A Little Talk

[Godular]

Nyet.

[Kanuckistan]

Whatever is decided upon, it is my opinion an outside threat will cause the desired effect long before any internal threat would.

But it is an outside threat. Just one that can bypass your outter defences and strike right at the gooey center.

It comes from outside, and threatens everyone, but the first shots of conflict are fired in your streets.



And I still think that 'A wizard did it' is the best way to wave away their method of bypassing uber-security. Leave it undefined and ICly boggle at / fear the unknown holes in your defences.

[Abh]

Besides, I'm sure there has to be somebody around here that doesn't have uber-security wrapped around their nation tighter than a bug in a rug.

Agreeing with Kanuck here.

[Megas]

Besides, I'm sure there has to be somebody around here that doesn't have uber-security wrapped around their nation tighter than a bug in a rug.

Agreeing with Kanuck here.

*gestures to self*

I've been advocating that method since about midway through tihs discussion.

[New Dornalia]

Besides, I'm sure there has to be somebody around here that doesn't have uber-security wrapped around their nation tighter than a bug in a rug.

Agreeing with Kanuck here.

Thirding Kanuck's post, seconding Abh and Megas' posts.

[Sskiss]

The "super gene stealer" angle is rather improbable. Even if you mimiked the target species physical form (as in visual), will you also smell and sound like the target species? How about language, customs and traditions? Will the gene stealers automatically know those too?

All in all, seems rather unlikely. As a matter of fact I had one guy on NS some time who wanted to infiltrate a number of races, nations etc. including my own and my reply was to him "good luck"....

[Balrogga]

The Genestealer concept will not work against Ta'Nar/Childer (being energy entities) and trying to gain any genetic material from a Kython is suicide and best not considered viable because the sample would convert the subject through infection. That reason alone would make us being shuffled to support to any nations that were inflicted with the Genestealer Meanance. Toss in Psionics and it makes it diffacult to not notice the blank being (assuming they are protected from mind intrusion) that is pretending to be a citizen.

By the way, my comment about outside threat was dirrected towards the terrorist plotline discussed briefly. The same mental gestault we possess would most likely detect the presence of the terrorist.

Also, an outside threat would have to be handled from a multi-national response and if it were big enough (like the horde suggested) it might require we ALL work together. The threat needs to be greater than our current dislikes and mistrusts. That is a lot, I believe.

[Kanuckistan]

Toss in Psionics and it makes it diffacult to not notice the blank being (assuming they are protected from mind intrusion) that is pretending to be a citizen.

By the way, my comment about outside threat was dirrected towards the terrorist plotline discussed briefly. The same mental gestault we possess would most likely detect the presence of the terrorist.

So we give them the ability to, now and then, somehow spoof detection methods by unknown means; a combination of mimicry, and the Somebody Else's Problem Effect - sure, there might be discrepancies that you should be able to detect, but you just don't really notice them.

Say they have an anonymous benefactor with a hidden agenda if needed - great way of limiting access to that ability to plot needs, and allows us yo wave off any chance of ICly recovering the tech.


Also, portals on an undefined nature may be useful in facilitating infiltration, especially if you want to move combat elements of any decent size into the more surveillance-heavy nations.

Also, an outside threat would have to be handled from a multi-national response and if it were big enough (like the horde suggested) it might require we ALL work together. The threat needs to be greater than our current dislikes and mistrusts. That is a lot, I believe.

Indeed. Infiltration just adds a lesser used aspect of RP to the scheme, as well as heightening the sense of threat - you can't hide behind your fleets and defences, because they're already in your cities.

[Central Facehuggeria]

Indeed. Infiltration just adds a lesser used aspect of RP to the scheme, as well as heightening the sense of threat - you can't hide behind your fleets and defences, because they're already in your cities.

Why have infiltration at all, then? Just have the enemy teleport ground forces right onto your planets, penetrating whatever FTLi you have in place. All the threat of infiltration and more, without any messy internal security issues. I rather like that idea.

...And it's not because I plan to do something similar involving a Facehuggerian ripoff of an ACU.

[Kanuckistan]

Why have infiltration at all, then? Just have the enemy teleport ground forces right onto your planets, penetrating whatever FTLi you have in place. All the threat of infiltration and more, without any messy internal security issues. I rather like that idea.

Infiltration opens it's own RP possibilities, and the ability for the enemy to undermine your military/industrial/government infastructure and command and control systems, as well as diplomatic channels - imagine the commander of an allied fleet being orded, in the middle of a battle, to open fire on your forces because you've supposedly declared war and attacked them, and to ignore any lies you may tell them to the contrary.

Or your flagship blowing up during an important battle because a very carefully defective part/software was installed during a refit six months ago.

Or your forces deploying to the wrong area because a decimal was moved in their deployment orders, and somehow nobody's noticed, or inquiories were rerouted/etc.

It leaves you facing an enemy that can Seriously Mess You UP in ways that'll leave your leaders wondering how the hell you're supposed to fight the bastards when tightening security has utterly no effect.



But there is an elegance to the simple invasion; having something like Hell spill over into our worlds would probally be better than an ACU, tho; something portal based would make the identifying, locating, and eventual capture of an active gate(which should be subtly employed) important events - something we could jointly sink our teeth into, allowing us to take the fight to the enemy; first a few infiltration attempts, gather information, followed by full on attacks which have to be fast enough to stop the gates from closing - blowing the bridge, if you will. Let the invaders succeed a few times, ocasionally traping our forces on the other side, most are wiped out in a hopeless last stand, but some might manage to escape and evade until a sucessful invasion can be mounted - good for creating potential I R BADASS characters.