011: The Tarsus Institute

[helvorn]

The Ciencia what doesn’t look like her original form looks at Garvin.

“You are a voice from the, I don’t know. Underworld? What do you think and advise? What can we do about the megacorporations? And crooked nobles in the Core or here?”

Garvin replies "Megacorporations - that's just another civil war on a slightly smaller and more local scale. They're designed to resist takeover from each other - private war fleets, little armies of Mercs so they're not going to just roll over. You've maybe more chance with the nobility in that you can command their loyalty but now there's effectively two Crowns in play if you put too much pressure on 'em they'll just switch sides - if they think they can get away with it".

He rakes his fingers through his blond hair, pacing "I'm not really the Underworld so much as "successful private enterprise" - but I speak their language. We've seen the Underworld here on Aki - it's the "Overworld" that's the problem... but they still 'ave to live in Imperial society: corporates, nobs - they're embedded in it but not part of it... unlike me. I mean yer average professional criminal is still basically yer average Imperial citizen... just with a bit more... ambition...".

Clearly following a train of thought he suddenly grins "The solution to your problem is actually quite simple in theory and the resources are already in place - just swap out the disloyal criminals for loyal ones! I'm goin' to need a number of Imperial Pardons, Warrants of Seizure and grants of Immunity from Prosecution for "acts committed in service of the Empire". All blank. Some cash, access to military small arms an' support weapons to kick start it... after a while it'll broadly fund itself. Me and Arkar could run it with Aster".

He shrugs "There'll maybe a bit of anarchy but once everyone's changed seats an' the music stops you'll find no one likes a bit of basic law an' order more than a professional criminal made good an' lookin' to retire".

He adds with a grin "You did ask".

“Perhaps I’m being dense, but I’m not sure. I really understand what you’re saying. What kind of anarchy are you looking to cause and who’s going to be involved in creating it?”

William replied grimly. "He's going to purge them the old-fashioned way with knives in the dark. I approve. The problem will be managing the precedents we set."

[Tiglath]

“Perhaps I’m being dense, but I’m not sure. I really understand what you’re saying. What kind of anarchy are you looking to cause and who’s going to be involved in creating it?”

William replied grimly. "He's going to purge them the old-fashioned way with knives in the dark. I approve. The problem will be managing the precedents we set."

Garvin replies "There will be a brief not too messy "gang war". One side will know to minimize civilian casualties on the grounds of good business and the other side 'opefully won't see too much of it comin' until they've taken a big nasty 'it. They'll be the odd untidy bit but the result should be a transfer of assets from ruddy degenerate sociopaths to yer run of the mill career criminals loyal to their own roots and people - and also loyal to the New Domain. All required forces are already in place and will be fightin' with both the element of surprise and what I'd call 'ome field advantage".

He adds "Whatever level of victory is achieved the Nobility and the Corporates will be lookin' to their own affairs and not interferein' in those of state at least for the short to mid term. You get yer military "breathin' space" to establish the New Domain with the backfield quiet and a good 'eadstart on tidyin' up what's left of the local opposition".

[terrymixon]

“Perhaps I’m being dense, but I’m not sure. I really understand what you’re saying. What kind of anarchy are you looking to cause and who’s going to be involved in creating it?”

William replied grimly. "He's going to purge them the old-fashioned way with knives in the dark. I approve. The problem will be managing the precedents we set."

Garvin replies "There will be a brief not too messy "gang war". One side will know to minimize civilian casualties on the grounds of good business and the other side 'opefully won't see too much of it comin' until they've taken a big nasty 'it. They'll be the odd untidy bit but the result should be a transfer of assets from ruddy degenerate sociopaths to yer run of the mill career criminals loyal to their own roots and people - and also loyal to the New Domain. All required forces are already in place and will be fightin' with both the element of surprise and what I'd call 'ome field advantage".

He adds "Whatever level of victory is achieved the Nobility and the Corporates will be lookin' to their own affairs and not interferein' in those of state at least for the short to mid term. You get yer military "breathin' space" to establish the New Domain with the backfield quiet and a good 'eadstart on tidyin' up what's left of the local opposition".

"That sounds as bloody as a civil war," she said after a few moments. "And what says those who replace the others will be more loyal to me? A pardon in advance? First, if word of that ever leaked--which it would--then it would haunt my reign. Second, it would probably be a case of the new boss, same as the old boss. I don't know..."

[Thumper]

Walt-
"I'm staying out of the gang war discussion. Not my wheelhouse. But before we go too far with our plans, I'm wondering if the Crown Princess shouldn't transfer any and all Omicron held Ancients artifacts into her possession on Glisten. The sooner we send word for transfer to Glisten, the more Ancients tech we can gather.

I'd like to keep that tech out of Dulinor or whatever faction's hands they may fall into. Also, we may actually be able to use them. Aster, your thoughts?"

[terrymixon]

Walt-
"I'm staying out of the gang war discussion. Not my wheelhouse. But before we go too far with our plans, I'm wondering if the Crown Princess shouldn't transfer any and all Omicron held Ancients artifacts into her possession on Glisten. The sooner we send word for transfer to Glisten, the more Ancients tech we can gather.

I'd like to keep that tech out of Dulinor or whatever faction's hands they may fall into. Also, we may actually be able to use them. Aster, your thoughts?"

"I think we have a year to decide," she said. "And, like I said earlier, they are likely on Vincennes and Pax Impirii is a week away from there and already in jump space. As we have a teleportal to that ship, we are already doing what we can and can't do more on that subject for a week."

[Tiglath]

William replied grimly. "He's going to purge them the old-fashioned way with knives in the dark. I approve. The problem will be managing the precedents we set."

Garvin replies "There will be a brief not too messy "gang war". One side will know to minimize civilian casualties on the grounds of good business and the other side 'opefully won't see too much of it comin' until they've taken a big nasty 'it. They'll be the odd untidy bit but the result should be a transfer of assets from ruddy degenerate sociopaths to yer run of the mill career criminals loyal to their own roots and people - and also loyal to the New Domain. All required forces are already in place and will be fightin' with both the element of surprise and what I'd call 'ome field advantage".

He adds "Whatever level of victory is achieved the Nobility and the Corporates will be lookin' to their own affairs and not interferein' in those of state at least for the short to mid term. You get yer military "breathin' space" to establish the New Domain with the backfield quiet and a good 'eadstart on tidyin' up what's left of the local opposition".

"That sounds as bloody as a civil war," she said after a few moments. "And what says those who replace the others will be more loyal to me? A pardon in advance? First, if word of that ever leaked--which it would--then it would haunt my reign. Second, it would probably be a case of the new boss, same as the old boss. I don't know..."

Garvin, apparently making a visible effort not to begin with "Look...." replies "No. No, it won't be as bloody as the always most bloody option! Ruddy 'ell! Takes a commoner with a title to explain it to an Empress! An' if you don't like what I'm sayin' or 'ow I'm sayin' it you can 'ave the title back. You asked!" He takes a measured breath "As a minimum they won't be any more loyal - but that's not the point! They will be hugely less disloyal than your own nobility. If Dulinor wants to turn these new "landords" to his cause he's got to start from the ground up instead of them probably bein' related to him by bloodlines that'd make the dwellers of the rookeries in Collace Underhive blush and amoral enough to turn traitor at the drop of a hat. Dulinor's also a noble so it likely wouldn't even occur to him to lower himself to make deals with these "replacement social inferiors" just as, by dint of the same social station, he sees cold blooded murder as a reasonable solution to his own personal issues".

He stops himself "Look I'm not really any good at runnin' Empires an' I'm sure I'm bang out of order already so I'm sorry for that... but 'ere we all are... An' to me it looks very much like the Imperial nobility 'ave let down the people they're supposed to look after. Badly. Now, I'm not suggestin' a Domain wide revolution - just moves selected on a case by case basis against your biggest threats".

His mood visibly lifts and he smiles as he looks over at his wife "There's no bookie I know that'd take a bet that Aster 'asn't got a "naughty list" of 'oo needs a visit. As various local Firms take out chunks of Corporate or Noble domains or holdings each will become much smaller entities and thereby easier to manage and of much more limited threat. In turn these domains will be now much less efficient weapons in your own 'ands but any invader will still 'ave to fight through 'em so I say make the change now. You must know that the price they'd demand for their "negotiable loyalty" might well be more than you'd ever want to pay in any event".

[terrymixon]

"Don't get your panties in a twist, Garvin," the main Ciencia said. "I want to hear what you're saying and I'm thinking about it. I appreciate your insight and opinion, no matter what I decide to do."

She looked at everyone. "There is a lot going on and this is going to be chaotic no matter what we do. My mother is a political animal, and she has insights into what is going on in the core that we don't. If she says the fractures are too wide and it's going to come apart no matter what we do, then it probably will. That isn't to say we can't try to minimize the impact, but we probably won't be putting things back the way they were."

"I do hate saying so," her mother said. "Nevertheless, the various factions there will strike as soon as they hear my husband is dead. Like a great stone thrown into a pond, the ripples of change are flowing out from Capital, and we have as much chance of stopping them as ordering the tides to stop. The best we can hope for is to influence the eventual outcome, but riding the tiger is a bad idea."

The Ciencia that looks different than her original self nodded. "We've got a lot to think about, but we have time. Word won't get to Corridor for about five months. Is that right, Roscoe?"

"Twenty weeks via Express Boat from Captial to Dilub Rou, the first stop in the Corridor Sector," he said promptly. "They are like the old Pony Express. One arrives, transmits the data to the tender, and another one heads off once the data is moved to the new ship and any additions and subtractions are made. That process takes maybe an hour, so no great impact on the schedule. Then the original boat heads back the way it came when new data is ready, and the ship has been prepared. That is exactly five months. Impressive. The news would get to Vincennes after 32 weeks, but news would be everywhere by then and spreading like wildfire."

"When you study the scouts as hard as I have, you learn things. If we want to keep word of the assassination at bay, the narrows is the place to do it. Can we do anything to get more time?"

"If we had access, yes," Metz said. "I could filter the news and messages after decrypting them, remove any mention of the assassination or civil war, and then seal the message traffic back up. So long as the express boat pilot goes back the way he came and the crew on the tender is loyal to us, that will stymy word until regular shipping makes its way in. We have access to plenty of scouts. If we can verify the loyalty of a crew or two to place in the narrows, that would give us months of extra time. Two teams to be sure word doesn't somehow slip past the first."

Ciencia Prime nodded. "I don't like interfering in people's private messages, but a few extra months could be a godsend. What do you all think of that as a starting point?"

[joertexas]

Ciencia Prime nodded. "I don't like interfering in people's private messages, but a few extra months could be a godsend. What do you all think of that as a starting point?"

"I'm just a cop," Jaelah says,"so I don't know much about politics or naval operations, but it sounds good to me. What will you do about the cargo ships and passenger liners that travel between us and the rest of the Imperium?"

[Thumper]

Walt-
"That sounds like a good initial strategy to me. Buys time for us to recreate the Marches as a unified entity and let Metz build hardware, build loyalty through the availability of advanced tech, and train more naval personnel. I like it."

[terrymixon]

Ciencia Prime nodded. "I don't like interfering in people's private messages, but a few extra months could be a godsend. What do you all think of that as a starting point?"

"I'm just a cop," Jaelah says,"so I don't know much about politics or naval operations, but it sounds good to me. What will you do about the cargo ships and passenger liners that travel between us and the rest of the Imperium?"

"Let them pass. Once regular traffic starts bringing word, it will be past time to let the news arrive."

[joertexas]

"Let them pass. Once regular traffic starts bringing word, it will be past time to let the news arrive."

Jaelah nods. "My portfolio includes law enforcement and security. I'd like to focus on ensuring the pocket universe is protected. William, Walt, and Aster are also assigned to these areas, so we will review our status and make any needed changes."

[terrymixon]

“Then unless anyone has any major objection, that will be the plan,” Ciencia said. “The rest, while important, is less immediately pressing than the Zhodoni delegation. The ambassador proved he was a wily and skilled opponent, and now he knows far more than I would like. How do you think we should approach things with him?”

[joertexas]

“Then unless anyone has any major objection, that will be the plan,” Ciencia said. “The rest, while important, is less immediately pressing than the Zhodoni delegation. The ambassador proved he was a wily and skilled opponent, and now he knows far more than I would like. How do you think we should approach things with him?”

"I think we shouldn't divulge anything about your father's death," Jaelah says. "He will put together the pieces once he hears of it, but that won't be for a few months yet. The same goes for the other polities like the Sword Worlds and the Aslan. By the time the news arrives, you will hopefully have the Marches under firm control."

[terrymixon]

“Then unless anyone has any major objection, that will be the plan,” Ciencia said. “The rest, while important, is less immediately pressing than the Zhodoni delegation. The ambassador proved he was a wily and skilled opponent, and now he knows far more than I would like. How do you think we should approach things with him?”

"I think we shouldn't divulge anything about your father's death," Jaelah says. "He will put together the pieces once he hears of it, but that won't be for a few months yet. The same goes for the other polities like the Sword Worlds and the Aslan. By the time the news arrives, you will hopefully have the Marches under firm control."

"I love the power of positive thinking. Doctor Metz, you were asked earlier if you could make LEAP probes to monitor, well, everything. I'm not going to ask so much, but can you make something that could get a team to the middle of the Imperium in a reasonable time?"

He nodded. "I cannot make Leap drives--yet--but I can make Hop and Skip drives. A skip-capable ship would be more enough to cover all of Charted Sppace and still be able to jump back without needing a refuel. I was working on the design while we were talking. It would run about 500 tons and could be ready today, though you'd need to pick it up at Yamaguchi."

"That's good. I'd like to keep the Lost & Found and her Roscoe close while you all carry out some missions for me. I'm not suggesting you leave me alone, but Aster, Bona, and Bianca could be here with me. Are you game? Just William, Walt, Garvin, Arkar, Jaelah, Doctor Metz, Roscoe, and other me would be going. It seems there are fires to be put out. Are you game?"

[helvorn]

William was still working through his emotions although he nodded in agreement with Garvin. "I would keep the culling of the nobility to the level of "accidents" or using real or made up dirt to effect change. We should be able to blackmail the legitimate heirs where we cannot make a complete change. The corporate efforts can be a bit more gloves off and we should consider extra Imperial facilities in places such as Collace when we clean up as well. Those will be the dirtiest. Also we should exercise the Imperial family interest in the megacorporations now and transfer it legally so that Ciencia keeps it regardless." He thought a bit more and frowned. "We can choke off and filter the XBoat system but we need to control the Jump 6 courier network. I'm sure the Navy and Scouts plus megacorporations and maybe some of the more important nobles keep Jump 6 couriers that likely cut directly through the Great Rift. We will need to find out, probably using Omicron, what information networks exist and filter them as well."

He grinned at Ciencia's challenge. "I'm game for whenever and whatever. I still think we could kidnap all of the major players before they knew what hit them and stop or at least slow down the avalanche." He bowed to Iphigenia. "That may still not be enough to make a difference though."

[terrymixon]

William was still working through his emotions although he nodded in agreement with Garvin. "I would keep the culling of the nobility to the level of "accidents" or using real or made up dirt to effect change. We should be able to blackmail the legitimate heirs where we cannot make a complete change. The corporate efforts can be a bit more gloves off and we should consider extra Imperial facilities in places such as Collace when we clean up as well. Those will be the dirtiest. Also we should exercise the Imperial family interest in the megacorporations now and transfer it legally so that Ciencia keeps it regardless." He thought a bit more and frowned. "We can choke off and filter the XBoat system but we need to control the Jump 6 courier network. I'm sure the Navy and Scouts plus megacorporations and maybe some of the more important nobles keep Jump 6 couriers that likely cut directly through the Great Rift. We will need to find out, probably using Omicron, what information networks exist and filter them as well."

He grinned at Ciencia's challenge. "I'm game for whenever and whatever. I still think we could kidnap all of the major players before they knew what hit them and stop or at least slow down the avalanche." He bowed to Iphigenia. "That may still not be enough to make a difference though."

"I believe we should have a designated megacorp to act as our salutary example," Ciencia said to Garvin. "SuSAG. Hit them from the legal side with the Omicron Division and if some of their facilities somehow ended up changing hands to new upstanding citizens, then who am I to judge? So long as the new owners have things made very clear that we will know more than they expect and that if they become a problem, then they can be replaced, too. No official sanction, though. Just our indifference to the changes. And William is right. Make clear the Imperial ownership stake remains valid, and they would find an audit most unpleasant."

She turned her attention to her husband. "There are fueling stations that make the rift crossing possible. If there were an infection that required strict isolation and it was closed to traffic from the Core side, that would hold long enough, I hope. We would need to have teams targeting J6 couriers in the narrows if we plan on stopping them. How would you handle that?"

Then she smiled coldly. "I don't know if Isis knew what her father was going to do, but I want her secured and returned here. She's will become my hostage and leverage against her father if need be. I wish we could leave her there, but we have to secure her."

Metz cleared his throat and looked at Garvin. "I'm about to suggest something that makes even me uncomfortable. What if we could take her and leave her at the same time? Not like you but a biobot with a replicated body and memories. It would be a biological body with a robotic brain. The personality running on the biobot doesn't even have to know she isn't the real article, though that would make what I'm suggesting worse. A robotic brain could run Isis in such a way as the personality was unaware of its artificial nature, and it would be undetectable. As would the offensive self-destruction charge I propose we add that would go off if Dulinor ever came within the kill radius of three to five meters."

He sighed. "It isn't her but this is as close to an evil a thing as I've ever considered. The biobot would know what it was doing, but Isis the personality would not and would potentially be the instrument of her father's dead, and her own. Tell me I'm wrong to consider this, Garvin, and I'll drop it."