Intel Puzzle [video] [encrypted]

[googledox]

Patterns are emerging in the intelligence Kid Quantum handed out. It's time we narrowed down our search so we can plan our next mission accordingly.

[ooc: Though only people who signed up for clues can hand them out, anyone on the team can participate in the discussion to figure them out.]

Comments

[rushing_by]

Okay, so here's what I picked up on my end:

Daxam voted yes on lowering security in the Carggite capitol right before the Joker attacked.

Naltor was involved in diplomatic relations with Harrub.

Cargg wanted the Science Police on the Second Galaxy mission, was pushing for it to be somewhat less than standard, and wanted the Legion to be guests rather than negotiators.

Robotica wanted both the Science Police and the Legion on the same mission, with the Legion controlling the security measures. They also wanted the UP's equivalent of a National Guard to be sent in as backup in case anything went wrong.

[araignee_du_soir]

[Now that someone else had the ball rolling, Widowmaker felt she could impart the things she pinned down when she went through the information. Perhaps it would be an asset that she hadn't been around for any of these missions. It gave her a different perspective.]

I have found that Daxam stood in solidarity with Cargg regarding the security for Second Galaxy. Who else stood with them?

[captainbuzzkill]

Naltor also voted on lower security for Cargg right before the attack by the Joker.

Which seems pret-ty shady for a planet that's full of precogs.

[mylawn]

Coulans and Roboticians voted against that, incidentally.

[captainbuzzkill]

Everything on Cargg not only put us in a terrible spot, it set up an entire planet.

It's a pretty big deal if they didn't help the Joker by setting it up.

[vata]

Mm, but the Carggites were also in agreement for lowered Carggite security before the Joker's attack.

Leaving that detail out would be careless.

[Which is why, after a moment, Sombra adds:] Then again, so would forgetting to mention that the Coluans weren't into the idea of the Legion providing any kind of security for the meeting with the Second Galaxy. Maybe they didn't trust us.

[Or maybe...]

[mylawn]

I found that too, about the Coulans, and I'll raise you that they didn't want us there at all. Said we'd be trouble. Naltorians were fine with us as guests but wanted the Science Police for security instead.

[vata]

Are they wrong, though?

We are trouble: we have enemies everywhere we go. Looking for an opportunity.

So, my suggestion, maybe we should be evaluating just how bad was that security they were pushing for.

[mylawn]

Definitely sub-par.

[captainbuzzkill]

The Coluans not wanting us there on Talok IV at all would've made for a bad trap.

But wanting us there like the Naltorians and Carggites did, as just guests, where we couldn't control security, but would feel the need to act if something bad happened? That was a perfect setup.

Plus Cargg also wanted less security on their own planet and wanted it right before the Joker's attack? I could see other planets voting for less security for some stupid reason, but you'd think the Carggites would've fought against that.

[mylawn]

Anything else on Cargg?

[deafleppard]

Roboticans and Coulans really don't get along, though. But we're still helping out the Roboticans.

Kind of makes sense why they wouldn't trust us.

[deafleppard]

Alright kids, gather around. Here's a few things for you, and it's not even Christmas, or... Valor Day.

The Braalians really didn't like the idea of lowering Carggite security in the capitol before that Joker guy attacked.

Remember the shindig where Saturn Queen and those other creeps captured the team? Looks like the Coluans were there, and they were roughed up a bit.

Roboticans voted yes on sending the Legion to the Silent Horizon to find the other Roboticans that disappeared.

Oh, and the Braalians voted no on the Science Police handling security on the, uh, diplomatic get-together between the UP and Second Galaxy, back on Talok IV. They really wanted the Legion to be running that.

[captainbuzzkill]

The Roboticans seemed really worried about saving their people from the Silent Horizon, so I don't know that we should hold that against them.

The Daxamites, on the other hand, apparently pushed really hard to send us in, when they didn't really have a huge reason to. So did the Carggites.

I also found out the Braalians were involved with Harrub, during Murderworld, but if they didn't mess with the security on Cargg, and actually wanted the Legion to handle security during the diplomatic meetup on Talok IV, maybe that's just coincidence.

Because if they'd let the team handle security from the start, we probably could've prevented the attack from ever happening. The delegations that pushed for the Science Police to be in charge, but to conveniently have us around, are probably the shady ones. That lined us up for the trap without giving us any control over the situation.

[rushing_by]

I'm gonna agree on the Roboticans and Braalians being out of the running as far as trying to sabotage us goes, unless more information saying otherwise comes up. Just being involved in diplomatic relations with Harrub isn't really a smoking gun. It's not unlikely Braal was kept in the dark about everything.

And the Roboticans see Brainy as the father of their entire race. I can't see any of them turning on him like that.

[captainbuzzkill]

Dude, I looked it up and apparently his birthday is like their biggest religious holiday.

[legionnpcs]

Don't tell him, but I'm working on a coffee cup that uses an EM field to filter out everything but the purest caffeine and flavor, with no wasted liquids or stray grinds.

[It'll only be the five hundred thousandth one.]

It also has two dozen morale-boosting phrases that can be activated with a certain fingertapping sequence.

[deafleppard]

Aren't there some Daxamites out there that are still looking to get their mass-murder going on again?

Worth keeping in mind, if you ask me.

[captainbuzzkill]

Yeah, maybe the two Daxamite Council-people are hiding some really sinister background of wanting to kill other species or something.

[deafleppard]

That's not a terrifying thought.

[leverageintceo]

There are some of every species who want to get their mass-murder going, though. That's not a Daxamite thing, that's just a people thing.

[vata]

The Daxamites were getting cozy with the Harrub before. While the Legion's agents were dealing with— seriously? [Sombra scoffs, rechecking the data stores she's collected with a shake of her head.] 'Murderworld'.

Subtle.

[leverageintceo]

So was Braal. It wasn't called 'Murderworld' publicly outside of Harrub until after the Legion blew it wide open.

[vata]

Huh. The more you know.

[Note taken and filed away, for any future mulling over this might require.]

[deafleppard]

But the Daxamites are making it really obvious.

[araignee_du_soir]

Furthering the topic of Silent Horizon, I pieced together that the Naltorians voted for the Legion to go while the Coluans were against that action.

[thedreamisdead]

Unsurprising. From what I've read, Colu's got a bad history with robots. Didn't like them joining the UP. I'd be more suspicious if they supported an action that didn't involve inconveniencing them somehow.

[araignee_du_soir]

[The Coluans were among those Widowmaker thought were currently free if corruption.]

If we cross-reference those that supported Silent Horizon and wanted the Legion as guests at the Second Galaxy meeting, we have the Daxamites and the Naltorians. I am of the thought the Cargittes may also have stood with them on Silent Horizon.

Can anyone confirm?

Text

[goddamngrenades]

So far Delta and I managed to wiggle out these nuggets:

The Roboticans advised against Harrub joining UP and against sending Legion to spy on them due to risk.

Carggites were involved in diplomatic relations with Harrub.

A Naltorian aide claimed to have a vision of something going wrong at the party but it was dismissed by the Council-members as a false vision, with one claiming they had a vision of the end of the party that suggested otherwise.

Roboticans were present for the party, one delegate had serious damage to his chassis.

[deafleppard]

Were the council members that dismissed the vision also Naltorian?

[goddamngrenades]

I didn't get anything indicating they were, sorry.

[vata]

Considering the Naltorians didn't actually go in the end, maybe they really did believe it.

[leverageintceo]

A planet full of literal precogs and they don't believe them when they say things? Wow.

There has to be information out there about how frequently Naltorians have false visions...

[legionnpcs]

Oh, on average my people are about 95% accurate. Give or take five percent. That said, we only see the future as it is at that moment. The slightest change can alter it entirely, which makes things... less so.

For instance. I have a vision that Grif will rob the snack machines again. I mention it to someone and they decide to grab the snacks they like first. He can't steal those items, so the future has changed.

In a more dramatic example, I've seen several of you die on various missions. Well, a general 'you'. Legionnaires. If I'd seen you die, someone would warn you. Anyway, I'd go in and whisper a word into Jazmin's ear or just alter the duty roster myself and, well. Things have turned out better. For the most part.

The thing is, most of the time when we mention a vision, people automatically seek to either change it or ensure it happens. They go into a situation more recklessly or more cautiously than they normally would, which means they're not acting the same as they were in the original future, which means that a new one overwrites it. This gives my people a reputation of being less accurate than we actually are.

[araignee_du_soir]

It seems to me as though your people's power is something that could be easily abused. If one says they have a vision, can another verify that the vision actually existed?

Otherwise, any could claim they had a vision to influence the outcome however they wished.

[legionnpcs]

A telepath can verify if a precog is lying or telling the truth, and while their word can be falsified, too, if you get enough different telepaths for an external verification, it's unlikely for all of them to be dishonest.

But yes, it would be easy for a precog to lie about what they've seen. If someone reported a vision, they could be lying. And if someone reported that they had a vision that discounted another precog's vision, they could also be lying.

Regardless of the risk of someone being untruthful, if an aide claimed to have a vision, they would've likely reported it to the Naltorian council-members first. And if they ignored it, it's still irresponsible. At the very least, they should've warned the Legion and the rest of the Council of the possibility of attack at the party.

[araignee_du_soir]

[Widowmaker doubted telepaths were common enough that they could easily be on hand to verify visions.

...she really hoped telepaths weren't common at all. She didn't need someone poking around in her head where Talon secrets and her neural reconditioning/programming were.]

Precognition sounds like an unpleasant power to possess. [From someone else that might have been pity, but the lack of inflection in her voice made it sound more like fact than anything else.]

[legionnpcs]

[She needed to stay out of Titan, then.

Dreamer smiles. It's rather dazzling, much like everything she does.]

It's got its upsides and its downsides, but I can't imagine life without it.

[araignee_du_soir]

Do you ever see yourself in your visions or are they strictly regarding others?

[Off topic, but she was curious and this was an opportunity to ask without bothering to find Dreamer at a later time.]

[legionnpcs]

I can see myself. I had one an hour ago about opening my minifridge to find the yogurt I've been looking forward to all day has been stolen. Don't know who will do that, though.

[Her money's on Tensil, though.]

[araignee_du_soir]

[Widowmaker reassessed her opinion on the power; it wasn't so much unpleasant as it was annoying if that was the more common kinds of visions.]

Interesting. Merci.

[deafleppard]

For the record, I'm already dead on almost every other universe out there. Not that I actually want to join them all but.

You know.

Pulling it all together

[captainbuzzkill]

[Dipper has a cork board. Yes, an actual cork board, complete with string and thumbtacks and post-its and a bunch of stuff he had to get from a specialty shop due to the UP's very digital society. He's been waiting to whip it out on something mysterious and seems very enthused that he got to use it.]

Okay, so I made a chart of all the different incidents and each planet's stance on it, and color-coded all the positive and negative indicators -- with red being stuff that put us at risk and green being stuff that didn't or would've negated it -- plus or minus a little extra context which I put in some footnotes marked with asterisks --

[He's way too excited by the fact he got to make a color-coded chart.]

And I think we have a lot of it narrowed down, but I might have missed something, and we have a few more questions to ask. Anyway, you can all see it here:

[He provides them the link to the secure file archive, to access it.]

So what we're missing -- or what I missed after looking over all the clues:

What was Braal's stance on sending us to the Silent Horizon?

Were the Braalians at the party where they would've been at risk of getting injured or were they not there?

Were the Carggites, Daxamites, and Naltorians at the party?

And did Colu or Daxam have any contact with Harrub during Murderworld?

If we can get the full picture, we can see if any of the delegations were behind all the decisions that put us in a bad spot. Right now, though, it's not looking good for Naltor and Cargg.

[araignee_du_soir]

[A corkboard? How quaint. But it did help give a visual to what she was already concluding.]

I did find that the Braalians were present for the party and ended up with injuries. Both of them.

[captainbuzzkill]

I really doubt if these Council-people are self-serving enough to betray the entire UP that they'd open themselves up to getting injured.

A lot of the clues we found leave Braal, Colu, and Robotica mostly ruled out. It looks like we need to see if everything clicks into place for Cargg, Daxam, and Naltor.

[araignee_du_soir]

Allowing oneself to suffer injury in a confrontation they helped orchestrate is an easy way to misdirect suspicion. Most people react with sympathy and feelings first, logic second. Save for serious injury, that should not rule out anyone.

But I do agree that Cargg, Daxam and Naltor are the ones we should investigate. Use a rule of three: one incident is coincidence, two incidents are poor decisions, three incidents are something more.

[unrecovered]

[He's got a cork board. Of course he's got a cork board. And it's color-coded. He definitely gets a nod of approval.]

From what I've found, the Carggites and Daxamites both skipped out on the party, Colu had nothing to do with Harrub because they were dealing with Braal, and Braal absolutely wanted us on the Silent Horizon.

[captainbuzzkill]

[That's it. That's enough. While the other three have some coincidental decisions that hurt the Legion, the ones that voted for nearly all of them, or all of them across the board?]

Cargg. Daxam. Naltor.

[Dipper circles the three planets that are all in red.]

And two of those "coincidentally" had security breaches and attacks. The Joker on Cargg and the crisis on Naltor, which had "mystery" attackers that worked with the hired thugs that no one was ever able to track down. Wanna bet Chronoblivion was behind Naltor, too?