Iron Stars - korvax

Korvax has been a Greystar agent for some time and one constant of the job is change. During their tenure from a young agent fresh out of onboarding and assignment to one of the many workshops supporting the field agents they have witnessed Greystar transform itself from a nomadic fleet watching the borders of humanity for threats to a group with borders of its own. The Starhab that is the home of their workshop is leaving soon, heading for distant worlds and Korvax is getting used to living on the surface of a planet again after so long in space. More change came with just the workshops being relocated to the surface of Acastus, a planet where the sun never shines. Field work, something they never thought they would have to do, but the chance of assignment at any time has hung like a spectre over the young agent for their entire career, and now that day is here. Greystar agents further afield have discovered a site called the House of the Undying, a place where knowledge is preserved in the minds of legions of experts and important figures, medically kept at the brink of death so they can be thawed and consulted. Transportation has been arranged for the following morning, and Korvax finds themselves with a rare night off before the expedition. The rain beats down outside as a peal of thunder cracks the sky. The second of the three rune incribed moons passes over the planet, signaling mid day.

1:14 PM

@Johnny is Still Adventuring (no need to ping on reply, this is just so you know where it is among the channels we have)

Korvax stood at the threshold, gazing into the night shrouded in a veil of drizzle, the rain descending upon the city like a drawn out lament. The forecast dubbed it "Cyclonic Gloom," a fitting moniker for the somber atmosphere engulfing them. A couple hurried past him, their figures blurred by the mist, and Korvax felt the pull of an empty stomach. With a resigned sigh, he made the decision to brave the elements in pursuit of sustenance. His gaze lifted skyward, a silent plea to the heavens for respite from the downpour, if only for a fleeting moment. Adjusting the collar of his weathered pea coat, Korvax acknowledged its futility against the relentless rain, yet found solace in the familiar ritual. Turning on his heel, he ventured into the labyrinthine streets, guided by the promise of a warm meal and a momentary reprieve from the tempest outside. His footsteps echoed against the slick pavement, a rhythmic dance around the puddles and passers by. As always he didn't take the direct path to his location. Was it really that important to practice these things? Arriving at his destination, a local eatery nestled amidst the urban sprawl, Korvax sought to shake off as many rain drops as he could rather than carrying them inside as unwanted guests. Taking a seat at the corner booth, he nursed a drink, as it offered a fleeting respite from the chill that permeated his bones.

He had glanced over the menu waiting for his order to be taken .

One of the wait staff comes by to drop a menu off at the table. The selection is decent and the prices have always been affordable here. It is a known hangout for agency members and you recognize a few familiar faces from your days of training. Those faces have long since moved on to other assignments, though command seems to be fulfilling their promise about letting people routinely cycle in through the capital for rest. After a few moments they return with a glass of water and a cup of steaming Acastan roast coffee, their notepad and pen ready for your order. The compad on the table next to you slowly counts down the seconds until your assignment

(do I have time to mingle here and get food ...you mentioned seconds are being counted down)

(yeah you do, just ambience I guess, reminding you that there's a mission you're assigned to, but leaving is hours away. More like, this isn't going to spawn a new adventure right nwo since you're already assigned to something. The world reacts to you, so I'm waiting to see w hat you do here at the restaurant or what you're looking for specifically before i can really say more or add more detail to the scene. You're in the driver seat)

Korvax picks a choice of meal that's comfort food for him. His meet up isn't for a couple of hours so he savors the time, reading and mentally preping himself. The room is scattered with tables and people. This isn't a day to engage in idle chit chat. He pays his tab, thanks the server and heads out to the rendezvous point. He would have been pleased if the weather had eased off a little more than it has.

The rain has not gone away entirely but the downpour has become a light mist. Most people are no longer using their umbrellas and instead just walk through the small puddles that have collected in the area. You are given a brief inspection by the guards at the spaceport and as your agent status is verified you are let in to the hangar agents are known to use when deployed on missions. The crew chief informs you it is a six day trip east and that you will have your own cabin for the flight. You've got run of the ship aside from the bridge during spike travel , and no duties or watches are expected of you. You settle in, preparing for planetfall on the eastern fringes of Greystar territory to begin your mission. (6 days of downtime, this is not 6 irl days of no posts, just game time passing that can be spent working on a language or skill)

(Talk would fit the character. Participating in online debates, reviewing famous debates and seeing if he can give a toastmasters type talk to the crew )

(sounds good, so you'd be at 6 of 90 for talk) https://www.worldanvil.com/w/iron-stars-nekosmash/a/thea-location The House of the Undying is a location in the eastern side of the planet. Thea is a relatively new Greystar colonial project, and aside from a small town on the planet's surface around an alien observatory, the rest of the planet consists of untouched wilderness, the ruins of a pre scream human settlement, and its crowning achivement known as the House of the Undying. It is here that experts, poets, statesmen, and others from the generations of human colonist have been interred. A small scientific and medical team, along with security and the building's own expert systems currently tend the facility, but little is known about it and entire galleries and floors remain unexplored. Your ship passes over the town and its observatory, continuing east to land outside the House. Its security troopers jog out to meet with you, eyes darting left and right at the unforgiving and dangerous forests around the landmark.

Thea

Unsure whether to salute or shake hands Korvax decides to just mention his name. “Korvax, reporting in. Seems like we should get inside before talking more.”, his eyes mimicing theirs as he swings his head for a quick look at the forest to his left and right. He prepares to run or move in step with them at the same speed.

They hunch as the downdraft of the shuttle engines rattles their equipment and weatherproof clothing. They half run with you in town inside the main hall of the building where someone who looks like a researcher with seniority is making their way down from offices above. Two more security troopers in a bodyguard capacity flank them. "Agent Korvax. Welcome to the House of the Undying" he says, shouting slightly over the sound of the shuttle lifting back off outside. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. Getting an agent to come all the way out here from several lightyears away is something we were hoping to avoid, but from what I understand you've got some talent with machinery, and Greystar government proper is starting to take an interest in this place , so here you are"

Korvax's heart swelled with a sense of purpose upon learning of his assignment to inspect the machinery. Though the specifics were shrouded in ambiguity, the prospect of delving into the intricacies of mechanical systems resonated deeply with him. With a nod of resolve, he accepted the task at hand, eager to apply his expertise to unraveling the enigma before him. As he followed his guide through the labyrinthine corridors of the facility, Korvax's mind buzzed with anticipation, fueled by the allure of the unknown. The sparse details provided little insight into the nature of the machinery awaiting his scrutiny, leaving him to speculate on the challenges that lay ahead. "Allow me a moment to stow my belongings, and we can let me get started with a walk through," Korvax declared, his tone brimming with confidence born of experience. With a practiced ease, he deposited his bags in a nearby chamber, his mind already racing with strategies for assessing the mysterious apparatus. Turning to his guide, Korvax posed a question tinged with a hint of deference. "Shall I report directly to you for further instruction, or is there someone else I will be working with ?"

"You can report to me. I'll be on the main floor of the facility and one of the guards can show you where we've been claiming some room for quarters. " he says , gesturing for one of your escorts to step forward. "He can also answer some general questions about the place to help you get a lay of the land. We're about to run some tests on the logic engines, and I need to be down there to take care of that. You're not needed for that test but there are a few things I'd like to direct your attention to once you're ready"

Korvax smiles, "thank you.". He turns to his escort and introduces himself "Korvax". As they head towards the quarters Korvax starts up a conversation on the way. In between small talk about the quality of food, entertainment choices and other light subjects he looks to gather other information. He is interested in how many people are at the site, what is moral like, do they have any deadlines to get work done and what is the area like for dangers and troubles.

The site is home to about 200 people split between researchers and technicians, the security staff split among three eight hour watches, and a handful of support personnel with jobs like preparing meals, cleaning, and handling some of the other services that make life here comfortable and sanitary. Morale is good, many wish to return to a more civilized world but among the ranks of the researchers they are more willing to stick it out, sensing great discoveries are close if only they could get the machinery working so they can interview the interred figures from past ages at the site.

1:36 PM

They are hopeful that with you coming, if only a small number of machines turn on, they can already begin to accelerate their interrogation of those kept at the brink of death by the elaborate machinery of the facility.

Korvax moved into the room where he would be setting up his base of operations and storing his belongings. He cast a critical eye over the space, mentally mapping out where he would place things. It wasn't much, but it was his corner and it would have to do. Unzipping his holdall he pulled out his notebook, its pages filled with scrawled notes and half-baked schematics. He flipped through them, muttering curses under his breath as he tried to make sense of his own handwriting. "Why did I agree to this again?" he grumbled to himself, his voice echoing off the walls. Oh right, his sister. He was here because of her. And if he had to wade through thsi nonsense to find her, then so be it. With a sigh, Korvax set to work, laying out his belongings with all the care of a surgeon preparing for a delicate operation. He strapped on his weapon, just in case things got hairy. It wasn't that he didn't trust his fellow inhabitants, but you never knew when some local terror or stir crazy inhabitant might decide to ruin your day. Tool belt secured, data pad in hand, Korvax headed out to the meeting place. He had work to do, and by the stars above, he was going to find his sister if it killed him. Or, more likely, if he got himself into some other kind of trouble entirely.

(notice/wis. This is our first check, if you need a hand with rolling it just let me know)

Johnny is Still Adventuring

used /roll

Korvax Request: [2d6+1-1 "Does Korvax realize if people are carrying weapons openly"] Roll: [3, 1] Result: 4

There are plenty of people carrying weapons openly here. So much of this facility is constructed using technology and construction techniques from an earlier, now lost age and trying to get a deeper idea of the function of the facility is lost on you. You follow your escort through the winding hallways of the facility and make your way to the first of several industrial sized galleries where a circle of computer terminals and other control stations are located. Distantly, a massive system of conveyors and an interface terminal serve as the way the many many distant banks of coffin/cryopods are accessed. Your research team that you are assisting stands before this interface terminal now, looking puzzled. Several access panels from the side of the computer bank have been removed and they are tinkering with something inside.

Korvax leaned against a nearby console, his brow furrowed in contemplation as he surveyed the scene before him. The chamber stretched out before him, its walls lined with mysterious equipment that whispered secrets of a bygone era. Or maybe it was just the ventilation system acting up again. He scratched his head, his fingers tangling in the wiry tangle of his hair. What was this place? A cold storage prison? A cold storage hospital? A cold storage quarantine zone? The possibilities were as endless as the depths of space itself. He watched the research team as they poked and prodded at the machinery, their expressions a mix of curiosity (maybe) and confusion. Korvax couldn't help but chuckle to himself. If they only knew what they were getting themselves into. With a shrug, he pushed himself away from the console and sauntered over to join the fray. After all, if there was one thing Korvax knew how to do, it was poke and prod at things until they either started working or exploded. And sometimes, if he was lucky, it was both. "Hey team, I am here to help if you want to bring me up to speed and tell me how I can help?" he says as he puts down his bag.

"Everyone" the head researcher says "this is Korvax the engineer from the Confederation. He is going to be working with us to try to get this gallery up and running. We've found two main functions in the facility so far, one is high fidelity simulations to teach skills. THe other is the interrogation of those brought here at close to the point of death for interviews . We don't really understand how either function entirely works bu we do know we have a repository of knowledge here that is irreplacable and unique. The people here are the best from generations on generations across the sector and are the only connection we have to the Terran Mandate, the Tenebrian Empire, and pre scream society as a whole. We're trying to understand the facility and how it works, and glean any knowledge we can in maintaining it and caring for those interred here. The expert system in charge of the facility is operational but we have noticed increasing latency and decreasing efficiency in the way tasks are carried out. "

Korvax leans in "Have you tried unplugging it and plugging it back in?". He chuckles. "Okay here is the serious question have you checked whether the increased latency and decreasing efficiency are linked to an increase in load or areas that you have brought on line?". He pauses but just long enough to fire off another question "Have we checked for fluctuations in the power systems? Of course if you have graphs of the data showing load, distance and time since start up measured against the growth in latency and efficiency that would help as a starting point. ". (edited)

The lack of engineering experience in the group shows at your suggestions. These are analysists, med techs, and the few engineers that are here have concentrations in other areas. "We can get the information for you. Bringing things online could be some of the issue, meaning the facility has a capacity to handle it, we just need to determine what can be done or brought online to help balance for it. Things like more power, more processing speed, things like that. We have no idea what's in the sub galleries below the facility, they're certainly machine spaces, but we haven't dared explore them without having someone on hand who can at least make an educated guess about what we might be looking at down there"

"Well what are we trying to do here at the moment ?" asked Korvax attempting to gain some understanding before jumping in.

"We would like to restore full function to the facility so the nearly dead can be kept in their suspended animation, so we have the processing power to study and analyze their findings, and to get the simulator levels ot produce better simulations for training purposes"

9:25 AM

"We have not been down to the bottom levels of the facility where we expect the machienry for this may be ,as a Greystar agent was needed for that access. You are here now"

Korvax was all set to plunge headfirst into the mysteries of the lower levels of the complex, but he wasn’t about to play the lead role in a bad sci-fi horror flick. The kind where the geeky engineer meets a gruesome end because he wandered off alone. He had watched enough B-movies to know that sort of idiocy never ended well. "Alright, people," he announced, hands on hips and looking more like a disgruntled camp counselor than a jack-of-all-trades engineer. "I’m not about to become the next victim in a low-budget space thriller. First things first, I need comms gear. Good ones, not those cheap pieces of crap that conk out the moment you hit a concrete wall. I want recording equipment that actually records—none of that knock-off junk. Lights, and I mean the kind that could illuminate a black hole, because I’m not stumbling around in the dark. And, oh, let’s not forget, I want a security detail. Preferably two ex-armed forces personnel, not the guys who flunked out of boot camp. Then—and only then—will we go turn on the scary equipment and see what fresh hell awaits us." With that, Korvax set off to gather his gear, all the while wondering if this little escapade would end with him heroically saving the day or becoming the next cautionary tale for engineers everywhere. At least he wouldn’t be going down alone.

(one of the guards can use a floater lamp which is basically a drone with a big light on it. There is an argus web available here which records for 24 hours in a 360 degree spread around you. As far as comms they have a comm server so a compad is as good as they're going to get. That's really the only piece of communications equipment in the book that isn't pretech, and pretech is outside the scope of the game) (edited)

(once he has 2 security guards and a place to start they head off)

(d10 , lets see whats up as we descend)

Johnny is Still Adventuring

used /roll

Korvax Request: [1d10 "What do we find"] Roll: [2] Result: 2

Nekosmash pinned a message to this channel. 5/22/2024 12:08 PM

(coming down fro the stairs on the left of the image) With the two security troopers in tow and the floater lamp drone being sent out of the elevator first its light plays over the small hallway that leads into the subterrain 'guts' of the facility. Dust thickly coats the surfaces on this level and bootprints from the first explorers to come this way indicate they went a bit further into the basement of the facility. The hallway winds to a simple closed iris door separating the hallway from Room 4

Korvax stood sandwiched between the two security team members, who looked like they moonlighted as boulders in their spare time. He cleared his throat, trying to exude a confidence that belied the fact that he’d rather be anywhere but here, possibly curled up with a nice technical manual on engine recalibration. "So, uh, how are we doing this search?" he asked, glancing left and right at the granite-like faces of his companions. They were the strong, silent types, all right—emphasis on the silent. He half-expected them to communicate via a series of grunts and eye twitches. "Do we know of any reason not to just open the doors and stroll around like we own the place?" He paused, waiting for some nugget of wisdom to drop from his stony escorts. Crickets. He might as well have been asking his toolbox for advice. "Right, well, we could also send the drone down the corridor," he suggested, his voice taking on a hopeful lilt. "Let it open the iris, or maybe we can trigger it to open from here." He looked around, hoping for some sign of approval or, at the very least, a grunt of acknowledgment. Korvax sighed. He pulled out his datapad and prepared to deploy the drone, mentally bracing himself for whatever horrors awaited them beyond the next set of doors. At least with the drone leading the way, he could avoid being the first to die in their own low-budget space horror.( can Korvax try and see if they can trigger the door from a distance ?)

(wireless hacking or interacting with electronics really isn't a thing in SWN unless you go through a bunch of steps like finding the trunk line, placing a line shunt and going through a couple other things. In this case there isn't a way to remotely open the door via a compad or anything.) The floater lamp begins moving toward the iris. It groans and only the top half of the metal plates retracts into the ceiling as the drone gets close and its light plays across the interior of Room 4, a machine space where spare parts have been lined up in crates along the walls. Time has dry rotted most of the cargo straps keeping the containers securely stacked up on one another. The corpses of several small rodents litter the floor and have also been left here to dry out. Computer terminals line the west and east sides of the rooms. They are unpowered and the keys to send commands into the devices are oversized and large. From your vantage point at the half opened Iris, you cannot see any traps or security drones within Room 4 (edited)