Agents Of Empire/InfluenceOpportunities

Overview

The following document has been prepared by Lord McKinley Hereford Basinbloke VII for the colony worlds, detailing possible opportunities for political gain. Assuming for the moment such things can be codified into a 0-100 scale (call it "Influence"), the opportunities have been annotated with the likely influence gain associated with achieving them. Those in possession of previous documents prepared by this author may note that the assigned ratings are not necessarily equivalent or comparable across documents -- this is due to those previous documents covering exclusively Senatorial votes, rather than general political influence as this does, and also certain changes in the political climate predicted due to House Gwyne's (assumed) loss of power.

Control of the Oracle of Three Million Eyes (5 influence)

The Oracle of Three Million Eyes is an advisor of great antiquity who resides in an obscure star system within the Empire. The position is a hereditary one, and on the death of the previous Oracle, certain auguries are done to locate the new Oracle. The current Oracle is rumored to be close to death - if the new Oracle chosen was one with the colony's interests in mind, a certain amount of influence could be gained.

Further Astro-Polo Cooperation With House Vegas (3 influence)

House Vegas appears to have profited handsomely from their control of the video footage and gambling for the recent Astro-Polo tournament. If the colony worlds were willing to engage in a further relationship with House Vegas in this area, no doubt some sort of deal could be arranged with regard to House Vegas' political influence in other areas.

Assist Grazene in Re-Legalizing Conquest of MQaiaa (3 influence)

Grazene doesn't have the influence it used to and relations are somewhat unstable between Grazene and the colony worlds at the moment, but nevertheless, assisting them in their current political difficulties vis-a-vis MQaiaa could be rewarding.

Assist MQaiaa in Throwing Off Yoke of Grazene (1 influence)

MQaiaa has little political influence but they have a romantic culture and other Houses may look favorably on the colony worlds if they assist MQaiaa further.

Reliable Courier Duty for Nif@x (3 influence)

Nif@x, whoever they are, has strings to pull. Being a trusted agent could result in political assistance later.

Identification of Nif@x (6 influence)

If the identity of Nif@x could somehow be obtained, then this could be even more profitable than merely being a trusted agent.

Support of a Candidate for the Imperial Throne (??? influence)

It could potentially be profitable to support a candidate for the imperial throne, assuming that candidate won and was in a position to pay back favors done earlier.

Early Access to Mercantile Information (3 influence)

Numerous individuals and organizations (House Krazybuys, for instance) would be interested in receiving advance information about newly-discovered resources, goods soon to be sold on the open market, etc.

Networks of Informants (2-4 influence)

Infiltrating an important House with one or more sources of information would inevitably lead to a gain in influence for the colonies.

More

(More to come)