Iron Stars - joshua

Joshua watches from the tarmac as the lander heads back skyward. Coming in with the most recent wave of Agaspur's refugees, he's seen all he wants to see of the interior of personnel transports for now. The air is crisp and cold, the end of a snowfall that has left a few inches on the ground. It is evening, an early dark today, though the lights of the terminal ahead cast a warm, welcoming glow out onto the snowy airfield. A few UNW soldiers are standing by, directing the human tide toward the building, and helping those struggling with their possessions when they can

Joshua bundles himself up tighter in his clothes, and approaches the UNW soldiers. Hey fellas, I'm fresh off the ship along with these folks, but is there anything I can do to help out? Joshua shivers a bit, but he knows he needs to spend some time outdoors, stretch his legs and get his bearings after the journey from Agaspur, and he can see the soldiers and the people need what help they can get. (edited)

“Welcome to Gudrun” the closest one says. He seems to think for a long moment. “Help. Well we could always use more of it. Any special skills?”

"Well... back before the Scream, I worked in 'Data Acquisition' for Phoenix Tech on my home planet. My training there consisted of learning to read a person and get them to give me what I needed. When that failed, I was also shown how to make my way around, unnoticed, and either insert myself into an organization or take what I needed and get out." Joshua pauses for a moment before adding Oh, and I taught myself my way around a gun, for my own self defense."

"Of course, for the time being, I'm more than willing to help these poor souls haul their belongings to their new home."

“I’d see the admin center here once you’re stowed away in your new home. They’re always looking for skilled work and it sounds like you could find plenty”

3:50 PM

Your keys for your apartment and a UNW issued compad are among the belongings given to you upon landing and both rest in the pocket of your jacket

(Does the solider I've been talking with have a name on a patch or anything visible?)

The only thing you manage to see is a unit patch, a bright yellow sunburst, with the name Helios One emblazoned on it in black text, above and below

"Thanks. I'll make my way there after i settle in to my apartment." Joshua gives the soldiers a nod before turning to join the masses. After getting a few meters away, Joshia turns around and says to the soldier he was just speaking to "By the way, soldier, what was your name? I'm Joshua Collins." He figures meeting some of the local soldiers could be beneficial in the future

“Private Pyle. good to meet you. I’d shake hands but these gloves are impossible get back on”

"Good to meet you, Private Pyle. And not a problem, I understand. I'm sure I'll be seeing you around." Joshua gives Pyle a nod, and joins the droves of refugees, and begins the search for his new quarters. "I hope I find my apartment soon, I need to take a look around this place and make some friends. Hopefully someone in the UNW could use a good spy." Joshua thinks to himself. He thinks of his parents, who he hasn't seen for years, and hopes for their good health.

The apartment is located on the western side of central, in very modern looking residence towers. Upon entering the homey looking lobby you immediately feel at ease, and more importantly, warm. The apartment itself is on the 12th floor, and is nicely apportioned. It has a bedroom, living area, work room, kitchen, and spacious rest room

Joshua takes it all in. This apartment is the first place hes had truly to himself in far too long. Joshua throws what few belongings he has on a counter, and heads into his bedroom. He kicks off his boots in the bedroom, and sprawls out on the bed. "I think i could get used to this." he says to himself. Joshua hasn't been able to relax since he got on the refugee ship. He thinks of home, his parents, and the sector at large, wondering who he'll meet in this new life hes started, and who he'll see from his past, as his eyes close and he drifts off to sleep. (edited)

When Joshua awakes a while later, he smiles, having had dreamed of seeing his parents again. Then he rises out of his bed, cracks his neck, puts his shoes on, and heads out of the apartment, searching for the admin center.

The admin center is a large building, walled off from the surrounding streets, the complex itself taking a whole city block. More guards are on the outside, two walking a patrol past the gate as you come to within view of the building. Anit-air missile batteries lazily track back and forth, their motors humming softly as they transverse on their scanning paths

"Damn... thats quite an administration building. I'll be interested to see what jobs they need more bodies for." *He thinks to himself, as he stands across the ways from the large admin building. Joshua then walks across the street towards the gate to hail the guards."

They do not leave their post but as you come to the front of the small queue waiting to get in, one of them does raise a hand to halt. "Good morning sir. What's your business in admin today?"

"Good morning to you as well. I'm fresh off of a refugee ship, and I had a talk with a soldier, Private Pyle I believe, who recommended I come to the admin building, as I am in search of work."

(Are the guards I'm talking with dressed similar to Pvt Pyle?)

"Very good, welcome aboard. Head on inside, they'll process your citizenship and you'll get access to the job boards"

11:48 AM

(would have helped if it hit enter)

"Thanks gentlemen." Joshua heads inside, and looks for a front desk or citizenship forms of some sort

Inside admin, a wide flight of steps heads upstairs, four guards at the bottom, combat rifles held loose. There are kiosks arranged in groups of four around the room where citizens can register, and look for work. They are white, illuminated and kept very clean

Joshua heads over to a registration kiosk and looks over the citizenship registration, before beginning to fill it out.

12:38 PM

(Are there any other people registering near me?)

There are a few familiar faces in here that you remember from the rescue ship

12:39 PM

People who were unable to make it in last night. Like you, several were too tired or too eager to settle in

"Hey, how'd guys you sleep?" Joshua looks up to ask his fellow future citizens, before looking down again to continue his form.

"Strange, new planet jitters I guess" one replies. "Just glad to be out of the hold of that ship and in my own four walls"

"I wasn't prepared for the biting cold last night, I know that. And having a space that my own is definitely a nice change of pace that I can get used to. " Joshua turns to the one who slept strangely and says "My name is Joshua, and I hope I'm not being too personal, but did you have strange dreams? Or did you just have trouble sleeping because of the new environment?"

"New environment I think. If I dreamed I don't remember any of it":

He goes back to typing, and sighs, as a citizen Id card is printed for him. As for your own application, it is processed, to the same result, and a pamphlet with useful information is given out as well. It details the notable people here, the organizations they lead, and finally, has some leads on employment. Notably, there are a few outstanding jobs.

1:31 PM

A programmer is needed to investigate an issue with the UNW banking system An issue with the offshore heavy mining ship (sea ship) is causing some of the goods produced to be defective The lab in central is having issues with its security system

Joshua looks over the outstanding jobs, and the last one catches his eyes, something to do with a security system flaw. "This looks like a good fit." he thinks to himself. He nods to the other fellows near by and heads to find out more about his possible future employment.

A contact information sheet is provided as part of the offer, your contact is a woman named Val, who resides in Rebirth, another settlement to the south. Her comlink number, and a train ticket there, and back, are provided

Joshua reads the offer, and then checks his compad for the location of the train station. He notes nearby buildings, and then takes leave of the admin center. He heads to the train station, and waits for it to arrive, eager to meet the contact. While he waits, he reads about some of the notable people on this planet.

(that would be the other PC's so basically anything in that history section under the UNW folder. Anything on roll20 is information your character would have)

2:11 PM

(if something isnt supposed to be known, the handout is hidden, so whatever you can see, you know)

(ok sounds good, i didnt know if it was PCs or if there were some NPCs as well but all good.)

2:37 PM

Joshua hears the train pull in. He folds up the pamphlet, and boards the train for Rebirth. He starts down the train, looking for an empty seat, hoping to find somewhere comfortable.

The train is arranged into cabins, and you see on your ticket you've been given your own, in the cart next to the bar cart- thoughtfully

Joshua heads into the bar cart, and orders a wet martini. He makes small with the bartender while he waits. When his drink is ready, he returns to his cabin and enjoys his drink, while waiting for his arrival in Rebirth

As the train begins to slow down, Joshua realizes that he's nearly to Rebirth. He stands up from his seat, grabs his martini glass, and heads into the bar cart to drop off his glass. As he drops off his glass, the train pulls to a stop. He heads out of the bar cart to the platform. As he's leaving the train station, he begins punching in Val's number, to see where she would like to meet him at.

Val answers on the first ring. Almost like she knew it was going to “Hello. Val here. Rebirth labs. This is my newest contractor calling?”

Joshua pauses for a second, confused as to how Val could have known it was him calling, before saying "Umm, hello, yes this is your newest contractor. My name is Joshua Collins. I'm in Rebirth, just outside of the train station." (edited)

“Very good. I’ll meet you there in a moment” and there is a brief flicker of light as Val appears

5:55 PM

“Welcome to rebirth. Val Perez” she holds out a hand to grasp yours

"Oh... I didn't expect that. Pleased to meet you, name's Joshua Collins. Sorry, I'm fresh off a refugee ship and still getting my bearings. However, I'm pleased to have the opportunity to work with you and Rebirth Labs."

"I'll cut right to it, you're a busy man, about to be busier. Something keeps trying to get access to our secure lab systems. We keep blocking the attempts, but each time, they run longer, and its harder to stop them. Worse off, we can't seem to trace where they're trying to access our systems from.

"When did the attacks start? I'm assuming whatever you're protecting is sensitive and/or vital to your operations. And do the attacks happen in consistent intervals, or does it appear to be random when an attack starts?"

“Random start times. I can’t really tell you much of what we are doing but you’ve got the nature of the work right.”

"All right, when can I take a look at the attacks? From there, I can see what flaws I can detect and ways we can improve your system. Maybe I can even look into a way to catch the bastards that are doing this."

"We can start now, if you'll permit me to teleport you. I'd rather not have you passing through the lab, it'll make both our lives difficult, but i can bring you to my office, and you can take a look over some of the systems. If you can figure this out, we will have more work for you, and you'll get some insight into what we're doing. Fair deal?"

"Sounds fair to me. And yes, you can teleport me, but I've never been teleported before, so I'm not sure what its like" Joshua says, laughing a little nervously after.

"It doesn't hurt" she laughs. "I promise" There is a flash of light, and you feel a bit of dislocation, like you're free floating in zero g, before you appear in her office. Tropical plants from Terezinho hang off the top of cabinets in pots. A small tank of tropical fish from the same world bubbles happily, in the peaceful space. The air smells of light incense, enough to notice but not enough to overwhelm. Her terminal is sleek, and painfully clean.

Joshua laughs and says "Now I can cross teleporting off my bucket list. Nice office you got here..." Joshua watches the fish swim happily for a minute, as what he was going to say trails off. (edited)

"Well, shall I get to work?" Joshua says as he sits at the terminal.

"Of course. I'll be here to answer questions, but see what you can figure out" At that moment, all the lights in the lab shut down, along with the computers. Her personal terminal re-powers, almost right away. You see her look a bit strained.

"Is your system under attack right now? Was that why everything shut down?"

"We must be. It's never been this bad. I'm keeping that terminal online through electrokinesis, but it's tiring. see what you can do?" (Program/int)

(13)

(8) for them) Joshua is able to get a trace on them, before lifting the attack. Power comes back on, and a brief location is displayed before the connection is reset. stratopoli slums

"We've got a lead on them. They're somewhere in the Stratopoli Slums. However, the connection was brief. This is definitely a good start. How should we continue from here, Val?"

She thinks for a long moment. "How comfortable are you around a gun?"

"I've never shot someone, but I trained quite a bit back on Xianus. So, pretty comfortable."

"Of course, and this is completely up to you, I can stay behind and try to beef up your security, if you're not comfortable bringing me along."

"I'd rather have some help on this. Alright, the slums." she shakes her head "So many reforms were promised there, and so little was delivered. Those Taros. Sometimes I wonder" She lets the thought trail off, and opens a locker in the corner of the room, removing some adventuring gear for the trip

"Maybe whoever is doing this, they might just be doing it to put food on the table. Obviously they deserve to be punished, but... But if they were working for someone else, maybe we can get them to flip? How bad are the slums?" Joshua heads over towards the gear Val has pulled out to check it out.

she has some secure clothing for travel, along with a pair of handguns. "You armed? or have access to one?"

"Yeah, I have one in here." Joshua takes off his backpack, and digs thru it for a minute before pulling out his Laser Pistol. "Yep, here it is. I have an armored undersuit on as well, so I'm good on that front."

"Good, good, alright, you;re going to want both of those..."

3:08 PM

she continues on after a moment

3:08 PM

"They're not bad beings, not by any means, but like us humans, when they're desperate, they do desperate things. They'd take risks or break rules they wouldn't ordinary do"

"I've been there and done that. I am a bit light on ammo, only about 10 shots ((i think?)), so i could use a bit of that if you have any to spare. Otherwise, I think I'm all ready to go."

she takes two magazines out of the locker, and hands them over to you, along with a belt to keep them in

"Thanks." Joshua puts on the belt and looks at Val "Ready when you are."

“I can teleport us most of the way. we will walk into the slums from the outskirts, and proceed from there. Your compad should have saved the location”

Joshua digs his compad out of his backpack, shows Val the location saved from the attack, saying "Yep, here it is." He examines the nearby area for a minute, then says "Sounds like a plan to me." (edited)

"Should we expect heavy resistance? They're clearly sophisticated hackers, but I'm wondering if they're the fighting type."

“I’m not sure. No better time to find out” she places a hand on your shoulder and before long you’re in the woods outside the slums. The city itself is two kilometers away at The closest edge. The buildings are a sprawled and tumbling complex of slum homes, towers, public transport depots and blocky local security precincts. Some of which look to be closed

"Oh wow, you weren't wrong. The slums can definitely use some work." Joshua checks his compad for the hackers locale before pointing and saying "It's this way." He begins heading to where the hackers should be.

“Let’s approach this cautiously. We don’t know who might be watching”

7:40 PM

“The taros are interesting to say the least”

"Good idea, they could be watching us now." *Joshua tries keeping his head on a swivel, hoping not to draw too much attention doing so. He also tries to keep a steady, but unassuming pace towards their destination. *

(Notice wjs)

8:12 PM

(Wis)

(5)

You don’t notice anyone watching you, but it’s hard to keep track as you cross into city limits. The sights. The sounds. And most distractingly the smells. All assault your senses. The smells alone are terrible for the most part

"Oh, wow. There's... a lot going on in the slums. I can barely keep my focus on the mission..." he thinks to himself. "Whats that smell?" he asks Val.

"Mix of the cheap stew they have to make just to eat, and filth" she says, her own nose wrinkling. You feel a prickle on your skin as she puts an invisible containment bubble around both of you. The smell lifts. "Only upside of spending a lot of time in the lab. Really been able to flex my muscles a bit, mentally" she smiles. The pad shows the hack location is five blocks away, at the end of a series of row houses. There are some figures standing around it but you're too far to get more solid details.

"These poor bastards..." Seeing the poverty and struggle all around him, Joshua begins to look much more fondly on his time on the refugee ship. "Compared to these people, I have it really nice here." he thinks to himself. "Thanks, that definitely makes it a little easier to keep myself focused." The rancid smells might be gone, but Joshua is still distracted by the music blaring in the streets, from the few businesses, and from the houses that are occupied. Then there's the lights flaring up all around him keeping him relatively distracted. Still he pushes on, curious about who's been attacking Rebirth Labs. "We're about five blocks from the target, is there somewhere we could climb up to get a better view of the surrounding houses?"

She begins looking around, before pausing. "What do you think about that?" she says, pointing to a rickety wood and iron water tower, a short distance away. It is tall enough to get a better view than the one you have

"That should do well, but do you think we'll look conspicuous up there? What if we found a nearby apartment complex and climbed the stairs to the top of that?" Joshua looks around for apartment-style buildings with flat roofs.

They are not as tall, and might not give you as much detail as you want, but you can sense val considering it as an option

Pointing to an apartment building, Joshua says "We won't have as good of a view, but if someone got suspicious of us on top of there, I'd have a much easier time talking our way out of it than the water tower. Then, if the view isn't good enough to tell us who's by the target, we can try sneaking close by to where we have a decent ground view."

"Alright, we can start there. Lets pick a building and see if we can get up there"

10:39 AM

she begins moving off to the side of the street, looking for one to try to get into.

Joshua looks around the side of the street for a building where theres a tenant heading into, hoping to slip in behind them.

Failing that, he is also on the lookout for buildings that appear to have low-level security, or preferably, unlocked doors.

There is a tenant heading to a building the block ahead of you, theyre fumbling with keys

Attempting to move quickly but quietly, Joshua heads towards the tenant, hoping to be able to slip in behind the tenant unnoticed.

You follow as does val, keeping close behind. They don’t seem to notice, preoccupied with balancing the heavy bag and getting into their living quarters

(Are me and Val waiting for them to open the door, or are we inside already? It sounds like we're inside the building)

(youre inside)

12:50 PM

(Standing in the foyer, and they didnt notice you)

(Ok thats what i thought, thank you)

12:52 PM

Joshua nods his head towards the stairs, and then begins ascending them with Val. As they reach the top level, they look for a door or ladder to reach the top of the roof and look out at their objective.

Reaching the roof, Joshua and Val peer out towards the house, double checking with his compad that he's looking at the right house. After ensuring himself of where he's looking, he squints, attempting to see who's at the house, how many there are, and whether or not they're carrying any weapons. (edited)

You have the right house. Two taros stand on or near the stoop, 5m apart. they wear long coats, which is not out of the ordinary, due to the december weather

8:23 PM

but they could be concealing weapons underneath

Squinting, but knowing he won't be able to see any clearer, Joshua says "They look suspicious. I can't tell if they're armed, but I'd prefer we didn't risk it. If we could get them separated, we could kill them quietly and save ourselves a huge headache, but they could just be civilians in the wrong place at the wrong time. We should get closer and watch them for a while, if they're guards, their shifts have to end eventually." Joshua and Val head down the stairs and out of the apartment complex. Trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, they head in the direction of the house, taking side streets and back alleys, hoping to stay out of the sight of the two Taros. (edited)

An hour passes as you move through the alleys, trying to approach the house. A sleek, blacked out windowed car passes by, stopping to talk with one of the Taros outside. The conversation only lasts for a moment before it pulls away

(Did it have a license plate or any sort of identification like that?)

(No it did not, but you havent seen any cars aside from this one)

(ok)

Joshua nudges Val with his arm lightly, and says "They're definitely more than just civilians. I've not seen a single car besides that one, and it happens to pull up to that house? If we can get close enough, I have a monoblade knife in my backpack, so I can take one of them out quick and quietly, do you think you could take out the other one at the same time? Otherwise, we could try and distract them."

"I should be able to keep them from sounding any kind of alarm. This is still going to look like a street hit though. If we do this, we have to get rid of the mess, and quick"

(Do I see any dumpsters near the house that a body could fit in?)

(They throw their trash in the street pretty much, but there is a small alley on each side of the building with other trash in it)

"We could take them take them each to an alley and pile enough trash on top of them to where you can't see them anymore. We're not gonna sneak past these guys, and that car could come back at any time." Joshua digs his monoblade knife out from his bag, and hides it to where its easily accessible. "Are you good with the plan, Val?"

"I think we have to be" she confirms. "Walk boldly. They won't just shoot. We have to fall on them before we do"

"I can get the drop on one, I just need to be within striking distance for long enough to judge any sort of patrol they might do. And yes, I agree we have to be. We'll have to hit 'em quick and hard, no chance to hit us back. Let's go" Joshua and Val make their way to the guards, hoping to take them out before they know what happens. While on their way, Joshua thinks back to his training with Suko, hoping she taught him everything he needed to do this. (edited)

(sneak/stab, DC6, as they have not noticed)

(that means I can choose sneak or stab right?)

(oh stab/dex, sorry, my whole head is F'd today)

(7)

He never sees the blade coming, before he's opened by it

Plunging the knife into the man, Joshua is a little surprised at how... easy it was to essentially gut a man. He rips the blade across and out, as the Taros begins to bleed. He thinks to himself "Just like me, a sack of meat and bones." He hopes the other Taros doesn't notice before Val gets the drop on him. (edited)

Val appears behind him. "Nothing personal. I'm sorry" she says, before a knife of her own comes out.

10:29 AM

she looks a bit upset at needing to do this, but she's been reasoned so far

"I'm sorry you had to do that. I'm hoping no more blood is spilled from here out. We need to move them to the alleys though." Joshua grabs his victims legs and drags him to the nearby alley, and throws as much trash on top of him as he can, hoping to cover their tracks.

Joshua returns from the alley, and examines the stoop and door for alarms or traps, while saying "Want some help?" (edited)

"I think I'm alright. Let's see what they're doing in there"

(sorry)

11:20 AM

Joshua tries to turn the knob, to check if its locked. (edited)

The knob is not locked, evidently those inside feeling the guards on the street were enough

Joshua crouches down, hoping to keep noise to a minimum, then motions at Val to follow him. He opens the door enough to see what or who is on the other side of the door.

There is a metal stair leading upstairs and you see a blue light coming out of one of the rooms. A guard looks to be standing outside, smoking s cigarette

(If i use my pistol as a melee weapon, can i try and knock him out with it using assassin 2?)

8:37 PM

(Or do i need a dedicated melee weapon to do that?)

(Assassin 2 is execution attacks only. Lethal damage. You’d have to actually subdue him in actual combat)

(Ok)

Joshua readies his knife, watching the guard for a minute, before attempting to end the mans life before he knows what happened.

)lets get another stab/dex(

(7)

9:27 PM

Plunging the knife into his target, Joshua quickly slashes across, ending the fight before it begins. "Nothing personal, friend. He drags the body back inside to an inside wall where its difficult to see from the outside. Joshua looks out into the hall to check for more rooms or people.

9:30 PM

(Assuming 7 is successful)

(It is)

6:00 AM

The open door leads to some kind of a server farm. There isn’t anyone in the room but dozens of powerful computers too new compared to their shabby surroundings line the walls

"Oh shit. This is definitely the place. Let me see if I can see whats on these computers." Joshua walks up to the server farm, plugs in his compad, and attempts to get through its encryption and/or firewall, hoping him and his compad can measure up to this massive computing power. "This might take a while, Val."

(Program int)

(9)

(10). It doesn’t look like you can shut it down but you do see the data they’ve been trying to access. Information about the projects there shows up, but it’s not complete. An alert on your location has been run, as the security software shows the unauthorized access attempt

(Do I know how long it would take me to download the project information?)

(its information about the UNW's own projects, you dont need to download it, they were stealing it)

(ah ok)

9:54 AM

(Can I try and figure out where/who the location alert went out to?)

Your programming check would reveal it as being from The Spire, a black spike like fortress in the center of the developed part of the city. Local authorities are on their way

"Shit, we need to get out of here. Law enforcement' is on their way. We need to destroy this server farm though, they have a bunch of partially-complete UNW projects on here. Any ideas, Val?"

"If you have any personal electronics you'd like spared, I'd head outside and wait in the alley for me"

9:58 AM

she closes her eyes, and you feel the hair on your arms, legs, and neck standing on end

9:58 AM

as static electricity builds

"All right." Joshua unhooks his compad and heads out to the alley, waiting for Val to destroy the server farm.

A massive electrical charge blows out the windows, fries the servers, and sets the building aflame. "I didn't sense anyone else in there" she says, appearing behind you. "Let's get out of here, those sirens are getting close"

10:05 AM

"Last time I'll do this to you, I promise"

"I hope there wasn't. I already turned this into a bit of a debacle. I found out a little more, but I'll tell you when we're somewhere safe." Joshua preps himself a little for the off kilter feeling of teleportation to take him away from the slums

You arrive back in the office, in Rebirth, safely thousands of kilometers away from the fire, and disaster site. (3xp, 5000 credits)

"I apologize if I asked you to do some things back there that made you uncomfortable. I tried to get both of us through that with as little risk to the two of us as possible, while trying to make sure your company's data was safe. On another note, I did find out that when I tried to access their systems, they transmitted our location to somewhere called The Spire near central Stratopoli. Do you know who owns/runs The Spire?"

"I do, but this is becoming a matter for the unity council. You've done well to get us a lead, I trust rendered payment was enough?"

"More than enough. Thank you for the opportunity, and I'd be pleased to work for you and Rebirth Labs again in the future. I hope we've done enough for now to keep your tech safe."

She waits, as though expecting the power to go off again, but it does not, and she seems pleased

10:50 AM

"The United Nations of Worlds appreciates you keeping their data safe.

"I appreciate the opportunity. If in the future more employment opportunitys pop up, just give my compad a buzz. I also appreciate the opportunity to give my programming skills a dusting off, I definitely feel that this gave me an opportunity to improve that part of my brain that I haven't been utilizing very much since the Scream."

11:10 AM

(I took a level in program then my focus in Hacking)

"You saying this...thats how I felt when I got here too. Though that was a couple years ago now. "

11:13 AM

"What would you say your goals are, nnow that you're a citizen?"

11:13 AM

"Everyone who stays has to work"

"Well, I'd love steady work. Back on Xianus, I was basically a Junior Corporate Spy, but I never actually did any field work before the Scream hit and sent the planet into complete disarray. I loved the idea behind the work, intelligence gathering. It's the kind of work I'd love to do for the UNW, but failing that, programming and hacking and counter-hacking were what got me into my work on Xianus. I'd be very happy to do that work for the UNW, or a company on UNW planets." (edited)

11:33 AM

"So, short term, I'd like to find a steady job that allows me to do the work I love, and help the UNW further its goals, as I've been a citizen a short time but I've been given so much for having done so little. Longer term, I haven't seen my parents in what feels like ages, and with how the UNW has treated me, I'd love to see them become citizens and join me here on Gudrun."

"It'd also be great to purchase myself a house or apartment. Then I could free up my apartment from the UNW for use for a person who's in more need. Don't get me wrong, the apartment I was given is extremely cozy and homey, but I'm sure there's someone out there who's had it worse, who could use it much more than me."

“Refugees come in all the time. It couldn’t hurt. Well the UNW has many jobs. The various sub powers here are always looking for skilled help too. It’ll be some time before we follow up this issue. The unity council will need to be informed”

(Since CIS isnt a faction anymore, will Joshua have heard of it?)

(Yeah that was just a game admin thing that wasn’t a story thing)

(Ok just checking)

5:08 PM

"Yeah, when I received my citizenship papers, I got lots of info on some of the more famous UNW citizens and the groups that they run and are part of, some of which caught my eye. I saw something about an intelligence organization. I dunno if i'd be up to snuff for them, but that caught my eye a bit. Of course, I also saw some contract work, similar to what Rebirth Labs was offering, that seemed interesting in the mean time. Triveldi also seemed quite interesting, as technology was always a passion of mine."

"He's the reason we have spike drives again. He's a genius, to say the least. He's governor of Miriam now, but his company still runs"

"I think I remember reading about that. He truly must be a brilliant man. If he helped rebuild the spike drives, then I'm sure that's set his company up very well in terms of R&D. I'll definitely keep them in mind for later." Joshua pauses for a moment, collecting his thoughts on the days events. "I may head back to the admin center where i attained citizenship and speak to a few of the people there who helped me out, see if maybe I could make some inroads somewhere."

“I’d be happy to give you a lift back if you like. Save you a day”

"Yeah that sounds great, I'd really appreciate it. Thank you, Val."

She grabs your hand and with a flash, you’re back in front of admin. “I’m looking forward to working with you again. I’ll keep you in mind once we get some direction on our findings”

"I look forward to it as well, thank you. And please do, I'm interested to see where this heads, and I want to do my part for the UNW. I hope to hear from you soon." Joshua gives her a smile and a nod, and heads into the admin center. He takes a look around to see who's in here now, hoping to see someone who works in UNW intelligence or for Trivedi Tech.

Martin, who works for trivedi Tech is available, talking with a registration clerk about new hulls being laid for the now diminished UNW fleet

1:31 PM

Director Delgado is at home currently enjoying some time off after rawhani

(Director Delgado is a PC correct?)

(Yeah)

4:59 PM

(You can message him on his channel if you like)

(Will do)

(I'll RP joshua calling him and such when he finishes his current rp, till then i have other things i can do)

7:43 PM

Joshua heads over to the man talking with the registration clerk, tapping him lightly on the shoulder with his right hand, saying "Pardon the interruption, sir."

He turns, surprised "Ah hello there, I'm sorry I'll be done here in a moment"

8:04 PM

"I started going on a tangent"

"It's not a problem, I can wait. I just needed a quick word with you, but we can discuss that after you finish up with this gentleman here." Joshua takes a seat, pulls out his compad and reads some local news while he waits for Martin to finish his conversation. He wonders if and when news of the fire will be released. (edited)

After a few more minutes and some choice words by Martin about the registration numbers taking too long, Martin returns to speak with you. “Sorry about that. I’m sad about the crew’s of the previous ships and all but that won’t help us now”

"Aye, it is a tragedy. Sometimes the best thing to do after a tragedy though is forge on ahead, while not forgetting the sacrifice of those lost." "I'm here to talk with you about something else though, sir. My name is Joshua Collins, newly registered UNW citizen. I've been reading some about local corporations, and Trivedi Tech caught my eye. And if I'm not mistaken, you're a fairly high ranking employee ag Trivedi named Martin, correct?" Joshua extends his arm out for a handshake.

"Administrator of operations now that Charles has a whole planet to govern. At your service"

"Ah yes, then you're just the man I want to talk to. I'll keep this relatively short, as I'm sure youre a busy man. So as I said, Trivedi has caught my eye from the amazing work that your company as a whole has done. I'm currently in search of work, possibly on a more permanent basis, and I was wondering if Trivedi had any short-term, contract style work I could do, to see how good of a fit I might be for you, as well so I can see how good of a fit you are for me."

(just checking in with the faction leader to see if he had anything on the docket, if not I've got a couple things)

1:33 PM

(i didnt forget about you)

(Not a problem, its all good)

"Well, there are a few things we are working on right now. Trivedi tech is doing what it can to ensure there is a social rising tide, one that buoys all ships, as it were. We work hard to ensure a good standard of living on all UNW worlds, and in worlds that may one day become partners. Out in the sector east of here we recently freed a world called Acastus from, well, something pretty terrible. It's gone now, but the people there have years of development ahead of them. We're looking to do what we can to shorten that time"

"I read about what happened on Acastus, a lot of brave people died to free those people. Is there anything in particular you'd like me to do there? Or is it more I'll find out when I get there, depending on whats needed?"

"Sorry if I'm asking too many questions, I just want to make sure I'll have the equipment with me before I leave. Rather have something and not need it, than need something and not have it." Joshua lets out a bit of a chuckle.

"Some eyes on the city post-occupation is a good start, but if you identify any widespread needs the city has, we might be able to get a great market there, and we'd be the first"

"Hmm, okay. I need to pick some stuff up that might help out, and I need to make a call. After I wrap those things up, do I need to find a ship to take me to Acastus, or does Trivedi have a way for me to get there?" Joshua starts thinking up his shopping list, starting with additional power cells.

"We have a ship that can get you there. The Lawrence will be waiting for you in the morning, if this is your way of accepting the job"

"Yes, my apologies for not saying it outright before, I'll take the job. I'll be on the Lawrence first thing in the morning. Thank you for the opportunity to represent you and Trivedi, I'm sure this will be a mutually-beneficial relationship we have." Joshua smiles and reaches his arm out for a handshake.

Martin grasps it with a surprising amount of strength. "Your messages will take several days to reach us, so if you have an issue, reach out right away. Help us help you"

"Will do, sir. Once again, thank you for the opportunity, and thank you for meeting with me today. Have a great day." Joshua lets go of Martins hand, and begins heading out of the admin center. When he's outside, he looks around, looking for a market or somewhere for him to pick up some necessities.

There is a growing colonial market just two blocks down from the Admin center , where stalls and their hawkers are braving the snappy winter air to hawk their wares

Joshua heads toward the market area, looking for a weapon and ammo dealer, while going over his shopping list i his head. "20 type A power cells and a thermal pistol. I wonder if i could find some line shunts in town..." he thinks to himself.

(Do I need to RP buying stuff, or are the power cells, pistol and shunts easily available?)

(That’s stuff all available just make me a list of what you’re getting and deduct credits. Everything is book price)

(Ok, I'd also like to grab a sheer rifle as well assuming thats available) After spending a couple of hours walking around the market, Joshua walks away with a new Shear Rifle, a Thermal Pistol, 20 A power cells, and 10 shunts. (I'll calculate it when at a computer and subtract then) Feeling fairly confident with his purchases, he goes looking for a bar, hoping to get a bit drunk before he starts his new journey.

(It is)

Joshua wakes up in his bed the next morning, his head pounding and the world feeling a little wobbly. "Ugh, how much did I drink last night." he groans out. He throws his laser pistol in a drawer, puts his Thermal Pistol in his holster, the power cells in his ammo pounches on his belt, and the shear rifle in his backpack. (If it fits?) *He throws some shoes on, and takes off running for the Lawrence, not wanting to make a bad impression immediately.

(its the size of a modern combat rifle, so probably slung in some kind of soft case next to it

8:14 AM

(or on a sling)

8:17 AM

The Lawrence is awaiting you at the spaceport.It is a free merchant, capable of landing on planet, and equipped with many state of the art scanning and living systems.

(Ok i wasnt sure if since it was more futuristic than guns irl if it was foldable or something, but it'd probably be on a sling on his back then) (edited)

Martin stands at the ramp, talking with a couple of the flight crew, as the ship is serviced, and prepared for launch

Seeing the Lawrence, Joshua slows down to a quick walk, and heads over toward Martin. "Good morning, Martin." Looking at the flight crew, he says "My name's Joshua Collins, it's good to meet ya."

"And you. Heading to Acastus are we? Long voyage ahead, hope you've got all you need"

"Picked up a few things last night, should have everything here I need. Is there anything I should know about Acastus before we get there?"

"The Still Lady's been banished. that's why we're sending teams in now, but its still dangerous. Her cult was a powerful force there when she was around, and she's still got a magister out there in hiding. Keep your wits about you in the street. They'll be looking for UNW personnel"

"Good looking out, I'll definitely keep that in mind." Joshua taps the shear rifle on his back, saying "I bought this in case of danger, but hopefully it won't be necessary. Still, can't be too safe." Joshua turns to Martin and says "I'll send you updates when I can, but like you said, it'll take a few days for them to reach you, but I'll keep you in the loop."

Joshua boards the ship, and begins to wander about the ship, getting a feel for his new home till he reaches Acastus.

The ship is modern, even by post-scream standards. You can see a lot of care went into its design, and it does not feel cramped like other ships do

2:15 PM

The two pilots are busy getting themselves situated, and the ramp rolls up behind you, door shutting with a pressurized hiss. "Once you've got your gear stowed we can get underway"

(Does Joshua have a cabin or somewhere that he knows to put his stuff at?)

(Yeah there is a common room, and then after that there is a galley and some personal bunks)

2:36 PM

(then stairs to get down to cargo/engineering

"I'll go drop this stuff off then!" Joshua heads to through the ship, looking for his bunk. When he finds it, he stashes his rifle and backpack under it. "Shouldn't need that till Acastus." he says to himself. He heads back to the common room, looking to talk with the crew a bit while the Lawrence prepares to take off. (edited)

The pilots are running through pre-flight checks, and you can hear the engines come online to a dull rumble. They've left the cockpit door open to speak with you if needed- and there is a headset hanging on a hook in the common room, with a long enough cord to sit on the secured couch while you're doing it

Seeing the headset, Joshua grabs it and puts it on, interested in seeing the more administrative and hands on side of a space ship. He sets the volume to a comfortable level, then taps the side button and says "Hey all, this is Joshua Collins. You might have seen me boarding the ship a short while ago. I just wanted to introduce myself, I'll probably be seeing all of you somewhere around the ship. Just let me know if you guys need anything!" He then turns off the mic, and grabs a seat on the couch, prepping himself for take off.

“Got any skills Joshua?” One calls back , the mic set now off. The engines thunder as the ship begins to hover, angling upwards for ascent into space

"I'm pretty handy with a computer, every job I've had I've been programming or hacking into computers. It's really where I specialize. I'm pretty handy with a gun, too. Of course, those are two skills that don't always go too well together, but they're my passions, and I'm doing my best to run with them and make the most out of it." He pauses for a second before saying "How long have y'all been piloting for Trivedi? Seen anything interesting in your time with them?"

"Almost since as soon as the....well, we were still Greenbriar Inc back then, not anything close to the UNW. We were flying since we re-discovered spike drives. Trivedi was the man to do it"

"I've heard quite a lot about the genius of Trivedi. Heard he's governing a whole planet now. Sounds like he's taken some serious strides to improve not only the UNW, but he's been fairly rewarded for his work. On another note, how long is the flight to Acastus?"

"Hold that thought guys, I just realized I've not eaten since yesterday." He says with a laugh. "I'll pop by the cockpit after grabbing a bite and maybe wandering a bit." Joshua pops off the headset, hangs it back up, and then heads out of the common area, looking for a kitchen or mess hall.

You find that the flight is about a week, as you travel across the first sector east of home, 1E as it is on the maps-

3:06 PM

The galley is as well stocked space, finely cleaned, and everything fitting very economically

Looking through the food available, Joshua makes himself a baked potato, ham, and a few mix-ins. He grabs a seat, scarfs it down. After letting it settle, he heads out of the galley, to the cockpit. "Hey fellas, I'm the new guy." He looks out of the cockpit window, taking in the wonders of space.

"Right, right, you told us" the pilots laugh. There is a spare chair up in the cockpit area, at a secondary sensor station currently powered down- not needed for spike flight. "Lonely back there sometimes"

Joshua laughs as well. "It sure does. Trivedi outfitted you with a really nice ship, here. Well maintained and stocked. It gives me ideas for the future, maybe when I get on my feet more, I'll buy myself a ship." He trails off for a second, before regaining his thoughts. "Sorry, I didn't catch your names earlier on the radio. What were they?"

"Soma and Thur" the copilot points to the pilot, and then himself "though hopefully the mission goes well, and you'll be dealing with more important matters than the crew of a free merchant"

With a chuckle, Joshua says "Aye, hopefully it does. I figured it'd be good to meet the people flying me to Acastus, though. I'll leave you guys to it for now. Thanks for speaking with me though." He heads out of the cockpit, and eventually makes his way to the common room. (Does the ship have something like a gym or something where he could spar or just keep his skills refined throughout the week? Not looking to increase skills, just for something for him to do.)

(It’s got something like that I’m sure. And a databank. Ect)

9:25 PM

The trip to Acastus goes smoothly with a few stops along the way. The Lawrence never lands, just lingers in the gravity well for the jump drive to recharge before heading out again

9:27 PM

You arrive in the eerie gravity well a week after departure. The world below is a night world, the rays of the weak pulsar Star here not enough to warm or light it much. The world subsists on volcanic and geothermal power, and keeps time by the rising and falling of three moons, each carved with an alien glyph each so enormous it can be seen from the ground

"Oh wow. This is not what I expected." Looking at the moons, he says "And those are interesting. No time right now to focus on those though, I need to get to work." Slinging his rifle over his shoulder and his backpack onto his back, Joshua begins his trek into town, looking for a market of some sort. "The market is as good a place as any to start keeping an eye on Acastus, plus I might be able to figure out anything the people are in desperate need of." *he thinks to himself. (edited)

(notice/wis)

(6)

Acastus is a city bathed in light, though none of it from its own sun. Most of the light comes from the neon signs everywhere, advertising various businesses , clubs, passtimes and products. There are several large shopping centers in town, including one close to the spaceport

Thinking to himself, "I should hit up the one nearest here. Probably be where new arrivals come to, who might cause some trouble, and the locals here probably know the rarest goods on Acastus." He heads off toward the shopping center nearest the spaceport, keeping his head up but trying to draw as little attention to himself as he can for now. Upon arriving, Joshua makes his way thru the mall, keeping an eye on what different kind of shops it has to offer.

There is a good variety though you noticed a lack of very advanced electronics, and almost no weapons at all

Joshua pulls out his compad, and makes note of a lack of weaponry and the need for TL4 electronics. He then approaches an electronics vendor, saying "Hey, I'm from off-world. What's with the lack of advanced electronics?"

"Still Lady Cult confiscated almost anything that could be repurposed into a weapon when they took over. Using it themselves and also not wanting us to have it"

2:28 PM

"Even went as far as to firebomb the factories responsible for making the stuff"

"I assume they did the same thing with all the weapons? Hopefully that gets remedied soon, you guys have been through way too much. Has there been any cult activity since the Still Lady was slain?"

(Don't wanna bother you, just checking if you saw my post yesterday

)

"They did. The cult had no problem using most of those directly. Even the stuff they left behind is trashed though. They didn't know how to take care of them"

"Seems they were mighty wasteful then, or at least more focused on their insane cult than keeping things running here. Though I guess its a cult, can't expect too much. Thanks." Joshua walks around the mall for a while, looking into the shops a bit before heading out into the streets. "I'll let Martin know about the need for weaponry and TL4 electronics. "

Martin, I'm going to send you more and more items needed on Acastus as I come across them, but for now, I've found two desperately needed goods. The cult confiscated any and all weapons that they could find. Unfortunately, they didn't care for their weapons at all, and most of them were found unusable after the Still Lady's demise. They also confiscated almost all of the TL4 electronic goods they could, and were once again careless in their use. I'm sure there are more needs around here, and I will continue to send information as I come across it. However, establishing a weapons factory on-planet would be a profitable endeavor for Trivedi Tech to take, as well as the importing of high-level electronics.

-Joshua Collins

9:35 AM

Reading and rereading the message several times, Joshua decides its fine and sends it, knowing Martin won't receive it for a few days. He starts walking the streets, keeping an eye out for anything weird, while looking for a guard or someone who looks to be in charge.

There are only a handful of public safety officers officially returned to work. In other sections of the city, stormcoat wearing rebels, marked out by their weapons, cluster on corners, keeping a watchful eye on traffic. The mood in the city is tense

Joshua stows his compad in his bag, then keeps walking the streets, hoping to help some citizens with issues they might be having. He thinks to himself "Martin wants me to keep an eye on the city, and while I might not be a peace officer, with all they've gone through, I'm sure there's people who need help. Plus, that could help me build good relations between the city and Trivedi Tech."

11:46 AM

(Did Martin give the name of any contacts here?)

(He doesn't have any here, you're an entire sector away)

2:57 PM

Looking for concentrations of people, you see that most of the coffee shops and nightclubs here are almost always fully

2:57 PM

staffed, and stocked with people. The sun never rises on Acastus, the nightlife is forever.

(I didn't think so, plus i guess thats what I'm here to do lol)

Feeling a bit beaten, Joshua decides to hit up one of the many coffee shops he's walked by. With a chuckle, he mumbles to himself "I guess with no sunlight, you need something to wake up." Heading into the shop, he sees its a very packed joint, but despite that, the line moves quickly. He reaches the front and orders himself a large coffee with 3 cream and 4 sugar. He pays for his drink, thanks the worker, and takes it to a seat. He takes his time to enjoy the warmth of the coffee, and decides to eavesdrop on nearby conversations and see if he can hear any local news, interesting gossip, or anything new about the Still Lady cult.

The people here are nervous about the cult. The Hanged Man was never caught, and its assumed he and whatever high ranking cult officers have fled into the empty mushroom forest wastes around the city. The resistance fighters themselves have not all flooded the city as triumphant homecoming heroes either, and their armed camp dozens of kilometers away is still home to several dozen fighters

8:37 PM

It is unclear why they and the security forces in the city are giving one another a wide berth

Finishing his coffee and eavesdropping, Joshua throws his coffee cup in the garbage and heads out of the coffee shop. He heads up the street he's on, hits up a perpendicular street and follows it to another part of the city where he's heard there are rebels. A little bit later, when he's in another section of town, he searches out a rebel who seems higher ranking than the others, hoping to ask some questions about the occupation.

(Connect/cha)

(3) (Big oof)

The rebels have no uniform so it’s hard to figure out who is who. After a while you finally pull aside a passing rebel fighter, toting a taped up combat rifle and long sickle pattern magazine

"Hey friend, I don't mean to bother you, but I just got here from off planet. I heard of your guys win against the Still Lady and her cult, and i expected... i dont know, a little more of a celebration. But everyone seems tense, and I've not seen any police officers on this side of town, and I was just wondering what's going on? The way I understood it before, you guys helped the UNW kill the Still Lady, but it looks like another fight is brewing."

(

boop)

“The security forces fled at the first sign of trouble back when this all started. We don’t trust them to protect our neighborhoods”

"Thats understandable. I don't mean to pry too much, but I'm here representing Trivedi Tech, and I've been investigating what goods and resources have been difficult for the people to find. So far, I've found advanced electronics and weaponry to be a rarity in civilian hands, would you know anything else thats hard to get on planet? The sooner everyone gets back to having everything they need to survive and thrive, the sooner everyone here can return to their lives. Well, after the remnants of the cult are captured or eliminated."

"Well, we've got food. This is going to sound like bad advice, but I;ve got some for you

2:15 PM

"The cult's not done. No way they are. If they can't live here, they won't want anyone to. They're going to try to make shortages"

"Hmm, are they brazen enough to attack spacers bringing in goods? Or would they simply buy/steal goods so that the citizens couldn't have them?"

"I can't say for certain which way they'd go, or even if they'd just stick with one of those. If i was in their shoes, I'd try both"

"Thanks for the advice. I'm gonna keep an eye out for them. Do you mind swapping compad IDs? That way if either of us sees something odd, we can give each other a buzz. Hopefully that will help the rebels, Acastus, and myself."

He shrugs, "I don't see the harm in it" and after a brief tap of devices, you have each other's information

"I'll keep you up to date. Im sure you guys know this, but word is the cult and the Hanged Man are in the mushroom forest. Might be worth checking out. Anyway, I'm gonna head out. Adios." Joshua heads back to the part of town with the spaceport, figuring thats as good a place as any for the cult to strike at. When he arrives, he walks around the space port and the mall nearby, watching for suspicious individuals. (Do cult members typically have any distinguishing marks? Ie tattoos, piercings, etc)

(almost everyone has a tattoo on their neck if they weren't part of the cult, marking them as an apostate, but she didn't get to everyone, and some people fled before the cult officially took over. If you see someone without a neck brand/tattoo, there's a good chance they're a cultist)

3:31 PM

3:31 PM

(notice/int)

(Another bad roll lol)

(3 sorry i was trying to delete the thinking emoji but deleted the 3 as well)

You don’t notice anyone being outwardly suspicious but your wandering have taken you close to the nightlife district. The clubs are emptier than they’d been before the cult and even during, but a fair Number Of people are willing to brave the tense atmosphere to try to have fun. Resistance fighters and newly minted public safety officers patrol this area but not with one another

Walking the streets for a long while and not seeing anything off so far, Joshua hits up a nearby nightclub. "Might as well see what they've got to offer for clubs. " he thinks as he walks in. He heads to the bar and orders a whiskey on the rocks, and drinks on it while watching people who come in and those around the club, wondering why it's so much busier than it supposedly was recently.

Outside your attention is drawn to the doorman, who seems to be in the middle of some kind of altercation with a possible patron. The argument is getting loud. “For the last time! No identification! No ent—“ Two slight pops echo into the club, and the doorman falls back inside the doorway, dead

9:46 PM

Someone screams and people begin to stampede to the exits

Grabbing his pistol but keeping it concealed up the sleeve of his jacket, (assassin 1) Joshua runs to the door with the dead bouncer, hoping to catch a glimpse of the killer.

As you approach the door, you see the killer, and two more goons behind him, their necks all free of the apostate brand, forcing their way inside

10:49 AM

automatic fire chews chunks of plaster from the roof of the establishment, as they begin moving inside

10:49 AM

The dance floor is a chaotic scene of too many people pushing for too few exits

Joshua, seeing this becoming an increasingly worse situation, hops behind cover a bit of a ways from the cultists. He digs his compad out of his bag and sends a message to the rebel he met earlier in the day, informing him of the cultists attack on the nightclub. After sending the message, he stashes his compad in the bag, holsters his pistol, and unslings his rifle. He peaks over his cover enough to see what the cultists are doing, while attempting to not be spotted.

One of them levels his combat rifle into a group of revelers, penned in by the crowd behind them and the narrow door ahead of them. Calmly, he slaps a large drum magazine into his weapon, and takes aim (edited)

*Seeing what will amount to a horror show unfold if he does nothing, Joshua takes aim at the one who was aiming at the citizens, and fires. (9/11)

The shot misses, but the exploding bar-top next to the cultist gets his attention, and he opens fire in your direction instead.

11:19 AM

Wood chunks are chewed out of the cover youre sheltering behind, but none with a clean enough shot to penetrate. The ammunition must be sub-grade\

11:19 AM

There is a tremendous bang from behind the bar, as the barkeep fires at the trio with a shotgun, produced from underneath the counter

11:20 AM

One of the cultists (not your attacker) falls, slumped forward, his chest and its contents blown out and splattered across the dancefloor

11:20 AM

(you're up)

Relieved to have some backup, Joshua aims back at his attacker, and feeling less nervous, unleashes another shot. This one strikes true, cutting into the cultists chest. (21/7)

He falls to equally gory pieces as the shear field cuts him apart. The fight rapidly turning from an easy slaughter, to determined opposition, the last cultist turns to flee

Hopping over the counter, Joshua aims his rifle and yells "Stop right there before you get cut to pieces like your friend!" (If hold actions are a thing, Im gonna hold my action based on if he flees, if he does, Joshua fires)

(You can ready an action. His turn would be before yours anyway so it would happen in the same order)

1:48 PM

He turns and begins to flee out the door, vaulting over the dead bouncer

(20/12) As the man turns to flee, Joshua fires his rifle, his shots striking true, leaving whats left of the cultist a bloody heap of pieces. He mutters "You dumb son of a bitch..." He keeps his rifle readied, in case more cultists come in, while going to check the nearest cultist for any clues or items.

he has a palm length kris knife attached to a waistband, but otherwise is in normal workers clothes. When you roll him over, you can see that the veins on his pale arms and neck are either a deep purple or faint black, it is hard to tell with the light-but they're darker than a humans should be

Joshua takes the knife from the cultist and stows it in his bag. While in his bag, he grabs his compad and takes a picture of the mans veins, sensing that this will be useful later. He then proceeds to check over the other 2 cultist remains.

They likewise have a kriss each, and a collapsible personal rifle. They have the same physical alternation, as well.

(Is their blood blackish purple or red?)

(red but streaks of the former in it)

3:31 PM

(like it was threaded with the unnatural stuff)

(Do compads have any sort of organic compound scanner? Or could I use my metatool to store some of their blood?)

(Compads don’t no. That’s what a bioscanner does. You could collect a sample with a bottle or something from the bar but you couldn’t analyze it here)

Grabbing a clean bottle, Joshua scoops some blood into, enough to test a few times at least. To the people remaining, he announces "Is anyone hurt?"

There are a few minor injuries from the stampede in the crowd.

4:31 PM

“Thanks for the help” the bartender says, racking the empty shell out of the gun. “That could have gone far worse”

"Thanks for the back up. I was hoping the last one wouldn't flee, maybe we could have gotten some info out of him about where exactly the Hanged Man and the cult is at, but I think I have a lead. I'm glad this didn't turn worse, but I feel terrible for your doorman. By the way, is there somewhere or someone in town who could analyze some blood for me?"

“I’d try the security forces headquarters. They’re cowards but they’ve got some brains among them”

5:15 PM

You see a filthy red rag tied to the shotgun sling, a symbol many in the resistance wore on stormcoats or on their weapons for good luck

"Thanks. Stay safe out there, friend." Joshua heads out of the bar, and heads to the security forces HQ. On the way, he keeps an eye out for anyone with purplish-black veins. When he arrives, he looks for someone outside of the HQ to talk to.

While waiting for entry to the security forces HQ, Joshua begins typing up a message to the rebel from earlier:

Joshua here,

Killed 3 cultists who were attempting to shoot up a nightclub. Got some help from a resistance fighter turned barman. Found that the the three cultists had a purplish-black material in their blood. Getting it tested now, will keep you updated. You can see the material in their veins, especially in the back of their arms and neck. Should pass along to your superiors.

*After proofreading it, he sends it along, hoping itll save a few lives. He then types up and sends another message for Martin, to keep him further updated:

Martin,

I ran into some trouble with a few cultists. They tried shooting up a nightclub, but me and a resistance fighter took care of them. Found something interesting in their blood, gonna investigate it further. Got some info that the cultists will likely want to cause shortages all around Acastus, so you will definitely want to hold off on importing any goods yet. I'll let you know more as I find out.

-Joshua

(Alright. Let me figure out a couple things here)

(Sorry not trying to overload you)

(You’re not)

The message to the resistance leader is read but not replied to. The message to Martin will take some time to reach UNW space. Three security officers in armor are on the front gate watching the street

*Finishing his messages, Joshua approaches the three officers and looks them over, looking for blackish purplish veins on their neck and arms, while saying "Hows it going fellas?"

"Good Second Rise to you sir. Everything okay?"

"Everything is going well. I heard that you boys have a bio lab, and I was wondering if I'd be able to use it, or talk to one of your scientists. I'm looking into cult activity, and I need an experts help to continue my investigation."

"Ah flexing your skills as a gumshoe are we? Alright, head on inside. We'll radio the desk and they'll send someone downt o speak with you"

"First time actually!" Joshua says with a laugh. "Thanks guys, I appreciate it." Joshua heads into the building, and walks up to the desk with a smile, saying "Hey, I'm Joshua Collins. The men out front said they radioed in. Should I take a seat?"

"Not necessary" One of the lab techs opens the double doors behind the desk, and waves you to come around.

12:50 PM

"Just heard about your find. Not sure what to make of it but lets get a look"

Looking at the desk attendant, Joshua says "Thank you. Have a good day." He walks through the double doors, and while walking with the lab tech says "I'm not sure what to think of it either. I'm hoping it can be used to track down cultists before they can commit more murder and terroristic acts. Maybe its something that the Hanged Man uses to control them. I'm not sure, but it's gotta be important to whatever it is that they're doing."

"I noticed that the cultists had almost black veins downtown in a nightclub that they were trying to shoot up. I have some bottled up here..." Joshua digs thru his bag for a few moments before pulling out the blood jar. "You can see traces of blackish purple in there. My specialty, however, isn't to do with biology. I'm more talented behind a computer or a gun, so I'm hoping that you guys can help me out with this, so that we can all help Acastus."

"Ill see what the instruments can return" He brings you into the lab where a few other techs are working on their own cases. The photos posted on the walls near them all look like exceptionally violent crimes

Joshua takes a look at a few of the crime scene photos, before looking at the tech to ask "About how long do you expect it to take for you to have the results? I don't imagine it'll be too quick of a turnaround, but like I said, this isn't my expertise. I don't mind waiting around, but if you prefer or it'll take a while, I can find some other things to do, and I'll give you my compad ID and you can buzz me when you finish." Joshua holds out the blood jar while looking around at some of the photos, his morbid curiosity continuing to get the best of him.

"I'd expect a day or two for the samples to fully separate. You probably don't want to wait around here for that long"

"True. I'll find some lodgings to sleep in, and probably wander about town, looking into stuff in the mean time." Joshua hands over the jar. "I tried to grab enough to allow a few tests, in case something went wrong or multiple tests needed completed. Please call me as soon as you're finished." Joshua wishes the tech good luck, and heads out of the HQ after exchanging pleasantries with the staff and guards. He begins wandering about, looking for a hotel or some lodgings to rent, knowing he'll need somewhere to rest his eyes. While walking about town, he checks his compad, to see if he has heard back from his friendly neighbordhood rebel.

(3xp, 5000 credits)

3:06 PM

The rebel has left a message while you were in with the technician. Problem at the aquaculture farm. Same substance, but will of its own. Manifested tentacles and hurt two workers. May be related

1

Reading the message, Joshua decides his lodgings can wait. He sends back a message saying

Getting the blood examined by a professional, will let you know what he says when I find out. I will stop by the aquacultute farm ASAP.

-Joshua

He stashes his compad back in his bag after finding where the aquaculture farm is, and makes his way there. When he arrives a bit later, he looks for a rebel or worker to talk to about what happened inside. (edited)

your contact is part of a security detail at the front gates of the facility. Several rebel technicals have been parked out front, along with a few actual medical trucks

3:24 PM

No actual security forces themselves are on scene

Walking up to his contact, Joshua waves and says "I got your messsage and got here as soon as I could. The two who got injured, are they going to make a full recovery? And did they give a statement of what happened and what they saw? Does the aquaculture farm have any security cameras?"

“Whoa whoa whoa slow down there. One question at a time man. One is fine just a couple bumps. The other will probably never walk again. Got dashed on the head pretty good. They were all pretty shaken. One left for the day already but he’s playing at a coffee shop nearby tonight. No cameras. Plant was abandoned during the occupation. Only recently back up and running

"Sorry, my mind is just running a mile a minute. I'm sorry to hear about the more injured man, thats very sad to hear. If you'll allow, I'd like to take a look inside and maybe grab a sample of... whatever the hell attacked them. The guy who left, was he the one that got bumped around by the tentacles?"

“Yeah just a couple small cuts. He was fine. Like I said you can ask him yourself “

"Yeah I think I will. I'll head inside, look around a bit, then talk to him."

(Assuming this is the scene in @Chris Fury (Desmond)'s thread) Joshua thanks his rebel contact, and heads into the farm. When he gets to the scene of the attack, he looks around at the black goop and the tentacles. He looks at where the tentacle emerged from, looking for any clues to where it came from or anything suspicious.

(Yeah it will be. Just need to let him get a post or two into it before you walk in, so we can investigate here to give him time)

(Ok)

The creature was found in one of the holding tanks, growing and eating the fish there

8:27 PM

There was no residue in any of the pipes. Someone must have placed it in the tank directly

Joshua looks about the tank for a while, taking notes about the lack of residue and what the creature subsided on. He looks around at the exploded remains of Creature X, noting their placement around the room. He checks if there was a consistent spray pattern upon death, looking to see if any may have ended up inside one of the workers. After studying the scene for a while, he looks around the farm for a clean, uncontaminated vial or jar for evidence.

A clean vial isn’t hard to find and one is brought to you. It doesn’t look like anyone ingested or came into contact with any of it

"Hmm, its certainly for the best no one ingested any of this, who knows what havok that would unleash on a humanoid body. Thank you." Grabbing his multitool, Joshua uses one of the tools to carefully grab a tentacle and place it in the vial. He takes a few pictures of the scene, before heading out of the farm to talk with the rebel for a second. "That was quite a scene in there. Creature X, whatever the hell it was, it could have done way more damage if that worker hadn't acted so quickly. If anything else like this comes up, please let me know."

"We'll be keeping an eye out. Like I said earlier, going after the food supply. They're trying to cripple the city"

"Sounds good, I will as well." Joshua nods to the rebel, before heading to the coffee shop. Thinking to himself, "This guy that saw this, maybe he knows more than he told them." He heads up to the counter and gets a large coffee, extra sugar and cream, to keep him going for the investigation. He stands near the back, looking for someone who looks like they got pushed around and bruised a bit earlier.

8:31 AM

(Will me and Chris/Desmond be RPing this in his thread or mine?)

(Let's do his since hes going to set up playing his songs and whatnot, but you can arrive as hes about to go on)

(sounds good, I'll let him RP a bit before I pop up in his thread, gives Joshua time to look around the farm)

Finishing his talk with Chris, Joshua heads out of the Caffeine Dream, thinking about what Chris said about the Shadows. "I should go check in with that tech, let him examine this tentacle. They're probably related, if not the same thing..." he thinks as he walks down the street. He pulls out his compad, putting the stuff Chris told him about the shadows in his notes. He begins heading to the HQ he was at earlier, and during his walk, he checks his messages to see if he has heard any other news from the rebel fighter.

(Let me catch up there and I’ll love this along)

5:38 PM

Move)

(Sounds good)

For now everything is quiet, a nightclub shooting and shadow attack on a food processing plant is enough news for a day, you realize. You've not slept in more than a day by now

Dozing off on his feet, Joshua realizes he should find somewhere to sleep before he literally crashes into a gutter and sleeps there. He begins looking about for a hotel or somewhere to rent a.l room.

There are plenty of hotels, most of the them with Vacancy signs lit. Most are still choosing the comforts of home after a night out- those few who venture

Joshua makes his way to the closest vacant hotel, and rings the front desk bell.

A grim faced Valet appears from the back after a moment, and his thin fingers clasp together as he sees a customer

9:27 AM

"Good evening. welcome to headspace. "

"Hello. I'd like to rent a room for... lets say a week. Do you have any suites or anything to that extent?"

"I do. Several in fact. 500 for the week, if that works for you"

"That would be great. Thank you." Joshua gives the man a 500 credit stick, takes the key, and makes his way to his suite. When hes in his room a couple of minutes later, he barely gets his shoes and jacket off before collapsing on his bed. Exhausted from the days events, he falls asleep almost instantly. When he awakens an unknown amount of time later, he sees a message from Seung Whitaker regarding research his company is conducting, and sends a video reply.

Finishing his message, Joshua checks through his notes and messages, wondering if he received an update from the tech on the blood sample.

Blood sample is complete. Human. O+. Having trouble identifying what it’s laced with. Heavily sulfuric.

After stowing the compad back in his bag, Joshua throws his jacket back on and puts his shoes on. He heads out of the suite and to the hotel lobby. He waves at the valet as he passes on his way out into the streets. When he's outside, he makes his way to the Security Forces HQ, hoping he can have the technician compare a piece of the tentacle to the man's blood, hoping to confirm his suspicions.

You arrive and are let in after a brief search. The technician is waiting for you at the front desk, likely tipped off by the gate team

"I got your message. That was quicker than I thought it would be, which is good." Joshua pulls open his bag and finds the tentacle vial. "If I gave you a piece of this, do you think you could compare it to whatever it was that the blood I gave you and see if this is what it's laced with?"

"If there's a relation between them, yes. This won't take as long, now that I know what I'm looking for."

"Good. Please let me know when you've finished your work. Do I owe you anything for the work you've done for me?"

"As far as the sulfur. There are two places I can think of, to try your search. The first is the volcano, nearest the city. The other would be the second moon"

"I'll definitely check out the volcano first. Beyond possible cultists and lava, are there any known dangers around the volcano?" (edited)

"any of the wildlife in the area is probably more scared of you, but I'd keep your wits about you anyway

"Okay, will do. Here, you'll need this." Hands over the Shadow vial. "Could I get a few more of those from you? That way I can bottle anything that might be suspicious for further testing."

He produces a few from a supply box, handing you four of them

9:26 AM

"I can't promise a quick return on this next one. This looks much more involved:"

"Not a problem. While you do what you gotta do with that, I have a few things I gotta deal with. Thank you for the heads up about the volcano and second moon. Thanks once again" Joshua heads back out of the headquarters.

9:35 AM

(Is renting a vehicle currently an option on Acastus? Or not because of the cult repurposing so much for weaponry and such?)

(Renting a vehicle is possible. A lot of trucks were turned into technicals by both sides but theres plenty of abandoned cars, ect)

Joshua begins looking about the city for a vehicle rental business, figuring it'll be much easier for him to zip out there on wheels than having to walk to the volcano. (edited)

There are a few, all doing brisk business in renting 'found' vehicles, either abandoned or stolen during the fighting in the city. The rates vary, but the best price you're able to find close to the hotel is 300 credits for the day

Joshua transfers over the 300 credits for the vehicle. He takes the keys and gets in the car. He spends a few minutes adjusting the mirrors and seat to suit him best, before making the drive to the volcano, planning on parking the rental at a safe distance from the volcano.

The terrain is bumpy upon leaving city limits, but the vehicle crunches over the wide forest path as best it can, passing endless mushrooms taller than redwood trees. Tunnels have been carved through several of them for logging roads

12:05 PM

The volcano is quiet, for the moment, but youi can still see the glow of lava on its caldera, and the threading of geothermal exchanges running up and down the mountainside

Parking the car, Joshua is about to hop out when he decides to send a message to Martin and his rebel contact.

Investigating the nearby volcano. Weird blood that I had tested was detected to be laced heavily with sulfur. Depending on what/if I find anything here, may need to investigate Acastus' second moon.

-Joshua Collins

He hops out of the vehicle and stashes his compad. Afterwards, he unslings his rifle and holds it semi-loosely. He mutters "Heard word of those cultists being in the mushroom forest. Better keep this out in case they saw me driving out here..." He starts making his way to the volcano, keeping a look (and smell) out for anything that smells like sulfur. (edited)

(sneak/dex)

(9)

Evidence of...someone...living out here is evident , a good number of discarded ration packages are tangled up in the roots of plants

2:38 PM

a frayed climbing rope coated in ash, and a rusted anchor are tangled in a loose pile at the base of one of the lowest cliffs, torn off from the rock face above

Joshua takes a look around the makeshift camp, taking a mental note of the rations and rope. He grabs the anchor, thinking "Just in case..." Joshua looks around for a way up to the cliff ahead that doesn't involve climbing straight up.

There is a meandering path that is gentler but a much longer route

5:42 PM

You’ll be there by third rise if you begin now , about six hours you estimate

(How high up is it if i climb?)

(250m cliff)

Having never free climbed before and severely lacking in good rope, Joshua decides to go the long way and begins his trek up the path.

Hiking through the mushroom forest and then the tall cliffs , you see more evidence of human passage. The dusty grey cliff side is lit by the dim light of second rise and the volcano above.

9:01 PM

You can see three distinct sets of prints

(Are they all humanoid or do i need a check to know for sure?)

(They’re humanoid. Three sets of human prints. Probably from work boots or army boots

Joshua tightens his grip on his rifle, and begins following the footsteps, doing his best to be stealthy.

Ahead, at the top of this small cliff, there is another path, winding around the north face of the mountain. A small cave sits off to its left. the inside is dark, and you do not hear any activity inside.

Digging through his backpack, Joshua finds and pulls out his low-light goggles. He puts them on his head, and as he walks into the cave, he pulls them down over his eyes and turns them on. He does his best to avoid making noises as he sneaks around the cave, looking out for any people or wildlife thats there.

the cave is shallow, or appears to be through the goggles. Several skeletons, at least ten, have been laid to rest inside, though some are missing limbs, or show other signs of a violent death

Joshua investigates some of the bodies, intent on figuring out what killed all these people.

The bodies here were felled by a kris stab. Most have a hole in the back of their head or knife damage to the spine

9:35 PM

A clean blow to the base of the head. Painless and quick

"Definitely reeks of cultists in here." he thinks to himself. He checks around the cave, looking for a door or something hidden, figuring there must be a reason these people were executed and left to rot here.

(Notice wis)

(5)

There does not seem to be anything in here, aside from this being some sort of burial chamber. You also notice the skeletons are simply that, skeletons. Their possessions were stripped from the bodies before interment here.

2:02 PM

(no scraps of cloth or anything not organic buried with them, basically, so there's more proof this is being done with intent)

"Interesting..." Joshua thinks to himself. Content with his search of the cave that therea nothjng hidden, he heads out back onto the path. He turns off and removes the goggles, placing them back in his bag. He starts off down the path heading up the mountain, feeling confident that is where these people were killed at snd dragged from.

Heading up the path, Joshua does indeed begin to see drag marks in the few inches of ash now covering the trail. A storm is blowing in south of the city, and you can see the lightning beginning to form already

Joshua, seeing the drag marks, begins following them. He continues attempting to be as quiet as he possibly can while heading down the path.

(your stealth roll before was pretty good so we can keep it)

6:32 PM

As you spend a few hours walking, your slow pace dragging out the trip, you begin to approach the peak of the volcano. It is a concave top, the magma floe inside still active, and you can hear little above the churning geothermal machinery making its way up this far to bask in the oppressive heat

(Ok)

6:38 PM

Joshua looks around the volcano peak, attempting to find the location where the cultists have been sacrificing people, for a still unknown purpose.

You begin to hear voices calling over the wind. The words are hard to make out, but do not sound like a language you've heard

Tightly gripping his rifle, Joshua slowly makes his way towards area where the strange language is coming from.

At the top of the volcano, 100m from you, a group of cultists is standing before a heriophant. His neck is twisted and his head lulls at an odd angle. Six utility workers are bound there. You see the group grab one, pulling him forward. His mouth is forced open and a wriggling tentacle appendage, the same as found in the fish packing factory, is forced into his mouth .

9:57 PM

He screamed, but they’re muffled by the wind and his trying not to choke. The others must have already been implanted for their features look slack and dull

(I know theyre a cult but theyre really fucked up lol)

10:24 PM

(How many cultists do I see?)

(Twelve plus the leader)

10:24 PM

(Two to drag each person basically)

(Fuck i definitely cant take that many by myself)

10:31 PM

Pulling out his compad, Joshua quickly types up a message to send to his rebel contact:

Followed up on blood sample. I began investigating the nearby volcano, only to find an abandoned camp as well as a burial site with 10 skeletons. I followed a path of drag marks up the volcano and found a group of cultists and their heriophant implanting Shadows into 6 workers. They all have a dullish look to their skin. Theres too many here for me to take by myself. I will continue to watch them and follow them, but if you can send help, we can deal a huge blow to the cultists before they can terrorize the city.

-Joshua Collins

(edited)

10:34 PM

He silences his compad after sending his message, and continues to watch the ritual that is occuring, hoping for a reply.

Send me your location the message from your contact replies

Joshua sends a description of the nearby area along with GPS locations. (Assuming Acastus has GPS)

(its got something close enough for now)

9:24 AM

Run the message comes back, and you hear the low whine of an atmoflyer

Putting the two things together, Joshua takes off down the path he came, running as quickly as he can before he gets obliterated from the face of Acastus.

There is a hiss and a snap as the missile clears its launch rail, and the gathering vanishes in an expanding yellow fireball

9:57 AM

Joshua is pelted with stones, causing some bumps and bruises, and the air is knocked out of his lungs.

Collapsing to one knee from the after effect of the explosion coupled with getting the wind knocked out of him, Joshua takes a minute to recover his composure. He eventually stands back up, and looks around for the Resistance's atmoflyer.

Please provide battle damage assessment

10:11 AM

the message ping again

On my way to check it out. Will update shortly.

10:18 AM

Joshua readies his rifle again and makes his way toward the explosion, looking for any signs of life. (edited)

The smoke is still dispersing when you make your way back to the top of the volcano. The orange-red glow of the lava, the only source of light. One body stands upright in the midst of the carnage, flesh burning off it, but it begins advancing, slowly, on wobbling legs, fat cooking off them in runnels

"What the fuck..." Joshua says, amazed anyone could survive that blast. "Stop where you are and identify yourself, or be shot!" he yells to the person wobbling at him. (Joshua readies his action to shoot if they move at all.)

(They're still moving)

Aiming down his sights, Joshua sighs and lets out a burst from his rifle, aiming for the targets legs. (22/11)

The creature staggers, and brings its arm back in a throwing motion. A lance of burning energy is hurled back in your direction, but it breaks harmlessly on the ground, short of you, turning into an upward rain of firefly sparks

12:09 PM

(got a 4)

(Any partial cover nearby?)

(not after the missile strike)

Joshua turns tail and tries to put as much room between him and the godforsaken creature hurling fire towards him. When he gets as far as he can in about the 6 second period he has, he digs through his bag and finds his compad. (I think I can move my 10 meters then use my main to dig out the compad right?)

(yes that's right)

(Ok) Finding the compad, Joshua pulls it out of the bag.

(He wouldn't be able to send a message on it the same turn as finding it would he?)

(no, readying it is the action) the beast throws another lance in your direction. Half melted, the creature that was once a man over-throws, and it explodes in front of you, the sparks dancing around you but causing no harm

(Ok i didnt think I could)

1:35 PM

Startled by another flaming lance nearly hitting him, Joshua takes off another 10 meters before typing up a quick message for the rebel. Heriophant, maybe the Hanged Man, didn't perish in the explosion. He is currently melting. More help appreciated.

(You're up again now though hemissed)

1:36 PM

Redirecting support now. Get yourself clear

1:36 PM

(evasion save)

(Failure. 8 v 13)

(10 damage)

1:39 PM

The anti-personnel missile explodes a few meters above the ground, monofilament wire projectiles spraying out in a wide radius. The Hanged man is cut to pieces, in the center of the explosion

Unable to get further away, Joshua is nearly flayed to death himself. He falls to the ground, concious, but cut to hell and bleeding profusely. When he finally has the energy to prop himself up, he sees the chunks of the Hanged Man left over, and rejoices with a near-silent "Wooo!" He checks his compad to see how it faired in the explosion.

The pad's screen is cracked but it is functional, and you can get the keys working after prying a couple pieces of debris from between them

Relieved at it being functional, Joshua types up a message and sends it to the rebel.

Hanged Man is flayed to pieces. I got cut to shit in the second explosion, but I'll make it. Thanks for the much needed support.

He then begins hobbling his way toward the path down the mountain that he took to go up it.

Medical attention is waitinf for you at the bottom, a converted groundtruck with a hasty medical symbol painted onto the canvas. A mixed team of Resistance fighters and peace officers are rushing forward to meet you.

2:28 PM

(6xp, 10,000 credits)

"Good to see you guys. I could use some help." he laughs softly. He lets the medics look him over patch him up, while speaking with them a bit. He wonders what the death of the Hanged Man will bring for Acastus when hes not speaking with people. (Does that bring me to full health?) (Also, I increased Shoot to 2, and notice to 2 from -1. Had 9 skill points to spend)

(You regain your level in HP everyday. So 4hp/day in your case)

(yeah level up doesnt heal in this game, its grittier as far as getting hurt)

(Ok after I asked that I thought about it, and it seemed too gamey to go from basically dead to rearing to go)

After getting patched up, Joshua thanks the medics who helped him and steps down from the makeshift ambulance. He takes a look around, wondering if his contact came out to volcano.

“your friend says his regards. He couldn’t make it. He was coordinating the air strike. You’re lucky we had a bird in the air so close”

"Aye, I'm extremely lucky. Even after the first strike the bastard was still walking and flinging bolts of flame at me. I shot him and thought I'd hit him pretty solidly but it was like he shrugged it off. No wonder he was such a pain for you guys to deal with."

(So I think so far your mission has been pretty successful. You’ve got the shadow cult dealt a heavy blow and identified some major opportunities for Trivedi. The base of operations is being built this month so nothing can be done there until next month. )

8:29 PM

(If you had other ideas we can jump in but you’ve accomplished your mission and then some)

(Nah I think this was a very successful mission. Going back to gudrun can give Joshua time to heal up and figure out where Charles wants him to go next.)

8:33 PM

(Plus it looks like taking down the Hanged Man helped at least a little with relations between the resistance and the security forces)

8:39 PM

"I think though, I've done about all I can to help you guys, at least for the time being. Let my friend know I'll be off planet for a while, as I need to speak with my boss about where to go from here. However, I'll probably be back in a month or so, but if they need some assistance, I can always come back." Sore as all hell and tired as can be, Joshua slowly climbs into his rental, says one last thanks, and carefully drives back to the city. He plans on sending Martin a message about what happened today, as well as wait for his tech to let him know about the finishing up investigation into the Shadow, before heading back to Gudrun. He also sends his new friend Chris a message, letting him know about his departure for the time being.

8:44 PM

(Really the only thing Joshua needs to do is get the info from the tech. Also, do I need trivedi to arrange a ride or are there people offering trips to gudrun atm?)

(They’d pick you up

(Ok)

After dropping the car off and getting back to his room. Joshua sends the messages he was thinking about on the ride back.

Martin,
I helped the resistance eliminate the Hanged Man, and it seems this may have started mending the relationship between the resistance and security forces. However that goes, I believe that I've done all I can on Acastus for the time being. I'd appreciate a ride back to Gudrun when you can geta ship out this way.

Thanks, Joshua

He sends his messages, and before he can put his compad away, he falls asleep on the hotel bed.

(Damn! I was hoping to help with the Hanged Man! Well, maybe I can go to Gudrun with you.)

Thanks for the message Joshua! I'd love to travel to Gudrun. I could try and get some gigs at some of the bars or coffeehouses there. I'd like to play some of my songs about Dax, Billy, Robert, Cyrus and the rest. I hear its a beautiful and prosperous planet. I could send some credits home to my parents if I do okay on the playing circuit. If I'm lucky I could catch sight of some of these UNW heroes. I hear they walk the streets of Gudrun like normal people!

(Alright, Trivedi has some decisions to make off screen based on what we've done. The "after action" for what you did is going to be off screen probably until the news, but they'll have a base of operations here this month)

(Ok sounds good, I'm looking forward to the news!)

Joshua and @Chris Fury (Desmond) meet at the small cargo rocket port on Acastus for the shuttle meant to bring them back to UNW space. Joshua looks a bit worse for wear

Letting out a slight groan, Joshua says "How've you been, Chris?"

"Are you hurt?" Chris asks putting down guitar case . "I can carry some luggage if I strap this old hollow body to my back."

"I'm pretty sore and definitely not at 100%. If you're ok with it, I'd appreciate if you could take my bag to my quarters when we board." Joshua sets down his backpack while waiting. "I've got it for now, but it definitely still hurts." He chuckles a little. "Well worth it though to help your people out."

(I dunno if you have something planned after we're back on Gudrun, but if not, depending on what I need to do so, I might like to try and do some endeavors on Mariam)

(If you've got a direction of your own i'd rather do that since its what you want to do)

(Sounds good, I dunno if Chris wants to go with, up to him, but before I decide for sure I'll look into Mariam more)

(I'll hitch a ride to Gudrun. See where it all goes.)

1

"I don't remember if I told you, but it'll take a little over a week I think to get to Gudrun from here, even with the spike drive. The ship that brought me here had plenty to keep me occupied though, so don't worry about that."

"I'd like to take your offer to to Gudrun if you're headed that way," Chris says. "What happened to you?"

"Were happy to have you aboard, and that'll be where we land. I don't know for sure where I'll be going from there, but I have a few ideas. And this happened when I was tracking the cult. I let my resistance contact know I had found the Hanged Man, and the sumbitch took two airstrikes and a shot fromy rifle to kill. I didn't get far enough from the second explosion, and uh, yeah. This happened. " He chuckles a bit, saying "You should have seen the other guy."

"You offworlders really lay it all out on the line! I wonder what the cultist have left after that. Maybe we'll start to have a small bit of peace and rebuilding now."

A shuttle daubed in Trivedi silver and blue lands,and its ramp opens as three tech guard from Blue Team exit and secure the landing zone. This shuttle is a bit more luxurious, its body elongated and fattened with more space and armor. "Welcome aboard gents, watch your step" one calls out "sooner you're loaded, sooner we can be off"

"Haha, my plan originally at the volcano was to investigate the Shadows. I didn't learn anymore on that front, but the cult is crippled. Hopefully they fully collapse, or at the least, leave the citizens alone." "This is our ride though, lets pile on and we can continue from there. " Picking up his backpack, he lugs his way up onto the shuttle. "This ones even nicer than the last one!"

Chris can’t help but stare at the sleek lines of the high tech spacecraft

.

7:26 PM

“I’ve never been this close to a spaceship before,” he says. “Does it really drill through the fabric of space?”

"I think so. You'd have to ask Charles Trivedi though, hes the one who rediscovered them. Though hes a planetary governor, so he might be hard to find."

Chris hoists his backpack

on and carries his guitar

and Joshua’s bag

up the gangway.

"Thanks. Lets find our quarters, and from there we can both get acquainted with our temporary home."

Chris drops Joshua's bag at his room and looks for his own.

There is another quarters set aside for you. Most of this new transport is empty, aside from the crew and the few guards. The ramp outside shuts, and the engines roar as it lifts off, climbing quickly into space

"Thanks Chris!" Joshua rocks around a bit as the ship takes off. "Let me be the first to congratulate you on the start of your journeys through space!" Joshua chuckles a bit.

9:09 AM

(Does the ship have somewhere that I could recharge A Power Cells?)

(yeah its got plenty of outlets, its basically all the convienences of home

(OK) Joshua plugs in a few of his A Cells in his room to charge them back up. He then sits down and relaxes a bit, knowing that the ship would get to Gudrun when it did, and in the mean time, maybe his body would heal up and stop aching.

You feel the momentary dislocation as the ship enters spike space, but you see the guards outside relax a bit, knowing while in jump you're free from harm.

Laying on his bed after the spike drive kicks on, Joshua ends up sleeping while trying to relax a bit.

10:44 AM

(I dunno if Chris has any plans while on the ship, but Joshua will probably be healing up and relaxing mostly. Up to him and you Neko if we time jump)

(we can jump if Chris is ready to get to Gudrun)

(I’m good. At work so will be updating slowly.)

(Gundrun should be fun!)

The shuttle spends 9 days crossing from the far east of 1E sector, back to Gudrun, where the travel-exhausted crew stumbles from their craft onto the platform. It is easy to forget being so tired with solid ground so close. Joshua has recovered from his injuries by resting during the trip, and on many of the long void shifts, Chris could be heard strumming his guitar through the night, softly. The crew entire is interested in buying some copies when they're made, the music relaxing to listen to at night.

1:30 PM

(Would it be fair to say Chris is sort of a lounge singer? sort of like, chill music?)

(Crooner like Chris Isaak so he can be chill mournful or rockabilly on occasion)

1:35 PM

Chris lets them record him on their Comms to send to friends and build an audience..

He asks if they know where the best places to play on Gudrun are.

"I'd try the Harvest Spirits, or out west at some of the Taros cities. Stay away from Atrovia though, place is still a nightmare"

*Double checking that all of his belongings are packed and that his power cells are fully charged, Joshua heads out of his quarters towards the ships entrance. He thanks the crew before he heads down the gangplank and waits for Chris to come out. While he's waiting, he sends a message to Martin.

Martin, I'm back on Gudrun from Acastus. If you would like me to give you a full report of what happened, I'd be more than happy to. I'd also like to speak to you about having a ship take me to Mariam, as I saw that Trivedi Tech is looking for someone to explore there.

Chris walks out, looking around. “Wow! A different planet. Where is the Harvest Spirits and when will the sun rise?”

3:44 PM

(I assumed it was night)

"I think you'll like it here. The UNW has turned this into a really nice place to stay, not perfect but pretty damn good. I've never been there, but I'd recommend you stop by the admin center and sign up for citizenship. They should supply you with housing and job opportunities from there, and of course you can spend time playing in the local bars and nightclubs and stuff. And um, I'm not sure exactly what time it is, but trust me, you'll know when the sun is rising!"

“I’ll buy you a drink

at the Harvest Spirits if you want. I think

I’ll head over there and then stay up and watch the sunrise

4:11 PM

(Want me to go back to my channel?)

"Thanks, I'll take you up on that offer, but not today. I've been meaning to buy myself a place to live; I have an apartment I was given by the UNW when i became a citizen, but I feel if I buy my own place, they can use it for someone who needs it more. When we do go drinking, we can spend some time buying rounds and telling stories, or songs in your case, of what we've seen. I'll be in town for a few days at least, but I've got another job coming up. Keep me up to date on what you're up to though. I can't wait to hear the song you write about your first sunset."

Chris shakes Joshua’s hand.

4:56 PM

“Good luck in your next job! I appreciate you getting me to Gudrun.. I’ll head to the Harvest Spirits and see where the night takes me before I see my first day!

4:57 PM

(Chris goes back to his channel)

Watching as Chris makes his own way, Joshua soon pulls out his compad, first to check if he had any new messages, as well as to check the local real estate market for a new home.

(Yeah you guys were faster than me I didn’t get time to answer. Sorry about that )

(No problem we dont mean to rush you)

(All good)

7:02 PM

The market has a number of homes available upon request (give me an idea of living conditions you want and I can give a price)

(Um, lets say a 2 car garage, 3 bedrooms, 2 story, lifestyle-wise probably be like Good in the book, maybe elite) (edited)

(Gotcha). several homes in the posh southern lakeside district , they do offer rent but they can also be bought outright

He thinks "Hmm, lakeside would be nice. Lets see what it would cost to buy as well as rent."

To own the property indefinitely, the average cost is 550,000. To rent it is 5,000 a month

1

"Hmm. Thats a decent chunk of my money, but it seems like a good investment. I'm sure Gudrun will only have more people move here, making these more expensive..." He mulls itover for a while, looking over the different houses before deciding on the one he likes most.

1

(Dunno if you want me to rp meeting an estate agent or not)

(We don’t need to if it’s not interesting to you)

(Id like to i didnt know if youd want to)

8:45 PM

Joshua calls up the estate agent for the house hes interested in.

A small car pulls up to your location an hour later and you’re greeted by s sales agent. She is overly friendly and very eager to shown you some homes

Joshua gets into the sales agents car, saying "Hey, I'm Joshua. Pleased to meet you."

“And to you. I’m Laurine. Got a few homes to show you today. All of them are lakefront. Excellent docks at each of them if you like the water

9:48 PM

“Property is fairly private. You’ll have neighbors but there’s enough space between you that you’re not looking in each other’s windows”

"That sounds excellent. Having a dock would be nice, could buy a boat someday just to relax on the lake."

"Many people do. Not right now of course since it's winter, but once spring gets here you'll see some out therE"

"That'll be nice. I've looked into the houses a little, but pictures and descriptions are nothing like actually being there."

"Sure, Its why I'm on the road most of the day"

8:56 AM

(if you have any actual ideas or style, itll look like how you want, since you wouldnt spend money on something you hate)

9:01 AM

(Something like that?)

(def possible, works for me!)

9:07 AM

"Ah we have something just like that" THe car speeds up as she excitedly heads over to the listing

"Good! How long have you been working in sales, Laurine?"

"Two years now, pretty much as soon as the Pillar of Salt got here and we had enough material and people to need homes"

"I'm glad to have someone with experience to help me out with this. It's also great to see someone so excited to do their job!"

"so this is the listing, I think this has what you said you're looking for. 550k is firm I'm afraid. The property is at a premium this close to the lake, neighborhood becomes less exclusive if we start undercutting"

"Looks beautiful. And thats unfortunate, but understandable. I'm excited to take a look around!"

She unlocks the house and youre permitted to take a look around, and aside from one or two small remodels or updates, the house is very much to what you'd envisioned

(Is the house unfurnished or furnished?)

(unfurnished)

Joshua walks around the house for a while, examining each of the rooms. He imagines them fully furnished before moving on to the next room. Eventually he's facing the lake. He looks out onto for a minute, before turning around and saying. "I love it here. I'd like to buy it, but I have one, eh, odd request. If I pay extra, can I have you guys furnish the inside for me? I have somethings to take care of planet side and I'm not sure I'll have time to get everything I need for the house."

"If we come up to an even 600,000 we can do that for you"

"That sounds like a deal to me!" Joshua reaches out to shake Laurine's hand.

She gives it a hearty shake with a surprising amount of strength

5:14 PM

“Glad to have made a sale. It really slows down in the winter”

"Well, Im glad to have helped you get a bit of business. I need to take care of some business around town, so if you can send me the paperwork on my compad when you get a chance, I'll get it signed and sent back along with the 600k so you can get paid. Thanks for helping me out!"

She nods and she’s already typing up the contract. She waves as you head outside and back toward town

Joshua calls up a taxi to take him to the market district of town. When it arrives, he hops in, telling the driver where he's heading. He pulls out his compad and begins reading through the UNW news, wondering whats been happening as he pulls it up. When he arrives later, he tips the man 50 credits and begins heading through the shopping area, purchasing what things he believes he'll need for Mariam. (Reading the news is just flavor, and i have a list of stuff I want, idk what all we have unlocked so ill post in a bit and let you decide what all i can/cant find) (edited)

(Deflector Array Armor, Thermal Pistol Black Slab, Bioscanner, Medkit, TL4 Backpack, TL4 Binoculars, Grapnel Launcher, Pressure Tent, 10 days Rations, A set of Heavy Winter clothing.) (Not 100% sure i understand encumberance but i dont think i can carry all this and what i currently have to Mariam, though i dont know what it means that a TL4 Backpack is essentially without encumbrance) (edited)

(Deflector array armor isn’t available

8:22 PM

(Everything wise okay)

(I was afraid we wouldnt but worth a shot. I'll figure it all up and subtract it when im at my computer, along with the 600k)

(A lot of energy and field manipulation research hasn’t been re created yet)

8:38 PM

(You just don’t have the industrial base for those kind of hyper advanced electronics right now)

(Makes sense, only 3 yrs from the scream and weve had other things to worry about.)

8:41 PM

Finishing his shopping a few hours later, Joshua makes his way to his soon to be old apartment to drop off his new goodies before making his way to the admin center.

(Yeah year 1 was literally food and water and trying to have more than three trucks to use for stuff)

He greets the soldiers outside before heading in. Once inside, he looks around to see if Martin is currently around.

(If its ok, Id like to have also purchased a stun baton and a Combat Field Uniform, if those are available)

(Those are yes_

7:19 AM

Martin is around, in his office at the top floor of the small building Trivedi uses as its headquarters. You can see most of the monies coming in for business development are going for workshops and manufacturing space

Joshua enters the Trivedi Headquarters, and looks around to see if there is a secretary to speak with, so as to not interrupt Martin if he's busy.

Martin is finishing a call when you arrive but waves you into his office, and hangs up. "Back from Acastus, but just barely I heard" Martin says, shaking your hand and urging you to sit down

"Yep, I just got back earlier today. Took care of a few things around town while making my way here. I think the progress I made on Acastus is really gonna help Trivedi Tech out. Plenty of business to be done there and plenty of people needing jobs."

"It sounds it, there's a team on the way already getting a storefront set up. We expect to make some brisk business there"

10:11 AM

(I posted a summary in the Trivedi Tech faction channel if you havent seen it yet as well)

(Yep I read it, all good info)

10:19 AM

"Sounds great. Glad I could help get things kicked off there. I'm sure you got my message earlier regarding Miriam. It seems ripe for the pickings regarding pretech as well as having plenty of people that are probably in need of assistance. Would it be possible for the company to arrange travel for me to get there?"

"You seem to have a knack for getting things and people together. I've got two jobs we need someone to look into on Miriam and I'll let you decide what you tihnk you're the most suited for"

10:40 AM

"how does that sound?:"

"That sounds great. I'm all rested from Acastus and I got myself a place to live here planet-side so I'm excited and rearing to go."

"Well, as you've probably seen on the company help board, we've got a couple issues going on at Miriam right now. The first is making contact with some of the other settlements on planet that have not made contact with us- since the freeze. The other is someone taking another look at that research park, where the immortality peach was found, to see if we might be able to re-purpose it for something else"

Thinking for a minute, Joshua replies "The research park sounds interesting. If we got it up and running, we could help out Miriam as well as the whole UNW. I'd definitely like to help out with that."

I'll arrange transport for you then, leaving from the starport whenever you're ready"

12:13 PM

"We had a team pass through it already. There was a young sunblade who led the expedition and they accomplished quite a bit, but we never had an assessment after"

"Thank you. I have to arrange a few things, figure what I should bring with supplies wise, but it shouldn't take too long. As before, I'll pass along updates as I can. How long does it take for messages to transmit on Miriam?"

"Right away. We won;t have any lags in communication this time"

"Good to hear. I'll go get my gear and head to the starport. Thanks for meeting with me on such short notice Martin." Joshua reaches out to shake his hand.

He shakes your hand again

1:05 PM

"Good luck on Miriam"

"Thanks." Joshua heads out of the office and out of the building. He walks back to his apartment to get his gear situated as well as to leave behind what he won't need or can't carry.(Got my gear all situated on the sheet and I got encumberance figured out, my stowed is <15 and readied is <7) After spending a while preparing as well as relaxing in the apartment, Joshua decides to put away everything he's not taking with him before catching a ride to the spaceport, where he looks for his ride to Miriam.

(Is the research facility on the Miriam map?)

(It’s the weather control station)

2:19 PM

(There’s a research park around it but the weather control is broken forever)

(Ah ok)

There is a lifter ready to take you up to the Lawrence, the exploration ship that brought you to Acastus a few weeks ago.

7:38 PM

Martin is not there this time having other duties to attend to but there is a new flight crew

Seeing his ride, Joshua grabs his bag and heads over to it, quickly greeting any crew he sees before heading up the gangway and onto the lifter.

You’re taken up into space for a quick transfer aboard the Lawrence. It’s how you remember it though the inside has been shined recently

Aboard the Lawrence, Joshua looks into the cockpit to see if his pilots are the same as before.

One of them is the same, the other is a replacement

Joshua walks over to the cockpit and says to the one he knows "Good to see you again!" Turning to the other one "Name's Joshua Collins. I rode on the Lawrence a few weeks back to Acastus. Either of you guys ever been to Miriam?"

"We've been there tons. Trivedi himself is the governor after all. Its a short jump this time, nothing like the amount of time you spent going to Acastus"

(Oof i either dont remember reading that or forgot lol)

3:24 PM

"Of course I remember that now. Thats good to know, space is great and all but being planetside, thats where the fun begins. I'm gonna get settled in my quarters and get organized but I'm excited to so Mariam for myself." Joshua bids them farewell and spends the trip ensuring his gear is all packed and his weapons are up to snuff, sleeping when he gets bored. (Assuming the trip itself is uneventful.)

(Yeah, pretty mcuh still in the UNW core

3:49 PM

The frost locked world of Mariam spins below, the largest concentration of light on its currently night time surface is a settlement called The Hub, where Charles Trivedi himself has chosen to build the administration compound. Hardpacked ice roads travel west, thousands of kilometers to an agridome complex, and south, to a starport, where youre coming in to land. Crews have dug it out in a monumental digging effort, from under millions of tons of snow, and it now sits in something akin to a valley, the sides dug out in a wide bowl

"Digging out land for a starport must have been a huge work effort. I'll be interested to see what else Trivedi has done to improve Mariam." As the ship lands, Joshua grabs his gear and heads to the gangway, and down onto Mariam. As he leaves the gangway and enters the starport itself, he looks for someone to speak with about his mission. (edited)

A pair of eyebots zoom past, heading from one engineering crawlspace into another, both beeping to one another as they rush off to check one of the thousands of minor components needed to keep the place running.

4:06 PM

A man in cold weather gear stands near the station doors, leading in from the landing pad

Watching the eyebots for a moment, Joshua's eye catches thebman near the doors and he heads over to the man. "Good day. I'm Joshua Collins, here on behalf of Trivedi Tech and their current head, Martin. Im here to look into the research park to the far north, and I was wondering if you knew who I could talk to about borrowing some transport to get there."

"Ah we have a snowcat for you waiting out front, I was just here to make sure you had the supplies you need and got to your vehicle. The research park looks a lot like this, dug the place out. "

"Thats great to know. I think I have everything I need. I wasnt sure what I'd need and what exactly the situation at the research park would be, so I grabbed a good bit of survival gear. How far is the ride there on a snowcat?"

“Most of a day. There’s a blizzard coming in. Air travel is going to be down for days. The cat’s got a positioning system so you can drive by instrument alone in a whiteout

"Hmm, unfortunate that theres a blizzard coming in but not too surprising given its a frozen world. I have 4 days worth of rations, would you be able to get me a couple more days worth of rations, just to be safe? I've got credits to pay for them."

"There's a locker onboard, should have another week , along with some back up snow clothes, and some power cells for communication devices"

7:41 AM

"You wouldn't be the first one to have to power down and wait for the storm to pass"

"Oh good, that'll be useful to have. However, if theres a blizzard incoming, it sounds best that I leave sooner rather than later. Thanks for the help, sir."

He nods and hands you the ignition stick for the vehicle. “There’s a small engineering team on site. They’ll be your point of contact when you arrive. I’ve let them know Martin has an expert coming”

"Thank you. I'll send him out a message as well when I arrive there. If all goes well, and the blizzard doesnt last too terribly long, I hope to be back here in a few days." Joshua nods to the man and heads to the snowcat. When he finds it, he gets inside and finds a safe place to put his backpack before starting it up and begins heading towards the research park.

The drive takes most of the afternoon, and you notice the sky blue wall of snow getting ever closer , large flakes dumping down from the sky ahead of it. The temperature plummets even more as the winds pick up. The cat rocks a few times, and the heating system valiantly tries to keep you warm

"Damn and I thought it was cold on Gudrun." he thinks to himself as he pull in to the research park. He bundles up as tightly as he can in his winter gear before hopping out of the snowcat to look for the research team hes here to coordinate with.

The storm begins blowing in just as they find you. One lights a flare and tosses it down at the door to their shelter so you can find them

Securing his bag to himself, Joshua runs to the flare, hoping to get inside before the weather gets even worse.

You make it to the flare and behind the protection of the frosted over metal door. It shuts behind you and a locking bolt is thrown. The air in the shelter is still chilly, but warmer without the wind. Three techs sit at a table playing cards and a fourth dusts snow off his pants as he walks past you back to the table

Joshua shivers while saying " WOOH!" "This cold has got to take some getting used to. Thanks for letting me inside guys. I'm sure you already were told ahead of time, but I'm Joshua Collins and I'm here to help you guys out here at the research park." (edited)

"Hello Joshua" the doorman says, returning to his seat. "We're the unlucky bastards that got stuck here during the snowstorm. Cmon in. Tea is hot, and the card game is damn pickly"

"I'll be right here with you guys for this storm. I've not played a lot of cards in my life, so I might sit back and watch you guys for a bit." Joshua pours himself a cup of tea and grabs a seat, sipping on the tea. "Any idea how long this blizzard is supposed to last?"

"THrough the night, but it's supposed to break before dawn. You don't want to stumble around out there after dark anyway. THere's worse things than the cold out there lately"

"Through the night isn't the worst news to hear. What have you seen out there thats worse than the cold though?"

"Wolves, mostly, but sometimes when its dark, theres' shadows. THey almost seem like they're coming out of the snowstorm at you"

2:44 PM

"They only come out on nights like this"

"Hmm, I heard of shadows back on Acastus. I wonder if they're related..." He trails off for a second before finishing his tea and rinsing it out. He returns and says "Anyway, we should be safe in here. I forgot to ask you your names."

They go around the table and introduce themselves , each seem friendly but it’s clear the foreman is both the job and crew chosen leader here. “Dunno if it’s connected or not. Damn eerie though. Saw em once”

Joshua digs thru his bag and pulls out the vial with the tentacle. "Look anything like that?"

6:52 PM

(I forgot to give it to the UNW for research on Gudrun so I figure hed still have it with him for safekeeping.)

(Yeah makes sense)

6:53 PM

(I’m going to post a clip where I got the idea from. It’s like a black smoky fog type thing

6:53 PM

https://youtu.be/zYg8rEDT1RU

Eduard K.

"The Terror" TV Series (AMC) - "Underwater" Scene (S01E01)

(Shit that whole scene made me creeped out, going underwater in that thing seems like itd be bad enough before that thing comes at you. I like where you got the idea from lol)

(So that smoky half formed kind of figure sort of lingering at the edge of what you can see in the storm. But a lot of them)

7:04 PM

“There’s something causing it. There’s got to be. Right?”

"I think so. I meant to get this 'thing' here to one of our scientists because I have no clue what the hell it is. I know I've seen it be weaponized though and I dont like it."

Hoping to change the subject to something less terrifying, Joshua says "Deal me in on the next hand. I think I'm starting to understand the game a little better." (Ron Howard voice: He doesn't)

(We can do a luck save if you want to see how the game goes. If you’re not interested we can skip it) “Weaponized eh? I don’t like the sound of that. So what was Acastus like?0

(Yeah im cool with a save ill roll in a min)

"Yeah, there were cultists there who were forcing these things down peoples throats. It was repulsive. However, Acastus itself was pretty nice, but the effects of the fighting and cult were still evident there, and there was a serious divide between the resistance and security forces. I'd like to return in a few months when it normalizes a bit and really enjoy the place."

8:16 PM

(Failure! 4 vs 12)

You lose 100 credits , a few at a time over the course of several hands

8:25 PM

But they’re all interested and happy to be hearing about other worlds

Joshua pulls up a video of Chris Fury playing a few of his songs to show them. "I met this man on Acastus and what I hear, he's the next big thing in the UNW, and for good reason. He makes fantastic music and he sings about the biggest heroes of today. Mark my words, he's gonna make it huge and we'll all be willing to pay hundreds and hundreds of credits to see him play."

3

(I'm not sure if you had anything else planned for this scene, but if not Joshua would probably spend a while speaking with the men and talking about the worlds he's been on and seen for a bit and eventually finding somewhere to sleep.)

The night goes on, everyone listening to the music of Chris Fury through the small shelter. Outside, the storm howls. "Going to have to dig that machine out tomorrow" someone mumbles, as you fade into sleep

8:15 AM

You wake up in the morning to see that a foot of snow or better has fallen overnight, stacked up against the shelters where the wind caused it to drift.

(Is the way out covered in snow?)

(not an impassible amount)

8:52 AM

(was mostly just flavor)

(Ah ok yeah re-reading it unless the foot+ of snow was basically stuck to the shelter itd be fine)

8:54 AM

Grabbing his bag, Joshua heads to the foreman and says "What are you guys working on doing today?"

"Digging out, now, but there should be a few down in the park below, scanning and tagging issues for repair"

"Okay." Joshua gives him his compad ID. "I'm gonna take a look around the park. If you guys run into trouble or anything, let me know and I'll run over to check it out."

Joshua pushes his way through the snow piled by the door and out into the Research Park. He looks around nearby buildings that he can look through for research ideas.

The park is in another artificially shoveled valley below, a complex of three domed observatories, and labs, surrounding a much larger complex in the center, a large tower, that rises above the valley in the center of everything. Fallen antenna hang from the top, and the roof has been ravaged by fire in its recent past.

"I think that tower must have been the weather controlling station. The lower levels might have something interesting in them." Joshua treks his way over to the center of the valley to the tower.

It is a long walk down the path and you realize the scale of the complex, and the biting cold by time you get to the bottom of the broad pack snow incline down. The southernmost of the domes is close, leading in, and eventually to the tower. Two workers weld near the exterior bulkhead

Joshua pushes on through the cold, hoping to get inside the tower as soon as he can. Seeing the workers welding, he says "Is the inside of this tower still accessible? Or did the fire damage the inside as well as the roof?"

"The top ten floors are ruined. The weather array will never work again, but the expert system in the tower still works. You might be able to get some information out of it for your own projects"

"Excellent. I'll head on in and see what I can figure out." Joshua makes his way into the tower, and looks around him for anything interesting or suspicious.

The thin screened status terminals on the ground floor are still on, displaying basic information about the facility

2:58 PM

(you can ask the database questions)

"Who built this facility?"

This facility was constructed by a branch of the preceptors, stationed here to assist with getting the out of control climate change in check (edited)

(Is there anything on roll20 about the preceptors?)

3:17 PM

(Sorrg im on my phone right now)

(There is not, but they were basically scholars)

"What happened to the preceptors?"

Hunted to extinction during the war. both sides wanted to use their lore for new weapons, or new technologies to give themselves an edge

7:44 PM

(the pre-scream civil war)

"What technologies were the preceptors studying here?"

The preceptors were researching climate control and limited terraforming

9:22 PM

in this facility a way to cool the planet without terraforming it away from tropical paradise was being looked into

"Show me what progress they made regarding terraforming and climate control."

(Program/int, secure part of the database)

(Hacker 1, so itll be 3d6 drop lowest)

8:20 AM

(7)

The progress cannot be displayed by manipulating the system from here, it seems

"Hmm. I'll have to look on a different floor, maybe theres a lab thats not been destroyed by the fire." Joshua looks for a sign marking a laboratory near by, and failing that, stairs to climb.

There are no signs, organizing the park in the wake of the deep freeze, and then a battle here against the sons of fenris, is only just beginning now.

10:39 AM

There is a staircase heading to the second floor

Joshua takes the stairs to the second floor and looks around the floor from the top of the stairs.

A notice on your pad pings, letting you know that you've won a car, with some money for modifications, and a 1 million credit prize

"Oh nice. Now I have something to put in my garage! I wonder if I need a drivers license on Gudrun..." he htinks to himself.

The second floor looks to be an engineering space, the burned out ruins of air processors, sensor webs, and computing banks you cannot identify anymore due to secondary fire damage litters the space, though a few screens are still glowing

Joshua finds the least damaged computer and attempts to gain access to it with his Black Slab.

(Program/int at +2)

(13)

(were you asking the same question as downstairs?)

(Yep)

The temperature on the planet was rapidly rising. An experiment a few years before the scream had begun where quantities of greenhouse gas eating enzymes were being released into the atmosphere, in the hopes of lowering the global temperature At the time leading up to the scream , the machine recorded runaway levels of enzyme release, and an artificial ice age began. Attempts were being made by the psychics here to turn things back, and their deaths destroyed any hope of the machine functioning properly.

12:04 PM

The out of control global storms were stopped by an adventuring party later, but the world will never heat again- and the governor has declared that it should not.

Joshua plugs his compad in to the terminal. "Download all relevant data regarding the climate control and terraforming research." (edited)

There isn't much, and the chemicals involved look to be devilishly complex to try to re-synthesize, but the mixture details download.

"Download a map of the research park."

A map downloads though several sections where there are no more, or no active sensors are blacked out

Joshua leaves the terminal and heads downstairs and begins looking around for anything research related that wasn't on the terminals.

Nothing strikes you as research related, the lab spaces above likely lost in the fire, but there are several broken spiderbot bodies littering the corridors. One dome hosted a tree where a single, genetically perfect peach had grown, and there is an elaborate climate control system for that dome alone

7:33 AM

it looks clear, however, that another peach will not be able to be grown

Joshua examines the spiderbots, checking for any sort of data drive or information remaining within.

One has a drive that looks like it has not been smashed, electrocuted, or otherwise shot to pieces by gunfire

Joshua hooks his compad up to the drive.

(lets get an admin/wis, as you sift the thousands of routine repair reports from the more interesting of its duties, as best you can)

(4)

you are drowning in irrelevant data, hours passing as you sit in the corridor with the broken remains of this robot. It does have some data about the temperature regulation system for growing things in the domes here, and the genetic research needed to make the specialized crops

8:58 AM

(that immortality peach was a one off, but it uses plant and animal DNA, using a lot of plants and animals from earth uou guys dont have anymore, so you've got partial sequences now)

Pleased with the data he pulled from the drive, he unplugs his compad and sticks the drive in his pocket. He then sends a message to the foreman:

Found some interesting stuff inside the tower. Might look around the other domes in the park for a while. How are you guys coming along?

He keeps an ear out for the ping of his compad as he heads out of the tower, looking to see how far the next nearest domed observatory is.

(Its all inside, the hallways all lead to the domes , like a giant circle. I;ll draw a map someday)

10:08 AM

The closest one should only take you about twenty minutes of corridors to get through

(Ah ok)

10:12 AM

Joshua starts making his way to the nearest dome.

Almost dug out, just freeing your snowcat. How is it going in there?

Got some good info regarding this Peach tree as well as what happened to Miriam. Learned a bit about terraforming as well but that stuff I'm gonna leave to the UNW researchers. If any of you guys are proficient with a bioscanner, I'd like to take a closer look at the peach tree with it. Unfortunately, I bought the thing but I don't know how to use it to its full capabilities.

We'll meet you there. You okay with staying another night? Battery's dead

Yep, that'll be just fine. I wanted to look around a bit more anyway. I'll see you there soon. Joshua turns back around and heads to the Peach Tree Dome. He keeps an eye out for the team while he's on his way there.

the team is waiting for you as you approach the grow dome. There is a 50 foot tall at least oak looking tree inside, but the bark is a ruddy, peeling black, with a red of flayed flesh tone underneath where some bark has rotted away already

"You guys move fast. Lots of interesting stuff all around here, should really help with the research effort." Joshua roots through his bag and pulls out the bioscanner. "I can't really figure this sumbitch out. As I understand, these can record the full DNA of a living thing, and I'd like to get some more information on this tree. Could any of you fellas do that for me?"

One of them holds out a hand for the bioscanner while the other sets up a ladder

8:23 PM

“Just a scab then? Machine does most of it by itself I think”

8:23 PM

*scan

"Yeah a DNA scan would be perfect. I know we don't have what it takes to recreate this tree here, but maybe we could use it to create something else that could benefit the whole UNW. Joshua hands thr man the scanner. "How's it progressing outside?"

“Digging out. Battery on your vehicle is hanging In. Going to be dark soon though”

9:14 PM

“Been on this for quite a while”

"Aye, I got busy digging through files on a spiderbot. I might need to head back after we finish scanning the tree, before I get caught up with something like that again." Joshua says with a laugh. "Oh, I managed to pull a map of the research park, I'm not sure if you guys have one but I can transfer that over to you if you're interested."

"Can always compare it to what we have" he says, looking at the data inload. "Thie is actually a lot mroe complete"

"Yeah it seems like a fair amount of the park's sensors are still up and running. Not all of them, but that's to be expected. Hopefully it'll be of some use. I don't know if you guys would know this, but is there anywhere on there that might be a good place to check out? I'm not sure how much of the complex has been looked through prior to me being here."

"The eastern wing of the place hasn't been touched at all. We got the doors open but the automated defenses inside are sensitive"

11:40 AM

"miracle no one's been killed yet"

"If they're automatic, they must be on the grid somewhere. I think I can take care of them if I can get on a terminal that they're connected to. That's probably a job for tomorrow though. Don't wanna slip up and end up with an extra hole in my head cause I'm too tired."

"Won't matter much after that" one of them winks. He hands back the scan. "Data's in there. Can't make much sense of it, but whatever is here, its in there now too"

Joshua chuckles a bit. "Thanks. I can't understand quite a bit of this either, but I'm sure that we have someone in the UNW that can." (What time of day is it now?)

(early evening)

Feeling his stomach growl, Joshua sees the time and says "Thanks for the help here guys. I'm gonna make my way back to the shelter and eat something and relax for a bit. Let me know if something comes up while you guys do your thing."

Joshua pulls out his compad to send a message to Martin about his progress.

Martin,

I made it to the research facility. After weathering through the blizzard, I made my way to the tower in the center of the park. I pulled what research the Preceptors had from their research lab. There wasn't a lot, but there's some info here on terraforming and climate control. I know that President Kincaid wanted to terraform the Gudrun moon, so that info might be valuable for that. I also have pulled a partial DNA sequence for the Peach tree in the climate controlled dome, and possibly a full sequence from the tree itself. As it stands, if we can get the park back up and running, we might be able to continue their terraforming research. I am going to be exploring the east wing tomorrow as well as the other domes, I'll update you as I progress.

-Joshua Collins

After finishing the message, he leaves the dome and begins the cold trek back to the shelter he slept in the night before.

Another storm begins forming tonight, and the wind is howling especially fiercely. The metal door bucks and rocks on its hinges as ice particles clang against it.

(Is the team back in the shelter by the time the storm kicks up?)

Almost everyonei s back. One spot is empty at the card table

Looking at one of the workers, Joshua says "Does he usually work when its this bad outside?"

They follow your attention to the empty place. "No...No not like this."

3:12 PM

"Guys, we've got a man missing. Tie on, i think we need to go out therE"

"Joshua tosses his bag on the ground after pulling out his compad and stashing it in his jacket. He checks his shear rifle once over, then says* "Did he have a compad on him? Maybe I can try and hack into it and locate him."

"It's on the table here. " one of the workers says, holding it up

"Damn. Are any of you guys armed, in case we run into anything out there?"

“I’ve got a laser pistol. And you’ve got your rifle. Everyone else. Grab a bar

"I've got a thermal pistol if one of you can make good use out of it. Dunno if there's any shadows out tonight, but we dont wanna get closer than we need to." Joshua quickly digs his low-light goggles out of his bag and puts them on his head, still off.

6:55 PM

He also his stun baton in the bag while he's in it.

(Are you handing out everything but not the rifle?)

(Yeah I'd rather them all be armed in case theres trouble out there, so Id give on the stun baton if its better than the bars theyd use)

6:57 PM

(So if it is it wouldnt be stowed away, otherwise hed put it in his bag)

(Gotcha. Just wanted to make sure who’s got what)

"Ive got the best armor and these." He points at the low-light goggles. "So when you guys are all ready, I'll lead the way."

(It would be better than the rebar yes. So everyone’s armed with something better)

9:44 PM

“Alright. Pop the door. Let’s all keep a line to each other here. Literally. And let’s go slow. Look first. “ There’s a chill in the room and he swallows hard. “And keep an eye out for more of those things

Joshua attaches the line to his waist. "Let's hope he just got stuck inside somewhere." He opens the door, and is blasted by the storm as he goes outside. He turns on his goggles when he's out of the artificial light and continues moving until the last man is out and closes the door. "Where did you see him at last?" he attempts to say over the storm. (edited)

One of the workers begins trudging over to that spot, leading you all in a bit of a staggered line

6:05 AM

Near the edge of the artificial valley he stops and begins looking around. If there were other boot prints they’re rapidly filling in

"Son of a bitch. Its getting worse out here by the minute." Joshua looks around the immediate area, trying to at least figure out the direction that the man headed.

(Notice wis

(9)

Joshua finds a barely visible boot print, onyl about a minute from annihilation in the driving wind, heading away from the research park, into the empty snow wastes to the south.

6:22 PM

The wind howls, sounding not unlike moans, or voices drawn out

Joshua tightens his grip on his rifle and says "Looks like he went this way. We should go and find him, bring him back with us to the shelter." He leads the way out into the snow wastes, keep his eyes peeled for the mans footprints as well as anything that may be lurking. "Why the hell was he wandering out into the middle of nowhere in this shit." He thinks to himself. (edited)

The wind picks up more, but you're able to follow his footprints as they vanish. The man at the lead of the group is lighting flares, and dropping them every 30m

"If we don't find him in a short while, we may need to turn back. I don't want to abandon a man, but I don't want us to get lost or stuck out in this." He says as they continue following the footprints.

6:47 PM

(About how cold out is it?)

(15ish degrees F )

(Ah ok so not like gonna die after a short while but still very cold)

(you've taken precautions, you've got some time)

6:57 PM

Ahead of you, a dark humanoid like figure resolves itself in the fog. It seems more solid than what your friends had been describing, though it is as you watch, at times obscured by the wind, before reappearing again in the same place.

6:57 PM

it is not moving, and if it has a face, it is looking away from you

(Joshua can't tell for sure if this is a person or a Shadow can he?)

(He cannot, no)(

Joshua keeps his rifle trained on the figure while calls out over the wind "Is that you, (guys name)? What the hell are you doing out here?"

He turns around slowly, revealing a flayed face and missing eyes. The body falls to its knees, and then face first into the snow

"Oh shit. We need to fall back now. We can recover his body tomorrow, but whatever got him is still here. Joshua looks beyond where the man's body is in search of the Shadow that killed him. "I'll keep lookout this way,while you guys follow the flares back to the shelter. Keep your eyes peeled."

They begin to slowly back up, and the man, slain only a moment ago, begins to rise, dripping with an inky black fluid

"Fuck..." Joshua looks down the barrel, aiming at the man. He doesn't want to, but he knows he has to shoot his former comrade. He lets out a large breath as he pulls the trigger.

7:57 AM

(23/11)

The body jerks backwards, arm now missing but the wound is too frozen to bleed. It lurches forward, 10m away from you, trickles is the same black tar tripping from its mouth and noise

8:48 AM

Nose*

Joshua yells "He's back up! If you have a gun, go 10 meters away from him and fire on him!" Joshua moves 10m away before unleashing another volley.

9:03 AM

(22/15)

(Unless you want initiative)

(No this is fine). He falls again, chest split open and the oily tar bubbles out into the snow, staining it black

Joshua looks around the immediate area, looking for any signs of other Shadows.

The area seems quiet, aside from the actual snowstorm itself, though even with the low light goggles, things seem very dark

"Lets get back. We'll get him in thr morning and figure out what to do then. But the longer we stay out here, the more likely we end up like he did." Joshua looks back for flares to guide them back to the shelter.

Looking back down the line toward the shelter, one by one, the flares sputter, and the one closest to the base dies entirely.

2:44 PM

The next in line, almost at the same time, starts to sputter

"Lets get moving quickly. We dont want to end up lost out here. I have my gogglea but its still extremely dark even with them." Joshua begins leading them, flare by flare, trying to get as far along the line as they can.

The second one sputters out. It’s when you see the third one start to do the same, you see something like insubstantial hands, neatly piling snow over the emberbrite flame

(How far away are we?)

(100m from the shelter)

Joshua goes down to one knee, looking down the sights on his gun, and fires at where the ghostky hands are.

4:57 PM

(Do i fire at disadvantage?)

(Nope, regular shooting is fine)

(13/16)

The shear field breaks apart the snow and the hands retract, shrinking back into the storm as though cut

"Keep your eyes peeled everybody! They're trying to blind us, and then they're gonna hit us hard." Joshua keeps the group moving down the line of flares, eyes looking for the disembodied hands.

you see the same set of hands, sans a few fingers, reaching for the same flare

Joshua takes another shot at the hand, aiming to hit it a bit more center-mass. (24/12)

It appears to almost shatter, fading back into the howling storm, asthe first man in line makes it to the bunker enterence

Joshua hustles toward the shelter, trying to keep his focus as best he can to protect the rest of the men with the limited vision the blizzard offers.

The second, third, and then you, make it inside the shelter, and the door slams shut. They begin lowering blast shutters and another throws the heavy lockbar over the door.

8:25 PM

A heavy force hits the door, slightly denting it inward, and then things go quiet

"Will these blast shutters withstand them if they attack like that more? We should set up a watch for the night even if they will, to err on the safe side,and I'm willing to take first watch.

“They’re rated against heavy weapons fire for a time at least.

9:08 PM

“If we stay in here , we stay safe”

"Good. I still think we should keep a watch. If we each do a few hours, we'll all be able to get a decent rest. I'll take first watch, who wants 2nd, 3rd, and 4th?"

They pull cards and quickly decide on an order - Thanking you for being first. A small pot of coffee is put on.

"Get some rest, boys." Joshua grabs a cup of coffee and watches the blast shutters. After a little while, he types up a message for Martin.

Martin,

The Engineering Team and I ran into some trouble here tonight. One of the engineers, Mr. (Last Name), was caught out in a storm tonight. We tracked him down to somewhere outside of the Research Park, and found him, eye-less and his face shredded. He fell for a moment, seemingly dead, only to arise moments later, oozing a black slime substance. I was forced to put him down, and we retreated back to the shelter. I slayed another 'Shadow' before we made it inside, as they were putting our flares out. Simply guessing, and based off theit nickname, light is an issue for them. Enclosed is a photo of the damage they dealt to our blast door. We will recover our mans body in the morning.

-Joshua Collins

On Miriam a message is received right away. Shelter in place. Support is incoming

9:47 PM

(Just need a d6 and a d100 when you’ve got a minute)

(1d6 = 4, 1d100 = 17)

The storm outside flashes as nulmetalum shells are dropped into the area from powerful field guns in the hub, thousands of kilometers away. The airbursting rounds sprinke the MES interrupting metallic flakes over the area, and although the storm continues, any shadows lurking in it, has discorporated

7:35 AM

(6xp, 10,000 credits)

(Can I take xp for purchasing a house as well? And would you say I achieved my goal of a steady job?)

(yes and yes)

(Ok, I grabbed Ironide 1, and took Pilot -1 -> 1, I'm gonna have him take some piloting lessons or practice in a sim in the future, so for the time being I'll act as tho he's still -1)

Hearing the shells explode outside, Joshua feels extreme relief. When the barrage is finished, he spends a while still listening for the Shadows, wondering if any survived. Feeling content after hearing nothing outside of the storm for a while, he relaxes a bit. He grabs another cup of coffee and continues his watch for a while. When he finishes his cup of coffee, he lays down his rifle by his sleeping spot, and lays down, confident that they were safe from the Shadows for the time being, and figuring the guys would appreciate a full nights sleep with no guard duty required. (edited)

The storm is gone, come morning, and several craft are landing outside, full of Miriam's armed militia.

10:42 AM

There is a small rap at the door. "Everyone alright in there? "

Awoken by the ships and rapping on the door, Joshua sits up, a little dazed, and responds "We're down a man. We found him, possessed by a Shadow, a few hundred meters south of the park. Dunno if anythings left after the storm and barrage. Everyone in here is good though." Joshua works on lifting the blast gates and opening the door while saying this to the man.

"We've a team out there handling it. Anyone need medical attention?"

"I don't think anyone got hit by the shadows. Any of you guys get frostbitten by the cold and storm last night?"

There is one, it looks minor, but it should be treated. He gets up and heads over to the door. Now opening, you see soldiers, and a team of medics outside

"This man has some minor frostbite that could use treatment. Otherwise we are doing as well as we can in here. I'm not too familiar with these shadows; are they as big of a threat as they seem, to warrant a small army response team?"

"That's just it, nothing like this has been reported with this level of certainty. IT was all just ghost stories until last night"

"Ah, makes sense. The conditions last night didn't give us much of a chance to examine them, but I can at least tell you that my shear rifle damaged them, and it seems the Nulemtalum wiped them out. If you want, I can grab my gear and help you guys out there, see if we can find some remains."

"That might help, you actually saw them. Better leads than we got. Grab your stuff , lets get on:

Joshua grabs his bag and his rifle and heads out of the shelter. "I don't know if you saw the dent in door and blast gate, but the shadows did that last night before the barrage. We were lucky enough to engage them before they got close, woe be the man who gets up close and personal with them. Have you heard if the other team found our friends body?"

He hasn't been talking for the last few minutes and pops out his earpiece. "Yeah, they just did. Exactly as you said"

"Should we head over there and speak with them? Or are we better letting them do their thing while we look around here, where we saw more of them?"

"Let's not interfere with the coroners doing their work. t's cold enough, should get plenty of time yourself with it later if you want to follow up"

"Good idea." "So, after we came back from over where the coroners are, I saw our flares going out. When we were closer, I saw a, uh, hand piling snow over the flares to put them out. It looked incorporeal, like a regular shadow would, but obviously it can interact with the world. This is unsubstantiated, but my theory is that the light from the flare bothers them somehow, maybe its not bad enough to use their 'hand' to block out the light, but maybe it burns their bodies? Or they could have been doing it so we couldn't see and they could kill us. I don't know, we need to study them further." Joshua walks with them over to where the third flare is, looking for any sign of the shadow. "I shot one a few times here, it lost some of its fingers the first shot then dissipated on the second shot."

You see three of the long, spindly finger claws lying in the snow, slowly dissolving with a grey smoke under the morning sun.

Joshua digs through his bag and pulls out a vial (I think I got some extras from the research guy on Acastus?) and attempts to put one of the claws into the vial. (edited)

(yeah he gave you a couple)

2:54 PM

Even inside the vial, its exposure to light is causing it to dissolve. You have to break part of the back off to get a sample to fit, and an ash like powder begins filling the bottom as the sun melts it away

Joshua takes the vial and quickly puts it back in his backpack, hoping its enough to prevent further decomposition.

It seems like it is, you no longer hear the hissing sound of the depleting sample

"Its not perfect, but we have a decent amount of the shadow hand to investigate. I wonder what drew the shadows here?"

"Or how they ended up on Miriam at all. Were you able to pull any data yesterday?"

"I didn't think to look up what/if the Preceptors knew of the Shadows. If you would like, we can head into the Tower and I can look into what they knew of them. I did pull some data regarding the Peach tree, terraforming, and climate control."

"I think you'd have better luck back on Gudrun where there's an actual academy. Boss'll be interested in what you do have though"

"Good point. I can always come back and continue researching what they knew here later. Do you have any more questions for me or shall I make for the space port?"

“That’s all. We will clean up. The flyer is waiting for you over by the shelter. Martins aboard”

"Good meeting you, friend." Joshua stops in at the shelter to bid farewell to the remainder of the engineering team, and to inform them he plans on returning. He gives them his compad ID for future use, and heads onto the flyer. "Martin! Its great to see you again. I didn't expect such a quick response, not that I'm complaining. Things were gettinga bit hairy out here."

"They were indeed, so I came out personally. You've been doing some good work!" he says, closing the door and blocking out some of the engine noise, as the ship takes off

Joshua pulls out his compad, pulling up the data he acquired. "Here's what I found on the terminals inside the Tower. Not a whole lot of info, but this Terraforming research could be the push we need for the Gudrun Moon project. I also tried to pull as much DNA information as I could from the Peach tree as well as some spiderbots that were on location." Joshua also transfers the info to Martin's compad, while showing him what he found.

You're not sure if Martin is listening to you or not but he begins furiously typing. "Joshua, I'm not sure if you just realize what you've done but this data might be exactly what we need to complete terraforming of Gudrun's moon"

10:29 AM

"I'm sending them the proposed adjustments now"

"I was hoping it might be helpful, but that's amazing if it's what we need to finish the moon terraforming. Finishing that should benefit everyone in the UNW." Joshua pulls out the vial he put the claw in a short while ago, as well as the tentacle vial. "I found this tentacle back on Acastus, and this claw here on Miriam. If we get them to a research lab, maybe we can finish off the Shadows that are plaguing both of these planets."

"I've got some thoughts on that, but I need to run it by some friends in the Academy to see if their opinion matches mine:

10:52 AM

"I'll cut right to it. Charles is going on a bit of a sabbatical for a while. Not sure if you saw the news yet but Kelbore Hals has confessed to passing information to both the Remnant, and The Brothers of Fenris in exchange for substantial cash payments. It was all going to keep his business afloat- and Charles blames himself and the success of Trivedi Tech for that. "

10:52 AM

"I'm not sure how long he's going to remain in seclusion, but until he comes to himself, I need someone to help me run things"

"I haven't been paying much attention to the news on planet here, but I believe I heard one of the engineers saying something about Kelbore Hals arrest. It's unfortunate Charles is blaming himself for that, because I'm sure if it wasn't Trivedi Tech on the forefront of technological advance, it would be another company thank 'sank' Kelbore's business. I'm sure he'll see that soon enough."

Joshua pauses for a minute, trying to figure out how to say what he wants to say, before piping in with "I've never been in a management-esque position at any of my jobs, but if you're needing someone to help run the company, I'd like to throw my hat in the ring. I've enjoyed the work I've done for Trivedi Tech so far, and I feel like what I'm doing is making a difference around the sector. I'm sure you have others in mind, but I can speak on my past, pre-UNW, if you want to know more of what lead me to end up where I am." (edited)

"I'd like to hear it just so i have a better understanding of who I'm working with, but you're the man I'd like for the job, if you'll have it"

Joshua begins describing his past on Xianus, working at Phoenix Tech. He tell Martin how he was originally in their research division, where he didn't hate it, but the monotony eventually got to him, and he ended up polishing up his programming skills to access his co-workers terminals. "I'm not proud of it, but it was a cut-throat industry." He continues on, describing how he was eventually offered a job in their Data Acquisition department, where he learned the combat skills he has been utilizing recently. "Of course, Xianus being a highly industrial and corporate-focused world, we utilized MES as much as we could, and when the Scream hit, it devestated our economy and the planet itself. I haven't been back in years, but I can't imagine the situation has improved greatly, unless they developed a sanctuary similar to Gudrun's in the aftermath, but with the amount of psychics who were losing their minds in the weeks after, I'd be surprised." (edited)

11:30 AM

(He would be stopping at points during his story when Martin has questions, and not just ramble on about his life for minutes on end)

"Xianus, that's several sectors back." he says to himself, almost as much as you. "So many scattered families. That's what has us exploring the stars so hard. Trying to put the human family back together"

"Yeah, I'm far from home. I knew the Scream was bad just from being on Xianus, but as I boarded ship after ship, heading to Gudrun, I saw more and more broken families and survivors. I feel that the more I do around the UNW, the closer I get to seeing my parents again. I don't know if they're still there, but I'll find them wherever they are..." He stares off for a minute, before snapping back. "If you're still willing to have me, knowing my past, I'd be ecstatic to take the job!" He says with a grin on his face.

"I'm counting on leveraging that past. Welcome aboard"

Joshua reaches out to shake Martin's hand, saying "I'm glad to be aboard!"

"So, whats our first order of business?"

"Well, I'm going to transmit this information back. From there, you've got some business decisions to make (which we did in PM with the holdings) . Trade needs to be done, so does some accounting. We still dont even know much about what Miriam looks like post freeze"

"All right. Let me look over our holdings and ships, let me figure out what'll help us achieve our goals best. I have a bit of business to take care of back on Gudrun, if we have a ship that can take me back there. After I take care of that, we have quite a bit of work to be done. I know we're hoping to set up more bases on new planets, but would we be better served working on improving Miriam and perhaps looking into lost tribes of people?"

“I think we may be while we wait for business out in the wider universe to organize itself. A watched pot never boils

(Tell me if im interpreting what he means wrong, but he thinks focusing on Miriam is best for now right?) "That's too true. Best we don't put our eggs in tok many baskets as it is right now; plenty of work to be done to help the people of Miriam."

(You’ve got it right exactly) “Miriam has a very small population. Whole planet is only about 50,000 souls. There’s more out there, in ruins, in shelter. Getting a group together to find them may be a good next step”

"A planet this size, you're right that there's more than the 50,000 we know of. I'll get to work on finding them when I return from Gudrun, and while I'm there, I'm sure I'll be able to find a few souls willing to help rescue these people back to one of the domed cities."

"I'm thinking though, with the number of ruins and habitats there are, if we broadcasted a reward for finding settlements of people, along with me and a group searching, we should be able to find what survivors are out there faster. What's your thoughts on that?"

"I think that might certainly be a motivating factor"

9:08 AM

"It can only help"

"Reward-wise, we should offer enough credits to draw people in. I'm thinking somewhere in the 25000 to 50000 credit range, do you think that should be enough?" (edited)

"I think that should be more than enough for a bounty on finding a new settlement or survivor pockets"

"I'll work on getting the word out, then. Speaking of Miriam, I know Charles wanted to get the research park up and running. When we know more of the shadows the are infecting Miriam, and hopefully how to combat them more effectively, we should start looking for scientists and engineering teams to employ there. With the size of the park, who knows what new things they'll be able to discover. Of course, that will be better left for later, as we still have the shadows to deal with."

(Should I post the offer in the TrivediBoardroom channel?)

(Sure thing!)

(All posted! I'm ok with a jump forward if you are.)

(the park sub goal is complete now, the data you recovered will let them rebuild some of it, for bioscience within)

(Will that be rebuilt next IG month? Or is that something that happens on a faction turn?)

(Its not going to be a trackable thing as far as a holding or an asset but story wise, it;ll be restored over a few months and the next quest step will happen then)

(Ok makes sense, it seems like a hard area to build in, given the cold and freezing ground as well as how far it is from most people)

Joshua pulls out his compad and begins crafting the message informing UNW citizens of Trivedi Tech's new work offering. After rewriting parts a few times, he sends the message and begins reading the news, catching up on what exploits his fellow citizens had gotten themselves into while he was at the research park. After a little bit, he receives a message from Svenka Vilnovha, offering her and her crews assistance with the matter. "Looks like we have a crew that's preparing to head here to Miriam and begin a search for lost people. Step by step, we'll turn Miriam back into a great planet again." He then returns to looking at his compad, and begins looking over the trade goods offered on different worlds, trying to figure out what will make Trivedi the best profit.

(Did you want to join Svenka? I can make a mission thread)

(Yeah if shes ok with it)

(Ew, working with others, I’ve been so trying to avoid that! - mission thread sounds awesome :))

(Lol, this will be my first co op mission, im excited for it!)

(Lets kill some people!)

(Improved Programming to Lvl 3)

'So you've said you wanted to talk to me" the preist says, pulling you aside as Svenka and the sons of corn eat and recover

"Well, I'm not gonna lie, I've never been much for religion. Back home, there wasn't much time for it. Me and my parents spent most of our time working on something or another. However, as I've travelled a bit and heard stories of what others have seen, it seems there has to be something or somethings out there, that are beyond typical mortal understanding. Take the Still Lady of Acastus. I'm not sure if you have heard of her, but what I heard is that she was an "Eaten God" I believe, and it took a whole planetary force and some big help from the UNW to take her down. I heard she towered above the people fighting her, and that she could kill with almost just a look. I guess what I'm saying is I'd consider myself agnostic, but mostly out of ignorance of most religions, and I figure that you've been here for a while, possibly before the big freeze, and I just wanted to know more about your beliefs."

"Scientifically, we know there is a metaspace, and we know that within this metaspace, the universe as we understand it, does not work the same way. I don't want to speculate on what that might be. God? Multiple gods? aspects of ourselves maybe? "

12:38 PM

"We never got the chance to study it, truly study it. Not before the scream happened"

"It would be fascinating to study it some day. More pressing matters on hand at the moment of course, but being able to study metaspace, figure out what causes it, why everything changes, would be fantastic. 'God' or 'gods', whichever they may be, could just be beings that were exposed to metaspace and reacted in such a way to become more powerful than we could imagine, or maybe they created the metaspace? I don't know if thats something any of us will ever know, but at least some of these beings exist or have existed. It makes me wonder if these beings existed before their religions began, or if with how metaspace works, maybe with enough people believing in something allows that thing to come into existence? It sounds a bit ridiculous to me, but I have to wonder why the Still Lady would care to have followers if she was as powerful as she was without outside help."

"You said yourself, maybe something is created, or grows in strength the more people believe in it. We keep coming back to that same sticking point"

"The idea of that is both terrifying because of the possibilities, but at the same time exciting, knowing that even when powerless, enough people could believe in a ficitional savior or god that, through their thoughts and beliefs, becomes real. Its a way that one could sort of experiment with the power of metaspace, but if it took true belief, who knows how long that could take to foster in enough people for something tangible to occur. Sorry, philosophy and other intangible things were never where I excelled, so I'm probably rambling. I don't know if I'll ever find a singular being, greater than myself or others in power, who is also working towards a greater good to truly put faith in, but I've seen normal people do great things in the UNW, so I have faith in that at least."

"Faith is all you need. It isn't the danger some say that it is. Religion and faith have caused humans to do terrible things, true, but they've also inspired acts of good, as well. It is up to each singular person to uphold their gods-given moral responsibility. Churches are institutions led by men, and men are corruptible. Metaspace may be too. We simply do not know"

Joshua smiles, inspired by the mans words. "You are a truly wise man. I don't know if I'll ever truly know which religion or religions are 'right', but you've helped me introspect more, thinking about this universe and the lives we all lead, and that is much appreciated. And it might be a fools journey, but I think I'd like to continue learning more of other religions throughout space, to learn more about not just myself, but also more about how metaspace works and the beings and entities that occupy it."

"There were more questions than people to answer them even before the scream. You'd never be out of the job if that's what you intend to do now" he laughs

Joshua laughs with him. "It's not what I'd consider my prime motivator right now, but it seems like a good thing to keep in mind while I continue to explore. Who knows, maybe something I come across will help us figure out what caused the Scream and even help us recover where we can from its still-lingering after effects."

(IC, robert has made a pretty good report on what is your most solid lead. It's in the galactic lore folder)

(Scream Notes right? What planet was he on where he saw that circle of people who were frozen/turned to block during the scream?)

2:26 PM

(Or would I know that IC?)

(Yeah its available to evertyone)

2:27 PM

(If you can see the handout, you know it)

(Fair Enough)

2:37 PM

"This has given me a lot to think on for the future, thank you. I don't have any more questions to pick your brain with right now, but I'm sure that wherever my travels take me, I'll have some in the future. Did you have any questions for me, or shall we rejoin the others?"

"just continue your work. Make Mariam great, bring unity to our home, again"

Smiling, Joshua says "I will. This planet has too many good people and too much potential for me to not do what I can to help out."

Returning to The Hub after saying his goodbyes to Svenka and her crew, Joshua writes up a message for Martin, informing him of their findings.

Martin,
I have finished my exploration mission with Ms. Svenka Vilnovha. We looked into all points of interest around Miriam that were previously unknown, and explored where it was safe. I have enclosed our updated version of the map. Of note, there is a Robo-Technocracy to the northwest, which will need to be looked into. There is the city-state of Rustopia, which refused offers to parlay with us and attempted to shoot down Vilnovha's spaceship, and the Tri-Dome city in the north. We negotiated the annexation of them and their 1 million residents to the UNW, and I offered our resources to help offset some of the costs of annexation for the UNW. I will need to meet with a representative fo decide exactly what we will be doing to assist. We also discovered some nano-tech in a chapel near Seawatch, as well as some info on the Precursors and their construction of AI's. I can write up a full report if required, this is simply an overview of our adventure. 

Outside of meeting with a government representative, I have a few ideas for endeavors for the company. I could travel to Thorgerd and look into expanding our influence of the local system, or I could look into Olar and look into setting up a local HQ there. If you have other ideas, I can always change plans.

(I'm not sure if expanding foothold on Thorgerd is a mission or more of a monthly thing, and I dont know if Olar would be a good place for a new HQ, just spitballing)

(If you're looking into mapping things a bit more, we could make it a mission but since we have mechanics for holdings and expanding them in place, I dont want to turn missions into farming for more. If you want to explore Olar, we certainly can. I think only robert's been there so far)

(Yeah sorry I guess I meant more looking into Olar, checking if it's a smart business move to open shop there by looking into the peoples attitude to the UNW, resources available, that kinda stuff)

(Grabbing Gunslinger 2 with Level 7 focus)

(Makes sense to me)

Finishing the message to Martin, Joshua makes a call to the President's office, looking to hash out the details of the City's annexation

Her aide answers as Kincaid herself is in a meeting but you’re advised she is monitoring the conversation. It is agreed that the machine technocracy represents an unknown, and an unwelcome one that close to the UNW core, though with its many deployments it may not be possible to fight on yet another front

"Very understandable. I have spoken with a few others around the UNW, we have nothing concrete now for plans, but we are looking to investigate them further in the future. As far as the Tri-Dome City in the north of Miriam, I've been informed I'll need to speak with a government representative to discuss what Trivedi Tech will help cover for their annexation. Would it be better to discuss this in person or would it be fine to discuss this over the FTL network?"

"We can discuss it over the network. The material facts of the deal will not change"|

"Of course. 3000 tons of materials for their domes, 1.5 million credits to pay off private creditors, and construction of an ice road to allow ease of trade with other entities were the terms of the deal. Trivedi Tech can provide the 1.5 million credits for their debtors, and we can construct the ice road as well, since that would also greatly benefit us as well, if the government can provide them with their construction goods. Would that be an agreeable offer?"

"The 3,000 tons will be loaded on the trade cruiser, and sent out with this month's runs. Gaining that many people on Mariam loyal to the UNW is worth more than those supplies could ever produce on their own" You see those comments were made by kincaid in the running report ytou and the aide are viewing

"That sounds great to me. I'll get the credits transferred to them for their debts, and me and Martin will figure out the logistics of what's needed for the ice road, and begin construction as soon as possible." (Would the ice road be something that is done as part of the monthly turn?)

(Yeah that'll just be the thing that gets built On mariam next time you get to pick something)

(All right sounds good)

Joshua spends a bit longer going over finer points of the deals before he hangs up. He then types up a message to Martin, detailing what we will be providing to the Tri-Dome city as part of the UNW annexation. After that, he finds somewhere comfortable to sit back and relax for a few minutes before spending the next few hours looking into how their previous months trading expeditions had gone along with trade reports throughout the sectors. Feeling sufficiently informed after his research, he checks in on the Lawrence, looking to see if its currently over Miriam and if it's not, about how long it would be until it could arrive at Miriam.

All Trivedi Tech assets not currently on trade or collection duty, are on Mariam at the hub, and are ready for use

"Hmm. I know Robert has been to Olar a couple of times. Apparently its where he found Xu. Doesn't look like very much exploration occurred outside of the psychic academy." Joshua thinks to himself. He begins looking into having an atmoflyer built, looking through the different fittings available, deciding what would fit his needs best. (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1D9QO37sTRnKVijJzoEzE8C1AR50K5JXZ76Aoe9HZe1o/edit?usp=sharing) (Let me know if anything is unavailable or if I don't have the face for it, I was going to have it built with Joshua's money)

The Ascent - Atmoflyer TL4

READ FIRST Stars Without Number 2e Ship and Vehicle Creator v0.68 By Lpzie Last Updated: 7/12/2018 Ship Sheet Status: Non-Existent Create a Ship Status: Kinda Working, Being Updated Vehicle Sheet Status: Non-Existent Create a Vehicle Status: Working ABOUT This Google Sheet ...

(You can use the vehicle kit for the first 500k of it if you like)

(Oh i forgot about that lol Yeah I'll do that.)

10:32 AM

Deciding what fittings he would like, Joshua pulls out his vehicle kit and programs in what fittings and weapons he wants, but leaves it to where it hasn't executed. He then sends a message to one of the Trivedi ships, requesting pick up at the spaceport in the morning, with a flight plan leading to Olar. (Assuming I can program the vehicle into it and have it begin self-construction on the ship)

(Yep, you can)

10:33 AM

The Lawrence is selected for the job and the cargo bay is big enough, with a wide enough door to accommodate some kind of swing-winged atmoflyer for orbital release. .

Contented with the plans, Joshua spends some time shopping around, relaxing a bit on Miriam before finding a hotel to sleep in for the night. (Just gonna buy 3 more A batteries)

10:49 AM

(We didn't say anything about them but I assume I would have kept one and @Svenka [Tig/M’Ranni] would have kept the other)

(I unloaded both, but would happily take one - wasn’t part of the agreed pay

)

(The church was a bust but we agreed an even split

)

(Cool, I’ll grab it when I come back)

The ship lands in the morning with a fresh crew, and a ready compliment of supplies for the journey to Olar. Scouting reports and images of the surface- along with notes from the last visit there are all loaded and pending your review

Joshua loads up on board with the vehicle kit in tow. He greets the pilots and crew with a hello, speaking with them all shortly before finding his quarters. He glances through the reports and notes while awaiting takeoff. After they've left Miriam and are in metaspace, he reads the notes and reports more thoroughly, finetuning the programming for the vehicle kit before setting it to begin construction. (Assuming they take off without a hitch. All he would be doing during the trip, barring anything happening on the way, is using whatever VR or some system to practice his piloting skill, incase the ghost driver were to fail for some reason.*

(Works for me!) the ship emerges, days later,over the rustic and backwater world of Olar, where only a handful of human settlements have managed to cling to life. Time has rapidly reversed on this world, in the technological sense, and already mankind fashions metal into swords and spears for protetion

"Assuming I don't get overrun, I should be fairly safe here. Still, if I can establish positive relations, I can help out not just Trivedi and the UNW, but also help return these people to a post-tech way of life." he says to no one in particular. He heads and looks over the atmoflyer again before asking the pilots to drop him and the flyer off a few hundred kilometers from the academy. (So like one hex to the east on the white road thing. Would the Lawrence have any issues staying in orbit over the planet for the remainder of the mission, in case of quick extraction?)

(Nope. It’s an exploration ship so they’re well stocked for that kind of eventuality)

10:25 PM

The pilots break into the atmosphere over the designated coordinates. “If you’re taking the flyer down, she’s safe to do so” one of the pilots calls out on the communal ship speaker system

Joshua calls back thru the system "All right, thank you. If things start getting hairy down there, I'm gonna hop on the flyer and give you guys a shout. I should be reasonably safe when I'm in the air, but who knows for sure." Joshua boards onto the flyer and looks over the planetary map, and decides to head to the unknown point of interest in the southern hemisphere, on the other side of the mountains. He punches in the coordinates and sets the ghost ship to fly itself there, along with instructions to get with sensor distance, but still in the air.

The flyer heads off in that directly diligently piloted by its ghost driver, the airframe leveling off and otherwise functioning normally. It passes over the mountains and you see a village ruin below, most of the buildings stained black from a past fire, though some exist now as blackened foundations partially overgrown with new weeds

"Hmm, that doesn't look very good. Better scan for any life signatures." Joshua boots up the sensors and scans around the village, mainly looking for life signs, but also interested in whatever else the scanners pick up.

(Program int, at a +2 if it has survey scanners)

(Thats advanced sensors right?)

8:37 AM

(15 if it is, 13 if not)

'9yeah)

There are a handful of human biosigns in the ruins below, the irregular and somewhat artificial terrain below (the houses/buildings) obscure exactly how many, but it shows at least ten

"Take me down closer, I want to use the PA to call out to the people, see if they're friendly." he says to the ghost driver program. "I wonder what caused this devestation..." (edited)

Joshua calls out over the PA and radio band "My name is Joshua Collins of the United Nations of Worlds. I come in peace; I'm simply here to explore your world, and I wish to speak with your leader or leaders about the destruction of your village and what caused it."

If they can hear you, there is no reply back, nor is there much movement in the ruins below.

"Lets bring it down in a nearby opening. Not on top of them, but near enough I can get back to the flyer quickly if needed." he says to the program. "They don't have much if any of the luxuries we have on Gudrun, but I at least expected them to leave their homes to see what the commotion was..." he thinks. (edited)

(so within like 1km- 500m of the village

2:08 PM

?)

(Yeah, about 500m if theres a field or somewhere safe to drop me off at)

There is an open field with very tall grass that should cover you as you drop in, and the flyer sets down, pushing out a small circle with its powerful downthrust. Thankfull,y the grass is very wet, and does not catch fire.

8:54 AM

There are some shouts from the village, as its hard to miss a plane coming down

(Are they the terrified kind of shouts, or the angry get off my lawn shouts? Or can I not tell?)

(excited)

Hearing the shouting, Joshua hops out of the flyer and quickly locks it up, and then begins his trek toward the remains of the village.

You and the handful of curious villagers meet in the middle of the long grass, ten in total, three of them carrying long spears with green and gold pennants on them, showing a moon and a running fox

3:08 PM

"Good morning friend from the stars. You're a long way from home"

"I am. My people know little of your world, and few have been here. The only one I know of was a man by the name of Robert, who visited your psychic academy. I came to see not just your world, but also how you and your people live. My name is Joshua Collins, as you may have heard me call out before." Joshua looks over the pennants curiously for a second.

"I hope you will allow me safe passage in your land, as I hope to learn more about Olar, and in the future, help return you to a more modern living standard."

"You have safe passage so long as you do not pull steel in this place.Others have, and you see what has happened"

"I have no plans of that. Was the destruction in your town caused by fighting outsiders?"

"It was caused when the academy collapsed, three years ago, or more by now. I'm not sure exactly what month it is anymore. Anytime we rebuild anything, we wake up the next morning, and it is fallen again, like work never began"

"Huh, that's interesting, in a bad way of course. I know my people sent a probe to this planet and it was destroyed by MES energy. Maybe its the same thing with your buildings. I'll have to look into that further. If you don't mind me asking, what's the meaning of your moon and fox pennants?"

"The fox is the most cunning animal in the forest, and the moon knows all, and sees all. We've been forced to survive on cunning, because strength of our building arms does not work in this place. "

Joshua nods his head, and says "That's quite wise, I'll take that to heart while I'm on your planet. If you don't mind me asking one last question, what's the name of your town?"

"Now, we call it Entropia, but it used to be Deliverance

"Thank you, I'll update my map with both names, to help preserve your history. Before I continue exploring your planet, do you have any questions for me?"

"We wish to rebuild, and currently cannot. Do you think you might be able to find someone who can dispel the entropy zone here? We....some of us went to the academy ruins....and we read, a bit. I think that is what this is"

"I have no one on my ship that I know of with the power to do so, but I can send a message back to the UNW, letting them know I am in search of someone with the ability to do so. In fact, it might be in my best interest to return, before my ship is struck down by this entropy zone here, stranding us all here with no way of dispelling it."

8:34 AM

(Is dispelling something like this a metapsion thing or a magic thing?)

8:39 AM

(Or would Joshua not know?)

(Joshua would not know IC, but OOC, metapsion is what hes looking for, or a nullifier)

9:16 AM

(I think either way joshua would know the next step in learning more about this is the academy back on Gudrun) (edited)

(Ok and yeah I'm sure he would)

9:19 AM

"The sooner I get back to Gudrun and my people, the sooner I can help you guys start to rebuild your lives. Going 3 years without being able to build anything or rebuild is too long. I'll return as soon as I can." Joshua nods at the villagers and goes back to the atmoflyer. When he's back on board, he sends a message to the Lawrence requesting a retrieval from Olar, along with informing them of their flight plan of returning to Gudrun as soon as possible.

(I'm not sure if I understood correctly. Will I be able to meet with Eisheru before the next Unity Council meeting? Or after the meeting?) (edited)

(After)

(Ok that's what I thought)

The Lawrence is able to enter atmosphere and keeps a safe distance from the entropy field. You’re given notice that the vehicle deck doors are open and you should be able to fly right in

"Bring us onto the Lawrence, thru the vehicle deck doors." Joshua says to the ghost driver. While on the way up, he receives a message from someone claiming to be of Greystar. He sends a reply back and ponders what he should say to the president as well as the council on this matter.

The vehicle passes nto the deck, and technicians come over to begin servicing it after flight operations, reviewing anything that might need to be replaced or repaired.

When the flyer lands, Joshua hops off while the techs look it over. He grabs a headset and calls to the pilots "Did you guys get the new flight plan? I figure a day or two on Gudrun, depending on how much help I need to find and where they are, and depending on how long that takes, it may be time for the council meeting before we can return."

“Yeah. We have a plan. We might even be able to cut a couple days off but it’s going to be a bit tricky”

"How would you manage that? Just wondering, cause I've been learning a bit of piloting in the simulator, and I'd love to know how you'd manage that."

“Supercharging the drive. It’s going to make the jump difficult and it’ll need to be drydocked when we get to Gudrun” (Not something that can regularly be done. Lawrence has an experimental spike 6 drive)

8:36 PM

(Its a difficult pilot check)

"Interesting. I don't know too much about supercharging, but I could try and throw in what I know to help out with the drill, if you wanted."

“That’s why I’m bringing it to you. We can’t do it alone. We are going to need some help on the bridge”

"All right, makes sense. I'll be on the bridge momentarily." Joshua quickly walks to the bridge, and says when he arrives "Where do you want me?"

"Navigator seat, or copilots chair, either one , we're flying a bit light"

Joshua plops down in the navigator's seat. He looks over the controls and everything in front of him, then says "It would appear so. Well, you know what they say, there's no time like the present." Joshua familiarizes himself a bit more with his controls, hoping to know it well when they take off.

“No time like the present indeed. The trick is at the mandiville point to quickly disengage the course safety regulator and swap in new coordinates. Normally it would stop a jump at the input of new data but with this ship, it doesn’t. We can plot something faster outside charters and really open the engine up. We need quick hands and a dead eye on that panel. Can you do it?”

Joshua cracks his knuckles, saying "I think I can handle that. This is an interesting way of getting to Gudrun faster. I don't know if you've done this before, it doesn't sound like you have, but I'm glad to be here to help."

The ship begins to rattle "Well, lets stop talking about it and start doing about it" (Pilot/int or program/int, your call)

(12, and Program/Int if it matters)

(Good work!) The alarms begin sounding and almost right away, you plug in the alternate course and throw the lever. The ship rockets into spike space, 3 days shaved off the trip

11:56 AM

"We're definitely not trying that again, but good work"

Joshua chuckles a bit, saying "Sounds like a good idea. I probably should have asked this before we tried that out, but what could have happened if I mistimed the new coordinates?"

12:00 PM

(How close to not hitting the DC was I?)

(You tied it)

12:13 PM

“Well let’s put it this way, if we weren’t knocked violently off course, it wouldn’t matter”

(Nice!)

12:18 PM

Joshua's eyes get a bit big, contemplating what could have been for a minute. He then says "Well, I definitely think its for the best to not try that again then. However, if you have it handled here, I'll probably go retire to my quarters. I could use a good nights rest and some time to think over my next course of action."

"Good , you deserve it, we'll handle things here, get some rest" (6xp, 10,000 credits)

1:09 PM

(this'll take us right into our meeting)

(Perfect! I wanted to see how the jump went before I said anything in the meeting, in case it went funky

)

Joshua, I just uncovered some very old centaur model security bots. We have better, but these are easily mass producible. I thought I’d send you one for research purposes. These junk worlds seem to be full of great old tech.

+Encrypted Message - Svenka Vilnovha+
Attention: Joshua 
Joshua - I am planning to head back to Miriam I’m 5 days. I will be working on increasing the electronic countermeasures on my ship in preparation for an attempted meeting with the Technocracy - if we intend to delay on that meeting to visit Greystar, so be it.

I hope you are well, I look forward to seeing you. My last mission didn’t go well.

(The unity meeting isnt quite done yet, but would I be able to RP my meeting with Regbot in the meantime?)

9:23 PM

(With it framed after the meetings completion)

(Works for me, just tag him, because he probably won't think there's anything in the thread for him to do otherwise)

(@Regulus/Grupp whenever you're ready)

"Ah, Mr. Collins, it's good of you to come. What was it you wished to discuss?"

"Hello Regulus, thank you for meeting with me on such short notice. I have an odd question for you: have you heard of "Entropy Zones" before?"

"I've not heard the specific phrase before, no. Does this involve your dealings on Acastus?"

"Near Acastus. I learned of it myself on Olar, about the same time I learned of Greystars control of Acastus. I ask because this "Entropy Zone" has been plaguing the people of Olar since The Scream happened, preventing them from constructing new buildings or repairing their damaged ones. Being Scream related, I figured you might be mu best bet for helping them out."

"Ah, Olar. I am one of the foremost scholars on the scream, but I suggest you speak with Xu Ganara about this, he currently resides at our Vapormills branch. As for helping I think I would need to visit it personally to understand precisely what we are dealing with. If Xu Ganara does not know then I may pay Olar a visit soon."

(Is vapormills on Gudrun? I'm not super acquainted with the Gudrun map)

(Yeah, one of the Taros cities)

"Thank you, I'll go pay Mr. Ganara a visit. Whatever I learn from Xu, and possibly on Olar, I'll be sure to forward a report to you, hopefully it proves useful for your academy. Thank you for your time today."

"Of course Mr. Collins. You're welcome to stop by any time."

"Thank you, when things calm down, I'll take you up on that. Enjoy the rest of your day!" Joshua gives Regulus a wave and a nod as he leaves, heading out into the streets. He pulls out his compad and looks to see if he can catch the train to Vapormills, and if so, what time it departs. (Thanks Grupp!)

A train leaves next in just a few hours, plenty of time for you to pack for the trip and make your way west. Gudrun is a huge continent and you're expected to arrive there by tomorrow morning

Joshua finds somewhere to get a quick bite to eat, eating it while he requests a cab on his compad. When it arrives, he gives the cabbie his houses address, and informs them that he has another stop after there, as hes looking to drop some things off at home before going to the train station .

The vehicle that arrives is a slick Trivedi Roadster, first discovered by billy rigers and turned into an autonomous driving vehicle with some TFP ingenuity. The cabbie is polite because the drone brain does not speak.

"Please take me to (Address Here). I'll have another stop after that, I need to drop some stuff off and grab some other stuff for a trip." Joshua fiddles around on his compad, bouncing between playing a mind-numbing game and reading up more on Vapormills and Xu Ganarra while he waits to arrive at his house.

The vehicle pauses outside your new home, which you probably forgot you even officially owned now, its been so long since you've been there. Furnishings have arrived, some still have shipping dustcovers on, and the first rays of spring sunlight come through windows that open upon the home sensors detecting a human occupant inside

"Ugh, been so busy, that I haven't even gotten to check out the furnishings. I need to get in contact with Chris, see if he wants to hitch a ride with to Acastus. I'll message him when I'm on the train, right now I need to unload some of this crap I've been carrying around far too long." Joshua says to himself. He spends a few minutes walking around the house, reaquanting himself with it, before heading to his bedroom and reorganizing his backpack, pulling out the supplies he won't need. He puts his pressure tent in the closet, hangs up his CFU, stashes his shear rifle in a footlocker by his bed along with his bioscanner. He throws his rations into a drawer in the kitchen, and then checks if his house has a security system for him to activate. (Basically just an alarm that could send him an alert on his compad)

(it does) The alarm is stock, the code used as a default by the reality company taped to it. The realtor has even made the zeroes into smiley faces.

Joshua chuckles at the smiley faces, before programming a new code into the alarm system. He takes down the old code and sets the alarm, locks the door, and plops back into the cab. "Please take me to the train station."

The car begins moving off the curb, and you remember you needed to send a message to Mr. Fury

(Should I post it in here or Chris' channel?)

(Either one is fine but if you do it here tag him)

Joshua finishes his message for Chris, and sends it. He returns to the game he was playing on the ride earlier, while waiting for Chris' response.

The vehicle arrives and the train station and comes to a halt, the doors unlocking to let you out

Joshua transfers whatever the cost of the cab ride is over his compad, and then heads into the train station to a ticket kiosk, looking to buy a seat for a private compartment if possible.

Together the trip costs 500 credits between the car and cabin rental but it is clean and well stocked. There is a small hardwire phone to order food and and drinks from the bar car when ready so you do not need to leave unless you want to

"Good deal. I'll take it!" Joshua transfers the cabin fee over his compad, and takes his ticket. He grabs a seat in the station, waiting for its arrival.

When the train arrives, Joshua jumps in the queue and eventually makes his way to his compartment. He removes his backpack and places it onto the ground. He grabs a seat and relaxes as the train takes off. He wonders what Vapormills will be like, and begins looking on the web about any events going on there the next day.

There is an article about the launch of a new Loremaster model , which already has people lining up to be the first to get implanted with it on launch day. The city itself seems relatively quiet, though there is also a festival marking the beginning of spring planned

(Whats the Loremaster do?)

(Basically its worn on your wrist, about an iphone in size but a lot of people like to wear a stylized vambrace like cuff around it. You think texts/commands and it acts like a compad)

8:34 AM

(just hands free, and direct link between mind and machine)

"Interesting. I might have to swing back through here another time and get my own." Joshua messes about a bit on his compad, reading up more on Vapormills interspersed with random google searches. After a while, his stomach rumbles, and he goes to grab the phone before pocketing his compad and deciding to walk to the bar cart instead. "Don't want to get too lazy when I'm back on Gudrun." he thinks as he starts walking to the bar cart.

8:40 AM

On the walk there, he keeps an ear out for any interesting conversations going on.

There is a lot of talk about the spring festival, and more mundane concerns, though you do hear some random talk, voicing concerns about the shapers and their encroachment further south

8:41 AM

(what was in the news, not info you missed)

"I'll have to ask Svenka what she knows about this spring festival, might be worth going to." he thinks to himself. When he makes it to the cart, he looks over their menu for a minute before deciding. "Can I get a steak with cheesy potatoes, and 3 bottles of your best beer?" (edited)

"How do you take your steak sir?" the chef asks, as he begins seasoning the dish for the grill

"Medium would be great, thanks!"

"I too am a man of culture" he grins, before setting it on the stovetop. THe beers are taken out of the fridge and placed on the counter

Joshua grins back. "Looks down right delicious. How much do I owe you?"

"50 for the whole meal, gratuity is included"

Joshua hands the man a 50 credit stick and says "Thanks friend. Enjoy your night!" Joshua takes the plate and beers with him back to his cabin. He cracks open one of the beers, drinking a few swigs before starting in on the steak. It tastes seasoned and cooked to perfection, and before he knows it, the steak and cheesy potatoes are gone. He pushes the plate away, and starts in on the other beers while looking out the train, watching the scenery. By the time he's done with his beers, he feels the sleepiness mixed with the alcohol and grabs the nearest thing thats pillow-adjacent and tries to sleep as best he can.

You wake up as the train blows its whistle, and an announcement is made that the train will be in Vapormills in about ten minutes. You see that a bus box has been left outside your cabin door for the dishes.

Joshua stretches, and rubs his eyes. Considering he was on a train all night, he feels fairly rested. He places his dish and bottles in the bus box. He fixes his hair as best he can without a mirror, and places the table back in its original position. He stands and paces the cabin for a minute to stretch his legs fully, and then sits back down to wait out the last leg of the train ride. As the train pulls into its stop, he grabs his bag and waits for the off-boarding announcement, and then unloads with the rest of the passengers. When he's off the train and out of the station, he looks around to see if he can spot the Vapormills Psychic Academy or if he'll need his compad for directions.

(I’ll be there! Just message me when you arrive on Acastus!)

(@Chris Fury (Desmond) will do! But Joshua doesnt know yet IC that you're on Acastus

)

The academy here is new and not in a grand building like I. Central. The compad has directions, linking this campus of the academy to a defunct primary school, repurposed for use

Joshua looks over the directions for a minute, trying to memorize it best he can. He starts his walk there, keeping an eye out for any points of interest or interesting shops for future visits. He does his best to enjoy the walk to academy, trying to make the most of his little free time. When he eventually arrives, he plans on looking for a front desk of some sorts, or someone to point him toward Xu's office.

(You dont have to describe anything if it's just a normal district or if you dont have anything generated yet. Other than the loremaster, would they have any other non-book cybernetics?) (edited)

(The loremaster was their big thing, one of the notable things about the taros though is they dont really do weapon grade augmetics)

7:04 AM

The district itself is a bit run down, on the outskirts of the city, and the academy itself has not been given a priority as far as placement, though its current occupants have done their best with the crumbling facilities

(Ok, the loremaster sounds cool so I'm gonna get it when it's less of a time crunch.) When Joshua gets to the academy, he walks inside and looks for a directory or for someone to point him in the right direction.

(Who were you looking for specifically, remind me?)

(Xu Ganara)

A chill sweeps through the foyer as you enter, and a thin, human figure of asian descent seems to glide down the stairs. His loose, scholarly like robes seem to flow around him in an etheric wind, though gentle, whatever it is. .

Joshua shivers at the chill, and then watches the person going down the stairs, in awe at their robe blowing in the non-existent wind. He snaps out of it, and approaches them, asking "Hello. I'm Joshua Collins, and Regulus Fate from the Prime Academy told me I could find a Xu Ganara here. Would you be able to point me his way?"

"That is one of my many minds, he is here. How may we assist you?"

"Pleasure to meet you. I was recently on Olar, and as best I understand, you originated from there? As you probably know, Olar has remained devastated following the Scream some 3 years ago. I spoke with some of the native people there, and they believe the cause of it is what they call am "Entropy Zone". Do you know more about this entropy zone?"

"I would guess it is one of the many strange MES effects originating after the scream. Dr. Ahn documented several bizarre changes as well , though nothing like what you are describing"

"Hmm, would you have any idea how this entropy zone could be destroyed or removed? It's forcing people to live at a TL4 lifestyle, and it seems they're barely surviving. The village I saw had maybe a dozen people in it. Regulus said he had no idea how to remove it, and you were the best bet due to your experience."

There is a silence for a long moment, and it looks as though he is deep in thought. "One of my resident minds has something I may try, if it does not work, the people there will be no worse off"

"That would be excellent. We'll need to be on planet to test your theory, correct?"

"I would need to be, at the very least, preferably with an escort of some kind. Our group mind is powerful, but the distance is too much for us to cross"

"Of course, I can escort you there. I'm leaving shortly for Acastus for a meeting with their new government, and then I'm heading to Olar since it's a short jump away from there. You're welcome to come along with, I'll be going there on the Lawrence, and you can stay on the Lawrence while I negotiate with Greystar on Acastus."

"I would like that. It would pain us to know our home is suffering and we have the power to do something about it"

"I can completely understand that. I'm planning on leaving for Acastus in a couple of days, hopefully that will be enough time for you to complete any business you have and inform the academy of your absence?"

"There aren't any students here. Taros are still concerned about stepping forward. We had one, but the previous owner of this body made some unwanted advances, and she did not feel safe here anymore. Regrettable."

"That is unfortunate. Pre-Scream, psychics allowed some great inventions to take place; hopefully, as time passes, more psychic Taros step forward as psychics become more accepted again. If you would like, I have a spare bedroom in my home in Prime if you'd like to come with. It'd save you the trip in a couple days time, but it's up to you."

"Am I not departing with you to space, then?" he asks, eyes beginning to narrow

"No, you will be. Sorry, I'm being confusing. Just forget what I said last. Did you have any questions for me, Dr Ganara?"

“None. I shall await transit with you and we can speak on the way if you desire. It will feel good to see my home sun again

Joshua nods. "Thank you for your time today, Dr. Ganara. I'll see you in a couple of days onboard the Lawrence." Joshua reaches out a hand to shake.

He grasps it around your wrist, a warrior's shake, and based on the people there you've seen already, sometihng very deeply rooted in their culture as yeomen and knights of a sort

Joshua shakes his hand, warrior-style. After the shake he leaves the academy, looking for a Loremaster store. (What's the recovery time for having one installed?)

(Three days, but you can get it impanted, and recover aboard your ship during the journey if you want)

(All right, I think I'll do that)

The loremaster is implanted in a quick procedure, but the back of your head is shaved to accommodate the surgery and the small chip placed on your brain stem. The wound will heal quickly and is liberally coated in antiseptic gel. From now on, thinking a message, or a command a compad would be able to do, will send it

Joshua looks at himself in a mirror, excited about the loremaster but a bit upset about his hair. He decides to get it fixed after paying for the surgery, and hearing any recommendations for preventing infections or any such problems. He decides to try it out, thinking "Loremaster, wheres the nearest barber shop?"

A small window appears on your wrist mounted device, showing three of the closest that also have good reviews from customers

Joshua reads a couple reviews for one before deciding on it and he makes his way to the barbershop.

When he arrives at the barbershop, he waits his turn as other customers pass through first. When he sits down, he tells the barber he'd like the sides shaved down and the top left a bit longer. When its finished, he gives the barber a 100 credit stick and heads back to the train station, looking to see when he can ride back to town.

there is another train leaving in an hour, you seem to be right on time, and an option to purchase the tickets and have them scanned via loremaster appears, all you need to do is pulse an acceptance through the neural link

(The Loremaster is pretty freaking cool lol)

8:12 AM

Joshua thinks an "Accept" to the Loremaster, and grabs a seat near a wall as he tests out the Loremaster a bit more, waiting for the arrival.

It gives you an update on other trains in the area, and some miscellaneous information about the train station and when it was founded. It also talks about the rails themselves, but the exact blend of metal used to make them is a corporate secret of Ad-Astra. The implantation site on your wrist is still a bit red, and stiff, but the doctors advised it should be like new by month end

Joshua tries stretching his arm to no avail, leaving his wrist still red and stiff. He decides to stop using the Loremaster for now, figuring by the time he's on the Lawrence and nearly to Acastus, he should be feeling a bit less fatigued by the surgery. He simply sits back and watches as people pass by, waiting for his train.

When the train arrives, Joshua follows the crowd onto it. He locates his spot, takes off his backpack, and spends the trip relaxing and sleeping when he can. (Barring anything happening, and assuming it's the next day now) Upon arriving back, Joshua hails a taxi to take him home. He spends the trip watching the scenery pass by. Before he knows it, hes back home. He transfers the money for the taxi ride and heads inside. He spends a few hours getting things arranged how he likes, taking the plastic off where applicable. When he's satisfied, he sits on the couch and turns on PsikeTV, and watches TV until he's tired. He heads to his bed, laying in it for the first time since he bought the house months ago, and sleeps until it's about time to meet Dr. Ganara at the Lawrence. (Let me know if anything here isnt applicable. Otherwise, for downtime, can Joshua start learning Slyth?)

(All good here. The trip would have only been about a day but you can start learning slyth as you travel )

(Sounds good! We can pick up Olar when Svenka and Dorian finish their mission if you want, get a bit less off your plate)

8:20 PM

(1/30 just for my records)

(Yeah just so we don’t have a character in three places at once. They’re almost done)

(Sounds good)

At some point before leaving Gudrun, Joshua types up a message to inform Regulus of what happening with Olar. (Message will be in Regs channel)

Mr. Collins,
I appreciate your update. I wish you and Xu Ganara luck on Olar. I plan on being off planet myself for some time but look forward to the report on my return. If you find something there requires my personal attention I will be able to help then.
Regulus Fate

Finishing up business with the Greystar representatives, Joshua heads back to the Lawrence, letting the pilots know that we'll be jumping to Olar at the same time as @Svenka [Tig/M’Ranni] and Mokoshi's Wings.

The tandem jump goes according to plan, and you both arrive over the pastoral world of Olar, a few days after the conclusion of your meeting with Greystar. Little has changed on the world below, because little has the capacity to change.

Joshua transmits over to Mokoshi's Wings "We'll want to get you on board here, Svenka. This Entropy Zone has thus far destroyed everything the people down there have attempted to construct. Then you, Dr. Ganara, and I can take my atmoflyer down to the surface."

Svenka suddenly appears next to Joshua, materializing “Oh, I did not like that at all. That is going to take some getting used to.”

"Val teleported me a few times when I first got onto Gudrun. Gotta say, I don't miss the queasy feeling of teleportation. Spike travel isn't the same thing, but it still makes me feel a bit off at first."

11:37 AM

(Is Svenka a psychic?

)

(I think her ship has teleport pads)

(Ah ok, makes sense)

(Lol Sorry - dramatically appropriate)

11:41 AM

“Spike travel is ok... so, we can certainly use that teleporter as it works... what’s the plan, boss?”

"Dr. Ganara has an idea on removing the Entropy Zone. I don't want to risk either of our ships by taking them on planet, so we can use the atmo to descend down. Nothing happened to it last time, so fingers crossed nothing will this time." Joshua turns towards Xu. "We'll need to be on the planet for you to test your idea, won't we doctor?" (edited)

"I will be. You're certainly not obligated to land in the danger zone with me"

"I'll travel down with you. I told you I'd be there to help guard you, plus if all goes well, I'd like to take a closer look around Olar."

12:24 PM

Joshua looks to Svenka. "Will you be coming with us as well?"

Svenka nods “We have some extra space for some drones?”

(Atmo fits 6 humans, so up to neko how many drones are equal to 3 people)

(Cause I’m bringing that many)

(Even the small ones are a couple meters, or would be between them and their transport equipment. Lets keep it 1:1)

(Sounds good)

1:43 PM

"We should be able to fit about 3 in there. We can load up and go whenever you guys are ready."

(1 sneaker, 1 Crowd control and 1 Leszachka aka Crazy Ivan)

1:45 PM

“Ready when you are!”

The atmoflyer is loaded with you and your equipment. Xu settles into his seat as well, but remains quiet, seeming to focus himself in preparation for whatever unsettling event is goingto happen on the planet below. H'es said little since departing Gudrun, and almost nothing after the meeting with Greystar

Over the radio "Alright guys, can you take us close enough to the atmosphere to drop us off without risking the ship? About where you picked me up last time should work."

(Consider Svenka a background character for this mission - I’ll jump in but don’t wait on me)

When the ship enters the atmosphere about where the entered the ship on the previous ship, Joshua has the ghost driver fly out of the ship and land at about the same spot outside the village as last time.

You see the same fox and moon pennants heading toward you, carried by the same villagers in the exact same way they’ve always been hefted

Joshua opens the door and hops out of the atmoflyer. He greets the villagers with a wave and says "Hello, people of Entropia. I've returned with someone who I hope will be able to help out with our predicament regarding the Entropy Zone. In the atmoflyer is Dr Ganara, who specializes in these sorts of things, and next to him is Svenka Vilnovha. Svenka and I will be here to assist the doctor where needed."

Svenka waves

She then gets to checking all her gear and preparing for what is to come, while having little idea what that entails.

Dr. Xu makes his way out of the craft, and begins heading to the center of the village, stopping to regard those around him for mere seconds before moving on. "You actually returned. We had hoped, but it is difficult to tell. We dont know how the stars are, right now"

"The distance back made the journey take longer than I had hoped, and I had to search Gudrun to find the right people for the job, but Dr. Xu believes he knows what needs to be done."

"We have little to repay you, if this does work. We are shamefully impoverished, given recent circumstances. "

"No pay is required. However, if you would allow, assuming this works, the business I'm helping run, Trivedi Technology, has been looking for a new planet to construct a new business headquarters on. I believe it would benefit you and your people as much as it would me. We'd be able to help jumpstart your economy and get new housing established."

"If you're wanting to do that here, you've got our permission. Worldgov ceased mattering once the disaster happened. I see no reason to try to dig them out of whereever they went hiding now"

Joshua nods. "You guys have fended for yourself for years, so I wouldn't disagree with that. I do plan on investigating a few spots around the planet that looked interesting from initial scans before I set up shop for Trivedi on-planet. I reckon that won't take but a few days if things progress well, but I believe I'll have to return at a later date for that." Joshua looks to see what Dr. Ganara is doing, before saying "I'm going to go see how things are progressing with Dr. Xu."

Xu seems to be sitting in the middle of the entropy zone, its time altering properties sparing him from pain or damage. He kneels, cross legged, and is softly chanting to himself, arms outstretched to either side of him. You feel a slight prickle in your mind, like something trying to worm its way in

Joshua tries to fight off whatever is happening in his mind, while watching Xu, trying to figure out how things are progressing.

(Mental save)

(Fail! 4 v 9)

(Did you want Svenka to do the same?)

(if youre dealing with stuff she can just be safelty out of the zone)

(Ok)

Joshua hears a chorus of whispers in his mind, and there is a flash of light, as he relives the events of the past, through another man's eyes

3:07 PM

The sun is high in the sky right now, and it bathes the fields of grain to look golden, they wave gently in a breeze that is cool and refreshing, not piercing and cold. The air smells of grain, baking bread, and the coming rains, but the storm is at least a few hours off if the horizon is anything to go by. Animals around the town have been restless for the day, maybe its the oncoming storm. You feel something in your mind telling you that is not the reason. You look down, and your hands are beaten from a life of hard work in the fields. They carry a scythe, dirty with the work of harvesting. 100m away, the small home you somehow know belongs to you, and your family rises from the surrounding fields, its grey/brown brick work and shingled slate roof on display. A small maintenance eyebot keeps the shingles clean from the moss determined to find a freehold up there

Joshua, or whatever person he is watching through the eyes of, smiles while looking at the quaint life he leads, adoring the small house and farm he owns. He returns to working on the field for a short while before going to speak with his family about the coming storm.

3:31 PM

(Assuming I can control the flashback somewhat)

(Yeah you can)

"The incoming storm doesn't bode well for the harvest. It might be best if we call the harvest for today, and bunker down at home. I can... I don't know how to describe it, but I feel like something is off. The animals have been acting strange today, but not the way they behave when there's a storm approaching."

“I noticed that too” says the woman who you somehow know to be your wife. “The air is charged. My hair is standing up” In the back room, your infant son begins to cry

"It worries me, but it's probably nothing." Hearing his son cry, he says "Why don't you sit down and relax. I'll get the baby and we can all sit in the living room." He smiles at her lovingly before going and picking up his son. He checks his diaper to see if he needs changed while he heads into the kitchen for a bottle, saying "It's been a few hours since you've eaten. I'll feed you and maybe mommy can turn on the news."

The news comes on, and it seems to be a normal newscast. Some of the freeholds are having trouble with each other again. You wouldn't be surprised to see that their mechanical wardens have engaged in combat with one another within the next few weeks. The weather is next, and it appears that unseasonal storms are beginning to crop up without warning all over the planet. Power must be going out in the places the stormfront is passing, originating near the academy in the northwest

8:32 AM

signals from the passed areas have all gone dark

Watching the news describe the freeholds troubles, he mumbles "As long as they keep away from here at least..." He begins rocking his son, trying to get him back to sleep. As he watches the weather, begins to worry a bit more. "Honey, can you rock the baby for me? I'm going to go make sure the generator is fueled, in case those storms end up heading this way." He hands her their son as he's saying this, trying to keep calm for both of them while doing so.

The weatherman estimates the storm is going to make it here in a few hours, and strangely, seems to be spreading out in a circular formation, gradually rolling over the planet. The news says not to panic, but the announcer seems to be on the edge of it himself, before the newsfeed suddenly cuts out. Outside, the generation is already connected to the back of the home, but has been emptied of fuel so it would not gum up the engine. You think there should be enough for a few days in one of the storage drums in the shed

He heads out of the back of the house toward the shed, watching the horizon on the walk in between. He lifts up the storage drum best he can and carries it to the generator. He fills it most of the way full, leaving a bit of air at the top so it doesn't bubble over, and then returns the fuel drum back to its spot in the shed. Before heading back in the house, he turns on the generator for a few seconds to make sure it still runs, in case the storm knocks out their power.

The generator roars live, gently humming with a tiny puff of white smoke initially coming out the top. Lights inside grow brighter for a second as the current begins flowing through it

Satisfied that it'll work, the man shuts off the generator and returns to his wife and child. They turn the channel to something a bit more entertaining but he continues to glance out of the windows, watching for the storm.

The TV is dead, the stations are not even broadcasting static anymore, but the storm looked close to saltwich last time you saw it on TV, so that makes sense. Out in the barn, the two draft horses neigh and whine frantically

He smiles to his wife, trying to reassure her as well as himself. "Hopefully the stations will be back up tomorrow when this all passes. I'll go make us something to eat, if you two want to take a little nap in the mean time" He gives them both a hug and a kiss before going into the kitchen and starting to make some homemade biscuits and gravy and turkey sandwiches.

2:03 PM

While making the biscuits, he finally hears the horses and heads into the barn to try and calm them down best he can, saying "Woooooah, girls. It'll pass soon." He pulls them part of a hay bale and checks their water bowls. (edited)

The water in the bowls, fresh this morning, is curdled. Flies and mosquitos buzz around the bowl and around the animals. As the horses calm you hear rain beginning to patter off the roof of the barn. The beams up there are Ill fitting and a drop hits your forearm. It is crimson and coppery. Blood.

His eyes get big as he sees the curdled water, and he begins to panic seeing the blood-brain, finally understanding why the horses were panicking. He quickly leaves the horse's pens, opens the barn door and runs to the house. When he's inside, he runs into his bedroom looking for his wife and child, hoping to find them so they can all find safety somewhere.

The windows and most of the top half of your clothes are stained a heavy crimson as you get back to the house. Thick sheets of blood run down the windows and you’ve left footprints of the same on the front porch. Inside the baby screams, and you look through the front window, what bits of it you can see out of still, to a surface to sky tidal wave of multicolored energy boiling toward you. It strikes the house, unmaking you, and everyone inside before you can even register you are dead. You are yourself again but the world around you is bright. So bright you can’t see. “Joshua. Please take my hands. I need your help” Xu says

6:28 PM

The figure of xu seems to float out of the light, legs crossed but arms out

Joshua reaches out for Xu, and says "Where am I? I can't see anything but you Xu..."

“We are in the heart of the entropy storm. Time is catching up. You saw what happened when the scream hit this place. Didn’t you?”

"I... Yes I did. I saw a man and his family be annihilated into nothingness almost instantly. I... I feel like I lived his last moments, like I had to feel his life be ended as he watched the apocalypse devastate his people... It wasn't that bad on my home planet, what the fuck made it so bad here?"

(I feel bad Svenka got left out of that scene but I love how it went and it makes me even more curious about Olar)

(I was there, in spirit. My heart will go on )

“This academy was one of many academic institutions all channeling power to make contact with whatever is behind the veil. I was there. I was part of it. I need your help. “You and your friend, he gestures, Svenka likewise materializing out of the blinding light. She likewise looks to have undergone some reflection of pastoral life here , before and as the scream hit. “I alone am not enough to undo this. I need to harness power from each of you. Mental power that is. It will hurt, a bit”

"I'm willing to help. Seeing the devastation that happened and the aftermath as well, this is a cause worthy of the pain." (edited)

“Um, What. The. Hell.”

9:24 PM

“Yeah, pain, ok... that was... different. Do what you have to.”

"I gotta say, after what I saw, and I'm sure it was similar to what you saw Svenka, I'm surprised and glad to see anyone survived that."

“I didn’t like that at all, but like Joshua said, the pain is worth it.”

Xu extends his hands, reaching to take both of yours, to form a triangle of linked arms "I will help you through it, and we will do as much as we can, here in the group mind. We will spare you from as much pain as possible" (Mental save for each of you)

(Success! 14 v 9)

(Success 13 v 7)

You both join hands with Xu and feel a rush of energy flow through you. There’s a neural burn as every sense granting ending in your nervous system is opened and electrified. (10 damage). The air is knocked from your lungs and your eyes water as the technicolor light intensifies. You’re all chanting. Dozens of you. Joshua, Svenka, the groupmind, and Xu. A few of the voices fade away as the energy builds and you have the intuitive sense the energy harnessing was too much for them

7:50 PM

Finally, the light fades and you awaken in the village square, entropy field dispelled

“You take me to the nicest” cough “places Joshua”

Coughing and trying to catch his breath, he replies "After all the shit I put you through, I'm gonna owe you a vacation somewhere nice ha ha..." He looks around the village and at Xu and Svenka, and says "I'm pretty sure we did it, didn't we Xu? The air feels different now." He runs his temples and eyes, still feeling the effects of the field a bit.

(I'm going golfing so idk how active I'll be these next few hours, dont be afraid to progress without me. Just assume Joshua's doing whatever is helpful)

(Get the birds and be as subpar as you can be.)

“We did it. Thanks to all of you, and the few within me who have sacrificed themselves. The psionic pressure was too much for them. But it’s gone. We completed what we set out to do”

6:53 PM

Xu looks weary to the bone, his movements sluggish

"Will the you and the rest of your minds be able to recover? And are the ones who sacrificed themselves gone for good? I'd like to be able to return the favor you did for us as much as possible."

"They're gone" he says grimly, "But this was our fault. We're from here, remember? We caused this entropy zone when we helped make contact with...whatever is coming. We owed it to the people here to undo what we set into motion"

"That's unfortunate. And I remember, but you weren't the only ones trying to communicate with whatever that thing is, and what happened here wasn't done out of malice, it was an accident that I feel no single person or group is responsible for. Everyone who's able to though, should do their best to fix the world we have now, and try to improve on where the old world had failed. I do commend you and your minds for undertaking this, so thank you all. I want to continue to help these people, but I think all of us could use a good bit of rest after dealing with the entropy zone."

Svenka is taking in the situation, still a bit bewildered by what just happened. “agreed - this seemed to be a worthwhile sacrifice.”

Joshua nods. "It is indeed, but hopefully from now we can prevent further loss of life, at least here on Olar."

The valley is very quiet though one of the villagers shrieks with delight as a stone block is set upon another, and remains exactly where it is

Joshua smiles, seeing that the villagers know what's happening now. He stands himself up, dusts himself off and says to the villagers "So it did work! That means the rebuilding of your guys' lives can finally begin! However," He looks at Svenka and Xu and then back to the villagers "Removing the entropy zone took a lot out of the three of us. Will your people be fine for the next few weeks if we return home to recuperate and deal with some business Galactic West? I'll return afterwards to check in on your people as well as to look into establishing an HQ on planet." He looks back to Svenka and Xu, saying "That is, unless either of you have further business here."

“I’m still not entirely clear what just happened, but I would love to go back to my ship and get some rest - I should send out a comm to organize the Miriam mission before I collapse” She smiles.

"I don't know if I'll ever really understand any of it, but these people can rebuild their lives now, and that's what matters most. I doubt I'll ever really understand MES, but it helped these people." He shrugs his shoulders and smiles.

“I don’t know that I WANT to understand MES, but I’m glad we were able to help.”

12:39 PM

“I’ll head back to my ship - Gudrun next?”

He nods. "We can resupply, drop Xu off on-planet, and do whatever needs done and then make the jump to Miriam. Do you need me to pick anyone up while were on Gudrun? The Lawrence has room for a few more people."

“Billy was talking about coming along and that kid, S’kolli... not sure who else.”

1:09 PM

“I’ll send out a comm, but I think they would be making their own way.” (edited)

"Interesting, I've never met Billy, but I've seen him around the council meetings. I haven't heard of S'kolli, but we could always use more help, especially if those warbots at the church are anything like the Technocracy." "Xu, were you planning on returning to Gudrun with us?"

"I think I should return to the academy and make a full report to Headmaster Fate. I need to visit the Vapormills campus as well, and see Dr. Ahn now that she has been rescued."

"Sounds good." He looks to the villagers again. "People of Entropia, I will return as soon as possible. I'm excited to see your progress now that the planet will actually allow it!" He waves goodbye to the villagers and makes some small talk on the way to the atmoflyer. After the group is loaded up, he has the Lawrence meet them in atmosphere so that the ghost driver can fly onto it. Once they offload, he says to @@Svenka [Tig/M’Ranni] "Want to jump to Gudrun together? It's worked for us so far."

(You guys want a mission thread?)

(Yeah I think that's the best idea, we have 4 maybe 5 people if Marcion is going with too, I know I saw something about him being interested in his thread)

(Agreed - I’ve reached out to Billy and S’kolli, but we may want to reach out in LFG - how many people should we cap at?)

(5, that's basically half the active players as things stand right now)

(Ok, so if Marcion wants to come along we are officially capped)

(Lets keep that same channel, and tag interested parties)

9:10 PM

(Also, 3xp, 5000 credits for that last scene)

1

(I'll level up at work in the morning, but I dont expect much to change. Been saving up for that stat increase)

After saying a temporary goodbye to Svenka, Joshua tells the pilots to jump to Gudrun when possible, as we need to drop Xu Ganara off. He also lets them know that after Xu is dropped off and any refueling or restocking is done for the ship, that we need to return to Miriam. When he finishes speaking with the pilots, he heads to his quarters, where he spends a long while thinking on the man and his family whose lives he watched and almost felt end from the Scream. He doesn't feel any ill will toward the psychics who accidentally helped cause it, but he hopes for the future, one where hopefully they won't repeat a mistake like that again. He spends some time continuing to think about the Scream before dozing off. When he awakens, he returns to his Slyth study materials, hoping that learning their language might help him find some technology to stop the Fleshshapers. (edited)

8:49 AM

(Unless something happens on the journey or something, we can probably jump ahead to Gudrun)

(didnt have anytthing in mind since we have 5 of you waiting to dive into this)

(Sounds good, we can just say Xu got dropped off, crew grabbed w/e supplies are needed like food, and then we jumped to Miriam)

(Alright, lets follow the mission channel then, I think everyones pretty much together)

(Ok, for Slyth would I be at 10/30? But yeah sounds good)

(That's correct)

(Thank you!)

(If I have the Lawrence rutter a route from Gudrun to Cratylus and then to Olar, that would be a 14 day journey right?) (edited)

(yeah anything not currently marked with a route would be 7 days for each jump)

(Ok, thatd what I thought. The Lawrence has enough fuel to do that right?)

8:01 PM

(And get back to gudrun)

(Craytulus has an exchange of light outpost that can refuel things, so you've got enough)

(Nice! I'll do that then. Has cratylus been explored by any PCs? I dont see it under planets in roll20)

(Its in the 1e sector)

8:12 PM

(Cal has been there close to when he started playing as Cal)

(Ah, I thought it was central. My bad)

8:18 PM

(I was gonna scan it if no one had been, I'll save exploration for another day. So we'll just rutter the routes and refuel over cratylus)

(let shriven know to add them)

8:48 PM

(he does such a nice job with our spike map)

(@Rey (Shriven) can you add spike routes from Gudrun-Cratylus and Cratylus-Olar when you can?)

1

(I believe that takes me to 27/30 for slyth with 3 days to Gudrun and then the 14 to Olar)

(yes it does) Your return to Olar proceeds normally, and you see the first small signal at the site of the entropy zone, proving it has been banished, as a small settlement now has its first roots set into the ground there.

Joshua calls out over a headset "It's already looking better down there. Can you guys pull into the atmosphere? I'll take the atmo down, be a bit less conspicuous that way." He takes off the headset and hops into the atmoflyer, waiting for the bay to open and let him ghost-pilot it out.

The atmoflyer slides out once atmo is reached and you are below the burnup layer, before it cuts back into orbit, engines at full power to fight the pull of gravity. The sky is clear and blue for as far as you can see, and the wilderness is asserting itself on most of the planet, human settlements reduced to the clutch of towns and fortified freeholds remaining in the wake of the scream

Joshua pulls up the Olar map on his compad and looks over the POI on it, deciding to head to the marked spots just south of the Hall of the Damned.

3:00 PM

(I think theres a settlement or something icon below the Hall of the Damned? Some of them look like the mountain terrain, so if its not one, he'd go to the one southwest of the Hall of the Damned)

(There's ruins there, we can take a look if you like)

(Yeah let's do it!)

(Bump, no rush if you're busy)

A freehold once stood here, you can see from above, the ruins of a castle, and the hamlet clinging to its outer walls has been broken apart and scattered around the countryside- this close to the hall of the damned- likely from the psychic shockwave that blasted the area. Nature has begun to reclaim the area, though you do not see any animal life mixed among the first wave of choking weeds

Joshua has the flyer hover where it's in range of the long range scanner, and hops on it to scan for life and any other signs.

(lets get a good ol program int)

(14)

Human lives do not exist down below, in the current area, and there are no life signs, but there is a faint electronic signal buried underground, 10m from the surface

7:37 AM

at the center of the ruins

"Bring it on down somewhere near the ruins." Joshua says to the ghost driver. "What the fuck could be pinging down there if there's nothing living here..." he thinks as the ghost driver reacts to the new orders.

The vehicle lands on the western side of the ruins where the land is the most flat, depositing you 20m from the closest broken structure, that looks to be the base of a windmill. one of the fan blades has punched through the roof, and it is as decayed as the rest of the building.

As he hops out, Joshua begins walking away from the atmoflyer before turning back and locking it up. "I wonder where on Olar that man and his family lived..." he thinks as he walks by the windmill, continuing on to the freehold, looking for an entrance that will allow him to continue down to the pinging.

(If possible, could I have the ghost driver hover a ways up so I don't have to worry about it being forced/picked open? It has microfusion plant so there shouldnt be a fuel problem)

Joshua, this is Director Kensh. Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I have no problem with Trivedi Techs expansion, work away, it will be good for Acastus.

While I’m messaging you, I think I have a favour to ask. When I was in the UNW, there was a metal discovered that could dampen a psychics powers. Fatium, or Nulmetelium it was called. Greystar would be willing to buy some of that metal, if you could provide it.

(ghost driver can hover yes, or make a loop around the area, either way

8:17 PM

simple flight path)

(I'll have it loop around the area while Josh is dungeon spelunking) (edited)

Joshua sends a command to the atmo thru the Loremaster for it to conduct a simple perimeter flight of the keep, and (if possible) for it to run its scanners and alert him of incoming lifesigns.

The machine will do what it can with the limited processing and expertise available. You pass the windmill and see this place was a small town once. It did not have walls but the ruins are mostly homes , along with a few larger structures like the town hall, Smith, and chapel

"Hmm, maybe I'll stop by the chapel, see if there's anything left of their culture from before the Scream." Joshua says to himself as he turns and makes his way to the larger remaining buildings

the building is a broken windowed, grey stone ruin, doors and openings broken away in disrepair, and it stares over the similarly humbled village with a broken skull like leer. Crimson curtains, faded from sun and elements, drape from the front windows, the breeze making them float

Joshua takes a sort of moment of silence to look over the broken village, thinking of the people who were killed by the terrible accident that was the Scream. He thinks of the man's life and his family once again while looking around, knowing that even though their deaths were accidental in nature, they are also the fault of many people's greatest vice: Pride. He says a short prayer of sorts, having never prayed before he wasn't sure what to say or who to say it to, mostly hoping that man's hubris won't cause this sort of mass tragedy again in the future. He opts to leave the chapel alone as a sort of memorial to all those who were lost years ago, and continues on toward where the castle stands.

The castle is a tumble of stones, weeds beginning to grow around what has fallen to the actual ground. It's front has collapsed, forward towers spilling down in a shower of rubble and broken masonry. Timbers and ropes , along with fasteners of metal are scattered in a wide debris field.

9:30 AM

The pile looks climbable, to get inside, but the pile looks shifty

Joshua pulls his grapnel launcher out of his bag and looks for a stable spot to launch it into.

The right side merlon on the tower looks intact, and stable.

Joshua aims the launcher at the Merlon Tower and shoots, hoping to catch it on something that will hold his weight (edited)

(In this case, merlons are the defensive "teeth" like stoneworks, not to be confused with our lovely tropical aliens) The grapel fires with a soft pop, and you feel the line go taunt , as metal scrapes stone and locks on itself.

(Ah all right, that makes more sense lol)

10:59 AM

Joshua tugs the line a few times to make sure its safe, and when satisfied, begins his ascent of the tower.

(Didn't know if you were gonna want a check of sort for the climb, don't want you to feel like I'm not leaving you anything work with. I know you get busy so it's no rush, I just wanted to say that)

(you've got the right tools, so that'll negate a check for climbing) THe line is firm and you give it a few test pulls, satisfiied itll take your weight. The tower is about 30m high and offers a commanding view of the surrounding terrain, and you begin your climb in Ernest, scrabbling up the moss covered sides of the structure. Even this high up there are names, symbols, and makers marks carved into the stone, memorializing everyone who helped build this years ago

"Amazing. So much crafstmanship and love put into just the outer reaches of this keep. I truly wonder what I'll find inside..." he thinks as he's climbing. At the top, he reads some of the names, knowing he won't recognize any, more as a memento to those craftsman for himself. He then looks around at the terrain as well for a main entrance or something allowing him further access to the castle.

There is a rampart, that leads toward the more intact part of the castle, a staircase leading down into the main keep is in the center of the rampart running west to east, on the north side of the wall. Barrels, rotted and rusted sit in the sun, sheafs of arrows inside, having gone to dry rot themselves. Rancid rainwater collected in the bottom, bacteria feeding on the wood, sloshes as you investigate them

"Eww. And arrows? This world had a weird mix of tech levels. I saw a television broadcast in that mans memory, so why did they use arrows?" he thinks to himself as he leaves the barrel to head down the rampart, making for the staircase that will take him toward the main keep.

There is a metal door at the base of the stairs, just 7 stone shelves down, that is closed. It is banded with rivets, and a grate sits at head height to allow looking in and out. The door is heavily rusted, and you see it is very dark inside

Joshua looks around the door, checking around for any sort of traps that might still be active.

a visual inspection of this side of the door does not reveal any tripwires or identifiable traps

Satisfied with his inspection, Joshua tries to force the metal door open.

The door budges just a little, the hinges squealing as the metal protests against the force you're putting on it

(Are the hinges on the inside or outside of the door?)

(outside of the door)

3:01 PM

(It would swing out, toward you, if it was in good repair)

Joshua takes a few steps back and goes off to the side of the door about 45 degrees. He then unslings his shear rifle and aims down the sight at one of the hinges, and shoots at it in an attempt to break them.

Joshua, this is Director Kensh. You are welcome to drop by to Acastus to discuss specifics whenever possible for you. This is a big decision and I wouldn’t expect you to agree lightly.

The shot is clean, and the hinges parts from the door as though it was never there. It groans as it begins to tilt forward, still anchored on by the second hinge

Joshua nods at the clean shot and aims down and repeats the same angle of shot on the second hinge.

It also falls away, and the door collapses, slamming into the dust with a metallic clang. The dark keep is ahead, mroe stairs leading down into its bowels. you hear water dripping slowly inside, and it looks like some lights are trying to power up, sensing the motion, but do not have the charge

"Hmm, power issues. I'll look into fixing that, but that's always been Svenka's expertise." He pulls his low-light goggles out of his pack and checks the charge before putting them on and turning them on. He keeps his rifle gripped in case something pops out as he continues in, looking for the power control room as well as the pinging he detected.

The ping is coming from 10m below the ground floor of the castle and you begin hunting for a staircase down. This one seems to end at the ground floor itself. The stone is less worn and sunblrsched inside. You do not see any bodies. It looks like the castle and it’s surrounds were evacuated before the disaster struck.

Joshua looks the stonework while continuing to search for a staircase, looking for any inconsistencies that might hide any secrets. He's pleased that it seems that the people managed to evacuate somewhere before tragedy struck.

You make your way to the floor of the keep, and see a heavy door, knocked off its hinges already in the tower to the northwest of you. You see the shadows of objects inside in the glow of your lowlight goggles

(Do I see a way to the tower?)

(yeah you can cross the floor, youre noticing it as you come down into the keep

(Ah ok)

He detours a bit from his for the ping, curious what is in the tower. He slows his pace in case something is in the tower, and stands in cover behind the wall at the heavy door while he peeks around the corner into the room.

5:04 PM

(It probably doesnt matter but hed be something like the guy closest to the wall)

The room looks to have been an armory once, there are a few polearms standing near the door in a barrel. A handful of black in the darkness curved shaped, missing a bowstring also line the walls. A handful have been taken

Joshua throws his rifle over his back after seeing the empty armory, and walks over to the polearms. He takes one out, examining the quality of the craftsmanship and the amount of rust on it. (edited)

There is a small switch near the pommel spike, with an on/off lettering scrawled on it

Joshua runs a hand along the polearm before reaching it out in front of his body, parallel to the ground. He flicks the switch into the on position to see what it does.

The blade is sheened in a blue proton field, buzzing angrily as dust on the blade is baked away. It casts a pale blue glow many times brighter than the glowbug you were using,

"Okay, this is pretty cool." Joshua slowly flourishes it around, trying to get used to the weight and balance of the weapon. He takes a few swings with it before strapping it to his back. He then heads over to the barrel of polearms and checks to see if they are all this same type of weapon.

There are slight differences in blade style, some favoring a hooked blade rather than a leaf bladed tip for stabbing. There is one that looks little more than a warhammer with a blade attached to the back.

8:23 AM

overall, the function appears the same

(Would he be able to haul them all?)

(you'd have to toss them into your flyer when youre ready to go, or now before continuing, they'd be impractical to carry around all together)

(Ok)

9:09 AM

Joshua sends a command to the atmo to land near the castle, where it still can take off safely. He then grabs the rest of the polearms and heads out to the landing zone for the atmo.

The ramp opens, sensing you are close and you find a place in one of the under-deck storage compartments where the polearms fit. It is a tight squeeze but it does not look like they will fall into anything important if the craft is jostled

Joshua double checks the safety of the atmo before swapping out the polearm he had on his back for the warhammer/blade combo weapon.

9:30 AM

(Were there also some bows on the wall?)

(yeah there was, missing bowstrings, or maybe never having them, not sure which yet)

Joshua heads back to the tower the same way as before. When he's back, he pulls one of the bows off the wall and looks it over carefully.

There is a slot for a type A cell where an arrow would normally be nocked. It is currently empty. You locate another toggle switch similar to the polearms on the upper part of the recurve, facing you

Joshua pulls out an A Cell and pops it into the slot. He holds it out with his elbow at a bend and turns it on.

The bow hums in your hand, almost pleasantly, and a glowing energetic bowstring forms, connecting a small transitor at the top and bottom of the recurve

"Hmm... So they advanced to the point of using energy weapons, and obviously they had the psychic academy. So why did they create energy weapons shaped like bows and halberds?" he wonders out loud to himself as he looks over the bow. He turns the bow off and straps and grabs several more of the bows and begins his way back to the atmo again, looking to stash the bows onboard.

THese likewise fit (10 bows, 5 polearms) in a compartment, and you see they are each constructed relatively the same. There are some slight differences in decoration, and some have been scaled up and down for taller or shorter men to fire comfortably, but otherwise, there are no truly mechanically changing differences in them

Joshua seals up the weapons compartments and locks up the atmoflyer, and sends it instructions to continue following its previous orders. He then returns to the keep, to where he was when he spotted the armory, continuing his search for more stairs to take him further down the castle.

There are stairs leading down into the ground level, where you see dozens of shadowy paintings on the wall, along with a few chests, all piled near the main draw-gate

8:34 PM

it seems the cargo was abandoned in haste to get away

Joshua looks over the paintings as he heads down the stairs. When he reaches the ground floor and sees the chests, he heads over to one and tries to open it to look over the contents.

There are dozens of scrolls inside. A few have gone to dust, forming a smelly paste at the bottom of the chest, but some of them look to be intact and like they could be opened by breaking the wax seals

Joshua picks up one of the scrolls at random and attempts to carefully break the seal.

There is a half legible list of the Olar code of chivalry for the knights of the black crown. 1) No enemy shall be slain by the cowardly use of firearms. All men are gods unto themselves, and will be killed in such a way as honor demands. 2) Protect the weak, and those who cannot aid themselves 3) 20% of all battlefield plunder must be given to those without means 4) Honor surrenders when possible and treat those taken into captivity with compassion 5) Honor thy war harness and weapons, for they were made by hands more valued than your own

7:19 AM

the rest of the text has run with wet ink and the passage of time, and is illegible

Joshua gets a fairly impressed look on his face reading through what's still legible. He tries to roll it up carefully and put it into his backpack. Then he grabs another scroll and tries to break the seal carefully again.

This one is a manual for the proper care of a proton blade, though it says nothing about its manufacture. The blades seem power hungry and tempremental.

"Hmm, I wonder if that's what I found in the armory..." he wonders aloud. He pulls out his compad and marks this as a point of interest in the castle for him to return to later in order to load up the rest of the chests. He then goes back to the paintings and looks them over, checking to see if they hide anything behind them, or if they might hide a false wall.

The last painting, taken off the wall, has a door behind it, one that blends in well with the surrounding stonework. The entire wall would slide away , painting attached when the door lever is engaged

(Have I seen a lever yet?)

(There would be one on the wall)

Joshua returns the painting to the wall and walks over to the lever. He pulls the lever and watches the door as it opens.

the bricks in the wall begin to shift and rearrange themselves, and a small door opens into what appears to be some sort of radio or communications room. Flat panel computers line the walls on three sides, much at odds with the otherwise somewhat austere surroundings.

8:24 PM

The panels begin glowing blue as they light up, sensing an occupant in the room

Joshua walks around the room for a few minutes, looking over the comms room, trying to get a feel for what these people had going on. He pulls a chair up to one of the panels and checks to see if they had any sort of encryption going on with these computers.

There is no encryption , or at least if there is you are sitting at one of the end points of communications, and it would be decrypted before feeding into the main computers.

9:30 AM

(You can ask questions of the database)

9:30 AM

(I think it’s easier that way than me drowning you in a bathtub of random lore )

1

"Why did the rulers of this plsce hide this communications room so well?"

The communications room was hidden because it seems they were spying on the psychic academy here

"What information did they seek to discover about the psychic academy, and what did they actually find?"

They caught rumor of the ritual taking place here, and elsewhere to contact what you now know is the screambeast, and were trying to determine who was involved, what other planets and their academies may be doing similar, and what the end result of this contact might be

"Download any weapon construction information located on your database."

There is a red BLOCKED message that appears when you try to download the information

Joshua tries to hack the database to manually unblock the weapons information and anything else behind the firewall.

The weapons information remains sequestered, but you confirm the blades are an energized proton field layered over a steel blade, powered with your typical class A cell. How the field is projected, and how it is able to remain so tightly bonded with the metal are technical details that are not forthcoming

"Hmm, I'll have to bring some of these to our lab guys. Those notes said these were made by artisans of a sort, so I bet their creation is more of an art that was passed from father to son, friend to friend, guild member to guild member." He sits back and ponders for a second before typing in another question. "What is the name of this place?" along with a request for any map schematics of the keep and surrounding town.

+Attention: Joshua Collins +
As you have likely read, I have decided to join Greystar. I wanted to thank you for your friendship and assistance in our dealings. I know that Trivedi will have a continued presence on Acastus and our paths may yet cross.

All the best,

Svenka

The schematics are transferred over and show that a phase III with town walls, defensive towers, and more underground infrastructure was planned, but never completed. This place was named Whiterook

"They were still advancing in some ways. Maybe I can use these plans to help those people out, and maybe make a town for new people to live in..." He sits back in the chair again, about to leave when he asks one more set of questions: "Who ruled this place, and where did they flee to before the Scream happened?"

The Knights of the Black Crown claimed this freehold and vowed to protect the people within. When the scream hit, they were out in town trying to get everyone into the surrounding coutryside

6:22 PM

there is no evidence of a fastness out there, it seems they merely thought the isolation might be their saving grace

Joshua shakes his head in sadness. "It was a foolish hope, I knew it, but still a hope... These Black Crown Knights seem to have been a righteous and honorable group though. If I find any remnants out here, I'll have to see if they'll join the UNW." He stands up from the seat and leaves the comms room, pulling the lever to close the door once again. He sends a command to the atmo to land somewhat close, in a hope to carry the chests to it. He then goes over and tries to pick one of them up.

It is light enough for you to handle on your own, though its size requires both hands to move it. Dragging it outside has you sweating and panting.

Joshua let's it down for a moment to catch his breath. He takes a deep breath, and exhales as he grabs it again and continues bringing it to the atmo.

(are you grabbing them all? or just the one?)

(If the atmo can fit them, I'd grab them all)

The atmo can fit them all, and they're piled aboard, a treasure trove of lore for you to devour at your own leisure

9:03 AM

with the communications database tapped, the signal finally fades, safeguarding your findings from any others who might get inquisitive

Joshua plops down in a chair, exhausted from carrying the chests to the atmo. Realizing he wasn't paying attention to the time, he looks to see where the sun is in the sky as well as checks his compad for any sort of localized time.

It is close to 730 at night here now, and you see very distant smoke clouds from cook fires in the former entropy zone from here, the night being crystal clear. It looks like life is returning to normal for at least some of the people here

"Hmm, I should settle down for the night. Won't be much good exploring if I'm too tired to keep my eyes open." He sends a message to the Lawrence with his coordinates and a request to meet him in atmosphere to take the atmo up.

The lawrence is in atmo, wreathed in flame only for a few seconds as the atmo deftly slips inside the deployment hangar. With a grind of metal shutters closing behind you, hangar lights click on, and you feel the powerful engines firing at their full burn, dragging the dart like scout craft out of the atmosphere.

Joshua spends some time offloading the chests into the cargo bay for safekeeping as well as to lighten the atmo for the next day. When he finishes with that, he heads to the kitchen and cooks up a frozen chicken pot pie, a baked potato, and a couple bottles of water. He scarfs it all down quickly, not having realized how hungry was from all the work of the day. He finishes one of the waters and tosses it in a recycler and washes his dishes before heading to his quarters to turn in for the night.

Before turning in for the night, Joshua sees a few messages pop up from Svenka. He reads them, saddened that she's leaving the UNW, but happy that she'll be doing what she thinks best. He her a reply as he sits onto the bed.

You fall asleep to dreams of your Taros friend and hopes that she is doing better with the combine and their murky business. Morning dawns to severe weather on the planet below. Large thunderstorm fronts bringing the customary spring rains soak the landscape with the first large storm of the season

"Hopefully they can begin farming with the rain coming. Gonna need to be cautious bringing the atmoflyer in through this crap though..." he thinks to himself. He stretches as he stands and throws on a fresh pair of clothes. He pulls out his compad and looks over the Olarian Map, and decides to check out the POI about 600km west of Whiterook. He throws on a headset and calls out the the pilots "Theres a place west of where I was yesterday I want to check out. Is there any way you guys can drop me in that general area in a way that I can avoid the brunt of hte storm?"

"It'll be a half day hike if you're planning to land behind the stormfront. weather should clear by time you make your way to the target site. What do you think?'

"I think that's best. I can have the atmo meet me there after it clears up. Plus, most of my hiking lately has been on Miriam, this might be a pleasant change of pace."

“Might be. You’ll miss the weather. It’ll be muddy but it’s better than the sky pissing on you. Should we prep your bird?”

"Yeah, let's get her prepped. After we get this and a few other points investigated, I can figure out where to set up shop and by next month, we should be up and running." Joshua goes to try and help them prepare the atmo for flight.

They get the work done quickly with your help and the last of the power lines are safely disconnected. Supplies are loaded for a few days journey, just in case, and the atmo is prepped for launch

"Thanks for the help, guys. Hopefully this doesn't take too long, but I'll keep you in the loop." Joshua gives them all a nod as he loads into the atmo and loads in the coordinates they had given him to send it down to to best avoid the storm. He waits for the dock doors to open before finalizing the LZ.

You arrive after a somewhat turbulent atmospheric descent, to a forestland freshly swept by rain. Leaves heavy with drops, and dew bend in the light breeze, as the tail end of the stormfront moves away. Birds and smaller beasts have emerged from their nests and warrens, beginning to chirp and squeak again

"Humanity here got fairly decimated, but it's nice to see some animals survived it." Joshua smiles, looking at the life coming out after the storm, before checking what supplies were loaded up in the bird.

(its essentially got the locker fitting for right now, so you've got anything you might need)

(All right, sounds good)

Joshua pulls 3 days rations, to be safe, a survival kit, and 5 glow bugs, and stashes them in his backpack. He hops out of the atmo and locks it up, and pulls up the map and coordinates himself towards the POI. He gives it instructions to begin its way there, and circle 1 mile away from the area until he arrives close enough to scope the spot out, to prevent any unnecessary friction with anyone who might live there. He then starts his hike towards the unexplored region. (edited)

12:23 PM

(I'm not sure how far I am right now, so 1.5 miles might be a good chunk of the journey, or it might still be a decent ways away)

(its a good chunk of your trip_

(All right, instead I'll have it fly a basic circle around the area about a mile out until I get closer so I can figure out what to do with it)

12:40 PM

(As long as thats a basic enough command for it to follow)

(it can follow yeah)

(All right yeah, I'll have it do that, edited post before) (edited)

You begin hiking hrough the woods as the forest comes back to life, the ruins ahead beginning to reveal themselves in broken metal spars poking through the treetops. It looks like a radio station or some kind of transmitted used to be here, the skeletal ruined powerlines stretching to central point along the route of your hike

"Interesting... This could be a decent starting point for our headquarters." he says as he gets closer to the station. He stops for a moment to take in the forest and the life it holds. He takes a big whiff of the air, enjoying the smell of freshly fallen rain, before continuing on toward the station.

A ruined communications bunker in a forest of tall, broken backed antenna stands in a forest clearing, downed wires are everywhere, and the trees closest to it are blackened with years passed fire. It was evidently short, for none of the trees look to have been actually felled by it, merely kissed by flame

Joshua looks for an opening for The Ascent to land in, and when he sees one, he sends an order for it to land in that area. He then looks around the comms bunker for a door or way inside.

(it would have to get pretty close to the ruins here, like within 10-15m or so, if thats still within the realm of what you're willing to do)

(Ooh, nah that's too close. I'll keep her in the air)

(yeah this is a small forest clearing purpose made to have a little footprint and sort of disguise this place a bit)

(Yeah that makes sense now, especially rereading your descriptions earlier.) (edited)

The bunker itself probably had a door once, but it is gone now, buried beneath rubble and the bunkers blasted out side. It looks like the explosion went inward, judging by the spill of rubble

7:47 PM

(i gotta update the olar map soon, slowly digging out from the backlog of real life)

(Its all good bud, RL takes precedence over the game. We all know you got important shit going on) (edited)

8:01 PM

Joshua unslings the rifle but holds it loosely, presuming no ones here anymore. He then goes to examine the bunker door to try and determine if it was blown off by a weapon or the Scream.

The blocks are scorched, and with debris spreading inside, you can surmise a shaped charge of somekind was used

"I wonder what's left inside if they went to these lengths to get in..." he thinks as he steps through the door, stepping carefully where the debris isn't when possible. When inside, he looks around the first room, trying to determine what it was used for.

This room was used for defense, protecting an armored hatch to a stairwell leading to an undercroft below. Broken casements show where heavy weapons would have been mounted. If any are left, they're buried beneath the rubble

Joshua walks over to the hatch and tries to pull it open.

It clicks and opens freely and a ladder extends below into a dim chamber. You hear some kind of pump or filter running far away

Joshua puts on his low-light goggles and turns them on, and then slings up his rifle. He tightens his bookbag up and then descends the ladder, while trying to figure out where the pumped water noise is coming from.

The facility rumbles as you descend the ladder. You hear water sloshing through pipes and the distant dragons roar of whatever pumpworks are functioning. The room at the bottom of the ladder is a small concrete anteroom than leads out into an old computer chamber

Joshua hops off the ladder into the anteroom. He looks around, abit concerned about pipes and what functionality they have, before walking into the computer chamber and examining the room.

The computers are off and most have a spill of rust down the front. Some are heaving with condensation, droplets running Down the side as though they’re being rained on

Joshua looks over the ceiling, looking for evidence of leaks from the pipes.

There are several trickles of dark water spilling down onto the panels and terminals. You can see a few have incredible water damage

(Have I seen any doors besides the antechamber and the ladder down?)

(Not yet)

6:32 AM

One of the computers has a bit of power and flickers on as you approach. Only a handful of the keys look to be pressable

"Jesus, this place needed some serious maintenance to stay stable pre-Scream..." Joshua walks over to the computer and tries to get into their system, hoping what's working on the keyboard is enough. (edited)

The keys are labeled YES. NO. And SKIP. It looks like this is some kind of pre employment quiz for the olar amateur radio association

Joshua pushes the yes key to try and start the test.

DO YOU THINK YOU COULD NOW OR IN THE FUTURE PUT YOUR LIFE AT RISK TO DEFEND COMPANY ASSETS?

Joshua pushes the Yes button, thinking "What were they doing out here to warrant possibly dying..."

DO YOU HAVE A FAMILY OR OTHER CLOSE ASSOCIATES THAT MAY GROW CONCERNED AT AN EXTENDED ABSENCE DURING EMPLOYMENT

He taps the No button.

There is another pleasing tone from the machine. A small pip on the bottom shows just a few more questions

8:54 PM

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN ARRESTED OR CHARGED WITH A CRIME FOR DIVERGENT POLITICAL BELIEFS?

Joshua looks at the screen a bit oddly before pushing the No button.

You feel a slight electrical shock at pressing what the machine determines is the wrong answer (1 damage) HAVE YOU CONSIDERED YOURSELF A LEADER?

He jumps a bit at the shock before regaining his composure. He reads the question and thinks on it for a second before pressing the Yes button.

There is a very loud trumpet fanfare and a secret door opens at the back of the room. A small ID card prints showing your confused face as a portrait with an employee ID, the numbers long since meaningless

4:35 PM

The logo is for the OLAR FREE AIRWAVES SYNDICATE

Joshua grabs the ID, a tad upset at the picture it used, before getting over it and stuffing it into a pocket. He then walks into the doorway of the secret room and peers in to get a better look at what they were hiding.

There is a large room full of the same radio and imaging equipment like what you’d found in the castle buried away back here. The systems in here look dry and you see the access hatch for the pumps you heard in the back corner of the room

Joshua quickly walks over to the access hatch and tries to lift it up, wondering what he'll see on the other side as he hurries over.

The pumps below are laboring at the bottom of a 10 foot drop, trying to clear the ever filling room. It looks like some sort of well or contingency freshwater source leeching off groundwater, or some kind of underground stream given the volume, was tapped into here, but the hands doing so were unskilled - and it was easier to continually pump water out, than try to use masonry skills to repair whatever swing of the pick struck water

"Well shit. Whoever did this did a pretty shit job, but I'm pretty sure they've done a better job than I could do..." Joshua climbs down the ladder to try and find if theres a main leak that he could attempt to patch.

You make it to the bottom of the ladder and are knee deep in very cold water. It bubbles in from a large crack at the end of the 50m access tunnel,

Joshua scratches his head and looks around for materials he could use to patch the hole. "I'm completely out of my depth here, but I feel like this place is valuable enough to be worth saving..." he thinks as he looks around. (edited)

There is not anything down here but there was plenty of rubble and scrap on the surface level from the breaching explosion, you remember

Joshua climbs back up the ladder to the data center room. He walks back to the anteroom and up the ladder, up to the surface. There, he begins filling his bag with the scrap and rubble he thinks will help him patch the hole best.

You manage to fill the bag with as much as it looks like it can carry, careful to discard anything that looks sharp or like it might easily puncture the container. It looks like it will be at least somewhat receptive to a welding torch

(Is there a welding torch as part of the metatool?)

(Not as part of the metatool but you’ve got an atmoflyer and a ship with a kicker

9:42 PM

Locker

Joshua sends a command for the atmo to find a large field to land in and transmit its location to him.

The ponderous shadow of the atmoflyer cuts by overhead and it sets down, its form taking up a good section of the immediate area

Joshua hikes over to where the atmo is, being careful not to trip and either have the scrap rip his bag or stab him.

(Or did it end up landing right in front of the comms station?)

(close enough to where it wont make a difference)

7:28 PM

The flyer sets down, the ramp opening as your approach is sensed, allowing you access inside

Joshua climbs up the ramp of The Ascent and heads for the tool rack. He digs around for a few minutes before finding the welding torch. He puts everything back where it was before closing up the ramp. He locks the doors up and heads back in the comms station. He climbs down to the anteroom, goes into the comms room and looks down the ladder opening to see how much more the room has filled.

The room is a few feet deeper in depth than you’ve been there last, the water is coming in at a decent rate

Joshua quickly climbs down the ladder, careful to keep his bag and the torch out of the water. He pushes his way thru the water to the main hole and looks it over, before grabbing some rubble and scrap and starting to try and close it up.

(Fix/int)

(6)

(Can I use my reroll token?)

(you sure can)

(2 on reroll

)

(WE'll keep the 6)

7:19 PM

Working feverishly to patch the breach before more water can come in and prevent it from sealing properly, Joshua is able to get something in place to keep more water from coming in. The pumps are running feverishly, finally now able to get a true lead over the trickling current

"Well I'll be damned, this looks like it should hold the water back enough for the pumps to do their job." He looks over the job as best he can. "It's not a great patch job, but hopefully this will keep the rest water-free." He climbs back up the ladder carefully into the computer room. He dries his hands off to try and not fry what electronics work up here and sits at a working terminal and tries to log in.

As an employee, you find that your login is no longer needed, the terminals still working allowing access with a quick scan of your Id card.

7:13 PM

Documentation and information of the academy here, and some communications with the knights come up almost right away. It seems both groups had a healthy fear of what the psychic cabal on this planet were doing

(So people in the academy didnt agree with the plan to reach out to the beast? Or were they spying on a different group? Sorry, just wanna make sure I understand)

(The knights and these radio guys were spying on the academy. They didnt want the academy to do the ritual)

(Oooh okay that makes sense.)

8:17 PM

Joshua tries to scan the academy's database, looking for any plans they might have had to stop the psychic academy.

There was an armed assault combined with an isolated blackout being planned, for the day after the scream took place. Weapons were being stockpiled and deniable members of both organizations were coming into the area in preparation

He continues searching the database, looking first into locations of their weapons cache as well as their method for executing an isolated blackout of the Academy.

The weapons were to be supplied by the knights, and it appears you;ve already absconded with the items meant to be used for the raid. They had planned to attack at night after cutting power, hoping to quickly overwhelm those few who might be up at the late hour, and handling the rest in their beds before they could awake and bring their talents to battle

"I wonder if theres something special about these weapons that makes them effective against psychics?" he wonders to himself. He looks to see if the Olar Free Airwaves knew of any possible allies the Psychic Academy had.

The academy was a respected institution to the normal common folk who were fairly ignorant of their actual operations. The world government also relied on them heavily, as most pre-scream worlds did

He continues diving into their records, looking for any info on the world government they had attained, as well as where they would have gone in the event of some catastrophe.

They know almost nothing of worldgov's covert activities, as expected when non-agency personnel try to divine the workings of a world's intelligence program. This raid and the suspicion seems to be an off-the-books private investigation, almost a conspiracy sniffed out by these groups

"Hmm, I'll have to look elsewhere if I want to find out more about the World Government and what they were doing. Maybe then I'll be able to use their data to figure more out. " He slips the ID card in one of secured pockets and logs off the computer. Before heading back into the anteroom, he looks down the hole to make sure the water is still draining.

The room looks dry, and you were so engrossed in your work, you almost did not realize that the pumps were off

"Excellent! I'd give myself a C, maybe C+ for that patch job. Maybe we can repair this place and use it as a base after all..." He walks back through the anteroom and climbs the ladder. He walks back outside to The Ascent and looks over the surrounding forest, trying to determine how he'll get it out of the woods.

(3xp, 5000 credits)

1:51 PM

(And it’s a VTOL isn’t it?)

(Atmoflyer, is that the same thing?)

(No gravflyer would be though. Atmo is like an actual jet

(Ah ok. Will I be able to get it out of where it is? And if so, will it be extremely difficult?)

(you'll be able to, it will be difficult, we will need a pilot/int or dex)

Joshua pulls out his compad and takes a picture of the atmoflyer. Then he sends a message to the Lawrence, stating

Got myself in a bit of a sticky situation with the Ascent. I'm going to jog out of this forested area after I lock her up and look for somewhere for you guys to land. I spent some time on the simulator on the Lawrence, but I think this is outside my abilities, at least all alone. Might have to come back later to grab her.

After sending the message, he looks to the sun to see how long he has before it sets.

It looks like you have about three hours left before sunset on this planet.

10:35 AM

(Don’t really know much about the wildlife here. You’re really the only one who’s spent considerable time on planet

Joshua locks up the Ascent to ensure no one can, easily at least, loot the weaponry he has found so far. A bit worried about the time, he still decides to begin the hike back toward where he had landed the atmoflyer, hoping to climb to higher ground and spot a large enough opening for the Lawrence to land at.

12:44 PM

(I'd imagine Joshua wouldn't expect to see much, if any wildlife. Olar got hit fairly hard by the scream and it seems to have wiped out most forms of life, so he'd probably have his guard lowered a bit.)

Joshua hears some woops and calls as the smaller forest animals escaping the disaster awaken and begin their routines.

7:20 PM

(never hit enter, i am so sorry)

7:21 PM

the lawrence sets down in a small clearing ahead, and is able to recover the atmofighter and stow it away safely with some skilled winch work. The tools are packed, and the location of the radio station is marked for later development and construction work

7:21 PM

(6xp, 10000 credits)

(Its all good bud! I'll level up when I'm back at my computer)

(All right, so I've been saving skill points for a few levels, so I'm gonna bump my Intelligence from 14 -> 18, and then im going to save back the 3 skill points for non-combat skills for next level up)

Joshua thanks the crew as he sees the door to the Lawrence open, giving everyone he sees a hearty handshake. He gives them the GPS coordinates of the Ascent and grabs a seat on the Lawrence as they begin winching it in. He thanks the crew again when they have it loaded in, saying "I called for her to land nearby when I was in the comms station, forgetting that the only 'Nearby' was in the immediate vicinity, surrounded by a damned forest. Pretty foolish on my part, but thank God for you fellas, cause I couldn't have gotten her out. There's a couple more places on-planet I want to look over, but that'll have to wait for tomorrow." *He puts on a headset and calls to the pilots "When we have the crew back on board and everything situated, can we bring the Lawrence back into orbit for the night?"

“We can. High orbit in thirty five minutes and we will collect ourselves. We did a deep space scan before coming down and it looked like we were alone”

"Good. With all this fleshshaper shit I keep hearing about, we can't be too safe. At this point, if Olar is attacked like Tsatsos and those other planets, there's nothing much we could do except try and save as many people as we can, so let's hope for good luck."

"Won't fit many aboard the Lawrence. Evacuations to more heavily defended worlds aren't out of the question though. Perhaps the meeting this month"

Joshua nods understandingly. "True, and I will need to bring it up ASAP. With how far we are from the core of the UNW though, it could take time for help to reach here..." He trails off in thought for a second before snapping back. "Well, as it is, we appear to be clear of any threats. When we're back in orbit, I'll hop on the scanners for a bit and check out Galactic North for a bit, just to be safe."

The loading process and stowing for the plane completes abs you’re back in orbit slightly ahead of the projected time. The crew waits for a new course or decision

Joshua sits himself in front of the scanner module and taps on the headset. "Okay crew, so I found a potential spot for our Olar Headquarters. The radio station would need some work and TLC from a skilled crew, and we would probably need to clear out a section of the forest to allow easy take-off and landings, but it has a solid security set up still hanging about, waiting for someone to take advantage of it. There are still a few more locales I want to look into before I decide on it for sure, and I'll need a rest before I go exploring further." He then switches over to the pilot comm frequency. "I'm gonna sit on the deep scanner for a little while before I rest, as I want to double check its calibrations are in line with whats expected. Meanwhile, I figure our best course is to run a simple orbit around the planet while I'm calibrating as well as sleeping. Of course, you're at the helm, so if anything unexpected happens, use your best judgement, I'll let you know of any suggestions I have in such a case."

(So are you trying to scan the local area in space ?)

(Yeah, I know they said they did but hes usually pretty cautious)

(Sure. Let’s get a program/int for good measure then bud)

(16

)

1

A deep space scan shows you are truly alone in the void here. The only emissions trails detected are your own from system entry days ago

Joshua smiles at the lack of intruders in Olar space, and runs his eyes tiredly. He pulls out his compad and looks through the UNW news articles of note of the last few weeks before retiring to his quarters for a hopefully good night's sleep.

(I know you said you had another site or two you wanted to investigate)

(Yeah theres a site like 6 hexes north of the comm station I wanted to go to next) (edited)

Ther orbital scans of the area show it to be some type of airfield with two hangars, a control tower and a long runway that nature is beginning to reclaim

9:03 PM

Far from an industrial or main airport this looks like it might have been used for sportsmen or amateurs. The site seems relatively intact from orbit

Joshua calls over the headset "I'm going to take the atmo down to that airfield and check it out. Getting out of this one shouldn't need a winching!" he says with a chuckle. He grabs his bag and the rest of his equipment and hops on the flyer. He punches in the coordinates, and while waiting for the bay doors to open, gives his rifle a once-over, checking it for any wear or damage.

Everything looks in good repair right now, but by the end of the trip you can tell its going to need some TLC from Pops, or one of the other qualified technicians. The extended tour has been fruitful, but adventuring is hard on gear, and the people doing it. The airfield runway is bumpy and uneven, though thankfully not cratered as you get additional scanning data.

"She's held up well so far, and done me a lot of good. I'll find someone well qualified to give her the love she need to get back into fighting shape..." he thinks as he finalizes the flight course. He initiates takeoff after stashing his rifle and allows the Ghost Driver to handle the flight to the airfield and initial descent, but takes control of the Ascent to try and ensure a safe landing.

(Let’s get a Pilot dex or int for this one. Your choice on attribute. But the runway is shit)

(I'll do Pilot/Int)

12:56 PM

(9)

The Ascent wobbles on landing and at one point near the end of the runway the nose bucks up violently as it runs over a hidden pothole, but you're able to keep it under control, bringing it to a controlled landing at the end of the taxiway. An integrity warning for the nose strut appears on the diagnostics screen, but it should hold if nothing is disturbed or jostled like that again on takeoff

"Son of a bitch... I knew it was rough down here, but damn." He looks over the self-diagnostics, taking mental notes for the Lawrence crew on what shows up damaged. He grabs his rifle and the halberd he retrieved from the castle along with his backpack. He hops out of the Ascent and locks it up for good measure, and then looks to see how far the hangars and control tower are from where he is.

The hangars are 50m from you and the tower is at the left of them, 150m away. The area looks deserted though in better repair than you’d expect given the state of some of these other ruins. There are no signs of recent visitors

Joshua straps the halberd to his back along with his backpack, and keeps his rifle in his hands, loosely. He then makes the short walk over to the nearer hangar and looks for a way inside.

There are the main doors which are currently closed, and then a side service door on the right side of the hangar where people can enter and exit without exposing the entire inside to the conditions

Joshua leaves the main doors closed to keep anything inside unexposed and continues on to the side doors. He checks the handle to see if it's locked while looking over the door.

The handle isn’t locked but it does stick, and you see scratch marks on the strike plate. Someone had tried to force their way in at one point.

6:14 AM

You can’t be sure if they actually went in or gave up

Joshua looks over the marks and the scratch plate for a moment, before turning the handle and forcing the door to open.

(Just a heads up, I'm doing some flying and a ton of driving for work overthe next 2 days, so I might not reply till Friday or late Thurs)

The handle opens gently, and the door swings in. The hangar looks to have been mostly ransacked with tools and supplies scattered everywhere. A small biplane, with two seats, looks to be in a state of either semi repair, or semi disrepair depending on what the intruder was trying to do. It has pilons under its canvas and wood wings, each with a mysterious cannister attached to it, ovular in shape, and tapered toward the front

Joshua walks over to the pylons and to the weird canisters. He looks over the canisters and checks to see if they are easily removable.

They look easily removable with simple tools, a feature of their manufacture rather than an after market modification

Joshua digs the multitool out of his backpack. He looks through the different tools before deciding on one that looks like it will do the least damage to the canister. He sets his bag down and gets to working on popping out a cannister.

(Fix/int, as this is oddly specialist equipment)

(9)

the tank on the left wing slides off its mountain rail handily, and you notice several aerosolizing nozzles cleverly worked into the bottom and sides of the container. there is a cap on the top, close to the rounded front, that has labels warning of pressure, and that eye and hand protection are required when opening

Joshua turns the canister over in his hands, looking it over. Thinking on what history of Olar he knows, he opts to leave the cap on and study it later in a lab of sorts. He holds it in both hands with his backpack and rifle slung on his back and makes his way to the flyer to find somewhere in it to stow it away. (edited)

(These are big. They’re modified drop fuel tanks that have been turned into some kind of sprayer)

(Ah ok I was imagining more thermos sized but that makes more sense. I'll edit my post)

3:55 PM

(Edited)

There is a small cargo compartment on the bottom of the thin skinned hull but your gear fits in it comfortably with a bit of extra space

(Would I have room for the other one on the plane?) (edited)

(No it’s a pretty good size)

(Alright)

10:24 AM

Joshua closes the compartment and locks it up before leaving the atmo and locking it up as well. Knowing he can't fit the other canister in the plane, he makes his way to the other hangar to check out the inside.

The other hangar is likewise tampered with but in this hangar there are two planes of similar manufacture. both planes look to have rails fitted for the same drop tanks but they have not been fitted at the time the project was abandoned

"Maybe I'll look into this later. For now, the comms tower." He closes the door back up and fast walks his way over to the comms tower, looking for a way inside.

The tower door does not look to have been opened but the door is heavily scratched and dented. Someone had clearly tried to get in and given up

Joshua looks the door over, looking for a weak spot in the frame as well as a spot up above where he could shoot the grapnel launcher at.

There are dozens of weather and communication veins hanging off the superstructure like quills that you can get a grapple on. The frame is weak by the door lock and strike plate. The job was almost done

Joshua puts his bag and rifle on the ground, leaning against the comms tower. He takes a couple steps back and runs at the door and tries to front kick right by the strike plate.

(We can do either an unarmed attack or exert with strength depending on what you’re thinking might go better)

(Exert/strength I think is best. My unarmed is -1 so that'll go slightly worse lol)

4:57 PM

(5)

You hear a wet snap, followed by a louder thump as your leg hits the door poorly, and cracks. The door itself fares just as bad and falls inside the control tower; folded in on jt self

(He just broke his leg right?]

1

)sure did (

(Big oof lol)

1

Joshua collapses onto the ground, clutching his broken. "FUCKING FUCK! Son of a god damned bitch!" He continues yelling for a few minutes, intermittent with biting down on his lip to the point of nearly biting it off to try and null the pain. He writhes on the ground, trying to get control himself. He starts taking some deep breaths, trying to slow his heart rate. He puts his hands on his head to try and help, and tries clearing his mind. He comes up with a quick message for the Lawrence and her crew for the Loremaster to send.

In need of assistance, leg broken attempting to kick open door. Located at Comms Tower door of Olar airfield. Big time fuckup.

After finishing the message, and with his concentration lost, the pain begins to rear up again as he clutches his leg, hoping for a quick evac.

Message received Captain. Medical team inbound, ETA 30 minutes.

9:07 PM

You feel a dense throb in your leg, and it feels like it is burning, though youre fortunate the bone has not gone through the leg

"URRGH" Joshua groans out as he receives the message. Laying there, he thinks of the grapnel launcher, and how he could have avoided this whole shitty situation. *"Fuck... from now on, I'm doing shit the smart way. I'm definitely not Mr. Macho-Tough-Guy..."

You lay there in the shade of the comm tower your leg a throbbing mess, as a shadow passes over you. The Ascent, returned to orbit with its ghost driver as you were in pain, has returned along with a medical team from the ship. They jump from the ramp before it even completely touches down, sprinting over to your position

Joshus shouts "Urghh... Thank God! I broke my leg kicking in that damn door..." He gestures toward the now fallen door. "I guess a near-dead planet is better than some places to break a leg on, eh?" His head begins to feel like its spinning as he lies on the ground, watching them quickly close the gap.

They are methodical about their work, moving quickly to set the break and give you some strong painkillers. “We should get you back to Gudrun or you might be down for weeks. One of the psychics could heal you right up and set this”

12:38 PM

“It’s either that or a boot for eight weeks”

"Oof, let's go to Gudrun. We can return later, when I'm healed." Joshua looks at his leg then back at the crew and says exasperatedly "I'm a fucking idiot..."

“Rule of cool boss. Just be glad you had us on standby” they say as they bundle you on a stretcher back aboard the ascent. “We have an engineer. He’s going to secure the tower so no one takes advantage of your sacrifice of the body”

2

"I'm beyond glad. You guys have gotten me out of my own dumb mistakes twice now on Olar. I owe you all a huge thanks." "And thank you for that. I don't know who or what lives near here, but if there's anything sensitive inside, it's best to keep that under wraps best we can."

You’re transferred to the Medbay aboard the Lawrence and given a shot of something that makes your blood feel cold and sluggish. “We will@keep things quiet until such time as we can come back. It seems a great deal about the planet has been learned. Sometjing was going on before the scream here

"Indeed. The scream turned Olar into a bit of a backwater world, but I think looking further into her will tell us more about the Scream, whatever caused it, and maybe even answer some questions we didn't know we had..." He stares off at nothing in particular, his eyes beginning to feel a bit heavier. He considers asking what they gave him, but knowing nearly nothing medical, decides not. "I think we might all deserve a short vacation when we arrive back to Gudrun. There's so much to do, but if I don't stop to smell the roses for a minute, I'll end up dead, or worse, I'll get you guys killed."

9:22 PM

(I dunno if I'm a bit behind in time of current time, but if I am, I figure that's a segue to catch up?)

(Yeah it’s not super bad but I don’t think anything is lost by doing it. The story you’re slowly uncovering there is basically Olar worldgov was aware the academy was doing something shady in the months leading up to the scream and had been moving deniable assets into place to try to stop it. They acted too late or not at all, as you’ve seen)

(Yeah, and I think Joshua would want to try and find the new defunct worldgov and see why they didn't act, how they survived, and such. And I figure after the last few missions, the crew and Josh deserve a break, if not for the physical strains for the mental/psychological strains he and they have been through.)

(For sure. It’s been a long deployment)

8:27 AM

(6xp, 10,000 credits)

"Tell the crew we'll be taking a week of leave, paid of course, upon return to Gudrun. We will reconvene here at the Lawrence, and I'll by then have a plan for our next outing. Any objections or suggestions?"

Everyone is eager to begin a rest and Dr. Siegfried at UNW central hospital is alerted thst you’ll be arriving. He is the premier bioscopic in service and is expecting to be able to restore the limb without serious downtime

Joshua spends the majority of the trip back to Gudrun either sleeping or finishing his study of the Slyth language.

9:37 AM

(Was at 27/30 before, so that should wrap it up for Slyth)

(Sure will)

12:37 PM

(Now you know it)

12:40 PM

The crew is eager to split off to their own duties and families. The Olar deployment was informative but long and Gudrun is a welcome sight

12:40 PM

(I have to update the planet map )

1

With his leg booted and a bit of rest, Joshua finds some crutches and hobbles his way off of the Lawrence. He pulls out his compad from his jacket pocket, looks up how far Central Hospital is away, and begins crutching his way that way, being careful not to bump into anyone as well as avoiding anything slippery.

You're stopped on the tarmac as a small vehicle in the white and red livelry of the medical service rolls up, the paramedics looking grim faced but otherwise not panicked, as you're already stable. "Mr. Collins, of Trivedi Technologies? We're to take you to central"

Joshua stops his hobbling, saying "Yup, that's me! And, oh really? That's probably a better idea than walking." He nods his head toward his broken leg. "This still hurts like a mother." He crutches to the ambulance door.

"It's going to. You're stable but I can already see it's been set wrong." They begin unfolding a stretcher, to get you comfortable and bundle you into the back of the vehicle.

8:31 PM

"Short drive over, thanks to some good city planning" one says, the light reflecting cheerfully off his glasses. A warm summer wind, the first of many, sweeps across the tarmac

"Shit, I'm glad we came back then. I don't know jack about broken bones, so I figured this pain was normal. Glad to hear its not!" he says with a light chuckle. He tries getting himself on the stretcher before letting the medics help him up. "Summer here's pretty nice, eh? Spent too much time on Miriam, almost forgot there's other seasons."

“It can be. The rains are intense when they happen but if you stay in the city you won’t need to worry much” the driver says as the back is closed and he turns the engine over. “Off-roading in one of those Trivedi Landcruisers with the top down is fun though when you get out to the country”

"Ha ha, that sounds like a ton of fun indeed. I'll have to give it a shot some day!" Joshua lies back on the stretcher, trying to calm his throbbing leg.

It’s a quick drive to central medical with the siren on , not that there is much traffic aside from a handful of privately owned cars and the public transport system. You’re bundled into the hospital through the emergency entrance and placed in one of the more private ward rooms. After ten minutes dr Siegfried enters, looking weary and holding a number of charts under his arm

Joshua props himself up with his arms and looks over Dr. Siegfried. He tries to hide a pained look on his face when he says "Hello, doctor. Name's Joshua Collins, though..." he looks at the pile of charts in his hands "I presume you know that." He pauses for a moment before saying "Looks like Central keeps you pretty damn busy, though I've heard you're the best we have, so I'm sure it's all important work."

“Right now I’m the only bioscopic who’s chosen to remain at the hospital here. Or even remain on Gudrun. But we have a great staff here working with conventional medicine. Saves me for the rest of you” he smiles his most winning smile

"Well, I'm honored to be seen by Gudrun's only bioscopic!" He winces a bit as he shifts his weight a little. "So... the paramedics told me my leg didn't get set right and that I could have lost it if I hadn't returned. Does that mean I won't lose it with your help?"

"I can reset the leg, and encourage the muscle and bone to reknit. The process will be quick, but it will hurt. Youre going to feel it. After I apply my technique, you'll be weak for a day or so while your body begins building itself back up. It's this, or six to eight weeks in a boot. Perhaps more

"I trust you and your process doc. I'll take the short term pain over getting booted any longer. It's hard to get much of anything done out there when you can't walk!" He takes a deep breath to try and psych himself up for the pain. He looks to Siegfried with a nod and says "Ready as I'll ever be..."

There is a wrenching sound and a crack of bone. It feels like your leg is on fire, then plunged into ice, and then this time, a soothing, spreading warmth as the tissue begins to reknit. Siegfried looks a bit drained from the effort but just a look at your leg shows it’s already on the mend. “Psychic succor. At its finest” he grins through pearly white teeth

Joshua lets out a yelp as he feels his leg rebreak. He slams his eyes shut and has a pained look on his face and as the freezing cold feeling rushes over his leg he nearly shudders. He bites down on his lip, trying to ignore the pain and the cold, as the warmth of the healing begins to apparate. Josh takes a deep breath to try and regain some composure, and says "That was... something. That was quite a bit of different pain to feel in such short order... I mean I'm beyond glad to have had you to help me fix my leg, but I didn't know healing could hurt that much!" he says with a weak smile.

“Normally it doesn’t, but we had to undo the prior healing and improper grafting. You’ll be good as new in a day or two. Not going to make you take a vacation but I am recommending one”

"Ha ha, next time I'll make sure to come to you right away then!" He says with a grin. "And good to hear, I told the crew we were going to take a week off. I need to see a couple people on planet, but I can do that in a few days time." He slides to the edge of the table, putting his good leg on the ground. Still using an arm to prop himself up, he slides his other leg down, checking how stable his healing leg is.

the leg is a bit strained, like you;ve been working out for a few hours, but feels as solid as the unbroken one

7:38 PM

It still takes a moment to get your balance

"Ooh yeah... Gonna definitely need to rest my leg. I'd feel a bit foolish collapsing in public because I pushed too hard." He reaches out to shake Dr. Siegfried's hand, saying" Thank you, Doctor. It's much appreciated, and a much better alternative to natural healing." *After shaking the doctor's hand, he slowly makes his way out of the office, stretching out his leg and the fixed bone, trying to shake the healing feeling even though he knows it needs time. He finds an empty bench, pulls out his compad, and requests a taxi pickup. While he waits, he looks around, not very used to this part of Central.

Arimoto Park is in bloom, the spore trees slowly opening their crimson flowers. A trio of statues are being polished showing UNW victories in armed conflict , and a fourth is being raised into place now that the remnant war is truly over. Central admin is not far away, and a dance club belonging to herb Rotterdam is not far either.

9:43 AM

A small casino with security is also allowing the jingle of its cash machines to ring into the street

Joshua looks over at Arimoto Park, enjoying the beauty of it. "I should take a walk through there this week..." He continues looking it over until the sound of the casino overtakes his senses. "Or I could spend some time in the casino. Last gambling I did was on Miriam in that outpost. Maybe both?" He looks up the street, checking if his taxi has arrived.

(Sorry I started back up with school a couple weeks back so life's a bit more hectic)

Your summoning AP shows that there is no lisence plate for this taxi and additionallyC rather than one of the sleek roadsters or more boxy standard passenger cars this one is a utility model. It flashes its lights

in the drivers seat, barely perceptible through the smoky tinted windshield, you see Charles Trivedi, smiling widely, perched behind the wheel. His brother Harry, encased in his robotic shell, is also in the front seat, though you see he's made do without the custom chaingun he normally carries in replacement of a left arm

Joshua checks his compad to see if the Roadster is actually his ride. He gets a bit big eyed when he sees the confirmation, but grabs his bag and walks to it. As opens the door, he looks to the driver and sees Charles' face. He drops his bag on the seat and says "Governor Trivedi! I'm beyond ecstatic to meet you! I didnt know you were back from leave. Does Martin know?" He stops himself from bombarding him with more questions. He clears his throat and says "I'm Joshua Collins, Martin hired me on to help him with Trivedi Tech operations while you were doing your thing." He notices Harry in the passenger seat and says "Pardon me, I didn't see you there! Harry Trivedi, right? Glad to meet you!"

“Pleasures ours” he says “id offer you a hand but I’m afraid I’d crush it” Harry winks. Trivedi himself grins “Martin doesn’t know, but I’m here to talk to you. You’ve been doing an incredible job as the brains behind trivedi industries and that brings me to why I’m here. I want you to take over, both as governor and the full head of my company. Harry, my sister and I have been talking with one another these last months and we believe that we have reached the end of our road. The pelgason republic has offered us a generous opportunity to help develop their own agriculture world and it’s an opportunity to set things right. I can’t do that if I’m also on this side of the tracks, as it we’re

Joshua chuckles, then turns to hear Charles. As Charles continues, his eyes get a bit wider and his jaw slacks open a bit. When Charles has finished, he sits there for a minute, his mind running a mile a minute. "Did he really say hes leaving? He wants me to take over Trivedi Tech?? And his governorship?" "I - I would be honored. But... are you sure? This company is your brainchild, it's helped the UNW become what it is today. Without your spike drives, I would still be sectors away, stuck at home while everything went to shit." He clears his throat before continuing. "I would be more than happy to help maintain Trivedi Tech's legacy. Is there anything I can do in return?"

(After Thanksgiving stuff this week, I should be back to regular posting, sorry neko! Work and personal stuff have just been hectic)

(No problem!)

4:08 PM

“Defend Our Home. Build the UNW strong and ensure all worlds have access to what keeps them connected. We cannot have another fragmenting of the galaxy like we had during the scream

Joshua nods in agreement. "I've been spending time searching nearby planets, looking for any sort of tech to help keep the UNW strong and stop another fragmentation. I found the people on Olar are living a very low-tech lifestyle, and I'm hoping to boost what survivors there are left there to be more on level with what most of the other planets in the UNW have. I'm hoping they will be a strong ally for us, especially with the ever-looming fleshapers..." "I'll gladly take charge of those missions, for the betterment of the UNW and hopefully everyone outside of it." Joshua reaches a hand out to shake, saying "I'd be interested in partnering up, if you want, when you get settled on Pelgason. I'm sure there's plenty of work to be done there, especially considering the work we have ahead of us here."

“Their government is difficult when it comes to dealing with off world. Part of my visit is going there to change that perception but I know it will be difficult work. I can’t promise exclusive trading rights or special contracts but if they’re offering work I can make sure you get first notice at it before others get a chance. It’s the best I can do right now. Their new farming world is going to need a lot of work. I think I’ll be calling you before long

"Makes sense. The delegations the council sent said about as much with working with them. And of course, that would be asking a lot. It would be much appreciated to be able to work with them and establish a good working relationship with them and their people. Hopefully in the future if and when they open up more, they'll allow us to set up shop on planet. But just getting a chance to help you and their people out in the intermediate would be fantastic."

(I'm not sure if you want to time jump to post-battle from here or what you have planned)

(Post battle now. That’s good)

Following the Battle of Halia, Joshua spends a few days unwinding on Gudrun, figuring he should give the crew the days off he promised them, especially after the battle. He spends a good chunk of time by the lake, watching the serene beauty that surrounds him. He eats at a couple of the highly rated restaurants around town. He visits the museum and looks over the history of what has been learned about Gudrun and the other planets encompassing the UNW. While at the museum, he also leaves the curator one of the polearms and one of the bows he found on Olar, as well as non-sensitive information gathered from the chests found on Olar. (Basically anything that tells of Olar's history and the knights, while not risking any confidential information that could hurt the UNW, Olar, or cause riots/etc)

8:18 PM

After four days of well deserved relaxation, he sends a mass message to the crew of the Lawrence to meet at the ship of 1300 hours, with plans of exploring Musheera to the west.

On the ride to the spaceport, Joshua writes up a message for Admiral Rigers via his Loremaster:

Admiral Rigers,

I am writing to you today to request your assistance with a ship design I have been working on. I've planned for it to be a Cruiser-class Logistics ship. Engineering is in no way my strong suit, and after seeing the Vox in battle with the fleshshapers, I know you to be the man for the job. I have enclosed the designs as I have worked them so far. I am willing to pay you quite handsomely if you could make adjustments as needed and ensure that the design as a whole is not riddled with technical problems. I know you're busy running a planet, so I don't expect an immdediate reply. However, if you could let me know if you'll take the job, and if so your asking price, when you have a chance, I would be very appreciative.

Joshua Collins

(@Paxcyan Wilder (Billy))

5:18 PM

(https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1SGBvr9VJt42ZR4GLFhJdjlVOd6pLY9rsu431WQsfKg0/edit?usp=sharing)

Phoenix Fire

Tutorial To start, go to "File" and select "Make a copy" so you have your own personal sheet to edit.,Ship Name,Options,Class,Cost,Power,Mass,Tonnage,Hardpt,Description,Modded? Fate,Hull:,Titan,Capital,70,000,000,115,68,150,000,20,Limit: 1 Each Drive:,Spike-3 +1,Fighter,2,0...

(Did you actually want me to go over it or were you doing this for story purposes? What are your goals with this ship?)

(Story purposes mostly. I want to use it as an exploration vessel mostly, so I want to use it as a home base of sorts for longer term exploration)

(I also wanted to know if you would build it for the reduced mod price/prerech part reduction for whatever your fee is)

(Yeah I don’t think you’re even using pretech parts though in this build are you?)

7:43 PM

(The price is a quarter of the unreduced mod price. We split the savings basically.)

(True I'm not. If I hire you to build it, do I get your fix level for reinforced armor?)

(Yes)

11:59 PM

(So 5)

The Lawrence is assembled and ready , prepared to head to Musheera. A few factions have set down roots in the dense ruin and junk maze of the planet , islands of civilization among endless kilometers of debris

He calls to the crew "Admiral Rigers said we could use the RCOE base to operate out of while we are on Musheera, so I think we should hail them and land there. I then hope to set out from there, in search of lost technologies that we will hopefully be able to replicate." He thinks to himself "Maybe if we could find new hull designs, something the shapers haven't seen yet, we could throw them off long enough to hit them hard..."

Somewhere in the endless junk down below, you hope to find your answer. The RCOE outpost here is a radar array of a dozen or so dishes that have been repaired and now serve as a navigation beacon of sorts. It provides some@much needed orientation as a landmark in an otherwise indistinguishable surface of dense , rolling junk

After the ship has landed, Joshua departs down the walkway to greet their hosts from the RCOE, hoping to also speak to whoever is in charge of the base.

Devnoc, one of the Chief RCOE researchers is here temporarily , his usual ship still stationed at acastus. He was deemed too important to risk. His work on an artifact of the still lady brought magic to Gudrun. He was cursed with a rotting magical illness and though recovered now, he lost his original eyes. They’ve since even replaced with augments that makes him look a bit like a gecko

6:43 PM

(He usually captains their research ship which is I believe designated as R2)

Joshua approaches Devnoc with an outstretched hand, saying "Thank you for having us on your base. We are all very appreciative. I'm Joshua Collins of Trivedi Tech."

“A pleasure, it’s nice to see some new faces in this junk heap. Not often that we get visitors.”

2:13 PM

His eyes click as he blinks, taking all of you in

"Musheera seems a planet thats lush with all sorts of history, of course I'm sure a lot of it is buried in the heaps. Unfortunately with the state of affairs, its hard to afford time for deep diving into something like this. I'm hoping, though, to find something interesting on planet, such as lost technology. Once again, thank you for having us on your base. My crew and I will likely head out in a short while so I can explore before it's too late in the day, but I wanted to meet RCOE's head researcher of Musheera beforehand. And as thanks for having us on your base, we will gladly share what we discover with you."

“I don’t know if you know Billy but I am sure he would be happy knowing you plan to share what you find. It’s hard to find landmarks out there in all that tangle of trash. The slyth developed or built over nearly thE entire planet surface.”

9:43 PM

“Whatever you decide to take a stab at, make sure you’ve got navigation gear”

"I've only worked with him a little, but we've shared a bit of information back and forth. And good looking out, I'll need to check the ship for s NavComp, in case all else fails." Joshua let's the crew meet and greet with the various RCOE crew around the station while he grabs 5 more glowbugs and searches for a NavComp on the Lawrence. (Does the Lawrence have a NavComp on board for me to borrow? And does the RCOE HQ have a beacon of some sort that I could lock onto for directions?)

(Yeah the base does, and the Lawrence has a ship locker so you’d be able to grab one)

Joshua stores the NavComp in his backpack, along with a few more glowbugs. He then grabs a seat and reads over the Musheera report, thin as it is, as he awaits the crews return to the ship. When they've returned, he speaks with the pilots, saying "I was originally planning on taking The Ascent for my journey, but with the wreckages streamed across the planet, I think it might be better to take a ride on the Lawrence in my search. When the crew is settled in, I'd like to begin by searching for a wrecked spaceship, if we can find one. If we can't, which seems pretty plausible with the heaps, then just anything interesting should suffice."

(Give me a 4d100, let’s generate a wreck field)

(77, 69, 82, 43) (Total 271)

A free merchant class vessel likes broken in three pieces, the largest behind the last, among the tangle of an electrical power plant in the north A large sinkhole dominates the west where whatever once stood on the surface has been swallowed up but for a surrounding wall. To the south, a mag rail train station looks to have been bombed out, the engine and cars on their side like a discarded toy. To the east, some sort of anti aircraft post sits, the launcher vehicles rusted out and hardly recognizable due to age and the constant washing of the acidic rain in this area of the planet

7:49 AM

Currently , the weather is clear

"Can we find somewhere safe to land to the north, near the power plant? I'm sure theres something interesting in there."

The ship is able to squeeze into something that looks like it is a pancaked parking structure , using the settled concrete to help protect the ship and keep only s few angles of approach open. #

9:56 PM

The local conditions show day for several more hours though there may be a wire storm this afternoon

Before departing the ship, Josh says to the pilots "I'll do my best to keep an eye on the sky so we can return before it's fully night. However, if this 'wire storm' does head in, I need you guys to get to safety. If there's time to warn me, I'll try and make it back to the ship, but I don't want to endanger your lives because I'm playing archeologist down there."

“We will leave survival gear if it looks like we need to bug out. You should be protected if you’re underground or in some kind of a solid structure

A small info window opens on your loremaster showing the wire storms are powerful windstorms that catch many of the fine metal shards and shavings this much wreckage produces. The wind turns it into a lethal razor storm, and an unarmored man can be cut to the bone in moments walking in it

"Much appreciated. There should be something solid here if the storm does come through here." Joshua grabs his gear and heads off of the Lawrence. He begins heading toward the free merchant-style vessel from the pancaked building, while occassionally looking to the sky for signs of a storm.

You see a growing grey dust cloud far distant to the east. You estimate you’ve got about six hours before it will be here

Joshua pulls out his compad and sets an alarm for 5 hours from now, hoping to give himself time to search as well as find shelter or return to the ship. He then moves quickly over to the ship, looking for a way into or on it.

There are several breaches within the wreckage, and it came down in three parts, relatively close to one another. (anything specific you're looking for inside?)

(I'd like to check if any of the electronic are still working or if theres any data banks I can remove. Otherwise, just a look around and maybe check what they were carrying)

Looking at the wreck you believe the middle engineering section, or the bridge in the bow would be the best place to begin your search

Joshua hurries over to the middle engineering section, looking for either a way to walk on or somewhere to shoot his grapnel hook onto.

There is a broken gantry that is exposed to the sky. It is rusted but looks to be a solid anchor point for a grapnel launcher

Joshua aims the grapnel toward the gantry and fires. When it hooks, he pulls at it hard a few times before he begins his ascent upwards.

The line is taunt but it manages to take your weight , depositing you into the deck space of the middle engineering section. The cavernous space of the dead reactor stands before you, a tangle of pipes and cables fallen from the ceiling like jungle vines

11:27 AM

You can see the reactor was breached but the radiation has bled to a safe level

Joshua slowly approaches the reactor, looking it over while trying to figure out what breached it. He also looks around for any computer that was hooked to it, or a connection port for his compad.

There is a computer that is powered off but there are a number of slots and connectors on the side. You should be able to fashion something that will fit

Joshua pulls out his compad and then looks around for some wires he could try and fashion into a connector between the ship and his compad.

There are a handful of wires hanging in loose trunks from the ceiling. Most of them have frayed ends

10:54 AM

(Your fix is good enough so you won’t need to roll anything

(Nice!)

11:22 AM

Joshua begins splicing the wires best he can, trying to make a stable connection to allow a data pull. When he's satisfied with his wiring job, he connects one end to the computer and then the other end to his compad, excitedly hoping for success.

There is a pop and the smell of burned electronics before the computer lights up

2:20 PM

The screen is a blank sky blue for a long moment before random cascades of slyth lettering appears

2:21 PM

Finally, the processor clicks and you seem to have access to whatever database stores it’s still connected to. There was no password and this must have been a public machine

"First things first...", Joshua thinks as he checks for a ship schematic on the database.

The schematics generate , along with the lengthy damage report from the broken ship. Performance wise it looks to be about the same as a normal UNW free merchant, but you get the impression this variant of vessel was something the slyth had pulled from mothballs.

4:19 PM

Something about the power system Does display as non standard

"Interesting... Defintely worth looking further into." He downloads the ship schematics onto his compad. He then checks for a manifest of the ship, wondering if anything would be left after so long.

The manifest shows power cells were being loaded into the ship , meant for the war front off world, when the loyalists attacked this planet. The ship was struck in the atmosphere and fell back down on failing engines

"Hmm, power cells? Nothing too interesting then." Joshua checks his alarm to see approximately how long he has before the incoming storm. (edited)

There are four hours left before it arrives and the sky looks to be clear until then

Joshua unlinks the compad from the computer, sticks his compad in his jacket, and then climbs down the grapnel line. At the bottom, he unhooks the line and then begins his hike over to the power plant to investigate it.

(He would head for the big square building)

The large building looks like the reactor room@and the radiation counter on your gear begins to click gently the closer you approach. A small warning appears on your loremaster

Joshua reads the warning and checks to see how dangerous the radiation is.

Prolonged exposure, over an hour, will prove a terminal dose of radiation

8:53 PM

A shower with ionized water when the expedition is over is also recommended by your loremaster

"Hmm... I need to take some precautions if I'm going to do this." He pulls out his compad and sets a second alarm, for 40 minutes from now. He then sends a message to the pilot as a secondary resort.

I've found what I was looking for on the nearby crashed free merchant. I'm going to investigate this power plant, see if I can either make it safe for exploration or do a quick sweep of it. There is a radiation leak, and an hours worth of radiation will kill me. So, I have an alarm set for 40 minutes from now, as a reminder to leave. If possible, I would much appreciate a message in about 45 minutes as a secondary reminder that I need to leave. I will most likely return immediately to the ship, so I can get any  and all radiation that will inevitably affect me removed ASAP. I'm sending this message mostly as a precaution, as if I've not returned to the ship in, I'd say, an hour and a half, I failed to leave in time. Whatever happens to me, keep yourself and the crew safe.

With the clock ticking, he looks for a door into the reactor room.

The door is breached and broken, lying bent in half on the ground, and the inside of the building is lit by the ambient sunlight rather than any kind of remaining power You cannot see the actual nuclear core, hidden behind what must be several rooms worth of control stations and radiation shielding but the few computer banks you can see look intact, but inert (edited)

Joshua looks at the already-breached door, thinking of his failed breach of the Olar control tower. He rubs his leg for a second where it broke, before he snaps back. He smiles at the fact that he doesn't have to attempt, and probably fail, another door breach, and then continues inside. He fast walks to the computers, and looks around for wiring that he could use to fashion a temporary power source out of his compad.

2

The same wires are found here and there is a dull hum as one of the terminals clicks on. The low battery warning appears on the compad itself.

"Shit. Gonna need to replace the battery in this soon." He goes to the terminal and checks the status of the reactor and where it's been breached.

Most of the southern wall of the building including the reactor shielding has been torn away by junk falling from space during the battle that turned this world from a beautiful planet wide research and study park to a world of endless junk.

9:39 PM

The reactor was breached , but the locations are too many to name (edited)

"Shit, no way of patching this up. Umm, let me see..." Josh checks to see if the databanks will reveal what was done with the power generated here.

The power was being sent to several factories nearby though their ruins are unidentifiable as such now (they didn’t stand out on the flight over) Below, some of the engineering annexes have awoken due to the power provided by your pad, and some of the machinery is responding. Right now it is just damage reports and radiation warnings , but there are enough intact systems down there to sense and send information

9:44 AM

Your timer has thirty minutes left as you’ve spent some sifting through these archives

(Could I try and shut down the reactor all together?)

(You can try to have it drop the fuel rods yeah, but it won’t instantly stop the background radiation. It’s stuff that’s just been baking into the surround for years now

(Makes sense, but its a good start)

2:24 PM

Joshua attempts to send a command to drop the fuel rods and shut down the reactor, hoping the background radiation will drop with enough time.

You hear a bang and a splash from deep within the building as the rods are released into the chemical sludge that was once a holding tank meant to cool them

8:31 PM

The radiation levels drop but not enough to get you out of the danger zone. The computing system here looks powerful and some of the parts look like they can be easily removed

"I don't know how those are gonna react to the sludge below... Better hurry.* "Joshua begins stripping the system, beginning with what he figures are the most powerful pieces of tech. After removing a few pieces, he checks his compad to see if it's still on and how much time is left if it is.*

You have two pieces of pretech salvage tucked into your bag with ten minutes left on the timer

10:22 AM

The wire storm is keeping to within its projected path and you’ve still got a significant safety net of time there

Josh weighs his options, trying to decide if scrapping more is worth the risk. After a few seconds, he decides against the risk and unplugs the compad from the computer system, slings his bag over his back, and heads out of the reactor room.

(Would it be possible to drop a beacon of sorts so I could come back later?)

(Absolutely. Also your nav computer can mark it too)

11:22 AM

(Sort of like those early 2000’s handheld gps machines)

Joshua pulls out his a nav computer, and sets his current location as a point of interest. He then returns it to his bag and hurries back to the ship.

(3xp 5000 credits and 2 pretech salvage)

(Ok, so I think I missed adding some XP at the end of October, because on 9/30 I hit level 9 and i believe it took me to 75 xp. I got 6 on the end of October, 9 from Halia, and 3 here. I haven't added the 3 here, but I'm at 84 XP. So I think what I did was add Halia but not XP for the Olar expedition.) (So, I think I should be at 93 xp, but I'm not gonna mess with it beyond adding the 3xp from this mission unless you give me the go ahead)

(You can mess with it. I think you are missing some)

(Cool, thank you! That takes me to level 10, so I'll have to figure out what I'm doing there)

(Look at the level 10 and beyond section of the iron stars guide too)

(Ok, I'm going to save my Focus for level 10 for later. I'm gonna think on a custom focus to fit my vision of Josh and ill PM you with idea(s). Otherwise, I'm gonna bump Program to level-4, AB is now maxed at 7, and HP is 53 now.)

(Works for me. Everything else looks good

(

)

8:57 PM

Back on the ship, Joshua speaks to the pilots. "I dropped the fuel rods in the factory over there, so over time, the radiation should decrease to standard levels. I also grabbed some pretech salvage. I'm positive there's more in there, but I didn't want to risk dying over some spare parts. Oh, and I dropped a beacon to make it easier to come back here later."

8:58 PM

(Sorry, didn't know if you wanted to set the scene)

“Good. It’s one more point of reference in all this junk. Doesn’t look like you got a bad dose of rads either. We should be able to make another delve before that wire storm makes us abandon the surface for the night. What do you think?”

"Thats great to hear. My compad started dying in there, and I didn't want to run out of time while messing about. I'm happy to dive back in after getting new batteries in this, along with an ionized shower."

“I’ll have a scanner report up for you when you’re done back there and you can decide where to go next. Should I tell the RCOE station here we are coming back tonight? I’d are we spending it in orbit?”

"Let's return to the RCOE station tonight. I picked up a spaceship blueprint from that free merchant over there. I'd like Devnoc or one of his Engineers to look over it, as all I could tell about it was there was something different about the power output."

(Would it be OK if i bump my know to 0?)

(yes)

9:17 PM

"I'll inform them we're coming back, and ill get some new nav data up"

9:17 PM

(4 d 100's when youre ready)

(Thanks!)

9:55 PM

(and 18, 67, 11, and 2) (98 total)

While you are away, a new map is sent your pad. A group of vertical launch silos for either rockets, or high altitude interceptor craft (aero) sits shell scarred and burned, but the buildings look relatively intact. A ruined barracks sits to the south, armory building the only structure with all four walls upright. A manufacturing plant of unknown purpose is largely together, though overgrown with native plants, one of the few signs of green on the entire junk world to the west, and to the east, ruins of a workers habitation cluster, a mix of bombed out and intact multi level dwellings

Joshua heads to the back and jumps in the ionized shower. A short bit later, he's out and dressed in some fresh clothing. "Can't beat a good shower, sometimes." he thinks as he throws a shirt over his torso. He grabs the rest of his stuff and checks his compad. "Hmm, interesting..." He heads back up to the bridge. "Can you bring us near the plant in the west? I'm curious what the Slyth were producing there, and what's making the plants thrive so well."

The ship banks slightly as it comes in for landing on a crumbling roadway around the front gate. “No power inside. Wire storm in two hours now. This ones going to have to be quick too”

He nods his head, saying "Got it. I'll do a quick sweep, and if anything, I'll drop a Point of Interest in the NavComm for a later investigation." He pops a new battery into his compad, turns it back on. He goes into his alarm list and changes it to an hour and a half from now, then slides his compad back in his jacket. "Same deal as before, if I'm not back in time, you guys keep yourselves safe. The plant looks... reasonably safe from wire storms, so I should be fine." He deplanes with his gear, and looks for a way into the plant.

(removed 1 type A battery from equipment)

It looks like you could walk right in through one of the fallen factory vapor intake stacks. The broken fanged rim juts out through the ground , like the maw of a beast

Joshua unslings his rifle as he looks over the intake stack. "Jesus... This behemoth is just one of the stacks they built here... One factory of hundreds, thousands, God knows how many. The power of the Slyth in their heyday; that would be a sight to behold." He loosely holds the rifle in one hand as he begins walking into the intake stack. Once he's inside he follows the stack, while looking over the remains of the walls for any signs or hints of what lies ahead. (edited)

There is a way onto the factory floor from where the stack fell in , crushing the machines unfortunate enough to be in its path. The factory is huge and overgrown inside. Thick carpets of green creeper vines wind about the broken scientific and industrial equipment so thick in places it is hard to tell what the machines might actually be.

10:02 PM

Small white flowers bloom on some of the vines , giving off a scent that smells like cinnamon. The growth seems to have a source, spreading from an elevator shaft at the far end of the room

Joshua stops for a second at the white flowers, as the smell of cinnamon hits him. "That's... bizarre. Why do these smell like cinnamon?" he thinks. He continues on after a moment, heading towards the elevator shaft, and he hopes towards the source of the greenery.

The elevator car itself is near the bottom and power is not working to call it. You see another set of doors open halfway down the shaft

(Could I use the grapnel hook line to rappel down the shaft?)

(Sure can!)

Joshua attaches the grapnel hook to what looks to be the strongest point by the elevator. Then, he grabs the line begins descending down towards the open set of doors.

You push through the flimsy doors at the bottom of the shaft and into some kind of lab space. Banks of broken glass specimen containers dot the walls, the few intact have withered plants in them that look like black sludge or gray dust

Joshua walks through the lab, glancing at the scattered glass everywhere. He looks at a few of the intact containers, with a concerned look on his face. He's careful not to break anything still intact, still wondering why the plants are growing so wildly. He looks around for a computer or terminal he can access.

There is a terminal tucked away into the corner of the room that your reflected light catches the screen of. It looks intact but dust covered

7:26 AM

(Same thing. Type A to power it up)

Joshua grabs an A battery out of his pocket and pops it into the terminal. While he waits on the terminal to boot up, he checks his alarm on his compad.

The alarm has an hour left of time in this place before you need to make your way out. The computer programming loads , and stands by on a mostly blank screen, awaiting queries

What is the purpose of this building?

This building was looking for ways to rapidly grow food crops for the slyth armies as fewer and fewer of their worlds were able to support farming, due to war and environmental collapse

Were any special, rare, or genetically modified plants grown here?

(So I’ve got two ways to answer this and I think Joshua with more context than we have could narrow it down. I can tell you what they were working on as a whole, or what is viable right now

(I think if he had unlimited time, he would be looking as a whole, but with the time crunch, I think he'd focus on what's still viable)

A cheap, highly productive grain is growing on the floor down below and its fertilizing system is registering as non responsive , the distribution nozzles have been steadily draining the enormous storage tanks under the facility for years now as wires and circuits finally broke down

What growing conditions are ideal for growing the grain? (edited)

The grain prefers rocky , irradiated or otherwise inhospitable ground. It isn’t a guaranteed sprouting but it’s a higher chance than more conventional plants

"Interesting. Pelgason could make good use of this grain." he thinks, as he hops off the computer. He runs to the elevator shaft and looks down, checking if there is a door to the next level down.

There is another door to the next level down and it looks to be standing still, but heavily rusted. Something drips steadily on the other side

(Does a metatool come with a crowbar or something similar?)

(It’s wrist mounted tools, basically a leather man, but a post tech toolkit would)

Joshua grabs the grapnel line and begins ascending to the room he came from. Back at the top, he begins heading out of the facility, back to the ship while sending a message to the crew through his Loremaster:

I've discovered some interesting, hardy grain the Slyth were growing before everything came crashing down on them. I need to pick up a crowbar to access the room where they are located though, so if one could be located ASAP, that would be very beneficial.

They open the ship locker and one is passed down to you by time you emerge from the below ground ruin. “You better step it up!” The master at arms says over the engine noise. “Not long before the wire storm gets here!”

Joshua grabs the crowbar and holds it in his right hand and says "You got it! I'm going to grab what seeds seem viable and rush back up here! Thanks!" He runs as quickly as he can back to the facility and through it to the elevator. He puts it through a loop in his pants and descends down to the rusted over door. There, he tries to find some footing for leverage as he tries to force the door open.

A deluge of seed covers the ground and buried you to your knees as the door is leveled open. You see this is the end result of dozens of years of fruiting plants , each layer of Wiry stalk subsisting on the rotting remains of the generation before, and pollution rich water pouring in from a breached ceiling further in

5:03 PM

The countdown to the storms arrival has you at ten minutes

"Holy shit..." Joshua stares at the seeds and stalks for a second before scooping up a handful of seeds and stuffing them in a pocket. He then takes out his monoblade knife and tries to quickly cut through a stalk of grain

It cuts cleanly through the stalk and the greenish-yellow inside is wet with the type of greenwood you’d expect from new growth. It looks healthy and fibrous

Joshua quickly cuts through a second stalk, and then puts both thru a loop in his pants. He stows his knife in its sheath on his pants and then quickly climbs the grapnel line. He then runs back out of the facility, trying to make it to the ship safely before the death storm arrives. (edited)

The ship pulls out of the storms path seconds before it hits the facility. You hope whatever is inside will endure. “Not bad for a days work. Devnoc says he’s got dinner on for us back there. We should be getting in just before the storm gets there.”

Joshua takes a deep breath as he makes it inside safely. "Indeed! A solid exploration mission with great results. And that sounds great right now! Before we eat, we need to get these stalks replanted and these seeds-" he pulls out a few of the seeds "analyzed. I'd like to see if we can germinate these seeds after their analyzed, assuming they're safe. They're supposedly a hardy grain that can grow in the most inhospitable areas. If it's true, we could send seeds on deep space missions, to planets facing famine, and to our allies in need."

(6xp ,10000 credits)

“Bring it down to the ship lab and get it in soil. I’ll get us in for landing. Devnoc wants to know how you take your steak”

7:38 PM

(Ships got a lab so in lieu of hydroponics that’s can work)

"Very good. Tell him I like a good medium steak." He turns and heads into the lab, looking for someone to speak with about the stalks and seeds.

The lab is empty and you remember the Lawrence has just a skeleton crew for this run, most everyone skilled with a ship back home training the next generation of Trivedi flight crews. You’re able to get them planted without much trouble and placed in a stabilized grow table. The deck tilts gently as the ship comes into its hardened landing hangar, moments ahead of the wire storm

"Too much on my mind... Still, should have remembered the small crew." he thinks as he gets the second stalk planted. He finds a few petri dishes and puts one seed in each, then heads off of the ship. He goes looking for Devnoc, both to share his findings as well as dig into some steak.

The hangar doors shut as a terrific blast of wind judders them. Tunnels connect the various facilities and most of the common areas are under the junk thanks to the build practices followed here. You can navigate without needing to head outside. Heading into the common area, the table has been set elegantly, some of the decorations clearly made from repurposed scrap. Two RCOE security force troopers move past on their way to a different bulkhead, allowing primary access to the facility. They just have just eaten. One has steak sauce on his carapace plate

7:19 PM

Devnocs eyes click as he sets them in you from the head of the table. “Ah our explorers have returned. Please have a seat”

Joshua takes his bag off and leaves it off in a corner of the room, along with his rifle. He brushes off any dust on his jacket and pulls a chair out and sits down. "Thank you, and thank you for cooking for me and my crew. We are all very appreciative of your hospitality." "It was interesting seeing Musheera. Even under the debris, theres still remains of the Slyth empire. I found some interesting information to share with you, as promised. We can wait until after dinner if you would like, or we can discuss over some delicious food."

“You’re not going to want to do anything but take a nap once you have this meal , let’s talk now” He smiles and begins passing around the first of what looks to be dozens of plates of food

7:37 PM

You see steaks of beef, not lope, greens, acastan mushrooms, coffee , and dozens of other sampling’s from across where rcoe has its bases

He let's out a laugh and begins putting food on his plate and continuing to pass the food on. He looks at the acastan mushroom and says "I haven't had these in months! They were my favorite part of being on Acastus." He cuts into his steak and takes a bite. "Oh, that is amazing." he says before taking another bite. He swallows his food before starting about what he found.* "So we managed to search three spots today. A broken-apart free merchant, a power plant, and a sort of underground greenhouse." "The free merchant was interesting. I didn't poke around as much as I could have, but I grabbed the schematics off its public terminal. Spaceship construction isn't my forte, so I can't tell you how it runs, but I can tell you there's something... different going on with its power output." He pulls out his compad, and finds the schematic. "If it's fine with you, I'll send you a copy of the schematic for you and your engineers to look over. I'd appreciate if, after you've had a chance to look it over, whenever that is, if you could send me a rundown of what made the Slyth Free Merchant class ship different from what we run now."

“I’ll take a look at it. It might be some time before we have anything solid to report back to you. So much of this is guesswork without something to reverse engineer” (edited)

"Of course, I understand. I did drop a beacon on a power plant near the ship I found. It wasn't too terribly far away, and the ship was fairly recognizable, as it is currently split into three sections. Hopefully your men can take a closer look at it, see what made it tick." He holds down on the schematic, and sends it over to Devnoc.

“Interesting. You’ll find a lot of that out there. Ships in anchor that got rammed back to the surface when whatever happened here came to bring their vengeance mal

"Just with the little I've seen, I can tell Musheera was a grand place in its heyday. Seeing it in her prime would be something, but just looking through her remains leaves inspiration and tales of power." He dives back into the food, continuing to clear through his plate while thinking of what Musheera looked like under the Slyth. After a few minutes, he says "Ah yes, the power plant I mentioned before. It was leaking some radiation, so I dropped its fuel rods. I couldn't tell you how long it will be till the background radiation drops, but it won't be getting any worse. I managed to salvage some pretech pieces while I was there, and it looked like there was probably some more left to grab. I didn't bring proper equipment for such a task, so I grabbed what I could within the timeframe I felt comfortable, but if you or any other visitors find themselves needing pretech for their endeavors, they're sure to find some there."

Devnoc leans back in his chair for a moment , fingers steepled, and the lights shut down with a whine of a failing generator.

9:07 PM

Emergency red lights cough in their sockets, the first time they’ve ever been turned on

The lights go off as Josh is mid-swallow, causing him to cough a bit. He clears his throat, and says "Is that a normal occurrence? What with the wirestorms and all."

“No” Devnoc says. “It isn’t” There is a muffled bang and some shouts near the security doors. Then another series of bangs. “From the storm!” One of the troopers calls into the throat mic he is wearing. A speaker at the table picks up his calls. “They’re coming...from the storm!” He says breathlessly. The call suddenly ends as he’s either killed or his radio becomes inoperable

9:18 PM

The pops and bangs sound close, and there is a larger boom that shakes the whole facility

"Fuck!" Joshua hops up from the table and runs over and grabs his gun and backpack. He looks back to Devnoc and says "Whatever or whoever the hell is attacking your base is closing in. We need to find cover, stat."

Devnoc flips the metal table , sending the food and drink scattering and flying through the room. It’s just in time, and trio of soldiers in carapace armor, full helmets, and full face filters around the corner , combat rifles high. The equipment is remnant issue, a mixture of special condition infantry and RONI

9:37 PM

(Initiative)

(9)

(Joshua, remnant Pirates, Devnoc )

Joshua pops out from behind the table and levels a burst at the nearest Remnant fighter. (14/18)

(If that misses, my Gunslinger 2 does an unmodified 1d4)

(It hits). One of the Pirates is struck but keeps his feet. The three of them return fire at your makeshift table bunker as they spread into the room and try to find anything they can use to crouch behind. The room being fairly austere , you have the only cover available. A shot clips Joshua (21/5) as they seek to keep your heads down at least

8:55 PM

Devnoc sends a laser shot from his ornate and custom made laser pistol into a second pirate (20/2) , causing a small burn in the armor

Joshua grabs at his side where he got winged, wincing in a bit of pain. He looses a second burst at the same pirate, hitting him in the chest again. (14/17)

The pirate falls, this time not getting back up. You hear the sounds of gunfire and other shouting in other hallways nearby. A large boom rocks the base

6:48 AM

(21/3 on Joshua and 17/8 on Devnoc) The two pirates return fire as the begin moving to the door of the room. The lack of cover and the loss of one of their own has then realizing how precarious their position in this room is. Devnoc yelps and falls onto his back as a shot connects with him center mass

"Fuck! Devnoc, are you ok?" Josh calls out as he looses a burst into the pirate who Devnoc shot. He feels some blood rushing down the side of his torso as he fires.

7:37 AM

(25/15)

Devnoc struggles to rise , blood pooling on his chest. The remnant pirate struck by your gunfire jerks back violently but keeps his feet. Barely

11:42 AM

Their shots hit the table and floor, tearing up deck plates as they retreat to the doorway. Devnoc is unable to rise and you see his wound is severe

Joshua pops a fresh A battery into his shear rifle before digging out the medikit in his bag. He calls to the pirates "Slide your guns out here, walk out with your hands up, and I promise you'll see a fair trial!" Then he quietly says to Devnoc "Hold on, friend..." (Gunslinger 2 for On Turn reload. And I believe getting the medikit out is my main action) (edited)

(If it wasn’t readied yes it is

(I had it stowed in the bag, so thats my main)

The attack seems to be going well in other areas of the base , and though they’re not willing to advance further into the room, they do have the upper hand. They return fire into the room, more shots knocking chunks of cheap metal from the table and decking.

4:37 PM

(Didn’t even get double digits. For Devnoc to be stabilized it’s a heal/int at -1 now, since it’s been a couple rounds)

Joshua begins pulling out gauze and antiseptic, carefully applying it to Devnoc wound. He does his best at stabilizing his wound with the little medical knowledge he has. (10)

4:58 PM

(The dice gods are kind today lol)

Devnoc sighs as the stimulants and meds flood his system. If he remains as he is, he should survive. The pirates at the door return fire

3:25 PM

(19/8, Joshua; the other missed )

(19 misses too. I have 21 AC from ironhide)

3:41 PM

Joshua crawls back behind the table just as a shot flies overhead. He then return-fires a single shot from the shear rifle at the already-injured pirate. (12/11)

It wraps the doorframe he is cowering behind but doesn’t seem to injure him. There’s another massive explosion of some kind outside, and the pirates dash around the corner and out of sight, evidently at some signal to withdraw

With the danger seemingly gone, Josh runs over to check on Devnoc. "Devnoc, are you still alive? Do you have a medbay?" (edited)

Devnoc moans and you hear RCOE security making its way to you. The gunfire has stopped but you hear the roar of flames and the wire storm outside.

8:21 PM

One of the medics begins unpacking supplies. “The medbay was hit. Incendiary grenade. We have to evacuate him. You. You have a ship?”

"Yes, The Lawrence, she should be in the ship bay. Is he stable enough to move?"

“I’d get him to the ship and situated, but beyond that I would try to keep him where he is. The shot broke apart inside him and he’s got spall riddling his chest. It’s going to be touch and go”

2:24 PM

“I’ll come with you, to attend the medbay if you’ll allow it. I need equipment we don’t have here now”

2:25 PM

You hear the sounds of gunfire fading away and the sounds of roaring flames and emergency sirens taking their place

"We should have plenty of medical supplies on the ship, and I would prefer you come with. I'm running a skeleton crew on-board, so an extra body to take care of Devnoc is much appreciated. Are there any other survivors we can load onto the ship? I don't know how compromised the base is as a whole, but I want to save as many people as we can."

“They’re going to need to fend for themselves. I’ve sent word to RCOE command but it will be days before we get a reply back. I’m connected to the base wide comms channel. Most of the damage is on the surface to the comms arrays, the medbay and our lab. The barracks and hydroponics haven’t been hit, we should be able to keep a presence here”

"Unfortunate, but understood. Hopefully those left will thrive until help arrives." With the danger passed for now, the side of his chest begins to throb as the adrenaline fades. He ignores it best he can as he looks back to the medic. "We should get him to the ship before he worsens."

(6xp, 10,000 credits)

8:31 PM

Devnoc is brought aboard the ship and as the wirestorm passes, moments after pre flight checks are completed , the heavy doors open

8:32 PM

The Lawrence blasts off, making it to space , awaiting a destination

"Let's make way for Miriam. With our new planetary defenses and proximity to Gudrun, we should be safe from pirates and other unsavory forces."

The ship sets down on miriam , safely behind friendly lines. Medics keep Devnoc stable as he’s transferred from the ship medbay to the more advanced facilities here

"I would like to be kept up to date as much as I can regarding Devnocs condition. And ensure Admiral Rigers receives updated regarding his condition as well." he says to the medics as they take him off the ship. After the medics leave, he plops into the nearest chair, rubbing his temple. "Such a fucking shitshow... Devnoc nearly bleed out in front of me... God knows how many of Billy's men died, and for what? Fucking credits? Just to fuck with the UNW for the defeat of Cruesa? Because of Cyrus and his fucking 'Die quickly or die slowly' approach? We have more pressing existential issues to deal with than fucking pirates, but it's still an issue. The sooner the shaper war ends, the sooner we can focus inwards..." He sits there for a few minutes, mulling over where he is needed at most, before jumping up, somewhat yelling "FUCK! I forgot about the fucking council meeting!" He scrambles off to find somewhere secluded to hologram into the meeting.

Joshua,
RCOE has the resources and expertise to build TL4 on any world if you need something say something. You might also have that ability. 

You’re welcome to Tsatsos any time. Glad to do business with you.

After debriefing with UNW command regarding the Rawhani mission, Joshua returns to the Lawrence. Onboard, he drops off his rifle and backpack in his quarters, before going to the kitchen and scrounging some food up. He sits in the commons area and puts his plate down, and begins eating. He's silent while eating, thinking of Musheera, Devnoc, the Remnant pirates, and Rawhani. "It's only been a few days since we dropped Devnoc off on Mariam. I'll check in later, see how his recovery is progressing..." He continues thinking of how Rawhani will progress under whatever new leadership they elect, following the official end of the war. Thinking of Rawhani makes him think of home, and his parents. "I promised myself I would get them off Xianus, but there's no time for that while we're at war with the shapers. Plus, with those pirates out there, doing God knows what, it's not exactly safe to go on such a long journey..." He pushes his plate away, getting stressed thinking of everything going on around him, knowing he has to pick and choose his battles. He grabs the plate and dumps it in the kitchen. As he's about to head toward the bridge to speak with the pilots about their next course, he pulls out his compad and looks at the UNW map of local space. "I should go check on the people of Olar, see how things have progressed. Still, the Prometheus Initiative hasn't had much time to gain foothold. I could go check out one of these systems near Olar, could be some good opportunities there. Danae? Hmm, don't know how communists will feel about us dropping in... Sana? Could be some minerals worth selling there, but no manpower." He sees a planet pop up with only a name, no planetary map or sensor information. He scrolls away at first sight of this, continuing to look over nearby planets containing maps and/or scouting reports, but none grab at him. He returns to the mystery planet.

4:31 PM

"Bourgani? No known maps or reports, but... You are near Olar. We could jump to Polychroniou from here, refuel, and then spend a week ruttering to Bourgani. Grab a planetary report, and depending on how it looks, blast to Olar or spend a couple days looking into it... Yeah... Yeah let's do that." He walks up to the bridge and hails the pilots. "I have a potential route planned out. Let me know if there's any potential issues with it. I'm thinking that we spike to Polychroniou, so that from there, we can rutter a route to this Bourgani planet in the east. I'd like to pull up a scouting report when we get there, and depending on how that looks, either look around for a couple days or spike up to Olar."

4:31 PM

(sorry, long post) (edited)

(Do you have fuel scoops?)

5:52 PM

(Polychroniou wants a spike drive ship super bad. Like almost killed Shriven to get the anamen, so landing there to fuel up will be a dangerous prospect)

(Oh, no scoops. Umm let me find an alternate route.)

6:00 PM

(Could I do Eriphyle-Bourgani?)

(Yeah the order of quiet oblivion is nominally friendly )

(Cool, we'll do that. Also, will ruttering the route and travel be counted in month 8 or 9 or a mix? Just wondering since my ship is done about 15 days into the month)

(Id say a mix)

(Sounds good to me)

The order of quiet oblivion has a small outpost on the graveworld below and offers greetings as you make your way into the Eaiphyle system. Their planet is verdant and well manicured where the monuments and funerary rows are. Most of the world is waiting for additional sleepers

9:13 PM

They offer modest refreshment and conversation should you choose to land.

9:13 PM

Custodians of death, they spend their time researching the lives and preserving the stories of those buried here

(Did they bury any bodies from the attack over Halia? Or just from the Benavides fight?)

(They don’t have anyone from either fight there now but they’ve offered to inter the war dead if it’s wanted)

"Greetings, from us at Trivedi Tech and aboard the starship Lawrence. Your hospitality is well met, and appreciated. I would love to sit and speak with you, even for a short time, and learn more about you and your world."

By way of answer a series of landing coordinates are broadcast to you, giving you some direction in the otherwise endless sea of rolling forest and felled clearing where monuments are constructed

Joshua has the pilots follow the coordinates in order to meet with the Order. He goes to his quarters and grabs his bag, and goes to grab his rifle before deciding to leave it. He heads to the doors and as soon as it's safe, he deboards the plane. He looks around for an Order member to speak with.

The monks are there in their robes of somber black. Each is clean and well groomed, their hands gnarled equally from the quill as from hand tools. Even the youngest of them has the weatherbeaten features of a much older man. You feel a sense of peace and tranquility as you disembark onto the grave world. It feels like the entire planet is keeping quiet , as not to wake it’s countless sleeping.

He takes a deep breath, trying to take in the peace of the world. He feels a bit more at ease, and looks to the monks. "Hello, friends. Joshua Collins, pleased to meet you all. I hope I'm not stealing you away from your work."

“The dead are no longer concerned about the time. Neither are we, when the living come to call” the head friar says, stepping forward and inviting you closer

He nods, approaching closer. "I have no envy for the dead, though their lack of care for the time and day is a bit enviable." He says with a smile. "I've heard precious little talk of Eaiphyle, aside from it's status as a home for the interred. If it's okay with you, I would like to learn more of Eaiphyle's history, and that of your order's history. With the Scream still just a few years past and war abound, there's rarely time to learn of the past, so when I have the chance, I tend to jump for it."

"I guess my first question is why was Eaiphyle made into a world for the dead?"

“It was out of the way, for a long time. It wasn’t likely to be disturbed. Aside from timber, which hundreds of other worlds are capable of exporting, this planet really has nothing in the way of natural resources”

He nods. "Understandable. Does your order keep track of those you bury, for any friends and family that may visit?"

“We do. We strive to learn about the life and times of everyone who has been laid to rest here. They’ve been entrusted to us after death”

"That's quite a noble undertaking. Is there anything, resources wise, that I could contribute to help you continue your mission? All beings, regardless of how nasty as they were, deserve some sort of funerary rites."

“Not the shapers. They make a mockery of death and the quiet dignity of those who pass beyond. We need little aside from some stone to carve and strong hands to shovel. Our vows prevent us from owning much beyond what is necessary to survive “

"My apologies, I misspoke. Aside from the shapers and the Scream Beast, all beings have that right. Hopefully, with the Shapers suffering heavy losses after the Benavides assault, they won't be a problem much longer." "If you would like, I can arrange periodic shipments of stone for your work. How do you recruit new members for your order?"

He smiles sadly “Most of us are dead to the societies we were part of once. Crimes, cultural misunderstanding, bad luck...men can fall out of favor so much more easily than they can gain it.

6:36 AM

“The living dead now keep the actual ones”

6:36 AM

(Think of this as almost like taking the black from GoT)

(Cool!)

"Sad but true. I am glad that your order offers an alternative to whatever other price might be paid for falling out of favor. Did you have any questions for me?"

“Your home. Where is it?”

He lets out a sad sigh. "My home... my home is far away, to our Galactic East. I found passage on several ships, searching for somewhere new to call home. I'm proud to call the UNW my home, but my heart aches for Xianus. Not the planet, but the people I had to leave behind. I hope to return one day and bring them back with me..." He stares off for a second at nothing in particular, thinking of his parents. When he notices the silence, he snaps out of it, turning back to the head Friar. "Where did you call home before Eaiphyle?"

“Far to the north. One of the moons of Saturn, in the Sol system called Titan. The moon became a beautiful place and I left it with great sadness”

5:48 PM

“It’s only now in my old age that I realize what a gift it was to live there” (edited)

"Sol? I've only ever read of it, but I'd love to see it for myself some day. I'm sorry you had to leave; I know the kind of longing you must feel for your home."

“I’ve got pictures inside, if you’d like to see them. It’s all I’ve got of home “

He smiles. "I would love to."

The slideshow in the simple wooden building that is somehow a little cold despite the nice day outside is about an hour long. It depicts the surface and sky of titan near the friar’s family home in great detail before the projector finally goes dark (edited)

5:31 AM

“I wish I could see it one more time. Especially now that the ones who cast me out are likely caught up in the scream “

"Sol, and Titan specifically, looks like a beautiful place. Thank you for showing me that." "If it's not something you wish to reveal, I understand, but what did they cast you out for?"

“Wrong side of a political movement. The black sun had support in the Sil System. We were proud to be their vanguard cadre, trying to get them into power through political pressure and more legitimate means. We were dealt with as harshly as we would have been had we taken up arms”

(Is Black Sun vs Mandate a divisive topic in general IC? Or is it generally assumed one side was "right"?)

(Mandate fell very early to the tenebrian empire , and not really anymore due to the scream. It just doesn’t matter when there’s no interconnected universe to even draw battle lines on)

(

)

He nods slowly. "It's easy enough to fall on the "wrong side" in this world. Sometimes it's the start of a debate or argument, some places it gets you shot, and still other times... well, it ends the life you knew and starts you down a new path, whether you want it or not." He walks over to a window and looks out at Eaiphyle for a minute, thinking. "I don't know the rules of your order, if you are expected to serve until you yourself are the one being buried or if you're allowed a "retirement" of some sort. I don't judge you for your banishment, because like I said, anyone could end up in your shoes. However, if you would like, when the war with the fleshapers is ended, I could try and bring you back to the Sol System, or build you a ship and find a crew to do so. I don't feel like you should be denied seeing your home again, even if it might be drastically different from what you remember. We could always bring you back after, if you feel you can't leave your order for good."

“I think it would be too hard for me now. Too much time has passed and I’ve become as comfortable as it’s possible to be with this new life here. Any family and friends I may have had are probably gone now, and even if they’re not, I don’t even know what I would say anymore.”

8:28 AM

“I’ll see them again once we all cross life’s threshold. I’ll talk to them then” (edited)

(Does he have a name, or can I give him one?)

(They haven’t used any so far and with their history I envisioned it as one of the things you gives up. You’re talking to the head friar right now, his rank isn’t exactly his name and he knows you’ve got to call him sometjing) (edited)

(Ok I kinda thought it was like that. I like that.)

9:49 AM

"I respect your decision to stay. I truly hope that your beliefs are true, and that when we all pass, we see our loved ones we've lost on the other side. Thank you for answering my questions, and showing me your pictures of home. Did you have any other questions for me?"

“For now, nothing but that may change. You are welcome to come back anytime. We have stories to tell, not just our own. Please consider having your recently fallen brought here for their rest”

"Thank you. I'll be sure to return soon. I'm happy to hear all of the stories you're willing to tell. And I will, thank you." He makes some small talk with the friars and the head friar before bidding them farewell, with a promise to return in the future, as well as an offer to supply them with stone if needed. He boards the Lawrence. When everything and everyone is settled, he gives the order to rutter a route to Bourgani.

When you arrive (3xp, 5000 credits) you see that the bounty is already there, owned and operated by Hailey herself. It’s currently below the cloud layer over the stormy seas below, surveying the primordial sea planet

(That takes me to Level 11. I'm gonna bump Know from 0 -> 2. HP increased from 53 -> 68)

He gets on the comms console and broadcasts a message to the Bounty:

Good to see you, Hailey! I'm on my way to Olar to check how things are going, when I decided to make a stop at one of the nearby planets. I saw Bourgani didn't have a scouting report... Wait... Yeah, there is one. Well, I swear there wasn't when I checked before I left Eaiphyle. Anyway, I figured I'd check it out, do a bit of exploring. I have some seeds that are supposed to be fairly hardy, and since I'm here, I figure I can see if they can survive this intense storming.

Anyway, I'll probably be in system for a day or two, let me know if you need any help! We have a laboratory on board if you need to use it!

-Joshua Collins

@Hailey Clements (Mylonite) He says to the pilots. "Do we see have any openings in the storm that we could slip through?"

“There’s one. It’s the one she must have used. We still see the engine emissions trail on scanners , we should be able to make it through “

"Let's make for it, before we lose our chance. God knows when we'd get our next chance."

(Hey. Sorry. College told us all to eff off and get off campus so the last couple days have been more chaotic than expected, so I didn't get a chance to take a look at this yet)

[Incoming Reply from Hailey Clements]
Oh, hey Joshua. Didn't see you come in. I visited here a while ago, but didn't spend enough time. Funny running into you of all people. Good luck with your seeds and let me know if I can help at all. I was hoping to dip down into the ocean, since scanners aren't piercing the water, but my ship doesn't have the capabilities for it. Does yours by chance?

(edited)

Oh well. Thanks anyways. Since you’re here I guess I’ll make my way out and let you take over the job for now. Unless you do first, I’ll let you know when what I’ve got in mind is a possibility and invite you to come along for some deep sea diving.

)I’m good to continue however(

Joshua gives the pilots the go ahead to dive through the opening in the storm that Hailey recently used, and to search for somewhere suitable to plant some of the seeds.

The islands on this world are stormy wind battered rocks, under siege by crashing waves and swirling spray. The water is warm, a primordial soup from which life will emerge someday. There is precious little soil, simply spongy Rock that can be crushed underfoot into something like a dense power reminding you of pumice

11:49 AM

Water and wind buffet you as the ramp lowers and you step out into the suitable island found that can support the ship and a small test patch

On the way out, he grabs a hand tiller, spade, and a few other gardening tools from the ship's lockers. He also grabs some seeds, enough for the small patch, from the lab/greenhouse. For the first half of the seeds, he takes his time, tilling the spongy rock-material, digging a small hole for each, and then carefully planting them with sufficient room between. For the other half, he acts more haphazardly, tilling the ground but then simply scattering them about and covering them back up.

(We wouldn't have supplies on the ship to build a greenhouse-style building, would we?)

(it would take a couple tons of building materials)

(Ok, future project then)

(Is the island small enough to hike to the edge of the water and back?)

(yes)

He returns to the ship, thinking of what Hailey messaged him. He goes to the lab and grabs 5 vials. He returns outside and scoops some untreaded-upon dirt into one and puts a stopper in it. Then he begins hiking to the edge of the water, and on the way, looks for any ground that's different than the pumice-esque land he planted the seeds in.

It takes an hour to do this with help and with doing what you can to mitigate the worst of the weather conditions. The soil seems to set fine despite the heavy spray and stormy winds

He fills 2 of the remaining vials with ocean water, and 2 with soil from different parts of the isle. He helps load any of the tools and items that the team used to build the makeshift 'farm.' When he returns to the Lawrence, he deposits the vials for testing later enroute to Olar, and then patches in over the ship intercom. "Do we have anyone who's a planetary scientist or knowledgeable in the field at all?"

“We might be able to find someone. We can put a call out that we are hunting for skilled help. Most of the scientists we have specialize in other fields. We could always have the Gudrun lab VI try to take a look at it too”

"Let's send out that we're looking for help. If we don't have any candidates in a month, we'll have the VI look it over for us."

"And while we're putting out feelers for help, lets look for a botanical expert."

“There is someone we know who can help there but you might not like it. Have you met Herb Neiu Rotterdam?”

"I've heard of him. Drug kingpin on Gudrun, right?"

“More of a biologist lately, but knowledgable about plants all the same. He’s also the only human the taros have ever trusted with one of their grow towers”

"Really? Hmm... I think I should talk to him, see if he can help further cultivate these plants. After we visit Olar, we'll head to Gudrun." "Is there anything left to pack up on planet?"

“I think that’s everything. We can be off now. It might be smart to return before long if our soon to be new friend herb thinks it’s a good idea.”

5:45 PM

“If anyone understands xenobiology, it’s him”

"Agreed. We'll head to Olar and check on things there, and then we'll go to Gudrun and speak with Herb."

(I believe it’s two days to Olar. I can double check

(It looks like 3, but I cant tell. Can he spend time, whatever it is, researching the ship mod he found on Musheera?)

(3, and we can add it as a project to be completed in your lab after the three days spent getting it started)

(Cool, sounds good!)

(Added) Olar is quiet , but there are some small developments on the planet below. Your base of influence around the radio bunker in the woods is growing and now the center of planetside telecoms, though few people outside your own organization are using it

"Can we take it into the atmosphere? I'm going to take the Ascent down near the village first."

The crew complies and the hangar is opened to the air , allowing the ascent to exit before the ship powers back up into orbit to keep watch on things

Joshua locates the village and punches in a location outside of it with a clear zone for landing and take off and let's the ghost driver do its job, barring any problems landing.

The landing is smooth and with a clear zone, the Ascent can make it down to the village. this time, more importantly, it can do a short take-off to get back up

Joshua grabs his bag after landing, and as soon as the Ascent has shut down deplanes and heads into the village, looking to see what, if anything, has changed from his last trip.

The village has homes again, more modern looking than the ruins that used to be here. A small barn has also been raised and crops are growing again. At the edge of the village, metal pilings have been driven into the ground, and a large spool of cable is lying on its side, waiting to be used

He smiles at the progress, happy that the people are regaining some semblance of life. He continues into the village, looking for those that he spoke with before.

The entire village begins to congregate as you land and you’re greeted with smiling faces and claps

8:05 PM

“Welcome back traveler. The village is actually standing now as you can see”

He gives everyone a huge smile back to the people, along with a wave. "I'm glad me and my companions were able to help. I apologize for my absence these last few months, but I'm back now for a little bit. What can I do to help?"

"We're picking up signals from the northwest, they're really faint. Trying to get this tower up so we can get them better is giving us trouble"

3:27 PM

(they don't know about that hidden bunker/base of influence you have)

"My apologies, I neglected to tell you about that. Some of my employees are currently working out of a radio bunker I discovered on my last visit. I'd be happy to help where I can to get your tower up and running though."

"Radio.." he says with a distant look in his eyes. "It's been years since we heard any kind of music. I...I don't know what I'll do if I hear it again. I'd be so happy"

He smiles, saying "You've all been through hell and back, so radio and music is the least I could do. I'm more than happy to help you get radio and music back up and running but... But what if I could do one better? I met an up and coming musician on a nearby planet a few years ago. His music was a huge hit back in the core worlds, though I'm not sure what hes been up to. I could reach out to him, see if he would put on a show for you?"

"Live music! here in our village? We would be so grateful!"

8:13 PM

There is a wave of excitement that seems to rippled through the assembled villagers

"I thought that would be a big hit! I'll reach out to him and see what he says. I also have another proposal, though I'm not sure how quickly it could be accomplished. One of my fellow council members runs her own TV Network. I can speak with her, see if she would like to expand here. I know it wouldn't help with some more pressing things, but recreational activities are important nonetheless."

(They'd react positively to this too. They remember what their old lives were like, so this would be good for them in terms of getting back to something like normalcy)

"When I return to the Lawrence, I'll send out messages to my acquaintances. Is there anything I can do to help you get your tower up and running?"

"Some help with how this is supposed to look. The wires, the cables, it is all very confusing for us

"Do we have some blueprints drawn up that I could look over?"

Youre brought over to a shady spot under a tree, where a crude drawing has been skethed into the dirt. It shows what the tower will look like, but no measurements, nothing of materials needed or used, and there is absolutley nothing drawn in terms of how to power it

(Could I try a know check to see if Josh would be recall/know approximately how tall a typical radio tower is?)

(I think you'd already just know how to do this given your ranks in the relevant skills)

(oh cool)

Joshua crouches down and begins fiddling with the "blueprint" on the ground. He changes some of the angles to better match a typical radio tower, and scales the model more accurate to his idea. He marks its planned height and width and then stands back up. "A bit of changes here and there, but this should be a good idea to start with. I don't know if we have the materials needed on-planet to build this, as I still haven't surveyed Olar's natural resources. I could have some shipped in, for this and future projects we'll need to complete. As for powering it... Hmm... Long term, nuclear power is the cleanest, safest, and longest-lasting option, but we don't have materials for that right now. Are there any nearby streams or rivers?"

"THere's a river, aye, we get most of our water from there. We clean our clothes there now too"

(Would my know-skill be good enough to draw up a plan for a water mill to power the radio tower? or would you need a roll?)

(I think the same thing here, easy to draw up, just a matterof the time and labor to do it, which i also think we have here)

He moves over a few feet from the tower drawing and draws up a sketch for a water mill generator. He includes the approximate size of each side of the mill, as well as the size of wheel. "There's plenty of trees around, so if we build a water mill generator like this, we can build it out of the wood surrounding the village for now. When I get some post tech building materials here, we can upgrade it, or simply build a new power source. We should have the people around to make this happen, and while I work on getting the materials for the tower, we'll have some power for the village to use." (edited)

The idea of returning to life as it was before has the people here truly excited, and without you needing to do much at all, work crews are organized, and workers begin heading out to gather the needed supplies

9:47 PM

with simple hand tools, its expected to take about the week for things to be gathered and processed into useable building materials

He snaps a picture of both his mocked up blueprints for later reference. "I need to speak with my people at our bunker, and take care of some other business. First though, is there anything else I can do to help? You people are my main priority right now, and I've been slacking on that front, so I apologize for that."

(This is just so I remember) (Speak with Chris about performing on Olar and Hailey about setting up PsikeTV) (Go to Gudrun, speak with/pick up Herb. Purchase 200? tons of post tech building material for Bourgani and Olar.) (Go to Bourgani and check in on the plants, and build a greenhouse) (Return to Olar with supplies for radio tower, look into alternative power sources)

1

Eisheru, et al. pinned a message to this channel. 3/23/2020 11:03 PM

"No need. You've given us so much hope already. Returning to how things were seemed like it was something none of us would ever see. Our kids maybe, or grandkids, but not us"

10:43 AM

"Now, the future doesn't feel so out of reach"

"I will do everything I can to get your lives back to how they were, and hopefully even better." He shakes hands and mingles a bit with some of the village leadership before returning to the Ascent, with a course set for the Radio Bunker. (He'd look for somewhere near it to land with enough room to easily land and take off.) (edited)

There is an open field to the north of the wooded copse, that your stay-behind crew has cleared and leveled for a small STOL field, allowing the Ascent to land, and take off somewhat closeby.

4:56 PM

There is a Canvas shelter set up just large enough to allow you to nose the aircraft in, in the event of weather, allowing you to board and disembark without the elements getting into the plane

He lands on the STOL field, impressed with the quick work the crew has done. He pulls into the canvas shelter, unsure of what today's weather will bring, and hops out of the Ascent. As he walks toward the bunker he looks for whoever he left in charge of the bunker to congratulate them on the work and speak about the progress of the Prometheus project so far.

The manager here is hoping to use this radio mast to transmit a repeating signal with the weather, time, and current news for the day across the planet. The hope is settlements will pick up on it with the assorted bits of tech they still have, and will make towers for receive the information on their own. The main difficulty is figuring out where the concentrations of people are, and if there are any local dangers or cultural tensions that would prevent them from organizing into larger freeholds@

7:41 PM

If they do feel village life is crucial , the question becomes how to best connect them

"The original village I found, that Xu, Svenka, and I visited to clear the Entropy Zone, has plans for a radio tower of their own, and I designed them a power generator. I'm going to return with some supplies to allow them to build the tower, but I need to find what other groups of people we have living here, and what their lives are like. It seems like they had little care for the previous World Government, so that could be a start. I guess I first need to find the other people and see how they feel about all of this. There are still a couple of PoI's on my map that I need to check out, so I'll begin there. Before that though, is there any questions you have for me, or anything I can bring back from Gudrun to help our progress here?"

"It sounds like we need some building materials now, anything you think you might need, I'd double it. I still think linking the villages regardless of if they want to get into bigger collectives is worth it. We'll need roads, or rails, or both"

9:02 PM

"And some kind of central area to really concentrate our own operations in"

"Yes, I've been thinking about roads or rails. At the least, it will help us get supplies to and from where we need them. And I agree, they need some form of relations, whether its warm or not, and hopefully warm relations will speed things up. I found an airbase on my last trip here. It's not a central area really, but I think when we can start some air traffic to and from the planet, we should utilize it. And instead of picking a spot that's already controlled by any one village or group, I think if I can find somewhere uninhabited, or even start from scratch, would be best. What are your thoughts on that?"

“We can develop around the airport. Make it capable of handling the kind of aircraft we use. Even cargo ships from space. Make some Habs around it and farms. See who comes in from the countryside”

7:49 AM

“Maybe get those planes working and drop leaflets across the countryside”

"I like that. I still have a few buildings around there to check out, but from here, I'll leave for the aiport, and then head to the other PoI's I still need to check in to."

"Keep up the good work here. Unless I have problems, I'll be back in a week or two with a ship-full of building materials." He returns to the Ascent, and when he's cleared, takes off towards the airbase, hoping for a softer landing than before.

(3xp,5000 credits for the RP so far)

10:04 AM

This time, knowing the conditions on the ground are difficult , you're prepared for the landing, and the Ascent glides down onto the bumpy grass with more ease than before

After landing the Ascent, he pulls it around to allow him to take off in the direction he came from. He grabs his rifle and backpack disembarks the plane. As he sees the control tower, his leg throbs. "Fuck. Damned door..." He ignores it as he starts jogging to the tower, and soon enough, it stops throbbing. He pulls his rifle closer as he grows closer to the tower, curious if anyone or thing has moved in since.

(oh yeah we never actually got inside, did we?)

(Nope lol snapped his leg as he got the door open)

This time, the door looks to be left open, just a bit. You vaguely remember one of the medical personnel snapping it open with a prybar, making sure there was nothing around that might be able to assist with your injuries. The rust on the hinges shows it has not been disturbed by anything big enough to need to open it from its cracked position

He pushes the door open with his left hand while he keeps his right on the rifle, and looks inside. (edited)

The door opens gently and you see the rusting metal staircase spiraling up. Some light comes in through the dirty glass. Overall the tower is quiet and more importantly seems to have stayed dry inside through the passage of the last few years.

(Was the downstairs more antechamber style, where the stairs are its main feature?)

(Yeah. )

6:08 PM

(The goodies are upstairs)

He climbs the stairs carefully, trying not to make any extra noise.

The stairs creak a bit on their own but as you ascend to the top you see the sensors and computer equipment are entirely intact. There is a master power switch on the far wall in the off position and this too seems in good repair

He admires the computer equipment for a second before moving over and switching the master power on.

There is a buzz and you smell ozone as the control tower machinery powers up. The main radar screen is fuzzy before resolving into its green field n

9:02 PM

From the roof there is a rough grinding sound as the small array begins to spin once again

9:03 PM

Dozens of computer banks come to life and the sensor net across the planet begins coming online.

He jumps on one of the terminals and begins checking to see what systems are still nominal, which are degrading, and which are offline.

Everything appears nominal for the moment and a side monitor clicks on. A data cassette is sticking halfway out , waiting to either be out into or come out of the machine. There is a label on it but it’s been mostly scratched off

He looks to the cassette, about to pull it out when his curiosity gets the best of him and he pushes it into the machine.

The machine begins to hum, and a viewscreen lowers from the ceiling and covers the main window. A small countdown begins to play as a long dormant projector begins to wind down from 5 to 0, and a map displays, showing a pin near the ruins of the old psychic academy. The video is silent, but Worldgov logos appear in the corner, and it seems to detail an intelligence report, and plan of attack on a cache or suspected holdfast in use by the psychic academy cabal on this world.

6:21 PM

Scouting reports show a vault door camouflaged behind a sliding wall of rock that wheels up to reveal a strong door. Two figures are shown leaving the mountain, and using telekinesis to hurl themselves into the sky, toward the academy site.

(Would Josh know if this is the hall of the damned?)

(yea you would)

(would he know if this hidden room was discovered when the Hall was explored last time?)

(its near the hall, not part of it)

8:36 PM

(like a secondary facility not located on the main campus)

"Hmm... I definitely need to check that out." He marks the locale of the secret base on his compad.

8:52 PM

(Is the radio bunker set up to where I could send them messages?)

(yeah they're fine to get messages to and from your pad)

Radar, sensors, and various other systems at the airport are all still currently up and running. I'm sure they could use some good TLC and a bug-check, but I think we should work on getting the airport all fixed up for immediate and future import/export needs. Coordinates are attached, but finish all work on the bunker before worrying about the airport.

He sends the message to the bunker manager before hopping on the sensor terminal and comparing it to the UNW's information.

(The UNW doesn't have any better information on Olar than you do, )

(Yeah sorry I meant to compare it to the sensor information I have, see if there's anything different)

The scans here show the secret facility where the UNW scans do not

7:22 PM

UNW surveyors have not been to this world to document anything of value

"Hmm... I'll need to bring in some surveyors next month, see what were cooking with." He logs out of the terminal and descends to the antechamber and out the door. He closes it behind him, in hopes of keeping any animals or otherwise out of the tower, and hops into the Ascent. He punches in the secret base's coordinates and begins take off.

The Ascent lifts off, and there is enough space near the former academy to land the plane while still being able to take off again. The stretch of hill land nearby is your destination and the data-tape came with a good map, allowing you to navigate effortlessly. You stand before the sliding faux rock wall, and it matches what was seen on the data tape

He feels around the rock wall, trying to slide it open and reveal the vault door behind.

Your hand feels cold as you press it against the center of the wall. As you pan right, it warms up, and you press in against a small pressure plate

8:12 AM

There is a slight rumble as the wall slides up into its housing, and a spray of compressed steam as the locks disengage from the rolling vault door behind it. A countdown from 10 seconds appears in the middle of the door

"Uh... fuck?" He turns and runs away from the door, unsure what the timer is for.

8:20 AM

(He'd run as far as he thinks would be safe in case of an explosion)

The door opens with a shower of steam and compressed gas from inside. A black iron walkway leads in to a secondary airlock which is also cycling open

He stops as he sees no explosion, but a walkway emerge from the wall. He hurries back to the secret vault, and as he crosses the walkway, he pulls his rifle off his back. He holds it ready as he passes through the second airlock.

It cycles a final time, before opening with a hiss, to a very beautiful looking interior

12:35 PM

(Your'e coming in at the bottom middle) (edited)

"Wow... I wonder what they used this place for..." He looks to his right at the dirt patch and then over to the pond, looking for life, as he walks to the building in front of him.

Coi fish swim pleasantly in the pond, an automatic feeder grinds gently, as it is time for them to have their next meal. Several kernels of a grain like substance fill the water, and the beautiful orange and white fish swarm to gather what they can. The breeze from outside swirls the cherry blossom trees, and the pedals dance in the wind. The front door of the building is open, not broken but moved aside. You can hear the same breeze moving through the house, rustling curtains and causing the reinforced ricepaper walls to flutter

"This place is still so well preserved. Could make a good Governor's House." he thinks as he looks over the door before continuing inside.

The room is clean and well furnished. The wall has art hung on it in the traditional style, along with a hanging rack for tea or coffee cups. All but three of the pegs are empty. Plain white cups hang where they are occupied. there is a faint smell of sage incense in the air, and a single viewscreen with the same type of holodeck reader like in the control tower is present. The deck-reader is open, waiting for something to be inserted

He searches around the house, looking for something to put in the reader.

(notice or know, with wis)

(Can I activate my 1/day Peripheral Routine to give myself a +1 to WIS modifier for the scene?)

(Yes)

3:56 PM

(Your Brain is a magic computer)

He boots up his compad and loads up a scanning app that he connected to his Loremaster. He keeps looking around the house, looking for anything off that could clue him in to what belongs in the reader. (9 notice/wis) (edited)

The only thing you find that seems to fit would be the data tape you’ve found already

"Shit. Better go back and grab that one." He walks out of the house and back to the outside, looking for a way to close the door again.

The pressure plate that you now know where it is seals the complex neatly for your return

He hops in the Ascent and when it's prepped, takes off for the airfield again.

(We can skip to you heading back if you want. Tape in hand)

(Yep thats cool with me. I just didn't want to skip ahead if you didn't want to)

Tape in hand, Joshua gets off of the Ascent, and pushes the pressure plate to open the secret complex. After it's opened and the vault door has fully cycled, he returns to the house and pops the tape into the holodeck reader.

The contents of the tape change this time, not playing anything but rather sending the player into something like a controlled set of clicks, whirrs, and beeps. Outside, in the now fallow garden field, (bottom right area) a hatch opens

He looks to the hatch. "What the hell were they doing here?" He walks to the hatch and looks down it.

There is a dark iron ladder that leads down to some kind of receiving room. It is likewise metal and reminds you of a ship airlock.

He begins descending the ladder, while sending a message over the Loremaster to the Radio Bunker, giving them his position and saying that he might need help hauling anything valuable out of the bunker.

Several large electronic databanks, and more traditional bookcases are set out arranged around the space. Two plush chairs, a coffee table, and a kitchenette are arranged as a reading nook

12:23 PM

There is a fireplace with a vent

He approaches the bookcases before turning to the databanks and trying to log in.

This time you're able to get in easily, and most of the data is beyond your comprehension, dealing with various psychic events

1:08 PM

from what you know of this world, from your glimpse into the past, recorded logs found later, and talking with Xu, you can be sure a good deal of the information here describes the contact ritual they used to start the current galactic crisis in the first place

1:09 PM

It also has much of the information Worldgov had about the academy, which it seemed they were keeping here for counter intelligence purposes

(Would I be able to pull a copy of the info onto my compad? Or is there too much?)

(You can pull the electronic records. The physical books would need to either be directly taken, or scanned/photographed somehow)

He plugs his compad into the databanks and begins pulling a copy of the data onto it. While that's working, he begins looking over the bookshelves.

The books detail meditation practices, ritual chants, the arrangement of mental focusing mandalas, and deep technical discussions of MES that you lose your understanding of once they ramble on for a few paragraphs. The writing is all very technical, but somehow still far from the plans and diagrams you are used to working with.

1:49 PM

You definitely have the impression that these people were very well versed in what they were doing, and the branch of the Psychic Authority here was extremely well equipped compared to the relatively simple nature of the planet (edited)

"I don't know what Regulus and the Academy could use of this, so I guess I'll just take everything I can." He starts making trips to and from the Ascent, filling his bag with books each time, starting with what he assumes are the most important or rare.

It takes the remainder of the day for the information to be collected, but you leave drained databanks and empty bookshelves behind. The room feels more empty, and perhaps colder now that they have been taken

"This place feels... sad now. But, I'd rather not risk this information falling in the wrong hands." He leaves the hidden room, and then the hidden vault after, closing it behind him for later use. He hails the Lawrence, requesting they enter atmosphere for him to dock as he takes off in the Ascent.

The Lawrence races down to meet@you and safe within its armored hull, the pilot quickly escapes orbit and asks you to come to the bridge so a chart can be plotted

"I've got a load of info for the psychic academy on Gudrun, so that's the ultimate goal. However, what information do we have on the Phegeus System?"

(I'm about to be on mobile since its near bedtime here, but if there's no scouting report up, there'd be no information)

(Ok I didnt see one but I didnt know if it had been recently scouted.)

10:23 PM

"Actually... UNW database has no scouting reports up for it. Let's jump to Phegeus and scan it."

The world is a mix of geography. A tall mountain range crowns the world and a large settlement is on built on its middling peaks. Hostile wildlife resembling gargoyles patrol the tallest reaches. The heavily volcanic mountain range lords over an obsidian plain below where some of the mineral has been used by locals to form excellent tools and weapons. A large elevator from the mountaintop observatory settlement is in near constant use. A large forest of spider/humanoid hybrid creatures looms in the west, bordered by a canyon and swampland. Several encampments of other tribes also dot the land - one in a stilt settlement on the sea-coast, another in the ruins of a crashed ship, a third in the obsidian desert, and two others fight for control over a powerful cave - thought to be a site of immense MES power. A large Nulmetalum deposit is also thought to be on planet.

(Fuck Neko this planet sounds amazing)

(It’s the mod quiet year planet we made)

1

(Oh shoot we got it in the game boys)

2

"Just a stone's throw from Gudrun but no records of visits to it... Quite an interesting planet. Let's drop into atmo, I want to take the Ascent to meet a few of these groups."

(Is it ok if I type up a few messages he would have sent during the spike from Olar?)

(Yeah for sure )

As the spike to Phegeus begins, Joshua sends out a couple of messages, looking to fulfill his promises to the people of Olar. He starts with a message to his friend, Chris Fury.

Chris,

It's been a few months since we've spoken, and with attacks from the shapers, Brothers of Fenris, as well as the day to day issues of our lives, I'm sure you've been busy as well. Last I knew, your career is still skyrocketing, and your in high demand, which is awesome to hear. 

I've been named governor of Olar, a planet a short ways from your home, and I've been working to improve their lives best I can. They have had little entertainment since the Scream from what they have said, which made me think of you.

I would like to bring you to my people for a live show, to bring them some semblance of normal. I will of course pay you whatever your standard fee is, and I can arrange transportation to and from Olar if you would like. I understand if you are unable, as I'm sure your highly sought after, but if you are able to do this for me I would be truly grateful. 

-Joshua Collins

1

8:24 PM

@Chris Fury (Desmond)

A couple of days closer to Phegeus, he sends a message to Hailey.

To Hailey Clements,

Hoping this reaches you in good health. After I saw you on Bourgani, I made my way to Olar. My employees and the Olarian people have been working on getting radio communications up and running again on planet. 

I know you're the head of PsikeTV, and when I've had the chance, I've enjoyed your programming. I would like to get some TV streaming to them ASAP, and I'd like to offer you a chance to set up a headquarters on planet. I will happily send you whatever startup costs you need for your HQ and any towers or satellites, I just need to get my people some consistent forms of entertainment while we rebuild. Please let me know what you think when you get a chance.

-Joshua Collins

9:14 PM

@Hailey Clements (Mylonite)

Joshua, good to hear from you again. 

I’d be happy to get that set up on Olar for you. I have my hands a bit full right now but once I’ve got a spare moment, I’ll contact Psike Tower in New Athens to get people sent down there. I’d like to visit myself so hopefully I can join them later.

Also, if you need help getting communications up on planet, I wouldn’t mind assisting with that either. Just let me know what you need.

-Hailey

(I’m in!!!)

2

(Which part o f the planet are we visiting first?)

(Let's visit the MES cave)

8:14 PM

(Er, one of the groups fighting for it. Rather not be fired upon by both sides) (edited)

(all hail the cave)

As the Ascent begins descending into the atmosphere, it appears a skirmish is occurring at the mouth of the cave, where a handful of defenders and their prepared fortifications are exchanging pot shots with what looks to be some kind of sapper team. Neither side is gaining much ground on the other

(What kind of weapons are they using?)

(TL3 rifles)

He scans around the defenders side of the skirmish, looking for somewhere open enough to land and take off in the Ascent, that isn't right on top of fortifications.

There is flattened plateau of land 3 kilometers outside of the combat zone, where you're out of range of any man portable rockets as well.

He pulls the Ascent in for a landing on the plateau, where he waits until near dusk to leave the Ascent. He uses the cover of dark to hide his approach on the camp.

(lets get a sneak/dex)

(6

)

A searchlight illuminates Joshua as he sneaks down to the zone where the skirmish was held, just hours ago. It comes from the cave mouth itself, and there is a loud crackle in the air, followed by a projected cough. ahem Whoever is out there, we can see you there yeah? Come over this way, nice and slow cough

"Shit..." He slowly puts his hands up by his head, and approaches the cave. (edited)

The light dims as it gets close, but you see three human shadows (the light is backlighting them) waiting for you to approach. "Nice and easy there. Alright, you can put your hands down, you're not one of the hostiles" The light turns off, and you feel the intense heat of the beam against your skin already beginning to cool

He lowers his hands, but keeps them away from his weapons. "Sorry about the sneaky stuff. I didn't want to just walk up to your base and end up with a bullet in me, but now that I think about it, trying to sneak around is a great way to do that." He clears his throat. "Name's Joshua Collins, of the United Nations of Worlds."

Joshua Collins of the UNW, I am Gilgamesh, this is my companion on watch. You've arrived here during a time of great struggle"

3:02 PM

"We have heard rumors about the UNW. Ancestor spirits in the cave have spoken to us about the things happening in the heavens"

"Well met, Gilgamesh. The UNW has been in a long campaign against those that we call the Fleshapers. It is hopefully nearing its end, and will usher in a, hopefully long, period of peace." "I understand you and your enemies have been fighting for this cave. Why do you and your enemies fight for the cave?"

“A place of power. Surely you can feel it in your mind. And in your limbs. The cave is where the ancestor spirits live”

"Yes... I knew I felt something, and our sensors spoke of powers within the cave. What keeps you from making peace with your enemies? Could you not come to some agreement to share the cave?"

“They wish to use this power for themselves and do not respect the bones of our ancestors lying within. Another group took this place from us before these raiders appeared. This is our land. These are our family. “

"Are they not of this land? Does that mean they are off-worlders?"

"They arrived when something from the heavens crashed here, and wasted no time in coming to try to take the place of rest here from us"

He nods, thinking. "If I were to approach their camp, just to try and parley with them, do you think they would allow me to speak with their leadership?"

"You're not from here, and have about as much claim to the site as they do. I don't see a reason for them to shoot on sight"

"Then if you will allow me to, I'd like to try and do what I can to get them to leave you alone, and allow your ancestors to rest peacefully."

He nods. "If this works, we will bring you up to the city, and you'll be able to look around as much as you want"

"Thank you, I would appreciate that. I hope to return with good news." (edited)

"I'd wait until morning if I was you. All that sneaking around in the dark yeah? Almost shot you. Would have been a shame. You're a nice guy"

(Edited lol)

3:39 PM

"Good point. I don't want to get caught in any crossfire between you guys. Would I be safe if I stayed outside of your camp? Any creatures to worry about?"

They think for a moment. "If you're going to go talk to them about the place, you should know what you're trying to protect." the guards look at each other for a moment and there seems to be some unspoken agreement between them. "We're going to take you inside. When this is over, and we go back to the mountaintop, you cant tell anyone youve been inside"

"You have my word, I'll tell none. Thank you for trusting me, and I promise I'll do whatever I can to protect your ancestors."

“Tell me” Gilgamesh says, as you are brought into the beginning few meters of the cave, “do you have a family?”

5:52 PM

“Or did the last war orphan you”

"I... I believe I still do. I haven't seen them for years. I left my home after the Scream, searching for something, anything to call a home. It ravaged my plane and collapsed our way of life. My parents were alive then, but right now, only the gods know..." "If you don't mind me asking, have you lost family in these hardened times?" (edited)

“We have. Everyone here has. There’s been a lot of violence even in our own village over the years. “

10:38 AM

“Several groups have risen and fallen, namely those Bregulan rebels out on the lava flats”

1

"I'm sorry for your losses. I can't guarantee an end to all of your fighting and wars, but I'll see that those you have lost will rest in peace."

"Do you dream, Joshua?" he asks, as he begins leading you into the cave. The walls shimmer in the reflected glowbug light , a mix of micah chips that seem to give it the appearance of being diamond encrusted

He thinks for a moment about his last few nights, then months, of sleep. "I used to remember more dreams on Xianus. Was it because I was less busy? The stress?" He stares at the beauty of the walls as they continue passing through before turning to Gilgamesh. "I do, yes. I don't feel like they're as vivid as before the Scream, but they're still there. It's often of my parents and life before, when things felt simpler. Sometimes I dream of seeing them again, but sometimes I get home and they're gone. When I haven't had a chance to unwind in too long, I dream of my little home on Gudrun, sitting on the lake and reading a good book." (edited)

“This cave will allow you to see them if they are dreaming. Just for a few moments. You have the look of a wanderer on you, a restless one at that. You have come to assist us in protecting this place. You should know the kind of power you are protecting”

"Yes... Restless is how I feel. That would be wonderful, a glimpse, however short. If that is the power of this cave, it needs to be protected and respected by caring keepers such as you."

He says nothing more but as you walk down the stone steps made smooth by time and the passage of countless pairs of feet, the growths of bioluminescent moss and crystal growths that glow with their own innate power are more common. You arrive in a large grotto like chamber though this one seems to have been drained of water. The crystals in this chamber have been cut flat, and placed into a mosaic on the floor that all leads to the chamber center

"It's so beautiful in here... Is this where you speak with you ancestors, and can peak into others dreams?"

"This is where. Stand in the center of the room, and clear your mind of everything but the person you are thinking of"

He walks to the center of the room, first looking to the micah surrounding him, before closing his eyes. The people of Olar first run through his mind, and then the Fenris' attack on Musheera, before he pushes that too away to focus on his mother. He thinks of what she looked like the last time he saw her. Her long, blonde hair in a large, triple braid. Her slightly hooked nose, light blue eyes teary as he leaves. He tries to remember what she was wearing, knowing it's probably inconsequential to know but more for his own sake. "I think it was her favorite teal blouse with one of pairs of black capris. Shit, who knows..." He thinks back to all the times she went over his code with him, helping him learn some of the nuances of PhoenixTRON and a half dozen other programming languages he had to learn in school, before turning his focus back to her herself and staying focused on his loving mom.

A smoky image begins to form. Joshua sees the features he remembers, though the clothing is different now, the formerly bright and contrasting colors now replaced with a vacc suit. She looks to be asleep in a small room somewhere, made of metal. The layout looks like a shipboard cabin somewhere, but the details are hard to make out.

He tries to concentrate on the image, looking around for anything or anyone distinguishing itself from the smoke.

(lets get a mental save)

(Success 5v5)

The focus is kept, and vison expands to see the rest of the family occupying other parts of this small room. Everyone is wearing the same plain looking vac suits, and also, are together

He breathes a sigh of relief, happy that everyone is all right.

9:43 AM

(Could he try to make out any details about the inside of the ship, or is it generic?)

(With another save, but we can certainly try)

Knowing his family is safe for the time, he tries to focus on the ship they're on, looking for anything that could set it apart from others.

One word comes to mind Aurora Vagabond before the connection ends

He's smiling as the connection ends and he returns to the cave. He looks to Gilgamesh. "Thank you for showing me this sacred place of yours. I will tell no one that you showed me it. I was able to see my family, asleep on a ship bound for somewhere unknown, but I am happy to know they are safe. I will happily help save this place from your enemies."

10:48 AM

(I didn't post it, but I succeeded 8v5)

(I saw the roll so i kept on going)

10:54 AM

Gilgamesh turns to his companion "See, a drop of honey. I told you he was a good man"

10:54 AM

They both are smiling now. "Is there anything additional you need to be able to handle this?"

"I think I should have everything I need. After what should be a good night of sleep now, I'll go to their camp at dawn and speak with them. Thank you again for your trust in me."

Morning dawns after you manage to get a short rest for yourself. The rays of the reddish orange sun begin to gently run across the ground, and the air is already warming up. Birds chirp in the trees and insects hiss in the branches as they begin preparing for their own days

Joshua stretches as he rises from his sleep, ready to meet with the attackers. He slings his rifle over his back and does the same with his backpack. He tells Gilgamesh and the other guards he should return soon, hopefully with good news, and heads to the enemy outpost, trying to look non-threatening.

at the base of the path you see a sharpened wall of wooden spikes pointed outward with three guards behind it. Their armor and weapons are more modern but also show the wear not not being maintained for a while

He approaches closer to the wooden wall to draw their attention and calls out "I come here peacefully. I would like to speak to your leadership about stopping the fight for the cave."

"Good morning, You're not native, can tell by your accent. What business is it of yours?"

"I've met with the natives, and they have told me of the sacredness of the cave to them, and I want to end the fighting for it. Its needless bloodshed. If I knew what you were seeking from it, I could help you out as well."

"We want the same power, and to see our homes again, but the mountaintop settlement is forbidding our access. They've tried to demand tribute from us and we have nothing to give them"

12:01 PM

"So then, since we could not pay, we did what we could to try to take this power by force"

"Where are you from, originally? They told me you came from space in a crashed ship. I might be able to help you return home."

"Kamal. NMC prison world, or at least used to be. We got fired off into the void before the shapers came, and everything from home went dark after that"

3:40 PM

"our deep void pod never got picked up, and we crashed here"

3:40 PM

(Ronakeve is from there too, basically they just threw as many people off planet as possible but didnt really do much to take care of them after)

(Would I know about the fleshapers being destroyed yet?)

(Probably rumors yeah)

4:03 PM

(Actually. They talked about it in the council)

4:03 PM

(So yes)

(Oh yeah forgot they did)

"Hmm... I have heard of no news from Kamal, so I'm sure the shapers were stripping it for resources as soon as they could. However, the heart of the fleshapers was recently destroyed with the Suhan singularity gun, presumably destroying the whole of the shapers. I don't know how many of your people are left, but I could bring in what ships I have and bring you to Gudrun, where you would be welcomed with open arms by the UNW. From there, I can try and set up a scouting party to check into Kamal."

"Kamal is gone, we know that much. There's probably other cold pods all over space, or crashed elsewhere. Or worse. There's about 500 of us here, in this camp"

"Would you allow me in to speak with your leadership about getting your people off planet?"

"You come alone, and you come unarmed. If you can agree to both of those terms, we can get you in front of the Lieutennant General"

"Those are agreeable terms. I accept. May I approach you to hand you my weaponry?"

He nods, and lowers his weapon as you approach the barricade

He nods back and when hes to the barricade, begins stripping off his weapons, handing over his shear rifle, then his monoblade knife and finally his stun baton. "Feel free to search me if you need to, I won't be offended." (I believe those are the only weapons on him, the other two are in his home on Gudrun)

"You had the chance to start something when you came down the path. Follow us" they move in step around you, heading deeper into the winding trail, to the base of the mountain where a modern looking New Moon Cooperative camp mixed with frontier materials and open air buildings have been set up. Most of them are flimsy and will need work to remain permanent. You're led to something resembling a pressure pavilion where a man in wardens armor is looking over a compad

"Lieutenant General, I am Joshua Collins of the UNW. I'd like to speak with you about ending your conflict with the natives, as well as helping you get your people off of Phegeus and to the UNW or NMC, whichever your people prefer."

"I see. You've arrived here in your own ship? It's hard to tell from down here"

"I did. She's orbiting above, as I used an atmoflyer to reach the surface to keep my crew safe, as I had no idea what I'd find down here."

"The New Moon Cooperative jettisoned us into space when it became clear the shapers were going to hit Kamal. Some of us got lucky. A lot didn't. Does the NMC even still stand? I wouldn't wnat to go back if it does, we're still criminals, and the die hards in parliament will never let us hold any kind of position where we can better ourselves"

"The NMC is still standing, yes. It's nearly a shell of its former self though, after the Shaper attacks it has endured. I believe they're down to just a few planets where their presence is found. Will you tell me what crimes you were convicted of?"

"Runs the lot. Smuggling mostly, but there are some violent offenders here, usually in line with the smuggling. I can tell you just as I could tell the face of God, no one here has ever killed anyone innocent, or anyone not involved in the smuggling racket"

3:27 PM

"But when you go down for one crime, you go down for them all"

"Many have done worse than smuggling and have moved on to live a better life. I have no qualms with you or your people's pasts. Would you be willing to leave Phegeus and your past behind and start a new life in the UNW? There's plenty of legitimate work to be done all throughout the UNW, so your people would easily find gainful employment."

"Where in the UNW would we be taken? Some backwater as bad as this one?"

"Gudrun was the number one place on my mind. We have it fairly well developed, with plenty of social nets to get new citizens on their feet. A year ago, I was a refugee fleeing from the Scream and what it did to my home, and now I'm one of the heads of Trivedi Technologies, and that all started with me arriving on Gudrun and being taken in and accepted by the UNW, so please believe me when I say that success is ripe for the taking there."

“Trivedi tech. You got jobs for us then too? You bothered to come down here and talk rather than start shooting. Or just blowing us up with your ship.”

"We happen to quite a few openings, since we lost too many good people in the Shaper War." "I only knew him in passing, but a man named Robert Tanzer died last month. From what I understand, he dedicated his life to helping others and preventing conflict where he could. He died trying to give the people of Shariar a chance at a peaceful life. I'd like to emulate that value of his best I can, in hope that the next generations live in a more peaceful universe. So, I'd be mighty remiss to blow you and your people up without even speaking with you."

“You get here all out of here, you’ve got loyal employees. We wanted to use the cave to try to talk to home. Our navigator was in cold sleep when the scream happened, and he thought he could harness the power in there to call home, or at least make a home for us here

10:01 PM

Seems pointless to keep fighting now when there’s another way”

"We have a psychic academy on Gudrun. If your navigator, or any of your people have any aptitude for it, they would happily take him on. They did some pretty crazy stuff to take down the fleshapers, so 'making a call' to your home doesn't seem too far-fetched to me, but i don't have a clue how any of it works." "I'll be happy to get you all off this planet. However, if I can't requisition additional transport, we may have to make several trips to get everyone. Would you have any problems with that?"

10:13 PM

(When you said 'a man in wardens armor is looking over a compad', is that a standard CFU?)

(Yeah he was just a prison guard, or at least now has one of their uniforms)

(Ok just checking. thanks!)

"Get our wounded and sick out of here first, even if you have to quarantine them once you get to where we're heading...where are we heading, by the way?"

"First, we need to head to Gudrun. We can drop off wounded and sick at the medical facilities there, and we can pick up my newly-commissioned Cruiser there to help transport the remainder of your people. Including crew, she can hold 160 at a time. So that, combined with the Lawrence above, should let us be able to grab all of your people in 3 or 4 trips, if the estimate your guards out front gave me is accurate. Also, while on Gudrun, I can speak with the President to see if she can send any additional ships to assist." "After we safely transport your people, I have to check in at a few places, as I made a few promises before I came here. After those are wrapped up, though, we need to find the ship 'Aurora Vagabond', or at least find out where it's headed."

"And this is something you'd like us to do? "

1:17 PM

"Or assist with?"

"I would love to have your assistance with it. I have no idea where it could be, so any assistance you can provide would be very appreciated. Everyone that can and wants to begin working after we get you all to Gudrun can join me on the Pheonix Fire. Otherwise, those that need time to get their bearings certainly can, and when they're ready, can speak to any of representatives and we'll get them to work."

“Do you mind addressing the camp? They wouldn’t believe me if I made a wild claim like this on my own. You standing up there as a clear outsider next to me would really go a long way toward them trusting me with this”

"I'd be glad to. It's be good for them to trust you, it'll help with the transition to the UNW and to a new sort of life."

The marooned former prisoners and token guards begin assembling after their de-facto leader begins having the word spread through the camp. Tents empty, and work details are called in, before long, roughly 500 men and women are standing before you

3:41 PM

"This is Joshua Collins of the UNW. We might have a way off this rock without further violence, and Mr. Collins here might be the one to give us this chance. I just want everyone to listen for right now, and make your own private decisions after this. I wouldn't bring all of you in from your work if I didn't think this wasn't important"

“‘Mr. Collins, a quick word to the group here. Just to discuss what things look like out in the universe now and what you plan on doing for those who sign up”

(Sorry about that, spent Sat moving my FIL and the last 2 days organizing and helping out)

(youre good! I just didnt want you to think i forgot about you!)

"I'd like to thank you all for just taking the time to come and listen to me today, and the Lieutenant General for allowing me to speak to you all. Since you have all been on Phegeus, the universe around us has changed drastically. You all landed here fleeing from the Fleshaper's attack on your world. Within the last month, a coalition of psychics between multiple polities came together and through their MES powers, peered to the Fleshaper homeworld. They saw that it was a writhing ball of shaper mass, and ordered it fired upon by a singularity gun. This crippled whatever shapers remained, ending the threat they posed to us all." "They followed that up with a metadimensional attack on that which we called the 'Scream Beast'. With help from past psychics, the Scream Beast was destroyed, its essence scattered throughout the metadimension. This brought about a second Scream, which you may have all felt as it rippled past. This one was much different to the first. This one was... peaceful, harmonic to everything around us. I hope that this will also bring about a more peaceful galaxy." "Now, with a larger picture of the worlds around us hopefully painted, I come to you. I understand that crash landing here was an unpleasant experience, and living here is far different to what you may have been used to. I understand why you were hoping to take the cave from the natives, to use it to contact your home or make a home using its powers. However, I would like to offer you a more peaceful option. A short spike jump away is the world of Gudrun, one of the UNW core-worlds. I run a company there, Trivedi Technologies, that is in need of all manners of help. I would like to bring all of you to Gudrun, where you would all receive citizenship, as well as be assigned an apartment home. I would also like to offer any who would be interested employment at Trivedi Tech. We are currently expanding after the Shaper War, so any and all possible help will be well compensated."

11:41 AM

"Of course, there are many other businesses within the UNW that would also appreciate your employment, so please don't take this as me requiring you to work for me. I would just simply like to be the first to offer you gainful employment. Of course, if you choose to come to Gudrun with me, you can take whatever time you need to gain your footing there before seeking employment, that is also fine. I can let my staff know to keep an eye out for you, and to hire you on straight away when you are ready." "I also understand you have wounded and sick here. Even if you choose not to join the UNW as citizens, I would like you to allow me to bring them to Gudrun for medical treatment and analysis, after which we will happily bring them back to you, if they so choose."

(Just going to make a little summary for you here)

3:06 PM

Wounded and sick (50 souls) will leave as soon as you are able to transport them, with observers (5) to ensure things are as promised.
If they are, the rest will agree to follow, observers need to provide physical evidence,a nd be permitted to speak with the group privately on return. If the mountain people agree to a ceasefire, they promise no further attempts on the cave for 3 months

3:06 PM

if you dont come back within that time, or the evidence that comes back is not satisfactory, they will resume efforts to take the cave and make their own path

"I will speak to the mountain people, but I agree with the remainder of your requests. After I speak with them, I will inform you of their decision on a ceasefire, and assuming they agree, I will leave for Gudrun and return as soon as I can with a ship to bring your wounded and sick on."

"All we can hope for. Please let us know the results. cease fire or not, our sick will travel with you. They are not much good to us here"

"Absolutely, I will let you know. I'll take my leave now, and I should return shortly." He hikes quickly over to the cave, hailing whatever guard is on duty.

Gilgamesh is still there, half asleep, though a stronger patrol from the mountaintop has made its way down and is also standing at the barricades

He waves to Gilgamesh and the rest of the guard, saying "I've returned from your enemy's camp, with conditions for a ceasefire."

His eyes widen in surprise. "A cease fire? you're kidding. How did you manage that?"

"I'm going to return with a ship capable of holding their sick and injured, and bring them to Gudrun for treatment and observation. They are going to send along a few delegates to ensure that things are as I told them, and assuming they are, I will return to collect the rest of them and move them to the UNW for good."

"I just need your leadership's permission to give the go ahead on it. It'll be 3 months of ceasefire to start, and when they see that the UNW and universe is as I said it was, they'll be leaving Phegeus for good." (Not a bump, just adding more info) (edited)

“You’re welcome to come@up to the mountaintop with us. Or you can wait here with Gilgamesh until we get back. Should be a few hours. What do you want to do?

"I would love to visit the mountaintop. I only had a glimpse from orbit, but your observatory really caught my eye."

Gligamesh nods and the sharpened wooden barricade is pulled aside from the road. "Alright, come on this side, we'll bring you to the fastness." The climb up the mountain takes a third of the day, the noon sun is high when you reach the bottom of the elevator. There is a freight designed car, little more than a flatbed with rails welded to it, sitting off to the side. A passenger one with seats and gear storage is currently on the thick cables and rails instead. in happier or more peaceful times, this would have been a more than acceptable ski lift

"This is quite a journey. I can see why you might not make it very often. Would your leaders be interested in some vehicles to make the journeys easier? I might be able to bring a few here to trade with."

"Something would have to be specially made I think, with some of the passes being so narrow, but I'm no expert. You can ask" your guide shrugs as you all board the gondola. "About a twenty minute trip to reach the top, but its better than trying to climb, especially in the cold like this"

"I will, thank you. And that's ok with me, I'd like to get a nice view of the surrounding area anyway."

The alpine scenery is beautiful and largely untouched by pollution. This high, the snow is so pure white it almost appears light blue. The steady clank has the wooden city, and the damaged observatory getting closer. The telescope sags, the hydraulics for it long given away to age or damage. The dome itself is cracked in several places and the railings along the outside have all given away to rust, and deformation Most of the buildings and towers are roofed, and several figures look skyward through spyglasses or binoculars at higher peaks near the village

"It's a shame about your observatory. I bet in top working order, astronomers were able to see amazing thing through it. Will we have time for me to make a trip to the observatory and take a look at your telescope?"

"Of course. Not much to see inside, its been more of a storage building lately, can't do anything else with it, but you're welcome to poke around when we get to the top"

"Thank you. I doubt I can do anything about it today, but if I can figure out what needs replaced, I might be able to bring back the parts needed."

"I think the village council would be happy at that kind of news" The clanking machinery halts, as the gondola cab arrives at the mountaintop settlement. Several signs remaining passengers to check the sky for 'Gargoyles' are posted around the general area

He looks to the sign, and then above his head. "Gargoyles? Like, a real flying version of the gargoyles designed into some buildings? That's... terrifying, but a bit fascinating."

“Yes. Not made of stone but their flesh is strong enough. They’re terrifying creations. Native. They only live on the highest peaks now but old ones or truly hungry ones seem to come down”

"Are they sentient beings then? It sounds as though they're smart enough not to encroach on your territory for the most part."

"Not sure if they're full sentence beings or not. Never heard one talk" the guide shrugs "but they know now if they get close to the place, we shoot at them" (edited)

He nods, continuing to look to the sky. He unloads off of the ski lift and turns to Gilgamesh. "On to the council meeting then?"

“Yes. The village council are decent sorts but we have had nothing but trouble with outsiders. You’ve been helpful, it goes a long way toward clearing up some of the doubt but you may be spoken with a bit more harshly than you’re expecting. I’m warning you now as a friend. Keep the scope of your talks small.”

"Thank you for the warning. I'll keep topics to those on hand now, and I'll bring forth the rest at a later date."

The meeting hall is a large building with a gently steepled roof. Two men with long rake tools are pulling snow off of it and away from the building. A large fire glows within and you can see as the flap is pulled aside that a circle of chairs has been set up around a metal brazier, glowing softly. Gilgamesh takes a position behind you and gently leads you inside. “Councilmen, and councilwoman, I have brought the UNW outsider Joshua Collins here to speak with you , and am guaranteeing he is a man of good character. I will let him say what he came to say. “

10:36 AM

They gesture for you to sit down

He takes a seat, looking around the room as he does. "First, I would like to thank you, councilors, for allowing me to come here and speak with you. I very much appreciate you allowing me that. Second, I bring you good news. From what Gilgamesh has told me, the cave that he and the rest of your guard down below is guarding is a sacred site, where your ancestors congregate. I have spoken with the outsiders who have been attacking your defenses there, trying to take it from you. They have agreed to a 3 month ceasefire agreement, in which I will take their sick and injured to the UNW world of Gudrun for treatment. They will send along a small detachment to ensure the fair treatment of their sick, as well as to check that the galaxy around us is as I told them it was. When they find everything is as I described it, I will bring the remainder of them to Gudrun, and your war with them will be officially over." "I am happy to share the same news with you as I did with them if you would like, but the basics of it is that the Scream which plagued all of us almost 4 years ago, has been ended by a joint effort of psychics throughout the galaxy. The 'beast' that caused it has had its essence scattered through the metadimension, never to bother us again. I'm sure you all felt the aftereffects of this 'Second Scream', as a peaceful sensation that gently flowed over your bodies a short while ago."

"We did feel it" the lone medicinewoman here say. She has a gnarled looking staff of office with something like one of the psychically attuned Underhill Crystals worked into its construction. "I did, in any case. The ancestors did as well. Many of those who died violently or with unfinished business during the calamity were finally able to pass on with peace and dignity."

"I'm glad to hear many of them were able to finally pass on to peace. We won't know the full effects of the Beast's death for a long while, I'm sure, but the immediate ones seem to be positive all around." "Many in the UNW and all aro7nd are hoping for this to be the start of a long period of peace, myself included. I would like to assist your people in reaching a peaceful arrangement with the outsiders who have attacked your cave. From what they have told me, they seek a home after being forced to flee their home to the Galactic North. They don't seem to want to fight for a home, as they seemed amenable to moving to Gudrun when they find the news I spoke of to be true."

“The attacks on the cave need to end. We never had hostile or aggressive intent but we will continue to punish aggression against our greatest cultural treasure. We agree to the ceasefire but will not be scaling down our security measures near the cave. If they do decide to leave we will likewise not bar their escape from this world with you”

7:33 PM

Another grumbles about Bigger problems to worry about

"I wouldn't ask you to scale down your defenses of the cave. It's your land, your culture, and you absolutely have the right to defend it and yourself from incursions from outsiders. I will inform them of your agreement to a ceasefire, and the attacks on the cave will end with that. Thank you again for letting me speak with you today."

They all seem to feel the meeting is over, and as you go to step outside the medicine woman hands you a glass bottle of something from her bag. The liquid inside is swampy green in color, and somewhat viscous. "For the trip back. I remember ships. I always had trouble falling asleep on them

He takes it, holding it while look it over. "Thank you very much. I... not to sound rude, but I'm not familiar with what this is. Is it a sleep aid of sorts?"

"it is. A bit of essence, from the cave, distilled into a not pleasant to drink Tincher. With a clear mind, you can use it for a few moments of reflection, as though you were still down there yourself"

"0h... Thank you for this. This must truly be something special to be giving and trusting me with. I feel honored that you would give this to me, thank you very much. I will make sure to make good use of this gift."

She nods, gently, and removes her wooden stick to allow you to pass back outside. As you exit, looking over the village square, one of the recently slain gargoyle creatures is being raised up a scaffold by its legs, wings drooping in death. The townsfolk are preparing to gut it, and rend the body down into various things they need

He stands there, watching the villagers gut the gargoyle from above. He wonders what they'll use the various parts for as he is watching.

The bones are hauled out first, and the wings are shorn. Several of those standing closest, now that you see it, have cloaks and other garments made from the leather. The meat is apparently safe to eat, based on how they are cutting it. Though there is a very tough external skin that needs to be broken away with hammers to get at the underneath

A message also comes in from the lawrence, stating that a greystar ship has entered the system, captained by @Karre Mondragon(Timothy)

"Hmm... interesting how they make so much use out of everything. I wonder what they'll do with the wings afterward..." He turns and begins walking back to the Gondola, deciding to just bring a post tech repair kit for the observatory next trip and hope for the best. As he waits at the gondola, he sends a message to the Greystar ship.

August Braddock of the Greystar Confederacy,

Well met today. I am currently on planet conducting some diplomacy between Phegean people, but I am nearing the end of talks. I'm not sure if you and your crew plan to land on planet, but the people and fauna living here range from wary toward outsiders to hostile from what I have heard and seen, so be careful if you land. The people are well intentioned, but far from open. If you like, I'd be happy to meet with you and we can speak face to face.

Mr. Collins,

Glad we ran into you earlier and not in Olar. We currently have no intention of entering an atmosphere, here or otherwise. My ship has been damaged and we’re in need of repair facilities. We’re operating with a jury-rigged Spike-drive and have fuel for one more jump. No casualties. You’re welcome to come alongside at your leisure and meet at my place or yours. 

Otherwise, I’d like permission to access the Trevidi shipyards at Olar for repairs if you’d rather not meet. 

Respectfully, 

August Braddock.

(Just so everyone’s on the same page, with a base of influence here and the trivedi tag of technical expertise they can handle this kind of job even though the planet is not tl4

Mr. Braddock,

Unfortunately, from here I have some business to attend to that won't lead me to Olar for some time. Please feel free to refuel and repair your ship at Olar. I will inform my people there to prepare them for your arrival. Olar is still in the infancy of her Prometheus Project, so we won't be able to offer much in the way of ammenities while your ship is being repaired, but my people there are more than qualified to fix your ship.

-Joshua Collins

Thank you, Mr. Collins. If you ever find yourself on Acastus, you have more than a few drinks heading your way. 

Safe travels.

GCNS Kestrel heads to the system rim, and spikes for Olar.

The gondola door opens as you finish communicating with August, and you’re brought back to the base of the mountain on a slightly shorter downward ride. From here, there is enough space to land a cargo lighter for pickup

He takes note of the space at the mountain's base for any future trading, and gives a wave goodbye to Gilgamesh and the rest of the guard he has met as he makes his way to the refugee camp.

The wounded are being prepared to move, along with the independent inspectors. The warden is speaking with them off to the side of everyone else, and you can see them all paying rapt attention

7:47 AM

they nod, or give some other show that they were listening, and begin re-joining the wounded preparing to leave

(Is the Warden also the guy I spoke with before?)

(yeah)

10:05 AM

(if he was actually the warden , or is just acting as the authority now was unclear)

As the rest begin to disband from the warden, Joshua walks up to him. "Looks like your wounded and observers are nearly ready. Good to see!"

"We did nto want to delay you. We're ready to begin sending them up when you are"

(Sorry stuff got busy, I'll post something later today)

(All good man)

"I'll have our ship land nearby so we can begin loading them up and we can get them to our hospitals ASAP. I have good news for you and your people. The natives have agreed to the 3-month ceasefire agreement. They said they just want the hostilities over the cave to end. They also said that, should you and your people decide to leave the planet, they won't hinder you in that. They seem to have other issues aside from the fight over the cave, so I think they're happy to have this one resolved."

There is some relief amid the camp as the news is passed. The threat of not dying In a night raid as more and more of the force here is moved off world seems to relax them all

7:47 PM

“This will go a long way toward diffusing tensions. That said we ask you get us off of this rock as soo. As you can”

As the morning carries on, many of the wounded are loaded, and the crew chief is ready for departure, those who need the msot critical aid brought into the medbay, where those less critical have been taken to the hold, where a makeshift ward has been set up

(I am so sorry, Neko! Ive been busy these last few weeks, but the games still been on my mind!)

(all good man i know you said you were moving and stuff)

(Hey! I just went through some of our old adventures when Chris was starting out. Good times! Hope all is well with you.)

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(for sure, miss you Josh)

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