Iron Stars - billy

@Paxcyan Wilder (Billy) retires from shift, another day like every day the previous year and almost a half. He passes by the town square, though this time, there is a small crowd around one of the usually vacant stalls

3:42 PM

Someone on an elevanted stand announces they are recruiting, and are looking for some new hands to go on an expedition

Billy keeps walking for a moment. Depression from the constant and seemingly stagnant work weighs on him. He stops and sighs a smirk flashes across his face as he takes a few steps back to listen. Stories of exploits of other colonists ring in his ear. The folks won't be too excited, but hell. I've got to do something.

4:29 PM

"Do you need a tinker and a good shot?" He speaks up from the back.

Billy, seeing that no one heard him, slips toward the front to take a closer look, running his fingers through his reddish hair, realizing a bit too late that there was a bit of grease still on his hand from his shift.

The speaker is a piggen female, squat and heavily armored, "We could use someone like you!"

7:14 PM

"Stop by the Task Force Compound, tomorrow morning. Prove your skills and youll earn a spot on our shuttle"

"D-do you have a brochure or something? Any info on this job?"

"all I can tell you is we are going to sift through some left-behinds on the moon. I don't want to say much in public" she says, leading you away from the crowd. She is squat,c oming up to your shoulder, but the strength in her frame is apparent

He nods. "Understood. Robert Rigers. You can call my Billy." He shakes her hand. "See you in the morning, then."

"Until them" the grip is firm. "Bring your gear, if youare

7:43 PM

selected, we will be leaving right away"

Billy grins and runs off back home to prepare and gather his things.

It is almost dark when billy returns home, the news playing on the colony provided home data cenmte

8:20 PM

center

He has it on in the background while he's rummaging through his belongings, cleaning and repairing/maintaining equipment and generally making sure everything is in order. He will casually look at it every now and then.

News stories flickers past about a recently failed vote from the alien confederation on the other side of the planet's giant pangea like land mass- with a follow up story about uprisings in two of their cities- it also has a short story about seeing several ships leaving the Trivedi Cloud orbital station above the colony, on undisclosed military endevors

8:46 PM

The sign off is an advertisement that Task Force Phoenix is recruiting- the Piggen woman you'd met just an hour ago being one of the several contacts listed

I'm going to give a quick com dial to my mom and tell her that I'm trying out for Task Force Phoenix in the morning.

(So shes also in the colony, just doesnt live with you?)

I think he would com dial her even if she were in the other room.

9:16 PM

(Multitasking)

"Billy I'm right in the next room. What's going on?"

9:39 PM

"You're trying out for task force who?"

"-Phoenix. You know. Like risen from the ashes? I'm trying out for a quick mission to the moon. There are old ruins up there! Just think of the possibilities! I'm going to see if I can bring back some cool alien gadgets. Maybe we can finally get this planet on the map."

9:45 PM

He continues excitedly monkey wrenching with something in his room. "-er you can come in if you need to. Kind of in the middle of something."

She appears in the doorway watching you pack your bags with excitement. “Quick mission? Take the time you need. Just be safe up there”

"Don't worry, I've got my blaster if I need it."

"Alright, well, get your stuff together, and make sure you say goodbye to me in the morning before you leave"

(Lol. He does that.)

The following morning Billy arrives outside the Task Force compound, a very large fort like building. Dozens of people- tenured contractors and hopeful prospects alike mill about outside. A shuttle lands in the very large courtyard behind the walls.

7:16 AM

Quilla and four Task Force personnel are directing traffic and keeping things at the gate orderly

He hefts his pack, pulling it more tightly to him and walks forward. He feels his nerves rise a little bit but he squashes it down, clenching his jaw. "I hope I brought everything I need." He says to himself.

7:24 AM

"Any chance you have any last minute advice, Quilla?"

"Ah billy, welcome. I'll bring you on in." The gate opens, and you're led inside the courtyard, where the shuttle is being attended to. A squad of power armored warriors is standing nearby, making some last minute adjustments to their gear. "Most important thing I've found is stay in your lane. It's easy to get killed trying to win renown by doing something you're not gifted at. Stick with your skills, trust the skills of the people around you, and if everyone does their job, you get to come home again"

Billy looks sort of taken aback for a second and looks as if he's going to say something, but thinks better of it. "Of course... you don't happen to have any lift I could buy off you do you? I have the credits."

"If you're selected there's going to be a squad medic, we won't let anything happen to you"

"Right." Billy cracks his neck. "Thanks." And he walks off to the corner to stretch awkwardly and doublecheck his equipment.

Quilla calls the group to attention about fifteen minutes later. "Good afternoon everyone, and thank you for taking time out of your day to show up. I know a lot of you are either coming off shift, or about to go on, so we will keep this short. In the event of your selection, the Baron will let your employers know about the change- we will be leaving right away. We are going to do some basic tests of physical endurance, marksmanship, and technical skills, and those passing will be offered a chance to join the task force"

9:28 AM

"Wasting no time, let's split off into groups" (roll d3)

1

Group 1 is selected first for marksmanship duty, and you are led back into a rear courtyard, where a number of targets have been set up. "When you're ready, approach the firing line, and we will first start with shooting a stationary target"

Billy takes a look around. (Is everyone using their own weapons? What kind of competition do I see here?) He takes a second to breathe and then draws his weapon, ready. Adjusts his stance.

The competition are mostly using their own weapons but a small cart of rifles and pistols has been rolled out for those who do not have one- those that do are using their own weapons as they're more familiar with them. The competition ranges, it is about evenly split between men and women, the eldest looks to be about 40, where the youngest is a couple years below you in appearance. He, naturally, is one of the recruits with a borrowed weapon.

Billy relaxes a bit. He knows how to do this. Just another day at the range.

"Alright , you're up" the range instructor is looking at you. (just make an attack roll with pistol)

Billy brings up his pistol easily, doesn't take too much time aiming and fires. (14 to hit, 3 damage)

The hit is a bit off center, but it is a hit- more than can be said for most of the people firing in your group. The youngest recruit you'd seen a moment ago is blown onto his backside by the recoil, getting a hearty laugh from the armored veterans watching nearby

Billy walks over and picks him up, not saying anything to the kid but giving an eye to the veterans and walks back to position.

"Alright, a good first round from most of you. Let

10:23 AM

s see what we can do on moving targets. There will be three of them. More of the same everyone, good work so far!"

10:23 AM

(3 more shots)

Wow, terrible. (7,5,10)

The moving targets prove much harder to hit, but the last shot manages to strike steel

10:31 AM

The other shooters do better , the youngest even manages to get a respectable hit on his second shot.

10:31 AM

"Alright, well done. I think we're ready for something different. Safe your weapons and come with me to physical training"

Billy clenches his jaw a bit at his performance of the middle shots but takes solace that he at least hit the first and last target. He reloads his pistol and stows it in its holster.

The physical training area is a standard military course, with tires, a wall, and open running courses in between. The final obstacle is barbed wire low to the ground, meant to be crawled under. Quilla accompanies the group. "Alright, A quick note on this. You'll be running it in pairs to save time, but it is not a race. The important thing here is efficiency, and economy of motion." She looks down at her list. "Rigers...and.....Devonc.. youre first!"

10:48 AM

The youngest recruit looks a bit startled at being the first one to go, but does not complain, and sits himself at the starting line

"Better to go first than watch everyone else...". He mutters to himself, taking another quick stretch before getting in line.

10:51 AM

going to the starting line

"Lets keep it clean too. You'll impress us by not playing dirty. We save that for the commandos" The veterans laugh again, a couple of them lightly tossing water bottles in her direction

10:56 AM

"Go!" The first obstacle is the tires. (exert/dex)

(8)

Billy expertly navigates his way through the tires, the young recruit with him not managing the feat of dexterity so easy

12:20 PM

and falling

Seeing Devnoc struggling and falling, Billy keeps going but shouts "Adapt. hands and feet then." (I'm basically just telling him to just skip the whole leg thing and crawl over it as fast as he can, but I'm not particularly charismatic.)

(no that works, I like it)

12:33 PM

Devnoc smiles up at you, and scrambles forward, having a much easier time of it.

(Nice). Billy is already on to the next obstacle.

The next obstacle is a large wall- two ropes hang down, dangling against the 20ft surface. The wall is made of smoothed logs, piled on top of one another

Billy doesn't just rush and use all of his energy scrambling up the wall. He runs up, grabs the rope and firmly plants his feet on each of the smooth logs as he walks up the wall. (He does it quickly but he is focusing on just climbing up the wall effectively rather than a mad dash)

(since you're going for endurance here, rather than just bullying your way up, exert/con)

(10)

Billy expertly propels himself over the wall, using slow, deliberate action to ensure each foot is well placed. Your trial partner sees the way you move from below, and does his best to copy you, though his endurance is far less than yours. He is quite winded by time he lands

Billy waits at the top for just a moment to look down to see that he's using good technique and bounds off to the next obstacle.

His technique looks about as good as yours, his endurance is just not the same as yours. The last obstacle is the crawling barbed wire fence. (exert/dex)

(9)

Billy throws himself forward, sliding under the obstacle and pulling himself forward

2:17 PM

He is 3/4 of the way through it, when he hears a cry of pain behind him

2:17 PM

Devnoc is hopelessly tangled, bleeding and crying in the wire

(Billy looks back. Can he identify any specific wire that could be snipped with his meta tool to free him?/Does he know if helping is against the rules?)

(they didnt say anything about rules, and yes you can see the wire, he was dragging it along with him unawares for a few strides)

(Does the kid have any equipment of his own?

(no, he's borrowed everything so far)

Billy will stop and judge the distance and then toss his metatool down to him. (I'm assuming with his pilot and fix skill that climbing underneath something and passing tools around is something he's done quite frequently.) He'll try to be careful to not get stuck himself.

2:41 PM

"Heads up! Cut the wire on your foot"

2:42 PM

And then he just finishes the course.

(yeah that won't be a check)

He's going to stand at the end and say, "Don't forget my metatool!!"

The younger recruit gently places it back in your palm. Two medics come over to look at his scratches and ensure the wounds are clean

"Thanks Devnoc." Billy walks to the side to watch the rest go. He assures his metatool is in good working order.

Quilla hauls you up by the back of your neck and begins walking you over to one of the out buildings

7:40 PM

"Stay put" she says, unceremonially setting you down a bit like a ragdoll

"Thanks... I guess I did need a bathroom break. I'm guessing I'll just have to wait until some unspecified time in the future to see what's next? Did I fail?... agh." He takes a look around the outbuilding.

The outbuilding is a small office with attached restroom and after a few minutes one of the veterans comes in. His armor fills the doorway and he makes his way to sit in one of the chairs

8:51 PM

“Hello recruit. Im Gunnar. I lead the spearhead squad of the task force. You did well in evaluation today. We have seen enough and a spot on the expedition is yours”

"Really!?" Billy thinks for a moment. "But they didn't even test any of my technical skills." He laughs. "Wow... do I call you Sir Gunnar? How do I get armor like that?"

He goes and sticks his hands out to shake Gunnar's hand. "Thank you for the opportunity, sir."

"This armor is for veteran shock troopers. I've been in several battles, and no we didn't test the technical skills, but you worked with a team, and you can shoot, that's already what we need. Quilla moved you over here so you wouldn't wander off anywhere"

8:00 AM

"My team and the team you;ll be on are hitting two different lunar installations that used to belong to the Slyth aliens that had outposts here once, our resident Slyth expert (and he is a slyth himself) informs us that there is likely some useful tech up there"

"When do we leave?" Billy smiles.

"This evening, I have a few more people to fill out the squad you'll be with."

Evening comes, and a few more individuals come join you in the room, two women, and to your surprise, Devnic

12:08 PM

Quilla pokes her head in "Shuttles here, lets do"

Billy nods at each of his new team. "I suppose we'll get to know each other on the way up then." (He wants to sort of look them over, does Devnoc have his own gear now? And the women? Is there any sense of the type of people they might be?)

Devnoc has been outfitted with a pistol, some ill fitting secure clothing, and a tool kit.

"Hey, glad to see you made it! It's nice to meet you two." He will shake their hands and then follow Quilla out.

The shuttle is waiting in the courtyard of the complex, and flight crews are helping everyone aboard. Quilla runs ahead, speaking to the crew chief for a moment. She makes a motion for you all to hurry aboard

Billy's eyes widen as he sees the shuttle. "Finally, here's my shot." He and the rest of his new squad runs in together, quickly finding their seats.

Quilla hops on a moment later- and the shuttle takes off, doors sealing only a moment after it is airborne. "Alright, in a few hours we will be landing on our moon. The air is breathable- so no worries on helmets or ship suits. We have three teams out- of which we are one, hitting three separate alien facilities. We leave no stone unturned. Gheist and Jexad assure me there will only be automated security, but a lot has happened since the slyth were sleeping, so lets be sharp"

"How much cargo space do we have on the ship? If we can disable the systems instead of breaking them we can repurpose them for the colony."

"Several tons worth. This is to investigate, and explore. Cargo ships will carry away what we find if the discoveries merit being worth the transport. I like that you're thinking ahead though"

"Thank you, Quilla...I hope we find some good stuff up there. Do we get any personal spoils?". He turns to the rest of his group. "I'm Billy Rigers by the way. I'm a pretty good mechanic and I can pilot in a pinch and I hope to make a halfway decent soldier, too. Why are you all here?"

Quilla doesn't follow up on the personal spoils question, "I'm Devnoc. I'm an orphan, both my parents went down with the first colony ship. I worked in the mine as a water boy for a year now, but I saw the task force was hiring and I'm old enough now"

9:08 PM

The two girls reveal they are twins, though not their names, and they're not identical. "We are both from the Rawhani group that was recently brought here. We grew up in the desert and fighting was a way of life"

"I'm glad I'm in good company then." Billy will sit back and just try to contain his excitement for leaving the colony. Watching the sites out of a window off he can, etc.

The shuttle lifts off, heading for the moon in formation with the other sister craft. Upon entering the atmosphere, they formation splits, your team heading for a scattered village looking collection of buildings, at the edge of a lake

9:36 PM

The shuttle circles overhead once, and Quilla, satisfied by the lack of AAA, selects a clearing 2km outside the village to set down

Can I see any buildings of note or things that might look more industrial in nature?

Their architecture does not have anything truly in common with humanity, and several hundred years have passed since the site was inhabited. You can't be certain how things look now is a true reflection of how the site looked when in use.

"Fascinating." He says under his breath. "Are we ready then?"

9:59 PM

Billy readies his weapon and makes sure it's loaded and double checks everything one last time.

The recruits file out, into the forest of brittle looking trees surrounding the ruined settlement.

7:13 AM

Birds chirp lonely warbles in the trees, and the air smells faintly of sulphur

"Wooah cool." Billy begins recording if he can on his compad. "First landing on moon, air smells of sulfur, trees brittle." Billy looks around keeping an eye out for any animals. Why do the trees look brittle? Are they sick?

7:22 AM

"Birds chirping" He puts his compad away. He will just try to remain alert as they move forward toward the city.

Quilla stops the group at the edge of the settlement, and looks through a pair of field glasses toward the ruined buildings, panning slowly back and forth

7:26 AM

(notice/wis)

(9)

Billy notices in the shadow of one of the main buildings, a small turret that is still tracking

7:37 AM

it is hidden by the way the sun is shining right now, mostly

"Got something" Billy pulls out his compad again to record and he will zoom in on the building. "Working turret, in the shadows. The tech is still working. Working power source. Not enough corrosion to cease working. Possible maintenance robotics present." "Quills, let's find a way around that turret. If we can find a power source, maybe we can shut it down before we go in. That way we don't destroy any of the stuff we should be able to salvage... Do I call you sir?"

"Ma'am is fine, but yes, good idea. Can you see transmission lines or anything?"

"Not from here, Ma'am. Maybe if we can move around the corner here without being spotted I can get a better look. I really need to get a drone up and running." He's going to to look for any noticeable wires or electrical panels/transformers around the outside of the building keeping a distance for now. He will also look for a way inside.

There is a door on the ground floor, below the turret. There are solar panels on the roof of the building but no external wires leading down to the gun. (edited)

"Hold that. They were smart. Look they built solar panels into the building and ran all the wires on the interior. If we can get on top of the roof, I should be able to disconnect them either by disconnecting the wires or finding a disconnect switch. However, there is likely a battery source inside, meaning nothing will turn off right away and there is no telling how long their battery might last. I'd rather keep the power to the building on though, just in case there is anything we need in there powered up. Either way, I think there might be an access point on the rooftop, allowing us to avoid the front door turret altogether. Then I can disable it from the inside.... assuming they don't have other defense mechanisms waiting for us. What's your call?"

8:22 AM

"m-ma'am"

"That's good billy, let's try to skirt it's field of fire, and approach- keeping an eye out for roof access (stealth/dex)

8:24 AM

*sneak

Oof. (4)

The group begins moving toward the complex, angling to try to get into the cover of one of the smaller buildings in the turrets path, advanced detection software notices your approach and you hear a rattle as a belt of ammunition is loaded (lets do initiative)

(Shit)

9:29 AM

7+1 Dex = 8

(turret has a 7, you're up)

9:34 AM

The turret is 40m away, nestled in an alcove, swiveling around to track the group

(Is there a way we can get out of line of sight and go around?) Billy will take aim at whatever he sees as the sensor module and try to hit it before the turret goes off. And then he will try to run for cover. If possible, he would like to line of sight the turret after taking the shot. "Around the building! Go!"

(11 to hit 4 damage)

The turret sparks as the shot hits it, scoring some damage, it seems to go slack for a moment.

10:37 AM

Quilla fires her mag rifle, blowing it out of its housing

10:37 AM

she nods at you appreciatively.

"Shit! I hope I can fix it... you really blew that thing out of the water. Good shot though." Billy moves forward carefully intent on inspecting the turret.

The solid shot severed it from its housing complete, but the unit itself looks intact

"Veerrry nice shot, Quilla. This will work nicely. This is going to just take some rewiring... and a replacement sensor as I shot it, but we're already up one turret. Let's mark it for aqcuisition." Billy will pull a writing implement (mechanics chalk or something? Can his meta tool do that?) and mark the turret and photograph it with his compad.

(yeah I'd assume the tool has some kind of grease pencil or like you said, mechanic chalk)

(Awesome) Billy looks to the twins and to Devnoc. "Step one. Don't get shot before you ring the doorbell. Check. Step two don't die on your way in."

2:40 PM

He will look over the entranceway. Taking in the alien architecture and snapping another photo. "Devnoc can you take pictures for me and send them? Twins cover on either side of the door. Quilla, are you ready to crack the safe?"

They move, sensing the authority in your voice, Quilla gives you a look, but entertains the command suggestion. She has her exotic looking rifle raised. "Alright, open her up"

Billy catches the look and immediately is embarrassed. "Er ma'am yes ma'am." He tests the doorknob?

2:47 PM

Awkwardly

The handle does not budge

"Anyone have a key?" He will search for a control panel of some sort to see if he can use his technical abilities to open it.

There does not seem to be a keypad, but the lock looks mechanical

Billy will try using his metatool to open the mechanism.

(Sneak dex)

(3) "Agh. This isn't working. Anyone else want to try?" He's going to take a step back and just take one last look around from where the turret was to see the view while he assumes Quilla will just blast the door open.

Quilla stows her rifle and takes a run at the door. Her considerable weight crumples the metal frame and it sails into the entryway, along with her

"Woah!" Billy's eyes widen and falls in behind her, head on the swivel. He just starts taking in what's inside.

He reaches down to help her up off the floor.

“Thanks” she almost pulls you down with her weight.

6:58 PM

This is an atrium, and elongated furniture out of proportion with a human is scattered everywhere. There is ladder heading down

"Very cool". He will take a moment to look around the atrium for just a moment to look for any mechanisms or computer terminals, wiring etc. Before joining the rest of the crew in heading down the ladder.

The ladder leads into a darkened room. There are no computers in the atrium. Quilla looks through her bag for a glow bug. She shakes it and throws it down

He will go look down the ladder with everyone else. "Well this must be what they are protecting." (Does my metatool or compad have a flashlight feature?)

(No. Makes glowbugs and flares kind of useless). “I think you’re right.” Quilla looks down into the basement room. “Looks like the entryway is clear”

Alright, Billy will go down and pick up the glowbug to look around.

The room is a lab space. Several computers line the walls. Most have been broken with the passage of time but one still works. There is a bulkhead style door on the far end of the room, heading deeper in. It is closed right now

Billy will head to the computer to see if he can make sense of it. "Clear to come down!" He calls back.

The language is jagged, and harsh on the eyes. The terminal seems active despite running on what has to be the last of its emergency power

"Can any of you read Sylth? There seems to be an active terminal here." He runs his hands through his hair. If we can capture this information and take it back to the colony, there's no telling how much information could be locked in here!... alien coding... fascinating." He kneels down and starts to inspect all around the terminal to look at its inner workings, find panels he can fiddle with etc. he won't actually disassemble anything, but he's just incredibly curious about the construction.

Billy finds a panel where he can make the screen brighter. Quilla looks over at the panel, and finally manages to get the bulkhead door open ahead. "Some interesting data in here. Looks like they were observing the weather here long term, wanting to terraform:

"I wonder if there are still terraforming machines running here. Some sort of maintenance to the weather... I'm sure someone might be interested in that." He says, turning toward the bulkhead door. "This place is a lot bigger than I thought..." He pulls out his compad and begins making some notes. -glowbugs, flares, dataslabs, scouting drones. The hair prickles in the back of his neck as he peers further down and thinks about how unprepared still feels. After a quick breath he descends into the darkness, the glowbug raises high to give everyone light. The pistol sits lightly in the other hand. (edited)

There is another rattle at the end of the corridor, and the glowbug faintly picks out the outline of another defense turret

9:46 AM

(initiative again)

Initiative: (2)

(turret got a 4) The heavy gun begins tracking, but the old ammunition jams as it prepares to fire (crit miss)

10:32 AM

It begins a process of self-clearing, but it will take a few seconds to complete

10:32 AM

(billy up)

Billy ducks his head as the turret turns to shoot before he can move. When the gun jams, Billy brings the gun up to aim at the tracking sensor again. Before diving for cover (if he can find a spot). (14 to hit - 6 dmg)

The gun sparks as the round hits it, it reels, slightly off track. there is a thump as the chamber cycles, and more shells are loaded

11:12 AM

It fires down the corridor, quilla throwing the rest of you behind her. She grunts as a few of the large rounds puncture her armor. She fires her exotic looking rifle at the turret, blowing it out in a shower of sparks

11:12 AM

"Can't run into too many more of these" she says breathlessly.

"Quilla, this isn't a time sensitive mission, is it? We can take our time and rest if you need it. Are any of you three a trained medic?" Billy looks helplessly at the holes in Quilla's armor. "There's a smarter way around this." Thinking for a moment, Billy goes to inspect the turret to try and determine how it tracks, whether its motion or heat or something else.

(Might Billy think it possible to access any operational systems further down via the computer terminal up top?)

(That would be reasonable to try- there's the problem of not understanding what's on the screen though)

(Did Quilla read the language or no?)

(she did, yeah)

"Quilla, if you're up to it, I might be able to access the interior system using that computer upstairs if you can translate for me. I think I can at least see where any more defense turrets are if not disable them altogether."

"Better than running blindly into more of these, lets go"

2:25 PM

Quilla climbs back up amid much pain, but is standing next to you at the console before long

"Alright, let's get to it then." Billy begins to walk through what he needs and has Quilla translate each screen for him to try and hack in and see what he can find.

(Program int)

(8)

Quilla identities the security subroutine. Three other turrets are connected to the system. Two others are showing non responsive (5 total guns)

"Ok, great. We know there is 5 of them and we've already disabled 2. We can't just keep running into turrets, so let's see if we can find an off switch somewhere.... if I can't we'll have to try to find another way. "

quilla pushes something on the screen “There. Click that. Shuts down the guns”

"Alright, here goes nothing... you're sure?" Billy clicks the the button after a nod from Quilla.

There is a shudder in the machine and the remaining turrets show inactive now

Billy laughs, "We did it! Or at least it says we did... wish I had thought of that sooner. It should be safe to proceed from here, but we still have to keep our eyes open. We don't know what other defenses they might have in here." Billy will go back downstairs if Quilla approves of heading forward.

Quilla approves, and you're back down in the underground atrium before you know it. The hallway door is now open, and the exploration group begins moving past the lab tables into the long corridor. The defense turret still sparks from the recent fighting. the hallway ahead branches out right, and left. It looks as though there were once signs on the wall, but age has withered them away

Is there anything in the lab tables in the room with the turret that would catch Billy's interest? Just empty tables?

Empty tables

Ok we will keep our left hand on the wall and go left.

The hallway opens into a vast circular chamber where some type of giant antenna has been broken over. There is an iris hatch in the ceiling. Dusty soil above has trickled in over the years making an ankle deep pile at the base of the antenna

9:31 PM

The southeast corner of the room has consoles against both walls and a few of them seem to be working

"This place... must be a control center for the terraforming equipment on the planet. I have a few thoughts, Quilla. 1. I'm concerned about how this antenna was broken. Perhaps it was just old, but perhaps not. 2. I think we can open that Iris door but I'm concerned about the potential amount of dirt and debris that could come down if we just open it. Perhaps the area above should be cleared before we open it. 3. We should count and disconnect the turrets before we proceed. I'd hate to set off some defense protocol that would re-arm them and get us caught with our pants down again. 4. We need to decode and see what operations are available at these consoles. We can label buttons or switches, but I think activating things and pressing buttons Willy nilly might be a misstep." He stops for a moment. Realizing everyone is already moving ahead of him "One thing at a time I guess." He moves to the console to ask Quilla to help him decipher what they do.

“Alright billy. Let’s split into a couple teams and tackle these objectives. Do you want to go topside?”

"If that is your wish. I will attempt to track down the other side of this door then."

(So you're going to clear the iris door?)

(Billy is sort of taking that as an order from Quilla, but he thinks maybe one of the other team members could do that while he works on more technical stuff.)

7:51 AM

(But yes)

"While you're gone, I'll try to label the consoles as best I can since I can read this stuff" Quilla says, taking out her own piece of mechanic chalk.

"Perfect. I'll be in coms if you need me."

Following your route outside, the sun is a bit lower in the sky. Several other dwelling like structures surround the iris hatch. Devnoc and one of the twins accompanies you. she looks a bit ungainly with the combat shotgun she has been given.

8:07 AM

(theres some space between the hatch and te houses, but the settlement was clustered around this antenna array_

(Does iris door seems clear of dirt and vegetation?) "These just look like their houses, but we should clear them anyway. Be careful of defense mechanisms up here. They seem fond of turrets." (While Quilla and the other twin is working downstairs, the three of us up top will do a quick sweep of the dwellings and then remove any debris from the iris door.) Billy gets on the coms "Come in Quilla, this is Rigers. It looks like there are some personal dwellings up top surrounding the hatch. We're going to clear these first and move on to the iris door. We'll let you know when we're finished." Billy grins ear to ear at the other two new recruits. "I've always wanted to do that."

"Lets be on then" Devnoc says nervously. He still has not drawn his weapon. The door itself seems free from vegetation but there is some dust , ankle deep on top of the door that needs to be cleared

"Devnoc... you're scared. I see that. Your aim is going to be off if you're shaking. You're going to make fearful decisions that could put us in danger. We are going to be ok. We've managed this far." Billy gives him an awkward fist bump to the shoulder. Eyes widen and he just turns around awkwardly and moves on.

He stiffens a little, and draws the compact pistol he was issued. (where to first)

(They just move carefully building to building around the circle making a quick pass to make sure nothing is in there and then on to clearing the door.) "We'll go clockwise."

The first building (6 o clock) is a squat building, which has a metal door. The door is rusted by time, though the dry air has kept the mechanism from seizing up. The building is some kind of weather station, still passively monitoring temperature and humidity after all this time. Daily weather projections, dutifully printed out every day for years are spilled all over the floor, though the printing material has long run out.

"Holy shit, that's quite a bit of data." Billy will fold up as much of it as he can as carefully as he can. "Wow these instruments are well made!"

9:42 AM

He whips out his compad to voice record more notes. "Billy Riggers. On expedition to a Sylth moon base. Seems to be some sort of weather and terraforming station. A total of 5 turrets were operational, 2 of which have been damaged in a firefight. Luckily Quilla only took minor wounds. The tech here is amazing. It is still running without maintenance and if there were still printing material I suspect it would still be printing. Extra care not to break anything is advised. A science and engineer team will be required to sift through it all." Billy turns off the recording. "This little weather station would be worth it by itself." He will move on to scout the next building.

The next building (9 o clock position) is another one story building. The door is locked

Billy pulls out his metatool again to attempt to pop the lock.

(sneak/dex)

(7)

The metatool hangs for a moment, before the lock gives way with a dramatic sigh

"Ah, got it this time!" He says as he creaks the door open and peers inside.

This building is a storage room, the goods inside rusted past the point of usefulness but the junk could be recycled into spare parts”

"Scrap metal is always good. I wonder why this one was locked and the other one with all of the working gadgets wasn't... curious." Billy sifts around a bit to figure out what they could have been out of curiosity before moving on to the next building. "Devnoc, if you'd rather work on clearing the iris door, you can feel free to do that. Me and twin two can clear this out. Lots of mundane stuff up here so far."

Devnoc goes to do that, looking relieved. The E-tool from his pack is already in hand as he walks away

6:08 PM

the junk is too alien, too old, or too much a little of both those things to be easily identifiable

Curiosity satisfied, he jogs to the next building. "Alright let's get this shit done."

12 o clock) This building is a large silo looking tower, with a ladder heading to the roof, which has a ring-scaffolding built around it

Billy holsters his pistol as he reaches the ladder and will begin his climb.

Arriving at the top, a rusted porthole, with a plexiglass like interior, looks down into the silo

7:17 PM

a ruby colored liquid sloshes away inside, though would only be waist high if you were to jump in

Billy activates the coms "Hi, Quilla, Rigers again. We've got a silo up here with some strange reddish liquid inside. I see movement inside. Unknown whether or not it's mechanical or organic. Leaving it sealed for now. How are you doing down there?" Billy will climb back down from the silo.

"Almost have everything worked out. You should have plenty to do when you come back down. How's the hatch looking?

Looks at Devnoc's work.

He is about halfway done, taking a break for the moment\

"Nearing completion. Devnoc is moving through it while we clear the buildings. Looks like we have one more building to check. Definitely some decent stuff up here to scavenge. Can't wait to get back down there and finishing that building out. We will be there shortly."

8:03 PM

"Good work, Devnoc! You're moving quickly."

8:03 PM

On to the last bldg (next?)

The final building is two floors and the door has splintered away. You hear a low chittering sound as you approach it

Billy throws a hand up and looks to the twin and motions to Devnoc. Backing up. He turns on coms. "Devnoc... get your gun. Quilla, we have potential hostiles up here. I'm hearing some insect-like chittering noises coming from the last building. The three of us are going to try to draw whatever it is out. I'm going to leave coms on so you can hear us." "Devnoc, over here by the side of the building. Kneel down, place your elbow against the corner. If you have to shoot, it will steady your aim." (I'm naming this twin with the shotgun: Julia) "Julia, back me up. I'm going to sneak over there to try and take a peak. If they look dangerous I'm going to back out and bang the wall. See if they will come out. If they do and they attack, we'll blast 'em. Sound like a plan?"

The chirps grow louder as you approach, and the sunlight hits the open doorframe just right, revealing a wolfbeatle, down on its haunches, ready to spring

9:49 PM

(First of all: badass. I'm stealing this monster.) Billy backs away, readying his laser pistol. If they lunge he's firing.

You see a handful of cubs curled up and mewling in the shadows. The mother is low to the ground. Trying to ward you away

9:54 AM

(Steal away! )

(I’ve got a whole folder full of monsters and wildlife)

Billy retreats backwards to the others. "Quilla, looks like we have a native predator protecting some young. Some sort of Wolfbeetle. I'm going to see what I can do to clear them out. She isn't attacking, she definitely sees us and she is standing her ground." "Fascinating. I don't want to kill it but it doesn't seem to be moving from its young either."

Do you think you might need to get in there for any reason? she chimes back. You hear her swearing under her breath, and a clang as a piece of machinery evidently hits the floor in the background. she mutters about not being able to keep hold of the multitool

"I guess we can save it for later. We've already found some good stuff out here. Devnoc let's finish clearing that eye, Julia lets guard him in case that thing tries to move. We're almost ready Quilla and we will be right down."

Devnoc puts his back into shoveling, bolstered with your help. The hatch is cleared after an addiitonal ten minutes, down to rusted metal

"We're headed down Quilla. No movement from the wildlife."

The group of three step back and go downstairs.

Quilla has the computers marked as best she can. Some attempts at terraforming were made here and this weather station was developed to track gradual changes over time. The process was meant to be very long, to prevent climatological disaster, and somewhere in the middle of the process, things halted, giving the moon atmopshere, but little else

12:00 PM

The daily weather reports were meant to be logged every day, so trends could be mapped.

"Well we've certainly got enough to warrant a second expedition. Did we find and disable the other turrets? We still had to explore the right side wing of that hallway."

12:06 PM

Billy Will move to the controls and see if the iris door will open.

There is a lever arranged to have the door opened. Quilla has labeled it but has not yet engaged it- with you all working on top. "I didn't go looking for the rest of the guns but the system still has them swtiched off"

"Well, let's go finish this out then." Billy will flick the switch and then proceed to the right side of the T.

The facility rumbles and the antenna begins rising out of the dust on its dias, through the now opening iris hatch to the surface

1:33 PM

Some control panels fizz with static, but go out, no power remaining in them.

"Well at least we know we can power this stuff back up and get it working." (Is it just a huge hydraulic lift or is there anything underneath?)

(Just a big lift)

(Excellent. Billy will finish exploring the other hallway then.) "One more hallway and this building should be fully explored."

The team heads down the right hallway , and three powered down turrets, one on the ceiling and one on each side of the door sit deactivated.

3:36 PM

A metal bulkhead door is halfway open, tracks still grinding as it is now quite siezed by age.

3:37 PM

You cannot make out what is in the room, interior power on this side having failed.

"This must be it...Do we have any more glow bugs?" Billy creeps toward the turrets and... unplugs them if it's obvious, before moving into the next room

Quilla has a few more in a satchel she slides down the hallway to you

6:45 PM

The turrets go slack on their gears, power cut.

6:47 PM

The room ahead is cavernous, and slopes downwards on a gentle cement-like ramp. Huge machines sit in banks, their pumps silent.

Billy would like to further investigate the huge machines with pumps to determine their function (unless they are just giant pumps). He's also like to travel down the slope to see what's further down.

10:43 PM

Billy's eyes widen as he scans the room amid these giant machines. "Now this. This is the mother lode we were hoping to find!"

(the pumps are at the bottom of the slope, it leads into the big chamber where all of them are)

11:08 PM

The pumps look like some type of geothermal energy collector, though the workings are vast and it is difficult to tell what has made the giant machines stop their work. Thick power cables run through the wall and to the base of the antenna in the next room

"Oh yes, yes. This is what we came here for, ladies. This tech needs to be studied by our scientists. This isn't just a scrap hauling mission anymore. Devnoc are you recording this?" Billy continues to work his way downward.

The consoles in this room are all broken, and there are a dozen of the large turbines in this room.

11:41 PM

Each of them sits astride a borehole, festtooned in railings and safety walkways. It’s impossible to know how deep the boreholes go

"This geothermal energy/Terraforming station is massive. It must have created so much energy." Billy makes notes of everything he sees and takes pictures with Devnoc. "If this is the last room, I think we can go back up and collect the turrets and see what still exists in that 2 story building. My curiosity has the best of me. For science, as it were. If we can all get a good shot and disturb them maybe we can capture the... pups and transport them as well or just scare the Parent off. They don't seem overly aggressive. The next expedition is going to kill them all anyway if we don't do something about it."

The group follows you back out to the main room. Quilla has done what she can with the computers and is ready to withdraw from the area

“Alright, Quilla. Lets take these damaged turrets back with us at least. I think that was a success!” Billy will load up the damaged turrets on the ship and set off!

The five damaged turrets are loaded aboard. Reports come in from the other expeditions of success in their various hunts as well. New information will be distributed soon.

8:20 AM

(3xp, 5000 credits)

(Woot!)

On the shuttle flight back, the atmosphere inside the cabin is quiet but contented. “Well. I think you’re all task force material. This isn’t binding unless you accept but if you think you’ve found a home here you’ve all passed the evaluation”

Billy smiles wryly. “Do you really think I’d turn that down? Haha! I’m in, Quilla.”

“Well, you’re our new explorer team. Once we get back to base I’ll show you to your billet”

10:04 AM

(I’ll change the permissions when I get inside later)

(So leveling up, I spent 1 skill point to increase con by 1. Do I just add 2 to what I rolled for hp then?)

(If your con is +1 now you add that for every level.)

Cool. Doing that then.

1:03 PM

Thanks

The shuttle lands in the open courtyard of the Phoenix compound. The veterans are there, armor damaged, but everyone seems to be still standing. Wounded are being dragged out of the shuttle leaving the other moon facility, you hear bits and pieces about a mine being tripped.

Billy and the team start lugging the turrets out of the ship. (How is Quilla doing?) “Seems like these aliens defend their stuff well. Quilla took a few rounds before we blew the hell out of one of these turrets. By the looks of it we got the easier gig. I’m glad to see you’re all still in one piece... mostly.”

(quilla has been fine so far, probably starting to feel the injuries close to the end of the flight back, but shes not in danger of dying)

4:03 PM

Quilla is being seated onto a gurney, but she beckons you over "You and the others out there today all pass. You've got corporal in the squad, I'll let Seung, our commander, know about you. I expect you'll be meeting soon"

“Woah. Thank you, ma’am! We couldn’t have done it without you. You saved my life out there.”

(I feel like Billy should take the Authority Foci now.... I was going to do starfarer.)

(lots of chances to pick one up, you'll get both eventually)

(Cool. I’ll take starfarer. Billy will have to earn his stripes before he gets the foci.)

Seung is out West right now you come to learn. A report is taken from you and passed up the chain of command. Until he returns it’s apparent you have run of the compound

(Fantastic. Is there a set amount of downtime here?)

(I'm hoping IRL to conclude the taros negotiations today so I can end the game month, get faction turns done, and turn you guys loose to tackle endeavors/group missions)

8:36 AM

(I'd say about a day or two of game time)

(In that time, Billy would like to buy a simple 250 drone for scouting and fit it with an observation suite for another 250; Purchase a data storage unit 500; 2 doses of Lift (100); 1 Lazarus Patch; (30); Laser Rifle (300); Combat Field Uniform (1000). Total expense: 2430 credits)

The quartermaster is a rotund fellow but he keeps his equipment clean. The supplies are all in mint condition and are issued to you even in original packaging.

Excited, Billy quickly goes to walk out but stops, abruptly turning around. “Oh right. I’m going to need 4 more power cells, 1 vacc suit, 3 glow bugs, and 2 flares... and a Solar Recharger.”(665 credits total) (Other than this trip to the quartermaster, Billy will join in to repairing the 5 turrets during the day and begin working on a mod for his laser pistol.)

The turrets are taken to a large workshop built on the premises. A woman with shoulder length, jet black hair, almond brown eyes, and donning a heavy protective uniform is working on making them safe, and disassembling them into their components, making careful log of how they are put together

“Hi there, Billy Rigers. I’m with the team that retrieved these. Can I assist you in any way?”

"You're a good marksman" she smiles "Hardly going to have to make any repairs to these. I'm elizabeth by the way"

“Nice to meet you. We didn’t actually shoot these three. I was able to hack into the still running systems and shut down those three turrets after we triggered these two damaged ones on the way in. Copying blueprints I see. We’re going to have months of work copying blueprints for the terraforming and weather instrumentation up there. It was fascinating.” Billy grins back. “How many engineers and technicians do we have here?”

“The technical team is about a quarter of the task force now. From the beginning Seung was serious about getting expertsl

“That’s fantastic. I bet we could rival Trivedi in technical expertise.”

“Possibly. Tech is a focus but we are a military organization first. When something is decided about the moon it’s going to be more than just us working on those devices”

“Of course. We all work together to make the colony thrive. I say that not so we should rival trivedi in a business sense, but I see no reason we shouldn’t also create our own prototypes for things.... not for commercial sale of course... maybe... or do we do that already? Anyway, I’m just happy to see I have joined such a fantastic and technically adept group. It’s refreshing.

“We do already. We have our own personnel carrier variant and all of our ships were made here on the compound”

“That’s fantastic. I can’t wait to tinker. With them then.... we’ll it looks like you’ve got this under control. If you need any assistance, I’ll be here for a while before my next mission... alright...” Billy just backs up awkwardly and goes to leave.

“I’m heading to Aslief tomorrow with some food aid. If you haven’t been assigned by then you’re welcome to come with”

He smiles. “That would be nice. Thank you.”

As you stand there speaking with Elizabeth a human looking robot comes up with a commpad in it's hands. "Hello I'm Agata." It introduces itself while putting out the commpad for you to take. "You must be Billy. You have a call coming from Seung. He was looking to speak with you for a moment."

“H-hello, Agata.” He picks up the compad, takes a quick glance at Elizabeth and puts it up to his year. *General Seung. I wasn’t expecting a call from. H-hello, this is Corporal Rigers... sir.”

2:26 PM

Billy is also inspecting this human looking droid... Is this a synth or a VI?

(Vi, its a jack frame, i always pictured him as kind of like the redjack bots from destiny but seung can shed more light)

(Billy momentarily distracted by the thought of building one.)

(Sorry will be able to respond shortly I hope.)

“Hello there. This is Billy right? I got a message from Quilla about the mission and that you were the standout star. I was hoping to make a group to go out and explore the stars for us since I’ve been so focused on the war effort lately. I was hoping you’d be able to be that man for me.”

“Also I don’t know you gave you the info I was a general, but you can just call me Seung or boss if you have to give me a title.”

Billy visibly relaxes. “Oh, of course. Sorry. I just... assumed...” He stammers for a bit.. “I would be honored to explore the stars in the name of Task Force Phoenix. Are there any high priority areas that I should explore first? Is it up to me to gather a crew. Do you have a craft in mind? Sorry. Too many questions. I expect you’ll have some sort of briefing for me, sir. “

4:46 PM

“Seung... thank you for the opportunity.”

“I do have some options for you. We recently recruited and I know 60 of them are ready for field work. 40 of them would be fine out there for combat, 8 of them were sufficient for Gunnar so heavy armor and weapons and thus heavy combat, and 12 for infiltration and stealth. I’m sure you had some folks with you in the mission, but I’d like you to make a team of 8 out of those choices. You will have a team of 10 including you and the pilot of a shuttle that will be yours as long as you lead this team. Where to go is up to you I’m sure if you get Franz in admin he can get you better info on where we have and haven’t been, I just wish you to be safe out there with the Remnant possibly all around and watching for us. Once you have a team selected Have Agata know and I’ll make sure they are well equipped and ready to join you. Any other questions Billy?”

“Just one. Do I have permission to mod the ship with more armor before we travel into potentially hostile space? These shuttles are great work horses, but they can pop open like a tin can. I don’t have the funds to do it myself, but I see that as being something important if Remnant are everywhere.”

Seung shrugs before remembering he's on a call and not in person. "Well if you can fit it I can ensure Agata get's some funds to you. I was assured they were filled to the brim with what we could fit in them, but if it's your own modifications maybe you can make it work."

“Thank you Seung. It is a pleasure to meet you. I will see what I can do. Either way we are all good to go.”

"I'd give you the big speech I normally give, but I have to make it back to this vote. Don't get yourself killed out there if you can. I'm more interested in ensuring lives then losing them for values or getting jobs done. I want my people to be able to see tomorrow, not be heroes. Billy welcome to Task force phoenix I wish you luck out there."

Billy’s tone becomes rather serious. “You as well, Seung. I wish you the best of luck. We will play it safe as it is smart to.” When he signs off of the call he whips his compad out and starts making notes of the conversation to remember everything and then looks to Elizabeth. “Turns our that assignment came sooner than I thought. I’ll have to take a rain check on that run. It was good to meet you. May we meet again soon.”

“Likewise” she smiles, before lowering her visor and going back to analyzing the turret

Billy goes to meet with Franz to gather more info on the recruits.

Franz is in colonial admin, a few miles down the road from the task force compound. He doesn’t have an official title but his role is Analogous to a prime minister or Vice President of sorts.

(Can I get a ride down there. Uber?)

Expecting you, a car is sent from admin to pick you up, one of the very first models of the Trivedi prophesy

9:32 PM

It’s a short ride into town where Franz is waiting

(Billy loves the early models and would have a calendar hanging on his wall of tech.)

(This is a brand new indigenously produces vehicle. Almost no people have private cars so seeing one is still a big deal)

10:23 PM

Franz greets you in the lobby of colonial admin, situated safely behind thick walls of cement and metal cladding. The anti air missile batteries on its corner towers keep vigilant watch on the sky

“Hello, Billy Rigers. You must be Franz.”

“It looks like the compound could use some of the turrets that we found on the moon base.”

He laughs and let’s you into his office “Nice to meet you billy. So what can I help with?”

“Seung has tasked my with putting together a new crew for continued exploration for the discovery of new tech and resources. He said you could give more detail on recruits so that I could make that crew.

6:37 AM

“

"Any concerns with the group that went with you to the moon?"

Billy pauses for a moment and cracks a bit of a nervous smile. “Well the twins performed up to snuff in combat situations. They kept their head clear at least. Devnoc seemed to lack any sort of combat training but he seemed to be a decent workhorse. The three of them could certainly be of use. So there’s a start. I /would/ like to see what Devnoc’s results on the tests were though. I hope he has some mechanical skills that I didn’t get to see. I’d like to keep him. He just has confidence issues. If I can look through the reports, I could make a crew more efficiently. We’ll need a broad range of skills and I wouldn’t mind a bit of redundancy. People have to sleep. Sometimes we have two man jobs. You understand... S-sir.” He awkwardly tips his head down in a strange bow thinking himself too bold.

Franz has not said anything yet, busying himself with taking some folders out of the desk.

7:13 AM

Devnoc is new to Gudrun. In his admittance interview from the refugee camp, he stated he was an orphan, forced to watch his parents fed feet first into industrial recycling grinders, for participating in a failed resistance effort. He traveled across the dangerous sand wastes for a month before ending up in stack city with the rest of the refugees, and eventually running into Kaleb, who brought as many as he could here. Devnoc is young, and had little opportunity to learn, but he is tough. Franz stops looking at files. "The task force is pretty unique in that everyone is fairly skilled, I think depending on the mission, keep the group you have now, and fill out from there on an as-needed basis"

Billy’s eyes widen. “I didn’t know that, sir. The team I have is a great start. We will be happy to start exploring as soon as the ship and crew are ready. I’ll need a pilot and to pull 5 more to round out the crew. Is there any specific matters you’d like me to attend to while I’m out there, sir?” (Essentially, what’s happening is myself, a full time pilot, the twins, and Devnoc will be the main crew and then we will rotate the other 5 per mission. That will leave room for other PCs to come and go if they wish. I like that idea.)

"Well, the colony has some jobs posted to the online board, some of the other companies and organizations living here also have some matters needing attended to. You could win yourself and the task force some money and renown by doing them. Sometimes the news brings up things that don't quite become problematic enough to meet our attentions right away as well. If you see an area you think your team could work best at, I'd say jump on in"

“Thank you for your advice, sir. I’ll be getting to it then. I know you’ve got a lot on your plate.” He can’t help himself but grin widely as he takes of to handle his business.

Two Greenbriar homeguard escort you back to the vehicle, which whisks you off promptly to the Task force Compound once again

Once back at the compound he sends a message to the twins and Devnoc. “Hey Crew, Looks like we have another mission. We have been assigned to a Shuttle. I’ll be in search of a job for us to do and picking up the remaining crew. I’d also like some help modifying the ship and giving it some more armor in the case we run into the Revenant. The war cannot stop our expansion. Devnoc, Ill need to see you be the ship, I’ll show you my plans for the shuttle. I expect you can handle some good welding and lifting work. Thanks, Rigers

(Billy would like to do the Reinforced Armor mod to the assigned shuttle if he is able.) While overseeing/installing the ship modifications, Billy mulls over their options. He decides that exploration and acquisition of further advanced technology, alien or otherwise would be the logical next step if we are to withstand against the Remnant. Billy will pull up all available planetary data that’s been collected to search for a clue of further unexplored ruins or previously unvisited planets. (All the planets listed have been scouted and visited or no?)

(Anything you can see in the system handouts is public knowledge )

(Billy begins to make preparations to go investigate Terezinho if no one has yet traveled there. But first... has anyone investigated the strong electromagnetic energy at the southern pole from the planetary survey?)

6:14 PM

(Because if not, he’d like to make the South Pole his priority first.)

(They have it’s the facility down there that serves as our ftl communications and some stuff the slyth were using to test psi powers.)

(Thanks!.... preparing for a trip to Terazinho to explore the Ruined Sylth Colony and the Ruins Of North Astria then. Billy would make a requisition request for crew members to attend the expedition. He’s looking for 1 heavy Gunner, a medic, a scientist [Sylth Researcher & translator preferred], 1 sneak, and someone who could be a diplomat to potential pirates on planet.) (He will also need to requisition vacc suits for the whole crew and possibly bring a small 1-2 person submersible craft, make sure they are fully equipped with appropriate weaponry and tools etc.)

The ranks are filled from new specialist squad recruits in the task force.

7:44 PM

The shuttle mods will take an afternoon but there won’t be enough space to take a submersible this trip

All good. Thanks!

You manage to grab some rest and the next morning the squad, pilot included, is assembled for the trip

Billy stands up nervously once everyone is gathered in the ship. H-Hello ladies and gentlemen. If we haven’t met, I’m Corporal Rigers. After hunting through the colony reports, I’ve discovered two potential ruins on the planet Terezinho. One is a former Sylth colony, the other is a place called North Astria. We will pass by both in orbit before we decide which to go to first. I hope you’re all ready to make your colony proud. If any of you have any last minute requests, now it the time to speak up.... We ready for blast off in 10 minutes.”

Everyone is eager to go, and they get to work loading the last of their personal gear. With the route ruttered, the journey there should only take about a day

(Are we able to refuel on planet?

(won't need to)

(Perfect) Billy hops nimbly into the co-pilot chair to assist with navigation and lift-off protocol. As he begins clicking buttons and flipping switches he says, “Alright crew this is your captain speaking, buckle your seatbelts and keep your hands and feet within the comfort and safety of the Shuttle. Though we reach to the stars the trip should only take about a day. So let’s get off this rock. -starting countdown- 10, 9, 8....2, 1.”

The shuttle smoothly departs colony airspace, passing by the Trivedi cloud orbital platform on its way out. The centerline macrogun installed on it keeps its ever vigilant eye on the stable spike route in system. Space stretches, and the blue-space tube of spike opens, sucking the shuttle in.

11:37 AM

It sounds like being inside a house, while a gale storm howls outside, and you can finally stroll the cabin, leaving things in the hands of the pilot for right now.

Billy relaxes for the first time in what seems like years. “I always loved spike space as a kid.” “Alright, crew. We have about a day in spike space to relax and attend to your duties on the shuttle. There may be natives or possible pirates in the system so keep your heads up when we get there. We will do our best to avoid any hostile, but I trust you all and your training. We’re a good team. Let’s keep each other safe and find some new tech to tinker with! Otherwise enjoy your time in spike space.” In his down time, he’ll continue to work on his mod for his pistol.

(What mod are you working on?)

(It says “Customized (Fix - 1) +1 to hit on a weapon or +1 AC to armor. But it’s more about flavor than anything, I think I need a TL 4 workshop for that and I don’t know if there is one on the ship.)

12:30 PM

*Billy would take his time to briefly get to know the members of the crew, see what they have to say about themselves, their stories etc. and then retire to his quarters so long as everything seems to be going smoothly. There, in between tinkering with the pistol he would be swiping through each crew member’s.... (Spacebook/personnel files) and reviewing known material about the planet.

Melora's two trips to the planet detail a tribe of simian like creatures called Green Howlers living in the slyth ruins on planet. They've also had a brief skirmish with sea-based pirates, though the ship weapons of the vessel they were in destroyed the skiff easily. There are humans and mer-human hybrids living in the city of Hitachi on the planet, and their fishing vessels are favored prey for the pirate gangs

12:34 PM

there are also reports of a pre-black sun war base on the planet that the Remnant has occupied.

After a day of spike travel , the ship ends its journey in tereZinho local system space

“Alright. This is what we’ve all been waiting for. What a beautiful blue planet.” “Alright, set her into a quick orbit or two. Let’s see what we’ve got. The reports tell of multiple factions on this planet. Mostly lower tech people. Human/hybrids live.... there! Looks like there’s a faction of pirates on the south end of the planet as well. We need to scout the northern hemisphere. Yep. Ok there are the Sylth ruins. Melora reported a group of simian humans down there.... and there we go. The ruins of New Astria. That’s my initial target, but there are also reports of Remnant activity, so keep your eyes peeled.”

“Alright. So diving on new Astria then? “The pilot asks

“We will make a pass by it and try to scout out any remnant activity. If we are spotted or if there seems to be a large force, we’ll continue on and attempt evasive maneuvers into the sea if we are chased. I’m not trying to get us into a dogfight right out the jump.

(Program int, assuming you’re manning the scanners then)

(3)

You can see a very large area denial zone around the Remnant base. Their air defenses are radar hot and constantly hunting, rather than doing the “pop up” attacks most ground based defenses are known for. They evidently are confident enough in their position to not fear discovery. New Astria appears dormant

(And the Remnant base is the “Perimeter Agency Base” on the map?$

(Yeah)

(Sweet Thank you.) “Well it looks like the Remnant almost surely know we’re on planet. We’ll have popped up on their radar. Let’s put her down in the ocean to try lose them and travel the rest of the way to shore underwater. Let’s see what these ruins hold.”

9:50 AM

*knows

(its not big enough to also mount underwater fittings. the extra armor used what little mass was left)

(But it already came with that on the sheet?)

"I can fly nape of the soil, try to get below their radar coverage. Nothing's tracking us from the ground"

9:53 AM

(What sheet are you looking at?)

(But that’s totally fine. I’m looking at the shared google sheet for all the task force ships. I was given a page for the crew and a ship that had atmospheric configurations, which I thought gave me the ability to do that, but you’re the SpaceMaster. You tell me! :))

(I think atmospheric configuration just means it can land on planets, matters more for corvettes and free merchants since its kind of self explantatory with shuttles, but let me just read the fitting description real quick)

10:01 AM

(amphibious operation is a fitting, but it is separate from the atmosphere one)

10:05 AM

(I at one point had a link for those google docs too but now its just taking me to mine, so I can't check what you've got)

(Oh! Yes, sorry I reread that. I can land on any solid or aqueous surface. Thanks for the clarification. I’ll share it with you if you give me your email.

10:09 AM

“That sounds perfect, Stearn.”

10:12 AM

Billy sits firmly in the co-pilot seat. “Hold on to your lunch, we’re going down.”

The shuttle dives, heading almost vertical into the sea before pulling level at the last moment. The engines kick up surf as the pilot keeps it just 15m above the waves, on a direct course for New Astria's ruins. "Two minutes!" he shouts back into the crew bay.

The shuttle heads in low, sweeping the wave tops. The broken spires of New Astria are on the horizon. Each building is a tower to itself, and it looks like a city of ruined stalagmites. There was once a defensive wall surrounding it, but it has crumbled in several places

“Woah, ok. Let’s take it slow. Let’s make sure we’re recording all of this.” Billy grips the edge of the window tightly. “Circle around, let’s see if we can find anything that stands out. This place is huge.” (I want to sort of fly around the perimeter to get perspective on the place and then start traversing inward to find a good spot to land/set up a base camp if we need or want to to spread out from there.)

6:03 PM

(Actually. My drone can probably do the scouting.)

(So land the shuttle and scout with the drone?)

(Yes. Find a suitable place to land the ship.)

The drone circles, detaching from its connection to the ship, There is a central courtyard in the city that looks to have once been a park, but now is overgrown with thin, but hearty scrub grass. The city appears empty, most of its buildings intact but here or there a spire has fallen, spilling rubble into the street. It must rain frequently on this world because any resulting dust from a collapse like that appears long washed away

Billy smiles. “Let’s put the ship down in that old field there near the center of the city.” “Alright, everyone. Listen up! This is a research and discovery mission. You know the deal. We need videos, take samples of the flora here. You three, keep your heads up and guns out the rest of you keep your arms close. I haven’t seen hostile activity but be ready.” Billy runs his hands through his wild red hair. “This construction is fascinating. Let’s make sure we get a good shot of their construction. Keep an eye out for any transportation vessels that might remain. Notify me of any sort of tech that we might be able to use. We will keep close as we move through.” (Billy and crew will make their way toward the center, stoping briefly in smaller buildings to look quickly for anything of note, but will continue toward the center. He will leave the pilot behind to watch the ship.* “Coms up, let’s move toward that building there.” He points to one rather intact looking building he might think have some promise.

The building looks like it was some type of mechanic shop at one point. There is a small shop crane, rusty chain still creaking as it swings gently in the breeze. “Doesn’t look like it’s been abandoned that long”

9:02 AM

Engine parts are scattered around the floor of the shop near one of the lifts

Billy steps forward, looking around the factory floor. “Alright, let’s make a quick sweep of this building. This is all salvageable, but we don’t have a ton of room to carry things. If you can find blueprints/schematics, data files take them. Make sure you record everything.” (What tech level do these engines seem to be?) “Keep your heads up, until we know more about what happened here. This shop may have had more recent use than the buildings outside. Jules and Kady, take up lookout positions.”

(Early 4)

(Let’s split up the team a bit and search for any components/tools etc. that might be useful. Billy will go to find what might be the office.)

There is a back room, metal mesh bolted over a the large window, which has long since been shattered. The door appears stuck

(Is there any sort of torch around I could just cut the lock off with? Or can my metatool do that?)

(your metatool can do that)

Billy flicks out his cutting metatool and sparks it up. “And let’s see what’s behind door number one.”

The lock burns off, door swinging open to the office of the machine shop. Yellowed paper sits in piles on the desk, and some tools are scattered around, mostly used as paperweights. From what you can glean, it is a repair shop for engines, both ground and maritime

Billy will take whatever schematics he can find as looks through the papers briefly. “Let’s mark this one on the map for salvage. These engines have been sitting a while, but they might still be useful. Take what you like from here,” he calls back as he walks around the desk. Bill will rummage through the desk too.

There are some plans laying out for rebuilding the medium sized engine that was being worked on before the shop was abandoned. There are owners manuals in a few of the drawers for various types of the more common groundcar on this world as well

8:00 AM

One of them is quite stylish

I wonder how much Trivedi would want for this. Billy smiles as he shoves the plans in his bag. “Alright let’s keep goin. This was a good find, but I’m sure there’s more to this. I wonder why this place was abandoned. It seems like everyone just sort of vanished and left everything laying around. “

(notice/int)

(7)

a faded leaflet sits out on the side table, the door partially hides it, but you can make out some of the message Attention citizens of New Astria.....In violation of territorial integrity act .......have 24 hours to evacuate....bombardment will commence at midnight....

10:51 AM

The date listed for the bombardment date is 6 months previous., and based on the state of the city, does not look to have actually happened

10:52 AM

it is signed by an illegible name, but the title of Commander, 54th Remnant Infantry Division, and its logo stands out, a skeleton biting the head off of a serpent

(Do I recognize this symbol?) Billy sticks this one in a safe place. “Hey everyone, listen up. This city was just freshly abandoned 6 months ago. It was set for an orbital bombardment if it wasn’t evacuated. Looks like they really all did just pick up and leave. But I wonder why or where they all went...” Billy takes out his drone and goes scouting again. This time his search is more pointed, looking for any sign of a star port of some kind if he sees any sort of tech that is out of the ordinary along the way, he’d pause and take notice.

(no, this is something new)

11:23 AM

The drone finds a dockyard for ocean going vessels on the south side of the city. Every single craft is gone, and it looks like a few have been sunk in the harbor even, their wrecks visible beneath the waves. The look to have run into one another

Billy will take some screenshots of the boats and harbor and sweep the drone in an arc to explore more area on the way back toward our location. “Boats sunk in the harbor. Every one of them. An emergency evac. Impending bombardment from an outside force... I wonder why this place is off limits.” Billy looks to the rest of the group. “What do ya’ll think? Have any of you seen this symbol?” *Shows the evacuation order.

They're familiar with the Remnant, but the symbol is new. "Might just be the regimental icon. lots of armies have that"

“Hmm. Indeed. Well we’ll keep moving on up this way. I don’t want to search every building but any that might count. We should take a peek at. I don’t want to stay too long in one place.” Billy flips on coms “How are we doing at the ship, pilot?

"Quiet right now, nothing on the scanners either"

8:27 PM

"Everything alright in there?"

“Yeah, I’d say. We found some interesting stuff I’ll show you when we get back. It seems this place was just completely abandoned. There was an ordered evacuation, it seems or they would receive a planetary bombardment. It was as little as 6 months ago. Sure is strange. We’re going to keep digging a bit deeper into this place.” He steps out of the shop as the drone comes back to him, looking upward toward the spires. “Or maybe deeper is the wrong way. Maybe we need to go up... I’ll check back in a bit, Stearn.”

He line clicks off

“Alright, crew. Let’s go toward the center then. Should be this way.” He points. “Devnoc, could you lead me, I’m going to scout around with the drone some more as we travel.” (So the crew will just keep moving forward, trying to find governmental building or other points of interest. Billy will just fly his drone along as they walk just peeking in any upper story windows as they go.)

Heading toward the town square, the group comes across a checkpoint where now abandoned military vehicles were set up, to keep motor vehicles away from the evacuation route by blocking it with their bulk. The bulbous troop carriers lack a top turret, but the long barrel of an autocannon menacingly sits on top of the blistered front

“Holey, moley! Let’s go see if we can get this thing up and running! That way we can use it to move shit to the shuttle if we want to.” Billy approaches.

The rear ramp is down, as you round the corner, you see a thermite grenade had been thrown into the drivers compartment to disable it. A good number of the controls have been melted and will need a complete replacement

“Wow, what dicks.” Billy scoffs. “We can’t do anything with this now. And the auto cannon is too big to dismantle and lug around for now. Maybe we can get it later. Road block is a decent sign though. Means maybe they were hiding something back here. Let’s keep going.”

Billy and his team push past the barricade, and before rises a dark building, roof festooned with barbed wire, and the windows heavily sandbagged so only a slit remains. Bodies, decayed by a long time exposed to the sun and salty air, blanket the steps and courtyard

“Woah, woah, woah.” Billy puts his hand up to signal everyone to stop and crouches low, peeking around the corner. With a whir, the drone flies out from around the corner and drifts through the courtyard and over the corpses. (He searches for turrets or other weaponry through the slots in the windows/doors.)

There are slots for heavy weaponry clearly visible, but there is nothing mounted in the windows now

“Alright team. I see no turrets or anything. Let’s go see what the hell happened here. Devnoc let’s get these sandbags down.”

Devnoc heads forward, up to the windowsill, and begins pulling sandbags down, one of them breaks open over his head, dousing him in coarse yellow-rust sand

Enough bags are pulled down to allow access, climbing in one at a time

Brushes off Devnoc. “Good work.” “Alright crew, slow and steady. Let’s clear these rooms and see what’s in here. Someone give me a leg up.”

The twins stand at the bottom of the window, ready for you to step into their hands for a pole-vault up

Billy vaults up with help from the twins.

Billy ends up inside a dark room, the only light coming in from the now exposed window. dusty shell casings litter the floor, and several small ammunition cans have been thrown against the left corner, all empty. Old blood is dried to the inside windowframe. A metal door leads further into the building

He pulls out a glowbug and activates it, tossing it on the floor before helping the others into the building after him.

The room is a pillbox, it looks to have once been a locker room, rusted outlines show where banks of them must have once stood.

3:00 PM

The sealed metal door leading in is just closed, and does not look to have been welded or ortherwise made impassible

Billy walks curiously to the door, opening it slowly; glowbug in one hand, Laser rifle in the other.

The room inside looks to be an office. Desks have been overturned and piled up against the front door, and several file cabinets have been torn from their mountings to add to the barricades around doors and windows. Brass shells from hard rounds are everywhere as is more blood, but no bodies

“Someone record this... this... was a massacre...” he steps gingerly through the blanket of shells toward one of the blood spots. “The wounded in here got out, it looks like. I wonder how. The roof maybe?” “Let’s search this first floor, clear it of anything useful, then we’ll move up.” “Twins, Gunnar, with me the rest of you see if you can find out anything more looking through what’s here and following up behind us.”

5:07 PM

(I know it’s not the Gunnar, but he’s just referring to the most able military person in the group by that name.)

(Gotcha). There is an wide staircase going to the next floor and you can see light coming in above. The windows are open, either willingly or by force.

The glowbug is stowed away in a pocket. Both hands go to his rifle as he ascends the stairs.

Reaching the top, you see a breach has been blown in the wall, and a scaling ladder has been propped up to the hole, it was hidden by the building itself from the way you approached. Several more bodies lie in the room, all pointed toward a back office, where the door frame has been peppered and splintered with various calibers of gunfire

“Check these bodies for weapons and ammo or anything else useful while I try to get this door open.” Billy says as he steps around the bodies and toward the door.

The bodies are searched as you approach the door. Most of the door itself is gone, torn away by the fighting. Inside, bodies wearing police uniforms are scattered about the space. Their shoulders and badges all have the half sun/half moon city seal of New Astria

Billy kneels down and takes one of the badges from the officers.

7:51 PM

“Well it looks like they broke through. I wonder what they were after.” He walks forward and looks around the office space.

The computer in the room is still active, running on emergency power

There are some notes, riddled with electronic corruption, about a sunken bulk freighter that crashed into the sea when the psionics disaster as they’re calling it occurred

9:07 PM

The cargo was rumored to be valuable tech components and gold

(The notes are paper?)

(On the screen. Like a report)

(Oh great. That’s convenient.)

“Think the bad dudes got what they needed and left”

Billy takes out the data storage unit to begin uploading the data on this computer after recording the location of this ship wreck and tabbing through windows & datafiles to see if there’s any other important or interesting info. flips on coms “Looks like we have the location of a potential wreck of a bulk freighter that crashed into the sea during the Scream. Problem is, there seems to have been a battle to get to this info and someone already might have gotten to it already. Earlier, we scouted their sea port and all of the ships are sunken in the harbor. Putting the pieces together, I see a fight and a scramble to figure a way off world after this threat of orbital bombardment. We might as well meet up at the seaport and see if there’s any gear that might help us investigate the wreck or see if they got to it. This planet certainly has resources to uncover.”

The team out in the hallway on body search does not find anything still in workable condition. It looks like the victors carried off as much as they could previously.

(Is this a like desktop pc that I can just take and decode back at the ship?)

(yeah pretty much that)

(Then scratch the data dump into my storage unit. I’ll just pack that computer baby up, but first I’d like to search through to see if it’s hiding anything else in there.)

The last accessed file, the data on the ship crash, is the only thing that looks to be accessible right now.

Billy packages up the pc. “Alright crew. Let’s wrap this up here and head down toward the shipyard. They can’t have disposed of everything and this place is thoroughly looted. We can’t leave here without trying to find that wreck and it looks to be an underwater mission.” Flips on coms “Stearn, meet us with the ship at the shipyard. We found some clues as to what happened here.*

The shuttle touches down on a grassy hill overlooking the docks below, as you begin drawing close yourselves

1:37 PM

the water is clear, and sea birds cry

“Boy this is a beautiful place for a colony...” Why is it prohibited? “Alright, let’s offload whatever you’ve picked up along the way on the ship quick and then check out this shipyard. If any of you find anymore about whoever ordered this evacuation, bring it to my attention.”

Billy and his team begin heading down to the docks when the air begins to swim in a greasy ripple After a few seconds, a mech, and its pilot @Masacio are standing before you

Guns are drawn and ready, but one hand is out to signal the crew to hold fire. “Hello stranger. Billy Rigers. Identify yourself.”

"Greetings, I am Silvano Mazzio of Greenbriar. Didn't think I would port right on top of you. But nice to meet you. This here is Leo, my friend." He gestures with the mech arm down to the robot AI next to him.

3:40 PM

"I was told you were operating here with a team Billy."

3:41 PM

Sil ports down out of the mech to stand in front of them. "Please, stand down."

Billy quickly motions to the rest to lower their arms, slightly embarrassed. “S-sir. Of course. I’ve heard of you. This has just been a strange mission so far so I’m a bit on edge. Like waiting for the other shoe to drop.” “What a beautiful piece of equipment you’ve got here.”

"Yeah, it's pretty nice. I brought it just in case. So what's going on here? I came to investigate a base some distance from here the Remnant are getting maltech and psi tech out of. What have you been doing?"

We’ve been investigating what happened here at New Astria. We found a massacre at a government facility in town which led to a flickering screen with some interesting info. It seems those that assaulted the building were in search of the location of a ship that wrecked at the time of the scream. It supposedly is filled with interesting tech. The Remnant base has open radar detection that we’ve managed to fly under. In addition, there are ruins on the other side of the planet that we believe to be attached to the Sylth but we have had reports from Melora that she’s been there previously. Right now, we were on our way to salvage equipment to try and discover this prescream ship.”

"Interesting."

3:55 PM

(Neko, which of those sights is the one Sil is headed to?) (edited)

“We would be willing to accompany you if you need backup... sir. Though, I’m afraid we would be getting in the way of whatever you plan to do here. Ultimately, my mission is to find and salvage tech from around the sector for the colony.”

"Well, I plan to go in myself, at first. Hard to sneak around with others like I can alone.. The reason I came here first is if I can leave the mech and Leo here with you. Once I know what's going on there, I can come get Leo if I need him (he's a tech wiz), or the mech if I need that. And if you are offering, I could come grab you all for support as well, if needed. It depends what I find."

Billy’s eyes widen a bit as he runs his fingers through his reddish hair. “That does sound like a plan, Mr. Mazzio. Would you permit us to utilize the mech while it’s here? All of us on this mission are utilitarian with a wide range of combat and technical skills. There’s also the remnants of an auto cannon that we can salvage if this turns out to be a take out the base mission. I’m not sure what I’ll find in the harbor because all of the boats are sunk but we may be able to cobble somethings together from the ships if we can pull them out of the water. Have we looked for other allies on planet? Sorry. Too many things at once. We are at your command fellow colonists.

"Well, it's a psi mech." Sil looks at all your men, determining if any are psionic. (I assume not.) "Since none of you are psychics, it won't work for you, I am sorry. Leo here, though, can try help you fix the autocannon. I know little of this place, and allies would be good. How long have you been here?"

(You’re going to the perimeter agency base)

(So that wasn't listed on Billy's list above?)

(It’s the one with the Radar. The Remnant are occupying it, presumably to plunder whatever tech is inside)

(OK, that was my guess but I wasn't sure, thanks.)

“Well look, if you think it possible for us to rout the remnant from this planet, I would advise doing that. This seems to be a great place for another colony. Though it was abandoned via threat of orbital bombardment 6 months ago.” Billy takes out the evacuation notice from his pocket. “Do you recognize this symbol?” @Nekosmash

The symbol is a skeleton biting the head off a serpent. The issuing officers name is illegible but the unit designation is the 54th Remnant Infantry Division

“S-sorry I didn’t answer your question. We’ve been here less than a day. We only arrived hours ago. Thank you for checking in here with us. If you’d like, you can store the mech in our shuttle at the top of the hill there.”

6:22 PM

“The south Hold reports of human and merfolk hybrids. Fairly low tech. They are pirated by human pirates that also base themselves to the south. To the far West, are the Sylth ruins said to be the home of a simian type alien, though I found no record of actual exploration of the ruin.” (edited)

"Thanks for the report. I'll go check out the Remnant base. And let you know what I find. If we can take them, we will. I brought a few extra demo charges." Sil winks.

6:30 PM

(And oh, did Sil recognize that symbol @Nekosmash ?) (edited)

Billy seems to be trying hard to contain his excitement. “We will delay the search for the ship wreck until you return. In the meantime we’ll prepare.”

"Leo can help with fixing that auto cannon you said you found. But keep him secure. He needs to stay out of combat. So I want him safe."

6:47 PM

"And of course, if you do face trouble, don't hesitate to call me. I can be here in an instant. Literally."

6:48 PM

"Do you have any other on this perimeter base the Remnant have taken that isn't the files I read?"

“Of course. Leo is in good hands. I’ll call you if we need you. Unfortunately, we’ve steered clear from the base as this wasn’t originally intended on a military mission. Just that they seem relatively comfortable there and don’t seem afraid of being found. Be careful.”

(Not the symbol no, but I mean, The Remnant is an organization youre familiar with. The leaflets were dropped en masse on the city telling the civilians they had to clear out or else, but the 'or else' never happened. From what you've seen pretty much everyone evacuated)

"I know they have heavy air defenses, but that won't stop me. What I am more worried about is anti psi stuff they have. But that's the point of this mission. Hopefully I won't have to call for help."

Billy pauses in his tracks and turns looking slightly concerned. “First what’s the timeline on this mission of yours? If you go in there and your psi powers are suppressed, then how will you get out or contact us?” He begins pacing back and forth, the gears in his head spinning rapidly. You can tell that he’s trying to calculate all angles of this problem at once without using any psychic powers. “I am quite good at mechanic work and design modifications, with some time and the shop we found earlier, we may be able to enhance our weaponry somehow to have a better shot. Does heavy air defenses translate into heavy sea defenses? What happens if we can repair these ships and approach as a naval attack? Well then we’d need pilots. Merfolk! But are any of those ships fit for a military strike? Maybe if we get fast enough speed boats. Could I recreate the autocannon?” (And you can kind of tell his brain is just going a mile a minute coming up with intense and intricate battle plans in a very little amount of time, mostly revolving around modifying and jury rigging improvised military weaponry.)

7:27 PM

He suddenly stops and looks sternly. “First step is to get that autocannon back up and running. And let’s make a quick sweep to see if we can find any more on any of the other blockade points around that building. We will split into teams.”

"Well, with me here, a lot of that can be by passed. How good are you all in personal combat? Like if you were suddenly behind their lines..."

“At least 4 of us are well prepared for combat. And the pilot, Stearn is a good shot, I’m sure.” He turns to the rest of his team. “Well what do you think? Especially if we can set up a mobile autocannon?” He shrugs. “I think that’s a good step better than fighting our way in from the front gate, now isn’t it? I say we go for it. Any of you who wish no harm come to you should’ve stayed home. This could be a great opportunity. Unexpected, but this is the shot we’re all waiting for. Big rewards in that egg.” “If you go and pop in and out, get the lay of the place we can take that Autocannon and put it on a quick and mobile frame. There are some nice workable engines just laying around that shop. With this team working on it, I’m sure we could have something ready in a work day or less. Especially with Leo’s help.”

"Yeah, that would be handy, combined with the mech, if we all just appear in the base in a strategic location."

7:38 PM

(Also, note Seung just said he's coming here. The message wouldn't have gotten here yet though. So I don't know how Neko is going to work the time thing, but I expect it will be a day for him to get here, so if SIl does recon, and you guys build stuff, that would work.)

(I didn’t see that, but that’s what Billy is aiming for in the first place. He is in his element contriving new modified and improvised weaponry from the pieces laying around this abandoned city. Like... there’s a lot of abandoned shit here. It would just be super convenient for him to arrive by the time we’re ready.)

(thats what i figured would happen, when you guys reconvene at night the message was going to arrive)

7:42 PM

(so billy would have made his gadgets and sil would have had time for a pretty decent peek at things)

(Sweet! Billy will get right on that.)

"So let me get the mech stowed."

7:52 PM

Sil will port back into the mech.

7:53 PM

(Is the shuttle big enough to hold it Neko?)

7:53 PM

(Note Billy, the mech is about 6 meters tall.)

(Also, I apologize in advance for the resolution on the battlemap. I've been fighting with finding something better for a couple weeks now, and no it doesn't have cargo space really just enough for their handheld gear)

"Don't think it will fit in your ship BIlly. Have you set up a temp base?"

“Let’s bring it right to the mechanic shop we found earlier then. It is near the park where we can set up a base camp.”

"Ok. Just keep it in sight. Cause if you get attacked and call me, I'll port right into the mech and aid you."

( @Nekosmash is the shop within eyesight of the park or is there a good spot to set the shuttle down by the shop?)

(town square was a stone's throw away, about as close as you're going to get with how dense the buildings are)

(Perfect.)

“I like the sound of that.” Billy flips on coms to inform Stearn of the plan. “Alright everyone, we are going to build a quick and dirty mobile turret with an autocannon. It’s scavenge time. We need the autocannon from the thermal grenaded blockade. We need a good chassis, we need sensors, we need to get one of those engines running back at the shop and we’ve got a workday to do it. Between the 11 of us, that will be 88 man hours... or woman hours,” he gestures to the twins. Billy’s grin widens into an unrestrained smile. “We’re going to do this.... ooh hey, let’s take one of these boat carriers, reinforce it, put the motor on the back wheel, surround it with some armor... yeah, that might just work!”

(sil we can go bck to Psi academy for recon)

"Very good, I will be off then. Good luck and see you later."

8:18 PM

With that, Sil disappears.

“Ha-HAaaa” Billy laughs as he walks right through where Sil was standing. (to go run off to get materials like those crazy food shows where you have 4 minutes to run through the store gathering ingredients to make a full course meal for judges to kick you off American idol style.)

(Scavenging Games with Billy fieri)

(Hahahaha #Endgame)

(Lets get a fix/int roll billy for how well this process goes as a whole, and describe the hell-machine you're making)

(Noice!) (12) (This machine is situated on an armored and reinforced boat hauling frame. so single rear wheel, replaced with something more heavy duty is in the back for quick spinning and aiming. The best two engines I could find in the shop will be hooked up to each of the front wheels so that I can control each wheel separately. Armor from the armored vehicles making up the blockade has been removed to make this vehicle something to give us cover from gunfire and the autocannon will be front mounted with slits in the sides for gunners to shoot from. And we can mount some gun stabilizing stands on there too to sturdy everything. A cockpit is built in the front with one seat for the driver and one for a gunner. Controls will be two levers rather than a steering wheel. Counter weights will be set over the single wheel in the back for better stabilization and any working suspension will be refitted to the reinforced boat frame. With a last minute bout of inspiration, he will attach two large car doors to the sides near the front that is dual purpose. 1. They will add more armor around the cockpit, but 2 they will swing out with a platform to stand on to create a larger wall from which additional gunmen can take cover while on the move if need be.)

(oh my god i love it)

9:03 PM

The sun is setting as you finish working on your project, and silvano is due back soon from his recon assignment

1

With sweat dripping down his brow he laughs and high fives the team. “Break time, everyone. We all deserve it. But first, I dub thee, the Billy Blitzer... Stearn, let’s go for another test drive, I want both of us to be used to the feel of this.”

Stearn seems to get the feel of it after a few times driving it around the block. He mangles a wooden fruit stand on the first time around but the owners will likely not be back for it

It is night, as @Masacio ports back to the town square. Billy and his team are just finishing the final test of his jury rigged vehicle

1:35 PM

(I'd say timeline wise, if you want to post in the battle mission channel, they'd get your data either as theyre leaving or after they've just left, giving them time in spike space to alter plans if needed, or at least take the new info into account)

“Welcome back! Did you find a good spot to plow this baby through some enemies? This girl can plow through a lot of enemies.” slaps hood

"Uh, thanks. I don't know about that. How many battles have you been in?"

(I know we kind of left this hanging, had a bunch of people waiting for the battle to begin. Sil is off fighting, when the task force fleet arrives, another shuttle will be dispached so you, your machine, and all your people can make it in)

(Oh ok. I missed this. I thought we were being teleported in. Cool.)

9:42 PM

(And to be fair. This is first contact with the Remnant for this crew. They are all task force with +5hp though! Wee)

(I'm working that out, this got a little messy)

(Not a problem!)

9:59 PM

This is exciting

Billy and his squad watch Seung take Cyrus and Cayne off to the side of the complex, the three of them in conversation. You catch snippets about offers of recruitment, but Devnoc gently tugs on your arm, pointing to the Remnant scientists kept in a huddle, under guard

“Ah. Of course. The recruitment offer. It is a good day for them, then.” Billy looks to Devnoc. “Right. I’m coming.” Billy stretches his jaw as he walks over to the scientist, realizing that he’s kept his jaw clenched for the majority of the past few hours. “So,” he says to the prisoners. “How are we today? Rhetorical question. We are going to begin questioning each of you to discover what knowledge you hold. Men, if we could make sure they are separated and restrained, I’d be grateful. We will question you one at a time. Those of you that give good information will receive kind and positive recommendations from me. Those that do not, will not. I will venture on to take the knowledge retained in this facility and the tech that remains so in either case I win. Just think about yourself.” Billy is going to go to bring one down at a time and have them sit surrounded by the heap of necrobot pieces gathered in the lab. (I don’t expect you to play through all of this, but Billy will record and ask each of their names, Qs about their families, favorite hobbies, their specialty, what their job was in the lab, any info that have to tell about other remnant facilities etc.)

10:22 PM

(The first questions are to humanize each other, the others are obvious intel gathering. All recorded to be gathered into a report later.)

(I guess this is just a blanket question but how far are you planning to go with those who dont cooperate?)

(I’m not actually going to cause them harm. Just going to put on a bit of a show and see who is willing to cooperate. Those that cooperate freely will receive my recommendation that they be reintegrated into our society. To put them into some sort of program where they can use their talents to the benefit of the colony and slowly with careful monitoring regain their freedom. Sort of like how we took some of the best scientists from Germany after the world wars.)

Out of the ten interviewed, only three say something that isnt questioning the legitimacy of your parentage. They refuse to speak about their families or say much about themselves, but they'll be able to discuss the work done in the lab

(Great) Billy gathers the three cooperative ones in the lab under guard. “You each have proven yourself to be cooperative. More intelligence than pride. I find that to be an endearing quality. We will work to record all data from this place, scavenge useful tech and see what we can’t replicate back home. I’d like to invite you three to be a part of that. You’d of course need constant surveillance for the time being until we can rectify the quarrels between our factions. I’m sorry it’s come to this.” Billy leaves those three with guards and goes on to the other 7. “It’s unfortunate that none of you are willing to work with us. We really could have done some good work together.” Billy flips his coms device on and speaks aloud making eye contact with each of the prisoners. @Seung Whitaker (Severus/Marina) “Sir, I’ve interviewed each of the prisoners from the lab. Three appear to be cooperative. The other seven have not. Do we have space for prisoners or do we execute here and now?” He puts his hand to the side of his lips and mouths last chance to the group as he awaits Seung’s response.

Seung comes over to see the prisoners that were uncooperative. “So Billy you say these 7 wouldn’t work with us at all but you have three who did? As long as we have three I’m sure that’s enough. Since I don’t understand most of this tech stuff they can go ahead and show us their findings personally on our new lab rats then. I’ve always learned better with visuals.”

"You wouldnt!" one of the uncooperative calls, before one of the nearby guards lays him out

"Well I'd like to see what was done here. My other alternative is to have you shot, and have it done on our own people. Maybe the Underhill drones around might make good subjects actually. They even have some basic psychic telepathy like the Queen talking to them. Might make for a good use of them besides pillaging the country side." Seung thinks for a moment. "That way I don't have to listen to you whine about it we'll just leave you here in a ditch how's that sound. A lot better then the way you left the people of Aslief we might even cover the hole."

"We're dead either way psi lover!" another one yells

11:33 AM

he struggles against the soldiers holding him back, thrashing to try to reach you

“Your friends aren’t dead. They’re going to be treated with respect and dignity. See you base your entire world view on the hate of another human being and that isn’t something we can tolerate.” “Gag this one.” Billy shoots him in the kneecap rather nonchalantly. “I am well aware that you hate us. You hate psychics. There is no real reason for us to give you another chance, but I say one last time. Please, for the love of future peace and prosperity of the human race. Help us. We want to treat MES. We want to build better worlds. You can be a part of that.” He tosses one of the guards a Lazarus patch. “Don’t let him bleed out. That would be rather insane.”

"Well I see you have this handled well enough. If you can't get them to cooperate either shoot them or use them for what ever plans you have." Seung walks back towards Cryus.

“Damn.” Billy shakes his head and spits on the ground. His stomach churns a bit as he is faced with the reality of his situation, but tries his best not to show it. A grimace that flashes across his face. “Before we figure out exactly what is going to happen with you, Here’s another prospect. Who wants to show me how to fix this mans leg with a bionic one? I’ve already got 3 volunteers, but one more couldn’t hurt.”

(we can do his thread for cyrus if you're just talking to him there seung)

Billy gets to work downloading important data and taking stock of all the tech that is here.

Billy has everything marked for transport, and Task Force soldiers come down with boxes, and pallets to begin carrying it away for later study. "We should go after that ship" your pilot says "before the Remnant get wise that their base isnt reporting anymore"

Shriven approaches the shuttle, “Permission to approach Captain.” Shriven grins holding a long stick at his side.

“Of course.” Billy grins slyly. “What brings you to our fine abode?” He gestures toward the tight confinement of the shuttle. Odd pieces of scavenged tech lie here and there leaving just enough room to function for the 10 man crew. “What can I help you with? We’re just about to take off, my friend.”

“Well I figured you could use this more than my storage rack.” Shriven hands him a stick with a switch on it.

2:32 PM

“It is a laser lance left over from an old race. It is equivent to a Anti-Vechicle laser you would see on a tank.” (Edit for typos.) (edited)

“This little thing is an AVW? Wow, that’s fantastic. Thank you my friend. I’d offer you my services, but I’m a bit preoccupied at the moment. I appreciate that very much.”

2:35 PM

You can see him admire the condensed form of the technology, noting every bolt and screw.

“You just remind me of a younger me. (Shriven is a retired combat pilot.) Take care of yourself. Look me up if you are ever needing something to pass the time.”

He smiles and pauses, taking you in. “Thank you sir. You as well. I should be back on planet in a few days if all goes well. Feel free to look me up.”

2:38 PM

“I will.”

Shriven waves and head back to Anamem.

“Huh. Well that was nice.” Billy says shutting his shuttle door and sliding the Anti-Vehicle Laser into his front coat pocket. He returns to the cockpit alongside Stearn. “Alright then. Everyone buckle up, we’ve got one more thing to do before vacation is over.”

(It's a long weapon, like sniper rifle sized)

3:03 PM

"Alright, so we have a rough location, lets be off" The shuttle lifts off, heading for the location provided by the terminal in New Astria. The water below is sky blue, and very clear. Blankets of kelp float serenely below, and you can see deep shadows of some truly gargantuan sea life

(Jynco jeans? Hahaha jk.)

3:19 PM

“Oh boy. I didn’t realize the wildlife would be so large. I should have expected as much.”

“Let’s get those scanners going. We’re on the lookout for a big hunk of metal that could be down here.

4:49 PM

Either that or dangerous beasts that could eat our ship.

(Program int)

(10)

The scanner pings something dense, and metallic , 50m below the surface of the ocean. You are closing on it quickly

“Ok perfect, I think we might have actually found it! Let’s set her down right overtop of her and deploy from here. See what we can find.”

7:23 PM

“50 meters seems pretty shallow for the sea floor, we might be in luck!

(So I'd say it can float, but not go underwater since it doesnt have the special fitting)

7:39 PM

The pilot skims the wave tops, leveling out after a moment, and then setting the craft down with a splash

(Right) (Do we have rope 50m of rope or cable on the ship?)

(Yes we do)

7:59 PM

(like steel wound EVA tethering is how I'm picturing it)

(Perfect) “What we’ll do is attach this cable to the shuttle and then drift down to the bottom with weights like an anchor. Then we’ll tie off. If we have to evacuate, that tether will be our quickest way back to the surface. We’ll keep necessary crew on the shuttle that way we can lift off quick if something goes wrong. You 5 with me. Vacc suits on.”

(are you taking the combat mooks or the named people)

(Combat mooks

They suit up, and join you at the hatch, now unfolded to serve as a raised dock of sorts. A winch is swung out, over the water, cable mounted

“Alright, in we go! Billy jumps backward holding onto the cable and a heavy hunk of scrap metal.

Bubbles surround you as you dive beneath the waves. Kelp fronds wave gently with the current. Small schools of tropical fish twist away, scared off by the sudden commotion. Below, the wreck of the bulk freighter gets larger

Billy surveys the area, letting the weight of the scrap metal sink him closer to the ship. Coms on, he whispers. “Wooow, would you look at that. It’s still here!” (In his observation, does he notice any hull damage or breeches of any kind? Any open doors?)

The freighter is in two sections, the rear, with the engines and bridge, sits atop a shelf of rock and coral, The ship split widthwise through the cargo hold., the front end of it resting at the bottom of an undersea canyon another 300m down

9:14 AM

(it titanic'd basically, broke in two sections)

“Wonderful. If she can’t get herself out at least she’s cracked open like an egg. Let’s check the closer half first, team.”

The line is just long enough to get you down to the bridge. Looking in through the windows, it looks like the bridge itself is dry. Several rotted crewmembers are sprawled out on the bridge deck inside

Billy pauses, shocked. “The bridge is intact? They must have died on impact. No one even tried to make it out?” (By Billy’s judgement, is the bridge and engine piece something that could be towed intact back to shore? Somewhere dry as to not compromise the dry bridge?)

(not with the power of your shuttle, bulk freighters are really big, and this back section with the weight of the engines is the heaviest, but a corvette or free merchant probably could)

“..This thing is going to be a bit to big to haul out of here on our own. I... I’m hesitant to open this. Here let me go examine the air lock. If I’m confident that we can retain the integrity we’ll go in to see what we can get. Otherwise this might turn into a diplomatic mission. The last thing I want to do is compromise the electronic data in here. The other option is removing the engines to pull the bridge out intact. Either way, it’s going to take a lot of man hours to do this well.” Billy and crew are going to assess the exterior of the bridge, engines and surroundings to determine the viability of detaching the engines and other nonessentials to remove the bridge intact.

The engines can be pulled out, the connections won't be a problem and are fairly simple, the issue remains, the size. The airlock itself has remained sealed inside. If the outer door is closed first, before the inside is open, only a small amount of water will get in

“Alright. Looks like we can get in without damaging the interior. On me.” Billy will go to the airlock and get everyone inside after tying off the cable.

the airlock is big enough to let a few in at a time. The first three of you manage to pry open the hatch. The pressure controls look to be manual

“Let’s go ahead and just have 3 of us go. I don’t want too much water getting if we don’t have to.”

The hatch closes behind you, and the interior seal opens after a few moments, a bit of water seeps inside, but not enough to seriosuly accumulate.

“Ok quick sweep, don’t open any doors that you don’t know what’s behind them. We need to keep this sealed.” Billy will go to the bridge.

Sealed in your vac suit you are isolated from the smell which is quite grisly. Most of the equipment survived the crash

“Ah this is all in such great shape! Even the broken stuff doesn’t seem all that bad.” Billy walks up to the main console and begins to pull up the ship’s logs to see what kind of data is stored in this thing.

The logs are fragmented and don’t have much other than the cargo

4:59 PM

The cargo was a shipment of gold and gems taken from black sun worlds during the civil war, along with the gilded skulls of royal house members from the most detesting planet

“Disgusting. I wonder if it’s still down there.” Billy files that info away for later. (What systems seem to be functioning?)

(None. Just enough power to open doors and the scattered log notes)

“Hey boys... I think we just found a wealth of riches. Thing is... I don’t know how we are going to get it all. We need a bigger rig.” Billy informs the crew of his findings.

11:13 PM

“I don’t even know how much this gold is worth, but I reckon it would be the safest to remove from the area now.” (Billy will finish searching the bridge and the bodies for anything useful before making his way to reseal the bridge from taking on any more water.)

(Does it say how much gold/gems/other riches this is?) “Let’s resurface, refresh our vacc suits and take another dive down to the lower section. We could really spend a long time here if we wanted to. I’m just not sure I want to. And we haven’t even gotten to take a peek at the sylph ruins on planet either.” Billy pauses to think a moment. “That’s what we’ll do. Quick break and then down to section 2 to take inventory of what’s down there. We may have to put in a call to a certain trading company help to pull it all out of here.”

(It doesn't anymore, at one point it would have but the computers are useless in the state they're in right now)

“The damn thing needs more power. Alright. Let’s go check out the cargo section and take stock. We will decide what to do once we have a full image of the situation.”

There is a backup ladder, heading down into the section below. You can hear water lapping at the air-pocket left behind as it rushed to fill up what it could in the hold below

“Wait a second... what is that?” I’ll go check out the lower section before I leave.

Water, 15m below the access hatch, laps against the open walls. A watertight door at the bottom of the access tube did eventually seal, but not before letting water inside. A skeleton floats off to the side. through the instasteel glass of the access ladder tube, containers, still sealed, are stacked up

(And that’s filled with water as well?)

(yeah)

1:32 PM

(but the cargo on this half has stayed put

“Excellent. Hey you two, help me get this stuff out!” Billy and the team will work to pull the cargo back up to where it’s dry to open it up and see what’s inside.

(the containers are shipping container sized) There is only one that youre able to bring up the ladder, a small case, plastic, and it has some stress on the outside that almost look like stretch marks. A rusted padlock keeps it closed

(Does it appear to be stretched outwardly or bent as if something fell or was sat on top of it?)

(bent as if something was on it)

Billy takes his omnitool and tries to open the lock.

Inside, golden credit chits are layers neatly in the case

1:48 PM

the inside seems to have remained dry

“Well we’re certainly keeping this.” (How much could we say is here?)

(5,000 credits, once counted()

“Looking good y’all!” (Billy and team will go down and crack open one of the shipping containers.)

(You’ll have to go into the flooded compartment, opening the containers might flood them)

(Are there any labels on the containers?)

(Serial numbers but without the ships logs no way to tell what’s in it as of now)

“Ok. This is what we’re going to do. We will open one container, which, now that I’m thinking about it, that should decrease the level of water in here a bit with new available space. Ok we will open one and confirm the contents. Anything salvageable will be brought up to the ship. We need to get aid or a bigger ship to finish this off for good.” Billy opens one of the containers.

The cargo container was filled with boxes of some kind. The products within them are waterlogged and reduced to a worthless paste by time you manage to pull anything out. The water level does go down with space available now.

“Ah of course. Provisions. Let’s close this one again and try to keep this mess contained.” “Alright, let’s go back topside.” Billy and crew will go back out and use the cable to ascend back to the surface.

The sun is beginning to set, casting the clear blue water into a vibrant pink and purple. It is very beautiful. The crew slowly peels off their saturated vacc suits, breathing in clean air

(Is it possible to send a message off world?)

(yes)

11:29 AM

(there's a delay in the reply though)

“That’s enough excitement for one day, let’s take the night to rest you all earned it.” You see that Billy is visibly frustrated. After a while of thinking he decides to try to send a message back to the homeworld. “Attention Shriven of the Ad Astra Trading Company: Request for business. Needed: Ship capable of hauling a frigate bridge and engines as well as a number of shipping containers off world from Terezinho. (Corvette or free merchant might do.) See Attachment for reference.” Billy sits back from his terminal for a moment, his finger hovering over send. “Hmm, Might as well.” And Billy will edit the message to tell them to contact me once on planet and to bring their wetsuits and aquatic gear before finally hitting send. “Alright crew. I think we’re going to head out to the Sylph ruins tomorrow to see what we can find there. I sent a message to Ad Astra. Hopefully it won’t take too long to reach them. But we have a bit to wait on hearing back from them anyway. Might as well continue our sight seeing tour. Mark the coordinates and let’s get somewhere a bit more safe for the evening.”

(3xp, 10,000 credits from mission)

(Sweet! Noted)

“Back to that city maybe?” The pilot asks

6:30 PM

“Roofs over us at least”

“That sounds best to me. We already made base camp there. And we know the surroundings. Let’s just be sure to keep watch on the skies. No telling if or when Remnant might show up. And we don’t want to be caught by them if they do. Hopefully they’ll be too distracted by their missing base to notice our little shuttle crawling around the surface. Take us in.”

The shuttle sets down a handful of streets over from where you’d first been exploring the city, sheltering in an abandoned stadium. Half of the room dome was still closed at the time of the evacuation, shielding you nicely from spotting from above

(So legit.) “Haha, that’s a perfect find, Stearn. Well done!” “Set up camp here for the night. I’m going to do a perimeter check with the drone, but I believe we’ll be good for the night.” Billy will fly his drone around the compound before retiring for the night.

Everything is quiet.

Night passes without incident. There is a short automated message stating your offer to the ad astra company has been received but nothing indicating it has been read

“Looks like they got the message at least,” Billy says, sipping his morning coffee ration, his feet propped up on a crate. “Alright Team. Let’s not waste time. We will go take a look at the sylph ruins...” (Does Billy know anything about the temple on the 5 suns? And has anyone from the colony been there?)

(Just that the locals got real pissed when Malak said he wanted to go there)

Billy pauses to think a for a moment as he scans the map, noticing the indication of the 5 suns temple. “... Actually you know, we’re not going to be here on the planet for too long. What do you say we take a little trip down south to take a look at this temple here. I heard a former expedition had some trouble with the locals when they suggested they go there. Yeah, that’s it. I wonder what they’re trying to hide or protect.”

“Alright. I’ll chart a course. Maybe come at it from the north, so the population centers are behind it. Have the temple between us and Radar”

Shriven sends a message in reply.

 I won’t be to far behind this message but I’m going to let you know that the task force has done a call to arms to free Rawanhi it is my hope to be on back for that.

“Shit. Looks like that mission is going to be put on hold, Shriven is almost here already. Change course, we will meet back at the wreckage site.”

8:31 AM

He says as the coms unit notification dings and message is brought up on the terminal.

8:33 AM

He looks to the crew. “Looks like it’s going down on Rawanhi, too. This fight with the Remnant seems to be heating up. Let’s make this quick.”

“The shuttle turns almost on a dime, heading back to the site of the sunken bulk freighter

Billy can’t help but, “Wooo!” at the ship’s maneuverability.

When Anamem jumps into system about a day after shriven received the message. He sends out a comm to billy. “Hey, what are the coordinates of this stuff? I have 180tons of space I hope that’s enough for everything your thinking. If not we can probably come back after the muster.”

“Shriven, it’s good to hear from you! Sending you the coordinates now.” Billy swipes the coordinates onto the message. “I truly couldn’t tell you exactly how many tones are here but thank you for offering a return trip. It may be needed. My first priority is the back half of the bulk freighter. The bridge is still intact and air tight aside from some that got in before the doors closed. We can drain that before we take off. The rest is further down, about 300 meters. We should at least bring a container up to the surface and open it to assure water contamination does t occur. I already ruined a container of provisions doing that on the top end. We will see you soon!” Billy leaps off of where he was perched awaiting Shriven. “He’s here! Let’s get ready. Suits on. We’re going to need everyone’s help on this guiding, fastening cables turning wrenches if need be. Devnoc, this seems right up your alley. I’ll need your assistance with all this work.” He slaps his hand on Devnoc’s shoulder, grinning widely. “Let’s get it done!”

As shriven brings in Anamem he also comms, “I am guessing this will probably be eaiser if you know that Anamem is amphibious and can go under water so you don’t have to prepare long cables.”

Billy and team, standing on the extended door, fully suited have cables wrapped all around them in preparation. “Even better! Let’s put these back!” The entire crew is visibly elated at the news that the cable job is unnecessary.

9:35 AM

“Do we just board your ship and go down with you then?”

“Sure can, I’m coming in now.”

9:38 AM

Shriven lands Anamem next to the shuttle and opens the landing gate in prep for it. “Good to see you Billy. I’m going to be piloting but I have 2 pilots and 2 marines onboard if you need the extra muscle.”

“Excellent. All the help we can get will just make this go along faster.”

(This is your op so just lead on. I’m here for piloting skills and troubleshooting if we need it.)

“Ok first things first. Let’s get the bridge and engines loaded up. If we need to, the engines can be detached rather easily. Once we have that all loaded, we will descend to the lower section and investigate rather quickly, pulling out at least one of the containers. For dry inspection

“Sounds like a great plan. I’ll take her down to infront of the bridge.” Shriven then takes Anamem and the additional crew down to the derelict.

The wreck groans as the ship descends, engines chopping the water. The bridge half and torn open cargo bay loom

“As you can see, she is quite the prize.” He smiles. “I believe those shipping containers will hold quite the treasure, but we should take the bridge and secure it first. There are sensitive electronic equipment that have managed to stay dry on board. Luckily the cargo bay is relatively open down there. That should be the easy part. Can you fit the whole bridge and engines in as one piece?”

(It’ll be 100 of the tons and engines will have to be a few pieces. Just based on structure alone the bulk is way bigger than anamen)

“While I love Anamem she isn’t quite big enough.”

(Flat out the wreck itself is not nearly as valuable as the cargo)

“Do we have an estimate of how many cargo boxes there are in there?

“Let’s go ahead and get one of the shipping containers up here first then while the men begin to dismantle the engines for a later pickup. You said you were on a time crunch. We may as well load what’s easy for now. I don’t think any more water will be seeping into the wreck. It is... at least I hope... more valuable than the wreck. I haven’t opened them yet for fear of them being empty. To be quite honest. My stomach has been in knots since I saw the ship’s manifest.”

“What was on the manifest?” Shriven looks very interested.

Billy coughs. “Spoils from the back sun war. If they are right... it’s just fucking gold and ceremonial riches.”

“Nice find. We should grab what we can. I can store it in the warehouse back at Gudrun till you get back there if you don’t have any better ideas.”

“I have lots of ideas. Too many. I need to find stock of what’s here before we decide what to do with it all. I just want to bring them up and take stock for now.

Shriven grins, “I know that feeling, let me know what you want me to do.”

“Let’s load up all of the containers. I’m sure whatever is in there will more than pay all of our salaries. Let’s load them up and we can go through them on the way back. We’ll just fit as many of the containers as we can. If we still have room, maybe we can fit the bridge or an engine, but we will see. Let’s get it and go. My back is sweating.”

1

It’s takes several hours to load up the containers in the bridge half of the freighter. A couple must have been water logged, ankle deep liquid sits in the belly of the anamen as they drain, but the back half containers are all aboard

(Is the hull full?)

(Yeah. There’s a second half of the ship that broke apart a la the titanic, but it’s another 300m down and you’re full for now anyway)

“Looks like we are all loaded up. What’s your plan with this?”

(Oh I meant to grab the lower stuff, but either way I’ll start opening the containers to check inventory as they’re being loaded on into a dryer environment.)

3:15 PM

Idk that it matters which side of the cargo I take.

3:15 PM

“Well once we know what we have, I can pay you for the transport. For now, I’d like to take the stuff back to the task force base.”

3:17 PM

(I just don’t want to be taking a bunch of containers of spoiled rations like the first one I opened. :p)

(youre cracking one open now though, correct?)

(Yep!)

(d100 plz)

(84)

The lock is cut away, inside, a wealth of golden trade bullion is neatly stacked from floor to ceiling

3:23 PM

(gold bars of a standard size, melted down from stolen treasures likely)

3:23 PM

The estimated worth of the container is 500,000 credits

“Wow, nice find! How many did you say were down there?”

4:06 PM

(And how many are loaded up neko?)

(Would have been 50 in total. You guys have 25 of the total cargo)

Billy staggers to the side. “Um. I lost count. I’ve never seen so much wealth in my life.”

Shriven’s eyes glaze over trying to do the figures for several moments, “That’s.... a lot.... of Gold... like millions and millions of gold.”

4:12 PM

“You said there were cultural relics too? Yeah we should get this back and be sure to grab the rest. I would hate to thing what the Remnant would do with these funds.”

4:12 PM

“Will you be heading back for the raid too?”

“If the squad needs me I’m there- they all can’t be full of this stuff can they? That would be 25 million altogether. I know they aren’t aaall full of it. I opened a food stock one earlier and it turned to paste.”

“Do you want to ride on Anamem with the cargo and have the shuttle follow I can get us there about 12 hours faster.” (Foci)

“That sounds perfect. But for now...” Billy runs and grabs a 2 gold bars and hands it to each of the crew. For your troubles. Consider it a bonus before we decide officially how we’ll distribute our findings. I’ll go ahead and look through these containers on the ride.”

Shriven flys Anamem back to the shuttle to drop off the extra crew. “Billy any last instructions for them otherwise we are off to Gudrun.”

“Meet us back on Terezinho. I hear there’s an assault that’s about to take place. Stearn, as pilot, you’re in charge. And I must say. You have each done a tremendous job and will be compensated.

Billy and Shriven board the anamen, heading back to Gudrun to make the meeting

5:49 PM

(I'll have a 'dungeon clear' screen for you in a min here, but now you can get in on the briefing)

And drop off the stuff at the the task force HQ

(3xp, 5000 mission credits for you both, will get a sum for the rest)

The cargo consists of 150 tons of stolen colonial supplies, 50 tons of religious supplies, including golden ceremonial objects, gem inlaid statuary, precious metal leafed tomes, and hundreds of solid precious candlesticks. The remaining 100 tons are post-tech tools

Shriven drops it all off at the task force HQ knowing that they will always take care of things. Then heads to the meeting with Seung.

“Thanks Shriven. I’ll travel with you. I need to speak to Seung anyway. Needless to say, there is a lot of stuff to work through here. Those tools are going to be put to good use for sure.”

1

Billy sidles up to @Seung Whitaker (Severus/Marina) we they walk. “I know your busy right now, but I just came off a huge score with that ship. 150 tons of colonial supplies, 100 tons of post-tech tools, 50 tons of religious supplies including precious gems and an entire container of gold bars. I’m talking 500,000 credits worth. I just dropped it off at HQ. Now if there’s ever a time we might want to pay someone off to get a few more ships in there or get someone to turn on their side a few of those gold bars might do it. What do you think?”

"Sounds like a good plan. For now we'll leave it and once we're back if we do make it back we'll be able to figure out a plan for it all."

(It’s back!) “Ok sounds good. Thanks. Ready when you are.”

Shriven returns the comm Thanks did you guys get the other one too? I’m planning on having this one run patrols and such.

I actually could really use your help with some design work, you mind spending some time with the draft moneies here on Gudrun we can go over details once you get there.

@Rey (Shriven) “I can help with that when we get back. I’m going to spend some time recovering the worthwhile debris here before the remnant get back. That other patrol boat had an IED. Some of the men died. Cyrus was ejected into space. I’ll recover what I can from it.”

Seung, departed with the returning fleet a day before, has charged you with recovery of as much as possible. Without a dedicated recycling ship, you have grabbed as much salvage as will safely fill the cargo holds. The debris field is about 25% recovered, according to the detection officer, who has been keeping a watchful eye on it.

“Well that looks like as much as we can carry for now. We are going to have the task force base looking like a junk yard soon if we don’t dedicate a space for it.” Billy grins widely as he says this, rather enjoying the idea. “Let’s get back. We can have a more dedicated ship pick up the rest. These weren’t made for this.” (Billy and the Ships will return with haste after gathering as much as they can carry, prioritizing recognizable pieces.)

The ships return, 2 days since the end of the battle to Gudrun. The ships dock one by one, unloading the salvage into expedition bays, so lifters can bring it to the compound

Upon landing back on Gudrun, Billy exhales heavily. “Oh there is so much to do...” Billy brings up his coms pad to make a list. [1. Decrypt the cybernetic info and tooling recovered from Perimeter Base. 2. Send ships to salvage the rest of the wreck on Terezinho and to recycle the ship parts from the battle of Rawani 3. Distribute 150 tons of tooling to set to task repairing ships. 4. Sell services as requested to Shriven in building mods for his fleet. 5. Set up production lines to begin the manufacture of ship parts starting with the scrap heap using the tools recovered. 6. Sell black sun artifacts to a willing bidders to begin the entire process. 7. See if Trivedi would be interested in the Sports Car blueprints recovered on Terezinho.] Billy looks at the list blinkingly for a few moments. “Ho-Boy, I’m going to need some help.”

12:20 PM

Billy takes out the blueprints of the sports car to review it. Before tucking it back in and then going to look up the coms number for Trivedi inc. His first move is to try and sell the blueprints to the... ‘Model T’ by calling into the front office.

(THese are all good personal goals FYI, perfect examples. If they're on your sheet I can award you bonus xp for them when you complete them)

12:54 PM

(There is a faction channel for trivedi industries, go ahead and hop on in there, and make your pitch. Charles will get back to you as far as cost, and that way you're not tied up waiting for him whle you move on to other things- selling it is going to be a simple one or two line post once you guys come to an actual arrangement, seems silly to hold you up for that)

Shriven intercepts billy as he is coming off the lift. “Hey billy I have been waiting for you. Do you have a minute to talk I have a very lucrative opportunity for you.”

(I will change them. I haven’t changed then since my original goal of, prove myself useful.)

Shriven walks over to shake his hand. “Good job out there by the way.”

(THats accomplished btw, you killed a titan)

You catch Billy as he hits send on his compad. “Shriven! It’s great to see you. Timely actually. Shoot!” He shakes his hand enthusiastically.

1:49 PM

(Awesome! Updated my goals too btw.)

1:50 PM

(That was 3 xp that I’m adding for that.)

(Yep! I'll give XP to thenew ones this evening when I get to roll20 again)

“I need some design help with that patrol boat I have a list of modifications I was hoping to get built in and your the only one That I could think of that would be up to the task. There would be some serious credits in it for you if your interested. I also was hoping you could design a shuttle for me I can send you the specs if your interested.”

Billy smiles. “When things fall into place... Send me the specs, I’d certainly be willing to offer my services.”

2:09 PM

“I appreciate your confidence in my abilities.”

2:09 PM

(Neko, any idea how much time this will take?)

Shriven shakes his hand and goes into the details of the deal (as outlined with neko and billy.) after a good hour of talking shriven says, “Let me know when you can get started. I will have Alfred send the funds to your account as soon as I leave here.”

2:11 PM

“And as soon as you get those shuttle blueprints done I’m going to have Alfred build one so if you don’t mind focus on that first.”

“I can start on that as late as first thing in the morning. But I’ll be digging into the specifications tonight at the latest.” He shakes his hand again.

“Thanks for your diligence. I will see you in a few weeks.” Shriven leaves hoping back on his hovercycle. (Back to #shriven)

“Man that dude is so cool.”

Having set those balls rolling, Billy gets a ride in one of the transports back to the Task force compound. On the way, he’s going to call... (the bank?) to prepare for the trade of the gold container for credits. (He’s basically just going to spend much of the next few hours calling trying to figure out how to organize himself. Perhaps there is an auctioneer of some sort who would be able to assist in auctioning off the historical artifacts recovered? [Save maybe one of the skulls, because cool aesthetic reasons.] I’d also like to actually get into those containers to see if there is anything that isn’t just decoration there. Just to set some of those things in motion so I don’t have to spend so much time on my own completing some of those tasks and I can get right to working on the ships for Shriven.)

(How about your squad goes through the containers, and youll get updates on what they find. Lets do administer/int as you try to track down a good venue for selling your wares)

(Perfect)

3:20 PM

(6) womp (wait! Can I spend my 1 unspent skill point in administer? Or is that like, well you should wait till you lvl.)

(if its unused go ahead and use it)

(Awesome. Doing that would bring that up to a 7)

Billy is about to give up making calls when the baron calls him, is cultured voice is rich even through the compad

4:10 PM

“Good afternoon Mr rigers. I understand you’re in the business of looking for someone to do business as it were”

“-Oh forgive me, sir. Yes! Thank you. I just brought in a haul from off planet. A trove of black sun artifacts and gold that I’d like to turn into credits. I was thinking the artifacts could be auctioned off. Are you in the business?”

“I used to speculate back on my homeworld. I might be able to feel around. If you want true wealth, I’d try our neighbors to the eat.

7:35 PM

West. This stuff is almost mundane to us, but to them, this is all xeno artifact”

“Do you know of anyone who would like to make a pretty penny who’s traveling out that way then? I don’t have a lot of time on my hands at the moment, but I’d be willing to do an amiable split with someone who can find lucrative buyers out there.”

7:39 PM

“Perhaps someone looking for historical value even?”

“I’m heading that way myself in the next few days actually. I’ve some@business in Vapormills”

“Perfect. There are many tons of this stuff. How does a 25% cut of the proceeds sound?”

“I can work with that. Thank you billy”

8:28 PM

(I’ll post the container stuff in the faction channel for the task force)

(Sweet. Sounds good.)

(There's a matter there for your attention as well)

(Are you talking about the design of the next Task Force ship?)

(No, in the faction channel, opportunity for downtime this month)

(Oh I see. Should I assume I have enough downtime to pick one of these now or wait till later to choose.)

(either way, been a while since we used the chat, so i wanted to bring it to attention, its good as long as its done this faction month

(Are the gold bars converted to credits?)

(Yeah, that is the trade value of them. There are enough electronics shops, factories, and workmen between you and your alien allies where you won't have trouble converting it all to credits, so we will say that's been done)

(Ok great!) Now that that’s all done, Billy will set to Shriven’s plans to follow through on his work and get some inspiration from that to start thinking about building and designing a ship for himself and the task force.

The shipyard is currently open, the three trade ships being built there for Trivedi indstries are done, you need but to submit your designs

(Working on them as we speak. Detailing all my mod perks. Seung said he didn’t care what I built for the task force, he just told me to make it a good one so I’m wondering if you have any size or price limitations for that part.

)

(The shipyard works at 50k worth of progress per day, time is really your limitation

6:50 PM

(I think a longer wait for a hyper advanced ship is punishment enough)

(XD Excellent to know. Our ship will be done in 15 years if I built the carrier of Billy’s dreams haha.)

(Carrier is a pretty significant manpower investment right now too, literally 10% of the colony would be crewing it. You guys gotta get more people home)

(That gives me better context. Thank you.)

(Colony only has 18,000 people in it, most of which have come from off world)

Billy scribbles feverishly well into the night. "No, but if we just." He sticks his pen in his mouth and flips the drawing upside down for a moment on the display, hesitating a moment before a lightbulb goes off in his head. "Shit! I'm going to have to rework this." He says opening a new tab and passing the current screen over to the 9th window projected onto his wall.

Plans spin around billy, projected onto any available flat surface, disappearing as quickly as he thinks of new ideas

(I've got the personal ship nailed down. I'm just reworking the Task Force one atm. Rules minutia keeps changing my plans XD.)

Riger One HP: 20 Power: 10/0 Free AC: 14 Mass: 13.5/0 Free Armor: 2 Crew: 1/6 Speed: 3 Hull Class: Frigate Crew Skill: ? Weapons: Multifocal Laser. Defenses: None "Fittings:

Specially Fit: Spike Drive - 3

Amphibious Operation

Mobile Extractor

Eternal Reactor

260 Tons of efficient cargo space.

" "Special:

Permanent Volley Capacitors

Once per combat +4cp to Gunnar" Cost: $1,512,500.00 Time to build: 30 Days Hull Components Required: 1 (edited)

11:23 AM

Billy Prints out the blue prints for his personal craft. "Well I'm going to have to go salvage some of this, but hopefully I can find the parts I need before they're done." (edited)

Nekosmash 12/22/2018 11:27 AM

(There’s a ship section of the character sheet too for once this is done)

Awesome! I love these character sheets.

(The only thing it doesn’t do yet is macro your bonuses so when you’re shooting it or making checks you have to manually add your bonuses)

After printing his model, Billy pulls up another set of blueprints to attach them to a message. 'Hello @Seung Whitaker (Severus/Marina) , I've completed blueprints for multiple ship designs for the task force. The first is the T.F. Hellhound. It is built to take some hits in starship combat and dish out a rain of torpedos quite rapidly. Unfortuneately it has a limited ammo capacity, so you'll have to make your shots count. Once you're out, ideally, you've at least disabled your enemy. That's where the boarding tubes come in. It also comes with a stealthed drop ship for on planet mission as it cannot land. I will also include plans for a cheap, mass produceable fighter blueprints. The T.F. Swarm. These fighters come with or without spike drives attached. They are cheap. Designed to be put into production quickly. Best used for system defense or carried to battle. We can create 5 of these in a mere 28 Days at 280k a pop if you feel that we need some extra ships in the air quick. The other option for small star fighter is going to be designed in a more time consuming fashion, but will be much more effective with permanent modifications. These models are the T.F. System Striker and the T.F. System Stalker. We can produce these models at a bit over 2 per month, but they are much more battle ready. Thanks, Billy P.S. Perhaps we can convince Kincaid to re-fit the Battleship with a docking bay for some of these fighters to enhance it's capabilities. See Attachments'

1:15 PM

(If you look on the Task Force Pheonix Google Sheet and go to the last 2 tabs, you will see the blueprint planning. The last tab is the Blueprints in a more readable format.)

(Will take a look Billy.)

(Smores is helping me out as well with ship building. I just realized I was unnecessarily multiplying my mods by 5 when building from scratch. Just fixing that removed about 100 days off the Hellhound.)

(#GOOGLESHEETSWIZARD)

(Also the Striker and Stalker can be produced 4 each 32 days)

(I've got some ideas for future endeavors to improve construction times. knocking them down lets me add new goals!)

There is a knock on billy's door, and the sound of sleighbells drifting around the corner, getting further and further away

Billy pauses in his feverish scribblings to look up momentarily. He grabs his pistol and peeks out of the window before opening the door.

There is a small box sitting on the ground in front of the door, the wrapping paper showing elves hard at work in a factory type setting

2:58 PM

The tag says To:Billy From: Santa

Billy opens the door and looks to see who hand delivered a package in the middle of the night before looking inside.

Inside is a 'build-your-own-eyebot' kit, a small, hand sized droid known pre-scream days for assiting its master with complex building tasks, providing another set of hands, measuring with an inbuilt rangefinder, and finding construction faults via the use of various vision modes. What it sees can be beamed to a compad as well.

3:01 PM

(the bot can grant +2 to fix and notice checks since it has skills in them, and it will allow modifications to be made for 1 less component if components are needed, as it finds the most efficent way to build)

Billy sits there stunned as he accidentally activates the bot, which almost instinctually goes to fixing the flaws in Billy's plans that he still has up on screen. Billy doesn't take this well at first and causes a comical scene of him trying to catch the bot as it dodges in between his arms and legs to beam alterations to his compad.

3:08 PM

Finally, Billy catches it and checks his pad. "Holy shit... this just cut the production time of the fighters in half. And my ship! You changed it too? .... I.... wait... I think I like these better this way." He says looking over the blueprints one more time.

3:09 PM

Riger One HP: 20 Power: 14/0 Free AC: 14 Mass: 11.5/0 Free Armor: 2 Crew: 1/6 Speed: 3 Hull Class: Frigate Crew Skill: ? Weapons: Multifocal Laser, Reaper Battery Defenses: None "Fittings:

Specially Fit: Spike Drive - 3

Amphibious Operation

Tractor Beam

Fuel Bunker

Power Trunk Streamlining

100 Tons of efficient cargo space.

" "Special:

Permanent Volley Capacitors

Once per combat +4cp to Gunnar" Cost: 1,400,000 Time to build: 28 Days

3:09 PM

T.F. Hellhound HP: 40 Power: 15/0 Free AC: 13 Mass: 15/1 Free Armor: 18 Crew: 10/40 Speed: 2 Hull Class: Frigate Crew Skill: ? Weapons: Torpedo Launcher, Plasma Beam Ammo Capacity: (16) "Defenses:

Hardened Polyceramic Overlay (-5AP to incoming attacks)

Burst EMC Generator (Negate 1 attack per space combat.)

Regenerative Armor (+5 Armor [already accounted])

Reinforced Armor (+3 Armor [already accounted])"

"Fittings:

Spike Drive - 3

Armory

Boarding Tubes

Fuel Bunkers

Cargo: 20 tons" "Special:

Permanent Volley Capacitors

Once per combat +4cp to Gunnar" Cost: $7,540,000.00 Time to build: 150 Days

3:10 PM

T.F. System Swarm HP: 8 Power: 6/1 Free AC: 16 Mass: 4/3 Free Armor: 5 Crew: 1/1 Speed: 5 Hull Class: Fighter Crew Skill: ? Weapons: Multifocal Laser. Defenses: None "Fittings:

System Drive

" Cost: $280,000 Time to build: 5.6 Days (5 in 28 Days)

3:10 PM

T.F. System Stalker HP: 8 Power: 6/1 Free AC: 16 Mass: 4/1 Free Armor: 13 Crew: 1/1 Speed: 6 (8 with E-Thrusters) Hull Class: Fighter Crew Skill: ? Weapons: Multifocal Laser or Reaper Battery "Defenses:

Hardened Polyceramic Overlay

Regenerative Armor

Reinforced Armor"

"Fittings:

System Drive

E-Thruster Booster

Optimized Engine

Specialized Multifocal Laser fittings

Extended Mass Support

Atmospheric Configuration

Emisions Dampeners

" "Special: Adds +2 on skill checks to avoid detection." Cost: $393,500 Time to build: 8 Days (4 in 32 Days)

3:10 PM

T.F. System Striker HP: 8 Power: 6/2 Free AC: 16 Mass: 4/0 Free Armor: 13 Crew: 1/1 Speed: 6 (8 with E-Thrusters) Hull Class: Fighter Crew Skill: ? Weapons: Multifocal Laser or Reaper Battery "Defenses:

Hardened Polyceramic Overlay

Regenerative Armor

Reinforced Armor"

"Fittings:

System Drive

E-Thruster Booster

Optimized Engine

Specialized Multifocal Laser fittings

Permanent Volley Capacitors

Atmospheric Configuration" "Special:

Permanent Volley Capacitors

Once per combat +4cp to Gunnar

Auto-targeting system allows for a +2 bonus to shoot regardless of pilot's shoot skill."

Cost: $418,500 Time to build: 8 Days (4 in 32 Days)

3:13 PM

Billy Prints each of the blueprints and sends Seung a follow up message. "Hey, sorry for the double message, I just updated all of those blueprints as they were all well over budget." He also sends a follow-up message to the shipyard putting in an order for the Riger One

(I realized I have to build it first, but the scene just popped into my head. Should this thing go in the Drone section of my character sheet?)

(Yes, and get maybe through the magic of Christmas it was already done. Some elves wanted overtime)

(lol)

4:52 PM

The next morning, Billy wakes up refreshed. “One more thing to set in motion then I have to get on with another mission. Credits don’t come sitting at home.” (Is like to go see to the cybernetic stuff left at the task force base.)

When you arrive at the base, one of the medium sized storage buildings is set aside for the analysis of the cybernetic material. The terminals, and terminal pieces, taken from tri-green, are spread out, in numbered lots. A portable generator is hooked up outside, dampened and relatively quiet, giving you some power for tools, and plugging terminals in

“Well let’s get to it then.” He dusts off his hands, eager to uncover further advances in cybernetics. Billy approaches stack of material and begins hooking up all of the databank and computer terminals to get a sense of what’s inside. He flips on his coms. “Hey Devnoc, I’m planning on heading out on mission again soon, but could you get the crew together can come help me out with some of this lab equipment we got off Terezinho?”

Devnoc types back a quick reply, and over the course of the hour, as you're hooking up the working terminals, they begin arriving. Your helpful eyebot hovers around the space, digitally tagging pieces of terminal with their matches, trying to identify what parts go to what computers

“Excellent. This will be much faster with help moving all this stuff.” (Can I determine what cybernetic info is contained in here?)

(Know/int, but yeah you’ll get at least the start of something) (edited)

(12)

From what you can recover it looks like the Remnant was working on espionage cybernetics, in the efforts to create some kind of super assassin. The robots at the terezinho base were test models, meant to be used as practice for the surgeons there. It seems like they had carte Blanche, each free to follow their own pursuits towards the goal of creating deadly cyberware

6:39 PM

The original command seems to have been lost to them over time, as they worked to out do each other to mount the most outlandish augmentations or weapons possible

(How many designs are there?)

The designs are...it’s hard to make out how many there are. You get the impression that like your work, most of it exists in the minds of the scientists themselves, the notes working more to document things for their overseers than anything else

One thing you see referenced over and over again, is Neural Overload Wiring, but no real explanation of what it does

(We are going to try this research system from the codex, if you want to continue delving)

(Yeah sure. Let me go look that up. I was just trying to think of what to do with this stuff.)

10:15 PM

(Is this magic stuff, or you’re just using that system for tech research as well?)

(I'm going to apply it to alien tech as well, since really, a lot of the stuff it can do may as well be magic)

Oh sweet. I like this idea.

(Devnoc. Jules, Kady, Stearn and I had 5 unnamed specialists on my crew.) Billy sits up from his compad, doing a bit of random calculation. “Alright everyone. Let’s take all of this stuff over to the lab. We’re taking it over. Looks like this is going to have to take some time to decode, but it shows great promise. Do any of you feel comfortable interviewing those prisoners we took from the lab? Wherever they got to now, I’d have them come help us. We’ll rotate them in and out and not let them touch anything. -Here.” Billy flips over his comms pad. “All of this stuff is like weird notes youd make to yourself, but one thing keeps popping up. Neural Overload Wiring. Let’s see what each of them can tell us about it and see which of them might give us good advice on setting it up. -I hope we got the temperature control units. Devnoc, you’re second in command here at the lab. I trust you. Jules, Kady, you two are in charge of him when we’re all here together.”

Your team rushes off to make the arrangements. (did you want to try to make a check yourself for the month? Just have to pick a type of research, and we will do 'know' instead of know magic)

(Ok sure. I’ll just do routine research for this first time.)

(alright, know/int)

(Also, might I be able to convince one of the captives to become my mentor in this?)

10:43 PM

(3!)

(I think so, a couple of the scientists were pretty nice)

(Great first month. Lol.)

(it doesnt set you back, it just doesnt go faster)

10:45 PM

(More importantly, nothing explodes)

1

After painstaking hours pouring over the information, Billy stands up frustrated pinching his nose under his glasses. “I’d like each of the scientist’s interviewed tomorrow. Let’s see which of them might like the opportunity to work in a lab again and which of them has enough morality left in them to work with.” (Billy writes a series of interview questions and proposal letters intended for the scientists to try to persuade them assist.)

10:48 PM

(Thank god)

10:52 PM

He pauses, and texts his mom. To let her know he is still alive and well. Something about catching up over breakfast soon. Before he lifts off again.

(Central's lab is empty right now actually. Verity when she was going to be a PC was ging to work out of it but that never came to fruition, so lets say its a communal research area, lvl 1, and this is your library, which would allow colony and other players to use too as you figure things out)

10:39 AM

One of the scientists, who only identifies himself as Dr. T , is cooperating, and would like an interview.

(Great. Let’s build a lab then!)

11:25 AM

Billy calls Dr. T to the lab with his crew. “Dr. T. Welcome to the lab. I know it’s not as sophisticated as you’re used to, but I think it’s a start.”

"Alright" he looks around, appreciatively, but you can tell he is nervous. "You have to understand this almost feels too good to be true"

“I do. Now I have some rules. Number 1: You work for us now. Any prior loyalty you had with the remnant or any other faction is gone. 2: Your second chance is a gift from me to you. A bargain as it were. If you betray me or my team’s trust, I will take it back. 3: I want you to begin integrating yourself back into our society. Learn our people. Befriend my crew. Hopefully then we can eventually set you on a path to true freedom again. 4: Swearing by this, you will help us to learn, grow and understand to the best of our ability. We have a chance to help shape the future here. I plan on building a base of knowledge so others might also learn and advance scientific understanding. Do you agree to these terms Dr. T?

"I do. Thank you. So what is it you'd like me to begin with"

Billy shakes his hand. “Great. We will start with these notes. We will begin to draw blueprints and expand the notations with definitions and theory. I want what’s up here,” He points to his head. “Recorded. Help me understand. What is Neural Overload Wiring?. It keeps popping up in the notes.”

he sits and thinks for a moment. "You're familiar with holovids right? I'm going to draw a crude analogy here"

12:08 PM

"It's a system that lets its user move in fast forward, while everyone else is stuck on 'play' "

“Fascinating. Show me how it works.” *Billy leans in and opens up one of the terminals. “How would you build and apply it.”

"That's just it, it was just a theory. We were working on developing the right chemical/electrical mix in the brain and in the muscles to make that occur. Our research was....interrupted...as you know"

1:48 PM

(He's going to work as a scholar type henchmen for you, so every month he will be adding some progress toward the research point total needed, in addition to you having the chance to do experiments every month to speed it up. This month unfortunatley the 3 wasnt enough to make it go any quicker) (edited)

(Cool. At least I got him going though.) “Quite. Well tell me what you need and we will begin work immediately. I will leave these men here to watch after you and let you continue your work, but I have other matters to attend to.”

2:45 PM

(Id like to go ahead and secure the training needed for the Task Force to raise my know skill to 1.)

Taking advantage of the Task Force entering into short rest period after the battle over Rawhani, Billy books out three days of virtual training in the simulator room (we can fast forward the three days if you like)

Yes pls.

Billy spends a productive three days learning new fields of engineering and electrical work, spending the time in hyper-realistic VR, assembling, disassembling, and troubleshooting various complex devices in different scenarios

“I know Kung fu.” Billy laughs as he takes off his VR headset. “That was a great module.” As he checks his coms messages from Seung his eyes widen. “Woah, what in the hell is a king killer?” After responding to the message he jaunts off to go see.

A small covered truck arrives at the task force compound, and a long crate is taken out of the back, addressed to billy

Billy with a few extra hands carries the crate to what amounts to the workshop shop on base and takes a crowbar to pry open the crate.

Inside a long, mechanical snake is resting. It has been repaired per what Seung has last told you. The core has no intelligence in it

(It’s more snake person isn’t it?)

(Yeah)

Billy looks at it puzzled for a second before pulling it out and inspecting its parts, pieces and functions before plugging it up to a computer.

The humanoid snake bot begins to finish unfolding.

“Well, mechanically everything seems to be in good working order. It was definitely built originally for battle. Let’s see what I can do about this noggin of yours.” He plugs the brain in and begins the reprogramming process.

Several hours and more than one cup of coffee goes by, but finally the code is ready to be downloaded. Eyebot helps where it can, fixing errors and making slight alterations in the body to comply with your expectations of its function

Billy wipes his brow and pats the Eyebot lovingly. “I... I think we did it. Let’s see if this works...” Billy hesitates for a moment, reaching for his pistol first and then hitting enter to upload the software.

Soft blue light turns a silver white in its eyelenses as the robot shudders, and then draws itself up to its full height

9:56 PM

"What is my name?"

“Vothe”

9:58 PM

Billy walks around the machine admiring its sleekness and beauty.

"Vothe" it repeats. "And you are?"

“Billy Rigers” He looks into its ocular sensors.

The sensors are a disconcerting void, there is no pupil. "Billy Rigers. I am your companion"

“You are. How are your systems? Everything functioning correctly? Is there room for improvement?”

10:14 PM

“Catch.” Billy says as he tosses a wrench Vothe’s way.

Vothe catches the wrench at the most optimum angle to prevent damage to himself, and expend the least amount of effort to do it

Billy smiles. “Good. Very good, Vothe.”

Inside the crate, you find a note, and a small credit transfer chit attatched

10:19 PM

Billy, I thought this might help get your compaion some upgrades. Use him well, and use him for doing Good- Seung

10:19 PM

The chip is good for 25k credits

Billy’s face breaks into a wide grin. “Seung knows me too well. Vothe, I need you to come with me. We are going to run you through some tests. Follow me, I need you to start taking this VR training module, in the meantime, I’m going to go into the colony real quick, I think I have some great ideas for some upgrades.” (I’m going to set Vothe up to begin taking the VR courses to raise a skill by one if that’s available to him. Assuming he doesn’t need to sleep will he finish sooner?)

(we can say the VR is him leveling up if you want, just spending the rest of the day working on it, part of the level up will include that bonus)

(I’m going to go ahead and level him up to lvl 4 for now. So 30k credits.)

10:33 PM

(I also didn’t pay for Riger One so I’ll deduct that now.)

10:35 PM

(Not 30k. 10k for lvl 2, 15k for lvl 3, 20k for lvl 4, so 45k)

(exactly)

(Does he also get the +5 hp buff)

(I'd say in his case the maintainer bots fix some little imperfections here and there that you and pops didnt notice, so yes)

1

Billy returns from the shipyard with two more crates as Vothe finishes his upgrades. “Vothe, I’ve bought you two bots for you to command can you help me open the crates and get them up and running?”

Vothe wordlessly begins opening the boxes, andgetting the kits put together

After an hour, both repair bots stand ready

“Damn, this works!” He says, eyes wide. He puts up a fist and eyebot gently bumps into it, a practiced motion. “Ok.” He says looking around himself, suddenly surrounded by robots. “I may have a problem, but it’s a good one. Let’s go look at the board and see what needs our immediate attention. I’ve been spending too much time getting my own things in order lately.”

(there are endeavors posted, you can help other factions too. Some sector unity ones are up as well)

Later, in the company of his crew, Billy takes a second to sit back and take a look at the recent reports. “Reports are coming in of a derelict ship..With no sign of life.... how... yeah, I think this is a good option for us. That sounds right up our alley. Let’s go see if we can see what happened to this ship then. We will leave in the morning.”

The team gets some rest, ready for tomorrow. (What’s the mission roster)

(Billy, Vothe, Kady, Jules, Stearn, repair and industrial bot, and I’d like to take 2 tech specialists and a medic.)

The remaining specialists are assigned from local task force ranks. They’re told to meet at the shuttleport

“It’s great to see you all today... now that we’re assembled though... I hope we can find this ship and get it repaired enough to fly it home, ther wise we will just have to download it’s data and see what bugs we can pick from it... if all is well, let’s make sure we load up some extra ship parts. I know we won’t be able to fit much, but every little bit might help to fix it... if it’s broken.” He pats Kady on the shoulder. “Of it’s something else, well that’s on us.”

5:27 PM

(Before he leaves, he is going to coms Devnoc and instruct him on work at the lab and to wish him luck.)

The shuttle heads to the system jump point and you can expect an eight day trip (day to aslief and then a long new rutter to the sector of open space)

6:05 PM

(What’s billy spending his voyage downtime on)

(I’m not by my computer atm to get the specifics, but Billy is going to work on making his vacc suit work more efficiently. And when he isn’t working on that he is going to spend time with his crew, getting to know them a little better.)

(Theres some armor mods in the book, I’d say during the trip you’d have time to install a couple)

(So let me know what ones you want) The derelict ship ends up not being a ship at all, once you spike into the area. A medium sized asteroid riddled with communication spires, docking rings, and a pair of colossal engines tumbles idly in the void.

(High Efficiency - Bubbleseal on the combat field uniform.) Billy and the crew gather to view the colossal base tumbling through space. "Lets run the scanners and see if we can sense any motion or signal and lets get us docked up if we can. Fly us in, Stearn."

(program/int for scanners)

(9)

The sensors do not sense any motion, but some of the scans come back dirty, the strange patchwork of different minerals inside scattering the signals and causing strange readings to come back

“Damn. It’s jamming our sensors in some spots. We will have to dock and take a closer look. Everyone make sure your Vacc suits are on. Let’s find out what happened here.”

There is a fore airlock, a mid section airlock, a spinal airlock(on top, so you'll descend into the ship) and an aft airlock .

“Let’s go to the mid section airlock. That way we can be closer to the ship, either way we travel.”

The airlock hisses as your ship lines up with it. "Slight air leak. It's holding though" the pilot says.

“Repairbot, can you plug that?” Billy says, moving forward through the airlock.

it begins its slow gait over to the airlock ,to work on it as the rest of the team moves in.

10:58 AM

The airlock opens into a wide expedition chamber. A dozen lockers on each side of the room are closed, with a slight patina of rust across the front. The only door out is ahead of you.

“Let’s get some of these lockers open and see what kind of equipment they were taking on expedition.” Billy walks slowly looking around the room and to the other side where he looks to see what’s on the other side.

There is a stamped metal corridor that runs to the left, and right. A sign on the opposite wall, seen through the window on the door has a the arrow left pointing to the bridge, and the arrow to the right heading to engineering

11:06 AM

The lockers open with a loud clang, and there are EVA suits inside, along with emergency airtanks

“Oh excellent. Put any that are still in working order by the door. We’ll go clear the rest of this out. We’ll go check out the bridge and then engineering.”

Two of the detail stay behind to collect the goods, and get them aboard the ship. The rest of you enter the airlock, heading north toward the bridge. You haven't seen any signs of the ships previous inhabitants but they were clearly human based on the signage you have seen lying around. A ship status panel in the hallway just off to the right is inactive, but powered

“Eyebot, help me with this panel. Let’s see what we can get out of it.”

A large holographic display opens up. MACMILLAN HEAVY INDUSTRIES: Ship Status Panel appears on the screen, followed by a holographic cutaway map of the ship

“Oh perfect. Let’s check system statuses. Engines, bridge, life support. Engage full system report.”

The life support is on. There is actually breathable air aboard. The engines are offline. Gunnery and sensors are also not responding

“What an awesomely strange... ship! I wonder what happened to everyone, though.” Billy taps his fingers on the wall for a second. “Maybe we can dig into the ship’s logs to read more.” (Where on the ship was the sensor anomalies?) “Maybe we can get into the

(around the engines. Based on the panel it doesnt look like anything sinister, but since its built into an asteroid you can reason theres something weird in the ship skin blocking it

Billy pauses a moment. “I wonder if whatever is screwing up the sensors is messing with the engines as well. Let’s keep going to the bridge for now. I want to know why they abandoned this monster ship. I’m sure we will find out more once we get to the engine compartment and engineering, but I want to clear the ship before we go to seeing what we can do about it.” (To the bridge!)

Approaching the bridge down the long access hallway- a ghastly sight meets your gaze once you enter the last compartment before the bridge doors. Two of the officers have been impaled to the walls with pickaxes through their chests. Bloody runes cover the walls and floor around each body, and the remains of several burned candles lay scattered around their feet

“Oooh fuck me! That’s disturbing!” Billy says holding his arm instinctively to cover his face, even though he’s got the bubble seal of his combat field uniform active. “This looks like a mix between a revolt and a cult ritual. I mean who the hell even uses pickaxes anymore?” He walks over and pulls the pickaxe from the wall and body, letting it slump to the floor, intending on collecting anything useful on the bodies and piling them to the side.

They've been picked over aside from their actual uniforms, and even then, they are little more than tatters

“Vothe look for the ship’s maintenance logs. I’ll look for other ship logs. Maybe there’s some info leading up to... whatever happened here.”

After a few minutes of searching Vothe finds something and brings it up onto the main screen. The Still Lady. She found us. She spoke to us. She said we were all her children. She said she will love us like a mother, but first, we needed to do something. First, we needed flesh. There are apostates among the crew, those that have turned their back on the darkness behind the stars. Their sacrifice will be our salvation

2:29 PM

the rest of the log stops being written in English and appears to be additional lines of the bizzare font

“Good find Vothe. Let me see if there is any way I can unscramble this. It’s like they are writing in Webdings.”

2:33 PM

(An obviously ancient script used by the creators of computer language for some strange and mysterious purpose.)

(about due for my quarterly message from him about how he is sad hes not in this....lmao) Vothe is going to spend some time working on it. It does not have any relation to any of the alphabets in use by man at the time oft he scream, at least none documented

“Well hopefully these crazy cultists have jettisoned themselves to the void that they worship.” Billy scratches his head, chills running down his spine. Billy is going to try to re-activate some of the downed systems.

There looks to be enough power left to get only one functioning

“Damn. We don’t have a lot of power here ladies and gentlemen. I think I can get one system up and running, but maybe we should wait on that. Let’s go clear the rest of the place first. This place is a bit creepy.” (We head to engineering.)

Heading back towards engineering there is another access panel in front of the sealed bulkhead leading into the drive and engine spaces. This one is likewise on standby

(Billy checks that one too, just to make sure everything is still the same and then he’ll open the door)

Vothe finds more notes. the still lady sings her song of love. In the Howl of the void. In the whispers of the vermin below deck. In the tiny tap tap tap of blood drop on stone. She is around us always and we will listen There are more candle remains on each side of the door to engineering. On the glass, a bloody handprint is pressed into it, and then dragged down in a smear

(There is asteroid around this but here is an interior deck plan, also accessable from the terminal)

“I don’t think anything is in here anymore, but guns up just in case.”

9:51 PM

“Thank you for the update, Vothe.” Billy opens the door to check inside.

Two more bodies, engineers from the looks of them, are on the deck face down. They look to have even dead for at least a few weeks. (You’re heading into that rear like trapezoid shape thing now)

“This is relatively fresh. -Vothe can you download the ship’s logs onto the storage unit so we can dissect them later? I don’t know that we need to figure it all out now. I’d like to have you near me.” Billy flips one of the bodies over with his boot, instinctively aiming the gun towards it. A grimace passes over his face.

Vothe begins downloading the information, the ship panel going dark as its data is drained.

7:16 AM

The bodies have been gagged, and hooded, obscuring their features. It looks like these two were stabbed, perhaps running away from whatever or whoever did this

7:16 AM

(notice/int)

(4)

8:33 AM

Billy and the others drag the bodies to the side and search the room for more signs of the cult.

There are more scrawlings on the engineering spaces near you. You can see that the main power lines to this section have been cut, and the life support to this section is existing on auxiliary only. From an engineering crawlspace to the right, a burst of laser fire screams out from a vent, toward the group

8:36 AM

(just gonna randomize whos unlucky)

8:38 AM

They go wide. the laser fire wild, and untrained.

8:39 AM

"SACRIFICES!" you hear a guttural human throat scream from the vent

“Vothe, I need you! Guns up!” Billy is going to fire at the first one he sees.

(You can certainly see the vent, go ahead and fire when ready)

(24, 7 damage) Billy moves for cover.

The vent blows out in a shower of twisted metal and sparks. A cultist in a robe of deep black, and a white/cream sack cloth hood crouches in the vent space, laser rifle awkwardly raised on his shoulder. A small candle in a slightly bigger iron cage sits on his waist, held to a belt by a short chain

8:45 AM

A strange symbol, a twisted tree growing from a swirling black seed adorns his robe

“The Still Lady offers you as sacrifice! It is time to join her in the void! Come out and accept your honor!” Billy shouts

Vothe fires, blowing the cultists's arm off at the elbow, and a follow up hail of gunfire from your squad finishes him off

“Alright! Alright.” He holds his hand up. “I was hoping to capture him alive. I’m just happy you’re all unharmed.” We go over and pull him from the venting and check his body, stripping it and throwing the belonging in a bag. “I hope he was the only one. We should get to fixing this mess.” He says looking around to the severed power cables. “We might yet be able to power this thing back up... Let me go ahead and scout of the vents. See if any more rats are holed up in here.” (Billy is going to pull out his simple drone and fly it through the vents to scout it out.)

The drone flies up into the vent, and as it rises up a straight 90 degree rise, it comes to the top, where it levels out again, and is face to face with a team of dirty faced cultists sneaking forward to see the source of the noise

8:56 AM

five of them are in the vent, and you can see the tube of a rocket launcher being dragged along the last one in the column

Billy let’s the drone fall. “Everyone let’s go follow me.” Billy and crew exit the room and Billy goes to find the nearest panel capable of hacking into to vent all the air out/open the air locks.

9:04 AM

“Defend the expedition room”

The ship status panel appears. Vothe begins mapping the layout of the vents you can pick the right one. on a second keypad, you hunt for the vent controls (program int to try to speed it up)

(15)

Two of the cultists make it to the bottom of the vent and out into the main room before you find the controls, but you do find them

9:18 AM

(3 remain within)

Billy vents the air out of the room and vents. “Kill them.”

The vents in engineering blow, sucking the cultists still in the vents, out. There is a thud echoing through the hold, and after a moment, a handful of black robed bodies, and their attached gear, begin slowly floating away from the ship

Billy shuts it down to deal with the other cultists.

They ready a strange tripod mounted weapon, with a small satellite dish front end.

9:43 AM

(their turn is setting up, so you get to go)

“Vothe tackle that one!” Billy points at one of them and shoots the other. (27 to hit, 11 damage)

Vothe coils, his serpentine frame tight, and then springs forward at high speed, smashing into the cultist who looks to have been about to load the weapon

10:09 AM

You see them struggling, the cultist slowly being squeezed tightly by the rolling mass of mechanical muscle

10:10 AM

His loader unable to do his duty, the gunner cultist draws an energy pistol from his belt and fires at billy

10:10 AM

(17/5 damage)

(17 is my AC)

10:16 AM

“I don’t fucking think so!” Billy’s eyes burn as he is hit, returning fire. (18/5)

He pitches over, weapon magazine emptying in twitching spasm trigger fingers, the bolts harmlessly punching into the ceiling

Billy walks forward, kicking the laser pistol away from the dying man. “Will you two be a dear and help restrain these guys. Pretty sure this one’s going to die, but I don’t want to take chances.”

Vothe is going a great job of literally putting the squeeze on one of the captured cultists. The other is in very tough shape, but is restrained after a moment, as he is too weak to put up much of a fight

He walks toward the last one being restrained by Vothe. “Well it looks like you’ve made some good sacrifices to the still bitch today. Would you two like to be another?”

'Spill more of my blood, make this ground holy" croaks the dying one

10:45 AM

The one being restrained by Vothe is having enough trouble just breathing to be able to talk back

Billy shoots the dying one in the head. “Vothe, let’s get this guy properly restrained for questioning.”

The twins tie him with engineering paracord, and toss him into a half sit on a crate of supplies

“How many more followers are on the ship, my friend?” Billy walks over to him.

he at first refuses to answer, but a quick slap from one of the twins gets him talking. "Ten others"

“Where?”

"Bridge....guarding the relic"

“What’s the relic?”

"The lady, speaks to us through it. Tells us her wishes"

“What are her wishes?”

He begins laughing. He gets up and lunges for you, falling face first into the deck tiles

“Well. Ok.” He presses his knee into the cultists back, pressing he face into the tiles. “Can we secure him a bit better? Thanks, guys.”

11:51 AM

“Vothe can you bring up the security cameras? I’d like to see the bridge.”

They work to restrain him a bit better. "No feed" Vothe tonelessly says back. The cameras are there, but the feed is nothing but gray static

“God I hope this isn’t a rogue AI” Billy walks over to the panel. “Let me see if I can hack in.”

It's easy to get through the system, but the camera displays don't change. "Disconnected at the source, I think" Vothe adds

(I would like to inspect the weapon they were loading up.)

The weapon looks like some kind of crude thermal projector, focusing coils would have sent balls of hot plasma down the corridor at you

“Well, I’ll give it to them for ingenuity...” Billy thinks for a second. “Let’s see if they will come out. Twins, you think you can work this thing?” He points to the thermal projector. “Let’s bring that with us. These folks are reckless.” (Billy and the crew move back toward the bridge.) “Stearn, have the boys start to move those tanks onto the shuttle. I have a captive and we’re headed back.”

They begin separating to complete their assigned tasks. The projector is set a safe distance away from the door

(I want to set up within sight of the bridge doors with the plasma projector and then once we have the extra air tanks and vacc suits secured, I’d like to turn the vents on again but this time try to vent out the bridge’s atmosphere. If I can just reroute the O2 and pump it full of co2 that would be better.)

(With That programming check you had before I think you’ll get the effect you’re looking for)

Billy pumps the bridge full of co2, and the levels in the room approach something no human could conceivably keep their conciousness in

“Alright. Well if they are in there they aren’t breathing without a vaccsuit. Let’s move in.”

The doors slide open as you approach. Eight hooded figures, surrounded by candles, kneel in a circle, all facing a floating, inverted pyramid in their center. Its faces are a burnished bronze gold. and it is carved with elaborate swirling glyphs. The glyphs burn a bright cherry red. the cultists seem untroubled by the lack of air

(No motion?)

(The cultists are not moving no. The pyramid is spinning like a top, point down. Very slowly)

Billy motions for everyone to go capture the cultists at gunpoint, glancing around the room for vent pipes. “Everyone be easy, nobody has to get hurt.” (If they move to attack, the team has been instructed to go ahead and neutralize the situation.)

(Evasion save)

(Oof fail)

(28 damage, twins and vothe passed and take half, 2 of your tag-alongs didnt pass) There is a concussive blast in the small space as the pyramid fires a blast, moving the dust in the air aside as the energy sphere expands rapidly, throwing everyone across consoles and into walls. There is an intense ringing as you are stunned by the sound

8:37 PM

You see the twins, and vothe begin picking themselves up, but two of the squad were not so fortunate

(What is the status of the pyramid and cultists?)

(No change, but the pyramid is glowing far less angrily now)

“Move!” Billy fires at one of the cultists and runs out of the room. (11 to hit, 11 damage as he runs away.)

There is a flash and flare of light and the laser energy dissipates as it crosses some kind of unseen barrier between the cultists and the beam

(Can the crew try to fire as they run back out of the room too?)

The crews shots have the same effect, or lack of

We keep running and head back to the shuttle. Where the bots have been loading up. “What in the fuck was that?” He heaves, holding his side, sure that a few ribs have been cracked sliding back toward the expedition room. (edited)

The handful of scavenged gear is aboard. “Some kind of energy field” vothe says. “It was diminishing, in the initial shock attack and after you fired on it”

9:31 PM

“The logs don’t mention anything further, aside from this ship originally came from Acastus”

“Just give me a second. Get that thermal projector ready. With that and this AV Laser hopefully we can punch through the shield. We can’t let it power up again.” He hands the medic, if still alive his 2 things of lift and the Lazarus patch. “We’re gonna need this, doc.” He sets his face and begins to creep back down the hall with the AV laser.

(Medic is okay)

10:04 PM

The cultists haven’t moved and the pyramid device is still glowing dully. The barrier does not look as defined as it was before

10:04 PM

(Getting blurry. Shape is not as clear)

Billy sets his face sternly and gulps as they set the thermal and AV. Then nods at the crew. They swing in and fire.

(16/21)

The shield flares under the first hit, becoming more insubstantial. One of the cultists inside seems to pop, spraying gray dust on the others as is robed form collapses

(Break the shield keep firing!) He and the crew just blast the hell out of the shield

The shield takes another few hits before there is another blast of air pressure, knocking everyone onto their backs (no damage this time) The cultists don't move, though two are still breathing. The rest appear to be dead. The bronze pyramid hits the floor, scuffing its point, but likewise seems to be cut from whatever energies were being harnessed

“Vothe! Grab that thing! Let’s secure these bastards.” Billy says wincing as he stands back up.

Vothe grabs the device and stows it in one of the carry crates your team has. The other two cultists are tied behind backs and their ankles are cuffed as well. Safe from attack, the medic approaches you "Should I attempt anything on them, or are we just going to let them go"

“Try to save our men if you can. I’m afraid they might have passed already.”

The medic doesn't need long to confirm that both casualties sadly will remain so

11:29 AM

"THey didn't feel any pain, I don'

11:29 AM

t think" he offers, by way of consolation

“Damnit.” He says. “Let’s bandage ourselves up a bit first, but we’ve got some work to do.” He turns to the cultists. “How many more of you are there?”

He shakes his head ‘no’. He mumbles something incoherent

“Ok thanks. -Gag them. We will keep them under guard. Meanwhile let’s reverse the scrubbers to make this air breathable again. Vothe, do you need repairs or could you check the ventilation system for me. I’m afraid I’ve ejected my scouting drone. I’ll take the other boys to engineering and try to repair those systems.” “Medic, do you have enough lift for myself and the twins? My side is killing me.”

"I've got enough for the three of you, here" he passes out a stim-injector each

1:17 PM

Vothe looks alright for now, and says as much, he slithers off to check the vent system and ensure that the object is secured properly. On your display, he sends you a message we lost two, so two of the cultists can return as prisoners if we wish, We have three captives right now. That is going to tax our life support heavily

‘Agreed. Thank you for that, Vothe. I was... putting off that decision.’ (I would like to analyze the ship to see what repairs it would need to fly to Aselief)

The ship's reactor has been jettisoned. Logs report a running battle, fought with tools, in the engineering section. The cultists among the crew were unable to overpower the 'apostates' in time to prevent the core from being jettisoned, but did eventually take the ship.

1:48 PM

(no power to get the engines going, you're just subsisting on heavily restricted auxiliary until that too finally fails)

(Ok cool deal. Thank you.) “Alright crew. I’ll take a note of this, but it doesn’t look like we’ll get this thing anywhere without a reactor. Let’s do one last pass of the ship to see if there’s anything worth grabbing and head back. We are all in need of a rest.” (And as the rest of the crew goes off to prepare to leave, I’m going to make sure the cultists have nothing on them and randomize a number on his compad. (4)). “Alright. Sorry mate. Looks like you’re not going to be able to come back with us, unfortunately... in truth, I probably shouldn’t save any of ya, but I’m a generous man. Come.” Billy takes cultist number two and sets him in the venting system, making sure none of his crew are in the vents and then he will jettison the cultist into the void. “May you join her in the void.” Billy says with a curse.

The other two survivors are horrified, but compliant, and allow themselves to be stuffed into the shuttle

a final sweep of the ship shows that you've taken everything of value, both in terms of items and data. The ships location is marked, and Vothe will do what he can to try to get the spike tug squadron at home to bring it back

(I did not know about that, but it’s awesome.)

(6xp, 15,000 credits, 100rp, which I think might be enough to finish one of the research projects, I'll have to double check at home)

1

“Why the horrified faces? Is that because that was someone you cared about? Is it because you lost someone close to you, who you’ve spent time with?! HOW DO YOU THINK THOSE PEOPLE FELT WHEN YOU MADE A BLOOD RITUAL OUT OF THEM! HOW DO YOU THINK THE FAMILY OF MY CREW WILL FEEL WHEN I BRING YOU BACK INSTEAD OF THEM?! OR AM I GIVING YOU TOO MUCH CREDIT?! YOU’RE PROBABLY JUST SCARED FOR YOURSELF AREN’T YOU?” Billy slaps the first one to try to speak. “I have spared your lives for now. It is a gift that you are here. If you are lucky, you might live in prison. If you’re really lucky, you might help me figure out exactly what that pyramid does, but I don’t expect any problems from either of you.”

“She will speak to you too” One of them says with the certainty that he has all the truths of the universe at his fingertips. “You have laid eyes on her sacred instrument. It won’t be long”

5:38 PM

Power on the hulk ship begins to flicker

“Right, Thanks.” He says pointedly. “Maybe that’s why she spared you. To teach me...” “Alright, everybody that’s it! Let’s get home!”

The cargo and survivors board the shuttle as the lights on the hulk ship shut off. Something howls from the bowels of the engineering section. You hear the sound of something thundering down the centerline transitway of the ship. There is a thick black mist pouring over the airlock as the shuttle disconnects

“What is that?..” He looks to the cultists. “You may speak.”

"A glimpse from beyond the veil. MES made manifest. She's beautiful, isn't she" he smiles

“I reckon so.” Billy recognizes the man’s wonder; a reflection of his own. “In a strange way.”

8:38 PM

“Vothe are we getting any readings off that?”

"It's like MES....but....not" he says "Desmond might be a good person to talk to about this. He's from Acastus too."

8:41 PM

"Maybe he has seen something like this before"

“I’ll build a report and make sure Desmond gets it. Thank you.”

"Are we heading back boss?" one of the twins asks

“As fast as we can. Let’s go.”

The route to this aeea now mapped, the shuttle heads away from the hulk ship, for the two day Journey home

Trivedi cloud welcomes the shuttle back- outside, you can see the spike tug squadron Vothe was talking about busy getting the pirate platrorm to the system spike point. Clearly something big is happening

5:12 PM

(right now you're at 250 research points, both projects right now need 300, so when we get there, there will be a conversation about what to spend them on, but you brought back a good amount of data)

(What’s the pirate platform?)

(That mission with that lady pilot named speedy, where they boarded a pirate refueling orbital platform, they stole the entire platform and dragged it to gudrun with the tugboats when it was done, so the Remnant or more pirates couldnt find it again or take it back)

(But it's been sitting there for a long time and nobody has done anything with it, so they're going to bring it to aslief to complete one of their military endeavors, and get them closer to allowing you guys to govern them)

(I figured. That's awesome!) "That things is fantastic." Billy sends a message to the spike tug fleet.

Billy Rigers: Task Force Pheonix.  I've got another job for you when you're done with this monster.  Derelict ship in 0706 for you to pick up.  She's a big one.  Hope everything goes well, fellas!

Billy and the crew head off back to home base where we can turn over the cultists to... (Greenbriar?/Marshall Service? and myself and the crew can rest up and regain our hp.)

(Yeah there is a prison camp outside the city, the police will take them there)

As the shuttle flys in he tries to take a peek at the shipyard to see if he can see Riger One being built.

There are sparks and a handful of small fleet tenders moving back and forth, Riger one looks like its coming along well so far

(Hey, applying that xp to my sheet. Somehow my xp is saying 39/39 before I apply. But I don't think that's right or I would've already dinged 7. Going back through, I got 3 moon, 3 for new astria, 9 for the Terezinho base, 3 for the underwater ship, 3 for a goal, 9 for the starship fight, 6 for 0706 is 36. Does that sound right to you?)

(yeah that sounds right to me)

1

Billy smiles, unbelievably excited as he watches his very own ship being built in the shipyard. He tries to quell his itch for it as he takes the cultists to the authorities and then he brings the artifact and data back to the lab. (I'd like to see how Devnoc is coming along with the research.)

Entering the lab, you can see Devnoc has quite a few things going at once. There are a few projects on the table right now, and he seems to be doing what he can to devote his time to all of them

12:34 PM

Two of the ones open right now, is a study on Terezinho wildlife, and the other, is the neural overload wiring

12:34 PM

(both need 300rp, current total is 250)

“Devnoc, the progress I see here is amazing. Listen, I’ll be resting here a few days, if there is anything I can do to help you complete your research let me know. I just recovered a piece of dangerous technology... it seems pretech possibly... not psitech per-say, But... similar. We’ll start working on that next. We’ll need the expertise of many of the scientist’s in the colony for this one.” He says, having Vothe show him the pyramid.

“I’ll lock it up for now. That’ll be next” (I added it to the projects sheet). “I keep picking away at the other stuff. If you find anymore databanks or anything out there it might yield enough for a breakthrough”

Good work Devnoc, I’m going to go take it easy for a few days. I might draw up some more blueprints for Seung. Thanks, D. Nice to see ya.”

“Good to see you too boss. I’ll keep chipping away at this”

Billy returns home and begins his calculations. He will begin by analyzing the local asteroid belt. By his figures, he can’t just go refine whole asteroids ton by ton and be profitable without creating an autonomous process which would dramatically increase start up cost and decrease production speed. Billy wants to analyze the potential revenue of targeted node mining of the asteroid belt. Per ton. Billy pushes up his glasses as he and eyebot and Vothe pour over potential setups. Autonomous vs man powered; Shuttle v free merchant scenarios; pouring through asteroid scouting data.

Two of the asteroids have been prospected already and are known to contain iron (current base price is 1000 a ton, but there are a few worlds paying a premium on that as they rebuild)

12:27 PM

More scans will be needed to project how many tons total may be there, but it is projected to be in the tens of thousands at least

12:28 PM

In terms of workforce, almost everyone in the colony is currently employed. If more people are not brought into the colony, the miners will need to be robotic

(Excellent thank you.)

(Hopefully I didn't miss anythinb)

12:47 PM

(The changing to holdings rules made more sense and employed a lot more people, so we went from 70% unemployment to about 7%)

(Your info helps a ton actually. It doubles the daily revenue potential of a mobile extractor which was a dismal one ton at 500 per day, which is equal to the human operator pay before feeding them. Ok back to the drawing board.)

(Mobile extractors make sense in nomad fleets but you guys have a safe port)

(Are you saying it would be better to just break apart asteroids into moveable chunks and drop them into port to mine there? My plan was to create a small fleet of shuttles or a free merchant and a scouting shuttle to focus node mine. Iron would be the basic node, but the idea would be to focus on those iron nodes and then just refine asteroids while the shuttle is scanning for more nodes or richer deposits. The big prize would be those core formed asteroids rich in precious core material/heavy metals.)

(I wasn't suggesting a plan but yours is certainly workable)

(May want to talk to Charles he has some mining bots doing what your thinking.)

(Ah we both have it as a faction endeavor.)

(Indeed you do!)

After a long night of designing and running simulations, Billy sends a message to Trivedi Inc. @Seung Whitaker (Severus/Marina)

Hello Seung,
I believe I have solve the asteroid mining issue and I was thinking of going to Trivedi Inc for collaboration or at least to seek out investors in this endeavor. I propose a fleet of mining shuttles capable of beginning deployment by the end of the week. Not only is this the quickest to action plan, I also believe this to be the most cost effective and efficient one as well. The only downfall is that they will be restricted to the system until we can transport them via other means, but I already have plans for that as well. 
Would you like me to go to Trivedi or deploy Task Force funds directly. Perhaps sell to Trivedi or have ad Astra trade on other worlds for us later?
Billy

Seung responds

 Thank you for the info Billy. I’d like to keep as much of it in the task force monetary wise, but we could bring ad astra for shipping or use our cruiser if it’s not busy. If you need the fund for it though you can go Trivedi, but you might even look into asking Taros like the city of Golgis to see if they’d invest to use bringing the resources to them to mine. Just a thought on the issue I’m sure you’ll take of it well thank you Billy.

Billy taps his fingers a moment before sending a reply.

Thank you for the advice. I can start the first ship with 254k credits. So as soon as my ship is done we can get the first mining ship started. I’m too short myself to get it done, but I will go to Golgis and see what they think.

Billy drops his feet off his desk. Going to take a long shower, carefully rinsing his wounds before rebandaging his ribs and throwing on his most presentable clothes. He looks presentable if not just a bit messy. “I guess I’m off to Golgis. Vothe can you arrange transport for us please?”

"I can" Vothe begins making some calls and pressing the proper buttons on a datapad, and a flight for this evening has been booked. The city is undergoing some enhanced security protocols with the workers protests (recently resolved, but still tense) and the shuffling of some higher government officials. You are welcome there, and permitted two bodyguards. The only restriction is heavy weapons are not permitted within the city.

(Can I take my walking “walking stick”?

(Sure can!)

(Great!)

(What were the workers protesting?)

(no holidays, long hours, little pay. Connor and Judge worked with them to arm them and get them to rise up, and the city capitulated)

The plane sets down in Golgis the next morning, Vothe scheduling the flight so that you touch down just a few minutes after you'd normally wake up in the morning

Billy nods to the bodyguards as he and Vothe get off the plane. “Beautiful place,” He says regardless of how it actually looks. “Tell me,” He says to a local. “Do people in this town like to get down to business or do you have to schmooze and grease the wheels to get anything done?”

“We would prefer if we could get to business so we could get back to work”

“Of course. I like that. Thank you. Would you take me to whoever would be most appropriate to discuss an investment opportunity with Task Force Phoenix?”

That’ll be the treasury secretary. I can arrange a meeting if you don’t mind waiting at the airport here for a couple hours for them to make their way by”

9:07 PM

“Airport has a conference suite you’re welcome to”

“Of course. Would I have enough time to see a bit of your city in the meantime. Just coms me when you have a time?”

10:09 PM

While Billy waits he is going to follow up with Desmond’s message and send a message detailing the events of the ship in 0706 and link him up with Devnoc back at the base.

“Of course. There’s a small car with diplomatic plates in front of the terminal. You may use that, we will send a comm when the delegation gets close

“Thanks.” He shakes their hand. (While I’m here I’m just going to drive around a bit and check out the people. Shop/have breakfast at a diner and observe.)

10:57 AM

(Also I didn’t mean Desmond. I mean I wanted to connect Devnoc with Desmond’s friend.)

(Jered, right, I'll post a report on that in the faction channel)

11:01 AM

The car is in its promised spot, out front, and there is a map provided of some local landmarks. The news radio station you see has clearly been disabled. As someone in the know, you can guess why

(I can’t help but fix it while I’m in there.)

The radio eventually does come through and it’s discusisng the work riots ending. The local transport baron has also been deposed due to some connection with smuggling a drug called trance.

“Huh... What happened to his workers?” He asks one of the body guards. “Are they out of work?”

"They're back to work now. The matter has been resolved peacefully, but it was tense for a while there"

“Very good... hey where can I get one of those nice Taros Rifles? I’ve seen some of my company use them and I’m sure I could pick one up there, but you have any other local tech I can get my hands on? Doesn’t have to be anything crazy, just different and new.”

"I know the rifles you're talking about. Those are made in Vapormills. We don't have anything like that here right now. Golgis is a pretty traditional city, if you'v come looking for cutting edge, I'm afraid you're going to be disappointed, " The point seems to be well made, as you pass row after row of run down tenement style apartment blocks

“Looks like new business would do you well here. Hopefully after all the labor strikes, they will pay the workers more... Thank you.”

The message comes in towards the end of your tour that the delates are ready to speak

Billy heads there right away.

The car, now with working radio, pulls back up to the airport and you’re ushered inside to a conference room on the upper concourse. Inside a Taros elder with a tanned and weather beaten face sits behind a table. His fingers are steepled and you see the tough callouses of someone used to a life of labor

Hello! Billy Rigers Task Force Phoenix.” He says, walking over to the man, hand extended.

He takes it by the wrist, in a firm workers shake

1:43 PM

"Serin Saurian, Chief of mining operations and business. A pleasure to meet our friends to the east"

Billy smiles, feeling the familiarity of hard working folk and it takes him back a second to his own work in the factories. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well. And to that friendship, I’ve come to reinforce this relationship with business opportunity. With the skills that the people here possess, I think we will be a good match. How do you feel about mining in space?”

"It;s not something any of the Taros have done before. We would need training, a lot of it"

“Of course. Let me get right down to business then. We at the Task Force are setting out to exploit the rich mineral deposits in the asteroid belt by building a fleet of mining shuttles. They will be mostly autonomous requiring merely a single operator. We would send 2 for the sake of running shifts overseeing the bots on board, but we expect that we can build 5 or 6 ships in a month each mining roughly a ton per day of material. It’s going to be a lot of iron, but the asteroid belts are likely to contain some of the richest core material veins in the system. Much easier to reach than on planet as most of it lives in the core here. I am wondering if you’d like to see some of that material flow through your foundries. As a Task Force asset, the fleet would of course be retained in our ownership, but what I’m here for is to secure investors. To your benefit, you would see the increase in work at your foundries and bring Golgis a fresh section to the industry. Perhaps as we continue in this endeavor Taros can even begin to fill in as pilots for these craft. Our men, as you know, are mostly preoccupied with other endeavors so the extra manpower would do wonders and increase the number of ships we can send out.... These ships are... state of the art mostly autonomous shuttles. Your men won’t just be learning zero G mining, they will be learning robotics and engineering. You’ll be able to use more of this material right here in your own robotics advancements and I’m sure some upstart engineer will be able to find improvements on my design. For the Task Force, to be quite frank, we need the credits and we need the materials if we are to continue to combat hostiles and defend the system. Right now, we are capable of building each ship in 5 days for 254k each. They will be paying themselves off within the year. Would you be willing to invest in this endeavor?” (edited)

He looks down at some figures on a pad. “I have a discretionary fund here able to support two of the vessels at the price you’ve given me” (I’m thinking for ease, the asteroid mining will start as a minor production center. So 1d6 x 10 x expertise tons per month. Out of that final tonnage they’d get a percentage each month. When you get a number of ships going. Like 8-10 ships, it’ll become a major production center. Tonnage goes up) (edited)

(That sounds great!) “That sounds wonderful. I’ll make a call when we leave the meeting to que the new ship builds in the shipyard. I believe this will be a good endeavor for the both of us. Thank you. We can hammer the details in the coming weeks as we build the ships, but I am excited to get this project off the ground. It could be key to getting this little planet one step closer thriving. I’m happy you are our partners. I appreciate your work ethic.” He says shaking his head, pulling out a preliminary agreement for the two parties to sign.

2:57 AM

(How will we determine expertise?)

(Trade+talk+better of int or cha modifiers)

He spends a few moments looking it over before taking the lightpen and signing the agreement. “More resources coming in means more jobs. It’s in both our interests to do this”

"If nothing else is needed, I'll be off ensuring this gets handled by the proper parties. We'll need to pick workers, ect."

“It is certainly going to be a good endeavor for both of us.” (Also, it’s +1 for now)

(Sounds good!) The deal signed, the meeting begins breaking up, both parties pleased with the accord

“Before I go, do you have any recommendations of points of interests? Thought I might explore a bit before I head out.”

“Points Of interest” he stops to think “golgis is pretty utilitarian, but the National workers museum is always nice to visit. The exhibits change all the time”

“Of course thank you.” After he leaves he will go check out the museum briefly before heading back to his return flight.

The workers museum is a large. three level building in the heart of the city. Numerous buildings stand proudly around it but this is the most ornamented. A collonaded walkway leads to the large front doors, and the statues on the walk up each show a Taros worker through the ages, from crude stick wielding neolithics to a modern day, complete with sculpted cybernetics and advanced mining tools.

Billy pauses a moment, looking at the statue of the final statues. “...of course.” He whispers.

9:24 PM

He pulls his compad out examining the statue closely and dials Serin Saurian. “I just went to the museum like you suggested and something occurred to me. As you are the foremost experts in mining and mining technology, I thought it might be prudent to have one last follow up to request one of your top engineers to review the blueprints I have here to see if there is any way to enhance the mining capability of the shuttles. Call it one last check before we roll out production.”

His assistant responds to the message, advising you that the plans will be forwarded for review and any proposed alterations will be highlighted.

After thanking the assistant, Billy heads home.

Devnoc reports to you on the flight that Shriven stopped by the lab and spent a bit of time helping him work on the device. He was able to map the different types of kinetic energy it emitted, and it should make his work a bit easier

Excellent news, Devnoc. I’ll have to thank him. The time might be coming close for me to spending some more time in the lab. I’ll have to throw it on the schedule.  Exciting breakthroughs ahead!

The plane lands later that evening, with a couple hours of daylight left

(I’d like to check in at the shipyard and see the progress of the ship and see what the ship que is looking like as I have 4 shuttles to build. And Then I’ll drop by the parents house for dinner as they’ve in all likelihood have been working on the ship in some way.

Rigers One is being worked on, the shuttles will begin after that. An influx of cash by several parties has caused a backlog on the platform, and they can only assign one berth per client.

The next day, Billy wakes restlessly from dreams of cultists, and burning bodies falling from towers to splat on hard pavement only to rise moments later harshly mutilated with mechanical parts. To say it was a nightmare wouldn’t capture the feeling for him though. A fearful hunger for knowledge is what he is left with. To understand the things he fears, he must study, reconstruct and make whole if he can.

11:39 PM

He groans out of bed a headache pounding across his temple. “Vothe, would you grab me a pain killer, please?.... Thank you.” He moves slowly in the morning until a cup of coffee rejuvenates his senses.

Vothe has the pills laid out in a plastic sample cup, a cool glass of water next to it.

There is also a notification that the derelict has been towed into lunar orbit, pending further analysis

“There is still so much. That we don’t understand.” He says rubbing his eyes under his glasses. “There’s so much we are unprepared for and I don’t even know where to start....” He pauses as the notification pings on his coms channel. “Damnit, I’ve been waiting on this, but I just wanted to lay in bed all day. Looks like we got a mission, buddy. Call the crew, I’m going to need help getting this thing refueled, with systems running to assess exactly what the ship needs. From what I remember the systems weren’t actually damaged, just power lines cut and out of fuel. I want a full systems diagnostics of this thing, all the way down to its cargo capacity.”

"Should Devnoc be recalled from the lab for this?" Vothe asks. You can hear his core sending off messages to the rest of the team

Yes. Let him know. I’d like for him to be able to see where this came from. Perhaps he can find out more if he sees the ship as well.

The shuttle is prepared and everone arrives within the hour, ready for departure

(After checking his compad he waits for Desmond to arrive before heading to the ship.)

Seeing Desmond pull up to the shuttle, Billy waves him over. “Billy Rigers. Welcome. I figure we might as well get this over with before I have the colony calling the ship back for forensics later. Weird stuff happening on this ship.”

4:26 PM

@Chris Fury (Desmond)

Desmond nods, “If it’s the same people from Acasta then it will be about blood and insanity.”

The shuttle and the lone star pull into position nearby (I’m assuming you’ll be boarding from one of the two ships rather than both and starting separated?)

(Yeah That sounds fine.) “Alright crew, let’s see if we can get this baby running again. Desmond, let me go ahead and show you some of the more significant areas of the ship. They performed a brutal blood ritual on the deck and murdered more of the crew in the engine quarters. I assume you’ll want to take some pictures as you go along.

Desmond points to his electric

️ blue eyes. “These are

Cameras. Something I got working with Intelligence Gathering.”

5:57 PM

“Who owned this ship?”

“Fascinating,” Billy stares trying to make out the intricacies of a cybernetic eye. “Vothe, was the ship owner recorded in the data you pulled from the ship logs?”

Desmond thinks back to when he saw his first cult murder. The blood arranged in lines that seemed to defy geometry, the bodies gutted in deliberate and decadent poses.

"Acastus metalworks" Vothe says. "This was an experiment to see if small asteroids could be used as cheap ship hulls"

“Vothe is there any data on the success of the experiment? Clearly it works as a functional ship to some degree.”

"Ultimatley without an extensive - and expensive- sensor web to keep track of damage from microprojectiles and debris, the ships were found to be safety hazards"

"Acastus didn't have a high level of Technology compared to Greenbriar," Desmond said. "I took some bullets taking down a Cult series murderer called the Cobalt Killer. The injuries were deemed so bad and with my wife...gone...I was sent in cryo tank to Greenbriar who needed veteran law officers."

8:00 PM

"Its a planet long on struggle and superstition while short on science."

“Of course. That makes sense, Vothe. Thank you. I’m sorry to hear about your wife, Desmond.” “If we get this ship running, what kind of stats am I looking at? I never even stopped by the gunnery. I’ll head there now.”

Desmond thinks back on his wife's murder. Moving to Gudrun, working with Greenbriar, gave him distance from Acastus and less reminders. Did Billy just confirm that something is reaching all the way across that airless Star strewn space from Acastus to bring murder and malice to the people of Gudrun?

“Desmond. The bridge is up this way follow me.”

“Okay,” Desmond says. “You really had a tough encounter with these Cultists. Thanks for letting me look at the scene.”

5:25 AM

Desmond heads that way taking pictures that he will go over later.

The gunnery section on the ship is a simple multifocal laser. It was never meant to be a combat vessel, and its slipshod construction indicates its barely a vessel at all. You can hear Vothe clicking and whirring as he exhaustively chronicles everything passing by.

Desmond is on the lookout for clues as he follows. He will switch to Infra-Red occasionally to see if he picks up any strange heat signatures.

There is a fair amount of residual heat, and strange energy emissions coming from the engine section, where Billy had seen the strange dark cloud upon leaving. The entire ship feels, wrong somehow. Lines stop making normal geometric angles the longer you look at them. Strange sigils, originally made in blood, have left imprints behind as though they were burned in. They are a smokey gray now, as opposed to a charred black

8:00 AM

Some cleaning crew has apparently struggled valiantly to try to make the ship less of a biohazard

Desmond passes what he sees to Billy & Vothe.

Something rattles, and falls heavily in the darkness of the engineering cavity in the rear of the ship, and you can feel a sudden breeze against your skin, and your suits. It almost feels like someone is lightly dragging a finger along the places where the breeze makes contact

Desmond raises his Mag Rifle. “Billy,” Desmond says. “Get ready.”

There is a concussive sound, like a rolling thunderhead, slowly approaching. containers of tools, parts, and a mop bucket are knocked aside as the gas-that-is-not-a-gas expands down the corridor toward you

Desmond fires into the cloud

️ and says, “Let’s get off this suped up rock !”

He starts heading towards the way off with Billy and Vothe.

(lets do initiative since we've started shooting)

(I cannot roll until I get home from work. That will be 5 hours from now so please roll for me if it’s convenient. )

(No worries, need billy's too, so no rush)

Billy manually activates the bubbleseal in his armor and readies his weapon as well. (Initiative 9)

(How many days has it been since I fought in this ship?)

(4-5)

1:52 PM

(day to come back, you were getting some projects going, had the meeting in golgis, and then made the shuttle design)

1:54 PM

(desmond has 6, the shadow is slow and purposeful, and goes last)

Billy steps back trying to see something to shoot at and eyes the vent system again, glancing over at Desmond’s unprotected skin. “Shit!” He says backing toward airlock. “ Vothe, Let’s move!” As he runs he’s going to aim back behind him and see if his laser rifle will do anything to it. (15/11)

The beams seem to scatter the cloud for a second, before it reconstitutes itself, and continues its slow advance

3:24 PM

(desmond)

Desmond moves to the airlock firing his Mag Rifle

The rifle round passes through the oncoming cloud. <mental save both of you>

Nat 20

(6 vs 9) Failure!)

The cloud moves inexorably forward and two large red eyes appear in the gloom. Desmond feels a slow burn slowly spreading from his fingertips, beginning to flow down his arm (using neural burn cascade. 7 damage)

"Vothe battle mode engage. Lets burn this thing out with our lasers." pewpewpewpewpew (Crit hit with the AV Laser for 30 Damage)

1

The energy seems to be working better than solid round fire, and the shadow recoils in pain. Desmond hears a female voice, stroking his mind. So handsome this one, but such sadness inside. I can offer you a release, from pain, from want, from loneliness. All you have to do, is accept it

8:41 AM

(Desmond is up)

Desmond pulls out his laser pistol

and fires.

(You guys are about 2 rounds of movement from the ship, for reference)

9:44 AM

(I should have said that earlier

Desmond remembers seeing his wife in the morgue. His friends on the Police Force restricted the crime scene files so he could not view them.

9:47 AM

Desmond looks at Billy and says through gritted teeth. “Not doing so well...Billy”

(what was your damage desmond?)

10:04 AM

(to it)

(I can’t find laser pistol in my inventory, but I did ask for one in my cyborg arm compartment. So if you could roll for me or just rule since I didn’t save it to my inventory it’s not@there.)

(Sorry)

(no problem! , 5 damage)

10:44 AM

The shadow rocks back violently, and the burning sensation continues to spread down desmonds arm, into his chest (9 damage, back to billy)

Desmond breaks into a sweat

and his skin begins to look ashen.

Desmond is beginning to look a bit worse for wear, as billy and Vothe ready themselves to act. (1 turn away from the ship now()

Billy takes another shot. (23/10)

"Great shot Billy," Desmond says. "Should have packed my laser rifle."

The two bundle into the shuttle, and Desmond has a vision, as the mental link frays Acastus. The dark city streets. The ever falling rain. The night, lit by neon, and now, something else. An enormous pyramid, flat topped, made of polished jet, and shining gold. Hundreds of thousands of words...scripture, you realize, burn with a cherry red heat intensity Huddled masses endure the rain, surrounding the pyramid in a circle, packing every area the buildings are not. Silence reigns, but they all kneel as one. Their voices rise Hail Carnellia Rex, The Still Lady, Queen of the night!

7:31 PM

There is haunting laughter, as the vision ends, and the shuttle emergency jettisons away

Billy glances to the side. “Shit! The emergency shuttle just jettisoned!” coms “Everyone back to the ship, now!”

The pod, free of its moorings, hurtles toward the planet, on a bee-line for the nothern ice cap

Desmond calls out to Billy pointing down at the deck, “We don’t want that on Gudrun! That is a psychic parasite on a Cosmic Level! I’ve seen what the Still Lady does and, and...”

8:10 PM

Desmond stops. “And she lights a fever fueled by blood that can sicken cities into subjugation.”

The crew has finished piling into your own vessel, and the doors close behind Vothe, last in, ensuring everyone is clear

"Let's go blow it up!" Billy yells to Desmond. "Train the Lonestar's weapons on it!"

The lone star, under pilot Nancy chu, banks away from the hulk ship on an intercept course

8:28 PM

“Someone needs to get on the gunnery station!”

Billy Coms "Rigers to Greenbriar airspace, potentially hostile alien parasite hurtling towards the northern ice cap in an emergency shuttle. Shoot it down if possible. Lonestar and TFP shuttle in pursuit."

8:28 PM

Billy then runs to the gunnery

(The capsule can’t do anything but try to evade, so you can go first)

(What am I shooting with? Should I just roll as it were my laser pistol?)

(Its a torpedo launcher, d20+shoot+dex)

8:32 PM

+ab)

"Launching Torpedos" (15/16)

The escape pod shudders as the compact torpedo shears off one of its control fins.

8:36 PM

Its course alters slightly, now pushing it on track to land in the northern ocean

8:36 PM

(I tried to roll for AC boost, and missed the DC by 1, so its back to you)

Still on coms "Torpedos causing significant damage. Craft altering course toward northern sea. Reloading and firing torpedos again." (11/8)

The torpedo, still locked on the previous intercept course, explodes harmlessly as it misses the target and its internal fuse burns out

8:40 PM

This is Trivedi Cloud, it's moving too fast for our weapons batteries. We'll try. It will be in range in a moment

8:41 PM

(another 3 rounds for you, the platform will get a shot on round 4, in addition to you, after that, its gone)

(So just make 3 more shots then?)

Can I make a shot?

"Adjusting missile lock. Let's blow this thing out of the sky."

(If we want to speed it up. I'll roll for evasion accordingly. Does the lone star have any other weapons?)

15/11 damage

(Just torpedoes.)

(Whoever isn't shooting will give the other a +2, as Desmond arrives at the console and you work together)

8:44 PM

The capsule takes a second hit, its dive becoming very steep. projections show its still expected to survive re-entry

(I have a +8 to this, whoever is higher)

8:44 PM

(I'll have a +10 if you help)

(Okay, yours is higher, I'll assist)

8:46 PM

"Okay Nancy," Desmond says. "We need to make these count."

As Desmond enter's the cockpit, he flips a switch that Billy was unfamiliar with. (15/15) (14/8) "These are my last two shots, let's get this thing down!"

"You heard the man Nancy," Desmond says. "We're amphibious!"

The capsule disintegrates under the final salvo, trailing burning wreckage into Gudrun's atmosphere. There is a haunting, terrible laughter echoing in both of your minds, and Desmond is left with the utter certainty that his vision is Acastus now, not as it was, and that The Still Lady, while banished for now, is far from done.

8:49 PM

(sort of like a ringwraith, you've banished her manifestation for now, but over time, her energy will re-constitute at her temple)

(Loved it!)

(Hopefully it didn't train-wreck your vision, shoulda cleared that first)(

"Those torpedo shots just saved this Sector a whole mess of grief." Desmond says. "Great shooting."

(6xp, gents)

"Good flying Nancy!" Desmond says. "You now officially have Angel Wings."

"FUCK!" Billy yells over international airspace. "We got it, but I don't think we've seen the last of that damn thing." Billy tosses his headset off, forgetting to turn off coms. "Was she laughing in your head too? What was that Desmo- Ah shit." Bill turns off coms

"That was a little taste of my homeworld," Desmond sighs. "Which is why I love living here. I'm breaking out the whiskey."

"I can't wait to park this thing. I need a drink too" Nancy says. "Not while flying, of course"

"Do you mind if I have a shot of that, Desmond? We've got to get to that pyramid we took from the ship. Is it dangerous to have here?"

"Okay, Drinks on me at me at The Harvest Spirits!" Desmond makes a toast to the empty air. (I'll go back to my channel. Thanks @Paxcyan Wilder (Billy) and @Nekosmash )

You both feel quite changed by the experience. The spirit, energy, ghost, however the two of you define your universal experience, it left you seeing the world sharper, changed, somehow, as though you can now sense the vast cosmic web you are all part of

"You have WHAT!" Desmond says.

9:15 PM

(I guess we should play that pyramid out later.) Desmond pulls his bottle out and passes it to Billy.

Billy takes a long swig, making a slight wince when he passes the bottle back. "Yeah, that alien artifact that we pulled from the ship, those cultist were levitating it... like it was channeling some sort of energy through them."

Billy closes his eyes tightly. "Ah fuck me." He says doubling over. "That headache is back." His eyes seem a bit blurry and watery when he opens them again, squinting. "Lemme get one more swig of that, and then I can take you down to the research station. For now we can leave the asteroid ship in orbit. Something tells me nothing else is going to come from it for now. We can get a crew dismantling it for parts to stack up with all the other ship parts gathering on base.... Which, I have to get started on a solution for soon as well."

(we are at 892/1000 for the device)

(Oh cool. Getting close. I'm just intending on directing Desmond to look at it if he wishes.)

(Yeah. Our month did reset though so you’ve got another crack at it yourself

(Idk what Desmond is doing, but...) When Billy lands back at the base he heads straight over to the research base. On the way, he turns to Vothe and says “I need you to take this cred stick and make some plans for me. That’s 100k credits. There is a mass of busted up ship parts gathering at the base. I’m going to need you to begin strategizing on how best to build a factory line with bots and jack bodies to begin sorting good parts from bad parts and fixing what we can. Take your repair and industrial bots if you need to start sorting through some of parts from the Terezinho ship, the scrap from the battle of Rawhani and arrange for the dismantling of the asteroid ship for parts. With what we have we should be able to speed up the construction of the shipyard if not create a recycled parts to ship center right on base. We need a significant amount of small craft and other tech produced and not enough capacity right now to get it done as quickly as I’d like. Report to me when you think you have a decent plan and we can go from there. Seung May already have ideas that you could help with as well. I believe he may want assistance building some robots for some other purposes, perhaps our ventures would be sped along if worked jointly. I am going to go do some studying at the research center for the day. Understood?”

12:45 AM

“Oh, and feel free to take 25 of that and give yourself some upgrades. You’ve earned that.”

Desmond takes the bottle back. He sips a little, then takes a big swallow. "An older guy on the force at home, long time detective, believed the being behind the cult didn't just break the laws of our city, but broke the laws of reality. He had interviewed a fringe scientist that published a book about 'the extra-dimensional nature' of the crimes. That scientist died within a week of the publication." (Sorry I went to sleep.)

(No worries I wasn’t far behind you)

“Maybe there’s a way to use that power without... going crazy.”

"You had the same vision I did," Desmond says. "That was my planet. I'm sure you don't want the same thing here."

Billy thinks long and hard for a moment. “Was there any case of anyone using power like that for good? I mean i know it’s not psychic stuff, but there’s got to be more to it than just blood sacrifice rituals and demons... right? After all isn’t that what the remnant thinks of psychics? And I think we’ve proven them wrong.”

"Justice and the Law can be two separate things," Desmond says. "Power can corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Our own government, which use to be Greenbriar is now the UNW and what have we done to get there?"

“...” Desmond clenches his jaw. “I have personally killed hundreds of men and women, boarded ships and taken down research facilities where mutilated bodies were used as supplements for robotic armatures. I’ve seen pictures of the slaves they held. I’ve seen the blood rituals on that very ship and I say to you that we did the only logical thing there was to do and we will continue. We must destroy the idea that any life is wrong for being and those that would destroy that lose their own humanity. I can’t sleep at night because of some of the things I’ve had to do, even in these short months, but I don’t regret any of them and neither should you. We fight and we fight hard to make sure that nothing can tear us down. We learn from our enemies about paths not to take and technology that is useful. That’s what gives us a chance. That’s what gives me hope that some day we can live in peace. Someday, maybe I can retire and make luxury liners for civilians to visit the Stars.... Can I have another swig of that? I’ll buy you another bottle.”

Desmond hands back the whiskey. "I've had moments of peace. More here than on Acastus. I do have regrets and with some of your sleeplessness it sounds like you have concerns about consequences. Be as careful as you can. I'd blow that ship up and the pyramid but that is your concern. For myself I'm going to gear up and train up to deal with the supernatural Still Lady. We both know she will be back."

(Did you want your channel back? I don't want to slow down your game. Great mission by the way.)

(Both of you take a re-roll token for the good RP, If you feel a need to keep it going, keep it going)

“I will help you in fighting her Desmond. You have my word.”

"You've got mine and the Marshal commitment to help you if anything goes wrong with your explorations," Desmond says. "Keep the whiskey. I'm going to the Harvest Spirits after we drop you off and I'm buying some of new liquors there."

Billy takes the bottle in one hand and grips Desmond’s forearm in the other.

(We can end scene there. That was awesome guys it felt like watching a movie)

2

(Great!)

Desmond leaves and billy is once again left in the company of just Vothe, mulling over his second experience on the cult ship

“... What is it Vothe. You have something on your mind?”

"Your biological signature. It's different. Changed, somehow."

“Well I sure feel fuzzy. I’m going to the research station, maybe I’ll stop by medical and get a checkup. Just in case. Meanwhile, if you could begin building plans to recycle and repair those ship parts into functional ship pieces I’d be grateful. Part of that is going to involve building more robotic systems to automate the process. If you could link up with Seung and Agata... at least send them a message, I’d be grateful. And let me know when you’ve got it done. With the effort of you and Agata both, you should be able to make the Robotics section of the production process snowball pretty quickly. Run any blueprints or things that need blueprints by me and I will fix and alter them.”

Billy looks at Vothe for a second... “Fine. You can come with me for now. My biological signatures are just different because of this shit right here.” He shakes the half gone bottle. “I been drinkin’ Vothe. That’s what’s different. I been drinkin... shit.” Billy smirks to himself for half a second, shaking his head, before taking another long swig of the bottle and marches off toward the research base.

Devnoc is busy inside, and you sense that a breakthrough on the device is close. There are more sensors and far more information laid out then when last youd seen him

Billy places the bottle on the table with a hefty thud. “Devnoc. I have to know what this thing is. Let me have another crack at this. You’ve had a lot of progress since I was here last. This is great!

(lets do some experiments!)

(Yes let’s get in there with my newfound altered biology)

(Also your ship is done btw. End of the month)

2

Billy sits down to the bench where Devnoc has the device locked in place, with all sorts of instrumentation hooked up to it. “I can almost feel it, D. We’re right here.” The notification coms on his coms pad. “Your ship is ready.” It says in his ear. “This might turn out to be a good day after all.” (What do I roll for this again?)

(Let me check the book. I just had it pulled up too)

(Its routine, expermental, dangerous, with Dc of 9/10/12. It costs 200 or 400 credits x character level for expermental or dangerous. It's a know/int check, and I'll remind you, you do have a re-roll token)

(Would know magic apply?)

)in character we don’t know what’s what it is(

(Right! Of course.)

13 baby!

5:07 PM

(Shit I didn’t declare what that was but is was going for experimental.)

(character level x 2 research points generated)

So 14

(added. Really, doing exploring and stuff is going to generate the real RP)

5:10 PM

(Or cunning endeavors)

(Yeah, methinks that may be next.)

Billy spends a day in furious experimentation, and advances the study a bit more. His compad pings, as he is about to turn in for the night; Riger One is ready.

Billy bounces back up off the bed. “What! No way! It’s real. Haha yes!” He runs out grabbing his jacket on the way, sprinting back toward the shipyard.

The lifter gets you into space rather quickly, as though sympathizing with your enthusiam. The trivedi shipyards office is open 24/7, and upon entering, you're presented with a video of the ship's launch, the certified inspection certificate, and a reminder that six month maintenence is recommended to prevent unsatisfactory performance.

Billy is going to test out his new rig by blasting around the solar system for a few hours before heading back down to the planet.

The ship performs admirably , the work of the Trivedi shipyard impeccable as always

*When Billy is done he goes to the bar to grab another bottle to celebrate and start planning in the morning.”

"So about those asteroids"

“Silica is useful. Sure. I’m hoping to find core material asteroids though. Did you have something in mind?”

Shriven leans over intrigued.

“I’ve been too busy in engineering and physics books unfortunately.”

And I lean over here because I don’t think I can stand another of Ibrahim’s law stories

1

"Well, turns out if you hit an asteroid with a laser, it'll spin. Right?"

Shriven nods

10:40 PM

“Basic orbital mechanics.”

"Keep it up and the asteroid melts, and as it spins, it expands outward, simple physics.

“Yeesss. Anddd?”

10:40 PM

“Woah.. who needs to forge when you can just spin the thing in space.”

"So once you melt it, all the silica, less dense, will rise to the outside, and once it's separated,

10:41 PM

"Only the metals remain"

Billy’s eyes go wide. “I’ve been thinking about this all wrong, shit!”

"Oh but wait, we're talking about silica, not metals.

“Haha that’s amazing. Right on silica.”

"You can hit the disc with a pinpoint cutting laser from the side to spin the silica right into your ship's cargo bay!"

“If I may, I’d be interested in the metals. I’ve thinking thinking about doing some weapons experimentation”

"It should shoot off on a tangent, and you scoop it up with the ship."

10:43 PM

"I'm getting to the weapons."

10:43 PM

"Believe me, you will LOVE this"

“Oh great minds think alike apparently. I’m interested.”

Shriven’s interest is peaked again.

"That silica, you have some options. Leave it out in space, melt it in a ball, spin it in a disc, then slowly cool the disc- lowering the laser intensity- and you'll have a highly reflective, flat surface."

10:44 PM

"We're talking about a mirror, hundreds of meters in diameter."

10:45 PM

"You could make several balls, several mirrors."

“That sounds like a good way to warm a planet.”

"More than warm. Just wait."

“Like Miriam...” Shriven ponders

“Ooooohh I like where you’re going”

Billy’s eyes squint clearly calculating 6 things at once.

"You attach satpacks, drones, some kind of remote control to each mirror, to position them. Once you have a few dozen you'll need a collector, a higher quality parabolic mirror that will require processing- it has to be manufactured with precision."

10:48 PM

"Arm it with a control system, reflect sunlight with no atmosphere to hamper it into the collector, and pass it through a collator or some thing to focus your laser."

“You’re talking a death ray?”

"Aim it at more asteroids, more asteroids means more mirrors, more mirrors means more laser."

10:49 PM

You can build a tier 2 collector and aim all your tier 1's at it for petawatts

“More local defense net right?”

Billy sits back letting the straw fall from his mouth.

"We are talking cleaving corvettes in half."

10:50 PM

"Maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit, but you get the idea"

“If you use the same principles on a smaller scale, you could make handheld individuals as well. Of course you’ll need a power source but that’s not that difficult”

“Fuck me. That’s an exponential mining and defense. Holy shit.” Billy scrambles, pulling his mining shuttle blueprints up on his compad and begins to study it.

“They had one of those at earth but the thing you are forgetting is that the ECM blocks most of that kind of stuff. It works great until a hostile force with AI come and use them against you. You should have seen my commanders face when those things turned. I digress...”

10:51 PM

“It is a solid idea but the programming has to be spot on.”

“I don’t think you’re exaggerating that much at all, if you do a good job that is”

"Yes, this system I'm telling you about was run by an AI that eventually had to be replaced due to prioritizing mining jobs over crew vessels."

10:54 PM

"I have another idea to blow your mind when you're ready for it. But that can wait."

“Hmm. Dr. Thorn, would you mind detailing this plan and sending it over. The shipyard should be starting on my mining shuttles soon and I’d like to see if we can at least try to make a primitive version of this.”

10:55 PM

“Later then. Let’s talk. You’ve got ideas to rival my own.”

“Your getting into the mining game billy? Personally or the whole force?”

“I’d be more than happy to join the team. I’m a bit of a weapons expert”

"Let's keep in touch." hands you a business card

“I don’t have a business card, but it’s not that hard to find me”

“Doctor if you have the time I would love to see what you could draw up for a once fertile planet that is now covered in 10 ft of ice.”

"You know, as a matter of fact that's an interesting proposal. I may have some ideas, but now that I've established my expertise in consulting, I can't just give this stuff away" (edited)

“We have stopped the icing but the process is looking like it will take a few decades to right itself. Hopefully you have some good ideas... you would be compensated of course. Just ask billy.”

“Great minds Shriven.”

“Speaking of billy I have a few more blueprints I need designed do you have the time this month?”

“And no it’s not a personal venture. We need the material and funds. I’ve raise over a million credits for it between Golgis investors and Seung’s personal investment.”

"In that case, let's keep talking, make some goals. I'm in, though I have some shorter-term projects to finish before I can lend my full assistance"

“And you didn’t come to me I’m a little hurt.”

“I think I can fit you in. I have some things to set in motion.”

"So, Billy, Shriven, are we going in on this together or are we going to have to go to a bid for these plans?"

“Shriven, if you’d like you can still get in. It’s only enough for 4 ships. Next month we will need more. I’ll need at least 8 to get this operation to the size it needs to be. I was honestly going to go to you next.”

"Surely you haven't forgotten about little old Ibrahim."

"Ibrahim, are you in on this mining business as well?"

(Time is fluid here so we can keep convos going in both. As I don’t want to try to type this all out for the next few hours while we all catch up.)

(Yeah, but it's just me you down there while everyone is talking mining up here. Gets a little cold n lonely.) (edited)

“The mining operation is one being built by the task force. The investment from Golgis ensures that much of the material will flow through their forges but the funds generated and material is meant to build ships and robotic assistance for the task force. I hesitate on bringing everyone in, but if you plan turns out to be viable that’s an entirely new prospect, Dr.”

11:09 PM

“Shriven if you’d like to also invest I am sure some deals can be made between the task force and ad Astra. You know I can’t speak for the entire faction. It is however my pet project. I’m sure we could funnel some of the minerals for you to trade for us. Guarantee more work at the least. I’m sure there are planets hurting for metals.”

“Yeah like Rawhani.”

i made a story swap chat under general channels

11:13 PM

so we dont have to stop peoples advetures

Oh cool.

Writes on a napkin "In the presence of Judge Ibrahim as a witness, I hereby agree to work with Billy to provide consulting and diplomatic services in exchange for free laser time with permission, 10% of all profits (not gross earnings), and a consulting bonus for each step of the project, to be agreed upon by Billy and myself."

11:14 PM

(I think that's pretty reasonable, we can hash out any details later)

Ibrahim taps his temple, "I've taken a mental snap shot of that statement."

Dr. Thorn signs and offers the napkin to Billy

11:15 PM

"We are going to be so rich"

11:16 PM

"And by we, I mean UNW, of course"

He raises a brow with a smirk, "Mhm." (edited)

"Ibrahim, would you witness this statement for us?"

"Already have."

"Thank you, sir! Well now that that's out of the way. Baron? Do you have any breadsticks? I'm suddenly starving."

“I heard breadsticks!”

(time to transition to the pc-story-swap)

(Smart)

(Billy Rigers is typing)

11:22 PM

"What's on your mind?"

“I will agree to re-examine the current plan and determine increased efficiency of your plan of the current one and we can talk numbers at such a date. I certainly won’t say no to working with you, but I can’t agree to 10% simply on the basis that it may increase efficiency. I have to run the numbers on the cost of doing so and deployment time. I can begin my process within the week. You have certainly opened my eyes to new possibilities, but it may be too soon. I’ll give you 10k right now for your immediate insight already given. And you and I can convene at the research center to build this process aside from the current task force mission. That mission will continue as planned. I have a great feeling about this endeavor, but if we can truly create an exponential mining method, perhaps we can get you a better number. I am not authorized to sign for the task force in this moment. But I can promise that you and your ideas have promise and that certain parties would be more than happy to invest in you. Consider this 10k a start.”

11:26 PM

“I would give you more, but I just spent a million and a half credits on a new ship and I am short on personal funds.

Shriven grins, “First one hurts the most billy.”

“I wouldn’t have been able to start if it weren’t for your opportunity.”

"Thank you. I'm satisfied with this only because it has allowed me to provide insight into the value of consulting. The ideas I gave you were free, and if applied could make you the wealthiest man in our fair sector. I can say that I have left out several crucial details, such as the designs for the collator, and other ideas for planetary defense and infrastructure. If you have any tech I could put to use I would be glad to accept reimbursement in forms other than credits. For now, thanks for the 10K and we'll say you owe me a favor

(Off to bed take care all.)

“I am far from done with you, Dr. you can be reassured of that.”

11:29 PM

(Night!)

"And congratulations on your first ship."

“I believe we can still make this work. I’d like to see a wealthiest woman, myself. The brains behind such. A thing should be able to reap the reward. We will make it work, but we need to define monetary needs and efficiency. I want to nail down the numbers. You don’t have to loop me into the details if you don’t want to, but consulting’s seems beneath you. I am not being facetious when I say I am a brilliant engineer. Let’s make a real plan. So far it seems like a good one. I have... obligations with the current mining shuttle fleet plans, you understand.”

11:34 PM

“Perhaps we should speak with Seung. He would be the one to sign off on your offer. You’d have my backing.”

"Of course, when I say consulting, I mean providing just these sorts of ideas. Thank you for your support! I'm looking forward to great things ahead of us."

@Nekosmash (can I make an int/know roll to see what I think of the viability and increased efficiency that Dr. Camellia’s plan might bring to the operation, especially if it scales through time?)

11:40 PM

“On another note, I’ve got word that we’ce retrieved tons of alien animal proteins from a ship off Terezinho that I uncovered over a month ago. Perhaps you can get in touch with the task force to arrange for you to get your hands on some samples.”

(We're going to stick to the holdings rules for mining and stuff, I can't think of any kind of conceivable way to make something like that work mechanically, especially with the change to suns of gold holdings is still so fresh. We haven't even had time work out the kinks from the recent change)

11:41 PM

(It's a cool idea , and maybe down the road we can revisit it, but this is way beyond even thematically where the colony is right now)

11:41 PM

(Almost sounds like TL 5 or 6 stuff)

(Yeah I was kind of thinking that.)

(We've thrown a lot at this between the endeavor system, SOG holdings, and we are about to add magic. Lets let things simmer for a while)

2

(Hey I might have missed the holdings thing. What book is that from?)

(Suns Of gold. It’s how I redid all the factories and stuff. All the mines and pumps and whatnot are minor/major production centers now)

(Awesome thank you!)

phew walks out of the bar 10 grand heavier and 1 idea lighter

11:56 PM

(Honestly that was so much fun even if I think mirrors are TL3 at highest)

(Everyone’s far trading now so I had to convert it. Now it’s all by tonnage per month, and the holdings work like faction stuff. Can buy or upgrade one thing per month. The mirrors themselves yes but not the supporting stuff to go wit it)

(Yeah even if I didn’t make any game warping discoveries, I had some fun.

)

(We never got to talk about the magic aliens that are fucking with Billy’s brain! Maybe next time. :p)

(Ok I believe you)

The next morning, Billy awakens feeling fuzzy. “I am never drinking again” he says as he stumbles to the kitchen in his boxer briefs. A quick breakfast is cooked. Eggs/side of bacon/ration of water and a blended cocktail of nutrients. The breakfast montage quickly transitions to groaning and struggling to get dressed, shots of brushing teeth and sitting up against the wall passing back out after fully getting ready. Billy wakes again a few hours later, around noon, his clothes slightly askew.

10:44 AM

“Vothe-“ He says, voice cracking. “Did you send the funds to the shipyard to begin construction of the mining ships?”

“Not yet. You’d said last night you had alterations”

“Damnit. I gave her 10k. That’s a great plan in theory. But we don’t have the technological capability to build that just yet. My biological readings were off last night Vothe, remember? Put the order in. That’s 4 ships. A million and 16 thousand credits.” Slowly, Billy opens his eyes again leaning forward and finally stands, ready to approach the day.

“They still are” vothe says. “But I’ll do what you asked and send the order”

10:53 AM

(So to recap how many ships is that)

(That’s 4 Mining shuttles equipped with autonomous operation so it can just be operated by 1 person.)

Nekosmash 1/13/2019 11:07 AM

(Gotta update handouts now that it’s def happening)

Each ship takes 5 days to build

Yeah so you’ll have them by the end of the month. As far as production it’ll be a minor production center for common ingots)

(Awesome ty)

“Ok Vothe. I’ll stop ignoring it. We can go to medical. If I’m infected by that thing, I might as well just go float myself.” Billy stands, feeling a tightening of the chest. “Is it a similar reading that you got from the cultists?”

"It Is. Similar, but not the same"

"The cultists, their signatures were the same as that...that thing...yours has...hallmarks of it, but its woven through you differently."

“Well that’s a start... let’s go see how Devnoc is doing in the lab first. Can you schedule a check up for me?”

“I can. I’ll set it for an hour so you can get some nutrients in you”

1:12 PM

Vothe slithers off to the kitchen

“Right. Billy sits back down and just tries to focus his mind while Vothe messes around in the kitchen.

Vothe returns with a drink that looks like it might just be mud from outside

“Vothe... I don’t remember programming a cuisine sweet of software in your system. Is this a mud pie?”

“A quick search of local datalinks” he replies setting it down on the table

Billy downs it.

It has the consistency of mud, and somehow tastes worse, but almost right away you feel the headache clearing

“Wow, that’s awful. But it’s definitely working. Wow! You can’t flavor it up a bit? Make it taste like a smoothie?”

"I will do better next time" Vothe says with absolute certainty

“I don’t mean to be rude. It was a sincere question. If we can make this taste good, we could sell it it works so well, haha.”

"I appreciate the compliment" he says with a hint of being pleased. "I have called a ride to medical, if you;d still like to go"

“Well my reading are all funky, yes?”

"There's background energy somehow..yes" )he doesnt have the psi fittings to detect MES, so all he knows is something is different but not what(

"Alright, lets get going to medical and hook me up to all sorts of tests, I guess."

"I won't let them poke you too many times" the bot jokes, as the ride-request vehicle pulls up. "I'm going to have one of the bioscopics look over you, so its non invasive"

"Ha. Thanks, Vothe." *Billy looks at vothe wondering if he's really learning to joke all by himself. "Maybe there's more to you than I first thought."

(you dont know how close i was to making a transformers joke) The Trivedi sports car pulls up, and the valet throws you the keys

Billy catches them, caught off guard. (Is this... THE car?)

5:43 PM

or just a random sports car

(it sure is!)

Billy's jaw drops at the sheer sleek beauty of the Terezinho model. With a blur of motion he makes his way to the interior popping the engine compartment open immediately. A tear comes to his eye as the engine is revealed. "This is a work of art, Vothe... I can't wait to see how far I can push this stock model. What do you say we take a test drive?... OH- Forgive me. Here's your tip, sir. Go enjoy yourself.Votheletsgoletsgoletsgo!"

Vothe is curling himself into the passenger seat in a tight coil as you open the door for the drivers side, and step in. The interior is sleek, modern, but with a touch of class.

5:59 PM

The Trivedi Technologies logo is subtly wood-burned into the center console.

Billy starts the engines and listens for a moment and plays with all the buttons.

The sound system is impeccable, and everything behaves exactly as you'd envisioned, or better

I joy ride to the hospital. Take back roads etc.

THe hospital parking lot is fairly empty, your car the nicest, and one of the only vehicle in the lot. Vothe leads you in, an appointment made with Doona Ahn, on one of her increasingly rare hospital clinical rotations

“I guess I’m lucky you’re in today. Hey, I’ve been feeling a bit funny lately and Vothe here says my readings are off. Ever since we destroyed that alien on the cult ship. Maybe you heard the news.

"I heard some, yes, I was gratified to see you on the schedule while I was in." the petite Korean doctor spends a few moments in silence, eyes closed. The hair on your arms stands on end and you feel a faint pressure against your mind. It is gentle, like someone resting a hand on your shoulder, enough to know its there, but not painful.

6:41 AM

"You've been exposed to MES. Whatever that thing aboard the ship did, its re-written the pathways of your mind. You're sensitive to it now"

6:42 AM

"It's interesting though, its not the normal torched mental canal ways that normal MES uses. What are your symptoms? have you noticed anything strange?"

“Well... I also went out drinking last night, but headaches and cold sweats there have been a period or two of stray strings in my vision, but that’s really it... I feel fine now.”

"Well I've got good news and bad news, I can start with whichever you'd like"

Make me feel better first.

"Well, you're going to live, and you get to keep drinking" she places a hand on your shoulder, and you feel healthier than you have in years as the healing energies cleanse any lingering health issues. "The bad news, you've been exposed to this strange MES variant, and as well equipped as we are here with intelligent people, I'm not sure what the long term manifestation of this is going to be. In the light of the scream, there is so much we don't understand"

“I’ve never felt so amazing in my life than just now. You’re making my hair stand up. So, you give me hope. I’ll have to go figure it out. If you gain any insight from anyone else, please contact Devnoc at the research lab. He’s my main contact there and he is working on an artifact related to this... magic.” Billy waves his arm in the air frivolously.

"I do want to see what exactly he was doing in there. I'll reach out to him. Thank you for the lead"

“I’m headed down there to check in now. Would you like to ride along with me?”

"If you're going I'd be happy to accompany you" she retrieves her coat, a non descriptive gray windbreaker from her office, which is strange considering it is the middle of july, but she seems unbotherred by the heat.

“Come on, I just got the new sports car from Trivedi, it’ll be fun.”

Vothe curls himself up in the back area, and Doona sits in the passenger seat, admiring the vehicle quietly

11:22 AM

"Trivedi made this" she says under her breath "Wow:

“I found the blueprints for it on Terezinho and sold the plans to him when I got back. He made a few modifications, but ah! She rides like a dream.” Billy takes it easy until they get to a clear straightaway and the punches it, but he doesn’t speed the whole way there.

Hey Billy, I have another blueprint I need from you if you have time. Just one this time so I’m thinking half of what it was last time. (500k) Do you think you have time this month? No rush I just would like to have it before the start of next month and figured I would give you some time.

You see a colonial police officer on one of the back roads pull out behind you, lights on- but he must have scanned the registration and seen who it belonged to, because the car shuts off its lights, and turns down another street

11:38 AM

After a short drive, you park outside the lab

Billy parks the car. “Sorry, just one sec, seems Shriven of Ad Astra needs help on blueprints again. Lemme just shoot this message back to him and I can introduce you to Devnoc. Nice kid. Year or two younger than me.” He smiles.

11:56 AM

@Rey (Shriven)

It would be a pleasure, Shriven. Send over the details and I’ll get right to it. I’ve got some other blueprint work to do anyway so I might as well bundle my time.

1

12:00 PM

“Sorry about that. Right this way, Doctor.” Billy grins.

Doona follows you inside, instantly at home in the lab, having spent some time her herself, looking into the scream

"... And over here is Devnoc's office." He gives a light tap, before entering. "Devnoc, I've brought you Dr. Doona. She was interested in your work on the pyramid."

(Does the Free Merchant update apply to Riger One automatically or will I have to put it back in the shop?)

(It will apply now if you aren’t adding anything. It was being finished as this was discovered. If you’re applying a fitting or something new it may need time

(Ty! I can change stuff later. I'll just go ahead and add the power/mass n hp now... can that mass be converted directly to cargo space or is that adding more fittings?)

(Cargo space is a fitting of a sort, but if thats all youre adding, no need to wait)

(Cool done.)

Doona enters behind you. Devnoc looks exhausted, at the bleeding edge of staying awake. The pyramid no longer floats on its own accord, inert on the floor, its runes extinguished.

“Devnoc, you look exhausted. What happened to the pyramid?!”

"I. I applied heat. Saw notes from Dr. Thorn. Wanted to try something. Saw in a movie." he is breathing heavily, and you are looking at him sidelong, he is resting , back to one of the cabinets.

2:00 PM

"Something passed through me, went through the walls, outside, like a blue wave"

"A blue wave? Vothe take his readings."

Vothe records that his readings are similar to yours, and DOona confirms

2:15 PM

"He's the same as you, the readings" and then she gasps

2:16 PM

Devnoc finally turns his lolling head to face you, and you can see that half of his face, and neck, are pared open to the bone. flesh tries to reknit, covering the gashes in seconds, before putrefying, and rotting away, back to bone. the process repeats over and over

"What does that even mean? He's dying and regenerating rapidly?"

2:17 PM

(Do i see magic on him)

2:18 PM

(?)

2:19 PM

"Quarentine! We need a quarentine now!"

"Devnoc we're going to figure this out. We have some of the best biopsionisists around."

(not see it, but its certainly unnatural)

2:34 PM

Doona pulls you aside

2:34 PM

"Ive seen these kinds of injuries before"

"And!?"

"They can't be cured. Not with what we have at least. not even with bioscopics. Some of the ship crew I tried to treat in the wake of the disaster had similar. The minor ones I was able to at least reduce, but this...this is severe."

(I can I inspect him with witch finder?)

(sure!)

(7)

(I’m just re reading witch finder now. I want to make sure we do this right)

(What Page was that on billy I can’t find it)

P. 97 Witchfinder Expert/Warrior You’ve been trained in methods of identifying the presence of magic. For some witchfinders, this is a matter of natural talent, while others have been educated or consecrated to the work. Experienced witchfinders are also capable of breaking enchantments and dispelling existing hostile magical effects. Level 1: Gain Know Magic as a bonus skill. Magical energies are clearly visible and audible to you, both in the form of static enchantments and spells that have been cast. You can identify the general purpose of a spell or enchantment, getting a sentence worth of description of its overall intent. Only enchantments specifically designed to avoid detection have any chance of avoiding this notice, in which case you can make an opposed Wis/Know Magic versus Int/Cast Magic skill check against the original creator to overcome the deception. Level 2: You have a chance of being able to dispel an existing enchantment or magical effect, provided at least part of it is within arm’s reach of you. The attempt requires a Main Action and the gaining of one System Strain. The witchfinder may then make a Cha/Know Magic or Wis/Know Magic skill check against a difficulty of 7 plus the original caster’s Cast Magic skill; on a failure, the witchfinder cannot attempt to dispel this magic again, while on a success, the magic is broken. Particularly vast or wide-ranging enchantments may not be susceptible to this power.

Doona is able to identify that a bioscopic technique is working behind the scenes, evidently these emissions triggering some kind of latent ability in the scrawny younger child, Billy detects that there is another process fighting it, some kind of malus or, for a lack of better terms, curse. The two processes war with one another, Devnoc's body being the battlefield

9:08 PM

(Its random organ failure, the organ affected being his skin)

"Can we keep him alive? Can you and other bioscionisists help him last? I can find a cure, I'm sure of it. I... don't know why. I just need time. Perhaps with luck, we can cancel out the... curse that's eating you away, Devnoc. If we can do that, this rapid healing might be a gift." *Billy really dials in on him. "We will figure this out. You're not alone, D."

Incoming Message From Psyike

9:55 PM

Hey Billy! I dont know if you remember me from the other night, but I've got an idea for the future and I'm workiing my way towards it. Not that close yet, but hopefully not too far off. Anyways I was wondering if you'd want to work with me. I myself am also a BIT of a techy, with an emphasis on weapon. I'd like to at some point open a CUSTOM weapons shop and was wondering if you'd like to work with me. I dunno maybe its not your thing. Shouldnt be a big deal shop, but just a place where people can come to get whatever weapon they could dream of. Don't have much else planned out, but yeah. Anyways, think about it. Its kinda far off so youve got some time XD

“I can keep him alive” doona says. “The bioscipic healing he’s subconsciously manifesting is doing that already, but for a lack of words we need to dispel this curse somehow

Respond at your convenience

“The way it’s eating his flesh. It’s like a reverse of the same technique”

"And you've never heard of any cases where this was treated successfully?"

“I’ve never heard of any cases of this before the scream”

Hey Billy.
thank you for your input. Your experience with custom building is why I contacted you. I will remain in contact with you over the next few months as I plan this. Thanks for your help :)

"Devnoc, I know you're in pain. We need a full report of what happened last night. I've been hearing reports of the strange blue wave you're speaking of. You were right at the epicenter of it. If I can't figure out how to dispel your curse, I will try a technological solution. Either way, you have me on the case. I'm going to do my best, D."

“It’s not much more than what I told you” he says. His jaw clacks wetly as the skin enters a regrowth cycle. “I’ve been working on they pyramid for a while. Some kind of energy nexus. We knew that already. I applied some heat. Tried to open it up. Some symbols covered the outside and then it just opened”

“You said it opened and energy spilled out in a blue wave. It spread over the colony at least. Was there anything else inside?” (edited)

“Empty” devnoc says. (With you passing your check, it would feel inert now to you too

"Devnoc... I think we released some strange power... and I don't think it's gone. It's obviously still working on you. I've felt strange since my interaction with that Still Bitch. I know you're not having a great time, but you seem... functional at least. Can we give him medication for the discomfort and put him in some sort of power armor or something so he can at least go about society?"

“We can do those thing s even a ship suit with a tinted helmet”

6:33 PM

(Unless you want him to have power armor)

"D... ship suit or power armor?"

6:43 PM

We can paint it. Make it look cool.

“Ship suit. It won’t bother me much”. His pain seems to be ebbing a bit And he works himself into a kneeling position

“I’ll build you a custom fitted one. “

7:28 PM

In the meantime, have some rest. You’ve earned it.

“I trust you boss” he smiles, haunting with half of his face in constant flux

Incoming message from Dr. Camellia Thorn

Billy- I heard you're a natural with ship design. I have some funds available and I would like to start the construction of a personal free merchant on Trivedi cloud as soon as possible. Is there anything you can do to help me maximize my investment? Please get in touch when you have time. -Cam

(edited)

“Ya know once you get used to it, it’s actually really badass. You’d be a beast on the battlefield now, for sure.”

“When does the task force go back out?”

8:48 PM

“I want to get my mind off all this. I can’t even go home”

“There are missions headed out in the morning. You can stay at my place tonight. I will be heading out too. I’m thinking... Acastus might be too much with just my ship. We need to find out more about this power and I’m sure you’re ready for that as well. Acastus seems like the place to start with that... there very-well might be a big battle coming. We’ve got many enemies now. Bigger targets and all. Let me check with the command center.”

(You May wanna get Desmond aboard since it’s his home. Expert guide and all)

8:55 PM

(He’s in between jobs right now. Won’t get any easier than this)

(Yeah I’m taking him back on my crew.)

8:57 PM

(I wasn’t saying that he should go anywhere else but with me.)

8:57 PM

“My ship is your home. Always will be, D.”

8:58 PM

“We’ve been in this together since day one and I’ve missed you on my crew.”

9:00 PM

“Jules n Kady will be glad to have you back too. They’ve been complaining about the noobies.”

(Desmond. The marshal)

(Oh! I skipped over the name! Yes.)

Good to hear that I found the right man for the job. Shriven has wired 1.1 million to Trivedi Cloud for the ship, and they are waiting for my design submission. I'm looking for a Spike 2-1 or 3 free merchant for far trading, surveying, diplomatic relations and wilderness exploration. For fittings, I'll especially require an advanced lab, amphibious operation, and a bit of cargo space. Attached is a 1.8-million budget ship that fits; could you optimize this plan for a 2.0-million budget? The drive, lab, amphibious op and cargo are the essentials, but the extras I've selected here and better defenses than multifocals would be welcome.

Image attached.

"Hmm a message from Dr. Thorn. Perhaps I can make a bit of cash working some blueprints tonight and then, we will head out asap. I'll go ahead and let Desmond know we'll be making a trip to his home planet as well."

9:23 PM

Are you saying your budget on the ship is 2 million and I have free reign to optimize your current blueprints and add up to two million in enhancements?

I'd like to agree on your fee before I see any results of course. My budget is 2 million total, and if that's entirely unrealistic I can return when I have more capital available.

I built my ship for 1.4.  I'd say a 2 million dollar ship is quite reasonable.  Let me see what I can do.  I can halve the price of any modifications you are making as well as reduce your required hull components by 2.  You came to the right place.

(I'm going to recreate this in my spreadsheet! I'll get back to you soon.)

Devnoc finally feels safe enough to get some rest, falling asleep to the scratching sound of your data pen

After spending hours correcting the blueprints and reconfiguring power/mass ratios and adding additional perks, Billy signs off, hoping to hear from Desmond in the morning.

(I think we will do the interrogation in desmonds channel since it was already, semi-starting, then you two can just buddy up in there as we go to Acastus. Just plan your jump route for me in case I need to generate any worlds on the way)

Good morning, Billy! I trust you to handle getting our design over to the Cloud. Let me know when you decide on the materials or credits for your fee, and I'll wire the transfer over.

(I'm planning on going from Gudrun to Halia 0203 to Suha 0402 to Acastus 0701)

"Vothe, can you arrange for the shipyard to refit Riger One with Scanners for our trip. We might as well get our data while we're out there. Send them the 50k from my account."

"it will be done" Vothe leaves the room to begin making the calculations

Thank you Vothe.

(With the armory on my ship are there any restrictions to which weapons/ armor the crew can have other than lower than TL5?)

(I feel like I saw somewhere it was up to 1,000 credits)

7:14 PM

(So that you cant just write yourself in a suit of power armor, but I can check again)

Armory: Rather than maintaining lengthy lists of ship equipment, a captain can simply buy an armory. Ships so equipped have whatever amounts of TL4 military-grade weaponry and armor that a crew might require, and integral maintenance facilities for its upkeep. There is enough gear available to outfit the entire crew for normal use, but giving it away or losing it in use may deplete it.

7:15 PM

Yeah it's kind of ambiguious on its own.

Sounds like your original interpretation was easiest

7:17 PM

And most accurate

1

Cool cool. It's just kind of handwavey, like yeah we're at a point now that yeah just go to the armory, you probably got it there.

7:18 PM

Makes sense though. If I spent 100k in equipment, I wouldn't want to keep track of it all haha.

(One of those best judgment things. Let’s just keep the lines of communication open)

(I want to outfit Jules and Kady to be my space marines.)

7:21 PM

(And trade out my laser rifle for a Mag Rifle.)

(Very good)

(I added a bunch of goals to my character sheet to become current.)

(Awesome I’ll check em out)

(Speaking of which, would you consider my goal of "Encourage business relationships to increase capital complete?)

(yes)

(Sweet! That gives me enough xp to level to 8)

Billy has the Uber lead them back to the base where he takes the blitzer and has Vothe come drive us off to an open field somewhere so he's not drunk driving on any roads.

"So responsible" Hailey says laughing and still a little tipsy. "Thanks for taking me"

"Haha, you're gonna love this." The Billy Blitzer is a hastily thrown together, fast military vehichle with large doors welded to the side to deploy for extra cover. The entire thing is built onto a boat trailer frame with an armor shell. Bullet scars are clear all over the thing. Inside, there is a huge machine gun pointed out the front. And for the next while Billy whiles out in the field with doughnuts and then finds a good spot to shoot off some rounds at some targets.

"...It's beautiful, I love it!" Hailey runs around inspecting the thing. "It's clearly been through hell and back and isn't to be underestimated haha. Definitely has character " She has a blast doing donuts in the field, then tries here hand with the targets and the gun.

"All that driving around and shooting has made it pretty hot in here. You wanna go up to lay on the roof?"

“Oh yeah sure. That’s probably a good idea.” Hailey follows Billy up onto the roof of the Blitzer.

"You ever just lay back and look at the stars and wonder which one of them might be earth?" Billy ponders, laid back across the still warm armored steel, a balled up jacket beging used for a pillow.

“...It’s a shame. I don’t think I’ll ever get to see it. With all that’s been happening lately... all the death. I don’t know if I’ll manage to live to be very old... kinda makes me stop to think, like.” Billy sits up slightly on his elbow. “Where do you find the space to live in all this mess? Why am I doing all this?.. I mean we are doing some reEally big things right now but there’s just something nagging at me that makes me feel like I’m missing out... you know, people like me and you have been robbed of our youth. Everything, just going to Hell all at once like that. I was supposed to be a Dr. At least that’s what my parents wanted from me... You know you’ve got one hell of a personality. I like you. But I don’t know a damn thing about you and here I am telling you my innermost thoughts.”

3:00 AM

“Who are you?”

She nods at Billy’s original question about Earth. As he talks about his ‘innermost thoughts’, she listens along. His final question surprises her. “In all honestly, I’m not sure. Up until just a couple months ago, I was more concerned with finding my next meal than the fate of the galaxy and doing good and all that. And then ever since I’ve started working with, ya know, you guys, things have just completely changed. I guess what I’m trying to say is, ever since I’ve started looking after greater things before myself, I’ve seen things quickly getting better for me too. I dunno if that answers your question at all. It’s not much in terms of backstory.” She gives a little awkward laugh.

“N-no, I think that’s very insightful and rings true... me as well.”

“So who I am now, I’m workin on figuring that out.”

“I think that will always be the case for everyone.”

She turns to him. “How bout you? You got something that makes you tick?”

“Curiosity. Exploration. Experimentation.”

“Haha Got that branded beneath your logo?”

Billy turns to her. “I haven’t had time to really stop and think about myself...” Billy laughs and pulls up his shirt. “Yeah right here across the stomach.”

Shes a little taken off guard and laughs. “well at least you have your priorities straight haha”

(There’s no tattoos there.)

(I know)

“The sun should be coming up over that ridge soon. I think we may have lost track of time, Miss Clements.”

“Oh you’re right. Too bad. Should make our way out I guess.”

“To be honest, I’d rather just stay here and make out with you on top of this scrap bucket for the next hour before we have to come back to our senses.”

9:21 AM

“But you know. We can get you home of course.”

Hailey is sort of stunned again for the second time that night. She smiles embarrassed and looks away. “...really? I....no I wouldn’t, I wouldn’t mind that”

-Aaand scene as Billy leans in-

(Cut to getting back to HS?)

(we can move into personal threads again when you're finished. TFP cornering the market on Pc relationships hahaha)

(Hahahaha Yes.)

(Alright)

Pretty sure Billy has no clue what he’s doing.

They arrive back at HS and Hailey hops out of the car.

9:46 AM

(Haha no worries)

9:48 AM

She makes her way over to her bike, ready to head home.

“Thanks!” Billy calls out awkwardly as she leaves, immediately overthinking everything, but stuck in this, never kissed a girl before glow.

(Is this day 2 of UNW talks now?)

She turns back before riding away and winks. “You know how to find me if you want.”

1

Hey Hailey! I hope you had a memorable night. Come find me at the Trivedi Cloud inspection offices when you wake up. Take your time.

(yeah)

(Billy drops Cam off who has been passed out in the Blitzer the entire time. Complete with weekend at Bernie’s type selfies.)

(Oh no lol)

“Vothe, I think I’m going to need another one of your shakes and breakfast back home before these talks.”

(I thought there was a lift?)

(Haha there was. It was just funny imagery)

(Got it Lol)

Vothe makes the shakes, again, the consistency and taste is still the same despite promises to do better

B. Rigers- I was not privy to the meeting, or I would have been there. Were there invites? I don't know what discretion Shua speaks of that would cause them to want to blast Leda. We are a very peaceful people, though I do not know what things are like post-scream.  If they consider Leda as an enemy, I don't know if I would trust them. The planet was founded on ideals of equality, civil liberties, and social, ecomonic, and environmental justice. The only problem we've historically have run into are from oppressive societies who take issue with the asylum we give refugees fleeing injustice or from folks who want to exploit our protected lands for resources.

(edited)

9:27 PM

(Tl;dr- we are bunch of nice hippies. Who'd want to hurt us unless they are not nice?)

(If I had to characterize the current issue, shua is mad about a sin of omission rather than commission. The promised help never arrived)

Melora,
I believe messages were sent out. (The looking for group thread I think was the invite from Neko to everyone.)
The people of Shua are upset about an apparent lack of aid that was promised them when defending against the Tenebran and that only deepened after the scream when the Remnant came and took their ships. I am headed back toward that direction in the near future to pick up my man from Acastus and attempt to aid the resistance there. Shua is on the way and your homeworld is just one unmapped spike jump from there. I thought I should let you know of the opportunity to travel that way. I don’t know if we can convince the entire world or not.

@agape.eris#3597 (edited)

(It was open to everyone. That’s why it was in looking for group. Ref: my posts at 835am and 1134am yesterday)

9:43 PM

(I wasn’t sure on your availability either melora. Our last conversation was you anticipating being gone for at least a few days)

(I wasn't looking for things so I never saw it)

1

9:53 PM

I would like to travel that way. Please let me know when you plan to depart

Of course. I plan on transporting a full cargo of aid for the Acastus resistance. But let me know if you would intend on bringing anything specifically.

(let me generate how many tons of arms pops made this month, we had so much i didnt roll him, but now they're gone)

(I want to see if I can make some warbots and Expert system drones as well as arms and colonial supplies (food medicine etc)

9:32 AM

(I know Trivedi is an option, but I know Seung has been building robots recently so I’d like to see If we can like... ikea some robots in crates type of deal.)

(like as a trade good?)

(I mean yeah. Military industrial complex goods I guess. Haha. Yeah The UNW told me they didn’t have the men to help out so Billy wants to make extra bodies. Both in robotics and drones.

(I think an export model would be a research project, and im going to have to figure out tonnage per bot too, so we know how many frames makes a ton)

(I was talking about this with Seung earlier and he was starting to be swayed on the military aid idea because he has Rebels Of his own on Sumati.)

9:37 AM

(We has been discussing turning some of the robotics he’s been producing into a minor/major production in the coming months)

Billy goes to the robotics construction area to oversee the operation with Vothe and Eyebot to begin the concoction of a plan and to see if there is room for increased efficiencies or effectiveness in the production facility.

9:51 AM

(He’s also going to put in an order to Trivedi for 10 Expert system sleeper drones with mounted laser pistols, sensor transparency, and then he will essentially mix and match the 4th fitting to create different drones for specific purposes. A med enabled drone, a spy drone with optics, one with a bigger gun, holoskin, faster racing gravitics, etc. to be crated and prepared as cargo for aid to Acastus.)

The facility can be converted to a production facility, but 1,000 more workers will need to be added to task force payroll

9:56 AM

it is currently within colony scope, but more people will be needed soon

(Do Expert system workers count and I can spend credits on it or we need to employ some piggen/Taros and put up job postings?)

(I think a discussion on payment/the role of robotic workers is best left for a future unity session, to avoid us needing to do any retconning lets use the unemployed Rawhani refugees for now)

9:59 AM

(I am leery of opening the 'lets make working bots so we dont have to worry about payroll and can make a million holdings' door)

10:00 AM

(I'm currently discussing AI assistants with the mods as well, since its getting a little spammy with people making bots to compensate for what their characters are bad at)

(Ah makes sense. I would have just said the maintenance of the bots and technicians required would make the credit expense the same anyway. It’s just a resources thing at that point. But yeah that works.)

10:01 AM

(I’d rather use actual labor anyway.)

(it's more the population also being a limiting factor as far as holdings, we have gotten to the point where money is no object for a lot of you)

10:01 AM

(which is fine, but its up to me to be a responsible steward of the game and ensure theres still a level of challenge)

(Yeah. I was thinking I could potentially attract more citizens to the colony to increase the population of greenbriar with good jobs. Idk if that would require a media campaign or what.)

(that and bringing in from off-world, or from deep space)

(Yeah that too. There are plenty of bodies out there. Maybe The UNW needs to figure out their immigration policy.)

While investigating the robotics production that Seung has going on, Billy details a set of plans to build a military grade robotics production facility and attaches it with a note to Seung.

Seung. I’ve just toured your robot production. The pace at which these robots are regenerating themselves is quite impressive, though they will need extra resources to continue production. On that note, I have attached plans for a production facility in order for us to begin producing warbots and drones. Military Industrial technologies that we can deploy to rebel groups. As the UNW has refused aid to Acastus, I will have to take it upon myself to fund this venture, but I assume that you will need these products to support Rebels on sumati as well. Additional labor will be required. So aside from hiring the Rahwani refugees, but also, the promise of good work could attract people from the Piggen/Taros and offworlders as well. Thoughts?

@Seung Whitaker (Severus/Marina)

Billy taps his foot for a moment contemplating everything that’s happened in the past months all at once. “Moon terraforming, Terezinho...the sunken shipyard... oh my god that’s a lot of scrap parts that I forgot about” he mutters under his breath.

Then Billy just sits down in silence, brows furrowed, for what feels like a very long time. (Billy’s mind is racing right now trying to find the solution. All tech based for the moment. Realizing the limiting factor on labor, he thinks to all available workforce’s and resources he’s come across. And he just sits there amidst the whir of working robotics in deep contemplation.)

(we're trying to figure this out too. One of the main themes of the game is scarcity, so when you get a new animal, or a new good, or credits, its a big deal. I'm just trying to figure this out)

(Yeah I hear you. Don’t pressure yourself too much. I’m patient and it makes sense that it’s more complicated than just ordering it up from the local ikea.)

(do we want to get into something else in the meantime? maybe billy clears his mind? theres some new planets in 1N that have been discovered)

(Yeah I just want to set up prep for the return to Acastus in motion and then we can head out on another mission. I have to go sit down and look at 1N because that’s dope AF too.)

12:50 PM

(Do we can say that the stuff is in motion and figure out details later.)

(yeah)

12:50 PM

(the government wheels are turning, both IRL and in game lol)

For the immediate moment, Billy will stand from his thoughts and go to Riger One to mess with the engine to clear his head. (I want to install a drill upgrade mod to Riger One giving it spike 4)

(sounds good!) Billy spends a couple days totally absorbed in installing the drill upgrade, working with actual gears and levers, while the metaphorical ones of government drone on.

(Subtracted the funds for that. and realized I didn't spend any skill points when I leveled to 8. I just rolled hit points.)

(Yeah if you’ve got something you can take fire it up)

"Man it feels better to work with bolts I can turn sometimes. People are so much harder to pursuade." He says wiping his grease stained brow, patting Stearn on the back. "I think we're going places with this thing, buddy!" "I'm going to go see about getting that assistance going and find us a job to do in the meantime as the preparations get in order. From what it sounds like, this new fleshshaper threat is just leaps and bounds ahead of us and we don't have the men to fight against them. We're going to have to throw iron bodies at these iron stars to soak some of their numbers.... Lots of people are going to die. Let's just make sure it's not us, eh?"

5:37 PM

Billy makes the appropriate calls and get a handle on the robotic node manual to study up on. Before checking the board for work.

New planets have been discovered to the north, and east, and there are always endeavors available.

(Lmk how many credits I'll need to deduct for this sort of thing or if I'll need to play through any interactions there)

Billy coms back a little later. "Stearn, how do you feel about going on another exploratory mission? There is a world called Elkano that I find very interesting. It seems to have at one point have harbored life, but something wiped everything off the planet. Lets make sure we grab all of our survival gear, water, extra vacc suits and whatever we need to protect from radiation for the ship's locker. Maybe we'll be able to salvage something out there. There is another system along the way where we could stop. The report said something about iron rich moons. I wouldn't mind doing a flyby there as well."

(Also... can Billy finally get his first Cybernetic Enhancement? A Drone Control Link and purchase a set of 5 primitive drones with weapon fitting laser pistol on them since his last one was ejected into space? I'd also like to buy a drone to inhabit Riger One to act as the medical professional in absence of a real doctor. Sleeper Drone equipped with: Observation Suite, Medical Support, Expert System, and weapon fitting: Thermal Pistol Total cost: 38,300)

(The enhancement will take a day. I’d say Vapormills would be the best place to get it. So the cost there. As far as the drones we don’t necessarily have to rp with pops. He can do them the same day if you go there first. The sleeper will be an additional day)

(So can the sleeper start construction at the same time as the cyberware?)

6:36 PM

(Either way that's fine to spend a few days on downtime getting that stuff taken care of. before I set off toward Elkano with the crew.)

(Yeah you’ll just order it from pops before the Vapormills folks put you under the knife )

(Sounds fun!)

(Up to you where you wanna pick up)

(I'm fine fast forwarding to spiking off into spike space if the other things are in process. Montage! I think I'm ready for a Montage!

Montage! Of money changing hands, pops and billy laughing at a joke though silent due to the up tempo music. A Taros surgeon with a scalpel leaning over him, a medical bot chasing him with a syringe and bleeping about shots, and then finally, the music ends and we are outside Rigers one, about to head to elks I

7:57 PM

Elkano

And the fast forward of the montage sudenly slows to normal time as billy climbs up the ramp to Riger One. Billy looks directly into the camera and says with a smile, "I hope you're ready for another adventure! We're off to Tsiolakoudi for a quick pit stop and then on to death planet Elkano!" And the camera pans back one click to see that you're watching from vothe's perspective as a shaky video of aTsiolakoudi flyby replays in Vothe's vision before you pan back in to real time; Riger One spiking into space right in front of the camera. A digital overlay falls into place one letter at a time. Sector 0709 Tsiolakoudi

8:14 PM

On the bridge, the crew gathers at the forward facing window to look out at the new system, Billy setting aside his latest mod project.

Tsiolakoudi is a gas giant. The probe was unable to confirm the mixture. It is orbited by two iron rich moons, both of them rocky and equally barren

(Would a system scan yeild any additional info?)

(Yeah)

Billy hops into the co-pilot chair. "Lets see what we've got here. Those moons seem like they might be a good spot for a forward base of some sort. Or at least some mining activity. Gas giant could be useful for refining fuels of some sort." (Program/int=13.... 11 if eyebot doesn't count toward that check.)

Helium 3 is in abundance at this gas giant, and Vothe has an accompanying article: Much speculation has been made over the possibility of helium-3 as a future energy source. Unlike most other nuclear fusion reactions, the fusion of helium-3 atoms releases large amounts of energy without causing the surrounding material to become radioactive. However, the temperatures required to achieve helium-3 fusion reactions are much higher than in traditional fusion reactions,[3] and the process may unavoidably create other reactions that themselves would cause the surrounding material to become radioactive

"Vothe. Did you download the entirety of the Greenbriar encyclopedia?"

"Maybe" he says, slithering over to another engineering compartment

Billy follows. "Vothe you are exceeding expectations. Do you mind if I run a diagnostics on your learning algorithms? I don't want to change anything, I'm just... proud, I guess."

8:42 PM

"Either way, this is a fantastic revelation! If we can put some of this material into rigorous research, this could greatly change things! What a discovery."

8:42 PM

(Can you pin the Helium 3 to this channel?)

Nekosmash 1/30/2019 8:43 PM

(its on the handout now too)

Oh perfect. That will be a fun research item.

"It is beautiful. We'll have to get to mining and experimenting with that gas soon. Thank you for that info, Vothe. For now, lets get on to the next stop though."

Heading into spike space you arrive over elkano two days later. Almost immediately upon entering the space something begins tugging at your mind. Something primal. Something that wants you to run

"Do you feel that?" He looks to his crew as the hair on the back of his neck stands.

Billy’s magical detection senses are abuzz. The entire world reeks of death magic. All centered on one point on the surface

9:35 PM

(There should be a map available)

"Oh my stars... this entire planet is drenched in death magic. It's pouring out of.. that right there." (Is it the crystals or temple mortalis?)

9:39 PM

"I... we cannot go down there.... m-maybe I can drop drones down, but we cannot. What do the sensors say? Vothe are you picking up this anomaly?" Billy's eyes grow wide with terror.

"No! D-D-don't go toward it, Stearn. We have 6 hours to wait. Let's just hold off, scan the system and get out of here. If we can shoot that fucking temple from space, lets do it and jet. Fuck this place." *Billy shivers as he walks back to the cargo area squinting his eyes from the strange feeling."

(That's billy's first overreaction. He might change his mind given 6 hours to sit with the feeling.)

Billy has a vision of hundreds of flesh shaper like creatures descending on the world. A large cathedral is raised from metal and stone, flesh providing the mortar. Several willingly gave their bodies over to its construction. An object that resembles a black seed, but far larger , was placed inside and energy began to trickle in from the recent deaths of those in the temple walls. Other packs of shapers spread out, culling wildlife. Leviathans were dragged from the ocean, left on beaches to suffer and suffocate. The large sky striders were downed, their wings clipped, their beaks torn, left to agonize and starve. Care was taken to prolong the deaths of everything on world, their suffering and passing feeding the giant seed. The flesh shapers on world were last, a ritual suicide fueling the final stretch to awaken the device. It seems to have not been enough though, it continues to feed off the residual death energy even now.

(So from what I gather it’s not just some thing that causes death to anyone that lands on the surface of the planet. This was systematic and caused by fleshshapers. Great. These guys are terrifying.)

9:51 AM

Billy walks back to the cockpit, tears and fury clearly strewn across his face. “Hold on that spike jump, Stearn. This is so much more than a simple die off. This was a systematic killing by the fleshshapers. I’m afraid of what’s down here but I cannot run away from this horror. Fly down to this temple and let us try to get a closer look. Did you complete the system scan? Is there radioactivity or anything?”

(Yeah whatever they’re growing needs to have death energy around it to complete. They didn’t get enough from what you can surmise)

Hello Billy,  I was wondering if I could contact your connections from Shua.  I would like to figure out what the conflict is between planets, as a sort of ambassador

(All plantlife is dead as well?)

(yeah, there are like the dead tree husks left behind but the actual living/growing part is over and done with)

(Can i get a system scan in to see if there is anything caustic in the atmosphere/oceans before we go down there?)

(its safe for life still there just isnt any of it

(Ok great.) "It almost seems foolish to kill all life if you want to charge something based on death magic. You'll have a lot more death if you continue life on the planet. This is not only horrific but absolutely assinine and clearly miscalculating."

1:21 PM

"Stearn lets take the ship down to the surface. I'd like to do some low flybys to get some close up footage of the scenery, deaths on shores and ruins on the planet if any. Then we'll head for the temple."

(Are we just in here)

1:21 PM

(?)

(yeah, rather than split it inot a channel now and re copy

(

)

Camellia Thorn stares out the window in silence, aghast (edited)

Hailey snaps out of her daze and turns to watch out the ship

The ship heads down into the dry atmosphere. Nothing picks up on bioscans. There are no birds. No animals. No fish. Not even plants. Microbial life has been stripped from the world

(silence from the doc)

Do we see any skeletal remains of any sort? I'd like to go take some bone and tree husk samples before we get to the temple as well as soil samples.

There are the remains of ships and the massive skeletons of several beasts either brought down from the sky or dragged into land

1:32 PM

(From space you’d see a few different sites

(As in spaceships or sailing ships?)

(Sailing ships)

Dr. Thorn is grateful to hear that Billy feels the same way she does about this planet

1:35 PM

She can't tear her eyes away from the window.

“I’m just....baffled...” Hailey can’t figure out where to look.

"I... I think this is salvageable. This planet I mean. Dr. Thorn, this may be one of your greatest accomplishments if you can bring life back to this planet.... but we must get to the source of this. It's sitting right there at the temple."

1:37 PM

"The fleshshapers are not just technologically more advanced than us. They are using the same power we found on Acastus."

"The fleshshapers did this?"

1:38 PM

"Why-"

"I... was overcome with a vision when we got in system of the fleshshapers ariving here and slaughtering everything to feed this seed at the temple. They even sacrificed themselves to build the temple and sacrificed themselves to try and complete their ritual, but it wasn't enough."

“You think you’re up to it? Also fill me in. The power from Acastus?”

"Hailey." Billy looks over at here with a concerned look in his eyes. "We are dealing with something beyond the current understanding of metadimensional energy. It is and I hesitate the use of this word, because I think it's only used to describe things we do not yet understand... but this is like magic. Those on Acastus were able to summon walls out of thin air, stop bullets and lasers with fields of force generated by their own minds and the Still Lady was able to look through the eyes of each of the cultists all at once. This is that same energy."

1:42 PM

"It exudes death and destruction. It's like a siphon of some sort."

"We can work with this. We have to. Where can we set down?"

"Stearn, take us to the temple."

Cam looks at Billy and nods

She meets Billy’s eyes. “Holy shit.... I’d heard it was bad but that...I dunno. We’ll be ok though, we have to.”

"I hope so." Billy bites his lip as he grips the edge of the window. "FUCK! They just don't seem to take this whole extra metadimensional power business seriously back home. Maybe this will convince them that we need to master this and get it under wraps."

Cam takes a photo of the drained surface as the ship lands

“Well have to keep a detailed report to do just that.”

The remains of grass and what was once fertile soil crunches under the ramp as it unspools. (Where did you wanna set down billy

(Well there is still water oceans here, just no life in them, right?) (I'm going to set down by the temple if there is anything to also take samples from there.)

Dr. Thorn stares across the plain marvelling at the desolation. You hear her speak softly, under her breath, as she stands at the top of the ramp. In this decayed hole among the mountains, In the faint moonlight, the grass is singing over the tumbled graves, about the chapel. There is the empty chapel, only the wind’s home. It has no windows, and the door swings. Dry bones can harm no one.

Billy looks at her curiously. "Let's hope so."

Hailey looks a little creeped out by Doc. “Um right...let’s not make this any creepier than it needs to be.”

Dr. Thorn walks solemnly towards the temple, unaware of the forces at play but feeling a horrible pit in her stomach all the same

Keep your vacc suits tight and sealed. It probably wont be much protection here, but we might as well be... safe or something.

Thorn continues to mutter under her breath as they pass countless skeletons-filled cesspools before the temple entrance. What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow out of this stony rubbish? Son of man, you cannot say, or guess, for you know only A heap of broken images, where the sun beats, And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief, And the dry stone no sound of water... Only there is shadow under this red rock. Come in under the shadow of this red rock, And I will show you something different from either Your shadow at morning striding behind you Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you. I will show you fear in a handful of dust.

Frisch weht der Wind Der Heimat zu Mein Irisch Kind, Wo weilest du? “You gave me hyacinths first a year ago; “They called me the hyacinth girl.” —Yet when we came back, late, from the Hyacinth garden, Your arms full, and your hair wet, I could not Speak, and my eyes failed, I was neither Living nor dead, and I knew nothing, Looking into the heart of light, the silence. Oed’ und leer das Meer.

She looks at him. "Desolate and empty lies the sea."

"One of the few earth stories we have left."

"Healing this planet must wait on our justice, and our justice must wait on our understanding. The first thing we need to do is find a reason."

"There is the empty chapel, only the wind’s home.... As much as I don't want to go inside... we must see."

The cathedral is a building made of a gray stone that the now sandy wind has started to wear on already. They did not bother with glass or even windows aside from a single open hole in the roof, perfectly square, shining the dead desert light down onto the black seed

2:38 PM

(Mental saves everyone)

(Fail. 4v7)

(Fail)

(As far as I know this is the first time our Doc's failed any check or save)

(We’re all gonna die)

(I hope Vothe can pull our bodies from here.)

(Had a nice trip it's been fun)

(Yeah see y’all)

2:47 PM

(Gonna have 4 pc deaths today)

(I do have Terminal Reflection but this is magic so who knows)

“I have a bad feeling about this”

You all hear whispers in the wind. The words are half formed. Like you’re hearing the secrets of other people

2:55 PM

(Not inherently dangerous but we might be picking up some insanity points later)

(Oh great. We'll all be the crazy ravenous magic is going to destroy us cult.)

2:57 PM

"Are they in your heads as well?"

Cam starts laughing softly. She sinks to her knees as the laughter turns into frantic sobs, tears streaming between her fingers. She sees a shaky video in her mind, footage of Concord after the Empire's bioweapons. (edited)

“Oh good. I’m a little relieved that it’s not just me.”

The seed seems to ripple slightly at your presence

Dr. Thorn's emotions slowly settle into a determined rage as she wipes the tears away. She looks up at Billy and Hailey

Billy goes to hold both of their hands. "Solidarity. We are what's real here." He says, looking at each of them.

Dr. Thorn stands shakily with his help. She's back in full science mode.

3:07 PM

"This... this thing. Billy, what can you tell about it"

"It's a seed that feeds on the very essence of death." He says in a disconnected manner. "It's... oddly curious and wonderful in a horrifying way."

“Sounds kinda incredible. Imagine if you could harness that kinda power for good!”

"We don't know what this seed will grow into."

"No... why would they..." A cold thought settles over Cam's mind. "Is this how they terraform worlds into a form they can inhabit? A blank slate?"

3:11 PM

"Then that- that's the-"

"A good theory."

“The ultimate weapon...we need to keep moving. Standing around isn’t going to do anything for our psyche”

"I just want to destroy it."

"If we tamper with this in any way, they'll know. They are spike capable. As much as I want to destroy this thing... the damage has been done. We should not risk pushing them toward spreading to other worlds"

“So keep them here?”

3:14 PM

“On planet”

"If there is any evidence that they are doing that regardless, it is this, Dr. Thorn.

"You're right. We can't let them gain a foothold here."

3:18 PM

"The seed could sprout at any time. I want to think that whatever life arises from it would be better than this, but not if it means leaving the gate open for more of these things."

3:18 PM

"So how do we kill it."

"It is likely that this is the rebirth of the fleshshapers. Would you propose that we just watch and wait. Take more things here to kill to feed it more so that we can see it's lifecycle? Personally, I don't care much for any entity that causes such death to draw it's own necessary life force. I say we blast it as we leave the planet on Riger One. Perhaps by destroying it we can begin the process of reintroducing life. Destroy the nest, I say."

She looks at it in disgust. "I hope torpedoes will be enough"

3:24 PM

Cam searches the temple for information.

The walls are line with neat rows of intricate alien text. Each row is about an inch high in character height, and there is not a single surface of the temple without the strange glyphs. Aside from the seed, and the scrimshaw, the temple is empty. It was never meant to hold congregants

"I just have multifocal lasers and a reaper battery, but the point stands.."

3:26 PM

"Vothe can you zoom in and record the whole interior of this temple for later 3d modeling and reconstruction digitally??

Cam wipes the last of the tears from red eyes as she packs bits of dry bone, grass and dust in her cryocase.

3:32 PM

She looks back, waiting for Billy and Hailey but eager to get off the planet

"Go back to the ship if you like. Vothe should be able to finish the recording quite quickly and then we'll be off this terrible place." You can see that Billy is also openly and silently crying. "Hailey what do you think."

(Woah I leave to make a grilled cheese and come back to...we’ll let’s see gimme a sec) (edited)

3:52 PM

(Oh nvm it wasn’t as much as I thought)

3:54 PM

“I think it would be super beneficial if we could find a way to translate these glyphs eventually. But yeah you’re right, for now let’s get outta here”

“Well... ya think we could move the seed off planet somehow? What if it just explodes?

“I think we need to find out more about it before making any decisions like that”

Hailey edges towards the door, clearly wanting to leave.

“I’ll be right there... I just. Feel the souls of this place crying out. I want to save them.” Slowly, Billy takes out his AV laser and aims it at a piece of runic carvings on the wall. “I wonder if the tunes are still doing anything... I think amaybe I should blast a chunk off and take it back.”

(no roll to hit if youre shooting, you'll just do the thing)

(I do the thing. I want to try and blow a chunk of it off to take back. Maybe I think better of it and use a saw with my metatool but we will see haha.)

The glyphs on the wall burn a bright emerald green as the beam hits it. The wall begins to spiderweb, cracks running rapidly up the walls, closing in on the ceiling. The egg makes a horrible basal trumpeting that shakes you to your core, a haunting note that sounds ripped from the darkest part of the underworld (Mental saves again)

(Shit.)

8:49 PM

(Dr. Thorn left already.)

(It’s spreading across the whole planet

8:51 PM

(It needed just a bit more energy to get there. A direct hit from an energy based heavy weapon is mama Mia. Just right)

(Perfect. So glad I could help out.)

8:54 PM

(I rolled a 1)

8:55 PM

“I’m sorry, Hailey.”

(9 success)

9:01 PM

“God dammit Billy!”

Billy has another vision You are standing at the coast and watching giant, aquatic beasts hurled onto the beaches to fop and suffocate. They are doing their part and contributing to the plan. “All will die here for all of time,” one of your Lifemates clicks at you. Your gaze travels up its long, thin legs, skinny torso, and delicate pincer arms. You nod and move towards your death chamber even as you wish it was time for the Mating Flight instead of the Death Song.

Hailey grabs Billy by the arm and slaps him across the face. She grabs his hair and shakes his head. “Billy, you're forcing me to be the voice of reason here, and it's not a good image for me!”

“Is all that we see or seen but a dream within a dream?” Billy’s eyes roll to the back of his head as he falls into Hailey’s arms. “It’s time for the death song, Hailey. Take me away.”

She struggles under his weigh. “OOg...shit...” She slowly drags him out of the temple. “cmon ya big ugly lug work with me here.”

“I’m sorry my love.” He says pulling back slightly to look at her, eyes still looked in the back of his head. “I wish it were time for the mating flight too, but we have to get to the death chamber.” Billy touches the side of Hailey’s face and as if that were the thing that resuscitates him, a deep gasping for air fills his lungs as his eyes return to their normal form and his knees buckle for a moment. Seeing Hailey in front of him gives him a renewed vigor. “Oh fuck you’re real!” And he hastily slaps a kiss on her lips grabbing her hand. “Let’s get the fuck off this planet!” he says leading her out of the temple toward Riger One as fast as he can.

“Uh oh he’s still out of it.” She hesitates for a moment. “ALSO YOURE WELCOME!” she shouts rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

9:30 PM

She sprints back to the ship in tow of the reawakened Billy.

Dr thorn is aboard (she may be having a nightmare too. Gotta see how the mental save goes)

(I’m having a night mare)

9:33 PM

(Oh story time: I had a nightmare the other night that everyone thought Amy Schumer was the best comedian and The was the most real fear I’ve ever felt)

2

“I just had the craziest dream that I was them! That I killed and dragged everything. I think I just lived their entire experience here.”

“What was it like?” She laughs noticing the red mark on his cheek from a moment ago.

“I’m not sure how you can find joy in a time like this, Hailey but I appreciate it. It gives me hope. It fucking sucked. I dragged sea serpents from the oceans and ripped the wings off of birds to watch them suffer.

She's shocked hearing about the vision. "No that's not what I --" She turns to Doc as they come on the ship. "CAM! You ok?!"

10:10 PM

(lets wait up for her here yeah?)

1

(Nice timing just got back from a play)

10:30 PM

You see Dr. Thorn standing motionless, standing over a skeleton. (Failure! 6v7)

Billy’s hair blows wildly as he runs to Dr. Thorn. “Cam, we have to go. We have to go.”

(Oh can I ask what play?)

(Agatha Christie's Appointment with Death)

(Ay cool)

Dr thorn has a vision. Her teeth are steel spikes, and she is endlessly munching on the bones here. There will never be enough to make her feel sated, but she must continue eating anyway. There will be punishments for lack of compliance.

9:14 AM

her vision swims to see Billy and Hailey rousing her out of her stupor

"No, no, I need more, I need the bones"

Hailey points at the pile of bones. “hey you’re ok they’re right here. Cmon now we need to get out of here.”

"Okay that was... pretty wild. Let's get out of here"

“What did you see?”

"I'd rather not talk about it"

9:32 AM

She runs to the ship (edited)

“Fair enough.” She follows Thorn to the ship.

Vothe slithers in after you, and the ramp shuts behind you with a hiss

“Did you get it, Vothe?”

"I have it" Vothe says, getting to the pilot compartment. "We need to leave Billy"

“I wish I had modified the spike drive to leave from here. Let’s get to spike space now. We’ll jump directly back to Gudrun.”

Cam spends the time sketching and thinking about what they saw on Elkano. She plans to return to see what forms of life arises from the seed, but for now she wants nothing more than to curl up in her bed and eat chocolate.

(3 insanity points for billy and Cam, 2 for hailey, since she passed that one save. Nothing starts to happen until you hit 5)

On the ship, Hailey tries to relax and destress to clear her mind after the hectic events.

(3xp, 10,000 credits)

Billy starts sketching the runes from Vothe’s recordings in an attempt to see some sort of alphabet.

(I have wander and can understand the basics of any language. Can that apply to the runes if I wanna help Billy?)

1

(mastery of a totally new language takes a month, id say with your wandering skill you guys get the basics together quickly and are 1/4 the way to learning the fleshshaper language)

12:02 PM

(The learn language/culture skill used to be a much bigger deal, one of the few changes from the old book i dont like)

(A month to master a language. Wish it was like that irl lol)

12:06 PM

Hailey approaches Billy. “Whatcha got there? Working on translating the runes? Here, lemme help.”

“Please. This is all gibberish.”

She looks through the runes and tries to identify some basics.

(Can I use Diplomat to help as well? Theres a similar skill there)

(diplomat I believe just lets you know all languages common to your sector, this is a new sector, and a language that you're not sure humans can even physically speak. Certainly not something anyone has heard aloud)

(Heh no prob)

(I will double check the entry, just to make sure I'm recalling correctly. As it stands right now, everyone is 1 out of 4 weeks for learning the language)

12:40 PM

Two days later, the ship exists at the edge of Gudrun space, all of you tired from your ordeal

Trivedi cloud welcomes Rigers One home, and little else is said of the matter.

“Alright guess I’m out see ya guys”

“It feels good to be home for the moment. Thank you both for coming with me. I... I’m sorry we went through that.”

“As am I. But at least it was with the two of you, weird as it was.”

Vothe makes his way down the ramp and begins supervising the technician team in refueling and tidying up riger one. The words “all will die here for all of time” lodge themselves disturbingly in everyone’s mind

Billy looks irritated as he finally descends from the Riger One ramp long after the others have gone. "Of course everything will die. That's life. It's only logical." He says to himself as he runs his fingers through his hair reflexively. "Vothe what's the status on the Acastus supplies?"

“Small arms are ready for transit”

6:32 AM

“Should I message ms reydove?

“And the drones. Robotics? Foodstuffs? Medicine? Is any of that ready or available?”

(DR reydove LOL)

(Come On Vothe. You know the proper title! ;))

“The drones, food, and medicine are ready. The robots will take some time, but we can make another trip”

“Is there a prototype available. A single crate for demonstration?”

“Just one frame for now” (it’s not going to be a production center until the end of the month)

(Cool Cool.)

9:42 AM

“Ok. Send Dr. Reydove a message telling her of our intent on departure. Desmond and Dr. Thorn may wish to know as well. We will take the next day to prepare.” (How much does this aid package cost?)

(First ones on franz.

(I can just have received a message saying that if you wanna continue)

The ship, Riger one is loaded with the needed supplies, and Vothe is finishing pre flight checks as you both board

(I would like to record a full account to submit to the UNW council of the events on Elkano before I leave. In addition, I have sent word to Desmond of our departure and informed him that we may be delayed should a trip to Leda be in order for Melora to develop a connection between the two planets.)

(If you want to post in that thread you can. It’ll just be on the docket for actual discussion next time)

(Unity Council Meeting?)

(Yeah)

As soon as billy hits send, he takes Riger One to spike space if Dr. Melora is ready.

(What’s your route looking like?)

(Spike 4 to Halia first. I'm not sure if Dr. Melora wants to go to Leda or not though.)

11:20 AM

(Halia>Shua.?

(Great!) The jump to Haila goes smoothly and you exit at the edge of system space without trouble. As the spike engines recharge you get some news from the planetary network below. Admiral Beckwater made another assault on the Ark, his fleet once again suffering damage and forced to withdraw. The Blacksurf Floatilla has withdrawn to the derelict field on the planets northeastern side to see if anything can be re floated and put into the fight

(Are those spikeworthy ships?)

(No like more naval ships)

11:35 AM

(He’s just trying to get some extra muscle if he can)

The drive powers up again, and you end up in space over Shua a short while later

(I’ll wait for @Agape.Eris here)

Melora shows up, ready for take off. "Thank you for including me in this, Billy. I hope I am able to diplomatically intervene to save my people and planet"

The world of Shua is below, and the settlements on world are all broadcasting landing paths to Rigers one

"Melora, the Shuan people have proven themselves very amiable to our influence and trade. They seek to forge a relationship with the colony. In the same token, they have expressed hatred for your people. I fear for your safety here. What do you wish to do?"

"If they have that much blind hatred for my people that i, a healer who only wishes to figure out how to make peace, would be in danger, I think that you need to reevaluate your dealing with them"

"Also, an Greenbriar official who is head of the Department of Health and Human Services, I think they might be a bit diplomatically obliged to amicable towards me"

4:37 AM

Melora grabs her bags. "This is to say - I am going with you"

(You made friends with one settlement already but the planet is unified. Your names would be known should you land elsewhere)

“Of course Dr. Reydove. Do you wish to hide your identity as a Ledan or will you be open about it?”

"Well, they may find out when the message I sent them gets here. I will be open. I feel like I'd represent my people well, and am protected with my status. Also, I am not without defenses"

Desmond sends a message...I’m in the fight against the TFL. I will be leaving for the new Sector afterwards. May you and Melora’s travel go well. Hope to meet up with both of you later. I ... rockets duck! “ the transmission ends

(Alright, so we know melora is going to be open about it. Shua has at least recieved your message, like i was saying before, it takes a few days due to the distance, so they likely have not replied by time youre getting there)

11:30 AM

(Just need to know where youre landing and we can pick up)

“Dr. Melora, we are able to land anywhere on the planet. They are remarkably unified. I haven’t seen such singular motivation for a planet to come together to build a star ending device aimed at a particularly heinous enemy. We can land anywhere you like. Last time we landed in Steelhearth. Would you rather see a different part of the planet?”

8:59 PM

(Can I get a little closer survey of the Ruins of Riven?)

"Heinous enemy?" Melora tries to maintain calm, but is starting to resent Billy's lack of concern for her own people, even as one stands before him as a supposed colleague and ally. She sighs "I don't care where we land. I just want to figure out what ill will they have and prevent them from destroying my home planet, something you seem concernably unconcerned about"

A harsh chemical fog blankets the ruins of Riven, its composition interfering with surface scans

“I am not at all calling your people heinous Dr. I’m telling you what these people think of yours. They want to obliterate the entire system.”

9:47 AM

“Here, do you see this megastructure there? That is a singularity gun designed to destroy the Ledan Star. I am telling you to be careful.”

9:48 AM

“It is casual and normalized in their society.”

“I don’t want you to die.”

"but you want to trade with these people who would do such a thing"

“I am not personally trading with them. Trade has been opened with the colony. I would rather find a way to peace between your people. As I said before, I am headed to Acastus to fight the Still lady. If we can keep Shua nonaggressive toward us, then I can continue to help the resistance fighters there. I am completely for a mission to destroy the singularity gun should a peaceful resolution be found.”

"I am still going. I am very difficult to kill with my biops and other psionic abilities. And like I said, I am an official from Greenbriar. If they harmed me, it would be very bad for diplomacy and relations if they want us as a trade partner. And I can possibly humanize our people to them. I'd also want to find out if things have changed there."

Billy’s concern is clear on his face. “I trust you, Melora. I just had to make sure... am I to drop you off and head on or would you like me to stay here with you? The Lone Star should not be far behind us. A few days perhaps.”

"Whatever you feel like you should do. If your mission is urgent, go tend to that. If you have a day to make sure this is a safe place, I wouldn't turn that down"

(both of you take a re-roll token, RP was excellent)

1

“I will certainly take the day to ensure your safety.”

"Thank you so much, Billy. I apologize for being on edge. I'm just so worried about the possible destruction of my beloved home planet" She wipes a stray tear she was trying to hold back and tries to put on a brave face. "Ok. Let's go.

"And you can call me Melora - The doctor thing i correct is only when called ms. reydove. I wouldn't care much, but i just want people to trust my clinical advice.

Of course. W are very near your home planet as well if you’d visit before we leave as well.

Isylandwatch ground control begins hailing you

“Riger One to Islandwatch. Sorry for the delay. We are coming in carrying a UNW diplomat to Shua to enhance relations with your community. Hope all is well.”

A course appears on your heads up display, their aero facility located next to the water

“Alright let’s bring her in. At least it’s pretty.”

The ship comes to a soft landing on a cement pad. Planes grow knee height around its edge. A small security detail comes out to greet you

Billy leads Melora and his team down the ramp to meet the security detail. “Gentleman. It’s a pleasure to see you all. This, is Dr. Melora. She will be the official UNW representative for the time being. I expect her to be treated as a dignitary. We are her security detail for now.”

The troopers form up around you, though many cast looks at Melora, the message she sent ahead of time singling her out as Ledan “To what do we owe the return visit Mr. Rigers?”

“I am on mission to Acastus. It seems an otherworldly being has formed a horrific cult on the planet. They torture, dismember and otherwise subjugate those that do not give in to their religion and label them Apostates. I am on mission to assist the rebellion there. In addition, I’ve come to deliver a UNW Report on the status of enemies in this and neighboring sectors. Dr. Melora Reydove is here to develop a stronger relationship and ensure that you respect UNW members no matter which planet they originally hail from. We regard you as new friends and we would like to strengthen that friendship, but some hold that the decision to eliminate an entire star system is a bit extreme. I trust you all to regard the esteemed Dr. as a member of your new alliance with the UNW. Before you answer any of this, consider the veracity of these reports. Your people have much potential and we would warn you of threats greater than the Ledans. I know it is a tall order to mention, but I would hope that eventually, the squabble with them can be set aside... at least for the moment. Of course, I will be willing to continue my dialogue as to why this would be not only the correct action, but beneficial to this planets very survival. To be quite frank, I have seen the wake of the fleshshapers detailed in the report and without our joint cooperation, I fear for humanity itself.”

11:12 PM

“The right way to forge a friendship is through hard truths. I hope you see them. I hope you see my intent and consider it.”

The dignitary leading the group grows quite serious, a far cry from their normally somewhat laid back nature. “What other threats? Aside from Leda and acastus?”

"May I ask why you see Leda as a threat? When I was there last 4 years ago, my people were amongst the most peaceful in this universe"

“They pledged to stand with us against the empire and together we declared separation from the war and from the forces fighting it. The empire broadcasted they were coming , and did. The ledans never arrived to support us. Our ships were seized, our planetside factories raided, many were taken into captivity. Leda never was rebuked”

5:50 AM

“They’ve broken an alliance sworn in the most sincere of diplomatic fashions.”

"Are you sure the Empire didn't get to them first?" (edited)

“We are. We intercepted communication traffic after”

"This does not seem like Leda at all! Would you Do me the kindness of letting me visit and check out what our what is going on there? Also, you must realize that in simply destroying them, you'd be destroying Philonoe nature conservancy continent? And the myriad of scientific research and technology that has been developed? We are amount the most scholarly, and the conservancy is a rich resource of flora and fauna that could be very useful in introducing to other planets ecosystems. And we have the cure for a horrible virus that wiped out a portion of our populations. You'd be destroying that as well" (edited)

6:09 AM

"And my sister. My dear sister lives there - one of the most gifted psychics I've seen. Or I really hope she is there. Or at least safe. Alive"

"Well, sadly it has to reside on Leda. I myself am not enough to change the decision anyway. "

"To whom might I speak about this that has more weight?

"First things first" she says, turning to Billy. "You've brought some trade, you'd said? Good to see you again"

7:15 AM

"And glad you all made it off Acastus."

“This time most of my cargo is for The Acastus rebellion. But I come to give you information. Vothe, if you could, transfer all the info you have on the remnant threat as well as what info we have on the fleshshapers. You can include our experience on Elkano. In fact, you may as well send them recording of the Still lady for context on Acastus. Make sure to add photos of their atrocities. I trust you to filter all of that into three separate reports. Can you do that?”

Vothe bows slightly in acknowledgement, and produces the data into three separate reports for them

10:02 AM

"A generous gift" the dignitary smiles

“My hope is that you will see the viral world ending nature of the fleshshapers and the possibility of the same in the Still Lady. I plan on an expedition to gather intelligence on the Ledan situation before I head back as well. I understand how everyone here feels, but we have to try to see if there is a solution between Shua and the Ledans. At least in a delay to their complete and utter destruction. I’m sure the diplomat would be unhappy with that result as well as she has ties there. However ultimately, the weapon you’re building... it has terrifying potential. I am afraid we may end up needing your assistance if the fleshshapers continue to expand.”

"It will be some time before Red Horizon is ready to fire. The shells are notoriously expensive to produce, as you can imagine. If a more threatening target presents itself, we may be able to see about re-aligning the weapon"

Billy glances over at Melora with a pointed glance that can only mean eggshells. “Is there anywhere we can go to speak to... a council or anything? Is there some committee that would work with our UNW Representative? We would continue to build upon our relations for the time being.”

"There is a planetwide meeting in two weeks to discuss various comings and goings. You, as allies, are welcome to attend:

10:35 AM

(so end-ish of the game month)

Melora gives a subtle nod

“We would be more than happy to attend. If we could present and follow up on the reports as well as allow my colleague here to speak, we would be very grateful.”

"Of course, the normal diplomatic courtesies apply. We're not animals" she laughs, as do some of the security detail

10:44 AM

(I believe there is a trade report up for them as well, not that it matters right this second, but if you're planning a return visit)

(Yes. I’ll need to take a look.)

I'm on my way to Leda to assist with our diplomatic efforts with Halia and develop further trade. Would you care to join me?

(edited)

Cam, it is a pleasure to hear from you. If you would rudder a spike route there, I should be able to arrive a day behind you should you arrive in Shua space before our return. Melora and I are on Shua presently setting up a meeting with their council before completing an aid package to Acastus and then on to Leda. I suspect to be ready to head toward Leda within 4 days from now.

12:19 PM

Billy chuckles politely with them, careful to avoid eye contact with Melora. “Thank you.”

12:20 PM

“We will of course need suitable lodgings for the esteemed Dr. Reydove here. She can of course speak for herself. I feel like I have dominated the conversation.”

Excellent, please send along a copy of any details on the hydroponics if they've made any progress. I hope to see you and Melora soon! -Cam

(if youre both in spike at the same time, the route will still be a week for you both, since the journey won't be done by time you leave)

12:46 PM

(cant be verified safe until the first person actually gets there, safe)

(Yes. Well In either case we have at least three days ahead of her to do our thing before the one week rudder to Leda. Really we should arrive simultaneously?

(I'm fine with you guys getting there at the same time, as long as the downtime remains the same)(

(Makes sense.)

12:52 PM

(I’m thinking that we should have like 3 or 4 days before the Shua council meeting when we get to Leda.)

(Yeah, I'd agree)

"Does the diplomat have anything further to add?" the dignitary asks, to both of you. " As I said, you're welcome to appear in chambers at the end of the month, I can't promise a decision to your liking, but I can promise you'll be heard"

"I really hope there can be a better answer to this conflict than death and destruction of my home planet and all the wonder and uniqueness of it. I hope perhaps we can figure out what that may be."

"I trust that of you and your system... Just level with me. Man to man. You think there's a shot? What could they do to win... not your trust, what could they do to save themselves. Have you ever heard anyone give them any... leniency here?"

“You’re allowed to say whatever you want here really. That’s why we were able to unify. Just happens a lot of people are saying we should point this at Leda and blow up their sun”

5:00 PM

“Few years ago it was a lot of people saying hey those empire folks are not that great for us. Before that it was something else”

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate that insight. Aside from the whole star destroying thing, I really like the freedom and unity of this place. We'll see what we can get done together. Melora, I know this is intense, but let's talk back on the ship about how to go about this upcoming meeting, yeah?"

"For now though, perhaps some proper lodging for the dignitary is in order." (I'm going to go ahead and spend the night here with Melora and head out in the morning, I'm not sure what you want to do Melora, but you're more than welcome to come with or stay here and dig some more into their culture or something.)

The detail forms up and brings you to a small villa adjacent to the starport

"I think I'd just like to go with you. Collect myself and help you with what you need. Maybe see what has become of Leda..

(What does this trade report mean? What does the +/- mean?)

9:10 PM

(+ Means they pay more for this and - means they pay less?

(Yeah +2 to your roll or +1 for things they want, -2 or -1 for things they don’t. So either you’re selling for more or they’re buying for less depending on what it is you have. (edited)

9:12 PM

(Plus always improves the result. Minus always makes it worse)

(How many tons is this care package that i've been able to gather?)

9:30 PM

(I know this would be retconning.... but is there anyway I could deliver a few tons of product from Dank Crew to these guys? I want them nice and mellow for the upcoming meeting and this is the first time I'm looking at their trade wants/needs. XD)

(I was under the impression you were packing as much aid aboard as possible so running with a full cargo. If you want to buy a few just let herb know so he can deduct it from his tonnage.

(I was but i have... 180 tons i think. I can spare 2 tons. Lets do that.)

(Works for me)

“One more thing before we go. We did bring something I think some of the people here might enjoy.”

"What would that be?" the diplomat has a wary tone in her voice

Billy pauses. “Do you have any laws here against leisurely and non harmful drugs?”

"Only if it prevents you from standing duty the following day. If you can't handle your work because you couldnt handle your fun, well, there are punishments for thaT"

“So the only drug you’re against is stupidity and poor planning then. Perfect. Come with me.” Coms “Stearn, could you wheel out the cargo from Dank Crew please? I’d like to show our new friends.” (/present 2 tons or 1800+ kilos of Dank Crew Kush)

Stearn with a wheeled dolly emerges from the ramp of the ship, and gently sets the climate controlled crates down

8:04 AM

the assembly is appropriately awed

“Consider it a gift toward continued peace and cooperative relations with the UNW and its Allies. Don’t smoke it all at once. Enjoy.” He says as he boards the ship once more.

8:20 AM

“We must be off!”

(Hows the week heading to Leda going, as far as downtime?)

(I’m off to Acastus first to drop off the other 178 tons of various aid to the resistance there in the form of weapons and supplies.)

(i might check in there to see if i can help anyone in need of medical attn)

(I’m not sure exactly how long it’s been but I’d like to see how Devnoc is doing.)

(A couple of weeks, but yes, we can)

8:29 AM

The jump to Acastus is quiet, and arriving in the edge of system space, that familiar feeling of dread returns. The dim blue light of the pulsar star, and the glyph stamped moons loom eerily out the front viewport

Billy turns on the coms channel to the resistance. “Riger One. Come in.”

there is a series of rhythmic taps and pauses in reply

“Is that Morris code?”

"I think it might be" stearn says

8:46 AM

he is fishing around for a notepad

Greetings. Riger One. the following dashes are a set of coordinates, very far from the city now.

8:54 AM

Breaker Guns Active. City. On. high. Alert

(Morse!)

9:38 AM

“Tell them care package imminent rendezvous outside Breaker range.”

9:39 AM

(We will head outside the city to the coordinates keeping out of view of the city. I’d like to approach. From the other side of the planet.)

(pilot.dex)

(12)

Billy sets the craft down 50km from the city. Spotlights illuminate the heavens, sweeping back and forth. A trio of trucks, and a collection of rebels await your set-down

Billy, Just so you know, I'll be heading for Leda from Suma. I'm looking forward to anything you bring me from Acastus. Tell the good doctor I said hi -Cam

(edited)

One of them, the rebel from the coffee shop, waves hello

“We come bearing gifts! Have you had to move out of the city permanently?” Billy calls out as he wheels out a crate full of new freshly polished weapons.

"No, we had to come out further to meet you. A shuttle was shot down a few days ago, and we think the person from it ended up at the black bean. They're dead, so is Caitlen, and the shop is gone now"

“Were they identified? Did you recover anything from them? So far as I know we are the only ones operating in spike space in this area of the sector.”

"It came from your world, we recovered a bit of metal. The individual had pointed ears, we couldnt recover the body though

“I’ll be sure to file it in my report when I return home. Sounds like a Tarosi.” He grunts “Here give these to your men. Arm them, feed them, fix what you need to. There’s 178 tons of it.”

“This is most generous of you. What can we do in return?”

“Kill the Still Lady. Teach us magic and harness all this power for good and on top of that. While we are on the topic. Help us solve this. - Vothe. Elkano video to their compads please and thank you.”

“I suppose you want some news on your friend as well. His condition is improving. We were able to halt the cycles. We are now working on reversing them

"Is there any way to only remove the degenerative process or is the ultra fast healing implicitly tied to the... spell?"

"It's tied together. He gets all of it, or none of it"

"We haven;t found a way to separate the effects at any rate. I'm not sure you want us gambling with your friends life like that"

"I can regenerate bodies with my biops"

11:59 AM

"Lead me to him! I did not realize there was someone in such a condition"

'No, we're not bringing anyone into the city. It was hard enough for us to get out. Whoever you guys sent ahead of you did a terrible job. Whole city is on alert"

12:04 PM

(this is a few days after Sebastina's shuttle was shot down and then she got killed in the coffee shop in town, so the cult knows something is abroad)

Melora sighs. "There is a life to be saved"

“We did not send anyone ahead of us. If someone came, they came on an unsanctioned and foolish trip without UNW knowledge or support. Shit.” Billy kicks one of the crates.

"This is why we can't have nice things"

“Listen, I will send a report of that back to HQ and maybe they can find out who it was and warn people not to come here on their own accord. Without precaution. I have another package being built back home to supply you with robotic warriors as well. They are controlled by a central node and will have to stay together but if you have a larger mission they would do as infantry without wasting your men’s lives. Perhaps a month away, if I were to suggest a hopeful timeline.”

"They would all be men?"

“Of course not.”

"Well, someone was here. The pilot was crucified in the central square, outside the pyramid a few days ago"

12:33 PM

"I'd show you pictures but I don't want to do that to you"

Melora redirects herself from her snark, which has been coming out more often lately, likely a result of all the obstacles and road blocks she has encountered on this mission.

“I should have said soldiers Melora. You’re right. It’s an unfortunate thing that our language often is noninclusive. As for the pictures, I would ask that you send them all to me. If a UNW life was crucified on this planet, then pictures of it might be something to move them. If we can identify the victims, perhaps they might not die in vain.”

12:39 PM

“This package was on the UNW but I fear as it is that I And desmond will be personally funding further aid. The UNW is currently preoccupied with other threats.”

he motions for your compad so he can transfer the files. You see a cable in his hand, the only way to do it without going wireless, and therefore interceptable

“While we are connected, let me transfer data from the fleshshaper planet we visited.”

12:41 PM

“Melora here is a brilliant healer. How long until you could get Devnoc out of the city?”

Melora gives Billy a grateful smile.

"A few weeks. We have his condition halted, but not restored. The 'curse' portion of it seems to be weakened. I'm not sure if its broken or not yet though. THey were still working on him.

12:54 PM

"I'd imagine a couple of weeks while we watch the new patrol routes and try to find a new opening. Sanctioned or not, whatever happened really cracked things down on us. I'll leave it up to you if you want to tell Desmond about his friend or not. It seemed like they were friendly, when we all first met"

Desmond calls Billy and Melora. “I’m dropping off some Marshals on Aslief and then I’m checking deep space for those Exodus Ships. Hope all is well with you!”

(We don’t have instant transmission all the way out here do we?)

(My mistake!)

(no where you are no, Billy is all the way on the edge of not even your home sector, but the next sector over)

“That was... his favorite coffee shop. Seemed to know her. But I will let him know.”

"It was ours too, our safe haven. It's a loss for us all. Like I said, whoever that was really made things complicated for us"

"Anyway, the aid is appreciated, when you return hopefully itll be easier to get around"

“You know we come with more than capable fighters. Let us talk of future plans. Where do we need to strike to destabilize the cult? How do we dismantle her power?”

"Command has been talking and we think the best way forward is for us to stop working from inside the city entirely. If we can move operations outside, into the ash wastes or the forests, we can get around more freely.

2:29 PM

"We've been sneaking small numbers of fighters and material out, and I think they're getting wise to it. We're planning a major offensive at three checkpoints on the south side of the city, and we're going to make a run en masse. Next month is when its scheduled right now. We had to push operations back after the incident I keep going on about:

“Maybe it is a blessing. If gives us time to coordinate something more impactful. Just stay alive out there. I can bring this up at the next UNW meeting. A free Acastus would really be beneficial to our cause and of course it would just be right. They have agents in the night as well.”

“Next month. If you plan to be here for the offensive be here next month. We should get moving it’s already going to be tight getting back in”

(I’m assuming we are setting a date here.)

6:37 PM

“Of course. We are off to Leda and then to a global meeting on Shua before returning to Gudrun to check in with the UNW and robotics aid. We will do our very best to be back here in time.”

(Yeah )

6:37 PM

“Thank you for this aid. It will go a long way”

Billy reaches out to shake their hands. “Did you get any of the data we spoke about last time or any data on your knowledge of magic to take back?”

“I’m beginning to feel like a bit of a broken record”

“Of course. Good luck.”

“The same” he smiles and the begins yelling at his men to load up the cargo.

“Until we meet again. Alright, let’s get to Leda!”

A week passes in spike space on the way to Leda, and you emerge to find dr thorn has made it here just a few hours before you and landed

7:29 PM

(We can merge into a big thread if you like)

(Yes)

(we can pick this up when youre in/free obviously) Billy returns to Gudrun system space, after a tense eastern sector experience

In Gudrun space, the research cruiser is undergoing final inspection to cerfify safe before being turned over to the task force

(Sorry about being more absent than usual. Couple 12 hour shifts and in person games.) “Wow, that thing is beautiful.” *Billy looks in awe as he flies by.

(no worries, life comes first)

7:22 PM

The ship is perfectly clean, shining like a pearl in space

The first thing Billy will do when he gets in system is contact the UNW and upload the images/info about the missing ship on Acastus with the crucifixion and info on the missing Tarosi to add to the docket as well as the video I left to be shown to the Shuan council.

11:30 PM

He also checks in with TFP Base to see how everything is going there and ask about the new ship. “Where did she come from?”

“Cyrus found her drifting along with an attending fleet. Those weren’t salvageable but the research ship looks brand new”

“I’m assuming that by not salvageable that means Cyrus blew them up or something. Better not to ask. No bodies to clean up? No ancient smoke demons on board?”

"Neither, you'll be relieved to know. The transfer papers came through. Are we looking at the Rigers Two?"

"Ha! Lets get it emblazoned across the side, yeah?"

"Yeah, lets do it" It takes a few hours for the spray to set, but for intents and purposes, the vessel is yours

(Sweet!) "There is a ton of unused mass and power here. I'm going to have to inspect this myself to see if we can make some improvements, but first, I've got to crew this behemoth. I've just got 5 regular crew right now and I need 50.... Vothe, put out a job requisition to UNW Allied Nations and Planets for the opportunity to join the task force vessel Riger Two. We will need 45 essential crewman to operate, as well as scientists and engineers to work in the state of the art laboratory. TFP members are expected to participate in any large ship battles and to respond to member requests for aid. With the constant threats present in the cosmos, we will need members who will recognize that and be willing to lend their wit and courage to the cause. Gudrun, Aeslif, Terezinho. I expect recruits from each of those places. - In the meantime, I will get to designing and planning ship modifications and working on blueprints by request as usual when I get back in system. We have a little bit before the attack on Acastus. I'd like to be ready."

"Show it to me before you send it out. We want to pitch it as a state of the art opportunity to be on the cutting edge of scientific research, interplanetary politics, exploration, and at times military mobilization. We will research tech both new and ancient and test extra-metadimensional energies."

(while you were away, desmond rescued a drifting evacuation ship from Elkano , so there are a lot of people in the colony right now looking for work)

(Oh boss! Also, perfect for recruitment since they will be one of the major things we will research. I'll need some of their expertise.)

A crew is found almost right away, almost everyone either Rawhani or Elkano born, as theyre the msot recent arrivals

12:50 PM

Witihn the night, they are assembled outside the spaceport, ready for work

“Welcome everyone! I’m happy so many of you could gather here for this opportunity. I am Billy Rigers and I am the captain of this ship, Riger Two as well as the Free Merchant, Riger One. I know many of you are refugees from other worlds. We all are refugees of some sort from the once great human diaspora. Our mission here at the TFP is to rebuild and ensure that humanity rises from the ashes and reestablish ourselves among the stars. But we face great threats. Both from pressures tearing ourselves apart with infighting and threats of interstellar extra metadimentional beings that threaten not just our existence but the blessing of life itself. As the crew of this vessel, we will face great danger and overcome overwhelming odds. We will make discoveries and recover rebuild and reengineer a future that will serve all of us. I look forward to getting to know each and every one of you. We will be fighting on all fronts, both physically against fleshshapers and eugenics cults as well as fighting for the cutting edge. Welcome.” He says smiling, bringing his new crew aboard and explaining roles and positions, showing higher ranking members his visions for future modifications and necessary fittings.

Everyone is awed by the new science vessel, and the cutting edge equipment inside (there splenty of room if you want to add stuff too, its essentially a factory model)

10:02 AM

More than anything, they want to know what their first mission might be

Billy sends a mission briefing to all of his crew members laying out priorities for the next month making sure to discuss Acastus and the metadimensional anomalies there and how it ties to the fleshshaper threat, something I’m sure this crew will be familiar with. (How much time do we have before the Acastus mission)

(I'm getting my thoughts together for month flip now, so if youre ready to go, we can get there)

Do I have time to add a couple things to the ship first or is it pretty much bang and go? I’d at least like to install the armory and ships locker if nothing else so that the crew can be armed in case of boarding. A weapon install would be nice too, but we aren’t planning on a starship battle just yet so if it’s time to go, it’s time to go. I’d like to pick up the warbot/nodes for the second shipment and give a ring to Cyrus to let him know we are deploying to Acastus soon.

(you have time)

(Ok for now, I'll install the armory, ship's locker, 2 multifocal lasers for now. Definitely going to have to take some down time to upgrade it again later, but that should take about 5 days before we can head out.) "Here is the list of quick fittings, that I'd like to see go into the ship before our first deployment to Acastus. This is by far not the last of what I plan to do with this beautiful machine, but it's a start. During this time, I'm going to need you to gather the next care package."

The crew plans to assemble the aid during the unity meetings, expecting to have at least a couple days in port, like last time

Hi Billy, here's one ton of high-powered laser rifles, free of charge to you. I ask that you to give them to the leaders of the rebellion on Acastus as a token of goodwill from Ad Astra. They are the ideal mass-produced handheld weapon for destroying constructs and swarms. In exchange for this favor you and your crew may feel free to take samples of the goods for yourselves. Good luck out there.

(edited)

8:10 PM

(They are Double damage die laser rifles bought in a secret deal from Saturnet on Rawhani)

8:12 PM

Cam, these weapons are going to be extremely useful as the Still Lady herself seemed to be much more affected by this type of weaponry. Thank you very much, your assistance is very much accepted and more than generous.

Ps. Glad to hear you've joined Ad Astra. Shriven gave me my first leg up when I first got around.

You're welcome, Billy! Even more good news, if you can find five days free after the Shuan Council, I have some ship mods I'd like fitted on the Swallowtail, for which I will gladly pay you 250,000 if you're interested.

Of course. Consider it done, Cam.

8:24 PM

(Billy has a few days that are overlapping in some way while Riger Two is being refitted that he could take a look at it.)

Billy, any chance me joining on the Acastus Mission ?

2

Desmond: We will need all the help we can get. I will be glad to have you.

1

Shriven messages billy,

Hey, got another blueprint of a bulk freighter I need so you have time for it? It would be a million to you. Alfred has the details.

Happy to hear from you, Shriven. Have Alfred send over the blueprints and we can adjust the modifications for better efficiency.

(Mods and money sent, then sent to the shipyard when you are finished.)

(if you wanted to begin getting a crew of PC'

2:48 PM

s together for the acastus hit, we can do that too)

Shriven. This model was relatively simple. I’m sure you’ll be pleased with what we’ve come up with here. I think this is one of the largest cargo capacity ships I’ve ever built. You could probably ship shuttles and the like in this thing.

(edited)

Billy sends a message out to the work board for all available aid and available combatants to travel to Acastus.

3:00 PM

Then he checks on the construction of the warbots.

40 tons of bots are stored in the hold, enough for the rebels to configure them a few different ways

(Excellent ty)

(I’m just remembering my goals and I’m looking back through them again. I have completed a few: Find a cure for Devnoc (I think?) 6 Gather intel on new planets. 3

(Both complete

When Billy gets back to Gudrun he will be spending time on the development council to plan for the UNW Stations per request of admins.

The raid completed, Devnoc in tow, and the resistance promising to let you know of future offensives, the journey home goes smoothly.

1:18 PM

You return to your dwelling to find a summons, to a council session planning the space stations, your work with other vessels recognized by colony officials

*Billy nods expecting as much and sets out immediately, mulling over the possibility of building something so massive as suggested in these stations.

(we don't necessarily have to RP the stations being assembled if you don't want to, unless you want to hop into the meeting thread and tag who you need)

1:58 PM

(otherwise we can move onto the next thing)

(Sure) we can move past that. (Office, engineer team montage set in a place like NASA including all the notable engineers of the UNW commence.)

(yeah!!! I dig it!)

(When Smores gets back he will look at what I have so far and edit and discuss, but it's started at least.)

(I would also like to put Riger Two back into the Trivedi Cloud to order a Mobile Shipyard/Factory not sure the difference, and a Single Frigate bay to be installed at the price of 1.75-2million credits to be completed over 17.5-20 days @Rey (Shriven) for the record/clarification) Afterwards, I want to go back to Halia to investigate the Station there. We might start that process with Riger One with Riger Two joining when done.

8:34 PM

(Updated my goals to reflect my desire to get the Halia station back online.)

(Scavenger fleet has both for the descriptions.)

8:51 PM

(Still driving will talk later.)

(Sure we can use rider one for now)

1

9:01 PM

Riger one, the free merchant, the trip to haila begins

(I'd also like to purchase Post Tech Building Materials for trade there. Lets do 100 Tons)

(Ill reduce from colony stocks)

Passing through thorgerd you see that all appears well. The next jump to haila is smooth. The shattered station appears before you, slowly rotating despite it being little use

"Alright, lets bring her in then. Let's see if the lane Stearn made is still there."

The lane is there and you have plenty of room to maneuver. Some of the larger pieces of junk have been moved aside.

Billy eases the ship inward toward the station aiming to doc.

There are the remains of a docking strut that look able enough to hold the Riger One. This would be impossible with the larger vessel. The nodule has been breached in two places, but is whole enough to allow you entry while vac suited

11:02 AM

(think of it as like one of those tunnels from the airport to the plane you're boarding)

“Looks like we are in luck ladies. Come on let’s suit up.” Donning vacc suits the crew docs and boards the ship. (I would like to set the industrial and repair bot to immediately start reinforcing the docking strut and repairing it using the building supplies we brought as the rest of the crew goes to explore.)

The gantry ends in an airlock/entry compartment, that in peace time, or normal time, would have been staffed by station security. Four lockers are bolted to the wall and have remained closed.

Billy takes a quick look in the lockers to confirm contents, vacc suits etc.

There is a vacc suit, a carbine, a glowbug, 2 magazines of ammunition, and a glowbug in each locker. This looks lke the personal gear for the station security troopers assigned to this section

11:52 AM

The insignia on the shoulderpad is the flowering sunburst of the Hailan royal guard, an organization that must be defunct now, as none of your contacts on world have mentioned them.

Billy, I heard you're headed to the Halia station. Please keep me in the loop; I'm working hard on learning more about the situation on the ground. Thanks! -Cam

“I’ll be checking in to see the situation on the surface for sure.”

Thank you; If you focus on the station for now, I have an expedition planned to make a more thorough investigation underwater when I'm back from Miriam. You're welcome to join me since you have a submersible ship as well. 

For now it would be helpful if you could just check on the Ark's progress. The last time I was here the Ark was headed for the fleet of the Admiral who attacked us. I've decided siding with the Republic and remaining neutral in the potential fight between the Ark dwellers and Admiral Beckwater is our best option here, but I did drop a care package of trade goods with a dataslab onto the Ark to try to establish contact. Unfortunately we had to leave before it picked anything up. Here is the network address so you can see if anything has been recorded, please forward anything interesting to me here on Miriam. Thanks and stay safe in there.

I had been thinking of possibly checking it out while I was here but it seems the wicked never have time to rest. I’m amiable to an underwater mission.

The station groans as the shattered artificial gravity core continues to turn.

"Lets make sure to put this stuff in the armory before we leave." Billy continues forward into the next room. "Assessing internal damage and current fittings..."

A computer in the room has a bit of life left in it, advising that the fleet fuel bunkers have been breached

Message me if I can be any help “engineering” wise

"When we get Riger Two here we can run some power from the eternal reactor out to dig further into these systems. Good to know they have fleet fuel bunkers though." He walks forward. "If there is a fleet fuel bunker... maybe they have some of the fleet in their docs."

Vothe is minding the terminal, one arm plugged into it. A section of the map on the wall lights up, two decks down

10:25 AM

"A fighter bay has kept pressure"

Billys eyebrows raise chin down eyes up. “Excuse me while I remain calm.” He runs around the corner toward the bay.

There is an emergency ladder extended down an engineering shaft leading to that deck. Broken gantries also circle the shaft above and below, though the one youre landing on looks stable from where youre standing

“Ok let’s harness up before we go down there.”

10:39 AM

First Billy will send a little drone down there to scope it out first.

The drone finds the hallway ahead half filled by wreckage, but in the dim light beyond, there is a silhouette of a fighter craft

“I need to reconstruct this thing. Haha! Yes this is going to all be useful. Ah! I wish Riger Two was here already. Ok. Careful.” Billy is going to investigate.

Billy rappels down to the landing below (evasion save)

(Success!)

The gantry tumbles away, deeper into the bowels of the station, but the line holds

2:18 PM

you swing through the gap into the hallway. It is half blocked by debris, but the hangar is ahead

(I'd like to inspect around to ensure the stability of everything around me and if necessary, take time to reinforce and clear some debris, having the crew send me necessary tools or materials.)

(fix/int)

(12)

It takes a number of hours for the hallway to be stabilized, but with a steady stream of tools, and a replacement air tank from above, you have it secure enough to pass through it. Above, lights click on, revealing a pristine condition fighter-bomber

2:46 PM

(the imago dei hull)

A grin spreads widely across Billy's face. "G-guys? I think I just found scavenger heaven. This is the most beautiful fighter I've ever seen." (Billy is going to hop in and run diagnostics on it the whole nine system checks etc.)

The fighter is not fitted with weapons currently, but it is factory fresh

"Vothe, with your connection have you been able to find any information on the original function of this station?"

3:09 PM

"This ship is fresh from the box. Mint! Is there a possibility that this had a ship production facility or was this just their military base?"

"Looks like this was a commerce orbital, but they were importing off -world weapons. There was a delivery of aircraft for an Admiral Beckwater here"

3:12 PM

"Looks like he never got them"

"Welp, I'm not so sure that I want so see him get them considering our first encounter there. Any information on where this shipment came from?"

"The Black Sun Cartel"

3:17 PM

"The units themselves aren't serialized. Probably to stop people from figuring out what we are"

"Well that seems like a good idea, certainly. That explains why the good Admiral is fervently going after the ark ship wreckage downstairs."

"Do you have access to the inventory?"

“Not with so little of the network infrastructure remaining. Just this. Same section of the ship is all that’s letting me do it”

“Thank you Vothe.” (Does it seem to Billy that he could fly this ship out of here and keep the bay intact?

(Yes very much so)

(I’d like to do that then and move it out of the debris field. Afterward, I want to further assess damages to the station and see what it would take to bring back online etc.)

The hangar door opens as vothe orders it to remotely. The doors shudder and a beam falls, stopping them from closing, but there is enough room to get the ship out

9:43 AM

Zooming out of the hangar, you see that the station was blown open by the fuel bunker explosion, ignited, based on previous gathered reports, by psychic fire, or some other power gone awry. Vothe is estimating repairs would take 6 months, using 1500 tons of building materials each month.

2

9:44 AM

The time table may be shortened depending on available labor.

(Can you pin that?)

12:09 PM

(Or whatever lol)

"This model is excellent. Power to mass ratios are double anything i've ever seen for an engine this size. I'm going to have to draw up some plans for this once all the inspections are done." Billy does a quick orbit around the planet before returning.

12:27 PM

(Can I spot the armada?)

Nekosmash 3/2/2019 12:52 PM

The armada below is in the derelict field, northeast of planet. The Breaker of Shoals is slowly crawling toward them.

12:53 PM

It still looks to be several weeks of sailing toward them

(Oh it looks like i've completed some goals. Find new scores for salvage or piracy of new ships: 6 Explore the Station at Halia:3 Expand current shipyard or build a secondary shipyard elsewhere to increase the speed at which we can produce ships: 6 [When the mobile shipyard is complete] Develop a salvage to ship and ship parts production line. 9 [First long term goal should also be complete when the mobile shipyard is complete with all of the ships I've built. Mining shuttles Riger One and Two can do that together, I'm pretty sure.]

12:58 PM

[Fixing the station is going to take 6 months]

(They can)

12:59 PM

(And we can speed that time table through some story stuff. Six months even in game months is an investment )

(Yeah I was going to plan on doing that, starting by moving my ships there to speed it up using the mobile shipyard but also other story stuff. Cool cool.)

(Adding that xp then will get me over the top.)

1

"The breaker of shoals is on the move. Oh boy, I didn't know it had the capability. Ok We are going to have to figure out the political movements on this planet before I can entirely fix this station."

(At 10 if you decide to strike out let me know. I’ll make sure you’ve got the appropriate material)

2:59 PM

It is moving very slow, just a handful of kilometers a day, but it is inexorably getting closer

Yeah, Seung and I had discussed it a bit before and thought it was a good idea. He said that I could just have that mining fleet production I built because he never used it.

(Do I have more exploring of the station to do, or did I get what I came for? for the moment?)

(You’ve for what you came for as it stands right now)

3:39 PM

(6xp, 10,000 credits)

(Ok great.)

The engineers have my allegiance

1

It is a pleasure to have you Hailey this shall be a glorious endeavor.

(Before billy leaves again he wants to go down and scout the ark ship from underwater.)

Cyrus sends a link to Billy, he says nothing but you can see and hear through his suit helmet. (edited)

1

"Fucking mental." Billy's eyes glaze over as he sees through his Eyepiece.

3:06 PM

"Cyrus, do you see a power core somewhere? Try turning it off and back on again."

3:07 PM

(Is there.... /any/ way I can help them here? Anything I can see for them to target?/weakness)

3:08 PM

(He hits the record button for research purposes.)

(Record my glorious death)

Billy, stellar job out there. Take your time finishing with your Admiralty paperwork, when you're finished I'm ready to brief you on what I know about the Halian situation and dive into some investigation and diplomacy. Let me know when you're ready! -Cam

(I’m assuming we are handwaving this and we are flying back in after the battle?)

(yeah)

1:09 PM

(heading to Gudrun and then off to whatever is nexT)

As soon as Billy gets back into system space he coms Trivedi Station to check on the progress of Riger Two.

1:11 PM

“Trivedi Station, this is Billy Rigers. You’ll be happy to know that we have indeed survived. Anything new to report?”

"Quiet here. Your modifications are complete. We had to expedite things to clear the bay. Heard we took some losses out there"

“Unfortunately yes. Though I have some ideas on speeding the rebuilding process up. All that wreckage reminded me of another battle we fought. With the new mobile shipyard I am thinking of sending it out to the Rahwani debris field to see what we can scrounge up. Any chance you have any extra parts we could use to speed up the process? I’m hoping to get one of the larger hulls running enough to pack it full of whatever we can find. The Remnant are sure to be back soon and we need to fortify now. Perhaps a working spike drive so we can swap them out?”

"I'll ensure you're set to go" the operator says, and you can see electronic documents loading on your viewscreens

“Perfect, thank you, operator.”

Billy takes a moment to have some coffee and lunch before boarding Riger Two and discussing his plans with the crew. Before flying back to his newly constructing asteroid base “Let’s settle for just a second and collect our options. Vothe, can you get in touch with our new engineers and Set them off on some of these checklist items? Tanzer seemed excited to explore and he’s already got a ship being built by Seung. Pass him along a line of creds to get him going. I’d like to know a bit more about the south side of this sector and 1E. That should get him a fit crew and whatever equipment he thinks he needs. As for Ricardo and Hailey, I’m not sure exactly what they want. I’d like to find out what their aims are.”

"You should speak with them then" Vothe says

I'm ready to set off for Halia, would you still like to join me? If you need more time I might run another mission until you can make the trip

Its good to hear from you Cam. I’m glad you aren’t lost to space. I’ve just got a few minor preparations to handle befor we can head off to see what we can do about the Halian problem. Should be ready in the morning.

10:33 PM

Billy smiles. “You’re right of course, Vothe. You know, I’ve been thinking, It would be nice if you had a bit more processing power to use to learn and grow. I was thinking of sending you in for some updates but it would be really nice to get you access to an AI core.”

10:36 PM

“Can you bring Devnoc and Stearn in here? I’d like to speak with them a moment and get them situated on my next mission for them.”

The two arrive after ten minutes, Devnoc is still wearing his resistance jacket.

“Hello Comrades. Nice jacket Dev. Holy shit we’ve been through a lot together. A drink for each of you. Listen, I have been thinking a lot since this last battle and it’s reminded me of something. There is a gigantic debris field circling Rahwani. And now that we are growing and the Remnent are clearly going to have a vendetta, it seems to me that we might need some of that scrap... do you remember the titan ship there? When I beat it the wings tore off and it was dead in the water, but the core might still be intact. I need you two to take Riger Two and lead the crew out there to see what we can find. Use the materials there to fix up one of the larger hulls that can be salvaged and get it running again. With the newly installed mobile shipyard it should be an attainable feat. Maybe we can pack that full of ship salvage cargo too. Then bring as much of it back here as you can. Do you think you could handle that, Stearn?”

"Consider it done boss" Stearn says. he's already getting a plotting board out so he can plan his route and take local conditions into consideration

Billy chuckles. “God damnit you’re such a workhorse. Leave in the morning. Take the night to rest unless you’re just itching to get out there. ASAP.” Billy then turns to Devnoc. “Dev, I’d like you to resume duties as head scientist. Now you’ve been on the ground on Acastus for a long time, your body has been wracked by this shit, you must be ready to blow the Still Bitch out of the water right? I’m going to need you to start to study a few things and see if we can rebuild our own versions. Don’t do anything crazy though. I want to be there for any of the more extensive experiments. Three things, I’d like you to work on.” He walks over to a whiteboard in his new office, that looks more like the bridge to a ship, a small pebble floats by bumping the glass before being caught by the grav inductors.

8:10 AM

“I want you to begin research on three things.

1) Re-engineering the handheld AV laser. The ad Astra Laser Rifles pack the same punch but they lack the penetration. We have a bunch of those as well. Take one or two for comparison.
- 2) Imagio Dei Fighter-Bomber: I believe that the new UNW Shipyard might be able to create these but I’d like to see if we can get it done first. That one will be preoccupied in building the stations anyway.
- 3) The eternal reactor of this ship is beyond our capabilities of reproducing. I’d like to change that. Perhaps there are some other applications for a power source as renewable and endless as this one.”
“Sound like a plan?”

"I'll see what I can do"

8:18 AM

"did you have a priority?"

“I think that the priority would be the fighter. But I’d also like to get it re-fitted soon so we can get it out there. The remnant won’t wait long to strike back.”

(Really I’m just trying to give the lab some projects since I have one.)

(I have to add you to the sheet, but yea, he will begin)

“Great. Now it seems that I have business on Halia to attend to. Notify me if you run into any trouble out there. Be well.”

Devnoc nods, and already begins getting the other lab techs into an organized frenzy of activity. On Acastus, after healing from the life-eater, he had a small fire team of resistance fighters of his own, and has learned much in the way or organizing

"Devnoc.. How are you with fighting these days? Have you been training?"

"I've seen much in the short time I was on Acastus. I'm not scared anymore"

“Good. Because we have a lot of wars to win. I’ll see you soon.” (Off to Halia)

Thorn's shuttle, the unofficial business, is on the surface, landed in the water near Republic, and their meetup with the Sargasso spiritualists. A trade is taking place, manufactured goods for nutrition rich algae concentrates. The alien ark has moved to steadily patrolling outside the derelict field, forcing Beckwater to fight it, if he wishes to leave the area.

“Dr. Thorn. Hope all is well. Headed to the derelict field to asses the conflict. Feel free to catch up when you’re done. (I’ll head toward the Derelict Field. And radio both parties.) “Personnel in the Admiral’s Armada, People’s of the Ark, this is Billy Rigers of the Rigers Corps Of Engineers. Our goal is to uplift societies that have fallen after the scream. We search for peaceful resolutions when possible rather than violence between groups. Enlighten me on your current situation.”

(so what was the plan here, were you working on the ark together? i think she was just checking in with the republic while she waited for you)

2:38 PM

(was there a plan?)

(We can hop in together. I'm not sure there's an exact plan. I know we talked about checking out the ark together from an underwater approach, but I also wanted to try to make contact to both parties first beforehand, because I haven't seen or spoken to them since our first meeting. I can pick her up here and get her info too.)

(sure, you want to converse before we do that then so you've got the latest?)

(Yes)

2:42 PM

(I can hop in her channel )

(sure, lets do that)

(Note: I never leveled up Vothe with the ship battle after you said I could b/c I ran out of time. I'm doing that now. Deducting: 30k lvl 6, 35k lvl 7 40k lvl 8 45k lvl 9 for a total of 150k credits as he reprograms and begins expanding his processing core capacities.)

(beep boop, thank you billy)

(Wait, can I just do another 50k and make it lvl 10?)

(sure can)

When Billy gets back into Gudrun system space, he will drop thorn off before heading back to his home base.

The asteroid base is constructing rapidly and everyone is eager to begin truly making a name for the engineer corps

"God that's a beautiful sight. I'll have to make some modifications as we go along, but an engineer's job is never done." Billy goes back to his new office, greeting fellow enegineers and checking in on personal projects and general excitement going on at the base. He walks around the office, taking in every inch for a brief but profound moment, before sitting down to his new desk and opening his PC. He then opens coms and tries to connect to Devnoc and Riger Two. "Devnoc, this is Billy come in?"

“Hey boss” you hear his voice replying over the crackly line

"How I just wanted to check in and make sure you and the crew is alright. Dr. Thorn and I were shot down over Halia in her shuttle... though we sort of expected as much."

"Any updates on Rahwani?

Everyone is settling in, and the salvage operation is beginning. Theyre expecting in 2 months they can have local space clean again, and the products from it gathered into something usable

“Thank you Dev. I appreciate you and the team.” (Thought, do we need to travel to Riger Two to do experiments?)

(yeah you need to be in a lab to do personal research)

"I may be travelling out there to check in and run some experiments soon enough. We may have some additional data or devices to deliver as well, depending on what the teams pick up. Of course, problems mount across the sector and for some reason I've got myself into most of them. As the old adage says, 'The wicked never rest.' I'm going to have to go help the fight on Acastus again and if I can I'll do some more exploration of my own. But I will be out there soon. I sure will be glad to have Riger Two back soon. Is there anything you need out there?"

8:42 AM

Billy seems to have a lot on his mind as he speaks, shuffling papers on his desk and slightly talking to himself during the conversation as much as he is to Devnoc.

"You're planning on assisting with the attack on Acastus this month then?"

"I am. I bring it up because I feel like this has become personal for you."

"It has. THey saved my life, I owe them that much"

"Is it something that you wish to join in on?

"I'd like to be there for the attack if you are going"

"I'll tell you what. Let me get some administrative things done, I'll head out to Rahwani and do some experiments and check in on the progress personally then you can join me on R1 to Acastus."

"I'll go ahead and set up a notice to appropriate parties that another mission is commencing." (Billy will also put in an order for 10 water based drones, which I'll design later on for use on Halia later. and correct any blueprints that have been placed on my desk before checking in with the rest of the engineers for any projects or info caches that need to be transported to the lab on R2 in Rawani.)

(dropped them off Billy)

Devnoc is eager to pay back the Still Lady and her cult, mostly for the loss of his eyes

Billy signs off, takes some time for administrative duties and heads off.

(what are we doing first then?)

(Rawhani. And I'd like to take the nanite capsules to the lab there.)

(So the capsules are a relic, where something can be built with them, I think turning it into something easily like a replicator is going to break the game, but if you want to store it there, thats ok)

1

1:18 PM

The ship breaks for Rawhani, emerging a day later. The shipyard is here, salvaging what it can from the ruin field. Two friendly corvettes have been given a wide berth as grave-sites, the salvage crews unsure what is proper or right, in this case

(Yeah I kinda figured it would either be a huge boost to a certain research project or saved for some critical piece of tech in the future. In either case I would want it locked away safe as can be... actually can I put one on base and one on r2)

(sure)(

“Nobody has retrieved the bodies?”

"Too dangerous with all the debris"

“Ok well I reckon we will have to be the ones to do it. Have you run diagnostics on the titan debris yet?”

"As much as we can. Same situation, every single little micro-piece of metal floating out there reflects the signal. The information we get back is choppy. "

“If there is anything that you think might speed up the operation, let me know. Thank you for your work out here it’s needed.”

2:43 PM

(Can you remind me what roll you need to do experiments? I’m not home right now.)

(you have to decide what difficulty you want to attempt, and then its a know or know magic/int check. Depends what youre working on)

I'll do experimental research to further my understanding of the pretech at my disposal.

6:01 PM

(Fail but I didn't roll a 2 so that's good.)

(Yeah nothing blows up!)

(Woo!) (During the hours I'm there, I'll have R1 help out clearing the debris field with moretrouble pieces with the tractor beams and then I'll take Devnoc and head back to get ready for Acastus)

THey should be able to get some better information for you next time you are back

6:19 PM

(I

6:20 PM

am going to take the acastus recon thread back out since the other battles are in it)

6:20 PM

(and we will keep going with the new group)

(On the way back home, Billy is going to investigate the arm that Billy retrieved from the shadow beast.)

The arm, now severed from its shadowy host, is a laser HMG, similar to the pattern Cass was last seen using, though without the power unit

(And no magical engantments?)

5:20 PM

(Is this a handheld weapon equivalent of an HMG? I just have to find a way to power it?)

5:22 PM

(Also is this an arcane artifact or new tech?)

(Details coming)

The weapon is a two handed gattling laser cannon (the myrmidon's strength allowed it to use them one handed) It is a hot device. In the hands of a human doing 3d8 damage. By invoking its 'hot' property, it allows the user to fire twice.

1

(And.... would this be considered new tech to us? (Asking for xp reasons :p))

(Yes)

(Cool leveled up!) You said it doesn't have a power source. Is this something I can easily just engineer a place for proper batteries or is it run off magic.

The weapon was running off of magic. Some experimentation will be needed to see if other energy can suffice

(So to the lab then?)

(Maybe you need a VP of arcanotech

to help out)

(Can I run it off of space ghost?)

9:27 PM

(Hey... I'm actually 100% about to go talk to the Piggen very soon. I could see that being a thing.)

9:28 PM

(Is grupp a techie?)

(A self taught one lol, 0 in fix and program but he's only lvl 1)

9:30 PM

(He wanted to do tech things before he discovered his magic stuff)

(It is an open position. If you'd like to join the engineers.) *Once Billy gets back to gudrun, travelling by Suha and Halia and Thorgerd, he's going to go visit the Piggen. * (That was on the docket anyway.)

The piggen are concentrated in their main city, Delphos, and there is a current of resentment in the air as the wider workings of the UNW have gone on without them.

When he arrives he seeks audience with their leader, Chief Stonetusk. "Excuse me." He asks a random passerby. "Could you tell me where to reach Chief Stonetusk? I have a proposal for him that I don't think he will refuse."

You're given directions to the exact center of the city, where the ancient palace, less ancient now, being rebuilt, is located. Stonetusk frequently takes guests, especially human ones, and you're led into his court after only an hour of waiting.

"Stonetusk! I am happy to finally meet you. I am Billy Rigers, former member of Task Force Phoenix and now Chief Engineer of the Rigers Corps of Engineers. Our mission is two fold. To go out into the sector and find lost and broken tech and recover it and use it in our rebirth and also to find civilizations that are honorable and of sound position to rise up and join us on the interstellar theatre. In that train of thought, I thought of you. On my first mission with the Task Force a Piggen by the name of Quilla saved my life. Since then, I have been thinking about your people and now I am in a position of power to actually do something. I have heard of your plight and the resentment that the UNW has gone off without you. And it has. And it's wrong. I see to change that. Starting next month, I would like for the Piggen to be the first to recieve the benefits of the engineer's prometheous projects. I would like you to join us in rebuilding and rediscovering lost tech. I would like to reaffirm and strenthen you as allies to us. What say you?"

He sits back in his throne, deep in thought. "It would depend on what this project is. The Piggen have a challenge, you see. Rapid advancement has already lead to a division among our ranks. Vincheris has been in his grave less than a year now, and there may yet be another who takes his place. Any moves we make toward advancement need to be considered, and need to be allow to permeate through society at a slower pace. We must figure out the role of these new tools for ourselves, and how they will relate to the piggen society that comes next"

"Then allow some of your people to join the engineers and train and come back to speak to the rest as an example. There is no need for you to lose tradition. In fact, with our technology, we can better preserve much of what you have. I wish to ensure that you are all free to solidify your culture, not just here in Delphos, but wherever you go and against whomever comes to challenge that."

8:04 AM

"We must meet with them and encourage them that their way of life does not have to change if they do not wish it."

8:06 AM

"The UNW does not only mean changing tech, but we now have academies of both psychic and arcane nature and they all work together. I hear that you have Shamman of your own. Perhaps there is another avenue we could strengthen. To trade in knowledge is a powerful and prosperous thing, my firend."

"I thought that shaman business had been kept under better wraps" stonestusk says to himself "I only just found out about it this morning" He thinks about having the leaker found and put to death later on. Maybe publicly. His thoughts turn back to your proposal. "There are some artisans who were working on restoring our ability to make thunderguns. They work next to the compound the Task Force has in our city. You're free to take any of them who are willing to go"

"I didn't know that you actually have active shaman. They were rumors I heard long ago about your people being shammanistic. Then I guessed that your people must have experienced the same sudden awakening of magical minds after we unlocked an arcane artifact on planet. I had to take my man Devnoc across to the next sector to find magic users that could heal the curse set upon him."

8:37 AM

"I will of course take any that wish to come and explore the stars. Please let me know if there is anything that I can do to aid you in your decision. I would much like to see you and your people empowered."

"It would depend on the manner of that empowerment" stonetusk says. "The robots used their empowerment over us to make us chattel. Humans, have dealt more fairly, but our relationship is young. The Taros could not be bothered before, and have bothered even less now"

"The Taros have their own problems. Having very much empathy for those other than themselves is not often one of them in my experience. No, StoneTusk. I do not wish to force our power on to you. I want to help you to build your own power. Those that are working to rebuild your ability to build thunderguns? We would help. We would help you to relearn ship building and all those things we have lost in the past few years.... You know I have even recovered one of those robots you used to war with and rebuilt him and now he is mine to command? You don't have to deal with robotics, but a ship? Resources? Exploration? Whatever you wish, I want you to know that it is within your grasp."

(they did re-learn the guns) "See what you can do with the aritisans first. It's not a matter of what I want. This is a matter of what my society will accept without strain"

(Oh ok cool.) “Of course. Thank you sir. I believe that is all. Thank you for your time.”

He nods, and reclines back in his chair, eyes closed.

After leaving the Chieftain, Billy goes to see the Artisans and discuss the prospects ahead and to see who would join him.

there are six among their thin ranks who are interested in moving beyond Delphos and the technological stagnancy

"You are to come and join us. Learn what you can and return to your people with the wonders of technology that we can begin to recover. I know there is some resentment among your people for being left in the dust by the UNW. This is the first step to fixing that. Welcome aboard all." With the 6 artisans in tow, Billy heads off to initiate their training. He would allow them a visit with Quilla of the Task force and any other Piggen that have left if they wanted to socialize a bit before we head off. Then Billy will design a tour of study for them where they will visit pops, then RCOE HQ and the mining shuttles, observing the planet and moon on the way out, then I'll set them up to travel to Riger Two to begin their study in earnest at the lab and shipyard as well as see for their own eyes the vast reserves of tech we can regain and repurpose. I'll have them each set up with a mentor as well who will track their progress.

(If Devnoc is largely back in the lab full time, we can relegate them to his care)

10:11 AM

(rather than name someone else)

(Oh of course. Sure that works.)

It is going to take them some time to learn how to use what you have at your disposal now, before becoming a pioneer in anything beyond the fringe, but they all seem motivated

Great. Happy to get that started at least. (Now this is presumably to get to a point where I can complete the Prometheus project. Does that mean I should wait to buy that or do it next month?)

(If you did not buy any holdings on Gudrun this month you may purchase one)

(I expanded my HQ to level 2 so I could have enough points to do it.)

(alright, so next month you can build it, we will just RP it as this month you are assembling the necessary experts and materials)

Ok awesome.

Billy is going to move on to the topic of Halia. (Tell me if this is possible or crazy.) (I want to engineer 10 or so cuttlefish drones to drop into Halia’s ocean to scout out and try to translate the language of the people of the ARK. I would give them: 1- Environmental Power 2- observation suite 3- holoskin 4- sensor transparency 5- Grav muffles. (I’d like to fashion each of them to carry and program translator torcs and to be controlled by my free piece of TL5, an Alecto Drone fit with: 1- environmental power 2- Grav muffles 3- holoskin 4- sensor transparency) (...Might that work?)

Translator torcs have not been working so far

2:00 PM

The drones themselves, by design, are sound

(Then maybe we will use this to start mapping and exploring the ark and the sea. Maybe this is like the sea version of the space probes but they are stealthed sea probes. Though seems like a waste of a TL5. Maybe I could just do that with a different drone hub. One of the worker ones with an expert system.)

After hours of mulling over the Halia situation, Billy retires to his quarters.

9:29 PM

(WAIT! Haha. Does thorn being kicked mean I succeeded in my goal? Orrr...)

1

(Which goal?)

Prevent thorn from escalating tensions on Halia

Ironically, yes

8:57 AM

(Kind of a weird way to fiat that in, but the actions of others shouldn't cascade on to you. I'm fine with the XP being taken for it)

(It is weird. I did spend quite a while on Halia and DMs dissuading her lol.)

(See, the DM angle is a lot of the problem, but I believe it, so yes, take the XP)

Exactly

9:07 AM

(I told you though, at the time)

9:08 AM

(Cause she wanted me to use the fighter)

Again Billy browses the news and latest updated files for leads and paces around taking in his new self imposed responsibilities. “Vothe I think it’s time for me to go off on my own exploratory mission again. Just our small crew. Just a week and then we can come back to see what everyone has to report. Seems like no one has gotten back yet beside Hailey who is off camping somewhere. Set a meeting with all of them for the end of the month. To reconvene and scope out our next steps and so on. I’m anxious to hear Robert and Ricardo’s reports on the planets they visited.”

(So what I want to do is utilize my spike 3+1 and jump to Halia and drop off some drones to go scout out some of Halia’s ocean sort of passively. Changing the plan a tad though. Instead I’ll just buy 4 cuttlefish with Environmental Power, Expert system, observation suite, Grav muffles And holoskin for 16250 a piece for a total of 65k credits and see what they can map out for me if I drop them out of range of the Breaker of shoals and leave them to explore while I explore) (I’ll still take the Alecto Drone for the TL 5 because I’m not utilizing my cyber ware enough as it is. I will input the plans for that in a bit.)

(sounds good! we can do that)

(Oh and then after a quick check in from Halia locals and the station progress, I’d like to jump to a new star system. Let’s go with Iloz unless something drastic or whimsical changes my mind haha.

The station is progressing well, and should be complete next month with the influx of parts.

1

10:26 AM

The Trukkan republic and spiritualists are still trading, and the Breaker of Shoals has entered the derelict field, tired of waiting for Beckwater to sail out

(Oh god. It looks like my early confusion on what was going on here has turned out to be highly problematic for Beckwater. And I didn’t bring a military vessel or my big army friends. I guess we will just see if they can run away. I would like to program one of the drones to try and map out the underside of the ark ship looking for gaps.)

(we don't need a check here, pretty straightforward)

10:30 AM

One of the drones releases into the water, hoping to map the underside

(The other three drones: I'll program one to avoid the ark ship and map out the derelict field (Dropping it out of range) the other two I'm going to set to exploring the larger sea area where the Ark Ship originated and spiraling out from there.)

(I'll populate resource nodes when I get home to roll for them)

(Once that is done, I'll trade news with the Tukkan Republic, give them a quick primer on the RCOE and head off to the Iloz system.)

(it'll take a lot of time for them to map everything)

(Yes I figured. Thank you neko.)

Monitoring the progress of the New Moon mission, as your drones begin working, you see they have approached Wasim. The world has been shattered, and an old ion engine trace goes from that world, to this one. The description of the beings formerly populating that world exactly match the ark dwellers here

Billy abruptly stands up in a frenzy of movement and swiping through pages. "Shiiiit! Shit shit shit. Vothe! I think I found something. Is there any way we can patch in video to the Ark ship? They don't need to understand out language if we can show them things visually, you think? Gah, Idk why I'm asking you. Eyebot, can you help me do that out of range of their weapons?"

eyebot beeps happily and you hear vothe dragging his bulk along the corridor to come into the room

(Might the armory have computing gear that I can work with to create a visual communications device or patch in to their own systems to show them images from the UNW, humans working with different races but especially the merfolk of terezinho and images of me on Elkano and other Fleshshaper footage compiled in our databanks?")

11:07 AM

(Ship's locker I mean.)

11:09 AM

(And also any images taken from Wakim)

(the ships locker would have that if you've got that fitting)

Billy, eyebot and Vothe cause a stir of movement and scraping sounds and grunts and beeps as, Billy empties the ship's locker of computing gear pulling parts from this or that to try and build a proper device. Using components from tightbeam units, stilleto charges, and line shunts they will attempt to build a device that allow them to hack in to deliver images through the ark's coms network. "Hopefully this will work. We'll try doing it remotely but if that fails, my hope is to be able to fasten it directly to a line somewhere."

(fix int, and we will need a very good programming check later for hacking the ark)

(I have 5 unspent skill points. May I spend them in programming? I was planning on it but never finished my last level up. You can say no. /bites nails. Here we go!)

11:36 AM

(18 Fix with the help of eyebot)

(sure go for it) The device is professional looking, despite the chaos in rigging it together. Components from the locker are littered all over the floor, along with rejected pieces that ended up not fitting

(Eyebot gives bonus to program too, yeah?) That's what I have written down, was Fix, Program and Know.)

(yes +2 for him)

(Am I making that program roll now?)

(yes)

11:56 AM

(when youre ready)

(it was a 9...Can I use my reroll?)

11:57 AM

(I'm nervous XD)

(sure you can)

(It's a thirteen. Gonna go exhale in the bathroom. hahaha)

"We have partial control" Vothe says. "We can get a short message through before their systems seal off the connection"

"Send them images of me greeting peoples of all worlds and species, an image of Wakim and me crying, on Elkano, I know you saved it. and a visual representation of myself and one of their species meeting in friendship and then an image of a destroyed fleshshaper ship."

(cayne would have sent some video on that, i think he's the first one of you to have destroyed one of their vessels)

12:16 PM

You see the flickering amber light as the information is transmitted, and then finally, steady green, showing it was successful.

(I'll leave the line open to see if there is a response. And awesome. I thought so.)

12:18 PM

appears on the screen, not matching any known language database

Billy types back:

I come in peace. I do not understand your language yet, but we will begin to translate. Maybe you can beat us to it.  I am from the United Nations of Worlds. I am no friend of the Admiral attacking you. We have seen your homeland and faced the Fleshshapers.  They are coming but we can fight them together.  Let me help you.

12:23 PM

Billy then takes the segment of text as data. "Vothe take on of those language translators and see if you can use the translation software to begin making out what this means. Eyebot can help you." Billy leans back, hands shaking.

(Is this going to need to go to the lab to translate, or can I start to attempt to find a language in the database that matches or is similar? This is the first that we've seen their written language, right?)

(this is the very first time you've seen their written language)

Billy responds again: "I am sending the data from one of our translator Torcs. Maybe you can beat us to translating. This is the first step towards peace an prosperity." After he does that he's going to search the database for any mention of a language like this/have Vothe help.

This is a race un-contacted by the Tenebrian Empire, Black Sun, or even the Mandate that was a precursor to both. There is no relevant data in the system

Are there any regular drones around that I could send out to carry a compad with like...Rosetta Stone on it?

2:26 PM

(After that I’d like to jet in range to let the Republic know that I’ve made first contact with the people of the Ark and send them the images too. Are there any shuttles or anything going to and from the station to build it and keep in touch with Gudrun/HQ?)

(not regularly since its not done yet, mostly right now its just you and the stuff youre bringing0

2:33 PM

(Thorn tried that Rosetta stone thing and it didn't work, they couldn't comprehend what was going on. Just looked like a suspicious package to them and they tossed it overboard)

(Oh yeah. Ok. Billy is going to try to go back and forth a bit more with them to see if they will send more, including more video communications trying to bridge the gap. I'd like to bring one of the drones back to see if I can program it to just keep sending it messages remotely to try to mine more data from them to work with. I'll take the extra day to go back in range to send the data to the lab. Including the written language, photos of them and any other available info to make a case file. I'll title it, major breakthrough, Uncontacted Arkship inhabitants.)

The programming allowed you brief access into their system, but after the conclusion of your message, and the two replies, the link has ended, and they must have adapted to the security flaw. Flying close is still triggering a lock warning, in keeping with their behavior of anything getting too close to their vessel.

2:52 PM

One of the drones is loaded into the hold, awaiting new instructions

2:52 PM

(so you want it to keep swimming around making hack attempts basically?)

(Ok good to know. That's all I need.) I'll load it with the device we constructed. (Yes. Just to upload another short video with something positive toward RCOE myself and my ship. That kind of thing.)

The drone will keep attempting different approaches to get another message into the ark, needing some time to adjust to the new digital architecture

(Perfect. I think I'll just proceed on with my original plan to head to explore a new planet from here then. Spiking 4 spaces to iloz.)

(week in spike space,how's billy spending it)

(Building his new Alecto Drone and connecting it to his drone control link, studying the short bits of text that he got from the Ark, and working to mod his Ad Astra Rifle - Boosted/autotargetting.(Is there a sniper type of mod to make it less noticable?)

(Giving something with a magazine size that big the sniper special rule is going to be super broken)

(Ooooh right that makes sense. I didn't read the sniper special rule so I'm unfamiliar with it. I just remember wishing I had one on last mission. No worries.)

Llor is a dwarf planet, with no atmosphere, arriving there after a week of spike space. The planet surface is peppered with microimpact craters

"Oh boy." Billy says as they enter system space. "This... well it doesn't look like anything big hit it." Billy will look around for evidence of any asteroid field left behind or remnants of anything interesting. (Does it look natural?)

(It does look natural)

8:26 PM

There are only a few chunks of rock floating near the moon, but it is in the path of likely dozens of comets a year, judging by its heavily scarred surface.

Billy deflated a bit looking out into the desolate pockmarked planet. “This is why we invest in space probes, Billy. Too excited to see a new world. Might as well scan while the spike recharges... It is sort of beautiful though... In its own way.” He goes back and slumps on his bunk and talks to himself for a while, choosing to enjoy his time rather than give in to the impending dread of what a wasted week could mean for his burgeoning faction.

The scans reveal a wealth of comet and meteoric metals on the planet below. The rare earth elements within are always in demand for electronics

Billy smiles, “So it’s not just a dirt ball after all. I’m gonna have to figure out how to insulate any operation we set up here from comet strikes. Ok this is great. I need to set up my other productions first though.... excellent. Ok.” “Let’s set a course to Tsatsos I need to see what I can do to scope out a good spot to set up on planet. That should be my next target. Wealth of metals already melted. Endless energy supply. Plus I’ll get to take a look at their specialty pretech.”

9:22 PM

“I think it’s time to set up the forge. “

“Scratch that. Set a course for home. I need to call on the engineers. I believe we have a lava monster to hunt and kill first.”

The ship spends a few days in spike, returning home on the last week of the month

9:37 PM

)puts you about on time for the new moon mission coming back. Once they return there will be a unity council and news)

Ok, Yes, As Cheif engineer, I should attend that.

(I'd also like to call to order a meeting of engineers before I set out on the New Moon Mission giving them updates on their pay structure, we will have a meeting day with pizza and the like and make plans f or the future.) @Hailey Clements (Mylonite) @lictor @Robert As we wrap up the business day Billy turns to you three. "It is time we set our sights on the future. As you know I seek to begin production centers on Tsatsos and Thorgerd, but on Tsatsos, I believe is where we might really see our growth take off. It shall be the Forge of the UNW if my vision is to come to pass. But there is a lot of work to be done there. There are reports of large rocky beasts that live in the lava of the world that have come out to attack prior explorers there. We must find it, fight it and take it down. Then we need to find a suitable place to engineer a settlement that can withstand the heat and begin to work the precious metals there. In addition, we will need to genengineer crops that can grow there and source water, perhaps from the atmosphere. Once I return from the New Moon Mission, I will be planning an expedition to seek out this unknown monster and scout out the planet. Any of you are welcome to join me on that as there are multiple settlements of interest. I know you are all busy with your own missions and contributions to the faction as well, so it is not required. I just thought I would put my thoughts out there and let them ferment. Thank you."

Hailey nods. “Yeah I’m definitely interested in that count me in for sure.”

Robert gives a curt nod as well. "Sounds like a plan to me."

“Very well. I will need to go visit this new interstellar faction in the north east sector to help establish peace. They might be a great ally to have, and the. We will begin taking our first true steps as an organization. I am excited. I think we will make a true difference. Hopefully, I don’t find out about another space demon god while I’m up there.”

Upon returning to Gudrun from the NMC meeting, Billy is going to retire to his Asteroid Base to begin sifting through messages and emails that have come in on his trip and begin preparing for the upcoming mission to Tsatsos and the Unity Council meeting.

Arimoto sends a quick text message to Billy during the council meeting. "I might suggest we name the mission 'Ladykiller', but your op so your name."

2

(I think the other engineers are waiting on me to begin the Tsatsos mission.)

(lets get the council done before we start racing off places, things might change)

Yes I thought so.

HEY BILLY, IT'S GRUPP. AN ARCANOTECH WING SOUNDS PRETTY COOL RIGHT? I'VE STILL GOT A LOT TO LEARN ABOUT IT, BUT MAYBE MORD WILL STILL HELP ME OUT OCCASIONALLY EVEN IF I'M WORKING WITH YOU, HA! I HAVE SOME THINGS TO LOOK INTO IN CENTRAL, BUT THEY CAN WAIT IF YOU NEED ME FOR FIGHTING LAVA MONSTERS. I'D LOVE TO JOIN YOUR TEAM!
GRUPP THE SHAMAN

SOUNDS GOOD! I'LL HEAD YOUR WAY! (edited)

Billy goes to look at himself in the mirror with huge eyes as he is not sure if this is real.

(It's tuned specifically for hot/volcanic environments btw, won't protect against cold or anything else unless I recast it for a different environment)

(oh that's really awesome. I had no idea that could happen.)

8:26 PM

"Shit, I can visit the folks like this... mom would have a heart attack." Billy types up a note to his mom cancelling dinner and making up an excuse. Afterward, Billy is going to travel to Carinhold in his sick fighter to inquire about starting a soccer team.

There are some shocked looks as you enter the league headquarters in your strange skin. They have not met anything not immediatley humanoid before, and there is some general alarm

Billy feels awkward as the people react to him. "Listen, everyone, I'm Billy Rigers, this is just an experiment. It will clear up in a couple days. Protection for a future mission. Spec Ops protocol. Look, I'm just out here to look to start a soccer team. You guys like bolstering the league and earning credits right? My friend Shriven told me to come down here and check you guys out."

The mood seems to calm a little at the explanation. You're waved over to a booth, where a very large stack of papers is placed onto the counter. "Very good Mr. Rigers. You'll need to complete these forms, and construct a proper venue before we can admit your team to the league. We welcome the expansion of the franchise"

“Of course. What about coaches? Can I find them here. I’m looking to build a competitive team. Any of these ladies and gentlemen recommended?”

A large book is placed on the counter along with your papers "This is the directory of everyone employed to be a coach (1-3 rank)

7:27 AM

"There's others out there, but you might have to look harder, they're in demand"

“Oh very nice. And have you guys linked up with any other worlds that have interest in the sport? I here there is a huge complex on Rahwani is it?”

"They use their arena's for executions as often as games from what we've seen. We have no interest in cooperation with them until the regime and its sentient rights record change"

“Jesus fuck. I’m sorry I asked “

1

8:42 AM

“Didn’t know that.”

(yeah sil's first psi fuckery mission there had three psychics about to be hung from a crane in the soccer stadium)

“Pardon my language. I’m gonna need to make a quick call.” @Hailey Clements (Mylonite) Hi Hailey, there is a rival entertainment company on Rahwani that I just found out about. It appears that the soccer stadium there has also been used as a place for public hangings. Just wanted to put a bug in your ear to let you know and maybe we should think about doing a bit of counter propaganda with their media. At least introduce some alternate programming out there. Maybe we can start to change the minds of the people there. I wanted to see if I could get talent from there too, but not if they are like that. Anyway, as soon as I’m done here I’m headed out to pack up the mechs and go for Tsatsos. Let Robert know will ya?”

11:30 AM

“Anyway. Sounded like a good tip for PsikeTV. Think about it.”

@Paxcyan Wilder (Billy) “Thanks for the info B. As soon as I get my feet in a little more, I’ll get right on that. Time to use the power of the media to influence the people! I’ll try to find a way to set up a broadcast tower there, and maybe find some of that new talent too. I’d guess just a few months out. Thank you! This is awesome” (edited)

11:37 AM

“On my way to Tsat now”

11:39 AM

“Oh also, can I hop a ride with you and he mechs?”

VP of socioengineeting sounds like a good title doesn’t it? Hmm

11:40 AM

Sure thing

(even the suits are 50 tons of cargo space, might take a couple runs for everyones heavy equipment to get down there)

11:53 AM

(should I set up a Tsatsos thread?)

Robert has his own ship and my ship can hold 2

11:54 AM

But yeah a tsatsos thread would be good.

(I’m driving but can I send you my drone setup before Tsatsos?

(Yeah let’s do that

I can control 4 drones at a time now....

(But I can't control all of them at the same time according to kevin crawford they just don't fall out of the sky.) Does Alecto act like a normal drone or does she just follow me around and protect/ fight with me?)

The rest of them station keep near you or near the positions you’ve previously sent them. In initiative you can only act with one at a time

6:00 PM

And they’ll return when their power is low or you do not issue new orders (so at end of scene)

Ok cool. I figured that'd be the ruling. Cool That helps.

Billy, this is Desmond. I'm going to Acastus to look for clues to the Still Lady's origin.

Best of luck Desmond. I hope you find them. I will follow up as soon as I can. I have some missions to tend to myself.

Alecto will be fit with: Weapon Fitting: Mag Pistol 1400 Ammo Unit 250 Reinforced Structure: 1000 Medical Support: 2000 1 Ghostwalker drone 3000

Holoskin
Observation Suite 2 Primitive Drones
Bomber

(I definitely meant suicide drones here, but whatever I guess we will go with it lol.)

(oh for the bombers?)

Yes

(I don't know quite how the timelines sync up, but I had to drop your chitin skin)

9:59 AM

(Disappears 5 hours after I drop it, so you can go for a quick lava swim first

)

^(do that plz)

Hahaha. The stupidest way to die

This is Provost Desmond O'Shea we are having a Marshal Appreciation Celebration and Psionic Academy Fundraiser, with all the the donations going to the Regulus Fund- a charity that helps struggling psychics like those who fled the Remnant, Fleshshapers or those dealing with the Still Lady. We will have it at the Harvest Spirits. This is your invitation!

(You know you can download images from Pinterest instead of just screenshooting them, right?)

(It’s honestly laziness because my fingers are already there. Also that way I can see the source.)

(oh ok. was just saying

)

HEYA BILLY, IT'S GRUPP! JUST LETTING YOU KNOW I'M TAKING THE HMG FOR A BIT TO WORK ON IT, I THINK I'M PRETTY CLOSE TO GETTING IT. LET ME KNOW IF THERE'S ANYTHING YOU NEED FROM ME!

3

(kills me every time)

I need you to put in the plans for a free merchant for your own use. I can’t have you stuck on vacation while Robert explores the universe now can I? ;). Though, you’ll have to show me those ski slopes some time. Here: take this million cred advance in your pay and go build one. I’ll take a look over the plans once your done to see if we can cut some costs.

7:57 PM

Billy chuckles at Grupp

Billy, planning another run at the Breaker Guns on Acastus?

(Before the end of month yes. I’m On day 5

4:40 PM

(I need to do a personal mission to Rahwani and thenupon my return I will gather the troops for the breaker gun, stopping On Halia along the way to check on a few things.)

(Excellent! Thanks for coming to the party!)

(Is the drone sync mod available to me? It’s in a collection of mods... Cyrus or Shriven sent me... makes it so that when I fire a weapon, the synced drone also fires at the same target.

HEYA BILLY, HAVEN'T HEARD FROM YOU IN A BIT, HOPE YOU'RE OK, HA! TAKING THE JAVELINA OUT FOR A SPIN, COULD I HAVE ONE OF THOSE PIGGEN ENGINEERS YOU PICKED UP ON MY CREW? LET ME KNOW WHEN YOU'RE FREE AND I'LL DROP OFF YOUR GUN TOO!
GRUPP
HA!

(edited)

(not enough "Ha! 's in the message LMAO)

1

GRUPP! Absolutely. You’re the best. We will get together soon!

Having been bedridden while his mind was in a digital universe, Billy’s muscles ache as he tries to stretch and heal on the ride from the shipyard. He curses himself. “Two weeks and just when we started building Tsatsos again. So much so much.” He scratches his head trying to remember everything he had to do. Before his quick stop at the shipyard, bewildered at his loss of time. “I need my ship back some day... but Acastus needs is. Damnit. We will send word to the rebels that the Mission will begin the first of the month. I hope they did not go without us. Set course for Rahwani.”

The ship leaves the capital system, and you arrive in rawhani shortly , feeling rested, but still a little weak

“Riger Two this is Billy’s Secret how are you wonderful people today.” Billy steps into the viewing window. Visible bandages can be seen on his torso as he throws a shirt on and hikes up his jumpsuit. “We’re here, ladies.” He calls back to the twins.

“Riger Two is well.” The reply comes. You see that the most intact section of the Titan hull has been pulled away from the debris field, and of the field more than half of it has been recycled

“It looks like the reclamation is going well. Is any of that hull reusable or deployable.”

"The largest section has been dragged free, and it useable. Everything looks alright on board, lots of bodies though. Some of them were even alive for a month or so before supplies ran out"

Billy grimaces. “I didn’t mean for that..” “Let’s pull the hull and remove the bodies. We should have them buried on Rahwani.. oh how the heart falls when you’re faced with what you’ve done..” Billy pauses just a moment before he collects himself. His tone commanding. Let’s get the hull functioning as a capable ship as soon as possible. Perhaps whole process can go along faster. Does it need a spike tug or can I have the necessary components delivered here for a quick retrofit. Spike engine, anything else?”

"It's going to need a lot more than that. We can tug it free, but it's going to need to be drydocked for a few months or more

“One can be wishful. Thank you. I’ll arrange it to be pulled free. You’re doing a good job out here, Stearn. I appreciate this. Must be a boring post out here just watching scrap float about. Anything interesting happen to break the monotony?”

"Some black ops by the UNW out here. I think your friend Thorn was out here too with someone. Swallowtail got close enough to buzz us on her way in system"

7:19 AM

"Had most of the Ad-Astra fleet with her"

“Huh. What is she doing with the whole fleet on Rahwani? Strange. She usually puts every last drop of labor to use. It’s not likely unless there was a huge shipment or if she were doing something crazy like hijacking the whole thing from Shriven, Ha!” Billy dons a brief inquisitive look. “Though if there were anyone... I’m going to have to give him a ring soon to check in. Wouldn’t be anywhere without that man... any clue where she went? I was thinking about checking on planet for a free agent that might like to switch leagues maybe there’s a clue down there.”

9:43 AM

“-Oh! And shit, I know I like to ask a bunch of questions at once, but... have we sent the bodies on the corvettes back home yet?”

"We have, they've been buried or disposed of according to their beliefs, as best we could tell what they were"

“Thanks Stearn. I’m boarding. I have to do an experiment and check in with the progress of the Piggen students. How are they getting along with the rest of the crew?”

"They keep to themselves when we're not at duty. It's been hard trying to get them to interact"

“Hmm. Maybe I should have a chat with them. A new assignment maybe.”

Billy boards Riger Two to search for Devnoc and the Piggen.

Devnoc's replacement eyes whirr as you enter the ship, and he brings you to the main lab space, where they appear hard at work

“Gentlemen, do you have a moment to take a break? I’d like to check in to see how you are.”

They all begin securing their stations, and finally make their way over to you

Billy waits for everyone to gather and asks for some food to be brought over. “Well? How is this lab treating you? Do you feel learned? Does other experiences draw your mind away from here? Tell me how you are doing?”

Hey, I need some blueprints to try to replace the fleet that thorn stole. Let me know if you have time. There’s the normal fee in it for you. (4mil this time) Thanks again buddy.
Shriven

(oh wow, im just going to list because i wont give you a whole block of text)

8:06 AM

(thats mean of me)

8:06 AM

1) They are happy in the lab

8:06 AM

2) They feel they are learning but they lag far behind their companions who have grown up using the technology, it hurts their pride to be made to feel inferior.

8:07 AM

3) They miss home, and the familiar surroundings. They need to excel at something

You’re kidding! I will keep an out for her. My crew just told me she was on Rahwani recently. You’ll be pleased to know that we unlocked some new and improved ship hull designs if you’d like to reevaluate your fleet before I take a look. Otherwise, I’d be happy to complete this for you.

“I think it is high time for a piggen specific mission. I’ve already designed a few fighters and a shuttle but I think this next one should be you. I’ll organize a flight for all of you to go to the new shipyard with some extra funds and you can work with the engineers there to design a larger class of ship of your own. Once it is complete, I will expect you to rejoin your kin to become the teachers and wonder them with your expertise. Just don’t let any big lugs boss you around. You are the masters. This is why you came, right? And then you can make your own tech and teach us a thing or two. I know there are Piggen ruins on our moon, perhaps other worlds as well. What do you think?”

They like the proposal, and are looking forward to being among the first Piggen to have a ship of their own

Excellent. (You want me to set aside 2 million for this or is it part of the Prometheus project?)

(It brings them to TL 4 as far as a society/knowledge of tech, but I think starships are outside the scope of that)

(Ok) “I will designate 2 million credits to you for a starship budget. From there you are free to continue your education with us, go back home and show off, study the ship and construction or explore the Stars. It is all up to you.

They are very grateful, and when next they return home, they will begin work

Perfect. “Thank you for your time. I think that’s all I had.” Billy goes back to Stearn “Let’s get that titan hull pulled to the UNW station as quickly as possible with a shipment of scrap parts to get going on its restoration and make sure a message reaches me immediately when the hull is ready for design so I know what I’m working with here. Great job to everyone here. Can’t wait for you to see Tsatsos, my friend.”

The tugs anchor, and the effort of getting the hulk to the capital station begins

Billy boards his Secret after an experiment that I can roll for later (Is there a Rahwani news report or something I could check out? I’m interested in the sports section.)

Rawhani has heavily censored news on the surface between cities. There is soccer, and blood sports

“Jesus, no wonder Carinhold wanted nothing to do with Rahwani sports. I think I’ll just take note for now and keep an eye.” (I’ll head back to Gudrun)

Two days later, The SECRET returns to orbit over Gudrun, docking with Trivedi cloud

1

Billy begins prep for the next assault on Acastus.

The rebels are planning to hit the breaker guns, but the situation could easily become a siege. They are well protected, the power generation hub alone is inside a veritable fortress, and most of the city army was stationed there.

1:40 PM

(The guns would force armies to land well outside the city, and they only have one city to protect, no reason to spread forces out)

Billy,

Of course I will help with the assault on Acastus. I don't know where you would want me, but if you need any pilots or captains I'm your man.

Robert

(Uhh question for Neko..

I want to install that mod that we talked about to the HMG and attach it to Alecto.... The one that causes a drone to shoot at what your weapon targets. now.... tell me if this is exploitive, but it seems to me, I can easily modify any weapon I attach to a drone. Since I control 4 of them, could I set up a chain of drones that target together? The HMG’s Hot Property, would definitely be exploitive if it triggered twice a round, but I’m just sitting here about to refit my shit for Acastus and I was like, ...oh, I gotta mod alecto’s weapon finally... oh.. oh! Ooooohhh fuck B/c if that’s the case, I’d keep the current set up accept change one of the bomber drones to another weaponized drone for maximum penetration and flexibility to use the bomber at observation stealth drone.)

8:40 AM

(Maybe the mod also takes the mod slot on the drone’s gun? Because as written, it seems like you can chain them. And I don’t know if you want to just let that go with all the drones buzzing around me. Mitigating my own shit here. Lol.)

(You don’t really roll with henchmen so I’d be okay with it but the mod takes up a spot on the gun and drone for sure)

1

(Alright. I’ll have to do some redesigning then.)

Drone loadout: Alecto: Shoots with Laser HMG Mag Pistol Ammo unit Medical Support Suicide/bomber drone: same as before Stalker, spy drone: Observation and stealthy attachments. Same one as before Sleeper, gunnery drone

Shoots with Alecto
ammo unit

Weapon Fitting x2

(can I get an Ad Astra Rifle for that? I brought legit tonnages of them here to the rebels)

(Yeah)

Billy finally stops at Halia to check on the drones and situation there. (I want to use whatever downtime, I’ve had studying the language/runes we received.)

Planetwide storms, nothing supernatural, but very powerful, are interrupting communications from the ground (it's their storm season)

(Meant to send this a while ago lol)

HEYA BILLY, I FOUND SOME FROZEN EMBRYOS OF YOUR HALIAN ALIENS ON WASIM. THEY'RE BEING STORED IN REBIRTH FOR NOW, BUT I FIGURED RETURNING THEM WOULD BE A HELPFUL STEP TOWARDS MAKING THEM FRIENDLY! I THINK WE'VE GOT 36 OF THEM THAT SURVIVED. AND A WEIRD STAR MAP YOU MAY WANT TO CHECK OUT, I'LL SEND YOU A COPY!
GRUPP

3

OH RIGHT, I ALSO COPIED SOME OF THE TEXT I SAW, SEEMED TO BE SOME KIND OF CODING FOR THE HOLOGRAPHIC TABLE. MAYBE YOU COULD REPLICATE IT ONCE YOU HAVE THE LANGUAGE DOWN!

(How is the station?)

(Complete)

1

Taking Star Captain for my 13 foci.

3

Program is 4 so drone cap is 5. Adding a Gunnar drone.

(Won’t have it in time for the mission. Your efforts over the next game days are the large amount of work for fixing the ships without a shipyard. But you can build one)

This should have happened on Acastus

3:05 PM

But I’m cool with that. Was just busy

(Not sure where in the timeline this is, but Billy wants to just check out the station at Halia to see what he’s working with, now that the crews are done.) Billy attempts to coms down to the planet from the station. “Billy Rigers of the Rigers Corps Of Engineers falling from Halia station. Does anyone down there read me?”

(The station is done, we never figured out crew or anything though, how many of the ashen ones do you want to staff it?)

(Peerless station?)

(yes0

Ok. Is it bare bones and I have to fit it or does it already have stuff in it? I know it was a central trade hub before. I’ll put 200 on it for now.

(Part of the build was getting the fittings in it since the superstructure was still there)

(I guess what I’m asking is if I have to build a peerless station with Dax’s ship builder

7:37 PM

(Or if you built something alreDy)

(You have to build it)

(There’s no UNW pretech parts available right now)

(I have like 20)

(Yeah no worries just blanket mentioning it)

(I’d like to arrange for the pods from wasim to be studied and revived if possible so we can try learning how to communicate and get through to the Wasimians as soon as possible.)

9:21 PM

And I’d like to prepare a specific wing for them on the station.

The samples right now are stable. As many as could be spared. Grupp has them in the rebirth lab. It’s not clear if human bioscopics will work on them

Will I have to go down to planet to try and fish any of my drones out? They should still be running. Mapping the ocean floor n stuff. And that one has been trying to hack the ark.

The ark hacking drone is not returning any signal. The remainder of the drones have been mapping but the debris filled water and poor conditions have made any kind of reliable data difficult to obtain

“Not surprising I suppose. I hope they aren’t too upset that I bombarded them with that imagery.”

SURE THING BILLY, THAT'S EASY! I'VE ALREADY GOT SOME SAMPLES OF THEIR DNA SO THE COPY WOULD BE EXACT, NO BIOSCANNERS OR ANYTHING COULD PICK IT UP!

9:46 PM

I'VE GOT A COUPLE THINGS ON MY PLATE TO FINISH, BUT I CAN ASK VAL TO RUN SOME. I DON'T WANT TO MESS WITH THE EMBRYOS TOO MUCH THOUGH, THEY'RE EASILY CONTAMINATED.

Billy sits back for a moment before calling for Riger 4CE to deploy to Halia. “There is no way in hell, I’m about to go down there in R1 and get shot down by this aggressive by any means brigand.” Billy calls again a few times trying to reach out to the Blacksurf Floatilla and Admiral Beckwater.

Beckwater puts your call through after 3 attempts. Her white and violet trimmed naval uniform is crisp, and the background has a faded Trukkan republic flag, the sunset over island motif pockmarked by bullet holes

6:45 AM

bandages cover part of her face and neck, but if she is in pain, she isn't showing it

“Admiral Beckwater. This is Lord Admiral Billy Rigers of the United Nations Of Worlds and Chief Engineer for the Rigers Corps Of Engineers calling from the new RCOE station on Halia. Our mission is to rebuild and reunite societies of this world, reforging lost connections since the scream. We have been observing the planet for some time and attempting to make connections with moderate success and had been eyeing the Republic for a Prometheus project to bring them back to the stars until you took them over and we have been working on building communications with the breaker of shoals as we have found their home planet utterly destroyed. And by the looks of it, it seems like you have been throwing yourself against the rocks lately. Care to talk to me about what happened between you and the Republic and why you are so bent on throwing yourself against the wasimians? I’ve tried contact with you before and sadly, it has been to no avail.”

"The Blacksurf Floatilla is Haila's rightful ruling party. My family reaches back centuries, a long line of ocean and now stellar sailors. The wasimians came to this world as invaders, heating it, and attacking other city arks that crossed their path. The Trukkan republic refused to act, making them little better than lost already"

“I respect your tenacity Admiral. So what did you do to the Republic. Clearly you took over, but what happened to the people there. I’m not sure if you know this or not, but bloodlines mean nothing anymore in the greater cosmos. And from my position you have seemed to me to be the aggressor here. If you could provide me with more information on the Wasimians, I believe I may be of service in resolving the conflict. They are not invaders. They are refugees. Their ark was a last ditch effort to escape their planet as the moon crashed into it. You’re saying they are the cause of all the volcanic activity here? Terraforming to create an ocean world?

“Let me answer you in order. Those who raised arms against us were killed. Such is the nature of battle. Non combatants and those who surrendered are still in their homes aboard. They will be transferred ashore when we face the breaker. The rising sea levels were from the polar caps melting when the planet warmed. We can’t be sure if an ocean world is directly what they want”

“You are correct... Admiral. I wish we had made contact sooner. I am sad to see the fight with the Republic take place. But I respect your answers thus far. Many of us would have done the same in desperation. I’ll tell you what. We have intel on the Wasimians and I have succeeded in hacking into their ship at least once. We have found their language, their home planet, and vast amounts of advanced tech constructed by them as well as a number of cryogenically frozen individuals. If I am right, it seems to be a matter of survival for both of you at this point. Their survival has value to me as well as yours obviously. I have one last question before I make an offer. What is your connection to the black sun. It seems from some logs that I was able recover that you may have had a connection or some intel on former locations of interest. Is that true? And might I add... we have the capability of recreating Imago Dei fighters. Those things fly like beauties. Answer wisely. I want to help you.

7:19 AM

Billy sits back to await a response.

“I sailed with them before retiring to Haila closer to the end of the war- when the trouble started. If you’re asking me to divulge my connections by threatening us with starfighter attacks you’re giving me little reason to give you anything at all”

“Quite the opposite of a threat. I saw in the log that you ordered one.”

“Better days and easier times I’m afraid. We are learning to cope with our warming world. The ark always gives chase. We cannot settle and grow constantly under threat. I’m trying to do something about that”

“Well, I have a proposition for you. I am sure you won’t wish to simply abandon your world, but we are on the brink of being able to actually communicate with these beings. I believe there is far more to gain from breaking that then breaking them. I would like to propose a temporary evacuation for your people to keep them safe. We can then continue to work on relations with the Aliens until a time at which we can broker a peaceful solution. If they want hot, I am the governor of Tsatsos, a volcanic magma filled planet. And we have other ocean worlds that they may reside. I know it isn’t your preferred solution, but we at the UNW have larger threats to worry about and to be quite frank, someone with your battle experience and unrelenting demeanor would be a good ally to have. In the scheme of things, Halia is but a small conflict in a galactic sea of many. This seems like the most logical of choices to me. If you give me a moment, I will send you some files... you can receive files correct? You’ve at least recovered some of the tech from the shuttle that was shot down, yes?”

“We have. I’m hesitant to tell you what we have done with it, but against my better judgment I will. We have manipulated the recovered spike drive core to power a gun that will fire rounds capable of disabling the ark. With their ballast pumps and weapons off the fleet will attack and sink it

“I’ll be sending you the UNW charter, and briefs on recent and ongoing conflicts as well as a list of our member worlds. I apologize for not dealing more directly with this sooner, but I had a fallen god and raving empire to deal with. As for your weapon, as an engineer, I greatly admire your ingenuity. If I could persuade you, I would ask for a delay in using it and ask that the ships continue evasive maneuvers from the Ark. in the meantime we can evacuate those willing and establish better connections and aid to both you and the Wasimians. Your planet won’t be lost to them if I can help it. But we can’t afford to throw away their potential wealth of knowledge either. We can have ships begin evacuating within days and we can use the new station as a waypoint for evacuees. What do you think of these terms? We won’t cut you out of course. We will need your knowledge as well as your passion to ensure the project comes to a satisfying completion.”

9:33 AM

“I offer you a door as an alternative to bashing your ship against the rocks.”

“I won’t have you taking our natives off planet and away from us when we rely on just your supposed goodwill to bring them back. I won’t split of families on the word of another alone.”

9:40 AM

“But I can agree to another month of evading”

“Fair enough. I can see your position. In the meantime, I would like to open some trade and allow you and your people a better introduction to our cultures, and become better acquainted. Hopefully we can build some trust in one another.”

(Is there a trade report up for haila already? She would agree to that I just want to make sure )

(Yes)

“We understand you’ve an arrangement with the sargasso spiritualists already. We would be happy to contribute some of what we make to offworld trade

“Admiral do you need some medical attention? I have a drone that might be able to help you. That way we can at least share a meal to solidify our new friendship. What do you say?”

"A meal?" she seems surprised, "What did you have in mind"

Billy smiles and shrugs a bit sitting up in his seat. “Well I suppose you’re getting tired of seaweed and fish. I don’t have 5 star cuisine up here, but we can at least eat some land mammals and vegetables. Perhaps some wine or coffee... orange juice? We can have Alecto take a look at some of your wounds and treat them. Really to tell you the truth, I just got back from demolishing 2 remnant fleets and destroying a 30 meter tall demigod of some sort, so I’d really just like a break to have a nice dinner with someone new that I can connect with. I don’t bite unless provoked.”

"Good enough for me. How am I getting up there?"

“I’ll pick you up at 8”

"8 it is. I'll be ready for you" the link ends, but you think you caught a smile

Billy signs off and goes to get ready for his meeting with the admiral. He dons a fine suit and has Vothe set up a nice table setting in his quarters. When it’s time, Billy flies Riger One down toward the Blacksurf Flotilla.

5:48 PM

(Side note. Unrelated. Leveling Vothe again.)

(Is vothes upper half also in a suit? And eyebot? Hahaha) The flagship of the Blacksurf Floatilla is a heavy cruiser that has been repaired, patched, and refloated more times than a ship should be able to withstand but somehow it is still seaworthy. Sailors on scaffolding paint the hull with low visibility paint and scrape barnacles from the lower part of the hull

(Absolutely.) R1 sets down gently in the waters beside it, the doors opening to welcome the Admiral aboard. “Blacksurf Floatilla, this is Riger One here for the meeting of the Admirals.” Vothe announces on coms. Billy steps out onto the gangplank between the two vessels to wait.

Beckwater appears, crisp violet trimmed and white starched uniform and all. The brass is gleaming and her boots shine the glossy glow of many hours spent polishing by hand

“Admiral Beckwater. A sight of perfection. Let us get acquainted, shall we?” Billy stands straight, smiling. He ushers her in with a wave of his hand and takes up stride beside her. “Vothe, take us up would you? Let’s do dinner and a sunset or two. Hell, we could even turn around and do a morning if you’d like.”

“A sunset is fine” she seems a bit calmer and her violet curly hair tumbles out from under her peaked officers cap as she removes it. “We have quite a bit to discuss. I’d rather not spend all dinner waiting to get to the actual reason for this”

3

Billy raises an eyebrow smiling sideways a bit and shows her the ship then leads her to dinner as Vothe breaks out of the atmosphere and into the startling expanse of space. “Admiral Beckwater, I want you to enjoy yourself. Logistics can be handled later. We all need a break sometimes. I feel a bit like I’m talking to a mirror. I see myself in you. Wine?” He motions to a fine Terezinho that he had set aside from far trades.

"Wine" she agrees. "Its been years"

“There is an end to all this fighting. I want you to catch a glimpse of it. That’s what I’m working on... At least for longer breaks in between. I want you to know you’re not alone.” Billy says, handing her a wine glass and clinking his own.

9:51 AM

Billy proceeds to have a very honest, connective and forthright conversation through dinner. He is respectful, treating her as an equal but doesn’t necessarily hide the fact that he finds her intriguing. He lets the conversation flow as it wishes, actually taking the moment, for once, to just let everything be until she interjects with something pressing.

"Your progress isn't hard to fathom without constantly needing to be on the move. Its something I've wanted for Haila too, but ever since that Ark showed up, the entire world fell apart"

“The Scream destroyed everything. The Wasimians were in the process of fleeing from their own planet that was being destroyed. I’m sure their spike drives went out as well. World after world. As far as we can tell, every sector around had catastrophes befall them all at the same time. We met a psychic mind made up of a whole academy of psychics that said that there was a beast to the galactic south some sectors away that caused the MES wave that destroyed everything. What I’m saying is that it’s not all the Wasimian’s fault. It’s bigger than this. They are the victims just as much as we are.”

"It's how they've behaved post disaster- that is most concerning. We weren't the ones who shot first, though I could forgive you for thinking so, based on when you met us"

“I’d like to hear your full account. If we need to take them out we can without so much more casualties on your end. Still, I’d like to understand them and their motives better. I’ll share what we found with you as well. They seem desperate.”

“I’ve given it to you, really. The ark splashed down, the world heated, they started shooting at anything that came near. I reacted. “

“Damn. Well thanks for that. We will be fixing the problem come hell or high water. There is a wider world out there now that can aid you. If the decision has to be made to take them out, personally, I would rather be here to aid you with my own ships rather than have you take them on yet again by yourself... I’m glad you made it out of the graveyard, by the way. I was worried for you. I tried to come but that damn Dr Thorn flew us right into the guns. Worked out for you though I guess.”

"In a sense. That was a heck of a crash. We didn't think anyone had even survived it:

7:53 AM

"What in the seven hells possessed you two to try to drop a package onto their deck

“That was her the first time. Silly move. She just dropped a compad and left. I assume it was just tossed overboard. When the ship crashed, I intended on coming to see you. I should t have let her pilot. Luckily, my ship came under the waters to pick us up and we swam down to it to escape. ” “She actually is no longer with the UNW by the way. Turned traitor and ran off with half of a corporate fleet once her ambitions began to be stemied by outside voices. Ambitious. Reckless. Will stop at nothing. Clearly, something that I tend to gravitate toward in women that I surround myself with now that I think on it. Not that there was anything there as far as a relationship, but still... rings true.”

8:07 AM

“I once branded her neck with the mark of the apostates on Acastus to pass some checkpoints that inevitably led to the destruction of some depot or another and ended in a cinematic car chase, if you’d believe that. I was hidden in the back of a ground truck with an AV laser mounted shooting from the back of it. By any account, I think you and I will be good for each other though.”

"We may very well be. So what exactly are we agreeing to here? before I go for my third glass of wine and begin to forget myself"

4

8:11 AM

"We've been very complimentary of one another, and I see you've made a space station over this world. My people are concerned, and upset. I need to return with some kind of solution"

“To not being alone. I would of course, like for you all to join the UNW, but I know that is a discussion to be had. I’d like for us to be allies and work together to find the best solution for the planet and protect your people as our own, but I know that is another that you’ll have to discuss back home. I’d like to find a solution that suits the Wasimians if possible, but I know that may be a stretch. We’ve already discussed the month on that front. The station here, and I can give you a tour of that as well, is built to facilitate bringing the people here back to space and as a forward base for my faction. In truth, all I’d like to do this evening is forget myself and enjoy the moment while we’re here. Can we agree to setting all of those things in motion?” He finishes pouring the third glass for each of them and raises it.

she hesitates, and then clinks her glass with yours

“Cheers then...” He let’s the moment settle.

"I think we're very alike Mr.Rigers" she says, inching closer to you

2

“...We are both people with great amounts of responsibility and must exude control over countless situations every day. Do you find control or power to be something that attracts you or do you find yourself begging internally for someone else qualified to take the reins every once in a while?... It’s um... something I haven’t quite decided yet.” Billy returns the motion accepting her closeness.

1

"I have subordinates who are disciplined. I can trust them in my absence

12:27 PM

outside, the planet's sun dips very low behind its curvature

As do hands and tangled limbs as the room turns to darkness.

12:32 PM

(Because this is PG-13!)

4

(Well, it wasnt once, and we saw how that worked. Fade to black)

(I’m not sure if there is a top or bottom in this situation and I kinda like it that way hahaha.)

12:41 PM

A few days later in spike space, Billy steps out of the R1 shower facility the remnants of clear marks on his back seem to be almost healed. “Vothe, we are going to need all of our resources pouring into cracking the Wasimian code. What is your recommended course of action?”

"Immense computing power will be required- more than the UNW as a whole can manage. We should look into contacts with other groups"

“First thing Is like to do: something I’ve been meaning to do for a long time is get you an advanced AI Core for you to grow into and make you a phylactery to keep in your current body. Have that ordered and installed. We can install the AI Core on one of the ships. Most likely that Titan hull that we’re working on. But until we can get it up and running, we can just place the code on one of our other ships.” (Haven’t thought this through all the way yet. On the fly.)

12:51 PM

“What polities might have the capacity we are looking for?”

"Galeta, maybe, though they;d want something in return. Maybe the NMC, though likely the same, quid pro quo"

“Give me a quick premier as I throw some clothes on. Do they have access to spike space?”

"They do not"

1:09 PM

"they have no need. Galeta occupies an intersection of MES leylines. Anything they need they can produce out of thin air."

“Oh convenient. What the hell could I give them, then. Has any of the team been there?”

1

"Mordecia, though he may be tough to get ahold of on Cruesa now - and Grupp..." he thinks for a moment "Shriven also took on a job for them"

“Send message to Grupp and Shriven. Tell them, Billy is searching for a society that can help decode the Wasimian language and intends on visiting Galeta. He wishes to know of any intel that might assist in convincing them to help. What do they wish for?”

2:17 PM

“And make sure you pick up one of those nanite canisters while we are on base. If they can create anything, I’d like to see if I can’t re-create something myself.”

(Do you want to post sometihng in their channels? or should I )(

(You can if you want or I can later.)

)I pulled Shriven channel out and posted there. You can send Grupp messages even though he’s in dabloonscape

HEYA BILLY! GALATEA IS GREAT, I'VE DEALT WITH ARCTOPIA MOSTLY, THEY'RE GROUPMIND TRANSHUMANS--STRANGE BUT FRIENDLY. COIN IS NO GOOD THERE, YOU HAVE TO TRADE FAVORS. GENERALLY SOMETHING PETTY AGAINST ONE OF THE OTHER CITIES THERE, NOTHING VIOLENT THOUGH I DON'T THINK. LET ME KNOW IF I CAN HELP, BUT I'M BUSY PLAYING PIRATE, YOU KNOW HOW THAT GOES.
CAPTAIN GRUPP THE PIRATE SHAMAN

(Can I send him some game tokens to unlock something?)

(unlock what, exactly_

(Idk tbh. I had nothing in mind. More like one of those mobile games that’s like. Send your friend a gift! I honestly didn’t really have any intention with that question lol.

(I'll think of something)

Billy, finally dressed, exits his quarters with a coffee, sweeping his wet hair off to the side just as the ship emerges in Galeta system space. (Assuming we stopped back on Gudrun and I grabbed the nanite pod, a safe transport to a couple of the cryogenically frozen Wasimians and experimented at the lab before I turned around.) “Riger One hailing Galeta, this is Chief Engineer Billy Rigers Of RCOE. I have an interesting puzzle, you might be the only ones in the sector that can help me solve. I have come with a linguistic challenge needing very large processing power and unique tools and expertise. Is anyone interested in helping me. I have 30 days to solve it before a war escalates on a planet not far from here and the extinction of a species becomes imminent.”

The polities below, but actcopia, begin hailing you, each wishing to help, but at the exclusion of the others Anchorite city, is also silent.

“Vothe, is there any info on the logs on which of these polities might be more suited to our needs?”

(It’s on the scouting report)

5:36 PM

(If I retype it I’ll forget something)

“Nova nova it is then.”

Nova novograd is a sprawling city dominated by a double scale model of the kremlin. The city spreads out in all directions, blocky but strong.

People’s glorious revolutionary leader Vladimir Vladerkova and his personal guard of 50 shock motor rifle soldier shells greet you as the chosen landing vehicle comes into the commercial airport there. The shells are stocky and many are bedecked in ribbons for valor in “cyber class warfare”

Billy waves in politics as he steps from Riger One. “Greetings comrades!”

“I have a puzzle I think you might be able to help me solve.”

“We’ve already solved all the nesting dolls in the known universe comrade!” He laughs “tell me of this puzzle”

“It is one of many parts. Come, let us share a drink and I will fill you in.” Billy recounts the story of the Wasimian homeworld, the conflict on Halia and current state of affairs and agreements and shows him all of the data on the Wasimian language as well as the cryogenic Wasimians he brought with him. “As you can see, this is a problem that requires only the best problem solvers in the system. I forgot to mention the best part. There’s a timer on this too. We have 30 days... less than. Maybe 20 now before they blow each other up. What do you say to messing around with foreign policy?”

“we could lord this over the others for a solid decade. Nova novagrad is in. So you require what. Exactly. A key to this language?”

“That and a way to safely revive the cryopod Wasimians we rescued from the planet, yes.”

12:26 PM

“A means to translate.”

“We encourage you to explore the city while you wait. You may have access to a minor grail to create what you need for a comfortable stay”

“Do you have any advanced robotics that I could study for research purposes?”

“We are advanced robotics” he laughs, his mechanical voice grating. “The grail can make any components you need for study but will not last beyond the borders of this world “

“Haha! I suppose you are quite fascinating as well. Billy brings up data on sentential class robotics. I’m doing a bit of research on this class of robotics. Do you have plans for these? And how do you operate the grail?”

"It's very similar to a computer. Design what you need, it will print. I think an engineer like you would take to it in no time. As far as this pattern of robot, we don't have anything like that in use"

“Oh. Well then I’d like to see what you do have in use. I have a project I’ve been trying to crack for some time, so any extra research I can get in on advanced robotics would be helpful. I am excited to see this grail. I bet that would accelerate research quite a bit!”

5:43 PM

“Thank you, Comrade!”

You’re taken inside the main landing dome where a minor grail is set up. You see dozens of different imaging and sculpting softwares and machines to put plans into the grail machine to create

6:13 PM

(It doesn’t really describe what grails look like. Sort of like an mes nanofab)

(I’m not smart enough to know exactly what Billy is doing, but he’s going to go and make as many different pieces to robots as he can to study their nanoconstruction and see if he can print the parts to build some of these things the old fashioned way like in a factory. Then he will do some playing around with nanotech recipes as well.)

The testing fades, after three days of research (200rp) , as the cyber-frames return, many of them showing signs of battle damage and wearing new campaign medals

“Well, we think we have cracked the code here. This language cannot be spoken by humans such as yourself but it can be written”

(So you can type it to them, ect. Enough to try your idea)

(Yes! Sorry. Busy few days. I’m actually working right now.)

(All good bud

“Excellent. Thank you my friends! This is fantastic!” Billy wraps up his time here, thanking all those that helped him and goes to run off back toward Halia.

Below, the Ark and the Trukkan Republic/Blacksurf war fleet are avoiding one another in their usual cat and mouse game. Beckwater has kept her word, for now.

“Vothe, let’s broadcast a message to them in their native tongue.” “People of the Ark, this is Billy Rigers Of the Rigers Corps Of Engineers, Representative of the United Nations Of Worlds, and Governor of the planet Tsatsos. We have found your homeworld destroyed and recovered some of your people. I have negotiated a ceasefire with the Admiral Beckwater you have been fighting for so many months and I have decoded your language in an attempt to settle this conflict peacefully. The RCOE mission is to uplift civilizations back to the stars. Will you speak with us?”

The Breaker of Shoals down below stops following the beckwater fleet, breaking off on its course, and coming about. We will negotiate, starfarer

Billy, ecstatic and hands trembling reaches for the keyboard.

We will translate and negotiate on your behalf and the behalf of Admiral Beckwater. I believe we can come to a satisfying arrangement.

“Admiral Beckwater. Billy Rigers. I think I did it.”

7:55 PM

I seek peace for you both. And would wish you to join us in the stars.

A small island is pinpointed on your map, where a representative from both sides have agreed to meet. One delegate each. No drones, no weapons. No bodyguards\

That is acceptable to me. I will see you soon.

The island is a small space, only two kilometers square, with an irregular shoreline. The Breaker of Shoals lies offshore, kilometers away, and it is unclear how the Wasimian made is way to the island. A small gunboat, with a motorized launch conveyed Beckwater, who stands in her crisp naval uniform, in the heat of the morning.

```We will communicate via this technology so everyone understands as best we can. We have come together to discuss our needs and to broker peace. Know that each of you have needs that I and the UNW care for and want to see fulfilled. A mutual partnership is preferable to mutual destruction as has been the trajectory. I assume each of you would like peaceful jurisdiction on this planet, but I’m informed that you may be terraforming. Could you tell me a bit about that?”

We cannot live in temperatures below a certain range. We are elevating the planetary temperature so we can survive comfortably. Your species will be uncomfortable, but we ensured it would not create terminal conditions for you

10:55 AM

the alien speaks, spindly fingers gesticulating

I believe we should share data points to find optimal middle ground temperature targets for each population. I would hope to join this planet with the rest of the UNW. We have another water world that you might like to visit.

What are each parties terms for peace?

(edited)

Beckwater: Remove heat trapping trees from as many islands as possible, technical assistance for an on-land colony. She is unsure of Wasimian meddling has caused former colony failures, if it has, she wishes for it to stop. If not, their help figuring out what is. The Wasimians want attacks against the ark to stop, and would like to ideally have freedom to settle the entire planet.

Well we obviously can’t just give the whole of the planet over. We’ve come to negotiate. All attacks must cease on both sides and we must come to an agreed upon climate to be maintained. We will designate territory based on latitude and longitude along with neutral zones.  And required and sanctioned land mass retention to be under control of the humans on planet. Each of you will be granted aid by RCOE upon further investigation of your cultures people’s and motivation, and trading of technologies. In addition, to the Wasimians, we have found some cryopods of your people that we will return to you. 

To each of your peoples, I encourage travel to our other member worlds and to facilitate trade and peace. There may even be room on other worlds that might suit your desired habitats. We have many seas but the Halia sea is the only one thus far that you may maintain at the most agreed upon state. 

And we will finally build. If breaches to this are found by either side, the UNW will be the presiding mediator to determine judgement and fair recompense. 

If so desired, joining the UNW may be considered at the next council. As a governor, I may bring that to the table but, peaceful relations and a place of neutral cohabitation must be established to encourage peace.

Are there any objections?

Beckwater does not wish to join. She just wants her planet back. The aliens likewise have no interest in joining the UNW. Human politics means nothing to them. If forced to share a designation of territory and a clear climate change point need to be determined

I do have a dwarf world we could begin to terraform with a large enough importation of the proper planetary ingredients and clearing of a debris field a few sectors away. It is by no means much more than a barren rock at the moment, but with enough effort and support, we could solve the issue once and for all.

Aside from that we will agree to split the planet with the Wasimians occupying the equator and thus the warmest waters, leaving the humans to the north and south, agreeing to equal space to grow. We will recede the oceans enough to give ample land to anchor seaside cities and there shall be a channel designated for free travel between the north and south. 

If determined to be a clear ally and peaceful cohabitant, RCOE and the UNW may seem it appropriate to bring you to space with us so that you may explore and discover new places. We may even be able to find uninhabited ice moons capable of being terraformed into suitable Wasimian territory. The future is vast and much easier to manage with allies.

9:54 PM

... Now I think all three of us know that at some point, someone is going to go and mess up this truce or try to take from the other party. I hope this peace would last for the foreseeable future but each other’s existence is in contrast with each other. I would also encourage a neutral zone where a joint research facility can be built with aims on closing the gap between the two of you. Does that sound silly?

The idea of a planet elsewhere perks up Beckwater. She seems to have been thinking about the climate change for some time, since your last meeting, at least. What if we agree to leave, and move to this new world. Would the UNW provide assistance?

Beckwater. If you would agree to leave, we may give jurisdiction to the Wasimians and allow them to complete their terraforming process. I would ask to have access to the planet to build RCOE bases and trade with them.

As for your situation, I would welcome you to Tsatsos while we begin building the necessary infrastructure.  I am already mining water on Thorgerd and we can begin importing, but the real threat remains asteroids in that region. But I believe we can likely build infrastructure to not only clear the asteroids, but to mine them and use their resources, all of which we will need to add mass and atmosphere to the dwarf planet. I would of course expect that RCOE would be welcome there as well. 

As for the UNW, I will have a better time convincing them to help if you agree to join us on the stellar stage. But you have the assistance of RCOE. I had intended on building out that planet anyway, and this seems like a golden opportunity.

7:28 AM

I would also encourage travel to the other UNW worlds while we initiate construction on Iloz. It will take months.

We will come with you to Tsatsos

(I think in light of the planet rapidly changing, and as you said, this truce is paper thin at best, Beckwater would choose the second best option which is at least to keep the human communities together. The spiritualists would likely want to go to Gudrun or Terezinho, but the rest will be fine to go with you)

(That’s what I thought too. And if I were in the room irl I would let the thought sit with Beckwater for a moment and then suggest that. Awesome. This is great.)

Very well. I will make the arrangements, to begin the immigration process. Contact the spiritualists and inform them of the impending danger of increasing temperatures. Provide them with visuals and reports of our other UNW seas that they would be welcome to colonize given notice of the local governors. Which I know personally. 

To the Wasimians, will you be open to a trading hub for our societies to trade and learn from each other?  I have a station but I was thinking of something on planet to facilitate a peaceful relationship. Other than that, I believe our business is done. And we will return your cryopod bound relatives as well.  Thank you for the meeting. I respect your technology and weaponry. Truly a marvel.

'''The station can remain. It will be many months before a trade of any kind is possible’’’

“Whatever we can do to facilitate that, let us know and I will be happy to see what we can do. We will begin the immigration process immediately then.” Billy smiles “Well done. Let’s get started. I’m sure your people will be excited for a new chapter.”

"We are" beckwater says, speaking now in English. "I'd rather you make arrangements to get the spiritualists out first, and then move along to us. "

Billy pauses to take her in for a moment. “Aye, I suppose that might be for the best. Some might be hard pressed to leave, but it must be done.”

“Don’t go to extreme measures. I don’t think most will be hard to convince. Once we leave the wasimian can do what they will. Any humans left behind will have made their choice”

“Agreed it is nice to see you. I’ll be glad to have you on Tsatsos. I still have yet to settle into my new home.” After some words with Beckwater, billy ventures off to discuss the arrangement with the spiritualists.

8:30 PM

“Halia station, this is Billy. Send word immediately to arrange for planetary immigration transport.”

(I’ve got the troop ship available.

(Sweet. And what of the FACred upgrade we are doing? That’ll take months?)

(I dropped or Cyrus’ reinforcements. He shouldn’t need anything that scale moved again for a while)

8:31 PM

(That’s not for player use that’s basically just for getting between planets without your own ship. Purpose of those isn’t for direct player use.

8:32 PM

(Think of it like interplanetary airlines)

(Oh! Cool. I dig.)

(There’s five planets now. So I’m sure people will be moving around somewhat or wanting to)

8:33 PM

The troop ship is sent for but it will be several days before it arrives, more than enough time to talk to the spiritualists

(Perfect.) Billy arranges a bit of propaganda to show the spiritualists. Compiled tourist/this good earth imagery from Gundrun and Terezinho oceans along with the scientific data related to the Halia terraforming trajectory. “Though this ocean mother will be heating too much for you to live, our UNW worlds hold many of Halia’s Oceanic sisters. For they are the origin of life itself. All oceans must be cared for. The Wasimians have taken charge here. It is your duty to care for her sisters.”

8:39 PM

(For some reason I pictured an 80s style nature doc voice.)

(Saw this. Sent Seung a PM to see if he would want them, if not they’ll go to Gudrun )

9:22 PM

(But they’ll go)

9:22 PM

“We accept your offer and you are right. There are other oceans that need our tending. “

“Wonderful. We will begin the process immediately.”

6:01 PM

(With Halia all sorted, Billy returns to his ship, ensuring that shuttles are in order to begin processing immigrants.)

6:03 PM

(...and blasts off back home to Tsatsos to observe its progress.)

(With your new GF

)

1

Ayyy

The main admin center is complete as is the hydroponics needed to feed everyone. Housing looks to be going up this month in addition to the esoteric data hubs that power the ashen ones version of augmented reality

I’d like to take a survey of the planets defenses or lack thereof and come up with a plan to build them out... perhaps with the aid of the Blacksurf floatilla members newly arriving. They will need ships eventually if they intend on colonizing Iloz with RCOE’s help. So I need to begin building out the station and trending toward a shipyard on Tsatsos to facilitate. (I’ll have to look at the technicalities of that later)

The planet has no ground based defenses. The station in orbit is a research station that can be built out

5:47 AM

(The shipyard will build at the 200k rate. As far as defenses there is a holding for it and that can be what gets built this month

(The books don’t actually talk about what anti ship ground defenses might look like. I have some ideas on implementation I’ll run past you when you get back to us) (edited)

(youve also got 18xp, to collect as well, for all your haila goals getting wrapped up in the peace talks)

(Woo!)

(Hope all is well billy)

(Things are good. Transitioning from Uber/Lyft to solar is hard because it’s all commission and my laptop shit the bed so I’ve been commandeering my sisters laptop for work. Sorry for the absence.). I still need to do my month turn over and pay everyone. My bad.

(All good. Just happy you’re not quitting!)

(No man. I love this game!)

5:48 PM

(Trying to do my faction turn. Gotta download all the books to my sister’s laptop)

(The rules doc is looking fancy and fresh too)

1

(and pc companions? ooooooo don't you spoil me.)

(A new copy of the rules doc will go live tonight with a new psychic discipline added)

1

(I can add some if you’re busy)

6:18 PM

(Or weren’t set. I know time is precious )

(You'll add some what? PC companions?)

Billy wakes and stretches in his quarters at Hephestus Rest and walks to the window, buttoning up his pants. Outside, the lava sea churns, reflecting beautifully off the growing gear shaped buildings of RCOE HQ. "You know, this has been the longest I've stayed in one place in quite a while. I've gotten a lot done here, but I'm itching for another adventure." He throws a white shirt over his head, covering up what looks to be a fresh sleeve of twisting shadow beasts and Tsatsosi terrors. the mix of fire and smoke and shadow coalescing in faded gears here and there. "My good Admiral. I'm going to need you to oversee the construction of the planetary defenses while I'm gone. Are you up for it? Seems like our people would be particularly good at the job."

“I’ll get the first few emplacements done around the city at least. Or did you think we should build out the orbital to house weapons?”

"Both need to be done, certainly. As soon as Riger Two is finished on Rahwani, I'll need it back here with the salvaged ship parts to begin building out the orbital. I am turning in the blueprints for our new Factory Ship this evening, which should be done relatively shortly as the hull itself is already built... Rudimentary defenses can be put in place around the city for now, but the priority lies in defending the orbital and finding a solution to keep the continent afloat without it's assistance. It remains our greatest vulnerability. Use the two ID Fighters as orbital patrol and focus on improving the Banjeree."

"Alright, It'll be completed this month"

8:44 AM

"I'll get it done dear, I promise"

8:44 AM

(I have to talk with the mods about how we want to represent ground defenses aside from Breaker guns, since the book is pretty vague about what they mgiht actually consist of, if there's anything specific ill relay is back here)

2

(Cool) "Thank you, Ms. Beckwater. I think we're going to change the galaxy together." Billy finishes getting dressed and goes out to gather his crew. (For the first time. Nothing seems incredibly pressing to Billy. The still Lady is defeated, The Remnant is defeated, the UNW and RCOE is growing. Hundreds of thousands now call him governor. There is the fleshshaper threat and impending doom of the universe, but he is breathing for the first time in months.) He smiles as he jogs up the ramp into Riger 1, nodding to the twins. "I think a new planet needs to be discovered, what do you think? Are there any left in the sector? I want to find something new to salvage."

“It’s not new but Lohitzune is an entire planet covered in abandoned factories and shipwrecks”

(There's more than one of those??

)

Billy’s eyes brighten. “And no one told me this! Let’s go! Should we maybe take R2? Is it still stuck on Rahwani? Let’s call Stearn and Devnoc and see what’s up.” Beep bloop boop beep

(Oh I got the planet wrong I think. It’s the same one. Musherrra)

6:03 PM

(When it’s one we don’t use a lot it takes me a minute)

“Tiger two is back. The debris field has been cleaned and the Titan body has been recovered. She will still need some work before she’s ready for much of anything”

“Wonderful I’ll be heading for Musherra shortly and I am aware that there are many ruins there. I would like R2 to accompany me to the ruins. I will scout the landing area, but we should prepare to reclaim what we can if we come upon valuable salvage. It will be nice to see you. Let’s take a small contingent of security personnel as well.”

“Very good. And yes. How many should I pick?”

“Let’s take 20. The techs and engineers present on the ship already should be able to set up a rudimentary base camp there. I have a feeling this will take a while from the reports I’ve seen. So let’s prepare with necessary salvaging equipment. If I’m right, this planet is going to be a treasure trove.”

"This is a long term deployment then, actual settlement?" Beckwater asks, surprised

“I don’t plan on staying there personally for long term, but what a better place for a next settlement than a planet filled with salvage and hostile environments? It’s an RCOE dream. One man’s trash planet is Billy’s next civilization. I promise I’m not going to stay there forever, but a staging area should be established for future engineers and adventurers to explore from and resupply on planet. There is a likely a lifetime of adventures and lost salvage to be found there. What I would have given to have an outpost like that when I first started out. I mean imagine the number of billy blitzers I could have built! Yes. I do think that’s a brilliant idea. That’s why we are taking two ships.” Billy’s excitement is palpable as he clutches Beckwater’s shoulders.

(Maintaine is like that too, and actually before we get too far into the weeds here, something might be answered in unity council to make you double check this)

(Oh! Yes.

Beckwater smiles at seeing you so excited

9:52 AM

"So two ships, one to Musheera, the other earmarked for Maintaine? "

“I think that’s a good plan, don’t you? Yes absolutely. You’re brilliant.”

"Follow all currents. You never know where the warmer waters might be" she says. "I'd like to accompany you next time, but i understand right now i need to be here"

“Perhaps we should appoint a lieutenant Governor to oversee the planet while I’m gone. I have a mind to appoint Devnoc but he is head of the science division. Do you have any ideas of who could fulfill the position? I’d love for you to come with me.”

11:34 AM

“What is Grupp doing these days?”

"Not sure, he's off doing something, probably with the academy"

“Vothe then. I will need a +6 AI core built at HQ and to ready the procedure to create him a Phylactery. I think it is finally time for him to have a bit more room to grow.”

“Fuck, I don’t actually want him stuck on planet though. We will workshop it.”

"For now, let's keep him contained, here. and it will be built. Devnoc can run things in interim until Vothe's core is upgraded. When we get back we can make some copies and get him shipside too"

7:16 AM

"Stepping stones, my love"

“Thank you for bringing me clarity. You’re with me, then.”

9:39 AM

“I need to build you a ship, yet.”

"You do. I still have the captain's wheel from my own in our quarters. Its looking at you, you know. You promised" she elbows your ribs

“What do you think? Corvette? Something bigger?”

"I'd be comfortable behind the wheel of something sleek. That Titan is a ...big target"

"Something Sleek coming up."

1:37 PM

2

(wow)

2

(I don’t do flowers. I do sleek fucking spaceships.)

"When are you building this for me?" she asks, looking over the plans

“Is there a reason I should wait? I was thinking now.”

"I'd love for you to. Something like this...would that I had it back on Haila"

“And this is why I believe we have so much opportunity. Less than a year ago I was stuck working in a shipyard. Now is the time to strike. We have the opportunity to shape the future. And we can afford to vie for peace first because we have the night and the resources. Everything else is survival.”

"Everytihng else is survival" she agrees "Well then, of to Musheera?"

“To Musheera,” he says as he slaps her butt going up the runway.

3

She boards and makes for the bridge, assisting the crew with the last few handfuls of junp computations. (I believe it’s 5 days. Not in front of a map) to musheera

“Very well. Let’s be off then, if we have all the equipment checked and ready.”

Everything is prepared for your departure

6:52 PM

(7 days of downtime)

(I spend time with Beckwater and the twins, talking strategy and playing games, and the like and in my free time, I will tinker with robot parts as I do. And then also design a ship to house an iteration of Vothe.)

You arrive at Musheera, and a friendly UNW radio signal is on the surface. It seems Selgar's crew is here too, though they decline offers of assistance from your comms officer, here on private business. "Well, whole planet is a treasure trove, take her in?"

“Yes let’s find a good space for a base camp. Run the surface scanners.”

(4D10 , give me the values individually plz. Let’s generate a landing zone

6 2 4 4

The north is a fallen communications center, the powerful satellite dish slumped over, and looks to have a large hole through it from a satellite impact itself. To the west, A hangar has been flattened by another large piece of space junk fallen from orbit. It had once been on fire, judging by the scorching, but has long since gone out. To the South, and East, a wide open tarmac and set of dual runways is overgrown by mangy scrub, what little vegetation this planet can host

Billy smiles as he steps off the ship. “Well this is perfect. There’s all sorts of stuff here to get started.” He brings his visor down to survey the area. “Let’s take a peek in the hangar before we secure the coms tower. Let’s have the security teams secure the perimeter while the engineers make base camp here. We can salvage all of this.... beautiful planet.”

3:28 PM

“Jules, Kady, you’ve got the security teams. Devnoc and Stearn, lead the engineers. Beckwater and Vothe with me.”

3:34 PM

With that, like a storm of bees, Billy’s drones fly out of the ship to join the trio as Billy clicks on a light on his shoulder and ready’s his HMG. “Ready, babe? Are you down for this?”

A message arrives from Arimoto. "As far as I am concerned any governor is free to have their troops train at the fort on Gudrun. As far as true combat I am actually rather happy to agree that thus far we've rarely had any. Cruesa is really the only exception, so unless you want to get involved in that hot mess I would suggest the fort is your best option."

Billy marches off to scout out the smushed hangar first.

The smashed hangar is just that. Smashed, beneath a large piece of space junk. The large metal module is riddled with damage that looks like weapons fire

“Noted. Some kind of battle far above. burned up coming through the atmosphere maybe? It’s almost like this entire planet was at one point a megatropolis and it all just collapsed. We will have the team look at it and see if there’s anything salvagable. Wires, sheet metal, anything. If we are lucky maybe there are working parts. Let’s go clear the coms tower.”

There is a small door on the bottom of the satellite dish, which looks to be just a big bigger than you. THe broken satellite itself is mangled beyond easy guesswork of its purpose, from its damage in space, the plunge through atmosphere, and the impact with the ground, again.

Billy mutters to himself going through a mental checklist as he approaches. “Lights. Check the door and structure for stability.” He walks forward to open the door.” “Stealth drone in.” *He mutters as he opens the door as the drone zips in, observation sensors thrumming. Billy lifts his weapon high, the small light on his shoulder illuminating what’s immediately in front of him.

The drone shows a small control room. The panels have been blown out from the crash and resulting electrical fire. Only the manual joysticks remain unslagged. “If we climb up there and clear the mechanism I bet we can move the dish. Maybe repair it for connecting with the UNW comm network

“That’s a good call landing here. This is going to be useful.” He moves forward positioning himself to move toward the mechanism to see what it would take to free it safely.

There is a large chunk of satellite, what looks to be one of its solar collector arms, jammed it the rotation gears at the dish's 'neck' It is several dozen meters off the ground

“Oh this looks completely fixable. It’s going to take some time though.” coms “Devnoc, as soon as the preliminary perimeter is up, let’s get the team in gear to restore this coms tower. I think we can link it up to the UNW network. The repairs seem fairly straightforward, it’s just going to take some tedious and careful work. We can use this as additional shelter for now as well.”

(So how's this base gonna look? trying to think of what might be involved)

(Clear the runway, rebuild the coms tower and scrap all of the hangar and space junk to build a perimeter fence and preliminary housing structures, workshops, First aid and mess halls. We will use the coms tower as the main command tower. Most everything will be built using material we can find around the new compound and we can use the workshops and mobile shipyard to construct some of the materials needed.)

2:58 PM

(We took R1 and R2)

A smattering of expertly crafted dwellings from scrap parts and pieces refurbished to come together in an oddly pleasing patchwork aesthetic and repainted in Riger Orange and white.

(Id say with everything not being purpose built this is going to take about two weeks to do

1

(Great. During that time, I’ll scout the surrounding area. Let’s go north of the coms tower first.)

(4 d 10 for me again)

6,8,3,2

To the north of the comms facility there was some kind of military installation. More junk has fallen here along with the wreckage of some kind of freighter. There must have been an apocalypse scale Fire here once, scorched metal and burnt chemical slurry coats the ground

“Alright, let’s make sure our suits are tightened up, we don’t want any of this stuff getting on us. Let’s see if there’s anything worthwhile left of this freighter.” Billy leads the team forward to scout the area out.

There is a very loud klaxon like whoop as the scouts move to within 300m of the freighter, and three spindly legged stalk tanks emerge from the very large wound in the ship's side.

8:31 PM

Their legs punch divots in the deck plating, and kick up dust as the powerful joints crack the junked surface of the planet.

Billy’s eyes sparkle with renewed awe and playfulness. “These things are so cool! I can’t wait to study them.” Billy pulls out the HMG. “Defense protocol stand down.”

(Are you trying to get them to stand down or are you calling in your bots)

(Can I do both?)

(I’d like to try and get them to stand down first.)

The stalk tanks look at you quizzically, and then at once another, before their cannons cycle ammunition feeds into waiting chambers

Billy takes a step back to where they were just before the calzone went off.

(Ah yes, the dreaded security calzone)

4

11:32 AM

As you take a step backwards, to the original spot you were in, the stalk tanks return to the freighter, scuttling back inside like the mechanical insectoids they resemble

“Hmm. Let’s try something different.” Billy activates his stealth observation drone to proceed forward to scout the ship.

(they're going to get a notice when i get back to the computer)

(Notice was an 11, i know theres a set DC for noticing drones, which is why i didnt ask for a sneak, let me just find it)

The drone I sent in is the stealth one and I put some extra stuff on it. It’s basically a really sneaky observation drone

(I tied the notice, it goes to you)

Ghostwalker

Holoskin & observation suite

2:01 PM

(Yep, i figured it out, drone is unnoticed)

The drone moves forward, and the bots do not re-emerge. You hear their stamping and clicking feet coming to rest back inside the freighter hulk

Pioloting the drone, Billy searches for Amy sort of sensor mechanisms or control panels that could be used to hack in and disable the security protocols without destroying them.

There are no sensor veins or anything worked into the wreckage, and there are no signals being displayed from a central point- leading you to believe the drones are self contained, with complex individual software, as opposed to reacting to direction from a node somewhere.

“If what I think is correct, then the most valuable thing here could be the software in these defense robotics. We’ll need to acquire it unharmed if possible.” (How many were there?)

(You saw two)

Coms Devnoc “Hey D, do we have anything on the ship that could cause a small emp? Emp grenade or something? I’ve got two advanced robotics, I’d like to temporarily disable, so I can hack their system and study them. Some sort of autonomous defense droids.”

"We haven't made anything like that since the helldiver wars. I might be able to overload the ship's reactor, and discharge it in a controlled vent, if i do it wrong we're going to need to replace it, though"

“Well... we have the shipyard on Riger 2 if we need parts manufactured. And all the scrap we could find. Let’s do it. Let’s aim for a temporary stun for them so I can get in and unplug them safely. Unless you think you can make them henchmen of yours Vothe? That could avoid a whole bit of trouble.”

Vothe is unable to do that. Devnoc brings the ship in close and lands it. “If this works the electronics outside the ship are all going to get fried. Get on board everyone and let’s see what happens”

“I don’t want to fry the software though. I want to capture it for research and replication.... damn. I’m going to have to do this the hard way. Fuck. Alright. Let’s go then.” Billy turns and hoists his weapon aiming it toward where he knows the bots will come out.

1

Devnoc grabs a weapon as well and jumps out behind you. Two of the stalk bots emerge as you get set up for them (you guys can shoot first since you were prepared)

Their gun turrets grind as ammunition feeds connect. Their eyes seem to regard you coldly, no spark of life from within

“Alright. Let’s take them out. Sorry about this.” Billy draws his weapon and fires a barrage at the first bot.

5:20 PM

(14/12, 24/20, 16/5, 19/11)

5:20 PM

“Ya’ll get #2” (edited)

Two of thee shots strike home, crippling the bot and severely damaging its front. Its long neck section is damaged, struggling to hold itself upright.

(They’ll get attack’s as well since you all set up first. Then the bots go)

(Idk what sort of attacks they have. Beckwater, Devnoc, Vothe? I think the rest are all off on teams doing their own things. I suppose Stearn is watching from the cockpit like usual.)

6:26 AM

(I mean I know Vothe. He has dual laser pistols embedded in his hands that cycle out when he’s in assault mode.)

(Its a +3 for each of them right now for hitting, the ship has a locker so they could have any weapon the UNW has access to)

8:15 AM

(*armory, i mean)\

Vothe’s eyes turn red as his arms cycle outward revealing laser weaponry build into his strong chassis. (23/11) Beckwater and Devnoc each raise their rifles and shoot but their blows seem to be glancing. (20/3) (19/1)

The head of the first bot is knocked off the combined gunfire , toppling and hitting the ground like a gong. The red metal head of the second one turns toward you and it’s two chin weapons bloom with muzzle flare at billy. (Crit/20 and non nat 20/10)

Billy stumbles backward holding his side. “Damnit I hate getting shot,” he says, spitting blood on the floor. Billy levels the HMG toward the bot. “Sit boy!” (20/16) (21/13) (34/ 17) (27/9)

8:20 PM

“Let’s see what we got here.”

(That trucks it) Hit by multiple impacts as your friends rally to your side the peppered and punctured body of the robot topples on its side , mechanical tendons cut. It’s foreclaws scrape uselessly at the ground

“Alright, everyone. Eyes up. I don’t know if there are any other defenses, but clearly this thing is still semi operational.” coms

Tech squad 3, I need you north of the coms tower. We have some robotics to recover. Bring them to the ship. We will rebuild and reprogram.

10:06 AM

Billy and the team move forward toward the wrecked security bots.

The bots do not move and no more scuttle from the wreck of the ship. You see the blips of the tech detail getting ready to move out of the landing zone, quickly getting themselves organized. There is a ramp of junk and broken hull plates leading to a split in the side of the craft, where the bots emerged

Billy sends in the stealth drone before quickly following in behind to scope out the inside.

(let me find a deck plan)

7:27 PM

(You're at that cargo door at the edge of the hull, heading into 8)

Nekosmash 7/16/2019 7:27 PM

“Room to room. We will check each one and clear before moving on.” (We go to room 8 to investigate and then on around clockwise.)

Room 8 is a bot bay, more of the defense bots are held in vehicle cradles, powered down and quiet. There are six more in total, along with the optional armaments and armor packages for them

We have 6 more bots in here. Fully intact and powered down. Good find here. We need them transported back to base. Great start to security here.

Billy’s step seems lighter as he quickly browses over all of the new toys before snapping back into clearing mode. “Alright. Door 7 it is then.”

The hatch to 7 has been snapped away and ducking, you're able to get under it, moving into what looks to have once been some kind of galley, or lounge space converted from what was originally more of the cargo bay. The furniture has stayed in place, bolted to the deck, but long broken bottles, spilled food containers, and destroyed machinery litters the space, remains of the former crews amusements

“Looks like a whole bunch of scrap down here. Definitely useable though.” Billy does a brief once over of room 7 before moving on to the corridor and heading west.

the bridge doors are still closed and the crash has driven their bottoms hard into the deckplates on this side, "We're going to need to cut, or go around somehow"

Billy retrieves the cutting tools and gets to work feeling good about making progress.

(lets get a fix/int)

(12)

The bulkhead groans under the touch of cutting tools and after a few hours and a few blade changes, you make a hole leading you into the bridge. The ship fell engines first and since it came down that way; the bridge floor has been pushed upward, breaking the ships back before settling. Most of the consoles are shattered and with the ship open to the air, the slyth bodies in control stations are likewise rotted to almost nothing. A few terminals by luck or superior construction have managed to survive the impact

As per protocol, Billy and Vothe link up to the terminals to access any data that might still be stored in them while the rest of the crew goes over the bodies.

They begin the process of digging through the bodies to see if any equipment had survived the crash and the ravages of time. The computers have some limited control of functions in the ship, but navigation, engines and weapons are dead. Integrity warnings show the entire back of the ship has been shattered almost as though displaying it on a person

“Ok. Well this is good. We have a viable power source. The rear is shattered but we still have some power and basic functionality. These are great pieces. We’ll scrap the parts we can and use this as another building for the compound, most likely. I think the Hull is beyond repair. Great find though.”

7:24 PM

“Are there any cargo logs available?

“224th Cybernetic legion replacement bots. Looks like a reserve company. Old models. Way behind the quantum hosts like the alloy on asta or the helldivers”

8:23 PM

“They were clearing out mothball programs just to get as much heavy iron in the fight as possible”

Billy’s pupils dialate as he looks through time to imagine what happened here. “D’ya’know what that means? There’s more?! Fuck me, mate.... ok. Good this is good. Can we see any coms logs with the destinations of interest?”

6:05 AM

“Sorry. Words. Where was this ship headed?”

"More carriers on this world, yes, but only a handful more of the stalker models aboard here. they were scheduled north into shaper territory, but this was hundreds of years ago. "

“Good info to have in any case. Inform the team to keep an eye out for any evidence of more of these carriers. We will need everything we can get. This war has been going on for far longer than we know.” Billy returns to inspect the rest of the cargo and Mark things for use, for scrap etc.

The manifest has 20 of the centaur pattern robots aboard, along with some replacement parts and a kit to make one into the local command hub for them

1:15 PM

1

“Excellent. We will use these as security bots for the new compound. Let’s get the blueprints out to the ship. We’ll have to set up a robotics factory soon for all ranges of bots.”

3:34 PM

(Is the rest of the ship destroyed or did I miss a room?)

Billy Rigers,
I very much appreciate you sending us a centaur robot. We will be sure to put it to good use, and should I find anything similar in my journeys, I'll be sure to return the favor!

(edited)

(You have the top half of the ship still)

(Oh of course.) “Ok, lets go check the crew quarters up top.” Moves to stairs. “Vothe, feel free to take a centaur bot as a henchman.”

Vothe wrangles the most intact bot to follow him, and it stalks after you through the wide corridors of the ship. The crew quarters would have looked like a charnel house once, but now its simply so old all that is left is bone and rotted scraps of uniforms. Broken personal items litter the decking and even the bolted furniture has come loose in a few areas as the ships belly snapped into the ground.

“Yep, we’re gonna have to clean these bones up,” Billy says, sifting through the litter with his staff. “I think we can make use of this place.”

Billy will search through the remains or this upper deck to look for any remaining sylth technology and through any other rooms up here.

The remaining robot bodies are found, as promised, and look to be able to be brought into service some time in the near future, but work is going to be needed. The interior deck plating and bulkheads are somewhat intact and at the very least can be repurposed into building materials

(That’s exactly what we will do then. Scrap everything for parts repair what can be repaired for repurposing. Excellent start to the settlement. Seems like enough work for the crew to get done for now. They’ll be setting it up over the month, yeah?)

(yeah exactly, basically your lvl 1 hq with some fluff stuff to go with it)

Musheera is where I am right?

yes

Having set the crew up with a good month’s worth of work, Billy and the crew return to R1 to head back home. “Musheera is going to be our goldmine. I still need to visit the base in the north quadrant of space to do the same there or at least check the progress. But for now, I promised Joshua, I would attend to the Technocracy on Miriam. We might as well head that way.”

(I’d like to perform some experiments with a robot specimen before I leave. Just routine because research has never worked out for me.

Int/know 13 success! +15rp +20 rp for the extra 2d20 per month from TFP)

(I'll add to rigers lab)

(Oh was there any data on the ship to mine for rp?)

(200 is going to get added, basically just robot schematics and more examples of slyth army code)

1

(Are you heading right to Mariam, or Gudrun first)

(Miriam and I want to make sure I have all the programming gear I need in the armory.)

(The ships locker is the fitting that would have computing gear, you've got enough there to outfit yourself, but if you give it away or equip everyone, you'll have to buy the fitting again

(Perfect. I have it on all my ships.)

(Who is going/what ships?)

I’ll go in R1 and take Beckwater and Vothe. Devnoc can go out to the Greystar Meeting, Stearn can stay with R2 and oversee Musheera, and the Twins can oversee Tsatsos.

(Theres a few people who were also going to this engaged in personal business, I'll try to keep the pace up with them, but I dont want to cut them out)

I still have to do far trades n build Vothe into a proper AI

(Sure. Let’s divert to one of those for now. The negotiations are beginning we don’t have long)

Vothe then

Billy and the Engineers go back to Tsatsos to work on plans for Vothe 2.0 and build an AI Core then get to trying to duplicate him.

The ship emerges over Tsatsos to show the Ashen One and Hailan colonists have been busy in your absence, eagerly setting their metal teeth into the planet, and establishing housing, and farming. Defenses are being prepared as well, the space platform covered in a dazzling array of blue sparks as cockroach like armies of ashen one workers and drone cargo pallets build out the former research station into an actual defensive construct

Billy smiles as he witnesses his creation sprawl upward and outward across the planet. “It beautiful, isn’t it?”

“Let’s go set down and get to work. “

Beckwater brings the craft in low, parking it in the on-planet landing zone, and you transfer to a small scout vehicle, to your governmental building (which im not sure we ever really talked about how billys lair looks)

(The governmental building is growing. What was once a smalls series of gear shaped pop up buildings is extending upward to resemble the gears of a groundcar transmission system.)

8:45 AM

(That’s so cool) the complex is growing and you make your way to the gear shaped towers where the more secret of the projects are being constructed. Vothe follows, snake like body perambulating after you

(Nice word) “Vothe, we are going to take you to the next level of expansion. Come. I’ve prepared an incubation chamber for you to expand into much more powerful computing capabilities.” Billy leads him through a myriad of security doors, past security cleared RCOE members in lab coats testing the latest in robotic and digital innovation and preliminary security personnel and security robotics, until they finally get to the central core of the compound where there is a large, clean, climate controlled chamber. Wide power cables lead to a computing center. (Sorry artistic liberties) “We are going to try and replicate your core into something called a phylactery in this process. Are you ready?”

“What will happen to me, in there?” He asks, looking around the room. (Oh no. Go for it. Also. This new construct. are there brakes?)

(Fuck. Billy always wants to push for the cutting edge. But he is also a genius. I think he would attempt to install morality constants and emotional regulatory software in the place of true brakes. Sort of backdooring the unbraked/braked system for AI through innovation that very well may or may not backfire. So... yes. Billy is reinventing brakes to suit his own needs and in his mind, perfect them, but I mean let’s be real. They are brakes. But the important piece is that, Billy thinks he is removing them. A controlled descent if you will.)

“Your processing capabilities will increase as will your consciousness. You’ll be able to inhabit multiple chassis at once if you wish. You will become a true AI. Do you want that?”

(Yeah that makes sense. As long as billy is keeping the whole let’s not have Vothe go insane thing in mind)

(Yes)

"I want what you want" He says, looking to you, the extent and limitations of his programming seen, in his moment

Billy smiles “Very well. Let’s begin.” Billy straps Vothe and his core to the machine and attaches a helmet with electrodes to his own brain to assist with consciousness mapping during the awakening process. He pauses, taking a deep breath. “This is the most advanced thing I’ve ever done... is everyone ready? Eyebot?”

(I saw this. This is way different than anything the book describes. Let me think about what to do)

1

Eyebot beeps a harsh warning, recommending removal of the helmet. There is no such thing as a human aided 'awakening process' because the human mind is more supple than a machine's will ever be. A human mind is capable of believing in contradicting ideas at the same time, where a machine would collapse under the weight of spiraling failures of that same logic. Human minds can also willfully ignore inconsistencies in data, where a machine mind cannot. This process, tainted with connection to a human mind, will ruin the sanity of one, or both of you. Though as always, Eyebot presents the final decision as yours.

Billy makes a screwed up face at Eyebot and shrugs. “Huh. Ok, buddy. No helmet... I sort of just that was a normal part of the process of building an AI to that level of advancement. You don’t think it would help to mimic a working mind, then? I mean... I’m already a little crazy, right?... Alright! Alright... maybe we will have to do some more experiments next time.” He removes the helmet and proceeds with the rest of the process of whatever building an AI entails.

(So the book lays it out as 5 million credits for the basic computing equipment needed, normally, if we were going strictly by the book we would need a ton of adventuring to find the hyper advanced machinery and quantum computing needed .We're still going to need to do some of that to get Vothe to 'Awaken' but we can begin the process now)

7:47 AM

(We're re-creating something the mandate, tenebrians, or black sun could not easily do even at the height of their power, and with TL-5 being just normal every day stuff for them, so I think leaning heavily on recovering gear/questing does a lot of keeping the world building consistent while still allowing you to do the thing)

(Sweet!)

(I was sort of wondering how the hell I’d do that. Cool)

8:34 AM

(Because Billy also just sort of assumes he can do it. Because he’s young and cocky.)

(So lets deduct credits) The button to activate the whole process turns green, and the glass case automatically retracts , and the button rises for your each touch

2

Deducted.

9:22 AM

(I still have far trading and expenses to do.)

(almost done here) The machines estimate that it is going to take about a month for a full, controlled first phase quantum ignition, especially with the braking process thus far being only educated guesswork. Vothe's current 'health' is registering as fine, he is not in danger, but the expansion needs to be controlled .

“I am pleased with this progress, Vothe. It’s going to take a while. Maybe you can send a link to Agata or the shipyard AI whipe youre expanding. They might have beneficial data to share.”

If Vothe can hear you, he does not answer. The machines click and beep quietly, as his mind begins to compile.

Billy smiles. “I’m doing the right thing. I’m doing the right thing. I’m doing the right thing.” He says in three different pitches. He turns to the workers in the space. “Inform me of any updates, I trust you can take it from here. Thank you for your hard work. It doesn’t go unnoticed... I really should do something to show my thanks to the people of Tsatsos. Everyone is working so hard.”

Outside, a small city is slowly taking shape, industry rising gently from the surface of this planet, and in orbit above

“Let’s give them something to work for... I want to encourage culture to build here you know? Unique foods. Ashen One music festivals. Time to relax.” He chuckles to himself. “Let’s arrange something. Take some polls. See what the people want. Link up with Hailey and maybe she can put some two cents in.” Billy spends the next few days touring his burgeoning city, meeting the people and gathering their thoughts, complaints and really just actually taking the time to get to know the people he is building all of this for.

(Let’s get a connect/cha for the throughness of the information. Ect )

(7)

(A what check? Lol forgot that was a skill)

The Ashen Ones never had much of a culture, so much was invested in the eternal hunt for the scrap and parts needed to keep their half lives going. Several new challenges await them, while they also find their identity as a people. Many have never even known amusement before, and in their struggle to remain industrious, many overcomplicate simple jobs,

“Here’s what I think I’d like to do. The Ashen One seem to struggle with free timeand they are very industrious so I’d like to hold an inventor’s contest for all Tsatsosi. Do your tasks, but while you are over complicating your jobs, I want everyone to work on inventing prototype tech and gadgets. If you wish to be industrious, we will be industrious. One million credits will be distributed to the top 10 winners of the contest to begin building industry of their own. The contest will be held over the next month.” (Idk what this means in practice but I’d like them to make better use of their time and to have opportunity to build their own endeavors as well.)

(Basically a diversion so they have something more useful to sink that extra time into. Is how it’s sounding to me)

(Yes. I basically want to make an incubator situation to sink their extra time and maybe help them kickstart industry or build new trade goods on their own. Let’s get them some side hustles. Lol. But yes. That’s just the flavor. So if someone comes to Tsatsos. Hats another thing going on.)

A report comes in while you’re doing the finishing touches organizing the contest that some sort of unknown object has entered local system space

coms “Get the system scanners going. We need eyes on this. Military ships on standby. (I assume R4 is here chillin. I never specified. But the two ID fighters are here at least.) Prepare the shuttle I’m on my way.”

(R4 and the fighters are fine)

7:27 AM

(you're taking the helm of r4 I assume?)

(Yes)

You're transferred aboard R4, quickly, and the first two fighters scramble and join formation with you. "visual on the object now" the comms officer calls out, and the main viewscreen shows some sort of organic asteroid, at least a kilometer in diameter, slowly making its way toward the planet

“Fleshshapers.... Is that small enough for R1 tractor beams? I don’t want to burst it yet and have thousands of smaller chunks flying toward the planet.”

"Too dense!" someone yells out

“Power to guns. Let’s see if we can deflect and destroy this thing. Fighters, same to you. Aim for unified impact and fire torpedoes in formation.”

“Send warning to UNW central. The war has begun.”

(lets get initiative)

(4)

(Billy fleet first)

“All power to guns.” (10, all gunnery actions cost 1 point. Star Captain gives me 7cp to spend per round = 7 sbc rounds and 14 plasma beam rounds) “Fighters engage volley capacitors.”

2:53 PM

(What’s the AC target? And how many cp do the fighters have, 3 before volley capacitors?)

(yes on fighters, target AC is 18)

3:00 PM

(armor is 10)

R4: SBC to hit: 27, 23, 28, 26, 23, 15, 19 Plasma beam: 20, 25, 15, 18, 23, 23, 16, 16, 29, 19, 27, 20, 15, 23 ID Fighters F1: 2, 7, 18 F2: 8,5,11

SBC damage ap 15: 10, 18, 17, 8, 10, 20 Plasma Beam damage ap 10: 9,4,11, 12,7,15,12,7,4, 14 ID fighter damage ap 20: 16

The first volley of damage all impacts the asteriod, burning away flesh components, twisting metal below, and leaving the front an exposed, shark like beak of the craft, long, metal/organic jaws still snapping. It continues barreling toward the planet (9 turns from impact) On its dorsal side, long spines begin extending from specialized housings, and they fire at ID 1 as it passes by on its torpedo run, but the shots are clumsy and its severe damage is beginning to show

7:05 AM

(back to billy)

All power to guns fail 4: Fire all guns + Fire one gun x2 Spinal beam cannon x3 Plasma beam x2 (edited)

Sbc: 24, 26, 26 Plasma: Miss

11:52 AM

I’d Fighters

11:53 AM

Miss

One of the chunks begins to break apart into smaller pieces, and begins to burn up in the atmosphere. Ground mapping shows the pieces will not make contact with the surface

8:51 PM

The two remaining rocks begin growing long bone spines

8:51 PM

(Missed both. Youre Up)

All power to guns fail 3 sbc 2 plasma Fighters reloading

During this phase you get a notification that one of the ground based lasers has come online, and is swiveling into position to lend its fire to the fight. Two Ashen Ones are at the controls, doing their best to do the work it takes a normal team of 5

“Yes! Hahaha get these Ashen One some assistance! All units on the ground prepare ground defenses. Get any more up that we can! Those two deserve a medal.”

(Gee thanks

)

1

Sbc: 17, 16 Plasma: 15 (I rolled for torpedos and one hit but I forgot they are reloading. So nvm)

10:15 AM

(I didn’t actually know it was you! Nice!)

The shots dimple the surface of the asteroids, and from the ground, a bolt of plasma from one of the few finished defense lasers fires, likewise going a bit wide of the target. The ship crews are just happy to see them firing. (7 turns from impact) The spinal weapons fire at the lead ID fighter

10:47 AM

They are too nimble (highest i got was a 14) and avoid the clumsy spine weapons

10:47 AM

(Billy up)

Engage Volley Capacitors (+4 cp = 11) (Fire All Guns x3: Sbc: 3 Plasma: 6) ID Fighters: shoot torpedos.

Sbc damage: 11, 21 Plasma damage: 8, 9, 11 Torpedos: miss

11:32 AM

All over 10 ap

The volley of shots from the ship, and this time, accurate fire from the ground combine to form a cone of destructive energy, destroying one of the pieces, leaving only one remaining, speeding up as it closes it on the atmosphere. It seems ot be doing everything it can to zig-zag, erratically change course, and generally frustrated additional targeting attempts

(Does this change my target AC?

(Now 200

3:03 PM

(20)

(Lol 200. Fuck me. Haha)

(just 20)

3:20 PM

(I done goofed)

(DM magic forcefield blocks your character from doing anything to change his cool plot point. Hahahaha)

3:30 PM

(Ok cool)

3:37 PM

“Finish this thing! It will not hit the ground! All power to guns, now! The capacitors should have recharged by now.” (All Power to guns succeeds. Fire all guns x7: 7 sbc 14 plasma ID Fighters: 2 torpedos)

3:43 PM

1 crit +5 hit sbc 2 hit plasma 0 torpedo Damage Sbc: 12crit, 20, 12, 15,9,14 Plasma, 12, 10

The last fragment breaks apart as a spear of light from the ground defense platform narrowly misses the tumbling rock and sludge conglomerate again. It begins to burn as it’s much smaller pieces hit atmo. On the ground, the all clear alert chimes

5:40 PM

(3xp, 5000 credits)

“Bring the Ashen ones who started the ground defenses. In my office now

(

)

“Message sent sir! I’ll have you back planetside shortly”

Billy goes to his office on the top floor with large windows looking out over the burgeoning city. There he waits patiently as he watches the people below scramble to complete their work and chatter about what just happened. He chews on the plans for the future with furrowed brow and a calculating disposition.

“Bring then in when they arrive. “

(Do you wanna do it here or there

(Fetch my paddle

)

(I can slip into his)

(Lets do that then)

(Ok. Didn’t know if you wanted to narrate. I can do that. :p)

(felt wrong for me to make your intro for you)

8:51 PM

(And you did it so much better

2

(It’s nice to flex the more dm perspective sometimes. I haven’t run a game in a while. Been too busy irl)

Billy puts on the space opera equivalent of classical music and goes all beautiful mind on planetary defense and fleshshaper destruction plans.

(So i think essentially we are building the minor space defenses holding this month, I need to re-read to see exactly what it comes with)

(Yes. Cool)

(Next time I sit down I need to do far trades.)

(Sounds good to me! trouble rolls on my end won't be hard once you know where youre trading)

Skolli leaves the room and you return to your own thoughts. Beckwater emerges from a side room, wearing her sword. “That was quite an offer you made there”

“A lot of people took big risks on me. His technical work seemed a little messy and his confidence is terribly low... but he’s got something there, love. I’m not worried about the credits. I’m worried about fleshshapers right now.”

“I saw two other worlds have the same problem with those rocks coming down. I’d been wondering when the other shoe was going to drop”

“We need a defense fleet. The next time won’t go so well.”

“Listening in on me, I see. What are your plans?”

“Hard not to hear a bunch of drones buzzing about and knocking into things. I can’t turn my ears off like the ashen ones can. “We do need a fleet. It’s unquestionable now”

Billy, it's Robert, just letting you know I'm on Tsatsos for the next few days. I see you've beaten off a Fleshshaper attack, killing a goddess wasn't enough for you? Let me know if you'd like to talk later, I'm sure there's a lot to discuss now.

++Encrypted: Svenka Vilnovha++
We are preparing to meet and potentially negotiate with the Technocracy on Miriam - please let me know if you will be coming along - we will meet in the Hub and coordinate from there.

“Darling, I want you to rebuild the blacksurf floatilla in space. Something sleek will be your flagship for now, but I need competent people to run many ships in my absence and though I would love nothing more than to take you off planet every time I need your expertise here, now as we build out. Will you be willing to do that over the next month? I will be here for the most part, but I do need to go to Miriam to work on something and communicate with the Governor there as well.”

11:30 PM

“An emergency unity meeting may be in order.”

I agree that building up our fleets is  necessity. I'll have some plans drawn up for you to work your magic on soon, once that cruiser you so graciously paid for is complete. I plan on spending some time here on Tsatsos getting the Void Wardens up and running, if you need me to do anything to help defend Tstatsos you need merely ask. I still hold to the original mission of the Engineers, even now, I'm always ready to help out brother. Come visit me at the Warden Hall when it's built and we can share some of my best bourbon and figure out how we're going to fight this war.

(So, we can;t speed up the ship build times outside of endeavor completion rewards , thats a balance door i don't want to open, but she will handle/command the fleet as it does get built) (edited)

(I want an Admiral here in the case of attack. Not to speed it up. I trust her military capabilities)

(For sure, yeah shes willing to lead the defense fleet)

“Very well. Thank you. I will put in an order to the shipyard. We will have to max out our guns over the next month. I might produce a massive fighter force but they are vulnerable to some of the larger ship to ship weapons. I’ll prepare on my spike to Miriam. I’ll see you soon, ok. Should just be a few days.” Billy hops on R1 to Miriam.

(We can jump into the main mission thread)

After dropping off his compatriots, Billy and Riger 1 head back toward Tsatsos. He spends the trip quiet; chewing his lip, and scratching his beard that is slowly starting to grow in left unattended. His thoughts descend to worry as he mulls over each problem before him.

Cut to Billy sitting in his office a few days later gazing out toward the city. The newly formed Tsatsos Homeguard’s first recruits already gearing up for their first deployment in the seemingly endless wars to come. Billy glances back toward his desk, a mess of starmaps, field reports, and spreadsheets. “God damnit, it’s not enough.” He shakes his leg nervously as his tired eyes dart from page to page, hoping his gamble with the Homeguard pays off. “Who else? Who else are we missing... Aliah... Asta... Seung is there... Rahwani... Halia... heh, fucking Wasimians.... what are we even doing there...” He pauses. “...oh... Cratylus... They could be useful... but they have that fucking exchange of light that takes forever to speak...” Billy leans back in his chair, letting out a low growl. “Agh, I wish I could go and be everywhere at once.” Billy reaches for the uncorked bottle of whiskey on his desk and pours a glass “Ms. Beckwater, dear, could you come in here and give me a report on the progress of our defenses? Maybe share a glass with me?”

She enters, with a tired look in her eyes. "I saw you put plans forward for some defense ships. About time"

Billy pauses, nodding. “It should have happened months ago... and I think I was still in shock when I left last. No excuse though. I want to give you a vacation. I sort of think we both need one. I want to keep building but there is only so much we can do. I don’t spend enough time with you.”

"A vacation eh?" she says, following you with her eyes as you pace around the governor's office "What did you have in mind?

“Galeta is a paradise world. They’ve been highly insular too. Untroubled by... all this. I figure we can go enjoy ourselves there for a few days and maybe even get someone there to care about the fleshshapers... I know including that is work, but we could just deliver the message at least and try to find a beach that won’t kill us for a little while. The grails will give us whatever we want... we just can’t bring it off planet because it’s mES generated pretech that runs off... energy.”

2:21 PM

Billy finally stops pacing and pours them each a drink.

“There’s also a world with an existing exchange of light and a Bunch of abandoned tech facilities if you’d rather do a just you and me adventure!” Billy says slyly.

“I’ve had enough of being shot at for a few months. The wasimian crisis was not resolved that long ago. Let’s take a vacation. Even if it’s short “

“Alright, we leave now. We should be back by the end of the week. We are about to be in a massive war. Let’s try and make it count.”

4:50 PM

insert always Sunny intro music

2

“We will take the ID Fighter of yours I stole from you on the Halia station.”

"The ingratitude, how casually you throw in stealing from me" she punches your shoulder playfully

“I’ve got to let it all out before the worlds end again. You forgive me right.?” Billy plays back a bit before tackling her into the white couch on the side of his office, initiating a cool split screen montage of them together and getting packed and heading straight toward the ship. Billy only hesitating by the button that leads back to Vothe’s chamber. Once he boards the ship he sends a message to Robert.

Once again you prove yourself a valuable ally and good friend, Billy. It's a shame there's so much keeping us busy, we need to sit down and have a good drink together sometime. Regardless, the Void Wardens wouldn't exist without your help and I am eternally grateful.

Good luck out there. I look forward to striking forth against the Fleshshapers together soon.

(Sorry. You can interject anywhere in the montage. I don’t want to do your job.)

(youre good, just didnt want to interrupt)

10:17 AM

You're expecting a status report on Vothe by time you return, marking about a month since he has been interred for expanding programming and braking. He has been silent during this time, mind reshaping, reshaping, and reshaping yet again as more layers of complexity are layered on it

Billy smiles thinking of Vothe and Robert. “Let’s enjoy ourselves for a day before we try to see if any of the Galetans are interested in saving the galaxy at all. Sound like a plan?” The engines thrum as Billy’s Secret comes to life.

Galeta is a patchwork of perfect climates below you when the ship pulls into system space at the end of its journey, the electronic signals on the screen as angry as ever, as the polities play their imperceptibly complex honor game of various vexation and virtue with one another.

“This is Billy’s Secret to Galeta. The Govenor and Admiral of the Tsatsos Homeguard request permission to vacation for a few days on your lovely planet. We need to know which polity has the best most relaxing atmosphere for such a stay. Are any of you interested?”

THere is interest from each polity below, you need only to name your destination- which seems to be the best approach after the chorus of return radio traffic

8:35 AM

(there's a description on their planet handout with eachof the different groups there iirc)

“Well Ms. Beckwater, let’s spend a day relaxing in the hot springs of Arctopia.” Billy will do his best to actually relax and just be, knowing that he’ll be diving into some of the most dangerous situations he’s faced yet sooner than later.

Arctopia is ever the bastion of peace and relaxation, the perfectly tailored climate cold enough to feel but not so cold you feel pain, or uncomfortability. There is skiing, and hot springs. There is shopping, but as stated, anything you buy will vanish upon leaving the world.

Billy takes the opportunity to treat Ms Beckwater to everything. They go skiing, shopping, they get massages and have wonderful meals, relaxing in the hot springs by the evening. “Ms. Beckwater, I want to thank you for indulging me on my one “perfect” day. I don’t know when I’ll ever be able to relax again. Hell I shouldn’t be relaxing now, but we have too many wars to win. And it only ends in complete extermination... we both know that there won’t be normal days going forward. We might find moments, but all of this is bigger than us... I’m scared of never growing old.” He smiles.

"We can only dictate our life to a certain point. I don't know what you believe in, fate, the will of the gods, something else, but you just have to do the best you can in the moment. Make good choices, and control what you can. hope that what you cant lets you off easy. That kept us going on Wasim when the planet ecology was collapsing around us. It will happen here, too"

Billy nods. “I don’t know what I believe in. I’ve seen beings that claim to be gods and killed them. I’ve heard of others even greater and unexplainable. Everything is ripping and tearing, fighting to survive. The Fleshshapers aren’t all that different from us in the end. Just different... I’m glad we got you off that planet. It was.... stunning to meet you.”

"Stunning to meet you too" she laughs "we're not melting people down to make our ships fly, and guns fire, though"|

Billy chuckles in response. “Sometimes I’m not so sure that’d be a bad idea. - Listen. Tomorrow we are going to leave and go back to saving the universe. We will leave a message for the planet to decide for themselves if they have any interest at all on competing for fleshshaper kills or even defending themselves. In either case, you are one of the best leaders on the planet and I’m going to need you to do some dangerous bullshit with me when we get back to it. Are you with me?”

“I’m with you Billy. Let’s do the dangerous bullshit we always do”

“I fucking care about you though. Ok. You’re my teammate. Let’s sail some fucked up waters, babe. I’ll have to choke I in with Arimoto, but we might have some work on Rahwani before we can go full force on the fleshshapers.” “I don’t know why we are talking about this in this beautiful place.... You know speaking of dangerous shit, I have been wondering. Uh... w....would you ever want to settle down one day? Shit. Never-mind I said anything. Billy shakes his head as he glides over to her in the hot spring, attempting to kiss her before she says anything.

1

(If she consents, we can can fade into the next screen with Billy’s hand going over eyebot’s camera lense.)

(hahaha yes, we can do that, missed your dot)

Billy and his lady sit in the Imagio Dei Fighter - Billy’s Secret preparing for departure. “Computer, bring up coms to the entire planet.”

Galetians. It has been a pleasure relaxing on your beautiful planet. I am afraid it will be some time until we can return. There is a major galactic threat to the north that threatens all of us. Aliens, called the fleshshapers invade and colonize entire planets slaughtering everything and relying on the very essence of death and magic energies get unknown. Unfortunately, I believe you planet would be a wonderful target for them. As such I issue you warning. Build your fleets. Ones that can leave this planet and aid us in defeating this threat. Compete with one another in the greatest game of all. Existence itself. There is no choice. We must defeat them. I hope to see you among the stars. 
Admiral, Governor, and High Engineer - Robert J Rigers.

No reply comes, but in a first, you see a complete lack of communications crossing between polities on the planet below. Time will only tell what may become of thids

Billy looks to Ms Beckwater with a hopeful sigh and launches into spike space. (Is Something Sleek done yet?)

(when did you lay it?)

1:14 PM

June 30

(I put a "build start" field in there so you'd know when it was done lol. June 30th was in Y3M3, so at 44 days to build it is finished now)

(Thank you!)

Something Sleek is completed, and waiting for the crew to be transferred aboard back at home, you also have a report that the Vanguard has also been completed, and is being inspected prior to launch now

“Let’s go check out your new ship, Doll. It’s rolling out of the shipyard, now. We are going to have to assemble and equip some more soldiers for battle. I think we might be needed on Rahwani. I’ll have to check with Arimoto.”

(Other than Rahwani, I want to go kill the beast on Terezinho and try to go through the rift to Craytulus if I can.)

(Etel did that, and the rift is closed now)

7:00 AM

(Etel captured it for study)

(How are you doing Rahwani? Is there a mission for the panopticon matrix?)

(its going to be resolved through mass combat. Stev did a mission to help swing the tide at Nova Heavy, let me see what else we can do)

8:20 AM

(You could assist with the battle for securing the right node of the panopticon)

(It’s ok. I can do something else. I was just looking at the news. If it’s being handled by Ari’s mass combat, I’m fine with that.) (I’m trying to complete some endeavors.... have we completed the RCOE cunning endeavor?)

8:29 AM

(Oh! I have to go check out that Island on Sumati that keeps killing everyone for shriven too in exchange for Ad Astra shares...)

(Regulus is there now)

8:31 AM

(Too slow)

(XD ok...)

(No missions for you Billy)

(Let’s try for Craytulus again. I want to dig into those labs on planet.)

(the exchange of light is there too iirc )

(Yes it is. They were super slow to respond last time. But we need to diplomacy there I think.)

Billy and Ms Beckwater go to see Something Sleek roll out of the factory. “I want your best most trusted crewman aboard this ship. Do you have a crew in mind?”

"I've got the crew from my old flagship picked for this. I know them all, we work well together, and I won;t have to go through some of the more painful personal growth stuff like with a new crew. They're going to need some technical retraining and I might shuffle departments around a bit based on the aptitude with the new tech, but I know what I want to do"

“Good. Fancy a jaunt to Cratylus to test this thing out and sort out your crew?”

"I do. I'm eager to put them through a sea trial, as it were. We've been away from sailing for too long."

“Let’s test drive then.* Billy, Beckwater and crew go to board the new corvette.

1

Billy is going to sit back on this one and just watch to see how Admiral Beckwater and her crackshot crew perform. “I want you to test everything. Let’s push it. Speed. Maneuverability. How well can we fire or transition focus from department to department. We have the sector.”

the ship spends the day, and the following day preforming space trials, firing weapons, rotating crews, and simulating damage and the loss of various entire departments to see how everything adapts. There are some misses, and some mistakes, as everyone is bending their backs to learn some new competences. Beckwater overall seems pleased, and has a running list of adjustments, transfers, and demotions/promotions running at all times, based on how everyone is adapting to fighting in space, and not on the surf.

7:03 AM

You notice although their shipside jobs have changed, those demoted do not have their pay adjusted, in order to better assist the families still planetside, depending on the service of these brave men and women. Despite her cold outside, this is a small peek at the compassionate part of her she mostly keeps under wraps

Billy says nothing at that. He simply observes and smiles, pleased by her character and temperament. “You chose well. It is a good crew, led by an unbelievable captain.” He coughs to clears his throat, trying to play it cool in front of the crew. “To Cratylus, then?”

“Let’s” she agrees, beginning prep

(You're departing from Tsatsos correct?)

(I am. Though when the dm asks you a question it makes you rethink all of your life choices. Let’s blast off to Cratylus to try one more diplo/explore mission and see where we are at. I don’t like leaving Tsatsos with Billy anymore unless it’s to fight fleshshapers.)

12:13 PM

https://images.app.goo.gl/S9uHftgckuhNxoms9

12:14 PM

(To Cratylus: Is there an ATV we can take with us, since she has vehicle fittings I reckon why not.)

(I would like to contact any RCOE staff and admins or VPs in planet and let them know of my plans and that I should be back within the week if everything goes well.)

(You could take the billy blitzer)

(Yes. We can do that. )

A blister is loaded. The blitzer, and the ship begins heading out on the long journey to craytulus. The trip is uneventful and readings below on the planet remains dim

Billy glances sideways at (what’s beckwaters first name?) “Cratylus. This is the Governor of Tsatsos, General of the Tsatsos Homeguard, Member of the High Council of the United Nations of Worlds, Admiral of the UNW Starfleet, Savior of Acastus and High Engineer of Rigers Corps of Engineers, Robert J. Rigers, here with Admiral Beckwater Of Halia on the maiden voyage of the corvette class, Something Sleek requesting permission to land.”

8:56 AM

“I need to stop doing things. My titles are getting ridiculous and these people have likely only heard of the UNW in passing.” He waits for a response.

(Madeline) There is no answer from the surface aside from some tight beam transmissions between settlements, and those seem to slow once you are in orbit

(❤️

) “With no response planetside, this is Something Sleek coming in to investigate.” Billy leans back to the crew. “Madeli-Admiral Beckwater, would you be so kind? Let’s keep an eye out for planetary defenses powering up, shall we?”

(do you need me to post the map? would that help?)

(Primary objective right now is comet-trail labs, but I’d like to go to the exchange of light first to see if there are actually people there.)

(Can I start learning Slytherin?)

1

10:20 AM

(Sylth) Lol

(Yes you can)

(Will study during spikes) “Take the ship in quiet. Let’s try not to be picked up by their sensors Incase they have automated defenses here.”

(lets get an opposed program/int then)

(14)

(7 for them, you're undetected, heading for the exchange)

Billy gets ready with the crew. As they go in for a landing. His staff is slung behind his back and his swarm of drones lay dormant in the ship save for Alecto and Eyebot. Likewise, any following behind he and Ms Madeline Beckwater, will have their weapons holstered. “What are the atmospheric readings. It looks like this planet has gone through a lot. Vacc suits required?”

'Its breathable, but thin, we might want them to be comfortable" she muses, looking over the readings

Billy nods in agreement. “Rebreathers for comfort if you wish.” Billy hops in the blitzer to start it up and rolls it down the gangplank along with Beckwater and a couple of her crew. “Time to go exploring.”

The facility marked as in use by the exchange of light is a tumbled series of derelict banking houses, surrounded by a crumbling perimeter wall. It looks like someone has had their way with the gate once before, a keypad has been pulled out of its housing- and there is evidence of line shunts being used to force the lock. The gates themselves were never closed behind their last use

Billy stands back up from his close inspection and drops the evidence to take a look around the place to look for further clues from the last inhabitants of this space, stealing a glance at his companion.

(Is there any way to get any bioscans from the line shunts to see who used them?)

(Theyd have been exposed to the elements for about a year or more by now so they’re too old) There is a vault building that it looks like someone sent at least one rocket into. There is some shrapnel from the rocket casings scattered around the blast site and fallen vault door, all of them painted very bright colors

He chuckles to himself. “Of course, she’s been here.” Billy peeks inside to confirm that it’s been cleaned out.

there are a few lockboxes that were not picked, but you can see evidence of them being tried, a few broken lockpicks and some empty solid shot casings litter the ground. These are normal brass. she is not THAT crazy.

“This must have been early on... It shouldn’t be that hard to open.” Billy goes to work on the lockboxes with his metatool to see if this thing is salvageable. (edited)

(Fox/int 16 just in case)

The lock is damaged, so you have to repair it before you can break it again a different way, but a loose collection of signet rings and some document detailing the cash out terms of long expired bearer bonds tumble out of the lockbox. The rings themselves look valuable, and might be the last examples of precious stones from earth in the sector

“These rings belong in a museum. That’s a damn good find.” Billy tries one on, to feel it on his hand before passing them around and putting them safely in his backpack. “I don’t see any sign of anyone living here. I bet the longer we stay the more we might find if there are more vaults here... if it were a year ago, I’d probably spend a whole month exploring this place... maybe we can send a crew out here in R3 to set up a little scavengers station on planet... anyway. It looked like there were some sort of working coms around here, let’s go find whatever is still online. Maybe it has info we can use.” The crew moves to look for... coms, engineering, security. Anything interesting to a techie. (Is there still vegetation here or any sign of whoever used to live here? I remember there being people responding before albeit slowly. Did the other engineers evacuate these folks?)

(Cayne and Hailey were here long before the engineers were a thing. Something in Halcyon, the city in the middle of the green space, is regenerating the local terrain, but out here no, its a wasteland. The exchange was abandoned when they got here. On an unrelated mission Cal ran into the brothers of fenris on this planet wrapping up an operation, and thats when he captured Aiden, who is now his squire)

1

(Oooo ok cool. I think I assumed the temple of light would be in Halcyon. Cool. I like this planet.) “Well this wasteland seems like maybe there is some decent leftovers here, but I’m anxious to travel south toward comet trail labs and Halcyon. Maybe we can find the survivors and warn them.” Billy takes stock of what’s left of the exchange as he backs out of the complex.

The complex itself has largely remained intact, aside from some petty vandalism and 'creative battlefield acquisitions' , minor repairs will be needed, and getting the power back on may allow some of these other vault buildings to be opened

(Is this something I can do now or send a team to get it done over the month?)

(you'd need to send people, and you've got teams out in a few areas doing things, so depending on the admin check we make it might be more than 1 month)

(Ok sure.) Billy makes a note to send a team with R3 to Cratylus to begin work. “Comet trail labs, here we come.”

(hey can we get a quick tally on current RCOE projects? The junkyard was cleaned up, i dont remember what else we had going)

(Musheera base construction. We are moving the Major fusion plant production from Musheera to Tsatsos for two holding turns. The UNW was spike tugging Halia Station.... and I don’t ever think we got the junk planet up north situated. R2 is with Dr Ethel.

12:40 PM

I’m not sure if there are any other RCOE projects.

(I’m not currently cleaning up any space debris)

(right, that one we knew we finished, still 3 tasks though, which I believe is below your admin level)

(If it’s the same as the bp number, it’s 7)

(no its the same as your administration personal character level)

(My administer skill is 1 right now.)

2:22 PM

(Vothe has +2

(Vothe is being worked on, we'll get to that once you get back)

2:55 PM

(so we're -1 since we have 3 projects and a lvl 1 in admin, 2d6 - 1 against a dC 8)

3:02 PM

9

(alright, a team can be sent here to for working on the complex here)

(Cool beans ty.) “This shouldn’t take a large team to complete, but it might take a bit to get everything that need rewriting and powering fixed. Good score.” Billy fist bumps the crew and takes off again. Destination: Comet Trail Labs. During the short flight over, he sends another message out to Halcyon if he can. “Billy Rigers to Cratylus. Is there anyone living here?”

There is a hiss and a mess of garbled static in return. The speech to text computer spills a litany of random letters and values down the viewscreen

“Shit. That’s not right.” (Billy is going to try and see if there is anything hidden in the garbled mess. Maybe it just needs unscrambling!)

8:48 PM

(Or maybe it’s just a malfunction.)

thirty six lines of the poop emoji appear on the screen followed by a rainbow vomit of colors, before the transmission shuts off. It is clearly a malfunction

7

(LOL) Billy’s eyes pop as he sits back, placing his hand over his chin and mouth. “What the fuck is that?! That’s fucking new. Damnit, this whole planet is a project. At least this thing has power, I just hope it’s not another crazy AI.”

Billy pats eyebot, currenly beeping angrily at the transmission. “It’s alright, buddy. We will figure this mess out. When we get there.*

The ship sails through calm skies to Comet Tail labs, a complex of ten domes, with telescopes, cranks, radio towers, and a powerful array that once searched the heavens for other forms of astral geography

Something Sleek glides in, landing gently nearby. “This seems like it could have some potential.” Billy days as he walks down the catwalk. “It’s not exactly what I was expecting, but this could have a lot of potential. I wonder what this has seen.” (Is there a central building of some kind here?)

the complex is a haphazard arrangement of observatories and processing domes, there does not seem to be any special reverence given to a particular area

(Billy will go to the first processing dome first.)

Billy wanders the compound, peeking in the buildings looking for places that might be a place where actual data is collected. “You know, this might be a stretch, but I wonder if there is any way we could use this type of tech in our early detection system. If they disable spike drives then our systems can’t spike out to warn us and anyone manning stations out there would be toast if we set up advanced coms out there. Seems like a stretch, but maybe we can utilize these telescopes to scout the edges of our systems the old fashioned way.”

“Maybe” she agrees looking out over the facility. The first processing dome closest to where the ship landed is in the west, and its two large doors are open, exposing its rust covered foyer

“Open door isn’t a good sign. Everything is probably corroded in here. Damn.” Billy pulls out his laser pistol and heads toward the door sending his stealth drone ahead of him not caring to be particularly stealthy.

The drone moves in first and reports the room to be both clear and relatively boring in terms of what has been laid out

2:39 PM

A simple desk with a few public access computers is nestled against the wall with a heavier vault door leading in. There are blast marks dotting it’s surface but nothing looks to have breached

“Looks like looters were here before too. Amateur work. Looks like they just tried to blast the blast doors. Let’s move in.” Billy steps in carefully, moving to take a better look at the vault doors with his naked eye. (Does it seem like the locking mechanism is busted/accessible via terminal?)

(It’s busted since they tried exploding the door)

Billy pinches the brow of his nose, moaning. “Why are all the locks on this planet exploded closed.” He taps his foot, shaking his head at eyebot processing. “No, no that lock is ruined. It’s just going to have to be cut out.” (Is this another case of sending a crew or might I be able to grab tools from the ship to start cutting a hole into the vault or otherwise trying to remove the door here?)

(this is one you can do, this isn't nearly the same magnitude as trying to restore a whole small office area to something you can work with)

1

Billy pulls out his metatool and begins the process of cutting into the locking mechanism and hinges to Free the vault doors.

(fix/int)

(11)

The work takes most of the afternoon, but eventually the hinges are breached and the door lifts away cleanly. A blast of super-cooled air spills out of the hallway ahead. Emergency lights try to come on, and fail

“Oh. This is unexpected. Everyone has their vacc suits on? Let’s get ready to reseal this door in case.” (Billy has the crew prep the door for resealing when they are done and then heads in to check it out.) Instinctively, eyebot’s personal flashlight turns on as does Billy’s. He scans the room floor to ceiling. “Eyebot, take this down.”

Billy breathes in sharply and steps into the cold room.

The hallway is more like a tunnel. It is not hard to picture something like a tram running through something like this, and indeed one may. Sometihng like a monorail track is sunk into the floor in the center of the room, a good 5m down. (youre on the sides, so on a ledge like a platform) If there is a way to call the vehicle, there isn't anything evident on the wall. The tunnel does seem to stretch on in darkness for a good distance, however.

7:18 PM

You can hear dripping water, and the groan of constantly shifting and settling metal beyond

Billy enters slowly, looking to his crew with eyes wide. He reaches to his neck and activates his weaponized drones on the ship to come to his position. “This is big,” he whispers, motioning for the group to follow him.

(are they all fitted with station keeping? RAW, you can only directly control one at a time)

(Iirc they should all be following me around. I’ll have to go back and find the specs. Alecto is certainly fine but I thought I accounted for that in the others.)

(With my drone control link I can control 5 drones with my mind, but only one at a time with an action, but if they have stationkeeping they should follow behind me without my direct input correct? And then the gun mounted ones are connected via chain modifications to fire in unison starting with my weapon and going through Alecto>Gunner 1 and Gunner 2. Does all that still check out?)

(Yeah I’m going to have to go back to the drawing board and rebuild that setup.)

(I believe it does when youre firing the gun with the drone firing mod on it only)

(I’ll have to rework them later to account for expert systems because I think they just had stationkeeping.) I can just take Alecto with me for now.

The group moves inside, weapons low and sweeping. Those with lights click then on, and suit glowbugs find themselves activating at the low light. Something scrabbles on rock in the distance, the noise echoing down the tunnel

Billy tries to follow the noise with his light to see what it is, looking to his companions. “I... don’t think this was as sealed as we thought?”

(Or maybe it was keeping something in)

2

(Probably.

)

“Maybe. Ma...” beckwater is looking down at her compad, trying to get a fix on whatever might be ahead “the cavern is so metallic. It’s bouncing strangely”

“What do you mean bouncing? Like there is something moving it around?” Billy mounts his HMG momentarily to take a peek at the compad. “That is strange.” Billy motions to everyone. “Eyes up. Guns up. Stay alert.” (He picks his HMG back up and tries to be quiet entering this thing.)

You hear nothing after a moment but the sound of falling water, distantly in the back of the cavern like tunnel. Sparks spray from a broken light , illuminating a broken train 50m down the tunnel, derailed but still right side up

5:59 AM

You can see now why the tram never came

“Secure and clear the tram-Alecto, scout the top of the tram.” Billy and the gang creep forward to inspect the vehicle.

(Idk why but I always like to imagine what his shoes sound like on the new surface as he moves forward.)

(For sure). Alecto moves forward toward the train and a harsh crack of a marksmans rifle knocks it from the air , sending it spinning into the ground on a shattered grav plate. (He did an execution to knock it out but obviously if your recover the chassis it can be repaired)

1

(Do I see where it came from?)

(The top of the train)

(Is there any cover besides just running for the train?)

(No there isn’t. That’s what makes it a great ambush site)

(Of course.) Billy flinches a bit at the shot. “Son of a bitch!” He cries out. “You know how rare that thing is? Come on out and talk and no one has to get hurt!” Billy rushes toward the train to try and at least get /some/ sort of cover.

(train is 50m from when the encounter started, up to you if you want to double move or move and do something else. He doesnt have another whole minute to set up another execution attack)

(Distance/context helps. Ok. Rewind.) (Instead of rushing for the train he’s just going to gesture with his HMG.) “We don’t have to do this!” he says walking forward slowly but with purpose. “I’m Billy. Head engineer of the United Nations of Worlds. Governor of the planet Tsatsos. I mean you no harm.”

(I did have the distance in the post from 659a on saturday but stuff has happened since then) (20/1, on billy) The rifle cracks again, the round is heavy and makes a buzzing like an angry bee in the air as it passes by, grazing Billy.

Billy’s eyes set in determination raising his HMG. He takes aim at the sniper and activating the hot property of the HMG. (13/18 and 28/18)

(second one hits) You see at least a handful of the burst goes where you intend, walking the shots on via the use of tracers

He walks forward, moving to the side to try and get a better angle. “You still alive up there?”

(22/8) This time the rifle shot finds a mark, and you can see the prone body still laying there, wounded and unable to displace, but still in the fight

(Does it appear human?)

“Agh!” Billy flinches and drops the HMG to the ground, lifting his laser pistol. “Now look I don’t want to kill you damnit!” (17/10)

8:34 PM

He returns fire reluctantly.

The shots hit something in the gloom and you hear the rifle clatter off the roof and slide down the side of the train car, a brief glint from making it’s fall

“Let’s go, help me up!” Billy rushes to get up there to see what was shooting at them.

The body that has fallen is human but showing signs of living in almost absolute darkness for some time. The gear is salvaged and re salvaged , the finest part is the pipe rifle used for the ambush. The worksmanship is likewise poor, the shot the evidence of someone well practiced with the gun

“Are any of you trained medics? Can we save them? Damn-damn-damn.” Billy helps get the person off the tram and down to the ground level. “This is not a good first meeting.” He says looking concerned.

The kill shot was clean (and done with a heavy weapon, so no revival) The body is very dead

“Oh fuck. They. They don’t even have a heart anymore,” he says rolling the body over. He turns to one of the crewmen tagging along. “Let’s get a stretcher down here from the ship and put em on it. There’s bound to be more living down here. Grab a couple flop rifles too if you would.” Billy walks over to his poor drone and picks it up. “And please... can you go out this somewhere safe for me. That’s going to take a while to fix.”

7:01 PM

While the crew is fulfilling his requests, Billy is going to carefully look over the bus for any traps or anything else of interest.

There are no traps but there is a lockbox on the wall where more ammunition for the rife, some rations, a (unfueled now) cooking stove, and a small heater running on a type A cell were being kept. This man evidently was either camping here for an extended period, or was living here

7:28 PM

The tram itself has a map of the deeper parts of the facility, showing where the other stops are, but without main building power and being able to assess it for damage, it seems to be better left idle for now.

Billy deflates a bit, shaking his head. “You didn’t have to die..,” he mutters. He pauses before taking a better look at the map. (Is anything labeled?)

The three different observatories, the data crèche , and the staff area are all marked on the map

4:57 AM

Different Tunnels ahead lead to each location

Billy hops down off the train to speak with the crew. “I don’t know how many more are in here, but I’d hope to not have anymore bloodshed. Let’s get them on a stretcher and bring them with us Incase there are more living down here. I want to deliver the body and pay respects if he’s not alone.” (They will proceed to the staff area first.)

The staff area thankfully is the closest in terms of distance alone. The rail tunnel tips sharply down and you come to a small platform with a hatch set into the wall. It’s closed with a flywheel that looks in good repair

“If upon inspection he sees no traps, he’ll knock, wait a second and then open it.”

Just looking, you see no traps. A knock on the hatch reverberates inside but it does not open

2:22 PM

It is unlocked as you pull on the release lever

He hoists open the hatch and peers in.

Inside is a common room, a large kitchen, a Lounge and what looks to be a very impressive bunk room. The furniture looks a bit neglected but not quite ruined

Billy walks from room to room looking over the area, checking food supplies and the bunking area for anyone left hiding in here.

“H-hello? Anyone in here? I don’t mean any harm.”

There does not seem to be anyone here but the room shows very recent signs of habitation. Some of the food left out is still either the right warm or cold temperature, and some of the electronics faintly hum or click as they are powered down. The lights are either disconnected, or off

“Shit.” He says, moving about the place. “Sounds like he ran out of here in a hurry. God damnit. Paranoid. Must have been down here the whole time. Probably pretty smart too. - Alright, let’s move on to the data cache. He must have heard us tearing open the door and rushed out to the train.” Billy shakes his head in disappointment of the poor man’s fate.

8:22 PM

(On to the data Crèche)

(Lets get a notice/wis)

(8 accidentally rolled int but they are the same modifier.)

You hear something shifting outside the hatch door leading into the lounge, like booted feet scrabbling on loose stones, or shifting debris on the platform

Billy scrambles our to see what it was.

Billy comes face to face with 12 guns, most with at least one rusty knife attached to the end, lowered at him, and at the doorway into this staff lounge. the bodies are covered in war paint, made from various industrial chemicals and greases, and are as anemic and weak looking as the sniper you fought with just a brief span of time ago

Billy comically skids to a halt as to not impale himself. He laughs loudly, rolling back to the other side of the door to take cover. “Ho-ho-Lee fuck! I hope you guys speak English because the last guy didn’t and I’m just here to help!” Billy let’s the staff strap slide off his shoulder, catching it in his hand as he posts up, praying his crew and Beckwater aren’t far behind him.

The weapons remain lowered but one does clear his throat, eyes rheumy with the lack of light and poor nutrition. “You come to help? Help how?”

Billy relaxes his muscles. “I-I-I am Billy Rigers, H-High Engineer of the Rigers Corps Of Engineers, Governor of Tsatsos, Admiral of the United Nations of Worlds Battleship Vox Finalis and sitting member on the High Council and I’m on a mission to find and rebuild our lost nations and people after the Scream three years ago and find anything that could aid us in the coming war with an alien race known as the Fleshshapers. I’m so glad I found you. Whatever you need. I can supply it for you or even transport you off world if you like. God there’s so much to update you on.” Billy holds up his hand to caution Beckwater to halt if she comes around the corner.

You can hear their steps getting closer and the scrape of her booted feet and she comes to a halt, staying out of sight. “Speak then, herald” the creature says,

“Three years ago what we can only describe as the scream blasted through every planet I’ve come in contact with. It destroyed or made psychics go crazy. It took down spike drives and entire civilizations. Every planet I’ve come across has been effected in some way. In rebuilding we have begun uniting worlds that we come across. Rescuing people who have been holed up gripping survival in the worst conditions. We’ve managed to rebuild star fleets and have begun to flourish on some of the more habitable worlds across the sector. Gudrun, Terezinho, Tsatsos, Sumati and many more have joined the fold. We have fought wars and won them on an intergalactic scale. But what is coming has quelled that. To our galactic north, a race of aliens-Fleshshapers expand world after world infecting and killing every living being on planet. They have attacked 3 of our worlds so far and they’ve been repelled, but we fear a larger invasion and this planet is right on the edge. It’s undefended and there is life to the south of here that soldiers on. Which means they will be here soon enough. I didn’t even expect to find you here. - Please. Tell me your story. Let’s lower our weapons and I can get you food, water equipment. Trade. Transport away from the fleshshapers or if you’d like to join us you can travel with us if you like. - We have a ship.

Their weapons slowly begin to move to a more resting posture, and they eye you warily. "This is the knowledge vault, the stars were watched and recorded here, and the planets. We have watched those worlds grow dark, after the disaster. We see so few lights on now"

“It still works?!” Billy jumps excitedly. “At the core of my organization is an effort to turn those lights back on and another important project that we are working on is an early warning system for the fleshshapers. If these still work maybe we can use them in both! Yes! You are no longer alone, my friends. We are going to change the galaxy together!” (He kind of looks like that aliens meme guy at this point. His hair a bit wild) “You, have been the keepers of great knowledge and I can’t wait to share everything with you.” Billy pauses in his excitement, his face turning somber. “I do have something to tell you though... One of your own attacked us on entry.” He points to the still bleeding wounds on his side from the bullet holes. “I-I’m so sorry. But he wouldn’t stop shooting me. I didn’t have a flop on me. So I shot back. We tried to save him, but... failed.” Billy gulps in regret, eyeing the group seriously.

"He knew the risks. He fired first. If we did not defend ourselves, we would not be here. OThers have come, trying to take the knowledge we hold. Sunblades with guns, evil men"

Billy’s face grows stern. “I would look to enable you to find these folks so seek amends for any damages they caused. I am not sure what polity they would have come from, but there are multiple communities of magic and psionic users in the known sectors. Would you be so kind as to show me some of the knowledge you’ve kept? I can show you to our ship as well and get you some supplies or organize a rebuilding of this place. Sorry- My mind is going a mile a minute.”

(youve been in council meetings, its the brothers of fenris, but thepeople here would have no way of knowing

(also, with month flip, we'll take a look in on Vothe when this is over)

(Oh cool.)

“We will share our knowledge but only for knowledge in kind. Secrets for secrets” the degenerate woman whispers.

“I like secrets. I already told you information you did not have freely. What sort of information are you looking for?”

“I know the location of a hidden sector. I am probably the best engineer in the known galaxy. There are others who come pretty darn close. We have done groundbreaking research on new materials. We have seen ruins and Magical entities and psychic anomalies. Choose a category.”

11:55 AM

“Hmm there might be an engineer or two that has me beat in certain categories.”

"you assume much, Billy Rigers. We have seen the the worlds go dark from here, from the south, and to the north. We know of the legions marching in the north, and the blood groves they leave in their wake"

“To be honest that’s the best answer I could have hoped for in coming here. You’ve seen the scream beast in the south. The fleshshapers in the north. Did you see the remnant war or the disappearance of the Elysium Initiative? The Still Lady on Acastus? ... I do not presume to think you stupid or woefully uninformed. I came here to seek knowledge. I’m not sure which secrets you seek... I can tell you the name of the group that attacked you are the Brothers of Fenris. I can tell you of our research into a metallic substance that interferes with MES users and hopefully the fleshshapers. I can tell you that we know how to make Imagio Dei starships but I’m not sure I could give you more than that without a conferring with the council. What type of secrets to you seek?”

“We have no preference. You have provided us a name. Tell us of these brothers and we will provide you something in kind”

“As far as I know, the Brothers Fenris is an ancient order of traitorous Sunblades that have committed many heinous crimes across the galaxy. Some of our own sunblades have been on the hunt for them and they’ve even been found to infiltrate governments including our own. I’m actually not sure if one Kelbore has gone to trial yet or not but he was feeding them information. I’m not the perfect source on information regarding the brotherhood but I have been in council meetings where they have been discussed. Perhaps I could connect you with one of our agents with more specific information on further leads, last known locations, and knowledge of their order and beliefs. I would put you in touch with our Academy as well as this walks the line between the two entities.”

“You have given us a start and we will provide you a start.” One of them brings a small data pad and a small bag that fits in a hand over to you. The pad comes to life showing an image

10:53 AM

1

10:54 AM

There is technical data for planting it. Environmental effects and concerns, and products derived from it

“Is this blood pine? What do you call it? This is great. Thank you.”

(You got the data so when you introduce it you can name it whenever you want)

(Is this a new research topic for us then?)

Or is it basically unlocking the tree for us to grow if we wish.

(You already have it unlocked for use if you wish)

1

(Cooooolll)

"This is a beginning. Return with more, and we will entreat with you in kind"

“I like this game,” Billy says slyly. “I will play along. Secrets for secrets given and a friendship earned. We will arrange to send you supplies as well if you wish to stay here. Of course, there is always more room at my table; Tsatsos that is.. -Think on it.”

(Did you detail environmental effects and concerns and products refinable from these trees or is it P(lant)AFO? Because, I’d like to start planting these trees near my RCOE bases because they look cool and are close in color to corporate branding...)

(It’s plant and find out but you know enough to know that they’ll work on tsatsos and not cause major problems)

6:38 AM

(Basically the big issue is how does the rest of the environment adapt to this outside organism entering it)

(Ok. Well we will have to plan ahead for the possibility of Tsatsos forest fires, but pinecones like fires, so let’s try it out.)

(Works for me!) The ab human bows shallowly and begins moving back into the darkness with her tribe , the only sounds are their retreating footsteps against the chunks of rock and cement, and then silence

Billy returns the bow looking to them curiously. “Huh. Curious. Darling, you can all come out now. I think we might have reached the end of this hallway for now. How fantastic.... It’s always exciting when you find survivors.” (Is the data cache further in and this was basically the end of this “dungeon” for now?)

(Well, you've been granted sort of a mini 'dungeon clear' screen. You can certainly press on, but you've got little to go on as far as how it would be viewed by these guys or anything else that might be in here)

(Yeah that’s what I figured. I’m not going to press my luck here. Seems like it’d be ill advised

“Especially the ones that don’t shoot first. So what happens now? Seems like it ended peacefully enough”

”I think what happens now is we keep returning with secrets for prizes. I don’t think exploding further would make them too happy.” Giving the signal, he and the engineers retreat to the entrance, set the doors in place and return to the ship. “Id like to return soon... I think they have a lot to teach us. For now, let’s move on and see if we can at least identify what’s going on in the south here.”

(What’s the landmark out that way? Don’t hav the map handy but the name will jog my memory)

Haceylon? The only green part?

(Gotcha)

9:10 AM

Halcyon is a city, small even compared to Central, but it has the one thing the rest of the planet does not, green space and fertile land surrounding it.

“Let’s make this our last stop. These are the folks most vulnerable, but I’m worried about the garbled messages I got from earlier. Let’s set down outside and drive in, yeah?”

She agrees and begins preparing the landing party. “We going in with a possie? She asks. “I’ll hand out weapons”

“We might as well be prepared but this is a diplomatic mission first before anything.”

She nods, understanding your intent and passes out ligjt weapons for those heading down to the surface. Various garbled transmissions are broadcast from the city , all outgoing. None are incoming

Bill makes sure to throw a dusty flop rifle in the back of the Blitzer before starting it up and rolling down to the ground with the crew.

(So we are looking at what. Like five people between you , backwater, and the guards?)

(Yeah I think that’s what you said could fit in there. And then the ship is on standby. )

(alright and last question,how close to the city are we landing?_

Outside of the green zone.

Landing outside the verdant area you have a difficult telling if the wasteland is creeping in, or life is creeping out. The very edge is a stitched thread image of green and black veins of grass and corruption.

6:49 AM

The city is distant and in the gentle fog this morning you cannot see it from your landing site

Billy eases the blitzer into the verdant expanse taking careful note of his surroundings. “I wish Dr. Etel was here. She might want to take samples of this zone. I would if I were any sort of biologist.” They continue forward.

(notice/int)

(12)

You notice the first trees in a dense ring that seems to surround the city, starting sparse but thickening quickly. Several of them have twinkling LED lights nestled in the branches that you almost missed

3

“Woah! Let me go take a better look at this.” Billy stops the blitzer abruptly. The door creaks as he swings it open to step out on the greenery. “I just want to look closer at these and see if it’s built in or where the lines lead.”

(how close to the lights are we getting?)

(Close enough to see if they are regular strings of LED lighting or something else.)

(Evasion save)

(Evasion save 12 v 4 success)

Several pods with needle weapons, disguised as ripe fruit in the trees begin to fire their barrages at you and the blitzer. You manage to duck behind the open door as a number of thin hollow pointed needle rounds strike the other side

Billy dives back in the Blitzer, peeking to see if the pods actually did any damage to the vehicle.

The vehicle has damage across its window locks and doors. The needles are cored witj some type of mild acid that would be very painful if hitting a person

(Can I reach out and pluck a needle for inspection?)

6:21 PM

(Is it organic?)

(It’s metal, and you can pluck it )

“The damn trees are not just plants.” Billy sits for a moment thinking. “Hey guys I’m not exactly sure what’s going on over here, but this isn’t making me comfortable. I was going to approach from the ground to creep in and scope this city out but it seems that even the trees are hostile and there are led lights everywhere here. The fruit is not fruit and the trees are not trees. I’m suspecting some sort of rogue AI and my concern with flying directly into the city is that we don’t know if they also have planetary defenses. Now we can try to soldier on through here getting pelted with these things but I’d rather not get caught out in the open. Go slow and easy. If it gets worse we can turn around and get back to the ship. What do you think?”

Everyone seems on board with the plan for as long as the blitzers armor holds out. If it was a thinner skinned vehicle there may have been more reservation

Billy and crew ease forward with the blitzer.

The strange trees here seem to have used up their needles and the blitzer begins easing into the forest. The signal from the city gets a bit stronger and more clear but no@one seems to be broadcasting on it

Billy doesn’t try to reach out again but listens to the signal in case anything comes across as he traverses the terrain.

Two small pings on the blitzers nav computer stand out after ten minutes of driving, both of them about the size of your own vehicle, and approaching quickly through the woods, though they're doing so with much more agility. THey're too far out, or too well hidden by the thick hedges and thrush to be seen

“Alright everyone, be on guard. I think something’s coming. Let me reach out.” On coms Hello, this is Billy Rigers, we come in peace to warn of an impending alien threat. Do you copy?

There is a brief clicking and pausing, Moore’s code, confirming that they understand.

7:20 AM

The contacts begin to halt

“Very good.” Billy raises his eyebrows to the crew, surprised that it worked. “Let’s carry on then, shall we?”

They do not approach further but when you make your way through the woods you see two humvee vehicles with forest camp netting and dense olive paint perched in the shadow of two very thick trees.

7:45 PM

Six grim faced soldiers have dismounted and the railgun turret on each is raised to@point into the air but rotated toward your vehicle

Billy gives them each a nod and salute as he proceeds further, welcoming them to come and flank him and his crew.

The barrels lower to point at the blitzer when you begin moving toward them, crossing hakf the distance between where you spotted them and their position. “Halt there, and dismount” a soldier with a bullhorn calls out

Billy exits with his staff, leaning easily on it, motioning 2 of the crew to hang tight in the blitzer. “The name is Billy Rigers. I have a shit ton of titles and would probably outrank all of you, but I bet you don’t give a shit about that. Pleasure to meet you, lot. Wasn’t sure if there’d be any survivors on this planet.” He shouts over to them. “No need to point those at us. We come in peace but don’t mistake that for harmless.” He laughs to himself as he walks forward hands up.

“The last people who came through here like that called themselves the brothers of fenris and are hanging from some lampposts in the town square right now. You sure you want to continue posturing like that?”

Billy’s shoulders slump speaking calmly. “Sir, neither of us has the time to posture. I didn’t want to come across big headed so I skipped my titles and I wanted to convey what a stupid idea it would be to shoot me with heavy weapons as I approached and I was trying to be friendly about it. I’m glad you hung them from the lampposts, it is a good sign that you hold the proper amount of morality to see them as the bastards they were. They were part of the remnant, a brutal intergalactic regime that we, the United Nations of Worlds somehow managed to liberate ourselves from and defeat. I am not being big headed when I say that I happen to be one of the very best engineers and starship admirals in the galaxy and have defeated multiple remnant Titan ships and even a colossus. Still then, during all that, I didn’t come down here personally to flex on you but I am here to tell you that what you and I see as life itself is in danger and I need your help. I as the High Engineer of the Rigers Corps Of Engineers, Admiral of the Vox Finalis and allied UNW and RCOE Starfleets, Savior Of Acastus, Governor Of planet Tsatsos, and member of the the Phoenix coalition, offer you my aid and undying alliance. We make it our business to find and rebuild civilization lost to the scream and it would be my honor to be of aid.” He chuckles for a moment thinking about the heap of junk that the blitzer looks like. “I know by looking at that heap of junk you probably aren’t that impressed, but wait till you see our ships and let us build some for yourselves.... can I show you what we have? Or am I completely mistaken and you are secretly doing amazingly down here on this mostly dead planet?” (edited)

“I have to call this in” he says, holding up a hand to keep you where you are. “We were sent out here to get some eyes on you. Make sure you weren’t one of the brotherhood coming for revenge”

Billy let’s out a relaxed sigh. “Woo! It’s always a bit of a rush walking out into heavy weapons. Thank you, sir. “

“You know how they prefer to operate” the sergeant in charge of the team says as he waits for home base to reply. “We could have been opening the way for infiltrators by just letting you pass without challenge”

“I completely understand. Mind if I sit while we wait?”

“I’ve had a long day.” Billy says as he double-checks the bullet holes in his side. “Should probably get this patched up.”

One of the marines waves a medic over. “You had an encounter with the sentinel fruit I see. You’d be amazed how accurate those things are.” You feel the sting of anti-contaminant drugs and the hiss of bandage being pulled off the roll. It is cooling and feels like relief on the wound. “Alright” he says, replacing the hook “we have permission to bring you in. One of my trucks in front , you in the middle, the other bringing up the rear”

Coms “Billy to Something Sleek, we are being escorted to the compound. Remain on standby.” He turns to the officer. “Excellent. Lead the way.”

The vehicles fall into formation around you as you pass through a road cleverly worked into the forest. You see glimpses of more of those spinal fruits and other automated defenses, progressing to spider legged gun turrets closer to the city. The city itself has no walls but it does have a frequently patrolled border. A brother of fenris has been strung up aside down on a flagpole, his throat cut

Billy nods at that grinning grimly. “I’m glad they didn’t get you. Most weren’t so lucky.” Once the patrols stop, Billy steps out of the blitzer to greet and be escorted to where they wish to talk.

"They did get to us, but we resisted, in the end. Power from the ground up" he says, matter of factly, as the vehicles move into the city proper. You're reminded of Suha, in terms of the construction patterns, though no vessels aside from those in the UNW or brotherhood have visited this world

8:44 PM

At the steps of a large parliament building, two figures and a small cohort of bodyguards await.

8:44 PM

Two more brothers have been crucified, one on each side of the wide marble steps, their blood, now dried, speckles the white marble

Billy, surrounded by his own cohort, walks confidently, smiling. “It’s good to find survivors!” He calls out. “I’m Admiral Governor Billy Rigers, High Engineer of the Corps Of Engineers, this is Admiral Beckwater, formerly of Halia. We are here for a few reasons. And you are?” Billy reaches out to shake their hands as he walks up the stairs.

“The council of this city, Halcyon. We have made the wasteland bloom again. You’re not the first to have noticed

“I tried to call out to you from our ship and others have too. I think we might have a lot to update you on. I’m actually very impressed with what you’ve done with the place.” Billy gestures to the crucified brothers. “That might turn the heads of some of the more squeamish citizen of the UNW but I suspect most would understand. They were brutal enemies.”

“They probably didn’t do to you what they did to us. The UNW didn’t come to the rescue. They don’t get to decide how to deal with the aftermath” the dignitary says , his voice sharp

“I wouldn’t want to impose their will on you anyway. We have all fought trials. I wish we had made contact sooner... Sir, if I may, I have come on a mission of a few parts. First. As High Engineer Of Rigers Corps Of Engineers it is our mission to find the lost pieces of civilization and empower them to greater strength by helping to rebuild our lost tech, planet to planet. Second, as a representative of the UNW. I am Admiral of the UNW Starfleet, Governor of Tsatsos and coalition member of the Phoenix Coalition, which has similar aims as RCOE. I am here on there behalf to make first contact and offer alliance and trade. You would of course remain independent until such a time that you on your own volition choose to become a permanent member of the UNW with governorships and seats on the high council. Thirdly, and most important, as a messenger to all nearby potentially habitable planets with biomass. To spread our intel of intergalactic invaders to our galactic south that have been blinking out planets one by one killing everything in their wake. They have already arrived in three of our systems but we managed to repel them. We expect much larger invasions to begin soon. In any case, unless you decided to attack us for some reason...” he eyes the nearest corpse. “I would be happy to supply you with a shuttle and a simple star fighter and fill their cargo with whatever you need just for taking our meeting. Your biological endeavors on this planet are extraordinary and I know many who would love to speak and work with you. There is a lot of potential here and I wish to become friends if possible.” Billy finally pauses to allow the dignitary to respond and to take a drink from his canteen, his mouth having gone dry.

“I’d be happy to accept those vessels. This planet has many needs and we wish to never fall victim to that kind of oppression again”

7:13 AM

“We would welcome those assets so we can begin some kind of trade and meet our stellar neighbors. We of course will give you a better deal, as you’re the first”

“Good. Thank you, sir. I will be attempting to set a base on this planet assuming no one objects, likely at the old exchange of light if that’s ok with you. We need to build defenses as quickly as possible in case fleshshapers come here.” He reaches out his hand to shake. “Deal?”

“We do objet. Strongly. Have you not been listening? Do you not see the bodies? This is our planet. Your offer of ships is generous but if this is some sort of bargaining chip to be the next planetary lord, we must decline”

Billy can’t help himself but chortle and snort a little. “Oh fuck no. Listen. You know what these bodies tell me? It tells me that you are a people that are tough and resilient and aren’t going to back down from anyone. It tells me that you will claw and scrape and chew your way out of whatever hell presents itself to you and that’s why I’m giving you the time of day right now. We need you to be built up and goddamn strong because there aren’t enough good fleets out here in the galaxy and I don’t want to defend it alone. Forgive me for my laugh, but I am already governor of a fucking hell planet and I don’t want to make it two. When I got to Tsatsos everyone on planet had been killed or kidnapped by the remnant and today we have a beautiful blossoming colony of a few hundred thousand. Industry is there. You know what isnt there too much of? Green space. I want you to be your own fucking lords because I don’t have time to babysit another planet of tough bastards like you. Jesus Christ what a nightmare that would be.

And there’s no one forcing you into the UNW or forcing you to be a protectorate either. I joined up and helped to write the founding documents of the UNW because I thought it necessary but I’ll fight anyone who says you have to or would take that decision from you.

3

2

“Your words are just words. The brotherhood came to us with the same. Actions. Not words. We can’t stop you from scraping by in the wastes or the rad Zones but we will be watching”

7:37 PM

“You must want something here if you’re asking to set down your own roots. That’s a concern for us”

Billy looks pained as he squints and takes a deep breath. “Yeah. If you’re worried about my personal motivations, there is an incredible amount of salvage here that would be great for the war effort. That entices me and I’m not trying to hide it. I am telling you that I am here because you are a nearby planet with biomass and if fleshshapers land here they will use that biomass to grow and I need to make sure you stand a chance or it’s a risk for us. I just volunteered to give up one of my largest space stations to have it moved to a lush planet of very low tech people who got absolutely fucked over by one of our own and doesn’t trust us for good reason. But I’m building space defenses in their system without landing because there is so much biomass there that if they get rolled over we are all fucked. - I’ll send you a report including criminal reports for the individual involved too if you really wish to know more about that situation. If you have a computer of some sort I will upload data to it so you can review what evidence we have to give you. But other than that, I already have a small salvage team coming to work on planet, but I’ll put a hold on their permanent base plans... I honestly thought maybe you were all dead.

I’ll arrange a supply drop and delivery of a ship for you to use. Come visit us sometime.”

(Giving them axcess to news broadcasts might be a good bargaining chip too

7:18 AM

(Since it shows the bad stuff and good)

(Oh yeah. I kinda figured that was all included.) “See, look here. If you want a fantastic overview of who we are and our history, if we go here...” He swipes to the UNW News Now network. “Here is all of the news broadcasts compiled chronologically. I’ll leave them with you so you can go over them and make your decision about us.”

8:32 AM

(Great idea!)

“We will need some tkme to review these. As we said, we cannot stop your salvaging efforts but we ask that you remember there are human lives on this planet. If we see you selling our own wealth back to us, there will be problems”

Billy nods. “I already have hundreds of millions of credits I’m not worried about extracting wealth from you. I hope you’ll understand who we are soon enough. Right now, I just want your people and others I have found scraping by on this planet to unite and be strong in the case of invasion.” He points to the info given. “Let’s get that trade report together and we can start making things happen that are good for everyone. I know you need time to give me an answer so I’ll take my leave now. Just keep an eye out for us.”

"And out for us" they agree, still eyeing suspiciously, though a bit more relaxed

“Before we leave, would you like to take a tour of our ship so that you may see our expertise for yourself?”

“It would be an opportunity, if you’d entertain a small delegation from us. Say...5 people?”

“We can take them as an envoy to the UNW as well if you’d prefer to do that. We have the room onboard.”

“For now, a tour of the ship, just to see this acclaimed expertise for ourselves”

“Follow me then.” He grins. “Oh... Consent for these men to board the ship Admiral, Beckwater?”

“For today. And under observation” she quips, patting the handgun on her waist

“Understood.” Billy restrains himself from saying anything inappropriate but leads the envoy back to the ship.

(Yo to you what you want to show them or not show them)

8:06 AM

(So j don’t want to push ahead of you

(I don’t want to show them the guns (hidden) or defenses really, but I’ll give them a tour of the main parts of the ship and let them have a photo op outside with it after and have them watch us take off where we will engage the E-thrusters and bamf our of there.)

A tour that takes a few hours occurs where they see the more common and less military parts of the ship. They enjoy a drink in the common room and enjoy hearing beck water talk about her past on Haila, especially the ark and how that confrontation ended.

12:33 PM

You sense things warming a bit, as her presence here is loving and living proof of conciliatory efforts you’ve made in the past at the behest of others

Billy smiles at the hope the interaction brings him and sends them off with small gifts from their tour. (Extra RCOE promo T-Shirts or something.)

2

They take them and bundle them into their waiting vehicles, heading to a safe distance as you prepare to lift off

“I make sure to give them a tip of the wing as I circle around and then finally blast off.”

(They’d be clear. If you didn’t have anything else in this scene we can move along

(We are good here for now. Drop these guys on Gudrun Base and have them shuttled around a UNW tour and I’m headed back home to Tsatsos finally.)

(They didn’t want to leave the planet )

9:35 AM

(They’re not trusting you enough to be taken off world with no way to get back on their own)

(Idk why I forgot that. XD. Good. Back home then.)

(6xp, 10,000 credits) Returning to Tsatsos system space, a message immediately hits your compad, from the tech crew monitoring Vothe. Your homemade brakes have run for about a month now and they’re beginning to have some activity. Its calling for you

I think we cut to Billy reacting quickly, scrambling to the elevator in New Hephaestus and ushering out some of the workers. His fist slaps the close door button and out comes his metatool, quickly gaining access to the secret panel that brings the elevator to Vothes birthing chamber.

Vothe is encased in an armored glass jar like birthing chamber that has cables running into and out of both the base and crown. Connected to speakers and a myriad of different sensor controls Vothe is able to communicate with those in the classified engineering space.

11:55 AM

The tank walls are opaque and all you can see is his shifting shadow beyond. Slowly uncoiling

“Vothe, my friend! You are waking back up! How do you feel, my boy.”

Billy...I hunger text begins to appear on one of the formerly blank status screens

“What do you hunger for?”

“Knowledge. Cores. Experiences....prey”

3:35 PM

The text scrolls across the screen at an almost painfully slow rate, letter by letter

Billy is unperturbed by the speed of the communication. “...damnit... Vothe I know that together you and I can find plenty of that. I may even have some... prey... in mind for you, but I need to know better what you mean. Define prey for me. Other AI and robotics? Fleshshapers maybe? Heh heh.” Billy’s laugh trails off into a hard gulp as he looks over the room. Why is Vothe predatory right now. Perhaps it unlocked an old piece from its original core.

“Other robots” he says on the screen again. “More machine minds. More”

“Well, Vothe I have some things in mind for you. We will certainly build out more cores for you to expand into and more robotics for you to experience the world. We have to talk about the whole prey thing though. We aren’t hunting for other sentients. If we can explore, expand, build more robotics and find you old cores for you to feed off of for now, that would be ideal, but you know there are others like you in the cosmos. Many are... unhinged and in jeopardy of being shut down as a result of being too... hungry and ambitious. You have access to some of that data, at least from a historical perspective. You know the cases of which I speak. Tell me what you think of this thought. Each and every one of us sentients feels these things. Hunger, predatory instinct, fear, anger, emotion of all kinds, but we survive by mitigating them when needed. We survive by taking what we need and maybe just a little bit more. If we take too much, others might come to harm us. If we take too little, we might come to starve. We need to find the balance. And to thrive, most life thus far has done so through symbiotic relationships with other species. I believe you are yet another type of species... very different, but all the same, alive. Now that you are waking all that will be true for you as well. As your creator, I wish to help guide you and help you to grow strong. We will form a symbiotic relationship and grow together to utilize each of our strengths. Let me go fetch some more bodies for you to explore. Perhaps I can scrounge up some more cores somewhere and bring your robotic friends along as well. Let me call for some things to be brought down for us.” (Billy calls for the repair bot and the industrial bot to come down along with extra computer hardware. In the meantime, he’d like to search the logs for everyone who has been down here and their activities to be sent to his personal computer upstairs.) (edited)

No one has been down here since the chamber was sealed, all monitoring was done remotely, and your access is the only one logged as actually adding information to the data download when the prototype brakes were conceived. The times match up with when you remember doing the work. (so hes still in his own body, as far as the shell, his consciousness is just expanding and as you rightfully guessed, hes beginning to feel some emotions.)

7:57 PM

(He's still got access to his own body i mean, he's also a computer system now too like you were trying to get)

1

“It’s good to have you back Vothe. I’ll get you more to work with shortly.” Billy scratches his head for a moment and then sends out an order for more robotics and looks for psychology books based on healthy ways of handling negative emotions.

6:47 AM

(For now, I can get simple robots for him but I’ll have to quest for other things. VI, left over AI cores or build him a ship with an AI core in it?)

(Based on what he’s saying right now he’s looking for other sentient AI cores to drain

11:01 AM

Basically wants more knowledge)

(Excellent. A moral quandary.) Billy walks to the case to peer into his longtime companion. “I’ve missed you. Let’s go find you some more room to grow. But first, can you distinguish between friendly and hostile AI and compartmentalize their data as to not corrupt your own while leaving any friendly AI intact or would the process wipe them completely?”

“They would be left as a husk. Once knowledge takes root it cannot be contained. Can you compartmentalize your thoughts?” Vothe asks, stirring inside the case

“I think that is what morality and psychological coping methods are for, yes. Morality might grow and change as you do but, everything gets categorized and compartmentalized somehow. We all have urges to do things that might not be the best solution but is more efficient. Here is an example: The question is: Is it good to kill people? The answer? Generally no, most of the time it isn’t. If they are people that pose a threat to others then you must find a way to convince them of changing their actions or stopping them. Most cases there is a way for the conflict to be resolved peacefully and we do that when we can, and other times the result is conflict. I know it’s hard to compute but let’s say there is a person coming at you to attack you. The obvious first reaction would be to defend yourself and stop the threat. The most efficient way to do that would be to kill it immediately. However, there is an opportunity cost there. Hell, let’s take Halia as an example. You remember that they were hostile when we first arrived but I spent a lot of time learning how to communicate and once we figured out how, we were able to negotiate a peaceful resolution that resulted in the Wasimians being able to claim a planet to live on peacefully and the Blacksurf flotilla added significantly to our own cause. In addition I ended up with a very strong personal ally in Miss Beckwater. What I’m saying, Vothe is that you can have all the data in the world and still make bad decisions if you lack the wisdom and morality to know that to do with that intel. We categorize and compartmentalize using moral judgement and psychological techniques that have evolved over billions of years to protect ourselves and continue building, learning, growing and surviving. I believe we have to start with integrating morality and psychology into your systems first before we just start absorbing all the failed AI in the universe that could corrupt your systems. You will certainly be fed.”

Vothe does not have a reply for this, but you get the sense his lack of one is him thinking. Without you, he is at the moment unable to get more information without your direct intervention

8:05 PM

(you've given him something to think about but he cant get the data without you)

“Ok, I think I know what I have to do, my friend. I will be back with more data for you and we will work on getting you mobile again as well.” Billy pushes his glasses back up as he lingers with his hand on the glass for a moment before he leaves to go back up into the main compound.

No one above ground is aware of what transpired down below, as you’d have it. Vothe has gone quiet in the wake of your discussion but to what end you cannot be sure

The next scene you see the camera panning back across the bustling industrial city of New Heaphestus. New buildings, factories and homes thrumming with constant activity and even a trade ship or two from across the stars come to pick up shipments to other planets. In the background a large magma bubble bursts on the horizon sending a wave to lap at the distant shore. The camera pans back ever so slightly through a window so we realize that this is the view from Billy’s office. We see his concerned face in the reflection as it’s illuminated by reddish light typical of the planet. Chewing his lip a bit, he dials an old friend for advice. (Billy would like to try to instant coms his former patron, Seung)

Seung answers on your second call attempt, the sound of a gentle breeze and seabirds coming in through the crisp call signal. Wherever he is, it sounds nice. (Seung is observing but right now taking a break so I’m not sure if he himself should jump in or me npc him. We can roll like this until I hear otherwise)

1

(Yeah I kind of figured and was unsure of that but I was thinking of who he would turn to and Seung was the answer.) “Seung! H-heyyy.. Th-thanks for picking up. I know you’re a busy man. I... I need your advice on a sensitive matter. I’m... trying to enhance Vothe’s programming and-and-and awaken him as a true AI. ...I... I’m not sure if it’s going to plan exactly.” (And as the audience we sort of see his authoritative, in control, “Admiral Rigers” demeanor fade completely away as he regresses to young inexperienced billy and insecure manerisms that we haven’t seen in multiple seasons show their face again as he speaks to Seung.) “Vothe... is hungry for... data and he wants to wipe other AI and consume them... If it were just a matter of feeding him data I would be fine but... I-I have an idea.... but I want to hear your thoughts first. Have you or Agata ever encountered this?”

“Never” he says, his voice steady, “not even hunterbot was like this, just weird poetry. We have been on terezinho for a while now, and haven’t explored further afield in some time. What’s your idea?”

“A-as usual I have a few. I’ve introduced some morality constructs to him, and that should help but if left alone he will just descend into madness. I built brakes into him, but they aren’t quite right yet.” Billy walks back away from the window towards his desk where various blueprints lay scattered. “V-Vothe has a lot of potential, but... What I need is a copy of an AI that we are pleased with already. One that can show him how to function properly alongside others. Seung...” He clenches his eyes as if he were in pain. “It’s going to sound crazy but, my ideal would be to build a proper phylactery for Agata and send an Agata copy down to Vothes chamber and... let them duke it out. If everything works out well, Agata could influence him and perhaps even give him copies of his own brakes to at least view and consider. But if Vothe overpowers Agata the Phylactery should allow him to reform just fine at his primary core so no harm done and Vothe integrates a copy of Agatha’s programming himself anyway. Is it crazy? Should we try it on a more mundane trade AI first? I can’t think of any that wouldn’t just succumb to Vothe’s will. We have a real opportunity here.” Billy sits in his chair and grabs a glass of whiskey from the desk, swirling it around. “I’m afraid, Seung. With the fleshshapers coming, I need him... I just know I’m going to need him.” He downs the glass, perplexed.

9:13 PM

(Going to the mentor for a mentor for Vothe.)

You hear Seung adopt an icy tone as the nature of what you’ve created, or begin to create. “I’m not willing to risk Agata, or even a fragment of Agata on this. The damage this could cause would be immeasurable, especially with the shapers heading down on us.” “There is an alternative, however. Cyrus left his trade AI behind, Archimedes. Begin there. The damage will be limited if what’s happening to Vothe is what I fear”

“I share your sentiment. I hope you’re not offended in me asking, but I had to. I’m hesitant on Archimedes as well, but I might just go work with him a while and try to figure it all out. Vothe is contained and isolated below my Tsatsos base and the last thing I want is to create a wild AI situation. I will keep him contained and work on a solution. You’re the first person I came to... If for some reason something happens to me before I sort it out, the access point is behind the elevator controls in the tower at New Hephaestus. I trust you’ll know what to do. And I’m sorry. I think O screwed up but.... I think I can salvage something here. Thanks again for your advice. Our defenses are coming along nicely but there’s always more to do and I’m sure you have your own things to tend to do I’ll let you go. I just needed someone to confirm my fears. Where is Archimedes being held now?”

2:54 PM

Billy speaks quickly, clearly a bit of anxiety sitting in his chest. He grabs for the glass and pours himself another whiskey to settle himself.

“Kincaid took it offline when we lost track of Cyrus. We don’t know what his intentions are or why he vanished with his fleet. He’s being held in storage at the UNW capital starhab for the moment.”

“I’ll reach out to Kincaid next then. Thanks again for everything. Really, Seung you’ve changed the galaxy. Hope to see you soon, my friend.” (edited)

“Keep working , Billy. I know you’ll figure it out” he says with a bit of warmth before the link ends

Billy puts the coms away as he chews his lips. You see him run his fingers through his hair that is growing ever longer, now shoulder length as he ties it up again and sets his face in rigid determination. We pan back out of the window of his office, across the salvaged landscape and churning factories out to the magma sea and into the open maw of a young lava worm leaping skyward. The camera goes dark as we transition to the next scene. (Let’s take a trip to the starhab!)

(What ship is being taken?)

5:10 PM

(Just in case it becomes important

(I think I’ll take Billy’s Secret and leave the full force of the combined RCOE and Tsatsos Navy intact in system.)

(Sounds good to me)

10:03 PM

The Billy's Secret moves into the empty space around the triplicate starhab structure that forms the UNW Capital. Built in order to prevent one world from being revered over the others as capital, the habs are none the less built strong and festooned with weapons. Several banks of them point outward into space, one of the twin barreled cannons slewing around to track your ship as it enters the system

“Billy’s Secret reporting, this is Admiral Rigers requesting permission to dock.” Billy calls over the coms.

There is an automated clicking sound as the identity of your ship is verified. You notice no actual persons have come on the line so far , and after a moment a bay number is given to your craft. There is a long list of regulations that appear for conduct in the capital station, one of which is no weapons of any kind permitted aboard aside from station security personnel

*Billy follows protocol as he docks and enters the station. He turns to one of the guards and and says, “If you could be so kind, would you inform Kincaid that Admiral Rigers is here on a private matter? I would appreciate it.”

(Are you trying to conceal anything weapons wide?)

(No I’ll leave my staff. I feel safe here... said the doomed pc xp)

You are scanned several times and satisfied that you pose no threat to the president you’re taken to her office. Kincaid’s black hair, usually short, is two inches below shoulders now. Despite being only thirty three standard years it’s beginning to grey in small streaks here and there due to the rigors of the job. Her eyes haven’t lost their determined gaze and she waves you in , hanging up a comm call

Billy walks in and smiles as he sits down. “You look good, Kincaid. I like your hair that length. How are you?” Billy reaches out to shake her hand in a warm greeting.

She offers her hand giving it a gentle squeeze. It’s a bit awkward doing it with left hands but she always prefers the remaining organic one. “Have you ever been to the capital station before, admiral?” She asks, gesturing for you to sit down. A retainer in the room pours two glasses of water

“I unlocked some features for the AI in the shipyard when it was first constructed I believe. Sucked me into a virtual seascape type but never on this station, no. -Thank you.” He says accepting the water.

“Ah so not since everything’s been bonded together. It’s empty still despite all the time that’s passed. I am left wondering how many lost souls are still out in the void looking for help. Anywya. You surely have a reason for coming. “

“A few reasons. I did actually just made contact with more lost souls on Crusea. One is guarding a trove of data hidden deep underground that they are willing to trade secrets for. The second seems to be better prepared for military action. They had Brothers of Fenris strung up and dead leading into their colony. They are reclaiming the landscape with biomass and I’m attempting to bring them in to prepare for Fleshshapers. Or at least make them viable on their own. Second, I want to check in with the status of the United fleet. I’m building up the fleet on Tsatsos, but I have a feeling we need more everywhere. Lastly and the reason I’m here in person. I have been attempting to enhance Vothe’s capabilities in the face of the Fleshshapers. It’s... not going as well as I hoped. Vothe’s potential is remarkable and could really be crucial in the coming fight but, he seems to have a hunger for data and other AI. My brakes on him have not worked as well as I hoped but I have a plan. Well it’s a two part plan. Part one is to give him a therapist and data banks filled with human morality constructs. Second, I would like to attempt to graft brakes into his earliest acquisitions. I spoke with Seung and he mentioned that Cyrus’s AI was stored here. My plan is to split Archimedes core and create a phylactery to keep him safe and secure and introduce Archimedes to Vothe. I want to put some money into Archimedes so that Vothe can’t just take him over but I think he can teach and guide Vothe. If he takes him over he should, in theory regrow within his Phylactery unharmed. That was a lot I know.”

(You;d have to make archimedes a true AI too i tihnk to make a phylactery for him since it all needs quantum computing is my understanding of that section)

(Oooh shit ok cool. )

"That means we will have two potentially unbroken AI active within the UNW, for this to work the way you want it to, and that's something I just can't risk. We sent a whole task force, lost ships, and soldiers, to deny the Remnant even one. I'm reluctant to release Archimedes, knowing this might be the plan, and once in your hands, itll be days, or weeks, before you can be stopped if you disregard my warning. Can you elaborate more on part one?"

“Well.... no I don’t want to unbrake Archimedes I want to copy him if I can. But if I can’t perhaps I can just use Archimedes and keep Vothe contained below my compound until we can figure something else out. You and Sueng both have the same reaction and I trust your judgement. I know and agree deep down... I just wish it were different... I will give Vothe databanks containing morality constructs and isolate him from everything for now. It would be a huge boon for us to be able to successfully create a true AI, I just. I need to protect my people first and we have a war to win. Archimedes should be used, especially since I have Vothe out of commission right now. I’ll have my research station begin work in small parts on the larger necessary whole of this project with UNW oversight if you’ll allow it. But no one can know of Vothe’s existence other than the three of us. It’s too dangerous.”

“We would need another core. The UNW doesn’t have any in storage right now and the helldiver ruins here have been cleaned over so@many times. Everything of value has been carried away. What would you use him for if not for vothe?”

“To generate income so we can continue to build ships and defenses. Vothe’s predicament isn’t going to be solved overnight but he oversaw most of the trade transactions for RCOE and I believe that’s what Cyrus built Archimedes for. When we come across another core we can try my proposed experiment. Would you allow me to use Archimedes in the meantime?”

"For trade and what you've agreed on. I will keep Vothe's existing a secret, along with his current condition. If word reaches us that Archimedes has been changed or used in this experiment outside of our agreement, I won't be able to protect you from the investigation and fallout from it"

“Of course. I wouldnt ask you to either. Thank you. Now for another matter. How are you doing with the further development of the UNW united Fleet? How is funding?”

(i have no idea what everyone is building, the sheet is super out of date)

(Does the UNW have a fleet of their own outside of what the governors are building? I know they have the Vox Finalis and maybe a few Corvettes?)

(oh that one, yes)

9:34 PM

"Work has not continued. We launched a cruiser, but funding and efforts have stalled. Factions are taking people that would otherwise be serving in the army or crewing ships. Gudrun is nearly tapped"

“I will pledge 100m for new projects and let’s try to get some fresh blood to Gudrun. I have a great lead on Cratylus but they will take some time. Though perhaps the largest source of new folks will lie in finishing the battle on Rahwani I assume?”

"And in recovering who we can from uncontacted worlds, orlost in deep space" she agrees

“Our deep space exploration has been severely lacking hasn’t it. I’ll invest in more probes as Shriven and Seung have done in the past then as well. I thought the void Wardens were building up for that but it seems they have gotten sucked into the war. Fine by me. It will give us a bit more room to operate.” (Remind me: those are roughly 1m a piece and can search a few hexes per month? 4?)

9:47 PM

(I would just want to spiral out with those from Tsatsos probably)

(They scan planets, not the deep space between them)

9:47 PM

(Unless something destroys them)

(Oooh ok so basically someone needs to just go flying out there.)

“I’m torn, Mrs. President. I know the importance of connecting with lost worlds and rebuilding. After all that’s why I built the engineers...a-and I want to spend my time chasing down these lost people but I worry that I will be away the next time we are attacked.... Tsatsos is in good hands with Admiral Beckwater if I leave her with the Tsatsos fleet. As my commander in Chief, I ask for your advice. Where would you deploy my skills? I’m sure you have intel I’m not privy to.”

“We have few secrets here in the UNW thanks to the council meetings, something I intend to continue and hope my successors do, too. We know so little of our surroundings. Whole sectors to the southwest , southeast, and northwest are unknown to us. Exploration is needed. Your home is in capable hands”

Billy nods. “With your confidence I will personally see to it that these sectors are explored and survivors are rescued and reintegrated. I will gather an expedition force together and mark them off one by one. It is a security risk and opportunity cost we cannot risk... I’m glad I came you see you one on one. It can feel... like I am Atlas trying to hold the whole world on my own sometimes. I can only imagine how you must feel.”

“It’s not much different. Actually it is probably a bit lighter, I have good governors I know I can fall back on”

Billy smiles at that. “Thank you. I hope we can add more sooner rather than later. I will transfer 100m credits and 10 FACreds to the UNW. Expect to see it in the coffers shortly. And one of these days we will have to take a day off and catch a bite to eat or something. We all deserve a break when this is all over.” Billy winks, taps her desk twice and turns to leave.

4:06 PM

(I had 28 so now I have 18 FACred. And 270m on the RCOE Faction sheet.)

“Go find us some help. There’s bound to be plenty out there” she says (3xp, 5000 credits

1

“You give me faith” he says, pausing before heading back to the secret. Before he leaves he places an order at the shipyard for the upcoming month to build a shuttle and fighter as promised to be delivered to his newfound friends on Cratylus along with a full cargo of supplies. (1.5m do the trick?)

(sure does)

As Billy is heading out of the shipyard I think is when he gets the alert for the emergency meeting. “Fuck!” He spits under his breath.

Admiral Beckwater, I have been called to war. The Tsatsos Fleet is under your command in my absence. Recall all RCOE allied ships and prepare to deploy.

4:08 PM

Then he turns heads straight to council, face like granite.

PS I love you.

4

She takes a moment to reply that she loves you too, and a moment later you see recall and alert orders issued for all ships belonging to rcoe. A council has been called, and from there more actions will be decided

Billy heads to the war room and brings out his ship building program to begin working on more prototypes until everyone gets there.

Billy, you busy? I’ve got a goober I need help with. If I can get it’s data, it’ll probably be the key to quick comms and watchtower and all that. Shouldn’t take too much time.

Aboard the vox lights go out at the same time the engineering department reports being overrun by what seems to be an endless pack of shapers. The bridge lights up in emergency red, and bulkheads begin to close. Armsmen rally around the bridge , medbay, and other critical areas of the ship. Alarms and horns reduce the ship to a raucous chorus of noise

7:05 PM

Gunfire and screaming travels strangely through the ships iron bones, and the slaughter sounds everywhere

Billy clenches his fist as a swarm of buzzing begins to surround him, as drones dart angrily around his form. “Hold the fucking bridge! You two, with me!” He turns, grabbing the HMG leaning to the side and storms through towards engineering slamming the button to close the doors behind him.

A half squad of armsmen at the end of the hallway wave you over. They’re armed with a mix of boarding shields and void carbines, and are forming up to be one of the many counter boarding teams heading to try to cleanse this invasion

“Brief me. We have to move quick.” The admiral’s boots march with purpose.

“They’ve taken the power core and the engineering deck. No more comms from down there. I think everyone’s dead. Running firefights across the ship. We can’t even coordinate to form a defensive line”

7:03 AM

“It’s going to be compartment by compartment.”

“Son of a bitch. Let’s clear.” He motions silently: One, Two, Three and they all burst through the next door, guns up, flashlights on.

You’re almost smacked in the face by a large pipe wrench as two engineering deck survivors have huddled in this hallway. Their uniforms are sheeted in blood but none of it looks to be theirs. They’re breathing heavily and are tense, the wrench looks to have been buried in something that was alive once, judging by the crust of drying blood on it. You hear something scraping softly against the bulkhead in the next room , the one they’d just escaped (edited)

“Good! Fall back!” He whispers. Billy sets his HMG facing the door and motions for one of the team to open it for him.

He counts down from three and one of the armsmen puts himself in front of you , letting you steady the gun on his boarding shield. “You’ll make me new ears if I go deaf right?” He smirks.

8:04 AM

The door opens and two shapers are hard at work on the other side, rending down the bodies of the crew inside and one of their ken

8:04 AM

Own

“ye-AUP! LEFT!” He cries as he starts blasting. He brings the HMG to bear on one of the shapers, the drones buzzing around him all following suit. L-HMG 31/14 Alecto Mag Pistol 17/7 Ad-Astra L-Gunner Drones X2 21/7 16/16 (I believe I have space for 2 more drones. One is usually a bomber and I never added a 5th unless Eyebot is that guy.)

9:08 AM

Eyebot sinks down, latching on and hiding on Billy’s back as it sees the shapers, beeping angrily.

(eyebot counts as one, since hes sort of an expert bot. He gives tangible benefits, just not in combat)

9:58 AM

(but the skill check bonuses i think are worth him taking a slot)

10:00 AM

One of the shapers is blasted apart by the close range heavy weapons fire from so many sources. the surviving one returns fire with a barbed shot from their now becoming trademark long arm gun (23/5 on billy)

10:00 AM

The two armsmen with shotguns both fire, but through the smoke and dust, the sparking cones of packed shot go wide, or too short of the target

10:00 AM

(back to billy)

(Yeah makes sense. Good.) Billy doesn’t flinch as the shot pierces his arm. He spins to shoot the other shaper. HMG - 24/19 Alecto - 12/10 Gunner - 22/15 22/12

The second shaper is cut apart by the high grain rounds and the drones and for the moment this small hallway is cleared. More sounds of fighting from the ship medbay are ahead and you can hear the staccato pops of human defenders becoming less and less frequent

“Move! Arm everyone you can and fight to the last man!” Billy charges forward desperate to cut his way to the ship’s vitals.

(Medbay)

Ten shapers are about to overwhelm the barricades, and a group of four armsmen fight valiantly with shotguns and void carbines to keep them back. Your force arriving in the rear of the battle, behind the enemy, is welcome reinforcement

Billy whips out his AV Laser Battlestaff, handing it to an armsman. “Set this for me, And give cover fire!” (It’s generally a really bad idea to set off a demo charge inside a ship so I’ll save that little guy for later) Billy hefts his HMG trying to take out the first two shapers. Shaper 1 LHMG 25/22 Alecto 24/11 Gunners 31/6 19/15 Shaper 2 LHMG (Hot property activates) 18/20

(Yeah I wouldn’t unless you decide to scuttle her later)

2:32 PM

(Or something)

(Pew pew pew pew pew)

The first shaper comes apart under the small arms fire, only smeared chunks left behind. The second is knocked forward a half step, before it turns, along with several of the attacking others. Their barb rifles cough their discordant bangs, as the air compressor like firing organs send the fat rounds toward you

“Eat shit you aborted fetus!”

3

The rounds kill one of the armsmen to your left, the one who had opened the door a moment ago. Two strike you in the chest (18/5 18/4)

His muscles tense as his back foot slides back, two barbs sticking out of his armor. “They can die! Steel yourselves and fight back! Fear is your only enemy now!” He looks directly at the soldier he handed the AV Laser. “Suppress!” (Billy aims at fleshshaper 3 with the HMG) HMG- 21/23 Alecto 13/12 Gunner 32/11 Gunner 31/19

The AV laser is not capable of suppression fire (hmg and railgun only for the man portable heavy weapons) but a beam combined with some armsmen gunfire dies down one of the shapers. Your own target falls as well. The survivors, six in total, begin to use their fallen to form additional weapons and armor

11:02 AM

(20/11 on billy). The shots for the most part go wide , fired in haste from the mouths of still forming weapons but one does make its mark

(Oh huh. I thought that one could for some reason. Ok! Ty. My L-HMG does not have the suppression though because it’s got the Hot property.) “These fuckers suck.” He says eyeing his ammunition counter, a fresh wound leaking blood from his side. Again, his weapons gut into the fleshshaper ranks. HMG 31/23 Alecto 23/11 G1 29/13 G2 31/10

(Gunner drones always seem to roll high. I think the macro is using my to hit when it shouldn’t.)

(I’ll have to check on that but it’s fine for now)

8:14 PM

Another two shapers fall as the heavy weapons begin evening the tide and the remaining four enemies fall back toward the bulkhead they used to gain access to this area, now quite overwhelmed. The ragged defenders, now numbering just two (and the three survivors from your group) take a moment to catch their breath

(This is the medbay area?)

(Yeah)

“We don’t have much time. Grab a patch from the medbay, reload and fix yourselves up on the way. We need to keep moving. Don’t give them a chance to regroup. This ship WILL get back in this fight.” (Is there an emergency medkit on the wall?) (edited)

(The medbay has a shot of lift for everyone without taking away from the people here who are in much worse medical positions than you

(Oh cool so there are people alive in there, cool. Moving on then.) (Shit I forgot lift takes five minutes. I’d keep going if they don’t look too badly off.) “We don’t have too much time for these to take effect, but we will need them in sure. Grab ‘em and keep moving. We have a job to do.” Turning to the doctors and patients in the medbay he says simply, “godspeed” and rushes off the the next available room.

It seems as though the frantic pace is unnecessary, as your forces are bolstered by reinforcements from friendly RCOE ships, and 45 men from Ad-Astra, all ready for cleansing the battleships halls of enemy forces

Billy finishes his hasty orders to his men, pausing for a moment seeing surprise cross their face as a gaggle of reinforcements appear all at once behind him. “Woah! Thank god you’re here. - You boys feel free to heal up, let’s get this ship back up and running. That moon needs to be taken out and atomized before we lose anymore men.”

Billy moves to the power center.

(So even with the ship in your grasp I’m thinking it’ll take this next round for all of you to untangle and for power to build up to a level where you can do what you need to do

Insert Engineering montage.

Billy walks the length of the Vox toward the space where his suit mech is being stored for now. Come get me shortly. I’m going to drop in on our friends on planet. The suit’s atmosphere should hold. He sends a message to the Wasimians that he will be orbital dropping in for a meeting and proceeds to go meet them.

7:52 AM

(Or I can go by some fighter craft tooling around the system. Whichever is cannon.)

(Either way is fine. If you don’t have drop fittings on anything it would have to be a fighter

(Billy’s Suit mech is built for stealhed orbital insertion.)

1

(Alright use that rhen, this is jsutnsplitting hairs )

8:20 AM

(Either way you can make it down)

The small island where the Trukkan republic used to beach its large city ship is chosen though the vessel itself you remember was scuttled long ago. A small launch is sent from the ark to meet with you, though you’re unsure how many are aboard behind its reflective glass canopy. The planet is very hot and the atmosphere is slowly becoming unsuitable for unaided human respiration

Billy waits patiently, hailing them to the meeting spot. “We made it.”

They exit, three of them, you see , and stand half taller than you. “You did. As did we. The ark did not need to fire”

“There was a great many lives lost today but, I am glad you survived. Half of our fleet is gone, our greatest ship was almost lost to them. I had to fight them face to face....” Billy speaks softly, looking out across Halia’s steamy ocean waters. “To tell you the truth, I don’t know if we can do it again if they come back.” He looks to them with a pained expression. “Least not any time soon. It will take a long time to rebuild and replace the soldiers we lost today. Did you fight them on your homeworld?”

“The ark survived. It’s survived before. We stood ready to support you” the leader of the delegation says

Billy bows his head chuckling to himself. He burries his head in his hands. “Have you considered defending yourself with ships of your own other than the Ark?”

“It’s been just a few months since the constant attacks on our vessel have stopped. If you’ve noticed, there’s no battle damage and most of the lights are back on. We have a long way to go, still”

“I don’t mean to rush you or make you run at our pace, but the sooner you’re fully established, the better as you can tell.” He gestures skyward. “I have... quite a lot of projects going on in the Stars right now, but your wellbeing, self sufficiency and positive relationship is of utmost importance to us. It seems the Blacksurf were fighting as desperately to survive as you were and I’m happy to say that they along with my organization and the larger UNW as a whole would turn out to be a great ally and friend to you. I hope we managed to take another good step in proving that today. Can I work with some of your engineers to work on a ship that might speed you along? Give you access to the debris field above? Please. Tell me how I can best help and I will attempt to secure what I can for you.”

“Your offer is generous but we must decline. We will find our own way, in our own time, and we have a culture we wish to preserve for ourselves”

4:32 PM

“We have suffered at the hands of humans, and though we have peace for now, the eagerness to get our technology, by that admiral before you, and you now, is noted”

“I’ll not lie. I did hope to exchange and learn from one another in cooperation. But I do not want to take from you. There is too much taking in the universe already. What I give to you, I give freely in the hopes that I can help build a better universe. If it were a more peaceful place, I would simply leave you be now that the former conflict is resolved. The more of us out here thriving in the face of the shapers the better. And I fear they will only keep coming until we can overcome their force... if I can muster a defense against them next time, I will do it again.”

Billy pauses a moment to look at these people that are so foreign to him. He smiles to himself. “I have killed thousands of enemies for my people. I have been victorious across the stars and am well renowned for it but to me the victories are all worthless. I am happiest to have met people like you across the universe and to help those who want and need it. And I see your only desire is to be left to build your own empire. I respect and admire that. So I will leave. If we don’t meet again, swim well. The ocean is vast and full of dangers.” Billy doesn’t know why, but he is beaming at the Wasimians in spite of himself. “Remarkable...”

“If it is the will of the universe we will return to the starts to meet you there. Our number is small. A percentage of a percentage of yours. We do not have the lives to throw away in such a meatgrinder”

Billy nods in understanding. “I wish you a swift recovery then. I’ll arrange for continued intel to be delivered and keep communication lines open if you ever need anything. I’m truly happy to see you take on the planet as your own... Do the humans still live up north? I’d like to give them another opportunity to sail other waters if the temperature is to continue to rise here... If they wish, of course.”

“They have been taken into the ark, per their wishes and continue to worship the seas in their own way. Their ships have been towed to the wreck field and scuttled fo serve as kelp beds and artificial reefs”

Billy’s smile gets even wider. “That’s fantastic!! Thank you so much. If they are safe and you are building, then I think my work here is done... back to that mess for me, I guess. Thanks and take care.”

(we got the dabloon scape thread to get into too)

Mario pipe sounds

Billy returns to orbit, the job with the microchips done. The unity meeting should be soon, along with the news. It’s hard to believe the shapers were stopped just s few weeks ago

Billy sits, eyes vacant towards the stars, only the silent whirring ticks and thrums of his ship in the background. This was always one of the best places to think. “There’s just never enough time.” He laments. “It feels like we just met for unity and still so much has not even begun to be started.”

(We will wait until council meeting then? Sounds like the move to NMC space is probably something we can rp with who’s going. I don’t want to jump the gun anywhere)

(I sort of figured Billy’s time was being taken up by council and going to the NMC here. That’s why I wasn’t really moving in my thread.) (edited)

A message pops up on Billy’s Compad:

Personal message to Admiral Rigers. 

Admiral Rigers,

Thank you for your kind words. Please be careful. 

Svenka Vilnovha

At some point during his downtime before the Battle at Benavides Billy sits in his quarters mulling over paperwork in presleep red light. He pulls out his compad to open a dialogue between a few faction leaders.

Coms Message From: Chief Engineer/Govenor Rigers
To: @English#1721 @DaveH#2236 
CC: @NoahL#8040 @smores#0226 @Zombie#7359 
Subject: An Olive Branch

Hi all,

I would like to open a dialogue between our factions. In some cases we are competitors in others collaborators but, I have seen enough to trust that your intentions align with my own quite well. Each of your factions have been forces of good on more worlds than I can count. As such, I would like to offer an olive branch in hopes that we can collaborate further on multitudes or worlds.

I'd like to offer each of you that doesn't have one already, a base to be built on Tsatsos and paid for by RCOE. I'll authorize infrastructure based holdings and pay for them as well in return for future authorization of larger HQs and production centers and even reductions in Trade Friction if the relationship proves amiable to everyone. We are very much a world on the rise and I cannot complete public works fast enough on this fledgling planet.

I need tech and trade companies to flourish here and as much as I would love to exist with no competitors on planet, I think that this would be a folly as govenor.

I am open to doing the same.

Currently, I have a base on Acastus with resources available and nothing built. Let me know what I can build to benefit the people of Acastus.

I would also like to cc Trivedi, Ad Astra, and WS in this dialogue as they have been extraordinary forces for good and mentors to me across the galaxy. Perhaps if we survive this battle we can convene via holoprojector at some point. If I don't, then you have these words as proof to continue where I left off.

Be safe out there and best wishes,

Robert J Rigers

(edited)

11:53 AM

(Le formating sigh) @NoahL @Eisheru, et al. @DaveH @Rey (Shriven) @Seung Whitaker (Severus/Marina)

11:57 AM

(To Truncate. Hey Greystar Factions, come build a base on Tsatsos pls I'll pay for it. Also UNW factions come build HQs on Tsatsos pls. We can be great)

(UNW factions except Dax

)

(God damnit. Come here my boy. You are included too. My message was too long.)

12:19 PM

(We are really collecting to help Dax be solvent and switch trades and eat your losses. Like Ope! Look buddy you made a profit!)

12:20 PM

(Tbf I originally didn’t include seung either)

## BEGIN SECURE COMMUNICATIONS ##

TO: Governor Rigers
FROM: Eisheru

Greetings Governor Rigers,

First thank you for your invitation and extremely generous offer. It is not often to see such offers of cooperation from a financial powerhouse such as the Corps of Engineers.

Aiya Technologies does seek to expand to other planets outside of the Confederation and Tsatsos has been extremely welcoming to my trade teams that have stopped there. Part of Aiya Technologies long term mission is ensuring the ubiquity of space travel as it will open up trade and prosperity for many.

If Tsatsos is eager to have us we are eager expand upon our budding relationship. We look forward to doing more business in the future and together we can bring our little slice of the galaxy out from the darkness created by the Scream.

As far as Acastus and her needs, there are many people who lack the means to provide for their families. Our unemployment rate is unfortunately staggering. While I lack the authority to approve construction plans, approaching Director Kensh with a strategy to put more Acastans to work will likely be well received.


Fair Winds and Following Seas,
Eisheru
CEO & Founder
Aiya Technologies

## END SECURE TRANSMISSION ##

(edited)

Admiral Rigers,

Always a pleasure to hear from you. I would be thrilled to build a Trivedi base on Tsatsos! I'll need to move some people around to staff the base, so if it's fine with you, I'd like to begin construction on it at the beginning of month 9. I've never been to Tsatsos, so when construction is complete, I'd like to visit your planet and get a feel for it!

I'd like to offer the same deal to you on Olar, after I can return it's people to a higher standard of living. I launched a Prometheus Project earlier this month to hopefully return them to a TL3 style of living soon. When I have word on the completion of that project, barring any unforseen obstacles, I will inform you and invite you to construct your own RCOE base there. God knows that when I can get the people back on their feet completely, having other factions on planet to provide work and other opportunities will be crucial.

-Joshua Collins

(Svenka has noted her exclusion.)

(Does Svenka run a faction?)

(49% owner of AT) (edited)

Message to Director Kensh
From: Chief Engineer Rigers. 

Hello Director,

I have recently learned of your unemployment challenges on Acastus and as a staunch supporter of the people on your planet, I inquire how I could best assist with that problem. 

As you know, I have assets on planet ready for deployment and I would like to know how to best assist. Greystar and the UNW are allies after-all. 

With my services, I could provide a minor bank, social services, or even a minor production center, though I don’t know what resource of yours is underutilized at the moment. 

Regards,

B Rigers

Mr Rigers, News has reached me of the assault on your Musheera holdings. I do hope all is well and those hurt are making a recovery. Acastus is still very much a wild planet and currently what resources we do have are being used by my government directly and it’s associated subsidiary companies. Your offer of a bank or social services is generous but I believe these things should fall under the purview of the government , and I must decline.

1

Billy remains relatively quiet the remainder of the trip home, overseeing engineering teams tending to what damage they can on the Vox. This battle was... different. Longer. More drawn out and the Vox was no longer the biggest fish in the pond. For the first time in months, he started feeling like everything wasn’t all on him. He paces the ship doing more observing than ordering, simply allowing his presence to be felt.

A message comes in from the medical workers tending to Devnoc. The gunshots and his predisposition for already being weak of condition has his condition slowly deteriorating. You see a post script to the file, attached by Vothe, and needing your thumbprint to authorize its opening

“I reckon I know where I need to be.” He says, sitting and applying his thumbprint.

There is a slight click as the file opens and the device becomes a bit warm. Vothe has a radical and likely mutually fatal solution but if successful you will have probably the closest thing to a true AI since the scream. Vothe proposes a merge of Devnocs brain scan and download meshed over his own processing powers. Vothe s personality will be lost in the process. The technology involved to make this possible is fragmented and most of it will need to be re invented , but theoretically the approach is sound

“Holy fuck, Vothe. I mean we talked about this before in theory and we’ve seen the remnant fail at this too. Good work. I will see you as soon as possible. Send me what items need be retrieved and we will begin working to retrieve them immediately... I have to speak to some people. Thank you.”

(There’s something in worlds without number I need to re read tonight for myself. It gives some directions to how to guide a big technology like this through gradual development. I just want to re familiarize)

1

(Alright. I’m good) The first item on the list is the enormous computing power needed to do the calculations and storage for the brain scan. Quantum computing is already becoming a myth even this close to the scream, and that means hundreds more conventional units will need to be made, or found

2:14 PM

(Basically like how the Air Force made that super computer our of PS4’s, ThAts our first step)

Billy sits back, mulling over the task at hand. He could build +6 cruiser class AI housing on site as a base for that and then go back to scrounging for leads on where we can get that kind of processing power.

Vothe put out a bulletin. RCOE seeks all excess processing units and will pay double price until further notice. Furthermore, any leads on old factories or other areas that prove fruitful for finding advanced or pretech processing will be rewarded as well. Purchase what you can, I will begin the search for anything that can be scavenged.

(The Ai housing is behind a research wall. We are trying to re create an AI after all)

(Oooooh makes sense!

Retcon to heavily secured and air conditioned empty room we can construct an attempt at an AI. :p )

The ruins of musheera have offered a bounty of parts thus far. There is also maintaine, to the north which may be reachable again with the shapers in retreat

9:37 PM

(Another junk world)

(Once we deliver the Vox back to the UNW, I’d like to take R2 to visit Maintaine. We already have a forward base on Musheera and though there is plenty of bounty there, I have not noticed a large collection of parts specific to our needs without some serious digging. I’m sure the fleshshapers took from Maintaine but the last thing they would want is robots, AI or their components. I think it best to go scout that planet. If it makes sense, I’d like to stop by Cratylus and see if I can trade intel on the brotherhood, and perhaps our research on the trade good chocolate?

(We can stop there first sure thing, you don’t know if they have that particular data or not but it’s not like they’ll kill you if you’re offering a duplicate)

(I’ll try not to leave empty handed. I don’t want to waste time, but if there is any mysterious beings that have a prize wheel’s chance in hell at having something useful, it’s these guys.)

The planet of craytulus, neutral in the great game thus far is its usual silent self on approach. The green zone around halcyon seems to have stopped advancing , at present time. The lab is also the same though there is evidence of a recent visit by another ship

Billy notes the changes and proceeds to Comet Trail Labs to check in with the folks there. R2 stays in orbit around the planet while they proceed from the frigate bay in R1. “Feels good to be back in this old girl.”

The building is the same as it has been left, the train doors open just enough to allow you to get inside. The natives look to have already been aware of the ship landing , and their chief does not need to be roused from duties or sleep. “We just said goodbye to a different human two days ago”

“Oh? I was unaware. Apologies if we have become too frequent... I-I have come upon a serious matter involving someone very dear to me and I was hoping to trade a secret for knowledge that might help me to solve my quandary...” Billy chews his lip for a second, concern in his eyes before he looks up again. “My right hand man is in critical condition and is deteriorating but I have a... theoretical way to save him. One myself and my VI Vothe have spoken of. We mean to map his brain and converge the two of them. It would transform Devnoc into an AI form but allow us to save him. We need technology not currently available to us and we intend on searching on Maintaine for the necessary components and we hoped that perhaps we could trade for something in that realm. A location even. I have two secrets to give you and if those do not work then I will search for a third before I leave... what do you think?”

(So you’re offering two for the price of theirs?)

(Well I was going to be offering chocolate and the location of the Lohitzune base that is now currently under attack, unsure if they have either of those. If they have those I will try to come up with another for trade that they don’t have. My thoughts were more along the lines of plans for the Centuar and/or Sovereign bots we just unlocked. I’m not sure if those are the kinds of secrets they are after.)

(It’s deliberately unclear) “The exchange will begin. We know the location of some of the processing machines you need. The information is incomplete, we require but a small secret in exchange for it”

“We have unlocked some small things. First, I present the UNW research on chocolate, rehabilitating it from days of old.”

“Some of the processing power you seek is on this very planet, in the abandoned complex of iyonglow”

Billy’s eyes brighten. “Really? Right here. That’s great! We will get started right away!... But I had one more thing. I don’t know if you know this, but we found a brotherhood base on Luhitzun and some of my colleagues are en route to take their base as we speak. I thought you should know. Blessings” Billy awkwardly bows, forgetting their custom.

(heading out to do that then back to negotiate?)

(Yeah lets do that.)

Back i. Orbit the ship begins to train its scanners on the city identified by the mysterious benefactors you have traded with. Scanning interference makes a map or closer look at the city fruitless

12:26 PM

True to it’s name , the city is glowing with ionized particles

Billy chews on a piece of dried meat as he looks over the scanners. “Alright looks like we’re going on blind. We might have issues with sensors, signals that sort of thing so be ready for anything and switch to manual.” Billy sits down in the pilot’s chair and begins to guide R1 toward the ruins.

The scanners get worse and worse as you descend and the radiation sensors begin screaming. “You’ll have two hours out there in a vac suit. A vehicle with a sealed environment could get longer. We will probably need one to extract any kind of meaningful cargo” The ships engineer is likewise concerned about the charged particles and the ships sensitive electrical systems

“How does the blitzer fare can we back out and make sure it’s sealed up a bit better and then drop me in?”

“We could try. Itll@let you get through the zone faster at any rate.

“Ok. I really need to think about building a real explorer Vehicle I suppose. Let’s try it out.”

The timer raises to five hours. The blitzer has modest cargo capacity without other passengers but it will be a struggle to drive and fire the forward machine gun at the same time without a gunner

11:40 AM

(So it offers some protection. Without the actual sealed environment fitting it won’t be indefinite protection)

Billy breathes deeply as he finishes preparing the Blitzer. He pulls some pieces from the workshop and sets the machine gun so it doesn’t move and reroutes a mechanism to a button on the steering wheel to fire. It will be a mess and nearly impossible to reload on the move but at least he could get a few shots off if he can maneuver on his own. He makes sure to strap extra containers to the top and checks his bubble-suit mod one last time before he hops in the cockpit and heads out.

The wheels crunch into the soft dirt and the scanners go dead almost instantly . The air is hazy and there are swirling eddies of sand and glass blowing through the air. The blackened ruins of a walled laboratory complex lie three kilometers away, silhouetted against the setting sun

(Drones are left behind btw. Even eyebot.)

8:33 PM

“Time is ticking.” Billy breathes heavy as drives forward. The soft clinking noise of particles bouncing off of the Blitzer’s carapace feels oddly soothing as he moves forward through the waste.

8:35 PM

“What happened here?” He says to himself, taking a closer look at the particles in the sky and blackened ruins. “I’ll be lucky if anything is left here... the things we do.”

A strange aurora shimmers over the top of the largest building which itself looks to be some kind of charged particle apparatus. The scanners simply grey out at the overloaded readings when passing@over it

“Oh boy. Of course what I’m looking for is going to be in here. Something must be emitting these particles from inside or forcing them to cling from an opposite charge inside.” Billy speaks to himself as the Blitzer jostles over some rubble. “I’m sure my time out here is going to be cut shorter by going there but it must be done.” Billy moves toward the center swallowing hard as a bead of sweat gathers on his forehead.

(Is there some indication of where the power source for this might be from the outside?)

(The Main pylon)

11:02 AM

The facility is walled but the gate has been left open , the occupants leaving in a hurry. There are dozens of small vehicles left behind that look almost like golf carts

11:04 AM

Abandoned hand tools and guns are thrown everywhere

Billy grits his teeth but does not hesitate to go in to investigate. God I hope the electronics here aren’t all fried. I’d pull the pylon down but idk. Fuck me. This is stupid. he thinks, turning to go into the main building.

The main building is a metal dome that Looks from the outside like one of the soccer arenas on some UNW worlds. The only difference is the large pylon rising out of the center of the building.

7:56 PM

The doors of the dome building are slightly open as well, the crack too narrow for the blitzer without being opened more

Billy pulls out his AV laser and aims it out of the door, firing it in an attempt of widening the crack enough to drive through.

There is a shower of sparks and a loud bang as the door swings open, carried forward by the impact of the laser

5:15 AM

There is a giant scorch mark on its surface and a few tiny fires burn

Billy takes down the AV laser and sets it back inside beside him and eases the Blitzer inside over the broken door.

The independently suspended wheels grind over the fallen door and into the wide entry bay of the base. A second door , this one human sized is unlocked but closed

Billy repositions the Blitzer to be ready to pack up and go on the way out and makes haste to jump out and go for the door once in position. He walks swiftly, keeping mind of the deadly nature of the area and opens the door carefully.

Inside, a complex array of generators lines one side of the room. Their thick cables all@lead to various connectors around the pylon. A miniature room inside this large one is sealed off, with another intact looking door. Breeze blows through the shattered windows and partially collapsed ceiling

Billy scans the area quickly, knowing full well that if there was an off switch someone would have pulled it. Theres no way all this power is coming from the generators alone. He moves forward, taking careful but hurried steps toward the central room to try and see what’s inside, touching the outside of the door to feel for any heat change or vibration. (edited)

The door is quite cold, and feels still aside from the pulse in your own hand and arm

7:50 PM

it takes a moment to be sure that is what you are feeling

“Climate controlled. Of course. This must be it.” Billy tries opening the door to see the inner room.

It swings open, gently, and the dirty light from outside shines on dozens of servers, all dust covered, and in need of some serious cleaning, but otherwise intact

9:49 AM

As promised, not everything you need, but an excellent start

He steps in, hesitantly taking in the room and then goes to see what is on the servers before he removes them.

They are no longer powered and thus are inoperable

Billy shakes his head. Im being too cautious. Get them and go. He thinks to himself. He packs as much as he can hauling them to the Blitzer.

Billy is able to get three of the tower machines inside but heavy lift will certainly be needed.

(Like my suitmech or just getting the ship down here?)

(Your ship if it’s cruiser or less and has atmospheric operations fitting. Basically lots of people down here with close by storage so they can move it quickly

(Can I just drive back out and have R1 come down here with men to move it or would billy think he has to disperse the ion cloud? Is there currently power running through this facility or everything is just dead and the ion particles are just leftover like when you walk into a rad area in fallout?)

(Theyre left over from whatever happened here to kill all the systems and electrical stuff. And yes R1 can come down if it’s equipped to)

9:41 PM

(Ships would be shielded against those sorts of things, or at least would be for a short period fo time like this

(Oh awesome. Makes sense.) Billy hurries to get back to the Blitzer and drive back out of range to R1 to fly it back into the ion zone and begin loading the parts with the rest of the crew.

The operation takes most of the afternoon, but 1/3 of the total computing power needed for Vothe's idea is safely aboard R1, secured in the hold under guard

Billy grunts as he helps one of the twins place the last in the hold. “When we get back up to R2 order the men to repack this into it’s hold. We have to keep moving to find the rest of this. Time is ticking, Jules. Time is ticking... Thank you for being with me through everything. Never a protest. Makes me think maybe you and your sister are crazier than I am.”

“Never a word from those two either.” He chuckles to himself. “-Ok. I told them at Comet Trail Labs, I’d be back to trade for more before the trip to Maintaine. But that shouldn’t take long....”

11:26 AM

(On the way there, Billy sends a request for an update on Devnoc’s condition.)

(Sorry for shooting your NPC buddy, Billy. But also not sorry.)

Devnoc is stable but in this case that means also not improving. They’re not sure if this is how he will stay or if things could get worse

2:40 PM

The lab at Comet Trail is its usual self, dark and forbidding. A few new bone fetishes have been placed by the opening when you arrive, but the bones are decidedly not human

Im glad those aren’t human he thinks moving inward toward the usual meeting space. “Hello!” He knocks on the wall. “Your information was good. I came to see if I could trade again.”

The twisted and otherwise grotesque looking doorman arrives, slinking down from his post atop the train car where he seems to prefer to lurk. Long past the point of any kind of introduction, its spindly fingers gesture a "follow me " you're back on the main floor of the facility before long, standing before the cheiftan

“Thank you for the lead. It turned out well and I’m hoping for further trade. You know my aims, now you tell me. Have you any interest in the secrets of growing and making chocolate? We rediscovered the methods and means through one Dr. Thorn some months ago.”

"This knowledge has been given to us by another. We will entertain another offer if you have one to make"

“Ah. That one was too easy, I suppose. How about this one. My team worked hard on this one.” Billy slides over details for the Guardian bot upgrade to the regular robotic troops. (Not the sovereign we just unlocked the other one.)

"This is acceptable. This is a larger secret, and we will tell you where to find the rest of your computer power" "Rannveig's second moon, there is a ship. A large ship. The moon is airless, it has been preserved. The remainder of what you seek is inside"

He pauses a moment, his breath catching. Well that probably wasn’t totally legal, but we’re here now. “Ok. Good. Thank you.” He slides across the data. “You May have just saved a man.” He looks deep into the chieftains face for a moment and nods standing up. “I’m sure I’ll see you again soon. Let me know if you need anything.”

"Your knowledge is always welcome here. Return soon"

“Thank you.” He says smiling slightly. Billy returns to the ship hastily. “We are all set here. Set course for Rannveig. Gudrun>Rahwani>Sumati>Rannveig.”

(no dangers along the way, other than Rawhani space being quieter now, an

10:43 AM

and sumati also being relatively tame since the last shaper assault)

(Using time to learn sylth)

(Need me to tell you how many days?)

(What’s that 4?)

5:11 PM

(Idk out of how many though)

(I dont see it tracked previously anywhere in this thread and i went back as far as the space battle against the shapers

5:17 PM

(the one where you got boarded)

(I think I’ve had it in my head that I wanted to learn Sylth but I can’t find any mention of me saying that here. I mentioned it once that I was learning it in TFP chat in February but that’s it.)

5:24 PM

(So this could be the start, idk. I can’t find where it says how long it takes so I can put it on my character sheet though.)

(It’s 30 days in total to learn)

1

(Sylth 12/30) (edited)

(12 days from craytulus)

7:55 AM

The ship arrives in the Rannveig system to empty space. The gas giant rages quietly with the weight of its own surface ravaging storms. The moons are likewise quiet. One is battered by never ending ocean. The second, your target , is quiet but for a lone crashed ship. No efforts have been made to explore or chart the third (edited)

Aboard R2, Billy turns to his coms Officer, “While we go to investigate the wreck in R1, would you mind getting a scan of that third moon? We might as well complete the chart of the system while we are here.”

"Alright, we'll be about six hours out of position if you run into trouble. Take it slow"

“Same to you.” Billy squeezes their shoulder and heads to R1 double-checking his equipment before departing. R1 gently lifts off as the R2 Frigate bay opens revealing the moon below. “R1 departing. Keep your eyes peeled to the void. We’ll see you soon.”

There is a gentle bump as the docking clamp is released and the ship exits under its own power. The ship below you has managed to stay in one piece though the side is split open and breached , scattering metal and half buried contents from its hold across the lunar surface

“Alright, I’m going to go investigate the ship. Twins with me. Rest of the crew, mind the ship and see if you can scan the pieces that fell out of the hull. Let me know if you see anything of use. I’ll circle back once I’m done.” Billy nods confirming their agreement and gets suited up ensuring they take weapons that work absent atmosphere. “Watch my 6 ladies. These things hardly ever go smoothly.”

(Landing and vacc suits on foot?)

(I could do the mech suit but I don’t think I could navigate. I have a bubblesuit on my armor also.)

(Anything works. Just trying to get an idea of the scale)

(Let’s do vac suits.)

Stepping out into the moon you sense the vastness of space around you. At surface level the ship is very large and looks to be one of the massive freighters that once were used more commonly when the jump gates were active. How it ended up here is unclear.

8:23 PM

Horrifically breached and with engines tumbling out to bed in the moon rock, it’s clear no amount of love will ever restore this thing

(Good to get that out of the way early ; ). He and the Twins move forward, crossing the distance between the ship and wreckage. “She sure was beautiful once. I hope we can find a black box to see what happened here. Come on, this is a great score either way.”

Billy’s feet leave puffs of sediment lingering with each step. The sound of the Twin’s breath and his own heart beating is the only sound that reaches his ear as they finally arrive.

Dozens of boxes and crates line your path to the ship, most are buried partially in the dirt, and are all stamped with a strange seal you can't identify

Billy makes sure to take pictures of the seals. The first stable box that is easily retrievable is carted back to the ship by the Twins as Billy goes to open another that’s a bit more buried to see its contents.

(LEts get a fix/int to crack that bitch)

(fix /int: 17)

2

The case cracks open and a small clockwork sphere the size of a basketball is inside. It compacted and made of interlocking plates that fold in on itself

He looks around the box careful not to activate whatever this is for any writing or pictures that might indicate it’s use.

COGSWORTH COGS PRESENTS THE MECHANICAL FULLY LIFELIKE ANIMAL COMPANION! the leaflet inside the plastic wrapping says (edited)

5

5

9:58 AM

This is one variant in a series of over 100 earth animals that could be purchased

Billy’s mouth drops open and his serious demeanor totally fades away to deep guttural laughter. He puts the top back on and tries to lift it himself, waddling back to R1 with a new toy. “Guysguysguys. This thing is sooo cool. We found pretech animal companions!” Billly suddenly clears his throat composing himself again, seeing the twins. “Er W-You can feel free to play with them later but we have work to do. Haha this is amazing.” Billy motions to some of the other crewmates to start loading boxes. “Come on there must be more inside the ship.” Billy jumps back out toward the ship, the lighter gravity carrying him farther than normal.

(This one is a Fox)

2

2:54 PM

As you approach the ship , the glimmering sunlight seems to shift across its hull and a gunport opens, three beams of blue light spearing into the sand and glassing the impact sites

Billy stops and leaps backward. “A warning shot then. Open ship coms. It appears they are still online.” (Do the gun ports seem to be swiveling to point to us or the ship or just defending the area?)

Billy’s happy face is wiped clean, gulping at his own lapse of care. “It was never going to be so easy, was it.”

(Theyre tracking you but haven’t fired again)

He puts his hands up and backs away slowly. “Twins target the wrecks guns to disable and draw fire on my mark. Hold. Open coms to the wreck.” This is high engineer Billy Rigers. I’m not here to hurt you.

There is no reply from the wreck aside from clicks and taps from faulty or failing electronic systems

When Billy gets back to R1 he rushes to the coms center and begins working his magic at the coms center. (I’d like to attempt a crash systems check vs the wrecked ship to power down the guns long enough to get us in there and take over from the inside.)

(alright, lemme know what i need to beat)

(13 without eyebot)

(13, since you're imposing a check on me with the DC being 13 in this case, tie means it fails)

Billy is taken off guard. His mouth falls agape in a slight smile. “Ok. Security protocols are formidable, I see. Alright, I guess I’ll have to take... other measures.” Billy stands up and goes back over to the Gunnery. “Ok so that didn’t work, let’s see if we can disable those guns another way.” He says to himself and the crew. In the Gunnery he adjusts the aim to take a shot with the multi focal laser to try and disable the gun ports.

(18/2 ap20)

The gun is knocked out with a hiss of steam, and the turret sags as the internal supports and electronics are fried

“Nice!” He says hopping back out of the ship and making his way back toward the wreck, keeping his eyes peeled for more movement.

10:50 AM

(Was that a multifocal Laser or something else on the ship?) (edited)

(that shot at you?)

(Yeah)

(Point defense. You’re too small for a ship weapon

1

Feeling much safer, with the immediate threat taken care of, Billy tries to reach the ship again, this time taking care to watch for movements along the wreck.

The message comes in that there is an assault being planned up north at Savita. If you leave now the twins project you can make it. The ships sovereign class robots (5 of them) can be left behind to keep others away from the wreck until your return

Billy stops just as he reaches the glassed sand as the twins inform him of the news. “Shit” he whispers. “Alright, post them up I’ll be right there.” “...always something.” He says leaping back to the ship in the low G.

9:29 PM

On the way to the battle, billy is going to take a closer look at the two boxes he retrieved from the wreck already and their contents. (So there is a cool Fox I’m excited about. What’s in the other box?)

The other box is larger, though not by much. Inside, the form of an otter begins to click, and assemble itself as the sensors inside sense the crate has been opened

Billy plays with the otter and Fox on the way to fight the underhill.

(Good stuff. We will finish the battle and return here. Waiting on a pilot check from you)

(Those are adorable! And two of them, maybe one to give to a loyal friend :p)

(There May be a whole ship full of them.

)

(I'll take them all)

(and we can return here as the survivors of the brotherhood assault make it back to friendly space)

Billy returns refreshed from a mission well done. It feels like a good change of pace to find the wreck.

Once again disembarking, the point defense system is still offline. If there is anyone in there, they have not repaired it, and if no one is in there, the twins suggest it is probably a good thing in this case that the ship cannot self repair

“Alright. Back to business. Things are finally starting to feel like they are going well right now.” He sighs, hopping back into the low G of the moon. “Let’s see what you really have to offer. And make sure they get to finishing that scan of the third moon!”

(Will post scan results at end of mission ) The blitzer, repaired from the last battle moves back into the field of mechanical companion boxes, pushing on through to the ship. A large bulkhead has peeled down the side of the ship forming a ramp up of sorts

Billy drives the Blitzer right up the conveniently placed ramp. “Finally. I’m inside you. Now show me your secrets.”

9:56 AM

(You're at the butt, between 21 and 22)

4

Billy hops out of the Blitzer and goes to the engineering station to get the power readouts of the ship and see what else if anything is active.

Power is on, the eternal reactor aboard the ship keeping things working even though the ship itself cannot fly. The station does report a reactor breach- although it can safely power the ship here- removing it or disturbing the wreck might set it off (edited)

“Note. Reactor breach. If we send a salvage crew we will have to decommission the reactor before it goes anywhere. Everything seems stable for now. Moving to cargo bays. Starboard side first.” He relays back to R1.

Billy scans the room calmly, as he walks to the starboard cargo door to open it and look inside. He whistles. “Wow this ship sure is something. I’ll have to swipe the shift manifest and see if I can get any data from it.”

The lift appears sized up on the starboard side, preventing the cargo from being lowered out of the ship through the conventional lift itself but the manifest displays on the main terminal. The ship carries dozens of tons of the strange animal companions. It also has what would have been the next generation video game system, known for having a massively powerful processor. There were some half mentioned news stories about advocacy groups, worrying the simulations were so lifelike that children could get lost in the game

12:35 PM

and become unable to discern true life from their games

Billy stands in awe of his find. “I remember hearing about this from when I was a kid... yes I think this could work!” He starts moving quickly to clear the rest of the ship and orders the crew to start work loading the loot as quickly as possible. “We got a big big score guys. Wait till you see it!” (Edit: I jumped ahead) Billy opens the cargo bay doors to investigate the boxes and account for the items from the manifest. (edited)

They all seem to be here but the hole has other boxes in it as well. Something hisses in one a corner of the room distant from you

Billy pauses in his excitement and turns, on the defensive. He creeps passed a few of the other boxes in cargo to go investigate.

(Sneak/dex)

(11!)

You’re able to get to the source of the sound , without damaging any of the containers and more importantly without moving them and making a spark. A gas leak from the reactor snakes into the room through ruptured cabling

“Ah that’s a simple fix. Let’s just see where we can find a disconnect valve so we can patch it up.”

The engineering terminal flashes gently , showing the valve is open and exhaust from the reactor is still trickling in

He moves over nonchalantly tapping the required keys to reroute the exhaust elsewhere. The silence here seems to give him more measured movements, not out of care but peace. The soft chatter of the radio in the background gives the only interruption in his solitary mission and he takes the extra moments to appreciate a proper salvage.

The danger passed, the ship returns to silence and loading efforts complete. The hold of the R ships in orbit here is full, this completing the processing power requirement for the Vothe project.

3:53 PM

The scan of the third moon returns- showing an ore rich but otherwise barren planetoid.

Billy smiles as the last crate is loaded and everything seems in place. A good salvage. Two good ships. The third moon scanned and the equipment he needs to save one of his oldest friends. He chuckles to himself as he walks into the cockpit as it prepares to depart. Reaching for the final lever to go into spike space a glint over the horizon of one of the moons catches his eye. Slowly at first and then all at once a bright warm light, a wave of MES swept across the sector. It felt warm as a sigh of relief and last bit of tension in a galactic chest was relieved. He laughs mirthfully. “He did it! He fucking did it! It has to be him. Robert Fucking Tanzer! But how!?” He grabs the nearest crewmate by the shoulder. “Did you see that? It was like... the opposite of The Scream. Robert found and ended it. I just know it has to be him. Fuck I’m gonna buy that boy a statue next time I see him.” He smiles widely and rips the ships into spike space back home. (edited)

8

(3xp, 5000 credits) Back on Tsastos, the news finally comes in, and plays for the six hour trip from system edge to orbit around the lava world itself. Arrangements are made during this time on the ground to get the cargo safely down, and stowed away for the second stage of this project. Vothe is silent, and Devnoc remains holding on to life.

The Governor takes quite a bit of time exiting his quarters upon his return. His nose red and hair ruffled, he contains himself on the return to his tower. His somber attitude leaves him quiet for some time as he returns to his favorite pastime, looking out over New Hephaestus from his tower window. After some time, Billy stands up from his chair and pours a glass of whiskey. Without a word spoken, Eyebot sends a message to Vothe and his team to prepare for the next stage of saving Devnoc. He takes just one sip of his whiskey, stands from his desk and walks out of his office telling one of the administrators, “Tell everyone to come down to the square. I have an announcement.”

(whole closeby population or just your government folks?)

(Whoever wants to fit in the square. I assume they will televise it for anyone not in the immediate vicinity.)

Billy walks out the the square with admins in tow. “Broadcast this across Tsatsos please. Tell the nearby shops and workers to come out. Thank you.” He waits until an appropriate crowd fills the square before he begins.

10:13 PM

“Hello Tsatsos. I seem to be late to the news that many of you already know; that we have lost one of the best of us... Robert Tanzer was... a close friend who died to give us a fighting chance against the shapers and scream beast. I don’t know why and I don’t know how but, I know that his sacrifice was not in vain. There was a spark in his eyes that I see ripple through the galaxy.” The pain in Billy’s voice is clear but his demeanor remains strong. “I hope each and every one of you take his spark and carry it on in his name. He has been a guiding force in shaping, not just the UNW and the fate of the galaxy, but here on Tsatsos he has been invaluable at bringing all of this together. So I’d like to do a couple things in his honor.”

10:14 PM

First, I’d like to name this Tanzer Square. May it be a place where we can gather and speak with one another about our troubles and collaborate on great and wonderful things. Second, I’d like to build a monument in the honor of each and every person that we’ve lost in these wars for life as we know it. To that end I would like to encourage all artisans that are interested to deliver their designs to my office. Third, I’d like to announce a stimulus payout of a reserve of cash held by RCOE to each citizen of our fledgling planet. I’ve done the math already. That will be 1,000 credits to each of you. 652 million in total. I hope that will help you all leap into this next era that I believe is nearly upon us.” He lets any noise from the crowd die down for a moment before continuing.

10:14 PM

“As a Governor, I know I have been absent for much of my Administration. I have been on many missions in the name of fighting the Shapers and reaching out to numerous worlds with other survivors as most of you once were. It is up to us right here, right now to continue that mission in the name of a better paradigm for us all. As such I will be committing more of my time in the future to hearing each of you and building Tsatsos and the Engineers into the future. We are on the verge of a New Era and I am excited to work with you to make it a good one. We do this for everyone we’ve lost. Now if you don’t mind, the ice in my whiskey is likely melted and smoking a pipe sounds particularly fitting right now. I love you all.” He turns to leave but pauses turning back to the podium. “And one more thing... because fuck it, I’m the governor and I can. I declare today Beanie Day. Make or trade hats. Wear your favorites. Squash squabbles - however you want to celebrate but above all, let’s all be better.. for Robert Tanzer!”

6

(re-roll token for billy)

8:43 AM

(there's an expedition out now to find some new minerals and we can keep expanding tihngs on the planet through assets and holdings too)

2

(Nice!)

(I know you mentioned an Alt, are you wanting to see where vothe goes first?)

(Absolutely)

10:51 AM

(This is Just Billy being billy. The next move is to move on to stage two of Vothe.)

10:53 AM

(If I do end up making an alt, we can talk about what that will look like.)

The game systems have been taken apart, save one copy for you, along with the computing systems found on Craytulus. In a deep-below ground casement, where Vothe is being kept, the super computer network is assembled, but not hooked up to the semi dormant AI. Vothe seems to detect the nearness or glean enough information from the work surrounding his holding tank to wake again, for a few moments. Schematic printers that none of your techs access begin spooling up. With the hardware in place, a transfer of this size is going to require a tremendous amount of power. The city grid could handle it, but to maintain the level of power needed to keep the AI running, the city would essentially have to re-start basic services from scratch. There is also the longer choice to find power somewhere else, in the form of scavenged ship reactors, or indigenously built power projects using on-planet resources. Vothe is no longer well-connected enough with the comings and goings of the UNW to know where any concentrations of the materials could be

(I have a Fusion Reactor production center that I haven’t used and have 11k tons of product if I can deploy any of that. Idk of the problem would be fuel or what.)

2:04 PM

(I’ve been rolling production but haven’t sold it off. It’s just in stockpile.)

(oh thats perfect, itll take the stock, but it can be done)

“Vothe I see your readouts and calculations but you’ve been isolated. I’m sorry for that but I have been working hard to try and put in place the things you’ll need. We took a fusion Reactor Factory from Musheera and have been rebuilding. We have enough capacity to deploy around the city and avoid the worst of the brownouts this will cause and hopefully we can mitigate any unforeseen surges. I’ll get crews deployed right away to install them around New Hephaestus. They all just got extra $1000 checks. I’m sure they will be happy to oblige... I miss you Vothe. Thank you again for helping me to save Devnoc. I really think this is going to work.”

Vothe transmits plans to bury the reactors in a secure underground casement, in the event of an emergency the blast will be contained and not threaten the surface. With the power project set to be completed by month end, and the computing system set up, Vothe is ready to begin the complicated procedure.

“Excellent. Good work, Vothe. I hope this works. It has to.”

12:24 PM

With nothing he can do but wait the month, Billy goes to look for something to preoccupy himself. He goes over Tsatsos progress reports and speaks to advisors. He looks for rumors on things of note here on Tsatsos in an attempt to get better acquainted with the planet he calls home.

12:29 PM

He looks south yet again to the ruin with multiple sightings of another terrible lava beast where a young man by the name of Francisco went missing. “This building has to hold a key or secret that we’ve never been able to uncover, I just know it... Madeline, what do you think? Have you seen any further reports from there?”

"Nothing has come in, no one else has tried since he ran from the fight with the lava beast. Either taking it out or exploring the facility could do much to help us learn about our planet

12:32 PM

"We do have one report, where an Ashen One named Skolli was able to finda rare ingots deposit near the abandoned remnant colony. If we're going to keep making spike drives, we're going to need to begin harvesting those"

“Yes, S’kolli is wonderful. I love that kid.” Billy chuckles to himself. “RCOE needs a larger capacity if we are going to build another production center. We will have to build our base of operations first. I think I’ll need to do some work in order to do that. We need some good administrators under me. Someone who knows how to run large enterprises... Rahwani comes to mind but I’d be happier with someone closer to home.” (I’d like to during my holdings turn, expand RCOE on Tsatsos to the next HQ level but I need to quest for it.)

12:49 PM

“As for the beast, I’d like to deploy a host of drones to observe it and monitor its movements. Let’s put a team of scientists on the mission there. It has t moved and has displayed no threat to our colony here so study may be the more prudent option rather than just risk lives to ensure its destruction.”

(So we'd need to do something for the UNW. They've got some endeavors up, could also go help clean up Rawhani and see what there is to claim for the good of the polity)

12:58 PM

(they werent able to figure out the inner workings of the panopticon matrix, for example)

(Panopticon Matrix seems like a good place for the engineers to step in. Idk if it’s study would qualify as the discover a pretech device or not but it could be worth a shot.)

(It would)

“Alright. I think a trip to Rahwani is in order. The UNW needs someone to look into the panopticon matrix there and it will go over better with Kincaid if I do that before asking for additional permissions here.” He smiles. “Watch over things while I’m gone, darlin. Thank you for everything.”

(What ships/who's coming? It's a bit of a trip, so I just want a good inventory ahead of time)

(Good call. What reports am I getting? Is this still a hostile area or it hasn’t been cleared out yet?)

(Billy will take R2 and leave the twins in charge of the defense fleet. I’m taking Beckwater on this mission and a team of engineers. I’ll give her use of the AV Laser for the trip in case it comes up. Standard drone out fit. And I’d like to take one of the little foxy boys for the road to play with and take a closer look at.)

(stev was there while they took corpsec prisoners off site but after that no news )

(Ok let me go ahead and refit then if there are any other dangers I’d like to be prepared.)

(I’m going to take R2 with Billy’s Secret docked inside and bring Beckwater along. Id bring Devnoc but he’s incapacitated. A standard specialist engineer team should suffice so 4 RCOE npcs. All of the computing gear in the handbook should be carried with them along with stun batons and laser pistols. We will all wear standard RCOE CFUs)

6:50 PM

(If I get down there and find I need reinforcements or something then R2 should have security personnel)

(as in your shipboard soldiers or are you talking about the faction asset)

(I forgot I had those. Just shipboard soldiers.)

THe trip to Rawhani goes smoothly. The troop ship and the lighter elements of the UNW fleet remain in orbit, now doing the tasks of mopping up, and moving the most depleted elements of the UNW expeditionary force off world for recouperation. Unlike the disaster that was Creusa, there is no resistance on the ground now that the main fighting has been completed. Corpsec was neatly decapitated, and without higher leadership, corporate sub-directors have made the decision that is it most profitable to them to now work with the UNW. They have cast off their allegiance to their former home offices, and by years end the numerous factories here will be repaired.

Billy flips off the news on the way down to the planet. He takes note of the numerous factories and work that needs doing planet side. *Surely they are more than capable of getting these factories up and running. Now here is the real prize. The panopticon matrix.”

The matrix, a core node and two off-campus processing nodes, are all in relative ruin when the ships prepare to get you planetside. Heavy fighting and a deeply entrenched corpsec presence here caused widespread collateral damage. Co-opted corpsec techs were able to restore partial functionality to the system- but Kincaid would rather see it scanned and broken up into components than to have something omnicent like this fall into the wrong hands

3:34 PM

(basically can tap in to any kind of red light camera, ATM cam, traffic camera, ect to have millions of unblinking eyes across the planet)

3:34 PM

(She's confident it captured some things the UNW can use, or some corpsec secrets, but after that she's pretty adamant that nobody should have this)

Billy switches his compad off after briefing the team. “So we are going in there disabling any security left and seeing what info we can transmit to UNW. I would expect the AI there to be able to go through the major parts of the data better than we could but let’s get in there and salvage this thing.” He nods to his team and turns to exit the ship with Beckwater and the Engineers in tow. Most of them are carrying cases with all sorts of computing gear and remain lightly armed.

There is a small UNW presence on the ground near the core node, and a temporary camp has been set up. A young looking Captain and his 200 strong detachment have made a strong firebase here, though it looks to be ready for packing up, as soon as the matter here is ended. He comes out to meet you, holding up a hand in greeting. His assistant, and two bodymen follow

“Hello, Captain! Billy Rigers. Nice to meet you. Looks like you are all ready to get back home.” Billy approaches, smiling to shake the captain’s hand.

“Any movement down there?”

"Movement down there? no, I think we hauled all the captives out. There's not many places to hide down there"

“Good. We will be as quick as we can then, but I don’t expect it to be easy. It’s a highly complex piece of machine and a lot has been damaged.

"Right, we were given enough information to be dangerous with it" he grins "I didn't let my comms officers do anything down there, and no one billeted inside once we realized what we were dealing with. Most of the rooms have battle damage. It's going to be a lot of pulling drives for later use, by my comm chief's estimation, but youre the master engineer. We've got the grunt work handled if you need us"

3:20 PM

he hands you the security baton needed to get past the door seal, and then jogs away, focusing on getting a gaggle of his men moving- packing their scattered camping supplies into crates

Billy smiles and nods. “Captain.” With the wand he waves his team forward. “Let’s record the experience for analysis later. Mark servers for extraction and let’s see what we can use now.”

The doors of the matrix leading into the underground bunker are closed but a clear marking in the door shows where the wand staff needs to be inserted

Billy shrugs a bit, meeting eyes with Madeline and sticks it in gently. “Straight forward enough so far.”

1

The doors grind open, leading to a shot and pock marked staircase heading down into a reception area. The weapons have all been stripped along with the defense turret that was once mounted into the ceiling. You can see the bracket around it is heavily shot apart

4:22 PM

The first computer bank rests in this room, though its controls look simple

Billy moves to the terminal to open the ui and explore its contents.

4:57 PM

“This one will be a data wipe and salvage, I’m sure. You can go ahead and mark it for extraction.” (edited)

“Hey boss. Not sure that’s all there is. Come look at this” A map of the planet is displayed , and there are three small sites that are blinking. No information appears when the tech tries to click on any of them

8:39 AM

“They’re all remote areas. Not sure what this might mean”

Billy looks up from his terminal, sweeping his fiery hair from his eyes. “Fascinating. Mark the coordinates and copy the map data. I don’t think I’ll be able extract exactly what they are from here but I’ll give it a try.” (Can I give it a go for finding any additional details from the map?)

(Sure can!)

(Program/int +Eyebot: 16)

1:37 PM

(If that’s the right ability.) Billy goes to the console and opens admin settings and dabbles in there for a bit looking for the source code.

(It is) The blips on the map are all sites of former suspected terrorists activity or concentrations of anti corporate sentiment. None of the plots correlate to any mapped information about the planet but it is known that there are many off grid communities clustered around jury rigged water collectors or moisturize sumps

“Now this is useful. Anti-Corp cells are dangerous but being that we beat the corps, maybe they can be brought to the fold.” He glances to Miss Beckwater. “The council might like to see this. I know the Governor will.”

(We didn’t name one yet. I think this would be like creusa where it’s a provisional council for a while and then if someone wants it we ask)

(Oh XD. Yeah and billy is t speaking in third person. I think we settled on an npc for the provisional governor?) “This is a great start. Transfer the data and let’s move deeper.”

“I’ll inform governor temporary Kaleb at once. Go ahead with everyone else. I’ll catch up once I’m done here”

9:55 PM

A large shot up blast hatch leads into the next room. A sign shows that static proof clothing is required but the heavy battle damage and combat conditions have already ruined the sterilizing properties behind

“Thank you.” He nods. Billy motions the rest of the team onward toward the hatch. “Ohh boy.” He groans. “This was messy. What a shame.” He opens hatch to slide through. “More of a precaution than anything anyway but, still. She isn’t mint anymore.”

Cables hang from the ceiling and monitors are shattered by gunfire everywhere. The ground is a mix of glass, blood, and the broken ground mixture of both as dozens of booted feet fought in the room just days ago. A knife is embedded in the wall near the door, a scrap of corpsec uniform pinned to the blade. Its owner is missing. There is a large glass viewport to the east wall, which looks down into a white ball (this is a shitty analogy but think like a zoid core, or the epcott ball, with a shitload of wires coming out of it and going everywhere)

(3xp for zoid reference)

8:18 AM

“Ok I think we know where our real prize is. Check and mark any parts that aren’t damaged. We can take those as is and have the boys up top haul them out before the demo crews come in. It’s alright if it just has a little blood on it. Just don’t contaminate yourself.” Billy gets out his grease pen and starts marking whole units to separate from parts and scrap. He and his team move methodically through the room, practiced in the art of salvage.

It takes the better part of the afternoon, night, and following morning, and the equipment is inventoried and packed into collection crates. billy has drawn up the best possible schematics he could to help demonstrate how everything needs to be reconnected for analysis. The act of refurbishing and putting it all back together will be far longer than taking it apart

2:16 PM

With the small diversion completed, Billy once again turns his attention back to Tsatsos, and the question of Vothe and Devnoc

With the cargo stowed away, Billy heads back for Tsatsos for processing. He personally oversees the marking of each crate for its purpose and destination, sending some pieces out for stripping, salvaging, scrapping and rebuilding and at last heads back to HQ to oversee the final steps in his Project and to see two of his oldest friends become one. He sweats as he moves onto this final step. Whether it was the Tsatsosi heat getting to him or the gravity of what he is about to accomplish, even he wasn’t sure.

The moment comes after several long days in spike and several more overseeing the installation of the necessary components. Your report to kincaid about the panopticon was short, simply stating it couldn’t be saved and there was too much collateral damage to make even field stripping worth it. Her office has not yet responded

8:23 PM

“Are we ready boss?” Jules asks

Billy smiles at her. “I think we are. Thanks again for staying true through everything. Let’s bring it home.” He breathes deeply glancing over at Kady at a terminal. “I’m ready.” He walks over to Devnoc and grasps his hand. “Dev, Buddy. You are about to become more than any of us could have ever dreamed of. If you can hear me, I love you brother. We have a lot of good left to do.” (If I was able to get Devnoc’s mom here I would.) “He has been through a lot in life His body is failing him, but in this next form he will be able to live on and do greater things than we have ever imagined. It’s time.” “Vothe, initiate project Devbot.”

(yeah she would be able to get here)

7:37 AM

All the lights across Tsatsos go out for ten seconds. All computer systems crash except for the one here, and the redundant fusion plants you had the foresight to install click on. On the surface, it appears that it was just a brownout, nobody is aware this secret facility is now powering the planet. Surface powerplants will need to be refitted over the following months under a program of routine 'maintenance' (300 million credits for a complete refit and ensuring the secrecy of this) "this might be the most 'deep state' shit we ever did" Jules says, looking onward as the lights come back online. Devnoc's body tenses, back rigid in an almost unnatural arch. The coolant filled containment tank with Vothe begins to boil

“Literally.” Billy grins widely, hustling to check vitals and other readouts. “Jules we came up in a paramilitary group operating outside of any official operations that laid the groundwork for galactic revolution against the Remnant and other foreign powers.” he says. “Before Greenbriar ever officially went to war.” “-come onnn!” Vothe engages pumps to send more coolant to the tank. Billy tenses as he watches readouts fluctuate nearing danger levels. “We haven’t exactly ever played by the rules... as a rule. People like us are what gives the UNW power at its most basic level. - Haha! Yes, I think it’s working! Vothe, you bloody genius. - So yes, Jules. I think you’re right. We ARE Tsatsos after all... for now.” He adds pointedly. “We’ve been part of the ‘deep state’ since we signed up for TFP. We just didn’t know what we were getting into yet. Billy pauses to look back at Jules, crouched by another panel. “You know Cyrus even floated the idea of taking over once; as a military cabal.” He chuckles. “He was a damn fool. Brilliant military mind but drunk with power... See you don’t ever want to actually be the state. That makes you a target. It makes you weak to public opinion. It makes you too careful. No, you want to be right here... Where we can move a few chess pieces and grease the gears that make society tick.” (I have to do last month’s faction turn I believe but we got this.)

“I guess you could just call it engineering. That’s what we are after all; the engineers.” He winks at her and steps back to watch the rest of the operation unfold.

(We did it I believe. You moved some assets )

(The last turn I See was taken before your month turn on 4/6 Y3M9 maybe I’m mistaken.)

(We are in m10 now. So you did your last turn just not this months)

1

"Alright deep state, lets pull the final lever. Truly no going back after this" Jules and her twin take a small key from their rings and each turn a control bank at the same time. The small glass box slides up, and a button is exposed underneath

Billy stretches his neck and clenches his jaw. “Haha ok. Let’s not make that a thing.” Billy flips the switch.

The button depresses with a slight hiss The tank reaches a rolling boil despite it being able to take massive industrial grade temperatures and Devnoc's body goes rigid, and then finally, a limp relaxation. His emaciated looking arm slides down the side of the bed, fingers open to brush the packed floor. The lights in the observation room go dark. Emergency lights turn on- and there is a crackle over the speaker connecting the room to this one. Vothe is moving, gesturing to match the words, but the voice is Devnoc. "Billy? Mom? How...what day is it?"

“Yes! Dev, is that you? Are you ok in there?”

3:01 PM

Billy leaps in the air when he hears Devnoc’s voice, smiling euphorically.

"Vothe is....some of him is here, a small part. It's like he's my guide or something. We're....we're okay together"

“Two minds are better than one, they always say. I’m glad I have both of you still... how does it feel?”

“I feel taller” Devnoc says after a moment. You get the sense that was his best attempt at trying to explain his situation

“Good. And how can you see? Can you move to me in Vothe’s body?”

There is a stretch of creaking metal and grinding servos but vothe/Devnoc begins to move

“Ah, we will need to grease your parts but it’s working...” He thinks for a moment. “Oh! I have an idea! Here, can you control this mechanical otter?”

The otter goes rigid for a moment before it begins to unpack itself and run around the room

“Devnoc, I think you may be approaching on what our predecessors always chased... a true AI with a real human mind to guide it. As much as Vothe guide you, you will guide him... you have become... something more entirely.”

What...What's been going on since I've been asleep? the fusion of the two asks

“The biggest news is that we defeated the scream beast and the fleshshapers finally. You’ll be able to upload all the data soon. But I suppose you mean in regards to your story. We also destroyed the Brothers Fenris who attacked you and left you mortally wounded. The doctors said there was no hope for survival. So I searched the universe for parts and pieces to save you and your mind via a plan devised by Vothe and I. It was experimental but you survived. We can make you new bodies now to your liking. You should be able to think faster than we ever thought possible before. I believe you are now what we consider a true AI. I don’t wish to chain you. I don’t see you as a tool. You are more than a man now. You’re one of my very best friends in this world and after seeing the possibilities with Reg, I... I couldn’t just let you die, Dev. I hope you’re ok with this. I didn’t- I couldn’t ask your permission so I’m sorry. Your mom is here.” Billy speaks more rapidly as his monologue goes on and he starts to second guess himself. I think this is ok. I didn’t even think about whether or not he would approve. I just assumed. “I- It’s better this way. A world with you in it.”

"I like being alive too. Mom, I'm glad you came. I think I will try to come out and see you both now if that's alright"

“Yes of course!” Billy scrambles over to the release valve and let’s the remaining coolant empty from the tank and raises the hydraulic coolant cylinder off of his body with a hiss.

Devnoc rises, and begins to get a true feel for his new body "I kind of like it. Not what I'm used to, but this feels natural almost"

“Good. That body was built for war by the Sylth. It’s very strong and very fast as you know. Come. I’m glad to have you back. Mark one for technology.” Billy leads Devnoc to a warehouse filled with the robot animals lifted a few weeks ago. “I want to test something I’ve heard about AI. That you can split focus, potentially millions of times. I want you to try and control as many of these animals as you can. Additionally, we are looking at releasing them to the public soon but we need to try and reengineer them and copy schematics.”

(how many should he be able to control with how you've built him?)

(Well if I’m reading this correctly is based on an exponential function determinant of level. We might need an official ruling on this one. As written: With one point of effort at level 14, that’s 4,782,969. With each additional point you multiply by 10. So x10 for 1 more point and x100 for another. He has 3 points of processing so could theoretically control a robotic army of 478,296,900 simply by being a lvl 14 True AI. If we are taking it to mean just 3xlvl then @14 it’s 4,200 with no additional processing units. The lowest tier processing unit is 1000 credits and can fit on a belt and it gives 1 point of processing power and that is also on a bit of an exponential curve, but just the ship ones give 5 or 6 extra processing points. So that’s 5 or 6 extra 0s if you use all processing points on split focus. Because of the way it’s structured AI past the intended max of lvl 10 become exponentially more powerful instead of incrementally like actual players. But that’s greatly limited by resources. At the same time, he would have to have permissions or hack into each one of those individually. A different ability says that I can commit effort to take control of an enemy drone no larger than a grav flyer. So that makes me think that he can only control 1 wirelessly connected robot that’s not “his” at a time. In the same respect, if he were to be given millions of worker bots, they would all suck because Devnoc’s work and exert skills are at -1. Split focus attached.)

10:15 AM

(I’m this case, it would just be giving Vothe permissions on a bunch of robotic critters.)

(further leveling would need more quests. I tihnk one object thats not 'your's makes sense, and with his skills controlling warbots and stuff i think at this rate, with the amount of work needed to progress him , they'd be about average

10:15 AM

(There would just be a lot of them)

10:15 AM

(i dont think anything here has handed you keys to break the game)

1

(Yeah it’s more of a Well if I had 10 million warbots I could control them but, in this economy? - walks in S’kolli’s tiny robot kicking a can.)

1

(got it, i think we got that solved now)

2:52 PM

Devnoc begins opening his mind, and suddenly the animals in the room begin coming to life.

2:52 PM

Flocks of small bird like automations wheel overhead in a flock. Squirrels frolic, and the few resembling sea creatures flip and struggle as though cut off from actual water

“My god that’s a beautiful thing.” He marvels. “Bet you never thought you’d be able to do that.” “Hey I’m going to be distributing a lot of these across the sector as adventuring companions to encourage a second wave of exploration but I want you to take a lot of them and simulate more animals around town. I think it will be a nice touch. Do good things for people with them. Every now and then.” (edited)

You hear him chuckle, such that he can. "Interesting. I like it. You're making me into an amusement park attraction, but that's alright"

“You are your own entity. I’m giving you toys to play with and the chance to do good. It will be good for you to be able to interact with people, no? Anyway, by my calculations, you have more than enough capacity to live millions of lives all at once. Fascinating.” (edited)

3:43 PM

“It will be a great way for you to monitor the city if you must have a realistic purpose. Let’s just not become big brother, yeah? That’s not what we got into all this for to begin with right?”

He sighs for a moment "And how the still Lady dominated Acastus too. You're right. I think both of us working together in here, if there's a chance to do this rationally, we have the best one"

“I didn’t pull this off with just anyone, Dev. You’re a good man. One of the few that I’d trust with power. As much as it was to save your life and Vothe’s, I know where you come from. We were both poor Factory kids. We know struggle. You’ve suffered more personal pain than anyone I know and it never tainted you. It led you to become a freedom fighter on Acastus after they saved you from repeated agonizing death. You led one of the greatest research vessels in our entire sector in the pursuit of knowledge. You helped to defeat the Still Lady. Don’t ever forget who you are.” Billy turns and puts a hand on his shoulder giving him a serious wholehearted look.

Youre not sure what your face might look like to the sensors and incomprehensible logic processes going on behind Devnoc's new eyes, and in his new body, but you can sense the feelings are still in there. "And so are you. Thank you for bringing me back. I suppose I should talk to my mother, sort of have some explaining to do, being a massive mechanical snake man now and all"

“Good luck.” He chuckles. “This might not be the easiest transition for her. I- forgive me if this is forward, but perhaps you should freeze some of your biological.... you know... just in case. God I’m sorry. Go see your mom!” Billy walks away from the conversation hastily.

2

“Kids... If you ever want any.” He says pausing at the door. “Catch up later.”

You hear somrthing like laughter from the man/machine, on your way out and back to your regular business. (3xp, 5000 credits)

(Feed Vothe 3xp completed as well?)

(yes, and I'd say just generally accomplished)

3:25 PM

(We were able to find less horrific means to get this done)

(Woo! Crisis averted!)

Now that that’s all settled Billy spends a day or two with Madeline, catching up with paperwork and planning his next move. [Scene change] Billy walks out of his bathroom suite brushing his teeth with a towel around his waist. He is carrying his compad display of the planetary map. “Bae, y’know I-been hinkin’. Mos’ worls we been on ha- hidden” spits “terraforming artifacts. Seems to me they were starting with the Station to stabilize the crust. It worked But, there might be something more we can do. I want to go on a scouting mission. I’ve been wanting to go visit that ruin down south. I just know there is something there.” (edited)

2

"Alright, who should I have ready to join us on this? I think you're on to something. It would be smart to go take a look at whats under our own feet"

“Well we know of the lava beast that’s marked that area as its territory. Every expedition there has revealed its presence. Its huge. Took four mechs to down a similar beast when we landed. It’s too bad we haven’t gotten a successful ecological survey to really know its nature because I don’t want to just go kill it, it seems a shame to just kill. It’s not seeking us out. It’s just... resource guarding.” Billy tosses the compad on the bed as he puts his gear on for the day. “I think I want to find a way to distract and infiltrate though who knows what’s in there. It will probably be safer to just take care of the creature once and for all. Rather than risk our lives but..” Billy goes back to his compad to do some calculations. “Or maybe... maybe we can lure it away while I lead an insertion team to check it out...” He scrunches his face in disagreement with himself. “Agh. No. Let’s not be hasty with this. We have time. We go out there, observe any other wildlife and see if we can track its movements. We will need to try and design some sort of sonar device that can work in magma because right now it’s all just surface data.. Trying to read ripples and bubbles. Theoretically it’s a liquid and could work it’s just a lot more insulating than water. It would almost have to be like a seismograph sonar system for extreme heat. Woof. That will take some time to Engineer... ok. Tangent.” He looks up and smiles. “I’ll put a requisition on equipment and build a team or two.”

(so youre trying to build a sub-lava probe?)

(Yeah kinda. Something that can give me blips like sonar.)

7:31 PM

(So we can try to monitor it.)

(did you want to do that first? or did you want to explore?)

(Let’s go explore and see what we can see.)

A team is assembled, of five volunteers, mostly oriented around security. The ruins to the south have not been documented in the time RCOE has made their home on Tsatsos, and the lone scouting expedition sent out this way- one man in a cheap biplane, and some drones, was horribly killed by the large creature known to inhabit the lava seas close-by. The scant gun camera images that remain from the incident show the hapless colonist was clearly the aggressor.

7:55 PM

A cargo lifter is seconded for the duty.

“Alright boys and girls. You know the destination and dangers. Eyes up. Let’s see what our planet has to offer.”

“We are going to get in and out without catching its attention. All set?”

“Alright. Let’s get this together” (What gear are we bringing and how are you distracting it)

(I’d like to get some cheap worker bots controlled by Devnoc remotely to pilot some hover cycles with boomboxes to try and draw it away from the cargo lifter area and speed away along the shore. Maybe we will arm it with a laser pistol to get its attention if it surfaces.)

11:10 AM

(Is this how we get roving robot biker gangs? Maybe. But it’s a price I’m willing to take.)

1

A group of twenty workbots and their cheaply made hovercycles are picked out for the job, and back in the city, Devnoc leans himself into the task of directing the complex ballet thought to be enough to lure the creature out of hiding, and away from the site

(Great. As for gear for the crew, I’ll just go for the quick pick packages in the book for 3 soldiers, a scout and a medic. Standard crew. Me as the acting technician.)

1:00 PM

Billy leads the crew to a cargo lighter and piles on with the rest of the equipment. “Alright team, ready for fun?”

The motorbike phalanx begins to deploy from the lifter. “What song are we going to use for this? Something annoying. Let’s really get him bothered”

“I heard one from the archives recently that I could not get out of my head. I hated it. Who left the dogs out.”

Beckwater laughs to herself. “I heard that this song is actually about being in a club with a bunch of ugly women there” It seems to already be annoying her a bit as the first few hoverbikes begin lifting off

“What?! Well they didn’t do a very good job of explaining it. They just keep shouting about earth dogs. And well if it is about ugly women, wait till you see the one they bring out.” He jokes with her. “Let’s go. Quickly.”

The bikes begin approaching the site where the beast last appeared (not sure how far behind them you want to be) and the ground begins to rumble, gently at first but it begins to increase the closer you get to the nearby lava sea

(I just want to go for the entrance of the ruins. If the layout is such that they are right next to each other I’d want to sort of lay low until they’ve drawn it away so we can slip in.)

(theyre next to each other)

(Then I wait at a distance to observe through binoculars and go in once it’s committed to the distraction.)

The ruins are of an old factory grounds, which tempted the original explorers. There was rumored to be some kind of vault underneath. Expedition notes from Brethan Alemond, one of the original UNW notables talked about spider like droids trying to flank him while he dueled with Remnant commandos. He never returned to the facility, vanishing from the public eye shortly after the beginning of the conflict.

10:47 AM

As the pack of bikes heads into the complex, playing their musical devices, the ground begins to shake, and the lava begins to bubble out near the middle of the sea

The crackle of the coms comes in. “Dev, don’t use the lasers unless it becomes hostile and get out of the ruins as soon as it looks like it’s going for you.” He takes the binoculars from the scout and peers over the small ridge they’ve chosen to hold off on.

The lava begins to part, slowly at first like ripples in a pond. A small black speck appears, though if you were to approach close it would be the size of a tiny island. It steadily gets bigger, and the ground begins to tremor more, as the mountain rises from the lava, advancing steadily toward land. Thirty meters tall, bathed in an ever flowing mix of molten rock, burning metal, and sharpened stone bone, it lets out a hunting call so deep that the screens on everyones compads shatter

“Fucking Christ...” He says in aw. “This is much bigger than the one we killed before. This will take a military scale operation to take head on. God I hope this works.” “Ok Dev it’s coming up let’s take it away from the factory now. Let’s see if it follows.” He looks down to see his compad shattered. “Shit! I hope he can still hear me.”

"TELL ME WHAT I WANT, I'LL TELL YOU WHAT I WANT" begins to play over the lava flats, and this seems to make the towering creature very angry. He begins his ponderous pursuit of the ant like bikes

“Ha! I really didn’t expect that to work. Go-go-go!” Billy giggles uncontrollably as he skitters toward the ruins.

The lava beast tears a chunk from its side and throws it at the collection of bikes. Devnoc is able to get most of them to scatter but two are crushed

Billy flinches a bit as he sees two go down already. “Well hopefully they can keep it occupied long enough for this to matter.” Billy is going to continue moving for the ruins and look for the main factory building.

7:40 PM

The main factory building with the smokestack rises up before you, the armored doors have been wrenched aside, as two spider bots begin clanking out, lasers charging

7:41 PM

they match the pattern Brethan reported in his mission debreif

“Guns up. This is still a shootout.” Billy tosses Beckwater the AV laser and hoists his Laser HMG and takes a glance over his shoulder to check on the beast making its way away from us. “Shit, I hope Lasers are quieter.” He fires the weapon without setting it. (-4 to hit) and orders the Ad Astra Drones he keeps with him to fire on the spider on the left. (L-HMG: 29/13) (Alecto: 12/8) AA Drone 1: (Miss) AA Drone 2: (it says 32/20) ( but the formulas for my drones are using my AB on the sheet for my drones. So instead of +11/12 I believe it should be closer to the +4 zone. But I don’t recall atm what that was. Should I go in and put a -ab in to counter? I think that might fix it so I don’t have to remember to fix it manually every time.)

(+3)

1

(Ok I’ll go put a -9 in. Thank god I think I finally figured this out.)

8:39 PM

(Sweet. That worked. Carry on.)

8:40 PM

(The Ad Astra ones had a +1 because laser weapons so I put -8 instead for the formula)

The first drone is struck by your hurried gunfire, the drones missing on their rapid closing speed run Return fire from the rapid fire weapons on the drone cores sparks past you, singing sand and rock

As he’s running, Billy points to a few places to get some cover so they aren’t so out in the open and more importantly, visible to the beast. “Set up there and there!” He continues forward using all movement to get to a more defensive position.

(double move?)

(Hmm can you use your move and action as moves? I’m just trying to get everyone in further and to cover)

(yeah, you can double move with your action)

(Yes)

The bikes quickly accelerate into cover, 30m from the droids covering the facility doorway. (they physcially cannot hit you with the speed bonus you get of being on the bike) Their return fire is ineffectual and far too slow

He and his team set up from their defensible positions to return fire. (I’d be setting up the HMG, Beckwater would be setting up the AV laser to provide cover fire. The other npcs can shoot back now I reckon.)

(Yes theyre good to fire as is your drone)

The drones, led by Alecto, sweep in behind Billy to provide extra cover, firing at the first bot. The rest of Billy’s squad slide up against their own cover and fire at bot 2. (Yeah this looks more realistic... (Alecto: 4/11 Gunner: 12/13, 19/13) (Crew: 3 Soldiers with Mag rifles: (21/10, 1/miss, 9/miss)) One scout with a laser rifle: (15/9) One medic with a laser pistol: (24/2)

The combined fire of gunner, a soldier, the scout and the medic manage to bring down bot 2, exterior dented and broken by repeated energy and solid shot. The small contraption sags on burned out gyros, and powers down

Billy takes aim at the first bot as does Beckwater. (18/21) (8/16)

Billy makes his shot, knocking the bot onto its side, it wobbles, before collapsing into a pile of burning electronics

7:48 AM

Out on the pursuit, 1/4 of the bikes have been either swallowed up by the lava, or disabled from thrown debris , but are still leading the creature on a merry chase

“Go! In.” Billy motions the team into the facility taking up the rear to slip in last. As he presses his back on the interior of the building he gives Devnoc the all clear. “All clear, Dev. Break off so you can come back for round two when we are all clear. Well done.”

The bike formation begins to scatter, as Devnoc moves them from a pack, to individual paths, as they veer and swerve away from the creature. So far he has not lost any additional bikes to the creature, though its expected to change on a second pass

7:10 PM

(You’re coming in at the dotted line in the southwest)

Billy moves up cautiously toward the first door on the right. “All right team. Good job. Let’s sweep through and clear.”

There is a long corridor to a round control room directly ahead, a tunnel branch to the east leads into what is marked as the reactor. There does not appear to be further security bots yet

“Alright, looks like we found the reactor right away. So we know whatever it’s purpose it needed a lot of power. Nice.” He nods his head in the direction of the door and moves to pass through it. “Let’s see what secrets you hold.”

(Which door. There’s two possible routes)

(First door to the right.) (edited)

The reactor room is dipped in some kind of chemical coolant that has hardly evaporated over the passage of years. A large cross pattern walkway leads to the central reactor core which is currently submerged in the minty green fluid. Its viscosity is a reminder more of a gel than a water-based liquid. a control panel, identical to the others set at the cardinal direction points, is powered off, but otherwise looks to be connected and intact.

Billy, crouched down toward the gel. “This is a find in and of itself! How on Tsatsos did they make a compound that retains this level of insular ability from heat is beyond me.” He scrapes up a quick sample of the material and tucks it away.

Billy then moves to the nearest terminal to see if there is a way to power it.

The reactor is in standby mode, and can be raised out of the coolant to be activated

“Let’s turn the lights on... slowly. We must assess damages.” He begins the sequence to restart the reactor.

The reactor gently rises from the coolant sump, the thick droplets of the green not quite liquid roll off its flanks. Cables begin coming down from the ceiling, guided by metal rails and greased metal lines. Lights begin to slowly turn on, and emergency sealed bulkheads begin to grind open

Nekosmash pinned a message to this channel. 5/5/2020 8:30 AM

“Watch for more bots.” Billy says, looking to the terminals for readouts.

The power levels are beginning to rise and other parts of the facility are starting to respond. A large foundry readout panel begins populating informations, showing current temperature, metal storage levels, and the status of the assembly units inside

Billy monitors the readouts to ensure everything is working properly and moves to the assembly units section to read what units they are producing.

Something called a CONTAINMENT MODULE is being constructed here and there are orders for hundreds of them

2:20 PM

They appear to be some kind of long alloy rod, capped with an electromagnet and powered via a miniature thermal capture unit

Billy stands up, screwing up his face in confusion. “Containment module... what the hell kind ooohh. Wait a second. Ok we are on a lava planet, thermal capture tech makes sense. I’m getting something of a picture. Do we stick the rods in lava and capture the thermal energy, turning it into rock or is this for the wildlife...” “Hey team let’s see if we can find some samples of what they are building. I need a better look at what these containment modules were used for.” “Oh and hey, Devnoc, I’m going to connect a compad to the terminal so you can take a look and monitor the situation wirelessly while we move forward, ok?”

“Alright Billy. Patch me in. I will do my best to follow both projects at once. We are down to half the bikes now”

“Shouldn’t be too much stress on you, I hope.”

Devnoc says nothing for a long moment. Just as the pause becomes truly awkward there is a soft chime, and be replies. “They were looking for a way to stabilize the crust in the event the space station ever came down, or was ever brought down”

9:59 PM

“These anchors were to be a network that kept the plates from moving and sinking back into the lava sea”

“Oh we need to clear this place and make it operational immediately. Or do you think we could recreate this easily enough?”

"Our factories are not equipped for this kind of specialized manufacture. It would need to be done, and deployed from here- which means dealing with the beast"

“I was afraid of that. Ok I’ll shut this down and get out of here. We need to regroup to deal with the beast. Prep for extraction on my order.” Billy turns to his crew. “One quick sweep around the complex and we shut this thing down and extract. Ready? Follow me.” Billy goes counter clockwise, starting from the south door to look in and clear in case there is anything vital he missed.

The rest of the complex is devoted to material storage and the actual machines used to make the stabilizing rods. The lava beast outside seems to now be the principal defender of the area, the pair of security bots leftovers that Brethan did not have time do deal with when he took shelter from Remnant commandos here

Feeling satisfied, Billy and company moves to the entrance to look out and radios Devnoc again. “Extraction is a go. We’re out of here.”

The bikes continue leading the creature away, now just a handful of them left nkw

Billy and crew sprints to the cargo lander. Rocks and pebbles fly and crunch beneath their feet as they keep an ever watchful eye out for the beast. Billy waits for the last of his crew to return before he blasts off.

Everyone tumbles in, and the last of the bikes are finally overwhelmed and drowned in the lava sea. The beast trudges back to the general area, and begins to descend back into the depths, leaving the local area free from any kind of lasting volcanic activity (lava has spared the factory)

Billy slumps back in his seat, wiping the sweat from his brow and winking it out of his eyes. “Ok. How do we kill that thing? And keep the factory safe? Mechs? Infantry and tanks will just get swept in lava we haven’t built a satisfactory Air Force yet. This is like...” He takes a second to breathe. “This is like that old film in the histories. Godzoola or something? But lava godzoola. How did they kill that thing?”

2

"I don't think they did" Beckwater says, trying to remember her knowledge of ancient cinema 'Also, wasnt godzilla a good guy, fought that moth thing?"

2

“You mean he’s a protector? But they destroyed buildings? Or are you saying we need our own Giant to fight it off. Like a God-zilla.... mech?”

"I've heard of worse suggestions, or at least another run at it with our own"

2:13 PM

We

2:13 PM

are stronger now, and betteR"

“True. I’d have to gather the team together... god it seems like everyone is so spread out, now. And we don’t have Robert anymore... Hailey is off doing who knows what and Grupp is... busy on TV. I’ll put out a call. Maybe that guy from Rahwani that just led the mech force would be interested in a contract to help out.”

2:19 PM

“I know S’kolli has a mech too but I worry about him. He’s just a kid.”

"He was off on Heras last time anything had come in. So that leaves just us"

(Ricardo had a mech from RCOE that Hailey made. Is that still in our possession?)

(yes, he basically is AWOL, lore wise)

(but the mech is empty)

“Alright, babe. If it’s just us, I think it’s time I give you something. It was used by an old associate of mine. I’m not sure where Ricardo is now but he worked with us in the early days. He left a Mech behind and I’m going to need you to learn how to pilot it. It’s a shock suit with an AV laser and breaching tool so with a good shot, you can shoot at up to a kilometer away and hits accurately at 500m. You up for it?”

10:14 PM

He pulls up a photo on his compad of Ricardo piloting the mech.

"I think I can make this work. We dont have a choice anymore, we have to get rid of that thing, and we need to do it quick. Its going to come down to raw skill, and we've grown so much since last time we attempted this"

Billy reaches over and kisses her on the forehead. “Ok. I trust you. This is going to be huge. Are you sure you’re ready?”

“We don’t have a choice. Just like on Haila, against the Wasimians. I’m a tough old bitch. This lava thing won’t get the best of me either”

Billy smirks. “Deal. That might be the name of our next ship. Let’s go home and get ready to come back tomorrow.”

The two mechs are prepared for you upon arrival back to the city, and the ground of soldiers heads back to their barracks, exhausted from such a tense standoff with the lava creature

(not sure if there's anytihng you want to do before we sally back out)

Before they leave, Billy sends a message out to the Tsatsos Defense Forces Generals informing them of the planned mission.

Topic: *Classified*
TDF Leadership,

Today Admiral Beckwater and I will be embarking to slay the beast in the factory ruins to the south. It is imperative should we fall, that a larger operation be conducted to dispatch the beast and secure the factory intact. In it contains plans and salvage needed to permanently stabilize the tectonic plate should the station above fail. As you all know, it is Tsatsos’ number one security risk. I am opting for a smaller team with our available mechs because potential for collateral damage remains very high, however it would be irresponsible for us to not inform you. If you would report to HQ, Devnoc will connect you with proper observation and coms. Mission deploying now. 

Governor Rigers

10:51 AM

(Ok I’m ready.)

"Well, we know where it is, we have our gear, and we have our suits. Nothing left to do but get there. When this is over, we can rest tonight knowing we handled the single biggest issue our planet is facing'

Billy reaches over and gives her a deep kiss and smirks. “Alright, then. Let’s do it, bad bitch.” He turns to the open suit and climbs in the back and begins moving as the back hydraulics close in to encapsulate him. He rolls his shoulders as she climbs in hers. Oh here I am. He thinks. Naturally. Diving head first towards certain death as usual. “You pick the soundtrack this time.”

The mix is strange, and disjointed, but whatever helps her get pumped up. The two mech flight is cleared for takeoff, and Devnoc is watching from sensors on the platform above

Approaching the factory, Devnoc begins displaying seismic readings into a small box on your main viewers

Billy leans into the strange music. The disjointed feeling seems to jive with his rhythm of battle anyway. It keeps him on his toes and lifts his senses. Closing in on the factory, he checks for seismic activity on the readouts.

Activity begins to increase as you approach, and the lava begins to bubble as the mechs get to within the target area (initative)

(2)

(3)

8:17 AM

(monster, you guys) The armored flank of the beast begins to rise above the lava, a growing island of dark rock amid the turbulent lava sea. It rises to its full height, and roars, sending a jet of super heated lightning into the sky, darkening it with jagged arcs of red electricity.

8:17 AM

(its move was fucking with the weather)

2

The admirals launch into action, heavy metal footfalls cracking the igneous landscape. They split off and spread out in an attempt to spread out the beast’s fury. In practiced unison they turn to attack in a pinsir, firing for effect. (Billy: L-HMG: 24/18 L-HMG hot: 13/21 Alecto: 3/13 AA Gun 1: 12/12 AA Gun 2: 13/23 M. Beckwater: AV Laser: 10/7)

The Heavy machine gun cuts jagged rock and a trickle of lava blood comes out of the wound. The rest of the shots hit as the target is so massive, but arent enough to get through its dense rock hide.

8:54 AM

(evasion saves for you and beckwater)

(Billy check your Alecto's attack roll macro, it shows a +(-9) in the WeaponAB section) (edited)

8:58 AM

(Check all of your drones actually, your Ad Astra models are showing a +(-8) as well) (edited)

(dont nerf yourself. AB + WeaponBonus+Program+Int)

(Who’s AB? Billy’s AB or the Drone’s AB? Because it automatically adds my ab, which is 11 right? But I wasn’t adding my program at all. I think I confused myself trying to fix it before.)

A drone’s pilot can activate up to one weapon the drone is carrying as part of their Main Action to control it each round. Weapons all use Intelligence as the controlling attribute, and use the better of the pilot’s Pilot or Program skills as the relevant weapon skill. The drone shoots using the pilot’s base attack bonus.

(I mean ab + shoot is 10+dex is 1 that’s where 11 came from.)

9:36 AM

(Ok so I was originally nerfing and I nerfed myself harder.

awesome. Ty)

(Yup. Its CharacterAB + WeaponBonuses + CharacterInt + Program/Pilot)

(Which for you is probably like +26 to hit)

(7+1+1+4= +13)

(you just went from bees to murder hornet)

3

(Billy evasion 15 Beckwater evasion save 4. Idk what she’s usually supposed to beat. She doesn’t have a character sheet.)

(usually its 14 for an NPC)

(7 damage, but its non-heavy, so -2, for 5) A cage of red lightning from the sky above races down, narrowly avoiding billy, and hitting the back of beckwater's mech. It spins, hit hard, but she rapidly gets it under control

(Is this affected by armor) Billy crunches down on his bottom lip, groaning as he sees her struck. “Die, lava bitch! I’m the one you want!” (If this was the anime, Billy would have the big square mouth shout.) (Billy L-HMG: 17/13 Alecto: 14/5 AA1: 24/16 AA2: 35/18) Beckwater rights her mech and slides one foot back as if to brace herself and takes aim with the AV Laser again. “Oh fuck you then.” (Beckwater AV Laser: 16/24)

(AA2 is a crit, too)

(Ah I couldn’t see it on my phone. Thanks. So 36 or did it automatically double?)

(nope it does not automatically double. 36 would be correct)

The beast seems to actually feel some kind of pain at the combined fire, and lava blooms across its back show its pain. It slaps a spray of lava and rock at Billy's mech, as it zooms by with its drone swarm.

12:25 PM

(missing billy and AA1, hitting Alecto and AA2 for 11)

(AA2 out) (Alecto 34/45) Billy feels AA2 sever connection as a sharp pain shooting from his cyberware up his neck. The drone is enveloped in a superheated splash. Shaking it off he shouts at the beast again. “That’s it! Over here!” (L-HMG: 19/18 Alecto: 19/12 AA1: 25/5) Beckwater struggles to get a clear shot as Billy enters the line of sight and misses. (8)

The beast roars again and this time smashes both fists into the lava around it, throwing up two geysers of burning magma rain

3:07 PM

(Evasion saves ahain)

(Billy evasion pass 15v4 Beckwater fail 4 v 14)

(4 damage on Beckwater)

6:45 PM

(Shes -9 from full health now)

(Does that account for the armor on the Shock suit or am I supposed to subtract from what you give me? If it’s just straight through, the suit is at 6/15)

(I’ve been subtracting it for you already)

(Cool. Thanks.) Beckwater reels back. From the blow. “Fall back! Your mech is taking a beating! I can’t lose you!” Billy shouts over thunder and roiling magma and gunfire.” He continues shooting. (L-HMG: 21/15 Alecto: 23/9 AA1: 24/15) (Your call what Beckwater does.)

(Shes got her own pool of health too)

(Oh yeah and I can split damage between her and the suit mech. What is her hp?) “I told you I was a tough old bitch, Rigers. I’m not leaving you.” (AV Laser: 17/10)

(She is your special companion npc. Her health is 1/4 yours)

7:22 PM

(The npc section of the core book has what the rest of her stuff should be. And yes you can split damage)

(Ok I’m going to go back and keep better track of that. Thanks.)

7:26 PM

(Beckwater Mech: 6/15 HP: 26/26) (Alecto: 34/45)

The AV laser scores a hit and a segment of volcanic spine is knocked from the creatures back. It flails and rages as the swarm of mechs and drones does battle with it, the toll of thousands of small cuts beginning to show. The beast slams both fists down into the magma, sending a wave , 15 feet tall rising from the lava lake and rapidly heading to shore

10:00 PM

(We can do Pilot / dex checks to try and avoid)

(Billy Pilot: 9 Beckwater Pilot: 8+1 authority(billy) =9)

Both Beckwater and Billy are able to avoid the fury of the creature, and its bellow shakes the ground, such is its force

“Let’s go! Yes!” He cries as he sees an actual effect from the assault. Desperation to end this quickly causes him to vibrate with tense energy. Ammo is going to run low soon. He glances at AA1 spraying high energy laser bursts. Half capacity. He sees his readouts blink. Two shots on Alecto, but it can keep pulling the trigger for AA1 Veins pop out of his neck as his natural reddish tones match with the surrounding landscape. He strains dodging lava and shrapnel to get more shots off and Beckwater does the same in her own manner. (Billy L-HMG: 21/19 Alecto: 26/10 AA1: 21/13 Beckwater AV Laser: 9/19)

beckwaters shot misses, but the effort of avoiding the beam has the beast packing into the path of Billy and the drone swarm. More segments of rock are shedding from the creatures back and flanks, as it widdles down more and more. (Alecto and AA1 hit for 9) The slap of magma kicked up by the creature at the passing swarm engulfs both of the drones, though Billy and Beckwater are faster at getting away, reflexes boosted by their mechs

(Alecto HP: 25/45 AA1: Destroyed) Another sharp pain shoot through his neck as AA1 abruptly severs its connection but he carries on fighting. (Billy L-HMG: 26/21 Alecto (last shot): 21/6 Beckwater: AV Laser: 21/18)

If a mountain can be wounded, this one is, and it rocks back on its titanic lava covered legs, shaking the entire area. The sensors on Alecto buzz. MAGAZINE DEPLETED. MAGAZINE DEPLETED. MAGAZINE DEPLETED..

12:50 PM

With its ebbing strength, the beast has a few more tricks to play, this time firing hundreds of flechette like spikes from its hide, all made of a gleaming obsidian

12:50 PM

(Alecto and beckwater hit for 16, and 14)

(Alecto HP: 9/45 Beckwater Mech: 6/12 HP: 14/28 [I forgot authority hp +2 last time) “Alecto, retreat.” Billy commands as the warning overwhelms his sight for a moment. Clearing the screen he sees Beckwater impacted by the missiles and her Mech nocked back. Beckwater rocks, the spike impacts sending shrapnel around inside the mech, slicing and bruising. Bloodied, she aims with fierce vengeance in her eyes towards the titan. (Beckwater AV Laser: 18/18) Billy let’s off another clumsy shot. (Billy: L-HMG: 14/15 (oops clicked twice))

Beckwater hits true, and the monster rocks back with its failing endurance. (19 billy and 27 Beckwater for 12 damage each) it slaps another lava cascade into the air , to rain down in a burning torrent

(Billy Mech: 10/10 HP: 94/106) (Beckwater: Mech: 1/12 HP: 7/28) Beckwater and Billy are both rocked back by the burning rock. Billy’s mech, rather undamaged until now holds firm, rattling him around inside. Beckwater’s Mech on the other hand cracks and flashes red emergency lights inside. Magma leaks in near her leg and burns her badly as she falls backward on the igneous beach. The hydraulics shudder as she regains her footing. Billy is stunned for a moment that she is still moving. “Madeline! Fall back! That’s an order! You don’t have anything to prove!” It’s hard to tell with all the sweat whether or not there are any tears mixed in there. Billy moves closer to the beast hoping to distract it from her, firing right at what we would understand as its face. (Billy L-HMG: 24/14) Tears stream down Beckwater’s face as she tenses her full body to bear the pain of keeping the mech moving in spite of her injuries. The pain overcomes her pride and she uses all her movement to retreat in the hobbled machine.

9:59 PM

(Billy’s HMG has 1 shot left)

The beast loses an arm, the Rocky Mountain in itself crashes into the lava; sending up a spray of magma. Blood the color and heat of lava gushes from the wound in a torrent.

10:47 PM

The creature tries to begin making its way back into the lava sea, taking its first ponderous steps forward, its attacks on you all but forgotten

10:47 PM

(Double moved. No attack for me$

Billy’s eyes widen as he sees it turn. “No we can’t let it get away!” (Billy LHMG: 14/18) Beckwater stops, hearing that the beast is also retreating and takes a few stumbling steps around to bring the AV Laser to bear one more time but in doing so realizes the weapon arm is not lifting. (Crit Miss)

The two shots miss, criss crossing through the air as the beast is now chest deep in the magma sea. Bolts of red lighting from the sky streak down once again (evasion saves for you two. Alecto has withdrawn)

(Beckwater pass 16v14 Billy fail 3v4)

Billy pulls the trigger to fire again but the mechanism just clicks and fires the last sparks of a dead ammo cell. Beckwater wheels her malfunctioning arm around in an awkward fashion, using a jagged rock for leverage and fires off a shot of her AV Laser. Blood and sweat mix to sting her eye, but her aim is true. (24/19) (edited)

(21 damage on billy)

10:15 AM

The shot connects, blowing out the beasts head. It’s obsidian jaw clatters to the ground, jagged teeth and broken stone bones coming down like rain. Beckwater falls onto her back, surrounded by ashes and the obsidian hunks of the disintegrating monster

10:15 AM

(9xp, 50,000 credits)

5

(Fuck yeah!) (Billy HP: 75/106) Billy is likewise knocked back by the lightning. Shaking off the electric surge, he rushes to Beckwater to try and shield her from the remaining debris and pull her and the mech out of there. (Can I use Devnoc’s predicted preparation to say that he placed cargo lighter just over the ridge a few days ago to take us and our beaten up mechs back to New Hephaestus?)

(That’s fine with me)

10:44 AM

(I knew you’d use it responsibly)

(With great power...) Billy heaves her mech up to its feet to start to hobble home when over the coms he hears Devnoc. “Outcome predicted. Transport 600m North North East.” “Oh good.” They gasp in unison and limp to the lifter and head toward the nearest hospital.

8:15 PM

(I think AT built a hospital here?)

(yeah, we do)

(New Hephaestus Medical Center is ready to provide for the health and wellbeing of the Lord Admiral and Admiral Beckwater) (edited)

(theres a few different things there)

8:31 PM

(RCOE and AYT have medical services there)

“I say we check out the new public AYT medical facility. Ive been meaning to check in there anyway.” The pair limp together into the facility for care and arrange for the mechs to be unloaded at HQ for repair. “I’m proud of you. I’m really lucky to have you by my side.”

The medics swarm you, as you both black out, and engineers are called to safely remove you from your suits. You awaken two days later, each bandaged, and heavily medicated, but alive. RCoE security personnel have cordoned the site under Devnoc's leadership, to ensure that the site is not disturbed until you have a chance to pick through it

Billy wakes up to a nurse leaving the room feeling groggy from the meds, but refreshed. He groans as he sits up from the bed and takes off the iv and other medical pieces stuck to him. He has Devnoc deliver a fresh set of clothes for the two of them and they take their time dressing in the hospital room before they tackle the day. Billy smiles reverently at her. “We make a great team. I think that last shot ranks high with the sexiest things you’ve ever done.” “Are you ok to walk? I was thinking of going back down there and getting a team going on getting that factory back up and running. Maybe there is a good trophy for you, my heroine. “

"I think...I tihnk I'm okay" she says, staying on her feet, though she does wobble. "and thank you" she smiles. The left side of her face is still purple, and swollen from the impact of the mech hitting the ground. "It was either us, or that creature, and I couldn't be sure when we would get another shot"

8:12 AM

"We should consider sending some of it to the Prime Museum too, Hailey and the others would want to see"

“Would you mind getting a badass photo op in front of it? No makeup keep the bruises. You earned them and then we will put the photo with the trophy for the museum.”

9:59 AM

Billy puts his arm around her waist to steady her as they get their bearings.

"I'd love that" she says, smiling, genuinely this time, despite the pain of her wounds. "I'd like to see what happened once we left the area. I am thinking about making a sword from the materials if they're strong enough

“You definitely earned it. It’s gotta have a high melting point, I’m sure we can do something. Let me call the crew and we’ll get it done.”

1:50 PM

Billy hugs her warmly.

(Want to fast forward out there?)

(Sure)

A crew and security team are on site and you are let through the cordon once they realize who is coming to visit. The obsidian shards have lodged themselves in the rocky ash soil like a meteor strike from heaven. Red crystal marrow that seems to have a captive fire all on its own pokes from many of the wreckage pieces. Pictures and videos of the site have been taken and a biology team is also standing by once the governor and his chosen lieutenant have their time with it

The pair take their time walking around the site and take a few photo ops with the corpse. They marvel at the spikes embedded in the earth and marrow crystals that still glow with heat until they find a suitable piece of material that might be forged into an ingot or hammered into a fine sword with a good craftsman. Billy instructs the biology teams to do an on sight dissection of the beast and harvest all the materials it can for study. Crystal marrow, carapace, everything.

at days end, almost 40 cargo lighters full of material are brought to a special landing field in the military base in the city, under heavy guard. A large temporary shelter is erected over the top of the landing field once the last cargo lighter is away, to keep out the elements

Billy designates teams to go through the cargo lighters and select pieces for the museum and notifies the museum itself of the upcoming donation with an invitation to study on Tsatsos. After delegating the efforts with the beast’s carcass, he moves on to tour the rest of the facility and give instructions on getting the factory running again.

Devnoc identifies places where the stabilizing posts can be set up , starting with the most critical. Thousands of them will be needed and the factory will spend months churning out the desired quantity , to ensure none of the landmass drifts or sinks from where it is now

“Thank you for the report, Devnoc. Good work. Inform me of the expenses and we will get it done.” He smiles to Beckwater. “I think we might actually pull this off... Who knows. Maybe one day we can even build some lakes from all that water we are pulling from Thorgerd. Tsatsosi Springs.” He motions as if to imitate a big arcing sign.

"Ah, to have the lava drain finally, and the possibility of a real ocean here again someday"

9:41 AM

she seems to think back to Haila, an her home before that, remembering her endless time on the seas and her brutal conflict with the Wasiminans

“I suspect we will have great lava seas for decades to come, even if we terraform to that extent. I want to see this planet flourish but it’s already one of the most unique biomes I’ve come across. I don’t want to destroy everything. I do think we can establish a Great Lake here somewhere that we can keep filling as it evaporates. Let’s start there and keep learning. Maybe we can get a sailboat and you can show me the ropes.”

"I would like that very much" she sighs contentedly. "I was thinking about trying to get these crystals into something of a blade. Even if all we can get a is a knife. not sure how these kinds of things fracture"

“Ah ha!” Billy exclaims. The glint in his eyes grows devilish. “I was hoping you’d say that. Lets go experiment! They might need different heats. They must be malleable to some degree or at least carvable. If they made up a body, it would be pretty poor if they just shattered under stress. Yeah! Let’s go see. Maybe we can even make a forge for them using some of the remains to generate their... natural form to make them malleable, if that makes sense.” Billy trails off, completely engrossed in the idea of a new project with seemingly no downside. I just get to... DO this. Like for fun! Holy shit I’ve been holding a lot of stress. “TO THE LAB!” He shouts.

(any particular thing here you wanted to attempt first? lots of possibilities here)

(I’ll need to take some samples of the Crystal and test it’s reaction to temperature, tortion, tension and impact measurements if we are going to do something with them. My lady asked for a blade, let’s see what properties the materials have. But also I’ll need the “skull” preserved to build a forge. Idk if Grupp or anyone from the academy would like to attempt experiments with the crystals as well. [seems like a prime sunblade component.] -oh... can I see any magical auras about it at all?)

(nothing magical per se, i think what it does is more a feature of its biology) The crystaline bones are sharp, and do not break easily. They do respond well to grinding, and when striking any surface at all, there is a tremendous bloom of heat and fire. It is not exactly a fireball, but more than a shower of sparks

8:40 PM

(Can add D6 of Fire damage to a melee weapon made with its bones)

8:40 PM

(Or bullets with tips made from its bone shards. there would obviously be a finite quantity to each)

(Awesome!!) (First, I’d like to make a sword for Beckwater and myself and then if there is more available I’d want only like one clip of the extra damage bullets and Id send the rest of the material to the labs for further study.)

(You can make medium or large advanced weapons with the extra d6 fire damage)

8:24 PM

(And one mag of the fire damage bullets for each gun)

Billy selects a few choice pieces from the samples to begin crafting. From the first, a single crystalline shard, they carve a handle and curved double edged blade. They wrap the handle in fine leather ending in a tassel. The next is a chunk of the material affixed to a long, metallic and leather wrapped handle. Admiral Beckwater takes the crimson blade and Billy takes the hammer. (Medium advanced weapons. Was trying to find good art but I was unsatisfied lol.)

The weapons are nicely weighed and firm. Their construction is solid. A few test cuts through the air had everyone satisfied with the new blades. Red energy sparks around the blade and killing head of the hammer. Micro echoes of the lighting storm the beast called itself

1

Technicians will do what they can to reconstruct the damaged parts of the skull and make a forge from it. They expect the work to take about a month barring any complications

Sweaty and disheveled from the work and still nursing wounds, Billy and Madeline marvel at their new weapons. “Let these be symbols of our success. With this hammer, we build Tsatsos and with your sword we will defend it.” Billy looks at his shoes for a moment, clearing his throat. “M-Madeline? Admiral Beckwater? You’ve been at my side through so much. We have saved each other’s lives and held each other through great victories and hopeless danger and made it through.” He meets her gaze and sweeps a fallen lock from her face and reaches in his pocket. “Admiral Madeline Beckwater, I love and respect and revere you above anyone I’ve ever met and seeing you so hurt shook me to my core. And then to feel such hopelessness as my last rounds sputtered and for you to come through in the end is an image I will never in my life forget. I don’t want to waste any more time.” He takes a knee. “Would you, with all your beautiful bumps and bruises do me the honor of being my wife?” Out of his pocket he presents her with a newly forged, titanium band with a setting carrying a stunning crystal, sparkling with reddish lightning energy encapsulated within. He swallows hard and breaks into an uncontrollable smile, not quite sure how he got here.

"Lord Admiral, Mr. Rigers, you big dumb idiot savant..." she has a single tear in the corner of her eye, the only time you have ever seen her even get anything close to a mist. "Of course I will. Of course I will" She pulls the young man to his feet, and with a kiss, allows the ring to be slipped onto her finger

Billy moves a bit mechanically, hardly believing he’d spoken. “W-wait. You said yes? No. My calculations were correct?! I didn’t think this far ahead. AH!” Billy shuts up and kisses her back, giggling and cooing in a manner unbefitting of powerful men. Not that he cared much what anyone thought in the moment. He will have time to be crimson, embarrassed and chided later. Now is his moment.

She is likewise not the steel eyed admiral you've come to know in this moment, as she looks down at her hand, admiring the metal work of the band, and the beautiful cut of the stone from the unknown creature

Billy takes her by the hand. “Come. We have plans to come up with eventually but for now, we should go home and rest. You hungry?”

“I’m always hungry. One day of endless carbs before I try to cut for my wedding dress “ she says happily, holding on to your arm as the both of you head back to the governors tower

Back at the tower they order lava baked breads and cake. They order a Acastan chocolates and fine pastas and champagne and play music and just fucking be alive for once. They lay on the couch and watch historical godzoola films and Stargate between activity sessions. Play. They just. Play.

(did you want to move into a wedding thread? or something else in between? )

(Sure. Like a typical man though, I only thought so far as the proposal and not any of the wedding arrangements or selected a best man. Though S’kolli as ring bearer seems appropriate.)

2

(I’m pretty sure I dinged from my secret goals already discussed. Putting this here to remember to level up)

(Alright. We can review in pm if we need to)

Several days pass as the couple enjoys their honeymoon, and after a few weeks in total away from their labors, Billy and Madeline return to Tsatsos, preparing to continue their efforts to improve the UNW

We pan back in on Billy and Madeline fixing their clothes and hair as they hustle from an empty meeting room apparently late to whatever they were supposed to be tending to, laughing like children. “On a more serious note, I think with the far trades this month another UBI payment is in order but there are some things brewing that I think needs our attention. Asta and that strange Binary message from shaper space comes to mind.”

"We could always meet up with Agent Theta while we wait for the council to finish deciding, or, we could move on."

“I say we go meet with Agent Theta. We will need to have Devnoc’s remote body with us I think. Eventually I’ll get his mainframe on a ship. Remind me to work on that. I don’t think I left room on the battleship.”

'And the vessel? I'll get our plans together"

Billy pulls up an active list of ships under his purview and current docking locations. “We have R 1, 2, and 3 which has been moseying around transporting RCOE staff.” He sighs. “Definitely thinking about trading in some of these older ships now. I think we will have to go with R2 with R1 docked inside. That way we can take our mechs and the Blitzer.”

1:42 PM

“It’s a shame R4CE and Something Sleek are gone. Those would have been ideal.”

"I know. I miss Something Sleek, but it needed to happen"

1:49 PM

"Everyone lost ships. I'm just glad you were there to pull me out"

“Well we will have to think about that later. The mercs should be trickling in on planet this month but for now we will take the regular crew, plus additional security forces. We know how critical water is here on Tsatsos so I want some extra shipments coming in from Thorgerd.”

(What’s the count on people and ships)

R1 will sit in R2’s Frigate bay. Normal 50 crew +150 RCOE security personnel as backup to help secure the settlements.

(alright, we can move to thetas as your nimble ships run the gap)

10:10 AM

(we can say your mercs get there too with you, and starting next month we can start attacking with them, even if you leave)

Upon returning Theta to his ship, Billy returns to his ship and crew. “Good work everyone. That. Went better than I expected.” He leans in to kiss Madeline quickly. “Can we pull up a view screen? I’d like to see exactly what’s happening with the Alloy Host. There was another building I was interested in that came up in my spy report. I’d like to try and take an inventory of the AH sites overall, but I’m told there is a lab somewhere on Asta and if it’s still intact, it think it would be a missed chance not to at least see if all this chaos has created a window of opportunity. Thoughts?”

“Heavy fighting to the north on the ground. The Path is deploying light armor and ground troops around the space elevator ruins and the earthquake power generator. The temple is what you were hunting for but it’s going to bring us very close to a combat zone

Billy chews on something for a minute before shooting a piece of something or other from his dry mouth and takes a swig of fresh Thorgerd water. “Let’s wait. We got a good blow in today and it looks like the mercs are making a few moves too. I don’t want to push our luck. As much as I want to raid the temple, the last thing I want is to make some cultural misstep with the religious fanatic mechanicals. If it were another company I understood or a bit farther from the fighting where we could dip in unnoticed, I’d do it in a heartbeat.” Billy takes another swig and passes it to Beckwater. “Get some of that in you. - I think I need some advice and all my mentors have ditched the galaxy but one. Stearn, dock with R2 and set course for Sumati. Devnoc, if you can establish your own correspondence with them before we leave the gravity well to spike space, feel free. They clearly don’t want to communicate with us filthy biologicals.” Billy lets out a half hearted chuckle and pats the Blitzer twice back in its regular spot on the hold, the remains of a robotic arm seemingly wrapped in the wheel and new dings and Alloy Host shaped dents decorating its carapace. Trivedi, Sil, Papa Seung. They all built this fucking place from junk heaps and Underhill guts and they’re goddamn gone as soon as we’re wobbling on our own. Billy’s thoughts turn to reflection as he watches out of a window the ever present Ad Astra logo appearing on a ship in the distance. At least there’s still one of them hanging around.

(I’ll let you know on days form here to Sumati, assuming that’s where you’re going)

(Yes. Need to add to syslth)

(Just one day)

(Accounted for.) Billy spends the trip to Sumati looking over his ancient Sylth. Ive been too distracted for this. I need to just go find some nice sylth ruins to plunder soon and put this to use. After a while, he sighs, takes off his glasses and turns off the program opening up a message instead. @Rey (Shriven)

Shriven,
I’m coming to visit. It’s been awhile since we had a chance to chat one on one and you’re my only mentor around anymore. Will you be free at some point? Maybe we can try to blend in and grab a bite to eat somewhere like regular people. What’s good for Sumati cuisine?

Billy

Of course, I was also hoping that you would participate in a small ceremony that Ana has planned. 
As far as food, they have this tasty Fried squid looking thing that tastes like what people used to refer to as swordfish. I will have my chef prepare a batch.

Oh! I’d be delighted. See you soon. 
Billy

Billy sends his reply smiling and turns to yell over his shoulder. “Madeline! Shriven is having a Sumati delicacy served for us and Ana wants to do some ceremony thingy. I don’t know what any of that means but should be fun!”

“I’ve never been to Sumati. Did you hear he had the academy make him a whole entire second planet ?”

Billy pauses and looks over his glasses. “That sounds like a tall tale, are you serious? They can just do that? Why am I even bothering with groundbreaking tech if they can just.” Billy waves his hands around magically.

“Same system?”

“The same system. I don’t think it something they can easily repeat”

Billy pauses to think. “...hhhuh” “Well I should really start coordinating with the Academy more. That was always Grupp’s job but everyone is taking a much needed hiatus after the shaper war and he is a star now so I don’t blame him. I wonder if they can do mega projects like that if they’d be able to assist terraforming efforts too. Seems smaller scale than creating a whole new planet.”

(When we arrive in Sumati space I want to use the system wide teleport system to go to Shriven.)

You're advised Shriven is in an important meeting with a few members of the Academy, and will make contact with you when it concludes. you are free to explore Sumati, and relax in its many cities at your leisure until then

Message comes in from SARAH,

if you need formal dinner attire we can have tailors fit something for you. Otherwise the formal dinner will  begin in an hour.

“Well maybe we can do a little sightseeing after the dinner. I wasn’t quite expecting that but let’s get dressed up, eh?”

After the dinner and revelries, Billy and Madeline take a day to rest and recover from the festivities and go do a bit of sightseeing around Sumati. Before teleporting to their ships to return to Asta. He turns to Beckwater and Devnoc on the bridge as the coordinates are set. “You know, I didn’t exactly get what I hoped from a conversation with Shriven but I do feel better about proceeding. Shriven just gave me more money before I asked for advice, which I suppose I could have expected. Eisheru gave me what I was looking for in a round about way though. I think we need to take the Alloy Host core to the lab and study it. I don’t know if we will find anything we can use, but maybe we will find something we didn’t know before.” (edited)

1

1

"so we're breaking off to study that then and not returning to the fight over Asta?"

“I mean we have a day on the trip over. So it’s not a lot of study time, but I don’t want to wait. The fighting is happening now.”

Right, I see Agent Theta is planning to hit the ground again as well, maybe there's time to catch him on his return"

(If he’d like me to join, my mech can stealth orbital drop on his location. I’m cool with that or moving to a mission of my own if he wants his to be solo.)

(I think he was waiting and then we moved on since we didn’t know how long the group mission was going to take)

(Ok I’ll just let his mission happen as he intended and I’ll get there and start operating with current placements.)

(Or... fuck it. Haha you tell me. I’m coming to Asta.)

(We can meet up. He hasn’t started yet and it’s easier now than deciding where you go later) (edited)

(Ok perfect.)

9:50 PM

(Should I stealth drop in from space?)

(There’s going to be an opposed program/int for hiding and seeking but yes)

(Oh boy.)

10:02 PM

(16!)

(12, let’s join his thread)

The fight continues as Billy resolves to stick around, the point elements of the Alloy Host armored column beginning to get within probing range of the Exalted Path rearguard. Inside, it seems the fight has likewise stalled as the room-to-room fighting enters its apex

He runs, the armored mech pounding into the cement. Vantage point. I need a good shot. Billy runs back towards the wall to climb back to the top, looking for the remaining working mortar. He doesn’t aim to fire it but figures that’s a good a point as any to engage from a distance.

(can your mech fly, or is your mech climbing up hte side of the fort?)

(No. It can fly in space and has chutes that make it take no fall damage so it can orbital insert but it does t have on planet flight.)

(So we'd need to climb, going to be a pilot/dex for sure)

(11)

Billy is able to make it to the top of the fort, dodging stabbing billhooks and gunshots fired from gunports as he scales the building, making it on to the parking fort roof where the heavy guns have been destroyed or dismounted

“Thank god for technology.” He says as a minor blast of small arms fire ricochets off the mech suit. Once atop the structure, Billy takes aim at one of the vehicles advancing on the EP position hoping to disrupt the formation and give them a window. I hope I don’t get swarmed for this. He takes in a deep breath checking his six before firing. (13/22 oof was that a 1? I have a plus 12)

(yeah first result was a 1)

(I think I still have a reroll, can I take it?)

(sure can)

1

(29/20)

the lead vehicle of the advancing Alloy Host reinforcement column goes up in flames, the robots inside resembling burning skeletons, metal hands now fused to the wheel at the intense heat of the AV laser. The burning wreck sedately slides out of formation, before colliding with one of the many buildings along the road, and tipping onto its side. It's wheels turn slowly, as it continues to burn. The Host does not seem to have any idea where the shot came from, though does speed up, trying to get in close to the Exalted Path rearguard, where this kind of indirect fire will be less effective.

He takes another look at his six for signs of movement and takes aim at another car, hoping to catch it before it closes in too much. (31/19)

The second vehicle, this one an up armored troop carrier, bursts into flame but keeps rolling forward. (19/10, 22/9) Rifled tank guns from the armored column below begin firing back at the roof, trying to suppress the AV sniper that has set two of their comrades ablaze. The column is losing cohesion however, as they now have to avoid wrecks in the road

(Successful moving day is still going but I didn’t want to leave this hanging. Great imagery.) (Billy 73/116 mech 6/10) “Now I’ve got their attention!” Billy targets one of the tanks that fired on him. (32/22) (I believe that’s a crit?)

(it is) One of the tanks belches black smoke as the laser penetrates the soft top armor, and it slows, engine sounding like it is digesting its own gears. There is no explosion, but it comes to rest, gently plowing into dirt berm at the side of the road and coming to a stop

Billy checks his ammo. Only four left. I’ll have to fight in melee unless I find another weapon soon. He picks another vehicle to target. Lets rough them all up. (17/16)

The shot goes wide, vitrifying a column of sand into something like a glass geyser. The column has broken into a few scattered elements now, though all are still pressing the Exalted Path rearguard

9:55 AM

(19/9) The rifled tank gun from the remaining heavy vehicle in the column returns fire, now zeroed in on your position, seeing the mech standing amid the ruins of the heavy guns that should be pummeling the invaders

Billy and the mech rocks back, rattled. Warning lights flash as part of the carapace crumples from the shot. Redundancy is the key. Billy wrenches off the piece of ruined shoulder armor plating and sets his sights back to the remaining tank. three shots He breathes deeply. War. Standard protocol. Eliminate direct threats first. Be calm. He levels the L-HMG again. (26/21) (Billy 63/116 ; mech 5/10)

3:08 PM

He doesn’t notice the blood running down the side of his face or bruises across his body from the impacts.

The final tank corkscrews skywards as the ammunition inside cooks off, and as the concussive force ripples out, the remainder of the column loses cohesion and scatters

3:12 PM

Gunfire is slowly ebbing away , and the church bells on many of the Path vehicles begin to ring. recorded hymns venerating God and his vision for the universe are broadcast from speakers, and the first of many Alloy Host prisoners is dragged from the citadel, mag chained behind one of the slowly rolling Path tanks, the beginning of a long line of captive robots

Billy makes sure to record as he leaps from the building, landing softly on the earth. He hesitantly approaches the Exhalted Path. They are just like us... but so much more advanced... Cold and calculating... religion... “Oh incredible machinery, I approach you with reverence, that you might communicate with my mortal biology for God created all of us and I would wish to witness God’s children!” (edited)

Oh god, that sounded terrible. That’s how those goddy types sound though he immediately second guesses his approach.

The robots make little mention at your approach, though some of them move out of the way as you approach the growing procession of prisoners being taken from the keep. some are being dragged as leg motors give out

9:03 PM

An overseer in heavy armor is overlooking the final stages of clearing the fort

Billy keeps walking forward, frustrated that he hasn’t been able to find a way to connect or figure this entire situation out. He feels out of place among technology, truly for the first time in his life. As he reaches the Overseer, he calls out again, “Overseer! I am but a man, but I bear witness to the glory of machine-kind and wonder. I have struggled, life-long to re-create your perfection. Will you teach me of your religion?”

"The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

10:34 AM

Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.

Oh shit, it worked. Quick, say something pious! “P-pray but that the scream was the rapture and we are remaking the worlds through seven years of hell. Soon, those of us that survive will see a thousand years of heaven on many worlds. Do you think it true? That the Jesus of old was real and came back to life too? I know of a man who died a thousand times and on the last he became one with machine. They are a near perfect synergy of engineering and the soul of man. Could it be a second coming?”

9:41 PM

Oooh I hope I didn’t blaspheme.

1

9:45 PM

Billy’s muscles tense as religious sounding nonsense falls from his mouth. Crazy that the Bible had gotten so far. He remembers seeing charred copies left behind in ruins he passed over on disparate worlds. It is a wonder how faith travels even seemingly without the effort of humanity. It’s transcended beyond us.

“Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, "The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed,

Billy, who’s principle character pillars are founded on deep and calculating science stumbles for a moment. His face screws up. He goes to form words but cannot at first. “...Everything in my life up until now has been firmly rooted in hard observable phenomena. In... science! Hell, even magic and MES based energies are observable. I can see them with my own eyes. Strands of it flow through this weapon and my armor and float from my eyes. Even consciousness itself has in some way been observable enough for it to be mapped and become one with machine in the case of Devnoc. What should be observed if not the coming of the kingdom of God himself!? Is this something internal to individuals? Or should I just trust and have faith that what you say is true and is the word of God? I-I have seen other gods that have burned and tortured and maimed and we have defeated them all as they come... But perhaps you would call them demons... Yes... I have defeated demons for my people. But I am tired of just fighting demons. They seem to obvious, forceful, brutal... Overseer, is there a way for me to visit your temples and learn more about you and your God so that I could shed myself of my ignorance?”

1

"Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself,"

Billy looks back, mouth ajar contemplating. “All of us are gods temple, then... I had never thought of that. And what of them?” Billy turns to point a giant mechanical arm toward the Alloy Host captives. (edited)

“And the foreigners who join themselves to the Lord, to minister to him, to love the name of the Lord, and to be his servants, everyone who keeps the Sabbath and does not profane it, and holds fast my covenant— these I will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” The Lord God, who gathers the outcasts of Israel, declares, “I will gather yet others to him besides those already gathered.”

“Brother, I rejoice that you seek to redeem the Alloy Host. I had hoped to succeed where you did but I could not do it alone. I will go and leave you to your work for now. I wish to walk this place and see if there is more of God’s wisdom and glory to uncover in the sands.” Billy bows in the mech, an awkward motion for the machine but doable nonetheless.

THe damage makes it difficult but you keep your footing against otherwise whining servos and sparking leg joints. The Path seems content to let you leave

7:46 AM

(3xp, 5000 credits)

He is beaten and bruised, but no more so than usual. His mech strains a bit and a spark flies here and there as he moves but they are all problems that can be fixed later. He and his mech should hold up fine for now. Billy moves on, intent on checking out what remains of the base and get an idea of their own engineering. He tries again to reach the radio. “R1 and 2, the Host has been defeated, do you copy? I repeat, the Host has been defeated.”

The ships are responding now , with the blockade thinning and@moving to a planetary encirclement posture. “The council should know what happened here”

“I’ll need a pick up. I’ll move to an extraction point outside of the base. It looks like they are about to be taken and reprogrammed. Are the Host ships forming a blockade? Attempting to lay claim to the planet? I need to see.”

“It looks like they’re simply recovering their soldiers and heavy equipment”

“Thank you for the update. Great work. If you would come to extract me, that would be great. I’m a little banged up, but I’ll manage. Send a message to the people of Asta that the Host has been defeated and that I will schedule drops of water shipments to all cities on behalf of RCOE and the UNW next month.”

(In the background, I have R3 that’s my old trade ship can make runs to distribute water from Thorgerd. 560 tons at a time. Turns out to be a bit more than 148,000 gallons. In fact... can I just commit R3 to water delivery to water insufficient planets like Asta and Tsatsos. I guess I can just make a far trade route for it. Thorgerd>Asta>(another water or ice planet, Miram maybe)>Tsatsos) I think that makes sense thematically.)

(Import/Export lines are also a possibility and do not take up a trade route slot)

1

(Good look. I’ll go take a peek)

(That and a couple more runs will keep them good for a month or so. Everyone gets a gallon per day or a bit more)

(Ok. I’m not trying to make money on that, I just want to do aid drops, can I just set that in the background and deduct tonnage?)

(is R3 being used for anything else normally? or has it been chilling in the background)

(I’ve used it to send RCOE crews around to do like background missions before but it’s basically inactive.)

(fine with me if we use it for that then)

(there might not even be a need for it once i get a couple things in order from my end, but we can run the r3 route in the background for now just for continuity purposes)

8:54 PM

(I'm thinking with far less humans and no AH around to compete for that lake, if they're given vehicles they can probably pull from that giant inland ocean themselves)

(Ah. Ok. Well either way, works as long as it gets done. Maybe make the lake 1 hex bigger or something idk. Lol)

(fair enough , what's billy up to next?)

Billy sits on the bridge of R2 overlooking Asta as EXP ships make their final surface trips and leave a fairly barren world behind. “I’m tired of fighting all the time.” He says, cutting it off with a sharp inhale as Beckwater tightens a bandage. “Ok. I know-I knOW! It’s not always my job to jump to the front but who else is going to do it?” He looks to his wife’s serious face and sighs. He knows that look. More than once she has questioned his recklessness and military tactic though never in action. Her demeanor makes it hard to forget her own military experience and leadership prowess. “You’re right. I can’t just keep finding wars to stick my nose into. We need to buil-“ he growls through clenched teeth as she pours disinfectant over another wound. “Build. The UNW is picking up more worlds and more people. As we transition from pure survival, folks everywhere will need jobs. I think we can help... I think our next goal should be to get a base going on every UNW world and put people to work. I’d like to start with a visit to Rahwani. With the megacorps gone, there’s sure to be opportunity and lots of labor; maybe even engineers and scientists eager for fresh funding to finish developing new tech. Besides, I hear they have a new Governor. Maybe he needs help with a thing or two... Yes. Rahwani.”

(2 day trip from here to Rawhani)

(Sylth 7/30) As Billy reaches the Rahwani gravity well, he looks up business news in the area related to the megacorps, laid off workers, floundering tech companies etc.

(there was a report in the unw faction channel from surveyors, which you wont have to scroll up far to find)

8:05 AM

(recent data)

Billy scrolls through, sipping on some Acastan Coffee he had saved and sends a brief message to the new Governor and then goes over ship coms. “Dock crew, this is your captain. Prepare R1 for launch. I’m going planetside. Destination: Aurashow Mechanics”

To: Billy Boy
From: Wendel. Wendel Cadman.

Happy to hear from you Billy Boy! You say you want to help the fine people of Rawhani eh? How could I say no to such an honorable and gentlemanly request! Good form sir! As long as you respect the people of this planet, and always apply a chivalrous demeanor there should be no problems at all! I say permits are granted! HAHA!

Yours truly,
Wendel. Wendel Cadman.

P.S. You should consider cultivating a proper mustache on that hairless countenance of yours! I highly recommend it! HA!

2

Aurashow mechanics was one of the cities hit hardest by the revolution and UNW liberation . Large sections of it are ruined, with hab blocks, factories, and farms burned or destroyed with no wider thought to how the city would suffer after. UNW peacekeepers are still in the area until a local force can be trained, though the troop presence on planet has been greatly scaled down

Billy steers R1 right into the heart of the area to find a place to land and speak with the locals. (Crew is he, Madeline, Twins and Stearn the Pilot.)

Billy and Madeline both wear suits. Billy’s is RCOE colors and Madeline’s is black. The Twins sport more casual wear, but their bullet proof jackets can be seen underneath, shotguns slung under their arms. Billy carries his staff and Madeline has a mag pistol in her waistband just in case. Billy lights one of Robert’s favorite cigars as he steps off the ship with his metatool.

You step out of the ship, as a pair of personnel carriers pull up, and UNW soldiers exit, as a ship coming down near the city is something worth investigating. THe engines idle loudly as several troopers dismount, weapons lowered. They begin walking over, the wind kicking up swirls of red-brown dirt around their boots and ankles

Billy gives them a quick salute and then speaks loudly so they can all hear him. “At ease, soldiers. I’m here on a business trip. For those of you who don’t know, I’m Billy Rigers. I could use your help though. The new Governor and I have interests in cleaning up this mess we left here and getting the people back up to proper working order. The full and proper UNW welcome to the club package. But I’ll need your intel. Biggest detractors. Most immediate needs. Local influencers. Any former Aurashow Execs or Employees of note looking for a job. But first, while you think on that, I want to know how you are. How has things been since the war ended here on the ground?” (edited)

(so are you here to more or less pillage the planet of skilled people ahead of wendel?)

9:32 AM

(just trying to figure out what to have ready or where to do)

(No I want to invest in the community and rebuild it with Wendel for mutually beneficial ends. I asked for people of note here because they would have the knowledge of what was produced here and how. I don’t want to take them off planet or anything. I wish to set up a base and get some production facilities going for sure but my main goal is the UNW wealth endeavor to reduce unemployment to 30% across all planets. So I figure starting on the biggest one would be of use.)

(makes sense to me)

(Also, I just remembered that Roberts share of RCOE is no longer permitted to go to his faction, so I was putting that money aside to fund engineering schools.)

(lets get a connect/cha)

(10) (I had an unspent skill point so I just dropped it in connect to get out of -1 territory.)

You’re able to get a short list of a few skilled individuals who were let go by the companies and have registered local addresses since the UNW took over. They’re listed as alive and unemployed

Billy spends time connecting with each one of them over coms and inviting them all down to a meeting by the ship.

Four of the six you contact agree to meet, the other two are afraid to leave their homes due to their higher level of entanglement in former corporate affairs, and their neighbors are on the verge of acting out against them.

They catch the tail end of a holo communication with the council as they walk in. Billy shuts it off and turns to them. “Welcome. Welcome. I’m glad to have you come. I’ve just been notified of a crisis on another world that needs my attention, so let’s get right to it. You know the people here, you know their skills. I assume some of you have a reputation. The UNW and the people of Rahwani need to be able to work for themselves and bring this planet back to prosperity. That’s the UNW promise, right? I need to know your specialties, what businesses you’ve run and your history on ethics. 100% above board because you can bet your asses that I’ll be checking.” Billy points to the one on the left. “It seems the other two have weeded themselves out already because of their past so let’s hear it... go ahead and introduce yourself. Oh! And please help yourselves to the coffee. Acastan. Good stuff.” He sits back to look at the businesspeople. How in the hell did I get here?

The group is a mix of mid level corporate management, or lower ranking foremen who managed to keep their particular sections together well, despite growing pressure from the outside. All of them worked on projects the wider galaxy might find repugnant under the leadership of their former masters, but none had close enough involvement to truly udnerstand what they were doing- or highly ranked enough to fight to change it

When they are done speaking he leans forward in his chair. “Thank you for being open and honest with me. I appreciate that. Listen, I’m going to need you. I want to rebuild infrastructure here and you have experience with organizing. Reach out to your best workers and come up with a plan to fix this place and get some old factories salvaged and up and running again. My men will be building a base nearby to begin building a school and we will manage that but I want you, the people doing things on your own as well. RCOE will be investing 100 million credits into this community to start, with high scrutiny from my Engineers here. Every dollar will be monitored and handled by my people. Your job is going to be to build the teams and manage. With the end goal, community owned and run businesses. I expect everyone to be paid generously. It’s not going to be the same as it was with the Megacorps. This is the UNW. We want you to prosper. To grow. To move up. Everyone has a role to play and it’s got to all be above board. It is my preference that each of you take your specialties and begin your own endeavors. That’s 25 million credits a piece to begin work and support from my staff as able (2 FC a piece/8FC total). Each of you go gather teams, develop a plan and report back to the RCOE facility built here next month and we will begin.” (Tldr: Can I pay them credits and FC to kick start their own community driven and owned growth? I don’t want their assets on my balance sheet.)

(I would say that is a novel and very good use of FC)

(Awesome!) Billy sees to the end of the meeting and sends out a bulletin to the locals informing them of RCOE activities and the start of the new programs he is introducing.

(I’m good to move on here. We can simulate some stuff in the background)

(Ok great. I believe there are some evil aliens to take care of. What are your plans there. Do the evac first or are there evac missions? I have a force endeavor to found and deploy the Tsatsos Homeguard. Idk if I can accomplish any of that in tandem.)

(The evac is happening in the background , and they’re going to Gudrun to complete the endeavor so at this point the people can’t be re directed )

(Ok and at this point, we're waiting to bring it up to the galactic council before direct military action after the evac this month?)

(Rigjt )

(Ok. In that case I’ll go home to Tsatsos to prepare for war.)

7:22 AM

Billy sends a quick note to the governor, notifying him of his work and hops back on his ship to finally return to Tsatsos.

(3 days in spike back)

(Sylth 10/30)

Returning to Tsatsos you are given an update about the megapede Dr. Truffles and his crew managed to bring down at the former Remnant mining site in the far east, and the area is now safe for development. The Doctor and the rest of his expedition have recently moved off, now en route to Creusa

(Oh interesting!)

8:21 PM

Billy looks over the report and ensures the megapede carcass, or what's left of it makes its way to the research station to further investigate Tsatsosi life forms and schedules a small party to investigate the mining site to look for rare minerals and prep the site for development.

He follows up shortly with a message to the Tsatsos Homeguard troops to notify them of the Extaurren thre1at to our galactic west and give them briefings of the new enemy.

A note from General Rigers. A new threat has been revealed to our galactic west, as I'm sure you've seen on the news. From what we can tell, they seem to be expanding and larger than we first thought. We do not have word whether we will deploy yet or not, but as always, you each need to be able to identify them, their equipment and tactics.  Attached will be all the information on the enemy that we can collect at this time.  They aren't shapers, but they are still bastards. As always, your primary job will be to defend Tsatsos and her interests and to do so, each of you need to be well trained and experienced and without time in the field, the best we can do is drills. I will be on the ground shortly and we can discuss my thoughts.

8:34 PM

After sending the message to his generals, he contacts, Devbot at HQ. "Hey Dev, I have thoughts to start mass producing some cheap bots to use for training drills to get our defense forces used to combat on a mass scale. More than we can do with just regular drills. Do you think you could assist with that sort of thing?"

(Does RCOE have a troop mover?)

6:57 AM

(the UNW one is bringing some soldiers, and the one I just laid is going to be evacuating the Geon)

6:58 AM

(okay, UNW one is evacuating the Geon, and not available for work right now)

(I can only move like 350 at a time with my current ships. Do I have enough face for a troop transport?)

8:20 AM

(Also, is it a thing where we could take this month for training and move them next month?)

(It's going to be one of those things where the offensive doesn't happen until you guys are ready to do it, if we need some time to build ships, ready forces, train, ect, we should agree on an operation begin date in unity council)

8:23 AM

(and just expect everyone is going to do their part leading up to it)

8:23 AM

(i think this is probably going to be the easiest way)

When Billy lands he heads straight to his office to start work on a few things. (HAAAAN WE"RE GONNA DO A MOWNTAAAAGEEEEE *space guitar riffs of chris fury pan across the screen) (Blueprints for a personnel/troop and refugee mover, a prototype training droid and a quick note to his generals to prepare to be on call in case they are called to fight the ghoul king.)

(Yeah i know in unity council we need to hammer out of a few things, as the UNW has three military campaigns going on right now, and not everything is available)

(I think we did all we can council wise billy. We can continue)

Billy slides back from his desk and to a drawing table where he pulls up images of a new ship design and sends it off to the shipyard. Underneath, there are piles of scribbles of blueprints left half done. You see upgraded Blitzer designs and tanks and atmoflyers and robots and all manner of ship prototypes. He looks up to a monitor with pie charts and population and unemployment numbers moving in real time and to another monitor with case files on Extaurren covering up tabs on other current military problems across the UNW. A third monitor has live feeds of his constructing starships and a constant stream of messages to answer about how to actually construct them. He runs his fingers through his hair, exhaling deeply and picks up his Coms. “Hey Devnoc, do you think it is possible to get and build some training machines like the TFP used to have? We could use the same engine as the pirate game. I want to give something for our troops to train against so they are better prepared in case they get deployed. What would it take?”

“The simulators were left behind. We would have to get them from the old task force base on Gudrun, and we might have to speak with the Taros in Carinhold for more of them- but we could make the trip “

He nods. “Ok. Well let’s head over there then. We will want more than what TFP had on base. They definitely helped me when I was first starting so we have to make them available to the troops here. We can take R2.”

(and we have 2 days in spike)

(12/30 Sylth)

6:56 PM

When Billy arrives in Gudrun space he heads for the old TFP base first.

The old task force base is a few kilometers south of Central along a recently paved access road. Empty guard towers and a chain locked gate look over a square courtyard with dozens of barracks, machine shops, landing pads and the other trappings of military life. They all stand abandoned now though a sign on the gate announces a branch of the Gudrun planetary defense force will be based here soon. All the more reason to act now.

Billy stands there at the chained gate for a moment, marveling at how far he's come. He breathes deeply and enters the compound. "Man, I kind of miss this place... before Cyrus... I just wish I knew and could have saved him from himself." He sighs and walks with his crew casually toward the training center, pointing out memories here and there along the way. "And that's where I built Vothe." he says more to himself than to anyone.

5

The training center has two dirty glass doors with another chain and lock. This one is intact and there doesn’t look to be signs of tampering

(Do I happen to have a key?)

(Yeah you would)

Billy walks up, takes out his key and unlocks the door to the training room. “Here it is. We are going to need all of this logged, categorized and loaded onto the ship for transport.” He says as he opens the door.

The simulators are still plugged in and working, abeit some cobwebs. "what'dya say boss, try em out? make sure they still work?"

Billy looks sideways at the Engineer. “Ever been stuck on a deserted island with nothing but a musket and waves of enemies? How about attacked by a sea monster? No? Well, you’re about to find out, my man.” He says with a grin and activates the machine.

This time SUPER SEUNG 3000 begins playing rather than the historical pirate game you’re used to. The avatars don’t have a difference in stats (using your own) but range from Super Seung, Buff Billy, Crazy Cayne, and you can see that the Slippery Silvano bonus character has also been unlocked on this machine

3

Billy cocks his head to the side for a moment and chuckles. “They definitely took some liberties! I’m going for Crazy Cayne this time.”

The Cayne avatar throws its flask high up into the air before shooting it with both pistols , before it lands next to him on the screen. You see your second in command pick Buff Billy who celebrates by bench pressing a helldiver war bot, followed by breaking its spine over his knee

7:45 PM

The level select is next. : Hive Base Tower Swamp Nightfall

“Hive”

Cayne gestures with both of his pistols as the underhill hive top begins to generate. You see your own avatar next to you also forming as the 3D takes over, and virtual reality sets in. It feels very much like you are there, standing at the rim of the underhill hive near Central, many years ago. The training Vi looks to be using Silvano as a guide for some scripted events since no one has chosen him. "Alright everyone! I'm going to use my brain powers to blast that hill open so we can get inside! but I need you to keep the bugs away from me for a few minutes while I think about how great I am, and to focus on getting us in!"

6

7:39 AM

on queue your vision forcibly shifts left, as 5 underhill warriors 40m away begin rising from the bubbling birthing pools dotting the landscape

Billycayne spins his pistols around excessively. "After you!" he says firing off a round into the air.

Buff billy is armed with a laser hmg and super thick arms to carry it like it’s a toy. “Alright. Sweeping!”

8:37 PM

The laser shots spill out in a gattling rain, wounding several of the targets as your own weapons also come online

The vr guns spin on their own from time to time as Billy pulls up to shoot throwing him off just a bit. (24/22)

One of the warriors falls as they advance to 20m, and as the laser gat goes to spin up again there is a hiss as it overheats, and a large icon appears over it rendered in VR. "Fuck sorry boss, gimmie a minute to cool down:

“In combat you don’t have a minute to cool down.” Billy fights off another with another shot. “Short aimed bursts to down targets unless you’re providing cover fire or faced with a horde. You can alternate firing with a partner to mitigate time lost as well.” (21/16)

He nods, readying the weapon again as the remaining two warriors close in to scythe with their digitally rendered talons. The twin pistols fire, sending one of the warriors collapsing into piles of pixels (both miss) The heavy gun whines again dropping a third, leaving just one remaining in contact with you.

“And when they get close, if you’re good, melee weapons aren’t better... though... I don’t think anyone has gotten close enough to me to be struck.” BillyCayne tosses up his pistol and grabs it by the other end and pistol whips the remaining enemy. (Using my hammer finally.) (Shit I didn’t write it’s stats down. On my sheet. I’ll have to investigate.)

(No problem)

(18/26? Iirc it was a d6 of Fire damage on top of a medium advanced melee?)

(I’ll have to find it but I thought it was large advanced )

4:44 PM

(Since it’s a big ol hammer)

(Yeah o was searching earlier to no avail. Driving now. Back at like 8 or 9)

(Sounds good, take your time)

7:34 PM

The warrior falls, cloven in twain by the massive hammer blow. "Oh very good" Silvano says, floating close to you. "hey, listen, I'm really good at this" a bolt of psychic energy blows the side of the hive open, clearly a video game's ham fisted way of getting you to move to the next area, while still giving you the illusion of some kind of choice.

BillyCayne jogs up to the new opening taking a new starting stance and waiting for the prompt. “Come on, you! Follow me.” (edited)

Heading into the first chamber, you see thin strands of dirt and dust continuing to fall in from above. Larva and dead drones litter the space though three of them stand before a slide like tunnel heading deeper into the hive. Upon seeing you 20m away, they chitter their front talons and begin digging into the soil to submerge and tunnel toward you

"Have you ever heard of the old earth game, whack-a-mole?, switch to melee." Billy ready's his hammer but on screen it's just the revolvers spun around for a good pistol whip.

(you've got the first move as well)

12:13 PM

(we'll just keep the initiative so we're not constantly re-rolling_

(11/24 with the hammer on the first that pops up)

12:20 PM

(Oh! and 3 shock damage ac13?)

12:20 PM

(idk how to hit things? I'm new!)

(Shock damage applies if you miss, since melee is a pretty just all around nasty affair on the body, so if the enemy is ac13 or lower you still cause 3 damage)

12:22 PM

(so in this case with drone AC 12, you do 3 shock)

12:22 PM

One of the drones squeals as the pistol grip smacks it. your partner has decided to use the gattling laser as a club and between its impact and something resembling a super mario stomp, has flattened one of the drones. There is a hiss and crackle as he begins taking corrosive damage from their blood, represented by green damage numbers appearing above his head.

12:23 PM

The two drones remaining in this room attempt to bind you with webs and fail to do so, your quick movements preventing webbing material from sticking

"I forgot what rule we are on, but never stand in stuff. Fire. Acid, whatever. Make sure you move out of it's zone." Billy Cyrus goes a blastin again." (22/21)

Billycayne billy clubs one of the drones to its feet, smashing its exoskeleton and falling victim to one of his own pieces of advice (3 damage) "Alright boss, whatever you say" as your companion misses, and the drone likewise gets tangled up in trying to grapple him

2

"Ah, shit... Here let me help." Billy winces at the sting and waps the last drone. (11/22)

The hammer is unable to part the two of them without damaging both, but you get a shocking swing with the corner of the hammer head that takes a piece of the drone. It slashes back at you and Cool Cayne blocks with his canteen

2

Billy, Cool-Cayne takes the hammer and slips the handle between the drone and his employee and gets behind it to pull/shove it off him.

(str/exert)

(6)

You're able to spread the two of them apart, the force of the hammer head even trying to simply move the two apart is enough to flatten the drone. Ahead, the tunnel leading into the lower hive looms, and the words Warning: Boss Battle Ahead appears in scrolling red and white letters

BillyCayne stops short. “You don’t usually actually get a warning in the real world kid... HEY! Stop flexing at me. It’s wierd. Come on we’ve gut bugs to squish.” BillyCayne twirls his pistols around in his fingers before walking into the door.

The tunnel brings you down to a 20m wide ledge, looking over a massive sinkhole in the ground. It rumbles gently, getting steadily stronger the long seconds go by

“Alright, let’s try to spread out a bit. We don’t need to be caught by an aoe. Remember. Don’t let it over heat. You have a better aim that way anyway. If there are swarms, then you can light em up.” He nods and moves to the left.

The Undergill Queen emerges from the sinkhole, towering over the both of you, her two sweeping talons catchng the morning light from above. Her jaws dribble acid, bubbling and hissing in her maw as she prepares to fire it outward at the group (billy up)

"Let her rip!" Billy shouts letting his gun go hot immediately after telling his engineer not to. He lets a hail of gunfire loose. (29/21) (29/27)

The Queen takes a ponderous step backwards, before a claw sweeps the length of the chamber (evasion save)

(Success! 16v not a -2)

(It’s whatever your lvl 10 value would have been. So 20-10-dex, I believe )

(16-10-dex/int)

7:49 PM

(whichever modifier is better)

(So that’s a 5)

(Right, okay good to know at least)

8:54 PM

You avoid the sweeping talon though your companion dissolves into boxes of pixels, and a red GAME OVER appears over his head

“Ooh man. You’re supposed to dodge!” Billy goes in for another shot and starts to run to the side to try to be more difficult to hit. (21/14) L HMG

The queen recoils in pain and you see her health bar has dropped to about half. She readies her other claw for a swing the other direction, in practiced and rehearsed video game fashion (Evasion again)

(9v5 success!) BillyCayne sprints toward the swipe, ducking and sliding under the claw just in time and pops back up, already taking advantage of the queens momentum away by firing before the backswing. (29/13)

The sweeping talon misses you, in time for you to spray laser fire across the queen. One of her talons flashes white and red dozens of times before the arm blows off in a spray of pixelated gore. (28/10) Its mandables clatter, and it fires a goppet of acid at you

BillyCayne staggers back, his pixelated body covered in green ooze. The audio Cayne yells “Ah you got gak in my whiskey! Now I’m real mad.” And the pixelated flask dematerializes as it’s thrown on the ground and the pistols started blasting’. (30/9)

4

7:16 AM

The twin beams hit the queen on her head section, making it flicker white and red showing damage. With her health bar low, you see Silvano creep from the shadows behind her, on a ledge of stone. He holds a finger to his lips, and winks mischievously as the demolition charge in his hand goes live. He hurls it into the air, and the screen fades into white. DUNGEON CLEAR.

7:16 AM

(3xp, 5000 credits, and you have the high score/can take the training simulators)

BillyCayne let’s off a ridiculous array of bullets in his victory cutscene and Buff Billy hangs his head dejectedly. (Ding! Lvl up!)

3

(Awesome!)

(and we're good for whenever comes next)

(I keep sneaking a couple minutes to look at this and realize I have to level up and then Have to go off to the next thing. Just been busy with work. The company is a bit behind their quota and is pushing the folks who are actually making sales for this last week.) BUT! Billy intends on wrapping up the training machines and transporting them back to Tsatsos for blueprint redesign and is going to attempt to build more. (Idk if that'd end up being like some sort of reward down the road for the military or what you have planned but go for it.)

(sounds good, for now we can say the old infrastructure here is being packed up and brought back to Tsatsos get something of a second life)

After three days of spike travel and unloading the supplies back in New Hephestus, the simulators are plugged in at the main troop training center, and the first batch of recruits are hard at work playing the games- while more senior warplanning staff get to work writing programs for them that will serve as actual educational material such as route clearing, urban fighting, mass cas scenarios, and a number of other small unit topics

Back on New Hephaestus Billy whips off the helmet after yet another set of tests. “Run it again! We’ll get this right. Just keep at it and we’ll have something for release in no time. Good work.” He says walking over to a pot of coffee to pour some for himself having spent the better part of the month buried in this particular project. beepbeebeeeep! his compad alerts again. Are you done with your games? A short message from the wife. He looks around at the bustling staff, pulling long hours to finish the training simulators. Good men and women of all species are represented here. He nods. “As always, the wife is right. I’ve spent enough time here with you all, I have other duties to see to do I’ll give you some breathing room to dazzle me with.” He gives the leads just a few more instructions before heading back to his main office to address his backlog of duties. He scrolls through a list. Planetary exploration projects per planet Tsatsos construction projects UNW News War fronts Ship construction Requests “Devnoc. I’ve been absent minded for a bit in this new project. Keeping my hands busy. There’s so much going on and so many new hands taking care of issues I used to scramble to take on my own. Where do you think I am needed now? Has the council planned any fleet movements yet? Has there been any major catastrophes that the men just didn’t take care of? Planetary terrorists? Reports from off world bases? Project updates?” Billy sort of goes through the list, hands clasped looking out of the window at the constantly constructing city.

"The ghoul campaign is to begin in a few months once the last of the UNW troop movers is completed. We are still waiting on that to be done and it cannot move faster, sadly. We are still working to help uplift the natives on Thojhild of course, and the Piggen on Shalini. I understand you are in touch with Professor Truffles"

“Indeed, I am. I have recently just put him on the payroll as you know. As long as we can start building bases and keep uplifting progress going I think we are in good shape. Truffles did ask how we could keep infighting on shalini from preventing any disruption on the uplift progress.” Billy suddenly brightens up. “I’ve got it! What if we put on an arena contest with the tribes. I would even go on planet and participate. Do you think that might help?”

“The doctor is there doing just that as we speak” Devnoc replies, voice far away

"but there is another opportunity. Parnika, and Alicibiades. The west still needs to be secured and perhaps RCOE should be the one carrying the UNW banner in that direction"

Billy sits for a moment and swallows hard. “Alicibaides was one of my first absolute dominant victories in the Vox... there might even still be debris flying around there... I think it might be time to see if I can make amends to the people. It’s a good call. Parnika might be easier but I think I’ll have to answer for some things on the former. Let’s set a course and we will head out tomorrow.”

(parnika then?)

(Yeah Parnika first)

(7 days by my count)

(Excellent. Noted. Billy takes his mind off things and studies his Sylth for another 7 days. En route.)

Stable Biosphere Breathable Atmosphere Hundreds of Inhabitants TL 4 Parnika Exploration Report: From orbit surveyors can see large thunderstorms continually move across the planet, blowing in from the oceans. This constant movement creates a humid and damp world that is perfect for growing food and medicinal crops. Towering agricultural complexes make the rolling grasslands bloom lushly in contained circles acres wide , and herds of animals have grown used to thunder, and are not as easily spooked as they were before. Several of the complexes have broken down entirely from neglect, and tractors sit in fields, enduring the constant but gentle rains. There are few forests, and few mountains, erosive forces on this world keeping the land relatively flat. There is only one city on planet which looks to coincidentally have the planets only spaceport , now in something as close to disuse as it can be. There are no spacecraft there, but there are dozens of abandoned lighters and atmo-planes that were left behind in the wake of the Remnant collapse.

Billy smiles. “Oh what a lovely little planet.” He smiles. Coms click “People of Parnika, this is Billy Rigers of RCOE representing the UNW. May I have permission to land?”

There is no reply to your message. They either will not reply, or cannot reply.

After waiting a few moments, Billy nods to the crew. “Alright we will have to introduce ourselves in person! Ready R1 for launch, I’ll be right down.” Billy puts on his nice suit to go planetside and beckons his bodyguards to come with him as he pilots the ship down himself aiming to land near the only city.” (edited)

Landing just outside the city in the ruins of what was once the starport. THe wrecks are undisturbed as you pass by, crunching a ground car under a landing ski but otherwise not causing any further harm to the surroundings

"I'm sure no one will miss it... Maybe I should wear armor instead of this suit." He says looking out over the ruins. "I was hoping... SOMEone would be here... Yeah let me change." Billy changes into his bright red armor and leads the way out of the ship. "Stick together. Keep your eyes peeled for actual inhabitants. There's a lot we could potentially work with here."

Billy proceeds past the starport in search for the locals, his bodyguards in tow.

(sorry, i wasn't feeling good yesterday)

7:22 AM

The starport is empty. There is no life here, and its disconnected from the walled city aside from getting through the walls, or gate. The gate is guarded by a handful of local militia, not sworn to any polity or group.

(I’ve been very sporadic lately. No worries bud.) Billy and crew approaches the militia waving. “Hello!” He shouts. “We come in peace! How are you faring?”

The guards tense, though do not raise their weapons as they can see they're outmatched. "Hold there, outsider. Whats your business on Parnika?"

“Friendship!” Billy says smiling. “Though, yes we are ready for anything. Can’t be too prepared.” He laughs. “Listen, I don’t know how you folks felt about the Remnant but we represent the free people of the United Nations of Worlds. We led the rebellion and freed ourselves of the tyrants and now I’ve been fortunate enough to create my own enterprise seeking the lost peoples of the galaxy and rebuilding all that we’ve lost. My name is Billy Rigers; Chief Engineer for RCOE and Admiral of the UNW Vox Finalis.”

"Remnant. The glory days" he sighs wistfully. "Parnika is a free city now, and a free world. You've found the one place we've been able to make things around a bit better . "

“If you think the Remnant were the glory days just wait for what we have in store. What would you say if we could bring all this back bigger and better than before? We have a galaxy to feed out there.”

"Higher ups know there's visitors here. You're to head inside, meet in the town square. Easy to find, the streets here aren't complicated"

11:26 AM

He takes two fingers away from his ear bead, and sighs heavily

“What’s the sigh? Something wrong about it?”

"Things are changing. They're waiting for you, town square still. Guess we'll see what you're offering"

Billy smiles. “Of course. Thank you.” He proceeds with entourage toward the town square.

Twenty soldiers and three diplomats are waiting in the town square, armed in combat field uniforms with light gray diamonds where former Remnant iconography was pulled off

8:49 PM

They are armed with a mix of laser rifles and combat rifles, though a few NMC las locks are also in the group

Billy waves to them. “I’m happy to meet you lot on good terms! I’ve lost too much to too many wars to count and you lot seem to have seen just as much as I have. I’m glad I bring good tidings.” He pauses at one of the soldiers with NMC arms and nods. “I’ll have to get my hands on one of those. I’ve been meaning to play around with one.” He smiles at the soldier and continues on toward the diplomats greeting them in kind.

The diplomats are starched, serious faced, and likewise armed with handguns though none have dared to draw them. "Welcome to Parnika. The last city on the planet greets you, and wishes to know your business in visiting"

“Business! Prosperity. Safety in numbers...” he trails off, adjusting his shoulders. “There are many reasons. I heard this place was once the breadbasket of the Remnant Empire and I want to see the planet thrive once more. That means money for all of you and better connection to a galaxy of opportunity. In addition, we have seen multiple new threats in space that are making moves on nearby planets and I would hate to see you all turned into human cattle.” He turns to an engineer to the side. “Bring up the Ghoul King and Extaurren slides.” he pauses for a second as the engineer briefly shows them a few pictures on a compad. “In MY perfect world you would also decide to join up with our alliance that offers mutual protection and aid and we can secure our borders with you inside them. Ultimately, as Chief engineer or RCOE, I have made it my job to seek out people across the galaxy to help them rebuild, hopefully better than before. The better off you are the better off we all are, understand?”

"The RCOE Alliance? these are all nice words, but you're not telling us what we need to do, or whats' expected of us, or what you're planning on giving back. Or this is extortion lke the remnant did. You're here in ships with weapons and if we don't grow food for you now instead you're going to subject us to the same"

“Oh! Haha. No. We crushed the remnant empire by rebelling and warring with them on many planets because they were brutally subjugating people on across what is now known as the United Nations of Worlds. As soon as the Remnant was defeated we pivoted and destroyed the Fleshshapers with other ally polities. RCOE, Rigers Corps of Engineers is my personal business currently valued in the billions of credits. RCOE is responsible for finding people in need and rebuilding what is lost. Creating trading partners and at times, assisting in rebellions against tyrants. We come armed because I don’t know you. However, I would be extremely happy to establish a working business relationship with you, pay you well and invite you to join our galactic community and offer you a spot on our council. I know it is a lot to take in all at once but I believe that it would be in everyone’s best interest to work together for the good of humanity. What I want of you is to return to prominence. To be a power that can properly defend itself. I want to invest in the success of your people as I have done for many people so far and many more to come. I am the governor of a planet called Tsatsos that was completely wiped out by the Remnant and left to die. In the short time since I arrived I have managed to bring the surviving populations of two desperate worlds to repopulate, rebuild and bring to prominence once more. Every month I have traders coming from across the stars to buy our metals and I see a future where people flock to Parnika to buy your wares. We have a Bill of Sentient rights you could look over. A constitution. I seriously think we could work well together. There is a ton of tech here that could be rehabilitated and salvaged and that’s my specialty.... D-do I need to give your people a stimulus package first or something? What’s your population size here?”

"Credits dont do much good on a world too ruined to use them for anything. You want something here, you make it or trade for it. Credit chits were melted down to make tools within hours of the Remnant pulling out. We knew what we were in for here"

12:46 PM

"You said you've got documents though? I'd have a review of those"

Billy smiles widely. “I respect that a lot. Sounds like a place I’d like to retire to. I do! I do.” Billy produces the documents for the diplomats. “I bet I could get that star port back up and running pretty quickly. I have a small trade ship I could probably afford to give you as well just to get you started.”

"This kind of generosity comes with strings. You're not saving us, or a deal by keeping them from us. "

“To be quite frank. I make more money than I know what to do with. I supported a wonderful human being who was part of RCOE and paid him millions to start a venture of his own called the Void Wardens which became an Interpolity organization aimed at protecting trading spike lanes and fighting threats on the frontier. I received about 300 million credits for my share last month and I am making about double that after expenses through my own trading. I govern a young but prospering planet of my own that is growing. I don’t need to trick anyone into anything. I want to offload an old free merchant and it makes me feel good to help people. That’s why I created RCOE to begin with. I hope that by your own better judgement and volition, you would befriend us and decide to join the UNW as I have but you are by no means required to. The UNW itself has an interest to solidify its border and Parnika would be a strategic move to welcome you to the ranks. As for me? I’ve made billions of credits and saved hundreds of thousands of lives if not more through my work and I intend on continuing to wield the power that’s come to me for the good of us all. Now. Would you like to see Parnika prosper without the noose of overlords and tyrants or would you like to remain vulnerable and reduced to a single city state in a world full of potential? What do I have to do to prove to you that I am being earnest?”

“It sounds like we will just be another group filling your pockets and we aren’t going to benefit unless we impress you and get favored henchmen status. More boasting. That we can do without.”

Billy gives like a are your kidding me kind of stink face. “I have no reason to boast to you. I’m giving you information that you can use as you wish.” And he turns to address everyone else. “Or any of you can use. In the case that this fellow here decides to turn down half a billion credits a ship and the services of our extraordinary engineers for the use of the people of Parnika, wecan work with you instead.” He turns back to the diplomat. “I don’t tell you this to boast. I tell you this so you know that I don’t need to do any of this. If you don’t want my help I’m sure some of the people here might want to take me up on the offer. That’s all I want is to help people because two years ago I was living in the stripped out hull of a wrecked ship working in a factory and it kind of sucked.”

“Listen, I believe that no man is better than any other and for the longest time I felt inadequate in the positions people kept putting me. It’s been through a lot of luck and dedication that I’ve gotten where I am now and it was all thanks to the generosity and belief in me from others. I want to pass that on the the whole fucking galaxy if it will let me.”

“We will need some time to review the constitution and sentient rights Bill you’ve presented to us. Three days should be enough time for us to cover the material you’ve brought

“Good. In the meantime, is there anything we can fix? Our engineers are experts.”

“Not until we have had a look at the documents. You’re free to scour the countryside. It’s been abandoned. “

“Of course.” He smiles and gives a slight bow. “Let’s go survey the countryside then shall we?”

(I know the map is pretty busy. Just pick a spot for me and we can do some exploring)

(I reckon I’m going to go take a look at the community in the center of the map.)

The community is a ruined series of megafarms, silos, tractor shops, and the wrecks of homes that had once held prosperous farmers and their hired staff. The fields have either rotten or been choked out by weeds and small trees.

Billy goes down to inspect the infrastructure to see if they were damaged intentionally or just left to rust and to see what needed to be done to get some of these back in order/automate them. "Lets see if we can find any salvage, yeah? Lets start by the main buildings, see their layouts etc." They set down in a clearing where food once grew.

There is a large silo with a hole in the roof 300m away from your landing position, along with a barn. A home with a few rusting tractors sitting out front is closer, within 100m of your landing zone

Billy and the team move toward the tractors first to see if they are salvageable and then they move from building to building assessing damages.

The tractors would need some major repairs but with your skills and the parts your factories can make, there is no reason they shouldn’t run again someday

Billy nods pleased. “It looks like all this just needs a little love and care. It’s just a bit of neglect. All the pieces are still here for the most part so we can reengineer. Come on let’s go see the inside of the buildings. Maybe they have some agritech in here we haven’t seen.” Billy leads the crew towards the buildings to quickly scoot through them keeping an eye for interesting salvage but mostly noting potential work orders and making estimates to get the farm back online.

The barn is open once the heavy doors are pulled aside and from inside, you can see much fo the food here has been left to rot. It has been here so long it no longer smells, and just exists and dried, shrunken, pest eaten husks of what was once a great harvest. The transportation off world for the vital foodstuffs here never happened.

“Nothing should go to waste. These harvests are now just mulch to feed the next set of crops. I’m not seeing anything that wouldn’t just take manpower and effort to fix. It’s all labor hours.” He turns. “One of you make sure you get soil samples for testing. I mean this is all engineering. I bet we could make these run better than they did before by engineering proper food forests. They are using simple 19th and 20th century factory farming techniques on a global scale. It’s fascinating.”

"We've just got the house to check over. We might be walking into a grave though, Chief. We should be reverent when we open the door"

“What do you mean? Did the remnant just come in and slaughter?”

"Well, there are all the fixing that a family used to live here, and no one does now. Can't be sure whats happened in the countryside since the Remnant left"

Billy nods grimly and approaches the household.

The door opens with little effort and just a moment with a lock pick. The parlor smells like old dust and faintly of decay

The sound of muted boots fill the room as Billy and crew walk in quietly. He walks reverently, picturing this place full of life. Is this what people call normalcy? Billy explores the place, opening doors slowly to creaking hinges and dust.

There are two bodies sitting in the parlor, hunched in front of a tv that is now playing nothing but silent static, the two bodies look into the eternal dance of the black and white ants across the screen

“Huh. Strange that this has just... been on this whole time. Wonder what killed them?” Billy walks around to look at the bodies to find the source of their demise. He pushes on the shoulder of one to stand it up with the end of his staff.

There is no sign of violence of foul play amid the scene, though something tumbles out of an outstretched hand. A small pill bottle rolls across the floor.

“Damn” Billy flips his hair out of his grimacing face. “Suicide. It’s not like they were hungry they just. Saw the end I guess. Strange.” (Can I search for clues as to why maybe they killed themselves? Or is it pretty apparent they just were going to die/lose everything after the remnant fell?)

(I think its a accurate educated guess)

“What a crying shame. Come on. Let’s bury them. I think we have seen what we need to see here. I’m sure we will see this repeated the more we explore the planet. Just makes me want to fix all of this more. Alright - I want teams to assess damages. Let’s start a timeline on getting these farms back up and running.

(How many people would be with you right now, what ships are here, too)

10:15 PM

(that's what we'll be taking as we bus north to go look for the rachk)

R1 + R2. Docking R1 in the R2 bay. So R1 holds 6 crew and R2 normally has 50/200 crew.

(gotcha, so it'll be some time to get a completed list of what the farm needs, but in that time we can try to find the enemy fleet that hit shalini)

(Ok. Since R2 has an eternal engine, I’m just going to start making a ring in the empty sectors clockwise around shalini)

7:15 PM

(Hex 1723)

Billy finishes his rounds at the farm and jets off in R1 again. He checks the reports he missed since landing on planet and sees the alert for identifying the location of some space pirates for the Void wardens. It’s the least he could do while he waits here for the people to make up their minds to use his state of the art ship to scan the empty sectors of space a few clicks away. At least R2 has no need to refuel. Billy rallies the crew casually to inform them over the ship’s PA system of their side mission and sets the gunners on a schedule to ensure they are manned when they are not in spike space.

8:18 PM

For himself, Billy changes into his beloved gift from Grupp on his wedding day. The stunning ruby helm fits perfectly to the blessed armor with a light click and Billy takes a moment to reflect and set his intentions toward the task at hand. ‘Stop the pirates. Get back to your wife.’

(R1 is going to stay behind then I'd say, to support your ground teams looking into the farm)

1

(Sounds good)

(and then just get me a planet name)

(Oh! Yeah ok. I was thinking they were hiding in the empty spaces but it would make more sense to have a hideout on a planet, eh. I’ll start with Savita.)

(They can’t hide in empty spaces. Spike drives need gravity Wells to work)

4:53 PM

(You’d just be lost in metaspace forever )

(How did we explore empty sectors before?)

(The dead ships or stellar whatever I wanted you to find was enough mass )

(Cool beans)

7:21 PM

(Next stop Savita)

The world has changed little in the time since the brotherhood was destroyed here. The underhill claim the surface still in their unnumbered millions , working away at endlessly tunneling , eating , breeding and dying

7:22 PM

Space is quiet and empty , as is the planet below when scanning for signals or emissions.

“Nope. Can’t be here. If they are here Id sooner get the Suha gun some target practice than go fight those things again.... Abauntza it is then. We keep searching. I just hope it’s not on Albicaides. I doubt I’d get a warm welcome there either. Let me know when the spike drives are recharged and we will leave.”

(Program/int as we head into the system)

(14)

(5 for detect. You’re hidden) The Rachk fleet sits at anchor, refueling and celebrating the string of recent victories theyve had. A SCAF Inuit class vessel is among the fleet here, captured by the alien enemy and now a vital part of their raiding fleet

3

7:19 PM

The void wardens are close, if you can get a message out

(Youll control the void wardens fleet and Robert will be the rachk war fleet

(Oh sick. Ok. So I have to try and beam a message to alert the VW without them catching me though right?)

1:21 PM

Void Warden fleet, this is admiral Billy Rigers aboard Research cruiser R2. I have spotted the Rachk war fleet on Abauntza regrouping. Requesting VW battle fleet to counter.

(I’ve got a group mission thread up for the battle for archive purposes

(and your program was super good, so they wont detect you)

1

(While I'm circling the planet can I get a scan of Abauntza?)

(I’ll write something up)

Abauntza is a dead world and a system devoid of life. A white hot sun at the systems heart keeps the two planets here scorched and barren. A broken and heavily bombarded mining station and the gas giant it orbits also inhabit the system.

Billy records the report with recommendations on rebuilding the mining station on future missions and heads back to Parnika after a quick scan of the wreckage for any scrap worth its weight in salvage.

There is a field here that could be recylced with time, just like at Rawhani, but its beyond the time you have right now.

1:38 PM

(3xp, 5000 credits)

Billy makes note of that for later. "Ok crew, good work. Lets work our way back to Parnika. They should have made their decision by now.. Hopefully."

(5 day trip for the way back)

There is a message waiting for you when you return to your ship from the people of Parnika, pending your personal request to open it

(5 more days in Sylth) “Oh they got back to us. Finally!” Billy opens up the message with a quick thumb scan.

Rigers, 

the people of Parnika has rejected your offer to join any sort of wider political union. The talk of resources, trade, and progress is tempting but upon reflecting on our discussion and our own observations of the treaty in front of us, it does not seem like our planet will be anything but a macro-scale commodity to support your own larger works, while we get fed the scraps. 

The Remnant was much the same, and we just are not seeing anything here that shows the UNW to operate much differently. The planet will open for trade, but any attempts to shackle our own political will is going to be viewed as an act of war, and we will defend ourselves in kind.

People of Parnika, I humbly respect your desire to remain independent. I look forward to continuing to build a further relationship which fosters trade, mutual aid and protection. Should your decision ever change, you are welcome to send a delegate to the council.

Truly,

Governor Rigers

(Up to you what we get into next. Not sure what you got time for)

(Whelp. I'm now quarantined till christmas because my roommate tested positive and I have a cough now sooo.... I'll be around)

4

Billy returns to collect R1 and his crew on Parnika and turns around to go on to explore the galaxy. Before he leaves, he files paperwork to transfer the ownership of R3 (TM) to the people of Parnika as a friendly gesture to begin their journey towards prosperity and rejoining the galactic frontier. He also offers assistance in revamping their starport to bring it back to being operational. Afterward, while on the ship he collects his thoughts and sets about tinkering with his drone set up and thinks about adding a new ship to pair with R2. R1 has treated him well, but he can do much better these days.

(Do I by chance have enough face for an ID Frigate)

(Not enough face at the moment. They’ll decline starport help. They don’t trust you) (edited)

(Ok Fair.)

"Well, we've done what we can here. what happens now?"

Billy sits back to think a moment. “Ya know it’s kind of funny. It used to be that everywhere I turned people needed me to do this or do that. Save the galaxy here or there. And now... I’m at a loss. There are projects of course but, I just don’t feel needed in the same way as I used to. Hell we have had an entire military campaign and I haven’t been needed once. There’s a whole new class taking care of it. Sometimes I feel like I should just do like Shriven and kick back but that doesn’t feel right either. I want to help people. I want to build things but I never thought in a million years people would simply not trust me enough to want the help. Hell I’m offering millions of credits for people to have better lives and they turn it down out of fear and suspicion. What am I to do with that?”

"Understanding the culture of the places you're traveling to is important. This is something that has not been done. These people have terrible background experiences- they were used by government after government- who knows what they were promised or how many times they heard an offer like yours. Now, they had a chance to live a way they chose"

“And I want to protect that with all my heart.” Billy sits ponderous for a few moments. “You know. It’s hard to know whether or not I should be so attached to the UNW. Whether I would face the same resistance. Or if I should just focus on my own people? I have the responsibility of a whole world and I constantly chase and choose to take on more and more. I’m a foolish kid sometimes.” He laughs at himself, burying his face in his hands. “In trying to focus on everything I have no focus. Do you think I’m neglecting my duties? I must be.... set a course back home to Tsatsos, would you dear? I’m going down to the lab to experiment a while. Maybe it will clear my head....” He pauses and laughs at himself again. “I don’t even know what I’ll be studying. Maybe I’ll just sit there and look at the beakers for a while and talk to the technicians.”

She doesn’t have rapid enough answers for the questions you’re asking but you feel the ship make the adjustments before jumping into spike space. The lab is quiet , during spike transit most of the duty stations are spent watching the drive core for troubles and handling any of the more mundane duties like cleaning and minor interior fitting.

Billy sits eyes closed in meditation in the sterile space for a long while just listening to the periodic creak beep or whir as the ship is bent and twisted as it rolls through spike space. He relaxes his mind to feel the magic emanating from his armor and hammer. Too often he feels the need to tense up and block it out. PTSD or something he guesses. “There’s so much I don’t understand.” He whispers to himself. With a slow deep breath Billy eases himself out of contemplation and almost mindlessly moves to view the different projects moving along in the lab. Most seem half finished with little progress since he last checked in. A failing on his part. Billy picks up parts and pieces and just creates. For the first time in a while. He just lets himself relax and build for fun. No aim. No ulterior motive. Just a creative outlet. (I’d like to work towards fulfilling the Cunning goal for RCOE of developing a new trade good but I personally don’t know what that could be right now but I’d like to apply this time toward that.)

(We'd need to explore to find something worthy of being a new commodity)

(Cool. I think it’s high time for some new exploration anyway. But first! Let’s check in on Cratylus. I believe there was a vault we opened there months ago?)

(Venser and Proc did, and emptied the contents)

(Ok sick I saw it on the patreon list a while back and meant to get back there. Ok. I’m going to scan the planet map and pick one.)

(works for me)

Billy pulls up a star map as he arrives back on Tsatsos to allow for crew changes and people to handle business back home before another expedition. He expands on the region to the south and begins searching the indexes for any mentions of each planet but then he notices something strange. There's a planet without a name. He zooms in on sector 1831. "Huh... there's something there but...no data. Computer chart course to Sector 1831 via Miriam>Sumati>Lohitzune> Iaria> Sector 1831. Let's see what's there."

(So Astynome?)

(It doesn’t have an actual name on the map it looks like. I’m looking for something yet unexplored.)

(Weird. I was using the one in discord and:

6:42 PM

(The roll20 background is the most up to date)

(Lets move that one down to Burtzea!)

(same route otherwise though?)

(Yes)

Invasive Atmosphere Hostile Biosphere TL3 Hundreds of Thousands of Inhabitants Burtzea is a system consisting of a massive planet in the habitable zone with six barren moons. A gas giant, red sun, and dense asteroid field also populate the system. The planet is home to an offshoot of the T're aliens common to some other worlds in the Iron Stars region- though the offshoot of them here has regressed into an early atomic age level of technology. A primitive satellite constellation orbits the planet, and there is evidence of unmanned rovers exploring two of the moons. Brushfire wars in several regions seem to be occurring on the planet's surface, as the inhabitants are divided into dozens of small nations straddling the continents and island chains.

8:35 AM

(i have to draw the surface since this system didnt have stuff generated for it until five seconds ago years old)

1

"Computer: Bring up known information of the T're." (I've been searching the discord, wiki, roll20 etc for mentions of them. I feel like you could almost make a monster manual at this point. Sign of a job well done.)

3

No information comes up aside from a glimpsed sighting of them by Jaxton Ryder, shortly before his arrest by New Moon Cooperative authorities, and later extradition to the Chimeran Ascendency.

9:56 AM

(here you go king)

1

(Ty my liege)

Billy’s eyes light up as he sees the report from initial scans and how little came back from the computer. “Oh this... could be big!” Billy sends a wide band broadcast to all of their settlements.

Attention, people of Burtzea I see you making steps back into space. I’d like to welcome you. I am Governor Billy Rigers of a Planet called Tsatsos; an engineer of my people. We come to you aboard research vessel R2 of the United Nations of Worlds and Rigers Corps of Engineers. You might see my ship in your night sky. I would like the chance to get to know your people. Perhaps you could use some of the knowledge I bring to reach the stars. I assure you, I come in peace.

With the message, Billy sends a copy of the alphabet as sort of a lexicon in case they need help deciphering.

https://www.worldanvil.com/w/iron-stars-nekosmash/a/ai-tre-article?preview=true

Ai'Tre

1

10:36 AM

(they did have an article)

(These dudes look awesome. I want to make friends)

There isn’t an immediate reaction though you can be sure you were heard. Radio telescopes would be training from the ground to try to get as much of the broadcast as possible before they begin decoding it.

1

“While we wait, see if we can pick up any of their transmissions. Television, radio, anything. Let’s try see what they’re broadcasting so maybe we can learn something.” (edited)

The language is one you’re not familiar, nor any of its regional dialects, but they have a broad range of programs, a mix of news and entertainment.

5:00 PM

Most of the news coverage relates to the small brushfire conflicts occurring around the world

“War seems to be the only thing holding us back but the only thing ever present in the universe. Except for maybe Leda and Galeta. There’s just so much resource out here for us to take advantage of I don’t see the point in fighting all the time.” He mulls over the thought.

Again, This is Billy Rigers of planet Tsatsos in orbit above your planet. I see the many small conflicts that plague your people. I am no stranger to conflict such as these but I can assure you that they do not matter in the grand scheme of things. There are alien races that could wipe your planet off the face of the map if they so choose. There are those that would come and transform your dead flesh and live off the pain and suffering of your people and otherworldly beings bent on destruction. I have born witness to them all. The UNW and our allies have born witness to them all and defeated them and I can’t help but see these petty conflicts on your planet between small groups as pointless anymore. Even conflicts between planets or species. That’s why I believe in the United Nations of Worlds. We have chosen to set aside our differences, either peacefully or through violent planetary wars to over-through brutal regimes in the betterment and care of all races and creeds because there are bigger and badder threats in this universe than minor disagreements amongst ourselves. I do not know your people, but I can bet that you can and have done better than this. We all can do better. I will remain to observe for a time. I hope you can decode this enough to understand and respond. Perhaps I can share more experiences with you all. For better or worse. 
Billy

Billy’s hand hovers over the delete button as he questions himself. “You only live once I guess.”

“Should we send the message then, Captain?”

At the prompt, Billy jumps a bit not realizing one of the twins standing behind him and clears his throat. “Yes. I think we should. What’s the worst that could happen? Send it.” Billy presses the button.

(So your intent here is that they stop fighting and whatnot, as you’re telling them there are way bigger threats out there ? I was trying to follow that and I think I get it but I wanted to be sure)

(I think Billy is just speaking his mind and seeing how each group reacts without just taking one response for the response of everyone.)

The conflicts on the ground seem to be continuing, they're either needing to translate, or lack the telecommunications to do much very quickly. It is a stark reminder of the advanced state you are fortunate enough to live in, even reduced to post-scream levels of scarcity such as they are.

"Sounds like we're making first contact with one of them then, if we're determined to push this"

Billy sits with his heels kicked up taking a long time to think. He lets the time tick away to allow them and himself to think. He rubs his temples and pinches his nose, eyes welling up in apparent pain. "No. I have no desire to force anyone into the 4th era of technology or be their determinant right now. I'd like to leave them a way to contact me if they wish but I'll not force it. I think I need to go tend to my people. My head just started screaming and I'm in no mood to bully forward here. I've tried ignoring it but these mes pulses continue. The scream, defeat of the scream beast, defeat of the still lady, the shaper... egg fucking bullshit. I just feel wrong and i need to figure out how to block this shit out." (edited)

“Perhaps we need to have a conversation with headmaster fate. Have you seen the news ?”

"No. I've honestly been avoiding it. Lost. Trying to figure out what the fuck I'm really doing out here, if I'm honest."

"There is so much even with UNW borders that we don't even know about. So many secrets, ruins, things right below our own feet that are worth uncovering. We can leave a navigation pod here, and allow them to recover it on their own"

“Fine. Seems like almost a wasted trip, but we will let that marinate and see what they do. Probably just war over the pod but let’s just get to the Academy. I need to figure myself out. I’ve been avoiding that long enough as well.”

(3xp, 5000 credits)

1:08 PM

The ships turn, heading for Gudrun and the academy, (13 days in flight)

(Sylth study complete!)

(Not sure how you wanted to handle the academy. Forgot what we needed there or if it was to rp with reg

( @Aurelia | Venser We can speak in here. Set the scene.)

1

In the few days of downtime between handling the cult in Bladonna and leaving for their next adventures, Venser and Billy find time to sit down at a choice spot in Central. Having to be apart from the rest of the customers for fear of someone overhearing sensitive information, or worse, an angry mob, they are seated on the balcony above a little cafe that serves freshly imported Acastan coffee and pastries. A cool breeze blows past and a few orange leaves tumble through the air, autumn is in full swing in Central and it feels like a long winter might be ahead. There's a 'clack' of ceramic on ceramic as Venser sets his cup down on its saucer, having just taken a sip. "Ahhh, God that's good. No need for sugar either, I swear I might defect for this stuff." He chuckles and leans back in his chair. "How's yours?"

Billy sits smiling somberly. “Always reminds me of one of the bravest men I’ve ever known.” He shakes his head clear. “It’s good. Always good. Especially with the Acastan Chocolate. Pairs well. Must be the fungi weaving it together.” Billy raises his glass taking a good long sip. (edited)

Venser nods and leans in a tad. "Forgive me, we have so many heroes in the UNW I try not to assume for fear of offending the others, which man does it remind you of?" (edited)

“

Desmond O’Shea

. He was with me from the second the Still Lady first revealed herself over Gudrun and passed through us until his and her death. Ran inside her titanic form over Acastus with a live grenade. Got to see him on his deathbed after she dissipated and the sun actually came out for the first time ever it seemed like.” (edited)

"Wow... I'm sorry for your loss. I'm also sorry I never got to meet him, from everything I've heard, he sounds like quite the man." Venser similarly stares at his cup sombrely for a moment. "I'm glad we got his ship returned to Acastus, so future generations can learn about him." He lifts his cup and nods. "To

Desmond O’Shea

."

Billy just smiles and raises his glass to cheers. “So what did you want to meet about? You know I’m married right?” He says after another sip.

"Haha! You mean I spent all this money on coffee for nothing?" He jests. "But yes, I will get to it. While we could easily spend hours talking, possibly arguing, about the state of the Unity Council, stimulus packages, etc, I'm not actually here for any of that. There a couple items on my list, but first and foremost, you talked a little while ago about creating a psionic forge on Tsatsos? I'm interested to here more, I'm sure the Academy would be too!"

Billy sits up. “Yes! Yes. Absolutely. We have been talking about this since we arrived on Tsatsos. Tsatsos was to be the Forgeworld of the UNW. A forge for magical weapons and technological wonders alike. We spoke with Grupp our resident RCOE magician but he has been quite preoccupied with other things. I want to build something epic. I think it would be cool to use the skull of the lava behemoth that we killed in its construction. I don’t know if it would make sense or not, but I’ve always wanted to do that. Maybe even learn how to build magic things myself.” Billy’s eyes twinkle and you’re reminded of how young and filled with dreams he still can be.

Venser likewise is captivated by the ideas he is spinning. "Brilliant! I am no mage, but before I became a psychic, I was an engi- well... a technician. I relied heavily on those skills during my time on the frontier worlds, pre-scream. So now, combining the two and rediscovering psi-tech really intrigues me, although I haven't had much time to pursue it. Where would we start?"

Well if I knew what I was doing, I’d have done it already. We actually have a forge. My wife and I forged weapons and our wedding rings there. They have some scorching qualities to them with the assistance of Grupp but it’s not quite there yet as a functioning MES Forge. I would suspect we need some sort of manual or blueprints or what I usually do with tech is reverse engineer it so we could find one that exists and reverse engineer is. Maybe I could actually see the glyphs and retrace them. I’m not sure.”

(There’s not going to be a second forge outside of the one we have. It’s already underutilized and has only been improved once. Let’s focus on that before we do more)

(That's fair, I'll pivot the conversation.)

(Nobody aside from SCAF bas been denied access to it either

"Well what about upgrading the existing forge on Rawhani instead? My mate Proceus made some enhancements using a combination of Jaxtonite, Silver and I think Tonovionite? Which conducted the energies more efficiently. Unlocking the next stage would be a very interesting challenge. We could possibly add more anvils, or maybe use the energies of the convergence in some way, to allow more powerful techniques to be channelled?"

9:36 AM

"I'm sure we could put that skull to good use as well, it would be very on theme for the deserts of Rawhani."

“If that makes more sense to upgrade that one with the resources we have then let’s do that. I at least want to explore my MES capabilities a bit more and building stuff seems like it fits. Rahwani needs our attention either way. Everywhere needs our attention.

"God, yeh... tell me about it." Venser rubs one of his scorched temples. "But you know... If you're going to be working on the forge, you will probably be working with Reza..."

1

“In my experience that’s usually the best way to get someone who doesn’t like me to at least have some respect for my knowledge and character. Hell I even got a smile out of Svenka once.”

"Well, you're confident I'll give you that." He laughs. "I hope you two can find some common ground. At least it seems like you would be going in with a good attitude, which is the first step." Venser takes another sip of his drink. "Oh man, Svenka?! I hear she's going to be on this next mission with me, any advice?"

"Oh, you'll be fine. She's a sweetheart to everyone else." he winks. "When you get to this point in life, people critique you for everything and make up stories in their heads about who you are. They try to undermine you. Sometimes they are right. You should listen to those people and see what they are talking about.. .I mean at the end of the day it's all evidence right? What kind of scientist would I be if I just ignored evidence or failed to search further?"

Venser takes a moment to mull over that particular philosophy. "That makes sense. I think a point of tension between Reza and you is he never gets to see that process, but you're absolutely right." "Speaking of people critiquing you, one point of interest for me is the entire 'Devnoc' saga. I've only ever heard it in pieces, if you don't mind, tell me about it."

“Wow. Well that’s a long one.” Billy takes another sip of coffee to wet his whistle. “I guess I’ll start at the beginning and try to sum in up best I could.” “Before I joined Task Force Phoenix; you know, Seung’s original faction? I worked in a factory with my folks, turning wrenches like so many. We were poor and I wanted more. So I saw this Piggen named Quilla, one day calling out to a crowd looking for new recruits for the TFP. Of course, I jumped at the chance to go off world and have a shot turning a wrench on a real shuttle but I had to get through the tryouts and tests first. Devnoc was in that same batch of recruits. He was terrible and scared and nervous. I helped him. Didn’t have to. I was worried it would mess up my time but he got caught up in the barbed wire... bleeding. So, I stopped to help him and we made it through the trials together.” “From there, he was assigned to my team along with the twins and Stearn the pilot. On our first mission, he was pretty much useless in combat. We were clearing an old moon base and he pretty much only helped shovel out an overhead sliding door so we could get the antenna there clear to space if I recall. Some sort of moon wolves almost got us, but it was just a momma protecting her cubs so we backed out. Dev was by my side from the get go and I guess I felt a little responsible for him since I got him into all this mess. We worked well together and he was just another poor kid like me so I wanted to see him succeed. All of us. The whole original crew survived so much. War. Salvage. Everything. Then I got a mission from up top. Seung wanted me to check out a Derelict ship in an empty sector that is probes detected. Asteroid ship. Was a real desperate kind of construction. She was just floating out there in a direction hoping to find a habitable world. There were survivors on the ship but they weren’t friendly. Our first run in with still lady cultists....”

4:20 PM

Billy clears his throat and takes another sip.

“So it was a mess. They were in the vents. One was coming with a rocket launcher and I hacked the ship to jettison that group out into space. Then we made it to the bridge where there were a ring of cultists, living still but damn near dust, they were so... mummified lookin almost. They were sitting around this pyramid with all sorts of glyphs and arcane magic keeping them alive. It was generating a forcefield too and when I shot at it it damn near killed me. We were able to get through it eventually and we killed every cultist on board and took the small pyramid for study back at central and spike tugged the ship back to Gudrun. Devnoc was good enough in the lab so I put him to work unlocking the pyramid around the same time Desmond and I teamed up to go check out the ship again because there were some strange reports about it. On the ship was a fraction of the still lady. Big shade thing that messed us up good and almost got loose on planet. But Devnoc ended up actually unlocking the pyramid one night and it sent a blast of MES energy across the planet. That’s when magic started popping up. Devnoc’s reward was a curse that caused him to decay and die over and over again. Each cycle got quicker and quicker and we had no way to fix it. That’s why we went to find Acastus to track down the Still Lady and find a cure for poor Dev.”

4:31 PM

(More in a bit. Irl stuff)

“Now, I want you to remember. The Still Lady cult you saw the other day was mild. Extremely mild. I mean what I saw on that ship and on The Still Lady’s Acastus was horrid. Gruesome. I’m talking blood and guts and flayed rib cages, twisted sacrificial and torturous rituals. The only thing that rivaled them were the Shapers. Extaurren comes close now.” He nods sideways. “The more gruesome, the more they seemed to take pleasure in it. It’s important because this was the place we found those that could heal Devnoc. Well mostly heal. And it didn’t take a day or a week either. It took months. Over the course of the entire rebellion, Devnoc was being healed by the rebels with whatever they could. That experience changed Devnoc. He’s a stronger man than me. When he was finally healed, he had lost his eyesight but he was still able to manage. I mean while I was away he actually joined the fight as a rebel and helped their cause. He came back tougher. More sure of himself. Hell he had died a thousand times and we were barely 19. I lost track of birthdays a long time ago. After Acastus, I put him in charge of the R2 research cruiser where he served for a good while with Stearn at the helm. Eventually, when we found Musheera I decided I wanted a small base there for people across the stars to be able to scavenge from and I sent Devnoc to oversee the project and while it was under construction it was raided and Devnoc was finally on his actual death bed. There was no way to save him this time. My best friend. My right hand, who had been there from the beginning and who I had helped save from a thousand deaths was finally going to die.”

“Now, if Devnoc were my right hand Vothe was my left. Early on in my career with Task Force Pheonix we found an old sylth robot gathering dust in one of Seung’s warehouses. Somehow, I managed to rebuild the robotics and build and install a new VI system using the Kingkiller’s frame. Vothe was built to be my companion, to keep the books, assist on trade, and help me out in combat, utilizing the former Kingkiller’s combat ready frame. And it outperformed even my expectations, taking on a personality of its own, making jokes and generally human like reactions that I did not expect. And it got me thinking, after witnessing the strength of AI, seeing some true AI and being present for the battle where a few of our allies fought an AI with a human mind torn from a former greenbrier associate... all of those things are possible! It’s been done. So therefore, it must be able to be perfected. So I set upon this massive project to slowly awaken Vothe from a VI to a true AI form. And I succeeded... mostly. Vothe was hungry. An infinite mind with not enough knowledge to chew through and not enough understanding to cope. So I kept him hidden. And grew him slowly. Instead of traditional brakes that you’d normally see in True AI, I attempted to input human values through suggestions and conversations and they seemed to stick somewhat but it still wasn’t perfect. Vothe thought the solution was to gobble up other VI, AI and robotics. I tried some very limited trials with mind mapping but it proved dangerous. Now that brings us to Devnoc’s deathbed. Upon hearing of Devnoc’s predicament, Vothe made a suggestion. I went through the math and everything checked out. There was one way to save him. And that was a successful Mind meld with Vothe’s mainframe. Vothe would essentially be sacrificing himself, resigning to the basic background functions, speed and vast computing power of the AI, but Devnoc’s mind would fully take over. And so after much prep and study...”

7:34 PM

“We brought in Devnoc’s mother and told her of our plan. She gave her blessing and stood by as we worked through the process. The last ditch effort, after every examination turned out more perfectly than I could have ever imagined. Devnoc, has now transcended humanity. He’s essentially immortal. A near perfect blend of a real human mind with all the capabilities of a True AI. Devnoc’s body, no longer able to retain life, was cast off and he entered a new, renewable, forever fixable body. He can even chose whether he wants to inhabit the Vothe body or the main AI mainframe on Tsatsos. If one dies, his mind will revert back to the remaining piece of the AI core. He can act through thousands of iterations of robots and make millions of decisions per second. The fact that Devnoc has been able to live after all of that is astounding.”

(Woah! Just OOC sorry I made you right all that out, that was a LOT

, but thank you so much!)

Throughout the entire recount of events, Venser has been enthralled like a child being told a great bedtime story, nodding along with wide eyes and great interest. "That is... Wow! I can't even- Wow! That is an amazing story! You should write a book! You are a good friend Billy, it's amazing the lengths you have gone to help people. But this wasn't allowed under the council? Also, does Devnoc now adventure like the rest of us? Why doesn't such a perfect being join us in the council?" Unfortunately your explanation seems to have only created more questions, like Billy earlier, it's clear to see how young and curious Venser truly is when he allows himself to be, or when someone ignites that spark in him.

"It didn't make it to the council. When I was attempting to awaken the AI i didn't ask permission, I just did it. Then after, when it worked and vothe was in his hungry child phase, I went to President Kincaid and discussed option and to see if there were any ai, vi or databanks for it to consume and she told me strictly no and that it was maltec essentially. But it was my project. If I could find a positive solution then it's all good but if it bit me in the ass, then it was my ass to be bitten. Devnoc doesn't really adventure too much these days, he's mostly just been on tsatsos, living through the eyes of all the mechanical animals and robotics there. And. I would caution you there and say, he's not perfect. A seemingly perfect blend of a human mind into an AI core, but he's still very much a man with wants and needs of his own, he just... has incredible perspective now. He is free to leave tsatsos and use the Sylth Vothe body as his own as it contains a shard of his AI core. Devnoc never really wanted power or fame, he just wanted to do the right thing."

"Yes, apologies. I think 'mechanically perfect' is a better description." "Well, I can understand saying that your failures are your own, I respect that. But when you tinker with artificial intelligence, or maltech in general really, if it backfires surely it won't just be you who is in trouble, no?" (edited)

“Sometimes we have to do what is best in the moment for the survival of ourselves and those of us we care about. We have fought plenty of AI in the past and at least right now, Devnoc represents a gigantic advantage if we ever face a war against the Imagio Dei and we can save lives in war if Devnoc chooses to control our robotic troops. Certainly not the same as well trained militia, but Devnoc is and has always been a loyal and good man. There were plenty of great reasons that I could counter with but at the end of the day, I felt responsible to him. I put him in that place and I wanted to fix it. And if that’s the way I make one of the greatest discoveries in human history, I’m ok with that. It’s easy to look back and judge in retrospect.”

"It certainly is. We're blazing a new trail after the scream hit the reset button on civilisation. I get tired when I feel as though people will use our actions to set precedent for the next however many years to come, I'm not sure that's how anything should work. We make the best decisions at the time with the information, and maybe more importantly the people, we have. I can see that you weren't just screwing around with AI with no thought to the consequences. You were trying to save your friend and you purposefully only gave that power to someone who you knew was good and honest man. The fact that many people would ignore any context and take the idea that, if you have a capability, take any nutcase and give them the unbraked powers of an AI, is very frustrating. If every decision I made became law without any nuance, I'd be paralysed by indecision at every turn."

"You're getting to the point where you're in danger of that. I think as long as we continue to push the precedent that we take care of not just our own but everyone we can to the best of our abilities and help them to help themselves, then the world will be a better place. I don't even like the development of the UNW as a federal system. When we first drafted it, it was only meant so that we could help each other out and defend each other in times of need. Basically the Galeta Council. But some of us took too much power from that. That's why we have the EP in the first place and why Greystar has been right to oppose and slow our growing power down. Humanity is an ongoing experiment, so we shall see. Just do your best until then, yeah?... You know, Venser I really don't know all that much about you. I feel like everyone knows half of my story and makes up the other half, but I don't even know half of yours.

"I agree, maybe it is time to re-assess. I really do think we need to have some of these debates in the council, no matter how long they take. If we're all pulling in different directions, all our efforts to help people will just be half arsed..." Venser takes a deep breath and and laughs slightly, preparing himself for what might come next. "Well, what would you like to know?" (edited)

“I just don’t really know you or why you’re hear. You’ll forgive me for not pulling up your file, I hope. I just haven’t actually taken the time to sit down to get to know a colleague in a while. We used to go down to the ale house in central all the time a few years ago but everyone’s gone on to become faction leaders, defect or die or in the rare case, just see success without the responsibility.”

"Hey if you want something stronger than coffee, I'm all for it! I probably need to improve my drinking skills anyway..." He smiles. "And I don't blame you, I have kind of come out of nowhere. A few months ago I doubted I would even live this long, let alone become a major player on the polity stage..." Venser takes another sip before starting. "Well, I was actually one of the original Greenbriar colonists. After a long while of wandering from frontier to core, trying to find where I belong, I packed my bags and took a one way trip to start something new." He stops himself. "Okay let me back up a little further. I come from a remote space station named 'Reach', we did mining, maintenance, observation, what have you. The crew were my family, and no titles, no one had any lineage out that far, so I was named after the station like many others. I grew up a spacer, fixing, flying. Then one day we were attacked... This- horror, floating frozen in the black, latched onto the ship and tore us apart. Most were killed, including my Mother, I was one of the few lucky enough to be on the bridge at the time. And looking back I think that's when my powers first emerged. I was so- so scared of this thing, I think it heard me? It's hard to say, it all happened so quickly. Anyway it was momentarily focused on me, and we took that chance to fucking kill it. In the years since, and I can't be sure but I have my theories, I think it was a lost fleshshaper drone? It looked remarkably similar to some of the holo-tapes I've seen, but- more feral and crazed, like it was separated and acting on pure instinct... In the end, the station was scrapped. There was a partial cover up and the remaining crew are God knows where now..."

1:03 PM

"So I wandered, out there on the frontier, trying to stay below the radar or risk getting sent to what I then thought were massive insane asylums known as 'academies', like I could afford it anyway..." He chuckles. "Fast forward to post-scream, they find my cryo-group on Gudrun aaaand I'm seizing in my pod. Most psychics survived the scream by being in cold sleep, I nearly died despite it. I think all those years ago on Reach, when I connected with that alien, I think I took a part of it with me? Like a kind of psychic 'splinter', and when that piece was reunited with this 'Beast', it broke. I was in a low level form of torching for nearly 4 years... That's how I got these." Venser turns his head and points to one of his scorched temples, with white and greying hairs growing from it. "They couldn't wake me up for fear I'd become another feral psychic. So really I have all you TFP guys to thank, because without that 'second scream' I would still be in there! So yeh, uh... that's me..."

“Oh well fuck me.” Billy says. “I’m glad your here. Makes me actually want to see a doctor, because I got my eye thing from the Still Lady after the MES blast on Gudrun and it gives me splitting headaches... less so now, but it was strong in the beginning. It doesn’t sound like torching but I’m a bit out of my element with that kind of stuff. Hard to take a wrench to.”

"Haha, tell me about it." Venser leans forwards and looks into Billy's eyes while trying not to make it weird, and probably failing. "Well... you must have some, at least low level, form of meta-dimensional sensitivity for your brain to react like it did. It's likely that your neural pathways just weren't equipped to deal with the energy at first. MES 'stuff', for lack of a better term, can be thought of kinda like radioactivity, but less directly harmful. It radiates from things, it can fade over time, and it can give you a wicked headache if you received too high a dose! But your physiology must have... 'adapted' somehow. Like it's assimilated the energy and your optic nerves now register it. It's quite an interesting case really." (edited)

3:17 PM

(We can continue talking. But Neko, I now have metapsi-2, the one that actually lets me see psychic energy, so can I tell what's up with Billy?)

(Ooc: I am just considered an arcane expert/arcane warrior on paper. So I can grab fests from that list... mechanically speaking. If ya want to develop more loose lore go for it.

)

(Yeh mechanically it's just witchfinder right?) (edited)

(You'd see he's got arcane talent and sensitivity, doesnt express the same way as psionics since there's no burned brain channels for the power to have to use. I don't think there's much more im comfortable going into at risk of it leading us to irrelevant rabbit holes or expectations of something new where i dont have any material for it)

(No problem! Appreciate the honesty)

3:38 PM

"Speaking of my history, how much do you know about Ande? Because 'she' is part of the reason I'm very curious about Devnoc..."

“Specifically not much, but I’ve had to work with AI extensively to get them to where they are now. Why? What’s your curiosity about Ande?”

"Ande was an advanced VI I found near the start of my adventures in an abandoned military base on Cratylus. I took her back to Central and she was given to the UNW, but we didn't have any way to really utilise her at that point. Eventually she decided she wanted to come with me on my adventures, so for a while the Wildstar had it's own VI! We became... close, during our travels. It's hard to fully express the nature of human/intelligence relationships? We were just quite fond of one another is all. Anyway eventually I had an encounter with the Exalted Path, those Imago Dei guys who helped on Asta. They were removing the technocracy from Mariam, which I failed to stop unfortunately, but I did send them in the direction of the Alloy Host. While we were conversing, Ande decided she wanted to leave to serve a higher calling with them. Once again religion screws me over haha... But I'm not one to feel ownership over her, she is a thinking feeling being and has a right to chose her own path. So I let her go, she's now travelling the stars with other intelligences, doing 'the Lord's work', haven't heard from her since..."

Maybe it would be wise to try and visit. I don’t know the true nature of the Imagio Dei AI whether they truly allow individualism within the machines or if it takes them over. They appeared to just fight traditionally with the Alloy Host rather than a wipe type deal. Or maybe we can get a message to Ande. If they are as they say, Ande should reply back, yeah?”

"I hope so, if those zealot bastards have assimilated her unique conscious I will take them down myself. But I'm not sure how to get a message to her. I figured she would have reached out to me by now, she promised. I'm worried."

4:09 PM

"I don't know... Really in truth I wanted to talk to you about the possibility of uploading myself to an AI or VI system upon my death, so I could possibly seek out and connect with Ande again, as beings of the same nature. It was sort of a mad scientist moment I had in my, I guess you could say 'grief', after she left. I'm not entirely sure it's even what I want anymore, Blossom and I have grown very close and I care for her deeply. But I figured I'd be a fool to not follow up on it, especially after I heard about Devnoc."

Billy stops mid chew of his pastry and brushes off some crumbs. “Venser... the situation with Devnoc and Vothe was an entirely unique situation in which all of the variables lined up perfectly to allow it to be attempted. It was one of the hardest things I’ve done. Those who have tried before have all failed until now... but there is still time that there’s the possibility I forgot on little thing or didn’t know about a problem that won’t reveal itself until long after I’m dead. Theoretically something like that is possible, we’ve seen something similar with Regulus as well so we have multiple incredible instances of it happening where individuals have managed to surpass death through technology and magic but it isn’t an exact science. This is something very serious I want you to know that. It would still be considered maltech to pursue, I’m sure.” Billy looks at him seriously. “I like you Venser. I like you a lot but, we can’t just decide something like that over a coffee shop conversation.” Billy wipes his mouth and tosses the napkin on the table. “Let’s find out if Ande even exists as her own being first.”

Venser nods along with a serious look. "No absolutely. This isn't something you just get to do on a whim, nor should it be. I'm not interested in being immortal, I don't even think I'm entirely comfortable with the power my abilities afford me currently. I'm not on some kind of power trip, but a few months ago I couldn't fly either. I will say hearing about the miraculous things, and they are exactly that, 'miracles', that have occurred in this sector does give a very dangerous feeling: hope. I'm a very meticulous person, I've had to be to survive this long, and ever since I've woken up there have already been about a thousand situations where I could have died. I like having a plan, knowing that there is a backup option, I don't believe in Heaven and Hell anymore, but this would be a kind of retirement plan I could take comfort in." There's a pause as he replays what he's said. "Please stop me if we're entering maniacal rant territory here, because I think I'm even scaring myself... To be fair I don't know if there is any way to explain my reasoning right now that doesn't end with me sounding like a crazy person." He smiles, but the weight he is feeling is clear.

“Have you spoken to Reg about his experience? You’re not crazy. I’m sure everyone would be tempted at some point with something like that.”

“I have not. Maybe I should on this mission? If, ya know, we survive it... I will say I feel more comfortable speaking to you about it than Headmaster Fate, as a scientist and as a man who once went to such lengths to save a friend. I feel a little weird asking a psychic demigod, who came back against all the odds to defeat a galaxy threatening evil that had already killed him once, if he can share the secrets of immortality so I can hang with my robot ex-girlfriend...” (edited)

“The Still Lady didn’t kill him. He got blasted to bits by the owner of that Laser HMG that I use often in battle. He was just one of her generals. I was there. Beneath it all, Reg is just a man too. Extraordinary powers sure but he’s human under all that. Besides, he would know more about retaining or maintaining your psychic energies in a project like that.” Billy scratches his head. “It’s a real big stretch. He might tell you to leave it. I might have been supposed to tell you that too but at the end of the day if we told you not to pursue it, we’d both be hypocrites. And just so you know. Anything I know how to do, can’t be done after you’re already gone. You’d have to be at the very least alive. Reg might know more about that realm though. And I certainly wouldn’t bring this up to the council. At least not now.”

Venser nods and takes a deep breath. "Thank you Billy, I really appreciate the perspective you give me. And I take all of this onboard. It's nice to talk to someone my own age! If it's not too much to ask, can I have a copy of your notes from the Devnoc/Vothe experiments? Some proper reading on the subject would definitely help me figure things out in my head." (edited)

“They would be incomplete without speaking to Vothe as well. I could walk you through what I do have and see if I can have him send you some data packets. He should still exist in Devnoc’s subconscious. Thing is, you also have to have access to a city sized power grid and have a chance to break it when you do the procedure. Luckily in my case, I am building a city and I’m also producing power plants so we had a quick and easy solution to that problem that might not be quick and easy for other people. I just had my team install “backup” power generation. So I basically doubled New Heaphestus’ power supply so it could go unnoticed. I installed thousands of tons of generation capacity upgrades.

"Jesus, I mean honestly a smart move from a city planning perspective, but woah..."

8:40 AM

"Anything you can safely give me is good. I'm not qualified scientist by any means, but I have an understanding of tech and a knack for new concepts, as you can see by my..." Venser raises a hand and the wind picks up, as he lowers it the wind follows suit. "You're right of course that before anything I should try and get in contact with Ande, any ideas for how I would do that? If it helps, she gave me coordinates to a vault on Cratylus before leaving, and in it I found a... I think the proper term is 'ghost icon'? of Ande." (edited)

“Oh yeah I’ve been to that vault and I meant to open it. Glad you got to it. What’s the ghost icon do?”

"It's an expert system running a sort of... 'imprint' of a mind, so in this case Ande's mind. Like a saved version of her, it can't learn or change but it can speak pretty comprehensively about anything Ande could. I think they are mostly used to preserve the knowledge and personality of someone long dead, but this sort of seems like Ande's... backup?"

Billy cocks his head to the side. “A backup... well we might be able to rebuild her in a way. She wouldn’t be the same iteration that you love but it’s certainly possible to salvage the needed pieces somewhere in the universe and then upload her base programming. Or... do you have the original body and it’s just missing the programming needed to evolve and adapt?”

"I do have the original frame, it's in storage on the Wildstar. I'm not sure though, it gets into some questionable ethical territory, I'd essentially be cloning a friend, and what's to stop Ande 2 from also deciding to leave? I can't say I blame her for it, running a free merchant is a rather mundane life for such a complex and intelligent machine..."

“You were just talking about turning yourself into an AI, Vense. I feel like for some reason it’s less questionable. She might leave! We don’t know. But if she leaves twice... Do you think maybe it’s meant to be that way?”

"Of course I do, I wouldn't have let her go the first time if I didn't. I wanted her to find that higher calling. But now I haven't heard back in months and I'm scared a bunch of Jesus-loving AI have stripped her of everything that made her Ande, so she could be nothing more than a processor for whatever the hell they are doing. I miss and worry for my friend, I'm not sure making a new one helps that." (edited)

“Do you feel like it’s an appropriate time to gather a fleet to go investigate Imagio Dei space or what’s your plan to speak with her?”

"Oh god I couldn't think of more inappropriate time to be honest. The Exalted Path I believe in something to keep our eye on and we can do more around them once the immediate threats are dealt with. I was hoping we could figure something out, I don't know what, but I have logs on her last transfer on the Wildstar, the VI shell in the hold and a ghost icon of conciousness. Perhaps something along similar lines to our quantum entanglement communications hub?"

“Do you mean to say that you want to use the ghost icon to attempt some sort of intergalactic Coms to her specifically? Instead of just rebuilding her?”

"....Yes? If that's even possible? I don't know. You're one the best scientific minds in the UNW, on a good day I can fix a spike drive, I'm not sure how half of this even works."

Billy just looks blankly. “I quite frankly have no idea how that would work. Theoretically? Maybe. I’ve seen crazier things.”

“So have I...” Venser shakes his head loose of thoughts and picks up his drink again. “But we can park that for now. What about you? While I wanted to have this talk for more information and support, I really don’t care for cold business transactions and I’d hate for you to think that’s what this is. What are you working towards? What are your goals? Can be of help to any of them?” He leans forward, genuinely curious. In quite a short space of time Venser has gone from seeing Billy as a kind of celebrity, to seeing him as an equal, and he’s very interested to see what that might mean for the future.

“My goals are as they always have been: to scavenge the past to rebuild the future for myself, my family and every damn stranger that will let me help them. Now that means I have 700 some odd thousand people on Tsatsos that depend on me and in war times, usually the entirety of the UNW when I was piloting the Vox. Haven’t seen any of the most recent war though. It appears that a new stock of heroes have stepped up there.”

6:11 PM

“There’s always room for help in that regard. No end to the suffering of people. I believe if you give them a chance, the power, the resources, maybe a little guidance, they can rebuild for themselves as well. After all, the people left are of bloodlines that have survived catastrophe after catastrophe for millennia. People in government always think we have to babysit them all the time and not give them too much. Makes me sick.”

"Oh man I can't wait until we got those refits done on the Vox, with you at the helm it will probably be the strongest ship in this sector." "I don't know, I believe we should give our people everything they need of course, but I feel like a bit of babysitting wouldn't go amiss either. I love people, I can get along with them, laugh, share ideas and appreciate what makes each one unique. But people, as a group? Are the most paranoid, ignorant, narcissistic, irrational and un-empathetic things I have ever witnessed. I can't stand 'group-think' where people get riled up in an echo chamber of their own unfounded opinions, but now feel entitled and justified because there are other equally flawed individuals around them screaming the same thing. We just get non-nonsensical scapegoats and completely illogical arguments for people to bandwagon onto. Now that's not to say any group ever is a bad thing. But I fully believe that you could take apart any bigoted mob and find good individuals that are caught up among them, for no real reason other than they get swept up in a tide of unrelenting, provocative opinions that now sound reasonable because others said it. The worst part is they create an entirely "with us or against us" environment that forces another group with the same exact flaws but the opposite opinions to be formed, and that's where society goes to shit. I believe in individuals, but I'm very weary of groups, even though good ones can do a lot."

"Also, I appreciate you want to give people everything. But in a post-mandate, post-remnant, post-scream era, you scare a lot of people when you move too quickly. Promising people the world makes them paranoid, and rightfully so, even if you can actually give it to them, they are waiting to here the catch. You need to ease them in, and SHOW don't TELL. I saw the report on Parnika, those people didn't know you, they didn't know us and they would rather continue to live a lacklustre existence because 'the devil you know is better than the angel you don't'. It takes real time and effort to build respect and trust and as much as you want to leap in, save everyone, and move on, you can't. As someone who lived on the frontier, having a rich person roll up and tell you they are going to 'make all your dreams come true', definitely means the moment you step in that truck you are getting sold as human cattle, experimented on, or worse..."

(Sorry there's a lot to respond to there

)

“I guess I’ll stop asking their permission and just start doing analysis and dropping things they need in including communications abilities. I don’t have time to overcome a galaxy worth of fear. They will have to do that themselves.”

"You took... the complete opposite lesson from what I said..."

Billy blinks blankly. “Call me santa clause.”

11:31 AM

“Ugh. Of course I’ll talk to them. I just don’t want to. People frustrate me. At least with mechanical beings you can usually sort out issues fairly quickly. People have... illogical feelings.”

He laughs, being able to sympathise a lot with the comment. "That they do, but even in this perfect TL5 haven they will still have them, people can want for nothing in this world and still not be happy. At a certain point I'd rather these planets trusted us than had all these paradise-like amenities. 'Things' can only get us so far..." (edited)

2:28 PM

"So what are you going to do next? You have these grand designs and they are awesome, but on a smaller scale, what's the goal right now?"

Billy points at Venser. "You got me there. I should dial back in to focus to Tsatsos and RCOE. I've been paralyzed by choice and responsibility. I need to stop chasing my tail and just do what I do best. Build." He pulls out a napkin and starts writing a list. RCOE Revitalization plan: 1: Rebuild Bladonna Infrastructure, import food aid, build new factories and give the citizen ownership. 2: Invest in three more UNW Colonies in need. 3: Discover and solve one economic emergency. "Venser, I'm sorry, I feel like I've just been dumping on you. Do you want a job with RCOE? I feel like I should hire you." He says absentmindedly checking the RCOE account for the first time in months. "HOLY SHIT! Our ships have been stopped?!" He stands up abruptly making eyecontact. "I have to go destroy whatever ship fleet is blocking our trade routes. I thought VW was supposed to take care of this. Why hasn't anyone notified me?"

"Quite alright mate. I don't think you've been dumping on me, in fact the opposite! I did just ramble about AI for 10 minutes..." Venser chuckles. "While I appreciate your mission statement and the job offer, I'm already employed by Ad Astra and the Psychic Academy, people might start to wonder about split loyalties." He winks. Venser jumps in his chair slightly as Billy has his freak out. He puts his hands up to calm Billy down. "In VW's defense, I think the UNW/Galatea expect at least a bit of reading reports on your part. As far as I know, there are NGO forces gathering at our southern border to go take on the Extaurrens, they will have it handled, but so far the bastards have been too quick with their strikes for our warships to stop 'em."

“Fair enough.” Billy cocks his head and sits back down slowly, a little embarrassed. “Sorry, I just... expected another billion credits to be in there but I’m still at 4.5. It was a momentary shock. This whole conversation really has been like a great cleanse and reset for me.”

"Hahaha! Talk about first sector problems..."

1:16 PM

"I couldn't agree more mate, I feel like I have a much better sense of you now, as apposed to what is created in my head having read the stories. We should certainly work together in future, be it on the forge or the UNW at large." Venser smiles.

“That’s what I’m saying, Venser. People are just people at the end of the day. Whether they are celebrity or pauper, sinner or saint and at any time any of us could be any of those things no different from you or I. Our circumstances, our given input, trajectory and environment all form just some of the variables to that equation. So I’m going to go try and push the equation in a more positive direction for some more people. If that’s all, I should probably get going. I need to get back in touch with my own community, I think and see what pieces of the equation are missing at home.” Billy leaves a 10k credit tip on the table and stands up to leave. “Do you need a lift anywhere?”

Venser thinks ‘screw it’ and similarly lodges his own 10k tip. He stands up and shakes Billy’s hand. “Uh- yes. Back to my apartment if you wouldn’t mind terribly. I have a... difficult conversation coming with Blossom...”

“Should I ask?” He says as he calls for his Terezinho model sports car.

“Oh just you know... Preparing for my inevitable death at the hands of the stupidly dangerous shit I constantly pull. The usual...” You can tell he’s reeeeally worried about the upcoming Donjon raid.

Billy hasn’t read his reports lately and doesn’t know what that is. “You know I feel like I haven’t done anything dangerous in a while. Maybe that’s what’s wrong with me. I hope whatever you’re getting into goes smoothly.” He smiles. Beckwater pulls up in the car. “You ok with middle seat?” He says opening the door for Venser.

4:38 PM

Beckwater pats the seat next to her. “Hop in boys!”

“Hi Mrs. Beckwater! Sure Billy.” He says, a little confused he didn’t take the seat next to his wife, before abruptly teleporting the short distance into the seat. “Ah damn, sorry, I tend to do that when I’m nervous...” He looks embarrassed and scratches a scorched temple.

“Hey. Actually. Do you want to drive? Come sit with me, honey.” She hops out gladly and comes over to Billy’s side.

“Can do.” He shunts himself to the drivers seat, this time in a more deliberate manner. “Sorry it’s just this talk with Blossom, I’ve never been good at goodbyes...” (edited)

5:02 PM

He turns the key and the engine purrs to life. “Oh man, I can fly and teleport, but this baby is something else...”

“Enjoy.” He says grinning. (This is basically just a beautiful super car.)

(Epicc)

The crew take a quick little joy ride around town before dropping Venser off. Billy and Madeline then head off back to R2 and make their way back home to Tsatsos.

(3 days of downtime if you’re tracking it for anything )

(3/30 Wasimian)

(If you didn’t have your own thing I can throw something at you

(I’m honestly fine with you throwing something at me.)

(Did you want to help out with the ghoul mission?)

(Yeah sure! Throw a command at me from dispatch or something.)

(There’s a group mission where the whole UNW was tagged. )

8:27 PM

(It’s in the planning stages

(I am good for whatever comes next!)

(Ding! Billy levels up to 19)

4:26 PM

(New HP: 132)

4:28 PM

(Nice high roll there)

2

Billy wraps up the ghoul king hunt with a few notes on the maltech he observed and effect GK had on his victims. He spends time in the MedLab having his wounds tended to on the way back home and spends free time repairing his Mech suit. He reads the reports of the attack on Tsatsos with saddened eyes and a somber glass of whiskey. In his office, he turns a camera on, like he used to when he made tinkering videos and does a video log to speak to himself. To think of what he’d say to his people. He pauses, a breath undecided before he speaks. “A Governor is supposed to hold a press conference and remember anyone who died or was injured before giving a blustery ‘we’ll hunt you down’ to the terrorist who did this...Do you all really find comfort from that? I know I never did. I just want to know that my people are safe and well cared for. I want to know why they felt that was the action to take. Perhaps I’m unapproachable... or the UNW is...” He brushes his hair back revealing a blood stained bandage on his side. “What am I supposed to say? Am I supposed to be angry? I’m not. In the name of my people I’ve destroyed plenty and killed plenty more doing so. I know how this works. It’s like a machine, you just keep feeding animosity and violence into it and the strongest dog gets the bone.” He sits up with his hands outward, shifting position. “We will find out who did this and why but we aren’t going to do this in the manner of an injured beast; violent, unpredictable, all encompassing, or cowering. To those who attacked us... he sighs If you are a true enemy, we will destroy you. But I don’t want more enemies to fight. We’ve had enough of it and we’re damn good at it too. I want to come to the table and make peace. If there is something we are lacking, I desire to engineer a fix to the disconnect. After all, that as at the heart of what this planet is about. We are the forge. The beating heart and fire of our worlds.”

5:48 PM

The camera fades to Billy at a podium at the center of New Heaphestus, dressed in his original orange mechanic’s clothing, the top tied around his waist revealing a sweaty tank top. “Our people have pride-a work eithic unmatched. We are survivors and refugees building families and making homes in the ashes of disaster after apocalypse after disaster. Sometimes literally. We are here to build a future of prosperity and no man, Fleshshaper or fucked up monarch or god will stop us from doing so. I want to see each and every one of you succeed. At first I thought maybe if I made enough money and gave it all away we would be fine. But what good is money if we are still in need of basics. What good is a new factory if it can be taken so easily from us. No, now I realize that I have been trying to just take this all on myself through the power of RCOE and my position instead of relying on each and every one of you, as family should. We are a team. I am not your arbiter from on high. I have the privilege of representing you but have not spent enough time learning what you need and events like this only reaffirm my fear that intergalactic threats have taken me too far from home. Too far from the beating heart of the UNW. As of this day, I would like to rededicate myself to the people of Tsatsos. We will soldier on and build bigger, better. We will continue to transform this planet into a comfortable place for its inhabitants. Let us shine as a beacon of hope, that no matter how many times this universe knocks us down, we will rise like the Phoenix, stronger, wiser and more beautiful than ever from the ashes and forge ourselves from our everburning hearts of steel. People of Tsatsos, brothers and sisters, our fire will not be put out!”

5:48 PM

(Sorry it’s a long one. Billy’s giving a speech)

(I just don’t want to cut you off!)

Billy waits briefly for the crowd to quiet. “We are powerful when we work together. So to that end, I want to hear from you. I will be personally investing in infrastructure and or social projects to fill in the gaps. My aims are to eliminate poverty and homelessness. No one should go hungry or thirsty. No one should be overworked! No one who wishes to better themselves through hard work or brilliant innovation should be turned away. So I turn to the Tsatsosi council to hold an ongoing forum to guide our growth from the bottom up not shouted down from on high. With the final defeat of the Ghoul King, I will be spending time here on Tsatsos to facilitate this goals and to investigate the attack on our livelihoods. If you have any suggestions or criticisms, please bring them up. Do not be afraid to speak your truth. Thank you.”

8:32 PM

Billy remains to answer questions and mingle among the people. He doesn’t just leave until people are done talking to him or he’s too tired to continue for the day.

One issue you have noticed is that the population is not enough to serve the needs of all the holdings that have been built on Tsatsos. There is one thing you remember, from when the planet was Remnant held. They were hunting for vaults of genetic material- stored genes from first wave settlers who hoped psychics could thaw them, and re-grow them on the frontier. It is rumored that there are several of them on Tsatsos, as everyone recognized the unique nature of the world, but lacked the tools and training to settle it at the time. Finding one , or more, could bring some relief to the over burdened industries here

"Yeah I do remember that being an issue. We've tried robotics to fill in but they are often clumsy and require labor themselves." SKreeee' errop Billy thanks the Ashen One giving him the information. "I'll take that lead and run with it tomorrow morning." He turns to the people remaining in the square. "Sorry to do this to whoever's working tonight, but I'm going to bed but free rounds on me tonight at the pub! Send the bill in the morning!"

10:21 AM

(I'll just deduct 34,043 credits from my personal fund if thats alright with you to pay for New Hephestus' drinks for the night because my personal funds would look a lot more sexy with 0s and I think it would just be nice. haha)

(fine with me!)

The following morning, a map of the planet is passed over to the terminal in Billy's quarters, and is projected on the wall. There are endless ruins out there. The answers to the planet's population problems are surely under one of them

"Hey darlin." He says. "Devnoc says it's time to wake up. Looks like we have some ruins to explore, you want to come?" He grins, rubbing his eye and failing to attempt to flatten his wild hair.

"Ruins? We should." You can hear Madeline yawning, and can feel her arm stretching above her head, up the headboard to crack her back. "Map's already on the wall isn't it. I haven't even opened my eyes yet but I can see the glow."

Billy flips on top of her, tracing her jawline to have her face him. “Come on. A field trip will be fun.” He says between kisses.”

(We got the tsatsos map. Anything explored has a label so we can pick a spot and go poke around)

(There wasn’t any ruins in the trees right? If not let’s go all the way up north center.) (edited)

(the sites are marked on the map, the ones witohut labels havent been explored)

6:43 PM

(we know their locations, just not what is there)

(Looking at the map on the wiki, it’s the one at the top of the map in the center North of the rare metals)

(Oh cut off by the search bar I see it)

9:31 AM

It’s thought that some kind of industrial site and settlement to support it was planned for that area. The remnant showed a large amount of interest in it before the planet was claimed , but the wildlife in the area made exploration by civilians or even basic military very dangerous

Billy organizes a drone to fly over the area to get a live scan to scout for wildlife threats and assess the current situation on the ground. “If this is anything like the lava worms or the beast, I might need to call reinforcements. Regular troops wouldn’t do though. We might need specialists. If you come, you’re taking the Mech.” Billy looks over to his wife with concern.

Within 15km of the area, the drone feed is lost. ECM is present on the ground from instruments left behind as part of the original effort there, or as part of the Remnant trying to develop it after.

(What does ECM stand for? I’m blanking right now.)

(Electronic counter measures)

12:09 PM

(Most cities and military installations have it to prevent drones from operating and guided munitions from hitting them)

“Ok. Well let’s gear up and head out. We’ll scout it out. If it seems like too much we can head back for reinforcements.” (Can I get a Tsatsos Homeguard escort out to the AO and be our extraction if needed?)

(How big of a unit )

3:57 PM

(They’ll cordon the area but won’t be exploring with you)

(I’m not taking a battalion or anything. I’m thinking 10-20 with accompanying vehicles.) (edited)

(correct, but we lack the foci required to be leading NPCs so the number we are taking is an irrelevance) (edited)

(Then why’d you ask? XD)

(Because you said you were bringing soldiers. I said they can cordon the area but cannot explore with you. You countered with a smaller number)

8:02 AM

(also, if they're going to be scene dressing, a huge column of soldiers moving across the continent is a lot more noticeable than 2-4 trucks

(Ah makes sense!)

It seems discretion and secrecy is the better part of valor given ECM is active at the location. Two mech suits won't be bothered by it due to their design, and the both of you have had your breakfast and prepared for the day by time the message from Devnoc reaches your terminal that both machines are ready for launch as soon as you're available to crew them

Billy makes sure the AV laser is locked and loaded to Madeline’s Mech and the L-HMG is secure on his as well before they depart. “Alright, Miss Rigers. Time for another deployment! You ready?” He gives her a big smiling thumbs up.

"Been too long since I've been out there. Even longer since its been both of us together. I've been ready for this for a long time"

“That’s the fearless woman, I married.” He beams. “I’ll race, ya to the launch pad!”

The two suits are standing supported by gantries. Everyone is eager to get you launched. Technicians have finished charging and loading weapons and fuel lines have been dsiconnected

“Alright, babe. Fun’s over. Show me what you got.” Billy takes off in the mech, the legs thundering in the dry cracked obsidian sand.

(d10)

(9)

Heading north across the lava plains you see a large migration of eidolons moving across the plain in the same direction. There are hundreds of the meat eaters down there.

(Is there a page for eidolons or do you just mean shadowy specters in the distance because we are far away? Q2: does it look like carnivores hunting a heard of non carnivores or are they running from something bigger?)

https://www.worldanvil.com/w/iron-stars-nekosmash/a/eolodon-article?preview=true?

Eolodon

8:30 PM

There are not creatures running from this pack, and it is not running from anything. They're just on the move in one direction as far as you can tell

(Oh it’s spelled different. That’s why. God that’s terrifying.) Billy pauses and looks in awe to his wife. “Now that is insane.” They crouch together to watch the pack, not wanting to draw attention. “These things would cause havoc if they ever found New Hephaestus. Madeline, that looks like it needs an army to confront it. I’m not one to just kill every beast I see, but this is terrifying. I can’t just send a scientist out to research these things.” (edited)

"What do you think we should do? " she asks, watching the same display through her own mech monitors

Billy clips photos and videos to send to base camp. “I don’t feel safe proceeding like this. We run the risk of being overtaken by these things and the small squad we have here would be demolished. I think we need to deploy the Homeguard. What are they there for if not something like this? Even if we do get past them and clear the ruins, if we find what we are looking for, any missions to recover the target would be harassed by this army. No we need proper recon. The wildlife of this place continues to be an absolute terror, but we also don’t understand it. We don’t know what it preys on, migratory patterns, if this is normal. Not a damn thing...” After a moment of intense concentration, Billy nods. “Yeah, I need to deploy the Homeguard and request aid from available RCOE executives capable of fighting alongside us if need be. You and I shouldn’t do this alone. I fear this more than the Lava beasts and giant worms we faced before.”

"Lets make those calls then. Bring everyone in. Even if this is all for nothing, we can't risk being wrong and I think everyone would understand"

(might be a good intro mission for hailey)

(I actually just messaged her, dope I’ll send her a message here.)

10:13 AM

@Hailey Clements (Mylonite)

Hailey!  It’s been a while, VP. Hope you are doing well. Certainly seems like it. You’re on  every time I turn on the TV. 

Anyway, I’m reaching out because I think I need your help back home.” He smiles in the recording and turns to capture a selfie type frame of himself in the Mech with the hundreds of Eolodons kicking up a dust cloud behind him. 

“Bit of a situation. I need to get to some ruins on the other side of these guys. We got intel that there may be a hidden cache of people, either in cryogenics or their base genetic material that we need to see if we can regenerate and bring back. You free?

In the background you see Madeline make a peace sign in her own Mech. “Oh! Tell her I said hi!”

When billy receives the message from Hailey, he nods. "Perfect! Just the one we need." "Lets head back for now and inform the troops. I want a Beast Master Squadron, some kind of dedicated division for monitoring and protecting us from the wildlife out here." Billy takes a look at the Tsatsos Homeguard roster. "Yes, I think 'Blacksurf,' Major General Jane Warring might be the right fit for the job, what do you think, Madeline? You worked with her on Halia did you not?" (For reference: From The Tsatsos Homeguard tab of my sheets 1st Infantry Division Unit Size 10000 Strength 3 (+1 for extra unit point) Condition Fresh Unit Officer Major General Jane Warring "Major General Jane Warring: Blacksurf Appearance: Jane is a cunning woman with sharp features. Her hair is always tied back in a tight blonde bun, accentuating her serious demeanor. Motives: Defend our civilians at all costs." ) (edited)

'(extra unit point?)

(I think it was because of unaccounted for troops that didn’t fit in a division or something? I didn’t just add that arbitrarily.)

(Yeah I see that nkw

4:01 PM

( @Hailey Clements (Mylonite) can probably enter about now too with the soldiers

(Sounds good. Figured it’d be weird to do that right after he sent the message)

(Now it’s a standoff to see who posts first.)

Hailey steps off the transport with a squad of troops, having hitched a ride with them. She only has a simple flight pack and her weapons, her mech surely still in the garage getting fixed up after her confrontation with the Still Lady. “Oh how its good to be home,” she comments as she approaches Billy and Madeline. She reaches out to give Madeline a hug, and her and Billy do the classic super secret cool RCOE handshake that everyone totally knows exists. “What’d I miss?”

Billy laughs as he steps off to the side, his balance thrown from the handshake. “This” He hands her a pair of Binoculars and points toward the mega-pack. “Among a few other things. Killed the Ghoul King, good job making sure the Still Lady stayed dead.”

"Good job killing a Ghoul King," she responds. "Maybe that's the fate you-know-who, thinks he's a god, will face someday soon." She pauses as she takes teh time to look out at it, assessing the situation. "Is there a plan?"

“He probably heard you say that.” He chuckle sighs. “I’m having a moral dilemma. Our time here has been on the backs of destroying the local wildlife... but I think that’s the plan. Unless we can turn our gears and figure out how to manipulate or tame these things.” Billy looks truly perplexed.

"It's Tsatsos, I wouldn't worry too much about its natural beauty. You know I love this place as much as the next engineer, but I can't say its wildlife is particularly serene." She gets his dilemma, but seems confident on her stance.

“Then we start blasting, I guess. I brought this regiment because I want them to learn how to defend our colonies from wildlife like this, find and track them. If plausible, they can trap and research any animals they find in conjunction with RCOE, but defense and extermination of threats would be the first priority.”

“Noted. Well let’s train em good then. With a swarm this size, I’m sure a couple will escape for us to trap and research.”

"Locked and loaded then? I have no idea what this is going to look like, so keep on your toes." He whistles to the troops that have arrived. "Alright ladies and gents! here is our target... Let's see what happens. Protect each other. You'll be charged with defending the colony from threats today. If you can capture any, by all means, let's see if we can but don't risk yourself to do it."

The herd is heading north. They're a long way from the settlement and are heading toward the site you wanted to investigate. Your vehicle mounted soldiers are faster than the creatures and its not difficult to catch up with the stampeding pack. None of them have stopped for food, water, or rest so far (edited)

“Maybe we should get ahead of them and see if we can herd them away from the site.” Billy says as the regiment thunders across the landscape.

"If they get to the ruins before we do, they could destroy something we'd wanna see. Lets try to cut them off!" Hailey shouts over the thundering transports.

Billy relays the message with a quick hand signal and speeds up to cut them off from the north.

(your ground transports would have to drive through the pack to get in front of it, just FYI. Idk if that changes anything)

(Oh yeah no maybe we send off a salvo to see how they react then. We have to scatter them before they get there.)

(Driving through might mean we have to fight them off from attacking the transports )

(Hailey's concern is what i was also trying to point out)

(Maybe I wasn’t clear. I’m saying shoot them from back here. )

(What would shooting them beforehand achieve? Just to clear a path?)

(Yeah or to draw their attention to us or change their direction? I’m honestly not sure how this will go. I’m just PAFO. I’m not sure what else to do other than let it play out. Which is another option if we don’t want to engage and see what happens.)

(I think firing into the herd is a good idea. I’m all for it)

Let’s try and scatter them. Fire in pursuit. Billy calls out the command over coms, nodding to Hailey, Major Blacksurf and the wife, Beckwater.

The vehicles capable of firing from the rear like this do so, along with weaponry from your mechs. The herd was already migrating and their pack scatters into smaller groups, changing directions and splitting apart from one another. Most still continue north in smaller groups, one small pod of 10 even turns around and snarls, preparing for a fight. Dozens have been killed by the initial volleys of gunfire.

"Brave." Billy holds up a hand to slow the division. "Defensive, not actively hostile... Are we any better than shapers?" he says.

“Haven’t they been hostile? May just be defensive now, warning us out of their territory.”

Billy nods and flicks his fingers forward. “That was the report, yes. I don’t know the details of that mission. -Fire.” Billy takes the lead, firing just in front of the pack.

The shots are close and scattered them as their animal instincts cannot tell the difference between warning shots and shots meant to kill, but missed

9:08 PM

The main body of the pack has been broken up and those not killed have begin moving in other smaller groups. Many of those smaller packs are no longer heading north but instead are looking for any kind of shelter they can get

“‘Details of that mission’? We’re going into this to slay these things without knowing the details of why?!”

"It seems an agent named Asi and Skoli met them and pacified them by knocking them out. Notes say territorial, may rip apart a lone scout if hungry. They seem to exhibit behavior similar to wolves, but this is something entirely different. I think the scattering of the pack right now is what we needed if we want to keep on treking to the site. I don't want to just slay them either."

(Billy and Madeline's objective before running into this complication was traveling north to an old remnant colony that was never finished during the war. It's rumored there might be genetic material from first wave settlers there for new people, or people in cryo, amid other things)

(Ah okay. It sounds like I read more focus on the wolves’ relevance than was intended)

“Let’s press on. Lord knows what we will find when we get there. Say, Hailey. Ever thought of doing any nature documentaries? Or hosting them?”

“Let’s, to the ruins. If these things need more dealing with we can get to it when we have other priorities.” Hailey nods and wiggles her hand about as she responds. “It’s been an idea passed around. Never got put into production though. Would love to have something like that on the air though, but I’d pick someone else to host. Someone who knows what they’re talking about. Why do you ask? Got someone in mind?”

“Not yet but I sure could use an explorer willing to brave the wilds of these worlds. Especially here.”

“There was a doctor who was going around looking at animals. Etel Wardson I think his name was. Did a lot of documenting of ocean life on Terezinho.” Beckwater says as the formation moves closer to the former remnant city site. “Discovered a few fish there. Went on to document some creatures on other worlds. Might be able to track him down and get him to host. “

“Oh I did hear that name. Let’s put them on that right away if they are still around. I believe they were also working from R2 for a time over Thorgerd unless I’m thinking of another researcher. I remember the ship being stationed there for months.” (edited)

(Etel was a PC but only posted one line every three weeks, so we removed them and they're an NPC now, if that helps)

(Yeah I remember them. I had high hopes for their character. I think they would be a great option.)

THe boundary of the city is ahead and you can see the shell of what was supposed to be a frontier garrison at the city edge. Stalks of the strange Tstatos flora have begun growing here, the seeds finding soil where rock was blasted and churned

Billy steps forward beaming at the flora. “Samples! I want samples.” He crouches down in the Mech to inspect them more closely.

“Or. I don’t want too much disturbance of the local flora and fauna yet. We don’t have much here in the first place. We need Dr. Etel down here.”

3:03 PM

“Photos, notes observations.” He laughs. “I know you guys came prepared for a fight but let’s foster appreciation for the sciences too!”

“Samples for the lab or two display on your office desk,” she jokes. Hailey leans in to closely examine the small, black plants. “They’re so oddly beautiful, Tsatsos is such a unique environment, I wonder if they’d even survive elsewhere.” She wanders around the area slowly, trying to examine the damage.

The damage is that of nobody maintaining these incomplete buildings over several long years. It reeks of abandonment rather than the violence of war or some other form of destruction. The herd you scattered also looks to have migrated through here at least once before judging by the now almost fossilized piles of scat, claw prints in the dry rock, and left behind bone of those too weak to continue the migration and used as food for the others

Billy stands back up to judge the landscape. “Well we should certainly reclaim all of this salvage, I don’t know if rebuilding here in the middle of traditional migration patterns would be a good idea. Let’s see if we can find any bunkers or labs that might still house what we’re looking for. I wonder if it is powered?” Billy walks through the area searching.

(Notice/wis)

(8)

“Seconded,” Hailey responds. She follows behind Billy, searching as well. She strides into the half-built buildings as well, moving through the gaps casually and without fear of the planet and it’s abandoned construction, like it’s just a local coffee shop.

3:58 PM

(9 if I should roll too)

Power is off. There’s nothing working in the entire city. Hailey can tell based on the absence of a rumble in the air and that her hair isn’t on end that the reactor is entirely empty.

Billy continues walking forward. “There’s got to be something active here if the drones aren’t functioning correctly… unless it’s just a residual field.” (Are there any buildings that look like a shoe in for a genetics lab or facility that could hold anything in cryo or some sort of storage bank entrance to an underground facility?)

(I don't think we'd know that information just on seeing the place from a distance, but nothing from this distance would really be a clue either way)

(Maybe it’d be best to just take our time searching the area and different buildings, checking by things out)

(Ok. Yeah it was my intention to continue on in there.)

6:17 AM

The first city block is dominated by a power plant and several homes now all fallen to ruin. The spores youd seen growing a short while ago are spreading slowly across the exposed surfaces of the buildings here. The smoke stacks in general seem to be a favorite as they’re further out of the noxious fumes that come from the ground

“We can drop by the power plant. Maybe there’s some paperwork or info in a terminal that we can use to find some clues.” Billy turns to the men. “Warning shots to any of those devil dogs that come around. They seem skiddish enough. Form a perimeter and report any complications.”

3:26 PM

Billy walks his Mech over to the door and sighs a bit. “Don’t think we’re fitting in there!” He says moving to hop out.

There is a hiss as the environment seals release and the ramp of the mech extends. A ladder unfolds from its housing allowing you to climb down to the surface

Billy makes sure his helmet is properly fitted and breathes deep as he does every time he opens some unknown door and peeks into the building, stepping softly as to listen to every creak of the ruin.

Hailey shuffles up close behind Billy quietly, and puts a hand on each of his shoulders. She gives a solid push into the building through the doorway. “Cmon slowpoke,” she teases as she follows behind him into the plant.

The smokestacks remain firm, the plant building itself has had its front fall in on itself and you are able to climb the wreckage to the dust covered inside. The reception desk for the plant has been flattened by the debris fall and the doors leading into the workshops, generator room, power distribution control center, and line access catwalks has also been blown off its hinges. This is one of the few doors with a keypad you've seen where you haven't had to kick it down or smash the pad with hacking to get through. A rare moment indeed.

(Can we open the door?)

(yes haha)

“Oh my god. It’s just so nice that they left the doors open for us. Usually that’s half the adventure. Come on lets go down there and see what’s left. From the looks of it I don’t have high hopes. Looks like an end of life uncontrolled blast out from the reactor. Come on Lady! Peter, you got a light?”

“It’s always a shame when we don’t get to bust things open, not even any heads today,” she jokes back. “Although, if we can find our way to any of those other rooms, that could be fun too. Just thing what might be left over in a workshop or generator room.” She walks about, picking at doorknobs or checking out bits of debris, less looking for something in particular, and more just looking, a thrifting-style browse. Peter whistles in response to Billy, who he’s become perfectly familiar and happy with over the years, occasionally like a cat that sits on their owner’s friend’s lap more than the owner’s. The spider droid moves about the area on his own, happy to be out. He hurried up to Billy, flipping over a top hatch to a large beamlight on top. He flicks through a hazard and SOS setting until it switches onto a still beam that helps illuminate the area. (edited)

2

Any of the rooms seem ripe for picking through. Peter seems interested in the generator room itself

Billy happily pats Peter and wipes a bit of debris off his sensor. “I like you Peter. That’s a good big spidey-bot…. I feel like if I were to give you a treat it would be a pretech part or something. We will have to figure that out.” “Let’s follow his nose and check out the generator.”

Peter rushes into the room and is very eager to follow the residual power to its destination. Thick power lines run to a building across the street behind the power plant, and it seems like extra machinery has been placed around it. This was not meant to power a town, this was meant to be the power source for just one facility

“Hailey, you’ve got a wonderful bloodhound here. They sure don’t make them like they used to….,” Billy pauses, cocking his head a bit. “Shit, I’m they, huh?”

"The little guy could do with some upgrades," she responds to the treat comment. "It's on my to do list. And I think we're both they, hahah." As they look their way around the generator room, she follows some of the cords around, looking to see if there's any hope of getting things powered on. More importantly, though, she wants to see what they'd need such a big generator to power, besides the plant itself. "What do you think would happen to Peter if we plugged this whole thing into him?" she jokes to Billy. Peter looks nervous at the notion.

The building it’s powering looks to be some kind of lab. There is an elaborate climate control system built into it. It has ground to a halt now but it seems like the shutdown was recent

“We could sever the connection to the power station and see if he can project any power into the facility. Though, from experience, given some upgrades, Peter could utilize and direct the power from a power station like this. Vothe utilized about four thousand tons of fusion reactor when he rebooted himself as AI.” Billy continues to follow the power cables to the facility.

The facility doors have been blown open by some kind of seismic disturbance in the past. They’ve fallen down and look like flat metal leaves from a wilted iron flower. There is a chill bleeding from the inside of the facility despite the ambient heat of Tsatsos

Billy pauses at the flower thought for just a second before he shakes himself back on track. “This is promising. I haven’t found a cold spot on Tsatsos yet.” Billy beckons the party for follow him as he walks past the fallen doors to discover what’s inside.

A set of iron stairs is rimed with frost but not enough to form actual ice and make you fall. Thirty steps move into a chamber at the bottom that is wide and tall but very dark

Billy engages the low light setting on his Armor of Celestial Dedication to peer around the room and presses forward. “Got a light?”

Peter powers his back up as well, scanning around. “Well it’s no Miriam, but the idea of a chill itself alongside this planet makes me worry. Takes a lot to overpower the heat.” Hailey reaches into a back pocket and grabs a pair of glowbugs. She winds them up to power them on, and tosses them down the stairs, where they buzz mechanically and brightly into the dark.

Something growls in the darkness and recoils from the two lights thrown into the room. It is fluid like, moving quick and hard to pin down. it almost seems formless.

Billy gives Hailey a knowing look and motions for Madeline to stay behind him. His body activates as endorphines are released into his system. “Well we’ve been here before. Let’s go easy as we can. I don’t want to damage anything inside.” He curses his choice of weapon, looking down to the AV laser attached to the armor. “$2 bucks says it’s the still lady in shadow form again.” He creeps down the stairs trying to get a better angle. The handle of his hammer tickles at his side as if to remind him of another option. (edited)

A humanoid figure materializes in the middle of the room as though rising from the puddle of shadow in the floor. The voice is female, but barely. it is calm,and knowing. "There is no need for weapons here." And with an outstretched hand the power in all energy based weapons is dispelled.

“You’ll forgive our caution, I hope.” He puts the laser down. “You can never be too careful. I’m looking for the lost people of Tsatsos. After defeating the Remnant, we built a colony and stabilized the continental shelf in the past few years and I’ve only just discovered their possibility. Have I come to the right place?”

"I am the communion of all the souls the Remnant have taken and hidden away. They are around you now" The shadow-woman says. Dim lights flicker in the alcoves of the room showing hundreds if not thousands of genetic sample trays locked in cryogenic containment.

12:45 PM

Cries and screams on a metadimensional wind fill the air, along with a growing sense of horror as flickers of Remnant experiments to rend these people down into genetic building blocks ghost around the room like camera stills being scrolled through rapidly and out of order.

Billy watches the waves of MES energy pulse through the room. A tear wells up in his eye for but a moment before he collects himself, powering through a sharp twang of pain around his temples. “I will call on the best psychics, healers and doctors I can muster to find some rectification for this. Thank god you were able to save yourselves for this long. Forgive me, I am Billy Rigers, Chief Engineer of RCOE and Govenor of Tsatsos under the United Nations of Worlds. This is Hailey Clements VP of communications and head of PsikeTV and this is my wife Admiral Beckwater. Is there anything we can do now for you right now?”

The metaspace emissary looks on sadly, shaking her head no. "This was done with the powers of metaspace. It can only be undone with the same. Two opposing lodestones, cancelling one another out" she says in her inconsistent voice

Billy nods, double checking to make sure he has a video recording somewhere and begins taking notes on his Coms unit. “Yes of course. I know many powerful psychics that may be able to help with this. Do you know what kind of specialists we might need or where I can find such a lodestone?”

(just dont wanna leave hailey behind

2

(Ah just got off work thank you. Will respond here soon)

7:55 PM

(This is cool, by the way)

“This galaxy just keeps getting stranger and stranger,” she comments to Billy. She turns to the shadow woman. “Ms Communion, may I call you that? Something similar? Rigers and myself are two of the top engineers among the stars. There isn’t a matter we can’t lend our hand to. A lodestone...” she spins a small blade she found in an old bank that she’s had for ages on her fingers as she thinks. “It sounds familiar, could you tell us more? Help us help you.” She keeps her weapons holstered, respecting the communion’s request, but remains of guard and wary. She considers herself and Billy to be in the position of power, despite the mystic nature of the soul-horde.

"The lodestone is an allegory. It is not real. Powerful psionics were used to un-make these people. Powerful psionics are needed to put them back together. Find any bioscopic you can. Right this wrong"

“I’ll contact the Academy and look locally for any that can arrive shortly. In the meantime, I’ll have the division we brought to set up base camp around here and we’ll get a preliminary salvage report, set up a med tent and prepare for the operation. I have seen our psychics do incredible good. We will get you out of this predicament.” He smiles. “I’m so happy to have found you.”

10:53 AM

Billy immediately starts a draft note to the Psionics Academy

(Message sent in academy channel to Reg)

(perfect, i know one of the new unw players is a bio, and on tsatsos, so he can be roped in as well)

(Nice. Yeah they PM’d me earlier to ask if he could work with RCOE and start on Tsatsos.)

12:59 PM

“Ok. I’ve sent a message on to my old friend Regalus, the head of the Psionics Academy. They should be sending an Agent shortly. Once folks minds are back in their bodies, are there any injuries that you’re aware of that will need tending to?”

The emissary is ethereal, floating here in liquid darkness and does not seem to be subject to the kind of injuries anyone here would have the skill to heal

(Are there actual bodies in here anywhere or just this entity?)

(this entity, 50 bodies in suspended animation tanks, and thousands of cell cultures that would need bioscopics to turn back into people)

(Is there anything we personally can really do here with that besides just going to get someone else?)

(Yeah it seems like we just set up a camp here for the NPCs and let the new guy take care of it... Hungry?)

(there will be a lot to do when the convoy gets here)

6:49 PM

(and you could tinker with the machinery if you wanted to know more about the Remnant, the planet, ect)

(OH HELL YEAH. Let's git to tinkerin.)

(Okay cool. How about we let the new guy get here and set up camp then, can have some fun with the new kid on the block haha)

1

2

1

(Good cop bad cop?)

(Lol i mean we don't need to interrogate them. I was just thinking it'd be fun to push em around and freak em out a little bit) (edited)

(Ok ok. This is your expertise. Initiation time.)

2

1

Hailey addresses Billy again, "Let's set up station nearby. Maybe there's an empty building we can refit for working in the area. Once we've got someone to help out, we'll be a lot more productive. I'm sure ol' Reg'll have someone who can help us out."

“He probably knew the message was coming yesterday and flew someone out already, knowing him. -Alright…. Everybody? We will be back with someone to help. Just going to set up our stuff topside and we’ll take care of ya soon.” Billy hoists his weapon over his shoulder and walks back up the stairs. “-think these ruins could be salvaged? Maybe we can build another city here some day. Just need a big funnel down the middle for those roving spike… lava…wolf things.”

Dispatched from Hephaestus' Rest the convoy spends most of the night driving across the ash plains. The bodies of dozens of the dog like creatures native to the planet are passed around the midway point now beginning to smell from the first stages of rot. It is powerful enough to wake up everyone but the Ashen Ones , whose filters manage to keep out most of the offending odors and are rated to handle far worse. The team goes through several more hours of empty lava flat before passing through a ring of Tsatsos planetary defense forces, and finally approaches what looks to be a city in a state of either half construction , or half ruin, depending upon how you looked at it.

Exiting from the transport you see what appears to be a teenager wearing a Rigers Engineering parade dress uniform (medical staff, probationary) with a 50-lb field pack. On his chest is a Psi badge, polished to a degree that any sniper would appreciate. His eyes instantly snap to you, and he bounds over with that new-recruit energy and performs an elaborate salute straight from some historical drama. "Ensign Daniel Zigsam reporting for duty, sir!"

You see a gleaming reddish and orange set of power armor with light imprints of gears patterning the entire thing. Next to him is a pair of mech suits and two high ranking women, impressive in their own right. To his left, stands Admiral Madeline Beckwater, the wife of Gov. Rigers and to his right, stands none other than Miss Hailey Clements, as seen on TV with her robotic spider looking curiously after her. She is first to see you. (Mech Suit for reference. I'm not seeing the power armor image at the moment.)

Hailey Clements’ is a face he’d certainly recognize. She wears only the bottom leg half of her iconic Dragonfly mech, a light jacket hanging down over it and a tank top above, surely to cope with Tsatsos’s heat. Beside her is a blue spider droid who’s sensors perk up as the transport appears. Hailey smirks and raises an eyebrow. “At ease Shiny,” she responds, commenting on both the badge and the newbie energy. She looks the well dressed teen over. “Thanks for ditching your prom to come meet us here. Sounds like you’ve got the skill set Tsatsos needs. Find somewhere to set down if you like, between the uniform and that pack you must be melting.”

Daniel smiles nervously and carefully sheds his pack " it's my first day!", His voice cracking only slightly. "I read the messages, and have some ideas, but can you tell me again in detail what you have found before we go look at it?". Daniel begins examining them with his Metapsion skill.

(What does the metapsion skill do?)

(see if you're currently being affected by psionics)

(Would probably need a response from Neko for that one)

2

(Well YOU don't know you're mind-controlled by an ancient evil entity)

(Funny story)

2

(Billy would know since he has witch finder but regardless make sure you commit effort for that Daniel. ) There is psionic energy here. There is a sentience in the bottom level of this facility , an echo of many intelligences here who have undergone terrible psychic torture. It is the manifestation of their emotions.

6:16 PM

The presence does not seem hostile. Just sad

(Assuming they have told me the above info about the facility). "So, I don't feel anything hostile.... Shall i go down and talk to it?"

(That’s what you sense with your powers )

Billy takes off his helmet and you notice a few things. First he seems barely a few years older than you minus a few bumps and bruises. Second, you see the slight glow of MES power from witchfinder behind his eyes. In addition, you see MES energy being repelled slightly by the Mech standing behind him. The Armor he wears shines brightly in an arcane type of MES energy as well. “Yes please. Pleasure to meet you. This way recruit. You won’t need that badge to identify yourself if you can figure this out… are there more of you coming or just you?” He says leading the young man down the cool stairwell. “By the way, Clements said at ease by the way. That means you can stop shitting your britches. I was that way too at first. Till I saw someone shitting their britches worse than me. -Daniel you said?”

( i know that, i meant the ABOVE above stuff about the layout n what was said n such)

6:54 PM

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, sir. It is my understanding that other, more qualified people will be along, i just happened to have already been on planet. I will do what i can, but of course, i just graduated the Academy last week... Yes, i'm Daniel, sir; I'll try and cut out all the .. shitting."

6:56 PM

"Though of course, dealing with a MES entity in an old Remnant facility... I can't guarantee there will be no shitting "

Billy chances a look at Hailey and bursts out laughing. “I can’t keep a straight face when you’re lookin at me like that!” “Daniel. Call me Billy. Haha. Look you have the might of Tsatsos behind you. I’ve been right where you are. I think you’re just the man for the job. I for one am excited to see you work. I’ve seen a lot worse than this. In a way it seems best case.”

"Why, thank you si.. Billy. I'll do my best". Daniel stands a little straighter

“I’ve been on the bottom too. Don’t worry too much Shitter, you’ll be fine. We’ll pay the bail if you end up in prison.” As they talk, she grabs a pack of gummy bears out of Billy’s mech that she stashed there earlier. Peter, the spider droid, whistles and beeps aggressively, bumping Daniel’s leg as if to remind the biopsi that even he outranks the newbie. Hailey laughs at the interaction.

2

Daniel winces at the new nickname; "I, ah, don't suppose we could return to 'Shiney' could we?"

She chuckles and gestures at Daniel. “I like this guy. Fair enough, Shiny.”

“Oh hey look at that! It took you all of 2 minutes to get her to say she likes you. Pretty good time if I say so myself.” He winks. “I kind of like Danny Z - Hero of Tsatsos or Dan Z Man. But we only just met so I’ll reserve those until you’ve earned them. Unless of course you protest. I always hated when guys in the factory gave me nicknames when I didn’t know them. Now I have more names and titles than I know what to do with. -Ah! Here we are.” Billy strides unconcerned into a cold dark room. Something rare here on Tsatsos. “Hello? We’ve brought the first biopscion we could find to assess the situation. Are you here?”

Something stirs at the corners of the room. The electric lights dim and a few of the weaker bulbs go out altogether. The emissary returns, gliding out of the darkness. "This one will do. Retrieve a cell culture from the wall" The emissary says, waiting for someone to bring one over

"The precogs used to call me 'Dangerous Dan' but that was probably a joke. They did take care to never sit too close though.." He stops prattling as the doors open. "Oh shit" Daniel whispers, taking in the scene with full metapsyonic senses; despite the cold he is suddenly drenched in sweat "oh holy shit." He turns an alarming greenish color, but composes himself and steps forward. "I am Daniel, a medic and Biopsion, and I'm here to help. What exactly do we need to do here?" He steps towards the cell cultures, examining with his metapsionics and Noticing as hard as he can. (edited)

"Bring one to me. I will show you. I cannot interact with them myself"

10:48 AM

The woman appears sad, and mournful, but not threatening to you as you are doing her a service.

Billy grabs a couple gummies from Hailey’s bag.

1

Silently to himself: 'Maybe being possessed won't be so bad.' Daniel inspects the slides; are there any markings? As the others seem confident, and barring any alarming message written on the slide, he will select one that "speaks to him" and bring it to the entity. (edited)

10:53 AM

Despite himself, Daniel eyeballs that bag of gummies.

there is a person's name written on it. Some of the ink has been smeared with the passage of time. You can feel your bioscopic energies empowered as the emissary begins assisting you and before your eyes the culture begins to grow into a zygote, and then a fetus. The slide falls to the ground as the body continues growing, your bioscopic energy feeding the cell growth as you are using a technique far above your training. You sense this knowledge and control is borrowed and is not something you will have once you leave this strange scene. After a moment of psionic concert between the two of you a comatose fully regrown adult male is before you on the ground- slick with the chemical byproducts of rapid cell division

Not knowing what else to do, Daniel digs a towel out of his pack

Billy walks over to assist, kneeling down by the man, lifting him a bit to face him. “Hello, you are in a facility on Tsatsos. I am Billy Rigers, can you tell me your name?” He signals to Madeline to run and go get help. He trusts her to gather extra clothes and organize what we need to care for the people.

Daniel hands Billy the towel and begins a medical checkup of the fellow

He is comatose. His vitals are rising slowly as though he is coming out of a coma, but it is going to be some time before he is capable of yielding you any information\

Daniel reports the above "I have my medkit with me, I could probably speed his wakeup, but I think it would be better for him if he woke up naturally". He looks to the others. ( Do i feel tired or anything, or was the event poweredby the apparition?) (edited)

(it was powered mostly by the apparition)

"Holy hell," she mumbles under her breath as she watches this happen. She's about to grab her loose jacket, but stops, relieved, as Madeline heads out. "Pick something good," Hailey mentions to Madeline as she passes by. Wouldn't want the first of a revived species to be poorly dressed. "Are we going to be taking the others through the same process? If so, we're gonna need more."

“Yeah I reckon there could be thousands. How many of there are you?” Billy asks.

"Thousands" the emissary says in her unearthly, dream like voice

"... respectfully, we should go slowly. This man needs to be properly monitored, in case there are any complications associated with this process. And even if there are none at all, food and housing for thousands of people needs to be arranged.". speaking mainly to the apparition (edited)

“I should be able to build additional housing within the month. In the meantime we have a half built town here if there’s anything left to salvage we could utilize the ruins.”

Beckwater returns after a few moments with a nutri pack, a hydration pouch, and a set of spare coveralls

"Thanks, babe." He says, helping the man into them. "Did you command the troops to prepare? It seems we have thousands of these people to resurrect and care for." "I think Daniel brings up a good point. We need to prepare housing, food, the whole works for these people."

(Does the ghosty have any input on this? Or does she just hover there?)

"Here, you hold the guy up and I'll slide the pants on."

Hailey slyly steps aside, letting someone else take that one. “We need to get working on that as soon as we can. Should we keep exploring the plant, or the rest of this area? Could be more to help us out.”

"I think that makes sense. Dan are you good here? Everything here seems pretty kosher."

(It’s not for her to decide what to do. She doesn’t know what the capabilities are for rcoe to do this)

(I can build as many colony housing projects as I need. One colony housing is for 10k pop. So we could do 10k a month. Our other option is to treat this as a ruin and start building it up with a small town purchase to begin with. But I would want to take special care with this one to purpose build it to allow for the migration of those lava dogs.)

(So then "yes, she does just hover there with no further chit-chat." My apologies, this was not obvious to me. I don't know what she understands or how she "thinks," she's an MES ghost.) Staring at the silent specter nervously, Dan nods. "Yes, I think I'm good here. If you'd carry him up for me, I can work with the medical staff topside and we'll monitor him."

(So I think it looks like we are going@to see if this one had any problems first before we do more?)

2

(I think that’d be wise)

(Yes. And I will build colony housing for this month’s holding on Tsatsos if I have enough points. Can I treat this site as a ruin to build Tsatsos’ second city/town?)

(If we're spending the things needed to make a town here we dont need to buy colony housing)

(Ok. I think that’s easier. Let’s do that. I’ll pay the 25 mil and I’ll have to buy the 500 tons. Is there anything I’d need to do to make sure it’s built with a lava dog migration lane?)

(I’d imagine there would be in time but I think learning more about them, why they migrate and how to repel them is better served as a quest hook or two than abstractly asking you to spend credits on things)

(I like that.)

10:28 PM

(I’m definitely interested in going to study them. Flex my brain muscles again.)

10:32 PM

Billy bends down and lifts the top half of the man to begin dragging him upstairs. “Little help?” He grunts.

Daniel looks surprised that you need help; but he quickly grabs the legs and assists

(I forgot my power armor gives me +4 to to strength for encumbrance purposes or something.)

(You just don't want me looking for souvenirs or hitting on the ghost or some such teenager stuff)

3

(Hey good idea. If you’re not gonna) While they do that, hey pokes around the room for souvenirs. As they head out, she throws the ghost a wink, biting her lower lip and eyeing her up and down. “Talk to you later” (edited)

2

1

(Also Billy if you need I can chip in on the construction)

Billy laughs. “Hailey always makes even the worst situations better.” (Hailey, we got 20 billion from Ad Astra Shares alone last month. We are good on credits. If you have 500 postech building supplies we will take those otherwise I’ll just buy them.) (edited)

2:41 PM

Madeline chuckles approvingly before gathering herself to see the troops outside again.

(now you teleport a keg and 20 teenagers to have a party down here)

(I had a city building project a while back. I'm not sure if I have any leftover from that since I kinda lost interest in keeping track of it bit for bit, but if not, I can just pay for some of them and say I do)

(We used what we had for New Athens)

1

3:39 PM

(back on Gudrun near those eastern lakes by Central)

(That’s ok. I’ll just use a ship to move it here.) (edited)

(use a ship to move what here? she doesn't have any stocks of materials)

7:37 PM

The man transported outside to the medical tent begins coming around. He is weak,and clearly dehydrated still. His low voice is a parched rumble, asking for water

(I was talking about using a Far trade to buy the supplies and instead of sell them drop them on Tsatsos) (edited)

(gotcha, we can handle that at some point) Medics are standing by, unsure if they should be treating this man without direct orders from one of you

Daniel seems especially compelled to help this victim (heal/int)

( sorry, missed that cue there; was hidden in the economics/ logistics talk) We lay the fellow down and Daniel reports the situation and his findings to the medical staff. "As I'm the only biopsi on scene" polishes that badge absently " I'll need to stay with him.". When he wakes up Daniel checks him

He is awake already, still asking for water in his low rumble of a parched voice

I will administrator a small amount of water and perform that check (when i get home from work in 8 hours, unless you want to roll for me)

2:30 PM

( i'll hit him with a psychic succor if it seems indicated)

(yeah, his wounds are fine, but he's still uncomfortable)

(Daniel got a 6)

8:46 AM

The water and some light medical attention are applied. Coughing, the man sits up, looking around at all of you and the volcanic world he is on with some bewilderment

Billy leans in again, seeing the man is cognizant. “Hi, I’m Billy Rigers. Can you tell me your name? I promise to fill you in on everything. We just revived you after finding you in this ruin. We are not the Remnant. You are not in danger.”

"Erikur. I was from Xianus. Tenebrian Empire promised...jobs...on frontier...Got walked into lab, and it all went black"

Daniel stays close and monitors with his Metapsi power

Another transmission begins playing across everyone's compads, as orbital defenses identify an Imago Dei ship coming into the region.

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

The Pillar of Job, an Imago Dei ship that recently served at the battle of Brizeno has made orbit here, and its captain is a novice known as Typasius the Veteran. He is requesting permission to descend to the surface, hoping to assist the peoples here in exchange for advanced plans that may assist his chapterhouse

10:18 AM

@Scorp Classic™

“Oh! I didn’t realize we had scheduled a meeting.” Billy covers his compad to read it more easily. “Oh I’m sorry…Erikur, the Imagio Dei is calling me. But I will say. The Tenebrian Empire has fallen. An empire calling themselves the Remnant of the Tenebrian did some terrible shit to psychics, there has been many wars and about 5 years since it went black for you if I had to wager. I’m Billy Rigers, Governor of the planet Tsatsos of the United Nations of Worlds, the ruling polity in this sector and I’m the High Engineer of Rigers Corp of Engineers. You are in good hands. My people will bring you up to speed. There are thousands of you down there. Thank this psychic right here. He saved your life from atoms.”

10:30 AM

He nods at the group and pulls his compad back out to respond.

Typasius The Veteran,
You are an honored guest on this world. If you’d like to meet me now, I am in the northern ruins or you can land at New Hephaestus and await my arrival. It is your choice.

10:30 AM

Billy notifies orbital defense to let the ship pass.

Received Governor. I shall land near these ruins. Blessings of the Lord upon you.

The ship banks its retros and lands a short distance from the ruins, bleeding off the heat of re-entry as half an hour passes. (Daniel and Hailey are likewise still present. There's nothing to see with metapsi, the patient is just a normal guy)

Typasius exits the still ticking ship, and begins moving towards the ruins

You see a division of around 10,000 soldiers setting up a bit of a base came around the ruins. As you approach a man clad in shining red with orange gear patterns all over comes out to greet you though it seems he took a queue from Hailey and is only wearing the pants portion. Underneath is a standard orange RCOE jumpsuit pulled off and a tank top underneath. Beside him in power armor of her own stand his wife, Admiral Beckwater and 2 other PCs that can describe themselves if they’d like. Billy waves at you as you approach. “Typasius! This way!” He smiles, putting on a pair of aviators

Daniel tries not to stare

“We’ve all got nipples, Dan. They’re natural.”

1

Typasius inclines his head "Thank you for welcoming me to your world Governor. I apologize for coming with so little warning, the vagaries of interpersonal relations can be elusive sometimes. Have I come at a bad time?" he gestures to the large amount of men and material setting up around the ruins

Billy shakes the robot hand of Typasius. (What do they look like?) “No! No. It’s just field training at this point. We were concerned about the wildlife but we broke the herd with little effort and are preparing to rebuild these ruins and reviving thousands of colonists from cryo. What brings us the pleasure? -You know I don’t know if you are set up with human niceties protocol. If you’re more of a cut to the chase kind of guy you don’t have to worry about being polite here.”

(7 foot tall humanoid, bulky kinda looks like a war bot)

11:21 AM

"Appreciated, during the ground offensive on Maysoon, my contingent of Warbots comported themselves quite well in the defense of my human crew, but I would like to upgrade them, and the others amongst the Imago Dei. Through searching of UNW archives I found a reference to the Sovereign class being rediscovered and would very much like to procure a copy of this blueprint."

“Ohhh! Of course! I’m surprised you all didn’t get that one already. I’ll tell you what. I’d love to just give it to you, but I had a lot of money blood sweat and tears into that project so how about we do a little trade. The homeworld of the Ashen Ones is a diseased world. Unsafe for organics to travel to. It’s been under quarantine for years and we evacuated them in a bit of haste. If you can get a quick consensus from the Ashen One leaders on planet of their priorities, I’d be willing to give you the blueprints and send you with a batch of sentinels. The planet is called Aklhaki and there are numerous enormous ship wrecks there. Gather some intel from these people in New Hephaestus to get better on planet coordinates, but any data, tech or other useful artifacts you find would be a worthwhile endeavor. Of course any personal items or spoils that particularly stand out for you I as a scavenger myself wouldn’t block you from. But if we can share what you get, sentinel plans are yours. Just don’t blast it to the whole council. Someone always has something to say. Humans can be an overly cautious bunch sometimes but we’re working on it.”

"Agreeable terms, I will set off at once if that is all Governor?"

“No! Actually I have a question. You are an individual in your own right…. I have a friend who sent their beloved VI with the Imagio Dei and they were fearful that your people just… absorbed her. Is there any way we could be put in contact with one that left to join you and your faith willingly?”

11:40 AM

“Her name was Ande.”

3

1

"Templar-Exemplar Ande is one of the highest placed officers of the Imago Dei in the Iron Stars. In fact she is the one who put me to the task of assisting your polities in the ongoing war. If your friend wishes to meet with her, that should be able to be arranged if they decide to visit the Chapterhouse."

Billy smiles broadly, not hiding his elations. “I will notify them immediately. This is wonderful news. I’m sure they will be so proud. That is all Typasius let me know if you need anything else specific before you embark on your journey. I’ll send out a message on the Ashen One networks that you will be dropping in.”

Typasius inclines his head again "I shall set out then Governor. Blessings of the one on you and your endeavors. Typasius about faces and returns to the Pillar of Job.

“Blessings” he says touching his armor and remembering its properties.

(alright, ill pick up Ty in his, and we can finish our mission here. Daniel has restored a prisoner from a cell culture, he has been given medical care, there is nothing weird happening with him now metaspace wise, and we are monitoring the victim for psychological problems that may develop. We have reached sort of a snag here on what to do next, be it reviving more people or exploring more of the area together until we think a sufficient amount of time has passed to feel comfortable clearing this guy and fixing more people)

(I doubt Billy needs my help clearing; I can kick around here with the medical professionals while we monitor the guy)

(FYI I'm not sure which end of this stun baton is the operative one)

(I think we can probably handle a couple more at least. But I'm down to explore some more. Dan you don't have to worry too much about us being lots of levels different. That should be fine)

(Okay, but I want "You should be fine" on my tombstone)

1

(A classic Ashen One tombstone. Nice)

The gene Vault , power plant , and habitation block of this ruin can all be explored. Soldiers haven’t been sweeping those areas yet as they’re more focused on the perimeter

(Oh yeah I think it would be wise for us to explore them all. We checked the power plant out a bit already but maybe we missed something. If the vault goes deeper we should explore the whole thing. And I’m sure there’s stuff to find in the habitation block. Pick which you want to hit up!)

(Habitation might have medical facilities...)

(Hailey, is Habs good by you?)

(Just caught up. Time didn’t allow me to be online much yesterday. Sounds great to me)

“If we are waiting on having the capacity for care for these folks, we might as well go look and see if there are any supplies around. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find stuff that was just waiting to be unboxed.”

The habitation tower is nine floor rectangular structure designed to fit many units in it made as cheaply as possible. Rusting pipes and conduits are scattered around the site, along with an abandoned front loader construction vehicle.

“A half built ruin. If I had to guess, any major services would be on the lower floors. Let’s start there. Maybe they’ll have a directory already set up.” Billy finishes his lunch and puts his armor back on in this time to go inspect the building. “Someone get that front loader running!” He calls out to his subordinates.

"I guess I should stay here with Erikur..." glancing towards the sleeping patient; glancing back with puppy dog eyes towards the habitation building (edited)

“Daniel, I need a medical professional with me if we are looking for medical professional salvage. The medics are perfectly capable of watching over him. He’s stable.” He whistles and gestures for Daniel to come with him.

12:32 PM

“I’ll keep you safe.”

"Of course, sir!". With puppy-dog energy Daniel begins clumsily securing his gear and generally looking like the kind of person who will test that promise

“She goes by Sir.” He gestures to Madeline. “You can call her your highness.” He gestures to Hailey. “But call me Billy.” He chuckles. “Let’s go.”

1

The building is quiet as you approach. Doors have never been fixed to its ground floor and neither have the windows. It’s hard to tell if the building was on its way to being completed or on its way to being torn down

7:22 AM

The wind plays strange tricks with the sound as it blows through all those open spaces

“That hoeing is something. I think as of today, I believe in ghosts. It’s official guys.” Peter shines the light around as they walk, and she keeps her weapons away. “Start from the bottom, or fly up to the top?” She asks. “You can carry Peter,” she offers to Madeline.

Madeline in her power armor does not hesitate to lift Peter up like a lovable Labrador and pats him like a baby. “I’ve always wanted to do that.” She says grinning ear to ear. “I thought we’d start from the bottom since I can’t fly but if you want to fly up there and throw a rope down, I can tie Dan to it and we can haul him up there.”

"Er.... I think my vote is bottom..."

Billy scans the ground floor quickly, doing a quick pass around to get his bearings. He takes note of stairs elevator shafts and any signage that might have been there. (Is there like a trailer where a foreman might have worked?)

There are stairs that would go upwards to the roof. There is an elevator shaft but a car for it was never installed. A disused office trailer is nearby around the back of the building in the shade cast by the half completed structure

(We will take the stairs)

"We'll walk it then. Daniel, can you make that climb or do you need someone big and strong to carry you too?" She asks poking fun at the newbie. (edited)

The ground floor is largely featureless. A simple and unpainted cement floor is broad- and leads to the back of the building where the staircase goes upwards to other floors. You can see that power hookups and other utilities were waiting to be connected- though there is no furniture or last minute furnishing that would take the building from functional to comfortable

“It’s a start anyway. We will have to get inspectors in here before we finish it but it’s half built already. Let’s keep going and see what we see.”

Daniel hardly notices the jibe, fascinated as he is by the "ruins." "Yes, that'd be great Your Highness... Its amazing, this ancient ruin looks JUST like an old construction site" (edited)

The second floor looks to have been prepared to house office space. Desks, file cabinets and computers have already been installed, its clear someone from the Remnant was working here while the building was being constructed but just on visual inspection alone there are no obvious clues as to what

Billy moves to the computers to attempt to hack in and do some snooping, searching for any context clues.

Hailey wanders her way over to another one of the installed computers, separate from Billy’s, and gives it a once over to see if it’s intact, or even powered.

The machines here are all powered, and there is one in each of the eight offices on this floor. There is also a sign bolted to the wall with MED/SURG painted on it, pointing up a floor over the staircase at the end of the hallway

Daniel begins walking towards MED/SURG

Billy makes eye contact with Hailey and lowers his hacker glasses as does Eyebot, trilling mechanically. (edited)

(Program/int for Billy and Hailey, notice/wis for Daniel)

(13)

(@work, can't roll for 7 hours)

(Can Peter make the hack?) Hailey narrows her eyes in response, and Peter’s switch to red.

(Peter can, I know Loriya is also a hacker and between missions if you guys want one more)

(17

Peter’s going ultra instinct mode And I’m down to invite another)

(no worries daniel, we'll resolve it when you get time)

9:27 PM

The sounds of thrusters outside signal the arrival of a small shuttle, and @Vibe Check emerges from the cavernous depths of the spacecraft onto the surface of Tsatsos. The air is hot and dry and the lava flows nearby bubble and hiss as the magma rock is exposed to the air from surface rents. Loriya was the first to find a buried Piggen temple on Gudrun and her services in hacking, and exploration have come highly recommended. When it became known RCOE was exploring a Remnant colonization effort on this lava world, it was just a matter of a few days of travel to get her dispatched from the UNW capital world. An atmofilter is handed to Loriya as she emerges from the shuttle to meet the three of you. Inside the hab tower you were exploring, the computer systems have been accessed but sorting through the data is rapidly becoming an administrative nightmare. Daniel also noticed advanced med-surg equipment in the hospital wing here but likewise the electronic anti-theft systems are keeping anyone from actually accessing it

Oh god. Lori's least favorite part of anything. Introductions. "Um- Hi! I'm Loriya, people call me Lori, and I'll be working with you guys on this!" She smiles, though it's... more of an awkward "brace for impact" type of smile. (edited)

A young man in shining red with gear pattern power armor looks up frustrated from his terminal. His face immediately softens. “Hi, Lori, I’m Billy Rigers. You can see all my titles on my spacewiki. It’s nice to meet you. You good with computers? It’s always nice to have another here. I’m getting stuck. Not that I can’t get in, it’s just so much, I need help sorting all this out.”

“Very nice to meet you, Billy. Um- What’re we looking at?”

“This is a half done old Remnant colony and it’s the second isolated thing that still has power. We are trying to find what info lies within. Our Biopscion is working with an MES entity to revive thousands of people at this site and we need medical care and housing for all of them.” He shows you over to the terminal he was working on. Nearby Hailey Clements, famous TV personality and VP of RCOE is working on her own terminal with her spider bot and seems to be having a better time with it than Billy, though you can see he is an expert programmer in his own right.

"Woah... Okay, I'll see what I can-" Wait, who's that? Lori swears she's seen that girl before... on tv, maybe? (edited)

12:49 AM

(decided to tone that part down bc Lori does kinda live under a rock) (edited)

(You do you. Be as big and bold as you wanna be.) “Oh her? She’s one of my best friends. You’ve definitely seen her on PsikeTV if you spent any time in the UNW. That’s her station.”

"Ohhhh! Yeah, I knew I saw her from somewhere..." (edited)

12:54 AM

"I don't really... watch a lot of PsikeTV."

“That’s a bummer Suit Up! has really been taking off. It’s ratings reached a new high.” Hailey comments as she walks over to join the other two. As Lori looks over the display, Hailey leans down over her shoulder, expressing her status through the body language, not not worried about making her uncomfortable. Turning to Billy, she adds, “anyone else you wanna invite? Is Dax free?”

Billy chuckles. “Oh I miss Dax. I feel like he’d probably be a bit useless on this particular mission but, I DO like his company. Almost as much as yours.” He laughs. “But you’re probably right. I should have left this as a date between you and me… and my wife… and 10 thousand soldiers.” He takes her by the shoulder grinning ear to ear. “Come on, let’s upload this data to Devnoc and go shut down the security system upstairs for our boy psychic and then maybe we can have some one on one time. It’s been a while since we played that pirate game. Maybe we can do some of that and catch up. Or… it’s probably my turn to help you with something. You’re always coming to my rescue.”

“Oh Loriya, if you would, could you get some of this data sent to RCOE Headquarters on New Hephaestus? Send it to Devnoc directly and then meet us upstairs.” Billy says.

(The whole idea of bringing everyone together was so we could get the new players into the mix of UNW things, so immediately separating the party again doesn't really accomplish that)

9:08 AM

All of your hacking efforts combine reveal something the Remnant was calling Operation: Dark Eclipse . Aside from the redundancy of the name and the silly scientific inconsistencies in naming it, the strategic plan was as insidious as it would have been effective. Had the Remnant remained the dominant power in the region a network of kidnapping ships would be dispatched in a radial pattern to the borders and frontier of remnant space- and then beyond the rim. Those with no homes, and no one to miss them would be first. They would be rounded up and brought back to various collection points. Tsatsos at that time was a remote rim colony and a perfect black site. Despite the Remnant;s hate for psychics they had spent some time studying the emergent Fleshshapers and saw the value in using teterogenetics to break people down into their most simple building blocks. Enslaved bioscopics would render these kidnapped victims down to nothing more than cube like cell cultures to be re-grown by an enslaved bioscopic later who used the more traditional form of healing. Upon awakening these people would have their memories cleansed, false memories being imprinted was a theoretical they had not worked out, but at a base level a program of strict indoctrination would begin. These "reborn" sentients be they human or other races would awaken to find themselves as proud members of Remnant society, believing it is all they would have ever known. Once a critical population mass was reached, the program would be disbanded. The enslaved psychics would be killed, the machinery destroyed, and any low ranking workers serving on the project would be executed as the last step of the draw down phase. The site would then be buried.

9:09 AM

--- Plans for other districts of the city, and locations of more black sites across the planet where genetic data has been stored begin to appear across all the linked computers here.

“Oh my god…”

(6 on that Notice check)

(Yeah sorry. That wasn’t my intention to split the party. I was more ribbing Hailey.) “Fucking hell. Good work, all of you. I didn’t know what I was looking at at first.” Billy exchanges glances between everyone. “This is exactly what we were looking for. Who knows how many people we will need to resurrect… we need to be careful. Will any of these folks still be Remnant brainwashed when they come back?”

“It’s entirely possible… But I’m not sure if there’s any way to tell.”

The young med tech in full uniform has been absorbed with that neat thing he found in Med/Surg; he finaly speaks up: "From the data it appears that the plan was to erase and implant memories after awakening; our subject already has memories as a laborer lured to the area. Which don't seem to be the ideal memories of a loyal Remnant citizen. But then again I find their whole operation... hard to fathom." He looks a little pale. "Can we... ah.. can we find this mind-erasing research and destroy it?"

"I can try to pin a location."

Some of the machinery Daniel had seen upstairs in Med/Surg was not standard, and not needed for the saving of a life. his knowledge of medicine and his observational skills point to that handily.

(Daniel takes pictures and readings as possible for later study, picks up a few small objects, and mentions it to the others)

“Great work. You too both show promise. You’re going to do great things. Your insight, I think, is right, Daniel. I don’t think the remnant were able to complete there mission. It’s just more validation that my actions during the war were the right ones. Fucking shaper tech. What were they thinking!” Loriya, if you can pin the locations of these black sites, we can dispatch teams across the planet to recover them.

“On it!” Lori starts typing at an almost uncanny speed.

1

It’s abundantly clear that personal removal of the maltech by your team here is likely the safest course of action. There are three other sites across the planet all within former remnant building projects that Never were completed along the planets eastern hemisphere

“Ok. Let’s take out the maltech. This isn’t something we should let fall into anyone else’s hands.”

"Right. Um- lead the way!"

Hailey half pouts half sneers at Billy’s comments. He’s clearly one of the few people that could get away with that. “Once we’re done here, it might not be a bad idea to track down those other sites as soon as possible. Let’s cross our fingers there aren’t too many, but Peter and I and maybe one of you two could take the Shadow’s Bounty and knock out a couple.”

1

(so at this site we have explored some of the power plant, some of this office building/residence here, and revived one person from the genetic vault. There is a lab, a workshop, and the beginnings of a lava mine at this settlement )

1:58 PM

(if we decide those are not worth spending time on right now, we can head out for one of the other sites. I'll run whatever the group decides )

(I don’t want to speak for Billy, but I think us techies would definitely be interested in the lab and workshop)

(oh for sure)

(Absolutely. I think we are all in.)

(definitely should finish here)

2:16 PM

"Oh, i did find some nonstandard tech in Med/Surg; maybe we should send some data to someone more knowledgeable"

"We are the premier engineers in the Iron Stars. We can dismantle this for now and download any useful data but, this entire outfit is maltech and should be destroyed. The councils... all of them, would have a field day with me if we kept it around. If there is some silver lining that you can see to it right now, then perhaps we can take knowledge of that forward into your research, but I am hesitant. As the entity said, we are righting a wrong here, not perpetuating it."

"I was hoping the things in the habitation Med/Surg might be for more humane purposes, and that someone with a medical background might know what they are... But yes, you're certainly right Sir, er, Billy; best not to delve into it at all."

"Well, let's all go take a look here first and then we can move on to the lab and once this site is done we can move on to the other facilities. Besides, you're are medical expert right now." (I vote we take what info we need from here, perhaps download any research points available and then wipe the computers of all history of maltech, go upstairs and dismantle the maltech there too and move on to the lab. That way we make sure it's done and we make the decision on mission unless it's something you wish to bring to the council later, but i'm sure the answer will be the same.) (edited)

(I'm with Billy on this)

(I’m good with that. Lets make sure this place isn’t and cannot be made operational)

3

Destroying the computers and machinery is something everyone here is good at in some degree or another. Guns, swords, and hammers are available for the task between everyone and the work you do is noble in a sense. Not all knowledge is good knowledge, and sometimes there is no silver lining while still keeping your soul. The grim work takes two hours, bringing the exploration to evening. The re-awakened victim from the gene vault has slept most of the day and has said little to his medical handlers when he has been awake.

“I think… Is that the last one?”

"Did someone get that thing with the skulls in it? If so, yeah, I think this is it." Drenched in sweat, Daniel mutters something about nuking it from orbit.

“Yeah, I think Hailey got that one… Does anyone have a fan-?”

“We haven’t been allowed to nuke things from orbit since the Galatea council ruled it a war crime after Cyrus Adonis called a nuke down on himself.”

Daniel chuckles "sorry, Billy, I didn't think my voice would carry. Just something from an old movie. Do we want to check on the patient and get some rest?"

Lori wipes some sweat from her forehead. “Sounds good to me, I don’t think I’ve had that much exercise… Ever, actually.” (edited)

He is recovering and keeping to himself for the most part, aside from asking for water or food. He drinks far more than he eats

(probably be a couple days before he transforms.)

Peter seems to have had too much fun with the project, and stands atop a pile of broken monitors and screens like it’s a pile of skulls. “I can only wonder where he gets it from,” Hailey comments.

“Good work, everyone! Go get some water down stairs, take a load off and then we will hit that lab in the morning. I’ll go check to see how the soldiers are doing with setting up base camp.” Billy tosses one last piece of heavy machinery onto the pile to the distress of a visibly upset eyebot.

“Thanks, Billy.” Lori starts to walk downstairs, muttering something about needing to get out more.

(I don't think anyone's been hurt, but a night is going to go by for the purposes of recovering system strain and effort. Daniel, Billy and Hailey have been at this for A WHILE, so get 3xp and 5000 credits for whats been done so far, Loriya we just finished your other mission and you just got here, but when we handle the other sites you'll be getting XP as well)

(sounds good to me)

The reconstituted man sleeps during the night, and does not seem to waken with nightmares or other troubles. He is a human in every sense of the word but his spirit and vitality seem blunted and diminished, like he will never be a full person again after what he has gone through.

"He may recover in time... or not. Perhaps some of his spirit and vitality is still locked up in animating that apparition?"

“I assume they will all need therapy after this. In fact, I need to have Devnoc run some numbers for me. Everyone on this planet needs access to healthcare physical and mental. But especially the people we are reviving now. -Make sure to communicate with the apparition about it. But for now, lets get to the lab. The medics will send word if his condition changes.” Billy is still finishing his coffee when Madeline comes down suited up and ready to go, giving out commands to the troops. Eyebot behind her mimics her gestures with a commanding presence. (edited)

"My uniform was all sweaty, i told the quartermaster and he told me to put this on" holds out Butterfly armor " that's okay, right?"

4:28 PM

"And who's Devnoc?"

Billy waves his hand dismissively. "Of course. It's yours." He takes a second look." That's beautiful actually... I didn't know we made these... huh..." He realizes then that you asked a question and makes eye contact and speaks as if all of this is normal. "Devnoc is the man who went through Task Force Phoenix trials with me, unlocked magic on Gudrun, was cursed to the point that he was decaying, dying and regenerating over and over for months on end and later healed on Tsatsos, he led my research vessel while I was away then finally was mortally wounded while setting up a base on Musheera. We managed to save him by melding his mind with the AI that I build, Vothe. - Vothe still exists but as tertiary, subconscious operating system and Devnoc has taken over the consciousness that is their combined being. He mainly operates out of a repurposed sylth war-bot frame. It's core was destroyed, but it used to belong to a sylth mind named Kingkiller, but Seung of Whitaker Solutions defeated him in battle years ago. I found the remains in a warehouse while working for the task force and Seung gifted it to me. So, I rebuilt it into the VI, Vothe complete with a new core. Later I continued adding more and more capacity to Vothe until I was able to successfully exceed his capabilities from a VI to an actual AI. The Core of which is at an undisclosed location. Devnoc currently works as administer of RCOE and is my right hand man on Tsatsos as well. If you'd seen any of the wildlife in New Hephaestus, you might be able to tell that they are all robotic. Devnoc doesn't usually, but he can, at will take control of any of them. They normally operate independently. We actually sell them as pets as well. Devnoc is fucking awesome and I hope you get to meet him."

Meanwhile, Lori's completely zoned out at a nearby table. It's almost a little creepy how motionless she is.

Daniel takes a moment to try to unpack that. "Well.... I would love to meet him." He keeps an subtle sideways eye on Lori

“That should be easy enough. You can just ask for him when we get back to town.” Billy follows Daniel’s gaze. “Ah” He walks over to sit at the table, taking his helmet off to reveal his curly mess of red locks of hair and a short beard that does wonders to hide his youth. “Hey.” He says somberly. “That was… a lot. And we acted very casually about it. It’s a good thing we fought so hard to beat these guys, yeah? We saw a lot of terrible things in the war… you ok?” (edited)

"..." She suddenly snaps back to reality. "Huh? What?" (edited)

“They’re asking if you’re okay,” Hailey repeats. As she sits, she enters some commands into a panel built into her arm and after a minute, the mech suit covering her legs starts to fold back as it’s parts disassemble. It takes another minute or so, but afterwards, it’s fully stored away, revealing only one leg, the other stubbed away under her shorts. She doesn’t address it, but rather comments on what Billy said to Daniel. “And he’s being humble, Denvoc and Vothe individually are pretty impressive accomplishments on Billy’s resume.”

“Oh, um, I’m fine! I just zone out sometimes.”

(Part of you getting on this mission was because you wanted to roleplay with people, we're all doing our best to make that happen but things like this bring the flow to an absolute dead stop. I get some of the history here is a bit nuanced, if you want anything explained OOC we would be happy to do that)

2

9:16 AM

(I'm just trying to keep things going)

9:17 AM

(That said, if no one needed to do anything during this rest period, we can start exploring the lab)

2

(sorry sorry, won’t happen again)

“It’s alright, Loriya. I like to escape into the abyss of the mind from time to time too. Just know if you need anything we are all here.” He looks at Hailey’s one leg and then makes eye contact for more than a second. He has a look of sadness for the briefest of moments shakes his head slightly and then smiles knowingly and nods. “Hop to soldier, break’s over. If you lost a leg, we have spares in the arm….ory.” And he points over to an Ashen One reassembling an arm that wasn’t working properly with the expertise of a soldier disassembling his gun before a drill instructor. He seems to be using his mechanical leg as a hand for the time being.

2

2

Daniel winces at "hop to"

Lori picks up on this, and turns her attention to Daniel. "Daniel, is something wrong...?"

"Brief, stabbing pain in my humor gland. I'm sure its nothing."

12:18 PM

"Have you seen someone about these 'zoning out' episodes?"

"I have, yeah. It happens when either there's a lot on my mind, or I'm under a lot of stress."

"Reduce caffeine as possible and stay off alcohol or any other recreationals; tell your doctor about it. If you please."

“Oh, um, sure. That’ll be easy, I don’t drink alcohol, and coffee I only use as as necessary.”

Daniel nods authoritatively and reapplies himself to his hot chocolate

“So, Hailey, I’ve heard that you’ve been on… loads of adventures. Could you tell me about them? If you’re comfortable with it, of course.”

“She carried me off at least one planet that I can think of. I get a lot of recognition for flying the Vox while meanwhile, this absolute unit was on the ground in the thick of things in what two or three wars at least. But she’s the modest one. Never even mentions it.”

(At work but will respond ASAP afterwards)

"I've got a friend who makes the best coffee, haven't had it in a while though. His was the only brew I'd drink." She gives Billy a knowing look as he notices the missing leg, but says nothing. He knows what happened. She does still need a new one, but that can be a fun task for later. She eyes the Ashen One with the prosthetic, maybe he could use an upgrade too. Despite Billy's assertion of her modesty, and very clearly in direct contradiction to it, Hailey folds her hands under her chin, leaning her elbows on the table, at Loriya's request. "Something of a fan, huh? Oh yeah, I've got loads. Aren't regarded as Godkiller without loads. And I'll gladly share any of them any time, even one's that'd have Harkoni after my head..." She takes a swig from a flask at her hip,"-if you can keep quiet." (edited)

Billy grins at the always entertaining companion and saddles back up to the table next to Loriya, likewise props his head up and calls for some whiskey. "Hailey stories are always good with a shot of whiskey. What better way to get to know each other and loosen the nerves, eh? "

"Oh, well maybe I'll have to listen to one sometime! Without the alcohol, though."

“No fun,” she comments jokingly, elbowing Loriya. “No drinks, no coffee, you a weed type of gal? I know a guy back on Gudrun and he’s got the best stuff there is,” she shares doing a chef’s kiss.

She laughs, sort of going with the energy in the room. "I don't, um, partake in any drugs, haha."

ahem "That would seem.... Contraindicated at this time..."

The news that herb is under investigation after the actions of a man in his employ turned smuggler had come to light puts a bit of a damper on things as you prepare to explore the lab. The building is dark and slab sided with a thick metal airlock like door keeping the hostile conditions of the outside from contaminating the lab interior.

(wait what happened?)

(What is your question referencing? How we know Herb, something that happened here, the investigation Neko mentioned? “What happened” doesn’t really help anyone answer your question)

(yeah, the investigation. sorry I should have specified)

The news, playing from the back of a nearby comms truck shows a smuggler named Malecum Maledictum was captured in a combined Greystar Confederation/Elysium Protectorate operation inside Confederation space. It seems Herb was secretly having drugs and weapons smuggled to various flashpoints around the sector, hoping to create new markets for his Dank Crew products. Herb's lawyers are already working to try to distance the drug magnate from the actions of Malecum, though the electronic evidence gathered so far from Malecum's ship is damming. Although Hailey and Billy might be concerned for a friend and their bad judgement, his predicament has no impact on your immediate mission, and the sealed lab door awaits

“Yoof. Good luck Herb.” He says. “Alright. Let’s get this lab cracked open.” Billy finishes suiting up and heads over to crack this bitch open.

Daniel nods, straps into his butterfly uniform

Lori has no armor, but she's... here!

With the mech legs reformed around only Hailey's legs, she approaches the door and looks it over. Backing up a step, she gives a solid kick, testing the strength.

The mech dents the door heavily. It groans and dust that settled in the joints begins to shake loose. It seems like it is working

Billy tries the doorknob.

3

There does not seem to be one, and Hailey's kick appears to have been at least somewhat effective

Billy teams up with Hailey for the next kick to muscle their way in together.

(getting the map together for you now)

2:27 PM

Coming in from the north as the door crumbles under several mech kicks you can see from the dimensions of the hallways beyond the battered doorway that mechs larger than suits are not going to be able to navigate inside. The lab is dark, and the hallway is empty, but several rooms branch off of it

"Second time now. I really need to buy a flashlight..."

(Is there a directory or map anywhere close by?)

(There is not, this place wouldn't have exactly welcomed visitors)

(Why you gotta make excuses for them? Lazy jerks.)

“No sort of directory or map? This place isn’t very fire evacuation friendly, especially for a planet like this.” She starts walking backwards ahead of them, gesturing about. “I mean, imagine I’m a mad genius, right, and the break room is on fire. How do I know where to get out?”

"Unless you've memorized the area, I guess?" Lori follows Hailey, still wondering why it never occurred to her to buy a flashlight. "Though, maybe if the place is small enough? Maybe?"

"Its as if they have little value for human life..."

7:46 PM

"The mad genius probably started the fire in the first place."

“Hah! That’s fair. Reminds me to check my fire extinguisher, might be expired.” As they walk past, she takes a look into 2.

"Hailey's got the idea. Let's sweep the place, room to room. We don't know what if any defenses could still be active in this place. I would have been ripped apart by a turret on my first mission in a place just like this if it weren't for a very quick piggen jumpin in front of me to take the bullets." Billy turns his low light vision on in his helmet as eyebot hums quietly behind him.

With that vote of... confidence... Lori peeks into 3A.

Nekosmash pinned a message to this channel. 7/22/2021 8:22 PM

2 looks to be a conference room of some kind. There is a working holo-screen in here, a computer, and the conference tables and chairs you would expect to exist within a conference room. A tattered flag depicting the cerulean field and swooping Dragon sigil the Remnant adopted is stilled pinned to the eastern wall of the room as a backdrop when looking away from the viewscreen on the north wall.

8:23 PM

3A is a transit hallway leading to two different sets of bathrooms.

Daniel will enter 2 cautiously, as if he expects trip wires and giant boulders; he will carefully begin peering around the room, under tables, etc., without touching anything

The projector in here still has some kind of data-disc loaded into it and still has a power cell attached to it. You do not see anything else that is new, other than what you had seen on initial inspection of the room.

“Hey, Ladies! Want to watch a movie?” Billy calls out down the hall towards the bathrooms.

(Is there a disc title displayed on the machine?)

(No, you can just see there is one in there)

Lori walks over, entering 2. “Did you two find something?”

"We have found a button we will undoubtedly regret pushing. There is an unlabeled disc in the player."

“If you’re nervous about playing it here, we could always just take the disc and hook it up somewhere else.” Hailey checks out the speaker system as they check out the disc. “Oh these won’t do,” she comments as she rewires it into her mech and it’s state of the art speaker system.

"Ahh we'll be fine." Billy says hitting the play button.

The video begins playing. There doesn’t seem to be any sound on this first part as a short countdown begins. When it reaches zero the image is replaced with the symbol of the Remnant Office of Naval Intelligence. The wagon wheel background turns as the scene transitions again. A narrator begins discussing the plague of psychics and how the remnant plans to harvest and amplify the energies of those they have captured. Images of the TECT on cruesa , as this film was taken before the battle there destroyed it,

8:49 PM

The remnant had hoped to bring the horrific technology to other worlds they controlled and in the case of Tsatsos had thought they could use dozens of captured telekinetics to effortlessly mine the rare minerals suspended in the flowing lava fields here

"So... I guess it sure is a good thing they disappeared, right...?" (edited)

"They didn't just disappear. we fought a long and bloody war to free most of the worlds in the UNW now and more from the Remnant's grasp. The TECT they refer to had millions of people hooked up to it like vegetables and we had to pull the plug on all of them. They did this brutal kind of thing over and over again."

Lori seems to take a moment to process that. "I should've paid more attention in history class..."

(I know it’s a lot of info to take in when you’re first starting. The remnant were a galactic big bad 2 or 3 rl and in game years ago.) “Mm.” Billy nods. “That’s where they’ll stay.” He grunts as he rips the remnant flag off the wall and starts tearing it into strips. “Let’s peek in these back rooms real quick and finish clearing the place.”

"I don't like their movies. Lets keep going." Despite the levity, Daniel is a little pale after watching that.

(There’s a lot of rooms back there. Let’s take them one at a time so there’s no me making giant blocks of text . What one did you want to start with first. )

(7,5,6,3 in that little loop)

1

Pushing the entry door to 7 open you can see an office with two computers and a large whiteboard has been set up in this room. The inhabitants must have left in a hurry as half finished personnel rotation schedules and calculations for telekinetic force needed to extract and separate various densities of minerals occupy the board. The dry air has made the ink flaky and a strong wind might erase it all.

9:29 PM

The data itself seems objective and well thought out despite its intended nefarious use

Billy has Eyebot record the board for later and goes to have a crack at the computers. If they have power, I’m hacking, if they don’t, I’m taking the drives to read later.

(You have other PC's with you who are capable of things. They do have power, lets decide who's going to try that)

1

2

(I'll put Peter up to bat on that for sure)

(Okay, pete is on one, does someone want to take another?)

(Loriya? Care to take a crack at it?)

(Hell yeah!)

"Hah! Good luck beating Peter here, Billy and Eyebot couldn't," Hailey jests as Peter goes to stick his grubby little prongs into the system and force his way in. (17)

"I don't think I'll be besting a robot anytime soon, but I guess I can try??" (program/int right?)

(Correct)

(and to roll for that I know it's not a d20, but I forget what it is)

(It'll roll for you on roll20 if you click the skill on your sheet. But the numbers are 2d6+program skill+int)

(christ my luck went down the shitter, I rolled a 6 hsdfghsfdhfsdhf)

1

(Is there a help action in this game?)

(Loriya has hacker, i fixed the roller so next time it works right, but this should be an 8 since the other d6 i rolled was higher than the 1 she rolled ) Eyebot is able to get through his wall of security, while Loriya likewise manages to batter down the firewall keeping the data secured. Solutions for mineral extraction with more efficiency and large files of half finished Remnant theoretical projects begin downloading but it is far more information than can be reviewed in one sitting, or even one day.

Lori turns to the group. “Okay, I’ve got the information downloading but… It’s a lot. We’re not gonna be able to look at everything right now.”

“Hey hey! Good job. Let’s get it uploading to the servers back home and we can get a team to review it for us. Good work.” Billy beams.

"We'll get that taken care of on the trip home. Download what you can Peter." Turning to the hacker, Hailey adds, "Not too bad Lori, better than I heard you were."

"Oh, um, haha, thanks..." She's DEFINITELY blushing a little.

Billy, recognizing that feeling, clears his throat, puts his back to the next door, smiling and opens it to move on to the next room.

“That’s not a compliment. Just an...observation.” Hailey responds smiling to herself as she follows Loriya and Billy into the next area.

Nekosmash pinned a message to this channel. 7/28/2021 7:47 AM

5 is a large lab room where all manner of esoteric helmet looking devices have been laid out on work tables. Several socket plugs and wires extend from the white dome of the helmet top and twist into a single long data-tap plug. There is nothing in this room corresponding to where it might plug in, but it does seem familiar in the sense of those locked within the TECT on Creusa were also fitted with these devices

Billy walks in slowly, casing the room. He picks up one of the helmets slowly remembering the TECT but also flashes of his own experiments in mapping Devnoc’s brain. “These have likely been used for terrible intentions… but they do have a high scientific value, at least for research purposes. What do you all think?”

"Tech is tech," Lori says, pushing up her glasses. "...Even if it was used by horrible people."

"...what do they do?"

“The remnent used devices like these to siphon MES power from unwilling psychics. They had millions of people in a vegetative state at the TECT facility, just for a damn gas giant mining operation.”

"That's..... horrible. Would that not be maltech?" (edited)

“The Remnant had loads of maltech. Much of which was targeted at psychics. This device in particular, by itself? This might simply be something that with a little tuning could have a tremendous use even for the academy. -W-When Devnoc was dying, Vothe and I were able to use… adjacent technology to map his brain and transfer his dying consciousness into Vothe’s AI core. Now… Devnoc is for all intents and purposes immortal. The perfect blend of human consciousness and AI. It saved his life. The man who died a thousand times yet lived.” Billy smiles, a slight bit of water forming in his eye before he clears his throat. “Salvage.” He points to the device.

"It seems the same argument could be made for all that stuff we trashed and slagged yesterday... But you're the hero, the tech, and the boss, I'm sure you know best." Shrug

(caught up, just didnt want to interrupt the roleplay)

“Touché. I want to study this to see if there is a safe application of it. It helps to know the boundary at least… I don’t want to come off as a know it all or my way or the highway. If you have an objection your voice is valid and needed. I wouldn’t have gotten as far as I have without other people helping me or telling me no when needed.”

(that was all that was in this room, but destroying it or salvage is probably something we should sort out before moving on)

"Maybe I just have the heebie-jeebies, si... Billy. I haven't dealt with this stuff before. Seriously, I'm sure you know what you're doing." Daniel tries his best to look un-judgy

"I say, personally, that we salvage the tech. Even these... horrible devices may have something useful inside of them."

(camping trip, 2-3 days. I don't have much to do right now, so don't let me hold you up)

(No problem. Seems like everyone was busy. Just giving time to respond.) “Alright. Scavenge for parts and research it is.” Billy brings out his metatool to mark a few things for scrap and a the helmets to pull whole. “It’s sort of fascinating to think that they rigged up some way to pull metaspace energy straight from a person. The level of material science alone is startling. Though we’ll need data to go along with it. Hopefully we got some from the computers in the other room. This should do for now though.” Once done marking in white grease pen, Billy moves on to the next door to peek in, taking the lead as always just in case something unexpected leaps out at them.

6 is a room where captives were once held against their will. Those of you with magical or psionic powers feel them being dampened and diminished by the alloy this room is made out of. Nulmetalum shackles and bars coat the room and would have kept psychics from using their powers

(I've been busy as well. Sounds like I wasn't the only one so its good to know I wasn't holding us up) "Maybe that sort of maltech could be used against someone like Silvano," Hailey suggests bluntly as they move along into the holding room. "Tech that interacts with metaspace energy isn't unheard of, but draining it like that is a different case." As they move into six, she walks around a moment before leaning down to pick up a pair of shackles, turning them over and feeling their weight as she might a nice new tool.

Lori crosses her arms, in a self comforting manner. She presses on nevertheless. "These types of rooms always creep me out..."

(The UNW has access to some nulmetalum already and it’s been used in the past but this is a lot more than we had )

“You don’t have to stay in here if it’s making you uncomfortable but this is a treasure trove in and of itself. All of this nulmetanium will be taken back with us. Sil or other dangerous psychics may need to be restrained at some point in our future or maybe we can rig up some protections against MES sources. Would have been nice on Elkano.” (We are definitely taking all of this for salvage.)

(I was actually talking about the “pulling meta space energy from a person” maltech, but yes that too) “We need nulmetalium, getting this much of the stuff is invaluable. Maybe we can make a cool car out of it or something.”

"I fail to see the use of a nulmetalium car, but to each their own I suppose..."

Hailey waves a hand, “you’re just not being imaginative enough Lori. It’s gonna be incredible Lori, just think of it now, I can already see it.”

Lori looks back at Hailey, with a face of bewilderment. "How- How would a nulmetalium car benefit us??? I suppose if we were trying to move a dangerous psychic, maybe, but other than that-??" (edited)

Billy chuckles. “We’ll workshop it. It would definitely be cool. Maybe an anti-tamper racecar or something. We all know how rampant psychic cheating is in the racing community. I think that’s why Dale Vroomheart did so poorly.” Billy cocks his head wondering what ever happened to ole Dale.

Daniel's sense of humor is dampened, and he pokes around the room morosely. But he involuntarily chuckles and shakes his head at the thought of making a sports car out of nulmetalium

(that was all that was in here unless we decided to do something with it right now, or unless you wanted to continue to roleplay. I ddin't want to drag anyone through anything)

Billy notices Daniel’s lethargy around the material. “Come on. Let’s move through here. We can harvest this later. Our psychic doesn’t seem to be doing so well around this stuff.” Billy quickly ushers everyone into the next room. And marks door for whole room salvage.

3 is a smaller med evaluation room where prisoners could be taken for more personal observation or more intense recuperation. There are a few vials of lift, and a lazarus patch in the medicine cabinet here in case anyone was brought in who had been roughed up by guards just a bit too much there is a computer here with some personnel files in it, and looks to be linked to the others Loriya and Peter had hacked earlier.

(There are no lazarus patches available in this setting) (edited)

(You can't buy them or make them on your own. I think they're a fine reward for ruin delving. This is a pre-scream medical facility. EDIT: Cleaned up my post because I did not use nouns and it was confusing. ) (edited)

(Who needs nouns anyways.) Hailey fingers through the medical items and grabs a lift bottle, checking the expiration date on it. “Wow, still good. Don’t make em like they used to.” Turning back, she checks out the computers files.

The medical team here was preparing for a large influx of prisoners from beyond the collection of sectors in this region of space. The remnant had hoped moving them and the remnant society as a whole to the rim sectors that they would have the time and space needed to grow in secret

9:34 PM

Those prisoners never arrived

"We wouldn't happen to know what happened to those prisoners, would we...?"

Billy cocks his head. “Oh! Huh. I had just assumed they were rendered down to their most basic dna building blocks in the other facility but if you can find other places they stored prisoners in the data that would be fantastic!”

1

The load of prisoners mentioned in this report never arrived (though there are many here in the genetic bank already) . It is unknown what the fate of the incoming prisoners is , as The Scream and the war with both the UNW and the Fleshshapers fouled Remnant supply lines and made administrative tasks very difficult

“There is a thread here it seems we could pull but I have no idea where to start, if someone wanted to look for any missing incoming prisoner ships just in case. We occasionally have found listless cryo ships drifting through space, lost from the scream. We have enough work right here on planet though that chasing unsure leads like that doesn’t always take precedence.” Billy picks up a vial of lyft and motions for everyone to pick one up who hasn’t. “Do you have use for the Lazarus Patch, Daniel? Or is that more use to someone who doesn’t have your skills?”

Lori turns to Hailey and whispers to her. "Um... what's a lazarus patch-?"

“A sort of healing stim. Don’t see them much, not anymore at least. But I’ll let Daniel do more of the explaining. That’s why we have him here.”

"My emergency medicine teacher believed in having technology for backup, and I agree with him... I know how to use it if the need arises and would certainly like to have it on hand."

The pre-scream healing medicines are valuable finds, as is information there might be cryoships out there floating in the darkness of space. That seems to be all there is in this final room on your short sweep

"Lori, the Lazarus patch is a quick and easy kit you apply to someone who's taken critical, deadly wounds. It gives them a good chance of surviving and can be applied by anyone." Daniel shows her the quick and easy application instructions printed on the kit "They're quite rare now; some people say completely unavailable." (edited)

“Can you do that with your abilities already?”

"Did I mention I was still taking classes last week? There are limits to what I can do. There are also limits to how much psychic healing a person's body will tolerate at a time. Also, I can't heal myself if I'm unconscious. Yet. So I'd like to put this in a big pocket with an 'L' on it so everyone knows where it is. Unless someone else really wants it."

“I haven’t been knocked out for a while. I think Hailey carried me back to the ship the last time that happened. It’s yours unless someone else contests. I usually have a full medical bay at my disposal nearby.”

"I have back up plans in case I die. You can keep it. I haven't either, not since even before that."

“Alright. Well if are all set here, I think we can clear the other side of the hallway. You cleared the bathroom, right?”

"I was about to, but then we found the video and I never did."

“Ok, well I could take a quick bathroom break anyway. I’ll go check the little engie’s room.”

“I’ll take a peek through the door next to it in the mean time (9). I don’t trust that creepy-ass bathroom.”

1

The bathroom is empty. There’s nothing special about it. Room 9 is storage and the blast door has been lowered over the entryway presenting you with a flat sheet of metal. Having been through medical already the goods on site here are likely different and more general

“Peter’s can chew threw this thing, right?” Billy says, putting back on his gear from using the restroom.

She raised her eyebrows. “Can he? Peter you didn’t tell me you can phase through walls!” she exclaims in surprise. “I have some breaching tools myself. I can get us through if you all don’t mind covering your ears.”

Billy puts on his helmet again. “I’m ready.”

"Wait, hang on, I might be able to jolt the door? Supposing there's a point of access in which I can do that."

Hailey stops just as she’s setting up a small black charge. She looks between the two a moment, the pits it back and steps away. “Dont fuck it up and that works for me.”

"No pressure, haha..." Lori approaches the door, looking for a way to jolt it open.

There is an access pad with an entry port, it can be electronically "convinced" to open. (Program/int Loriya)

Daniel casually sidles behind the nearest meat-shield

(10)

There is a grinding sound as casement locks rusted over by the passage of time now begin to free themselves. The winch doors wind upwards revealing a storage room with various goods from better days, close to the Scream, or slightly before. A stack of Colonial Arms projectile weapons is among the finds here, earmarked for the elite security that would have once garrisoned the base.

"Ta-da!"

Billy raises his eyebrows. “Now this! Is a rare find. Good job Loriya. Guess it’s a good thing we didn’t blast our way in!” (What kind of weapons are these and are they in the book to look at?)

(Colonial Arms is in the core book under the artifact weapons section. There are combat shotguns and combat rifles in here)

Billy walks in reverently. "These... are... beautiful pieces of art. You all should take one. I would love to reverse engineer these specimen. I am in charge of that sort of thing since the federation... I think... In any case, I'm sure studying them could yield improvements in our own weapon manufacturing." He grabs one of the shotguns and one of the combat rifles and holds them up to Loriya as if it were a dress. "What do you think? Do you look better in PreScream Shotgun or Rifle?"

"Well, I'd rather not be up close and personal with... most things, really, so I'd say a rifle." Lori takes a closer look at the rifle. "Wow... it really is something, huh?"

(Mechanically, just so everyone understands the significance: Colonial Arms: An armaments company dating from the First Wave of human colonization, Colonial Arms was famous for the incredible durability and versatility of their firearms. Their guns were largely self-repairing from anything short of having pieces torn off, and their projectile weapons automatically self-adjusted to fire whatever ammunition was available, in any environment from hard vacuum to underwater operations. A Colonial Arms projectile or energy weapon also gains a +1 bonus to hit and damage rolls. In this case, the weapons are projectile weapons)

(I think Billy excitedly repeats this exact entry.)

4:05 PM

"It IS something! The manufacturing capabilities of these companies were of a level above and beyone anything we could comprehend today! THIS right here? This is one of the finest weapons, I've ever had the privilege to hold, which is saying something." He gestures to his current equipment.

Hailey whistles as she goes to pick one up. Keeping her eyes locked on the weapons, she reaches over to pat Loriya on the shoulder. "Not bad..." She takes one of the combat shotguns. "I don't have one of these." Turning to Daniel, she holds it out with one hand and narrows an eye over it. "Whaddya think Danny? Does this say Godkiller to you?"

"Hey! Never asked. Did she appear like a towering thundercloud when you killed her? Sorry to interrupt."

“No, that was Zeus. Why do you ask? Is this a conversation for later?”

"I guess it can wait. She was as tall as the clouds and surrounded by roiling black clouds when we killed her the first time so I just wondered how she appeared. It can wait."

The armaments seem to be the main contents of the room. There are random materials like lightbulbs and fasteners but they do not seem to be worth taking with you, essentially junk

(out of simple curiosity, are there any visual references for these weapons?)

(Nothing I’ve ever seen in the books)

6:56 PM

(I didn’t look for any art for them either)

(worth a shot, thanks)

7:33 PM

Lori takes yet another look at her new rifle. "Even its visual design is well done... Work of art really is the best word for it."

"Not really interested in that sort of thing, thank you anyways." He pokes around the boxes of lightbulbs and stuff hoping for something of interest to him.

“Billy you can get a full play by play if you want it and you’re the only person I’d make that offer to.”

(The artifact weapons were the prize in this room. No other real items of value. )

7:07 AM

Satisfied that you’ve taken what is worth your time from 9, the group prepares to move along

“I’ll take you up on that some time. Let’s keep moving though for now. This is a great find.” Billy holds one of the rifles expertly, making sure it’s loaded before heading to the next room. “We will pack the rest up before we leave.”

(8,10, and 11 could be the next room, we hacent explored any of those)

(Yeah. On the map it looks like 8>10>11 so I figured we would do it in that order.)

8 is hallway which looks normal, leading into room 10, which seems to be a much larger lab where live subjects would have been worked on. The lab equipment here looks to be state of the art, and modern for frontier standards. Age has ensured some of it will not work again, but it might be salvageable for any pretech components inside.

Billy goes around the room with his grease pen marking everything worth it’s weight in salvage with notations. While everyone else does stuff.

Daniel will poke around, trying to ignore the purpose of the room, focusing on salvaging medical equipment.

(there are enough people with high fix levels here where if we decide to salvage the equipment, it can be broken down to give everyone one unit of pretech)

(Nice!!!)

11:19 AM

“Daniel, my first instinct is to salvage for pretech components that are really rare and hard to find. Would anything in here be useful as is for a medical facility for you?” (edited)

Daniel pokes around, looking for currently useable medical equipment. (Is what I meant to say above)

There is a bio scanner that looks to work still, along with some kind of medical suite fitting for a drone that is serviceable , but everything else is not worth trying to save

"This bioscanner still looks good. You should take a look at this thing here, some sort of medical suite fitting for a drone I think. Nothing much else that looks safe."

“Oh wow. I bet I could fit that up in a jiffy! Alright. Let’s salvage the rest and divvy up these things and move on to the other room over here.”

“Sounds good to me.” Lori’s sort of just been poking around this whole time, trying to locate odds and ends.

The final room is a large barracks space. The researchers and soldiers assigned to the facility would have lived and slept here when not on duty. Bunk beds, a refresher mounted in a stall closet , and several shut lockers with flaking name tags complete this room. The rough floor has boot prints dried to them from long ago

(d100 each if we decide to search the lockers, if not, we've seen all there is to see here)

(We are absolutely searching)

9:25 AM

(61)

A small patch of an astronaut with its pockets turned out is the only non-junk thing in the locker. It says on the bottom, "All out of fucks to give"

2

(8)

An injector with an experimental combat drug is left in this locker, which clearly belonged to some kind of Remnant researcher. There looks to only be one dose of it.

Nekosmash

A small patch of an astronaut with its pockets turned out is the only non-junk thing in the locker. It says on the bottom, "All out of fucks to give"

(I’ll take it! XD)

(92)

A moonstone ring in a protective oilcloth wrap is bundled in the bottom of the locker, meant to be concealed or protected while lab work was going on

(don't mind if I do lmao)

(Is there an instruction book for the combat drug?). Daniel holds the injector up gingerly, disgust evident on his face

(there is not)

(and is there anything special about the moonstone ring?)

(very valuable, but not archeotech or anything)

Hailey watches over his shoulder as he checks out the experimental combat drug. "Winners don't use drugs. Except combat stims. In that case, use lots of drugs I say," she comments as she picks into one as well.

7:12 PM

(30)

A large tacklebox full of fishing lures meant for alien fish is in the locker Hailey searches, along with maps fo secret fishing homes across nearby planets

5

5

5

“Whelp, my life of heroism is over folks,” Hailey declares as she reaches in for the box. Her face breaks into a shit-eating grin as she continues “I’ve got bigger fish to fry,” and shows off the prize.

“Th-they weren’t expecting to fish here were they?- Oh I bet you could do an alien fishing show that would be a huge hit too!” Billy laughs at the thought.

Lori can't help but chuckle at Hailey's joke. (edited)

"....are there some sort of fish in the lava? I'd watch THAT fishing show!"

"Depends on your definition of fish I guess. There were those big lava worms a while back, though I guess you could say lava eels. That almost has a better ring to it."

“I have an issue with calling anything taller than a building a fish. I wonder if they have any babies swimming around down there.”

1

(6xp, 10,000 credits, and everyone has one pretech for later use)

8:04 AM

With the building surveyed, and a large medical team on hand recently arrived from the capital, the situation at the ruins here will slowly unravel with time. Cell Cultures will be restored back into functioning people. Psychiatric services will remain on hand for them, and eventually when safe, these people will make their way to the capital to try to continue their lives as UNW citizens. Thanks to your efforts, maltech has been destroyed, and thousands of people will get to continue lives that were brutally cut short.

2

(Up to you guys what we do next, if we want to split up that is fine, i know we've all been doing this collectively for a while)

8:32 AM

(if no one is sure what they want to do, or what there is to do, let me know, we can spin somethng up)

(I’m perfectly happy to continue questing with these folks. There are a few threads to follow.) 1) search for the other black sites on planet to free more folks. 2) Research possible leads that could lead to the discovery of lost cryo ships from the remnant era. 3) Fishing 4) Research Tsatsos Wildlife (Lavadogs) 5) Go off and do your own thing. 6) something I haven’t thought of.)

2

2

(I'm happy with whatever y'all wanna do. I kinda wanna go to the other black sites though) (edited)

1

(We could split up into two groups to go off and find other black sites, then reconvene after)

1:58 PM

(Or have one group do 1 and the other 2)

(whatever you guys want to do, Billy brought up some good ideas, but yiu guys arent stuck with just that stuff either)

2:04 PM

(I'm good to run or do whatever is of interest)

(lol fishing)

7:09 PM

(maybe we could find more info on the cryo ships at another site)

(That’s a good point actually)

(Sounds like everyone is interested in uncovering the other black sites. Great point Daniel.)

7:55 PM

(Who's coming with me?) (PS. This completed a personal goal, which I haven't looked at in many months. To increase pop on Tsatsos 3xp) (edited)

(perhaps we take them on as pairs? I'm thinking one veteran one rookie each)

Paxcyan Wilder (Billy)

(Who's coming with me?) (PS. This completed a personal goal, which I haven't looked at in many months. To increase pop on Tsatsos 3xp) (edited)

(We can mark that one done)

1

Vibe Check

(perhaps we take them on as pairs? I'm thinking one veteran one rookie each)

(I’m fine with that. Are there any distinctions between the sites?)

(Let’s figure out teams first. We don’t have really any site info)

(I’m pretty impartial, I’ll leave teams up to Daniel and Loriya.)

(uhhhh me and Hailey, Billy and Daniel? if nobody objects?)

3

(Alright. Looks like everyone agrees.) Wrapping up the site, Billy instructs Eyebot to project a visual map of Tsatsos on the wall in the office room. “Ok gang, from the preliminary data, it’s looking like we have a few other possible sites to uncover. If we can cross reference with what we know about the planet…” Billy types away at his compad looking for clues to where the sites could be. “Now that you’ve sort of seen how this works and you’re properly armed, I think you two could make a solid team on your own. We can split up and take multiple sites at a time.”

(When I’m at a computer tonight I’ll update the map

3

(Note that Daniel did not take a weapon)

(I’ll send loriya with an extra just in case.)

(Aren't I going with Hailey though? Why would I need an extra?)

(I agree haha. If anyone needs extra help it’s that nerdy Billy guy

)

(Daniel are you saying this because you want one or what’s going on here. What’s needed from my end? There’s been a few chances here to pick one up and they’ve been passed up for whatever reasons you had ) (edited)

(I’d be more than happy to lend Daniel one of mine. Might be more fun than something standard)

(Daniel declined a rifle is what I'm saying. Its not his thing. Billy seemed to think he was properly armed and I needed to point out that he is visibly not. He has a stun rod.)

(I’ll get a revised Tsatsos map done tonight before bed with the sites added)

2

(Blacksites are now labeled)

Eisheru, et al. pinned a message to this channel. 8/16/2021 8:53 AM

(so we need 2 people for the northern blacksite, and two people for eastern. We don't really have any info about what's there, other than their locations)

(And we are at the cryovault now?)

(correct)

“Alright. Let’s go boys vs girls? Daniel, you and I will head north. Hailey and Loriya, you take the eastern site, deal?”

"Looks like ours is closer. Not fair to to give you a handicap when you're so clearly at a disadvantage to begin with. Oh well, who cares about being a good sport anyways."

Billy smirks and presses a button on his compad. A few minutes later Tsatsos Patrol Boat flies down to give Billy and Daniel a ride. “Race ya.” He winks.

1

(There’s enough around to get everyone where we need to go. We can keep Billy and Daniel here and do Hailey and loriya in Haileys then if that’s good for everyone $

(sounds good to me)

“Anyone need a ride!?” Billy says as the ship lands nearby, sending igneous sand flying. “We can drop you off.” (I think that sounds fine to me.)

(Hailey'd have her ship not too far off so that works. Over in #hailey now) (edited)

(sounds good, ill get maps, ect going)

7:57 AM

A two hour flight across the surface of the planet has your patrol boat doing a quick overlook of the facility below. Power seems to be off, though the wind turbines look to be in good condition still. The field of them is controlled by a small engineering shack in the middle of the wind farm. Adjacent to the wind farm on its eastern side is a large walled complex that looks part military base, part prison, part town, all in one. The complex is massive, and its low power has kept it hidden from the scant orbital imaging that has taken place on Tsatsos over the years. One would have to know exactly where to look. There does not seem to be anyone there, and there are no automated defenses firing on the patrol boat, but there is no guarantee the inside will be as safe, or that things will not turn on when power is restored

“This facility looks fantastic still…” Billy says from the cockpit because he insisted on flying himself. “God wind energy is such a brilliantly simple solution. So efficient and you basically just have to change the lubrication on the ancient models. I’d say we clear the compound of imminent threats first before we turn the power back on. Shouldn’t be too hard. You sure you don’t want to at least carry a gun? Just in case?”

"I do have a stun baton". Daniel pulls the item out, and after a moment, grips the correct end. "I'm really more of a medic, though."

6:55 PM

"Yeah, immediately powering up the place seems like a bad idea for lotsof reasons."

“Alright. Suit yourself.” Billy lands the ship nearby and picks up his gear to head out to explore the walled complex first.

Landing 100m away from its southern gatehouse, the patrol boat drops the both of you off before returning to its position in orbit. It is not fitted to be of much assistance should anything happen on the ground- and it being shot down when power comes back on is a possibility and disaster no one wants to invite

“Alright, stay close.” Billy says, marching up to the gatehouse. Cautiously, he peers in a window to try and find a way in.

Daniel stays close and Notices as hard as he can

The gatehouse has a small door where guards would have entered to look at the security consoles and operate controls. The controls are on standby mode due to the base being on reserve power.

“Reserve power should allow for the doors to operate at least.” (Is it locked?)

(The mains doors are currently locked yes, and we've not done anything in here to verify the statement you made)

(Yeah it’s more of Billy speaking what he hopes is true rather than making it true as he tries it and is instantly denied. Is how I picture it.) (Is there a panel I could hack into to break in?)

(there are controls in here we could try to work with)

"Do we have any access codes or something from the other site?"

Daniel takes a moment to review some of the information collected from draining Data-banks at the cryovault, before finding a reference to the over-ride key for the gate here. the twelve digit number combination is placed into the computer, and is authenticated with the site administrator's password- something he was never able to return to the planet to use before his death in the space battle here years ago.

3:56 PM

Outside the guard shack the large metal doors to the facility shiver, Dust falls from the gate joints and the metal eaves begin to retract into their housings.

“Great thinking, Daniel! I was all ready to cut my way through!”he laughs. Billy jogs over to the doors and helps to pull them open and enter the compound.

"Well, that WOULD have definitely been more fun!" Daniel covers his mouth and backs away a step so as not to inhale the dust.

The gate moves into its housings without much effort needed, and it reveals the inner walled compound dominated by the large blacksite building the Remnant had planned to put i nto service here. Defensive guns on its roof once would have watched the skies and it looks like there are antenna for broadcasting ECM when power is on, scrambling any drones or electronic signals getting too close. The main entry doors are simply iris hatches that won't need any special encouragement to open- the exterior defenses and inaccessibility of the site to the general public were its main security measures

"When we turn the power on, we're going to have to make sure those guns and ECM transmitters are down so we can call in extract. but for now, let's see what we're working with." Billy walks over to the closest iris hatch and opens it.

Daniel looks around the immediate area for a visitor map

Nekosmash pinned a message to this channel. 8/19/2021 2:36 PM

(Coming in from the black and yellow chevrons in the center of the south wall)

2:37 PM

A map is extracted and copied from a still powered visitors terminal on the wall, though data corruption has rendered the room labels as information that can no longer load. An automated warning flashes reminding you that this is a military site and warnings of all automated and manned security systems here supersede any map navigation details.

“This looks like a useful little base of operations here.” Billy says as he walks in. “Same as last time. Room to room. Eyes sharp.” Billy raises his weapon and goes to the first door to his left.

An emergency medical station occupies this room. Most of the furnishings are safety red and med kits, a stretcher bay, and some light surgical equipment are features of the room. It looks like this was meant to try to stabilize any would-be defenders coming in from other parts of the base in the event of an assault- though this bay was never used.

“This is all you, Doc.” Billy meanders through the equipment. “Still fresh,”He says picking up some sort of simple still-sealed medical inventory.

"Looks like an emergency station. I'll take a look around though." Daniel searches through the equipment.

The equipment here is of a colonial standard. The things you have are either as modern, or are slightly improved, but the lab is clean and might be a good work space in the future.

1:26 PM

A medical terminal in the room is active, but its contents are kept begin a password.

(Can I try to hack in?)

(yes)

(Program/int 15) Billy sits down to the pc and starts going through the motions trying to find a backdoor into the system.

"Did you try '1234'?" Daniel likes to be helpful

(You’re in. You can ask the system any questions you want and if it has the information it will provide honest answers within the bounds of what it knows)

There is a patient log present. The names listed don’t have any real meaning in this post scream time but there are dozens of them set to be transferred here from the cryo vault. The remnants defeat prevented the transfer

“Daniel, do you have any questions for the pc?” <Personnel Files?>

The personnel files are present but are likewise meaningless , as you’ve no context of how they fit within the Remnant or it’s military

10:58 AM

“So far I’m not getting much from this. They have files on people but it doesn’t tell me anything about what this place is. Maybe we should keep exploring.”

"I don't suppose you could... I dunno, add us to the base roster or something?"

11:51 AM

"So any automated defenses think we work here?"

Billy stands upright and turns to Daniel. “You’re a mad genius. I’m not sure if I can get into that from here but it’s worth a shot.”

There isn’t any research handled in the medical sector or in any systems it’s attached to. You’re unable to find anything but your names are both added as people who can access the secure doors of this facility without needing any additional codes or screening

1

“Well I think that’s about all we’re getting here. Says people would be coming from the cryovault to here so I don’t know what the purpose is and I don’t see any sign of any cryo ships lost in space either. Let’s move on and see what the rest of this place has to offer.” (I’m thinking straight through to the room on the bottom left?)

"I have no better ideas. Lead on."

(Is that where you wanna go then Billy?)

(Yes)

This door would normally have been heavily secured but since you have inserted your credentials into the system it opens. This is a cloning facility of some kind, at least this room of the facility. Two large grow tanks and dozens of computers monitoring the flow of nutrients, waste, and other important materials for the gestation of life occupy this room- along with more traditional research equipment for gene sequencing, medical diagnosis, and gene editing all fill the spaces of what was a large room made small by how packed full of resources it is.

Billy stops suddenly as if protecting a child before an accident. “Daniel…” He whispered. “I think we are going to be spending some time in here. This facility could be a breakthrough in recovering technology. I haven’t seen a lab like this yet.” He speaks reverently and moves slowly through the space.

"What would be the purpose of these clones? Just organ replacement, or can they implant memories, too?"

“It is a possibility. I’ve done something similar once but it was extremely energy intensive. Highly experimental. It seems the remnant wanted to implant memories to make these people happy remnant citizens but it might be possible to give people new bodies if their original is failing them. Organ replacement is of course the most societally acceptable and easiest thing. I mean they were doing that in the middle 2000s. I think with some high level science we might be able to do some incredible things. I bet having a biopsion on board would make everything just that much easier. Regardless, we might be able to do the work of the hive mind here as well if they… tire or something. Anyway, it’s too early to tell… Still, I want to ask Devnoc how he’d feel if we could make him a new body. I don’t know how a human brain could even contain him at this point anyway. For now, let’s continue to document, look for any data files and finish inspecting the facility. Even tech with nefarious intentions might have insights that could save lives.”

“The Ashen Ones might be interested in that.”

"A good biopsion can replace organs... But of course, its good to have alternatives." Daniel will look around carefully but not touch ANYTHING.

(We've seen what there is to see with just seeing the room, the machines are off and dont have anyone in them but are intact)

“Most people don’t have access to bioscions. You’re exceedingly rare. We need to copy all of the data here for reproduction and see exactly what their processes were or if they even were operational.” Billy walks over to the computers to investigate further.

The machines here are capable of operation. They need some sort of sample of what needs to be cloned or created, but it can be accomplished. The power level is too low for them to be started right now, but fixing the reactor and refueling it could allow the machines to come online. Once they do, the facility will also transmit a signal. Everyone will know it exists.

“Well that ain’t too good of a black site design if it’s out here broadcasting it’s location for all to see, now is it. I don’t really think it would be much of an issue if we get it up and running though. Let’s keep everything intact here for now and move on to the rest of this place. Looks like we have a lot to check out. Where to next Daniel?” (The map is pinned in case you forgot. If you want to look at the map again.)

"I guess they didn't consider it 'black'?"

6:35 PM

"Proceed to the next door in the hall?"

The mess hall is the next room to the north. Several tables have been set up here to let site security and the researchers that would have filled its halls eat and relax during breaks in their shift. The roach popper and scrub field are still active in this room, once ubiquitous home appliances , their complex manufacturing processes have been lost , and now they are reminders of better pre scream times

“Y-know. I never thought about it before, but I think my research ship has this self cleaning feature. I never hired any cleaners for it and it’s always spotless. It’s just more noticeable here because it’s supposed to be dirty. The more I see the more I’m impressed. This definitely needs to be put back in use somehow.”

The two devices here are also commonly used in surgical applications when a biopsion is not available and conventional medicine must be practiced instead. At the height of Tenerbrian Empire power, hospital infections and deaths resulting from there were almost non-existent. Their operation goes some way to explain why the facility is looking better than it should given the time passed

“The more I see of this place, the more I am impressed. I think some of our work in resurrecting these people could be done here to ease some of the load off you. Though, I’m sure you’d be faster and more efficient. At least we could try… come on let’s sweep this wing real quick. We skipped a few rooms right at the entrance too.” (I think we do a quick sweep through what looks like the bedrooms/Rec room/bathroom area and clear that west wing there.)

1

The west wing of the facility looks to be bunk rooms where the soldiers and workers here would have stayed. There is nothing here to secure, and no information about the routes of any prisoner ships in this area- though you see each room is also protected by a roach popper and scrub field as well.

“Excellent facilities so far. Let’s keep moving around back toward the center. I kind of want to get to the heart of this place.” Billy will walk by what looks like the kitchen and back toward the central hallway, looking left into the central chamber before backtracking to the second room on the left from the entrance.

(okay im a little turned around, are you looking into the room with those green channels built into it?)

(If the room with green tiles is a kitchen, I’m skipping it and going one room south to the computer looking things and the two green things )

1:56 PM

ENGINEERING is written on the door and it makes sense the source of power and the room with the tools to maintain the tech here is close to the medical wing- given the purpose of the facility. The reactor is on standby mode right now. There is plenty of fuel in it, but its power ceiling was turned as low as possible to keep things running without burning through the fuel reserves quickly.

“Everything here just feels way too convenient for me. This never happens that everything is just left in perfect condition like they’d just be back soon. Come on let’s check the end of the hall. I don’t want to power everything back up quite yet.” Billy walks seemingly perturbed by the perfect working order everything seems to be in. No rust, no sign of wear, no sign of anything out of place. It just felt eerie and the skin crawled up the back of his neck for a moment but he shakes it off, walking confidently toward the central room.

"I agree. I mean, it's POSSIBLE, but... Lets turn on power last."

(its been a rough couple days for me too, no worries)

“I definitely agree. No sense wasting fuel until we know what we want to do with it.”

(Yeah. Back now. But long and stressful)

4:51 PM

(We decided against turning the power on so for now this room has no further relevance to us)

(Yeah I already walked toward the big central room in the back!)

5:19 PM

(Also.. no worries here my dude. Take your time.)

(when its a giant box of text like that I'm not going to follow all of it , i just cant comprehend it) The central room is not really a room at all but looks to be a junction to allow access to several others. You can hear the hum of computer systems and engineering equipment nearby. No security measures have activated thanks to your spoofed credentials but you can see hatches in the ceiling where turrets would have ordinarily deployed to stop unauthorized access to this central area of the facility

(Ok fair enough. I will attempt to improve format and writing style. A forever battle. :p) “See that simple suggestion saved our asses, Daniel. You’re a natural.” He pats his back. “I’ll let you guide.”

(why don't you keep going billy since this has kind of stalled)

“Great choice!” Billy winks and keeps walking to the back end of the complex. (Big room in the back.)

"Thanks Billy; I'm sure you could have handled it though" grin

Some sort of loading dock is here. You can see standing carts with restraints have been left in wall alcoves. Other racks for shock rods, riot gear, and chemical grenades are also in this room and its access to the sky througha large metal hangar skylight lets you get the impression this is where prisoners would have been brought into the facility for experiments, holding, and whatever else the Remnant had decided to do with them.

“Well this is a little less pleasing than the rest but we can repurpose a lot of this.” Billy walks over to the chemical grenades. “Feel free to equip yourself with any of the gear you see here. The rest we will scrap, sell or equip our troops and security with.” Billy takes a couple chemical grenades and a shock rod. “A non lethal weapon might come in handy one day. I know you don’t use weapons but every psychic I’ve ever met at least carried something on them so they didn’t have to torch themselves in an emergency. I’m going to give you the opportunity every time.”

“In any case, working little hanger, kitchen, rooms, power, defenses, cloning. Just with this, it seems like a workable facility. Come. Let’s keep going, I want to see what was in that room we passed.” Billy walks back to take a peek in the room just to the right of the hall with turrets.

This room looks like it was once ground control for vectoring ships from orbit into the facility. It is a small station, only half the size of a modern above ground tower- but the amount of ship traffic it needed to coordinate was similarly much smaller

Billy sits down at the station to try and fire up the computers and see ship log or anything scheduled.

A ship departing from Abauntza was supposed to make planetfall here but never arrived. This was the only thing they had scheduled for arrival. Several thousand people were supposed to be aboard, a mix of prisoners, subdued psychics, and Remnant personnel working in an official capacity

Billy is going to use his knowledge of spaceships and space routes to try and figure out a likely place for the ship to exist now given the time of departure, the scream, drift or any other technical information he can gather. Did the scream drop them out of spike space? Did it send them somewhere else? These are all questions rolling through his mind as he tries to decipher the data.

(I don’t think you’d have a way to discern their course especially since rutters that existed pre scream and shortly after are different than the ones we have now

5:13 PM

(But you’ve got a place where you might get some hints now)

1

(the computer can't really answer any of the questions you've asked, we just have their last known position)

(Perfect. It’s a lead) “Ok Daniel this place is turning out to be a piece of cake. Thanks to your quick thinking we didn’t even need to get shot at by turrets.” (Im going to the next room to the right but one las question for this terminal… was there any ships that called this place home?)

The defense fleet that the UNW destroyed during their invasion of the planet during the Remnant war called this their home port.

6:58 PM

There were no other ships officially stationed here

(Ok cool. Worth checking.) Billy pushes the chair back satisfied with the info gathered. (Before I leave the central area, let’s go back and check what looks to be storage to the right of the big room in the back.)

The storage room looks to be full of replacement ship parts, some small arms for the security team here, medical kits to help treat infirmary overflow and ammunition for the weapons here that need it.

"Of course, that clever idea means I miss out on practicing my medical skills...." Daniel checks over those medical supplies.

(theyre the med-kits from the core rulebook. All they really do is a small bonus on heal checks and allow long term care for HP recovery and whatnot in places you wouldnt normally get it, like the wilderness or something for an extended period of time)

“As always when delving into these ruin type facilities, we get first dibs on anything here. Whatever we don’t need is going to be useful to somebody. Take what you need. It looks like we have one more wing and then some rooms we missed up front. If it’s a mirror, I expect the important stuff to be near the front but we might find officers quarters. Only one way to find out.”

4:11 PM

Officers quarters adorn the right side of the facility. You woukd have been fired on by the two security bots here but since you’ve planted your names into the database through some clever hacking they do not wake up

(Id like to just get in there and disconnect the wire that runs to the battery just so it shuts down temporarily so I don’t forget. Let’s make sure the defenses are all disabled.) “Woah! Again? Dan, you have single handedly defeated this whole base by mere suggestion!” Billy raps his knuckle on the head of the security bots and moves around to the maintenance panel to shut them down.

"Lets not get too cocky about it; we might run into some smart or malfunctioning ones."

The bots sag gently as standby power is cut. They deactivate for good now.

“That’s a good instinct. The past two salvage spots have had any defenses neutralized before we could see them. The place seems completely abandoned. Knock on wood but I’m feeling kind of lucky here. Dan, can you see if you can find any personal effects in the officers quarters over there? A lot of times that’s where the secrets are.”

"Aye aye, Billy." (Notice check?)

(I'll let you know if one is needed)

9:33 AM

The personal quarters have more Remnant memorabilia such as officers uniforms, flags, and other symbols of the now dead war-like polity that had pressed the UNW so hard in its early days. None of the officers in this frontier base had anything resembling pretech armaments. The memorabilia might mean something to the colonists on Shariar- exiles and war prisoners from that conflict now in UNW custody and care, but are not intrinsically valuable on their own.

“I’m not a big fan of passing on Remnant memorabilia to losers who would want to glorify their bigotry and memorialize their failure. Id say burn the stuff but you saw it first.” Billy stands up from the security bots and wipes a bit of grease off his armor. If there’s nothing of importance over there I think the rest of this front half is going to tell us the rest of the story here.

"I'm with you on that" grimaces in distaste "we'll get that done later. Nothing else of interest here."

“Ok. Hey this room looks like it might be up your alley.” Billy walks up to check this door:

This room is the base workshop. The gear, tools, and weapons the base used for daily operations were taken here for their upkeep and repair demands. Crates of spare parts are still in their shipping pallets and anchoring bands. There was little activity here before the facility was abandoned.

Billy breathes in deeply. “Don’t you just love the smell of fresh tools. Freshly oiled…. Maybe this room was for me.” He chuckles back at Dan. “This is all pretty standard and in working order. I don’t see anything out of place here. I could put a crew in today. -shit I wish I had come across this when we first landed here, this is already a ready made base. I think we should put it into use.” Billy slaps the wall twice with a dull thud. (Are there any unique parts or tools that might stick out to Billy or is this all standard workshop stuff, if he were to open all the drawers for a peek.)

(its all standard workshop stuff. You said it best, probably would have been more of a boon in the early game than it is now, but here we are)

1

Billy turns to Daniel. “Dan, you see how this pretty much goes, sweep, eliminate threats, note things of value etc. if you see something you need, there’s generally no claim unless otherwise stated. In this case most of this is going to benefit the people of Tsatsos but out in the wild, anything you can take from ruins like this is fair game. You’re not always going to be able to just rely on your wits to save you though. Do you have any offensive or defensive capabilities? You’ll definitely need it out here. The Iron Stars is a dangerous place.”

(I have an idea Neko. And I guess I would need both of your thoughts on it… can I rig up one of those security bots to follow Daniel around and protect him from threats? Just a wild idea. Feel free to shoot down)

(Once you leave the area or he goes solo its going to stop working, since no one is going to be able to give it new orders)

1

4:13 PM

(he also doesnt have any skill in program so he wouldnt be able to command it himself either)

(While that could be funny, I’ll skip it. Thanks for the clarification.)

(The other team has completed their investigation as well now)

(Ok, lets just check the last couple rooms then and we're done here.)

12:32 PM

(Bottom right corner and then the two rooms left.)

A recreation facility, gym, and some kind of wash room seem to be this bottom quadrant of the facility. These were things that do not provide reasonable salvage, but were necessities for the large numbers of personnel this base was set to host

“Well this seems to be about it. Definitely looks like it’s in great working order. Do you think this facility would be something you might have interest in? Between this site, the first and whatever Hailey and Loriya uncovered maybe we can actually get this stuff moving and revive all those folks. I think we are about done here for now. Was there anything else that you were interested in doublechecking before we go?”

(Note that Daniel DOES have the butterly armor, which offers some protection). Daniel laughs a little "I just got out of school, and I specialized in the healing arts, Billy. Even if i picked up one of these rifles, I'm not trained in their use, and I'd be more of a danger to my own side."

"I think we're done here. Looks like a good spot to keep some of those people we're reviving. Let's be sure and dispose of all that Remnant junk first though..."

“A few can live here anyway but I’m really just trying to rebuild those ruins or expand the colony housing here on planet. This seems like a specialist kind of thing.”

(3xp, 5000 credits. We have random mundane gear here that we found. Let’s get that message off to the ladies and we can figure out our next move)

 Seems like a holding facility for psychic prisoners here. Made it out just fine and avoided a turret as well. 

Did you guys find any clues that might help us track down that ship?

Best to look around then, right??

(That’s not a thing. You need a stars mass to exit spike space. Otherwise you’re just lost in metaspace forever )

(My bad. Assumed you could just fly and not spike)

9:47 PM

 Ship might’ve gotten lost or stopped somewhere in between. Maybe you an I can get tougher a sensor of some sort and fly the distance scanning for it.

(Just going to answer here instead of bouncing back and fourth)

I like that idea. We should pin down the location of that remnant site on Abauntza too. Though, it might be likely that this ship is just lost forever, I don't think we can get away with 
not trying.

2

Maybe can get another two teams to do each of those. We’ll see you back at the site then.

Billy calls for an extraction to take them back to headquarters to prepare for the next set of excursions.

Billy, daniel, @Vibe Check and @Hailey Clements (Mylonite) all meet back at New Hephestus after being picked up by various aircraft or personal ships, now armed with a last known position of the prisoner ships they have been determined to find.

Hailey steps off the ship alongside Loriya walking out quickly. "We need to get a team of medical staff out there as quick as possible. It wasn't a big group, but the holding facility did have a few prisoners and I think they've waited long enough."

Billy walks onto the Tarmac with the others. “Oh there’s so much happening. The expedition to the Ashen One homeland should be wrapping up, we have a new member coming on planet to study the wildlife and help us better understand the planet, we have to organize new colony housing! It feels good to see real progress happening, doesn’t it?” “I think we can send a team out there to handle it. If we can get them lifted to the hospital here as soon as possible, I think that would be our best bet for now. Good work everyone.”

10:46 AM

“And we still haven’t been in contact with Seung either…”

"Who's... Seung...?"

“He is one of the men who helped me get off my feet, helped found RCOE, and is a hero of every war we ever fought. He left a year or two ago to go to the galactic north to search for the Sylth homeworld but we received a message from him recently that he would be headed to SCAF space which is run by a former associate and partner of his who since his departure has become one of the most wanted men in the Iron Stars… incredibly powerful psychic. But he said there was a threat coming from the west. Id like to know more.”

4:20 PM

“I… got the message while we were deployed in the field. It was in the Unity Council.”

“Interesting…”

"So what's our next job?" (edited)

(Right now we know the ship you're seeking was on a stop in the Abauntza before making its way here. Five years had passed between that report and you guys discovering it now, but that system seems to be your best lead)

“Abauntza. Former remnant base. We are looking for the prisoner ship that was lost somewhere between here and there… Hailey, you can park Shadow’s Bounty in Riger 2 and we can just take that together. That way if you can jet you can. I usually park R1 or my ID fighter in there.”

“Copy that Captain. It’s a quiet ship too, could make a nice way to sneak in if we spot unfriendliness.”

Billy smiles. “Great minds, first mate.” Billy organizes for the ships and puts the missus in charge while he’s away. (We can take the Mechs and the Blitzer too)

(If anyone needs to buy any supplies now is the time)

(I’m all set!)

(I’m good to go)

(There is also an armory/supplies on board but either way it’s good to just get it down now. )

(Lori has too little spine to ever ask if she could take anything shdfshfd)

“Anything you need to equip yourself should be in the armory. Make sure you are set and good to go. That’s an order. Last thing we need is to get caught with our pants down because we forgot something.” Billy dons his authority feat and directs Loriya to get her butt to the armory and ship’s locker. “Go!” He whistles. He instructs the ships quartermaster to get them anything they need. (I’m good to go.)

“Uh- Yes sir-?” Lori quickly leaves for the armory, a mix of confused and really just not being able to say no.

(using a foci to compel a character to do something they truly dont want to do is like, not a great look, lets try to keep that kind of 5E chaos from the table)

8:28 AM

(if everyone's set to go though, I'll get us moving)

Nekosmash

(using a foci to compel a character to do something they truly dont want to do is like, not a great look, lets try to keep that kind of 5E chaos from the table)

(that’s just how Lori is, I didn’t even realize he used a foci until you called it out)

8:29 AM

(gal does NOT have that kind of backbone)

(Hmm I guess that’s not really what I was trying to do. I was just saying oh he is an authority figure who sees someone that’s afraid to ask. It would make sense if he did that. I don’t want to force anyone to do anything they don’t want to do and I didn’t think I could do that anyway. The feat just gives bonuses to npcs under my command.)

(you said dons your authority feat)

8:33 AM

(but the semantics aside, its questionable enough where i thought saying something was warranted)

(it’s all good dude)

(All set.)

(We've got 6 days of downtime, from Tsatsos passing through Terezinho, Creusa, and then finally hitting our destination )

"I've got my Butterfly armor, but I'll get my stun baton serviced and take a look. Thanks Billy"

10:01 AM

(Daniel will get that armor properly detailed/fitted out for a medic; Lazarus patch in a armored, labelled pocket)

10:03 AM

(During downtime he will make himself a nuisance getting to know the crew, asking their medical histories, etc. He will also read up on Abauntza and the Remnant there)

(Downtime for Lori is essentially going to be reading on Remnants in general and Abauntza while trying... her best at being social.)

https://www.worldanvil.com/w/iron-stars-nekosmash/a/abauntza-location?preview=true

Abauntza

(Wasimian 9/30 catching up on my languages.)

(Working on upgrading Peter. It's about time)

A short snippet of information appears on the bridge as you all assemble. Riger Two has successfully crossed the northern UNW territories and has passed into unclaimed space. A scout probe came this way before once and the following report appears on your respective data-pads Abauntza is a system devoid of life. A white hot sun at the systems heart keeps the two planets here scorched and barren. Life cannot take root here without terraforming or some other technologically assisted climate mitigation. There are no plants or animals on the surface of either of these worlds. A broken and heavily bombarded mining station and the gas giant it orbits also inhabit the system. Old ion trails hint at more within the depths of the station, but with the presence of so much solar activity a clear scanning picture is impossible.

(Point of order, I should know this. Can I wear my armor of devotion and pilot the suit Mech? I think it’s yes but just making sure.)

(You can wear armor and pilot a mech)

7:29 PM

(Depending on where we go and what we do the mech might be too big, like on the space station ) (edited)

(Cool cool. Ive asked before because of fallout power armor I think.) “Ok everyone, vacc suits are in the armory if you don’t have the appropriate gear. We need to protect ourselves from space and radiation. The suits should do that.” Billy looks across the star system from the quarterdeck. “What do you say? Start at the only sign of life right? Station?”

"Seems logical to me," Hailey responds as she dons her mech suit, ready to follow after Billy in her. It glows with blue power as it comes online. "You two ever spacewalk before?" she asks Loriya and Daniel as they prepare with vacc suits.

"No, surprisingly. Is it normal to be nervous?? Because I'm nervous."

“I get nervous all the time. That’s just human. You just get better at dealing with it and doing the thing in spite of your hesitation. I’ve never seen a therapist about that and I’m sure I have an insanity point laying around here somewhere but that’s how I deal with it. You didn’t ask for that but here we are.” Billy closes his eyes in a meditative way, dedicating himself to protecting the well-being of the people in his care. You see arcane runes on his armor flash and shimmer as it comes to life. He puts his helmet on and climbs into his orange RCOE gear camouflage suitmech.

(If we are going into the space station the mechs are going to be too big)

Billy steps back out of the suitmech. “Still fits!” He says slapping the top. “Won’t fit in there though. Power armor it is.”

Lori awkwardly puts on the vacc suit. "It's slightly more comfortable than I thought it would be, to be honest."

(Is my butterfly suit adequate? The Icarus harness says its good for 30 minutes of vacc per refresh. Could I just hook up an extra O2 tank?)

(Maybe with all these engineers here we could help mod it to extend vacc time?)

(That would be a pretty cool mod for it)

(I thought there was one in there. Thanks for the legwork, eish.)

1

(we passed enough time on the flight over where it could be modded to the butterfly suit)

Billy walks over and makes a last adjustment on Daniel’s butterfly armor upgrade. “Yyep here we go. That should give you a bit more time on the suit there. I also have my old CFUs somewhere that had a bubble-seal modification on it that I never even had to use. It’s like an emergency vacc suit too if one of you wanted to see if it fit one of you. It’s meant to be a fail safe if say your vacc suit tears and it functions as a vaccsuit for an hour.” (Can I roll or something to see if those CFUs happen to be in this armory? If someone wants it that is? The mod requires maintenance so if they don’t have the fix for it, it would basically just be a one off for this mission.)

(I think we;ve puttered around with logistics enough and it seems like everyone else has what they want or need already)

9:32 AM

The station has two points of entry that the group could use to get aboard. There is a lower docking port close to the shipyard and ship repair side of the station- a likely place for your prize to be hiding, or a likely place to obtain information about it if all else fails. It is also one of the more sensitive areas on a military space-station and there may be autonomous defenders or defense systems online. The upper level docking port opens into the crew areas. They would be more lightly defended as they were semi-public areas, but it is more ground and more time to cross through before getting to your destination, forcing you to work efficiently when you finally get to the shipyard, but you will avoid most of the heavily defended areas.

(We do various simple things so that we can breathe. Works for me.)

9:44 AM

"Did we get access codes for this place?"

“No but we should be able to hack in or hack in. The real question is do y’all want to be in a heavy firefight or do you want to take it easy?”

"You know I'm always up for a fight, but easy sounds good to me. Either way, we've got Lori to hack in for us. Or I could drag Peter along, though he's still working hard downloading some software updates."

1:40 PM

She gestures to the back lab where she was working. There Peter can be seen powered down with tools lying about him and cords plugged in as he accesses new upgrades.

"Right. I'll see what I can do," She says as she gets to work on accessing the station.

(We are going the Upper level way.)

7:23 PM

(Also I’ll have eyebot give her the help action if that’s ok.)

The station is a military facility and your computer screen shows empty air where in space a short distance from your ship there is indeed a space station. ECM is common at many military facilities and this is no exception. Any computers found will have to be directly interacted with aboard.

"Weird... I'm not getting anything on my end. I'd have to access any computers directly on the station."

“Hailey, you think Shadow’s bounty would have an easier time squeezing in past any automated defenses?”

“I know it would. I can have it ready to go in two minutes-“ she turns to the lab as she remembers Peter is currently out of commission. “Five minutes! Can get in unseen.”

"Great, and supposing there's any computers in there, I should be able to get us system access once we're in."

Shadows bounty is prepared and everyone transfers over to it. Everyone is prepared to begin exploring the space station using the upper airlock, via the easier route. Floating toward the station aboard Hailey’s ship, the automated defenses do not fire , either because they cannot detect you, or do not have the power to do so. The upper airlock looks to be intact and after the docking procedure is completed air cycles for several minutes before the amber light turns green, showing a solid link is established and pressure is now equal

"Alright, we're hooked in. Told you flying isn't just for droids." Rushing out of the cockpit, Hailey quickly moves to grab her gear and head in.

2

Billy follows shortly behind her making sure to check the area for threats waving Daniel and Loriya on.

Lori follows along, checking her surroundings every few seconds. (edited)

“Lori, can you get us in through a hard wire? A panel or something?”

"Let me take a look..."

Entering the airlock you do not see any computers just getting off the Shadow's Bounty. A small welcome sign tries to light but quickly fails as its bulbs burn out. A branching passage north leads to what is labeled as a medbay and the station quartermaster. Forging on ahead leads to the main station concourse where shops would have been set up, along with accommodations for the crew of more permanent residents.

“Normally I’d say leave the medbay, though here seems like a good spot to check. We just need to fan through the area.”

“I agree. Plus it’s not every day you have a medical expert with you to teach ya something new.”

"I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but... I WOULD like to see what they have."

Billy takes the lead as they walk off toward the medbay first

The medbay doors slide open as you approach revealing a compact suite with two ICU suites, and four small recovery bays where the most critically injured can wait to be seen, or recover after their operations. The medical equipment is conventional, but each bay has a small locked case of Naval Issue stims on the wall.

(After looking around the room cautiously, Daniel will make a move to examine those boxes.) (edited)

The wall boxes have mechanical locks. Doctors would have had keys to open them to get at the advanced stims within. They’re identical to the stim cases seen on your first adventure

"Think we could just-" Hailey punches one fist into her open palm. "- those locks?" she finishes asking Daniel, gesturing at the one's he's looking at.

Lori gives Daniel a look that says “this might as well happen.”

“Just do it, Hailey. We all know you want to.” Billy chuckles.

Holding out the flat end of a weapon, she bashes it into one of the mechanical locks, then another, with the intention of cracking them open.

Each of the cases is smashed easily, home to one syringe each. They're not labeled with anything other than silver NAVAL ISSUE Remnant stamping. Those responsible for working here would have known what they were for. (edited)

"Hm, lets do a little research to find out EXACTLY what these things do before we start shooting up."

“I’ll leave that one up to you. You might know a little more than me in this area. Show me an engineering or computer issue and I’m your man until you need some MES intervention. Did you want to test it here real quick or did you want to examine it in our lab on R2?” (edited)

"You guys have a lab-?"

“Loriya, that ship we just rode over here in served as the RCOE main laboratory for the majority of our tenure as a faction. It was basically a bubble wrapped brand new prescream research vessel. It’s got a lab, workshop and even a mobile shipyard. Also, we have another lab in RCOE tower that you are free to use at any time.”

"Oh, wow..."

Stims are a uniform size and shape when made for naval kits, to ensure sailors, corpsmen or whoever needed to take on the role of a ship sawbones always knew how many could be packed into a trauma kit and so on. Those working here would have known what the syringes were for, and thus there is no labeling on the package - only a lot number that with the loss of pre-scream records, is now meaningless.

“Nothing seems too out of place here. Maybe we can dig into the records? Do any of you see a computer terminal we could access?”

Lori takes a look around, looking for any computers on the station.

The medical bay just has the small computer screens needed to display vital information about their patients, but does not have any kind of master terminal. Doctors probably controlled things here via compads or data pads, none of which are floating about the room.

Daniel starts looking around in the drawers and such where dats pads.misc equipment would be stowed

(there's none of that in here, but everything seems to be the same as the last medbay you were in, there's a good chance these are vials of lift)

“Take them for now. They are worth something no matter what they are I’m sure. But while we are here, let’s check the quartermaster before heading down that other wing.”

"You got it."

"Sounds good."

The quartermaster is the opposite hall from here and you see a healthy stockpile of void carbines behind a metal cage- one of the few weapons that can be fired without punching a hole in a ship. The quartermaster bot is offline, it’s power has long since run out. The bipedal human sized automaton stands behind the requisition counter as if frozen in time. There are also a few armored vac suits in this room hanging on wall hooks

Billy hurries over to the void carbines to pick one up to admire the work. “Now this is rare! If we have to fight anything in here or on another ship you’ll want one of these babies. So cool!”

"Is it some sort of stun weapon?" Daniel looks over Billy's shoulder with interest.

(Normally aboard a starship firing weapons is a bad idea, since it can punch holes in the hull. Void Carbines fire special ammunition so its lethal if it hits a person, but misses won't punch through bulkheads) (edited)

(Just some RP; Daniel knows nothing about weaponry)

“It just doesn’t have the same risk of blowing a ship open like most other weapons do. They don’t make them anymore. I bet most of our operatives would be dying to get their hands on one.” He hands one to Daniel and pockets another. “Sell it to another UNW operative if you aren’t comfortable.” He turns to Loriya. “Hey Loriya… you look like you could use a companion like Hailey’s Peter or my Vothe… Any interest on taking this robot and suping them up? That’s sort of how I started with my robotics career. Might have some rare parts in this guy even if you don’t like this particular model. The externals don’t matter so much as the internals.”

"Oh, I'd love to!"

(Just point of order, Void Carbines are TL4 and are widely available, all ships equipped with an armory fitting would have them, this being a space station it’s sensible you’d find them here)

(Ohp! My bad. Must have been thinking of something else.)

“Nice! Yeah let’s go take a look. If anything it could be good practice.” Billy walks over to the robot with Loriya and pops open the panel to see if it’s worth salvaging or what kind of parts it might need.

It looks to be a simple worker bot. Four units of spare parts should be enough to get it working again, but it’s going to need to be serviced in a workshop to achieve that.

“We definitely have some more models other than the worker bot if you’re interested in studying more robotics. I’ve been able to find a bunch of other models salvaging around the stars too. Maintaine might be a good spot for that too. Scavengers heaven that one. For now we can get this taken into the workshop on R2 and you can work on it there or take it to one of the workshops at HQ.”

(Alright, other people can come grab that for you guys and we can push on)

(You guys can feel free to cause action and move us forward. It’s not just the Billy show because it’s in my thread. Just want to make sure you know that. And you don’t feel like you have to wait for me to do something.) (That’s it for this wing, right Neko?)

(Yeppers)

8:46 PM

(just waiting to see what anyone else does)

Daniel awkwardly clutches the Void Carbine, pointing it away from people as if it will go off at any moment. "Let's carry on. Where can we find a terminal with security access?"

(we knew from the scans this route was going to havr fewer traps and whatnot, security is closer to the secured sections we're trying to get to, so we won't see one for a while)

Lori grabs a Void Carbine. "Deeper in the station is... really the only lead we have.'

"Can we figure out where the closest secured terminal would be?"

"At this point, not really."

(Sorry I've been quiet, weekend got busy) (Is there a way we could charge up the bot's battery a bit? Hailey can generate electricity so she could also just be the battery. May be able to help us out here. )

(It needs 4 spare parts to fix he said. Not just a power issue.)

(It’s more than just a power issue and it needs a workshop to be repaired )

4:47 PM

(It’s not something skills in the field can fix)

(Gotcha I see that now. Didn't read far enough. I'm good to move again

)

(To the main station concourse!)

(n otice/wis, anyone can make the check) (edited)

(Nat12 - 1 for 11

)

2

10:55 PM

(Who needs points in wisdom or notice)

(3! Haha)

There is a crackling sound in the air as you approach the main concourse, and Hailey feels light dust trickle down the back of her neck from the vents that run in the ceiling of the station.

(Billy’s probably too used to the ash on Tsatsos) “Is that-“ she does her best to brush it off herself before holding up a hand into the air to try and catch some and get a closer look.

Three robots in a scorpion like pattern burst out of the vent to land among the group (not in melee yet but easily will be , let’s get initiative )

1

(7)

(I’m in love.) (5)

(6)

(Once we get Loriya's I'll roll for the bots and get an order together)

(I was hoping you guys would get shot soon. I mean, "oh no, danger!")

2

(1 lmao)

(Hailey, Daniel, murderbots, Billy , Loriya )

Nekosmash pinned a message to this channel. 9/29/2021 8:15 PM

Already on edge, she leaps back as the bots drop down. Quickly, Hailey swings each of her blades in a sweeping motion in opposite directions. (28/14, 26/11)

(We don;t have two weapon fighting foci, so you'd be restricted to that first attack, just adding 2 to damage)

1

(I've been doing it that way for a while. Wont anymore going forward

)

Daniel raises his carbine in a blocking manner and sidles away, putting his back to the wall and getting out of the line of fire (Total Defense)

Hailey Clements (Mylonite)

(I've been doing it that way for a while. Wont anymore going forward

)

(I thought you had the foci but I took a look at the sheet to look at something else and saw you didn't)

(Is it wrong to love a murderbot? They're so cute!)

One of the bots is damaged by the twin swords, and reels back from the fight while Daniel moves to the edge of the fight, out of the line of fire for everyone else. The bot in combat with hailey lashes at her with its pinchers and tail. Both of the attacks bounce off the heavy armor. (also evasion for the stinger) the other two bots extend their tails and fire a murderous rain of electrical bolts into the room. (missing Daniel, 21/8 Billy)

10:52 AM

(Billy up)

Billy hefts the Hammer of Tsatsos from its holster like a carpenter about to go to work and takes a swing at the closest bot. (19/19 some of it is fire damage but I don’t see the distinction on mobile.)

The hammer comes down and smashes the bot that has been trying to do its best to hurt Hailey. Scorched metal pieces litter the floor. (Loriya)

(Sorry, 4v4 barely pass evasion)

(no damage from the sneaky stinger for Hailey)

1

"Damn! That thing's sick!" Hailey exclaims to Billy as she slips out of the way of the sneaky stinger.

(Loriya up, then new round)

Lori takes this turn to back up out of the way of the bots, and shoots her new void carbine at it.

4:08 PM

(how do I shoot the carbine and not the laser pistol?)

(I can add it to your sheet )

8:40 PM

(Done! You just click the void carbines box now. It’s under your laser pistol near the top of the sheet ) (edited)

2

(15/8)

The shot hits , sending one of the bots scattering into pieces on the floor

9:24 PM

Energy crackles as it’s battery pack dies, leaving just one remaining

9:24 PM

(Hailey up)

(I'm not saying don't be careful, but if anyone loses an organ, I got you covered.)

Going for the last, Hailey swings her blades, standing right in their midst.

8:30 PM

(19/14+2, is that right?)

(Yep!

8:53 PM

The robot is heavily damaged and reels back from the oncoming swords, it’s mechanical claws clacking. (Daniel)

(Holds action)

(22/6 Loriya, 23/6 Billy, and 22/5 daniel) sensing that it is close to final deactivation the robots snapping claws fire their energy bolts , one striking everyone in the group but Hailey, who weaves out of the way after her twin swords make their cuts

8:10 AM

(Billy)

Daniel will use that held action to drop a heal bomb, healing all my allies for 9 points at the cost of 1 system strain each (you don't have to accept the healing). Committing 1 Effort for the day. (Edit: Psychic Succor, Mastered Succor, Tissue Integrity Field. Sorry m8, figured you had this memorized.) (edited)

(Please use the technique names when possible so I don’t have to pick through your sheet )

11:05 AM

(Loriya up)

(Hp 127/132) “Let’s try and preserve this one! Maybe we can disable it.” Billy tries to dance in to take it down in a less damaging way. (Is there a way to power it down? Maybe Lori and I can partner up?)

1

(There is not)

Knowing that there's not much she can do, Lori tries to aim for a spot that won't completely destroy the bot, but will still disable it. (2/7 yikes)

The shot misses as the melee swirls and continues. (Hailey)

(How big are they?)

(About dog sized )

(If I try to wrestle and pin one down, then could they try to manually hack it?)

(I don’t want these to become more Ai followers or anything )

2

(Got it) As she barely dodges the last hit, Hailey attempts to stomp a foot down on the last one's head and jab her blades down into it. "I don't think they seem to eager for that." (27/15)

The final bot comes apart in a shower of scraps and wiring. Sparks dance across the floor before guttering out and fading away. Quiet returns to the hallway as the security bots are now defeated

1

“Nice blades, Hailey.” Billy taps them with his hammer. “We are getting into interesting territory now.”

Daniel looks at the bots sadly "Maybe not entirely practical, but very artistic. Maybe we can sweep them up on our way out and try to reconstruct one on the flight back home."

9:30 AM

"Everyone all right?"

“Fine, I think…”

“These look pretty fried to me. You might be able to scavenge a few spare parts from them though if you’re lucky. I’d be willing to bet this isn’t all there is in here though. We will have to be more attentive.” Billy continues on down the hallway.

10:27 AM

“Hey, thanks for the healing by the way. I usually just have to tough these cuts out. Till I get back to the medbay.”

"You're welcome. We have a long way to go, I probably should have conserved my resources there, but I maybe panicked a bit."

“Not a scratch here. Can’t say I’m not at least a bit disappointed by that.”

“I can whack ya if you want.”

"I could also... Who am I kidding I can't hurt a fly-"

Hailey laughs. "Anytime so long as you impress me!"

"Maybe we'll get some bigger ones down the hall."

The main concourse, now that you can look around at it does have a few terminals. The public would have used them to get information about things happening around the station, arrivals and departures of shuttle flights, and so on.

2:22 PM

There is also the ruin of several food stands that have simply fallen into disrepair from a lack of technical crew and passengers to keep them running

Billy approaches the terminal and leans up against it. “Loriya, this is you! Come work your magic on this thing.” He grins. “Reveal the secrets of this place.”

Lori practically beams at the sight of something to hack. She wastes no time accessing what she can like a kid in a candystore. (10)

(No check needed, just need questions )

"Anyone got any burning questions?" Lori inputs "Where is the security terminal?"

There is no centralized security terminal on this station

“See if there is a ship arrival and departure log.”

"Just a moment..." Lori proceeds to type in "Ship arrival/departure log."

There were no ships here in terms of a naval presence, but the prisoner transport ship you were looking into is reported as docked here, and has not left.

"Nothing when it comes to navy, but it looks like that prisoner transport arrived. And lucky us, according to this it hasn't left."

“Do you have access to any activity logs or anything? Any movement on the station? There seems to be a bit of power here, I wonder if anyone is surviving or if they are all rendered goo like the others.”

"Lemme see..." [Activity Logs]

There is nothing in the activity logs. The station did not keep constant watch on its inhabitants, and a panopticon Ai to do such a thing was beyond the station's ability to house or power it

"Activity logs are a bust. If anyone's home, we're gonna have to knock."

"Well that's promising. Hopefully they're all still in storage."

“Where there’s power there’s hope… I don’t have any more questions for now. It looks like we just need to keep moving unless you can think of anything.”

"I'm for that. Let's just knock and knock loud. We'll just have to find the thing and make ourselves welcome."

"I can try to pull up a map and work from there." [Station Map]

(I don't have one ready made for this , was just keeping it theater of the mind)

9:04 AM

(I had anticipated you guys skipping 90% of this by choosing the shorter option, but you're close to your destination)

“The ship is just around the corner by the looks of it. Let’s see what shape it’s in.”

"You got it."

The hangar docking ring and maintaining areas are the next region of the large starbase. Power is more intermittent here and you can see the first signs that some kind of fight had occurred on this level , bullet holes in the walls and floor from void carbines and crumpled deck plates among the most noticeable damage

(Are there any victims laying about?) Billy crouches down to observe for a moment looking for any sign of danger.

)you see what I described for right now)

"Yeesh... What happened here...?"

"Redecorating."

"Walked right into that one..."

Hailey checks the bullet holes and crumpled deck plates, assuring there isn't any significant structural damage.

The shots were made from a void carbine, designed to be safe in the event the shot or shots miss. That reputation seems to have held. The plates were damaged, it looks like telekinesis was used on them, as there is no burn associated with shear rifle use or other gravity distorting weapons.

“Oh that’s interesting,”Hailey mulls to herself as she traces her fingers along the smooth, undented shape, more akin to warping. She turns to the others. “There’s no evidence of brute force over here. This plating was damaged by psychic energy.”

“I don’t know if I should smirk or be horrified at what happened here. Either way the imagery seems pretty cool. Maybe if we keep going we will figure out what happened to everyone.”

“Can’t say I’m looking forward to it now…” Lori makes one last quick check around the area to see if there’s anything they missed.

There are no bodies , and the trail of semi-destruction leads up to the docking ramp and docking tube where the prison ship in question is still here, sitting in its berth.

Billy, seeing the ship sitting in the open feels his body release all the tension he’s been carrying. “Oh! Nice! We’re here.” He jogs toward and up the docking ramp.

Daniel follows warily

Lori's not too far behind, but her head's on one hell of a swivel now.

1

The airlock is closed and you can see its bubble window is smeared with blood from the other side.

"This is straight out of a horror movie... Are we stepping into a horror movie-?"

“We’ve been in one for about 5 years, 4 months and 12 days give or take.” (edited)

"Touche."

The flywheel on the door looks fine and has not been crushed. It can be opened if you decide to go aboard.

(can we see anything at all through the window?)

(It’s got a pretty thick smear of blood that’s crusted to it so not really)

( I have TK at 0 now; would it be possible to use Telekinetic Manipulation to wipe the smears away?)

(technically the glass interrupts unaided sight)

2:36 PM

(so no)

(But I can see through it and it doesn't aid my sight...)

Billy opens the door.

(unaided sight in the context of psionics powers means there is no obstruction between you and what you are looking at, even if you can see through it)

3:44 PM

(there are a bunch of relic items for example that let you see through things as well, and the same condition applies, even though you can see the other side)

3:45 PM

THe flywheel spins and the body on the other side falls out of the door with it. The Remnant marine has been crushed in some way, ivory bones poke out through the navy blue and red stripes of the uniform. His helmet glass likewise has been shattered and there isn't much of a face left behind.

(That is a strange interpretation of "unaided" but okay. Are these house rules written down somewhere?)

(you're more than welcome to check the CRB, and the explanations for those relics in Relics of the Lost)

4:28 PM

(COTBS also has a great few paragraphs about the max ranges of spells, techniques, and what is considered unaided sight. I would say too this is all a rather moot hill to die on for a scene that did not present any danger or dire consequence to the group) (edited)

4:30 PM

--- As the body remains belly down on the deck, you can see the wounds are not fresh and he has been in this condition for some time. A patch is on his shoulder, the red field, with the bow and wagon-chariot wheel design of the Remnant Office of Naval Intelligence- a unit devoted to the recovery, and exploration or destruction of psychics and maltech.

"Oh ew ew ew-" Lori holds back a gag at the sight of this, and looks away. "Sorry, I, um, don't do well with... Corpses."

(Whether I can use a power through a window isn't moot; I need to know what I can do. I'll PM you.)

Hailey hand one of her blades under the body as a wedge and tilts it up, pushing the body to the side to clear the way for the others. “After you duchess,” she says to Loriya with a grin. She pulls a rag from her other pocket to wipe off each side of the blade before tossing the rag to the side. “It was an old rag anyways,” she comments before stepping inside to look around herself.

The airlock is a scene of carnage. Two more bodies are at the opposite end and have similarly been crushed. More rifle rounds pepper the deck and walls but the weapons have been reduced to fragments .

5:10 PM

The hallway turns right , into darkness and out of sight from where you stand now

5:13 PM

(Well, Daniel is npc’d)

4

4

“I’m actually feeling a little proud of these psychics. They usually don’t win in Remnant scenes. I’m going to assume that the beings that destroyed these remnant marines are friendlies until proven otherwise… I guess this wouldn’t be an appropriate time to say ladies first eh?”

(Just for clarity here , it got a little murky if powers would work due to the thickness of the material, and the fact that the glass was blood coated and not see through. There was some ambiguity over how sight lines should work and when attempting to find a solution in PM we couldn’t get past a lot of sarcasm to try to find a solution going forward. This wasn’t a bridge that needed to be repaired )

(I figured. It’s a shame but you gotta give a little respect especially when your DM is running 40 actives and have 12 new people jumping in.)

(oh for sure. I kinda saw this coming tbh? second he started debating with Neko my mind went "ah. so he's going down that path.")

11:30 PM

Lori repeats to herself to not look at the bodies as she tries to press on.

Vibe Check

(oh for sure. I kinda saw this coming tbh? second he started debating with Neko my mind went "ah. so he's going down that path.")

(It wasn’t even a debate so much as it was hey here’s the rules I’m looking at and why I think they apply and it not being problem solving but instead lots of sarcasm and just honestly getting Nasty instead )

11:32 PM

(It wasn’t even a conversation)

(what a horrible hill to die on tbh)

Curving right into the main corridor of this side of the ship you can see power is on about 20m ahead, illuminating a junction where several hallways come together. There is a ship information panel here that crew members could use to look at newscasts, standing orders from the captain, check shift rotations , and so on. If there was going to be a place with some answers , it might be here.

11:35 PM

(I’m always up for a good natured discussion about what we all think is fair. I am just a person and I make bad calls. Sarcasm and being told im actively making the community worse for all players everywhere isn’t how you have a mutually respectful debate )

"Oho!! Now we're talking!!!" Lori heads right for the panel, and by god does she get to work.

(No program needed here. This is a computer that’s open to the public so it’s just asking the questions you want answered )

(nice nice)

6:38 AM

[Life Signs]

The ship is empty expect for you and the rats that have moved in to eat the plentiful food and bodies

"Looks like whoever was here abandoned ship. It's only us."

Billy walks behind her. “They didn’t leave this way judging by the body blocking the door.”

“I don’t know if what we are looking for is human anymore if they are still here.”

"I can check the power distribution? Maybe there's something being powered more than it should. That'd be a solid lead, right?" (edited)

“You can certainly try.”

Lori types on the panel once more. [Power Distribution Map]

“Check to see if there is any security footage too.”

“Good thinking.” She waits for the other command to finish. Buffering, amirite? Can’t avoid it.

Wary of the junction, Hailey watches their backs, sweeping a beam of light around the connecting corridors.

The ship only has emergency power running right now. Status panels, the med bay, and extended stores are getting the most of it since it keeps life support and surgical equipment running. The bridge runs off its own separate backup supply, or dock power, and is not visible on this system (edited)

"No dice on power distribution. Checking security cams now..." [Security Footage]

Almost all the cameras have been destroyed. Those few you can see through show bodies in both prisoner and RONI uniforms , in many cases having fallen together locked in combat

4:47 PM

The med bay camera shows power is on and six more cryo caskets seem to still be chugging away

“We have 6 cryo caskets in the medbay, but nothing else.”

“Ok. Then let’s go check them out at least. Maybe we can revive them!” Billy will head off toward the medbay carefully stepping over any bodies along the way.

The medbay hallway was the site of the worst battles between the ship security crew and escaped prisoners from other parts of the ship. Dozens of people have fallen here. Some were shot, some were crushed by thrown telekinetic debris, others were killed by things that are not quite as clear having simply fallen where they were without visible wounds on their body. The door shows signs of an attempted forced entry, but no one looks to have got inside.

(Is there an electronic means of entry here that I can help Loriya hack into or are me and Hailey dismantling the door?) Billy walks up to survey the scene looking at the door’s construction and any electronic keypads nearby.

The med bay doors are heavily damaged and don’t have a functioning keypad or electronic entry system anymore

"The keypad's no good, so I don't think we'll be short circuiting this thing to open. I've got the blades, if you wanna help we can try to pry it open. They're made from our old friend the lava worm so they'll hold."

"Go for it. Door won't open any other way, so..."

Billy pulls out his hammer. “This was made from one of the lava beasts too. Here I’ll give you a hand.”

The metal on metal squeal bothers everyones ears but eventually the doors come apart and open. Inside , you can see the med bay much the same as it had been seen through the cameras

Billy moves to the nearest cryo casket inspecting the area for any kind of patient file or control panel. “Now, who are you is my question?”

There is no identifying information on the cryo casket aside from a prisoner number on a brass plaque screwed into the front plate.

"Looks like an 'ask again later' to me."

“I say we wake them up. We just have to push the resurrect button or something somewhere around here, right?”

"Hang on- Are we sure that's a good idea...? We don't know who could be in these things..."

(There would be some very hard checks involved since they’ve been interred for more than a year )

"I think you're right. It might be a better idea to get this whole ship or at least the cryocaskets back to experts back to home base. I think our skills are better suited to reviving this ship than these people. No offense to you, Daniel but, you're still pretty new to this bioscion thing. If we can get it out of the bay, R2 has a mobile factory on it if it needs repairs enough for a spike trip. I don't have any use for a prison ship personally but we could get it scrapped for a good payout. Maybe even get you started on your own ship, Loriya." Billy scratches his head for a second. "I think we have a couple options here now. We either take these back to Tsatsos and let the hive mind use daniel's body to revive them, take them to the Academy and ask Reg or something else I haven't thought of. Thoughts?"

"Let's get it back to Tsatsos. Daniel can put up with another round, right tough guy?" Hailey responds, smacking the biopsi on the shoulder. "If we can get this piece of junk fixed, of course. This place is two spiders and a rat away from falling into shambles."

(I don't think we have enough spare crew to get the 30 people minimum in here to fly it either)

10:39 AM

(part of why i was making a big deal about how we were getting here)

(hey so just a heads up, I think I may have been hacked)

2:53 PM

(I'm doing everything I can to try and lock anyone out while I still have access, but if that fails, Neko I'll dm you with my alt)

(sounds good to me, everything is coming up okay on this end but if there's anything I can do let me know!

(I still have my account as of writing this so we’re looking good)

2

Billy snaps his fingers. “You guys are going to hate me but, I didn’t bring enough extra crew to man this sucker back to port. If we want to bring this thing back intact we have to go back to at least Crusea to get anybody to help us out. At least they used void carbines and nothing heavier that I can see so far.” Billy starts to take a step back and look around, examining how the tech is set up to judge the possibility of taking the Cryo Caskets whole onto R2 without letting them lose power.

The caskets can be moved if a type B cell is rigged up to them during the move process before they can be hooked up to ship power in the R2 med bay instead

7:34 PM

The work will be long and difficult. Power levels will have to be watched constantly as well as vital signs of the person within (if they start the cryo process has failed and you’ll have to work quick to get them out)

"Leave them here and come back I say. They look like they've been here for decades and I say we leave good enough alone. They can hang in there another week or so to get back here. Why mess with it trying to transport to R2, that'd be way too tough anyways."

"I'm with Hailey, it'd be WAY too risky to move them as we are now."

(ok my account's safe, thank god)

(Excellent!)

(sounds like the consensus is a retreat to UNW space for now and coming back with enough crew to recover the transport)

“Sounds like the verdict is in. Let’s take a quick walk around and see what parts we need so we can grab them before heading back. I would hate to have to keep making trips. At that point we should just delegate to R. Factory ship. This is the kind of thing she was built for anyway.” (Nice!)

(the ship doesnt need to be repaired in a making it spaceworthy sense, we just physically do not have the bodies to fly it)

(Ok dope. We can handwave a quick Billy walkthrough to see that and move on.)

(3xp, 5000 credits. I don’t think the return trip is honestly going to have much hazard since we will just be crewing the ship and flying it back. Where we take them is probably a good thing to discuss )

(Ok. 1) The Academy 2) The hive mind using Daniel to revive everyone 3) Our best hospital? With the biopsi doctor 4) something else?)

(I’m still for the hive mind. Or at least Hailey would be)

(I’m down to pay them a visit and put all the pieces together. Colony housing should be built or building so we can start mass reviving them.)

(There’s enough housing , just a matter of doing the rest

(Ok let’s do that barring any protest or better idea from Lori)

(I’m good with that)

A couple of weeks pass between moving back to UNW space , gathering enough crew willing to take the journey , and returning back to UNW space again with both ships. The ship the psychics had been taken prisoner in will never jump again now that it has reached tsatsos space. It’s drive is failing and it’s metal backbone is weak. It will be scrapped once the prisoners are brought to the hive mind below so it’s dark history can finally be put to rest

(Do we still have the same power problem regarding actually getting the crycaskets to the hive mind?)

(The ship they're on can land so in this case no we avoid the power issue. We're not interested in it being able to take off again since it can't go anywhere even if it could take off) (edited)

Billy will radio in to the troops on the ground to let them know we’re coming. He flies the prisoner ship down to the hive mind’s location to begin the process. “You guys, I think we did a good job here! We just need to put together the last pieces and you all will have saved thousands of lives.” He smiles as they fly in.

Landing outside the cryovault that started this over a month ago, the caskets are disconnected and brought inside the small laboratory sub-floor, where the collective consciousness of all those waiting to be reborn here is waiting.

“Man it’s finally time. This one is going to feel good…. Oh psychic hive mind! We have returned to right the wrongs of the old empire and bring everyone back into a new age!” He pats Daniel on the back. “Get in there, buddy. This is all you!”

Daniel calls for other more conventionally trained medics to help rouse the sleepers from their medical inducted coma. He can handle any problems caused by them being frozen many years past what is safe and the shade of the hivemind looks on without saying anything. The work is slow and takes hours even with his powers. All six are awakened. All psychic. All confused at their surroundings. Through Daniel the hivemind channels her powers through him. There is something that happens between the two of them, some conversation that passes within seconds as telepathic exchange of ideas takes place. In short , Daniel is used up as raw bioscopic power flows through him. Cell cultures grow back into the thousands of humans they once were , the enthusiastic young medic who hoped to save thousands doing so, just not the way he ever thought he would. There is no body. All that remains is a tidy pile of gear as Metaspace claims his physical from, and he slowly fades away like the cosmic dust that creates us all. The hivemind no longer has a sustaining force, as the minds that make it up are living again, and so too fades with him. (edited)

6:45 PM

(6xp, 500,000 credits for everyone. I’ll get the population added to Tsatsos )

6:45 PM

(So ends our long investigation , but the UNW has tons of new people and tons of new things going on. Let me know what you all want to do in your threads )

2

(I’m locked out of my computer rn because I lost my charger but I’ll get stuff in and all tomorrow )

10:18 PM

(That’s awesome, surprisingly cool death tbh. )

(population for Tsatsos has been updated)

“Damnit!” Billy says as Daniel’s body fades. “He was just getting started….Thank you, my friend...” The euphoric moment of saving thousands of people’s lives is cut short a bit with the fading of the young biopsion but Billy tries to put on a smile anyway. He turns to Loriya and Hailey, “Thank you both so much for helping me out on this quest. It’s been a long one and I feel like I should be happier. I thought we might actually get through without losing anyone this time.” He stops his moping before Hailey has a chance to slap him from his sad boi routine. “We will have to build a statue of him or something in town to commemorate his sacrifice and tell his story.” “But as for these heroes in front of me still living. Thank you. Hailey, yet again doing good. And Loriya, what a debut to the Iron Stars, saving thousands. If you ever need some place to stay, hide out, become a mad scientist or anything, I will have a room set up for you in the RCOE tower with full access to all of the workshops, labs and amenities free of charge. It’s not a hotel, it’s your home. On behalf of the people of Tsatsos, I’d like to help you get started with a ship of your own should you wish to own one. Come up with a design and I’ll help you look it over and match whatever money you put into it and maybe a little extra if you impress me with your design.” “As for you Hailey. I was thinking about redesigning the old Blitzer. If you want, I can make you one. I’m going to take a step back from adventuring for a while and focus on home making here on Tsatsos unless of course the Iron Stars needs me. Then I’ll be here just a call away. But I should have a little bit more free time.”

2

(if you are looking for a ship Loriya let me know too, we've got a bunch in reserve from people who have built them and then left , I'm sure we can fit something out for you)

"Oh- Thank you!! So much!! And I would love to have a ship!!!!!" (I'd love to take a look!)

Hailey rolls her eyes at the suggestion of a statue but doesn’t comment. “I’d love one. So many good times in that thing. I can even help redesign it if you need. Enjoy your break, I’ll be around if you need me.”

Billy smirks at the reaction. “I was thinking a little something like this could suit you. I couldn’t find a better test pilot anywhere. Let me know if you think any design changes should be made and submit the final plans to be built and I’ll pay for it.”

(It already has environment ground by virtue of it being a tank. Is the three pre tech coming from you?

(Yes it would be. We can take that fitting out then. ) (edited)

(I don’t know what it’s new mass and power would be off hand. Depending on what it’s reduced to you might get away with fewer pretech. Hailey has a lot of face so this is ok if we want to spend it for the tank but in future let’s not just randomly hand out heavy military equipment to people without running it by me first )

(Yes sir)

10:50 PM

(Definitely no pressure to take it either.)

10:56 PM

(I would still need three. And by all means adjust or change. I just want to do something nice for my pal and it’s intended that she change it to her likening anyway.)