And the rest...
<TheMaster>: Azakael - Why, whatever Ares Conventions are you referring to?
<TheMaster>: Orin - I have no downtime!
<Habeas2>: Amen, brother! Preach it!
<Sarcasmo>: Well played master, well played
<Charlie_Tango>: TheMaster:
Were any of the technologies or weapons (biological or otherwise) used
by the Word of Blake developed by scientists (or the descendants
thereof) kidnapped by Comstar during the various incarnations of
Operation Holy Shroud duirng the Succession Wars era?
<Orin>: TheMaster:
Would things have worked out better if Primus Waterley hadn't made such
a mess by appointing Focht as Precentor Martial - with ComStar
remaining united. Or was ComStar's secular nature inimical to your
goals?
<Azakael_XO_1stInfinityCorps>: You know, the ones that banned the use of WMD and orbital bombardment.
<Orin>: TheMaster: What was your overall aim in pursuing the Jihad. At what point did it become clear that aim could not be achieved?
<Sarcasmo>: TheMaster: Boxers, briefs or aluminum foil?
<TheMaster>: Charlie_Tango - ....Maybe
<TheMaster>: Orin - Secular ComStar was merely the chaff we shed when preparing for the Third Transfer.
<TheMaster>: Azakael - You mean the ones that were suspended and never re-enacted when the First Star league formed?
<TheMaster>: Orin - What makes you think our ends were not acheived?
<Azakael_XO_1stInfinityCorps>: The modern day equivalent of the ancient Terran idea of the Geneva conventions?
<TheMaster>: Sarcasmo - That's a very private and inappropriate question! Habeas2, do they ask YOU stuff like this?
<TheMaster>: Azakael
- No such international law was ever re-enacted since the formation of
the original Star League and the start of the Reunification War. Don't
you read history?
<Habeas2>: Habeas2 - Um... Not to my recollection. Guess you're special.
<Habeas2>: Ahahah! I said that to myself!
<Sarcasmo>: Sorry
<Orin>: TheMaster: You've reached your 90th Birthday. Any thoughts of retirement?
<TheMaster>: No wonder your universe is going to Hades in a knapsack.
<TheMaster>: Orin - Oh, every day, my child. Every. Day.
<Azakael_XO_1stInfinityCorps>: I expect to see him retired the same way he had the Wolf retired...
<Charlie_Tango>: TheMaster: Did you find the relationship between St. Jamais and the madwoman Kali Liao as disgusting as the rest of us did?
<Sarcasmo>: TheMaster: whats the deal between Cameron and Apollyon?
<Terminax>: The Master: So who really founded the Umayyad Caliphate?
<Orin>: TheMaster:
At what point did you start influencing policy - were you active prior
to the split with ComStar, did you help initiate the split with ComStar?
<TheMaster>: Charlie_Tango - Moreso!
<Hersh67>: Wow. There are some things even the Master wouldn't stoop to. Good to know.
<TheMaster>: Sarcasmo - It's a terrible thing when children fight. At least Apollyon understood his duty and when to accept his fate, though!
<JoeChummer>: What exactly IS the Third Transfer, anyway?
<Sarcasmo>: Was Apollyon on Gibson during its...cleansing?
<TheMaster>: Terminax - You know, we never cared to find out once we were sure they weren't Clans.
<TheMaster>: Orin - Longer than you may wish to imagine...
<WolfLancer4>: howdy folks
<Hersh67>: Master, I've got some C-bills on the idea that the Caliphate were part of the not-named.
<Azakael_XO_1stInfinityCorps>: TheMaster:
I'm afraid that my history is a little fuzzy on the lack of reinstament
of the Ares conventions. Could you point me to when they were
suspended? (OOC: I.E. What book was that found in?)
<Klep>: TheMaster: have you always had your vision, or was it something that came to you after joining the Order?
<TheMaster>: JoeChummer - The Third Transfer is upon us, any time now, when a new soverign is recognized as the ruler of Blessed Terra.
<Orin>: TheMaster: At what point did your puppet in the FWL cut his strings?
<TheMaster>: Sarcasmo - yes.
<TheMaster>: WolfLancer4 - Hi there.
<TheMaster>: Hersh67 - All things considered, I'm not really interested in taking you up on your bet.
<Charlie_Tango>: TheMaster:
Were the plans by the pre-schism members of Word of Blake within
Comstar to destroy the Clans underway before they invaded/revealed
themselves to the Inner Sphere?
<Hersh67>: So, Devlin Stone is the third transfer? That's disappointing.
<JoeChummer>: Wasn't Word of Blake the most recent sovereign ruler of Blessed Terra?
<Habeas2>: Azakael
- The recently published Historical: Reunification War is the latest
source to confirm the Ares Conventions were never brought back. Numerous
other sources have pointed this out as well.
<Sarcasmo>: TheMaster: how did you get away from Gibson?
<ColonelSpecter>: what were the first two transfers?
<TheMaster>: Klep - My eyes were opened by the Order, in more ways than one.
<TheMaster>: Orin - What makes you so certain he ever did?
<Terminax>: Well if you don't know what the Umayyads are, then what showed that they weren't Clans...
<TheMaster>: Charlie_Tango - At the time, no. Many within the Order felt the Clans could be manipulated instead.
<TheMaster>: Sarcasmo - I left long before the Regulans showed up.
<Charlie_Tango>: TheMaster:
A number of smaller mercenary bands did not report back to their hiring
halls after their assignments (possibly) working for the Word of Blake
during the pre-Jihad years. Did these forces form the core of the
"enlightened" as Manei Domenii, or even the Word of Blake Militias, and
does that help explain the rapid expansion of Word of Blake forces?
<Azakael_XO_1stInfinityCorps>: Habeas2: Ahh... if I recall, Reunification War is not in dead-tree format yet?
<TheMaster>: Charlie_Tango - Few of those who joined our cause from the mercenary ranks ascended to the status of Domini. They simply lacked the resolve and the strength of character required of my elite.<Orin>: TheMaster: How long have the Domini existed - are they recent, or have they always been with the Inner Sphere?<Hersh67>: Besides, you see one toaster, you've seen them all...<Habeas2>: Azakael - Well, you could look in about any House Handbook, I think. As well as the FM: Mercs, Revised, if you have it...<ColonelSpecter>: TheMaster: How often do you have to change your oil? and what kind do you use?<Klep>: TheMaster: what amount of cybernetic enhancement is required for you to no longer consider someone a frail?<TheMaster>: Orin - The Domini have existed since shortly before the event you call the Schism.<TheMaster>: ColonelSpecter - Did you have a relevant question to ask?<Azakael_XO_1stInfinityCorps>: Habeas2: Funny, I just had that out the other night too...*** AndChat| is now known as xtrahmxwohld<Terminax>: The Master: Did Waterly know of the Domini?<ColonelSpecter>: TheMaster: I'm gonna go with no, I lead with my best, and now I'm using the rest<TheMaster>: Klep - Becoming Domini is more than mere cyberware. Indeed, at least three Domini I am aware of now operate with little to no significant technological augments to speak of. It takes true will and strength of conviction to become Domini, a will so great you will sacrifice your very flesh, your very blood, and your very soul to do what must be done<Orin>: TheMaster: It has been hypothesized that it might be possible to disrupt all HPGs in an area using a blackout technology and that this technology was developed by the Word. If so, why did you not choose to use this during the Jihad. If you are unaware of this technology, would you have used it?<TheMaster>: Orin - There are few greater dangers to mankind than trifling with the essence of hyperspace. Even if such fanciful technologies were developed, the cost to civilization as a whole would be immeasurable.<Orin>: TheMaster: Did you cause the Second Star League to dissolve itself? <ColonelSpecter>: TheMaster: what ever happened to the other special vehicles that were made for the Domini? we only saw the one<TheMaster>: Orin - I already answered that one.<TheMaster>: ColonelSpector - The others were never completed.<Azakael_XO_1stInfinityCorps>: Orin: He claims they didn't.<Sarcasmo>: TheMaster: How many of your units are hiding in the periphery?<Hersh67>: Orin, he said that went against his plan.<Orin>: thanks, I just scrolled back up<ColonelSpecter>: TheMaster: How much of my soul do I have to sell to get a Striga Dominus?<TheMaster>: Sarcasmo - I'll let YOU figure that one!<ColonelSpecter>: TheMaster: or maybe one of those Lams I've heard rumors about?<Orin>: TheMaster: Is the Inner Sphere constrained by a fate, or is its destiny essentially random? Was the course you charted for it guided by revelation - if so what was the genesis of that revelation? <TheMaster>: ColonelSpecter - All of it.<Sarcasmo>: TheMasternce a politician, always a politician...<Sarcasmo>: *Once a ...<Hersh67>: Master, did you approve the idea of using CBR in the Jihad or was that the result of 'creative interpretation' on the part of subordinants?<ColonelSpecter>: TheMaster: whats the wait time on one of those?<TheMaster>: Orin - "Fate" as you call it can be harnessed once you know what you're up against, but changing the momentum of history in radical new ways requires radical new approaches.<Sarcasmo>: TheMaster: Sounds very ...communinist ...<TheMaster>: Hersh67 - CB Radio is an option anyone can try, though we prefer more secure communications frequencies and equipment...<Orin>: TheMaster: Were you inspired to change the momentum of history? What did you foresee that necessitated such a change?<Hersh67>: CBR - Chemical, Biological, Radiological.<Sarcasmo>: Breaker, breaker...<TheMaster>: ColonelSpecter - About as long as it takes us to find you, modify you, re-orient you, and find a ride for you.<ColonelSpecter>: TheMaster: eh, not fast enough, I'll just go find one to steal<TheMaster>: Sarcasmo - Did you prefer the totalitarianism of archaic neo-feudal societies with artificially-imposed mono-culturalism, who believe the best way to salve their leaders' bruised egos was to invade several unsuspecting worlds?<TheMaster>: Hersh67 - The use of weapons of mass destruction in all forms used during the recent conflict were the consequence of inevitable escalations in the total war paradigm your leaders were unleashing. Understand, young one, that the House leaders vowed to show the Clans what a "real war" looked like...<Sarcasmo>: TheMaster: I have always preferred the proletariat throwing off the shackles of the bourgeois and entering into an idyllic paradise where the proletariat own the means of production.<TheMaster>: Hersh67 - ...and in so doing barely restrained themselves when they struck at the Clan homeworld of Huntress. You do not know just how close things could have come to the darkness I have struggled to spare you all from.<Hersh67>: You certainly spared me from being able to go home...<TheMaster>: Sarcasmo - So, you are an optimist!<TheMaster>: How quaint!<Hersh67>: Of course, Kather Steiner-Davion also had a hand in that as well.<TheMaster>: Hersh67 - And your home was...?<Sarcasmo>: TheMaster: You should really talk to my fiancee about that "optimism" bit<Habeas2>: I'm getting meself a beer. Carry on, people!<Hersh67>: Nuts. Don't have my characters history with me in the truck. <TheMaster>: Sarcasmo - Even I know better than to get involveed in domestic affairs.<ColonelSpecter>: TheMaster: Can I ask you for a favor? can you go waste a few of the clan green pigeon worlds before your horrible death?<Sarcasmo>: TheMaster: what would the average persons life be like in a WoB run universe?<Azakael_XO_1stInfinityCorps>: Hersh67: Tell me about it. I barely made it off the rock I called home for the longest time, with a fraction of the assets I had before the WoB decided to go monkey-poo all over it.<Cavalier>: The Master: What did you think of Operation Scorpion at the time?<Hersh67>: Carefull, Colonel Specter. Some of those green pigeon worlds 'were' back home...<Orin>: TheMaster: Given that the dissolution of the Second Star League was a surprise to you, would you have benefited in more time to plan the "Jihad"? Also, what do you call it internally?<TheMaster>: ColonelSpecter - Sorry; no requests<Hersh67>: I want to say my character was from Tharkad, but off hand, I don't really remember.<TheMaster>: Sarcasmo - In a Word of Blake-run universe? Hard to imagine. We never really established a goal of social or governmental domination. The Word's goals, as ever, have been to serve all of humankind.<Charlie_Tango>: Habeas or TheMaster: From the Dark Age material, most of the "northern third" of the the Inner Sphere, i.e. the former Clan Occupation Zones are essentially a vast wasteland, yet we have not seen this level of destruction in the Jihad information released thus far. Are the events that cause this still forthcoming? <TheMaster>: Cavalier - Biggest thought I had on Scorpion at the time was: THAT will never work! Second biggest thought: Glad I didn't tell Mori anything serious!<ColonelSpecter>: TheMaster: do you think that right now is a good time to invest in real estate on Terra?<TheMaster>: Orin - Absolutely we would have benefited from more time. Our forces were not yet ready for the counter-crusade. One more Star League term, with the Free Worlds or the Concordat at the helm, could have made all the difference.<TheMaster>: Charlie_Tango - I have no idea what you're talking about.<Hersh67>: Right now, I'd say you don't want to be in Minneapolis. One heck of a storm going through.<Cavalier>: The Master: Your position must have given you access to many secrets. Did you ever look up the ROM file on the assassination of Hollings York for fun, or look at the video footage of Toyoma's last "interview" with Jerome Blake?<Orin>: TheMaster: Would your crusade been unleashed on the Inner Sphere, the Clans or both if you'd had more time?<TheMaster>: ColonelSpecter - You may want to wait a few seasons to figure out where all the fallout lands first.<TheMaster>: Orin - Would have, could have? Our initial plan was for a focused strike on the source of the darkness we swore to protect mankind from. The House Lords had not earned our ire prior to their great betrayal.<JoeChummer>: TheMaster: Do you know what ROM actually means? According to this 21st century sci-fi novel, it means "Royal Ontario Museum,<JoeChummer>: ... which I've guessing isn't the right acronym
<Orin>: TheMaster: Prior to the "great betrayal" did you foresee the Second Star League enduring, or did you always foresee it collapsing, just not expecting it to do so so quickly?<TheMaster>: JoeChummer - Rho Omicron Mu.<TheMaster>: Orin - The Second League was a sham, but it has the potential to be much more enduring, and much greater than it was. For that it needed a proper catalyst. It needed to finish the job it started.<Habeas2>: Back.<JoeChummer>: That's all Greek to me (no pun intended). Is that meant to signify a triumvirate collaboration of pre-existing ComStar departments?<ColonelSpecter>: TheMaster: what was gonna be the Third Transfer had the Second Star League survived?<Sarcasmo>: Favorite battle/conquest of the Jihad?<Azakael_XO_1stInfinityCorps>: Fall of Terra. Oh, that was for the Master.<TheMaster>: JoeChummer - That was the archaic nomenclature of the division of ComStar operations that security and intelligence would one day entail. It got shortened to ROM soon afterward and the name simply stuck.<Orin>: TheMaster: Would you have been happier staying with ComStar instead of returning to the FWL back in 3031?<TheMaster>: ColonelSpecter - Now that i understand the signs right, had the hypothetical war gone as hypothetically planned, the Third Transfer, hypothetically, would have been when a new Star Lord sat upon the throne on Terra herself.<Cavalier>: Master: What do you think your father Janos would say to you about the Jihad and the way your life has gone?<TheMaster>: Sarcasmo - Hesperus II. Nothing like ending centuries of Steiner arrogance by taking the one world they always felt they would hold!<ColonelSpecter>: TheMaster: Which Immortal Warrior Holovid was your favorite? (we all know everyone watches it, even if you won't admit it))<TheMaster>: Orin - Absolutely, but my return to the League brought about my rebirth, so I cannot wish away something so momentous as that.<Sarcasmo>: Oh yea, Hep2 was a good one. Two bad you couldn't hold it. <TheMaster>: ColonelSpecter - Well, kind of ashamed to admit it, but the Christmas Special. You know, the one the directors would all rather we just forgot?<Orin>: TheMaster: Why not choose to attack the Clans anyway even if the Second Star League failed?<ColonelSpecter>: TheMaster: That was a good one, but I always liked the Halloween Special, even if the zombie mechs were a touch to much<Sarcasmo>: TheMaster: What is your favorite 'mech?<TheMaster>: Orin - Because without the cohesion of the Houses, we could never have been successful. The selfishness of the ruling nobility all but doomed the Inner Sphere. WEe gave them several opportunities to put it right.<TheMaster>: Sarcasmo - BattleMechs are merely tools to an end. Ultimately, one 'Mech is just as good as any other as long as it does its job.<Orin>: TheMaster: Now that we are becoming increasingly aware that some catastrophe has devastated the "home clans", are you tempted to send a force in to finish them off to ensure they never rise again?<ColonelSpecter>: TheMaster: what's your favorite band?<Sarcasmo>: Habeas2: What is the biggest nuke used in the BattleTech setting?<Habeas2>: Sarcasmo - We estimate 50 megatons...<TheMaster>: ColonelSpector - Afroman<Sarcasmo>: Thats it?! The russkies did that in1961! I was hoping for something REALLY big!!!<Habeas2>: Oh! 5 minutes left guys<ColonelSpecter>: TheMaster: hmm I always thought it would be some kind of death metal<SLDF_Gunslinger>: Late as always...<Hersh67>: Herb, who did you get to be 'The Master'??<Habeas2>: Sarcasmo - The "russkies" also learned that they were wasting explosive force that way; it was determined that maximum destruction was instead attainable only through MIRV delivery, putting about 7 nukes at a target, rather than just one.<Orin>: Herb: How far out have you planned sourcebooks - Ben mentioned something on his blog about plans that seem to extend many years out<ColonelSpecter>: TheMaster: One last question before you go, which clan would you kill if you had the power to kill anyone of them?
<Sarcasmo>: Yea, but I mean the cool factor of a coupe hundred megaton bomb dropped somewhere<Azakael_XO_1stInfinityCorps>: Hersh67: Thomas Marik from what I'm told.<Orin>: TheMaster: If you could sum up the goal of the Jihad in a simple sentence, would it be something like "To Unite The Inner Sphere Against A Common Enemy" or something vastly different?<TheMaster>: ColonelSpecter - Nah. Death metal has no appeal to me. Can't understand the words. Sounds like they're just going to rip a vocal chord in the singing. All that rapid-fire beat with no real tempo... That's not art.<Hersh67>: No, I mean who is it on the other end of the computer?<Habeas2>: Sarcasmo - When we wanted that kind of destruction in one shot, we just dropped big rocks at about 20% c<ColonelSpecter>: TheMaster: well Techno would have been a close second, it's all machine made, kinda like you<TheMaster>: Orin - That's horrendously over-simplified, but if you can only digest it that way, have at it.<Sarcasmo>: that's no fun...<Habeas2>: Hersh67 - WHo do YOU think it is?<Orin>: I don't think its Jason because there hasn't been much swearing<Hersh67>: Not sure. I've seen that kinda of writing style, just can't place it.<TheMaster>: ColonelSpecter - I'm not "all machine made". Come now; you're being almost racist here.<JoeChummer>: Hersh67: I just assumed it was Herb in a second browser window...<Sarcasmo>: Orin: that's funny right there...<TheMaster>: Habeas2 - Jason who?<ColonelSpecter>: TheMaster: I'm ok with that as long as I don't cross the line<Habeas2>: TheMaster - Judging by the "swearing" remark, I'm going with Schmetzer. BattleCorps guy.<TheMaster>: Habeas2 - Oh.<TheMaster>: Habeas2 - Wait. Didn't you fire him?<Sarcasmo>: oh snap...<Habeas2>: TheMaster - No. That was someone else.<Hersh67>: So who is the Master today?<Global>: moo.slashnet.org will be rebooting at 8:40pm PDT (approximately 6 minutes from now). If you are connected to moo, you will be disconnected at that time. The downtime is expected to be very brief. Sorry for the inconvenience.<Orin>: Who ever he is, he deserves a clap <SLDF_Gunslinger>: Are we going to see any Star League Era TRO Supplementals or will we only be getting 'new' units in Historical: Operation Liberation and XTRO: Gunslingers?<Habeas2>: Hersh67 - Y'know, I think I'll let the mystery linger....<Hersh67>: Yep. Nice job of being the Shadowy Figure behind the Meyhem.<TheMaster>: Hmmm. I just got a warning that I'm getting kicked off in 6 minutes here, so it's just as well.<ColonelSpecter>: I'm gonna guess Joel BC, just a wild guess<Sarcasmo>: Thanks Mr.Beas and The Master!<ScottSR>: Oh great master, are those crazy clanners about to receive an additional briefing on their ridiculous "upgrades" in XTRO":Clans anytime soon? Our MML's and Snub-PPC's will surely destroy them!<Habeas2>: SLDF_Gunslinger - Maybe.<TheMaster>: ScottSR - Um, that sounds like a Habeas2 question<SLDF_Gunslinger>: Fair enough.<ColonelSpecter>: So TheMaster, which clan is your most hated?<TheMaster>: ColonelSpecter - Which ones are still alive?<ColonelSpecter>: I have no idea these days, I don't keep up with them<Habeas2>: ScottSR - The Clan XTR is actually bound to come out soon, so I guess they'll get updated when it goes live.<TheMaster>: ColonelSpecter - Well, those ones, then.<ColonelSpecter>: good answer, I like the way you think<Hersh67>: Master, we won't know until the Wars of Reaving come out...<TheMaster>: Hersh67 - Sounds like a personal problem, then<Hersh67>: Careful. I'll have to have my cats contact your cats. Something can be worked out...<ScottSR>: Are there plans to make a separate record sheet product for historical: reunification war? Would it, like RS: Klondike, contain additional units?<ColonelSpecter>: I'll have to join up when ever you come back into power after Delvin kicks your ass<TheMaster>: Hersh67 - I don't have any cats.<Hersh67>: Herb does.<TheMaster>: I thought you were talking to me?<Habeas2>: ScottSR - Yes<Hersh67>: You don't have any cats, I don't have any toasters.