Iron Stars - adha-cuxiountren

@Alura Grian Lugh (no need to ping for replies or posts. This is just so you know where your thread is ) “Wake up recruits!” Is the first thing Adha hears as they crawl out of bed. Land is always a strange thing to wake up on, and even more so when it’s done by the soothing rhythms of someone screaming in the hallway and banging on doors. For this much of a ruckus, whatever is about to happen must be important. Plu, your bunk mate , is a human male and looks to be equally bleary eyed and annoyed by what’s happening. You can hear him swearing and then apologizing to his god for cursing at another human being. “Better get to it eh Adha? Swift swimmer gets the juiciest minnows and all that “ he says in his farm boy accent. He stands and you can hear his joints pop gently.

Adha will quickly get up an and put on his uniform [?] before heading out to the meeting point

There is another rap at the door as the sergeant at arms walks by, and after a moment both of you are out in the hallway, heading toward the hangar. It looks like the entire trainee squadron is rousing and out on the hangar the six jet trainers assigned to your team have been moved into position on the taxiway. In a strange happenstance, it looks like instead of the normal simulated weapons, actual bombs seem to have been fitted to the jets and the ground crew's joking demeanor has been changed into something serious and business like. A small podium has been set up for some kind of briefing, along with three rows of chairs.

Adha will follow the others' lead and sit down in their place at the appropriate timr

The squadron trainer stands behind the podium and the hangar doors are closed to create something of darkness within the room. A map begins projecting, and it looks like the meeting is about to begin. "Good morning Pilots. I understand this is a training squadron, but right now, you're the best we have. As you may well be aware we represent the single inhabited area on this planet that exists in anything close to good order. The countryside around us is filled with outlaws, bandits, and others trying to carve out territory for themselves in the wake of the undead plague our trusted Governor Cayne Neverwinter put to rest. The governor has much going on, and cannot lead this mission himself. Even as close to Gudrun as we are, reinforcements are still going to take days to get here, and by then we will lose our opportunity. Satellites have detected a large outlaw convoy moving north toward a freehold on the coast. Recent special forces operations on the ground have driven them from the region, and we have the chance to destroy those who would stand against the UNW on the road, before they settle and reinforce their positions on the coast. Your jet trainers outside have been equipped with laser guided bombs, and this is a fairly simple convoy strike mission. We expect only light anti air defenses, with no enemy aircraft expected. Your mission is fairly simple. Locate the convoy, drop your bombs, destroy as much as you can, return home safe. For many of you, this is going to be your first test under live fire conditions, but we do not believe the enemy has anything capable of harming you. As a secondary objective, each of your planes has been equipped with a camera pod. You'll be flying over land that has not been surveyed since before the time of The Scream, and any interesting things you notice might allow us to gain a better foothold here"

8:00 AM

"Do any of you have any questions?" The squadron leader asks, looking down upon all of you taking notes.

Adha takes down some vague notes nut mostly just memorises the mission parameters. They raise no questions but nudges Plu.

(did you want him to do something? )

(Not really, just messing around)

The map shows your flight passing through three map hexes that have not been explored before- until reaching the target site where the convoy is expected to be. You will have the day's sun at your back, so your approach should be one of surprise. Outside, the two seat trainers look to be finishing their preparations, with techs pulling arming pins, detaching fuel lines, and moving ladders into place to allow you each to get into your seats.

(Does this mean I will have a WSO?)

11:48 AM

(To do the actual launching of the bombs while Adha is piloting?)

11:48 AM

Adha will prepare to take off and start doing preflight checks

(When it comes down to it I'd let you roll the dice but yeah Plu is your WSO)

3:26 PM

(I'll post plane stats here shortly)

1

Nekosmash pinned a message to this channel. 9/13/2022 7:35 AM

(with the battery reserve we essentially dont have to worry about fuel)

Adha will get in their plane and taxi to the take off point, ready for when it is their turn to launch

There are two planes before you on the runway though your staggered line has you all talking off within a few seconds of one another, to adopt a staggered line flight upon reaching the air. From there, each of you has been given a slightly different heading as the search pattern begins. Well practiced at routine takeoffs and landings by now, you see all instruments are showing green, and the tower gives the signal for takeoff. The two planes in front of you begin rolling forward, engaging their afterburning to get into the sky quickly. The maps begin overlaying on your control consoles, and you have your heading as you also roll forward- wheels leaving the ground seconds after. (D10 for hex generation)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /roll

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [1d10] Roll: [1] Result: 1 Reason: Hex Generation

As you level off at your cruising altitude the camera pod comes online and you have control over it in the front compartment of the plane. Behind you, the steady breathing of Plu serves as something like a mantra, reminding you to do the same from up here. The camera pod begins to rotate and track focusing on what looks to be some kind of frontier settlement located dozens of kilometers from the city, well off patrol routes.

Adha will make a note on their map to further surveil the area on their return journey

The village sends up a white flare as you pass overhead, but all you can do is continue on your way. It looks like there are two more uncharted zones like this to fly over before you reach the highway the convoy is expected to be. (D10 one more time)

(Does a white flare signify something special?)

(They're previously uncontacted, so if it does, we don't know what it means)

(Cool, will be visiting on way back)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /r

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [1d10] Roll: [8] Result: 8 Reason: Hex Gen

The land around this section of the flight is mountainous. You can see a tattered pre-Scream flag flapping in the wind on the peak here, and it looks like a small settlement of tents is around them. You count five, with a large campfire in the middle.

Adha will make a note on their map to further surveil the area on their return journey but at a lower priority than the other one

(one more, and then we're in our target zone)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /roll

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [1d10] Roll: [1] Result: 1 Reason: Last Hex

The zone here looks to be a largely barren zone. This was once a verdant plain of green grass and the occasional tall tree, but now looks to be a recently burned ashen wasteland. The flames are gone now, as is the smoke, but the gray blanket over everything remains. Drifting clouds of soot and smoke provide low level ground cover and concealment, and as you fly over the area your radar pings, the first of the convoy sighted in the zone beyond. Plu takes a deep breath over the intercom. "Looks like we're the first ones to spot them. "

"Want to do a quick high pass first? Make sure they don't have any surprises waiting before making ourselves visible."

"I think so. Let's try to spot any AA or any other surprises the satellites missed. We don't want to find them with our face" he says, coughing back what you expect was him about to get sick from nerves. Thankfully, he seems to be keeping himself together for now.

We make the high pass outside of their expected casual observation range. (What do we spot, or is it a roll)

(would be a notice/wis)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /roll

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [2d6] Roll: [4, 3] Result: 7 Reason: Not in water so -1 situational modifier

You do notice a patch of ground ahead of the convoy route as a scout vehicle has embedded hull down near the side of the road. It is painted to blend in with the ground, when seen from above. You barely catch it. A long barreled rapid fire cannon on its roof is not specifically for anti-air use, but it might be enough to give anyone approaching too low and too slow a second thought.

"Ready for an attack run Plu? Think we target the defences first, so that the others have an easier time of it. I'll make sure we fly just in range and as fast as possible, you guide the bombs, just like in training."

3:04 PM

"This is just like in the training sims, right Plu?"

"Ri...right" He says, taking in a deep breath from behind you. "Alright, punch it, lets level them" Looking through the electronic scope to the ground below, you locate the anti air position the satellites missed. (the "rocket launchers" in this case will be the bombs you're carrying, for Plu, his modifiers total +3, so we would add that to our attack roll)

(Anything for Adha flying or just Plu's roll?)

(The AA gun will get a chance to hit depending on if the bombs take it out or not, but we'll assume it won't get a track on you until after you've released. That would just be normal attacks, and with Adha having decent pilot I don't think it'd make sense for them to need to roll something for relatively stable glide bombing)

1

Alura Grian Lugh

used /r

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [1d20+3] Roll: [6] Result: 9 Reason: Plu launches some bombs at the AA emplacement

1

The first of the bombs lands short of the target as you streak overhead. You can hear Plu swearing to himself as a clod of dirt short of the AA emplacement blossoms skyward though the crew surely has to take a moment themselves from the shock of the close strike. The trainer streaks overhead, and you hear the control tower letting you know that the closest of your squadron mates will be there in two minutes. You have another bomb on the other wing to try to hit the AA vehicle, and if successful, the rest of your friends should have an easier time making this route a highway of death.

Nekosmash

used /roll

Nekosmash Request: [1d20+3] Roll: [14] Result: 17

Nekosmash

used /roll

Nekosmash Request: [1d8] Roll: [5] Result: 5

There is a streak of tracers from the ground and the wing sparks as a few rounds strike it. For now, the damage is superficial, but whoever is in charge of the emplacement on the ground looks to know what they're doing.

Alura Grian Lugh

used /roll

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [1d20+3] Roll: [4] Result: 7 Reason: Plu launches the second set of bombs at the AA emplacement

1

(Well that went well)

Another streaking pass sends another plume of smoke heading skyward but the shot is missed. "We can still do something important here" Plu says as another series of shots from the gun on the ground miss you. "We should count vehicles, and since we can VTOL maybe communicate with some of those places we passed on the way back. We haven't had much practice with glide bombing yet" he sighs, and you know inside he is upset with himself.

(Adha will do 3 passes over the convoy, two at medium altitude and one at low. He will attempt to perform evasive manoeuvres if it even looks like there will be incoming AA fire [the low pass may be called off early])

(lets get a pilot/dex for this)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /r

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [2d6+1] Roll: [5, 4] Result: 10 Reason: Pilot

The two high passes identify twenty convoy vehicles, now stopped and pulling off the road as the bandits in them try to find something approaching cover. They will not find much here between the plains and the road. The low pass has you avoiding anti aircraft fire to take several photos of the places you see the largest troop concentrations. You are able to datalink the photos to other members of your flight so their own strikes are more accurate. Out of bombs, and slowly running out of luck as the anti-air fire gets closer and closer, shift change is in twenty seconds as the next closest member of your training flight arrives. "Might be time to go touch base with those folks we saw on the way here" Plu says, dejection in his voice at two missed strikes.

"Yep let's go"

11:03 AM

(Do two low passes over the camp/tent place first)

The land around this section of the flight is mountainous. You can see a tattered pre-Scream flag flapping in the wind on the peak here, and it looks like a small settlement of tents is around them. You count five, with a large campfire in the middle. On the first low pass you see clear signs of habitation. The locals look to be hunting the creatures that live on the peaks here, about goat like in size from what you can tell. The second pass reveals two human figures emerging from one of the tents to investigate the source of the noise.

(Can we get pictures of the flag?)

(I don't have art for it, but I think we'd be too fast and too high , even on a low altitude pass unless we actually land if you mean in character)

(I meant pictures in character, was trying to guage whether I would land or not)

2:40 PM

(Plan to land then, to get more info)

2:40 PM

(Do we have handheld recording devices?)

(Compads would do that , otherwise just whatever items you picked up at character creation)

(I will use my dataslab then, don't have a compad. Was asking just in case they wanted us to use special equipment provided by them)

(Data slab works! How far from their encampment did you want to land?) (edited)

(30 minutes walking distance)

Landing just on the other side of a grove of trees you exit the aircraft, and Plu can be heard over the radio bead asking if you'd like him to come along too, or to stay here and swap seats so he can pick you up in a hurry if needed.

(Come along, we can make sure the fighter is secured first though)

(notice/wis)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /r

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [2d6] Roll: [6, 4] Result: 10 Reason: Includes penalty for not being in water

1

You notice some signs that the locals have occasionally hunted in the woods here, but you estimate it's been at least a week since anyone has come this way. You see a few tracks, but the boot prints are very old and mostly filled in. Emerging from the edge of the woods , you can see your landing has been noticed and two people from the camp bundled up in parkas are on snowshoes, making their way out to you.

(Make my way up towards the flag until I am within talking distance, then say hello to them)

They respond with a hello themselves, stopping 5m from you. The first of the residents pipes up, moving his scarf from his face so he can talk clearly. "We didn't expect to see anyone out here, let alone a plane. Who are you and what are you doing out here?" (edited)

"I'm Adha, this is Plu. We're from the United Nation of Worlds, and you?"

"Explorers once. We were part of a team sent to map this world in the days before The Scream. We saw the cities had once been fighting some kind of outbreak. Rumors of the dead walking, or something like it, but here in the mountains things seemed safe, so we stayed and carved a life for ourselves. I haven't heard of the United Nations of Worlds before"

"Picking up the pieces around here now, trying to help protect this planet as they have done others before and got a request for aid. The two of us were on assignment to help stop some bandits and then see if we can do some exploring of our own"

"We saw you pass over before. Looks like you're a couple bombs lighter now. Did you manage to hit anything?" he asks with some interest.

"Unfortunately not, the bandit outlaws managed to evade them. Hopefully the others manage to do better, with any luck they won't be able to raid or hurt you."

"Thanks to you and your work. This operation then, and your plane, is this a United Nations of Worlds mission?"

"It is, our first proper mission too." Adha beams somewhat

"How far is your outpost?" he asks, looking at the sky. "Camping has been fun, but if things are getting better it might be time to get back to civilization. "

Gives distance and direction "Do you want help? I could ask my superiors back at base about it, no guarantees about being able to spare the resources yet though" (edited)

"Wouldn't object to an escort, or maybe a drop of supplies on the way. You're a long way from here, especially on foot. We'd have to save up for quite a while to make it"

"We'll see what we can do"

7:36 PM

"Is there any way of contacting you remotely?" (edited)

He thinks for a moment. "If its not too much to ask and you've got a type A cell on you, we could get our compad working again. We should be able to get a message to your aircraft from there"

(Can I take one out of my laser pistol?)

(If you're okay parting with it you certainly can)

(Oh, wait, Can we store equipment in our fighter?)

7:59 AM

(Because I do have some, just not on my person because they are too heavy)

(Yep! I'd say there'd be a bit of room for some personal things)

(Will give them a power cell from my personal stash then)

8:06 AM

(Marked)

"Thank you. We'll send you a message and you can distribute our frequency from there. I think if we get a supply drop we should be able to make the overland trek from here to safety where you're set up "

"You're welcome, I hope we can meet again one day"

10:21 AM

(Go back to fighter now I guess)

(did you want to check out that second encampment, or head back to base?)

(Check second encampment. Will land within 30m immediately for this one, or at least after one low pass)

The settlement you had seen first is much larger with scrap wooden walls made of sharpened wood and reinforced with metal plates. A single gate on the north side of the city is watched over by what looks to be some kind of militia, drawn from the 500 or so people you estimate to be living here.

(Will land just outside of range of whatever weapons they may have and then walk over.)

You see sentries near the gate and on the walls. There are six in total within sight, and two begin walking over, weapons held low but ready.

(I make sure my laser pistol is holstered and wait for them to come to us.)

"Who are you! What do you want?" one of the gate guards says as they come to within 5m of you. Their weapons are still held closely, and carefully.

"Adha and Plu. We're trainee pilots from the UNW. We saw a white flare earlier so we came to explore."

"Saw your bird earlier. Mayor will want to talk to you then if you come into the village. Will need to leave weapons here, will give them backt o you when you leave" the sentry says. He looks to be middle aged, and like this was not his first job- though it is the one he has found himself in as a member of the Post Scream universe.

(Adha will give up his weapon, and hope Plu does the same. Before following him to whoever it is wishes to see us)

(not trying to pocket anything? if not that's fine , just need to know if we need to do a sneak check or not)

(No, no need, have natural weapons if it becomes necessary)

You're led into the village by three of the gate guards, who are replaced by others sitting in a small guard booth nearby. You get curious stares as you pass by, the locals never seeing either a Mosk, or an outsider before. You are being led up a small hill flanked by houses and shops that look to be thin on goods and in need of repair. The locals have done what they can to eke a life out of their harsh , formerly zombie filled post scream world. The doors of the longhouse at the top of the hill open and you're brought inside to speak with the village mayor, who looks to be one part administrator , one part emaciated former battle king, wearing the scars of his fights against the undead proudly.

Adha will wait to let them speak first if the wish, otherwise: "I'm Adha, trainee fighter pilot, we saw a white flare on our way to a mission objective so we decided to stop by on our way back"

(they'd have just asked what you were doing here)

1:46 PM

"We saw you fly over and thought to send up a signal. We didn;t think there was anyone else still alive out there, let alone someone with the technology to fly. You said you're a trainee fighter pilot? For who? Who has the organization to field something like this?"

"The United Nation of Worlds. They helped end the zombie apocalypse here and are now trying to restore worldwide order. Region by region as we can with what they have available in this sector."

"I see. anything else you can share about them? Been a long time, we thought we were out here all by ourselves, first we've heard of you, though I guess we've seen some of youir work."

(I'll share the public knowledge/outward face they prefer to be let known)

5:55 PM

(Don't remember everything I read about them so hope you don't mind me not making a whole speech about it)

(I feel like the pitch is kind of important here and reading might be useful. Its PbP so the time to do that between posts, even if there are fewer posts as a result is something I don't mind)

1

(if you want to move on for now, we can)

(Nah, want to do it in order. Just busy with irl festivities.)

(sounds good, I appreciate your level of care with all that, I'll give you a re-roll token once you've got what you want to say hammered out)

"The UNW is an alliance of 12 worlds an counting, gathered through diplomacy and for the goal of peace and prosperity across worlds of all species. It is democratically led and we have good relations with the polities nearby to us and are happy to help independent worlds in need of it. Like freeing this one of the zombie plague and outlaws in exchange of coming under it's protection."

5:23 AM

(What is a reroll token?)

(you can re-roll a failed save or skill check)

1

7:31 AM

"And they're the ones who put all this together here. Interesting. We certainly would like to meet with whoever was in charge. "

"Well I can't promise anything, I'm just a trainee pilot, but I can at least let my superiors about your request, and hopefully they should be able to contact someone with more authority"

"You know we are here,and we will give you our frequency. You're right, this is probably out of your hands from here. It was nice of you to come by and spread the word. We were starting to think we were all alone out here"

"Always happy to find new people around us. Makes us all that bit safer. I'll do what I can."

12:06 AM

(Guess Adha will try to go back now)

(3xp, 5000 credits) The return trip is uneventful. You can hear that the other trainee pilots had mixed success against the convoy before they scattered and went hull down in the forest. Several of the vehicles are smoking wrecks and those are fewer bandits coming to maraud the good people of this world. Setting down, there is also some excitement about your discoveries, and what it means for restoring the patchwork of civilization on this world.

Now at 3XP (Level up to level 2) and 5,200 Credits

Alura Grian Lugh

used /r

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [2d6] Roll: [5, 3] Result: 8 Reason: HP

Old HP Total: 6 New HP Roll: 8 New HP Total: 8 ~~-----------------------------------~~ Skills | Starting Level | Ending Level | SP Cost

Charisma | 13 | 14 | 1
Talk     | -1 |  0 | 1
Connect  | -1 |  0 | 1
Fix      |  1 |  2 | Focus

~~-----------------------------------~~

Focus Pick  |  Level  |  Skill Increase
Tinker      |    1    |  Fix

(edited)

3:19 PM

(Can I add a new character goal? To help unify the various disparate peoples living across Asgapur under the UNW)

3:22 PM

(Also how does finding new missions work?)

(Yes you can! and we can just work on this new goal. I would say a segue into that is clearly you and Plu did better at taking pictures and talking than in dropping bombs, so I could see where it would make sense to assign you to a recon squadron to basically keep doing what you;re doing )

Alura Grian Lugh

(Can I add a new character goal? To help unify the various disparate peoples living across Asgapur under the UNW)

(So would this have an XP thing or just a personal goal)

6:44 AM

(And guess I'll wait see what recon missions they send Adha off on)

(Youd get mission xp during the various steps in completing it and on completing the personal goal would get goal xp. I have not been into your sheet to assign goal xp for it. Normally I go through them once a week

1

(Ah, I'll put it on the sheet and wait then)

The next few days pass by in relative quiet. The bandit formation never appears out of the woods again, but after a coordinated air campaign like that, it makes sense that they are bedding down. Noticing your talents for taking pictures and talking, you are called to the squadron commanders office for your official assignment. Over the same last few days you have seen a handful of members in your training class passed over for promotion, and others have been elevated into various squadron positions. It almost looked like yourself and Plu were going to be part of this first group of people, when orders come to head to the squadron commanders office. Upon entering you are both invited to sit, and there are two tan folders on the desk. "Both of you at ease, have a seat. I've got something important to discuss with the both of you" he says. His attendant pours a glass of water for all of you.

(Adha will sit and wait in whatever manner would be expected) (edited)

"Nothing to say? Alright, well I'll just get into it then. " he says, passing the folder over to you. "Assignments. I think recon is going to be a good fit for you both- you're going to be working a bit more independently than you're probably used to, but you performed well on your way back from the bombing run. You both have what it takes to fill a unique niche within the UNW exploration corps"

(Adha leafs through the folder, anything in it that stands out? Like a different type of aircraft, or set searching patterns, etc?)

The basic flyer model looks to be same though this time armed with more camera and sensing equipment, and some quality of life improvements for yourself and Plu so you can sustain yourselves in the wild for longer. It is also a grav model meaning it can hover and land without a runway- and take off without one as well. There don't seem to be set operational parameters yet.

"Exploration of this world would be delightful to undertake. I see the new aircraft specifications include better sensors and hover capabilities. Should be able to make safe observations from outside any range before landing in case of hostiles."

11:12 AM

"Is there a direction you would like us to scout first?"

11:14 AM

(Also is there a version of the map which shows which areas are unexplored, or is the map on world anvil the extent of the known area. Also where is the training/air base?)

(pretty much the entire planet is unexplored, I don;t have more maps than jsut that one)

11:26 AM

(We're at Donara)

1

(And the CO's response to direction, or is it entirely up to us?)

(I was just answering your OOC questions first, it didnt seem like you wanted to play the scene out, which was fine, so I wanted you to get the info, somehow. I'm good to proceed however you wish)

(Aah, that is fine. Part of why I am hesitant to play the scene is that I am not entirely sure on protocols within the UNW for this sort of meeting, but yeah, appreciate getting the answers to the OOC stuff first)

(He's just assigning you a new mission is all, there's not really protocols and I wouldn't punish someone for RP )

1:27 PM

(unless you're like, being a jerk or you shoot him for no reason or something)

1

"We know almost nothing to any direction outside the city, but west is a shorter race to the coast. Starting there might be good, filling in the map as we go"

"Knowing almost nothing about anywhere around us, why don't we try a spiral search centred on Donara? Or a grid search, though with our limited numbers a spiral search pattern will probably be quicker and less wasteful."

3:19 PM

"It would also mean filling in our immediate area outside the perimeter a lot quicker, which will probably be helpful in defence"

"Currently our recon squadron is...just you, and Plu. One airframe though, it's all we can pull away from the bomber squadrons at the moment. This mission is about more than just finding things from the sky though, any information you can bring back about the sites you uncover makes us more prepared, and helps us expend our limited resources far more wisely. "

"That we will do, it seems as though a spiral pattern would be most helpful. That way we can expand in any directions as required without large supply lines" (edited)

"Agreed. You're free to start anytime, but we'd like you airborne by tomorrow at the latest. THe more we know about what is around us, and the sooner we know it, the better we'll be at figuring out the next steps"

"Yes Sir! Will start preparations to leave now sir and take off at dawn."

3:54 AM

(Can I have the sheet/stats for the new aircraft? Also will sort out my own personal equipment either tonight or tomorrow. Will probably be buying things like pressure tents and emergency medicines if that is OK. And spare parts if the aircraft has a tool rack. Though maybe I will take buy those anyway, think we cam do emergency maintanence without the spares)

(Yeah I have to make one when I’m back to the computer tonight. Life has been pretty busy since mid afternoon yesterday. From there we can figure out supplies once you see what it comes with )

1

7:09 AM

(As far as personal gear, make a list and I’ll let you know if something isn’t available. )

(Data Storage Unit, Medkit, Type B powercells, Glowbugs, navcomp, pressure tent, survey scanner, solar rechargers, comm server, Argus Web, Medpac, Anti-Tox, Anti-Rad)

4:15 PM

(Will sort out prices/amounts tomorrow)

(Sounds good. Once we sort that out we will be set to go)

(Oh and a remote link unit so I can actually use the storage unit considering my incredibly low strength score)

7:09 PM

(sounds good, just total things up for me when you can like you were saying, I know tomrrow was what you were shooting for)

(Hmm, OK, the medkit and pressure tent will probably won't be needed then)

4:04 AM

(Oh, and what about bioscanners?)

Data Storage Unit  |  1 |   500 Credits
Remote Link Unit   |  1 |   250 Credits
Comm Server        |  1 | 1,000 Credits
Argus Web          |  2 | 1,000 Credits
Type A Power-cells |  9 |    90 Credits
Type B Power-cells |  4 |   400 Credits
Solar Rechargers   |  6 | 3,000 Credits
Glowbugs           | 60 |   300 Credits
NavComp            |  1 |   500 Credits
Survey Scanner     |  1 |   250 Credits
Bioscanner*        |  1 |   300 Credits
Medpac             | 10 | 1,000 Credits
Anti-Tox           |  4 |   400 Credits
Anti-Rad           |  4 |   600 Credits
Total:                    9,590 Credits
* - Subject to approval

5:53 AM

(Also had a question in regards to cyberware installation time)

(What’s your question )

(How long does it take to install, and how long to recover)

5:58 AM

Start        |    5,200 Credits
UNW Income   |  +25,000 Credits
Items        |  - 9,590 Credits
Cybernetics  |  -15,000 Credits
Remaining    |    5,610 Credits

(edited)

(We say its installed over a day, and it takes a day per strain the cyberware puts on your body to recover. I know its faster than the book but gaps of weeks would make some of the rough timelines a little wonky)

(Adha would like to have panspectral optics installed just prior to leaving if their superiors are OK with the delay)

(yes)

Alura Grian Lugh

Start        |    5,200 Credits
UNW Income   |  +25,000 Credits
Items        |  - 9,590 Credits
Cybernetics  |  -15,000 Credits
Remaining    |    5,610 Credits

(edited)

(OK, edited the credit changes message. Also completed a personal goal for 0XP.) (edited)

2

1

(which goal? If it was blank I just didn't assign any)

2:15 PM

(if it was 0, its just part of normal gameplay progression- like buying something relatively available that doesnt take about a missions worth of effort. Just not sure what you were looking at)

(To get a cyberware installed. You left it at 0XP at character creation because it was a personal goal of Adha's to remind me what the personally want rather than an actual progression goal)

(ah right, okay, yep 0 is correct)

Following your surgery and the day of recovery, you awaken in the pre-dawn hours with Plu to head to the hangar where your new vehicle is waiting. Certifying that to the best of your expertise the pre-flight checks look correct, the both of you take your familiar seats in the over/under layout you are used to from the jet trainer's cockpit. The hangar doors begin opening, allowing the first of the sunrise's golden rays to reflect off your matte gray hull.

(Adha double checks all their equipment, makes sure they have enough food for at least a week, and starts the preflight checklist)

1:09 PM

(That being said, I think I forgot to buy food)

(we can just assume there is a week of food on board)

(OK, makes sense)

2:34 PM

(Coordinates with tower control and lifts off)

2:35 PM

(Start with Hex directly to the north then start a clockwise spiral until we start running low on suppliesl

(D10)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /r

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [1d10] Roll: [6] Result: 6 Reason: Hex Gen

The hex to the north,200km from the city borders is a quiet area of swampland. A thick tree cover over the area once sheltered legions of the dead, but now it is quiet with the first stirrings of animal and bird life beginning to come back to the region. You see a single pall of smoke that looks like a cooking fire ahead of you- it is controlled,and not wildly spreading.

(Use advanced to create a topographical map of the area and buildings around the fire.)

2:01 PM

(Also can you pin the new flier sheet please?)

(advanced what? and yes)

Nekosmash pinned a message to this channel. 10/11/2022 2:56 PM

(Meant to say advanced sensors)

You get what data you can. The map is far from perfect as it begins rendering, and nothing is known about the people who might be living down there and cooking.

(What type of dwellings do they seem to have? Are they temporary high tech pressure tents and the like, or more primitive permanent dwellings or something in between? Or is the render not detailed enough to get any such information from?)

(I think we could reason that if it was high tech there'd be radio signals or some other give-away that technology or power is in use here, we don't see that, so probably something in between- but the scanners alone would not give us exact information beyond that)

(Will land about 10 minutes walk away, facing towards the fire. If I can)

(approaching openly, or do we want to try to sneak up and watch firsT?)

(Openly, seems to be working best so far)

Approaching the camp you see there are ten people living here. They are doing a mix of trapping and fishing, and currently are all standing around a large stew pot as something that smells very fishy comes from it. They have noticed you coming , and though they are not outwardly armed, they look to be wary. (edited)

(I will stop a non-threatening distance away and also look unarmed. My Argus Nets will be running around myself and Plu)

(It can run for 360 coverage of you, I don't think he was fitted with one)

3:48 PM

"What do you want!? " one of the fisherfolk says. YOu can hear someone else making a joke about butter and seasoning but only catch a few of the words.

(I bought two, one for Plu to use)

(Okay no problem )

1

"Hello there, we're pilots for the UNW exploring around the planet to help anyone we can and improve our defences against any threats like brigands and plagues"

"Do we look like brigands ? " one of them asks, and gestures that you both can come closer if you would like to. The tension seems to be ebbing

"Not really, but you look like you may at least appreciate some trade"

"We might. What have you go? And you said you're from who?" One of them asks, using a gardening shovel as some kind of stew spoon.

"Personally, not much. But at the base we hail from has more we could use to potentially start up trade. We're from the United Nations of Worlds." (edited)

"The base. ... you from the city? Thought the dead overran the cities. Well I'll be damned, that is something" one of the yokels says, as he dips his arm into the bank of the nearby river. It looks like he is fishing for something down there. "You ever dangled for Dogfish before?" he asks the both of you.

"The UNW helped stop the plague and have set up an outpost very close by to here. Haven't really done so, no; haven't actually heard of Dogfish before either."

There’s some laughter from the fisherman. “You wanna try? Hundreds of em in here and it’s some good eating!” The rest of this merry band of country folk seem to agree

"Sure, why not?"

He gestures for you to come over to the waters edge and it looks like there is some kind of sticky paste they spread on their arms to use as bait to attract the fish.

(Adha will join in, ready to use their natural weapons if needed)

(survive/wis)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /r

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [2d6+1] Roll: [6, 2] Result: 9

Your claw is a natural hook and once slathered with bait, the fish become interested and before long you feel the gentle nibble of something on the slight hook that makes up the end of your arm.

(I use my wrist jets to kill it. Want to base my natural melee weapons off the short range fluidic jet idea on the Mosk page.)

12:40 PM

(Rather than claws)

(I'll show you what I was imagining this to be after the scene)

(Cool)

There is some hooting and hollering as you jet the large fish, holding it up aloft as a prize

1:59 PM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0gpgIq_XL4

River Monsters™

Using Bare Hands To Catch A Catfish | CATFISH | River Monsters

(I'll pass the dogfish along to them and thank them for letting me have a go)

You sense you're in favorably with these locals now, given your willingness to try something new and something that is also important to their way of life. This meal will nourish them tonight.

"Well, I hope you enjoy your meal and make contact with the base when you are ready to, it's only a couple of miles that way. We need to leave though unfortunately, there is a lot of planet to explore and many more groups to meet."

12:02 AM

(Hope I got the distance right)

(Its several kilometers, but they're used to the terrain, if they decide to make the trip they can handle it)

(Cool)

11:36 AM

(Also wondering what my participation in #chimeran-negotiations means for this mission)

(you can be in both at the same time)

1

They accept you needing to leave, and Plu begins getting the ship ready for takeoff so you can continue the pattern.

(After taking their leave, Adha will return to their gravflyer and we will take off to the next hex. Clockwise.)

(d10)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /r

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [1d10] Roll: [8] Result: 8 Reason: probably should have expected to have to roll this 🙂

(All good, appreciate the waiting, just in case) LEaving the swamp youn continue over the dark colored ground and things look to dry out a bit, revealing a network of foothills and highlands where the scanners detect common minerals close to the surface. Passing overhead, it looks like in pre-scream days someone else also had this information, and the beginnings of a mining camp were established on a cut-away area of nearby hills. The three large mining rigs are empty and abandoned now. Weather has rusted large parts of them.

1

(OK, make sure the Argus Webs' data has been transferred to data storage, then land as close to the detected minerals as possible. Just want to take a couple of quick readings using survey scanners and then be off again)

(I think even with grav the closest landing place would be the little camp you discovered since they flattened it there)

(How far away is the camp from the rest of the rigs?)

(They’re all on site in the same area)

(Alight there, have Plu ready just in case, and then just take several readings across the site with the survey scanner then go back and continue with the hex spiral search)

(you're getting out to do this, is that what you're saying?)

(Correct. Argus Web active and starting with a fresh memory)

You exit the vehicle and begin looking around. The mining camp looks to be empty, and at one point had been overrun by the dead judging by the splashes of gore streaked on the side of the vehicles. The mine itself is a source of eventually common ingots if the site can be secured and developed. The mine-head has been constructed but consists of just a single shallow shaft.

(Return to gravflyer and go to next Hex in the spiral)

(okay, d10 then)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /r

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [1d10] Roll: [3] Result: 3 Reason: Hex 3 of at least 10 in the spiral

Moving on from the mining camp you come to an empty wetland. There are few trees here, and it resembles a sea of reeds and long stemmed cat tails. You might feel at home in a place like this with a mix of wet and dry land so interspersed around one another. There is no doubt wildlife here though you see few examples of it from your perch here high above the grass sea below.

(Next hex in spiral. Also how many days have passed?)

11:37 AM

(Just so I know how much power and food we have left)

(We're in a flyer so we're at about a day now since we stopped to hang out with the fishermen and surveyed the mine somewhat. We've spent more time on the ground than in the air thus far)

(Can we sleep within the gravflyer, or do we need to land?)

(You'd have to land but you can sleep in it)

(Ah, in that case Adha will not move on to the next Hex yet and instead choose to land amongst the reeds. Then set up the sensors to alert us if anyone gets too close before picking shifts, eating and sleeping in shifts with Plu)

Nekosmash

used /roll

Nekosmash Request: [1d10] Roll: [9] Result: 9

Night passes without trouble , you hear the sounds of animals in the reeds but none come close enough to investigate the strange vessel in their midst. You awaken to a gray dawn, and the sounds of nesting birds in the reeds greeting the morning with you.

(Break fast then on to next Hex in the spiral)

Heading south the land becomes rockier once again and it looks as though most of the water has bled off to be absorbed back into the ground. The land here looks to be uninhabited, and devoid of resources on its surface but could be drained to provide fertile farmland should the population require it someday.

(And onto the next Hex)

South of the city the land here is dryer and more arid. THere is evidence of bandit activity in the area judging by a number of torched homesteads you pass where farmers and isolated communities have been swept away by man-made violence.

(Adha will try to find a homestead in the region that looks occupied)

(notice/wis)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /r

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [2d6] Roll: [5, 4] Result: 9 Reason: (Includes -1 from not being in water)

You can see one, isolated against the nearby hills. It looks like it is still standing consisting of a small house, a storage barn, and w hat looks to be a machine shop. Wooden fences keep the woods from overgrowing onto the small cleared property and a garden grows along the western side of the house. It looks like only a family or two might live here and their remote location is likely the only reason they haven't joined the fates of the others.

(Land in the closest clearing possible nearby to them. Then bring Plu along to meet up with them. Have gravflyer off and locked. Argus Webs backed up to Storage and with a blank memory.)

(Sneaking up or approaching openly ?)

(Adha will approach openly and unarmed, Plu however they wish to)

(Plu will probably stay hidden just in case you need help for some reason, so lets get a sneak/dex for him, would just be a flat 2d6)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /r

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [2d6] Roll: [3, 1] Result: 4 Reason: Plu hides

(We'll see if this comes to anything but for now we'll move on) Approaching the homestead and coming to the edge of the fenceline, the door of the home opens and two men emerge with long hunting rifles. Neither of them are looking to want to use them, but they do want you to see that they are armed. "Hello there!" one of them shouts "Who are you?"

"Hello, I am Adha, I'm a pilot for the United Nation of Worlds. And you are?"

"Farmers who don't want any trouble. Saw you come out of the woods, thought you were part of a gang, or here to rob us. You're not, are you?"

"No, though we it would be helpful to have more information on these gangs. Part of the UNWs mandate here is to help put an end to the banditry that has sprung up after they ended the zombie plague here"

He looks around the woods nervously. "You, and your friend, you both better come in then"

"Thank you." Sighs "Plu, they know you're there, and they have invited us in"

(Will follow them into their house or whatever)

(its their house yes)

7:54 AM

You're welcomed into their home, and it looks like some tea is being put on for you made with strong herbs. There are twelve people living here, what look to be generations of the same family. They all look to be tired and very undernourished. (edited)

(What is the UNW policy on benefits etc. on worlds such as this one?)

( What are you roping into benefits? Just so I know how to answer you)

(Things like food banks/food aid. Clothes maybe)

(The UNW has a medical service on the planet already, they've been expanding as often as it makes sense to do so, Admin capacity and people available to work those holdings are the limiting factors, as they are on all worlds. Asgapur doesn't have a lot of people so that's really hindering things right now, and is one of the reasons your exploration for other communities is so important, because now we have those people available to work them)

"Hello, thank you for inviting us into your home"

"Of course. you said you had something to say about the UNW, and about what you were doing aboutt he banditry, its why we let you inside, so we'd like to hear what you have to say"

"So, the UNW is trying to deal with banditry across the planet as much as we can. Unfortunately one of the biggest issues is that we don't exactly know where these bandits are... If you can help us there we would be grateful. Also our outpost is that way if you ever find yourselves in need of help."

'I think I might know w here they're operating from, but they move often. Tonight, I know where they are likely hiding out, but if you want to help us, you'll need to act fast"

"Do you know how big a group they are?"

"Twenty strong or so, but they don't all camp at once. They look like they take turns resting and keeping an eye on the woods "

"Do they keep an eye here and [area where we landed]?"

"sometimes they do. They might now since your aircraft came down. I don't think they have a way to hurt it, but they might know someone is in the area and is paying attention to what's going on here"

(OK, do I/Adha know how long it would take a response force to get here? And can I estimate the amount of danger this family might be in if we were to relay the new in person by flying back to base? Or would it be possible for me to radio/comm back to base? We are in an adjacent hex but I have no idea what that means in terms of travel times and communication lines)

(depends on the response you want. A smaller group of soldiers would take low hours to muster, whereas if you want something company strength to sweep the woods we might be looking at half a day, and that of course is going to be very attention grabbing, so your quarry might be gone by then. Each hex is 200km ,when we roll a d10 we roll for basically what is considered the dominant feature of it, though there are smaller things to find like this bandit problem. )

7:46 AM

(What I'm setting up is you and Plu working smart, maybe with some help of the farmers if they can be persuaded, interrupting the bandit camp or sacking it would be enough to scatter them, since its where the bandits are keeping their supplies)

(Adha would call back to base and call for a quick response team of foot soldiers to come help us out as we're pilots more than soldiers and it's probably not great for the farmer's health to go into such situations especially as we're doing this to help protect them. Adha will ask if they could arrive as stealthily as possible)

A response from the capital is going to take four hours to arrive here and begin operations, and will use the farm as a landing zone.

(I find out what kind of terrain is around where the bandits are) (edited)

5:28 PM

(Four hours is a bit long and want to see if it might be necessary/possible for us to keep an overwatch of the area until the soldiers arrive) (edited)

(How are we finding out what the terrain is like? I'm assuming we'd need to do this on foot really given the tree cover, since we probably want to see more than just the tree tops)

9:10 AM

(Four hours is about analogous to real life, the soldiers would need to be roused from their barracks, issued their equipment, go through inspection and weapons checks, get briefed, and then actually fly here)

(By asking the people in this farm, no point in doing aerial surveillance if there is tree cover. So I guess that answers that. Will wait the four hours with this family if they would be so kind, in the flier, ready to take off when the soldiers arrive if not.)

The farmers can really only guess. They don't have the exact location of the bandit camp, but think the terrain is going to be heavily forested and possibly muddy with lots of clinging brush in some of the lower elevations.

(Will wait here then)

Nekosmash

used /roll

Nekosmash Request: [1d10] Roll: [8] Result: 8

An hour before your relief is meant to get here one of the farmers storms into the house out of breath. He has seen a glint of glass from the woods, someone has been close to the property keeping an eye on things.

"You think they're going to try something here or if they will just keep a watch?"

1:57 PM

"Because if they're going to just watch, then we're safe, and they are not, well as long as we don't do anything but pretend that everything is fine. We're just cousins from another village who managed to get their hands on a gravflyer or something."

The locals aren’t sure if it’s a watch or something more. They’ve been fairly lucky this far when it comes to being left alone out here but their luck could be changing now, especially as one of the last families on the area

(Can we use the remote link to link into the gravflyer's sensors or just the data server on the flyer?)

(just the data server, we'd need a ghost driver to use the systems of the flyer remotely and this flyer is not fitted with one)

1

(Try to have the locals act normally as they would if they just had some richer relatives from another part of the planet over or something)

1:24 PM

(Still waiting for the soldiers)

1:25 PM

(Fighting a larger group of bandits: not something that two pilots and a bunch of villagers should probably be doing without professional help)

(lets get a perform/cha for how well we sell that then , and we'll see how this goes)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /roll

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [2d6+0] Roll: [3, 2] Result: 5 Reason: Perform-Charisma

1

You sell this as best you're able to, and just as the first of the armed men appear from the trees the area is blackened by the descending shadow of a UNW troop transport flyer. The bandits fire a few shots into its hull before retreating into the woods as it seems to have little effect. The squad deploys quickly, making half circles to protect those coming out, and just as quickly as the flyer lands, it lifts off again. The squad sergeant looks to want a word about your observations in the area before leading his men on a spirited hunt for the bandits.

1

(Sorry for the delay. I will tell the squad sergeant what I have found out about this area, along with a note of warning that the bandits here are apparently thought to be a bit flighty if trouble arises but that hopefully their trained squad should deal with them quickly enough.)

The sergeant is happy to take your report, and does his best to relay that information to the others. He thanks you for your help ,and for now it looks like your role in the matter is done.

(Will make sure the family is OK before continuing onto the next hex on the spiral. Think this is the sixth one?)

(yep! If you're getting a bit meh of this we can do a couple more and call it enough, and use this as what gets us noticed for some off world stuff, or bigger projects if you're keen to be doing something else soon, up to you, just want to know what to plan for)

(I am sort of enjoying the hex by hex rapid exploration. Though I do want to explore enough of this world for it to count as fully explored for the purposes of UNW faction goal completion and at some point I want to find a way to unite all the people I find on this planet as a personal goal. Once those two are completed, I'll feel like it's time to move on)

(sure thing! Lets get a D10 for our next destination. )

Alura Grian Lugh

used /roll

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [1d10] Roll: [3] Result: 3 Reason: Hex 6

It is early afternoon as you leave the farm and the hunting team of soldiers behind. You pass on best of luck wishes to them before moving on, to a lowland area where it looks like dozens of 5 to 8m high rocky spikes have punched through the surface of the ground to rise into the air. Their emergence looks recent. Their sides are glistening with captured moisture and clinging moss has not yet begun to grow on them. These show signs of tectonic activity in the area- but more information would be needed to confirm.

(Is there any large-scale pattern to them? As in are they in a line, circle, random?)

The spikes look to be randomly placed as they've punched through the surface. They are in a cluster, but there does not seem to be any greater pattern to it

(In that case find a spot outside the cluster and start to look at them on foot)

11:22 AM

(Using panspec optics and a survey scanner. Will have downloaded the Argus Web data to the data storage unit again so that it the Argus Web is empty and take an entire day's worth of recordings if needed.)

(sounds good, what did we want to investigate them for?)

11:51 AM

(just to give me an idea of the detail tog ive you)

(Any indication of age. Natural/Unnatural? Are they actually from tectonic activity and if so is it something for us to worry about one hex away? Just in case, making sure that there is no communications to or from these things, as you can never be too careful. And finally, would this be useful for making stuff from, are there any special properties that would make it particularly useful in crafting?)

(know/int)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /roll

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [2d6+1] Roll: [6, 4] Result: 11 Reason: Know-Intelligence

They are natural. They look to be from tectonic activity. You have no instruments or way of knowing if regions 200km or more from here ( ( one hex)) might have you at risk of this kind of activity. The spikes have metals in them that could be mined.

(Metals are not too special. And if these spikes are an issue, well I'm not in a position to do much more than report them and carry on. So, onto the next hex, which I believe is the first in the spiral that is 2 hexes away from the base)

(Yep! D10)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /roll

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [1d10] Roll: [9] Result: 9 Reason: Hex 7

Heading away from the spikes you fly over flat land. There is a burned out refugee column here that looked to have been making its way toward Donara and judging by the lack of bodies, had been overwhelmed by the once ever present tide of the living dead. There are just remains of blackened civilian cars and trucks here now, along with the occasional copse of trees.

(Don't even land, just go on to the next hex)

Heading into the next part of the spiral, the sun begins moving to its low afternoon position. It will be night again in a few hours. Below you, the ground becomes a swampy mix of sinkholes, small inland lakes, and as you pass over an hour of this flooded terrain you see toward the center of the area the remains of a flooded town. A dam in the distance has collapsed and flooded the region, the river now running freely around the remains of the large cement retaining wall. Broken pieces of the immense stone pillars rise from the depths like broken teeth.

(Land on stable ground near the dam. Take as much sensor readings of it too, and walk around with an empty Argus Web as well. Will overnight here. The goal is to take readings so that the people at the base can decide on whether this night be a good spot for a hydroelectric dam to be built/rebuilt.)

2:42 PM

(What tech level was the town?)

(We can't really tell, most of it is underwater, but if this was done at the time of The Scream, we can assume probably was TL4 or close )

9:07 AM

(I think with all you're trying to do here, and there is some significant risk involved since we don't know what the structure is like here, we need to actually play this out)

1

(OK, in that case, first step is to use ground penetrating RADAR or whatever the advanced TL4 sensor equivalent is to find a nearby stable spot to land. Then download all current Argus Web data to the remote server to empty it again before making my way to the dam.)

9:10 AM

(Let's try from the lower part first)

(program/int)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /roll

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [2d6] Roll: [5, 5] Result: 10 Reason: Program-Intelligence

You identify a stable spot on the western side of the dam, on the same elevation as the ruptured retaining wall that once kept the water back. From this elevation you can also access whatever remains of the control room, and it looks as though a damaged elevator leads down to the generators near the bottom.

(Oh, perfect)

2:28 PM

(Go to explore the control room first, see if I can get anything off what remains or even fix it up a bit first then try)

(this would be what the interior looks like , but the display would be off and everything would have a few years of neglect on it) The door to the control room has been kicked in, or blown off the hinges. It is difficult to tell which. The machinery is offline here, and the display is dark. There is a crack running down the center of the wall display machine but all the glass seems to be still within the frame. The computer systems are varying degrees of damaged. One screen in three looks to still be working, all of them displaying standby messages and error codes. Weeds grow in some of the cracks between the floor tiles, and there is a burn mark in the southwestern corner of the floor where someone tried to make a meal for themselves from tinned food. The tin remains, now rusted. The camp fire and cooking apparatus is gone.

(I go to see if there is anyway that I can fix anything. Or at least the data storages/logs)

(do you have parts on you, or in the ship?)

(Have 6 on the ship)

(We'll need all of them, lets get a fix/int)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /roll

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [2d6+3] Roll: [6, 5] Result: 14 Reason: Fix-Intelligence

1

All six parts are used. 50% of the computer systems are able to be repaired based on what you've brought with you, and with the information you can glean the data paints a grim picture. The dam has obviously failed. The current has damaged or destroyed most of the power generating turbines that were housed in the dam. It is likely at least two of them have been washed downstream and likely rest somewhere in the lake basin of the flooded village beyond. Erosive forces have severely weakened this cliff face due to the much higher volume of rushing water passing over the falls , and in a few years this control room along with the remains of the dam will collapse into the basin below. Generator 1 is still operational and can be spooled up to provide power to other parts of the facility. The computers you have repaired should allow you to do that from here.

(Tell Plu about this and then spool up the generator)

There is a groan from deep within the facility as the turbine begins spinning. More lights and screens activate, further dirving home the grim picture of this facility's future if something is not done

(What sort of power output is there from this remaining generator, and for after that, what information can I get about whether I think we would be able to repair or replace the hydroelectric dam in/over this section of the river)

(I don't know enough about how it would work IRL ,but a couple small buildings could be run off the current output, it would be more than enough for a large settlement or possibly more if repaired) (edited)

(OOC, Just wondering what it would take to get it repaired. Would it be done by the NPCs of the base, would it be a PC mission? Would I have to enlist outside help, could I get one of the tech factions to help/make a mission of it?)

1:31 PM

(Also, do you have a map of hexes explored or anything?)

1:31 PM

(Or should I make my own, at seven, theatre of the mind is getting to be a bit much with how spread out over time this is)

1:32 PM

(Also, how much of the planet does 7 hexes actually cover?)

1:35 PM

(Especially to count/measure progress both towards the UNW faction goal to complete more detailed surveys of existing UNW Worlds and Adha's own goal of helpibg unify the various disparate peoples living across Asgapur under the UNW)

(each hex is 200km so that should answer some math there for you. I do have a map, I've not updated it again because I'm doing it in inkarnate, updating it as you explore, and re-uploading the images to World Anvil jsut for one change is a big pain, so I'm doing it once the map is significantly different. Three game days have passed since the beginning of our exploration, as far as fixing the dam, this is something that can be brought up to the UNW council which as a PC you are a member of, we've moved that to the OOc server, so if the group decides to repair it, or that its worth it, I can tell them how many tons and what goods need to be brought in, and the group can decide if its worth sending a far trade ship to bring it)

(Would it be possible to send the pictures here on occasion?)

11:53 AM

(Spending the night in the flier)

11:54 AM

(The next day I intend to try to figure out why the dam failed)

11:56 AM

(Was it just wear and tear/neglect to maintain it [check parts and also look over the maintenance logs], was it a really bad string of environmental effects [lots of heavy rains or the like for much longer than even the tolerances would allow], was it direct sabotage to the dam or was it some sort of changes upstream?)

(the pictures of the map? )

8:39 AM

(I think getting the clues of how this happened would depend on what tools you're using to observe the place and what you look into. I don't think its something we should resolve with a single line of ooc text)

(Yes please, screenshots of the map as you edit it, if it is not too much trouble)

6:19 PM

(OK, breakdown of how I want to go about completing that sequence follows)

6:23 PM

(First check wear and tear via inspection, using my skills in fixing and background as a technician. Also have equipment such as a postech toolkit, metatool, pa spectral optica and survey scanner to help.)

6:26 PM

(Then look around for maintenance logs, and any notebooks the technicians/engineers may have kept. Along with any hardcopy SOP/LPs they are very likely to have been required to keep around. Checking the personal notebooks for things like passwords etc. Looking around near those SOPs for paper maintenance logs, as maybe they haven't digitized the latest versions yet.)

6:31 PM

(If I find said log in details, I'll log in to their system and check their version control software for the digitised maintenance logs along with any SOPs and operating manuals I can find and then transfer those latter two to the data storage unit if there is space after all the Argus web dumps. Will do this [the data transfer] using my remote data link thing.)

Alura Grian Lugh

(If I find said log in details, I'll log in to their system and check their version control software for the digitised maintenance logs along with any SOPs and operating manuals I can find and then transfer those latter two to the data storage unit if there is space after all the Argus web dumps. Will do this [the data transfer] using my remote data link thing.)

(If I do not find any log in details, I will attempt to access their version control software on their computers via hacking. I have a dataslab and metaltool, but no program skill. So I will probably fail, on the plus side no-one to alert so I can try again, repeatedly and no-one to lock me out after a couple of rounds once I do get in either. And then I will do what I wanted to here having got access to it that way.)

Alura Grian Lugh

(First check wear and tear via inspection, using my skills in fixing and background as a technician. Also have equipment such as a postech toolkit, metatool, pa spectral optica and survey scanner to help.)

(Finding the cause of the failure in case it was not due to neglect and if the logs shed no light on the information will probably require me surveying the river upstream. Though direct sabotage I should probably be able to pick up more easily during this survey I ran.)

6:39 PM

(I fully expect this to take me at least a couple of days in character, and so will be sleeping in the gravflier at nights and stuff. Will be transferring the Argus Web data to the data storage unit before going out of the flier every time, without fail along with daily. Both to make sure all that data is backed up, and to keep the memory of the web relatively empty in case I end up stuck outside for a full 24 hours)

6:41 PM

(Sorry about only having it a single line of text. I do get a somewhat lazy when it comes to writing and end up condensing things a little bit too much)

6:42 PM

(Also, this probably should be in #ooc but I think I finally figured out what LP stands for: laboratory procedure. That is obviously more to do with where I work in particular than the more generic term of SOP, but what can you do.)

(This is a giant wall of a lot. I'll have to pick this apart when I have the ability to and get back to you)

10:14 AM

Inspection- 85% of the retaining wall and generation equipment has been swept down stream. Trying to salvage the generation equipment might save on cost- but it would need to be taken apart and refurbished if recovered. It may be more expensive that getting something new installed depending on how badly damaged the modules are. There is no way to know until some effort is made in recovering them. The entire retaining wall will need to be re built and replaced. That is the work of hundreds. The river may need to be diverted for a time while this work happens. Records- You're unable to find anything aside from the chained manual on one of the desks for basic start up procedures. Someone was living here and making fires for some time, based on your previous exploration of the building, and most of those materials might have ended up as fire starting material.

10:14 AM

(I'm sure I missed some things but that was a ton of information to try to digest, so if I did , just ask those things again)

(Do I get to try to access the electronic versions at all?)

(They’re not here or on computers we can’t fix, I’d have asked for a check if they were retrievable )

(Ah, OK)

4:40 PM

(Assuming this took at least a couple of days, so going to rest up and write a report on findings so far)

4:43 PM

(Found a broken hydroelectric dam, want to submit a request to go to a larger UNW World to try to recruit help to fix it. Found some crystals that surfaced due to tectonic activity that would be good for a mine. Found some settlements and told them about the UNW, helped them a bunch and hopefully they should now be friendly towards us and if they need help they know that they can come to us.)

4:44 PM

(The request thing is for me to go in person on a starship to another world for a bit to try to make my case in person, though I get that that is not actually necessary and I just need to get the other UNW PCs onboard in our server)

(you can mention it in the OOC server since that's where we do the council missions now,)

5:33 PM

(OK, either way, need to return to base for a bit to restock, quick question, can I use the tool rack on the flier to craft masterwork items a little bit at a time each evening while we are on the mission?)

(No, that's not really part of how the downtime rules work)

1

(As far as restock just let me know what you’re taking , and we can figure out a direction to go in from there )

(The supplies will come and fixing the place is something that can happen in the background for now, It's going to take some real world time to coordinate and I don't want you benched for that long)

(Oh, sorry, been a bit busy IRL so far this week so haven't been able to do much here. The same will go for the rest of this week upto the start of next) (edited)

(No worries! I just wanted to make sure we weren't in a situation where we were both waiting on the other person but not talking about it. I'll wait to hear back!)

Spare Parts     | 60 | 3,000 Credits
Instapanel*     | 30 | 1,500 Credits
Rations         | 60 |   300 Credits
Backpack, TL4†* |  1 |    50 Credits
Line Shunt*     | 30 | 3,000 Credits
Total:                 7,850 Credits
* - Subject to approval
† - Going to just have my TL0 backpack go [disappear] into the aether

5:56 AM

Start        |    5,610 Credits
UNW Income   |  +25,000 Credits
Items        |  - 7,850 Credits
Remaining    |   22,760 Credits

5:56 AM

*Assuming you approve the all the items

(All looks good to me)

(OK, then, after reporting everything so far and gathering new supplies, onto the next hex in the spiral. I assume the same as last time that the base will outfit the two of us with narrative supplies for 10 days of food and the like?)

(food yes. Everything else you bought, we'll have to see what specific things come up and decide to do what's reasonable then. I don't want to blanket approve anything since when we do hex generation I don't always know what you're going to find either)

1

(Of the narrative supplies I only really expected the food, because I don't want to have to track that, and filling of the flier's battery reserve. But with that sorted, I would like to fly over to the place we visited last and then move on to the next hex in the spiral from there.)

( We do normally track that for extended exploring, FYI, but I know you bought enough for ten days, so we're still tracking it. You just happen to have a lot. We were at the dam last, so lets get a D10 for the next area from there)

1

(Yep making sure I don't exceed 10 days as well, while I'm not tracking those two supplies, they should both last 10 days each as long as I do nothing silly so as long as I make it back within 10 days, hopefully all should be fine. And I do not intend to stay out for longer.)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /r

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [1d10] Roll: [1] Result: 1 Reason: A new expedition, a new hex. Well, the next hex on from last time anyway :)

Moving on from the dam the flyer passes over flatlands, and the ruins of another small town that had been flooded once, but is not anymore .Greasy black and silver silt has been left where roads used to be, and the ground floors of many homes are choked with it up to waist height. Rocks and debris from the flow of water have been deposited into a ravine south of the city, and some parts of it have almost been filled to the brim with the compacted wreckage of swept away cars. Some homes have burned down after, leaving nothing but black skeletons of what were once walls poking out of the silt. A few small bonfires burn here and there in the ruins. About 5,000 people lived here once.

(Will perform a more thorough aerial search to see if anyone might still be alive/around. Especially near the bonfires.)

(notice/wis)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /roll

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [2d6] Roll: [3, 3] Result: 6 Reason: Notice-Wisdom Including penalty for not being in water

You see evidence that no more than a dozen people might be in the local area based on the above ground fires, their locations, and their temperatures, indicating many of them have not been burning for long- so they were set recently. . (edited)

(OK, hmm. If I cannot see any evidence of where the people maybe at the moment, I'll make a show of landing somewhere open and see if anyone approaches. If they do, I'll use oracle to see if they are going to open with hostilities when I get out before getting out to talk to them. If they are going to be hostile, then I'll decide when I find that information out.)

(We can't see anything more than what I described already from above, even on a low pass)

8:25 AM

Landing near the settlement, you see a glint from the edge of the town where someone with binoculars is watching from a tall building. The building looks like it was once a bank.

8:26 AM

(depending on what level or oracle we might not get any information, so you;d need to tell me how far into the future you can look)

(1 minute)

11:39 AM

(Not far at all, which is why I wanted to wait until it looked like they might start something before using it)

The locals are cautious, more afraid of you and your technology than anything else.

(In that case, I will leave Plu in the gravflyer ready to take off and walk towards them, with no visible weapons. Argus Web up as normal. Will be taking bioscanner readied just in case.)

(I will wave to them and otherwise make it quite obvious that I am unarmed)

There is hesitation on the part of the locals as they make their way to you. They’re armed but their weapons are low as you are not aggressive “What do you want!” One calls out to you

"We're UNW pilots out exploring near our base to see if anyone needs our help and to see if we can get rid of whatever bandits and the like that may still be around."

“Just people here trying to do their best. The undead are gone but the struggle to survive doesn’t end. All we can do to feed ourselves “

"Well, if you ever need help, I can give you the directions to our base. The UNW does have some supplies they can trade for or provide in aid especially to those who are under it's protection."

6:32 PM

"On that note, do you know why those buildings are on fire? Some of those fires look recent."

"The barrel fires? Just some of us homeless trying to keep warm. That wasn't illegal last we heard, wouldn't matter if it was. And we're not going to the city. The cities are dangerous. "

"Was worried that you might be being chased by bandits, couple of fires to stay warm is nothing to worry about, though surely there are better safer ways. Why is the city dangerous? The UNW outpost is well protected should you need it."

(its close to a thousand kilometers between here and there, and they'd have to do it with whatever they could carry on their backs)

10:35 AM

'Hah, yeah, risk our lives crossing all that land just to end up under the Governor's thumb. We're free here, even if its not comfortable"

"You can also use comms to get in touch if you ever need to request aid. While the UNW is still in the process of establishing healthy communications with everyone living here and preventing the rise of banditry after stopping the zombie issue, we haven't setup many bases or outposts here to help ensure all that yet, but we are beginning to explore and expand. So hopefully it won't be too far to request aid in person for very long." (edited)

12:57 AM

(Also how is this outpost ruled/governed? Is it a military base or a mix?)

(Which outpost? the one where the governor is?)

(The UNW one we [Plu and I] are based out of. Mostly wondering if we have a governor, or if they are talking about somewhere else that might need dealing with/visiting.)

(The Governor controls the entire planet and that’s where you’ve been flying out of. It’s where the Governor has made his headquarters. It’s a walled city so there’s a lot of civilian housing , and the military is concentrated there since that’s where the survivors are heading for those who agree to come in. Some have adapted and are enjoying their freedom. The past governor of this world before the UNW came to clean things up, before this was a UNW world , was responsible for a lot of the undead and bad stuff , so the people@now are untrusting )

Alura Grian Lugh

"You can also use comms to get in touch if you ever need to request aid. While the UNW is still in the process of establishing healthy communications with everyone living here and preventing the rise of banditry after stopping the zombie issue, we haven't setup many bases or outposts here to help ensure all that yet, but we are beginning to explore and expand. So hopefully it won't be too far to request aid in person for very long." (edited)

(Thanks. I was confused as I thought that the 'base' was just some UNW military base. Made some minor edits to the wording of this then.) (edited)

"A thousand kilometers over rough country like this is more than most of us could handle. Not sure I want to live under the governor either"

"Well the UNW got asked to help stop the zombie problem you had, and well they did. Now we aare trying to reunify everyone here, and well, that means a central government. Seeing as you say you could not get there, I am guessing you don't even know who this governor is?"

"Nope, governor in the chair doesn't do much for us either way. Almost impossible for us to get there. No dead great news, but we've got rough country between here and there, just to live under someone who doesnt care about us. Things are almost better here than the city it sounds like"

"Do you have any form of long range communicators?" (Sorry for the delay in posting)

"No, we dont have anything like that out here. Otherwise we would have used them, and you wouldn't have had to come out here looking for us " (edited)

"I wish you all the best, but if you do run into any bandits or the like, please do not hesitate to contact us so we can help you deal with them. I will see if we can get you some long range communicators to use here, is there anything else you would need now? Also, be aware that the UNW are expanding to make sure that this planet incurs no further issues such as the zombie issue or the current banditry issue as we were requested incessantly by many groups on this planet to help protect everyone living here. And know that if you want to live under a government which cares about you, you also need to care about the government and help foster it." (edited)

"They'd need to show they give a shit about us , even if we don't want to live behind the walls of a city. Right now ,they're not doing anything for us, so we don't see why we should do anything for them. We can both get by if we leave one another alone, right?"

"What do you think we're doing here? How in the light would they be able to help if you refuse to even communicate what you might need or want in the way of assistance?"

“All we have is your word that the governor is good. That doesn’t mean we need to just believe you. If we see things change for the better maybe we will change our minds but for now one scumbag politician is the same as any other. “

(OK, just so it's not just me being dense when it comes to communicating or anything, and to double check that I am understanding this right. These people do not want to tell us how we can help them because they are not sure that we will try to help them and so distrust us, possibly due to some bad governor in the past. And they want things to change for the 'better' without any clue as to what they mean by that.)

3:48 PM

(Also, do I know what the governor here is like? The World Anvil page says something about a President Kincaid, but I get the feeling that that is for UNW in general rather than Asgapur in particular)

(The Governor is Cayne neverwinter a former PC. He and Hailey Clements brought down the old Governor and solved the undead crisis here but for the folks out in the sticks like this they are distrustful of anyone in government. The old governor had living soldiers making the crisis worse , doing experiments and exterminating pockets of survivors. They’ve got no way of knowing if the situation here will be better or worse and don’t want to tell you what they need because that’s telling you the ways they’re vulnerable )

3:58 PM

(If conditions around the planet improve they may change their tune )

(Oh, OK, that explains a lot. Like a lot a lot.)

4:23 PM

(Like it turns these people into weirdly cagey and distrustful to the extreme to understandably wary)

"What about anything I can help you with, personally? Here, today, now, with no need to involve the governor, just my co-pilot Plu, should they be needed and want to help. As a gesture of goodwill until the UNW is able to expand it's aegis far enough that you can see that things have changed since the zombie crisis, when the new governor took over after being personally responsible for helping change the tide."

4:32 PM

(I also want to use oracle to see if they will attempt to look close enough at me to notice the Argus Web around me if I begin walking towards them at this juncture. Oracle level-0: 1 minute)

They are suspicious of you, and are examining you up and down for any hint of distrust or betrayal already.

(In that case I have the Argus web do a data dump and then quite openly have it shut itself down. Plu can hopefully help keep an eye out to make sure nothing untowards happens, but hopefully there is no need to.)

7:18 AM

(And then I start to walk up to them, looking around just in case they start using radios or other wireless comms using my panspectral optics)

(notice/wis)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /roll

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [2d6] Roll: [2, 1] Result: 3 Reason: Notice-Wisdom Including penalty for not being in water

1

If the locals are using communications of any kind you're not able to see it even with your enhanced senses.

4:10 PM

'Well, we could use a hand getting something important out of a factory on the west of town .We heard there's a radiation bunker underneath it. We don't know if anyone made it inside or not, but the wall came down and buried the entryway. We uncovered the door but can't get it to come off. Maybe your flyer could wrench it off for us" (edited)

"Well that is most certainly something we can do now. We have space for four in the flyer if any of you want to join us otherwise we can just follow you there. Do you know if there are any radiation leaks around the bunker? Just want to know if we need to take precautions."

"We've got no way to know" he says with a shrug, indicating his lack of equipment to find out. "We'll stay down here, we just want the muscle to help tow the door off, from there you're free to do whatever"

"Well, Plu and I have some anti-radiation medication for ourselves, so we should be fine, and a quick scan of the area with a survey scanner should do the trick of seeing whether or not it's safe without those."

4:50 PM

"Let's go then."

4:51 PM

(Without much else, I will go back to the flier and follow them from the air)

4:54 PM

(Also going to take those preventative medications against radiation)

4:54 PM

(And making sure Plu takes one too. Already marked them away on my sheet)

You hover over the site after flying for several long moments. Flying a few circles around the city you are able to plot the most direct approach vector to the mysterious door, and the locals likewise make their way over using small passages in the buildings they know about to stay off the streets. A thick hook and rope are tied around the door latches and you're indicated to begin lowering your hover so it can be fastened to the bottom of your ship.

(Seeing as I don't think they'll notice, while I help them by using the flyer as a crane, going to be using the advanced sensors on it to probe the door, and possibly whatever is behind it.)

7:19 AM

(Sorry, just really really curious)

(It’s buried too deep for those to work)

(Well, I keep them active as we do this lifting the door open/out for them)

(That’s not going to make the vault any less deep below ground ) With a signal the engines fire and the hooks pull tight. There is a groan of metal and the door buckles. The engines bank and black smoke pours from one of them for a few seconds before the ship is stable again. The door gives a heave and breaks away. The locals begin cheering and heading down into the sub level to explore.

(Any detectable radiation?)

5:07 AM

(Gravlflyer's advanced sensors and panspectral optics) (edited)

There is radiation detected from behind the doors as it is released into the area. It’s not enough to kill instantly but the locals would be wise to limit their time.

(I'll have Plu land then so I can talk to the locals, ideally before they actually all just go in.)

You are forced to circle the city twice before finding a landing zone with a safe walking distance of the shelter you've helped the locals get into. The locals are gone now, either deep inside the shelter, or on their way back to their dwellings with whatever they managed to carry away. You cannot be sure which is which for the moment.

(1 minute oracle: Does anything bad come of me going into that shelter?)

Nothing happens to you within one minute of you entering the shelter

(Welp, here goes nothing. Going to be bring along two anti-rad tablets just in case too.)

11:59 PM

(Have Plu keep an over watch from the grav flyer and be ready to warn me if anyone approaches with hostile intent)

12:00 AM

(Will sort out my personal inventory after work)

12:00 AM

(Reactivate Argus Web)

12:01 AM

With slight trepidation, but much curiosity, Adha enters the underground shelter. (edited)

There is nothing in this shelter. The locals used the time you were flying to take everything that is not nailed down. This shelter once had a small reactor that provided power in the event the local grid failed, and it looks to have been damaged somehow- leaking radiation into the area. Even the storage cabinets have been pulled from the walls leaving only rusted rectangles of their mounting brackets behind. This shelter was not very large, consisting of only six small rooms and the store rooms were priorities for the locals to hit. You find even the rotting mattresses have been cut open and their foam interiors were scattered everywhere as the locals looked for anything of value that might have been hidden away. You can only hope this salvage provides them some comfort, and a better chance at survival over the next days and weeks of their lives.

(Wow they must be really desperate. And yet still so unwilling to seek help even when freely given.)

11:21 AM

(I am going to have a look at the reactor though. Want to see/assess if it is at all salvageable/reparable, both to take back for us to use and also to fix in situ for the people here to use)

The reactor is a portable black box model. It is heavily damaged and would be cheaper to replace than to repair given what you can guess to be the extent of the damage. Water is generally used as fuel for a model like this and the reaction rate is not efficient, but would be enough to power a shelter like this for many weeks at a time. (this is an item in Suns of Gold, so it's something commercially available and not really especially valuable salvage)

(Not valuable to me, but fixing it for these people maybe be useful, even if more expensive than a newer one/model)

1:28 PM

(Especially with their current attitudes to be given stuff, even with them needing it soo badly)

1:29 PM

(So on that note what would it take for me to fix it here and now?)

(We don't have the ability to fix it here and now, as we lack a workshop)

(Would the Tool Rack on the flyer be sufficient for a workshop?)

3:44 PM

(If not return to flyer and prepare to go to the next hex. Because these people do not seem like they are ready to be convinced or likely to be grateful if anyone who is not here helps them out)

(No, the tool rack isn't enough. We need an actual workshop)

1

(Next hex then. Especially since not a one of these people even thought to stay around to say thank you.)

3:47 PM

(Also what time of the day is it now?)

(Mid day, we'll get a D10 for our next spot and we'll go from there!)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /roll

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [1d10] Roll: [6] Result: 6 Reason: New Hex

(Just to note, I may be too drained by irl tomorrow to do anything here, and that this may continue for another day or two)

The flyer lifts off from the ruins of this small settlement to explore further afield- passing over the open plains below where a large herd of migratory deer like herbivores called Lope have made their nesting grounds. They scatter as the flyer passes overhead running for the cover of nearby woods.

8:44 AM

(no worries, thanks for letting me know)

(The people I met in the last Hex, did I get any sort of feel for what the planned to do for food?)

5:24 PM

(Because convincing them to farm these might be a good idea, though considering their actions so far I assume they might just as soon kill them all to eat now instead of looking for future food security)

(We didn't get any kind of feeling from them, and we don't know what they're doing for it right now. We can assume they're doing something since the place is a ruin and has been steadily scavenged for five years, but we don't have specifics on what their food solution actually is at the moment)

(You know what, if they aren't going to ask for help, I won't go out of my way give it to them. They can deal with the consequences when the UNW's influence well and truly encompasses them then, that is if they are still alive/around.)

5:03 PM

(But I do sort of want to overnight here as it sounds like a nice place. Are there any streams here which I can land really close too? Even better if there are some Lope nearby to look at.)

5:04 PM

(Using the vehicle sensors to map the terrain since that is what they are actually built for rather than all the weird stuff I have been trying to use them for. Or at least one of their main proper uses.)

(There is a stream. The lope, like real deer, would probably stay away for a few hours as the ship settles down because the engines would have scared them off, but they'll come to investigate and drink eventually, so we could play out a scene during the night if you want to learn more about them)

(OK, we will set up camp and then go sight seeing for Lope closer to night)

(And if they don't scare off the Lope, I have glowbugs to use, as well as my panspectral optics cyberware)

(survive/wis. We'd need one of the two vision methods, just let me know what we're using so I can figure out who sees what)

(Would Plu want to come with?)

(Because that is what would most colour my choice)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /roll

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [2d6+1] Roll: [3, 2] Result: 6 Reason: Lope Sightseeing

(plu would come with, so on knowing that, let me know how we're going to try to look at the area. Light from Glowbugs can be seen, your optics won't be, but only you will be able to see)

(In that case: glowbugs)

9:51 AM

(Basically it was glowbugs if Plu is coming with, optics if not)

The first of the glowbugs flickers into life as you slot the Type A cell into place. Plu is able to use this to look out into the wilderness beyond as a herd of twelve of the deer like Lope creatures slowly make their way out of the woods single file to the stream to drink. They keep a 300m distance from the flyer, making them appear very small , at the edge of what you can reasonably see in detail. The lopes are quiet, doing what they can to drink quietly and avoid their predators. With the size of the herd, the lack of humans hunting them has allowed it to grow, but there are no doubt other animals in the woods who would consider a lope to make a fine meal. Their fur is dark brown as they adapt to the colder season. Most of them will lighten up in the spring once the warmer weather comes and the forests have more light and growth to them.

I would like to just stay and watch. If I can get close enough, scan a couple with the bioscanner to make sure they are healthy. I would leave the glowbug with Plu during that.

11:38 AM

Oh and of course Argus Web should be recording still

11:38 AM

From both of us

The lope in this region are healthy. The pack is free of disease and shows no signs of malnourishment. There is a range of genetic diversity among the community in this region of the planet, and no one strain of disease if encountered will decimate the population.

Once we are too sleepy/tired to keep on watching, we'll go to sleep at the flyer's compact outpost before going back to the previous hex. I tell Plu that I think we may just have a way to increase their trust in us, though it is unfortunate for these peaceful herds.

(alright, we'll reduce rations by 1 for each you and Plu for the night/day and we'll get a D10 for our next hex)

(Not going to the next hex, going back one hex to the people who really distrust the UNW)

(okay, no D10 needed then, just let me knwo what you want do to there because I don't know what to have prepared here)

(I want to find someone to talk to, to see about maybe telling them about the Lope)

7:57 AM

(Kind of sad as I feel much more for the Lope as a person/irl)

7:58 AM

(But I don't have an entire handle on Adha's personality yet, but think they are more focused on winning these people over it at all possible)

The drum fires are always lit in the city below. There are no doubt people in the city watching and keeping warm for the night. You cannot spot them from above in the dark and with the dense packing of the crumbling city ruins.

(Thought it would be morning by now. Will circle the city until it is, and then land. Or if it becomes obvious that they have noticed us, I will land earlier.)

(the fires are just always lit)

9:57 AM

The locals have noticed you and when you set down, you recognize two of them out of the ten strong crowd that were also at the fallout shelter raid.

(With the Argus Web active as usual, definitely not turning it off this time round)

1:31 PM

"Hello again there!"

1:32 PM

"Found something closer than the outpost that might be useful for you if you would consider being given help to from the UNW."

1:33 PM

"If not, then, I won't bother you would any more help. But if you don't mind then I'll tell you"

"Would have to know what the help is. I don't know what I'm agreeing to, or what you found" one of the locals says who seems to speak for at least the few people around this barrel fire.

"A food source. One I would rather not be touched, but it seems like you might be able to use it. That is if you are now willing to accept help and relations from the UNW."

"So the governor is claiming the whole herd as his own even though hes thousands of kilometers away, and the only reason we can hunt it is if we join? who's going to stop us from just hunting the herd anyway?"

9:02 AM

"Are you going to stop us if we hunt them anyway and tell the UNW to pound sand?" he asks additionally. Several people begin slowly reaching for weapons, depending on what the answer is.

"So you know of the herd already? No one would attempt to stop you, why would they? I just did not want to see such beautiful and peaceful creatures killed. Especially as it is quite clear that no-one is hunting them currently, and well, I saw what you did to that emergency shelter. Can you blame me for wanting to put a small price on information?"

9:28 AM

"Well, if this is your reaction, well I hope that you can forgive me if I don't come back to help again. And personally, when the UNW do manage to reassert some semblance of peace and unity in the area, I hope that you are more accepting then. Though from the attitudes I have seen so far, it looks more likely that many of you will end up as bandits and on the wrong side of global unity."

2

"We won't be bandits if the UNW doesn't know we're here. Sorry about this, it's not personal, but you did just threaten us" and the three homesteaders here reach for their guns (initiative, they are 5m from you)

12:21 PM

(Plu is with the flyer)

Alura Grian Lugh

used /roll

Adha Cuxiountren Request: [1d8+1] Roll: [6] Result: 7 Reason: Adha, Initiative

2

(Question on the remote link setup for the Argus Web, how many actions does it take for me to use it to dump the data into the data storage unit in the flyer that it is connected to?)

(I would say its an instant action)

Nekosmash

used /roll

Nekosmash Request: [d8] Roll: [2] Result: 2

(you are first)

(In that case first thing I do is to do the data dump and signal Plu to fly away as quickly as possible as I do not want them getting hurt)

12:30 PM

(For my move action I want to engage these three in melee because that is probably safer considering my firearm is currently stowed away and as a Mosk I have some natural weapons I can use for self defense)

12:32 PM

"They already know now, and even if they didn't, by the time they are expanding through these areas, how do you intend to hide forever? Then again, I guess that's what bandits do, hide for as long as possible while hurting those who impose benefits and order."

12:33 PM

(Do I still have a main action left?)

12:34 PM

(If so, total defense.)

Alura Grian Lugh

"They already know now, and even if they didn't, by the time they are expanding through these areas, how do you intend to hide forever? Then again, I guess that's what bandits do, hide for as long as possible while hurting those who impose benefits and order."

(Otherwise I am guessing this might/could actually count as my action?)

(you have a main action left, but if you're using total defense that is a main action , so then it would be their turn ) (edited)

1

(Cool, using total defense then)

The three recently dubbed bandits draw knives and begin to hack and slash into Adha. There are regretful looks on most of their faces, but they will be on the wrong side of the law no matter what happens now.

Nekosmash

used /roll

Nekosmash Request: [3 d20+3] Rolls: [16] Result: 19 [13] Result: 16 [16] Result: 19

Nekosmash

used /roll

Nekosmash Request: [3 d4] Rolls: [3] Result: 3 [4] Result: 4 [2] Result: 2

(19 to hit, 3 damage 16 to hit, 4 damage, 19 to hit again, 2 damage)

(Adha is now dying)

Adha's final view is the black bird like shape of the observation craft as Plu flies away with the data, well on his way to the capital and the governor. Another knife slides into a recent cut, rupturing Adha's heart and sending them into a peaceful death.

5

3