has shown you are truly interested in presenting an opposition to Morgan, but history of your actions shows you are primarly interested in only your gains."

Opposing Morgan - and the Hive - is in our gains. And we assume it is in your benefit too.

"Also Googlie, we have not seen much of this 'pro-Gaian wing' - we've just noticed you refused to trade technologies and increased prices, which clearly shows that if it existed, it had no effect on your foreign policy. It was surely seeming promising in begining, but Spartan refusal for cooperation has shown that pro-Gaian wing has been surpressed."

How can you say that? We've offered you a bunch of technologies. The Gaians just didn't like the price. As far as our latest DocLoy offer, I too found the Junta demands a bit too high.
But yours were in my opinion even more out of proportion.
Diplomacy is done with two, and involves both parties doing some water in their wine. As supporter of the pro-Gaian Wing, as far as I'm concerned I'm willing to do so. Are you?