Rather than do this in OOC where they could get lost, here's a topic for discussing ideas for future episodes. Whether you've got a complete scenario in mind, or just a raw idea, post it here so we can line it up to play.

In progress: Ceres' Dark Secret (Intermission and planning)

Future episodes:
Whatever comes of the current planning phase

Aren't we suppose to let Saval's mission succeed "for us"? I'd like to know more on what that means.

I'm not sure what you're referring to.

that senator Saval has a intricate plan in workings to stage a coup. we want him to succeed, but with us pulling his strings, not the NFA.

Hmm... this would be interesting. In next episode, we could debate about what we found in the war room data, make plans - and in the later episode, we could help the Senator in his little putsch.

We could find in his plans something we didn't expect, like a hidden bounty somewhere far out in space.

Far out dude! :rulez:

Or, we might get info on the prepared money exchange with the NFA agents. Then we pop in, get the cash and use it to buy the Senator... :thief:

How about retaliation? The senator tries a last-ditch effort to keep things on track. The bugs pick up the senator asking the NFA for help against an enemy, pretending he wants to keep it discreet, and not telling them that he's already been busted.

The NFA sends a small elite force, and Saval sends them after the team. Escaping the enemy force would put the team on the run, but they'd still be able to hit the senator from other directions. Defeating the enemy force would put the senator at the team's mercy, having just played his last card and lost. Getting captured, well, that'd be something else altogether ;)

I like the "something more in the plans than expected" angle. maybe some kind of superweapon?

a grab mission in which the payment is stolen by is would be nice too. get in, kill the guy with the cash, take cash, get out.

I don't like the "On the run" type of mission because like last time, without a clear goal in sight, the rpg might slowly die off.
while I like formians idea best, remember, cash is not an issue. maybe instead of cash something else. like the codes to Ceres' armed forces bases. meaning the NFA would easily win any war. if we take that, we can decide to use or destroy it.

meh, out of really original ideas. I'll think on it some more/.

Jagori: how would the Senator find out it's us?

I didn't really mean an "on the run" mission... I was thinking more like a single showdown or chase with consequences for future missions. If there's anything I learned from last time, it's that we need clear objectives :ph43r: But we've got some solid ideas coming in, so let's put that aside.

I like the smash-and-grab idea. Things to steal... weapon access code is good. How about a person? Someone close to the senator, like a visiting family member or a loyal subordinate? Some evidence that could set the population of New Ceres against him (i.e. 'your senator is trying to sell you out to the NFA'), or put him on the NFA's enemy list (i.e. 'your pawn has been skimming NFA resources for personal gain')?

The 'uncovering something big' idea is good too. Maybe Saval's overseeing a covert NFA operation in the dark side swamps of New Ceres, doing something like researching devastating new weapons or working on genetic and psychic engineering to create supersoldiers - something that the NFA really can't be allowed to have if anyone's ever going to challenge them.

I like that last idea. you made it sound cool!

problem I see is this: New Ceres is not strong enough to face the NFA alone. so some work needs to be done to have other planets/systems join Ceres "when the time comes" if we proceed with Ceres control being put squarely against the NFA, then Ceres is, forgive my French, fucked.

also, I would enjoy seeing more of Gao, and the red hand thugs. I was thinking of setting the thugs up to become something more. getting them more and more professional, so that in the end, they're Ceres's or even the Anti-NFA alliance's spy network.

giving them some information to blackmail the Senator might be a good first step. it's a completely different way to go about it though.

OK, top-secret plan sounds good to me. I'll write up a scenario. I'm a bit unsure how to start, though. What would you guys do with info that the NFA was up to something on the dark side of New Ceres? I'll set you down in Lao-Zi so you can discuss it IC, and talk Gao or Red Jack if you want.

Personally, I'd try to inform about this as much potential allies as possible, so that they would interfere. Since we're a "mission impossible" team, we could try to interfere in this mission - but that depends on the scale of this operation.

Besides going to potential allies to show them this info, i'd go to the Miller family and tell them what's going on. They could provide us with more resources.