I'd like the ship's ID to no longer be the "generic" 46th Fleet ID, as well as the ship's infocard to no longer be the same infocard all other "Akhetaten"-class Battlecruisers use.
Found often operating--mostly independently--in the outer worlds, the LNS-Akhetaten has become a self-appointed guardian against alien forces. The ship’s Flag Officer, Vice Admiral Maria Uhmen, has pushed for and received unique rules of engagement that allow the warship to see her mission of defending the Republic against any threats through. The Akhetaten is equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry and sensor technology that allow it to study, analyze, and obliterate threats of any form wherever they appear.
This ID is used by the LNS-Akhetaten which is nominally part of the Liberty Navy 46th Fleet, but is currently operating under orders from the Liberty Security Force, which:
- Can attack ships considered hostile by Liberty.
- Can demand alien equipment and materials.
- Can be assisted by Task Force Akhetaten (TFA- tagged) ships, with the exception of Battlecruisers and Battleships, anywhere.
Within Zone of Influence (Liberty and bordering systems, Coronado, Vespucci):
The LNS-Akhetaten, serial number LNW-NID-A-0, commissioned on October 6th, 833 A.S. is the first ship of its class. The A-0, as the warship is commonly referred to, is the pinnacle of engineering and the culmination of decades of military research and development; a highly advanced Liberty Navy vessel, initially commissioned for standard military duties.
However, in the face of Liberty's stagnant response to the growing alien threat, the Akhetaten's Flag Officer, Vice Admiral Maria Uhmen, has taken matters into her own hands. Having demanded complete operational autonomy from the Forty-Sixth Fleet's command as well as the government's own Secretary of Defense, the Akhetaten often operates far beyond its original mandate, extending its reach across all systems in the sector in an attempt to thwart not only the growing alien threat but also ensure the Republic's safety.
The A-0 is not undergoing this endeavor alone. By the warship's side is one of the Liberty Navy's most well known battlegroups; Task Force Akhetaten, commanded by Vice Admiral Maria Uhmen herself. The task force, having played a role of utmost importance in the Akhetaten's development over the years, is a vital supporting element--assets of which have received similarly extended reach and unique rules of engagement.
4. Why are these changes necessary?
A lot of the reasoning why these changes are necessary is explained inRP by my characters in the threads I will provide links to below, so I think a better course of action in answering this question would be to simply summarize the RP written in those threads, as that both answers the question and it also removes the need of having to read through them in detail.
The first thread linked, Cogito ergo sum, describes how the latest actions by the Liberty government have lead to a number of things occurring that do not benefit the Republic. Uhmen remembers old developments around Kepler, the various anomalies that have been making their appearances around Liberty for the past years, she remembers Omicron Nu and how all of it went to waste with the system no longer being accessible, and then she remembers the most recent events involving Ontario, Planet Sudbury, and the research liner SL-40-8830 (from this event) which contained valuable data on the Sudbury anomaly but was ultimately destroyed because the LSF and the Liberty Navy failed to defend it.
The story continues by the commanding characters of the Akhetaten having a discussion about what is to be done about the situation, a discussion which reaches the ultimatum that Uhmen should make use of the highly capable Akhetaten as well as the well endowed Task Force Akhetaten in order to take matters into her own hands, investigating and researching the matters that might prove detrimental to the Republic's safety by herself.
The communications threads that follow after that are simply Uhmen expressing those matters in formal speech towards the Forty-Sixth Fleet's First-in-Command and Second-in-Command, as well as contacting the government's Secretary of Defense in order to get full approval. The Department of Defense decided that the Akhetaten - and Task Force Akhetaten, in advance - shall operate under direct coordination with the LSF, and so another communication follows where Uhmen contacts the LSF in order to establish a direct channel between their Directorate for intelligence sharing, as well as necessary information that the Akhetaten will require for the on-going operations. (This last thread is not finished, and will likely not close up as it's meant to remain open for the aforementioned purposes, this is why I am sending this request before seeing a reply through to that thread.)
Very strictly speaking, the changes I am requesting are not necessary to the Akhetaten's development. The ship still is part of the Navy and will continue being part of the Navy regardless of if I get those unique abilities I am requesting or not. However, it would absolutely ruin my ability to roleplay the ship the way that the various ongoing events dictate it should be roleplayed. I could always simply continue playing the Akhetaten as a typical, everyday Navy warship, without any of this being necessary, but this would severely cripple and handicap all of the roleplay I've got going on with the ship.
5. Provide possible links to the relevant forum roleplay.
- Cogito ergo sum - Story thread that takes place aboard the Akhetaten regarding Uhmen's worries about the government's inaction to the ongoing threats
- To: =LSF= Directorate | From: VADM Maria Uhmen - Contacting the Liberty Security Force as per the Department of Defense's response that dictates the Akhetaten is to work with the LSF
I feel like some sidenotes of my personal thoughts on this rather significant SRP Change Request are needed, and I will dedicate this section of the post to that.
To first address the elephant in the room; I understand that the ID I am requesting is likely the strongest ID that has ever been in the game, very likely. However, I'd like to point out that ever since day one of the Akhetaten's SRP coming to life, I've requested nothing but what already existed as Liberty Navy ID. Even in its very first form, my "Akhetaten ID" was just a copy paste of the indie Navy ID at the time. I believe my SRP has grown a lot since then, not only in the inRP world but also in the ooRP world, and I'd like to know I've rightfully earned not only the playerbase's, but also the staff team's trust as an SRP holder who has continuously pumped out not only the highest quality of roleplay but also roleplay that has always been in-line with accepted Freelancer and Discovery canon.
I understand how much freedom it would give Task Force Akhetaten to have all of our ships be able to assist the Akhetaten anywhere, and with that - as well as of course roleplay limitations - I decided that it wouldn't make a lot of sense for 46th to deploy Battlecruiser or even Battleship sized assets in assistance to the Akhetaten in all corners of Sirius. Not only do I believe that smaller battlegroups consisting of snubs, gunboats and even cruisers, as well as the Akhetaten herself, can be considered acceptable to operate independently and outside Liberty - as far as roleplay goes - but I am also ready to face the repercussions should any of my members abuse this ID line, regardless of the circumstances.
As far as terminology goes, you will have noticed my use of the word "Assist" in the ID line, rather than the more commonly used "Defend". I will make it no secret that I do not like the word "Defend". It implies being engaged on first, and that is something that not only cannot be checked unless a recording of the fight is posted, but it's also restrictive and would force me to roleplay and act in a way that my characters might simply not want to - depending on the circumstances. I simply believe that the word "Defend" adds a lot of unwanted bureaucracy and ambiguity to the ID.
Of course, if none of the above are acceptable by the staff team, I am open to discussions regarding possible changes to the ID for it to get accepted, and I am also open to nerfs to the ID to get it accepted. I am thinking of options that involve perhaps restricting TFA cruisers from the relevant ID line as well, or - if it is necessary - removing the TFA line altogether.
Regarding the "- Can attack ships considered hostile by Liberty." line, I understand that this line typically goes under ZOI for Navy ships, but considering the roleplay leading up to this change this line has went on the Sirius-wide section. My initial idea was a "- Can attack any ship." line, but I realized having a House-affiliated battlecruiser with a terrorist ID line might not yield the best community response, or even be balanced for the mod.
The second, and last, matter I would like to touch on is the unique infocard I am requesting. This is simply an ingame representation of my already active unique ship request that has otherwise no effect on me at the time. While I'm the one who pushed for the "Akhetaten"-class to be opened to the public, I'd still like to have some ingame reference that points to this particular warship being the first of its class. The best way I could think of doing that is reviving the ship's otherwise stagnant unique ship request by re-introducing a unique infocard for it. This also helps people understand what the Akhetaten's role in the Navy is, and helps identify the ship as the unique asset that it is.
That is all I felt that needed mentioning. If there's any questions regarding any of what you've read above, I trust that I will be contacted.
My discord, for those who might not know, is kagetenshi
The LNS-Akhetaten operates autonomously throughout the Independent Worlds, serving as a self-appointed guardian against alien forces. The ship's Flag Officer, Vice Admiral Maria Uhmen, has pushed for and received unique rules of engagement that allow the warship to see her mission of defending the Republic against any threats through. The Akhetaten is equipped with state-of-the-art weaponry and sensor technology that allow it to study, analyze, and obliterate threats of any form wherever they appear.
This Liberty Military official faction SRP ID is used by the LNS-Akhetaten, who:
- Can attack ships considered hostile by Liberty.
- Can demand alien equipment and materials.
- Can extend the Zone of Influence of TFA- tagged ships to its current system, with the exception of Battlecruisers and Battleships.
Within Zone of Influence (Liberty and bordering systems, Coronado, Vespucci):