[Military] Month Long Alliance/Asari Maneuvers Begin

[Military] Month Long Alliance/Asari Maneuvers Begin


Mag Hal – Tayseri Times

The asari 5th fleet under the command of Matriach Galvira arrived in the Strenuus system for a month long combined maneuver with the Systems Alliance 8th fleet, commanded by Admiral Lydia van Dyke.

Civilian traffic in a wider area is prohibited while the fleets exercise. The asari bring two dreadnoughts, the newly refurbished “With United Forces”, which had suffered extensive damage during the War and the 5th fleet’s flagship, “Justicar Veri”. The Alliance fields the dreadnought “Tai Shan“, which will see live fire exercise for the first time since its recommission, and the carrier “Einstein”.

“United Forces” has also become the adopted name for the exercise that will be observed by representatives of the Turian Hierarchy and the Salarian Union on behalf of their governments and the Council.

In a combined statement, Councilors Osoba and Irissa called the maneuvers “a display of friendship and cooperation between humanity and asari. The Council stands ready and side by side to oppose anyone who threatens peace. The exercise will improve coordination between our militaries and generate valuable shared experiences on command level and for the individuals involved.”

The forces will exercise a wide variety of scenarios. Highlight will be a combined massed space drop of Alliance Marines and commandos, following orbital bombardment on a planetoid in Strenuus.

Hrrrmf. Sounds like they're gearin' up fer an invasion or somethin'. "Maneuvers" my scaly well-toned ass. Ten t'one there's gonna be a colony what gets raided or some pirate organization shot t'atoms durin' these "maneuvers."

The Republics and Union still think they're military relevant.

Adorable.

I'd say this is more of a scrap Hackett and Osoba are tossing the Matriarchs and Dalatrasses by proxy than anything truly serious. Probably to keep them from throwing a fit when the Hierarchy-Alliance-Clans exercises start up in earnest.

Holy Shit when did that happen?! I seem to remember that name when she only commanded a ship.

Hunh.

Wonder what happened to Admiral Cloutier? Personality nonwithstanding, he did get us through the Reaper War more or less intact. For that matter, wonder what my old captain and the Davis are doing? Since it was the flag ship through the Reaper War and until the Tai Shan was relaunched, you'd think they'd keep it with the Eighth, fleet condensing or not.

Heh. Maybe she's off doing her job while the Einstein and Tai Shan are playing with the asari. Talking of those two ships, man were we Eighthers pissed at that damn ship. Getting a fucking drive core leak just weeks before the fucking Reaper War. A dreadnought would've saved us a lot of shit.

Still kinda surprised they were able to salvage and recommission her, honestly.

And it still blows me away that that old bird Einstein is still around. All the new shiny ships that got destroyed and that bloody thing is still chugging along. Old faithful alright.

Well, the union yeah, what with all the fancy toys they have and the stg (though who the fuck knows what they're doing now)

I don't know much about the military, but I'm all for displays of friendship and cooperation between humans and the asari. I think it's wonderful if our races can get along peacefully.

Miss Lombardi, that's a very welcome view on things! I think we're doing fine there, Councilor Osoba is a good man for the job.

But combined exercises usually aren't newsworthy as such, they happen all the time. Maybe it's the scope of this one that brings it to the headlines? It doesn't happen every day that three dreads and a carrier pound a planetoid from space.

Kirok, there's nothing happening yet, but it could probably be seen as a message should someone ponder to try funny things.
Generally, getting the militaries back in shape is something that's best done together. It also lowers the possibility of any misunderstandings.

Yes I'm sure that they are a lovely set of glasses dear but I really don't know if the rose lenses suit you exactly.

Please Ms. Caenis at least give us the dignity of treating us like semi-rational functioning adults, as you say oh so very often you're not on the job here, you don't have to shill the press release.

This is, at it's core, a political maneuver designed to premptively undercut public opposition from Thessia with regards to the Alliance's actual interests seeing as it's rather hard for the Matriarchs to claim exclusion when they're getting their own joint exercises.

As our resident asari diplomat's statements so readily attest.

In all seriousness though what, exactly, do the Republics really have to offer the Alliance militarily that we couldn't obtain from the Hierarchy or Coalition? And before certain members begin protesting indignantly I would like you to take a moment and actually think about your response.

Quality? As the Reaper war so aptly demonstrated asari general strategy is woefully inadequate when put to the actual test.

Resources and logistics? Other allies better suited for the task and who the Alliance will be working with more closely in any case. Plus given the gradual opening of trade relations between Citadel Space states and Terminus groups the asari are not (or will shortly longer be) the prime source for military grade eezo.

Troop quantity then? The Republics military was decimated during the Reaper war and will be unable to replenish it's ranks, both on the ground and in space, for years. And that's being kind.

Training? Alliance organization is more like the turians and operates akin to the Union in a military campaign. The Republics are nearly incapable of successfully maintaining a defensive war. Their units have hilariously little in the way of CAS or armour and, frankly, they have already done a truly excellent job the past several years of showing why the "elite huntress" model is inefficient, impractical, and unsustainable for any military that's expected to actually fight for an extended period of time.

So yes.

Anyone care to answer?

Anyone at all?

So this is why we were in a heightened response state for a few days back there. Nothing is as fun as going around business as usual but in full combat gear. At least we were allowed to lose the helmets.

How can you claim this is a token exercise given the assets involved and the logistics behind them in the current climate? Not to mention that these are only the assets they felt the need to announce.

Then you go so far as to claim that the Reapers have somehow proven the asari military methodology invalid? I'm very keen to hear the way you can justify that in comparison to your own forces. Or perhaps I was misinformed, Arcturus Station really wasn't reduced to slag and not a single Reaper set foot on Earth?

Yes, the Reaper War illustrated major shortfalls. Yes, there's work to be done. But unless you expect we'll see another race of trans-galactic machine monsters with no discernible command structure in the near future, a human recruit armed with a gun and foul language can't hope to compare against a trained huntress.

...Because it somewhat obviously is? I'm...sorry I'm not entirely sure where you're going with this.
After the fall of Arcturus and unilateral Reaper assault on and subsequent isolation of humanity's homeworld the Alliance went on to fight a successful two front guerrilla war with a homeless army and tattered Navy for virtually the entirety of the conflict. They remained cohesive. They remained effective. They remained functional.

Extreme political decentralization, no significant organization of any kind on the greater military level, and the elite-heavy nature of the asari warbands themselves allowed the Republics to be outmaneuvered rather than overwhelmed. As a result they were decimated in relatively short order and rendered largely ineffective for the remainder of the War, even after the Matriarchs did finally deign to directly involve themselves in the larger effort.

Oh undoubtedly; and this little tidbit might even be something approaching relevant if wars were settled in single combat.

Disappointing Dr. Aujury.

Disappointing.

I don't trust recruits with their own bathroom schedule. But give me an N series and I'd gladly throw down money against you on that bet.

And again, the human understands the asari people better than actual asari. Let that sink in, girls. (No offence, darling)

To be quite honest, it's hilarious watching the Republics try to puff themselves back up to pre-war self-importance when everything that happened two years ago was almost tailored to expose their frailty to the galaxy at large. The Republics are simply... not relevant any more. The position of political superiority they maneuvered themselves into can't last forever. Their military is a sham, and by the time any of the matriarchs even begin to consider some form of flaw on their part, I will be an old crone on her death bed.

And they wonder why I joined C-Sec instead of the Huntresses.

Well, this and also because the extranet informs me that they wear leather catsuits.

REPUBLICS WHAT THE FUCK.

My point, Mr. Aleksanders, is that one war against one foe, no matter how implacable they were, cannot be the sole impetus to disregard a wealth of military history that extends as far back as ours does. I hold to you that wars are still won and lost by exceptional people, which are what the asari huntresses are supposed to cultivate. Without them it's reduced to savage fighting between mobs of people incapable of seizing, or even recognizing the opportunity for a killing blow when it presents itself.

Which, admittedly, would be preferable to a decisive loss followed by extinction (a lesson I would hope is taken to heart...)


Here I go, showing my ignorance again, but what's an N series? You don't mean the special ops teams from the War, right?

...that's bullshit. An exceptional individual doesn't win a war on their own. The average soldier is needed.

The average soldier is not a member of a mob but a trained fucking soldier. The average soldier doesn't need to recognise the opportunity-that's what the brass are for. A general is only as good as his troops. Special forces are a stiletto knife-they have a specific purpose and can't win wars on their own. Every type of soldier is a piece of a puzzle. You need them all.


Here I go, showing my ignorance again, but what's an N series? You don't mean the special ops teams from the War, right?
[/quote]

...

N series are our special forces. The special ops teams were led by N7s, but the majority of them were not Ns.

The asari military categorically failed. They lost as badly as one can conceivably lose when it counted the most. And they lost because a military of almost pure elite commandos does not work when you can't get your friends to get their hands dirty for you.

This is...patently untrue. This is, in every sense of the word, wrong (it is also ill conceived, arrogant, and mildly retarded but I digress).

Wars aren't determined by some kind of mystical quality inherent in an individual that somehow makes them The Person; they are determined by things like supply lines, troops numbers, troop composition, morale, strategic competence, training, and external support. Ideally rank and file soldiery should not have to know how to strike the "killing blow" against an enemy because it is not their responsibility. Their job is to follow orders to the best of their ability. Officers and NCO's exist to fulfill strategic and tactical functions.

...No.

No he does not.

Good God.

Are you real?

Lemme explain something to you.



This right here is the Red Stripe. It is, according to the Systems Alliance Military, the only ICT designation which is allowed to be worn on the uniform. It is only worn by those who have reached the designation of N7, by which that means they have completed the necessary training of the N1-6 series, and then proven themselves capable in a "admirable and effective fashion." N7 designees make up only around 2% of the Systems Alliance military, and is a group of the most professional and capable soldiers you will ever meet. That red stripe you see there is a sign of the willingness of the N7 to sacrifice his or her blood in defense of humanity and our allies. Unlike other "symbols" of human bravery and willpower, this was one of the few that has not been sullied by any extremist groups over the years. Indeed, according to the Protection of Valor act of the year 2150 it is actually illegal to purchase, sell, desecrate, or falsely claim to be an N7. It was actually one of the very few pieces of legislature put out by the Systems Alliance parliament that applied through the Human SOI.

If you see a red stripe, you better god damn respect that man or woman.


However, during the Reaper War it became a reality that special operations units were stretched to the limits. It fell to N7 designees to take command of various units and the like in order to bridge that gap. Many of these units contained Aliens, traitors, criminals, and just about anyone else that we could get our hands on. Necessity guided us in this respect, because the numbers were needed. And because the brass was feeling nice, they apparently decided to let these worthless sacks of crap call themselves "N7 Special Forces." Which is utterly fucking horseshit.

Because you see, while I'm sure many of those lot did exemplary in their service, they still didn't earn themselves the Red Stripe. A Cerbie dingbat who chickened out of his little terrorist circle-jerk is not an N7. A Vorcha who was trained like a circus pet is not an N7. A Pirate who got a pardon is not an N7. There is no way in hell a Geth, Quarian, or Krogan are N7s. Because that just ain't how this world works, and that ain't how things were set up. And I do know that the SAMC does give out honorable designations to heroes and our valued friends but this ain't the same.

Because some of those "N7 Special Forces" types think they earned that red stripe. I see 'em every now and then, trying to use it to get discounts and pull weight on Earth. It fookin' sickens me when I see it because that ain't nothing but pissing on the good and valuable men and women who did earn that god damned Stripe. There ain't a single damn Asari whore who can claim that she has that same right. If she wants to be Special she can go join Eclipse or the Huntresses or whatever other unit you got.

Now I'm not a racist or anything like that at all. I value all of that integration shit they spew out, but on this I draw the line. I'm fine with mixing cultures and everything, but this ain't clear in my books. N7s are our thing and our thing only. And if you don't like it then tough fookin luck.

I'm sorry. I overemphasized, I didn't mean to say it so offensively. You're exactly right.


Actually... wow. Colour me impressed, for your passion over the issue if nothing else. I'll keep that in mind if I ever see one.

I'm really impressed with the Asari fleet strategy - very deep and elegant.

They've been involved in space combat and patrol for so long that they've seen and tried lots of strategies just in the lives of their flag officers alone. Us humans have only been up here in force for less than 100 years, and we're still trying to reconcile planetary sea combat with space. When you think you've given the Asari something to think about, they just look back in their book and have something ready to respond.