The Codexian Saga LP

[The Barbarian]

Index of Entries

1. The Choicening
2. The Consequencing
3. The Future is Here
3b. The Future is Here: The Second Attempt
4. A Great Penis Across the Stars
5. Oh, noes!
6. Codexia Wants You!
7. The War of the Penis Ring: Continued
8. War Pigs
9. The End of the Beginning
10. Shits-n-Giggles: The Raumen and You
11. Pax Codexiana
12. Codexia uber alles: The Genetic Intermission
13. Codexia the Brave
14. The Chase Scene
15. Behind the Curtains
16. Codexia Goes Forth!
17. Turning Points
18. War Stories
19. Cry Havoc, and Let Loose the Dogs of War!
20. The Great Dying
21. Codex Entry: The Phyr
22. The River of Death
23. The Aftermath
24. Dreams of the Future
25. Fate and Destiny
26. State of the Union, 250AU
27. Where No Man Has Gone Before
28. Codexia, the Unbound
29. The Feast of Bones
30. The Winter of Discontent, Raumeni-style
31. New Kids on the Block
32. Disaster, Presiding
33. Codex Entry: Codexian Military Primer, 266AU
34. Out of the Frying Pan: the Fire Beckons
35. The Textbook SNAFU
36. The Sinews of War; the Price of Peace
37. A Series of Unfortunate Events
38. In Hephaestus' Forge, in Hell's Kitchen
39. The Renaissance of Pain
40. Respublica
41. Clawing at the Stars
42. Codex Entry: The Hin'in
43. State of the Union: 340AU
44. Clouds on the Horizon
45. The Will to Power
46. Last Month on the 'Codexian Saga'
47. A Space Sonata
48. The Sharp End
49. The Road Not Taken
50. Costs, Benefits, Opportunities
51. In Media Res
52. A Fell Moon
53. Cold Delivery
54. Errant Hope
55. Pacification
56. The Wheel Keeps on Turning
57. A New Age (Part A)
58. A New Age (Part B)
59. The Triumphant March
60. Altered States
61. Et tu, Brutus?
62. Codexia Reforged
63. The End of the Beginning
64. The Rise of the Tyrant, the Loss of Heaven's Mandate
65. Snake Eyes
66. The Hourglass of Sand
67. Whimpers in the Dark
68. Human Nature

Current Map

The Barbarians bids thee welcome, honorable savages. He remains unsure as to where to post this, but since this is the designated 'circle-jerk' forum, he has made an executive decision. So here we are.

And here is what the Barbarian proposes:

Since he was a wee lad, the Barbarian has enjoyed 4X games - such as Civilization, Master of Orion etc. etc. ad nauseam. He has also enjoyed PBW/PBEM games of that sort. Now, he wishes to combine the two in a unique way, for masturbatory goodness.

Essentially, the Barbarian's fellow Codexers would be presented with a situation in which they are the reigning rulers of a burgeoning power (meaning, starting from a single homeworld with a modern technological base) in a space-opera setting (e.g. Star Trek/Babylon 5/Star Wars). Rather than controlling the minutiae of this power's rise to greatness (no 'I wish to build Destroyer at Codexia A for 5 Production points', thanks), they would be presented with extreme Choice & Consequence.

For example:

Your empire continues to grow and prosper well into the next century. Technological progress proceeds apace, and affords your populace untold luxury and utility. It is a time of social development, colonial enterprise and - most of all - great ambition. Soon, that ambition manifests itself in the form of a potentially quantum leap in science; the invention of true Artificial Intelligence. You are in a quandary, however. Yes, Artificial Intelligence could yield incredible rewards for your people. But one does not need to be an anthropologist to recall that your predecessors had considered the looming specter of true AI to be potentially fatal to mankind itself.

Your scientists clamor for the go-ahead order. Your General Staff is intrigued. Policy advisers, however, are wary; and your people themselves are unaware. Oh, benevolent ruler, what do you decree?

Do you... give the go-ahead for largely unregulated AI proliferation?

OR

Do you... strictly regulate AI for specific military and, in some cases, commercial uses?

OR

Do you... ban AI wholesale, as a potential disaster-in-the-making for mankind?

***

Each of the above choices would entail consequences that would inform the next available choice.

So, in short, our circle-jerk would consist of the Barbarian offering context and choice to an audience voting thereon in every 'round'. Some choices would be grand-scale and others more specific. But, as a whole, they would knit together a 4X story of triumph and disaster.

Epically.

Every few turns, there would be a 'State of the Union' update, wherein the Codex's empire is summarized and contextualized.

An expression of interest is more than enough.

If there is none, the Barbarian will slink away, defeated. His soul made barren by your callous rejection. And your enormous faggotry. But he will not be bitter, though. Never bitter.

 

[Ashery]

Why the hell not?

 

[The Barbarian]

Excellent.

The Barbarian will then commence the proceedings.

***

Choice One - The Choicening

It is the dawn of the space age. The world stands on the brink of the heavens, mere figurative steps away from breaking the bonds that chained us to our increasingly fallow planet. Scientists from many of the leading powers of the day come together in a congregation of minds and expertise, in order to discover the long sought-after solution to a decades-old query; how to explore our system - and beyond - economically. Solutions soon thereafter seem on the cusp of realization. A golden age seems to lie just beyond the horizon. However, the obvious fault lines are soon exposed.

National self-interest rears its ugly head, and the grand project of your race comes to a shuddering halt. In this perilous time, you lead a powerful faction, composed of peoples with a singular vision for the future: the world must be united in this endeavor, one way or another, or you will forever stay moribund on the rock you call 'home'. The choice before you is simple, at first glance, but should be considered with care.

Do you... lead your faction to glorious victory over its foes in a scarring war of global unification?

OR

Do you... seek consensus through multilateral compromise? Your foes will be your foes no longer. You might be labeled a gaping vagina in some quarters, but at least none will perish on the road to the stars.

***

PROTIP:

Since there are no 'mechanics' to this circle-jerk, as such, think about your choice carefully. There are pros and cons, either way.

Some notes:

1) The vote is open until either a) tomorrow or b) until five votes are reached, whichever happens first.

2) The Barbarian will try to spice things up with pictures, here and there, but his HTML skills are paltry, so he will have to take a crash-course in posting pictures from tinypic or Photobucket. Forgive his idiocy.

 

[Ashery]

Seeing that this is the Codex and you purposefully tried to make people avoid the peaceful choice...

Option B

 

[Angthoron]

Option B - not only is the ground-side warfare boring, it is bound to consume the precious resources required to make the leap. And what guarantee is there that the swine you call neighbours won't attack using non-conventional means, wiping out millions of would-be space colonists in a single blow?

Nay, the time for battle will come, but not just yet; Codexia must grow in power, spread tentacles of deception and enslave nations with our cunning first, then strike out and defeat our foes in a glorious slaughter! Bethesdians shall rue the day they ceased their trade with us!

 

[Jaedar]

I'd say go to war. It will scar and destroy the earth, which will make space travel much more important, leading to a much more powerful and united initial colonization.

 

[The Barbarian]

Codexians choosing the peaceful option! My, my.

While this is starting up, the Barbarian will break his own arbitrary rule. A two-man consensus is still a consensus. Let us move on to Consequence, followed by another Choice.

***

(The Barbarian is now experimenting with PhotoBucket, bear with him)

The Consequencing

No wars shook Codexia, as one century tilted into another. No battles damaged the landscape, forevermore. The fighting that took place happened behind closed doors in National Assemblies; in Parliaments; in Chambers of Government - and when it finally subsided, there were no more nations and no more borders. There was simply the World State. Colossal and sanguine. Home to a multitude of billions of peons milling about, whiling away their days for the benefit of their superiors.

Of course, the process was not instantaneous. It took a great deal of time to convince each and every minor state to give up its sovereign rights. In fact, it was almost four decades before the economic reality of the Codexian World League convinced the most intransigent of petty rulers that it was in their best interest to subordinate their petty nationalistic concerns to the greater interest of the species entire. An extraordinary quantity of resources was then poured into bringing the world in line, and ready for the next great push against the stars.

When all was said and done, Codexia was united, though government remained very decentralized and somewhat unstable. The new executive, however, remembered its original pledge, and pushed the space program aggressively. By 43AU (After Unification), exploitation of the home system was in full swing. Yet, even as Codexian miners began to exploit the extensive asteroid field and several of the larger in-system planetary bodies using newly developed ionic-drive vessels, one recurring question jarred: Who is to be responsible, ultimately, for colonization?

Do you... decree that colonization is a super-national matter and that it should lie solely in the hands of the government, with all the cost and responsibility implicit therein?

OR

Do you... decree that colonization funding should come from private sources (corporations), while the government concentrates on more pressing concerns (such as education, public health etc. etc.)?

***

Full steam ahead.

 

[Angthoron]

The corporations taking over vital aspects of future lives has been done to death so going with the government option here. Totalitarianism in space!

 

[Black Cat]

Since we are already treading the path that leads to multikult socialist utopias in space, option A is the way of the future.

 

[juggernaut]

option A

 

[Fafnir]

option A

 

[The Barbarian]

For the first part of this exercise in collective masturbation, the Barbarian will continue to laugh and point at the Rule of Five (votes).

And now, without further ado...

The Future is Here

***

Between 43AU and 85AU, Codexian development of the homesystem continued, albeit slowly. It took a great deal of time for individual corporations and conglomerates to gather the capital necessary, in order to open space up for true colonization and exploitation. Longer still, before it was profitable to do so. As such, the first serious investors in these ventures will go down in history as visionaries. The men and women who helped found CoMiCo (Codexian Mining Conglomerate) Inc became legends, in their own right. By 90AU, the first burgeoning colonies on several planetary bodies and moons were extending Codexian influence beyond their homeworld.

In the meantime, government investment in societal concerns proved sufficient in dealing with potential trouble-spots. Education was extended to the poorest regions of the World State. Healthcare received a major boost. The bureaucracy grew larger, to support the growing bureaucracy. Yet, of course, no happy home is without skeletons lining the walk-in closet. In Codexia's case, CoMiCo and its ilk quickly became major players, as their mineral import profit margins blew out dirtside competitors. Money turned into power with consummate ease. Soon, the mining sector's government lobby group became the most powerful around, by far. CoMiCo's executive directors could say that they wielded influence over regional governors - and it would have been no great exaggeration.

Furthermore, once the terraformation projects on the earliest colonies began operating in 112AU, the government was left to deal with the embarrassing fact that the MegaCorps, in truth, controlled Codexian assets, off-world. Colonial ventures became business ventures. It was not about the pride inherent in conquering space, it was about the almighty Codexian dollar, and the bottom line. Competition was light, at first, due to the real-estate available. But ambition filled the void, quickly enough, and several colonies were soon developmental basket-cases, as the corporations jostled for position and the 'prime' territory.

By 133AU, the decentralized nature of the Codexian governmental system had snowballed the problem. Individual senators were treating their offices like victuals to be sold on the open market to the highest bidder. Corporate influence became pervasive - perhaps even dangerous. Yet, somehow, the caravan rolled on. The system was strained, but it did not break. Eventually, the beleaguered government tightened up lobbying laws, preventing - what amounted to - further blatant bribery. Government regulations gave birth to the Colonial Authority, which regulated corporate activity outside of Codexia itself, and thereby instituted limits to corporate authority.

Things were finally going well. Before long, words like 'extra-solar' and 'travel' were being bandied about by a populace truly ready to burst forth into the cosmos. The obvious question remains: how? How will you expand beyond the Codexian homesystem?

Do you... pour resources into wormhole research, in the hope of discovering the means by which to travel through naturally occurring folds in space and time?

OR

Do you... pour resources into vehicular-centric FTL-travel, which would allow your vessels to move faster than light without folding space-time?

 

[laclongquan]

let private corps colonize so that they can became rival to the rightful overlords of human destiny? Not hardly!

Totalitarianism for the win!

EDIT:

FTL is the way to go! Not only it allow freedom in exploration, it also afford more options in warfare. Rely too much in wormhole will lead to stagnance.

 

[The Barbarian]

Oh, LOL.

The Barbarian fails his PER roll, badly.

He managed to read the above responses as all going for Option Les Corporate.

Re-roll, or continue?

EDIT:

Actually, excellent opportunity to watch CnC in action. Re-roll and do-over commencing shortly...

 

[The Barbarian]

The Future is Here: The Second Attempt

***

The grand World State of Codexia could not, in the end, rationalize leaving colonization in the hands of kleptomaniacal sharks-in-suits. Unbelievable quantities of money were earmarked for exploitation measures. The first Codexian colony was flagged in 56AU. Iconic imagery of the colonial declaration was propagated far and wide; assured of its place in the history books. Colonel Angthoron took his place beside Columbus, Polo and the Unknown Cossack who, together, helped open up Codexia itself to 'civilization'. Soon, thousands were settling the domes of the first colony. It was not long before this colony began moving forward on the road to self-sufficiency - in the first instance, by selling serious quantities of mineral goods on the trans-planetary market.

Yet, the good times were not kind to all. The poor of Codexia railed against the space program. Trillions that could have been spent on social welfare, education and healthcare were, instead, spent on colonial development. Winners of the colonial lottery were subsequently subject to attacks by the disgruntled underclass. The hardest hit regions began lashing out at the World State, accusing it of having absolved itself of the responsibility it undertook upon Unification. Serious recriminations followed. Large stretches of Cofrica, Condia and Cohina withheld federal taxes from the government. The crisis remained delicately balanced for some time. At the end, however, the possible civil war was averted by brutal crackdowns and local purges.

Government authority was increased at the expense of serious social upheaval. Yet, the silver lining was starlit. A centrally planned colonial program allowed for a systemic approach to colonization. Though it seemed slow, it was well organized, and relatively efficient. Terraforming would begin on several planetary bodies in 87AU. Though the continuing cost of colonization proved crushing, Codexia strove to convince its populace that the future was only guaranteed via the stars. These attempts succeeded, for the most part, and for the time being.

Finally, by 110AU there was the sense that the status quo was settled, and that things were going well enough. Before long, words like 'extra-solar' and 'travel' were being bandied about by a populace truly ready to burst forth into the cosmos. The obvious question remains: how? How will you expand beyond the Codexian homesystem?

Do you... pour resources into wormhole research, in the hope of discovering the means by which to travel through naturally occurring folds in space and time?

OR

Do you... pour resources into vehicular-centric FTL-travel, which would allow your vessels to move faster than light without folding space-time?

 

[Black Cat]

Wormhole research, obviously. It wouldn't be Codexia without a Shivan armada pouring out of subspace and killing us all.

 

[ghostdog]

The Barbarian should do Wyrmhole research. It's a filthy job but someone has to do it. It's for Wyrmlord's sake.

 

[Achilles]

Definately wormholes, they are much cooler.

 

[Cenobyte]

For the sake of diversity... do the ftl-travel research

 

[Angthoron]

Colonel Angthoron would go with FTL systems because not only are they FTW, unlike Wyrmholes, they do not require the natural occurrences of Wyrmlords and are likely more controllable.

Besides, he wouldn't want to travel through Wyrmholes, that'd require washing the CSS Butthurt too often.

 

[The Barbarian]

Counting laclongquan's vote (the Barbarian is confident in his ability to count to five, thankfully), it seems that the cut-off of five votes is instituted with Cenobyte's post... which means that Wormhole travel takes it. Onward and upward.

***

A Great Penis Across the Stars

The news had hit like a thunderbolt: the CSS Black Cat had done it! A four lightyear jump to Alpha Centauri, in mere weeks! The ship had made the 'jump' by folding space using an artificial, short-term 'wyrmhole'. Between 110AU and 125AU the World State had spent billions of credits and millions of manpower hours on a program that promised a future bounty beggaring belief. And the all-star science team had finally come through. Within a few short years research teams, prospectors, explorers and untold numbers of others poured through the gateways to the stars.

Though as many as one in twenty of the ships entering the earliest artificial wyrmholes never reached their destinations, the trade-off was seen as worthwhile. The inevitable and tragic losses were mourned, and Codexia moved on. Extrema became the first extra-solar colony in 134AU. More years passed, and soon dozens of systems had been charted by intrepid, government-sponsored explorer vessels. The total colonial population would exceed one million by 137AU. Though this was seen as a definite success (and proof of Codexian superiority over natural obstacles), terraformation simply was not working quickly enough to produce colonies truly capable of handling massive human populations within a reasonable timeframe. Codexia, herself, was bursting at the seams - the home of fourteen billion souls, with nearly four billion existing below the poverty line.

The colonies were needed as a release valve, but the valve was not yet operational. Therefore, either the process needed to be sped up, or a habitable world needed to be found, ready for exploitation. The choice staring the government in the face was stark.

Do you... decree that more resources be funneled into terraformation and terraformation techniques, so as to hopefully speed up the creation of habitable environments?

OR

Do you... issue private licenses to would-be explorers? Though less regulated a means of expanding the Codexian domain, it would surely produce a host of willing Codexians in the government's search for a habitable world.

 

[madbringer]

First of all - this is an awesome thread, you have great narrative skills, my good man.

Second - researching terraforming would only bring long-range benefits. As befits a nation of near-sighted, greedy, but also jolly, sociopaths, licenses are the way to go. That way it's also ensured that rampant chaos and anarchy is not far ahead, with splinter colonies, rogue explorers turned pirate bands and whatnot.

 

[Orgasm]

Stop using italic. Its hard to read.
And what the madman above said. MUAUAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAA.

 

[The Barbarian]

Orgasm, the Barbarian likes your suggestion, and will institute a no-italics policy in future posts.

madbringer, Conan offers his thanks. He will strive to live up to the compliment paid.

Status:

Licenses - Two

Terraformation - One

EDIT: Update.

One more vote for Licenses takes us to our next CnC.

 

[Jack]

A - Terraforming.

Awesome thread by the way.