A New Dawn (XCOM/Mass Effect)

[isaacssv552]

News Update: 2050

Baby Boom in Eastern Europe:
Eastern Europe is finally experiencing a recovery after over a decade of war. The economy isn't the only thing recovering, maternity clothes are back in style. The region has experienced a dramatic up-tick in births over the last four years. The average number of children for couples of childbearing age has risen from a mere 1.2 to just under 3.7. This marks the area's first net increase in population since the war.

Peace in Africa:
An armistice has been signed between France and the Independent Nations Treaty Organization. The peace left both sides disappointed with neither making significant concessions. INTO had hoped to liberate France's African territories while France had hoped to repay their humiliation in the Battle of Tunisia. Commentators speculate that France was motivated to seek a prompt resolution by widespread rioting. The riots, which began early last year, have troubled most of the Western European governments. They began in protest of high casualties and the government's failure to fulfill promises of a quick victory. However, they quickly spiraled out of control after clashes between protesters and counter-protesters turned violent.

Russian Army Become Condottieri:
The Russian economy, strained by years of costly warfare, is nearing collapse. The government has been forced to rent its armed forces to highest bidder in an attempt to pay the bills, and perhaps even fund a recovery. The Russian President initially approached the French, but the armistice forced him to find employment elsewhere. An agreement was eventually reached with the People's Republic of China, which has been struggling with Japan and fighting internal dissent since the War's conclusion.

Sino-Japanese War Escalates:
The 3rd Sino-Japanese has reached new levels of intensity after a long lull in the fighting. The Chinese politburo, previously occupied with internal strife, has turned its attention to the island nation. In what is believed to be an attempt at rallying patriotic sentiment, the Chinese contracted the Russian military for an attempted invasion of Japan. Initial operations were successful and led to a swift occupation of the Korean peninsula. Preparations for a seaborne invasion of the home islands were also promising. While the Chinese were incapable of facing the Japanese in open battle, Japan's dwindling fuel reserves left them vulnerable. However, plans for an invasion were foiled when Japan secured a new source of fuel imports in America. The politburo has responded by escalating attempts to bomb Japanese ports.

Australia Forms Coalition:
Fears of involvement in the 3rd Sino-Japanese war reach new heights in Oceania. Negotiations for a coalition including Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, and Malaysia have been ongoing for over 7 years. They were finally concluded last month in startling change of affairs. Many have attributed the rapid progress to recent Chinese escalation. Many Australian public commentators have argued for protection not only from China, but also from an increasingly desperate Japan.

Revolution in India:
Rising tensions in India erupted into open revolution this month. The rebellion may have been sparked by recent leaks in the highest levels of government. The leaks revealed a controversial plan to enlist British aid for involuntary resettlement of refugees in South Africa. The rebels have seized control of several key regions and engaged the government in open warfare. Reports of desertions and defections within the India military are unconfirmed.
The international reaction to India has been poor. The conflict has already spread into neighboring Bangladesh and Nepal, prompting Myanmar to fortify their border. The British claim ignorance of the resettlement programs involuntary. When asked for comment, the India government stated "The government has total confidence in the military and the people of India. Order will be restored and the public will see these malcontents for the traitors they are."

 

[isaacssv552]

News Update: 2055

China Does Not Renew Mercenary Contract:
The Chinese have, despite persistent financial difficulty, successfully paid their obligations to the Russian military. They have not, however, elected to renew their contract with the Russians. The politburo have publicly announced their disappointment with the Russians' failure to secure a swift victory over Japan. Many, however, suspect financial considerations behind the decision.
The Japanese military is quick to take advantage of the diminished Chinese forces. They launch a renewed offensive in hopes of crippling China's capacity for strikes against the Home Islands. Japanese drones achieve substantial success against Chinese airstrips and the Japanese navy pursues Chinese submarines as far north as the Arctic circle. However, these gains come at a cost. The Japanese economy, already straining under the burden of a two decade war, is unable to sustain the increased pace of operations. The offensive is brought to an abrupt and premature end before a lasting victory can be secured.

Brazil Annexed by Argentina, Peru Breaks Alliance:
The former nation of Brazil was annexed by Argentina earlier this year. The troubled Brazilian republic has struggled with corruption and civil unrest for decades. An Argentinian intervention in 2045 led many to decry a 'puppet government', but failed to resolve the crisis. Recently, the Brazilian government and economy entered a deepened crisis simultaneous to a significant upsurge in Argentina's economy. Argentina was quick to take advantage of their increasingly dominant position. The Brazilian military, known for holding greater loyalty to Argentina than its own nation, staged a coup. Argentina responded immediately, 'liberating' and annexing Brazil. Notably, the coup's chief architects 'escaped' to luxury villas in Argentina while many lower ranking members of Brazil's former military assumed influential positions administering martial law in occupied territories. Less fortunate members of the Brazilian military were killed in tragic 'friendly fire' incidents.
Peru, a longstanding Argentinian ally, was greatly alarmed by these happenings. The Peruvian ambassador went beyond strongly worded condemnation to formally break his nation's alliance with Argentina. Argentinian president Barnabas Perez has condemned the action, and the nation of Peru, as cowardly and traitorous.

United Kingdom Forms Coalition, Intervenes In Indian Civil War:
Nations across Southeast Asia grew increasingly alarmed this year as the Indian civil war began spilling into not just Bangladesh, but Myanmar. Fearing that they would be the next affected, the region's reaction was swift. They accepted longstanding United Kingdom proposals for an interventionist coalition. The Indian crisis had concerned the British from the outset; the loss of their Indian alliance was a serious blow to their foreign policy. With the support of the local nations now secured, they have finally begun an intervention. British and Southeast Asian troops have already rescued the Bangladeshi government and are now preparing for a wider intervention.

French Establish Colonies Near Ghawar Oil Field:
The French citizenry have recently reacquired their appetite for foreign adventure. In the wake of the disastrous Franco-African war it seemed that France's people were permanently estranged from colonial ventures. However, the vivacious rebound of their economy, fueled by Algerian oil, has rapidly reversed popular sentiment. There is renewed support for further expeditions in pursuit of national treasure. As a result, the French government has sponsored the development of colonies in former Qatar and Bahrain. The ventures appear to be going well, and the colonists hope to begin exploiting the nearby Ghawar oil field in the near future. Radiation levels have proven manageable, and incursions by local nomads were easily repulsed by the French military.

Central Africa Experiences Economic Renaissance:
The CAU, their finances exhausted by the Franco-African war, have suffered numerous and divers economic woes. The African economy was weak before the invasion, and never fully recovered from the destruction. Although the CAU made significant strides in improving the economy, the French offense rapidly reversed their gains. This has exacerbated their struggle to service their extensive war-debts, which came to occupy a significant portion of the national budget. Recently, however, this has changed.
The Central African economy has recently begun a veritable renaissance. Decades of effort have finally paid off as once stagnant markets begin to thrive. The government has already seen great budgetary benefits, even increasing military spending for the first time since the war. The recovery was further aided by a surge of cheap American electronics. The imports have benefited a number of industries which previously found electronics impractically expensive.

 

[isaacssv552]

Third Sino-Japanese War, 2057, Phase 1:

It has been almost three decades since mutual conflict with North Korea sparked the Third Sino-Japanese War. In the intervening years the flames of war have burnt down to embers, flared into fiery conflagration, and diminished to ardent ashes. The combatants are akin to a pair of wearied giants, their fire and fury spent in titanic struggle.

The Chinese began the war with the larger population, the larger army, the larger navy, and the larger economy. However, the conflict ignited a powder-keg of revolution, and the troops intended to subjugate Japan were instead turned upon their countrymen. After decades of internal conflict and a final, ineffectual, offensive against the Japanese, the Politburo have relinquished control of the interior and much of the South. The PRC is now little more than a rump state stubbornly clinging to the legitimacy provided by fighting the Japanese.

The Japanese have not faced civil unrest, but the decades long war has brought domestic struggle nonetheless. Their already low birthrate has plummeted as the war economy languishes in an extended depression. Advanced robotic technology has helped compensate for low population, but the limitations are keenly felt. Nevertheless, Japan has recently solidified both naval and air superiority, opening the possibility of a final victory. However, they lack sufficient land forces to overcome the remnants of the Chinese military.

With your intervention, the wearied stalemate will be broken. The Japanese have provided you with an overview of their military situation and estimates of the Chinese forces. Fortunately, the Chinese do not pose a nuclear threat. Most of their arsenal, including the entire land based portion, was expended against the Ethereals. The remainder, consisting primarily of a handful of surviving nuclear submarines, was destroyed by the Japanese navy early in the war. Most of the more modern elements of the Chinese military have been similarly depleted; the greatest remaining threat are their millions of infantry and tens of thousands of IFVs. Fortunately, most of these assets are of very low quality. The IFVs in particular are no Bradleys; they consist primarily of civilian trucks with machine guns welded on.

The US military has made a substantial quantity of naval and aerial assets available for deployment. The Navy is able to provide both carrier groups, a number of cruisers and destroyers pulled from patrol, escort, and anti-piracy operations, and a dozen nuclear attack subs. The Air Force requests to keep 25% of the F-1s in reserve for domestic defense, but the rest of the air fleet is available for deployment. Unfortunately, neither the Army nor the Marines have sufficient personnel to attempt an invasion of China. Some consideration was given to a token deployment, but Japan lacks a traditional military to embed the troops within.

Spoiler: Map

Spoiler: Projected Chinese Forces

Navy:
1 Heavy Cruiser (CA, Angelus Mortis)
20 Frigates (FF, Trained)
50 Corvettes (C, Trained)
? Nuclear Attack Submarine (SS, ?)
Army:
1,000,000 Infantry (Veteran)
5,500,000 Conscripts (Militia)
100 Main Battle Tanks (Elite)
100,000 Infantry Fighting Vehicles (Militia)
2,000 Mobile Howitzers (Veteran)
Air Force:
120 Fighters
12 Heavy Bombers

Spoiler: Japanese Forces

Navy:
3 Escort Carriers (CVE, Elite)
4 Battlecruisers (CC, Elite)
13 Light Cruisers (CL, Elite)
97 Destroyers (DD, Elite)
Army:
500,000 Light Infantry Vehicles (LIV, Veteran)
15,000 Ground Attack Helicopters (Veteran)
100 Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles (Nuclear)
Air Force:
1127 Fighters (Veteran)
134 Light Bombers (Veteran)
27 Torpedo Bombers (Veteran)

Spoiler: Available American Forces

Navy:
2 Supercarriers (CV, Elite)
6 Heavy Cruisers (CA, Elite)
30 Light Cruisers (CL, Elite)
100 Destroyers (DD, Elite)
12 Nuclear Attack Submarines (SS, Elite)
Air Force:
3000 F-1 'Templar' Multi-Role Fighters
300 A-2 'Eagle' Ground Attack Fighters
400 B-0 'Raider' Light Bomber
150 B-1 'Bastion' Heavy Bomber

How large is the initial deployment?
[X] Everything We Can Spare

Spoiler: Deployed Forces

Navy:
2 Supercarriers (CV, Elite)
6 Heavy Cruisers (CA, Elite)
30 Light Cruisers (CL, Elite)
100 Destroyers (DD, Elite)
12 Nuclear Attack Submarines (SS, Elite)
Air Force:
3000 F-1 'Templar' Multi-Role Fighters
300 A-2 'Eagle' Ground Attack Fighters
400 B-0 'Raider' Light Bomber
150 B-1 'Bastion' Heavy Bomber

[X] Large

Spoiler: Deployed Forces

Navy:
2 Supercarriers (CV, Elite)
3 Heavy Cruisers (CA, Elite)
20 Light Cruisers (CL, Elite)
80 Destroyers (DD, Elite)
10 Nuclear Attack Submarines (SS, Elite)
Air Force:
2000 F-1 'Templar' Multi-Role Fighters
200 A-2 'Eagle' Ground Attack Fighters
200 B-0 'Raider' Light Bomber
100 B-1 'Bastion' Heavy Bomber

[X] Small

Spoiler: Deployed Forces

Navy:
1 Supercarrier (CV, Elite)
2 Heavy Cruisers (CA, Elite)
10 Light Cruisers (CL, Elite)
60 Destroyers (DD, Elite)
6 Nuclear Attack Submarines (SS, Elite)
Air Force:
1000 F-1 'Templar' Multi-Role Fighters
100 A-2 'Eagle' Ground Attack Fighters
100 B-0 'Raider' Light Bomber
50 B-1 'Bastion' Heavy Bomber

[X] Write-In:

How is the army transported?
[X] By Sea
The easiest way to transport an army across the Pacific is, unsurprisingly, naval transport. The latest model of nuclear fueled transports have extraordinary cargo capacities and almost unlimited range, allowing two-way trips without refueling. While the missing Chinese subs pose a potential threat, the Pacific Fleet will be available to provide security. However, the relatively slow nature of naval transport will afford the enemy more time to prepare themselves for out arrival.
Bonus: (Cost: Major, Logistics: Major)

[X] By Air
The United States once 'hopped' their way along a series of islands to reach Japan. Now, over a century later, some of the same island bases provide our Air Force with the ability to 'hop' their way from Hawaii to Kyushu. Aerial transportation would be faster and less vulnerable to interception than a series of naval convoys, but high fuel costs and limited cargo capacity may lead to logistical shortfalls and budgetary overruns. The speed of aerial transport may even allow the vanguard to attack before the Chinese realize their war has gained another participant.
Bonus: (Initiative: Minor), Penalty (Cost: Major)

[X] By Space
The burgeoning orbital freight industry presents a promising opportunity. The intervention force could be transported via the orbitals, negating any risk of Chinese interception. The inexpensive hydrogen fuel consumed by the orbital craft will keep costs low, while the immense size and power of the torch engines will allow rapid insertions of large quantities of freight. Perhaps most importantly, the Chinese are not expecting an orbital invasion. Such an operation would be almost guaranteed to catch them by surprise. Unfortunately, it will mean alerting potential competitors of our space program's true extent. Knowledge that the Americans have orbital military transport is likely to spread quickly.
Bonus: (Cost: Minor, Logistics: Minor, Initiative: Major)

 

[isaacssv552]

By the way, voting was already done in the old SV thread.

 

[Adventwolf]

So we are back up to where we were right before the Thread ended on SV.

 

[isaacssv552]

So we are back up to where we were right before the Thread ended on SV.

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Pretty much. I'm waiting to post it all on SB because I've got a 30 second post delay there, which makes it tedious. I'm waiting to hear back from the mods on it.

 

[Thorgon]

any timeline on getting espionage actions? cause id like to be able to steal the french infantry tech

 

[Adventwolf]

any timeline on getting espionage actions? cause id like to be able to steal the french infantry tech

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We can get it from the CAU. And like we said before getting spies into any country is next to impossible.

 

[Thorgon]

We can get it from the CAU. And like we said before getting spies into any country is next to impossible.

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aren't they still using conventional weapons?

also ssi will probably make espionage a fair bit easier

 

[Coker]

Look I can understand wanting to stand up for free speech but

2. Ceterumcenseo Meccaessedelendam.

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Seriously was that part needed.

 

[Adventwolf]

aren't they still using conventional weapons?

also ssi will probably make espionage a fair bit easier

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They acquired all of the French weapons when they ended their war. And have had close to a decade to study them. They have them by now because the French version was a mass-productions models that are much easier to ues and make.

Also no the SSI will not because we still have no assets in any other nations and we can not plant any assets.

 

[Thorgon]

ssi will let us intercept otherwise secure communications we can sic some cryptoanalysts on them and figure out what they are saying and if w are lucky it'l contain technical details

also is there anyway to change QQ's color scheme?

 

[Adventwolf]

ssi will let us intercept otherwise secure communications we can sic some cryptoanalysts on them and figure out what they are saying and if w are lucky it'l contain technical details

also is there anyway to change QQ's color scheme?

Click to shrink...

That would be possible if they were sending signals that could be picked up from the sats. They are not no one else us using sats. We are the only nation that has anything in orbit. The rest of the world only rebuilt their own internal systems that are closed off from the rest of the world. There is no internet, there is no global community, no contact outside of the trading fleets or any large scale signal sources. The rest of the world uses local signals and Hardline connections because that is what they have left.

As for changing on the bottom there is a option for style. The one that says light responsive opens up the options for different styles.

 

[Thorgon]

As for changing on the bottom there is a option for style. The one that says light responsive opens up the options for different styles.

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thank you

 

[isaacssv552]

Look I can understand wanting to stand up for free speech but

Seriously was that part needed.

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I was taunting Squishy, so yes. It was clear from his posts that the phrase got to him, so it fit my point of "I'll say whatever I damn well please, even if it angers the mods." (I was planning to post in my quests that I was leaving SV after reading the announcement, so I figured the inevitable infraction points were pointless.) Given that he gave me an immediate, unappealable ban I would say it worked even better than expected. (The guy who posted it originally was only suspended, despite posting it repeatedly.)

 

[isaacssv552]

ssi will let us intercept otherwise secure communications we can sic some cryptoanalysts on them and figure out what they are saying and if w are lucky it'l contain technical details

also is there anyway to change QQ's color scheme?

Click to shrink...

SSI will make espionage a possibility, but you'll still need to complete an action chain to unlock an espionage slot. You won't be able to just pull military secrets off the non-existent internet, but you will be able to monitor radio/cell signals for info on foreign populations. Perhaps most significantly, if you can insert a spy into a foreign country, SSI makes it much easier for them to send info back to America. Without SSI they'd have to contact American merchants and physically hand them the data, which is a lot harder than just uploading it to a secret satellite.

 

[Rui Pascoal]

I can't wait for more, I wanna start uniting the world before we leave the solar system hopefully.
Hell, after uniting the world we can be called United States of Humanity... I'm horrible with names, sorry.


Edit: fixed some spelling mistakes.

 

[Adventwolf]

I can't wait for more, I wanna start uniting the world before we leave the solar system hopefully.
Hell, after uniting the world we can be called United Stares of Humanity... in horrible with names, sorry.

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We aren't trying to unite the world. We are the only ones that have access to space and we are decades ahead of everyone in that field. We are close to deploying space military forces as well. The only people that are coming with us are those allies we like. The rest of the world doesn't want to leave Earth or will be quarantined on Earth.

 

[Rui Pascoal]

We aren't trying to unite the world. We are the only ones that have access to space and we are decades ahead of everyone in that field. We are close to deploying space military forces as well. The only people that are coming with us are those allies we like. The rest of the world doesn't want to leave Earth or will be quarantined on Earth.

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But uniting the world would be so nice... plus when we meet the citadel council we can honestly say we represent all of humanity and not just say we represent the spacefaring humans.

Also if we ever went to war in space, we could have possible enemies in our homeworld waiting to attack us with alien help.

 

[Adventwolf]

But uniting the world would be so nice... plus when we meet the citadel council we can honestly say we represent all of humanity and not just say we represent the spacefaring humans.

Also if we ever went to war in space, we could have possible enemies in our homeworld waiting to attack us with alien help.

Click to shrink...

Not really it is not worth the hassle to try. Also, no the one on Earth are a minor annoyance at best most of our industry and population is going to be off Earth. We are Humanity whoever we leave on earth is going to be a very small percent of Humanity and even in canon none of the Governments represented all of their species at all.

 

[Thorgon]

SSI will make espionage a possibility, but you'll still need to complete an action chain to unlock an espionage slot. You won't be able to just pull military secrets off the non-existent internet, but you will be able to monitor radio/cell signals for info on foreign populations. Perhaps most significantly, if you can insert a spy into a foreign country, SSI makes it much easier for them to send info back to America. Without SSI they'd have to contact American merchants and physically hand them the data, which is a lot harder than just uploading it to a secret satellite.

Click to shrink...

if we go to war with a country that has techs that we don't have and we win do we get those techs?

 

[Adventwolf]

if we go to war with a country that has techs that we don't have and we win do we get those techs?

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No. We might be able to acquire samples that make the research and cost easier. But unless the treaty makes it so the losing side has to give us the technology in full we still need to do it ourselves.

 

[Thorgon]

No. We might be able to acquire samples that make the research and cost easier. But unless the treaty makes it so the losing side has to give us the technology in full we still need to do it ourselves.

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given our military power we could do that easily

 

[Atlas]

No. We might be able to acquire samples that make the research and cost easier. But unless the treaty makes it so the losing side has to give us the technology in full we still need to do it ourselves.

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If we're at war can't we just kidnap the enemy scientists?

 

[Thorgon]

If we're at war can't we just kidnap the enemy scientists?

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assuming we find them and don't accidentally kill them

 

[Atlas]

Yeah I can see this might be difficult if the weapon of choice is nuclear fire

 

[Adventwolf]

Yeah I can see this might be difficult if the weapon of choice is nuclear fire

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Not nuclear fire Pure Fusion power. No fallout at all and we can scale it to whatever level we want.

 

[Atlas]

Still destructive as hell
And if the scientist know anything useful they will be protected by military ergo valid targets ergo bomb to the face

But I think this won't be necessary in the near future. For now there's only China which doesn't have cutting edge tech, I think

 

[Adventwolf]

Still destructive as hell
And if the scientist know anything useful they will be protected by military ergo valid targets ergo bomb to the face

But I think this won't be necessary in the near future. For now there's only China which doesn't have cutting edge tech, I think

Click to shrink...

Not really we can scale it to the size of a small rocket or grenade.

They don't they regressed actually. Also we have no intention of fighting wars on Earth. We are only fighting this one to get Japan to like us better, get Australia to calm down because the war is over, and as a show of major force to the rest of the world to tell them to back off if they were thinking of doing something. The only other possible war we might get into is one with France because we are going for a Military Alliance with the CAU soon enough. We are better research, more money/resources, more research slots, and a higher CoS for everything. Plus we can trade and buy from our allies as well.

 

[Atlas]

Not really we can scale it to the size of a small rocket or grenade.

They don't they regressed actually. Also we have no intention of fighting wars on Earth. We are only fighting this one to get Japan to like us better, get Australia to calm down because the war is over, and as a show of major force to the rest of the world to tell them to back off if they were thinking of doing something. The only other possible war we might get into is one with France because we are going for a Military Alliance with the CAU soon enough. We are better research, more money/resources, more research slots, and a higher CoS for everything. Plus we can trade and buy from our allies as well.

Click to shrink...

I concede my point good sir