Iron Stars - acacia

Acacia awakens in their small apartment on Libertalia, the unofficial capital of the Celestial Freebooters' Republic, a polity that is not supposed to exist but does right under the thumbs of three stellar superpowers. It has been several months of odd jobs around the city, namely tinkering with the small bits of tech and personal convenience people bring to Acacia for repair. The corporate abandonment of the planet and the later new government did not care about the public in the former case, and has a lot to amend in the later case, and the public infastructure is developing as a result. This tinkering work is steady and enough credits to maintain an apartment have come in, but it is only ever just barely enough. A new data center in the city has allowed for monitoring of the surrounding world's transmission traffic and with that has come new opportunities. A handful of shuttles with falsified registries have permitted some citizens to travel off world, and organizations such as the bounty hunters guild and conservation society that frequently post jobs now see their opportunities extending to Libertalia citizens. Additionally, the CFR is looking to expand its network of freeports into other planets, looking for like minded people. Tinkering in this post collapse age will always have a niche to fill on other worlds, and grateful citizens on distant worlds may think highly of this polity that is not a polity in exchange for being helped.

10:03 AM

@Acacia (F1R3F7Y) (no need to ping on reply, just so you know w here your thread is)

Acacia rolls out of bed and grabs her datapad and puts on her morning mix, brushes her teeth, and gives her undercut a fresh shave. After rinsing her face she throws a new tank top on and grabs her black coveralls and ties the sleeves at the waist. She attempts to pour a bowl of cereal but only a dozen or so bits fell into the bowl. She sighs as a blonde tabby cat jumps in the window as if on cue. She grabs a few bits and eats them sliding the rest of the bowl to the cat. She tells him, "Wish me luck" as she grabs all her things and heads out the door. (She is going to try and figure out who she needs to talk to about working with the CFR)

The Freebooters Republic has small offices in every neighborhood as the group l ooks to try and attract talent wherever it can be found. Most of these are small strip mall type buildings that are little more than a room or two in a plaza. Guards are posted outside it to keep the gang activity away. The underground city climate system calls for rain today and a light mist is falling from above. The stain warnings in the local neighborhoods range from none, to low, making it a safe day to travel and get errands done. Approaching the neighborhood CFR center you can see through the recently cleaned windows a lone administrator is inside typing away at a terminal, cup of steaming , cheap synth coffee in a cup on the desk. They grimace as they absent mindedly take a sip.

Acacia, rushes up to the CFR office, slowing down just before she gets there pulling herself together with a deep breath. She steps in and says, "I would like to see about a job. I am a really good mechanic, or at least I feel like I am, and I have my own tool set, and I'm super easy to get along with." She takes a deep breath at the end. The words tumble out in a rush as though she is worried that at any moment administrator will interrupt and tell her to go home.

"A technician is exactly what we need. There is another world that the CFR has roots on called Juroli, far to the north of here" he says, passing over known information about the planet to your compad. https://www.worldanvil.com/w/iron-stars-nekosmash/a/juroli-location "The liquid metal tide did a number on the biosphere of this planet. We've got a solution to begin breaking it up and that is outside what you'll need to worry about. Where you do come in is working with the locals to get some industry up and running again. It might sound simple and not very exciting to get tractors and food processing plants up and running again, but if Juroli starves we've lost our most northern outpost. Dozens of settlements and outposts were lost in the tide of liquid metal too. They're gradually being uncovered. An enterprising technician might also be able to pick up some work ruin diving once you're here"

Juroli

"Thank you, Thank you, you won't regret it!!! Where and when do I start?"

"There is a shuttle that can take you to Juroli leaving tonight. It is a long trip north, but the shuttle crew will take care of you and can help you get connected with the right people on the ground. The news from Jurolis is almost a month out of date by time the message comes in" the clerk says, typing away and entering your infomation into whichever program they use to assign personnel to polity tasks.

Acacia thanks the clerk once more and leaves to put her affairs in order. She goes back to her apartment complex to let her landlord know and asked her to make sure the cat gets fed. Then she heads for the shuttle excited to be embarking on a new adventure.

Amana Lin Spaceport is a facility that begins underground in the city of Libertalia, and a large elevator brings passengers and flight crews to the Stain soaked surface ,where a domed starport allows ships to enter and leave the facility. Each staff member has a rectangular badge clipped to their uniform. The field is a glossy black though upon looking at a nearby longshoreman , theirs is threaded with yellow faintly. There is a pleasant ding as the elevator brings you to the surface , and the shuttle meant to bring you to Juroli is waiting with its landing skids lowered. Its ramp is also down and the crew is hurriedly going through pre flight checks. The crew chief waves you aboard and promises to explain more on the way once the ship lifts off and is clear of The Stain. (21 days of downtime to Juroli, our rules for it are below. This isn't three irl weeks of no posts, just game time passing. If we have questions of the crew we can ask before getting to Juroli, so nowish)

Acacia doesn't have any specific questions to ask. She would spend the weeks hanging out and getting to know the people on board. She is social but not in the typical way. When she is talking about anything other than ships she is very awkward but it is actually endearing to most people because she has a genuineness to her that is disarming. She would definitely ask lots of questions about the ship.

(you can spend the time working on a skill if you'd like, the restrictions are in the screenshot above)

(I'm not seeing a screenshot with restrictions but I would like to spend some time at the range working on my shoot. If I've got a pistol I should learn the basics of how to use it.)

(that works, so you'd be at 21/90 days for learning shoot) Spending some time working in a virtual targeting range and other combat simulations you arrive at Juroli with a budding understanding of how your weapon might be used to better effect, though more training is needed to hone this new understanding. Landing in the central continents central city, the fields of liquid metal ended just kilometers from the city. Creatures imported , which you believe to mean stolen, from Acastus are hard at work turning the liquid metal into refined ingots, leaving verdant ground in their wake. On the ground, a CFR representative is waiting and the ramp of the shuttle begins to lower so you can step out.

Acacia steps off the ramp and exchanges pleasantries with the CFR rep. She is anxious to get settled in and see what this new job has in store.

(The two big choices are doing some ruin delving, or helping out with some repair projects in town, which would you prefer and Ill set it up)

(I'll start with the repair projects. We work before we play.)

The locals have done what they can to bootstrap a technology and industrial base here to little progress. Critically the city is concerned about food. Much of the land that was once used for planting and foraging is now coated in inert metal that once swept over the countryside like a tide. The land is being reclaimed at a very slow rate and the locals look for solutions to make their small plots as efficient as possible. A network of expert systems once controlled tractors , planters , irrigation drone flyers and other farming tasks. The data center that controls everything in city center has been occupied by squatters and is in great disrepair. Fixing it will go some way into security for the people here and into a favorable opinion of the CFR

Acacia asks the CFR rep how bad the squatter issue at the data center is and what resources she is working with to secure it.

They cannot get into the data center. The power and water to the building have been cut off to try to make things as uncomfortable as possible for the people inside. This has not done much to get them to come out and they must be getting their water needs at the very least taken care of some other way. Food scarcity and other Post-Scream security concerns have had local security forces spending most of their time keeping order and guarding the centers where CFR humanitarian rations are being distributed from, and only one peace officer is available to assist with your mission.

Acacia will gratefully take her security detail with her as she does some poking around trying to figure out the source of the squatters water.

(notice/wis)

Acacia (F1R3F7Y)

used /roll

Acacia (F1R3F7Y) Request: [2d6] Roll: [6, 4] Result: 10

You walk through the neighborhood with the peace officer trailing a few steps behind you. They are looking from building to building, window to window, trying to remain vigilant for any threats or someone trying to take an opportunity to make a quick buck by sticking up an offworlder. You stand across the street from the data center and do not see any buckets or water collection set up on its roof . There is no evidence of digging from the surface outside. The data center does have a basement based on plans sent over to you from the city government, so whatever is happening here, is happening inside the barricaded domed structure.

As they are working together, Acacia would like to get to know the peace officer she is working with. Just basic questions like, name, do they have a family, have they always lived on Juroli, that sort of thing. As far as the squatters issue Acacia would ask if there is a way to talk with the squatters.

The officer has lived on Juroli all of their life. This was a quiet world once and the scientists who used to live on the orbital station were quiet and did not trouble anyone. On their occasional trips to the surface they were always polite and respectful. He has always been a peace officer and was content with their life of breaking up the occasional drunken fight. Nothing much happened here until the scientists lost control of their project during THe Scream and the world became englufed in living metal. His family lost several of its members due to the violence and starvation that followed, but those who remain live in the rebuilding city. He expresses a quiet concern that those who lived may not have truly escaped death, if the food situation does not improve soon they may just just guaranteed themselves a longer and far more drawn out and painful death. The CFR administrating the planet and taking concrete steps has given the people hope, but it is fragile. The peace officer will cover you if you try to talk with him. So far no one has been successful in trying to make contact with the squatters

Acacia would like to try and negotiate with the people in the building if that is at all possible. Maybe rig up some sort of loud speaker to get her message heard. If she is able her message is this, "My name is Acacia. I have been sent here because this planet is dying. If something isn't done soon the food WILL run out. I believe I have the skills necessary to fix that but I need access to the data center. I would ask that you at least let me come in and see if I can't get the farming machinery up and running again. After that we can enter negotiations about how to move forward."

(talk/cha)

Acacia (F1R3F7Y)

used /roll

Acacia (F1R3F7Y) Request: [2d6] Roll: [6, 4] Result: 10

There is some sort of speaker hidden somewhere that the occupiers have rigged up and they use it to reply to you. The voice is male, human, and sounds almost incomprehendingly weary. "Are you armed?" the breathless voice says on the other end of the speaker. "We are. If you want to come in to talk, we will let you in to talk. But talk is all you'll be doing"

"I'll need some kind of assurance that I'll be able to walk back out again. It certainly wouldn't help my cause to just become a hostage."

All they can give is their word that you will be let go. They have no reason to keep you, that gives the authorities reason to storm the building rather than continue the way things have beeng oing.

"Fair enough" She begins handing her weapons over to her peace officer friend. Then she heads in to have a conversation with the squatters.

There is a rope ladder thrown down the front of the building allowing you to climb to the roof and enter through the hatch. The two figures waiting for you do not have weapons drawn but are armed. They look tired and hungry, and the toll of living here under tension and pressure from the local authorities trying to drive them out is taking its effects on their minds and bodies. They have the strung out alertness of soldiers that have been on the line too long,but nothing in their bearing suggests any further similarity between them and actual service members. The weariness is something to be shared, it seems. "You're here. You said you've come to talk and you need to take a look at the systems. Can you tell us what exacrly you're trying to do?" the larger and taller of the two male figures says

(Sorry about the hiatus real life was keeping me too busy there for a bit) "Well my primary goal is to try and get the automated farming systems back up and running. It seems to me that would be in all of our best interest. Can I ask why you all have taken control of this data center? Maybe if I knew what your aims were we could come to an agreement that would be mutually beneficial."

"there isn't enough being done to take care of our needs. There's almost no food, the water is sketchy. Taking over this place, something they need, they were going to have to deal with us if they wanted to fix the problem. You're in here because we want this to work out, but no one is taking the complaints of the people seriously. We're not alone. We've got messages of support from all over this city" one of them says, offering you their compad to see

(Couple questions, first how much of a presence does the CFR have on the planet? Second is there a functional government that the squatters are pushing against or is it more of a disagreement between factions?)

(there is a transitional government from the former Juroli ruling council to one backed by the CFR. The government largely cut and run when the living metal was devouring the planet, and haven't poked their heads back up en masse yet. If they were to do so, that would be a good way to be swinging from a tree somwwhere, so the CFR is just trying to restore order on their own. CFR has a growing presence. The villages have agreed to let them use the planet as a freeport, and now the CFR is trying to stabilize the place so it remains something they can use. )

"How about you guys let me work on the farming automation, under guard of course, because that benefits everyone since we don't all starve and as a show of good faith I will talk to whoever I need to to get your power and water turned back on. Then we can maybe enter into talks about how to move forward in such a way that you all felt heard." (edited)

(notice/wis) \

Acacia (F1R3F7Y)

used /roll

Acacia (F1R3F7Y) Request: [d20+1] Roll: [7] Result: 8

Both of them seem to be relaxing. One of them had been toying with the grip of a gun they're concealing in their waistband behind their back and they finally decide to take their hand off. "Alright, you've got the controls " the other says and they begin to lead you into the data center. From this ground floor you can see they've dug up the floor and have spliced into the water system for the surrounding buildings. Power has remained connected due to the need to keep the autonomous system management running , but the inside is sweltering as the authorities have locked out the climate control and turned up the heat. "Would offer you a drink but we're down to wringing it off the pipes and pumping it from the ground" the one who is no longer playing with their gun says. You notice a scowl on the other person's face, no doubt they're upset at the amount of information given away with that comment. You are led to a room with many control panels and lights, each monitor currently shows NO INPUT but you can see they are supposed to be showing feeds from a cultivator, three tractors, and a harvester.

Acacia looks around the room. Rolls up her sleeves pulls out her toolkit and gets to work. "Let's start with seeing if I can get some eyes."

(fix/int)

Acacia (F1R3F7Y)

used /roll

Acacia (F1R3F7Y) Request: [2d6+2] Roll: [6, 6] Result: 14

Some spare parts and re wiring allows you to replace the sections of equipement that have become damaged during the occupation of the building. Many screens begin coming back online and communications with the autonomous farming vehicles are restored. Several screens of scrolling diagnostic data appear before another menu indicating the vehicles are waiting for orders appears.

Acacia gets to her feet after finishing up some rewiring. Types in a couple of test prompts. Then turns and says, "Alright, got em up and running now on to phase 2. I am going to try and grease the wheels on a negotiation between you and the CFR. This is your opportunity to have your complaints heard. What are your demands?" (I wasn't sure if I needed to touch base with my people outside before setting the automation to their tasks.) (edited)

(all good so far) "Food, clean water, and safety in the town. We've tried asking the local magistrate so many times and nothing has happened. This is our demand and ttaking over this building is how we get them to listen"

"I hear you. I was sent with a mandate to help accomplish exactly that. I will pass along your message and ensure you all a seat at the table as we move forward." After that Acacia makes her way back out to report to her handlers and debrief on everything that went on inside.

You can hear the distant sounds of engines as you emerge from the data center. The occupiers do not leave with you and shut the door behind you. People are surprised to see you have emerged unharmed and are even more surprised at the sounds of the distant autonomous machinery beginning to till the fields again. Your handler is closeby behind the barricades local security forces have set up to ensure the occupiers cannot leave without being seen.

Acacia will head back to her handlers debrief and see what our next move is. If there is pushback she will fight for the promises she made to the occupiers.

(3xp, 5000 credits. This should level you up. We will handle that, and then we can move on ) (edited)

(Sorry real life keeps assaulting my free time lol. Is there a particular way to do level ups or do I just read the rulebook and make the changes?)

Level Up Level: X Focus: X Old HP: X HP Roll: X New HP: X New Skills: X Current AB: X Here’s an example of a filled out template: Level Up Level: 2 Focus: Die Hard lvl 2 Old HP: 8 HP Roll: 7 New HP: 9 New Skills: Fix 1 for 2SP, Shoot 0 for 1SP Current AB: 1