Simple Space Empire Quest #4

QM

The Eternal Empire has stood for 14 millennia and has endured hundreds of wars, calamities, and rulers of every type. As the Reaver Clans have been forced to yield, the first generation of House Heinrich's rule begins to pass from living memory.

Though Emperor Otto's reign reaches near its final days, it is not yet finished. Only time will tell what his legacy will be.

>Previous Threads
>https://suptg.thisisnotatrueending<wbr>.com/qstarchive.html?tags=Simple%20<wbr>Space%20Empire

>>5974518
You are Otto Heinrich, firstborn son of Albin Heinrich, third Emperor of his line, and Warmaster of the Eternal Empire. You consider your sixthborn son, Konstantin, and reason that he ought to be left to his course in the Astronomicon Academy. By their instruction, he should make a fine general, and as a prince, ought to receive some flexibility in choosing his campaigns.

His bloodlust concerns you, but he's sixth in line for the throne, soon to be further still. It is no threat to the future and may, if anything, help his career. Even so, you pull some strings to have him put through some of the civilian-heavier holo-sims. This should instill a deeper awareness of the damage he, like any general, is expected to inflict and the need, at times, to minimize it for the sake of the masses. Like Leopold, you'll also be tutoring him where you can find the time. The boy is, if nothing else, enthusiastic to learn from your own experiences.

You consider your seventhborn son, Konrad. The boy is twelve years old and hasn't changed in the slightest. He's no less quiet or well-behaved and has progressed quickly in his studies. You're no connoisseur of fine arts and are biased, but find his work with clay interesting enough. In the decades to come, he may become an exceptional sculptor in his own right. There is little to be done in his case, save be an active presence in his life, so you do.

You consider your firstborn daughter, Arnette. The girl is nine years old and, while bright, is quite opinionated. She's prone to making sweeping proclamations, condemning the lesser nobility as incompetent, and agitating for heightened absolutism. Apart from that, the princess has little fondness for comfort and cares deeply for the, in her own words, "unwashed" masses. This perhaps does warrant some guidance.

What should be done?

>Encourage her to adopt a more moderate stance. The minor houses are the backbone of the Empire, and it would not do to cause a scandal in her eventual betrothal.
>Allow her mother to handle the situation as she pleases. Jeanne also has a particular fondness for the subjects of the Empire and originates from a traitor house herself.
>Leave her be, for now. You had a number of bold opinions as a young boy and eventually grew out of most. Odds are, this is only a passing phase.

Anonymous

>>5974520
>>Allow her mother to handle the situation as she pleases. Jeanne also has a particular fondness for the subjects of the Empire and originates from a traitor house herself.

>>5974520
>Encourage her to adopt a more moderate stance. The minor houses are the backbone of the Empire, and it would not do to cause a scandal in her eventual betrothal.
At the very least she should learn the problems it can cause by openly saying these kinds of things.

Welcome back QM

>>5974520
>Encourage her to adopt a more moderate stance. The minor houses are the backbone of the Empire, and it would not do to cause a scandal in her eventual betrothal.
technically it's the minor houses and the masses that are the backbone, but shhh don't tell em.

Also welcome back.

>>5974520

>Encourage her to adopt a more moderate stance. The minor houses are the backbone of the Empire, and it would not do to cause a scandal in her eventual betrothal.

Perhaps a fatherly reminder that Heinrich itself was a minor house not too long ago?

Also welcome back QM!

>>5974520
>Encourage her to adopt a more moderate stance. The minor houses are the backbone of the Empire, and it would not do to cause a scandal in her eventual betrothal.
She calls for further absolutism yet dislikes the minor houses? They are the biggest supporters or further absolutism and have also produced numerous competent men for the Empire. What is she basing these ideas on?

>>5974573
A nine-year old’s understanding of galactic politics. You know, maybe ot would e fine to let this blow over.

>>5974518
Welcome back QM
>>5974520
>Encourage her to adopt a more moderate stance. The minor houses are the backbone of the Empire, and it would not do to cause a scandal in her eventual betrothal.
Annette you are supposed to keep those thoughts to yourselves even if we are all thinking it.

>>5974520
>Encourage her to adopt a more moderate stance. The minor houses are the backbone of the Empire, and it would not do to cause a scandal in her eventual betrothal.

>>5974588
Still, where's she getting these ideas from? Anyway, we shouldn't let this be when we can turn this into a father daughter bonding moment and life lesson.

QM

>>5974528
>>5974532
>>5974538
>>5974541
>>5974573
>>5974597
>>5974625
You encourage Arnette to adopt a more moderate stance. After all, House Heinrich was once a minor house and the throne would be left vulnerable without its allies. She insists to you that the lesser houses betrayed their rightful rulers during the 2nd Civil War, and the continued existence of any former members of the Tripartite Entente is a shame on the legacy of old Earth. You bring up House De Croize and she claims that's different, as they "got rid of the traitors" and "mom used to be one."

This back-and-forth continues for some time. It becomes clear that Arnette is deeply set in her ideals, or as much as any child could be. As far as anyone can tell, she took the severity of House Rothsford's rebellion to heart, and has extended it to hold House Heinrich's peers in contempt. These views are hardly controversial among Heinrich space and she may well forget about them as her education continues, but the worry that she could take inter-house politics too seriously for someone her age remains. You persuade her to keep quiet about it in the meantime, for the sake of public appearances. Arnette begrudgingly agrees and that's that. You hope this won't develop into an issue later on...

Now that you've finished addressing the concerns of your family, time marches forward. You grow older but your work bears fruit. Under your diligent command, the Royal Guard has been refined, nay, reforged into an elite fighting force. They are ferocious, fanatical, and unflinching in their service of the throne, taken from only the most outstanding and dedicated soldiers of the Imperial Navy and Army. Their equipment and discipline are supreme, as is their coordination and conditioning. Across the forces within the Eternal Empire, only those of House Arthen can match them man-for-man.

There are no applicants to the position. Rather, Royal Guardsmen are handpicked from the ranks, and it is an incredible honour to be approached, which vanishingly few soldiers would deny. Notably, those of ambitious or disobedient psychology profiles are overlooked, even if they are otherwise excellent. Only those of life-long humility and unbreakable resolve to serve House Heinrich without hesitation are selected. Commoners are preferred for nominations, save those scions of the Martial Houses, who form a great portion of the frontline infantry and officer corp.

Under your touch, in a mere ten years, the Royal Guard has been rendered utterly unrecognizable! Their prestige as defenders of the throne remains in tatters due to their failure to safeguard Emperor Alphonse. If they are to be redeemed in the sight of the Empire, they must win victories for its sake. That is something your successor may have to concern himself with. You are getting old, so very old...

>>5974639
Your beloved wife, Jeanne, has worked tirelessly to improve the lot of the former serfs, recently freed from the ravages of the Reaver Clans. The Imperial Bureaucracy has gone to great lengths to get her the supplies she needs, as has House De Croize, where the funds can be spared. There are many hundreds of millions of illiterate, starved wretches scattered across a vast area of space, lost to depths of filth and squalour that are frankly unspeakable.

At this scale, the problem is less institutional than it is existential. It will take the Empire's united efforts or a lifetime of struggle to amend affairs. Still, Jeanne goes far for a mere decade and accomplishes much. Her single-minded focus on elevating nutritional standards, access to healthcare, and public education up to the imperial standard leaves millions of ex-serfs speechless with gratitude. Besides that, it serves as an excellent basis for propaganda and gives the masses the impression that improvements are coming at an unprecedented speed. Even if, in reality, most of the pirate territories are affected little.

This does improve House De Croize's prestige, partly wiping the slate of their former treachery. Between this, the Empress originating from their line, and the old holo-vision campaigns emphasizing the traitors of De Croize as distinct from the house, their reputation has been mostly restored! In a couple more generations, their shame may fall behind them. You are satisfied by this. In secret, you have a deep and abiding respect for the De Croize, as they almost managed to do what the entire Federation of Uvarth couldn't.

>>5974641
Your father, the former Emperor Albin, current Advisor of Xenology, and wheezing ancient at one-hundred and eleven years old, has made progress with the Osgus State. Throughout the entire history of their species, no non-Osgus have ever attended the Slurm ceremony, where the Osgus ruler-to-be is appointed and executes their predecessor. Until now. Your father is speechless as he tells you they invited him to watch a live recording of the event in an airtight bunker, mere tens of kilometers away!

He assures you that this is an incredible step forward for Human-Osgus relations! Fortunately, the newly determined Slurm is fond of Jumpcrawl and by extension, your father. This has afforded him some precious political capital, which could well be leveraged to bring your species even closer together. He cautions you that a misstep at this juncture could be catastrophic, but is eager to follow whichever path you decree.

What should Albin do?

>Push for a military alliance. Recognize the Osgus as peers to Mankind, and pledge to serve in each other's defensive wars. The squids are ruthless and could be a valuable asset.
>Further mingle the economies. The Osgus represent a vast, if regimented market for Human goods, and vice versa. Both species are already engaged in limited commerce, but there is room to expand.
>Encourage the ISL. If both nations back the sports association in totality, it should be able to scale operations considerably. Over time, this is likely to greatly improve the opinions of both populations toward alien involvement.
>Broach the subject of immigration. This is unlikely to be popular with either species, but the squids could colonize human seas, just as humanity could the deserts of the squids. At the moment, there's a fair amount of territory going unused
>Suggest a technological exchange. It's known that the Osgus are notoriously paranoid, but their shields are flatly superior to the Empire's. Of course, if they accepted such a deal, they'd expect Mankind's turret schematics, in turn.
>Invite a delegation of Osgus to witness the imperial coronation. Likewise unprecedented, this would be an incredible gesture of respect, and would outrage most of those with anti-alien sentiments.

Anonymous

>>5974644
>Encourage the ISL. If both nations back the sports association in totality, it should be able to scale operations considerably. Over time, this is likely to greatly improve the opinions of both populations toward alien involvement.
>Further mingle the economies. The Osgus represent a vast, if regimented market for Human goods, and vice versa. Both species are already engaged in limited commerce, but there is room to expand.
>Invite a delegation of Osgus to witness the imperial coronation. Likewise unprecedented, this would be an incredible gesture of respect, and would outrage most of those with anti-alien sentiments.
The first two are the natural next steps and the last one puts a nice bow on top.

One thing Im interested in is getting some Osgus as servants. See about how we could further our interests in Osgus society in the future, either as intelligence assets or as (subtle) proponents of submission to humanity. Humanity is still better after all

>>5974644
>Further mingle the economies. The Osgus represent a vast, if regimented market for Human goods, and vice versa. Both species are already engaged in limited commerce, but there is room to expand.
of course if going well at first.
>Suggest a technological exchange. It's known that the Osgus are notoriously paranoid, but their shields are flatly superior to the Empire's. Of course, if they accepted such a deal, they'd expect Mankind's turret schematics, in turn.
If going even better:
>Invite a delegation of Osgus to witness the imperial coronation. Likewise unprecedented, this would be an incredible gesture of respect, and would outrage most of those with anti-alien sentiments.
step by step.

>>5974644
>Encourage the ISL. If both nations back the sports association in totality, it should be able to scale operations considerably. Over time, this is likely to greatly improve the opinions of both populations toward alien involvement.
Since the Slurm likes it but also
>Push for a military alliance. Recognize the Osgus as peers to Mankind, and pledge to serve in each other's defensive wars. The squids are ruthless and could be a valuable asset.
Not a full military alliance but a defensive one in case we get ganked by multiple powers and we definitely need one at this point considering how big we are now

>>5974644
>Encourage the ISL. If both nations back the sports association in totality, it should be able to scale operations considerably. Over time, this is likely to greatly improve the opinions of both populations toward alien involvement.
>Further mingle the economies. The Osgus represent a vast, if regimented market for Human goods, and vice versa. Both species are already engaged in limited commerce, but there is room to expand.
>Invite a delegation of Osgus to witness the imperial coronation. Likewise unprecedented, this would be an incredible gesture of respect, and would outrage most of those with anti-alien sentiments.

>>5974644
>Encourage the ISL. If both nations back the sports association in totality, it should be able to scale operations considerably. Over time, this is likely to greatly improve the opinions of both populations toward alien involvement.
>Further mingle the economies. The Osgus represent a vast, if regimented market for Human goods, and vice versa. Both species are already engaged in limited commerce, but there is room to expand.
I'll leave the coronation out, for now. Slow baby steps.

And welcome back QM!

>>5974644
>>Encourage the ISL. If both nations back the sports association in totality, it should be able to scale operations considerably. Over time, this is likely to greatly improve the opinions of both populations toward alien involvement.
>>Further mingle the economies. The Osgus represent a vast, if regimented market for Human goods, and vice versa. Both species are already engaged in limited commerce, but there is room to expand.
It's good to be back.

>>5974644
>Further mingle the economies. The Osgus represent a vast, if regimented market for Human goods, and vice versa. Both species are already engaged in limited commerce, but there is room to expand.
>Suggest a technological exchange. It's known that the Osgus are notoriously paranoid, but their shields are flatly superior to the Empire's. Of course, if they accepted such a deal, they'd expect Mankind's turret schematics, in turn.
>Invite a delegation of Osgus to witness the imperial coronation. Likewise unprecedented, this would be an incredible gesture of respect, and would outrage most of those with anti-alien sentiments.

Happy this is back.

>Further mingle the economies. The Osgus represent a vast, if regimented market for Human goods, and vice versa. Both species are already engaged in limited commerce, but there is room to expand.
>Suggest a technological exchange. It's known that the Osgus are notoriously paranoid, but their shields are flatly superior to the Empire's. Of course, if they accepted such a deal, they'd expect Mankind's turret schematics, in turn.
>Invite a delegation of Osgus to witness the imperial coronation. Likewise unprecedented, this would be an incredible gesture of respect, and would outrage most of those with anti-alien sentiments.

>>5974644
>Encourage the ISL. If both nations back the sports association in totality, it should be able to scale operations considerably. Over time, this is likely to greatly improve the opinions of both populations toward alien involvement.
>Further mingle the economies. The Osgus represent a vast, if regimented market for Human goods, and vice versa. Both species are already engaged in limited commerce, but there is room to expand.
>Invite a delegation of Osgus to witness the imperial coronation. Likewise unprecedented, this would be an incredible gesture of respect, and would outrage most of those with anti-alien sentiments.
Love this quest, welcome back QM.

>>5974649

Supporting this, but I think the announcement of the Osgus delegation must come from none other than Albin himself, and at the earliest possible time. We want to give the Empire the most time possible to come to grips with this.

Obvious anti- squid terrorists might also ramp up plans, but with the Royal Guard and Nightshayd in the mix, I’m optimistic that we could crush any terror plots/false flags

QM

>>5974649
>>5974653
>>5974661
>>5974670
>>5974683
>>5974702
>>5974724
>>5974759
>>5974765
>>5974768
You task your father with encouraging the Slurm to throw his weight behind the Interspecies Sports League as you, the Emperor, do likewise. The ISL was his own creation, so many decades ago, and he’s humbled by how far it has come. You also ask him to push toward the Osgus’ financial interests, to further develop and ingratiate your respective economies. In concert with the ISL, this should lead to a considerable boost in tax revenue, which the ISL’s added needs are likely to drain in turn. Such is the circle of bureaucracy. You and the former Emperor are in agreement that a delegation of Osgus should be invited to the next imperial coronation.

Well, the former Emperor is enthusiastic about the prospect. You’re more intrigued by their shielding technology and think this could be a fine avenue of approach. Your own sentiment to the squids is cautious, but the enigmatic aliens can hardly be any worse than the neo-federalist scum. Before your father’s attempts at diplomacy, the Osgus State had held steadfast to silent isolationism at best, aggressive expansionism at worst. Such an ancient precedent is unlikely to give-in so easily, and the Advisor of Xenology is concerned that asking for a technological exchange outright could lead to the goodwill your species have built over the years crashing down. He’s the expert, so you assent, for now.

Like his invitation to the Slurm ceremony, this is all-but guaranteed to be accepted. Neither of you are under any delusions of how well the presence of alien squids before the very throne of Mars will be received, but perhaps the backlash could be mitigated.

What should be done?
>Boldly announce the invitation of Osgus dignitaries. This will enrage anti-alien members of the Empire, what will likely be several years in advance. There’s a slight worry this would give potential traitors time to prepare, but it would also give the hardline traditionalists (noble and common) among the public time to cool down.
>Don’t make any spectacle of inviting the Osgus. As it ever has been, the focus will be solely on the newly-crowned Emperor, and the squids will be one more group of functionaries in the crowd. Let those who would deny Man’s right to rule the cosmos rage- they are friends to the throne and warrant the same quiet consideration.

Anonymous

>>5975010
>Don’t make any spectacle of inviting the Osgus. As it ever has been, the focus will be solely on the newly-crowned Emperor, and the squids will be one more group of functionaries in the crowd. Let those who would deny Man’s right to rule the cosmos rage- they are friends to the throne and warrant the same quiet consideration.
Who is going to stop us exactly?

>>5975010
>Boldly announce the invitation of Osgus dignitaries. This will enrage anti-alien members of the Empire, what will likely be several years in advance. There’s a slight worry this would give potential traitors time to prepare, but it would also give the hardline traditionalists (noble and common) among the public time to cool down

This is supposed to be great step forward in our relationship and a momentus occasion. We should not be timid about it.

>>5975010
>Boldly announce the invitation of Osgus dignitaries. This will enrage anti-alien members of the Empire, what will likely be several years in advance. There’s a slight worry this would give potential traitors time to prepare, but it would also give the hardline traditionalists (noble and common) among the public time to cool down.

Just a thought I had; we could phrase this as a selfish indulgence that House Heinrich should be excused for in light of our otherwise humble rule.

>>5975010
>Don’t make any spectacle of inviting the Osgus. As it ever has been, the focus will be solely on the newly-crowned Emperor, and the squids will be one more group of functionaries in the crowd. Let those who would deny Man’s right to rule the cosmos rage- they are friends to the throne and warrant the same quiet consideration.
Put them under the protection of the Royal Guard, it'll be a good milk run for them.

>>5975010

>Boldly announce the invitation of Osgus dignitaries. This will enrage anti-alien members of the Empire, what will likely be several years in advance. There’s a slight worry this would give potential traitors time to prepare, but it would also give the hardline traditionalists (noble and common) among the public time to cool down.

This is a great achievement - even aliens have come to pay homage to the crowning of a new Emperor!

I’m personally more interested in strengthening trade, but better to directly confront anti-squid sentiment now rather than risk a diplomatic incident when trade picks up.

>>5975010
>Boldly announce the invitation of Osgus dignitaries. This will enrage anti-alien members of the Empire, what will likely be several years in advance. There’s a slight worry this would give potential traitors time to prepare, but it would also give the hardline traditionalists (noble and common) among the public time to cool down.

>>5975010
>Don’t make any spectacle of inviting the Osgus. As it ever has been, the focus will be solely on the newly-crowned Emperor, and the squids will be one more group of functionaries in the crowd. Let those who would deny Man’s right to rule the cosmos rage- they are friends to the throne and warrant the same quiet consideration.
I'm surprised we didn't have to roll for anything.

>>5975174
sometimes we just choose the objectively good (or bad) options where there is realistically no chance of deviation

>>5975174
I believe that if we had gone for the tech, we would. The ones we've chosen are too agreeable to necessitate a roll to convince them.

>>5975010
>Don’t make any spectacle of inviting the Osgus. As it ever has been, the focus will be solely on the newly-crowned Emperor, and the squids will be one more group of functionaries in the crowd. Let those who would deny Man’s right to rule the cosmos rage- they are friends to the throne and warrant the same quiet consideration.
Remember guys we've been putting too much strain on our relations with the nobles.

QM

<s>I'm very glad to be back, and running again anons. Feels good. I'll be updating in another hour or two, depending, as I'm at work and it's a bit busier than usual. I'd planned to make a post with an ETA of a week in the end of Thread #3 but there were an unexpected number of posts and it slid off the board. Next time, I won't wait around that long to archive. I made a post in the /qtg/ but not everyone follows it, I barely do myself, and I'm sorry for any of you who thought I might've flaked. The eclipse was something else, and I hope you all got to see it for yourselves. Here's an update on those puppies if any of you were wondering- the last one I'll be posting. They've all gone to good homes and by now, are around twice the size. Pic's around a month and a half out of date, hahaha.</s>

Anonymous

>Don’t make any spectacle of inviting the Osgus. As it ever has been, the focus will be solely on the newly-crowned Emperor, and the squids will be one more group of functionaries in the crowd. Let those who would deny Man’s right to rule the cosmos rage- they are friends to the throne and warrant the same quiet consideration

>>5975010
>Don’t make any spectacle of inviting the Osgus. As it ever has been, the focus will be solely on the newly-crowned Emperor, and the squids will be one more group of functionaries in the crowd. Let those who would deny Man’s right to rule the cosmos rage- they are friends to the throne and warrant the same quiet consideration.
Could more subtly spread the information around but this doesn't warrant a big show imo.

QM

>>5975017
>>5975080
>>5975092
>>5975099
>>5975141
>>5975144
>>5975174
>>5975193
>>5975323
>>5975351
You see no reason to draw undue attention to the Osgus, so you'll make no spectacle of them. If the Empire is to rule over alien species, they must be routine. The xenophobes are certain to be enraged by this, but the Osgus will be delighted. A fair trade.

You receive a proper report of House Nightshayd's progress against Clan Skullstacker. According to their records, they've kept the pirate operations from expanding or escaping, but are caught in a gridlock. The reaver cutthroats are excellent, their spies, cunning, and their sway among the black market, vast. Despite the Eternal Empire belonging to those of noble blood and bearing, Clan Skullstacker holds the homefield advantage in its seedy underbelly. Each faction has been neck-in-neck in a pitched and vicious power struggle.

To your awareness, Nightshayd has declared a proper war of assassins and Skullstacker has responded in kind. Their bloody game of cat-and-mouse has spanned throughout known space, from the innermost core to the farthest frontier. So far, there have been nearly three million casualties on both sides, with no signs of any shift toward a conclusion. Your assassins tried and shamefully failed to capture or kill one of their foremost crime lords after pinning down his location, but to their credit, also managed to prevent a nuclear bombing in House Nightshayd's palace. Rather than a suitcase, the pirates sewed a contraband explosive into a desperate volunteer and smuggled him in through the vents. Only a routine training exercise caught him, and the explosive was defused with mere minutes to spare.

Subsequent interrogations found they'd both blackmailed the man and held his loved ones hostage. Typical reaver tactics. House Nightshayd used to employ some of the same methods, but since House Heinrich's ascension to the throne have relied much more on blackmail. This is an interesting development. You tell them to keep you informed and await further commands.

>>5975473
The Privy Council did an excellent job in managing Crown Corp! House Heinrich's mercantile property, arguably a vassal, at this scale, has become an Empire-wide leader in alloys refining, made great strides in construction, industry, and habitation, and even contributed to House Soluton's orbitalworks! Under their deft management, Crown Corp more than doubled its funds and exploded in size! You're truly proud of their commercial accomplishments!

They've only fallen short in one respect...

Logistics.

By their word and witness testimony of their employees, the Imperial Bureaucracy stymied their efforts! Even more, it used underhanded tactics to subvert their work and force it under the Imperial Bureaucracy's control, to retain its monopoly! If you were a weaker-willed man, you would be stunned at the audacity. As it is, you are irate and demand an explanation.

A quick, subtle investigation is launched and pieces together a broad picture. Apart from supporting the local planetary governors, (who lack any real administrative power apart from keeping the local nobility in-line with imperial law) the Imperial Bureaucracy also manages the Empire proper. Most of the taxes, paperwork, and messages necessary to keep Mankind under one banner go through them, and this requires a massive amount of employees. Further, it requires interstellar coordination without noble oversight, which could be biased to favour any one house over the Empire.

As a consequence, an overwhelming majority of bureaucrats are commoners, and the officials among them lack any authority aside from transferring tax funds where they need to go and keeping records on the straight-and-narrow. Even so, hierarchy is inevitable and for the prevention of mob-rule, desirable. In this instance, there is no de-facto multi-system leadership outside of House Heinrich, but there are some paper-pushers whose word is given more weight.

Among the most respected of the bureaucrats is a commoner by the name of Pete, who exceeds even your father's age, at one-hundred and nineteen years old! He was one of the first major members of the Empire's Resources Committee, not as a combatant, but a clerk. His primary task was to audit disobedient merchants, which he did ruthlessly. Once the ERC began to reform into an... "eager"... ecological force, Pete resigned and found gainful employment in the imperial government. Rather than attempt to climb the ranks, he applied himself to reviewing paperwork and, where possible, streamlining the workload for those above him, with sharp efficiency.

>>5975475
This earned him a great deal of respect and through word of mouth over the years, enshrined him as a major figure in the Imperial Bureaucracy. Insomuch as there are any. Pete's nearly century-long career has been spent on paperwork in service of the throne, and he's refused to retire, move out of paperwork, or start a family. By every standard, he's a workaholic and up to this point, has shown no signs of ambition or incompetence. The dilemma is that prior to Pete's service under the Empire, he was employed in some capacity by the Merchant Holdings.

As the records were largely lost in the breaking of the Mega-Corps, and even more during the forcible rebranding, what exactly he did for them is unknown. It is known that he does have an immense anti-Corp bias and when Crown Corp began to move into logistics, he pulled a piano's worth of strings and called in a lifetime of favours. Every dirty trick in-and-out of the book was leveraged, with the Privy Council none the wiser. Each and every eventuality was accounted for, in a maze of overhead legalese and under the table thuggery to methodically break Crown Corp's hold on logistics, before it could even begin. With this man and by extension, the Imperial Bureaucracy, against them, the Privy Council's efforts never stood a chance.

As a consequence, Crown Corp lost a decent fortune in funds, which the Imperial Bureaucracy gained and promptly reinvested in sponsoring sharecroppers in a select handful of the newly-annexed frontier planets. The records are more than legible. There was no attempt to conceal the paper-trail, far from it, the actions of the Imperial Bureaucracy, legal and otherwise, are all openly accounted for in writing. You're no scholar but skimming the files, you readily grasp the scale of their treachery. Likewise, the audacity! In the time since, Pete and his co-conspirators have continued their work, as though nothing had happened.

Something must be done.

>Redirect a few of House Nightshayd's agents to conduct an investigation of the Imperial Bureaucracy. You will find everything, no matter how well hidden it may be.
>Task the Imperial Bureaucracy with auditing itself. Pete had a number of pro-Corp rivals, and outmanuevered and sidelined as they might be, they're likely to have some dirt.
>Order the Royal Guard to storm their offices and seize their documents. Duplicity this bold does not warrant a subtle response and their security are hardly willing to commit high treason for their sake.
>Call this Pete and his co-conspirators to the throne on Mars. You will hear an explanation from the man himself, then you will make your verdict known.

Anonymous

>>5975476
>Redirect a few of House Nightshayd's agents to conduct an investigation of the Imperial Bureaucracy. You will find everything, no matter how well hidden it may be.
>Task the Imperial Bureaucracy with auditing itself. Pete had a number of pro-Corp rivals, and outmanuevered and sidelined as they might be, they're likely to have some dirt.
More audits the better, see if they match up.

>Order the Royal Guard to storm their offices and seize their documents. Duplicity this bold does not warrant a subtle response and their security are hardly willing to commit high treason for their sake.
>Call this Pete and his co-conspirators to the throne on Mars. You will hear an explanation from the man himself, then you will make your verdict known.
What the fuck was he thinking in going against the Corp owned by the Emperor himself in such a manner? If he thought they were doing something untoward then why did he not confer with his liege?

>>5975476
>Call this Pete and his co-conspirators to the throne on Mars. You will hear an explanation from the man himself, then you will make your verdict known.
I would rather we see what he has to say for himself instead of having Nightshayd get more power or just crushing the Bureaucracy. An audit might be fine too, but I'd like to see what the man's angle first is since this doesn't look like it's for greed's sake at a glance. It's odd that he didn't try and hide anything from anyone, at least.

>>5975480
>If he thought they were doing something untoward then why did he not confer with his liege?
Likely didn't think we would even consider his stance since he's a commoner and the Crown Corp acts solely in the interests of increasing House Heinrich's funds. I wouldn't imagine he would think he even had a chance at having his case made against big business.

>>5975476
>Order the Royal Guard to storm their offices and seize their documents. Duplicity this bold does not warrant a subtle response and their security are hardly willing to commit high treason for their sake.
Neat way to break the new guard in. I don't want to redirect Nightshayd, they need every asset they can in their underground war.

>>5975476
>Order the Royal Guard to storm their offices and seize their documents. Duplicity this bold does not warrant a subtle response and their security are hardly willing to commit high treason for their sake.

>>5975483
>Likely didn't think we would even consider his stance since he's a commoner and the Crown Corp acts solely in the interests of increasing House Heinrich's funds. I wouldn't imagine he would think he even had a chance at having his case made against big business.
Then he thinks that the Emperor wouldn't care about any immoral acts on the part of Crown Corp. He thinks so little of his lord? That's no excuse.

>>5975484
How about using House Uvar and have Leopold and his formerly Nightshayd gran lead the audit? That way no burden falls on Nightshayd.

>>5975489
>Then he thinks that the Emperor wouldn't care about any immoral acts on the part of Crown Corp. He thinks so little of his lord? That's no excuse.
How exactly could the Emperor know then? And furthermore, if Crown Corp were actually doing anything immoral, if it makes a profit and doesn't cause any instability would anons (the Emperor) actually care? Nightshayd would support doing something immoral/underhanded for the sake of one's own success, and has even pushed for that sort of thing in the past I believe.

>>5975497
>And furthermore, if Crown Corp were actually doing anything immoral, if it makes a profit and doesn't cause any instability would anons (the Emperor) actually care?
Uh yeah? We've even acquired a reputation as a dynasty for how principled we are. Remember how we didn't even kill that republican veteran because of them?

>Nightshayd would support doing something immoral/underhanded for the sake of one's own success, and has even pushed for that sort of thing in the past I believe.
There are some morally gray things that we would do for the sake of power, like those taxes that started the Civil War, but nothing that would make me sympathetic to this behaviour by Pete.

>>5975476
>Order the Royal Guard to storm their offices and seize their documents. Duplicity this bold does not warrant a subtle response and their security are hardly willing to commit high treason for their sake.
>Call this Pete and his co-conspirators to the throne on Mars. You will hear an explanation from the man himself, then you will make your verdict known.

Yeah, no one in the bureaucracy should be able to do this, especially going over the head of the Emperor and making him and his house lose precious assets. He has however done quite a bit of good work for us so I wanna hear him out.

>>5975489
That's a neat idea. I would be willing to swap my vote to only that if you're willing to. I don't want to do every option like you were suggesting earlier.

>>5975497
>And furthermore, if Crown Corp were actually doing anything immoral, if it makes a profit and doesn't cause any instability would anons (the Emperor) actually care?
Hm, can't say I'd care about what happens to the plebs as long as cash flows into the Corp. It's just business, baby.

>>5975502
Why not? Why not do audits and have Pete plead his case to us?

>>5975504
Bait.

>>5975500
Try to have a little empathy for the commoner, anon. It's possible he just doesn't want the Corps to hold power again and do things like what happened while he worked for them, and seeing how Crown Corp was trying to get into the logistics of the Empire he might've seen it as another potential Mega Corp trying to control the lives of everyone once again.
Take into account that Pete probably doesn't have the same mindset people do under the Empire, being defined by his experiences under the Mega Corps of back then. And with no real way to make his case to the Emperor as a small bureaucrat, he likely just did what he could to prevent something like the Mega Corps from happening again.
I don't think he had malicious intentions, since he didn't even try to hide what he did. And he's likely not incompetent or greedy, considering that "Rather than attempt to climb the ranks, he applied himself to reviewing paperwork and, where possible, streamlining the workload for those above him, with sharp efficiency."

>>5975504
Good one.

>>5975515
>Try to have a little empathy for the commoner, anon.
I have the appropriate amount of empathy for the pleb.
>And with no real way to make his case to the Emperor as a small bureaucrat.
He isn't a small bureaucrat, his description explicitly makes him out to be one of the most exceptional bureaucrats we have.
>And he's likely not incompetent or greedy, considering that "Rather than attempt to climb the ranks, he applied himself to reviewing paperwork and, where possible, streamlining the workload for those above him, with sharp efficiency."
This we can agree on, my view is that we get him to plead his case then punish and tell him to not do such things again since I can't see any justifiable reason for his conduct when he could've sent things up the chain instead.

>>5975483

I support summoning Pete to hear his account.

Clearly the crime was driven by personal ideals, perhaps we can find out what that s triggering his autistic rage

>>5975476
>>Call this Pete and his co-conspirators to the throne on Mars. You will hear an explanation from the man himself, then you will make your verdict known.
I respect his massive balls, work-ethic, and rabid anti-corp sentiment. We haven't really lost anything either, as The Emperor, the Imperial Bureaucracy serves us and our purposes. In fact, given that we didn't really lose any resources, is it really treachery?

>>5975527
>I can't see any justifiable reason for his conduct when he could've sent things up the chain instead.
How exactly would he be able to make a serious accusation against a Corporation that is under the direct control of House Heinrich? An excellent commoner bureaucrat is still a commoner. His experience under the Mega Corps probably taught him that he shouldn't escalate things with the higher ups unless he wants to lose. He would be making an accusation against a company that acts in the direct interests of the ruling family.
As for why he's doing this, he likely doesn't want another Mega Corp to control everyone's lives.

>>5975476
>Call this Pete and his co-conspirators to the throne on Mars. You will hear an explanation from the man himself, then you will make your verdict known.
A century long career worth of influence called in to satisfy a bias against Corp. How horrifyingly bureaucratic.

>>5975537
>How exactly would he be able to make a serious accusation against a Corporation that is under the direct control of House Heinrich?
By collecting evidence of wrongdoing then prosecuting what's under his purview and sending up the chain what isn't. Your logic applies better to what he did. How would a commoner unjustly persecute others commandeered by the Emperor by weaponizing the bureaucracy against them just because he personally didn't like them and get away with it?

>His experience under the Mega Corps probably taught him that he shouldn't escalate things with the higher ups unless he wants to lose.
Irrelevant, that experience doesn't justify it.

>He would be making an accusation against a company that acts in the direct interests of the ruling family.
Then do it! If he has any faith in the goodness of his liege then the Emperor would hear him out. To do anything else first would be to go against the Emperor

>As for why he's doing this, he likely doesn't want another Mega Corp to control everyone's lives.
Again, doesn't justify it. I don't care if he has an irrational hatred for Corpos as a concept.

>>5975508
I don't want to redirect the nightshayd for reasons I've already explained, I don't trust the Imperial Beauracracy to do a proper audit of itself, I'd rather an outside source like the one you provided (Uvar), and for the plead, I guess I'm just not really interested what he has to say. He seems really straight forward to me, I doubt anything he could say would sway our opinion, and I don't want to risk having to vote on a verdict before the results of the audit come in.

>>5975547
>By collecting evidence of wrongdoing then prosecuting what's under his purview and sending up the chain what isn't.
He might have a reasonable aversion to doing that, due to his experiences with the Corps. Somebody knowing how cutthroat the corporate world is probably wouldn't take any chances, especially against a corporation owned by the ruling dynasty.
>Irrelevant, that experience doesn't justify it.
He likely doesn't think in the same way that most people living under the Empire do, especially in regards to seeing businesses as subservient to the Emperor. He worked for the Mega Corps first before this and probably has his assumptions colored by how they acted.
>If he has any faith in the goodness of his liege then the Emperor would hear him out. To do anything else first would be to go against the Emperor
In the eyes of all the noble Houses, the Corps, and the people, House Heinrich is just another noble House (one that is uncharacteristically humble, at that) that just so happens to rule the Empire. We haven't done any Mandate of Heaven stuff, we haven't even formalized ourselves as the true dynasty. To ask for that sort of fanatic devotion from a bureaucrat commoner sounds unreasonable.

>>5975558
>I don't trust the Imperial Beauracracy to do a proper audit of itself
Neither do I, which is why I want a seperate audit to crossreference it to. To see the differences then investigate why they are different.

>I guess I'm just not really interested what he has to say. He seems really straight forward to me, I doubt anything he could say would sway our opinion, and I don't want to risk having to vote on a verdict before the results of the audit come in.
Im interested for curiosity's sake but yeah, don't see what he could say to sway me. QM can answer the latter point.

>>5975560
>He might have a reasonable aversion to doing that, due to his experiences with the Corps. Somebody knowing how cutthroat the corporate world is probably wouldn't take any chances, especially against a corporation owned by the ruling dynasty.
That doesn't really contradict what I said with how vague it is. If he thinks they are shady then he could go after them for those reasons instead of muh corpo bad.

>He likely doesn't think in the same way that most people living under the Empire do, especially in regards to seeing businesses as subservient to the Emperor. He worked for the Mega Corps first before this and probably has his assumptions colored by how they acted.
Irrelevant and also stupid. All evidence suggests that Heinrichs are in charge, not the corpos.

>In the eyes of all the noble Houses, the Corps, and the people, House Heinrich is just another noble House (one that is uncharacteristically humble, at that) that just so happens to rule the Empire. We haven't done any Mandate of Heaven stuff, we haven't even formalized ourselves as the true dynasty. To ask for that sort of fanatic devotion from a bureaucrat commoner sounds unreasonable.
That is not fanatical devotion at all. Only a belief that leadership is competent and acting in good faith.

>>5975566
>That doesn't really contradict what I said with how vague it is. If he thinks they are shady then he could go after them for those reasons instead of muh corpo bad.
To be fair, he lived a large part of his life under and likely experienced the worst of 'muh bad corpo'.
>All evidence suggests that Heinrichs are in charge, not the corpos.
And when a Corp that is trying to buy out (and probably monopolize) logistics in the Empire is directly linked to the ruling family it leaves little to the imagination about who is in charge. There are many such Corporate dynasties that only care about profit margins and little else. Fortunately for the Empire, House Heinrich isn't a Corporate dynasty.
>That is not fanatical devotion at all. Only a belief that leadership is competent and acting in good faith.
I'm willing to forgive a bit of cynicism, especially when he likely spent all the favors he's been owed in this endeavor. If this were done for truly malicious or avaricious reasons then I wouldn't hold much sympathy, but as it stands it's likely he just needs to realize that House Heinrich (and by extension most of the people at the top) aren't some caricature of greedy Corporate-Governmental tyranny.

>>5975476
>Call this Pete and his co-conspirators to the throne on Mars. You will hear an explanation from the man himself, then you will make your verdict known.
Based autist, Cuban pete, king of the rhumba beat...

>Call this Pete and his co-conspirators to the throne on Mars. You will hear an explanation from the man himself, then you will make your verdict known.

>>5975608
>To be fair, he lived a large part of his life under and likely experienced the worst of 'muh bad corpo'.
Then go after them for that shit instead of going "corpo bad! me smash!".

>And when a Corp that is trying to buy out (and probably monopolize) logistics
They can't monopolize it even if they wanted to. I think I had this discussion with you last thread too.

>I'm willing to forgive a bit of cynicism, especially when he likely spent all the favors he's been owed in this endeavor. If this were done for truly malicious or avaricious reasons then I wouldn't hold much sympathy, but as it stands it's likely he just needs to realize that House Heinrich (and by extension most of the people at the top) aren't some caricature of greedy Corporate-Governmental tyranny.
So what was the plan if he was so cynical then anyway? Risk his career against Crown Corp by persecuting them without reason and then what? What has been accomplished? Just as stupid as that journalist that set up a hit on himself and posthumously accused some politician of doing it, clearly thought he was doing something selflesss yet it made no sense and did no good whatsoever.

>>5975761
>Then go after them for that shit instead of going "corpo bad! me smash!".
Best to stop them while they don't have unstoppable power than wait until they do, I imagine is the reasoning.
>They can't monopolize it even if they wanted to.
It depends on if we use the full force of House Heinrich to monopolize it or not I suppose. Although I'd argue that monopolies/duopolies/oligopolies can be made if one is business savvy enough in a market system, but I digress.
>So what was the plan if he was so cynical then anyway? Risk his career against Crown Corp by persecuting them without reason and then what? What has been accomplished?
Well that's why I'm supporting asking him to come and make his case. We don't know what is in his mind. We can only make assumptions based on what his life was like, his actions, and who he is. I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, especially since it doesn't appear like he cares about monetary gain, but we'll see how he advocates for himself.

The Hypercrisis Bro

>>5974641
>In secret, you have a deep and abiding respect for the De Croize, as they almost managed to do what the entire Federation of Uvarth couldn't.
Didnt De Croize never come close to winning the 2dn civil war?

Anonymous

>>5975786
We captured their entire fleet so I guess they did contribute more to us then the Federation did

>>5975476
>Call this Pete and his co-conspirators to the throne on Mars. You will hear an explanation from the man himself, then you will make your verdict known.
I want to see more from this interesting character.

>>5975476
>Call this Pete and his co-conspirators to the throne on Mars. You will hear an explanation from the man himself, then you will make your verdict known.
We lose literally nothing but like a hour max from just hearing the guy out first.

>>5975476
>direct House Uvar agents to conduct an investigation of the Imperial Bureaucracy. You will find everything, no matter how well hidden it may be.
>Task the Imperial Bureaucracy with auditing itself. Pete had a number of pro-Corp rivals, and outmanuevered and sidelined as they might be, they're likely to have some dirt.

To see if uvars audit matches. If not heads will roll.

>Order the Royal Guard to storm their offices and seize their documents. Duplicity this bold does not warrant a subtle response and their security are hardly willing to commit high treason for their sake.

Seize evidence before they can delete it. We want copies of everything.

>Call this Pete and his co-conspirators to the throne on Mars. You will hear an explanation from the man himself, then you will make your verdict known.

If they had to go this far to sabotage logistics and couldn't do it cheaper than crown corp... I want to see why they couldn't. Because there's some inefficiency there for that to be the case. The Imperial bureaucracy is there to get the best stuff for the cheapest price for the sake of the Empire. If someone else can do the same thing for cheaper. Then it would save the Imperial bureaucracy money to sub contract it out. Which would allow them to put the saved funds into other projects. This seems like it was purely motivated by some animosity towards corporations. And not what was best for the empire's subjects.

>>5975476
>Call this Pete and his co-conspirators to the throne on Mars. You will hear an explanation from the man himself, then you will make your verdict known.
Let's hear him out first.

>>5975476
>Call this Pete and his co-conspirators to the throne on Mars. You will hear an explanation from the man himself, then you will make your verdict known.

>>5975476
>Call this Pete and his co-conspirators to the throne on Mars. You will hear an explanation from the man himself, then you will make your verdict known.

I'm with Pete, fuck the corpos

So when they say Earth is shattered, do they mean like it's literally been split in half or something?

>>5976453

I don’t know that we’ve gotten much more than “Earth was ruined”. Although I do think restoration of Earth would make for a nice prestige project for House Heinrich.

>>5976459
That would be lit push all the earth space rocks into it. Hit it with heat to re molten the core. Probably could steal mercury for mass depending how shattered it is. Then terraform the fuck out of it. Probably take 100-200 years. But it would be a lit project.

QM

<s>Apologies for the radio silence. I've been busy with something semi-significant IRL, and will be for today, too. I'll try to update tonight but can't make any guarantees.</s>

>>5975480
>>5975483
>>5975484
>>5975485
>>5975489
>>5975501
>>5975502
>>5975531
>>5975534
>>5975539
>>5975653
>>5975715
>>5975801
>>5975869
>>5975913
>>5976024
>>5976026
>>5976060
You determine that a multifaceted approach is ideal. Under the command of your secondborn son, Leopold, and guidance of your mother, the newly-risem House Uvar will be tasked with running a fine-comb through the Imperial Bureaucracy. At the same time, the Royal Guard will be sent to storm strategically-significant offices, (the locations of which are, for the most part, unknown to the wider public) and seize potentially sensitive documents before they can be altered or erased. This Pete and his co-conspirators are summoned to the beating heart of the Eternal Empire, to explain themselves before the throne on Mars.

Two months pass as your orders are carried out, before a transport reaches Mars and the bureaucrats disembark in the royal hangar. You sit on your throne, watching calmly as a single-file procession of veteran clerks enter, flanked by Royal Guardsmen. They spread wide and after some shuffling, one ancient shuffles forward on a primitive walker. The man before you is no less than a dessicated fossil, with wet, sunken eyes and a frail, shriveled frame. You watch as he carefully pushes his walker aside and, with the support of a nearby Guardsman, gets onto his knees.

His voice is raspy, and audibly wheezes as he collects himself. Altogether, he gives you the impression of dried, cracked parchment.

"Your... m-majesty. I am Pete, humble sc-scribe under your Imperial... Bureaucracy. How... may I be of service?"

Your own static fills the chamber. "You knowingly interfered in the work of Crown Corp, the commercial property of House Heineich. Explain yourself."

>>5978298
The man pauses, breathing heavily. You aren't sure if he's collecting his thoughts or recovering from the effort of speaking.

"Almost one hundred solar years ago..." His tone shifts to bitter contempt. "I served as a functionary... under the Board of Shareholders- th-the Mega-Corps. My work was..." Pete gasps, holding one of his walker's legs to steady himself. "To coordinate sh-shipments. Your majesty... you are a wise ruler. Your father, his majesty, taught you well..."

"You know the truth of the... old Mega-Corps. The... the opulence. The... consumerism. You... don't know... the rot. I was young, then... talented, connected. I was put in ch-charge of a corporate subdivision... to build a new, little starport on Plutul. Our budget was one-hundred million credits, with an ETA of... four years."

The commoner coughs into his sleeve, a slight breach of protocol, but for one of such an advanced age, this can be overlooked at the moment.

"They put us eight-hundred million in debt... and in six years... barely laid down the foundation. Their plan was to... file for bankruptcy... dump the stocks... embezzle it all... I was a figurehead... I couldn't stop them... couldn't get any work done. Then your Empire- my Empire- came."

"They took control. Broke the subcorporations... Evaporated mine. A Soluton got on top of the project... finished it in seven months and four days." At this, he gets a strange sense of awe in his voice. "That was... efficient... no-nonsense, no meetings... only real, physical work! It was beautiful... and I wanted to be a part of it. I was... and am, proud to serve... to be part of something real."

"These corporations... they're all the same, your majesty. They may have... different brands... but the greed underneath is the same. It would be... generations... before the decline set in on the roads, but... I couldn't let that happen... It would be a rock in the Empire's boot... maybe even a nail, and... and... the Empire needs to march strong! On imperial roads!"

Pete shuffles, slowly rising on his walker. "It wasn't my... my place to interfere... but I felt I must... I owed it to the Empire... Please, your majesty... forgive my shameful methods... I'm no noble, no veteran, no... merchant... all I had... all I have... is the holo-pen..."

You consider his words. "I've heard enough. You may depart my presence. Guards, escort them to their rooms." Hardly furnished enough to suit noble dignitaries, but a far cry indeed from the dungeons of House Vonduul. If anything, confinement on Mars is better than the artificial hab-blocks they're used to.

>>5978300
In some weeks, House Uvar and the Royal Guard return with data. According to them, Pete's records were honest, with one exception of ambiguous wording. Instead of putting funds toward Ustong pioneering experts employed under Zephyr Corp, as implied, the Imperial Bureaucracy hired the Ustong to help the sharecroppers directly, sidestepping the merchants. That comes as no surprise, given his anti-Corp bias. Your informants do note that this was done over the table through your sister, Aurelia, rather than the fallen house's underbelly. Possibly an oversight from an aged mind rather than any foul play, but your mother taught you to be aware at all times.

What is your verdict? This will also apply to the rest of his co-conspirators.

>By willfully acting against Crown Corp and using extorted credits to fund a former Tripartite House, Pete has committed high treason against the throne. He'll be given a swift public execution, as is appropriate.
>The old man dared to defy the Privy Council at an unimaginable scale, even as they were working on the Emperor's behalf. He'll be castrated and sent to Cradus XVII accordingly.
>Regardless of his intentions, the paper-pusher cost Crown Corp tens, if not hundreds of billions of credits, and is far too poor to properly fine. He'll be placed under house arrest and disbarred from the Imperial Bureaucracy.
>Crown Corp itself was once a Floreds Corp asset, and the commoner's actions could be forgiven in that respect. He'll be allowed to continue his employment under the Imperial Bureaucracy.

Due to a combination of Leopold's expertise and the Royal Guard's haste, some thoroughly interesting, if unrelated data was uncovered. While the Imperial Bureaucracy is a relatively new organization and has very little corruption for its size, there are some inevitable handfuls of scribes and taxmen who think themselves too clever for imperial law. This is a valuable opportunity to set a precedent.

How should governmental corruption be punished?

>Extremely. Those who would exploit the Empire, and by extension, all of Mankind, deserve no future and will receive none on Cradus XVII.
>Severely. Willing theft from the Empire's offices is tantamount to treason and must be dealt with via execution.
>Moderately. Those caught taking advantage of their position will be whipped (or, if needed, worked) in proportion to their misdeeds.
>LenientIy. Anyone taking bribes or skimming from the top will be immediately disbarred, and forced to pay an equivalent fine or go into debt.

Anonymous

>>5978301

>Crown Corp itself was once a Floreds Corp asset, and the commoner's actions could be forgiven in that respect. He'll be allowed to continue his employment under the Imperial Bureaucracy.

We need to use Pete to turn the IB to our advantage here. Maybe he can spend the last part of his life undoing some of the damage here, and as a gift, he can advise us on Crown Corp structure to ensure that CC does not become a hindrance to the Empire?

>Moderately. Those caught taking advantage of their position will be whipped (or, if needed, worked) in proportion to their misdeeds.

We want to disincentivize this behavior but not so much that whistleblowers refuse to step forward or go into hiding.

>>5978301
>Regardless of his intentions, the paper-pusher cost Crown Corp tens, if not hundreds of billions of credits, and is far too poor to properly fine. He'll be placed under house arrest and disbarred from the Imperial Bureaucracy.
I sympathize with his intentions but this kind of behavior can't be allowed. If we let him off the hook, it gives license to others to do similar "in the name of the Empire". He needs some kind of punishment.

>Severely. Willing theft from the Empire's offices is tantamount to treason and must be dealt with via execution.
Corruption is absolutely unacceptable and will bring this Empire to its knees if allowed to fester, it requires as harsh a punishment as is feasible. I don't particularly mind Cradus XVII if people think it's more appropriate.

>>5978301
>Crown Corp itself was once a Floreds Corp asset, and the commoner's actions could be forgiven in that respect. He'll be allowed to continue his employment under the Imperial Bureaucracy.
He's loyal, he had a good motive and he's got what, 5 years to live? Ten? He can be forgiven. Besides, both the bureaucracy and crown corp are ours so it ultimately was not a problem.

>Moderately. Those caught taking advantage of their position will be whipped (or, if needed, worked) in proportion to their misdeeds.
Proportional punishment works best for something like this.

>>5978301
>Regardless of his intentions, the paper-pusher cost Crown Corp tens, if not hundreds of billions of credits, and is far too poor to properly fine. He'll be placed under house arrest and disbarred from the Imperial Bureaucracy.
Enjoy your retirement ancient one.

>Severely. Willing theft from the Empire's offices is tantamount to treason and must be dealt with via execution.
I hate corruption.

>>5978301
>Crown Corp itself was once a Floreds Corp asset, and the commoner's actions could be forgiven in that respect. He'll be allowed to continue his employment under the Imperial Bureaucracy.
fair enough old man, but know that we are watching.
>Severely. Willing theft from the Empire's offices is tantamount to treason and must be dealt with via execution.
Corruption is sadly sometimes part of humanity, but it should never grow to a level where it causes actual harm.

>>5978301
>Crown Corp itself was once a Floreds Corp asset, and the commoner's actions could be forgiven in that respect. He'll be allowed to continue his employment under the Imperial Bureaucracy.
I can sympathize with him and his fellows. Regardless they don't deserve to be executed or tortured.
>Moderately. Those caught taking advantage of their position will be whipped (or, if needed, worked) in proportion to their misdeeds.
Whipping and hard labour might be more than enough to discourage people of corruption lmao.

>>5978301
>Regardless of his intentions, the paper-pusher cost Crown Corp tens, if not hundreds of billions of credits, and is far too poor to properly fine. He'll be placed under house arrest and disbarred from the Imperial Bureaucracy.
He has to be punished but not severely, put him in a training role for new pencil pushers as his retirement
>Moderately. Those caught taking advantage of their position will be whipped (or, if needed, worked) in proportion to their misdeeds.
>LenientIy. Anyone taking bribes or skimming from the top will be immediately disbarred, and forced to pay an equivalent fine or go into debt.
Depending on the crime

>>5978356
+1
I say from medium to extreme depending on the severity of the grift/corruption would probably be the best way to go about things

>>5978300
>These corporations... they're all the same, your majesty. They may have... different brands... but the greed underneath is the same. It would be... generations... before the decline set in on the roads, but... I couldn't let that happen
this is a warning we maybe should take seriously. everyone on CC is loyal and not corrupt now, but there's no telling what will happen in a few generations. maybe we should create a figure of CC overseer or similar and tie it to a member of our close family by blood. to act as overseer of the CC and also nexus between it and ourself. maybe it could also oversee/interact with the Bureaucracy in our place

>>5978452
Yeah I'll have to agree on that front. I like your idea anon, and it might also do well to make a system that ensures the corporations aren't solely defined by greed and self-interest but instead act for the sake of the Emperor and the Empire as a whole. Perhaps we should ask Pete about what his recommendations would be in this regard.

>>5978452
I mean that applies to everything that holds some power and incentive to create or hold onto wealth doesn't it? From the government to the military to the bureaucracy hell even our own nobles could grow spoiled and corrupt making them much harder to please if given enough generations without oversight.

>>5978457
The only way to do that 100% I can think of would be through absolute state capitalism which frankly has its own issues. We could abolish or put extreme restrictions onto the stock market forcing companies to only be beholden to themselves and their customer base rather than a bunch of rich guys who just want to get richer and don't really care how its done but that could have some potentially drastic consequences on the economy.

>>5978452
>>5978457
Nope, Pete's point applies to every human institution and not just the corpos. I only agree with the part about having a member of the family head the Corp for the purposes of giving it more vision and direction than it could have as a group endeavour.

Anyway, I don't know why anons are being so sympathetic to Pete, he wasted not just Corp time and money for nothing but OUR Corp time and money for nothing.

>>5978462

He’s clearly autistic and we see ourselves in him.

Look, I think a better idea is to create a “Corp Auditing Force” within the IB to basically police the Corps and report to the Landsraad directly, rather than the Emperor. We want to create a system where excesses of the Corps are curbed and independent investigators can do this without fear of reprisal.

>>5978457
>a system that ensures the corporations aren't solely defined by greed and self-interest but instead act for the sake of the Emperor and the Empire as a whole
i think we should want this, but only for the CC. because it is the Crown Corp, you know. the others are the others, it's fine. i agree we should ask pete for suggestions

>>5978458
we shouldn't put focus on the nobles being somewhat corrupt, they are supposed to have a degree of independence since they are nobles. it's also in their best interest to not be corrupt, and also to be loyal to keep us happy. we keep the nobles on track with favors/threat of force/nightshayds mostly. but for economic and civic actors who are very tied in with the empire, such as Bureaucracy and now CC, their only incentives right now are wages and loyalty, right? so mostly loyalty. so the overseer figure would ensure that in the long run. and i also worry about the comment that the Bureaucracy is very big, and will only become bigger and more prone to inefficiencies. now it's a good chance to try to make it robust

>>5978462
pete is hardcore loyal to us and to the empire, he did it on the best of intentions and it didn't have a real negative effect to the empire (only to the CC)

>>5978464
that works only if the IB and the Landsraad happen to stay aligned with us in the long run. in any case i prefer the idea of an official role centered in a person (obviously he could have a group of people supporting), it fits and it gives something to do to one the emperor's close family members. we have lots of sons with no concrete job to do at the moment, although i haven't checked to see if anyone of them would fit

>>5978301
>Regardless of his intentions, the paper-pusher cost Crown Corp tens, if not hundreds of billions of credits, and is far too poor to properly fine. He'll be placed under house arrest and disbarred from the Imperial Bureaucracy.

>Severely. Willing theft from the Empire's offices is tantamount to treason and must be dealt with via execution.

No corruption or rot must take hold of the empire.

>I still say we should create an internal block chain system so our books are fully transparent and it's impossible to embezzle funds or misappropriate them.

Solely for us we don't have to let other people look at it.

QM

I've been in something of a fugue the last couple of days, after dealing with things. Hard to write until I started writing, if you catch my drift. Updates'll be back to their standard rate from here-on-out.

>>5975786
House De Croize didn't come close to winning the 2nd Civil War, but they did almost kill Otto, a feat hundreds of Federal troops weren't able to replicate. Otto's psychology is particularly bellicose, even by House Heinrich's standards. If not for House Arthen's chivalric conditioning and his tutelage under House Heinrich, he would be a savage, as well as ferocious warmonger. Even now, he considers the warfront on Uvarth some of the best days of his life, only matched by the time he and Jeanne spent together after their marriage.

>>5976453
Old Earth has been shattered. The planet itself is still mostly in one piece and has kept its previous orbit, but that's all the resemblance it bears to the past. Its oceans have been evaporated or rendered more toxin than water, its continents broken into dozens of pieces, and parts of the mantle, exposed. The ruins of ancient human civilization for the most part, consist of a debris field stretching throughout the upper-atmosphere, and the surface below is wracked with all manner of exotic poisons and long-form radiation. Indiscriminate landmines and other, more insidious traps set by now-defunct automata are scattered throughout, the magnetosphere has been disrupted, and there is no longer a protective atmosphere, let alone one that can be breathed. In almost every way that can be named, the cradle of Mankind has been desecrated. Even so, orbiting the ruin is one of the Empire's most popular tourist destinations and it's widely considered the Empire's most important planet, with Mars as a distant second, and substitute. Some optimists feel the situation is only temporary but most think old Earth is lost in all but spirit.

Anonymous

>>5978467
Well its in the nobles best interest to not be corrupt against us for as long as we have the power and will to punish them for their corruption they still can and most likely do get away with more micro scale corruption especially against commoners.

Honestly we are lucky a lot of the noble houses have effectively self indoctrination programs they force their children to go through cause a decent amount of these houses (especially the nightshayds) would not be nearly as... consistent for lack of a better word otherwise, if any noble family (again ESPECIALLY the nightshayds) attempt to lessen or abolish those programs that should sound some major alarms and is something we should be on the look out for.

>>5978461
Perhaps something more flexible and fluid than state capitalism, while still fostering and ensuring support towards House Heinrich and the Empire? We could do something like you suggested but with lighter guidance, but with more punishments for anything overly corrupt or greedy.
Then again state capitalism can in fact work. It did well for America (they literally called their type of state capitalism the American System) and it's worked well for China.

>>5978462
Yes it can apply to most human institutions, but that sort of mentality is prevalent mostly in corporations (institutions with the sole purpose of making money).

>>5978464
>Look, I think a better idea is to create a “Corp Auditing Force” within the IB to basically police the Corps and report to the Landsraad directly, rather than the Emperor.
I like the idea of a "Corp Auditing Force", but why not have it report both to the Landsraad and the Emperor? Or maybe we can have it report to House Uvar as well?

>>5978467
I feel like the other Corps will eventually become too big to fight against. Sure that may be many generations ahead, but I'll take Pete's opinion to heart.

>>5978479
Have there been any explorers or adventurers that have tried going back to Earth?
Are there any detailed first hand accounts about the planet?

I think I'll go for this for now.

>>5978301
>Crown Corp itself was once a Floreds Corp asset, and the commoner's actions could be forgiven in that respect. He'll be allowed to continue his employment under the Imperial Bureaucracy.
He's too experienced to be put under house arrest. Maybe giving him a position to train more bureaucrats and/or in an advisory role?

>Moderately. Those caught taking advantage of their position will be whipped (or, if needed, worked) in proportion to their misdeeds.
>LenientIy. Anyone taking bribes or skimming from the top will be immediately disbarred, and forced to pay an equivalent fine or go into debt.
Depending on the crime.

>>5978301
>Regardless of his intentions, the paper-pusher cost Crown Corp tens, if not hundreds of billions of credits, and is far too poor to properly fine. He'll be placed under house arrest and disbarred from the Imperial Bureaucracy.

>Moderately. Those caught taking advantage of their position will be whipped (or, if needed, worked) in proportion to their misdeeds.

>>5978452
>create a figure of CC overseer or similar and tie it to a member of our close family by blood
I support this suggestion

The overseer should have not have any operational control over the company though. They should be more like a full-time auditor / Board of Directors, with a small team of investigatory staff.

>>5978479
>Some optimists feel the situation is only temporary but most think old Earth is lost in all but spirit.

What a grand mega-project - The Restoration of Old Earth!

While it may take generations, it would surely enhance Imperial legitimacy.

Also, did our old (secret AI?) adviser ever reveal his secret to us..?

>>5978602
No we never investigated. Idk why people keep asking.

I did a tally for fun and to hopefully make the vote look cleaner.

>>5978313
>>5978356
>>5978361
>>5978369
>>5978409
>>5978447
>>5978505
Allow him to continue.

>>5978326
>>5978357
>>5978415
>>5978478
>>5978599
Forced retirement and house arrest.

>>5978313
>>5978356
>>5978369
>>5978409
>>5978447
>>5978599
No rest for the wicked.

>>5978326
>>5978357
>>5978361
>>5978478
Off with their heads.

>>5978415
>>5978505
Each according to their crime.

There is general support to create some sort of oversight for Crown Corp and/or other Corporations, with different ideas floating around in what that would look like.
And there's also general support to have Pete in a more advisory role in the issue of Corps as well as having him mentor bureaucrats.

>>5978495
>We could do something like you suggested but with lighter guidance, but with more punishments for anything overly corrupt or greedy.
Only involvement should be concerning deceit and fraud in my opinion.

>Yes it can apply to most human institutions, but that sort of mentality is prevalent mostly in corporations (institutions with the sole purpose of making money).
Our bloated and crooked modern governments would beg to differ.

>>5978599
>The overseer should have not have any operational control over the company though. They should be more like a full-time auditor / Board of Directors, with a small team of investigatory staff.
No, just have somebody from the family that has vision and good conduct to be something like CEO.

>>5978610
>There is general support to create some sort of oversight for Crown Corp and/or other Corporations
Im more interested in an intelligence agency than such a thing.

>>5978620
>Only involvement should be concerning deceit and fraud in my opinion.
I'm still surprised you support government intervention in business in any regard.
>Our bloated and crooked modern governments would beg to differ.
Such governments would not exist without the support and influence of corporations.

>Im more interested in an intelligence agency than such a thing.
Well your opinion is noted, although it's not in the majority. Besides there is no need for a dichotomy between having an anti-corruption agency and an intelligence agency. Both can exist.

>>5978620
>No, just have somebody from the family that has vision and good conduct to be something like CEO.
No we should let the Privy Council keep managing it or maybe a group of experts that is ideologically aligned to us, but with investigator oversight and more House Heinrich influence.

>>5978627
>I'm still surprised you support government intervention in business in any regard.
Im not an idealist AnCap. I simply notice that almost everytime the government tries to help in something, it either makes the problem worse or it doesn't help at all. All the budgets and spending keep increasing yet the problems never get better.

>Such governments would not exist without the support and influence of corporations.
More like these corpos and governments couldn't exist without the other, their relationship is symbiotic and not one sided as you suggest. Besides, even when the corporations and profit motive aren't there the corruption and greed problem gets worse and not better. After all, corpos aren't the ones that can take your money at gunpoint or from your wallet through printing.

>>5978637
The Privy Council lads would still be there anon, Im not suggesting we replace them but instead have someone give direction and vision to the company.

>>5978651

>governments are actually incapable of doing good

I’m surprised that housecats can post on 4chan

>>5978653
Never said incapable. Everytime a prosecutor or police officer brings justice to people like thieves, muggers, fraudsters or other such miscreants, it brings me peace.

>>5978651
>Im not an idealist AnCap. I simply notice that almost everytime the government tries to help in something, it either makes the problem worse or it doesn't help at all. All the budgets and spending keep increasing yet the problems never get better.
I can respect your opinion and can see where you're coming from, but I disagree in principle.
>More like these corpos and governments couldn't exist without the other, their relationship is symbiotic and not one sided as you suggest. Besides, even when the corporations and profit motive aren't there the corruption and greed problem gets worse and not better. After all, corpos aren't the ones that can take your money at gunpoint or from your wallet through printing.
I'd counter that corporations as we know them are a relatively modern type of entity while governments are about as old as written history. I would go as far as to say a government doesn't necessarily need the assistance of corporate entities to be efficient or do something positive for the people they rule over. And while corruption and greed are indeed present in many different systems and institutions, I'm mostly just stating that within corporations both greed and corruption tend to be more prevalent (especially if corporations go unchecked) due to the very nature of corporations.

>>5978610
>people want to be lenient on the old man because he was against the corruption of the corps
>people also don't want to be light on corruption

>>5978677
want to be light on corruption*

>>5978677
I wouldn't necessarily call forced labor and literal lashings against things like bribery or embezzlement as "light on corruption" kek

>>5978685
I would. These kinds of things represent some of the biggest potential threats to the empire and should be treated as such. Anything less than a punishment fit for treason is light.

>>5978669
I'd counter that corporations as we know them are a relatively modern type of entity while governments are about as old as written history.
True.

>I would go as far as to say a government doesn't necessarily need the assistance of corporate entities to be efficient or do something positive for the people they rule over.
The government doesn't need corporations at all, it's the economy that does (If it's gonna be prosperous at least). The government CAN do positive things like punishing criminals (which is the one I like the most) but it seems that anything that involves the creation of wealth is bungled much more often than not.

>And while corruption and greed are indeed present in many different systems and institutions, I'm mostly just stating that within corporations both greed and corruption tend to be more prevalent (especially if corporations go unchecked) due to the very nature of corporations.
And Im saying that within governments both greed and corruption tend to be more prevalent due to the very nature of governments. (They will ALWAYS get their money)

Without fraud or force, Corpos will always be limited in what they can do. Checks against those make any other check redundant.

>>5978685
Then you don't hate corruption enough.

>>5978692
I personally think that forced labor would serve to set a better example in a place like the Empire, since with an execution their suffering will be over quickly but work and whipping requires them to pay for what they did.

>>5978703
>And Im saying that within governments both greed and corruption tend to be more prevalent due to the very nature of governments. (They will ALWAYS get their money)
A government's nature is not primarily made for the sole reason of making/securing money, but to oversee a people and ensure they don't all die or fall into chaos. A corporation's nature is solely for the accumulation of wealth, everything else is secondary.
>Without fraud or force, Corpos will always be limited in what they can do. Checks against those make any other check redundant.
I disagree. Corporations can use passive strength, usually in the form of money, to get what they want. There's not even a need to use brute force or fraud, if they have enough money they can pressure the government and fund organizations to make societies go in the direction they want.

>>5978728
>A government's nature is not primarily made for the sole reason of making/securing money, but to oversee a people and ensure they don't all die or fall into chaos. A corporation's nature is solely for the accumulation of wealth, everything else is secondary.
Doesn't contradict what I said.

>I disagree. Corporations can use passive strength, usually in the form of money, to get what they want. There's not even a need to use brute force or fraud, if they have enough money they can pressure the government and fund organizations to make societies go in the direction they want.
The only thing in that list that really concerns me is the subversion of government but that is a problem that can be handled by the intelligence agency not the paper pushing bureaucracy.

>>5978728
In that case it sounds like you would be in support of Cradus XVII. Unless you mean that people serving community service hours and getting whipped is a less desirable punishment than execution.

>>5978739
>Doesn't contradict what I said.
I'm of the opinion it does.
A governmental system does not necessarily fail if it doesn't get their money in the end, so long as the nation doesn't collapse into chaos and government itself is dissolved.
A corporation that isn't profitable, on the other hand, has failed its primary (and arguably fundamental) purpose.
>The only thing in that list that really concerns me is the subversion of government but that is a problem that can be handled by the intelligence agency not the paper pushing bureaucracy.
That's fair.

>>5978755
>community service hours
When I think of "forced labor" I mostly imagine work camps and mines, not meme punishments like picking up litter for a few weeks. Also whipping is brutal, especially if it's public.

>>5978766
>A governmental system does not necessarily fail if it doesn't get their money in the end, so long as the nation doesn't collapse into chaos and government itself is dissolved.
But that's the thing. They ALWAYS get their money and since that's the case, what external incentive do they have to make it count? Sometimes, they are incentivized do nothing or as little as possible since, if the job is done, they don't get paid more.

Yes, corporations' express purpose is to make money but greed is universal and as such, those who have access to the guaranteed fountain that is government income are the one's whose greed reaps the most unjust and disproportionate rewards. Therefore, since it's rewards are so great, greed and corruption tend to be more prevalent.

>>5978766
Yes they do... it's called fucking austerity measures. Like bro go learn basic economics. And if your government fails its massively worse than just a corpo failing to a competitor.

Capitalism is literally the best way to deliver goods to a customer.

State based economics always fails. And if a competitor arrives in capitalism that does the thing better, more efficiently and cheaper. The old outdated model gets put down like the dog it is.

Communism, socialism never work ever. And it's not because "greed".

The Russians subsidized bread. To the point it was cheaper for children to use bread as a soccer ball than it was to have an actual ball. Their was immense waste of bread because it WAS basically free.

Basic economics literally teaches that. And I'm talking real economics models and not bullshit ones like keyseians or MMT.

Fucking dumbasses. Smdh.

>>5978797
You won't convince anyone by talking down to them or by speaking in a language they don't understand anon.

>>5978797

Read this book and tell me if your opinion changes, anon.

https://www.amazon.com/Capital-Twen<wbr>ty-Century-Thomas-Piketty/dp/067443<wbr>000X

>>5978803
From a quick google search, it seems to be a frog blaming the increasingly unjust economies post 1900 on capitalism. Nothing austrian economics hasn't addressed before, they predicted it in fact.

>>5978788
>Sometimes, they are incentivized do nothing or as little as possible since, if the job is done, they don't get paid more.
Not necessarily. You're not accounting for those that are ideologically driven, or legitimately selfless idealists that want to make the world a better place. People act irrationally, but there is less movement to do so under a corporation since it is in their express purpose to make some sort of monetary gain.
>Yes, corporations' express purpose is to make money but greed is universal and as such, those who have access to the guaranteed fountain that is government income are the one's whose greed reaps the most unjust and disproportionate rewards. Therefore, since it's rewards are so great, greed and corruption tend to be more prevalent.
I agree that greed can be found anywhere, but (unless I'm misunderstanding what you're saying here) I personally think it's too extreme to call it the universal driving force of people. Sacrifice and selflessness are usually seen as virtues for a reason.

>>5978797
Yes governments failing is exponentially worse than corporations failing, this goes back to my point about governments not really needing corporate influence. We can talk a bit about austerity economics, it should make some good discussion, but I'll have to wait on my end since I'm going to go to bed and I might be busy for most of tomorrow.
As for talking about socialism or communism's failures as governments or even about capitalism's relation to the consumer, part of me is too tired to discuss the whole "that wasn't real capitalism/socialism!" stuff. My main point is that I'm merely stating corporations are more likely to act in greed than governments.

>>5978803
I haven't seen this book before, might give it a read. Thank you for sharing anon.

>>5978809
>Nothing austrian economics hasn't addressed before, they predicted it in fact.
You tempt me to stay awake, anon.

>>5978803
Like other anon said. Austrian economics has always pointed out that you need to not have cartels or monopolies. And that their can't be barriers to entry. Which if you look at let's say Google and Apple. What do they always do? Oh they buy out competition before it even starts. It's very easy to not allow cartels to exist. By allowing new competition into the market. What do big corporations do?

They lobby for regulations (Aka not a free market) that no one else but they can abide by. This then forces competition to cease to exist. Austrian economics spells it all out very well.

Tldr: butthurt frog crying that they lost power after napoleon due to other countries out competing them. Von mises is the goat and always will be.

>>5978479
How did that happen anyway? I can't remember if the fall of Old Earth was ever mentioned in previous threads.

>>5978816
You can't be greedy in a competitive market. Someone will do it better and cheaper than you and you lose your market share. Hence the term perfect competition. Which is the ideal situation for everyone involved. Cheapest product for the consumer and the best product or someone will buy it from your competitors instead.

Like I said it's literally basic economics.

https://www.investopedia.com/terms/<wbr>p/perfectcompetition.asp

Here's a link for the ignorant. Hopefully you're just ignorant and not willfully ignorant. One's not your fault and one is.

>>5978809
>>5978820

>a quick google search means that I am now smarter than an award-winning economist

lol, k

>>5978816
>You're not accounting for those that are ideologically driven, or legitimately selfless idealists that want to make the world a better place.
I am, it's just that people with true conviction are the exception and not the rule.

>I agree that greed can be found anywhere, but (unless I'm misunderstanding what you're saying here) I personally think it's too extreme to call it the universal driving force of people.
There are other driving forces for human action but wealth is a means to a LOT of ends and is thus one of the most desirable things to humans.

>Sacrifice and selflessness are usually seen as virtues for a reason.
Of course.

I don't know if you actually got my point though since you didn't address it. This one:
>those who have access to the guaranteed fountain that is government income are the one's whose greed reaps the most unjust and disproportionate rewards. Therefore, since it's rewards are so great, greed and corruption tend to be more prevalent.
tl;dr Crooks can get more money in government than they can get in business since the money flows regardless of their results.

>You tempt me to stay awake, anon.
1. So do you, I always love a good argument. This kind, not the throw insults and talk past each other kind.
2. I can't tell if you're saying that like "What is this school of thought that predicted this phenomenon we both dislike" or like "I disagree but I want to go to sleep".

>>5978825
Here's an example for Crown corp. There's only so many scientific ways to make steel.

There will obviously be a best way that gives you the strongest steel and is the cheapest way to produce said steel.

Only thing that changes this is innovation. Such as a new found way to make steel that is both cheaper and stronger. For a brief period of time the new competitor makes more money leveraging their new technology. As time goes on guess what? All your competitors know how to do it too. And the market rebalances itself. Rinse le repeat.

This is why companies put so much money into research and development. It's one of the few ways to gain a market advantage (economics term).

The easier way which is what everyone in current reality beats to death... is marketing. By giving some story that people can buy into. And that's why Gucci can charge shitloads of money for basically the exact same good as some other brand that's a 1/10th the price.

It's why China is a current economic juggernaut. They have both the high end "gucci" factory and next door with the exact same equipment. Make cheap as dirt shit. But equivalently the exact same product.

>>5978828
Award winning doesn't mean shit. Modern monetary theory won tons of awards. So did keyseians. Guess what time has proved both to be fucking wrong.

>>5978828
Spouting credential worship doesn't do anything anon.

>>5978803
Also here's what thr Austrians have to say about your dipshit.

https://mises.org/mises-wire/hendri<wbr>ckson-dissects-pikettys-capital-twe<wbr>nty-first-century

>>5978832
>>5978834

Anons, this will be my last post in our friendly debate.

I regret to inform you that credentials and expertise REALLY DO matter, in life. Not all opinions are equal - expert opinions are the only ones that matter. Thomas Piketty's opinions on capitalism has informed national economic policy across the Western world for ten years. If you disregard his opinion out of hand on the basis of "lol butthurt frog", you are just announcing that you are currently uneducated on the subject and your opinion is worthless. Now, if Thomas Piketty started shitposting about marine biology on Twitter, he would be ridiculed and for good reason

Take heart, anons! This is an opportunity to confront the challenge head on and do some didactic learning. People improve when they are forced to confront their oversights and weaknesses. Marcus Aurelius would insist that you read Piketty's work and argue against it on the merits. Good luck!

>>5978840

you know that the only other book this guy wrote is Bible fan-fiction, right? Not really a reputable opinion.

https://www.amazon.com/Famous-But-N<wbr>ameless-Inspiration-Characters/dp/1<wbr>462055095/ref=sr_1_2?dib=eyJ2IjoiMS<wbr>J9.tbWtZ34FSRWakz3OJYVDXsFXTQ4lUq7D<wbr>eGOFzcZG475rgzL_N4Dp7P1YGmlCaxBNIH7<wbr>1EIzcznzeZNc6QzYlbJNKRO3HKgeU6rUbfd<wbr>RWh2Fh24X1z3pXzHLbB7_AVi1OWpOkyavSF<wbr>uSrz1d1fqzC0cA4zlWC7bIVZSQRS4bVWV5q<wbr>qIU9k3k7x2PsKYq9vN373FnuIUkdmc4Q6Mx<wbr>Or2ph-KwBsgJTgenj97oPje7vDnE.ckip1u<wbr>NPGFPeZrQPPAcRRJz4t52P1bnOuf9p3VaY4<wbr>4k&dib_tag=se&qid=1713239025&refine<wbr>ments=p_27%3AMark+Hendrickson&s=boo<wbr>ks&sr=1-2&text=Mark+Hendrickson

>>5978846
>I regret to inform you that credentials and expertise REALLY DO matter, in life.
True.

>Not all opinions are equal>
True.

>expert opinions are the only ones that matter.
Absolutely not. That is just an appeal to authority fallacy, there is no intrinsic connection between an expert™ opinion and the truth. Besides, like other anon said, we have our own experts™ too.

>Thomas Piketty's opinions on capitalism has informed national economic policy across the Western world for ten years.
Appeal to popularity. No intrinsic connection between what is popular and what is true.

>People improve when they are forced to confront their oversights and weaknesses. Marcus Aurelius would insist that you read Piketty's work and argue against it on the merits.
Oh quiet you.

tl;dr: Experts™ aren't gods that define what reality is.

>>5978864
Nah, this part and parcel of the Simple Space Empire experience. The Quest asks for policy opinions and this is the natural result.

What I don't want is insults and sass which just takes the fun out of it.

The best method to gain control over an entire nation has always been to control the money supply. Loans, currency minting, inflation and deflation are all mechanisms that could be used to gain such control even without being a governmental entity.

>>5978870
>What I don't want is insults and sass which just takes the fun out of it.
Some banter is alright. Your free-market buddy is good at it and has been the only one making any real insults or sass <s>until now!</s>

>>5978825
>the theories I follow are the ideal for everyone involved. REAL *insert ideology* has never remained because of those damn *insert ideological enemy*
Where have I heard this before...

QM

I'm currently having some hardware problems and am struggling to stay conscious after a long day at work. The update is mostly written and I could power through and post it, but I want the quest to be the best it can be, and by extension, I think it's best to post when I'm fully conscious.

I'll be mobile-posting tomorrow, as my PC is nonfunctional and will be until near the end of next week. Thank you for your patience. I'm sorry about all of these delays- I think the QM curse is real but as long as there's Wi-Fi in the continental U.S. and House Heinrich endures, I won't stop posting.

Anonymous

>>5978912
Thank you for keeping at it QM. You the real one.
btw as a phoneposter myself I'd understand if you can't update or gotta postpone things, phoneposting can be a bitch.

>>5978846
https://www.amazon.com/Problems-Pik<wbr>etty-Fallacies-Capital-Twenty-First<wbr>/dp/1503145212

Mate and look how well western economics are doing right now with their modern monetary theory. Fucking bankrupt with sky high inflation. Nuff said.
>>5978847
You're a retard and linked the wrong author... kek

Shows all I need about your googling ability... absolute KEK

>>5978846
https://www.cato.org/policy-report/<wbr>july/august-2015/how-piketty-misses<wbr>-point

Look another source that says his points don't make logical sense. Correlation doesn't equal causation.

>>5978846
https://www.chicagobooth.edu/review<wbr>/how-piketty-is-wrong-and-right

Even Chicago calls it rebranded Marxism.

Ultimate kek.

>>5978901
Austrian economics is constantly said to be wrong and we have to use new x economic model. Then those economic models implode a decade later.

The latest being modern monetary theory.

It's all historical fact mate. Has nothing to do with ideology. Literally just logical and statistically backed theories versus conjecture based theories that end up being proven false.

>>5978943
https://carnegieendowment.org/2014/<wbr>05/06/thomas-piketty-is-pulling-you<wbr>r-leg-pub-55570

Oh look he tries to say he's not a Marxist and didn't read it. Yet discusses and even named his book after marxs own.
>>5978847

Just admit you're a dirty communist. It's quite evident.

>>5978967
>quest focuses on economics and politics
>shocked people discuss things related to economics and politics

>>5978941
>Correlation doesn't equal causation.
We're all aware that being a drunk driver doesn't have any relation to car accidents, tell me something I don't know anon.

>>5978943
And why hasn't this perfect and wholesome Austrian economic system never kept after being around? C'mon man, I know you wanna say it with how you throw around the word Marxist.

>>5979009
Discussion of economics and politics in relation to the quest is to be expected. This is not that, this is a sperg out.

>>5979014
>And why hasn't this perfect and wholesome Austrian economic system never kept after being around?
Why was the Chrysler turbine engine surpressed? You are assuming that people choose what is best for the rest of humanity when that is demonstrably untrue.
>>5979017
I don’t see much wrong with it.

>>5978599
>The overseer should have not have any operational control over the company though. They should be more like a full-time auditor / Board of Directors, with a small team of investigatory staff.
this is more or less what i had in mind. but maybe we should take the chance to have this role apply also to the Bureocracy, and have it streamline cooperation between them and avoid further complications like this pete guy.

the CC won't be constantly interacting with the B, but they are our corp and we want them to have an edge over other corps so it's bound to happen in the future again, we want to keep it running smooth. this new role would ease communications, sharing and contracting of resources, solve conflicting issues or escalate them to us, etc. and it would save us work each time we want them to do something, we can do it through this figure and lessen our paperwork

>>5979030
Business is business, baby. Survival of the fittest.
Good to know the American money making cabal is still going strong.
<s>That project looked cool, a shame the Burgers decided to exclusively use it on their tanks instead of making it commercial.</s>

>>5979076
<s>The turbine engine would have too good for the public if it was released. It would have been released too if it weren’t for the fact it was essentially banned by the regulations that automakers and big oil were pushing. </s>

>>5979126
<s>I can just imagine how they justified it. Can't have it spread around so much it gets in the hands of America's enemies lol</s>

>>5978829
>I am, it's just that people with true conviction are the exception and not the rule.
I disagree with the sentiment. People with true conviction are the ones who shape nations, cultures and social morality. Most of society then tends to move in the direction they push towards.
>There are other driving forces for human action but wealth is a means to a LOT of ends and is thus one of the most desirable things to humans.
I agree that in our current system monetary power means much (hence the extent of corporate influence), however that doesn't go against what I've said. Greed is still not the universal driving force of all humans.
>tl;dr Crooks can get more money in government than they can get in business since the money flows regardless of their results.
To gain a stable "money flow" it would necessitate the near complete corruption in every arm of the government at all times, which is untrue. Even if it is present this corruption can be purged through a variety of means, especially if the government uses it's own power to do so. Of course this presupposes that the respective governments aren't acting in the interests of corporations (or act like businesses themselves).
However the fight against corruption isn't done as much towards corporations (or if so it's under intense controversy and scrutiny), even though it is in the corps nature to accumulate more wealth.

>>5978825
A theoretical perfect free market isn't truly a defense against greed, considering there are bypasses one could make if you're clever enough. Of course then it could be argued it would no longer be a truly perfect competition, but that goes into how an idealized form of competition is defined. Despite all of that there is an inherent need to have self-interest in an ideal competitive market, sometimes to the extent of forsaking family and culture. That's not even touching on how irrational and emotional people can be.
>perfect competition
I myself once believed that such a thing could be achieved, but I've come to realize that this theoretical is about as likely as "post-scarcity communism". I might be optimistic about the potential of humans, but the necessary environment and cooperation between all parties to play fair in an unregulated cutthroat competitive arena is unrealistic. People tend to still buy junk and make bad decisions despite knowing it's not in the best interests for the rest of humanity, just look at the effect marketing has on people's purchasing choices.

>>5978831
>The easier way which is what everyone in current reality beats to death... is marketing. By giving some story that people can buy into. And that's why Gucci can charge shitloads of money for basically the exact same good as some other brand that's a 1/10th the price.
I completely agree with this statement. Something that has good marketing will sell more than a product that's objectively better and cheaper for the consumer in every way.

>>5979153
>I disagree with the sentiment. People with true conviction are the ones who shape nations, cultures and social morality. Most of society then tends to move in the direction they push towards.
Yeah? These people can move society but they are still the exception. Most people are sheep, going about their own lives while still somewhat following the direction of the herd.

>I agree that in our current system monetary power means much
It has always meant much. From a roman aristocrat with tons of gold or a mongol warrior with tons of cattle. Wealth brings power to achieve your ends in life.

>however that doesn't go against what I've said. Greed is still not the universal driving force of all humans.
I was supplementing what you said, Im not confident in saying it's THE driving force but it is definetly A driving force.

>To gain a stable "money flow" it would necessitate the near complete corruption in every arm of the government at all times, which is untrue.
Yet it happens all the time in our modern governments.

>Even if it is present this corruption can be purged through a variety of means, especially if the government uses it's own power to do so.
But the bigger the government is the harder this task will be. This goes along with something I wanted to say about those with conviction. The more lean we can make our state, the less corruption we'll have.

>Of course this presupposes that the respective governments aren't acting in the interests of corporations (or act like businesses themselves).
It's the latter. Government organizations trying to suck as much taxpayer funding as possible, happens all the time.

>However the fight against corruption isn't done as much towards corporations (or if so it's under intense controversy and scrutiny), even though it is in the corps nature to accumulate more wealth.
1. What universe are you living in where corporations aren't scrutinized? Your opinion of "corporations are behind it all!" is the norm, mine of "corporations and government have become one in the same." is the exception.
2. I think the problem you have is that you see corporations as this homogenous organism when in fact they are merely a composite of people. Since greed is a driving force of people, how do the incentives of the organization interact with that greed? My point is that corporations are limited by the fact that they must offer something desirable to someone in order to get any money. Government have no such obligations since they get their money through force and therefore the greed of those within can have much greater and unjust rewards and also therefore there is a bigger incentive to be greedy.

>>5979137
<s>It’s worse than you can imagine. The way they banned the turbine engine is through emissions laws restricting what fuels an engine could use. The reason this is important is two-fold. The turbine engine could use any combustible fuel including the highly poisonous lead based gasoline. However the only reason lead gasoline was a thing was because the piston engines at the time were a shitty design that kept breaking if you used any other fuel, which the automakers and big oil knew this fuel would be detrimental to the rest of humanity. So essentially the automakers and big oil created a problem that harmed everyone in the world then used it to banned their biggest threat under the guise of environmentalism.</s>

>>5979161
>Most people are sheep somewhat following the direction of the herd.
On that we can agree on.
>Wealth brings power to achieve your ends in life.
I'd argue that the modern society is one compromised of merchants having the most influence through passive strength. The Mongol and the Roman didn't use their wealth in the same way a billionaire today would.
>Im not confident in saying it's THE driving force but it is definetly A driving force.
To an extent, but I don't believe it's universal for all humans. A large amount of governments and even corporations aren't bent on greed but on ideology.
>it happens all the time in our modern governments.
Unfortunately true. We need more intervention against corruption in the government, and they shouldn't act in the interests of business.
>the bigger the government is the harder this task will be. This goes along with something I wanted to say about those with conviction. The more lean we can make our state, the less corruption we'll have.
The weaker the government the weaker the response will be against corruption (both internal and external) and the more easier it is to ignore. A weak decentralized government cannot stop foreign forces from influencing it.
>Government organizations trying to suck as much taxpayer funding as possible
I'm glad we can agree that governments should not act like businesses. Yet without taxes the State must either engage in corruption to make ends meet or demilitarize and depolice itself.
>scrutiny
Not referring to corpos not being scrutinized, they are, merely that investigations tend to give too much leeway to businesses while putting on a show. And when there is some investigation it is usually swept under the rug and memory holed. I can give an example if you wish.
>you see corporations as this homogenous organism when in fact they are merely a composite of people.
I don't see them as homogenous, but they are a homogenizing force. Freedom of trade and movement are the first steps to erasing national borders and cultures, as we can see with the EU's project to federalize.
>governments don't have obligations
I believe I already gave an explanation on what obligations they had and the extreme consequences of them not meeting such.
>greed a driving force and governments are easily more greedy
Greed is not as big of a driving force as ideology or cultural preference, nor is greed as universal as you might think.
A government's punishment for being too greedy against it's people and country is the collapse of said government, far more extreme than a corp going out of business. Unfortunately modern governments tend to act in the interests of capital, and thus they get corporate backing.
>corporations are limited by the fact that they must offer something desirable to someone in order to get any money
A product with excellent marketing can be more profitable even if objectively terrible, making the limits not as big as one would think.

>>5979209
I think it’s more accurate to say selfishness is central to human motivation than greed.

>>5979014
Because it doesn't help the corrupt fed making the people poorer and their rich friends richer. Where modern monetary theory does. This can be said about all central banks it's not solely a usa problem.

Look at usa money supply increase over the last few years. How MMT said nothing bad would happen with endless money printing. Then look at CPI. And realize it was all a fucking lie.

Like seriously just look at inflation and realize MMT was just a loaf of horse shit.

>>5978301
>Crown Corp itself was once a Floreds Corp asset, and the commoner's actions could be forgiven in that respect. He'll be allowed to continue his employment under the Imperial Bureaucracy.
Make him train more bureaucrats and in an advisory role for us.

>Extremely. Those who would exploit the Empire, and by extension, all of Mankind, deserve no future and will receive none on Cradus XVII.
>Severely. Willing theft from the Empire's offices is tantamount to treason and must be dealt with via execution.
>Moderately. Those caught taking advantage of their position will be whipped (or, if needed, worked) in proportion to their misdeeds.
>LenientIy. Anyone taking bribes or skimming from the top will be immediately disbarred, and forced to pay an equivalent fine or go into debt.
Depending on what crime they did.

>>5978301
>Crown Corp itself was once a Floreds Corp asset, and the commoner's actions could be forgiven in that respect. He'll be allowed to continue his employment under the Imperial Bureaucracy.
>Take Pete's advice in the matter of the Corps. Ask if he wishes to teach the new generation of pencil pushers.
>Create a system to oversee them. Also make an anti-corruption agency.
State capitalism, ho!
>Severely. Willing theft from the Empire's offices is tantamount to treason and must be dealt with via execution.
No mercy for the corrupt.

>>5978301
>Crown Corp itself was once a Floreds Corp asset, and the commoner's actions could be forgiven in that respect. He'll be allowed to continue his employment under the Imperial Bureaucracy.
>Take Pete's advice in the matter of the Corps.
>Create a system to oversee them. Make an anti-corruption agency.

>Severely. Willing theft from the Empire's offices is tantamount to treason and must be dealt with via execution.
>Moderately. Those caught taking advantage of their position will be whipped (or, if needed, worked) in proportion to their misdeeds.
>LenientIy. Anyone taking bribes or skimming from the top will be immediately disbarred, and forced to pay an equivalent fine or go into debt.
Like the idea of punishing them according to their crimes but sending them to Cradus would be redundant.

>>5979326
>>5979303
>Depending on what crime they did
This is what the vote is for. You can't just say do all of them.

>>5979331
Yeah I had a feeling that was what the vote was about.

>>5978301
>>5979303
I'll chang my vote to fully support >>5979316

>>5979331
Alright thanks man.

>>5978301
>>5979326
If it's only one punishment then put me on supporting
>Moderately
I'll keep the rest of my vote the same.

>>5979267
One could talk about it either way, though I feel like there's some more nuance to it.

>>5979209
>The weaker the government the weaker the response will be against corruption (both internal and external) and the more easier it is to ignore. A weak decentralized government cannot stop foreign forces from influencing it.
A lean government isn't weaker than a bloated government just because the former is smaller than the latter the same way a small but experienced and well equipped force isn't weaker than a herd of miscreants. The leaner our government is, the higher the standards we can put on those who seek to enter it.

>I'm glad we can agree that governments should not act like businesses.
They shouldn't act like businesses because they don't operate under the same rules as businesses.

>Yet without taxes the State must either engage in corruption to make ends meet or demilitarize and depolice itself.
I don't want to abolish taxes, only to make the taxes count. To not spend it on the frivolous and redundant.

>Unfortunately modern governments tend to act in the interests of capital, and thus they get corporate backing.
I don't know what you mean by act in the interest of capital (It makes me want to accuse you of being a commie) but my gripe with it is that it has become this incoherent and byzantine mess that only seeks to expand it's power and for no other reason than having power for it's own sake.

>A product with excellent marketing can be more profitable even if objectively terrible, making the limits not as big as one would think.
That's the thing, different people value different things differently. You say they are objectively terrible (I'd agree with you) but by what metric and why should they use said metric? Basic subjective theory of value stuff.

>>5979420
>A lean government isn't weaker than a bloated government just because the former is smaller. Higher standards can put on those who seek to enter it.
Ah I thought you were talking about decentralization against unitary systems, my mistake.
>a small but experienced and well equipped force isn't weaker than a herd of miscreants.
Tell that to the Taliban, or really any guerilla force from the Viet Cong to the American Minutemen. <s>I know that's not what you meant, but I couldn't help but see the parallels lmao</s>
>I don't want to abolish taxes, only to make the taxes count. To not spend it on the frivolous and redundant.
On that we can agree.
>I don't know what you mean by act in the interest of capital
You've been saying all this time that corporations and governments have become one and the same. What I'm saying is similar to that, except I believe that governments and corporations are separate entities with the former being more corrupted by the latter than vice-versa. I'm not advocating for the abolishment of property or something like that, on the contrary if corporations continue to grow as they have been private property will become near impossible to obtain due to corporations buying it in mass.
However I agree that there needs to be some sort of change before things start to collapse.
>That's the thing, different people value different things differently. You say they are objectively terrible (I'd agree with you) but by what metric and why should they use said metric? Basic subjective theory of value stuff.
Well personally I think a good start would be to make sure any food product isn't actively killing the consumer with microplastics or be made out of a pink mystery sludge, and things like battery chicken farms should generally be stopped.
As for a formal metric for products, I don't really have an objective answer. But I do realize that we should probably have something in that regard before someone corrupt decides to make one and trick people into it.

<s>This is the third time I've had to make this post. I hope 4chan doesn't decide to die on me again lmao</s>

>>5979442
Best way for products is having "Grades"

Back to the steel example. Since that's what crown corp does most currently.

You can have various grades of steel.

Low strength cheap as shit steel (Aka low carbon content)

This steel is fine in anything not structural.

High carbon steel.

This is stronger than low carbon steel.

Used heavily as a structural component.

Cromoly steel. Even stronger but requires very specific fabrication methods to work with.

Same thing for stainless steels.

It's very easy to set minimum thresholds for products to meet to be graded as x. The government doesn't even need to do this. It's very easy to have a third party test a product and give it a stamp. Especially if there's many third parties that do it. Basically we're looking for a consensus on does x product meet y grade.

Very simple.

>>5979442
That's not why taliban or vietcong won. If you look at history they lost nearly every battle. They won because the reason we were at war with them wasn't well defined and the population at home didn't see any "progress" being made due to the wars being very badly defined in what their purpose was.

We can cross correlate that to Russia fighting in their SMO in Ukraine. They have very clear goals. Denazification, demiliterization, protection of Russian territory.

First one is killing or arresting anyone of x ideology. Second is killing of any males of fighting age and destroying all their equipment. Protection of Russian territory (Aka the shit they annexed). So kicking the Ukrainian army off of any land that's "russian".

Very simple. Very well defined.

Vs

Taliban which was the entire culture of the area (or at least the vast majority). To get rid of that. But to do it with out killing then all (Aka impossible). So the war was setup for failure in the first place.

Same thing for Vietnam. Majority of Vietnam was behind being communist very few were on our side. Therefore without heavy western intervention they were going to lose. (Which is why everytime we pulled troops out the south got their teeth kicked in) the fact that there was incredible dislike for fighting in a foreign country that didn't seem to want to fight their enemy as much as their enemy wanted to kill them.

This is why other than the west pumping retarded amount of weapons into ukraine is slightly different. Well at least it was it's changing now. They were highly motivated to fight the Russians. That's going away now due to ukraine poorly defining what them winning was. (Aka retake the donbass and Crimea. Which they clearly cannot do)

So now the population is turning against the war.

>>5978301
>Regardless of his intentions, the paper-pusher cost Crown Corp tens, if not hundreds of billions of credits, and is far too poor to properly fine. He'll be placed under house arrest and disbarred from the Imperial Bureaucracy.
>Severely. Willing theft from the Empire's offices is tantamount to treason and must be dealt with via execution.

>>5979442
>Tell that to the Taliban, or really any guerilla force from the Viet Cong to the American Minutemen.
Yeah asymetric warfare plays by different rules, look up the Huk rebellion if you're interested in a case where the insurgents lost.

>I'm not advocating for the abolishment of property or something like that, on the contrary if corporations continue to grow as they have been private property will become near impossible to obtain due to corporations buying it in mass.
Someone buying everything in free market conditions? Simply not possible by it's very nature of being free.

>Well personally I think a good start would be to make sure any food product isn't actively killing the consumer with microplastics or be made out of a pink mystery sludge.
Yet if someone wanted to eat the mystery sludge, why should we stop them? I agree with you if there's no transparency about it but if someone insists on drinking bleach...

>As for a formal metric for products, I don't really have an objective answer. But I do realize that we should probably have something in that regard before someone corrupt decides to make one and trick people into it.
My point is that there isn't an objective metric, you can state the facts about a product or service like >>5979455 suggests but how people value those facts is going to be subjective.

>>5979455
I like this concept.

>>5979468
That is an interesting view on it and I can agree with the meaning behind wars and the necessity of having a set reason for them that people can get behind.
Either way I think the history books describing modern conflicts are going to be wild.

>>5979472
>Huk rebellion
Huh, haven't heard of that one before. Thank you for sharing anon. I'd imagine they didn't win due to their unpopularity and the stability of the Philippines (which was also their country, so no homeland advantage).
>Someone buying everything in free market conditions? Simply not possible by it's very nature of being free.
I don't think free market conditions are sustainable in the long term, ultimately it'll devolve into corporatocracy/oligarchy. But I feel like we're talking in circles about this subject.
>Yet if someone wanted to eat the mystery sludge, why should we stop them? I agree with you if there's no transparency about it but if someone insists on drinking bleach...
I'd rather prevent death and suicide if at all possible.
You yourself said that most people were like sheep that somewhat followed the herd, most people don't really care or have the time to think about deep philosophical or economic theories, to just leave them be this modern misinformed advertiser friendly world is inviting an orgy of death.
>Objective metric and subjective views
I agree there is no agreed upon formal objective metric for products (at least not one that is talked about often), but I'm recommending one is formally collected and promoted before someone else decides to formally make one and promulgate it.

>>5979499
>I don't think free market conditions are sustainable in the long term, ultimately it'll devolve into corporatocracy/oligarchy.
I actually agree with that but yeah we're going in circles.

>I'd rather prevent death and suicide if at all possible. You yourself said that most people were like sheep that somewhat followed the herd, most people don't really care or have the time to think about deep philosophical or economic theories, to just leave them be this modern misinformed advertiser friendly world is inviting an orgy of death.
So do I but the way to do that is through the word rather than the sword, to preach your moral vision (It's why I want to develop and propagate the Mandate philosophy). Most people are sheep so they need a shepard not a lawman.

>I agree there is no agreed upon formal objective metric for products (at least not one that is talked about often), but I'm recommending one is formally collected and promoted before someone else decides to formally make one and promulgate it
That didn't really address what I said. I suppose we can make some metrics for products that buyers and sellers can use but the point I was making is that people will make different value judgements about them. "I'll purchase the pricier but better quality one" "This is kind of shit but it will have to do" and so on.

>>5979532
>So do I but the way to do that is through the word rather than the sword, to preach your moral vision (It's why I want to develop and propagate the Mandate philosophy). Most people are sheep so they need a shepard not a lawman.
That's well said, but I still believe a mix of words and ruthlessness can be useful for the Empire. I haven't really looked into the Mandate philosophy too much, but it does seem interesting.
>That didn't really address what I said. I suppose we can make some metrics for products that buyers and sellers can use but the point I was making is that people will make different value judgements about them. "I'll purchase the pricier but better quality one" "This is kind of shit but it will have to do" and so on.
I do agree that people don't see products the same way, and many don't even care, I guess my real issue lies with how advertising tends to artificially make bad products desirable to the public and I think a method of countering that is needed before someone finds a way to entrench and justify the existence of bad practices.

And just for fun before I go to bed, I'll update the tally.

>>5979316
>>5979326
>>5979352
Three more to show leniency towards Pete.

>>5979470
One more to force into house arrest.

>>5979316
>>5979352
>>5979470
Three more for executions.

>>5979367
One more for whipping and hard labor.

While showing the old man mercy (and probably getting him to teach new blood along with his advice on how to deal with the Corps) has a strong lead, we now have a tie between killing traitors and whipping/hard labor to anyone we deem corrupt.
Some more ideas for how to deal with the Corps like making a new anti-corruption agency to oversee them and general anti-corruption.

>>5979549
>killing traitors
Wait isn't Otto against purely killing anyone we're against? Kill the idea behind the man, not the man himself?

>>5979552
Huh that's an interesting way of looking at it. To be fair about executing them they were in fact acting in a way that was treasonous to the Emperor and the Empire.
<s>Although a part of me wonders how Leopold would react to it if we just killed them outright. Would he find it hypocritical? Maybe think since we're in power it doesn't matter, power means everything and so on? I'm half tempted to change my vote just to see what happens.</s>

>>5979547
>That's well said, but I still believe a mix of words and ruthlessness can be useful for the Empire.
But ruthlessness should be much more peculiar and discerning in my opinion.

>I guess my real issue lies with how advertising tends to artificially make bad products desirable to the public and I think a method of countering that is needed before someone finds a way to entrench and justify the existence of bad practices.
That mainly happens by harnessing natural though often bad human desires like showing off or fitting in. Products you and I see no value in are purchased more as a status symbol than for any practical utility from the product itself. Thus, attack the source by spreading lines of thought that are alike mine or yours and the desirabilty of such products will quickly decrease.

>>5979552
No? He wanted to kill the Tripartite members very much remember?

>>5979556
The old pro-Federation man we spared and gave cybernetics to literally supported treason against the Empire.

>>5979563
They killed millions, ruined entire planets and plunged the Empire into civil war. These guys just took bribes and money.

>>5979566
>The old pro-Federation man we spared and gave cybernetics to literally supported treason against the Empire.
In his thoughts, most he actually did was spit on a poster.

Anon greentexted "killing traitors" then wrote "Wait isn't Otto against purely killing anyone we're against? Kill the idea behind the man, not the man himself?", crooks are traitor and are against us thefore why wouldn't it apply?

>>5979570
>In his thoughts, most he actually did was spit on a poster.
He would've done something treasonous eventually had he been given the chance. Maybe join those drug runner Federation loyalists. Still spitting on the Emperor's portrait is an act of treason and the Empire is already extreme with punishments.
>crooks are traitor and are against us thefore why wouldn't it apply?
Why didn't we kill all the Ustongs then? We had the power to do it but we forgave those that repented and even left them with two planets. Will we let the corrupt that repent and surrender live?

>>5979576
>He would've done something treasonous eventually had he been given the chance.
Then we would've punished him when he tried. You don't punish someone for a crime they haven't commited.

>Still spitting on the Emperor's portrait is an act of treason and the Empire is already extreme with punishments.
No it isn't, it's vandalism.

>Why didn't we kill all the Ustongs then? We had the power to do it but we forgave those that repented and even left them with two planets. Will we let the corrupt that repent and surrender live?
No, we didn't kill all of them because not all of them were guilty of treason. Same with the other two.

Out of curiosity what does the imperial crown/regalia look like? Is that stuff older than some houses?

QM

>>5978313
>>5978326
>>5978356
>>5978357
>>5978361
>>5978369
>>5978409
>>5978415
>>5978447
>>5978478
>>5978505
>>5978599
>>5979316
>>5979326
>>5979352
>>5979367
>>5979470
Reviewing the available information, you find it difficult to condemn Pete. While he abused his position to undermine Crown Corp and, in so doing, indirectly rendered House Heinrich poorer, he did it with loyalty toward the Empire at the forefront of his mind. Moreover, he enriched the Imperial Bureaucracy in the process, invested its credits well, and functionally cost the throne nothing.

You choose to forgive Pete and his co-conspirators and allow them to retain their prior positions. Even further, the man has diligently and competently served your bloodline for almost a century. Such a work ethic should be encouraged. You have he and his peers guided toward a teaching role, for what little remains of their years. Setting such a precedent may one day beget a tradition among those bureaucrats who refuse to retire.

This has quietly legitimized anti-Corp sentiments in the Imperial Bureaucracy, for better or worse.

Though Pete's motives may have been pure, his actions were an irritant. Their negative effects have been minor on the imperial scale and are thus easily forgiven, but his words- be they baseless rhetoric or valuable testimony- have brought key attention to the profit-motive driving most Corps, including your own. If greed is allowed to fester, it could lead to inefficiencies. You briefly consider if something ought to be done.

>Don't fix what isn't broken. Crown Corp is efficient enough to manage interstellar supply chains, and the less overreach they have to contend with, the better.
>Leave Crown Corp under the management of the Privy Council. Your advisors have done an excellent job in the background, and will likely continue to do so if given the chance.
>Appoint an official to keep an eye on Crown Corp. They'll be assisted by infiltrators from House Uvar and House Heinrich, to ensure that it remains dutiful. Of course, this would only formalize what's already been happening.
>Impact Corps across the Empire, rather than Crown Corp alone. This will require major reforms and merits a significant degree of thought. Not the worst thing to focus on as your reign nears its final days, but you never were one for finances.

>>5979640
These examples of corruption among the Imperial Bureaucracy are an affront to your chivalric sensibilities. They must be punished accordingly, and set an example for those who would dare to follow in their footsteps. You are a merciful Emperor from a merciful lineage, and so, you'll grant those whose deeds cannot be forgiven- those who've swindled imperial forces, interfered with the inner workings of the imperial government, or conspired with traitors- the mercy of a quick and relatively painless execution.

Those whose deeds are lesser, limited to petty cronyism and lining their own pockets, will receive a commensurately lesser punishment. They'll be whipped and (occasionally, or, at the discretion of House Heinrich) put to work until they've generated enough value to the Empire to pay off what they've stolen. Unlike the lifelong punishments of some dynasties of the past, those few who manage to work off their debts will be forgiven of their crimes. Even if they'll be at the bottom of the list for consideration for new political appointees.

You feel you've handled the situation well enough, even if none of this is likely to make the mainstream history holo-tapes.

You're reminiscing on the good old days in Uvarth, several months later, when an out-of-breath messenger comes sprinting into the throneroom! Before you can formulate a response, another, also out-of-breath messenger comes sprinting in! You command them both to pause, catch their breath, and collect their thoughts before speaking. At their words, you nearly fall out of your throne in shock!

It appears that The Ledger will have to wait! Both of these men have incredibly important news that you've been anticipating for years! Unfortunately, you can only address one of them at a time!

Which do you want to hear first?

>The strategic information from the scouting expedition in Vrakak space!
>The final results of your sister Lydia's secret project!

Anonymous

>>5979641
>The final results of your sister Lydia's secret project!

>>5979640
>Appoint an official to keep an eye on Crown Corp. They'll be assisted by infiltrators from House Uvar and House Heinrich, to ensure that it remains dutiful. Of course, this would only formalize what's already been happening.
>Impact Corps across the Empire, rather than Crown Corp alone. This will require major reforms and merits a significant degree of thought. Not the worst thing to focus on as your reign nears its final days, but you never were one for finances.
A permenant oversee position for CC who should ideally be a Heinrich close to the direct imperial line. Also reforms to check the Corp power as for, what I remember they control a significant amount of interstellar commerce in the Empire which is worrisome. The trade must flow, but under imperial authority.
>>5979641
>The final results of your sister Lydia's secret project!
Deal with sister shenanigans since it looks like the Vrak aren’t immediately planning an invasion, otherwise the messenger would have probably started off with that.

>>5979640
>Appoint an official to keep an eye on Crown Corp. They'll be assisted by infiltrators from House Uvar and House Heinrich, to ensure that it remains dutiful. Of course, this would only formalize what's already been happening.
I want the fourth option too, but that is something his successor will be better suited for than Otto. Just setting up oversight for Crown Corp should suffice for now.

>>5979641
>The strategic information from the scouting expedition in Vrakak space!

>>5979655
We don't know they aren't planning an invasion. He came in out of breath and was ordered to hold his tongue, he didn't have an opportunity to "start off with it".

>>5979640
>Appoint an official to keep an eye on Crown Corp. They'll be assisted by infiltrators from House Uvar and House Heinrich, to ensure that it remains dutiful. Of course, this would only formalize what's already been happening.
>Impact Corps across the Empire, rather than Crown Corp alone. This will require major reforms and merits a significant degree of thought. Not the worst thing to focus on as your reign nears its final days, but you never were one for finances.

>>5979641
>The strategic information from the scouting expedition in Vrakak space!
I want to to the other one first but security comes first.

>>5979640
>Don't fix what isn't broken. Crown Corp is efficient enough to manage interstellar supply chains, and the less overreach they have to contend with, the better.
Guys... an overseer would be a completely useless position
>Impact Corps across the Empire, rather than Crown Corp alone. This will require major reforms and merits a significant degree of thought. Not the worst thing to focus on as your reign nears its final days, but you never were one for finances.
I can get behind trying to take Corp planets, they will be no threat to us without them.

>>5979641
>Impact Corps across the Empire, rather than Crown Corp alone. This will require major reforms and merits a significant degree of thought. Not the worst thing to focus on as your reign nears its final days, but you never were one for finances. Setup house Uvar as a financial audit. Audit all corporations and government arms. Introduce a block chain for transparent exchanges between tax revenue and government expenditures.

>The strategic information from the scouting expedition in Vrakak space!

>>5979563
>But ruthlessness should be much more peculiar and discerning in my opinion.
>That mainly happens by harnessing natural though often bad human desires like showing off or fitting in. Products you and I see no value in are purchased more as a status symbol than for any practical utility from the product itself. Thus, attack the source by spreading lines of thought that are alike mine or yours and the desirabilty of such products will quickly decrease.
I agree with both of your points.
I feel like this line of thought has been exhausted by our conversation at this point kek

>>5979803
Then can you not support the Overseer idea? Pretty please?

>>5979823
I thought you supported the idea of putting a Heinrich as leader for it?

>>5979847
As leader for the company yes but not this watchdog position.

>>5979851
We can always have a Heinrich leading the company... what we need is house Uvar in the watchdog position. So they can "play at being neutral". And thus watch over all corporations and all government arms. And we can give them teeth by allowing them to use the Rangers and if need be the Imperial army to cut out any rot found. Though it should go through court first.

If you back the transparent empire stable coin for credits. We can have a transparent ledger that makes it impossible for corruption to happen in either the imperial institutions or in the corporations. Once it gets big enough we can then push it onto the other noble families. To make sure they're actually paying their taxes and aren't funding you know a 2nd Civil War or a coup. Of course we can make it so sort of specific thing has a loop hole so Nightshayd can function with their black book ops. But it'll make massively easier for us to catch corruption or tax evasion. And there will only be very few people using the loop hole so it'll be easier to monitor that. Even if it's just us looking the other way for Nightshayd. Plus Nightshayd can just use cash (Aka credits) to hide money.

>>5979640

>Impact Corps across the Empire, rather than Crown Corp alone. This will require major reforms and merits a significant degree of thought. Not the worst thing to focus on as your reign nears its final days, but you never were one for finances.

This seems like as good a time as any.

>The strategic information from the scouting expedition in Vrakak space!

Uh oh

>>5979640
>Appoint an official to keep an eye on Crown Corp. They'll be assisted by infiltrators from House Uvar and House Heinrich, to ensure that it remains dutiful. Of course, this would only formalize what's already been happening.
>>5979641
>The strategic information from the scouting expedition in Vrakak space!
Sorry sis, possible invasion first

>>5979917
I say more like an auditing body that investigates suspect companies for crimes but I don't want no pencil necked, rules lawyering nerd going "erm akshually" over the shoulders of businessmen. Basically: act like the police or an intelligence agency and not some redundant bureaucratic department department. This goes into my desire for an intelligence agency instead of have Houses... the Houses would be rightfully disproportianately represented given their experience and training but it would all go directly under the direction of the Emperor.

>>5979640
>Appoint an official to keep an eye on Crown Corp. They'll be assisted by infiltrators from House Uvar and House Heinrich, to ensure that it remains dutiful. Of course, this would only formalize what's already been happening.
>Impact Corps across the Empire, rather than Crown Corp alone. This will require major reforms and merits a significant degree of thought. Not the worst thing to focus on as your reign nears its final days, but you never were one for finances.
We can get others to manage the specifics.

>>5979641
>The final results of your sister Lydia's secret project!

>>5979641
>Appoint an official to keep an eye on Crown Corp. They'll be assisted by infiltrators from House Uvar and House Heinrich, to ensure that it remains dutiful. Of course, this would only formalize what's already been happening.
If it's just formalizing things it shouldn't hurt.
>Impact Corps across the Empire, rather than Crown Corp alone. This will require major reforms and merits a significant degree of thought. Not the worst thing to focus on as your reign nears its final days, but you never were one for finances.

>The final results of your sister Lydia's secret project!

>>5979640
>Appoint an official to keep an eye on Crown Corp. They'll be assisted by infiltrators from House Uvar and House Heinrich, to ensure that it remains dutiful. Of course, this would only formalize what's already been happening.
>Impact Corps across the Empire, rather than Crown Corp alone. This will require major reforms and merits a significant degree of thought. Not the worst thing to focus on as your reign nears its final days, but you never were one for finances.

>>5979641
>The strategic information from the scouting expedition in Vrakak space!

>>5979641
>Appoint an official to keep an eye on Crown Corp. They'll be assisted by infiltrators from House Uvar and House Heinrich, to ensure that it remains dutiful. Of course, this would only formalize what's already been happening.

>The strategic information from the scouting expedition in Vrakak space!

>>5979640
>Appoint an official to keep an eye on Crown Corp. They'll be assisted by infiltrators from House Uvar and House Heinrich, to ensure that it remains dutiful. Of course, this would only formalize what's already been happening.
Don't bother with the corp reform, they're not causing any trouble yet and if we need to a successor can always take on that burden.

>The final results of your sister Lydia's secret project!
Mystery box!

>>5979984
I have a feeling trusting the houses too much will come back to bite us later on.

>>5979640
>Appoint an official to keep an eye on Crown Corp. They'll be assisted by infiltrators from House Uvar and House Heinrich, to ensure that it remains dutiful. Of course, this would only formalize what's already been happening.
>Impact Corps across the Empire, rather than Crown Corp alone. This will require major reforms and merits a significant degree of thought. Not the worst thing to focus on as your reign nears its final days, but you never were one for finances.
We should probably make the framework for a sort of corporatist/state capitalist model or at least make it so that we have more influence over the corps themselves.

>>5979641
>The final results of your sister Lydia's secret project!
This probably won't win but it's been teased too many times to make me curious.

Main hope here is that we do a corp reform while also trying in House Uvar more.

>>5979641
QM sorry if this has been asked before but does the Empire have a single currency?

QM

>>5979642
>>5979655
>>5979749
>>5979760
>>5979764
>>5979780
>>5979794
>>5979918
>>5979964
>>5979993
>>5980002
>>5980005
>>5980017
>>5980365
>>5980422
You surmise that it would be worth placing an overseer from House Heinrich over Crown Corp, to keep them on the straight-and-narrow. You also feel that Corps are a potential malignancy in their current state, and resolve to curb or regulate their influence. Though you are incredibly curious to see what your sister Lydia has done after so many years, you are more concerned by the imminent danger of the Vrakaks. You inform them as much, and the first messenger quietly weeps. Or at least, looks like he's thinking about it, with the dejected expression on him. Oh well.

The second messenger steps forward with a grin, hands you a holo-tape, and explains that the sender is currently undergoing thorough decontamination procedures, to ensure no verminous diseases are at risk of spreading on Mars. The detachment of Imperial Naval vessels that undertook the scouting mission was led by Caleb, an avowed loyalist to the throne whose father was a known veteran against the Vrakaks under the Federation of Uvarth. This Caleb ventured into Vrakak space and was quickly outmanuevered and encircled by one Vrak fleet, but thought quickly and, using his rudimentary grasp of the Vrak tongue, convinced them that he was sent by the Empire to see firsthand how much better Vrakak ships were than the Federation's. Against the odds, playing to their egos worked, and the captain was enable to finesse himself from a mere scouting operation into an entirely one-sided cultural exchange.

>>5980610
Caleb has lived as an outsider among the Vrakak Clans, touring the Conclave for just over a decade now. In that time, he has gathered a wealth of data and managed to not only avoid any casualties among his men, but convinced the Vrakak of the Empire's non-hostile intentions. This is, of course, fictitious, as the Major Houses and Corps alike have long viewed their kind in with contempt. You review the accumulated trove of information immediately.

The Vrakaks are an omnivorous species that subsist on a variety of tubers and mushrooms, supplemented by charred meat, often decayed beforehand. Like Mankind, they are mammals and the only known spacefaring species to share the broad taxonomy of Man. The similarities between both end there.

The Vrakaks, or Vrak singular, have a rapid life-cycle and their population undergoes frequent periods of surging and collapsing. Each is capable of reproducing by the end of their first decade and reaches elderly status by the end of their fourth, though most die years beforehand. Their gestation period is six months with an average of two per litter, sometimes three, occasionally more, though rarely one. These young are able to perform basic labour in a matter of two years and reach physical self-reliance in six. They are so fecund that, like the rabbits of old Earth, uterine cancer is one of their most frequent causes of death and many are spayed after their fifth or sixth litter.

As has been noted by the Empire in the past, the Vrakak lack consistent focus and are in a constant, energetic state that Mankind can only replicate through heavy stimulants. While this renders them less efficient at straightforward tasks, they are far from mindless and cannot be underestimated. The typical Vrak learns at a dizzying rate and retains most of what they take in. Consequently, most have a broad, versatile skillset and there's little division of labour, with every Vrak expected to work where needed or to pick it up on the job, often moments after another Vrak dropped it without warning to pursue something else.

>>5980612
Further, the vermin are immensely apt at quickly coordinating and improvising amongst themselves. Any handful of Vrakaks will, within minutes, put together a crude hierarchy and begin working toward an arbitrary goal. It's suspected that their dunbar's number is considerably higher than Mankind's or, more likely, they have little-to-no barrier toward working closely with total strangers, so long as their clan structure is upheld. Permanent positions are quite rare and their "society," such as it is, exists in a constant state of flux. Their most central unit is that of the clan, with Vrakaks widely refusing to acknowledge any higher authority.

Even the smallest of these clans consists of dozens of Vrakak, and the largest can reach numbers exceeding fifty-thousand. Membership in them is fluid and largely boils down to whoever stays or goes. Despite this, they have a violent loyalty to their chosen clan and frequently skirmish with and raid others for territory or resources. Infighting is also common, in times of famine, and the Vrakak themselves are one of the likeliest causes of any Vrak's death. These clans are invariably gerontocracies, as Vrak slow down some with age and younger Vrakak lack the patience to govern. If any Vrak lives long enough, they'll inevitably end up in a managerial position by dint of gradually spending more and more of their time coordinating their offspring and being acknowledged as having the expertise to do so.

By all rights, such an anarchic species shouldn't have reached beyond the neolithic period, but there are several key factors driving their advancement. First, the Vrakaks prefer to integrate smaller clans over exterminating them, and surrenders to larger clans are a matter of course, just as breakaways are. Second, they claim a firm grasp of trade and are linked together by a frantic, intricate barter economy that continues with almost no regard to interclan dynamics. Third, a curious property of the Vrak brain allows for selective trauma to induce a lifelong hyperfocus on almost any subject, once the vacant lobotomite is coaxed into it. These and the ceaseless pressure of manic competition allowed the vermin to slowly accumulate the knowledge base necessary for a spacefaring society.

>>5980616
The Vrakaks aren't impressive physical specimens by any measure. Held against Humans, they are diminutive, weak, and flimsy, and lack any degree of discipline whatsoever. To contrast, their reflexes are nearly twice faster, their senses (with the exception of sight, where both species are at parity) are notably keener, and they have almost no fear in battle, though this is less due to any courage and more a lack of thought toward the risks involved. Any imperial soldier, properly trained and equipped, is able to match any two hostile Vrakaks with ease, and this ratio only multiplies at the squad level. The problem is that Vrakak swarms usually have five Vrak to one Man, if not more.

Their ability to survive on less than half of the rations and eagerness to tolerate miserable conditions worsens the problem. Attrition warfare is almost untenable against them. If the Vrakak are left to be for any amount of time, they'll entrench themselves, start digging out sprawling tunnels, and reproduce like mad until their warcamp has turned into a frontline settlement. In their reconquest of the frontier, after a mere handful of years, the Federation of Uvarth was forced to siege whole fledgling colonies of the vermin that sprung up during earlier stages of the war.

The Conclave of Vrakak Clans, the only overarching government of their society, exists largely to facilitate wider expansion, negotiate peace agreements between its constituents, and track the population as well as its needs. Vrakak politics are divided into five major factions which have a number of clans under them. In broad order of influence, these are the Vrakuk, who believe outward expansion is the only worthwhile policy as it is in accordance with their instincts. The Vrek, who believe an internal focus and stricter reproduction controls are necessary for their future prosperity as a species. The Vravak, who believe non-Vrakak civilizations are threatening and must be opposed, as they have, for the most part, attempted to exterminate them in the past. The Vrauk, who believe more frequent raiding and denser trading are ideal, as this allows for the greatest exchange of wealth and ideas. And lastly, the Vreuk, who believe non-violent coexistence with non-Vrakak civilizations should be attempted, as it hasn't been tried before.

>>5980617
The Vrakak currently inhabit 76 worlds, nearly twenty of which are newly settled and analogous to the Empire's frontiers. The clan factions are evenly spread among them, but the defeat against the Federation of Uvarth has seen Vrek thought rise to prominence. It's projected to overake the Vrakuk in popularity some time in the next thirty-to-forty years, possibly resulting in a civil war or shift in their focus. As the Vrakak invasion against the Federation of Uvarth occurred sixty years ago, it is already beyond living memory, six of their generations into the past, and old history, by their reckoning.

They already consider House Heinrich to be a fairly ancient ruling dynasty, and House Vonduul is quite obscure among them. Their understanding of older imperial history is almost wholly absent. The Vrakak are widely belligerent toward the Empire and feel Humanity are too decisive, long-lived, and patient to be trusted. At the same time, they're of the (in your opinion, correct) assessment that Human goods are superior, and the desire to seize them is one of the more common motivations behind Vrakak raids.

By Caleb's estimation, there are many teeming billions of Vrakaks among their space, contrasted by around five billion, if not more Humans, the victims of past raids and invasions, stripped of higher technology and reduced to a primitive state, scattered throughout their planets in isolated enclaves. The Vrakak find Humans too tedious to directly manage and leave them to their own devices, aside from setting resource quotas that they're inconsistently pillaged for. This is a tragic and ignominious state of affairs.

The Vrakak's naval assets are a subject of some concern. After their defeat against the Federation of Uvarth, during which they lost over half of their armada, the vermin have dedicated their four bustling shipyards to rebuilding. Six Vrakak fleets are operational, with a seventh set to emerge within half a decade. Rather than the balanced, heavily-armed approach of Mankind's Mars-pattern vessels, the Vrakak designs vary wildly, even from ship-to-ship, but have a handful of universal trends. Vrakak-class vessels (as there's not enough consistency for any one pattern) are highly modular, made to standards the Empire wouldn't tolerate outside of the cheapest of the cheap, and view defensive shielding as an afterthought. They tend to prize speed and in many cases, opt to eschew cannons for hangars to field wings of bombers and fighters. In previous conflicts, their craft have been nimbler than should have been possible, but this may be due to Vrak reaction speeds rather than any particular technology.

>>5980620
The Empire has performed exceptionally well against the Vrakak in the past, which is why its current borders are free from their kind, but the past has passed. House Vonduul is no more and House Heinrich has yet to be tried and tested against alien hostiles. It would be a dire mistake to underestimate a potential enemy, no matter the weaknesses inherit to their genome. Caleb suspects their full naval capacity could be as many as a dozen fleets, possibly more if the Vrakuk seized control and they were pushed into an expansionist frenzy.

It is the scout's opinion that an invasion by the vermin isn't an imminent danger, but the possibility cannot be ignored. In the same measure, the threat of a large raid against the frontier is very real and he suspects your successor has a nearly half-and-half chance to be faced by one during his reign. Caleb theorizes that there may be Vrakaks in distant stars that have lost contact with the wider Conclave, as their species has been spacefaring for some four millennia now, but lack the centralization or reliable record-keeping to be aware of any past expeditions. Near the end of the holo-tape, he hopes this isn't true, and admits it may be paranoia.

You are rather impressed by the man's success. Especially as you didn't expect anything to come of the scouting to begin with.

What should be done with Caleb?

>Nothing, as his tactics demonstrated little true naval skill.
>Put in a good word for him with his superiors in the navy.
>Induct him into one of the noble houses, likely House Uvar.
>Promote him to an admiral, as you have the authority to do so.

Now that you've gathered a vast range of data on the Vrakaks, your opinion of them has evolved.

What are your thoughts on the Conclave of Vrakak Clans?

>They are a scourge that must be eradicated for the good of Mankind, either as a species or a civilization.
>They are vermin that must be pacified before they pose a greater danger to their Human superiors.
>They are savages that wouldn't be worth the Empire's effort, if not for their unfounded and feral hostilities.
>They are subhuman but could be of some use to the Empire, if properly subdued and controlled.
>They are mammals and by their commonalities to Humanity, worthy of some limited, token respect.
>They are all of these things and more, and must be dealt with in time.

Anonymous

>>5980612
Wonder if we can just introduce some STDs to them and see what happens

>>5980621
>Induct him into one of the noble houses, likely House Uvar.
He didn't show any real naval skills but he has proven that he is pretty talented and has given us invaluable information so he deserves a high reward for this.

>They are all of these things and more, and must be dealt with in time.
They will do great in plantations

>>5980621
>Induct him into one of the noble houses, likely House Uvar.
>Put in a good word for him with his superiors in the navy.
He has shown that he is worthy. Almost want to say we should put him in House Heinrich.

>They are a scourge that must be eradicated for the good of Mankind, either as a species or a civilization.

>>5980621
>Put in a good word for him with his superiors in the navy.
>Induct him into one of the noble houses, likely House Uvar.
>They are all of these things and more, and must be dealt with in time.

QM

This update should've come sooner than it did, but I've been a bit distracted helping my brother and a couple of his friends proofread their final essays for their composition night-class. That and typing is tricky on mobile, but I'm using an app to keep the text saved rather than doing it in the post itself alone. I'm going to go through and address every question I've been asked, please, let me know if I missed yours.

>>5978610
>>5979549
Thank you very much, this was a lot of help with the update.

>>5978504
There have been many thousands of attempts at exploration, few of which found anything of substance, and hundreds of settlements, none which lasted longer than a century or grew to more than a million embittered colonists.

>>5978602
He has not, not yet.

>>5978822
I mentioned it in passing in thread #2 and elaborated further in thread #3, in the list of historically significant Emperors. The 3rd dynasty, House Geddu's embrace of unshackled AI and unrestricted gene-editing led to a series of uprisings by renegade thinking machines and several aberrant offshoot species. The gene wars culminated in an Empire-defining struggle between pro-humanists, who sought to perfect humanity through the refinement of noble bloodlines, and various post-humanists, who sought to reject humanity for the sake of improvement. In the end, one side levied cataclysmic weapons against old Earth- which varies by the telling- but the tactical momentum (or, depending on which you subscribe to, vengeful fury) allowed the pro-humanists to repulse their enemies.

House Geddu was exterminated for its crimes and to this day, the Empire holds a visceral taboo toward unshackled A.I. and in-theory, gene-editing that attempts to surpass or subvert rather than enhance nature, but in-practice, almost all human gene-editing is lumped into the same category. The fall of old Earth and end of House Geddu left the Empire's resolve in shambles, and set the stage for House Sendai to ascend as the 4th dynasty and implement their ideal of Harmonism. Most scholars blame the resulting atrocities committed against the treasuries and dignity of the various noble houses on the aftermath of the gene wars, but House Sendai is no less reviled for placing the common masses above the enlightened nobility.

>>5980481
The Empire does not have a single, centralized currency. The official coinage is the imperial credit which is used for many interstellar transactions and in House Heinrich's territory, but most noble houses have their own petty currencies, the Corps all pay in company scrip where they can, and a majority of the Empire's worlds have their own, local legal tenders. This is a substantial headache for record-keepers but moneychangers are thriving. So far, it isn't a pressing problem but does represent a lack of economic efficiency.

Anonymous

>Induct him into one of the noble houses, likely House Uvar.
>They are subhuman but could be of some use to the Empire, if properly subdued and controlled.

>>5980621
>Induct him into one of the noble houses, likely House Uvar.

>They are a scourge that must be eradicated for the good of Mankind, either as a species or a civilization.

I say we try to bait them into raiding us by leaking the fact there will be a fat convoy of goods going to x frontier world on their border. We lie in wait with Rangers any volunteers and the imperial army. Kill them all then use that as a propaganda campaign to push for the righteous invasion and purging of the varakaks.

Makes the empire look good! We can even spin it that they have humans as slaves and we must liberate our brothers.

Though I highly suggest we make some diplomacy peace deals towards the kingdom so they get stuck in bullshit trade/peace deals while we mop the verakaks up.

1 question qm can we use their infrastructure or not? If not I vote we just glass their planets. If so I say we try to glass everything but important infrastructure such as technology/production capabilities and their space ports.

>>5980725
>+ I didn't see it at the time but I'll support the idea of seeding them with a STD so they die. Probably some some for of the clap or HPV. That should kill them pretty good. Maybe we do a couple different ones.

>>5980621

>Induct him into one of the noble houses, likely House Uvar

Pat him on the back!

>They are vermin that must be pacified before they pose a greater danger to their Human superiors.

Our father wouldn’t want them to be exterminated totally…

>>5980621
>Promote him to an admiral, as you have the authority to do so.
>They are all of these things and more, and must be dealt with in time.
Really there’s only two internal factions that are defacto bad for us: The Vrakak and the Vrauk. The other two are are in our favor.

>>5980621
>Induct him into one of the noble houses, likely House Uvar.

>They are a scourge that must be eradicated for the good of Mankind, either as a species or a civilization.

But they aren’t an immediate problem

QM

>>5980725
You can use Vrakak infrastructure but it was made with a completely alien sense of user capabilities and expectations in mind. Their parts are either boneheaded simple or senselessly intricate, the structures themselves lack any but the most basic safety measures, and no single part of construction was intended to fit into a greater, civilizational whole. Everything was built or maintained for a specific task or niche, and everything relying on it was designed with it in mind or improvised afterward. The Vrakaks do have mass-manufacturing, and lack any degree of standardization or quality control to ensure consistency from any one clan to the next. The plethora of jumbled wires, scrap welds, and misused fittings makes the Reaver Clans look immaculate.

Anonymous

>>5980827
Good to know. Bring a ton of industrial scrappers when we go bois.

Thanks for answering.

>>5980621
>Put in a good word for him with his superiors in the navy.
>Induct him into one of the noble houses, likely House Uvar.
He may not make a good admiral, but he should be rewarded for skilfully bringing such a boon to the Empire and there are many who could definitely use this polytalented man

>They are all of these things and more, and must be dealt with in time.
Perhaps we may find a use for them in the future, though whether they deserve and require extermination is an open question. Regardless, they are currently galactic vermin and must be suitably cut down to size and subdued before we can think about such things.

I should update the todo list, it's been three months and one Emperor since I last touched it. Currency reform is definitely going on there, because this is a monetary mess out of Warlord Era China that is not befitting of a glorious Empire. We need to phase in a single currency across the Empire - while we are unlikely to be able to completely displace local currencies and central monetary policy may be unworkable with the Empire's decentralisation, having Imperial Credits be at least accepted legal tender everywhere and freely convertible is a must for Imperial unity.

>>5980881
> Perhaps we may find a use for them in the future, though whether they deserve and require extermination is an open question.
They make great lower class citizens and would have a solid niche as space fighter pilots.

>>5980881
+1 for standardization of currency
>>5980891
I don't think we should let them get anywhere near military equipment. I really think they would do great in a rubber plantation though

>>5980621
>Put in a good word for him with his superiors in the navy.
>Induct him into one of the noble houses, likely House Uvar

>They are all of these things and more, and must be dealt with in time.
We should point them at the Kingdom and laugh as our enemies maul each other.

>>5980621
>Induct him into one of the noble houses, likely House Uvar.
>They are vermin that must be pacified before they pose a greater danger to their Human superiors.
I can't really think of a way to incorporate them or get them to not be a threat peacefully without a realistically big chance of it blowing up in our faces. The Vrek and the Vreuk are possibly the best bet to not having to deal with their raids, but seen as there are still raids and threats of invasion I doubt they have much influence. Having a slave race usually doesn't pay off in the long run, and their mentality can't really be reconciled to humanity's.
But either way we can't take too much time in thinking about how we have to deal with them, since they are constantly entrenching and reproducing they will become more difficult to repel the more we wait.

>>5980676
I'm glad it helped. I know the vote can get a bit messy at times, but it's proof this is a well liked quest.
>House Geddu post-humanists
Are these the infamous gene cultists?

>>5980621
>Induct him into one of the noble houses, likely House Uvar.
>They are vermin that must be pacified before they pose a greater danger to their Human superiors.

>>5979161
>It has always meant much.
Societies with a hyperfocus on material wealth are a relatively new thing in the concept of Human history and weren't even the default until the last 500 or so years.
Take the Wendot for example.

>>5980621
>Induct him into one of the noble houses, likely House Uvar.

>They are all of these things and more, and must be dealt with in time.

>>5980945
We could probably use them as a pretty useful basic labor force by limiting them to only a couple of planets and heavy propaganda. You do gotta remember their record keeping is pretty much nonexistent and (outside the lobotomy autists) pretty much have the memory of a goldfish so given as little as a generation or two we could easily have them forget they were even a space empire in the first place and pretty much have them believe whatever we could want them to believe.

>>5980621
>Induct him into one of the noble houses, likely House Uvar.
>Put in a good word for him with his superiors
in the navy
No promotion from us, because being able to pull of this kind of feat he did does not mean he can lead fleets. He does have talent though and that should be acknowledged.

>They are subhuman but could be of some use to the Empire, if properly subdued and controlled.
The Vrek and Vreuk should be able to be handled with. If we can put them in a more dominant position this would be good. Of course their current clan structure would have to go more towards nobility/ something stratocratic. Don't feel like Otto would be completely as open as Albin. He's smart enough to see that this species has some potential as loyal citizens, but could also be a chaotic vietnam 2.0 space edition.

>>5980621
>>Induct him into one of the noble houses, likely House Uvar.
>>They are vermin that must be pacified before they pose a greater danger to their Human superiors.

>>5980676
Alright thanks for answering. But what's company script?

>>5980621
>Put in a good word for him with his superiors in the navy.
>Induct him into one of the noble houses, likely House Uvar.
>They are a scourge that must be eradicated for the good of Mankind, either as a species or a civilization.

>>5980621
>Promote him to an admiral, as you have the authority to do so.
>Induct him into one of the noble houses, likely House Uvar.

>They are a scourge that must be eradicated for the good of Mankind, either as a species or a civilization.
But more on the 'eradicate their civilization' side than 'eradicate their species'.
Think we can get the squid bros on the action?

>>5980648
>>5980682
>>5980725
>>5980750
>>5980814
>>5980945
>>5980988
>>5981400
>>5981553
Ennoble the man.

>>5980661
>>5980670
>>5980680
>>5980881
>>5980926
>>5981409
>>5981560
Ennobled and well spoken of.

>>5981571
Noble Naval Promotion.

>>5980755
Promotion time.

>>5980648
>>5980670
>>5980755
>>5980881
>>5980926
>>5981400
All of these things and more, they will be dealt with in time.

>>5980661
>>5980680
>>5980725
>>5980814
>>5981560
>>5981571
They are a scourge to Mankind.

>>5980682
>>5981409
Subhumans that could be of use to the Empire.

>>5980750
>>5980945
>>5980988
>>5981553
Vermin that must be pacified before they pose a threat.

Inducting Caleb into a noble House is almost universally agreed, with the second place going to putting a good word in the ears of his superiors in addition to that.
In the issue of the Vrakaks there seems to be a close race between seeing them as the "scourge of the stars" or "yes that too, but also a bunch of other things", yet seeing them as the "threat that must be pacified before we get our asses kicked" is a close second. There's also ideas floating around about turning them into slaves/serfs by using propaganda (which I personally don't think will work seeing how terrible our propaganda has been, but I concede that I'm in the minority) and/or in installing the Vrek and Vreuk as their leaders. There are methods to attack them that are being proposed like launching an STD towards their population, pitting them against the Kingdom, baiting them into attacking us, or even asking potential alien allies to fight against them with us.
There's also some discussion about standardizing the Imperial currency.

>>5980621
>>5980945
I think I'll change the latter part of my vote to
>They are a scourge that must be eradicated for the good of Mankind, either as a species or a civilization.
Mostly to just break the tie (and because I don't want to take them as slaves lmao or deal with a space Vietnam).

I'm going to be watching a movie with my folks tonight and am hoping it turns out to be kino, but don't have high hopes, kek. I'll be posting the update once I'm back and will be leaving this up for now.

>>5980945
Despite certain superficial similarities between the latter days of House Geddu and <s>the emergence of the Xenocult,</s> the Empire's learned scholars <s>or those few deemed mentally adroit, resilient, and expedient enough to be taught</s> have held a firm, lasting consensus that House Geddu's <s>depths of desecration against the integrity and dignity of the human genome</s> are far exceeded by <s>the least of the Xenocult.</s> Further, while the scale of damage inflicted on the Eternal Empire by House Geddu exceeds that of the <s>Xenocult</s> by multiple orders of magnitude, most believe this is only due to the <s>quick, merciless, and thorough suppression of the Xenocult wherever and whenever it has shown signs of reaching a critical mass.</s> If not for <s>the courage and tenacity of the noble houses and others in suppressing the threat, it's likely that Mankind itself would have been jeopardized.</s>

Though House Geddu are among the most loathed of the past ruling dynasties, attempting to <s>conflate the Xenocult with a noble lineage, even one fallen and condemned, in full knowledge of the context and implications</s> is tantamount to high treason and punished accordingly.

>>5981553
Company scrip consists of a company's own, internal currency that in theory, can only be spent or redeemed at company facilities. In practice, the scale of the Corps means that their scrip has some purchasing power among the minor houses and merchants, especially those operating at a planetary rather than interstellar scale. The Corps all pay their lower employees in their own scrip, including Crown Corp, however, Crown Coins™ are redeemable to Imperial Credits in Heinrich territory at a 1:1 ratio and under the Privy Council, some efforts have been made to shift over to a predominantly Imperial Credit payment model.

QM

>>5981698
This is done partly for purposes of controlling workers by preventing strikes and regulating their purchases, partly for keeping the lion's share of profits within the Corp, and partly to foster a stronger sense of identification with the Corps. Many Corp employees are multi-generational, and receive reward packages or guaranteed (minor) promotions for continued service. This is especially true on frontier worlds, where the local economies are smaller and, if unchecked (or sponsored) by the noble houses, Corps can dominate whole sectors of extraction, manufacture, and finance.

Worker-centric organizations, such as unions and parties, are heavily suppressed within the Empire, as they broadly derive their legitimacy from mass consensus and tend to be hotbeds for democracy. In many instances of Corp overreach, petitions toward the reigning nobility have been attempted, although these are often ineffective, as the Corps pay the Major Houses their due if they know what's good for them. Almost all Corps have mercenaries on their payroll, which tamps down on most riots or uprisings before they can build up steam.

>>5981635
Thank you again, anon. This vote is to determine House Heinrich's default attitude toward the Vrakaks, which will skew future prompts, flavour text, and so on.

Anonymous

>>5981655
>and because I don't want to take them as slaves lmao or deal with a space Vietnam
You do realize that there are voting for that to conquer them and take them as slaves right?

QM

>>5982001
It was the Arthur the King, the new movie about the dog. I was pleasantly surprised. I wouldn't call it one of the all-time greats but I do think it was a pretty good movie.

>>5980648
>>5980661
>>5980670
>>5980680
>>5980682
>>5980725
>>5980731
>>5980750
>>5980755
>>5980814
>>5980881
>>5980921
>>5980926
>>5980945
>>5980988
>>5981400
>>5981409
>>5981553
>>5981560
>>5981571
>>5981655
Caleb's scouting expedition brought back data of a breadth and fidelity beyond what imperial analysts had thought possible. Such competence in service can and must be rewarded. As his father was once a soldier in the Federation of Uvarth, he will be inducted into House Uvar, post-haste, as is only appropriate. Likewise, you will personally pen a glowing review of his performance for his superior officers in the Imperial Navy, and see to it that positive rumours are spread through the ears of the noble houses.

His actions have enhanced the prestige of the Imperial Navy, further legitimizing it as an organization in its own right, rather than a mere extension of Alphonse's rebellion as some naysayers claim behind closed doors. Most of the noble houses still eye it warily, but as long as they contribute a tithe of their sons to Heinrich's School of Hard Knocks, it makes no difference. At only 37, Caleb is a young man with his entire life ahead of him, and now that he's received the ennoblement his display of excellence in duty deserves, you hope he goes on to do great things for the Empire and for House Uvar.

>>5982019
The Vrakaks are a teeming, bestial subrace of vermin that has spread to infest no less than seventy-six stars, to the vigorous and continued detriment of Mankind. They are lower than scum, feral, sex-crazed degenerates with neither discipline nor honour, and it is a stroke of sheer, cosmic misfortune that the cackling mobs they hold in lieu of noble houses have made it this far. They lack any redeeming qualities, save that they are willing to dwell in filth and subsist on garbage beneath the dignity of even those exiled to Cradus XVII.

You hold them in visceral contempt and see them as they are: a scourge that must be eradicated for the greater good of Mankind. Though your father may feel differently, you have no need for his naviete in this. If the memory of old Earth is to endure the millennia to come, the Conclave of Vrakaks Clans must be crushed beneath the might of the Eternal Empire, and the Vrakaks themselves must be curtailed by any means available. You consider a range of solutions to their wretched pestilence- cunning subterfuge, bold rhetoric, even viral warfare, but deem the time has not yet come. Their defeat will be at the hands of your son, and if not him, than his.

You are old, now, and getting older by the moment. Soon, you'll be ancient, as your father is. You had your triumphs when you were young, in the conquest of the Federation of Uvarth, then again in skirmishes in the Lost Reaches and the war against the Tripartite Entente... As much as you thirst for battle, you wouldn't dare rob the glory of your sons. Besides, you still have that first messenger to deal with.

>>5982020
You bid him to approach the throne, and he steps forward with a dazed look on his face. Not uncommon for commoners in the presence of the throne on Mars for the first (and likely last) time, but this is a little different, in a way you can't quite quantify. He hands you a holo-tape and you instruct one of the Royal Guardsmen to slot it in the royal holo-tape projector. You would do it yourself, but... you're the sitting Emperor of Mankind and well into your eighties. There's no shame in having your subordinates do trivial things.

The holo-tape gets straight to the point and before long, you and everyone else in the throne room is similarly dazed. Over the last several decades, your sister Lydia, her husband Edgar, their five children, and a solid fifth of the scholars of House De Croize have singlemindedly dedicated themselves to the advancement of human technology. In particular, they've fused Lydia's expertise in Industry and Planetology and Edgar's obsession with Robotics into something altogether greater than the sum of its parts.

A design for a space elevator. Not just any space elevator, but one comprised of unprecedentedly narrow, skyscraping rods supported by a latticework of nanoweave strands. It is an intricate, multifaceted structure, designed to enable constant transit without pause through the assistance of an extensive, shackled AI, coded almost from scratch to suit the purpose. Even more impressively, its surface area has been minimized and with the strands absorbing shockwaves of internal traffic, is safe to construct in populated areas without taking any unusual precautions. The initial cost of construction is nearly double that of a standard space elevator, but it is projected to be nearly twice as efficient, require only a third of the usual maintenance, and with its clever sound-muffling techniques, have a dramatically lessened impact on the surrounding ecology.

>>5982021
It is safe to say that if it's allowed to, this will revolutionize the Eternal Empire and enshrine the genius couple's names in the history holo-slates. Near the end of the holo-tape, Lydia assures you she would've come to make the presentation herself, but Edgar is too old to risk making the trip and she's busy putting in the final touches. Almost as soon as you've finished reeling from the implications, you feel a deep sense of dread. As magnificent as these new space elevators promise to be, they must be constructed by someone.

As Emperor, it is your duty to determine who has the rights to build the design. They'll be greatly empowered by the profits and efficiency it brings, and those who didn't receive it will be enraged. This will be a difficult choice, but by dint of the crown on your head, there's no-one else worthy to make it.

This is likely the most important decision you'll ever make.

>>5982022
Who should receive license to build the space elevators?

>House Heinrich. This is a bold choice that will be seen as a naked power-grab. It will also enrich the royal dynasty and greatly enhance your successor's position. Assuming he can deal with the civil unrest, this would be an excellent step toward centralizing authority under the throne.
>House Soluton. Long ago, Emperor Alphonse decided to discretely allow them the first pick at inventors and schematics of macro-architecture and starship designs. Under this status quo, they've gained a soft monopoly on Orbitalworks and have thrived. Entrenching it in this way would render their bond to House Heinrich nearly unbreakable, just as it would disgust their rivals.
>House De Croize. This has been the life's work of Lydia and by extension, the noble house she chose to marry into. Just as they are responsible for the design, they are the most deserving of its rewards. Affording them this boon would render their lineage speechless with gratitude for generations to come, and infuriate their opposition.
>Crown Corp. It would be somewhat treacherous, but, there's nothing stopping you from declaring the nobles too biased and handing the license to your family's own business. Both House Soluton and House De Croize would be angered, but for the first time since the end of the 2nd Civil War, their animosity would be toward the throne rather than each other, and they woud each be well-positioned to cooperate with Crown Corp. If you were savvy, this could please both in-time and, more importantly, make a fortune.
>The Empire. Rather than allow such an amazing advancement to be monopolized, you will publicize the design and allow anyone with the resources to act on it. This would spread the profits throughout the Empire, heavily improving the economy and helping everyone slightly. House Soluton and House De Croize would be frustrated, but that's of little significance when the masses would be overjoyed.
>Nobody. You are skeptical of the design, as it relies on AI to operate on a scale that hasn't been seen in centuries. It was certainly made with the best of intentions, but, closed-network or no, it represents too much of a security risk to go forward with. Everyone involved will be disappointed and your sister's life's work reduced to a curious footnote without ever seeing the light of day, but it is the most responsible thing to do. Assuming you don't trust your sister or House De Croize's judgement, that is.

Anonymous

>>5982023
>House Soluton. Long ago, Emperor Alphonse decided to discretely allow them the first pick at inventors and schematics of macro-architecture and starship designs. Under this status quo, they've gained a soft monopoly on Orbitalworks and have thrived. Entrenching it in this way would render their bond to House Heinrich nearly unbreakable, just as it would disgust their rivals.
We are planning on merging the houses soon either way so it will end up with us either way.

>>5982023
>The Empire. Rather than allow such an amazing advancement to be monopolized, you will publicize the design and allow anyone with the resources to act on it. This would spread the profits throughout the Empire, heavily improving the economy and helping everyone slightly. House Soluton and House De Croize would be frustrated, but that's of little significance when the masses would be overjoyed.

>>5981698
>first rule of noble houses is never to compare them with the <s>xenocult</s>
Alright, noted. Thanks QM.

>>5981700
A few of the votes that supported a multifaceted approach were also supporting using them as workers for plantations, and while I'm not in the majority (and probably won't be if there's a vote for it) those that saw them as a scourge weren't talking much about incorporating them (though I might have overlooked some IDs I'll admit).

>>5982023
>House Soluton. Long ago, Emperor Alphonse decided to discretely allow them the first pick at inventors and schematics of macro-architecture and starship designs. Under this status quo, they've gained a soft monopoly on Orbitalworks and have thrived. Entrenching it in this way would render their bond to House Heinrich nearly unbreakable, just as it would disgust their rivals.
Soluton would be the most angry if we don't give it to them. And while giving to the Empire could help with the economy and happiness, it could also be a double edged sword to let it loose.

>>5982023
>>House Soluton. Long ago, Emperor Alphonse decided to discretely allow them the first pick at inventors and schematics of macro-architecture and starship designs. Under this status quo, they've gained a soft monopoly on Orbitalworks and have thrived. Entrenching it in this way would render their bond to House Heinrich nearly unbreakable, just as it would disgust their rivals.
Tempted to put it under Crown Corp, but I really want to turn that into our own private research lab. Soluton has the expertise and their closeness to the Throne will ensure it will be used responsibly.

>>5982045
So yeah, you’ve guaranteed Vietnam. Fun fact about irl Vietnam was that it was started by the president to sell helicopters from his wife’s company to the military rather than anything beneficial to America. Communism was an excuse.

>>5982045
Looking back at the votes and discussion it seems like I was somewhat right. There is a specific choice that says that the Vrakaks could be useful if subjugated, which I imagine would lead us to conquests and attempts to either incorporate them as servants to the Empire or take them as slaves/serfs. This wasn't picked as much compared to the seeing this as a complicated matter that has to be dealt with in time (there are only actually two people that voted for this that vocally supported using them as a basic labor force, with a third anon being more open about what their fate would be and making suggestions).

>>5982048
>So yeah, you’ve guaranteed Vietnam.
Bro...

>>5982023
>>5982026
Speaking of merging QM, some anons (including me) are planning on doing the merger with Soluton sometime after either the Vrak or Kingdom conquest but what exactly do we need to do to prepare for that? Do we have to set up a meeting with the Soluton head to smooth things out or what?
>>5982051
I was thinking along the lines of exterminating most of the species but keeping like 5-6 planets to be used as giant plantations for the remainder of their population. I really think it would be a profitable endeavour if done properly

>>5982054
I still don't really trust our propaganda department. Who knows, maybe they'll do better with aliens than humans lmao
And sure it might be profitable, but I don't think it'll be worth it in the long term (or even the short term, with all this discussion of conquering them makes me fear a space Vietnam).

>>5982059
At least half the audience is against a war of extermination and the faction in charge is the peaceful anti-expansionist faction

>>5982023
>House Soluton. Long ago, Emperor Alphonse decided to discretely allow them the first pick at inventors and schematics of macro-architecture and starship designs. Under this status quo, they've gained a soft monopoly on Orbitalworks and have thrived. Entrenching it in this way would render their bond to House Heinrich nearly unbreakable, just as it would disgust their rivals.
Anons have explained why. It should be enough to end their feud with De Croize too, and we should also reward De Croize with something for developing it.

>>5982023

>The Empire. Rather than allow such an amazing advancement to be monopolized, you will publicize the design and allow anyone with the resources to act on it. This would spread the profits throughout the Empire, heavily improving the economy and helping everyone slightly. House Soluton and House De Croize would be frustrated, but that's of little significance when the masses would be overjoyed.

The solution is simple - publicize the design BUT all such space elevators must pay an annual tax on their total commerce to Houses Soluton and De Cruze.

Getting 1% of all space elevator profits Empirewide per year in perpetuity should be adequate to reward them

>>5982059
On other hand peaceful conquest would be quite simple. Let loose the corporations on the clans to take over the economy, encourage the ruling clan to remove their political rivals (who would most likely be our enemies anyway), leverage the growing sentiment for peaceful contact to perform diplomacy and gain further influence. Open warfare would be miserable and rapidly turn into Vietnam due to the way their society is structured.

>>5982023
>House Soluton. Long ago, Emperor Alphonse decided to discretely allow them the first pick at inventors and schematics of macro-architecture and starship designs. Under this status quo, they've gained a soft monopoly on Orbitalworks and have thrived. Entrenching it in this way would render their bond to House Heinrich nearly unbreakable, just as it would disgust their rivals.
I'd like to give it to The Empire, but I don't want other nations like the Kingdom to get hold of this incredible technology by making the design public. The Empire will ultimately benefit most from keeping this design relatively secret, while still being utilized.

>>5982070
I agree and I'm also against a complete war of conquest or extermination, my initial vote was to just pacify them before the inevitable raids become too much of a problem.
>the faction in charge is the peaceful anti-expansionist faction
Of the Vrakak? I though since them QM said "In broad order of influence, these are the Vrakuk, who believe outward expansion is the only worthwhile policy as it is in accordance with their instincts." meant that the Vrakuk were the ones with the most influence in Vrakak society since they were mentioned first (unless it's from least to greatest influence instead of the other way around like I'm thinking).

>>5982114
I'm not sure if it would be as simple as that, especially since they likely wouldn't trust the Corps of an alien species and might just end up pillaging them.
But if we are going to use the Corps then we must have more control over them to make sure they don't become a threat later down the line.

>>5982059
The difference between this war and Vietnam is we are going to commit genocide for 76 planets
>>5982114
Major problem you are overlooking here, not only do the xenophobes of the Empire hate the Vrak, but so does most of everyone else including commoners (mostly of the former Fedration). Getting peaceful with them is going to anger a lot more then the Xenophones this time around unlike diplo with the squid bros.
>>5982369
It was in order of greatest to least influence and the Vrakuk are currently the most popular. Also let’s not let the corps go near those cretins, I have a bad feeling about it.

>>5982378
We should make a Death Star lmao.
>Also let’s not let the corps go near those cretins, I have a bad feeling about it.
I share the same sentiments, but if for some reason we use the Corps to oversee the Vrakaks then we have to get rid of most of their independence to make sure they don't spiral out of control (I'm talking an extreme form of state capitalism, replacing company scripts with the official currency, and probably some other radical measures).

QM

>>5982054
To make a seamless merger with another house, you'll need to maintain extremely high relations over at least three generations. By that point, both houses will see their ambitions and resources as nearly interchangeable, and it can be done without much difficulty. To make a... less than seamless merger with another house, as the ruling dynasty, you simply need to declare it to be so and hold any refusal on their end as treason. In most instances, this would result in a civil war and long decades of resentment, but it can be done and has been under some previous dynasties.

It isn't rare for houses to unite when both have more to gain combined than separate, but this is unheard of among the Major Houses. As House Soluton has a significant independent power-base, it feels no need for this and is too proud to forfeit their autonomy without a fight. The Martial Houses on the other hand, are deeply loyal to the throne and have been for over a century. Attempting a merger would be possible, and it would also alarm the rest of the Empire, as well as destroy their fledgling identities as houses. Rendering them vassal houses in the same respect as House Uvar is also possible and would likely go over well, but there's a chance of some resentment as it's effectively a demotion.

>>5982369
The Vrakak factions were listed in order of most-to-least influence, yes. Rereading it, the text was ambiguous and I'll try to be more clear in the future. The Vrakuk are currently in-charge but the Vrek are gaining numbers and are projected to outpace them sometime in the next thirty-to-forty years. It's likely this would result in a civil war or desperate moves by the Vrakuk, and also likely that Vrakak politics could shift in an unexpected direction. The Vrakak are unpredictable on the macro-scale.

Anonymous

>>5982369
Thought the Vrek were in charge. Guess we could push for a regime change since they are in second place.

>>5982397
>To make a seamless merger with another house, you'll need to maintain extremely high relations over at least three generations
Well in the case of Soluton this would be true. We were at close allies for all of Alphonses reign and into Albins but the Jeanne marriage did demote them to friendly but they were still close. Plus our overt appeals to them during distributions and such, the marriage with Ferdinand and what appears to be the space elevator going to them I think we accomplish this. It does however seem that Otto will need to make a trek to the Solutons and have a meeting with their head in order to discuss this.

>>5982395
I don't want to kill all the humans living on their worlds though. It would be neat to rescue and reintegrate them, and useful too

>>5982023
>The Empire. Rather than allow such an amazing advancement to be monopolized, you will publicize the design and allow anyone with the resources to act on it. This would spread the profits throughout the Empire, heavily improving the economy and helping everyone slightly. House Soluton and House De Croize would be frustrated, but that's of little significance when the masses would be overjoyed.
I happen to not share the obsession with merging with Soluton

>>5982023
>House Soluton. Long ago, Emperor Alphonse decided to discretely allow them the first pick at inventors and schematics of macro-architecture and starship designs. Under this status quo, they've gained a soft monopoly on Orbitalworks and have thrived. Entrenching it in this way would render their bond to House Heinrich nearly unbreakable, just as it would disgust their rivals.

We should start merging them with us.

The Heinrich-Solution.

>The Empire. Rather than allow such an amazing advancement to be monopolized, you will publicize the design and allow anyone with the resources to act on it. This would spread the profits throughout the Empire, heavily improving the economy and helping everyone slightly. House Soluton and House De Croize would be frustrated, but that's of little significance when the masses would be overjoyed.

>>5982437
I don't either but I still think it's the best choice

>>5982023

>>House De Croize. This has been the life's work of Lydia and by extension, the noble house she chose to marry into. Just as they are responsible for the design, they are the most deserving of its rewards. Affording them this boon would render their lineage speechless with gratitude for generations to come, and infuriate their opposition.

>>5980616
>>5980612
Not gonna lie. Vrak culture seems pretty awesome aside from the raiding. I suggest peace with them and support of those of the Vreuk philosophy
>>5980617

>>5980621
>Name Caleb head diplomat to the Vrak
he has ten years experience with them. From their pov he is an elder statesman or maybe Akin to Vulcans for Humans in Star Trek
>They are mammals and by their commonalities to Humanity, worthy of some limited, token respect.

>>5982023
>House Heinrich. This is a bold choice that will be seen as a naked power-grab. It will also enrich the royal dynasty and greatly enhance your successor's position. Assuming he can deal with the civil unrest, this would be an excellent step toward centralizing authority under the throne.
I want more power for the house so we can push policies past the nobles

>>5982078
+1 I like this idea

>>5982397
>As House Soluton has a significant independent power-base, it feels no need for this and is too proud to forfeit their autonomy without a fight

Hang on so even if we maintained max relations for three generations they would still refuse to merge without a civil war? Or would half of them be fine with it while the other half attempts to revolt?

QM

>>5982401
You have kept close relations with House Soluton for two generations, but marrying a De Croize within a generation of them bombing Soluton worlds came off to them as a deep betrayal of their trust. That they're friendly at all is a testament to House Heinrich's previous rapport with them. Even without the rights to the space elevators, improving relations with House Soluton would be easier as they've already been improved extensively and House Heinrich has shown an overt preference for them. House Soluton are allies of House Heinrich but a merger is much deeper- it's the surrender of all assets and independence to join with another lineage. It's a massive step that requires absolute certainty on both ends. Given your earlier relationship with House Soluton, it would be possible to attempt a merger even with the damage done to their relations by Otto's marriage to Jeanne, but there's only a moderate chance of success. You'd need to maintain extremely high (close allies or better) relations for three generations to make it certain.

>>5983112
House Soluton wouldn't be willing to merge with House Heinrich if they were ordered to outright, and would fight if House Heinrich attempted to force the issue. Negotiating or requesting a merger is another issue entirely.

I'm going to leave this vote open for a while longer, as it will have major implications on the Empire's infrastructure and not all of the regulars have voted yet.

Anonymous

>>5983148
>(close allies or better)
What is better than close allies?

and it seems that merging is pretty possible soonish. Gotta give them some extra planets in the next distribution.

>>5982023
>The Empire. Rather than allow such an amazing advancement to be monopolized, you will publicize the design and allow anyone with the resources to act on it. This would spread the profits throughout the Empire, heavily improving the economy and helping everyone slightly. House Soluton and House De Croize would be frustrated, but that's of little significance when the masses would be overjoyed.
>But only after we've made reforms to control the Corps more.

>>5982023
>>5983232
+1
We can't let it free unless we have some control over where it goes.

>>5982023
>House Soluton. Long ago, Emperor Alphonse decided to discretely allow them the first pick at inventors and schematics of macro-architecture and starship designs. Under this status quo, they've gained a soft monopoly on Orbitalworks and have thrived. Entrenching it in this way would render their bond to House Heinrich nearly unbreakable, just as it would disgust their rivals.

StandIn

>>5982023
>>The Empire. Rather than allow such an amazing advancement to be monopolized, you will publicize the design and allow anyone with the resources to act on it. This would spread the profits throughout the Empire, heavily improving the economy and helping everyone slightly. House Soluton and House De Croize would be frustrated, but that's of little significance when the masses would be overjoyed.

Anonymous

>>5983148
Sounds like Otto's grandchild will be able to merge the houses without issue

>>5982023
>House Soluton. Long ago, Emperor Alphonse decided to discretely allow them the first pick at inventors and schematics of macro-architecture and starship designs. Under this status quo, they've gained a soft monopoly on Orbitalworks and have thrived. Entrenching it in this way would render their bond to House Heinrich nearly unbreakable, just as it would disgust their rivals.

But like other anons have said, make sure De Croize and Lydia personally receive some kind of reward

If we were to merge with any house, I'd prefer we merge with Nightshayd so we don't always have the imminent threat of being offed by them the second we piss them off considering the fact that they've managed to slide their way in everywhere. Geraldo's deep loyalty to Alphonse was the main thing binding us together and as generations pass on, the chance of some less loyal head rising up or us inadvertently pissing them off increases. Also, Nightshayd is generally seen as closer to a minor house by most of the other nobility, if I recall correctly, so combining us together would lead to less fearmongering<br>I don't see how merging with Soluton particularly helps us much, as close allies we basically already got any and all benefits a full merger would give- we could get handcrafted fleets at cost, we could probably get orbitalworks and defense systems up at cost, and that's about all those architecture/engineering nerds are good for

>>5982023
>House Soluton. Long ago, Emperor Alphonse decided to discretely allow them the first pick at inventors and schematics of macro-architecture and starship designs. Under this status quo, they've gained a soft monopoly on Orbitalworks and have thrived. Entrenching it in this way would render their bond to House Heinrich nearly unbreakable, just as it would disgust their rivals.
On the condition that this is used to maneuver Soluton into the merger with Heinrich, which would then have us make this choice again in the future. Ferdinand will be the head of Soluton through his wife no matter what.

I don't really care which option wins, though the faint premonition that the shackled AI is at a level of intelligence far beyond anything the Empire has used for multiple dynasties and might go loose is surely just bait right? Haha... and Clipperbot definitely isn't still in that glassed moon...

>>5982026
>>5982045
>>5982047
>>5982078
>>5982198
>>5982213
>>5982456
>>5983276
>>5983681
>>5984135
>>5984259
>>5983112
To House Soluton, as we've entrusted them before.

>>5982033
>>5982085
>>5982437
>>5982502
>>5983232
>>5983259
>>5983336
To the Empire, as it would be a boon to us all in the end.

>>5982596
To De Croize, as this is Lydia's life work.

>>5982796
To House Heinrich, giving us a better power base so we can push policies past the nobles.

It seems like giving it to House Soluton is the winning option, with the general condition that this be used as a springboard to begin merging with them. Also some support to reward De Croize with something for developing it.
In the camp of giving it to the Empire as a whole there's some support to do it after our Corp reforms so we can have some control over where this goes. There are also some ideas to have the anyone using the elevators pay an annual tax on their total commerce to both the Solutons and De Croizes, if we decide to publicize the designs.

>>5985256
Soluton voter here, I am very against the idea of merging.

>>5985256
Another Soluton voter here, I don't oppose the idea of a merge but I believe anons are being far, far too hasty if they want to attach a condition like this right now

>>5985261
>>5985262
I myself don't really care much about it either way, but the general plurality with Soluton voters seems to be entertaining the idea of using this to attach them more to us (and eventually merge).
I imagine this will come to another vote sometime if we want to actively pursue merging and to what degree/speed we'd do it if so.

>>5985256
Soluton voter here
I don’t really care if this is used to help the possible merger I just think they would be the right choice for this decision.
>>5985262
Support
I think anons are in general agreement however that if a merger is going to happen it should be after the Vrak or Kingdom conquest.

>>5985272
Only one or two anons attached the idea of using this to help springboard the merger, most seem to just want to bump up the relations again and as other anon said, merger anons are a bit too hasty

QM

I'll be updating soon tonight, as about half an hour from now I'm going to be headed out to help my cousin haul a new four-wheeler with my trailer. Before that, I was busy proofreading a pile of high-school essays. It's been a busy week, hahaha, but the charger for my PC has come back in and I'm very glad to be back off of mobile.

Regarding a merger with House Soluton, it is possible but there are a number of potential pitfalls. I'm going to lock the vote in to give the rights to the space elevator to House Soluton. The next update will be determining how exactly that happens, as there's several possible routes here. Thank you for your patience anons

>>5985256
Thank you again, I have a separate doc that I fill with the vote tallies, but this is always a lot of help.

Anonymous

>>5985285
Giving a quick glance to the votes at least three anons are openly supporting the idea of merging with House Soluton (in different degrees of speed) and most of the rest (except for one or two anons) seem to be alright with or at least tolerate the idea of merging in itself but have different views on the execution.

>>5985287
No problem QM, happy to help.
Good to hear your computer troubles aren't so bad anymore.

>>5985287
Good to hear you don’t have to phone post anymore
>>5985294
I meant in this decision specifically being used to justify that

QM

>>5982026
>>5982033
>>5982045
>>5982047
>>5982078
>>5982085
>>5982198
>>5982213
>>5982437
>>5982456
>>5982502
>>5982596
>>5982796
>>5983112
>>5983232
>>5983259
>>5983276
>>5983336
>>5983681
>>5984135
>>5984259
>>5984422
This is not a question you consider lightly. The design for this space elevator is, in the long-run, almost twofold as profitable as the traditional schematic. Of course, reconfiguring machinery to accommodate new specifications will have an immense upfront cost, the short-term benefits are relatively slim, and it’s not practical to halt traffic to tear down old space elevators in some of the denser atmospheric-entry zones, but even so… This represents a massive leap forward for Mankind. It also represents an enormous profit for whichever faction receives the rights to act on the schematic.

Your choice is firm. House Soluton. Their proud lineage has held close ties to House Heinrich since your grandfather Emperor Alphonse rose to power. Across the Empire, the artisanship of their voidships and architecture is famed. In that respect, they are unmatched, and that extends likewise to the Orbitalworks in which they’ve seized a fierce monopoly.

The scholars of House Soluton would doubtless view this as theirs by right, and you will not begrudge them, for several reasons. First, Crown Corp is in close association with their Orbitalworks division. Second, House Soluton is the best positioned of any one lineage to best leverage the technology. Third, it would greatly please House Soluton and they are, barring House Heinrich and arguably House Arthen, the premier noble power in the Eternal Empire. This is an obvious choice.

You make it with a clear conscience. It is not only what’s best for the Empire, it’s what's best for House Heinrich. While you’re tempted to simply release the schematic so that all of Humanity can benefit, you recognize that this is a dangerous choice. It would be trivial for the Chavenac Kingdom or possibly others to seize the design for themselves. They would then become that much more of a threat, and render your successor’s job that much more difficult.

>>5985717
No, you’ll keep this technology a secret, and leave its spread to the capable hands of House Soluton. The only question is how to go about this. The design is Lydia’s, and by extension, House De Croize’s. They will be displeased at best, but if you’re cautious, the impact may be lessened. It likely doesn’t matter. They are a former Tripartite House after all, but your wife Jeanne hails from their ranks. A more difficult decision, then.

How should this be arranged?

>Grant House Soluton exclusive rights, with no strings attached. This will greatly please House Soluton and quickly get construction underway, although House De Croize will be enraged.
>Grant House Soluton exclusive rights, and reward House De Croize. While House Soluton shall construct the space elevators, House De Croize will receive a substantial payment from the imperial treasury, and a full one percent of their profits in perpetuity. The loss in the long-run is negligible, yet House De Croize may be mollified by such a measure.
>Grant both House Soluton and House De Croize exclusive rights. They will be forced into competition, breaking House Soluton’s monopoly and giving House De Croize the chance to exploit their design. Both would be frustrated, but some might argue this is fair.
>Force House Soluton to undergo a merger with House Heinrich if they want exclusive rights. The odds are high that House Soluton would reject this out of pride and House De Croize would be disgusted at best. If this succeeded, however, the ruling dynasty’s strength would become unassailable.

Anonymous

>>5985719
>Grant House Soluton exclusive rights, and reward House De Croize. While House Soluton shall construct the space elevators, House De Croize will receive a substantial payment from the imperial treasury, and a full one percent of their profits in perpetuity. The loss in the long-run is negligible, yet House De Croize may be mollified by such a measure.
I’m honestly not that worried about angering De Croize because they are one of the weakest players in the Empire now and only have a single fleet. Still we have to try since Jeanne is Otto’s wife

>>5985719

>Grant House Soluton exclusive rights, and reward House De Croize. While House Soluton shall construct the space elevators, House De Croize will receive a substantial payment from the imperial treasury, and a full one percent of their profits in perpetuity. The loss in the long-run is negligible, yet House De Croize may be mollified by such a measure.

The perpetual 1% cut seems like a good deal to me

>>5985719
>Grant House Soluton exclusive rights, and reward House De Croize. While House Soluton shall construct the space elevators, House De Croize will receive a substantial payment from the imperial treasury, and a full one percent of their profits in perpetuity. The loss in the long-run is negligible, yet House De Croize may be mollified by such a measure.

Qm how do we start the slow merger? You said we just had to be allies yeah? Anyway we can start that with house solution? I assume it will take 20-40 years.

>>5985719
>Grant House Soluton exclusive rights, and reward House De Croize. While House Soluton shall construct the space elevators, House De Croize will receive a substantial payment from the imperial treasury, and a full one percent of their profits in perpetuity. The loss in the long-run is negligible, yet House De Croize may be mollified by such a measure.

>>5985719
>Grant both House Soluton and House De Croize exclusive rights.

>>5985719
>>Grant House Soluton exclusive rights, and reward House De Croize. While House Soluton shall construct the space elevators, House De Croize will receive a substantial payment from the imperial treasury, and a full one percent of their profits in perpetuity. The loss in the long-run is negligible, yet House De Croize may be mollified by such a measure.

>>5985719
>Grant House Soluton exclusive rights, and reward House De Croize. While House Soluton shall construct the space elevators, House De Croize will receive a substantial payment from the imperial treasury, and a full one percent of their profits in perpetuity. The loss in the long-run is negligible, yet House De Croize may be mollified by such a measure.
Most reasonable choice. The only string I want attached to this gift is that Soluton ends their feud with De Croize (And maybe we can reward De Croize further, if they're not satisfied. We can afford it.)

QM

>>5985729
>>5985759
>>5985777
>>5985819
>>5985833
>>5985834
>>5985895
You deem that House De Croize is deserving of recognition for their efforts. Though the design is not theirs to construct, it was their contribution to the Empire, and House Heinrich is not blind to excellence among its subordinates, nor is it miserly in recompense. A suitable reward is swiftly determined- an immediate sizeable payment from the imperial treasury and a full one percent of all profits by the new space elevators going forward.

Your verdict reaches the Major Houses...

>Roll 1d12+3 to mollify House De Croize. +2 [Vast Reward], +1 [Empress (De Croize)], +1 [Imperial Authority], +1 [Heinrich Reputation (Merciful)], -2 [Rivalry (Soluton)]

Anonymous

Rolled 2 + 3 (1d12 + 3)

>>5985917
Time for all our plans to go up into smoke.

>>5985921
Well on the bright side it's not a nat 1

>>5985921
>>5985923
It is still a resultant 5, which isn't too bad.

>>5985924
So they take it ok enough. We can work with that

>>5985924
Two points less than good, but it's alright, I expect they'll probably want 5% or something, no way Soluton is pissed off at the recognition

QM

>>5985921
When House De Croize receives word of your decision, publicly, they are incredibly grateful and hope that House Soluton will make better use of it than they ever could. Privately, they are much less so. Your informants in House De Croize tell you the prevailing sentiment is that one of their greatest achievements as a lineage has been brazenly stolen and handed over to those who hold them in contempt for shallow political aims. House De Croize's relations with House Soluton have plummeted as a result of this, and their hatred is now mutual.

House De Croize is less than pleased with the throne, and their faith in House Heinrich's leadership has been dealt a heavy blow. Behind closed doors, many whisper that House Heinrich hasn't forgiven them at all and is unjustly punishing them for the sins of the Tripartite. The sitting Empress prevents things from reaching a boiling point, but it will likely be generations before they feel they can trust the ruling dynasty again.

>Relations with House De Croize have fallen, and they are now cautious toward the throne!

Aside from the House De Croize, your sister Lydia is disgusted with you, and quietly feels you've put warlike ambitions over your own blood. She refused to even send a written acknowledgment of the reward. In every way that matters, you are dead to her. For her own part, your wife Jeanne has begun speaking to you less, and you fear your marriage has gone cold. So be it. The die has been cast.

Once House Soluton receives word of your decision, they are ecstatic and fall over themselves to thank you. They are immeasurably pleased and the mistrust brought on by your marriage to Jeanne has all-but evaporated. Indeed, they cling closer to House Heinrich now than ever before, and you are certain your successors can rely on their support in the future.

In the years to come, as the profits from the space elevators come trickling in, their support is likely to be quite significant. You feel you've made a savvy political move in this, all things considered.

>Relations with House Soluton have skyrocketed, and they now have a deep bond to the throne!

>>5985949
You return to the normal administration of the Empire. It feels like it has been far longer than a mere five years, and the man staring back at you in the mirror is a stranger. You are eighty years old, getting older by the minute. Most noble patriarchs would have retired by now, but it is the burden of an Emperor to rule. You consider The Ledger.

>The Empire:
>Territory: 8
>Economy: 4
>Military: 4
>Happiness: 5
>Population: 7
>House Heinrich:
>3 jewel worlds, 12 core worlds, 14 frontier worlds
>2 Retinue Fleets
>Crown Corp
>Royal Guard:
>1 Imperial Fleet

The treasury has been partly depleted for the sake of House De Croize, but the profits from the new space elevator, popularly dubbed 'Croize chutes,' ought to amend that shortly, as should greater economic integration with the Osgus State. You note that Jeanne's civic aid efforts have done well to please the masses, but the former territories of the Reaver Clans require more work to be done before they can contribute in full. Your current focus, however, is on the Corps and curtailing their excesses.

Your head advisor Igor is as eager as ever.

"My liege, these vendors are a risk to the Empire, but they are also profitable. I advise your majesty to consider these next moves carefully."

>>5985950
You resolve to take his advice for what it's worth.

How should the Corps be reformed?

>Expand the Imperial Bureaucracy to monitor the Corps. The Corps answer to none but themselves and regularly flout the interest of the noble houses. This must come to an end, and officials both overt and covert will be positioned to keep the Corps's direction on course for the Empire. Such expansions will, of course, be funded by the Corps themselves.
>Expand the taxation on the Corps. It's known that the fortunes of the Corps frequently surpass even noble lineages, and despite their lowly, mercantile stature, they are no more taxed than any aristocrat. This shall be corrected and the Corps will be forced to pay their dues, at gunpoint, if need be. The throne will put their funds to better use.
>Ban commoners from owning Corp stocks. For far too long, conniving merchants have exploited the Corp system to gather power outside of the noble hierarchy. Enough is enough. This practice shall be banned, and the Corp officials will get themselves a noble name by the end of the year or sell their stocks to those deserving, at-cost.
>Ban Corps from owning military-grade vessels. Now that the Reaver Clans have been dealt with, there is no legitimate cause for Corps to own forces capable of sparring with the Imperial Navy. None have so far, (with the admittedly large exception of Hookware Corp) but Corps regularly place orders for warships and there's some concern that these 'caravan guards' could eventually reach strategic relevance. This practice shall be banned, and fleets currently in use shall be surrendered to the throne or forcibly destroyed.
>Ban Corps from minting and distributing company scrip. The Corps, by and large, pay their workers in company scrip, undermining the Imperial Credit and rendering the masses even poorer than they otherwise would be. This practice shall be banned, and any Corps that fail to comply after a five-year grace period shall be fined accordingly.
>Do all of the above. As far as you are concerned, the Corps are a hostile force within the Empire and must be crippled by any and all means available. Striking the Corps like this will damage the economy, but the noble houses will be able to fill the gap as they recede. For good or ill, future historians will remember you for far more than the conquest of Uvarth!

Anonymous

>>5985951
Damn, I actually like having Corps as a counterbalance to the noble houses
We could expand Imperial Bureaucracy to ensure they stay in line I suppose, I don't want to cripple them too much
>Expand the Imperial Bureaucracy to monitor the Corps. The Corps answer to none but themselves and regularly flout the interest of the noble houses. This must come to an end, and officials both overt and covert will be positioned to keep the Corps's direction on course for the Empire. Such expansions will, of course, be funded by the Corps themselves.

>>5985951

>Expand the Imperial Bureaucracy to monitor the Corps. The Corps answer to none but themselves and regularly flout the interest of the noble houses. This must come to an end, and officials both overt and covert will be positioned to keep the Corps's direction on course for the Empire. Such expansions will, of course, be funded by the Corps themselves.

Setting up a competing power structure is wise. Also, this might be overly cautious, but it would be important for this IB investigative authority to broken up into several divisions, and these internal IB departments are also policing each other. Basically, we want to make sure that no single department could be easily corrupted without notice.

>>5985949
>their hatred is now mutual
>generations before they feel they can trust the ruling dynasty again
>you are dead to her
>marriage has gone cold
Welp, did Otto just shoot himself in the foot?
>>5985951
>Expand the Imperial Bureaucracy to monitor the Corps. The Corps answer to none but themselves and regularly flout the interest of the noble houses. This must come to an end, and officials both overt and covert will be positioned to keep the Corps's direction on course for the Empire. Such expansions will, of course, be funded by the Corps themselves.

>>5985951
>Expand the Imperial Bureaucracy to monitor the Corps. The Corps answer to none but themselves and regularly flout the interest of the noble houses. This must come to an end, and officials both overt and covert will be positioned to keep the Corps's direction on course for the Empire. Such expansions will, of course, be funded by the Corps themselves.
>Ban Corps from minting and distributing company scrip. The Corps, by and large, pay their workers in company scrip, undermining the Imperial Credit and rendering the masses even poorer than they otherwise would be. This practice shall be banned, and any Corps that fail to comply after a five-year grace period shall be fined accordingly.
We should also start standardizing coinage, it'll be a net benefit.

>>5985956
>Welp, did Otto just shoot himself in the foot?
Damn, yeah. They took it much worse than I thought they would.

>>5985949
This feels like a crit fail anyway... we gotta do something about this feud anons.

>>5985951
I don't really like any of these. My hope was to tale their planets under the justification that no Corp should rule. Taking their planets plus keeping tabs on high up individuals through intel monitoring and gathering is enough in my opinion. Oh and permit collective bargaining in Heinrich planets.

>>5985949
>and their hatred is now mutual.
I am sure we can leverage that to our advantage
>generations before they feel they can trust the ruling dynasty again.
at least we still have room to repair our relations in time so not the worst but still a significant blow.
>you are dead to her.
Lets hope that time will heal this wound
>your wife Jeanne has begun speaking to you less
This is probably the biggest issue and I suggest Otto get on that right away
>Relations with House Soluton have skyrocketed, and they now have a deep bond to the throne!
It was worth it in the end though

>>5985950
>Expand the Imperial Bureaucracy to monitor the Corps. The Corps answer to none but themselves and regularly flout the interest of the noble houses. This must come to an end, and officials both overt and covert will be positioned to keep the Corps's direction on course for the Empire. Such expansions will, of course, be funded by the Corps themselves.
Seems like the best choice

>>5985961
Who cares about the feud, Ottos marriage is at stake!

>>5985965
>Who cares about the feud, Ottos marriage is at stake!
I know, that's the first thing to fix.

Why are y'all expanding bureaucracy monitoring though? This was exactly what I argued was the worst solution to the Corp question.

>>5985951
>Expand the Imperial Bureaucracy to monitor the Corps. The Corps answer to none but themselves and regularly flout the interest of the noble houses. This must come to an end, and officials both overt and covert will be positioned to keep the Corps's direction on course for the Empire. Such expansions will, of course, be funded by the Corps themselves.
>Ban Corps from minting and distributing company scrip. The Corps, by and large, pay their workers in company scrip, undermining the Imperial Credit and rendering the masses even poorer than they otherwise would be. This practice shall be banned, and any Corps that fail to comply after a five-year grace period shall be fined accordingly.
This scrip nonsense is plainly bad for both the masses and the Empire, and there's no reason to keep it around. There are at least arguments against the others, like the vessels (though I think it's nice they can protect themselves from raiders to some degree).

>>5985961
Yeah that definitely felt more like a 2 result than the 5 it was. What the heck would an actual 2 look like?

>>5985951
>>5985965
Also add:
>Ban Corps from minting and distributing company scrip. The Corps, by and large, pay their workers in company scrip, undermining the Imperial Credit and rendering the masses even poorer than they otherwise would be. This practice shall be banned, and any Corps that fail to comply after a five-year grace period shall be fined accordingly.

>>5985967
I think its a pretty good option since we are basically reducing their political power which is the important part which can lead to other options such as additional taxation. I think using this reform to seize planets is going to alarm everyone and no corps owns any actual planets except Hookware if I remember correctly.

More importantly anons, any ideas on how to get Jeanne to speak with Otto regularly again?

>>5985968
>What the heck would an actual 2 look like?
Blood feud maybe. Bunch of knives.

>>5985970
Do they not already have a blood feud? Soluton and De Croiz hate each other now, and our relation with them has just soured for generations.

>>5985969
>no corps owns any actual planets except Hookware if I remember correctly.
Multiple Corps own planets iirc, Hookware is just the one that has the most.

>More importantly anons, any ideas on how to get Jeanne to speak with Otto regularly again?
Argue our case? Ask her about her thoughts? I want to see her argue against the realist position of Heinrich unfortunately requiring Soluton support while Otto concedes that he doesn't like it either. Try to come together in fixing this problem

>>5985971
To me it seemed more one sided with the Soluton's hating the De Croiz for their rebelling. We made it mutual now though
>Do they not already have a blood feud?
I don't think they're stabbing each other right now which is very good. But it definitely seems like it could escalate and these types of things can get very bloody and costly for everyone/

>>5985972
I don't think repeatedly bringing this subject up to her will help the relationship. It may just need time and regular exposure to each other to heal.

>>5985975
Rug sweeping won't help either anon. I agree that maybe some time and distance could help but ignoring the issue will not.

>>5985972
>Multiple Corps own planets iirc, Hookware is just the one that has the most.
Nope, the only ones that did were Armasoft and Hookware and since Armasoft got obliterated only Hookware does which is 1 planet: Tennesey
As for arguing our case, I don't think that will work since this is more of an emotional issue than a practical one concerning her. Maybe she thinks that we haven't entirely forgiven the De Croizes and by extension her for being of their blood?

>>5985974
It was originally the Solutons pissed at the bombing of their planets with the De Croizes attempting to earn their forgiveness. Now its mutual hatred though.
>I don't think they're stabbing each other right now which is very good.
If that happens then we will intervene, otherwise let them throw insults in the Landsraad

>>5985975
>>5985977
Well first we gotta find out what the issue is specifically with her. Is it out of loyalty to her old house or is it more personal as I suggested above

QM

>>5985961
There would've been an option for planet seizure but at the moment, there are only two Corp-owned planets in the Empire. One is held by Cherry Corp and was given to them as a reward for their services to the Imperial Navy, and the other is held by Hookware Corp, and has been under them for several dynasties. Generally, non-noble tradition isn't any obstruction to the throne but they have a considerable armada and deep pockets. If any one Major House were made to confront Hookware Corp alone, none could be fully certain of victory.

>>5985959
>>5985961
>>5985968
House De Croize was enraged as a large majority of their invention's profits are going to House Soluton, who've openly condemned them as traitors since the end of the 2nd Civil War. The chutes were the result of many years of study and investment on House De Croize's part, none of which received any assistance from House Soluton. Justified or not, many feel the life's work of some of their greatest minds has handed to their rivals solely because they're more influential.

If not for the payment and Jeanne, they would almost certainly be belligerent toward the throne. The same would be likely if House De Croize were allowed to keep their design, as House Soluton would've felt the traitors were allowed to make reckless innovations after Matthieu's example, and shatter their ancient monopoly due to their familial ties to House Heinrich. Most of the noble houses are petty and fickle, and wrangling them together is one of the most difficult tasks of any ruling dynasty.

Anonymous

Yeah it does kind of fucking suck to spend decades of research and tons of resources into a revolutionary project only for it to be handed off to a noble house that has hated your guts for 50 years, even despite all your efforts to mend relations, as a "peace offering", and for it to be done by your own brother as well. At the very least the chutes are still known as Croize chutes, they truly did earn this achievement, but it is what it is

>>5986007
Not to mention the pitiful 1%, in retrospect it's almost insulting

>>5986007
Yeah from a personal perspective what we did was beyond a dick move and it isn't that surprising our sister despises us for it. Probably the best move from a dynasty perspective just again as long as we get the merger off at some point just still extremely callous.

>>5986000
I can somewhat understand De Croize's reaction, but this was still not enough for the Solutons to stop hating them? Goddamn

>>5985951
>Expand the Imperial Bureaucracy to monitor the Corps. The Corps answer to none but themselves and regularly flout the interest of the noble houses. This must come to an end, and officials both overt and covert will be positioned to keep the Corps's direction on course for the Empire. Such expansions will, of course, be funded by the Corps themselves.
>Ban Corps from minting and distributing company scrip. The Corps, by and large, pay their workers in company scrip, undermining the Imperial Credit and rendering the masses even poorer than they otherwise would be. This practice shall be banned, and any Corps that fail to comply after a five-year grace period shall be fined accordingly.
Congratulations, chaps. You've utterly betrayed our sister and destroyed her life's work, put our marriage on the rocks, annihilated all the fence-mending we did with DC and further entrenched a monopoly so we could get a boost with Soluton. Who could have possible seen a result like this coming? How many more times will we need to do something like this in the name of chasing this stupid fucking white whale?

QM

>>5986019
House Soluton has calmed somewhat, and views this as an adequate payment for the damages De Croize did during their bombing campaigns in the 2nd Civil War. They're still bitter and will be until the Tripartite Entente has passed from living memory, and likely a generation beyond that.

Anonymous

>>5986020
I still have no clue why we want to merge with Soluton or what benefits we would even receive, it's probably the second toughest merger imaginable too and requires tons of effort, just behind trying to merge with Arthen

>>5986020
>>5986026
I was neutral towards the merger before but I'm now fully against it. If we must merge with someone, let it be Nightshayd.

>>5986020
It is my hope that this is the last concession we will make to Soluton.

>>5986026
What benefits? How about getting all their planets fleets and assets for one?

>>5986032
They're already going to answer any calls to arm so we effectively can already command their assets for any conceivable use (war), and as close allies we can already request stuff at near-cost, even if we merged with them we'd have to pay for the cost of the materials

>>5986027
>Nightshayd
Whenever I see the name my brain just reads it as nightshade, like with Soluton as solution. But a merger with nightshade seems interesting

>>5986032
They are a family that specializes in engineering and craftsmanship. If we were to fully merge with them it would either dilute that or our own family's traits, which would be a terrible shame. I also just want to keep them around for the flavor they provide as a powerful noble family.

>>5986037
>They're already going to answer any calls to arm so we effectively can already command their assets for any conceivable use (war), and as close allies we can already request stuff at near-cost, even if we merged with them we'd have to pay for the cost of the materials
Except that service is conditional on further concessions, unlike our own navy and retinues. The cost is irrelevant, the point is control and power.

>>5986027
That's an even worse idea. Giving up right at the end of the race? We should either finish it or not run at all and it's too late for the latter option.

>>5986042
What concessions, the fact that they'll get some handful planets at the end anyway, much like every other noble house in the Empire? We already take every jewel and are the ones who delegate it out

>>5986042
What race? We haven't "started running" anything. We improved relations with Soluton yes, but that is hardly something that "is too late to back down from", whatever that would mean in this context. It's not like we put a big down payment on starting a merger process.

>>5986046
I mean im pretty sure half the anons saw giving Solution the elevator as a down payment for a merger.

>>5986027
Yeah, I already explained my reasons for why a merger with Nightshayd would both be feasible and very helpful, but would just like to reiterate the point that the Nightshayd are fucking everywhere and if they wanted to, could cripple the entire Heinrich line at a moment's notice since we've encouraged them to be everywhere, it's only with the fledgling House Uvar that we even started trying to not let Nightshayd have control over everything
Thank fuck we didn't merge them with Skullstacker's seedy network, couldn't imagine how the fuck we'd deal with that monstrosity of webs, not to mention the fact that Nightshayd is basically our only source of intel for most of this so if they were compromised we wouldn't even see the assassins coming

>>5986049
But we don't actually lose anything by not going through with a merger. Soluton still loves us, and the elevators are still securely in the hands of those who can most capably create them.

>>5986054
Depends on your perspective anon.

>>5986050
That said, while from an optimization perspective Nightshayd is by far my pick for a merger, I'm not sure if I actually would want to do it, I like the literary and gameplay challenge of potentially setting up a megathreat within the very capital if we continue getting Nightshayd into every conceivable space
Nightshayd has been close allies with us for 3 generations though, so nothing to worry about, yes :) <s>Ignoring the fact that our intel of them comes directly from them, of course</s>

>>5986045
>What concessions, the fact that they'll get some handful planets at the end anyway, much like every other noble house in the Empire?
Yes? Plus things like this space elevator. We remove the Solutons as a seperate entity and we improve our position against every other entity within the Empire as well.

>We already take every jewel and are the ones who delegate it out
Yes but we're not allowed to take everything are we?

>>5986046
>It's not like we put a big down payment on starting a merger process.
Actually that was the entire point of this venture. We're taking over House Soluton and this helps us get more Solutons on our side.

>>5986050
I like Nightshayd since they are content on being the greatest duke in the king's court instead of constantly asking to keep up with the Imperial goverment like the other major Houses.

>>5986059
We're not allowed to take everything nor do I very much want to, the more planets we own, the bigger of a dog we seem, but it also means eventually we'll have to spend more time on actually running our own planets, there's no conceivable reason or benefit to having every planet in the Empire under the Heinrich name
It also means that if some of our planets are attacked, we actually have to defend them ourselves, as opposed to if some random Arthen planet being raided, they can deal with the problem themselves

>>5986059
>Actually that was the entire point of this venture.
As well as the small part where it just made the most sense as an option. But sure definitely the entire point of why that option was chosen was for the merger.

Ironically enough, merging houses is short-sighted and will likely weaken the Empire if anything by likely causing another civil war and diluting their craftsmanship.

>>5986039
Honestly, that right there is why I'm not really for too extensive political centralisation in general - space feudal politics just provides more colour to the gameplay than unitary despotism as well as cutting out micromanagement.

>>5986042
What end? This is just the starting blocks - we've only just repaired our relations and we would need to keep this up consistently for centuries to even just make it possible. We shouldn't be falling into sunk cost fallacy this early considering this was just the down payment and much of the cost is still to come - the best time to stop was last turn, the next best time is now. Take the win with bringing Soluton out of their sulk and leave it at that - if we can keep them onside then great and we should seek to do so, but we should never do something like this for them again.

>>5986060
>there's no conceivable reason or benefit to having every planet in the Empire under the Heinrich name
How about not having to tard wrangle houses as much to not risk being overthrown.

>It also means that if some of our planets are attacked, we actually have to defend them ourselves, as opposed to if some random Arthen planet being raided, they can deal with the problem themselves
Like this can't be done by us? Nothing you have said is actually a negative.

>>5986066
>Ironically enough, merging houses is short-sighted and will likely weaken the Empire if anything by likely causing another civil war and diluting their craftsmanship.
Actually not merging them is what is shortsighted. Sure you have some more stability but no Empire benefitted in the long run from having a powerful aristocracy.

>>5985959
>support

We want a centralized currency that we control.
>>5985951

>>5986072
You do realize that the only reason the Eternal Empire has remained so eternal is because the ruling house wasn't the only noble house around, right
Imagine if fucking Geddo merged every other house into some genetic fuck-up mess, the whole empire would collapse apart into individually run sectors/planets or be like the Kingdom of Chavenac
We also do shockingly little tard-wrangling of houses, considering the fact that we wiped out every single house that was even ambivalent toward us during the second civil war (Rothsford and Ustong)
It's better to have some specialists around than dilute everything down into an above average on every front

>>5986071
>Honestly, that right there is why I'm not really for too extensive political centralisation in general - space feudal politics just provides more colour to the gameplay than unitary despotism as well as cutting out micromanagement.
None of these features are absent in unitary despotism. There will still be family politics and absence of micromanagement.

>What end? This is just the starting blocks - we've only just repaired our relations and we would need to keep this up consistently for centuries to even just make it possible.
No? Not like Im asking to usurp completely peacefully.

>the best time to stop was last turn, the next best time is now. Take the win with bringing Soluton out of their sulk and leave it at that - if we can keep them onside then great and we should seek to do so, but we should never do something like this for them again.
Total half measure. We neither keep the peace nor take over Soluton, all that sacrifice just to not do the thing that will make it worth it.

>>5986077
>We also do shockingly little tard-wrangling of houses, considering the fact that we wiped out every single house that was even ambivalent toward us during the second civil war (Rothsford and Ustong)
Which is why we did that in the first place, to reduce the number of tards, and I want to keep doing that.

>It's better to have some specialists around than dilute everything down into an above average on every front
I don't know why you think a merger would involve diluting the character of the Houses. They would still be seperate families in character, only now one commands the other.

>>5986078

Merging with Soluton is a bad idea and we should stop this crusade now before we start another civil war in the process.

>>5986066
Flat out wrong. With solutions fleet and all their planets and assets. It would be nearly impossible for the rest of the empire to try to coup us.

That's the whole point. I don't get why you guys don't get that. The whole reason we have been boosting everyone's reputation was literally so we could absorb solutions, Nightshayd, and the martial houses. That's nearly 70% of the empire directly under our families control at that point.

Our fleet size would triple if not more.

I say we start the merger guys. Contingent on our heir marrying their heir. So then when we invade varaks we can mollify everyone that ends up butt hurt. To be honest I only care about arthen, the martials and Nightshayd. The martial and arthen will be ecstatic about the war against the space rats. Especially when we give them about 10-15 planets to them. Then I'd give the martials about 5-7 each. Give about 10 to minor houses. Give 5+ to house Uvar. And look and pissing off de croize super hard and then ganking them. I honestly don't know why we kept them and Ustong around. Time to prune the noble house numbers into some easier managed.

>>5986081
We only have to deal with two major "tards", Arthen and Soluton, both of which are very agreeable at this point
We gain zero benefit from owning planets- the empire's treasury doesn't boost up at all, our economy stat remains the same
Shipyards will still take 10 years to pump something out, we can already get the support of their retinues in war, we can already commission fleets at-cost
The literal only benefit from merging with Soluton is we theoretically don't have to tard-wrangle them, but by your own statement we'll have family politics anyway so we'll still have to tard-wrangle them so branches of the family don't get too upset??

>>5986082
Bro we doubled our power from the last civil war... why would we stop or care?

We just need Arthen and Nightshayd and martial houses to be happy. The rest can get fucked.

>>5985951
>Expand the Imperial Bureaucracy to monitor the Corps. The Corps answer to none but themselves and regularly flout the interest of the noble houses. This must come to an end, and officials both overt and covert will be positioned to keep the Corps's direction on course for the Empire. Such expansions will, of course, be funded by the Corps themselves.
>Ban Corps from minting and distributing company scrip. The Corps, by and large, pay their workers in company scrip, undermining the Imperial Credit and rendering the masses even poorer than they otherwise would be. This practice shall be banned, and any Corps that fail to comply after a five-year grace period shall be fined accordingly.

And I'll also tentatively support
>Expand the taxation on the Corps. It's known that the fortunes of the Corps frequently surpass even noble lineages, and despite their lowly, mercantile stature, they are no more taxed than any aristocrat. This shall be corrected and the Corps will be forced to pay their dues, at gunpoint, if need be. The throne will put their funds to better use.
Rather than having them treated in the same financial way as aristocrats, we can reform the Empire in a way that allows people to be taxed according to how much they gain.

>>5986078
Our positions are clearly completely irreconcilable - I still think it's a retarded idea from both a story and meta perspective, you still think it's a great idea for understandable reasons and further argument will just lead to a bad tempered and inconclusive back and forth so I'll leave doing more of that to other people. We definitely haven't seen the last of this topic either way.

Of all the things that might might cause a player civil war, this wasn't on my bingo card.

>>5986085
Soluton already supported us in the last civil war, our fleets included all of theirs, there's little need for an actual merger
Even if we merged everyone, at that point, any future coups would just come from within branches of our own house, so it's the exact same situation as before

>>5986086
We constantly get personal funds to do stuff... so you're flat out wrong. That's how we paid for Crown corp and how we paid for the initial Rangers.

We'd have more money and more control. We'd double our fleet size. And just cause solutions haven't said no to us yet doesn't mean they won't. Once they're a part of our house they are 110% behind us regardless of what we do. No having to juggle their loyalty. We just have to do stuff that is good for us.

 Like for example instead of giving the croize chutes to them we could of kept it our self or given it to de croize. Because of them being their own faction we had to give it to them or potentially lose one of our strongest backers.

We get to dictate family politics like how we did for our kids. The fact that our sister in de croize can't see the big picture is hilarious to be honest. Nobody in the main family branch feels like that. We gave our brother money to gamble for fucks sake. Kek

We gain a larger share of the ship building stuff. With all their money we could buy out cherry Corp or even hookware. And literally corner the market.

>>5986085
>The whole reason we have been boosting everyone's reputation was literally so we could absorb
Funny that all this talk about merging is recent then and hasn't been present for the majority of the quest when we were managing reputation previously. It's really silly to claim that the only reason we improved relations was to merge with them when the merge plan was recent in the scale of the overall quest and as can be seen from the discussion, it's clearly a controversial point, even among people who voted for the improved relations.

>>5986086
>We only have to deal with two major "tards", Arthen and Soluton, both of which are very agreeable at this point
Again, conditional.

>We gain zero benefit from owning planets- the empire's treasury doesn't boost up at all, our economy stat remains the same
No it would boost the economy. Instead of having two split tax collections we have one which is smaller in total and we could correct any retarded economic policy.

>Shipyards will still take 10 years to pump something out, we can already get the support of their retinues in war, we can already commission fleets at-cost
Yet now we won't have arms races between vassal houses and the central government meaning more appropriate fleet counts for the tax revenue collected and therefore better scaling in the long term.

>The literal only benefit from merging with Soluton is we theoretically don't have to tard-wrangle them, but by your own statement we'll have family politics anyway so we'll still have to tard-wrangle them so branches of the family don't get too upset??
I said in the sense of literary appeal, we will still have interpersonal drama, but in machiavellian terms we will have much less opposition.

>>5986093
>Soluton already supported us in the last civil war, our fleets included all of theirs, there's little need for an actual merger
Even if we merged everyone, at that point, any future coups would just come from within branches of our own house, so it's the exact same situation as before
Not really, it'll become a much less risky game when the status quo is so safe.

>>5986094
We didn't "pay" for Crown Corp, we forcibly inducted the company into our ranks, no questions asked
Last I remember, the initial rangers came directly from the treasury, which isn't boosted by owning planets, but by boosting the economy overall
Dictating family politics means a whole lot of nothing if our wife gets mad at us for giving away her family's biggest invention for practically free (a valid reason in my eyes, but clearly not in yours), people clearly still have their own thoughts and aren't all mindcontrolled by us the second they have a drop of Heinrich blood in them

>>5986093
Not if we keep being ballers and don't let strife pop up...

We literally haven't had a single upset person with in the family. Only people that have ever gotten upset is literally people who married into another house and forgot their true loyalty is to the Heinrichs.

Bro you realize there's many more aliens ect. Out there... you'll wish we had more power after we been fighting orks for 150+ years and all the nobles want to throw in the towel. Or the corporations not underneath us want to start over charging for their products...

Just cause our current borders are some what peaceful because there isn't a empire bigger than us doesn't mean that will always be the case. There could easily be Orks or Tyranids on the other side of the varaks or further out from reaver space... or you know the whole thing about the kingdom knowing of something that could fuck us up. They implied it was another empire of some sort.

>>5986095
Bro it's been spoken of for the last 3+ threads. Ever since after the Civil war. So you're flat out wrong.

>>5986096
The status quo would be no safer with everyone under the nominal title of Heinrich, I think that's our main point of contention here
You guys believe doing mergers will reduce the chance of a coup. I disagree, and believe we'll then just have infighting come from within the Heinrich branches themselves

>>5986097
No we paid out of personal funds for several things. We gave money to zephyr Corp. I really don't want to have to search for all of them. So I highly suggest you do.

>>5986098
Why not just continue being ballers as is, then, and don't let strife pop up in the empire? People within our family can clearly become upset if their wishes are ignored, just like how noble houses become upset if their wishes are ignored. Mergers change nothing of the fact that we still have to provide concessions and think about balancing the needs of multiple groups

>>5986100
>The status quo would be no safer with everyone under the nominal title of Heinrich, I think that's our main point of contention here
You guys believe doing mergers will reduce the chance of a coup. I disagree, and believe we'll then just have infighting come from within the Heinrich branches themselves
That would require us to let those who don't agree or believe in the new status quo into power. We will have disagreements and struggles but ultimately, all Heinrich will have the same faith or they would not be Heinrichs.

>>5986102
Except the expectations and obligations would be very different

>>5986100
Why would their be fighting? Other than saying their will be "conflict".

We've managed conflict without infighting at all. Our biggest contention has been keeping noble houses that hate each other from fighting by making lots of suboptimal choices solely to keep x or y happy. This would reduce one of those variables.

Seriously go play CK2 and realize having a fuckload of vassals is shit tier. When shit hits the fan you'll suddenly see they aren't supporting you. Which is literally the worst possible outcome.

>>5986099
"""Spoken of""". The idea first came up in the middle of thread 2 by one guy, was then part of a giant list of reforms by the QM, failed to receive sufficient votes to go through, and then barely received any mention in thread 3. I guess it was technically "spoken of" but it hardly has this "entire purpose of all the relation gain we ever did" you claim.

>>5986101
You determine that for all of its newly conquered territory and imperial grace, House Heinrich has an unacceptable lack of assets. To that end, you take direct control of the Floreds Corp remains. In effect, this has resulted in the advent of a new Corp, owned by and beholden to House Heinrich. Given the Corp's previous scope, the only question is rebranding and specialty. For now, you'll only concern yourself with the former.

What should the new Corp be called?
Paid nothing for making Crown Corp

While you are fond of alien species, your heart drifts toward the ERC. The Empire's Resources Committee. Really, it is the Emperor's Resources Committee. These people, commoners nigh to the last, served you and spent their lives for the throne's sake without heed for the dangers. For years now, they have kept their heads to the ground and have continued their duties to the best of their ability without complaint. Under House Heinrich, loyalty is to be rewarded, unlike House Vonduul, which saw loyalty as its own reward.

They are among the very few commoners you respect, and the feeling is mutual. Your zeal to protect the wild places and appoint likeminded men has shaped the organization into what they are today. Now, to ensure their future in the Empire, you must reshape them with a mind toward the future. The tattered remains of the ERC stand in lockstep with imperial will. To them, you are not a step short of infallible.
Paid nothing to restructure the ERC into our beloved rangers

While Zephyr Corp's funds are slim compared to their preexisting rival Corps, the near-exclusive backing of House Soluton and Hookware Corp goes a long way. Combined with the financial genius of Theo and Freyja working in concert, it proves to be enough to push it over the edge! Zephyr Corp has a breakthrough and becomes a major Corp in its own right!
Zephyr Corp took nothing from our own pocket, we maneuvered Hookware into supporting them

>>5986102
Because juggling 15 noble houses is absolutely shit tier. It would be much easier with 5-8. And we could organize the empire better. Rather than have everyone fighting for scraps. Or pissed x got something. Like for example de croize right fucking now. We wouldn't have to deal with that shit.

Have Arthen around have a unified Martials, have a science nobility, have our BFFs Nightshayd, then "minor houses". Easy now we just need to give people planets and keep tech and industrialization booming. Everyone's happy and we can stop looking at the eternal as much and focus on things outside the empire.

I'd rather hand look out to 5 groups than 15 any day. Our voting would go quicker and everything would be more streamlined.

>>5986108
>our beloved rangers
A bit of a tangent but I really am not a fan of them. Way overblown EPA. We never should've even given them fleets, and now look at them, a glorified extension of the Imperial Navy which is probably worse in combat anyways. A gigantic waste of resources that is just lame imo. They should be dissolved.

>>5986109
If we took away all the Noble Houses, nothing would change, it'd all be the same except in name
For example, our fifth cousin Robert (former Soluton) is the expert at implementing orbitalworks, but is mildly annoyed at us since we sent his personal fleet to die against the Vrakaks
Our sixth cousin, Gerta, created a design for a revolutionary new elevator! She wants to construct them immediately, but isn't known for being able to do large-scale construction
We give the design to Robert to implement, in recognition of his faithful service during the last war, which makes him happy, but now Gerta is upset! Oh no!
Basically exact same situation

>>5986111
Wow we really don't agree on anything do we? Rangers are awesome.

>>5986115
More meant in reply to this post >>5986104

>Expand the Imperial Bureaucracy to monitor the Corps. The Corps answer to none but themselves and regularly flout the interest of the noble houses. This must come to an end, and officials both overt and covert will be positioned to keep the Corps's direction on course for the Empire. Such expansions will, of course, be funded by the Corps themselves.
>Ban Corps from minting and distributing company scrip. The Corps, by and large, pay their workers in company scrip, undermining the Imperial Credit and rendering the masses even poorer than they otherwise would be. This practice shall be banned, and any Corps that fail to comply after a five-year grace period shall be fined accordingly.

>>5986108
Sorry to be fair it was plunder that we used to buy stuff. Wasn't "personal funds". Though us buying stuff like lemon Corp if you look at the ledger increased our economy. So did us investing in crown corp. Similar to us investing money into zephyr.

I assure you QM is adding the stuff we do and have to the ledger. Or as in the last example with "crown corp" funds when we expanded our Corp more.

>>5986111
The Ranges have great potential and could be a good way to test out crazy experimental ships. They're practically an extension of the government (and thus the Heinrichs) and are a good way to gain planets/power/influence without making it seem like a naked power grab.

<s>Also having a Space Knightly Order just sounds badass.</s>

>>5986115
No we didn't.... he came back and we put him in house Uvar... and we gave him a fat recommendation in the Imperial Navy.... but we weren't beholden to do any of that. And why wouldn't we do that for a family member it makes us stronger...

Yay Greta did it now she GETS TO OVERSEE CROWN CORP aka the Heinrichs Corp. Build it. She'd be happy asf no giving it away to a random family.

They could easily work together. Cause guess what? THEY DONT HATE EACH OTHER.

If they did have a family problem we as the emperor could easily squash it. And you forget we have Nightshayd to cut any genetic dead ends out of the family for us...

Smh bunch of zoomers.

>>5986122
Look, I agree with you that the zoomer generation of Robert and Gerta are lame and dumb, but I think you're overly optimistic that everyone being under the Heinrich name will suddenly make problems easier to solve (or maybe I'm pessimistic from your perspective)
I appreciate the blocks being clearly delineated as is: we deal with the Soluton block, that's about a third of the Empire, we deal with the Arthen block, that's another third, then a bunch of minor houses plus Nightshayd. Once all those are just part of Heinrich, we'll have to deal with fucking uncle twice-removed George who outsmarted the Nightshayds (in part due to their training) who's now forming a close friendship with nephew Bill, but we don't know if they're planning a coup or just friendly

guys i just had the realisation that, if all our intel comes mainly from house Nightshayd, how do we know what they really think of house Heinrich? What if they are slowly losing loyalty, and begin to feed us false info to further their plans?

>>5986129
Just trust your Nightshayd companions :) They have zero ambition whatsoever and are happy servants to the throne and would never even think of betraying us, despite being the spymasters and experts in subterfuge :)

>>5986129
They are our greatest allies :)

QM

>>5985953
>>5985954
>>5985956
>>5985959
>>5985965
>>5985968
>>5985969
>>5986020
>>5986075
>>5986088
>>5986119
You reason that, as the Empire's economy is tied to the Corps, it is only reasonable that the direction the Corps are taking it should be monitored, and the Corps should be using the Empire's currency. This is a complex issue, so you'll focus on handling the former first.

Expanding the Imperial Bureaucracy is no small task and under normal circumstances, would require a decade of diligent labour, if not longer. Fortunately, Pete and his co-conspirators are fully behind the throne and, going out of their way to make things happen, can cut this down to a fraction of the time. There are several possible shapes this counter-mercantile enterprise could take.

Which is your preference?

>Directly integrate the Imperial Bureaucracy into the Corps. They'll monitor the Corps and audit them regularly, to ensure that unhealthy business practices and rebellious sentiments are nipped in the bud. Rather than an adversarial force, the bureaucrats will do their best to coordinate trade between Corp vendors and planetary markets.
>Create a new subfaction of the Imperial Bureaucracy entirely. It will have a clarity of focus that a larger organization could not, and take on part of the bygone Emperor's Resources Committee's mantle. Instead of the old environmentalist bent, they'll concern themselves solely with auditing the Corps and eradicating Corporatist thought before it can gather momentum.
>Trust in House Uvar and leverage them for the task. There's no need to make sweeping reforms when the men of Uvar are already prepared to work as subtle spies and open consultants, with the help of planetary governments, where sensible. This would be helped by their status as a vassal house, and their proximity to House Heinrich.
>A multi-faceted approach is best. The Imperial Bureaucracy will be expanded, a new offshoot of it will be founded, and House Uvar's responsibilities will be widened. Perhaps a tad excessive, but you want to ensure complete certainty of the Corps' standing and their actions.

Anonymous

>>5986147
>Directly integrate the Imperial Bureaucracy into the Corps. They'll monitor the Corps and audit them regularly, to ensure that unhealthy business practices and rebellious sentiments are nipped in the bud. Rather than an adversarial force, the bureaucrats will do their best to coordinate trade between Corp vendors and planetary markets.
>Trust in House Uvar and leverage them for the task. There's no need to make sweeping reforms when the men of Uvar are already prepared to work as subtle spies and open consultants, with the help of planetary governments, where sensible. This would be helped by their status as a vassal house, and their proximity to House Heinrich.
I'd rather have Corporatist/State Capitalist thought than Corporatocracy/Oligarchy, which is why I'm not voting for the middle option.

>>5986147
>Create a new subfaction of the Imperial Bureaucracy entirely. It will have a clarity of focus that a larger organization could not, and take on part of the bygone Emperor's Resources Committee's mantle. Instead of the old environmentalist bent, they'll concern themselves solely with auditing the Corps and eradicating Corporatist thought before it can gather momentum.
Integrating the bureaucracy directly into the corps is a little spooky for me, and the bureaucracy is already semi-set up for this task, so I'll go with this option. Don't really want Uvar to just be a new ERC, and having everything over the table makes it a fairer playing field for everyone.

>>5986147
>Create a new subfaction of the Imperial Bureaucracy entirely. It will have a clarity of focus that a larger organization could not, and take on part of the bygone Emperor's Resources Committee's mantle. Instead of the old environmentalist bent, they'll concern themselves solely with auditing the Corps and eradicating Corporatist thought before it can gather momentum.
A new department seems like the way to go

>>5986129
Don't worry about it anon the people trained to stab people in the back would never stab us in the back! Besides nothing can be done at this point :)

Anyway
>Directly integrate the Imperial Bureaucracy into the Corps. They'll monitor the Corps and audit them regularly, to ensure that unhealthy business practices and rebellious sentiments are nipped in the bud. Rather than an adversarial force, the bureaucrats will do their best to coordinate trade between Corp vendors and planetary markets.

>>5986147

>Create a new subfaction of the Imperial Bureaucracy entirely. It will have a clarity of focus that a larger organization could not, and take on part of the bygone Emperor's Resources Committee's mantle. Instead of the old environmentalist bent, they'll concern themselves solely with auditing the Corps and eradicating Corporatist thought before it can gather momentum.

Basically, Paramilitary Space IRS. If this concept does not fill you with terror, then count yourself lucky

>>5986147
>Create a new subfaction of the Imperial Bureaucracy entirely. It will have a clarity of focus that a larger organization could not, and take on part of the bygone Emperor's Resources Committee's mantle. Instead of the old environmentalist bent, they'll concern themselves solely with auditing the Corps and eradicating Corporatist thought before it can gather momentum.
Spooky space IRS

Establishing the IRS but with guns in space is by far the evilest decision we will have made in this quest so far.

>>5986147
>>Create a new subfaction of the Imperial Bureaucracy entirely. It will have a clarity of focus that a larger organization could not, and take on part of the bygone Emperor's Resources Committee's mantle. Instead of the old environmentalist bent, they'll concern themselves solely with auditing the Corps and eradicating Corporatist thought before it can gather momentum.
>>Trust in House Uvar and leverage them for the task. There's no need to make sweeping reforms when the men of Uvar are already prepared to work as subtle spies and open consultants, with the help of planetary governments, where sensible. This would be helped by their status as a vassal house, and their proximity to House Heinrich.
could be good
also QM what is house Nightshayd's opinion of us (as far as we know) and what does Otto think regarding them? What sort of wariness does he have about the professional back stabbers?

>>5986165
We haven't done it, yet. The multi-faceted option is pretty much that but stronger.

>>5986147
>Directly integrate the Imperial Bureaucracy into the Corps. They'll monitor the Corps and audit them regularly, to ensure that unhealthy business practices and rebellious sentiments are nipped in the bud. Rather than an adversarial force, the bureaucrats will do their best to coordinate trade between Corp vendors and planetary markets.
>Trust in House Uvar and leverage them for the task. There's no need to make sweeping reforms when the men of Uvar are already prepared to work as subtle spies and open consultants, with the help of planetary governments, where sensible. This would be helped by their status as a vassal house, and their proximity to House Heinrich.
Space IRS is spookier compared to this lol

>>5986173
>What sort of wariness does he have about the professional back stabbers?
Didn't the QM say that Otto wasn't one for trickery and had a more warrior way of doing things?

>Create a new subfaction of the Imperial Bureaucracy entirely. It will have a clarity of focus that a larger organization could not, and take on part of the bygone Emperor's Resources Committee's mantle. Instead of the old environmentalist bent, they'll concern themselves solely with auditing the Corps and eradicating Corporatist thought before it can gather momentum.

>>5986147
>Create a new subfaction of the Imperial Bureaucracy entirely. It will have a clarity of focus that a larger organization could not, and take on part of the bygone Emperor's Resources Committee's mantle. Instead of the old environmentalist bent, they'll concern themselves solely with auditing the Corps and eradicating Corporatist thought before it can gather momentum.
Having an arm of the government cosy up to the people it is meant to hold the leash of cannot be a good idea.

>>5986147
>Directly integrate the Imperial Bureaucracy into the Corps. They'll monitor the Corps and audit them regularly, to ensure that unhealthy business practices and rebellious sentiments are nipped in the bud. Rather than an adversarial force, the bureaucrats will do their best to coordinate trade between Corp vendors and planetary markets.
>Trust in House Uvar and leverage them for the task. There's no need to make sweeping reforms when the men of Uvar are already prepared to work as subtle spies and open consultants, with the help of planetary governments, where sensible. This would be helped by their status as a vassal house, and their proximity to House Heinrich.

>>5986147
>Directly integrate the Imperial Bureaucracy into the Corps. They'll monitor the Corps and audit them regularly, to ensure that unhealthy business practices and rebellious sentiments are nipped in the bud. Rather than an adversarial force, the bureaucrats will do their best to coordinate trade between Corp vendors and planetary markets.
>Trust in House Uvar and leverage them for the task. There's no need to make sweeping reforms when the men of Uvar are already prepared to work as subtle spies and open consultants, with the help of planetary governments, where sensible. This would be helped by their status as a vassal house, and their proximity to House Heinrich.

>>5986454
I don't think it's much of a concern, considering the nature and sentiment of the Bureaucracy after Pete.

>>5986147
>Directly integrate the Imperial Bureaucracy into the Corps. They'll monitor the Corps and audit them regularly, to ensure that unhealthy business practices and rebellious sentiments are nipped in the bud. Rather than an adversarial force, the bureaucrats will do their best to coordinate trade between Corp vendors and planetary markets.
>Trust in House Uvar and leverage them for the task. There's no need to make sweeping reforms when the men of Uvar are already prepared to work as subtle spies and open consultants, with the help of planetary governments, where sensible. This would be helped by their status as a vassal house, and their proximity to House Heinrich.
State Capitalism, here we go!

>>5986147
>A multi-faceted approach is best. The Imperial Bureaucracy will be expanded, a new offshoot of it will be founded, and House Uvar's responsibilities will be widened. Perhaps a tad excessive, but you want to ensure complete certainty of the Corps' standing and their actions.
Keep the industry in line.

>>5986147
>>5986660
Actually I'll change my vote to
>Directly integrate the Imperial Bureaucracy into the Corps. They'll monitor the Corps and audit them regularly, to ensure that unhealthy business practices and rebellious sentiments are nipped in the bud. Rather than an adversarial force, the bureaucrats will do their best to coordinate trade between Corp vendors and planetary markets.
>Trust in House Uvar and leverage them for the task. There's no need to make sweeping reforms when the men of Uvar are already prepared to work as subtle spies and open consultants, with the help of planetary governments, where sensible. This would be helped by their status as a vassal house, and their proximity to House Heinrich.
Cause taking a multi-faceted approach isn't going to win most likely.

QM

>>5986153
>>5986154
>>5986155
>>5986159
>>5986160
>>5986163
>>5986164
>>5986166
>>5986173
>>5986177
>>5986316
>>5986454
>>5986576
>>5986584
>>5986601
>>5986661
You determine that it's most expedient to directly integrate the Imperial Bureaucracy into the Corps and lean on House Uvar to support them. The prospect of founding a new department weighs on your mind, but you don't think it's fully necessary at this time. In the event that the future shows the Corps harder to monitor than anticipated, the dynasty will keep the possibility in their pocket. Together, the Imperial Bureaucracy and House Uvar should be up to the task.

Now comes the latter issue: the banning of company scrip. The Corps have relied on their own petty bills and fungible tokens for centuries and there aren't enough imperial credits in open circulation to replace them on short notice. The Privy Council raises the concern that a misstep here could see the coinage of the noble houses rise to prominence. This is an easy enough problem to solve, but you must be cautious not to stumble into fiscally damaging measures.

How should the ban on company scrip be handled?

>Go ahead as planned. The Corps will have five years to find a legitimate currency and if they are wise, they'll be grateful they aren't fined for their presumption. This may entrench the noble houses' petty currencies, but the economy will be better off.
>Extend the grace period. The Corps will be given twenty years to adjust their exchanges, to ease the financial burden. A slow burn approach, the incremental shift should see the scrip seamlessly phased out of commerce.
>Compensate them at equivalent rates. The throne will empty its own reserves to pay the Corps for their scrip, at a 1:1 ratio. This will be a dire blow to the treasury, but the Corps will be pleased and transition to the imperial credit immediately.
>Print more credits to pay them off. As Emperor, you have the right to issue currency and will do so, paying the Corps for their scrip at a 1:1 ratio. This sudden flood of imperial credits will reduce its long-term market value, but the treasury shall be spared and the Corps pleased.

Anonymous

>>5986696
>>Print more credits to pay them off. As Emperor, you have the right to issue currency and will do so, paying the Corps for their scrip at a 1:1 ratio. This sudden flood of imperial credits will reduce its long-term market value, but the treasury shall be spared and the Corps pleased.
Nothing bad ever happens by printing more money.

>>5986696
>printing money
OH NO NO NO
I'd definitely rather have the slow burn, there's no pressing need to overturn it now, not like the corps are about to revolt, and if we devalue the credit too much, people won't use it anyway
My vote is for
>Extend the grace period. The Corps will be given twenty years to adjust their exchanges, to ease the financial burden. A slow burn approach, the incremental shift should see the scrip seamlessly phased out of commerce.

>>5986696
>Extend the grace period. The Corps will be given twenty years to adjust their exchanges, to ease the financial burden. A slow burn approach, the incremental shift should see the scrip seamlessly phased out of commerce.
Seems like a safe option that works for us

>>5986696
>Extend the grace period. The Corps will be given twenty years to adjust their exchanges, to ease the financial burden. A slow burn approach, the incremental shift should see the scrip seamlessly phased out of commerce.

>>5986696

>Extend the grace period. The Corps will be given twenty years to adjust their exchanges, to ease the financial burden. A slow burn approach, the incremental shift should see the scrip seamlessly phased out of commerce.

This is a generous timeframe

>>5986696
>Extend the grace period. The Corps will be given twenty years to adjust their exchanges, to ease the financial burden. A slow burn approach, the incremental shift should see the scrip seamlessly phased out of commerce.
By far the safest and smartest option the fact printing money is even an option makes me think we should make future emperors take a mandatory basic economics course.

>>5986696
>Print more credits to pay them off. As Emperor, you have the right to issue currency and will do so, paying the Corps for their scrip at a 1:1 ratio. This sudden flood of imperial credits will reduce its long-term market value, but the treasury shall be spared and the Corps pleased.
As long as it's controlled and moderated according to the market and doesn't cause major disruptions within the economy.

>Extend the grace period. The Corps will be given twenty years to adjust their exchanges, to ease the financial burden. A slow burn approach, the incremental shift should see the scrip seamlessly phased out of commerce.

>>5986147
>Create a new subfaction of the Imperial Bureaucracy entirely. It will have a clarity of focus that a larger organization could not, and take on part of the bygone Emperor's Resources Committee's mantle. Instead of the old environmentalist bent, they'll concern themselves solely with auditing the Corps and eradicating Corporatist thought before it can gather momentum.

>>5986696
>Print more credits to pay them off. As Emperor, you have the right to issue currency and will do so, paying the Corps for their scrip at a 1:1 ratio. This sudden flood of imperial credits will reduce its long-term market value, but the treasury shall be spared and the Corps pleased.

>>5986696
>Compensate them at equivalent rates. The throne will empty its own reserves to pay the Corps for their scrip, at a 1:1 ratio. This will be a dire blow to the treasury, but the Corps will be pleased and transition to the imperial credit immediately.

>>5986696
>Extend the grace period. The Corps will be given twenty years to adjust their exchanges, to ease the financial burden. A slow burn approach, the incremental shift should see the scrip seamlessly phased out of commerce.

There is no rush, and hyperinflation is baaaaad

@QM, do we have a central bank that sets Empire-wide interest rates?

>>5986696
>Extend the grace period. The Corps will be given twenty years to adjust their exchanges, to ease the financial burden. A slow burn approach, the incremental shift should see the scrip seamlessly phased out of commerce.
Just get it done. It's been a mess for millennia, we can wait 20 years more.

>>5987481
mang, we barely even have a central currency much less an authoritative central bank

>>5987481
>>5987488

It’s sort of surprising how simultaneously strong/weak the Imperial authority is - near-“absolute” power in the Emperor but the actual government is sort of ineffective, sprawling, toothless from an economic perspective. I guess this is the net impact of despotism over millenia though

>>5987509
I think it underscores that the Empire is not a nation-state as we know it but more a big heap of de facto independent entities held together by a common allegiance. The Emperor is a scalpel, a sharp instrument of (theoretically) absolute authority that can cut away at individual things but sometimes you need the hammer of an authoritative government capable of acting autonomously and dividing its attention to get things done on a wide scale. For that, I favour a slow and moderate centralisation process.

>>5987509
>>5987523
It comes with its benefits too- some random bunch of planets doing poorly doesn't affect us as much, and each planet manages its own economy on an as-needed basis
Like imagine if Hookware scrip suddenly crashed in value on Tennsey, that literally doesn't affect us at all, meanwhile if our own shipyard planets' economies crash, we're fucked and maybe bringing down the entire imperial credit with it

>>5987509
>>5987523
>>5987531
It’s basically the HRE which I actually don’t have a problem with

QM

>>5986173
As far as Otto is aware, House Nightshayd are close allies to House Heinrich because his grandfather, Emperor Alphonse, allowed them to keep their spy networks after the 1st Civil War, despite their status as subtle enforcers of House Vonduul's rule, and their patriarch Gerardo Nightshayd had a deep respect for him. That House Heinrich hasn't pried into their affairs and has given them several planets certainly hasn't hurt.

Otto's own perspective of House Nightshayd is that they are honourless cutthroats and a lingering holdover from the reign of House Vonduul... as well as his mother Clara's house and a critical support to House Heinrich's reign, and therefore worthy of a wary respect. He doesn't trust House Nightshayd, hence his founding of House Uvar, but he thinks they can be relied on as long as their interests and the ruling dynasty's coincide.

>>5987481
The Empire does not have a central bank, although most of the Major Houses are known to give loans to trusted relatives, allies, or subordinates. Before the Tripartite Entente was destroyed, House Rothsford filled a similar niche, and stored and lent currencies from across the Empire. Their destruction contributed to the economic damage after the 2nd Civil War but was largely mitigated by the dissolving of Amasoft Corp. There are many planetary banks but these tend to be small, regional affairs catering to commoners and merchants who don't have the connections to the aristocracy to receive a significant loan.

Rolled 10 - 1 (1d12 - 1)

>>5986704
>>5986706
>>5986707
>>5986715
>>5986721
>>5986770
>>5986774
>>5986781
>>5986827
>>5986829
>>5986923
>>5987319
>>5987325
>>5987343
>>5987439
>>5987481
>>5987488
You decide to take the Privy Council's advice into consideration and quadruple the grace period. Rather than five years to get their affairs in order, the Corps will have two decades and no excuse for dragging their feet. You considered issuing more imperial credits but decided against it. If the throne had the Corps wrapped around its finger, it would mean nothing if the treasury was worthless.

You begin to put all of this into action. At the same time, your father Albin moves to further mingle the Human and Osgus economies, as House Nightshayd continues its war of assassins in the shadows. You await the results patiently.

>Pete's skill as an administrator is sufficient that the Imperial Bureaucracy's expansion is an automatic success.
>1d12+4 to expand trade with the Osgus State. +2 [Mutual Support (ISL)], +2 [Knowledge (Osgus)], +1 [Personal Friendship (Albin)], +1 [Minor Trade], -2 [Ideals of Superiority (Osgus)]
>1d12+1 for House Nightshayd to seize Clan Skullstacker's network. +2 [Spy Network], +1 [Excellent Espionage], -2 [Criminal Obsfucation]

>The enemy's roll
>1d12-1 for Clan Skullstacker to counter House Nightshayd's operatives. +2 [Criminal Network], +1 [Excellent Espionage], -2 [Imperial Crackdown], -2 [Infamous Reputation]

Anonymous

>>5988197
Best of luck anons
I would but after last thread I am pretty sure I will be hanged if I roll again
>>5988200
More money for us it seems

>>5988197
>>5988204

>Nightshayd 10
>Skullstacker 9

Phew.

>>5988200
So we have some above average trade with the Osgus.

>>5988204
And the Nightshayds barely manages to outmaneuver the Skullstackers.

QM

>>5988197
>>5988200
>>5988204
Negotiations with the Osgus initially go smoothly, as your father is a figure of some respect among the squids. Then, the unthinkable comes to pass during the drafting of a contract. At 116 years old, your father suffered a severe hemorrhagic stroke and, despite the best efforts of the dynasty's surgeons, was pronounced dead within the hour.

The news has not yet reached the public. The Osgus State offer their condolences and a basket of pearls, which you understand is deeply symbolic in their culture. Those of House Heinrich in the know are reeling. So far, this only extends to his close family and friends. The High Advisor of the Mukvun Court in the Mukvir, Yolonko, has expressed a profound lack of mukva at the news. You aren't sure what to make of that and you don't care.

You've lost your father. He ruled the Eternal Empire for over half a century and guided it to new heights of prosperity. His influence led to a complete paradigm-shift in xeno relations and the founding of several important organizations. By his might, he broke the Tripartite Entente, and by his wisdom, he sent you to be trained under House Arthen, shaping you into the man you've become today. Your father was an eccentric who feared too much for your life, but he was a good man, and you loved him for it.

A quick investigation finds that your father's health was surprisingly poor, considering his genetic stock and lifestyle. One officer in the Royal Guard, Stephan, comes forward with a confession. Decades ago, he and another Royal Guardsman witnessed the late-Emperor smoking alien narcotics with unknown effects to ease diplomatic tensions with the Mukvir. For two days afterward, he was thrown into a comatose, hallucinative state and was unresponsive to any and all outside stimuli until he came out of it. Your father swore both men to silence in the name of the throne.

Out of respect, they didn't divulge this when you ascended to the throne as your father still lived. The Royal Guardsman's partner died when a rabid neo-federalist dropped a pallet of bricks on his head in a routine parade march in the streets of Uvarth seven years ago, leaving him and now, you, the only men in the galaxy who know the secret. His words ring of truth and you appreciate his deferrence to your father, so you don't have him censured. You are both reasonably sure this was a strong contributor to his early death.

No matter the cause, you must determine what is to be done.

>Have a solemn, quiet funeral among the family of House Heinrich.
>Order an extravagant state funeral to honour the deceased.
>Declare an Empire-wide period of mourning among the masses for their fallen Emperor.
>Instill new funerary practices for the deceased heads of the ruling dynasty, as your father's body could be recovered in full, rather than scraps of his uniform. (This will lead to another set of choices.)

Anonymous

>>5988255
>>Order an extravagant state funeral to honour the deceased.
>>Declare an Empire-wide period of mourning among the masses for their fallen Emperor.
>>Instill new funerary practices for the deceased heads of the ruling dynasty, as your father's body could be recovered in full, rather than scraps of his uniform. (This will lead to another set of choices.)

>>5988264

Supporting. Don’t smoke alien weed, people

>>5988264
Support
Obviously not enough to actually affect the treasury in a meaningful way since I don’t think we can afford it.
Regardless I believe mom is going to probably be pissed at us considering we put Albin in a working position until he literally died.

>>5988255
Damn, rest in peace buddy, you were a cool guy
I have no preference as to how this vote goes

>"early death"
>116 years old
Did Arthen set the new standard for how long people live now?

>>5988264
+1

>>5988290
Yeah that wasn't smart. Isn't mom a nightshayd?

>>Order an extravagant state funeral to honour the deceased.
>>Declare an Empire-wide period of mourning among the masses for their fallen Emperor.
>>Instill new funerary practices for the deceased heads of the ruling dynasty, as your father's body could be recovered in full, rather than scraps of his uniform. (This will lead to another set of choices.)

>>5988516
It helped ease relations with a a now key economic and cultural partner. it was smart for geopolitics. his lungs were a tactical sacrifice.

>>5988861
With Albin dead this means that Otto has not only killed more Heinrichs than the Tripartite, Federation and Reaver Clans but has also destroyed relations (his wife, sister and mother) better than any of them ever did.

He can't keep getting away with this

>>5988255
>Order an extravagant state funeral to honour the deceased.
>Declare an Empire-wide period of mourning among the masses for their fallen Emperor.
>Instill new funerary practices for the deceased heads of the ruling dynasty, as your father's body could be recovered in full, rather than scraps of his uniform. (This will lead to another set of choices.)

>>5988861
There was another candidate that would have been pretty good at the job. It was not worth it. The kind of autistic "power at all costs (to family)" attitude that you show will be the end of House Heinrich if it continues in his heir.

>>5988861
Funnily enough, voters actually chose to smoke the weed for absolutely no gain in relations whatsoever, just to forget the social faux pas of not laughing at a plant joke that made no sense (by human sensibilities)

>>5988921
>social pressure into taking weed for the meme
Drugs aren't for winners.

>>5988921
We were losers at the time anon and losers take drugs.

>>5988921

To be honest, I was just curious and wanted to see what would happen if we hit the xeno ganja

QM

>>5988264
>>5988266
>>5988290
>>5988304
>>5988394
>>5988516
>>5988637
>>5988915
>>5989542
You are deeply saddened by the passing of your father. Not only has House Heinrich suffered a grievous blow, the Eternal Empire has lost a living symbol of imperial wisdom. Soon, you and in due time, your son and heir must carry on the line without him. Soon, but not yet.

Now is the time to grieve. Billions shall mourn the death of the second Emperor of House Heinrich's line, and no expense shall be spared in giving him the greatest funeral possible. Holo-vision footage will carry this to untold multitudes of eyes, but it is, at least in part, also a private affair. You recovered your father's body and can give it a proper burial rather than a ceremonial one, as was your grandfather's case. Being the third Emperor of House Heinrich's line, the details are your responsibility to decide.

How should the fallen rulers of House Heinrich be laid to rest?

>Inter them in a fortified dreadnought orbiting old Earth, which is to become a mausoleum. The surface is too dangerous for royalty to regularly visit, but traditions are the backbone of Mankind.
>Load them into a cannon, to be launched directly into Sol. In a grand show of symbolism, as they were a light to the Empire, they'll fuel the light that shines still over Mars.
>Place them in a small, automated ship designed to enter the Hypervoid, then disable its continuum field. In the belief of some, the localized false vacuum decay will unite them with the cosmos.
>Hold them in frozen conditions in the palace basement, painstakingly embalmed and preserved for the future. Resurrecting the dead may be impossible, but keeping fresh genetic samples close at hand may be useful down the line.
>Bury them beside the scraps of Emperor Alphonse's uniform. There's no need for flashy theatrics when a funerary courtyard will suit the task just the same.
>Have them cremated and the ashes used to grow a sturdy hardwood tree. It's likely what your father would have wanted, even if it isn't much of a spectacle.

Anonymous

>>5990634
>Inter them in a fortified dreadnought orbiting old Earth, which is to become a mausoleum. The surface is too dangerous for royalty to regularly visit, but traditions are the backbone of Mankind.

>>5990634
Let's try for a less intrusive form of preservation while still being mindful and respectful of the old ways.

>Keep extensive genetic samples of each emperor in the palace laboratory but inter their bodies into a fortified shrine orbiting Old Earth.

>>5990642

Supporting this write-in - the Imperial aristocracy has a weird obsession with purity of genetics and heritage as well, so this seems to reflect that.

>>5990634
>Inter them in a fortified dreadnought orbiting old Earth, which is to become a mausoleum. The surface is too dangerous for royalty to regularly visit, but traditions are the backbone of Mankind.
>Have them cremated and the ashes used to grow a sturdy hardwood tree. It's likely what your father would have wanted, even if it isn't much of a spectacle.

QM

<s>Apologies for taking so long with this update and being sporadic about them lately. My younger brother is about to graduate from high-school and I've been distracted helping him out with that.</s>

Anonymous

>>5990783
Congratulations to your brother OP!

>>5990783

No worries, QM - family comes first

>>5990634
>>Bury them beside the scraps of Emperor Alphonse's uniform. There's no need for flashy theatrics when a funerary courtyard will suit the task just the same.
>For Father, plant a sturdy hardwood tree over his body. We can put a similar spin on it for future emperors; we could be buried with arms and armor, for example.

>>5990642
Ah, and support the "keeping samples" bit but not putting them into the orbital shrine.

>>5990634
>>5990799
>>5990800
Support these ideas. Keep samples, bury them, every son decides something appropriate to honour his father's unique legacy. Scraps of Alphonse's uniform, hardwood tree for dad, Otto's son and heir will decide something, possibly arms and armor, for him, and so on and so on, for as long as House Heinrich and the Empire exist.

>Trade the Ocean Planet for the Cores, bit maker sure the cores have backdoors in then we can exploit if we need to .

>>Bury them beside the scraps of Emperor Alphonse's uniform. There's no need for flashy theatrics when a funerary courtyard will suit the task just the same.
>For Father, plant a sturdy hardwood tree over his body. We can put a similar spin on it for future emperors; we could be buried with arms and armor, for example.

QM

>>5990636
>>5990642
>>5990665
>>5990684
>>5990782
>>5990799
>>5990800
>>5990858
>>5991099
>>5991340
You determine that fallen Emperors should be interred in a fortified shrine orbiting old Earth, but that their son (or heir) should decide on something sentimental to reflect their legacy. In your father's case, his closest biodegradable possessions and flesh will be burned, and the ashes used to plant a tree. His bleached skeleton, reverently stripped of all else, will be put to the mausoleum of House Heinrich, where it will hold an eternal vigil over Mankind.

Before the ceremony, you had redundant genetic samples extracted for future archives. Going forward, this will be the policy of the Eternal Empire, and deepen Alphonse's mystique, as his couldn't be gathered in this way. Of course, the palace laboratory does have extensive genetic samples from your grandfather, but those were collected for medical rather than symbolic purposes.

The funeral itself is tragic. For the first time in decades, you find yourself moved to tears, the most stoic angles of which are captured for holo-propaganda. Your mother, bitter, blames you for his passing. "He was a fine Minister of Xenology, wasn't he? I hope your father's work was worth his last days."

You quietly tell yourself that it was. By his actions, the Osgus State has been taken from a deadly foe to a near friend, in the span of a human lifetime. Surely, the future of the Empire is worth more than one man's life. You have no choice but to tell yourself this and accept the burden of guilt on yourself, as is an Emperor's duty. Everything you've done, you have done for the future of the Empire.

Your mother, sister, and wife can't see that, blinded as they are by emotion. They weren't there at the trenches of Uvarth. They don't know the depths of bloodlust egalitarian filth will sink to in their hatred of their betters. They don't understand, and it's likely they never will. The mourning fills the Empire with sadness, enough that it briefly impairs its functioning. For all of his flaws, Emperor Albin was loved and won't soon be forgotten.

>>5991856
Time passes.

You are informed that House Heinrich's shipyards over Mars and Plutul have finished manufacturing war-fleets! One Mars-pattern, one Cherry-pattern. You are told that Bullseye Corp's experimentation is nearing the end of its prototyping stage, but won't see hard results for another decade as they are breaking new ground. The shipyard over Clan Matador's capital, Knossos, has been refurbished and is now prepared to begin its work. All excellent news, however, you have strategic considerations to make.

Who should both of the finished fleets go to? (Specify which faction will receive which pattern of fleet, otherwise the Cherry-pattern fleet's destination will depend on which of the two factions- if they're being separated- is more open to new technology.)

>The Imperial Navy: They suffered severe losses during the raid by the Reaver Clans and are in need of reinforcements.
>House Heinrich: The ruling dynasty has only two retinue fleets, but its holdings are prosperous enough to support several more.
>The Martial Houses: Among the closest allies to your bloodline, they don't yet have any true fleets of their own.
>House Soluton: They are already delighted with the throne, but tossing them a fleet could be a savvy way of hedging your bets.
>House De Croize: They are frustrated with the throne, to say the least, but a concession like this could reassure them of your intentions.
>Someone Else: The Empire is a vast place and there are many possible recipients, some more deserving than others.

Anonymous

>>5991857

>The Imperial Navy: They suffered severe losses during the raid by the Reaver Clans and are in need of reinforcements.

They'll take the standard fleet.

>House De Croize: They are frustrated with the throne, to say the least, but a concession like this could reassure them of your intentions.

We gotta throw these guys a bone now before their discontent boils over.

>>5991861
+1, seems okay to me

>extensive genetic samples from your grandfather
I wonder if this obsession with genetics in the nobles will eventually lead to a group trying to make a Kwisatz Haderach.

>>5991861
We sure giving De Croize a fleet wont make Solution mad?

>>5991880
probably but we are really close with them right now, it's worth upsetting Soluton a little to cool down De Croize

>>5991857
>>The Martial Houses: Among the closest allies to your bloodline, they don't yet have any true fleets of their own.

>>5991856
Poor mom. It was a good play on our part but tragic nonetheless. We need to get on repairing our relationship with Jeanne though.
>>5991857
>The Imperial Navy: They suffered severe losses during the raid by the Reaver Clans and are in need of reinforcements.
Both to the navy to replace the losses from the Reaver raid

>>5991857
Both to the navy. Giving a single fleet to De Croize feels really pathetic. I'd rather invite their leadership to a sitdown than that.

>>5991857
>The Imperial Navy: They suffered severe losses during the raid by the Reaver Clans and are in need of reinforcements.
Both fleets to them.

>>5991976
I have no opinion as to how this vote goes, but a whole war fleet would be seen as a pretty to very generous gift
The big houses (Soluton and Arthen) only have around 3 or something in their personal retinue, a single war fleet is already enough to make a house pretty notable, so it's not on the same level as giving them a pity 1%, definitely a considerable gift, especially for a house with no shipyards of their own

>>5991857
>>5991898
I'll change my vote to give both navies to
>The Imperial Navy: They suffered severe losses during the raid by the Reaver Clans and are in need of reinforcements.

>The Imperial Navy: They suffered severe losses during the raid by the Reaver Clans and are in need of reinforcements.

>>5991857
>The Imperial Navy: They suffered severe losses during the raid by the Reaver Clans and are in need of reinforcements.
Both to the navy. The Empire is much larger than it has been in many centuries, they need more tonnage to patrol the new space we hold.

>>5991920
>"We need to get on repairing our relationship with Jeanne though"
>Votes against an option that would help repair the relationship
huh?

>>5992018
Even if that's the case, it feels very weak to give them shit simply because they got mad. It sends the wrong message in my opinion and doesn't address the heart of the disagreement.

>>5992295
You don't repair relationships by just throwing money at it anon.

>>5992302

Jeanne is going to be dead soon, the opinion of House De Croize as a whole is more relevant

>>5992302
Well she seemed pretty upset by us not throwing money at it previously

>>5992302
It could be seen as us feeling bad and trying to give them something to make up for it, which I would agree might make us appear weak, but could help relations
It's like if you tossed out an old photo album that you didn't know your wife thought was important, so you try to cook dinner for her that night or something I don't know, it's conciliatory and makes us look human, which may or may not be bad, but I don't think it would hurt our relations with De Croize

>>5991856
>You quietly tell yourself that it was. By his actions, the Osgus State has been taken from a deadly foe to a near friend, in the span of a human lifetime. Surely, the future of the Empire is worth more than one man's life. You have no choice but to tell yourself this and accept the burden of guilt on yourself, as is an Emperor's duty. Everything you've done, you have done for the future of the Empire.
Also it's been said by others, but damn, if I could I'd give Otto a pat on the back, fucking sucks to make all of your closest family hate you, even your own mother, while doing what you think is the right thing to do since you bear a responsibility that extends beyond any mere individual. Keep up the good work, buddy

>>5992307
Not really, her and Otto still have decades to live.

>>5992329
More like upset about her family not being compensated fairly for their service to the Empire because of politics. It's about the principle of the matter. To give them stuff now, I fear, is to reward them for being mad and not for their service.

>>5992340
Which is why I want to reconcile with Jeanne and then have a sitdown with De Croize leadership.

>>5992347
Heavy is the head that bears the crown and so far as he is able, a prince should stick to the path of good but, if the necessity arises, he should know how to follow evil.

>>5992295
I don’t really care which way this votes as both are good in my eyes but I chose the imperial navy just because we need it bolstered again
>>5992347
Otto making the best decisions and ruining his family life for us. Truly one of the best Emperors.

Honestly, if it wasn't for Otto's family ties id advocate for outright abandoning De Croize at this point. Now that they hate Solution just as much as Solution hates them anything we do to help out one of them will inevitably at minimum annoy the other side once Otto passes we should either work toward mending relations properly through mutual diplomacy or just outright abandon De Croize and side with Solution instead of this back and forth appeasement sheniganary.

>>5992359

This isn’t bad logic but we’re not really in a position of domestic or martial strength and any civil war would have an uncertain outcome - we’re still recovering from the Reaver war.

We shouldn’t assume that we can easily BTFO the De Croize - they are a serious threat.

>>5992366
Who said anything about us fighting? I just meant when it comes to decisions such as above until something is worked out diplomatically so the two houses dont hate eachother anymore we should just either ignore both or prioritize Solution. Besides if any civil war does break out we most likely wont be the instigator and im sure Solution would be more than happy to help deal with the issue (assuming they don't straight up start it)

QM

>>5991861
>>5991862
>>5991872
>>5991920
>>5991968
>>5991976
>>5991980
>>5992074
>>5992263
>>5992279
You consider granting House De Croize a fleet but in the end, determine that mending relations with your wife's lineage will take a closer touch. For an insult of the stolen Croize chute's magnitude, whether it be perceived or true, mere tonnage may not be enough. Both fleets are sent to the Imperial Navy, where they'll reinforce the weight of the throne. This should restore the damage done by the Reaver Clans and enable them to better patrol the territories of the Empire.

Two more events in House Heinrich's shipyards demand your personal attention. Beckham, the CEO of Cherry Corp and mother to Shannon, your son Theo's lab assistant, has made a personal visit to Mars. He is old, incredibly so, but unlike most of the nobility, has had no compunction in installing invasive cybernetics to mitigate the march of time. Rather than shuffle on a cane, feeble and tended to by servants, he strides into your throne room, proud on legs of steel. His torso has likewise been removed for a sturdier chassis of chrome, and much of his skull replaced. The only vestiges of humanity that remain are his piercing white eyes and tailoured suit. Though you don't show it, you are silently envious.

He kneels deeply, but does not press his face to the floor like so many others who debase themselves. The CEO remains silent until you speak. "Arise, my servant." At this, he stands with mechanical grace and responds with an eerily human voice. "My liege and Emperor, I come to ask a selfish favour." Your rebreather rests on your fist as you contemplate. With the speaker, there is no need to shift your posture to accommodate a moving jaw. "Out with it, then. If you can't be forthright with your Emperor, there's no man in the stars you can trust."

>>5992402
Beckham pauses, thinking, and after a moment, nods. "Well said. In my capacity as acting CEO of Cherry Corp, I've come to request the use of House Heinrich's shipyards over Plutul to manufacture a war-fleet for our own purposes. After the raid by the Reaver Clans, the board under me has come to agree that Cherry Corp needs to be prepared to protect our world of Mon-Cheri, in the event that the Imperial Navy is abroad or spread thin." You listen patiently. "We recognize that this will preoccupy our experts and delay our services to the crown for some time. Consequently, we are prepared to pay the esteemed House Heinrich the going rate for such a war-fleet, plus interest."

He claps and at the ensuing clang, another man in a suit, this one predominantly flesh and blood, with the exception of a synthetic right hand, approaches with a contract. The functionary kneels in silence and presents it to a Royal Guardsman, who carries it to you for your reading. Unlike the documents of yesteryear under House Vonduul, this is short and to the point. You approve.

In exchange for access to the shipyard on Plutul for two decades and exclusive rights to the resulting fleet, Cherry Corp will pay House Heinrich a considerable sum upfront- more than half the value of the bribe you received from the former Merchant Holdings Corps, Cherry Corp included, at the start of your reign. These are fair terms, slightly favouring the ruling dynasty.

The CEO waits in silence for your response.

>Accept these terms. The Imperial Navy may have to wait longer for another fleet, but Plutul isn't your only shipyard. House Heinrich would get much use out of these credits.
>Bargain for a higher price. Cherry Corp's pockets are deep and if you came to you, the odds are they're willing to pay. A sizeable fortune, although they may be displeased.
>Reject these terms. No former faction of the Merchant Holdings can be trusted with a war-fleet, no matter their rebranding or loyalty. This is certain to frustrate them, but the Empire's security is paramount.
>Tear up the contract! You'll give them the rights to Plutul for free, as payment for services of their voidships well rendered against the Federation of Uvarth. Cherry Corp's gratitude will be assured.

Anonymous

>>5992404
>Accept these terms. The Imperial Navy may have to wait longer for another fleet, but Plutul isn't your only shipyard. House Heinrich would get much use out of these credits.
Fair enough but add some stipulations to make sure that the only thing it will be doing is defending Mon-Cheri and nothing else

>>5992404
>>5992407
+1
Don't want a situation where they're selling to both sides of a conflict or acting opportunistically.

>>5992404
Gotta say, allowing a corp a fleet is pretty iffy in my opinion, since fleets aren't just used for defense but can be used for offense too, and 200 years down the line can be used against us, or would just be wasted patrolling around their planet. If their concern is truly just defense of their planet, can we offer to build them some orbitalworks instead? Those things defend planets like nobody's business (since that's their literal job) and more importantly there's no way to weaponize it against us (unless we have to militarily take their planet for some reason, in which case it'd be effective at doing its job, aka defending planets)
The only other corp with home loyal fleets is Hookware and that's already scary since they have four of those fuckers, every other corp hires mercenaries, so if they really needed a fleet for some reason I don't see any reason why they can't just hire one
>Counter-offer to see if they'd be interested in having orbitalworks defend their planet instead, it should be more than sufficient as a strong defense compared to a fleet

>>5992423

Supporting this. I don’t want Corpo fleets, and would prefer that they develop orbital defensive structures

>>5992404
>>5992423
I guess I should ask QM whether offering them orbitalworks is a valid option before we rush in headfirst, so about how long is the timeframe for making orbitalworks generally, QM? Also how are orbitalworks seen in comparison to owning a fleet in general? If you don't want to answer the second question so that we really have to debate amongst ourselves how Cherry corp would respond, that's fine too

Also as an additional point to not handing over the shipyards over Plutul for two decades, that will stunt our own warfleet production for the navy, we just managed to get back up to where we were before, and we're clearly going to need to be stronger to take on more organized groups like the Chavenac Kingdom. Sure we just got the Matador shipyards, but building fleets is a long-ass time sink, and getting 3 more fleets in 20 years is a lot better than just getting 2

QM

>>5992427
Offering Cherry Corp orbitalworks is indeed a valid option. In general, the timeframe for equivalent tonnage is the same and specialized shipyards aren't required, because planetary defenses don't have to concern themselves with maximizing density of components for efficient Hypershunt travel and can simply build at scale. For purely defensive purposes, they are more cost-effective but lack strategic versatility.

Planetary defenses are seen as an important security measure but far less prestigious than mobile fleets. The perception of their use in battle corresponds to this, much like how in the ancient past of old Earth, a charge against the enemy on an open field was seen as grander than driving them off from the safety of a fortified keep.

Anonymous

>>5992436
>>5992423
Thanks qm
Alright ideally these Cherry corp dudes don't care about prestige like noble houses, we both realize that orbitalworks are just as good at defending, and having a grand castle fortress has a nice image of its own too
Plus we still get to manufacture a fleet for the Navy
If they're cheaper to construct, then we won't be so arrogant to ask for the same price as a fleet I'd hope, but just in case I'll add that as a modifier to my vote

>>5992404
>>5992424
>>5992423
After the clarification, I'll switch to support orbitalworks for a lesser fee than what they're offering

>>5992423
+1, along with the lesser fee, good thinking all around

QM

>>5992407
>>5992408
>>5992423
>>5992424
>>5992425
>>5992430
>>5992435
>>5992444
>>5992460
>>5992470
>>5992497
You sit deep in thought for some minutes, then reply. "Would you be interested in having orbitalworks constructed to defend your planet instead? They should be more than sufficient as a strong defense compared to a fleet, and cheaper, at that." The CEO's sleek posture is inscrutable, but his eyes betray some hesitancy. You don't wait longer than a moment, as he promptly answers your question.

"That would be more than sufficient, my liege, but the board is also concerned with the defense of our commercial interests. I did not wish to bother your eminence with such trivialities..." He stands stock-still, collecting his thoughts, then continues. "No matter. House Heinrich has been a wise lineage and your imperial mien echoes Emperor Alphonse's own. I have no reason to fear, so I'll be forthright with you, as requested. The noble houses are looting our shipping lanes."

There was nearly a minute of silence before he went on. "Legally, my liege, and within the defined limits of their own stars. They aren't pirates and I wouldn't dare accuse them of such, but their fees are constant and astronomical in more ways than one. Everywhere we can be gouged, we are, and there's no end to it. Import taxes, export taxes, noble tributes, cargo fees, commoner fees, docking fees, fees for processing fees..."

>>5992509
"Millions, up in vapour, every solar cycle. This has left our profit margins razor-thin and some years, we've had no choice but to operate at a loss. Expanding our enterprises under these circumstances has been an ordeal. The captive market on Mon-Cheri and the crown's subsidies have consistently kept us in the black, and make no mistake, my liege, we are grateful for that. Cherry Corp's situation isn't unique. Almost all of the Corps are regularly raked for all they're worth. The sole exception, Crown Corp aside, is Hookware."

"Hookware Corp's convoys are able to buy and sell with impunity across the breadth of the Empire. The noble houses don't dare to charge them any more than standard tariffs due to the pressure of their fleets, and the Tenssey family has been able to make a fortune, hand over fist, for centuries. The board hopes that a fleet of our own could lessen the exorbitant price of doing business." Beckham bows his head. "My liege, with all of the respect your position over Mankind rightly demands, I fear that orbitalworks, while ideal for our purposes, would not have the same effect and humbly beg you to reconsider."

This adds a rather considerable degree of context.

How should you respond?

>Cut-off negotiations. You've heard enough drivel from this Cherry Corp mouthpiece. These ex-secessionists should be grateful they're allowed to exist at all, after what their ilk did to your grandfather.
>Be firm and insistent. Cherry Corp will have their orbitalworks, at a fair price, and they'll be happy with them. Their concerns for defense are reasonable, just as the nobility has every right to tax their lessers.
>Assent to the previous terms. If Cherry Corp is willing to pay, they'll have their war-fleet. The symbolic value is no less significant than the firepower, and by the sound of it, that's what they're after.
>Be generous toward them. For a reasonable (nearly-doubled) cost, Cherry Corp will have both its orbitalworks and the right to construct a war-fleet. They're already friendly, and having a strong ally outside of the houses could be worthwhile, although this does have its risks.
>Grant them an imperial charter. As long as Cherry Corp is serving the Imperial Navy, they are to be exempted from additional fees. The nobles might be annoyed by this but as they're also defended by the Imperial Navy, they have no room to complain.
>Reassure his concerns. If the noble houses are levying taxes on the Corps like this, it's likely they're impacting lesser merchants as well. This could be impacting the economy for the worse, and warrants an investigation, perhaps even an attempt at reform.

Anonymous

>>5992512
>Reassure his concerns. If the noble houses are levying taxes on the Corps like this, it's likely they're impacting lesser merchants as well. This could be impacting the economy for the worse, and warrants an investigation, perhaps even an attempt at reform.
>Grant them an imperial charter. As long as Cherry Corp is serving the Imperial Navy, they are to be exempted from additional fees. The nobles might be annoyed by this but as they're also defended by the Imperial Navy, they have no room to complain.
>Grant them the orbitalworks if they still wish to have them after the previous two options.
If he still feels the need to pay for actual defenses I won't begrudge him them, but the first two should handle the economic concerns he has. This looks like a serious issue that we should address if what he says is true.

>>5992512
>Reassure his concerns. If the noble houses are levying taxes on the Corps like this, it's likely they're impacting lesser merchants as well. This could be impacting the economy for the worse, and warrants an investigation, perhaps even an attempt at reform.
Team up with the Corps to centralize tax collection.

>>5992512
>Reassure his concerns. If the noble houses are levying taxes on the Corps like this, it's likely they're impacting lesser merchants as well. This could be impacting the economy for the worse, and warrants an investigation, perhaps even an attempt at reform.
>Allow him to build orbital works if he still wishes

>>5992519
I'll support this, an imperial charter is perfectly valid since basically their entire identity as a Corp has been being shipbuilders for the Imperial Navy since the first thread, I also like the caveat that it's only as long as they're serving the Imperial Navy

>Be generous toward them. For a reasonable (nearly-doubled) cost, Cherry Corp will have both its orbitalworks and the right to construct a war-fleet. They're already friendly, and having a strong ally outside of the houses could be worthwhile, although this does have its risks.
>Grant them an imperial charter. As long as Cherry Corp is serving the Imperial Navy, they are to be exempted from additional fees. The nobles might be annoyed by this but as they're also defended by the Imperial Navy, they have no room to complain.
>Reassure his concerns. If the noble houses are levying taxes on the Corps like this, it's likely they're impacting lesser merchants as well. This could be impacting the economy for the worse, and warrants an investigation, perhaps even an attempt at reform.

>>5992512
>Be firm and insistent. Cherry Corp will have their orbitalworks, at a fair price, and they'll be happy with them. Their concerns for defense are reasonable, just as the nobility has every right to tax their lessers.
We should have a careful balancing act here. I'm glad we didn't just let them build the war fleet, it would've likely caused a crisis.

>>5992512

>Be firm and insistent. Cherry Corp will have their orbitalworks, at a fair price, and they'll be happy with them. Their concerns for defense are reasonable, just as the nobility has every right to tax their lessers.

I honestly dgaf if Cherry Corp is on the ropes now and again, don’t want them too comfortable

>>5992519
+1 although we should add a clause that allows us to revoke the charter if his story doesn't check out, it's a bit suspicious he didn't open up with this frankly.

>>5992512
>Be firm and insistent. Cherry Corp will have their orbitalworks, at a fair price, and they'll be happy with them. Their concerns for defense are reasonable, just as the nobility has every right to tax their lessers.

>>5992553
>>5992542
>>5992557
Don't you guys want to at least look into it? If this is true this could seriously be severely hemorrhaging our empires economy and will probably only get worse and harder to deal with overtime as they continue siphoning wealth.

>>5992563
I do wish to look into it, but I don't want make any promises or let them have the Charter (at least for now).

>>5992564
Then we can hold off and give them a charter after we look into it frankly I don't see any difference between giving it now with a clause and giving it to them later. I just don't see any reason we shouldn't start looking into it right now, literally 0 reason to wait.

>>5992565
I agree, but the vote is supporting giving them the charter as well which I'd rather wait on than do immediately.

>>5992566
How about this then?
>Reassure his concerns. If the noble houses are levying taxes on the Corps like this, it's likely they're impacting lesser merchants as well. This could be impacting the economy for the worse, and warrants an investigation, perhaps even an attempt at reform.
>Grant them the orbitalworks if they still wish to have them

And after the investigation is done if what they claimed is true we can then reward them with a charter for their cooperation bam.

>>5992554
Also ignore this vote

>>5992567
This is my vote now.

>>5992567
I'd support this, but I'd like it if we didn't promise anything yet until we make sure things are as he's saying.
Otherwise I don't want to just grant them the orbitalworks for free (I'm assuming it's for free since the write-in isn't specifying that we're standing firm on that deal and just says we're granting it), that stuff costs money.

>>5992570
Can you just write your version of it then?

>>5992570
I assumed it was part of the deal, I didn't intend for it to be free.

>>5992571
>Assure him that we'll look into the matter with great care, and that he has nothing to concern himself over. Do not make any absolute promises on this matter.
>Stand firm in the issue of constructing the orbitalworks at a fair price, do not grant it to them for free and do not allow them to construct a fleet.
Something like this. I'm a bit tired so it might not be my best write-in.

>>5992575
I must've made the wrong assumption then.

>>5992577
+1 a bit vague and ironically corporately worded but sure changing my vote to this.

From this
>>5992567

>>5992580
Honestly I didn't intent for it to be corporately worded, that's actually pretty funny.

>>5992512
And I'll be formally changing my vote from >>5992542 to >>5992577

>>5992577
>>5992512
>support

If it's really happening time to have some basic regulations. We don't want to hinder our economy.

The Hypercrisis Bro

>>5992404
>Reject these terms. No former faction of the Merchant Holdings can be trusted with a war-fleet, no matter their rebranding or loyalty. This is certain to frustrate them, but the Empire's security is paramount.
If they are that's dressed about security they can pay for us to build a new imperial fleet to patrol the area.

Anonymous

>>5992512
>Reassure his concerns. If the noble houses are levying taxes on the Corps like this, it's likely they're impacting lesser merchants as well. This could be impacting the economy for the worse, and warrants an investigation, perhaps even an attempt at reform.

We need to fix our fucked economy. Taxes are fine - but excessive and double taxation aren’t

>Be firm and insistent. Cherry Corp will have their orbitalworks, at a fair price, and they'll be happy with them.

But orbital works are a fair ask for defence.

>>5992512
>Grant them an imperial charter. As long as Cherry Corp is serving the Imperial Navy, they are to be exempted from additional fees. The nobles might be annoyed by this but as they're also defended by the Imperial Navy, they have no room to complain.
Reassuring sounds like bureaucrat speak to kick the can down the line without actually doing anything. An imperial charter sounds like a good idea that won't piss off all parties involved, though I wouldn't be opposed to giving them a fleet if we can ensure they remain loyal to the throne.

>>5992512
>Reassure his concerns. If the noble houses are levying taxes on the Corps like this, it's likely they're impacting lesser merchants as well. This could be impacting the economy for the worse, and warrants an investigation, perhaps even an attempt at reform.
Those fees should be going to to the Empire, not the Noble Houses

>>5992512
>Reject these terms. No former faction of the Merchant Holdings can be trusted with a war-fleet, no matter their rebranding or loyalty. This is certain to frustrate them, but the Empire's security is paramount.
>Be firm and insistent. Cherry Corp will have their orbitalworks, at a fair price, and they'll be happy with them. Their concerns for defense are reasonable, just as the nobility has every right to tax their lessers.

>>5992512
>>5992577
Supporting. Otto's reign has been surprisingly financial.

>>5992512
>>5992577
+1
Mostly because I don't want them to have a fleet.

>>5992682
>>5993291
Don't be lame, anon.

>>5993301
Oh fuck I didn't realize I voted good thing for ID.

Thanks for the catch anon.

>>5993313
Alright just try not to do that again. Most anons are paranoid about samefags, mostly from experience with them and how bad it can get. I believe you, but the QM will make the final verdict on the vote.

QM

>>5992519
>>5992520
>>5992522
>>5992526
>>5992534
>>5992553
>>5992557
>>5992577
>>5992580
>>5992682
>>5992792
>>5992800
>>5992822
>>5992965
>>5993131
>>5993289
>>5993301
You must remain firm in your decision. The Corps represent a dangerous powerbase with control over logistics throughout the Empire, one detached from the noble aristocracy. If they are allowed to manufacture fleets and project force, they could prove a dangerous opposition to the throne. Even so, they are a useful asset and you are not blind to the needs of your subjects. As you speak with authority, harsh static filling the chamber, the throne room falls silent and all, save the Royal Guard who stand at attention, fall to their knees.

“This is the first I’ve heard of excessive taxation. Rest assured, I shall have an investigation launched and resolve the issue, if there is one, as I see fit. The shipyards over Plutul are critical for Imperial security and I cannot allow a private financial interest to delay the reinforcement of my navy. A shipwright yourself, you understand well what is at stake.”

You let the tension hang in the air, then continue.

“Your board will have its defenses. Orbital defenses. The best that Imperial Credits can buy, with the direct assistance of Crown Corp. Do not think I’ve been blind to Cherry Corp’s history of service to the throne. I will be taking the Cherry-pattern schematic’s military record into full consideration for my final decision. That is all I have to say on the matter.”

Beckham remains knelt and replies. “Understood, my liege. I am honoured to accept your terms.” You wave your hand for the door. “Then you may depart from my presence. You’ll hear from my servants within the fortnight.” The CEO rises to his feet, cautious not to meet your gaze. “Thank you for your time, sire.”

>>5993531
The next issue is simpler to resolve. The shipyard over Knossos, formerly held by Clan Matador, has been refurbished and is prepared for service. Many of Clan Matador’s technicians have been pressed into cooperation with the throne, so that they might earn redemption for their past centuries of subservience to pirates.

Their expertise considerably eased the burden of the Imperial Shipyard’s expansion and so far, they’ve shown minimal signs of dissent. Much less than anticipated. If anything, they’re eager to pledge their work toward a worthy Emperor. You are eager to have it. The only question is which model of ship should be manufactured over Knossos.

Which pattern best serves the Empire’s needs?

>Mars-pattern. The mainstay of the Imperial Navy, Mars-pattern warships are designed with thick armour, heavy firepower, and straightforward slugging in mind. Their tried-and-tested parts are both affordable and reliable, and Mankind, from the lowest of the low to the highest of the high, has relied on them for millennia. Even so, the Mars-pattern has failed old Earth before and it is old, old enough that some naysayers feel its glory days are behind us.
>Cherry-pattern. The life’s work of Beckham, among others, Cherry-pattern warships are similar to those of the Mars-pattern but vary in several aspects, with a vast internal energy reservoir in lieu of private crew quarters, denser shielding, thinner armour, and fewer but larger munitions. In their brief century of combat, Cherry-pattern has proven itself at broad parity with its elders. It is increasingly popular with certain forward-thinking officers but less zealous voidsmen tend to dread serving on its decks, leading to a quiet perception as a punishment detail.
>Bullseye-pattern. The innovation of Bullseye Corp adjusting to imperial service, Bullseye-pattern warships are divergent from the imperial standard, with thin armour, weak shielding, sparse yet specialized munitions, and demanding maintenance needs, compensated for by fine engines and intricate sensors that lend it immense speed and accuracy. The Bullseye-pattern’s emphasis on interconnected squadrons over self-reliant ships strikes the wider admiralty as bizarre, but the Order of Rangers has gotten decent results out of them.
>Matador-pattern. The mainstay of the Reaver Clans, Matador-pattern warships are undergunned and flimsy by the Imperial standard, but boast an immense ease of maintenance and with their combined dense engines and huge cargo holds, are equally well-suited for rapid hit-and-run assaults and distant excursions without hope of resupply. For many centuries, the Matador-pattern has been a thorn in the Empire’s side and the admiralty holds them in wary respect, though having them fight en-masse for the throne would be a first.

Anonymous

>>5993534
>Mars-pattern. The mainstay of the Imperial Navy, Mars-pattern warships are designed with thick armour, heavy firepower, and straightforward slugging in mind. Their tried-and-tested parts are both affordable and reliable, and Mankind, from the lowest of the low to the highest of the high, has relied on them for millennia. Even so, the Mars-pattern has failed old Earth before and it is old, old enough that some naysayers feel its glory days are behind us.
We need to update our designs soon but until then it’s old reliable

>>5993534
Interesting question, I'm not too attached to the outcome of this vote and am fine with whatever others pick, but probably not Bullseye, and I'm leaning Matador-pattern since it's what those guys are familiar with and it might be useful for distant excursions like going deep into Vrakak space or long drawn-out sieges of the Kingdom, or wherever else, and we don't have a scouting fleet yet
>Matador-pattern. The mainstay of the Reaver Clans, Matador-pattern warships are undergunned and flimsy by the Imperial standard, but boast an immense ease of maintenance and with their combined dense engines and huge cargo holds, are equally well-suited for rapid hit-and-run assaults and distant excursions without hope of resupply. For many centuries, the Matador-pattern has been a thorn in the Empire’s side and the admiralty holds them in wary respect, though having them fight en-masse for the throne would be a first.

>>5993534

>Matador-pattern. The mainstay of the Reaver Clans, Matador-pattern warships are undergunned and flimsy by the Imperial standard, but boast an immense ease of maintenance and with their combined dense engines and huge cargo holds, are equally well-suited for rapid hit-and-run assaults and distant excursions without hope of resupply. For many centuries, the Matador-pattern has been a thorn in the Empire’s side and the admiralty holds them in wary respect, though having them fight en-masse for the throne would be a first.

I honestly think we should have multiple fleet designs in the mix. We should probably do a “Mars 2” pattern once accrue soem science points though

>>5993534
>>Matador-pattern. The mainstay of the Reaver Clans, Matador-pattern warships are undergunned and flimsy by the Imperial standard, but boast an immense ease of maintenance and with their combined dense engines and huge cargo holds, are equally well-suited for rapid hit-and-run assaults and distant excursions without hope of resupply. For many centuries, the Matador-pattern has been a thorn in the Empire’s side and the admiralty holds them in wary respect, though having them fight en-masse for the throne would be a first.
I'd also support the idea of eventually getting a "Mars 2" updated pattern.

>>5993534
>Matador-pattern.
They could also serve as good expedition / exploration ships into unknown space.

>>5993534
>Cherry-pattern. The life’s work of Beckham, among others, Cherry-pattern warships are similar to those of the Mars-pattern but vary in several aspects, with a vast internal energy reservoir in lieu of private crew quarters, denser shielding, thinner armour, and fewer but larger munitions. In their brief century of combat, Cherry-pattern has proven itself at broad parity with its elders. It is increasingly popular with certain forward-thinking officers but less zealous voidsmen tend to dread serving on its decks, leading to a quiet perception as a punishment detail.
Are you anons seriously going to essentially downgrade the navy? I know they're useful for reavers but these things are gonna suck in firepower and armor.

>>5993670
It's just one Matador fleet for this cycle, not like we're changing every fleet to only be Matadors, it'd be good to have one scouting/deep mission/supply train-siege type fleet

>>5993534
>>Cherry-pattern. The life’s work of Beckham, among others, Cherry-pattern warships are similar to those of the Mars-pattern but vary in several aspects, with a vast internal energy reservoir in lieu of private crew quarters, denser shielding, thinner armour, and fewer but larger munitions. In their brief century of combat, Cherry-pattern has proven itself at broad parity with its elders. It is increasingly popular with certain forward-thinking officers but less zealous voidsmen tend to dread serving on its decks, leading to a quiet perception as a punishment detail.
Don't want to go with Matador because that seems to be generally useless except for raiding fleets, which we currently do not have a use for. Maybe if we decide to commission some privateers and send them after the Kingdom. I'll vote Cherry to throw them a bone.

>Mars-pattern. The mainstay of the Imperial Navy, Mars-pattern warships are designed with thick armour, heavy firepower, and straightforward slugging in mind. Their tried-and-tested parts are both affordable and reliable, and Mankind, from the lowest of the low to the highest of the high, has relied on them for millennia. Even so, the Mars-pattern has failed old Earth before and it is old, old enough that some naysayers feel its glory days are behind us.

>>5993534
>Cherry-pattern. The life’s work of Beckham, among others, Cherry-pattern warships are similar to those of the Mars-pattern but vary in several aspects, with a vast internal energy reservoir in lieu of private crew quarters, denser shielding, thinner armour, and fewer but larger munitions. In their brief century of combat, Cherry-pattern has proven itself at broad parity with its elders. It is increasingly popular with certain forward-thinking officers but less zealous voidsmen tend to dread serving on its decks, leading to a quiet perception as a punishment detail.

>Ask for a heavy version. With heavier guns, more engines, more energy, more shielding. (Like a star destroyer or super carrier)

>Realize you should offer all Corps to show off a prototype of an updated and better ship. Say in 10 years, maybe 20. So we can spur weapons and shielding development. Donate funds from crown corp towards the research and development. Give equal amounts to all shipmakers. (Make sure were the ones making that damn defensive orbitals)

Hopefully we'll have multitude of wonderful ships that we can then choose from.

>We want new strike craft, frigates ect. Put out bounties for new scientific discoverys such as: power sources, weapons making stuff, armor, robotics, drone tech, transportation, industrialization, ect. (The empire and the Heinrichs gains right to use patent too though.)

This will boost funding indirectly to the order of erudition. And other scientific start ups like de croize. We want access to the patents to both boost the empire and keep crown corp using the latest tech.

And it will give another place for power to fight in their's and the empire's interests. Empire techs up. We help finance it. but it should pay for itself through increased economy from increased efficiency gained by better tech. And patents use rights.

>>5993534
>>Matador-pattern. The mainstay of the Reaver Clans, Matador-pattern warships are undergunned and flimsy by the Imperial standard, but boast an immense ease of maintenance and with their combined dense engines and huge cargo holds, are equally well-suited for rapid hit-and-run assaults and distant excursions without hope of resupply. For many centuries, the Matador-pattern has been a thorn in the Empire’s side and the admiralty holds them in wary respect, though having them fight en-masse for the throne would be a first.

Having a fleet of these for long-distance expeditions would be nice. Also, would it be possible to have them look into updating the Matador pattern to specifically fit this niche, or does it already fit it pretty well?

>>5993534
>Mars-pattern. The mainstay of the Imperial Navy, Mars-pattern warships are designed with thick armour, heavy firepower, and straightforward slugging in mind. Their tried-and-tested parts are both affordable and reliable, and Mankind, from the lowest of the low to the highest of the high, has relied on them for millennia. Even so, the Mars-pattern has failed old Earth before and it is old, old enough that some naysayers feel its glory days are behind us.

QM

To clarify, each pattern represents dozens, if not hundreds of voidship models held together by shared parameters of manufacturing. They each have a wide variety of tonnage meant to fulfill a sprawl of predefined tactical roles, and even in the classic Mars-pattern, there's a wide range of voidship types and sub-types. Any pattern is capable of holding its own in a space battle or waging a campaign, and are roughly equivalent on a macro-level, but differ dramatically on the micro-level.

A Mars-pattern battleship, Bullseye-pattern battleship, and Matador-pattern battleship are all heavily distinct, despite falling into the same overarching strategic niche. They all meet a baseline of competence that warrants their consideration for the Empire's use but truly excel at different tasks. The most popular voidship pattern in the Empire wasn't available for selection here, as the manufacturing methods are fiercely-held trade secret. The Hookware-pattern is broadly similar to Mars-pattern, sacrificing some technical sophistication for supreme ease of maintenance and manufacture. The result is warships that perform noticeably worse in the battlefield but are almost twice as cheap (both to construct and upkeep) and quick to assemble.

>>5993687
Researching new voidship schematics takes decades, if not centuries of work, due to the intricacy and scale. Scientific progress in the Empire has been impacted by the insular nature of the houses refusing to share information between their experts and, until recently, a lack of consistent education for the masses of commoners. The Order of Erudition has started to change this but is a new organization competing with the more prestigious Astronomicon Academy, trying to build bridges between the houses across generations of hunger for power and paranoia, and dealing with a huge workload trying to crack Clan Yellabones' cipher and rediscover the forgotten terraforming techniques of yore.

The Corps are involved in some degree of research but none, with the partial exception of Ceiblue Corp (deeply interested in tapping into medicine and agriculture) have specialized in the field. The Guilds are capable of research but are largely focused on refining what they're already aware of to keep their edge in quality. House Heinrich has great potential but has focused on the Empire over itself, and the few experts of the bloodline that aren't working for the Order of Erudition are scattered and directionless. It is, in short, a mess.

>>5994257
>>5994008
The Matador-pattern's speed, cargo capacity, and ease of maintenance lends itself very well to long-distance expeditions, though this is more coincidental than intentional. It's a versatile class of voidship but sacrifices some raw firepower and durability for heightened efficiency at lightning raids and in some cases, brazen smuggling. Ironically, some minor merchants have paid top-credits for captured (usually disarmed) pirate vessels in the past, since their speed, cargo hulls, and low cost of upkeep are highly desirable for anyone involved with interstellar trading.

It's likely that Cherry-pattern transports altered to suit hauling freight would be popular with merchants, as their large energy reserves are useful for rapid maneuvering and emergency shunts and most wouldn't care about the lack of comfort for the crew. At the moment, it's a purely military design (with the exception of obsolete surplus, sold mostly to minor houses and mercenaries, as per Emperor Alphonse's policy) and the overwhelming majority of civilian ships are churned out by Hookware Corp on the cheap. House Soluton does occasionally sell to wealthy merchants and even used Soluton made voidships go for enormous sums at auction.

Anonymous

>>5994258
Would it be reasonable to start producing Matador-Pattern (whether disarmed or not) ships for commercial sale? Not right now, but just as a note.

QM

>>5994317
It would be possible to, yes, but whether it's reasonable is a matter of perspective. House Heinrich is currently in control of four shipyards, located at Mars, Plutul, Uvarth, and Knossos. The Eternal Empire holds those over Mars and Knossos, which are indirectly controlled by House Heinrich in their head's capacity as Emperor. House Heinrich holds those over Plutul and Uvarth, which are directly controlled by House Heinrich as their personal property. As House Heinrich lacks any shipbuilding expertise of its own, it has been leasing its shipyards out to Corps, who are desperate for imperial contracts.

Mars is manufacturing Mars-pattern warships under the Imperial Shipwrights, Plutul is manufacturing Cherry-pattern warships under Cherry Corp, and Knossos' manufacturing focus hasn't yet been determined but will also be under the Imperial Shipwrights. Uvarth is applying its industrial capacity to research new ship variants under Bullseye Corp. For a shipyard to change its pattern, it requires a decade to retool its specifications but with all of the ship parts being cross-compatible, the cost to do so is negligible.

The Imperial Navy consists of two Hookware-pattern fleets, two Mars-pattern fleets, and two Cherry-pattern fleets. All four shipyards are in military manufacturing, meaning that they're producing war-fleets for use by the Imperial Navy or other factions deemed deserving by the Emperor. Military manufacturing is expensive but essential, and currently funded by taxes and donations from hardline loyalists.

If the shipyards were to shift to civilian manufacturing, they would begin to make a massive profit from merchants, nobles, and other individuals who need and can afford ships for their own purposes. Once the maintenance of the shipyards and employment of shipwrights, technicians, and other faculty is taken into account, this is reduced to only a large profit. For the Empire's shipyards, this would improve the wider economy, while for House Heinrich's shipyards, this would go directly to the dynasty's wealth.

>>5994385
Mixed manufacturing with an even divide between military and civilian output is possible, but doubles the time needed to finish a war-fleet and halves the profits from civilian buyers. If Hookward Corp isn't directly commissioned, Tennsey is generally involved in mixed manufacturing and sells its war-fleets (made once per twenty years) to the highest bidder, usually mercenaries but occasionally a noble house. The Major Houses tend to prefer military manufacturing and shift to civilian manufacturing when they reach the limit of what their domestic economy can support.

The reason this hasn't been mentioned this earlier is that Emperor Alphonse was a militant revolutionary whose reign hadn't yet stabilized, Emperor Albin was a xenophile environmentalist who was surrounded by militants and didn't care about voidships, and Emperor Otto is a militant warmonger who believes the armada and by extension, strength of the Empire must expand at all costs. House Heinrich has been a heavily martial dynasty, and that pattern is likely to continue. The next Emperor may opt to change the focus of the shipyards or keep them at military manufacturing. There's nothing stopping Emperor Otto from doing this now, but his reign has been focused on other parts of the Empire and his mindset wouldn't have come to the idea on its own, much like how Emperor Alphonse wouldn't have had the idea to enact the Order of Rangers without a pressing need for them.

Anonymous

>>5994385
>>5994393
Either way, this doubles-down on my vote for having them produce Matador-pattern ships. They're the ships I feel most comfortable selling to civilians and merchants, while later sercing the important role of expeditionary forces and armed logistics in our own military.

>>5994393
How old is Otto at this point? I'm thinking it's getting around the time for him to abdicate, not anything particularly destabilizing going on that requires him to remain.

QM

>>5994475
Emperor Otto is 85, pushing 86, and Empress Jeanne is 58. Ferdinand is 36 and nearing the completion of his work, Leopold is 34 and busy guiding House Uvar, Grayson II is 32 and still involved with the Landstaat, Alphonse II is 30 and has already reached the rank of admiral, Theo is 29 and studying, Konstantin is 27 and an upper mid-ranking general in the Imperial Army, Konrad is 22 and progressing his mastery of sculpture moving on from clay to marble, and Arnette is 19 and her absolutist views haven't changed over time, rather, she's written extensive documents in its favour under several pen names. They've been less than influential, even among House Heinrich, but she has high hopes and her prose improves by the year.

Anonymous

>>5994522
I didn’t realize that there was a near three decade difference between Otto and Jeanne.

>>5994257
>The Corps are involved in some degree of research but none have specialized in the field.
I really think we should start up a dedicated research division in Crown Corp anons. We have the money, and if nobody else is doing it we can kickstart an innovation race that will only benefit the empire even if we lose out.

>>5994547
Sure, I'd agree now that we have a good capital base from our steel/materials manufacturing, it would have been much too risky to just start off with a huge investment into research funded mostly by loans

>>5995828
I would also like to do money lending. It was such a free market with no competition and it still appears to be that way.

>>5993534
>Matador-pattern. The mainstay of the Reaver Clans, Matador-pattern warships are undergunned and flimsy by the Imperial standard, but boast an immense ease of maintenance and with their combined dense engines and huge cargo holds, are equally well-suited for rapid hit-and-run assaults and distant excursions without hope of resupply. For many centuries, the Matador-pattern has been a thorn in the Empire’s side and the admiralty holds them in wary respect, though having them fight en-masse for the throne would be a first.

>>5993534
>Matador-pattern. The mainstay of the Reaver Clans, Matador-pattern warships are undergunned and flimsy by the Imperial standard, but boast an immense ease of maintenance and with their combined dense engines and huge cargo holds, are equally well-suited for rapid hit-and-run assaults and distant excursions without hope of resupply. For many centuries, the Matador-pattern has been a thorn in the Empire’s side and the admiralty holds them in wary respect, though having them fight en-masse for the throne would be a first.
Something the engineers might be more familiar with.

QM

>>5993547
>>5993550
>>5993557
>>5993558
>>5993562
>>5993618
>>5993670
>>5993681
>>5993682
>>5993687
>>5994008
>>5994161
>>5996222
>>5996241
>>5996294
You consider expanding the production of Cherry-pattern warships but decide against it. Plutul is already working overtime to churn them out and you’re hesitant to put any more credits in Cherry Corp’s pocket. Though the Matador-pattern is foreign to the Empire, it’s far from unfamiliar. For generations, admirals have vied against their nimble hulls and scything gunnery. The Imperial Navy knows their capabilities inside-and-out, and with the help of turncoat shipwrights, they’ll be crewing them soon. Some would argue that making your enemy’s strength your own is the truest form of conquest. You feel differently.

The kick of a kinetic gun on your shoulder, the shockwave of a bomb thrown over rubble, the rush of blood between your ears… To you, that is the truest form of conquest. It doesn’t matter. The Empire’s fate won’t be decided by the boots on the ground, least of all yours. The shipyard over Knossos will go ahead with the Matador-pattern then.

You’ve finished everything that needs to be handled with the shipyards.

In the aftermath of your father’s death, the Osgus State has continued to maintain positive relations. The backing of both of your star nations has caused the ISL to effectively double in size and reach some prominence among their kind. Even more competent squid athletes are being fielded against Human teams but talent scouts search for the best sportsmen in the Empire to compensate. It varies from season to season, but the two species are at a broad parity. A few have suggested mixed-species teams but inertia has kept it from coming through.

Your economies have further merged and both the Eternal Empire and Osgus State receive a benefit. The Corps ply new markets and vie against each other in the rush to expand. In particular, Zephyr Corp has found a valuable niche selling exotic “land-smoothed” stones for the squids to swallow and to your understanding, they’ve been something of a hit in Osgus culture. By extension, the fortunes of House Lochstrum and House Ustong have improved.

>>5996345
House Nightshayd’s war of assassins against Clan Skullstacker shows few signs of ending soon, but they are confident they’re gaining ground. A prominent businessman’s luxury condominium was caught in a sudden fire that authorities weren’t able to contain before the entire top floor was incinerated. One major crime boss was killed, one less head on the snake-pile for your mother’s former house to deal with. This conflict is far from decided.

You are informed that Gerardo Nightshayd died in a tragic shaving accident, eight years ago, and now that Gerardo II has dealt with his rivals, House Nightshayd has determined there’s no more need for his body doubles to continue the charade. Gerardo II has upheld his father’s policy of subservience to House Heinrich and quietly hopes your bloodlines can continue your mutually beneficial relationship.

You examine The Ledger carefully.

>The Empire:
>Territory: 8
>Economy: 5
>Military: 6
>Happiness: 5
>Population: 7
>House Heinrich:
>3 jewel worlds, 12 core worlds, 14 frontier worlds
>2 Retinue Fleets
>Crown Corp
>Royal Guard:
>1 Imperial Fleet

Despite the death of your father and the clandestine conflict being fought across the Empire, things are looking up.

Your Head Advisor, Igor, is in a somber mood.

“Your father was a better man than most, your majesty. It’s sad to see him depart us, sire, but he would be happy to know his legacy is in strong, capable hands.”

You like to think so. Without your father’s presence and with your sons growing farther away by the day, the Imperial Palace feels emptier than ever. Your mother and wife have become distant, for their own reasons, and some part of you worries that they conspire between themselves. Your sister hasn’t once spoken with you but that’s… unfortunately standard for Lydia. Sometimes, late at night, you feel like the Prime Minister’s skull is the only one you can trust to understand the burden you bear.

Heavy is the crown.

What ought to be done?

>Mend affairs with your family. It will be difficult, perhaps even harder than the campaign on Uvarth, but Jeanne could open doors to reconciling with House De Croize.
>Spend some time on a holo-film. Your grandfather did it in his reign, your father did it for his, and you think it’s about time that you did it for yours. A documentary of your campaigns, something to have you remembered as the warrior you were, not a broken cyborg clinging to the throne.
>Push for additional reforms. The Eternal Empire is the greatest gathering of Mankind to ever exist, but it wrestles with its own weight. You must ensure that your subjects, and the rule of House Heinrich, can withstand the march of time.
>Abdicate. You’ve seen over three-fourths of a century and are tired of this responsibility. You never wanted to be Emperor. Your son can have the crown and you… you can finally leave the insipid politics behind.

Anonymous

>>5996347
Mom's a Nightshayd, so I definitely don't like any conspiring... but surely she wouldn't kill her own son
Either way, I like the idea of continuing the holo-film tradition, but we gotta fix the family before any of that
>Mend affairs with your family. It will be difficult, perhaps even harder than the campaign on Uvarth, but Jeanne could open doors to reconciling with House De Croize.

>>5996347
>>5996360
Also don't worry buddy... I know you're tired of it all, and the crown weighs heavy, but we gotta end it off on a good family note... we'll abdicate soon.

>>5996347
>>Mend affairs with your family. It will be difficult, perhaps even harder than the campaign on Uvarth, but Jeanne could open doors to reconciling with House De Croize.
>>Spend some time on a holo-film. Your grandfather did it in his reign, your father did it for his, and you think it’s about time that you did it for yours. A documentary of your campaigns, something to have you remembered as the warrior you were, not a broken cyborg clinging to the throne.

>>5996345
Good news overall and the ledger is looking great. I do have a question QM, what happened to Emperor Jekka (curse be his name)? Was he executed or did he die in naval combat against Alphonse?
>>5996347
>Mend affairs with your family. It will be difficult, perhaps even harder than the campaign on Uvarth, but Jeanne could open doors to reconciling with House De Croize.
Don’t worry Otto, your duty will end soon but when it does Jeanne should be by your side. I care more about the familial matter here then the political
>>5996360
She won’t do it, she may be upset at Otto but she won’t kill her son. We do need to marry Ferdinand’s firstborn son to a Nightshayd though

>>5996347
>Mend affairs with your family. It will be difficult, perhaps even harder than the campaign on Uvarth, but Jeanne could open doors to reconciling with House De Croize.

>Mend affairs with your family. It will be difficult, perhaps even harder than the campaign on Uvarth, but Jeanne could open doors to reconciling with House De Croize.

>>5996347
>Mend affairs with your family. It will be difficult, perhaps even harder than the campaign on Uvarth, but Jeanne could open doors to reconciling with House De Croize.
I want to abdicate but Ferdinand is still working on his project. I'd like to give him a year or so to prepare for the position perhaps and then abdicate. I assume that his project nearing completion should be over with by the next "turn", so hopefully this can all happen either at that time or a little before then.

>>5996496
Oh and also he should have time to marry and get to know his wife before he becomes emperor.

>>5996496
I will say, I'm pretty interested to find out what Ferdinand's personality is really like
When we were Alphonse, Albin was pretty clearly going to grow up to be a alien nerd autist (and turned out more based than we could have imagined), and when we were Albin, Otto was fucking destroying Uvarth soldiers by the hundreds and a tempered noble warmonger because of Arthen, but by comparison, I feel like we don't know too much about Ferdinand
He managed to beat Alphonse II in a fight and the two respect each other, and obviously he's working on his rifle, but I honestly feel like I know Leopold better than I do Ferdinand thanks to all the decisions we had to make about that kid, so it'll be interesting having some Ferdinand POV for sure

>>5996347

>Mend affairs with your family. It will be difficult, perhaps even harder than the campaign on Uvarth, but Jeanne could open doors to reconciling with House De Croize

Probably the last and biggest gift we can leave to our heirs

>>5996347
>Mend affairs with your family. It will be difficult, perhaps even harder than the campaign on Uvarth, but Jeanne could open doors to reconciling with House De Croize.
>Spend some time on a holo-film. Your grandfather did it in his reign, your father did it for his, and you think it’s about time that you did it for yours. A documentary of your campaigns, something to have you remembered as the warrior you were, not a broken cyborg clinging to the throne.

>>5996347
>Mend affairs with your family.
>Spend some time on a holo-film.

QM, if we split our effort between making the holofilm and mending affairs with the family, will it make the mending family check more difficult

>>5996605
Doing two things at the same time always applies a penalty, yeah. I have no idea why anons want to do a holofilm now.

>>5996347
>Mend affairs with your family. It will be difficult, perhaps even harder than the campaign on Uvarth, but Jeanne could open doors to reconciling with House De Croize
Priority no.1

QM

>>5996605
If you tried to do both things simultaneously, it would be more difficult for both. If you did one after the other, fitting them in the same "turn," not necessarily, but ten years would go by rather than five years.

Anonymous

>>5996828
Will we have another action after this one.

>>5997420
Meant to end that with a question mark kek

Why the holofilm? What purpose does it serve? How could it possibly be worth risking mending affairs with the family? Do you really think Otto's reputation is that bad among the Empire? And if it is, is it really worth the worse chance at mending affairs? It's so bizarre to me how this option is this popular, please someone explain it to me, because none of you have given any reasoning for the holofilm.

>>5996347
>Mend affairs with your family. It will be difficult, perhaps even harder than the campaign on Uvarth, but Jeanne could open doors to reconciling with House De Croize.

>>5998143
I'm pretty sure its literally a "Our father did it and his father before him did it so we should as well" type deal.

QM

>>5997420
You don't and can continue your reign or abdicate. In theory, an Emperor who has an heir in-line for the throne can abdicate at any point. In practice, it's rarely done before a couple of decades of rule.

I'm locking the vote here so I can start updating. I lost track of time yesterday and hadn't realized it had already been around twenty-four hours. This'll likely be different from the standard macro-politics, but there's no shortage of landmines.

>>5998313
That wording was a bit vague. You will have another action after this, one of which is the chance to abdicate. Abdicating is always a choice, outside of a sudden death.

>>5996360
>>5996366
>>5996473
>>5996492
>>5996496
>>5996518
>>5996540
>>5996556
>>5996559
>>5996752
>>5998277
Your deeply, deeply buried inner auteur yearns to make a holo-film, but the worry for your family's sake outweighs it. There'll be time once these misunderstandings are resolved. Your mother and wife are both distant and your family has aged enough that you rarely see your sons anymore. Unlike the campaigns against the Federation of Uvarth, there's no army you can rely on. You'll have to do this on your own and live with the results. You hope it's not alone.

Who do you want to try to mend affairs with first?

>Your mother, Clara. The former heiress of House Nightshayd and the love of your father's life. She's bitter for your choice to appoint your father as Advisor of Xenology and blames you for his death. Her relationship with your wife is close and if she wanted, she could help rebuild those bridges.
>Your wife, Jeanne. One of the most prestigious daughters of House De Croize and the only person you've ever let yourself be vulnerable toward. She's gone cold over your choice to give the Croize Chutes to House Soluton. If you can get her to forgive you, all else will come easier.
>Your sister, Lydia. The most brilliant of Emperor Alphonse's daughters and one of the minds behind the groundbreaking Croize Chutes. She's filled with vitriolic hatred towards you over your choice to give the Croize Chutes to House Soluton. It's unlikely that you could ever mend relations at this point, but she's your sister and you grew up together.
>Your daughter, Arnette. Your one and only daughter, and the apple of her mother and grandmother's eye. She strongly approves of your choice to strengthen House Soluton and idolizes you. There's no need to earn her forgiveness but she could be a lot of help influencing the others, or if handled poorly, render your task more difficult than it already is with her outspoken opinions.

Indonesian Gentleman

>>5998347
>Your mother, Clara
The obvious choice first of all.

Anonymous

>>5998347
>Your wife, Jeanne. One of the most prestigious daughters of House De Croize and the only person you've ever let yourself be vulnerable toward. She's gone cold over your choice to give the Croize Chutes to House Soluton. If you can get her to forgive you, all else will come easier.
The spouse should always be the priority.

>>5998347
>Your wife, Jeanne. One of the most prestigious daughters of House De Croize and the only person you've ever let yourself be vulnerable toward. She's gone cold over your choice to give the Croize Chutes to House Soluton. If you can get her to forgive you, all else will come easier.
I'm gonna go with wife first, she should know us the best after all these years, we've let our guard down around her, and the relationship between our mom and our wife should be a two way street so if we get our wife we can also mend things with our mom easier, though starting with mom is obviously also tempting since she has a connection with us in different ways and could still see us as her kid/not fully blame us

>>5998347
>Your wife, Jeanne. One of the most prestigious daughters of House De Croize and the only person you've ever let yourself be vulnerable toward. She's gone cold over your choice to give the Croize Chutes to House Soluton. If you can get her to forgive you, all else will come easier.
Only one that matters

>>5998347
>Your wife, Jeanne. One of the most prestigious daughters of House De Croize and the only person you've ever let yourself be vulnerable toward. She's gone cold over your choice to give the Croize Chutes to House Soluton. If you can get her to forgive you, all else will come easier.

>>5998347

>Your mother, Clara. The former heiress of House Nightshayd and the love of your father's life. She's bitter for your choice to appoint your father as Advisor of Xenology and blames you for his death. Her relationship with your wife is close and if she wanted, she could help rebuild those bridges.

Go to mom, hat in hand, and ask forgiveness. We should start the apology tour at the top of the family tree and work down.

>Your wife, Jeanne. One of the most prestigious daughters of House De Croize and the only person you've ever let yourself be vulnerable toward. She's gone cold over your choice to give the Croize Chutes to House Soluton. If you can get her to forgive you, all else will come easier.

>>5998347
>Your wife, Jeanne. One of the most prestigious daughters of House De Croize and the only person you've ever let yourself be vulnerable toward. She's gone cold over your choice to give the Croize Chutes to House Soluton. If you can get her to forgive you, all else will come easier.

Wife comes first

>>5998347
>Your mother, Clara. The former heiress of House Nightshayd and the love of your father's life. She's bitter for your choice to appoint your father as Advisor of Xenology and blames you for his death. Her relationship with your wife is close and if she wanted, she could help rebuild those bridges.

We gotta be nice to our mum. I say we snitch on dad and his xeno weed.

QM

>>5998358
>>5998366
>>5998387
>>5998415
>>5998421
>>5998427
>>5998471
>>5998616
You turn to your wife, Jeanne. Closer to you than anyone else in the Empire and one of the handful breathing to have seen your face without its respirator. She saw that sunken, jawless mass of scar tissue and loved you all the same. The perceived spurning of House De Croize wounded her, deeply, and your marriage- once so intimate- has gone cold. Your heart aches without her.

If you're going to die without regrets, you need to bring her back into your embrace. More importantly for the dynasty, if you want to bring House De Croize back to the imperial fold, you'll need her help. You know Jeanne well and have for many years, but you've never seen her like this. These are dark waters and you have precious little light to guide you.

How should you handle this?

>Rekindle your romance. A trip through the Empire could be just the spark you need to thaw her heart. You'll go from star to star, searching for that smile you've lost.
>Find common ground. Her love for the masses has been a constant, so you'll devote yourself to helping the destitute. Once she notices and joins your work, things will warm.
>Pour your heart out. You've been married for decades and need to be honest with each other. If she only knew how important House Soluton was to securing House Heinrich's reign, all of this could go away.
>Make an indirect gambit. If she still has a lingering sentiment for House De Croize, you'll go out of your way to promote qualified De Croize admirals, scientists, and bureaucrats. A distant gesture, one which she's sure to notice.

Anonymous

>>5998630
>Pour your heart out. You've been married for decades and need to be honest with each other. If she only knew how important House Soluton was to securing House Heinrich's reign, all of this could go away.
The other options mostly skirt around the issue, and honest dialogue is usually the way to resolve any problem, but I'm still a little iffy on whether this is the best choice, since the reasoning that we just really need Soluton on our side has a very high chance of pissing her off even more, so I'm not very attached to this option and can be convinced otherwise

>>5998630
>Rekindle your romance. A trip through the Empire could be just the spark you need to thaw her heart. You'll go from star to star, searching for that smile you've lost.

>>5998630
>>5998641
Actually fuck, this is a tricky decision and I'm indecisive, I'm already gonna fold and change my choice to
>Rekindle your romance. A trip through the Empire could be just the spark you need to thaw her heart. You'll go from star to star, searching for that smile you've lost.
Gotta do it slowly, then pour our heart out like a real romantic

>>5998630
>Pour your heart out. You've been married for decades and need to be honest with each other. If she only knew how important House Soluton was to securing House Heinrich's reign, all of this could go away.
Like anon said, all others skirt around the issue (though we could still do a trip in addition)

But the position in the prompt is very reductive since it doesn't really elaborate the reasoning and vision behind the decision. Do we need to elaborate it ourselves again QM?

Damn, the other two options aren't bad either now that I think about it more, doing something for someone is a good way to show your humanity and shows that we feel bad without having to voice it directly, but I'll stop thinking about it and just stick to whatever the vote outcome is, all of this waffling about is unbecoming

>>5998630
>Find common ground. Her love for the masses has been a constant, so you'll devote yourself to helping the destitute. Once she notices and joins your work, things will warm.
To help her realize Otto has a heart behind that mask
>Pour your heart out. You've been married for decades and need to be honest with each other. If she only knew how important House Soluton was to securing House Heinrich's reign, all of this could go away.
Say this later when things have become warmer between the two, she may understand that there is a bigger picture at play.

QM

>>5998647
If you choose to pour your heart out, there'll be another subprompt for the specific reasoning. The overwhelming consensus for backing House Soluton was that it was either necessary or ideal to have them as allies, but the individual thought processes varied somewhat.

>Do we need to elaborate it ourselves again QM?
You don't need to but you can if you'd like to. I like to include the thread's speculation, future ambitions, and so on in updates where possible. There was a lot of discussion over it last time and it's been an intricate issue.

Anonymous

>>5998630

>Pour your heart out. You've been married for decades and need to be honest with each other. If she only knew how important House Soluton was to securing House Heinrich's reign, all of this could go away.

Otto is not a subtle man, and not a schemer. he tackles his problems head on, and wins.

>>5998630
>Rekindle your romance. A trip through the Empire could be just the spark you need to thaw her heart. You'll go from star to star, searching for that smile you've lost.
and then after we can pour our heart out. I don't think mentioning how much Soluton matters in politics is going to do anything but get her farther away from us. Work slowly to rebuild the connection and then hit her with our heart.

>Hardest decision in the quest is to figure out how to fix our marriage
kek

>>5998630
>Rekindle your romance. A trip through the Empire could be just the spark you need to thaw her heart. You'll go from star to star, searching for that smile you've lost.
>Pour your heart out. You've been married for decades and need to be honest with each other. If she only knew how important House Soluton was to securing House Heinrich's reign, all of this could go away.

>Rekindle your romance. A trip through the Empire could be just the spark you need to thaw her heart. You'll go from star to star, searching for that smile you've lost.
>Pour your heart out. You've been married for decades and need to be honest with each other. If she only knew how important House Soluton was to securing House Heinrich's reign, all of this could go away.

>>5998630
>>5998660
+1
Romance means more children.

>>5998867
Not disagreeing but she is like 53

>>5998630
>Find common ground. Her love for the masses has been a constant, so you'll devote yourself to helping the destitute. Once she notices and joins your work, things will warm
let's try to hit two birds with one stone. lots of people in our recently conquered territories still have it awful, if we increase their quality of life it would be a net gain for the empire. morally and also because they will produce more resources and manpower and so on

QM

>>5998642
>>5998645
>>5998647
>>5998660
>>5998672
>>5998684
>>5998685
>>5998690
>>5998698
>>5998748
>>5998867
>>5999463
>>6000042
>>6000764
After much inward seeking, you decide that the best thing to do is attempt to revive your romance and be honest with your wife. This won’t be easy, but neither were the trenches of Uvarth, or waking up without a tongue, jaw, or the bottom half of your face…

Should the worst come to pass, it can't be worse than what you’ve already suffered. You’ll do what you can. That’s all any man can do.

Even an Emperor.

>Roll 1d12+2 to renew Otto’s romance with Jeanne. +2 [Decades of Marriage], +2 [Large Family], +1 [Mutual Affection], +1 [Imperial Authority], -2 [Tense Relations (De Croize)], -2 [Clashing Personalities]

Anonymous

Rolled 1 + 2 (1d12 + 2)

>>6001050
Come on Otto, you've seen worse than this it can't get worse!

>>6001050
>>6001056
Oh lawd she's gonna fucking kill him isn't she.

>>6001056
You just had to jinx it didn't you?

>>6001059
Nah, I bet she's just going to get a divorce. Take half our shit. And start fucking the pool boy.

>>6001056
Just fucking kill Otto with this roll, QM. Spare him the shame, please.

>>6001056
Fucking hell should've fucking abdicated fuck fuck
Fuck you cosmos

>>6001056
>1post by id
>rolls possibly worst roll in the quest ever
>mfw

>>6002379
Had to check. Definitely the 1 post id curse.

>>6002380
It's okay anon, I knew something like this would happen so I maximized it by jinxing it

QM

>>6001056
It starts with a cruise. A small, sleek vessel accompanied by an escort of Royal Guard frigates. Taken from the fallen House Rothsford, it now serves the throne. Subtle, clandestine, on a slow, meandering course through the core worlds that yet pay heed to the legacy of old Earth.

Your reasoning for this was simple. You need to keep Jeanne's mind off of galactic politics, and what better way than to leave the imperial palace behind? There's no fanfare made of the ruling couple's arrival to a system, nor are future destinations made public. It is as secretive as possible for the circumstances. This is an entirely private affair. At first, your wife is pleased by the shift in pattern; the tours, the dinners, the harmless small talks.

For a while, it almost feels like those first days you spent together. Then, the tension starts. During a low-orbit flight on a leisure craft, you mention the tenacity of Soluton's admiral, Thomas. That earns a worried frown. As the two of you walk through an urban center, disguised as mere nobles (albeit, under heavy watch), you bring up the ex-Federals you fought alongside in the final siege and your pride in House Uvar. She pauses a long while before moving on. When you're both touring the inside of a bygone dynasty's flagship, the pride of old House Veshai, it strikes you that a certain corridor is just like the one where the De Croize caught you by surprise with that plasma rifle. Hearing you mention it, Jeanne stiffens and takes a long moment to compose herself.

>>6005318
Concerned, you lay a hand on her shoulder, and she sighs. "It's always about war with you, isn't it?" You pause. "House Heinrich is a proud martial dynasty." Jeanne's response is swift and tired. "I wasn't asking about our household." The squad of Royal Guardsmen following you files back to give you privacy. You explain. "I was raised by House Arthen, to be a living weapon in the Emperor's hand."

Her next words catch you off-guard. "Did you take their lessons of chivalry to heart?" As you try to think- "I..." -she interrupts you, an act unthinkable for most, but the Empress is an exception. "You love it more than anything else. You love the fighting. You love the killing. I can see it in your eyes… I always have." You attempt to defend yourself.

“There’s nothing wrong with fighting for a worthy cause.” Jeanne groans and pushes your hand away. “There’s nothing right with it! So many men have died at your hands and every last one took a little bit of you with them. Every conversation we have circles back into war, or the potential for war, or the history of war, or the struggle of war. It’s always war, war, war…” Your wife begins to sob, leaning against the wall. “It’s all you care about. It’s all you ever think about.”

>>6005322
You interject. “That’s not true. I care about you-” She replies. “As a means to an end! The right set of genetic markers from the wrong house! The mother of an heir who’ll go and conquer the stars someday. Kill a few billion more of our miserable species so that some poor soul can plant the imperial flag on another rock!” If you had a mouth, you would scowl. “It isn’t like that. I love you.” The Empress closes wrinkled eyes.

“Oh, I’m sure that you do. You love me, one more part of House Heinrich. You love your sons, assets to House Heinrich. Expanding the strength and prestige of House Heinrich. So that it can fight more wars… win more wars… and what has any of those wars ever gotten you? Us?” Jeanne reaches up and touches your rebreather with trembling hands. “So many years together and I haven’t once heard your voice. Everyone in House Heinrich, our house, almost lost their brother and son that day, for no other reason than your insistence on strife!”

“The Tripartite Entente was gone. The battle was won… There was no other call to board that warship than your own thirst for blood.” You exhale, slowly, pacing yourself. “I had a duty to the Empire.” Jeanne grips the hem of your coat, tears streaming down her face. “I married Otto the man, not Otto the Emperor! This lifelong war of yours has consumed you. All that’s left is a husk.” The static crackles as you reply.

>>6005323
“I am the Emperor. If I don’t shoulder that burden, no-one else can.” Your wife clenches tighter. “The burden is of your own making, husband. You carry it for no other reason than to prove to yourself that you can. You put it over your sister, your own flesh and blood! Her life’s work is gone! Don’t you care?” You clench your fist. “It was a sacrifice I had to make. House Heinrich’s position is certain-”

She’s openly weeping now, shaky grasp torn between pushing you away and pulling you closer. “Soluton’s fleets are the throne’s, but at what cost? De Croize is betrayed, after they swallowed their pride and gave it all up for the throne… Betrayed! You’ve made fools of the loyalists among them and the rest will nurture that resentment for generations to come!” Jeanne lets go and quietly wails, shoving you back, but you don’t budge.

“All you care about is your dynasty! Your selfish, selfless ambition… I’d hoped you weren’t so shallow, that when the fighting was done, you could move on from the bruised, beaten boy at Arthen’s training camps… but I know now that I was wrong. Your father ruined you, just like you ruined your father.” You are stricken speechless. “You were a fine Emperor, Otto, the finest, but you were no head of our family.”

Desperate, you reach to touch her face and she pulls away. “Please. Leave me in peace.” You stand, stock-still, as the love of your life turns, lifts her dress, and runs down the corridor.

A solitary tear trickles down your weathered cheek.

>>6005324
Some nights later, you sit alone in your chambers, clutching the Prime Minister’s skull. You’re filled with rage, toward no-one and everyone. The grief within keeps welling out, but you bury it in hate. Jeanne’s words reach your mind, cutting deeper than the blade. You remember the egalitarian mob. The sword in your hands, fighting, killing…

To hell with De Croize and to hell with Soluton!

The Federation was a foe you could face! You were happy, then. You fought for a purpose, then! Your wife is right about one thing. Whether you were born a butcher or made one, you are. It’s what you’ll be remembered for. It’s what you want the masses to remember you for, when they look back on your reign. Emperor Otto… You never wanted the crown. You were a general before you were sovereign. There are only a few years left.

You must make the most of them. The holo-film documentary, walking in the footsteps of Emperor Alphonse and Emperor Albin. Your father and grandfather… but this is not your father, nor your grandfather’s work. It is your own and you’ll do it your way.

What will the holo-film cover?

>The Federation: Your prime and the first time you led troops in mass-battle. The conquest of Uvarth and dubbing as Warmaster were your greatest accomplishments- it was all downhill from there.
>The Lost Reaches: Your few years of freedom, spent tethered to your father’s throne. The wastes you saw and struggles you faced are little-known, it’s best they be recorded.
>The Tripartite Entente: Your direst struggle, the misstep that set the stage for your reign as Emperor. The tale has been told thousands of times, but never by you.
>Everything: There is no one part of your life that matters more than the rest, so you’ll cover it all. Ambitious for a first project, likely to spread your efforts thin, though there’s no shortage of funding.

Anonymous

>>6005326
>The Federation: Your prime and the first time you led troops in mass-battle. The conquest of Uvarth and dubbing as Warmaster were your greatest accomplishments- it was all downhill from there.

QM

I'm sorry I took so long in posting, but I've been busy IRL and this was... difficult to write.

Anonymous

>>6005328
No worries QM. This update was pretty emotion ridden.

>>6005326
>Everything: There is no one part of your life that matters more than the rest, so you’ll cover it all. Ambitious for a first project, likely to spread your efforts thin, though there’s no shortage of funding.
If we go out, we go out with something to be remembered by.

>>6005326
>Everything: There is no one part of your life that matters more than the rest, so you’ll cover it all. Ambitious for a first project, likely to spread your efforts thin, though there’s no shortage of funding.
A cold and heavy crown

>>6005326
Tragic, I would like Otto to begin trying to build a bond with his sons and daughter of equivalent strength to those he had with lost loved ones. Maybe some form of martial monasticism too? Would be an interesting dynamic.
>The Lost Reaches: Your few years of freedom, spent tethered to your father’s throne. The wastes you saw and struggles you faced are little-known, it’s best they be recorded.
Mainly because it's been overshadowed by everything else, a look into what lies beyond the frontier!

>>6005324
>Your father ruined you, just like you ruined your father.”
That hurts
>”You were a fine Emperor, Otto, the finest, but you were no head of our family.”
Heavy is the crown
>>6005326
>Everything: There is no one part of your life that matters more than the rest, so you’ll cover it all. Ambitious for a first project, likely to spread your efforts thin, though there’s no shortage of funding.
It is importantly for historical documentations sake
>>6005328
It was a good update QM

Let’s us hope anons that Ferdinand will not be as tragic as his fathers before him

>The Lost Reaches: Your few years of freedom, spent tethered to your father’s throne. The wastes you saw and struggles you faced are little-known, it’s best they be recorded.

>>6005326
>The Lost Reaches: Your few years of freedom, spent tethered to your father’s throne. The wastes you saw and struggles you faced are little-known, it’s best they be recorded.
I would rather do The Federation but I feel that Everything is the worst option, so I'll settle for The Lost Reaches since it has more votes than The Federation.

>>6005326
Also, why are we doing the holo-film? Didn't it lose the vote?

>>6005326
>The Lost Reaches: Your few years of freedom, spent tethered to your father’s throne. The wastes you saw and struggles you faced are little-known, it’s best they be recorded.
It's the one story that none but us can tell.

>>6005491
>Let’s us hope anons that Ferdinand will not be as tragic as his fathers before him
Unlikely with us at the helm

>>6005326

>The Lost Reaches: Your few years of freedom, spent tethered to your father’s throne. The wastes you saw and struggles you faced are little-known, it’s best they be recorded.

We could do some heavy mythologizing here, and really polish the “official” history of our later successes this way.

>>6005713
>>6005326
Switching to
>The Federation: Your prime and the first time you led troops in mass-battle. The conquest of Uvarth and dubbing as Warmaster were your greatest accomplishments- it was all downhill from there.

QM

>>6005716
Otto catastrophically failed to mend relations with his family but still has around four years left in the five year bracket. The original vote was only short by two and I figured Otto is the type to throw himself into a project after getting his heart broken.

>>6005327
>>6005333
>>6005369
>>6005370
>>6005491
>>6005512
>>6005718
>>6005724
>>6005745
>>6005847
>>6005852
>>6005855
>>6005868
>>6005882
The campaign against the Federation of Uvarth defined the rest of your life. It's the times you think back to, the legend the masses look up to. You'll focus your efforts on the Federation alone. Before you can begin, there are a few questions you must answer.

Should you enlist any external expertise?

>Yes, Loca Corp. Their work on Harold's Day in the Sun was excellent, even if the commoners didn't appreciate it.
>Yes, the Imperial Army. Their propagandists revere you and would be honoured to contribute.
>Yes, both Loca Corp and the Imperial Army. Their approaches are likely to clash, but if they can cooperate, it will be a spectacle.
>No, you'll do this yourself. This will be an amateur production on your part, fueled by passion and as many credits as you can scrounge together.

Where are you going to source the budget?

>The Imperial Treasury. If this goes well, the inspiration to the masses should outweigh the blow to the economy.
>House Heinrich's vaults. There's no shortage of credits to the ruling dynasty's name, and you are head of the dynasty, after all.
>Donations by loyal subjects. You'll be working with a shoestring budget, which will hopefully add an air of authenticity.
>All of the above. You can spare no expense in seeing your vision made manifest. It's likely there'll be some surplus leftover.

Lastly, how should the Federals be portrayed?

>Scum. A collection of filth no better than pirates, eager to massacre their fellow man and desecrate the legacy of old Earth.
>Barbaric. A teeming, ravening horde that fought with wild ferocity, and inevitably fell before the Empire's noble strength and iron discipline.
>Tragic. A motley rabble of idealistic fools, misguided by a handful of treacherous demagogues and corrupt politicians.
>Nuanced. As men, no better or worse than the rest of the species, fighting for their own ideology, which happened to be incompatible with House Heinrich's enlightened rule.

Anonymous

>>6006105
>Yes, Loca Corp. Their work on Harold's Day in the Sun was excellent, even if the commoners didn't appreciate it.
They got experience in all our previous films
>House Heinrich's vaults. There's no shortage of credits to the ruling dynasty's name, and you are head of the dynasty, after all.
We are decently wealthy
>all
Feels like Otto would portray them in a wide way

>Yes, the Imperial Army. Their propagandists revere you and would be honoured to contribute
>House Heinrich's vaults. There's no shortage of credits to the ruling dynasty's name, and you are head of the dynasty, after all.
>Tragic. A motley rabble of idealistic fools, misguided by a handful of treacherous demagogues and corrupt politicians.

>>6006105
>Yes, the Imperial Army. Their propagandists revere you and would be honoured to contribute.
>House Heinrich's vaults. There's no shortage of credits to the ruling dynasty's name, and you are head of the dynasty, after all.
>Tragic. A motley rabble of idealistic fools, misguided by a handful of treacherous demagogues and corrupt politicians.

>>6006105
>>Yes, the Imperial Army. Their propagandists revere you and would be honoured to contribute.
See if we can get any vets on it.
>House Heinrich's vaults. There's no shortage of credits to the ruling dynasty's name, and you are head of the dynasty, after all.
It's our project, we pay for it.
>Nuanced. As men, no better or worse than the rest of the species, fighting for their own ideology, which happened to be incompatible with House Heinrich's enlightened rule.
They deserve respect. Out of perhaps every opponent we've faced, only their resolve was truly unshakable.

>>6006105
>Yes, the Imperial Army. Their propagandists revere you and would be honoured to contribute.
>House Heinrich's vaults. There's no shortage of credits to the ruling dynasty's name, and you are head of the dynasty, after all.
>Nuanced. As men, no better or worse than the rest of the species, fighting for their own ideology, which happened to be incompatible with House Heinrich's enlightened rule.

>>6006105
>Yes, the Imperial Army. Their propagandists revere you and would be honoured to contribute.
>House Heinrich's vaults. There's no shortage of credits to the ruling dynasty's name, and you are head of the dynasty, after all.
>Tragic. A motley rabble of idealistic fools, misguided by a handful of treacherous demagogues and corrupt politicians.
Portraying them as Tragic is more consistent with our agenda than portraying them as Nuanced, and still pays them respect. I'd rather call them tragically misguided than reasonable and risk creating or maintaining Federalist sympathies.

>>6006105

>Yes, the Imperial Army. Their propagandists revere you and would be honoured to contribute.

Having a singular artistic vision is better than just throwing more money at it (the Hollywood approach).

>House Heinrich's vaults. There's no shortage of credits to the ruling dynasty's name, and you are head of the dynasty, after all.

We can afford it.

>Tragic. A motley rabble of idealistic fools, misguided by a handful of treacherous demagogues and corrupt politicians.

The whole vibe should be "Otto weeps for the necessity of euthanizing these foolish men - think of what could have been achieved had they simply seen the wisdom of the aristocracy?"

>>6006105
>Yes, the Imperial Army. Their propagandists revere you and would be honoured to contribute.
Having some vets from the Imperial Army sounds good.
>House Heinrich's vaults. There's no shortage of credits to the ruling dynasty's name, and you are head of the dynasty, after all.
>Donations by loyal subjects. You'll be working with a shoestring budget, which will hopefully add an air of authenticity.
Good for propaganda.
>Scum. A collection of filth no better than pirates, eager to massacre their fellow man and desecrate the legacy of old Earth.
>Tragic. A motley rabble of idealistic fools, misguided by a handful of treacherous demagogues and corrupt politicians.
A bit of both, depending on the person.

QM

>>6006117
>>6006170
>>6006176
>>6006182
>>6006190
>>6006208
>>6006230
>>6006285
>>6006411
>>6006917
>>6006934
>>6006951
You reach out to the Imperial Army's upper brass and are almost immediately flooded with more volunteers than you can handle. The propagandists pledge their expertise to your vision, arsenals of military hardware is given up for your use, and the few veterans that remain are eager to take any amount of grunt work, let alone interviews. You are the Warmaster and a hero to them all.

They understand the cost of building and keeping an Empire. You are confident that you have the best help you could ask for. The budget comes almost as easily, pulled from the vaults of House Heinrich. It will be enough for your intentions. You want to tell the story of the campaign against the Federation as it was, not create a crass spectacle for mass-consumption. The centerpiece, the Federals themselves, will be cast in a tragic light. Many, even most, were brave and determined to defend their homeworld against overwhelming odds.

They were also entranced by the false promise of egalitarianism and misguided to the point of aiming weapons against old Earth. Tens of millions died for their mistakes in the final siege to take the House of Parliament. Hundreds of millions elsewhere, many, upright and dutiful servants of the throne. You enjoyed the battles, the violence for your dynasty, but you recognize the war as a sad necessity. If not for the conquest of the Federation, billions of innocent commoners would be at the whims of mob rule and utterly directionless. Prey to the true terrors of the galaxy.

You commence holo-filming on Uvarth. There's a sense of tension to it, knowing that your actions now will define your memory for generations to come.

>Roll 1d12+5 to produce a holo-documentary. +2 (Military Backing), +2 (Otto's Reputation [War Hero]), +1 [Imperial Authority]

Anonymous

Rolled 3 + 5 (1d12 + 5)

>>6006963

AAAAAAAAAAAAAA

QM

>>6006976
You pour your heart and soul into the production but you are no auteur. Your inborn knack for conquest doesn't lend itself well to holo-cinema- you stumble into several gnarly pitfalls and besides them, insist on a strictly first-person perspective to convey fast, blow-by-blow pacing in what's supposed to be a five hour holo-film. Fortunately, the military propagandists are able to smooth over the rough spots and convince you to add a few wide, panning shots so the viewer can collect themselves.

The fame you hold as a war hero (and Emperor) doesn't hurt, either, and ensures that its initial release will reach a wide audience. You find yourself satisfied with the documentary, though near the end segment, where you explain your actions and the importance of loyalty to the viewer, you are tempted to do unthinkable.

>Remove your rebreather so they can see the scars beneath. Show the masses the real Otto and the price of victory that must be paid.
>Keep your rebreather on and close things on a high note. As Emperor and Warmaster, you must be the image of invincibility.

Anonymous

>>6006991
>>Keep your rebreather on and close things on a high note. As Emperor and Warmaster, you must be the image of invincibility.

>>6006991
>Remove your rebreather so they can see the scars beneath. Show the masses the real Otto and the price of victory that must be paid.
We aren’t gonna be Emperor soon so may as well, let Ferdinand be a contrast to Otto

>>6006991
>Remove your rebreather so they can see the scars beneath. Show the masses the real Otto and the price of victory that must be paid.

>>6006991
>Keep your rebreather on and close things on a high note. As Emperor and Warmaster, you must be the image of invincibility.

>>6006991

>>Keep your rebreather on and close things on a high note. As Emperor and Warmaster, you must be the image of invincibility.

Unfortunately, an emperor is a symbol, a symbol of strength that simply cannot ever appear as equal to anyone.

>>6006985

More like a natural 3 out of 12 is bad, were it not for the modifiers, it would have been much worse.

Also, by this point 3 generations of Emperor's made films, this is probably becoming a tradition by now.

>>6006991

>Keep your rebreather on and close things on a high note. As Emperor and Warmaster, you must be the image of invincibility.

I think the Empire needs the myth of “Otto the Invincible” more than we need to reveal our human nature

>>6006991
>Remove your rebreather so they can see the scars beneath. Show the masses the real Otto and the price of victory that must be paid.
Let them see Otto the human for once. <s>And maybe prove Jeanne's parting words wrong?</s>

>Remove your rebreather so they can see the scars beneath. Show the masses the real Otto and the price of victory that must be paid.

>>6006991
we should go for both at the same time, kinda of a mixture. showing that victory has a price is important but ideally, the image of invincibility idea must also be kept in the foreground as the conclusion of the work and the whole point of it.
>main message should be that the price of invicibility and endurance is perseverance at all cost and that victory, and growth towards posterity and prosperity has a price

>>6006105
>No do it yourself
>House Heinrich's vaults
>Nuanced
This feels like a personal project the Otto is using to work out some inner issues. A solo project self funded and exploring the enemies he ironically felt the most emotionally connected to feels in character for his arc

>>6006991
>Remove your rebreather so they can see the scars beneath. Show the masses the real Otto and the price of victory that must be paid

>>6006991
>Remove your rebreather so they can see the scars beneath. Show the masses the real Otto and the price of victory that must be paid.
Otto focusing so much on his role as Emperor instead of the truth of being a flesh and blood person has hurt him so far. He needs more balance with his human side.

QM

>>6006995
>>6007000
>>6007008
>>6007026
>>6007042
>>6007128
>>6007135
>>6007137
>>6007142
>>6007147
>>6007152
>>6008015
>>6008082
>>6008764
>>6008899
>>6009014
>>6009123
>>6009190
You choose to keep your rebreather on. You are a symbol of imperial might and cannot, under any circumstance, show weakness to the masses. The mask your father chose for you remains your face to the Empire. Once your body has decayed, only the mask will remain. It is a bitter feeling.

Heavy is the crown.

The holo-documentary is received with great fanfare and subsequent donations turn out enough to break even. It is in the Empire's interest to keep the barrier to receiving propaganda as low as possible, so viewing it is otherwise free. It is a solidly above-average holo-film and makes some waves, but it is only above-average. If not for your own involvement, it would be released and forgotten within the decade. As is, it will be a historical curiosity.

>>6009282
You examine The Ledger with weary eyes. Precious little has changed. The investigation into the tax practices of the Major Houses is ongoing and has yet to yield results. Your son, Ferdinand, has finished working out the details of his kinetics gun and the design is now reaching the Empire. It is something to take pride in.

>The Empire:
>Territory: 8
>Economy: 5
>Military: 6
>Happiness: 5
>Population: 7

>House Heinrich:
>3 jewel worlds, 12 core worlds, 14 frontier worlds
>2 Retinue Fleets
>Crown Corp
>Royal Guard:
>1 Imperial Fleet

Your Head Advisor Igor meets your gaze with a warm understanding.

"You have been a strong Emperor, my liege. The strongest anyone could ask for."

You are ninety years old and nearing the end of your reign.

What should be done?

>Propagandize further. It isn't enough that the campaign of Uvarth be remembered, the rest of your life's story needs to be retold before it is lost.
>Contact the Mukvir. Your father never managed to connect with the weeds, perhaps you could succeed where he failed.
>Focus on eradicating Clan Skullstacker. Bringing the Reaver Clans to heel was the greatest achivement of your reign, but it is not yet done.
>Abdicate the throne. The time has come for your heir to assume the Emperor's burden, and for you to finally leave all of this behind.

Anonymous

>>6009288
>Abdicate the throne. The time has come for your heir to assume the Emperor's burden, and for you to finally leave all of this behind.

>>6009288

>Focus on eradicating Clan Skullstacker. Bringing the Reaver Clans to heel was the greatest achivement of your reign, but it is not yet done.

As tempting as it is to abdicate now, our job is NOT QUITE DONE. And I don't believe that our sons are yet ready to take on the burden of the crown. We can give them just a bit more time...

>>6009288
>Abdicate the throne. The time has come for your heir to assume the Emperor's burden, and for you to finally leave all of this behind.
You were the best Otto now rest

>>6009188
>>6009190
Good, it changed, I can now vote. QM, this is a dead giveaway blatant samefagging. An anon recently outed himself in space monkey quest as voting from multiple non-single post IDs. Either the same guy or someone else with access to multiple stable IPs is samefagging here too and he pulled out all the stops when he saw that the rebreather vote was close.

>>6009318
Of all the things to samefag vote on, the rebreather vote was what he pulled out all the stops on? Wild.

>>6009288
>Abdicate the throne. The time has come for your heir to assume the Emperor's burden, and for you to finally leave all of this behind.

>>6009318
The fuck

>>6009288
>Abdicate the throne. The time has come for your heir to assume the Emperor's burden, and for you to finally leave all of this behind.
>Question Igor if he intends to keep his promise of revealing the secret behind his agelessness.
Otto is 90 and Ferdinand is done with his project, it's time.

Also Igor said he would tell us what's going on with him on his own time, he should be held to that.

>>6009288
>Abdicate the throne. The time has come for your heir to assume the Emperor's burden, and for you to finally leave all of this behind.

>>6006995
>>6007026
>>6007042
>>6007128
>>6007135
>>6007137
>>6007152
>>6008899
>>6009014
>>6009123
>>6009190
Keep the mask, 11 (1 of which is a 1 ID post)

>>6007000
>>6007008
>>6007142
>>6007147
>>6008082
>>6008764
Remove the mask, 6 (1 of which is a 1 post ID)

>>6009318
I may be paranoid about samefagging myself anon, but this is not nearly close enough of a vote to justify it.
I'll have to check out Space Monkey Quest to see what you're talking about there.

>>6009358
You should understand though, it is pretty easy for someone to samefag without getting caught by any one-post ID rule

I could have done this before and established my votes, plural, if I wanted and I am ashamed to admit that I have done this in other quests

>>6009378
Here, three votes real quick (I also have one real ID that I've been using)

>>6009379
I am a former samefag who never got caught, but stopped when I realised how autistic and retarded it is to do this and that it only results in my favourite quests ultimately dying. These 3 IDs could be stable and beyond suspicion if I wanted to.

>>6009188
>>6009190
And I am telling you this is a dead giveaway of someone who just switched IDs and wants to test the waters before voting.

Samefagging anon, I used to be you. You love this quest, you have gotten really attached, you think other people are being retarded and you want to make sure that the right choice, the choice that you want is always made. Please stop this. If you don't like what the majority in a quest are voting for, it is better for you to leave. This only ends up hurting everyone in the long term.

>>>6006335
>>>6006163
>>>6006132
>>>6006398
>>>6006402

After looking through many of the arguments, seems like the vote in question where the anon was accused of being outed came down to whether women should have rights or not. Although there was a brief accusation of 'spitevoting' before this. The anon (or anons, I'm not entirely sure one way or another) accused of multiboxing voted to "Allow female in the Hegemony more social mobility" (hilariously enough, women's rights didn't win. Supreme Monke Quest anons are wild). However the accused multiboxing anon didn't win that vote, although the whole conversation/interaction was weird.
I don't really know what to make of this.

>>6009371
>>6009374
Yeah I can see where you're coming from, and to an extent I agree, but I don't feel this is important enough of a vote to samefag in. And the vote is too weighted on one side (almost being twice as many as the losing vote) to think it's happening.

>>6009378
>>6009379
>>6009382
>>6009385
Bro what? I'm surprised you're admitting to samefagging or even having the capacity for it, even though you're saying you're not doing it anymore (which if true, good on you anon. Thank you for making qst better!)

>>6009288
>Focus on eradicating Clan Skullstacker. Bringing the Reaver Clans to heel was the greatest achivement of your reign, but it is not yet done.

>Have Ferdinand give his gun design to crown corp. Throughly test it then introduce it to the retinue and royal guard. Then push it to the imperial armies. Of course let him oversee everything and be in charge of the new branch of crown corp weapons manufacturing. Ask your dear son. What he is going to make next? Of course give him a share of the profits for his own personal use.

We can then give it to the Rangers and the army too. Money to be made and for our son to gain fame and appreciation of our military forces for a superior combat platform.

>>6009417
There's only 1 good reason to samefag guy's... to make sure your waifu wins. Otherwise you're just.... a degenerate.
(Sarcasm)

>>6002379
This is me BTW. My id changes like once a week idk why.

>>6009417
>I don't feel this is important enough of a vote to samefag
You can't get the mindset if you're not a retarded autist like I am. It's addictive and it grows worse over time. First you push a little to have an important, close vote end in your favour. Then you do it more and more, until you end up samefagging every single vote of the quest or close. You do it because true samefagging requires set up, you need to post and vote a few times to establish an id's credentials before you need to use it to sway a vote. You do it because you are afraid it might be suspicious if important votes always spawn 5 new IDs that vote as a bloc. You do it because you are an autist, getting inordinately attached to things is a core symptom, and you end up getting mad at every vote that doesn't go your way, even the smallest and most inconsequential.

>>6009444
Kek.

>>6009455
Damn, that sounds like an addiction. I sincerely wish that people wouldn't have this mindset and don't want to believe there's at least a small possibility, but I know this is 4chan and I won't put anything beyond anybody.

>>6009460
Yeah, it is. One of my strongest autistic symptoms is the cursed ability to get addicted to anything I like strongly enough. It took me the longest time to realise that this is not true for everyone. I couldn't help it at the time, I was born wrong, this was how my brain worked. Even now, when bitter experience has taught me better and I can recognise the early signs, it can be difficult to overcome the urge. It's like you're a recovering alcoholic but anything you like strongly enough can become your alcohol if you let it.

<s>Samefagging anon, if this was a forum I'd be telling you to pm me from a new account if my descriptions resonate. If I'm right and you think like I did, I'd really like to talk to you, as I'd really like to talk to my younger self if I could.</s>

>Focus on eradicating Clan Skullstacker. Bringing the Reaver Clans to heel was the greatest achivement of your reign, but it is not yet done.

>>6009470
You could always make a new email just for communication. I've posted emails in /co/ before without negative responses.

>>6009470
Although as a fellow autistic person I don't think we are "born wrong." Self hatred like that is not just morally wrong, but counter productive. If you go about life thinking of yourself as a broken toy you will just wind up psychologically torturing yourself for not living up to an impossible standard. It is one thing to have behaviors you don't like and making efforts to change them, it is another to internalize your flaws to that degree. Especially when it is something as inherent as to how your brain works.

>>6009470
Like actually anon, if you want, you can contact me. Tell me what platform works best for you and I can make an account to chat with you (and anyone else who might want to talk).
4chan and other internet sites attract neurodiverse people, which can be comforting, but it can also lead us down rabbitholes that it is hard to crawl out of. Lord knows I did back in the day.
If any autistic people, adhders, borderliners hell narcissists feel like they want a judgement free place to vent I am okay to listen.

>>6009288
>Abdicate the throne. The time has come for your heir to assume the Emperor's burden, and for you to finally leave all of this behind.

The burden of the crown is heavy

It is time to let it go and finally end our fight

>>6009288
>Abdicate the throne. The time has come for your heir to assume the Emperor's burden, and for you to finally leave all of this behind.
>Have Ferdinand give his gun design to crown corp. Throughly test it then introduce it to the retinue and royal guard. Then push it to the imperial armies. Of course let him oversee everything and be in charge of the new branch of crown corp weapons manufacturing. Ask your dear son. What he is going to make next? Of course give him a share of the profits for his own personal use.
One last act before abdicating. I want to get rid of Skullstackers but after everything Otto deserves to abdicate.

QM

>>6009294
>>6009307
>>6009317
>>6009326
>>6009349
>>6009358
>>6009436
>>6009478
>>6009538
>>6010096
The time has come. There's so much that remains to be done, but that work will be your son's. Only one thing is left.

"Igor. At the start of my reign, you promised that you would tell me the truth of your longevity. Now, at the end, I am holding you to your oath."

Your trusted Head Advisor, who advised your grandfather, your father, and yourself throughout their lives, bows his head.

"You truly wish to know, sire?"

You nod. "Yes."

Igor stands slowly, with a hesitancy you've never seen from him. "Then I am honourbound by the throne on Mars to obey. Please, your majesty, forgive me for my duplicity."

Before your eyes, the old man throws back his hood and begins to melt.

>End of Thread #4

It pains me to leave Thread #4 on a cliffhanger but there's many things to cover in the next few updates, so little time remaining before it slides, and so much going on with my life right now, that I cannot do otherwise. I'm going to be busy for the next several days, mostly celebrating my younger brother's graduation from high-school. Thread #5 will be up in another week, give or take a couple of days. I'll shoot for June 1st and post in the /qtg/ thread as well. As always, thank you for participating in Simple Space Empire! You guys are great and always the best part of my day.

>>6009318
I'm concerned about samefagging, too. The only way to address the multi-pronged approach some anons take is to ask everyone to post under a trip but that's also easy to circumvent. Though it worries me and turns this thread even further over to the scourge of egalitarianism, I'm going to go with my gut on votes and ask (You) all to vote normally. There's no fun in samefagging, or voting, if the preferred option always wins.

Anonymous

>>6011908
Thanks for everything QM. See you in a week!

>>6011908

Cliffhangers are based, thanks for all your efforts QM. This quest has been a joy to read

>>6011904
Oh shit Igor is a slime this whole time
>>6011908
Can’t wait for the next one QM, have a good one

>>6011908
Thanks for running QM, probably my favorite quest right now.

>>6011908
Wish your brother and you the best!
Will be waiting warmly.

>>6011908
>As always, thank you for participating in Simple Space Empire!
No, thank you QM for making such a kino quest!

>>6011904
egads he's a nanite construct isn't he

>>6011908
see you soon qm

>>6011908
Hope you the best, QM.
<s>I can't really defend that post I made, it does looks pretty suspicious. To explain I thought about how the choices correlated to the contrast of what anons were discussing about how House Heinrich should act and Jeanne's words. I don't know why I didn't just say that along the vote, or why I didn't vote first instead.
I think I'll mostly just lurk from now on in these threads for the sake of not making more drama.</s>

QM

>>6013590
<s>I actually didn't think that post was samefagging to start with and just put it into the back of my subconscious while tallying the votes, like I do for most similar posts. I thought the same thing, and besides that, make similar posts occasionally myself in other quests. I think anon was overreacting but I'll admit I am a little paranoid there's been some samefagging in the quest in previous threads. Generally, I trust you all and don't worry about samefagging except when I've got a gut feeling telling me it's going on. Don't sweat it man. I'm glad you're all enjoying the quest enough to keep reading it to the end of the fourth thread.</s>

Anonymous

>>6013609
<s>Thank you QM. I agree that samefagging is terrible, and a quest like this one doesn't deserve it. But I don't want there to be drama about it since I know it can be tiring to deal with this sort of thing in threads, I'll try my best to be respectful and I encourage any anons reading to be respectful too, and not to samefag.
Again thank you QM, you've made a quality quest worth reading.</s>