The Culture Explores 40K III: Just As Planned

[jseah]

Congrats on the invite. However, I don't think I have the time to maintain much more than just the chapter list especially if it involves re-writing.
You'll all prefer new chapters than rewritten old ones right? =P

In general, the IoM Navy isn't really able to make new Battleships and Grand Cruisers (there are exceptions, of course). Unless something is very, very, very strategic and worth it to risk ancient ships, one is most likely to find Armageddon Battlecruisers and (ideally) Overlord Battlecruisers. It's definitely possible to up-armor, say, an Overlord, at the cost of speed to make it function more like a pocket battleship. Again, it's not impossible that they have an ACTUAL Battleship, but it is a bit more unlikely.. And yea, you can stat out an Overlord to be realllyyy well gunned and quite well protected, to be a Fleet Flagship!

Edited. Its a battlecruiser now.

[etesp]

I've now got three invites, so people who want to work on this won't need to wait in the queue. Just PM me if you want one.

@jseah: Yea, you focusing on new chapters makes sense, but it seems like you as the author should have access and be able to tweak things if you want.

[jseah]

part 11.5 Orks

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The IoM fleet assumed a wall formation and set a vector to approach the Ork-held planet. This prompted the Orks currently at the beginning stages of a fleet training exercise to maneuver to close with the IoM fleet.

Ork ships were split into two groups of roughly equal size due to the exercise.

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IoM Overlord Class Battlecruiser
The fleet commander was in a foul mood and if even the captain of this ship did not dare approach him, a lowly CIC officer like Jayce would stand no chance at all.

Tactical requested an update on the Ork ships and Jayce sent the best IDs he had. Ork ships all looked nearly the same, that being a floating pile of space junk. Tentatively, he had managed to pick out all manners of weapon and reactor signatures, trying to guess which ship had torpedoes by matching energy weapon mounts to reactor sources.
What the insane ship designer had thought when he decided to put ten fighter-class laser cannons around the lumbering Ork cruiser #3 was far beyond what Jayce could even guess. That much was expected of the Orks.

What was not expected was the way their ships held formation. Jayce had lived through one Ork battle already and the greenskins' were impatient and reckless, charging into battle without any semblance of strategy.

These Orks... weren't. Their ships moved in a rough pack, not as well ordered as the Emperor's fleet was of course, but organized.

"Tactical," he said, getting the officer's attention, "I'm not quite sure what I'm seeing here. These Orks aren't normal. "

"Explain. "

"They're... I dunno how to say it. They're acting weird," Jayce couldn't quite described it but a better word suggested itself, "un-orky. "

"It's their formation? Yeah, I thought so. I'll pass on your thoughts. "

Jayce winced as his superior sent up the warning, leaving the channel open was probably for his benefit. If the commander didn't like it, Jayce would be catching the flak for the poorly thought out warning.

The IoM fleet was arrayed in a defensive wall formation. Carriers in the center, surrounded by the flagship and cruisers, with escorts at the edges. The IoM wall was facing the Ork formation face on (approaching the planet side on) to receive any charging ships down the center where they would be ripped to pieces by massed firepower.

Instead of receiving the charge of ork ships arriving piecemeal, the IoM fleet was slowly approaching the planet with the closest Ork formation hanging outside fighter range to the side.
The other Ork formation was chasing the IoM fleet from behind. If the two fleets managed to merge, that would bring the Orks to near parity with the IoM fleet and heavy losses would be certain.

Jayce nodded with grim satisfaction as orders began to go around, Comms just across the corridor was going crazy as they relayed their messages in frantic hurry, struggling to keep the fleet in formation.

The IoM fleet in his plot adjusted into attack mode over the course of the next thirty minutes. A shallow cone pointing away from the Ork formation with the flagship in the center and carriers out the back. A short engine burn later, ship facings were adjusted to point broadsides towards the center of the cone.
They would now coast towards the near Ork formation and reach there nearly an hour before the second Ork formation could reach them. With 2:1 forces, the IoM fleet would achieve an easy victory defeating the Orks in detail. It was their move now.

Jayce breathed a sigh of relief. He had heard stories of incompetent flag officers that got their entire fleet destroyed. But it seemed this guy at least knew what he was doing.

-------------------------------------------

The SC agent looked at the clanking hissing Big Mek in front of him. The Ork flagship was just like any other cruiser sized vessel at his own insistence, but he had had to let them at least paint it red.

"It will work? Even first time use?"

"Yes!" the more iron than green ork grunted, "'course. "

The agent eyed him, the ork returned his stare with its own, then clapped him on the back, "Good man! Get on with it!" Trying to talk like an Ork had just gotten him strange looks.

As the Ork ran off to the new object of interest, the SC agent frowned and wondered if it would really work. But he was gambling here in any case.

The IoM fleet got within torpedo range and a huge salvo of mini-engines lit up the screen. The Ork fleet's response was pitiful compared to that, since not even he could force the Orks to mount many torpedos.

The Orks on the bridge shouted something incomprehensible and the glare of detonating warheads began to herald the opening phases of the battle.

-------------------------------------------

"Torpedoes incoming!" Jayce shouted up to Tactical, "four inbound to us!"

"On it," was the only reply. Point defence intercepted three and the last one thinned the void shield a little.

Jayce rocked in his seat with the impact but it was just a small bump. He peered at the displays and flagged signatures that the sensor crews brought up for his attention.

"By the Emperor!" he said, optimism rising like a expanding bubble, "50% hit rate! We're seeing reactor failures and engine flares all across the board! One frigate completely destroyed!"

He continued rattling off the explosion count, there seemed to be a new one every few seconds as the ramshackle Ork fleet began to disintegrate under the bombardment.
A few seconds later, the Admiral came on the fleet-wide voice net, "Well done, sailors of the Holy Empire, you have fought well this day. All ships, close with the enemy and may the Emperor guide your hand. "

The IoM fleet dashed forward to take advantage of the Ork fleet's disarray. Jayce nodded with thanks at the Techpriest who was attempting to appease the machine spirit's anger that was causing some interference in the displays.

Come to think of it, the interference wasn't there just now. While it wasn't unheard of for equipment to fail mid-battle, it was distinctly unlikely. He might as well follow it up.
Some changed settings and a shorter distance later, he managed to get a few clear visuals on the lead Ork cruiser. Flagging a strange domed weapon turret for attention, he frowned at the reactor flare signature. The EM sensor did have the pattern of an unstable plasma core but the ship was barely even damaged from what he saw.

Jayce turned on another ship, gathering piecemeal reports from the sensors, trying to make sense of the blur. That and the strange ship appearance nagged at something in his fleet training.

Jamming? But Orks... Could the Orks even use jamming? No one had ever seen them do that. Jayce thumbed the countermeasure button, why not give it a try? It wasn't as if the ECCM giving away their position could matter less.

The blur disappeared as the active Lidar array bounced phased light off the Ork ships. That was even stranger. The visual seemed to indicate only a few impacts across the group of three cruisers but hardly enough to cause reactor and engine flares that he was seeing in the passive radar.

Then the front most IoM ship, Sword class frigate, the Reverent, blew up out of nowhere. Jayce glanced at the sensor flags. Macrocannon, as expected from Orks, but in one massive salvo. But how? The four Ork frigates near it were supposed to be having engine and power failures!

Another frigate on the other side of the IoM fleet (in knife-fighting range of the nearest Ork frigate) suddenly swerved out of formation, ignoring orders. No messages were coming from it either, not even IFF codes.
What in the Emperor's name was that? Some kind of energy beam by his sensors, but not nearly powerful enough to damage even a fighter's shields. So what was going on?! All he knew it was some kind of new Ork weapon, a short-ranged one that targeted some unknown weakness.

Short-range devastating new weapon, electronic warfare, decoy flares. A split fleet in a pincer-like geometry. A cold stone materialized in his stomach in tandem with the situation materializing in his head with crystal clarity. Jayce grabbed the comms to Tactical and practically shouted into it.

"IT'S A TRAP!"

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The SC agent snorted as the IoM went for his throat, barrelling down on the 'crippled' Ork ships as the Orks held their fire. Six fleet maneuvers and they could already resist the temptation to shoot! Albeit at gunpoint from his Enforcers.

"Stop the electronic flares! Full power to weapons! All ships, break formation and engage at will!" he shouted to the bridge and the Orks cheered.

The fully operational and practically undamaged Ork fleet broke formation and spiralled away to engage every target in range, the electronic flares that were powered by the might of a plasma reactor no longer sucking their copious energy to mimic random plasma leaks.

"You there, with the communicator!" he pointed at the Ork boy, "tell the other fleet this. 'You get your ass here now or there won't be any left for you!' "

The Ork grinned and sent it on. Moments later, the lagging Ork fleet boosted up from half engine power and began to close rapidly. Well, that was it then. Time for the fun!

He waved to the waiting Boyz. His Boyz. Well, it wouldn't hurt to try that Ork speak thing again. "To the teleporta!" he shouted, waving his sword. The Orks cheered again and stomped their way there.

The Big Mek tapped him on the shoulder just before he left the bridge, with a rueful look.

"'s tellyporta, 'boss. "

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The Culture
Ork ship loss is approximately 60%, but two cruisers and one frigate was outright captured with the battlecruiser, a carrier and another six more frigates seized with medium to heavy damage.
Of the IoM fleet, only two carriers, three frigates and one cruiser escaped.

We think that the electronic intrusion devices synergizes well with the Ork tendency for boarding actions. Used in close range with conventional weaponry, it is devastatingly effective. Orkish electronic warfare devices also performed beyond expectations, revealing a new capability we were unaware of.

Despite these advantages, heavy Ork ship losses were mainly due to the close numerical parity and the fact that the Ork forces were not disciplined enough to fully leverage their advantage. Given the rapid progress of fleet drills and maneuvers, we expect this problem to be mitigated, although not completely resolved.

Sure, give me one then!

---------------------

Bait and switch!

Classic trap is classic. >.>

[Talieth]

Hi,

I have been lurking on this (these) thread(s) since its beginning and I find this story highly enjoyable.

In order to read it on a tablet at home, I compiled all the parts (I have been doing that since the first thread) in an more reader-friendly format and have put it on my site for an easier access. I thought I could share this with you.

I you don't mind jseah, I plan to update this version each time you post a new part.

[jseah]

Sure, go ahead! Feel free to make adjustments too.

[etesp]

Hi,

I have been lurking on this (these) thread(s) since its beginning and I find this story highly enjoyable.

In order to read it on a tablet at home, I compiled all the parts (I have been doing that since the first thread) in an more reader-friendly format and have put it on my site for an easier access. I thought I could share this with you.

I you don't mind jseah, I plan to update this version each time you post a new part.

Would you like to work with me and jseah on AO3, a site designed for fanfiction? I've got a couple of spare invites. It'll be much easier for others to find (because people search for fanfiction there anyway), much more stable than a free webhost, has tons of cool features (custom CSS, authors notes, tagging system), and jseah/me/other interested users will be able to apply updates as well. The work you've done collecting it up will make it vastly easier to bring everything to AO3, and I'm happy to do that part, since you're probably not keen to do loads of copy/pasting again for a while. Doing this would save duplication of effort.

[Gavinfoxx]

I double checked, and IoM does have the capability of making torpedoes that can track and change directions effectively... but that tends to be quite rare. Only the Tau seem to put that sort of thing on EVERY torpedo their ships launch.


"The blur disappeared as the active Lidar array bounced phased light off the Ork ships."

Most people in the IoM wouldn't know what is going on with this. Many techpriests in charge of maintaining and repairing the thing wouldn't. Some would, of course... but those would mostly be higher ranked Mechanicus folk.

[jseah]

I double checked, and IoM does have the capability of making torpedoes that can track and change directions effectively... but that tends to be quite rare. Only the Tau seem to put that sort of thing on EVERY torpedo their ships launch.


"The blur disappeared as the active Lidar array bounced phased light off the Ork ships."

Most people in the IoM wouldn't know what is going on with this. Many techpriests in charge of maintaining and repairing the thing wouldn't. Some would, of course... but those would mostly be higher ranked Mechanicus folk.

The explanation is more for the reader than whether Jayce knows how the thing works. I prefer it if my fictional devices running on plot at least have made up plausible explanations. >.>

Still, I have no idea how IoM ships are organized on the inside, so I just made it up again. Hope I didn't make them too (in)competent. CIC -> Tactical -> Captain -> Fleet Command

[Gavinfoxx]

As long as you make it seem like some historic human military somewhere, you're fine... that's what everything ELSE is overtly modeled on, you know?

[jseah]

part 11.5 Orks

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Week 2
The Orks have bounced back from their heavy losses surprisingly quickly. The looted IoM ships are forming the core of a new fleet and the warboss is reorganizing the fleet around the better armoured and better weapon-ed ships of the IoM.

Albeit after some rebuilding, the re-designed IoM ships look and operate nothing like IoM ships, but the base quality is certainly better than the Orkish ones.

The warboss has announced that the Ork Waagh will now be targeting Chaos as a whole and thus he will be slowly making his way towards the Eye. He has told us that anything presenting resistance to the Waagh will be crushed.
While it is certain that we can stop it if we wish to, he is clearly referring to the IoM. As the Waagh is aimed at Chaos, this GCU plans to follow them as far as it is safe to do so; perhaps we may be able to mitigate their destructive tendencies on the IoM.

Week 3
The still rebuilding fleet of Orks have sent out a series of ships to nearby Ork worlds to request for aid in the Waagh against Chaos. The plan is to form two fleets, one for training new arrivals in wargames, the other to actually do battle. Given that the warboss is measuring communications lags in detail, it seems that he plans to actually leave a trail of fleets and Ork worlds behind his advance.

Word of the IoM defeat has got out and a larger fleet is being assembled by the Ordo Xenos in order to attack the Orks again. We have attempted to use our inquisition contacts to inform them that the Ork Waagh in this system is aimed at Chaos but they appear either unwilling or powerless to stop this response.

Perhaps the Orks will get more 'practice'. While we are willing to shield IoM populations, their military forces will keep trying.

=D And this is why the SC agent went over to the more 'direct' route. Not one for dancing around with neutrality and necessary force is he.

[The Glyphstone]

"Necessary Force" can be found in the Orkish dictionary directly following "Enuff Dakka".

[Gavinfoxx]

As a list of things that don't exist? IE, you can never have enough dakka; there isn't ever necessary force, because that would imply that too much force is possible, which it isn't?

[Forrestfire]

Well, if you have enuff dakka, then any force is necessary, right?

I think that orks may view the term "necessary force" as "it's necessary to always use force"

[The Glyphstone]

Well, if you have enuff dakka, then any force is necessary, right?

I think that orks may view the term "necessary force" as "it's necessary to always use force"

Exactly. So it's either redundant or impossible, since there is no such thing as unncessary (or excessive) force.

[Forrestfire]

So, according to the new Dark Angels codex, The Lion (their primarch) is healed and ready for battle in the Rock. The Rock itself is currently moving towards Cadia to counter the 13th Black Crusade, and Azrael is gathering the DA successor chapters to aid them.

I wonder if an Imperium primarch surfacing would have any bearing on the Culture's activities, and how the high command of the imperium itself would take the return of a primarch to muck up their rule. Depending on how idealistic Jseah's version of the 40k verse is, we may have the possibility of 10,000 marines defecting, or at least starting a civil war.

[Gavinfoxx]

I could see the right Primarch defecting to The Culture... bringing his Astartes with him. If they see this as the only -- or perhaps, best -- way of saving Humanity? And perhaps the best way of redeeming/killing all of the original of their chapter that secretly fell to Chaos? If The Culture could track and capture Cypher... whew. Though they would likely only ally openly if the Lords of Terra label the Dark Angels and their successor chapters Excommunicate Traitoris, in order to, you know, prevent a Primarch from taking their power... Also, the 10,000 thing, it's unknown exactly how many Successor Chapters keep close ties with them or not!

[jseah]

The Culture may not like that though. An IoM civil war would cause mass death just as easily as a major Chaos attack.

But perhaps I have set far too high a bar (perfect victory with no mega-deaths? In 40k? Without forcibly taking over everyone? *laughs*), so they may be open to persuasion if an argument can be made that the goal is impossible. Which I suspect it probably is.

[Gavinfoxx]

Also, hasn't the 13th black crusade happened, since we are in M42 at this point?



And honestly, I like to see The Culture inching towards greater understanding of the various different parts of the setting... Have they got enough ships in the Tau area of space to find the Ordo Xenos base yet? :)

[Talieth]

Would you like to work with me and jseah on AO3, a site designed for fanfiction? I've got a couple of spare invites. It'll be much easier for others to find (because people search for fanfiction there anyway), much more stable than a free webhost, has tons of cool features (custom CSS, authors notes, tagging system), and jseah/me/other interested users will be able to apply updates as well. The work you've done collecting it up will make it vastly easier to bring everything to AO3, and I'm happy to do that part, since you're probably not keen to do loads of copy/pasting again for a while. Doing this would save duplication of effort.

Sure, send me an invitation if you still have some.

[jseah]

About the inquisitor base, are you referring to Talassa Prime? Remind me again, what's on it apart from being a Deathwatch base?

Probably IoM-version of information on xenos and so on. Does the IoM know of the webway? Necron stuff? Does the base have xeno-tech/here-tech of interest?

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With respect to Cadia:

Given that the IoM's hold on Cadia is one of the major stumbling blocks in Chaos's path, there are two things I have just thought of for the Culture to do with it.

1. When the SC agent/warboss gets to the Eye, they'll want him to not blow up Cadia, and the Culture can't be there since its very not-safe (and that a Culture ship that close will attract Chaos attacks the likes of which were never before seen)
--- How to get the IoM to let an Ork warhost past peacefully (with fleet train and all), and possibly follow-on Waaghs, is beyond me.

2. The Culture could help the IoM defend Cadia. Not directly since you can't put Culture ships there, but logistically. It may be enough motivation for the Culture to let its presence be generally known in the IoM, so they can directly negotiate with the Forge/Hive Worlds supplying Cadia. Negotiate in terms of building stuff for the IoM or just providing raw materials/food/water.
--- Surely the IoM aren't _that_ dumb that they would refuse even raw materials from xenos who are very understandably concerned about Chaos?
--- I am intending this to be basically a no-strings-attached offer. The Culture just provides whatever they can to help the IoM beef up Cadia's defense.


It's not just the Orks who can strike against Chaos. The IoM can as well, and who knows, if the Culture help them build a big enough fleet that they can counter-attack more often, they just might.

[Gavinfoxx]

About the inquisitor base, are you referring to Talassa Prime? Remind me again, what's on it apart from being a Deathwatch base?

Probably IoM-version of information on xenos and so on. Does the IoM know of the webway? Necron stuff? Does the base have xeno-tech/here-tech of interest?

Not A Deathwatch base. THE Deathwatch Base. And also a huuuuuuge Ordo Xenos Base and repository of knowledge. And a nearby (small) Mechanicus base where they reverse engineer Xenostech of all sorts for Deathwatch. And this place probably has 10,000 years worth of Xenostech from hundreds of exterminated xenos races. Including WAY more information gained from Psykers.. And the IoM know about the Webway (several novels have Inquisitors going in it, in one way or another, generally escorted by Eldar), Necron stuff, and tons of other races besides. Remember how this would probably be the place of all the compiled interpretation of thousands of years of analysis on Orks and any other Xenos race, especially stuff that is only allowed to exist in ONE copy on this base, being too...yaknow... heretical for anyone other than Ordos Xenos Inquisitors and the Deathwatch to know about? Basically, if they scan all of Talassa Prime and Konor (the small mechanicus outpost that the Ordo Xenos / Ultramar presumably keep under their thumb), they will have a huuuuuuuge amount of context about... really every Xenos race in the galaxy. Ork language, the other other sorts of Eldar (Harlequins, Crone worlds, Corsair Eldar, maybe even the Black Library!), the whole possible links with Orks and the Old Ones, Ork DNA recording technological information, lots of data on Necrons... damn near everything that the Imperium can even remotely be presumed to have even a bit of data and a few best guesses on... hell, they probably don't even know what they know, and probably have hundreds or thousands (tens of thousands?) of xenos artifacts that are in vaults, which they don't really understand, which may use some sort of weird physics, and which may or may not have something to do with Chaos or the Warp... and it'd also likely give The Culture a clue as to which minor races tend to have more psykers in them...

[Gavinfoxx]

As far as Cadia and the people who could trick people well enough to let/get an Ork fleet past Cadia... you know there is a Craftworld near the Eye of Terror. One that is particularly good at tricking people and manipulating people and such? You might have heard of it? It's called Uthwé...

[jseah]

As far as Cadia and the people who could trick people well enough to let/get an Ork fleet past Cadia... you know there is a Craftworld near the Eye of Terror. One that is particularly good at tricking people and manipulating people and such? You might have heard of it? It's called Uthwé...

That's just a bit problematic right now. Since you know, Ulthwe and the Culture aren't seeing eye to eye quite just now. (although Ulthwe is so far just providing future-sight support to Alaitoc)

[Selrahc]

If we're in M42, Cadia is down as an effective gateway. It's a major battleground, the Imperium has lost effective control both of the surface and orbit. Chaos can enter and leave the Eye *almost* freely. (Although there is a constant influx of Imperium ships preventing them from consolidating their hold, and a powerful resistance movement on planet, so it isn't quite plain sailing).

If it is before M42, then the Orks can just do what Abaddon always did. Take a gigantic force. Sacrfice 5-10% of it on distracting the orbital patrollers, then waltz past.

The "Rogue Operative" probably isn't immune to reason. Just send in one of his friends to talk to him. Unless he was a real loner, there are probably a whole bunch of people still in the culture who are on friendly terms with him. Probably sending him messages of support and info on what is going on. Recruit a likely one of them to SC, explain the mission, then send them in to parlay.

[jseah]

Single crusades aren't really what the SC agent is aiming for. He's aiming to get Ork worlds to support his push, then to force a beachhead in the Eye. He doesn't aim to destroy Chaos in one swoop, instead he's going to try to hold territory in the Eye with the outside Ork worlds sending continuous support.

At a certain level, he also hopes that success in doing this will make the Culture start taking direct action. My thinking is that they still won't even with that (the Eye is dangerous).

[jseah]

part 11.5 Tau

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Week 1
The new GCU Inquisitive Personality is heading to a known IoM Inquisition base in the local area, Thalassa Prime. From the IoM records, this base is an Inquisition base that deals with non-human races, we hope it will have some information on other technologies.

Technology transfer is still ongoing with the Tau. We have decided to share additional details on the basic warp technology we are learning from The Eldar List and our dissection of IoM technology. The Tau appear to be far less susceptible to Chaos contaminations than we are, thus they will be able to use the technology with less risk than us.

The Tau retaliation fleet has sent a message to the IoM indicating that they will not tolerate aggression on the farsight colonies. The main Tau empire has also asked us to relay a message to Commander O'Shovah indicating that they will also back him against any major IoM attack.

What is interesting is the IoM response. Many of the neighbouring systems the retaliation fleet struck and left its message have displayed confusion. Our recon drone has lifted records and information from surviving IoM databases and we still have not found any trace of the attacking fleet. O'Shovah's records of the battle indicated a substantial fleet that should have left a trail of resupply and other fleet support activities as it approached Tau space.

None of that has been found.

Nevertheless, despite our presented evidence, O'Shovah remains convinced that the IoM is responsible and is preparing to defend himself from their retaliation. ROU Gunboat Diplomacy has noted that news of the Tau retaliation has reached Ultramar and the IoM is massing for an attack. We have decided to try interceding on behalf of the Tau but the IoM cannot be persuaded.

In other news, our arrangements for Tau colony transport has been finalized. We have agreed to the following points:

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1. For every colony in Culture chosen space, at least two colonies in safe space towards galactic west will be chosen by the Tau. The Tau will choose at least six systems to occupy regardless of how many systems we choose.

2. The Culture will perform necessary recon and assure the Tau that any colonies settled from this arrangement do not have any surprises (eg. Necron Tomb Worlds)

3. The Culture will provide bulk transport services for all materials, including military equipment, for the Tau to these colonies until they have at least 1 billion population each and independent military shipbuilding capability. The Culture agrees to carry messages and limited transport (10 thousand tons per month) between the Tau Empire and these colonies without limit until the Tau master hyperspace technology.

4. The Culture agrees to defend these colonies against all aggression to the best of its capability for the next thirty years or until the colonies have achieved military independence, whichever is longer. Chaos attacks are an exception and the Culture is permitted to allow the Tau to deal with them if it cannot handle the attack. The Culture remains responsible for aiding the Tau in maintaining sufficient military protection (in terms of transport and logistics) for just such an eventuality and is required to provide what aid it can in the colony's defence.
4b. The Culture is expected to provide diplomatic channels for the Tau to neighbouring systems (including transport of important personages) for the purpose of defending these systems. The Culture is also expected to engage in proactive diplomacy to prevent these systems from coming under attack in the first place; the Tau also do not wish to see other races attack them, even if they are well-protected.

5. The Culture will provide, wherever the Tau request, up to 50 sextillion tons (~5 x 10^22 tons) of raw material or manufactured equipment of Tau design to given specifications; spaced out over the next fifty years. This clause will give the Culture approximately half a year before the first delivery will be requested to allow the Culture to build up the required production power.
5a. An appropriate exchange rate for raw usable energy will be worked out in a separate negotiation.

Point 4, 30 years is what I presume to be one Tau generation. Otherwise, it should be 1 generation of Tau.
Point 5, 50 years is a stand-in for 1.6 Tau generations.

I noticed the problem with Point 5. I left it in for hilarity.

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Ringworld mass estimate from here. 0.2 Ringworlds was the agreement. Perhaps I ought to scale it down, I kind of... underestimated how heavy ringworlds were (Larry Niven's one is 10^27 kg).

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Does the IoM even HAVE that much stuff?

So I asked myself, can the Culture even get a production base in half a year capable of providing 1 sextillion tons of material per year?
- How much is this? 1 x 10^21 tons of material per year is 1.15 x 10^20 tons per 6 weeks (it will become clear why I use this time interval later)
- Assuming each ship is 10% production power, and maximum production power is 90% by weight, then a 90% production power ship can duplicate itself in 1/9th the time
- Starting with 1 GSV-sized 90% production power factory ship, this will produce 27 copies of itself (9x3) per 6 weeks, doubling for gridfire production
- In half a year, that's 4 and 1/3 production cycles, which gives ~1.6 million factory ships. Assuming each factory ship weighs a hundred million tons, the fleet will build 4.3 quadrillion tons (4.3 x 10^15) worth of material per 6 weeks. Which puts the Culture at 26 thousand times short.

So the answer is "no, they can't actually make good on the promise". The question then is, how long till they *can*. Some simple logarithms gives me ~3 cycles.
Which means the Culture can actually provide 1 sextillion tons per year worth of stuff given a lead time of about 44.5 weeks. Starting from 1 GSV-sized factory ship. (add 3 weeks if you start from just a GSV)

--------------------------------------------

So, the whole throwing around of 1 sextillion makes things feel a bit out of the world. How much is 1 sextillion tons of *stuff*? Well, for one thing, we know this is about 0.8% the weight of Neptune.
Anyway, given that 1 ship weighs 10 million tons, that's 100 quadrillion ships. Even if highly automated by drones, requiring as little as 3 Tau needed to crew each ship, that's 300 quadrillion Tau naval personnel needed. Per year.

Me thinks, the Tau don't even have 300 quadrillion people.

So, how about the IoM? They have billions of worlds. Well, that's still ~100thousand ships. Per world. (assuming 10 billion worlds)
Every single year for 50 years.

XD

Ok, this is a classic case of "I didn't do the math" and spouted 0.2 Rings without thinking about it. Except until I did the numbers and they came out ridiculous.

*pulls out nerf bat* All right, what kind of numbers do you think would be reasonable? It has to be a substantial amount, but not totally ridiculous.

[Gavinfoxx]

I'd do it on a per capita at a particular census date. X amount of stuff per Tau citizen, Y per allied race citizen, Z per mercenary on retainer for T period of time...

[jseah]

Totally ridiculous. I looked a bit closer at Niven's Ringworld and it has an area of about 200 billion Earths.

That's right, 1 Ring has the total area equivalent to the sum total of every single planet the IoM has ever had a colony on.

On _one_ ring. That the Culture can build a production base in one year that will chuck out 1 ring every year. Where said production base can double every 6 weeks and not appreciably affect the number of rings it produces. -head asplodes-


I think that should be sufficient reason to demonstrate why the Culture doesn't need to continue its exponential expansion. They can probably build a duplicate galaxy inside of a Tau lifetime.

[Gavinfoxx]

At some point, you should be getting to the point of, 'Yea, we're running out of easily accessible matter and difficulties getting it all to the right spot...' with that stuff, right?

[jseah]

I'm using the doubled production time for Gridfire based production (aka. stuff from nowhere).

Actually, scratch that, given 2.5 years of lead time, they can build the VISIBLE MASS OF THE WHOLE GALAXY. Every year.


I think my earlier statement about "numbers cease to matter for post-Singularities" has turned out to be rather more literal than I intended.

EDIT: So as it turns out, by a convenient coincidence, the time it took for the entire galaxy to blow up in the Galaxy At War scenario is roughly correct.