The Codexian Saga LP

[Azira]

Yep. I think The Respublica is pretty much doomed by now. I'd be happy to be proven wrong though. But it seems that every other time we vote for something, we go back on some decision we made in our past.

 

[treave]

You can lay the blame on the "I didn't vote for a theocracy so I want it to fail!" faction.

 

[Ulminati]

You can lay the blame on the "I didn't vote for a theocracy so I want it to fail!" faction.

He's a faction of one

 

[Undead Phoenix]

Yep. I think The Respublica is pretty much doomed by now. I'd be happy to be proven wrong though. But it seems that every other time we vote for something, we go back on some decision we made in our past.

Have a little faith

 

[laclongquan]

You can lay the blame on the "I didn't vote for a theocracy so I want it to fail!" faction.

I am head of that one.

Believe me when I said I will do many things to force this theoratical tyranny toward Neo Republica Codexia. But not at the cost of total ruins though. A small and weak NCR doesnt interest me.

 

[treave]

HERETIC! HERETIC!

 

[The Barbarian]

The Sharp End

The Battle of Sonata was a disaster for the Commonwealth. In the first instance, it saw the virtual destruction of the 17th Battlegroup - as well as the brutal decimation of two others. Secondly, it saw one of the Commonwealth's major worlds fall to the Hin'in invader, with the all the loss of industry, commerce and manpower that entailed. Thirdly, and mayhap most damagingly, however, it also saw the first significant victory of the war for the humans. Unfortunately, it was to be credited solely to Marianite arms and ingenuity. There truly was no upside for the bedraggled Commos. When the Hin'in jumped into the system and proceeded to systematically maul the erstwhile defenders, the nearby Respublican forces chose not to render any assistance. Rather, they waited. And waited. And then waited some more.

Two weeks passed, during which time the Commos fought tooth and nail for Sonata, constantly sending out pleas for reinforcement, by every available means. These fell on deaf ears, in the case of the Respublicans. The latter, instead, massed all available local forces and struck out for the regional Hin'in logistics hub, known to be located on a lifeless rock named 'Modica', thanks to a spectacular tactical intelligence coup. The infrastructural set-up present on the dead world was extensive: the Hin'in had concentrated a large number of fuel tankers, repair tugs and even a nascent manufactory in orbit. The surface, for its part, played host to a major, yet obviously mobile docking complex. It was in fact a veritable fleet base, modularly constructed and capable of independent wyrmhole jumps. A marvel of engineering prowess and, worryingly, naked ambition. But it took barely two days to destroy.

The humans initially transitioned to the outer edges of the system, carefully cloaking the bulk of their two hundred-odd ship fleet. These vessels then moved into the system's interior slowly, making a beeline for the Hin'in hub, making certain that maximum advantage was gleaned from their Phyr-engineered stealth systems. A squadron of some twenty vessels guarded the complex. It was annihilated in short order. Powerful atomic, fusion and kinetic weapons savaged its relatively paltry defences, before shattering its extensive facilities. It was a triumph, at an absolutely minimal cost. And it left the Hin'in in an enormously difficult position. They could not hope to hold Sonata, removed as they were from their logistical network. Seemingly in dribs and drabs, the fleet that had weeks before won a major victory against the Commonwealth dissipated. There was obviously some disagreement in that fleet's hierarchy regarding how to best respond to the disastrous developments in question. Local observers even noted that several skirmishes took place, destroying upwards of ten Hin'in vessels.

Eventually, however, the armada broke apart. Convoys of vessels departed Sonata for different destinations, all in the Raumeni territories. However, as of early August, the AFC is yet to officially reclaim Sonata, still recovering from a bitter defeat and the disorganization that followed. The Marianites now face a choice.

***

Do you... order your triumphant fleet back? If we make for Sonata now, we can take it from the Commonwealth! Perhaps not 'legally', but possession is nine tenths of the law! If we land our crusaders and occupy the major population centres, what are they going to do about it? Shoot? Hah! Let us think past this conflict.

OR

Do you... order your forces to wait? We must reinforce what we have in Modica. Let us throw another one hundred vessels into the mix. Sure, we will be committing half our total strength, but if we build the critical mass we need, we can break the back of the Hin'in war effort, here and now! They do not have the forces to stop us.

OR

Do you... order your forces to now assault the jump-off point for the entire invasion? If we act QUICKLY, we can roll up this impudent scum all the way to the Raumeni boundary! Really show them how well righteous men fight! But we must act now. No pussyfooting around with reinforcements. Two hundred ships is more than enough.

OR

Do you... order that your forces split up into smaller taskforces and lead a multitude of attacks to further destabilize the Hin'in? We do not need one mailed fist to smash this enemy. We need the flexibility of fingers, to strike many targets at once and keep our foe from recuperating. Though not immediately decisive, the results could well make this conflict impossible for the Hin'in, without major reinforcement.

 

[The Brazilian Slaughter]

I vote D. Let's fight smart and fight well. This will be the Hin'in Vietnam.

 

[treave]

D.

We've seen that they have the potential to turn amongst themselves due to their innately alien and barbaric nature.

Draw them in and entice more reinforcements.

Of course, really, now that it has come to this we can kiss any idea of converting the Commonwealth goodbye. It will have to be done by the sword.

 

[Nickless]

D, guerrilla style. Weaken them slowly so that the Raumen rebel and do the hard work for us.

 

[anus_pounder]

Not voting for now. I'm no military expert, I'll wait for the others to decide.

Also, this more or less signals the end of our intel share, I suspect.

 

[Nickless]

Although... Are we at a disadvantage with hit and run tactics on account of our wormhole technology, compared to FTL? Or does the fact that we can run away without leaving a trace put us more at an advantage? I'm aware that the hin'in use wormhole, but the Raumen certainly don't.

 

[Donaroriak]

Good job on pushing difficult choices!
The way those are phrased, none appears to be clearly superior to the others.
C and D could cause us to spread too thin over the map.
B looks like a setup for a hubris-driven backlash
A seems nearsighted

Let's go with the long-run option and choose:
D

 

[Sergiu64]

can somebody explain to me exactly what is the benefit of hit-n-run in outer space?

Ummm, well it's what the Rebels were doing against the Empire in Star Wars universe. Similar to hit-n-run tactics everywhere else really, when the opponent's main force is too powerful for you it's best to avoid engagement against that force and instead test that force's ability to react to multiple threats by attacking everywhere at once and withdrawing before sufficient forces can respond at any one location. If you can do this effectively you'll be able to do great damage against opponent's supply chains while not exposing your forces to a whole lot of risk.

This assumes Hin'in aren't going to be better at this then we are, and that Hin'in aren't going to just gather a gigantic fleet and smash our worlds while ignoring the bee stings of our guerrilla warfare... That being said none of the other options sound good... A is just mean and leaves our backs exposed to a Hin'in counterattack. B makes a little sense as far as defending what we have, but given how effective Hin'in were at defeating the Commonwealth defense fleets I doubt that our fleet would have much success in "breaking the back of the Hin'in war effort". They definitely do have the forces to stop us as they did not lose all that many ships. C is tempting, but again I'm not sure we'll be successful and it might cause the Hin'in to commit their full might and that will end badly for us at this stage. So D seems like the best option since it's unlikely to get Hin'in to get angry enough to really think about annihilating us but will bog them down enough to where they cannot make further progress in the war.

Voting D.

 

[laclongquan]

We have two choices in tactics: massed together in a strong mailed fist and smash their face or use multiple strike to jab at them. BUT Raumeni is master of hit and run and they are vanquished by the Hiin. Mindlink help too much in such battles. Massed together we can concentrate and make full use of our wormhole tech, as well as our stealth tech.

On strategy, I must counsel against occupy Sonata. For one thing, we dont have energy to occupy another hostile planet while we still have lots of murthering great space battles ahead. For another, it's too treacherous. We let our ally suffer greatly in the name of victory and then we turn around to stab them in the back. It's frankly too low. Are you really that ready to blacken the name of your theological tyranny?

So two best choice remain, wait to concentrate force even more or massed together to smashed straight to enemy's jump-off point.

Wait or Act?!?

TO recap, the 200 vessels represented Hiin main strategic strength in this theatre of war. They punch, we partially absorb and counter punch them hard. They are reeling and lack serious strength to commit further active operations. The time to smash them is now.

Risky, risky! But lets the dice fall where it may.

CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC

 

[Radech]

hmmm... maybe we disrupted their communication somehow, since they couldn't agree on a way to pull out and some even attacked each other. If this is the case this is definitely the way to go which i guess is C

Guerilla tactics are all fine and well for weakening and slowing an enemy during a defensive campaign, but are we satisfied with just making them bleed a little more than we do until they call it quits, let's see if we can really stick it to them. and massed attacks dropping out of nowhere has always been our strength.

So C it is for now, willing to flip-flip to B, quite satisfied with riding it out on D even though i have to question all D-voters sexuality

 

[Undead Phoenix]

C

Keep the Hin'in off-balance by following through with our attack

 

[wjw]

We can liberate Sonata from heathen leadership!

Once again I urge all fellow high-priests to consider each and every option seriously!The Hi'in have retreated... for now. We have struck a blow. Fine.

But our 'good' relationship with the commo's is gone. They wont forget this. They will not co-operate. They will be a pain in the ass. That's not good. In order for this war to be succesfull we had but TWO options.

One option was to co-operate with the Commons. Our combined force might be enough to hold back the Hi'in.

The other option is to force the Commo's to join Holy Codexia. This is not a black-hearted move. This is a move for the greater good of all humans! To protect them from xeno-scum and show them our Holy way.

B, C and D are all logical options... However... The Gods favor the bold.

A

 

[BethesdaLove]

C

 

[Azira]

Option C

Let the psychic hobbits burn...

 

[taplonaplo]

option C,
seems to be the better offensive tactic against the Hin'in compared to D.

 

[Ulminati]

Well fought, brave Sons of Codexia!


I think the following may prove critically important to the war effort:

They could not hope to hold Sonata, removed as they were from their logistical network. Seemingly in dribs and drabs, the fleet that had weeks before won a major victory against the Commonwealth dissipated. There was obviously some disagreement in that fleet's hierarchy regarding how to best respond to the disastrous developments in question. Local observers even noted that several skirmishes took place, destroying upwards of ten Hin'in vessels.

Up until this point, the telepathic Hi'in have always displayed an unified front. That their fleet breaks apart and begins firing on itself raises an interesting hypothesis: WHAT IF, during the destruction of their staging point, we managed to hit some sort of telepathic relay, severing the fleets mental link to their home systems. Is this behaviour indicative of what we may expect of te Hi'in if we can disrupt their thought network? Are the eerily organized Hi'in really just mindless slaves to a central intelligence?

The Ulminati Institute of Weaponized Sciences will explore this data further. If we can find a way to turn the Hi'in forces against each other, it could be a deliciously ironic end to their empire.


The next choice seems interesting. Let us examine our options.

Option A

A is shortsighted and stupid. The Commies are (I suppose understandably) upset we ignored their desperate calls for aid. Doubly so after our stated intention of a semi-unified front and sharing of intel. If we pursue option A, they will quite likely see this as an act of war on our behalf, and we're down to a 3-sided conflict which will favour te Hi'in.

Option B

B is an intersting all-in gambit. If all goes well, we stand to gain a lot. But we're also risking half our total strength on not getting ambushed. If the Hi'in are still reeling, this is a good option. If they instead decide to commit more of their forces to the theatre, we stand to get slaughtered. Let us not forget the Hi'in posses the superior numbers, and many ships are still unaccounted for.

B suffers from being somewhat predictable. We hit them hard, it is logical to assume we may attempt to follow through with out punch. Some ancient chinese dude had something to say about this:

Thus if I determine the enemy's disposition of force while I have no perceptible form, I can concentrate my forces while the enemy is fragmented. If we are concentrated into a single force while they are fragmented into ten, then we attack them with ten times their strength. Thus we are many and the enemy is few. If we can attack their few with our many, those whom we engage in battle will be severly constrained.

The location where we will engage the enemy must not become known to them. If it is not known, then the positions they must prepare to defend will be numerous. If the positions the enemy prepares to defend are numerous, then the forces we will engage will be few. If no positions are left undefended, there will not be any places with more than a few.

It becomes obvious that the reason our surprise attack was a success was because it caught the Hi'in unawares. By the time we have concentrated our forces, they will have had time to mount a defense.


Option C

Option C is the ballsy version of option B. It risks less of our fleet and gives the fragmented Hi'in presence less time to prepare.

QUESTION FOR THE BARBARIAN
How much intel do we have on the Hi'in fleet placements in the area? Do we have estimates on how many ships are active in the theatre, and how much resistence we can expect at the staging point?

Without knowing the opposition, option C leaves us both vulnerable to a nasty surprise from the Hi'in and possibly a backstab from the treacherous Commies.


Option D

We fade into shadows and mist and await the Hi'ins next move. This will throw away much of the temporary advantage we have gained by this strike. It will however force the Hi'in to make another moven, setting them up for a counterpunch. I am not certain this will win us the war in the long run. It may also upset the commies further if they lose their planet with little long-term harm to the Hi'in.

It will however give us time to find a new weakness to hit, forcing the Hi'in to expose themselves again. Our surprise attack gambit was succesful this time, but we must not become predictable. Some ancient chinese dude says:

Critically analyse them to know the estimations for gain and loss. Stimulate them to know the patterns of their movement and stopping. Determine their disposition of force to know the tenable and fatal terrain. Probe them to know where they have an excess, where an insufficiency.
Thus the pinnacle of military deployment approaches the formless. If it is formless, then even the deepest spy cannot discern it or the wise make plans against it.

In accord with the enemy's disposition we impose measures on the masses that produce victory, but the masses are unable to fathom them. Men all know the disposition by which we attain victory, but no one knows the configuration through which we control the victory. Thus a victorious battle strategy is not repeated, the configurations of response to the enemy are inexhaustible.

At this time, I am not prepared to cast my vote. D seems like the best option. C may be viable, but I require more data before I am wlling to commit to it. A and B are right out.

 

[Brotherman Bill]

D sounds like a shit option IMO, hit and run attacks against the enemy that, as langqlongguy pointed out, just conquered the masters of hit and run is p. silly.

Vote C

 

[Sergiu64]

D sounds like a shit option IMO, hit and run attacks against the enemy that, as langqlongguy pointed out, just conquered the masters of hit and run is p. silly.

Vote C

I guess I missed where it was said that Raumeni were masters of hit and run, but I don't think they ever had the cloaking technology so that might be a cruicial difference between how effective hit and run can be.

 

[The Barbarian]

How much intel do we have on the Hi'in fleet placements in the area? Do we have estimates on how many ships are active in the theatre, and how much resistence we can expect at the staging point?

As far as you are aware, the Hin'in deploy something like three hundred ships (minus the ones destroyed in recent fighting) in this theater of operations. Their total strength (above included) in the Raumeni expanse is around twelve hundred ships. Overall strength of the Hin'in empire is unknown, though estimated at around two thousand vessels.

As for resistance at the staging point... no way to know. It is unlikely that they have committed everything to that focal point. But it depends on whether or not they've reinforced.

You are in the same situation as very many field commanders before you: not a great deal of information is at your disposal, but you have hefty decisions to make. The only thing that Conan can promise is that every available outcome has a basis in the story so far. The Barbarian is using the Hin'in in the way he imagines they would behave 'naturally'. That is to say, they are not simply acting as a foil for arbitrary choices. Take that as you will.