SD.Net World Redux Comment Thread III

[phongn]

As a note, how does everyone know that I test-fired a device? I've made no press announcements or claims on the matter, and my test site was way the hell away from everyone.

[Coiler]

A Shepistani submarine noticed the test, and the knowledge that it happened sort of spread out from there on.

[PeZook]

As a note, how does everyone know that I test-fired a device? I've made no press announcements or claims on the matter, and my test site was way the hell away from everyone.

Because we bought the information from you, you filthy money grubbing bastards

[phongn]

Because we bought the information from you, you filthy money grubbing bastards

A Shepistani submarine noticed the test, and the knowledge that it happened sort of spread out from there on.

Shep thinks it's from me. He doesn't really have hard proof.

[Lonestar]

As a note, how does everyone know that I test-fired a device?

A Wizard did it.

[Raj Ahten]

Also, take note: Karic and his men aren't comically incompetent Misterian commandoes who somehow manage not to kill any AIP officers despite preparing for an assault for weeks.

Karic has some trained killers with him, and while he may not be the smartest person (or the best leader) on Earth, he's ruthless and has nothing to lose.

Try googling "Magdalenka Incident" if you want to see how even completely outnumbered trained opponents are fucking dangerous, even for SWAT officers.

Yeah, it did seem a bit odd that the Misterian's were that bad at defending the house. Maybe they were all bribed or something.

BTW: Seigetank, you are not having us have genicide in progress are you? Things were going so well in Frequesue (for the last week at least ! )

Well I've also put a wrinbkle in Sibika as well. The old continent will not be the only place with terrorist problems! (Anyways, that war can't be settled without some sort of problem coming up.)

[Sea Skimmer]

As a note, how does everyone know that I test-fired a device? I've made no press announcements or claims on the matter, and my test site was way the hell away from everyone.

You should have done a very deep underground test if you wanted secrecy, then it would have been difficult to determine if it really was a nuke because no one power even has a worldwide network of seismic sensors required to do a proper detection job. It could just have been a small earthquake, particularly if you set it off near a known fault zone. The North Koreans made the mistake of testing well away from the faults in their own country... but then they didn't care about secrecy one bit so it was most likely deliberate.

As it is with an airburst test radioactivity partials will circle the southern half of the globe for months, and would have been detected by regular detailed air sampling flights conducted by Japanistani RU-25 High Soar (modified TR-1, which is a renamed U-2… which is exactly how the US detected numerous real life nuclear tests) reconnaissance aircraft or my JCE-76 Howl Ears SIGINT planes, which also have a basic integral air sampling capability. In the case of Howl Ears the air sampling pod doesn’t record the location samples are found, but if its sample was found with any radioactive or biological warfare gaents a High Soar would be dispatched to fly the same route with the full scale sampling package.

High Soars sampling package also collects industrial chemicals as well as the various radioactive gases emitted by reprocessing, and they sometimes fly rather…. Close to other nations territory in an attempt to figure out what new compounds are being worked on and what local industry might be doing.

I dont know what other people might be doing, Japanistan would not share this information with anyone, for now anyway, but thats how I know. Once the initial detection is made, a large degree of backtracking can be made to localize the test area. I declared strategic recon planes for a reason, they work so much better then satellites for so many purposes.

[phongn]

There was some deliberate incompetence built-in to the test. It pretty much ensured that many nations would shortly know someone had a test device, but not necessarily who.

Also, do people really think the IRT would sell nuclear weapons on the world market?

[Setzer]

It would be in character, no one can deny that.

[Fingolfin_Noldor]

There was some deliberate incompetence built-in to the test. It pretty much ensured that many nations would shortly know someone had a test device, but not necessarily who.

Also, do people really think the IRT would sell nuclear weapons on the world market?

Well... N. Korea and Pakistan were pretty entrepreneurial with their nuclear secrets...

[Master_Baerne]

Well I've also put a wrinbkle in Sibika as well. The old continent will not be the only place with terrorist problems! (Anyways, that war can't be settled without some sort of problem coming up.)

Such people frustrate me, and I look forward to their inevitable defeat. I do recommend that we not go about invading countries out of anger at groups of their citizens acting independently of the nation as a whole, but short of that, I'm quite willing to to whatever is necessary.

[Raj Ahten]

Well I've also put a wrinbkle in Sibika as well. The old continent will not be the only place with terrorist problems! (Anyways, that war can't be settled without some sort of problem coming up.)

Such people frustrate me, and I look forward to their inevitable defeat. I do recommend that we not go about invading countries out of anger at groups of their citizens acting independently of the nation as a whole, but short of that, I'm quite willing to to whatever is necessary.

I'm sure we can work out all sorts of fun activities for our intel people to participate in. .

[CmdrWilkens]

As a note, how does everyone know that I test-fired a device? I've made no press announcements or claims on the matter, and my test site was way the hell away from everyone.

I have one SubRon dedicated to watching suspicious traffic and the military grade signals plus night departure was enough for me to detach a vessel? So I don't know how everyone else got it but the MESS got it from me. Maybe I have a spy in my midst...time for some good ol' fashion housecleaning.

[phongn]

I have one SubRon dedicated to watching suspicious traffic and the military grade signals plus night departure was enough for me to detach a vessel? So I don't know how everyone else got it but the MESS got it from me. Maybe I have a spy in my midst...time for some good ol' fashion housecleaning.

Well, I'd be checking for nearby submarines as well before the test, but that's reasonable. I just wanted to know how (OOC, of course) people suddenly jumped to the conclusion it was me. As for my nuclear program, it's fairly well compartmentalized...

[Steve]

Um, I believe it's Sabika, not Sibika.

And this ultranationalist group would reasonably go looking for outside help, to nations perhaps interested in getting their own foothold in Frequesue, which Sabikan revanchists would be willing to become if it meant revenge.

Their problem shouldn't just be having the resources of the FTO thrown against them, but having to deal with their own government and the portions of their population afflicted with war weariness or benefiting from foreign aid. Not to mention that whole concept of Coiilerburg having a ceremony to ritually apologize for that regime's actions that could deflate a few sails.

The "Sons of Sabika" lashing out at the FTO so early could in fact lead to an early defeat. They've yet to show effort in making progress in converting their fellow Sabikans into revanchists, not always an easy feat especially when considering time and a return to routine cooling passions, so to them the group looks more like dangerous radicals, warmongers, and terrorists than freedom fighters.

Also, Pollux, why would a man who's never been to Misteria before have a close friend in the new government? Annabelle is the one who should have such contacts, she was a diplomat who served in Misteria.

[RogueIce]

Um, I believe it's Sabika, not Sibika.

And this ultranationalist group would reasonably go looking for outside help, to nations perhaps interested in getting their own foothold in Frequesue, which Sabikan revanchists would be willing to become if it meant revenge.

On that note if they want to dick with the FTO they could also attack one of the Great Powers with an established presence there: me, Tian Xia/Tian Jao or the CSR.

As that whole Tian Jiao/AFSR thing showed, the FTO can be rendered seemingly impotent if a Great Power really decides to throw their weight around down there. Bonus points for them if they somehow make them think it was an FTO nation...more likely if the existance and goals of this group aren't released to the rest of us (you could do so for me as an observer and I make sure to filter it if you want). Showing us there is such an anti-FTO group makes damage control later easier than trying to say "It was them, even though you had no way of knowing they existed and for all you know we made them up later!"

So yeah, might want to keep us in on the loop on this one. At least a little bit.

As to their strategy, if they go down that road, the obvious one is the CSR. The Shinra Republic is less likely to go in there unilaterally, having signed the Neutrality Treaty and generally trying to work with the FTO. Tian Xia likewise (I think) will be signing the treaty, making them less likely to go beyond Tian Jiao's borders. The CSR, on the other hand...well we all know that Comrade Stansilav is in favor of the "massive retaliation" strategy.

So if these Sons of Sabika/Sibika go after any Crimson citizens or military personnel in the AFSR...that would be a good way to really fuck up the FTO, even if it's mostly another case of showing them to be impotent. Or better yet (from their perspective) if the FTO actually wars with the CSR and gets bloodied. Which there's a good chance they might.

[K. A. Pital]

So if these Sons of Sabika/Sibika go after any Crimson citizens or military personnel in the AFSR...

There's only my Navy personnel, mostly. But if they do kill someone, I won't be taking long to hammer it into their heads. My carrier group complete with an air wing still resides in Livorno.

[Steve]

I don't think the SoS would fail to be noticed on the international stage, at least not by intel agencies and the like. The Sabikan government would consider them a grave threat given their sensitivity over the peace treaty.

And I guess it's time to post the Neutrality Treaty.

[MKSheppard]

I love the "biological agent detection pen" that Yenchin came up with.

It's so full of shit that it's brown.

It took a major concerted effort by the US and NATO countries etc to get a biological agent detection system that could fit into a relatively large trailer; and we're to believe that Byzantium, etc have managed to produce a multi-agent detection system that fits into a relatively large pen?



At best, it can only look for one type of agent, and has a ludicrously high rate of false positives.

Realistically, the best way of finding out if your guys have been hit with BW is when they start throwing their guts up...

EDIT: looking at the interview with the author of it; he says "The BioPen is a patented technology. DARPA has not responded to-date"

Yeah; because DARPA knows their homework and knows that it's utter bullshit.

[Shroom Man 777]

Hey, Prime Minister Shroom should visit King Paul personally too!

[PeZook]

Hey, Prime Minister Shroom should visit King Paul personally too!

Sure, go ahead We're all friends at the JSC!

...though Brandon thought I was dead, apparently. I need to have a chat with my foreign minister

[Shroom Man 777]

Unreal time, mang.

Will this be the first time Paul's seen other world leaders ever since the attack, BTW?

[Siege]

Also, take note: Karic and his men aren't comically incompetent Misterian commandoes who somehow manage not to kill any AIP officers despite preparing for an assault for weeks.

First of all, the AIP officers who do the breaking and entering are not just any cops, they are elite counter-terrorism and hostage rescue units. They're also the people who on a daily basis break up hostage crises, bank robberies, gang wars and other conflicts among San Dorado's ridiculously heavily armed populace (we take 'right to bear arms' to some pretty silly extremes). You also probably noticed how they're equipped with APCs and other mil-spec gear. These guys are pretty much special forces themselves, they're some of the foremost experts in urban- and close quarters combat in the world, and they came in with overwhelming force (dozens of Judge Dredd-style hardcases versus twenty commandoes dispersed through an entire mansion is no challenge at all).

BTW: Seigetank, you are not having us have genicide in progress are you? Things were going so well in Frequesue (for the last week at least)!

No, no genocide. That wouldn't be profitable. To quote some Dylan, 'now you're positive something's happening/but you don't know what it is'... Let's just say it's got to do with megacorporations trying to dick each other over.

PS: As for the Sons of Sabika, I'm sure we have some counter-insurgency experts ready to deal with those upstarts. I'd expect the FTO to be quite good at that sort of thing, considering we're sitting on a continent where a multitude of low-level conflicts have been simmering for decades. I'd also find it odd if they were to target Great Powers - why ever would they do that? It's not like they've got anything to do with the Sabikan defeat...

PPS: Steve, you can consider San Dorado as on board and having signed the treaty.

[Steve]

Some people are deciding the Sabikan revanchists will try some Machiavellian schemes to provoke foreign powers into getting involved, either against Sabika and thus further undermining the FTO, or by tricking them into thinking that FTO groups are responsible.

[PeZook]

First of all, the AIP officers who do the breaking and entering are not just any cops, they are elite counter-terrorism and hostage rescue units. They're also the people who on a daily basis break up hostage crises, bank robberies, gang wars and other conflicts among San Dorado's ridiculously heavily armed populace (we take 'right to bear arms' to some pretty silly extremes). You also probably noticed how they're equipped with APCs and other mil-spec gear. These guys are pretty much special forces themselves, they're some of the foremost experts in urban- and close quarters combat in the world, and they came in with overwhelming force (dozens of Judge Dredd-style hardcases versus twenty commandoes dispersed through an entire mansion is no challenge at all).

Yes, I know they are special forces. However, the way it was done was exactly what the Misterians should have been expecting, and since in San Dorado you can buy anything you want, they'd arm and plan accordingly.

In Magdalenka, there were a grand total of two (yes, TWO) gangsters, one of whom was former Spetznaz, versus something like fifty counter terrorists. The house was smaller, too - and yet it took two hours, 17 wounded and 1 dead cop to kill only one of those two, while the other blew himself up. This is why I think those Misterians were comically incompetent

Trained and competent opponents who know how to handle defence of a fixed object and have access to explosives and expertise in using them will always be dangerous, no matter how well armed your people are, yet you took them all down with contemptous ease. Hence, Misterian commandoes are a bunch of incompetents