Iron Stars - trivedi-inc

@SkornTheFallen @sutpour @Seung Whitaker (Severus/Marina) the battle will take place here as you do various things. Sil is out in the desert so he’s going to stay in military as he does things behind the lines

Seung and Agata and Gunnar are on the north wall. Agata and Gunnar both on the heavy guns we were given, and Seung ready with his sniper, mag rifle, and Rocket launcher.

(Amy available heavy weapons or Mechs?)

(Aparently I was given 2 of the heavy storm guns)

You’d be given a storm gun as well Brethan for your role in recovering them

1:39 PM

A flare goes up from the north gatehouse. “DUST ON THE HORIZON!” One of the lookouts Calls

(So whats the range on the heavy storm guns?) Seung keeps his rocket launcher close and ready while he looks over with his binoculars.

2000m long range. It’s the same damage as an anti vehicle laser with one additional damage dice

2:19 PM

How do we feel about trying the new rules for this

2:19 PM

Everyone involved in this has new sheets done

I'm fine with it.

Same

The helldiver column spreads out and comes to a halt 2500 meters from the wall. A black and gold lander touches down in front of the column and a familiar figure emerges. A mechanical, four armed snake and his golden honor guard

2:21 PM

Kingbreaker takes a device from a nearby robot and calls out “send an emissary to discuss terms. I shall wait two hours”

"So... Are we going to actaully send someone out. I feel like who ever goes out it should just be piggen, but I really doubt we'll like these 'terms'." (edited)

“This is varl. I’m going out” you hear crackle over the compad

Brethan kneels on the wall behind cover and shoulders his weapon while patiently waiting.

"Careful out there Varl. It's possible they may try to make a point of you."

Varl and two honor guard leave the city. He is wearing polished silver battle armor and kingbreaker meets him halfway on the field

(So we're closer then 2000 meters now)

(He and his guards are yes). The terms are as follows” shouts kingbreaker into the device “the surrender of this city to central processor authority. Twenty percent of its citizens will be given over as tribute for a labor term of five years. The claims over the Uranium mines shall be forfeit and no new piggen settlements may be constructed for a term of ten years. Those within the city are free to carry arms and maintain their own militia, but piggen professional soldiers under arms will be seconded to the central processor army as auxiliaries”

(Well kingbrearker is now too if they met right?) Seung trains his sniper rilfe on kingbreaker waiting for the meeting to end.

(Yeah they’re both in the middle. The artillery of theirs is trained on the walls in case of funny business)

2:58 PM

Kingbreaker seems to spend a moment pondering this before spitting at the robots boots.

2:59 PM

Kingbreaker looks disappointed. He turns to the right and voices a single command. Varl and his honor guard are cut down in a hail of Gatling laser fire

Seung fires at kingbreaker

3:00 PM

(So I assume this went over a minute and should be an execution right?)

Yes. I think he still gets the physical effect save does he not?

I believe now it's different it's a 2d6 at a difficulty of 8

The kineshield around kingbreaker flares for a moment as the sniper shot barks. It is too late, his head detonates in a shower of metal and magenta sparks

3:09 PM

His honorguard rush to surround the body, beginning the process of bearing it off the field

3:09 PM

Cantor radio's in. Air contacts, eight of them, coming in hot from the north. Do we engage?

3:09 PM

(also what is brethan doing during all this)

"Get the vtols in the air! Heavy arms aim high! Some of you fire on those retreating bots!"

(I presume Seung's sniper shot was within a few seconds of Varl being killed. Brethan was about to start shooting into their forces after Seung was finished with his sniper shot)

Let's do initiative then

3:13 PM

That has essentially begun the combat

(So for a change i got a 2)

(Rolled a 7)

Brethan, the robot host, Seung, and then Sam whenever he feels like hopping in. Silvano in his thread will have a chance to do his own things so that'll effect what you guys see

3:14 PM

The golden robots begin packing up the body of kingbreaker as combat begins, and Brethan is up first, the robot host hasnt reacted yet, as its only been a few seconds

3:14 PM

Their AC is 18

(Are the golden robots within 2000m?)

1500 now, so depending on what you're shooting it might still be long range

(How many golden robots are carrying the body?) Once the pause from Varl's death is interrupted by Seung's shot, Brethan looks at 1108 with sad anger in his eyes before turning towards the golden Helldivers and shooting the large gun he was given by the Piggens.

There are six acting as carriers (he was really big) and six more serving as rearguard for them

(Rolled a 20 to hit, 24 damage. If their armor is considered heavy, the 24 is multiplied to 48 damage)

Brethan chambers one of the heavy, large shells of the curious metal. The breach snaps shut. The weapon hums as you lightly depress the trigger and a small red dot appears on the robot he aims at (think almost like the spartan laser). He depresses the trigger and a massive pure white lance of energy hits the robot,. One of the carriers simply evaporates.

3:21 PM

leaving a greasy black smudge of glass where it used to stand, and one severed weapon arm next to the small blemish

(I think shooting this weapon aroused Brethan lol. That is epic)

(You can describe the kills and whatnot going forward, but for the first one I wanted to at least tell you what the weapon does/how it looks, i normally dont like doing all the narrative like that, leaves you guys as little more than dice rollers and thats crappy) The robot war host is up next

(Sounds good neko)

(player agency is important, this doesnt work without you!) The golden robots begin moving the body of their leader off the field, double moving to 20m back toward their position, the column of war machines begins moving forward, (2200m at double speed) , the main cannons of the infantry carriers all priming with an energetic whine. The three remaining walkers have ejected their cargo and stamp their feet into the earth, locking themselves in place (3500m out). Their main guns raise slightly, and also begin to charge up.

3:30 PM

Seung is next

"We need to get those heavy cannons in the back down before they can fire on the city!" Seung brings up his missle launcher now (Actaully how big is Delphos, as in if the phoenix is on the ground how far would it be.) He aims his missle launcher at one of the walkers in the back. (What's the ac for them?) Agata and Gunner will fire at the group rushing away.

3:34 PM

(Both of them will miss their stormgun shots)

It’s always 10 for a vehicle outside of 40m

(Seung rolls 28 to hit and 28 dmg)

3:36 PM

The missile flies through the air hitting one of the walkers. (edited)

The front of its spider like legs in its right side blows clear of the vehicle, though the rest seem to be able to keep it stabilized

Brethan is up next

4:13 PM

(we might slow down a pinch tonight to give sam a chance to participate but we can do the first few rounds at least)

Brethan shoots at another golden robot (23 damage).

Another of the robots takes a hit from the laser, falling in half, not dead, but using his arms to pull himself away from the battle

4:55 PM

The war host is next, followed by the piggen, and then seung

4:57 PM

the phoenix can be there in two rounds btw seung

(The idea isn't if it can be airborn but the missiles on it lock. So could the salvos be fired from the ground and locked using Agata and the ghost driver basicly) (edited)

oh, gotcha, I'm not sure those canbe fired without direct line of sight, I'd need to look it up

4:58 PM

hang on

5:00 PM

it doesn't say. so let's do this, if you want to use your action to call targets to them you can

5:00 PM

like act as an artillery spotter

(Me or Agata?)

Agata is on the wall with you correct?

(Aye) (edited)

one of you has to do it

5:00 PM

whoever you want

5:00 PM

just somebody

(Alright cool. just making sure)

The robots are next. The first walker fires, destroying the top of a gun tower 100m east of you, several burning piggen tumble from the tower, hitting the ground with a sickening thud. A second fires at the base of that same tower, the massive blue energy sphere blasting a large 10m breach in the wall. The third, damaged walker also fires at the breach, but the power coil flickers and fades, due to previous damage.

5:04 PM

the vehicles closest to the breach begin to form a single file column, preparing to punch through. You see the closest 20 begin to move in this direction. In front of Brethan and Seung on the gatehouse, the vehicles close to 1800m and begin to fire their main guns on the gate itself

5:04 PM

The metal sags, and bubbles as the energy and solid rounds blister it, but it remains holding

5:05 PM

The piggen return fire, first using mortars to suppress the rear ranks of the vehicles

5:05 PM

One vehicle bursts into flames, a direct hit, three others are lightly damaged.

5:06 PM

Most of the fire is wildly inaccurate, and you can tell they're still unfamiliar with the weapons (someone can assist them and they'll be more effective)

5:06 PM

Seung is next

(So is there any of the Helldivers fliers in sight yet?)

You can hear them, but you can't see them. It's also dark right now.

5:07 PM

Some spotlights have been rigged up and they're sweeping the sky.

"Cantor I need you to spot those fliers on the radar. With Agata and the Ghost driver we should be able to get some missles out on them!" Seung will fire again at the walker in the back and Gunnar will fire at the front vehicle. Agata will be spending his turn to try to spot the fliers with the radars help from the plane.

5:10 PM

Seung hits the Artillery for 14 dmg. Gunnar hits the front car (If ac is 10) For 17 dmg. (I think Brethan got confused it's not double dmg if you hit with the anti vehicle if these are like those, but you can roll it twice.) (edited)

He mentioned in a PM he did later but even his initial damage was enough to wipe a robot

5:13 PM

It'll be know with wis for talking the plane on, like marking targets and leading the rounds on (edited)

(He get's a 6)

what targets are you designating

What ever fliers there are if they exist I've yet to be told if they do or not

They do, You can hear them but not see them, the hydra array manages to lock on to two, Agata notices a gleam as the plane passes into a searchlight beam

(So was it the turn to lock and now it's the piggen)

No they can fire

5:22 PM

So you can split the shots between two targets

(Then 2 missiles to one and 1 to the other The first 2 rolls to one and the third to the other target) (edited)

AC 10 for them as well, just for the range

One of the three missiles hits for 20 dmg

There is an expanding fireball over the desert as one of the fighters is struck dead on.

5:29 PM

The car Gunnar hit keeps moving forward, though thick grey smoke pours out of a nasty rent in its armor. The walker staggers again as another rocket strikes it. The blue crackling energy around it gets more intense.

5:29 PM

Brethan is next

Brethan fires at another one of the golden robots (30 damage).

(You kill it)

6:29 PM

How does it die?

As he fires, a large white cylindrical beam illuminates the carrier's torso and moves up to the head. Once the energy dissipates, you see semi-opaque white motes of energy floating in the air where the robot's upper body was once located. The foot which the robot was pushing off of when walking is stuck in the ground whereas the other leg falls limply to the mixed sand and dirt ground.

The war host is up next.

6:43 PM

The first walker braces itself and fires, again at the breach, blowing it further open and scattering the warriors around the devastated ramparts.

6:43 PM

The second walker targets the section of wall the past few rockets have come from

6:43 PM

(evasion saves seung, brethan, and seung take them for your personell too)

(17 vs 11; I succeeded)

(Strong work!)

(I might as well stand and hug the round along with my group. I rolled a 9 and they both some how rolled 1’s)

You do have your veteran ability

(True I’ll just wait for the dmg) (edited)

Seung is hit for 12, Gunnar 5, and Agata 4

(I’ll just let it hit)

The surrounding fortifications are turned to dust, Brethan in his veteran insight was able to throw himself out of the way to the left, narrowly missing the blast. The gate itself is standing for the moment. The vehicle squadron approaching it fires again

7:01 PM

The combined weapons fire reduces the gate to pitted metal and splintered wood.

7:01 PM

The third mech lowers itself close to the ground, and a pair of vehicles drive closer to it, each with a crane attachment

7:02 PM

The vehicle squadron heading towards the breach doubles its speed again, and will reach it in three turns.

7:03 PM

Piggen reserves behind the walls move into position with scratch built metal boarding shields and pieces of fortification, even rocks, hoping to shore up the breach. Several of the wall guns are now in range, and the surviving captains give the order to open fire, though word of Varl's fall is beginning to spread, one of the militia companies breaks off its place on the wall entirely, as it's captain seeks the safety of the south gate, and open desert

7:05 PM

Two of the vehicles slew sideways as the heavy beams push them away, and set them ablaze, one is cored through, along with the infantry it was carrying.

7:05 PM

The mortars now fire

7:06 PM

Mortars punish the vehicles approaching the gatehouse, talked on by guidence in the field from Silvano, swamping four, and blowing the handful of infantry dismounting from the previous barrage to pieces

7:07 PM

Seung is up

(Do I have any knowledge of the group retreating?)

You’d hear it on the squad intercoms

Seung hits his comms so it streams to all the captains. "Everyone in Delphos this is Seung Whitaker of Greenbrair. Your leader Varl is dead, but do not fear do not run. The helldivers have done this because they think you are weak and they believe that the fall of one man will make you flee. Do not kneel down before them like they think you will. Lets show them what the piggen truely are! When they remember Varl the Unbreakable do not let his story end with him being gunned down by the cowerdly helldivers. Let it end with the story about how the Piggen came together to revenge their leader to show these damned robots that they will not lord over us. That flesh is stronger then metal. If you still wish to run then do it. Just remember this that I will not run I will not flee. I will not leave this city till the helldivers run into the night, or they stand over my dead corpse. When this is over those who fled if we fail remember this night strongly. The night you ran and let your brothers die. The night you let someone else fight your battle. The night that I Seung Whitaker stood for you. All while you show'd the cowerdly and weak Piggen these Helldivers believe you are." Seung then hopefully at the top of what used to be the fortifcations fires.

one of the walkers tumbles over, back blown out at the end of your speech, although a handful of the piggen squad continues to run, most, including their officer rally, and begin returning to the line

Seung fires apon the last artilery, and gunnar fires apon the forward vehicles again. Agata will again help the Phoenix fire apon the 2 fliers and will fire once at the already hit one and twice at the other one.

7:40 PM

Seung hits the last artillery (aka the one not under repair) for 14, gunner hits for 27, and Agata and the Phoenix hit the full health flier for 14 (edited)

Gunnar strikes a vehicle damaged by previous mortar fire and it grinds to a halt. its passengers begin to clamber out.

7:51 PM

the walker takes light damage, some armor plates falling off and hitting the sand

7:51 PM

The flier takes moderate damage from the missile, and they prepare to make strafing runs on the walls. (2 remaining, you shot down 1)

7:51 PM

Brethan is up

Focusing intensely, Brethan fires again at one of the golden robots (40 damage). (I couldn't tell from earlier talk whether Kingbreaker was important or not lol)

(He was the emissary sent who was demanding a lot of stuff earlier when the robots were taking people from pods, I think it goes without saying you;ve killed it)

8:16 PM

The fourth robot is struck by the beam

(My issue is that I was attempting to make sure he couldn't be saved because I thought it would impact this immediate battle. Now I'm sure that whether he survives or not doesn't effect the overall Helldiver problem. I've effectively been useless this entire battle because Brethan was acting on a false premise lol)

(not at all, you've never met anything higher than him, and his core is still in his body)

8:21 PM

(if they recover him, god knows whats going to happen)

(The current body is useless but they could just repair it or throw him in another)

8:21 PM

(Stoping that is still aiding us)

(if he lives you bet your ass hes coming after you)

(That is good to know. I was just thinking I screwed everyone over badly lol. Good to know my efforts weren't futile in their intent.)

8:22 PM

(I will teabag a mother fu..)

(lmao!)

8:23 PM

The surviving walker elevates its cannon, and fires an arcing shot over the walls, it lands in the palace garden, setting many of the plants on fire, which slowly begins to spread from the city center (it's not out of control yet, but will move that way if unattended)

8:24 PM

The third walker is being winched back into position by the recovery crew, long gantries on the roof of the vehicle replacing the missing leg.

8:24 PM

The gate open, the vehicles move at full speed towards the breach (2 turns left), and the gatehouse (2 turns left). Their infantry support weapons spit fire at the ramparts.

8:25 PM

Killing a dozen piggen spread across various squads covering the breach, twice that number are injured.

8:25 PM

The piggen will begin walking mortar fire into the honor guard, seeing what Brethan has been firing at

8:30 PM

Several of the shells stike the area, pulping the wounded and severely wounding those not killed, the body of Kingbreaker himself is barely recognizable as a coherent form

8:30 PM

The piggen wall guns are going to fire around the breach

8:31 PM

Stopping three vehicles and damaging two more.

8:32 PM

Roughly 1/3 of the attacking force has been disabled or destroyed

8:32 PM

Seung is next

He's going to fire his last missle at the artillery. Gunnar is going to fire at the leading vehicles. And Agata is going to look again for fliers before firing.

8:34 PM

Seung does 21 dmg to the artillery (the operational one again) gunnar hits for 31 dmg, and Agata if another wis/know gets 8

“Oh no” You hear Agata whisper, double checking the feed

"What Agata?!"

“Bomber group. A dozen of them coming in from the east. We have some time before they get here. About ten minutes”

8:40 PM

“Looks like we splashed the two fighters they had lingering close by. The third one bugged out”

@SkornTheFallen @sutpour @Masacio "We've got 12 bombers coming in. We need to decide what the plan is. They're either just going to carpetbomb around the city, or they're going to try to take the wall down. We have 10 minutes before they get here (which is for ever meta wise) so can we push them from even trying? Or do we need to try to push all our vtols and other air vehicles out there."

(Its forever as far as the meta yeah but if you’re scrambling air assets or pulling back it’s not long)

Sil messages in, "Send our fighting aircraft after them. We don't have any other anti air, right? And note they moved their anti air ground battery to protect their remaining artillery."

"I'm confident in Sam and his men's ability to handle the remaining 2/3rds of the ground forces. I can assist with either piloting or gunning for one of the vtols if someone can direct me to them."

"Alright then it's decided we'll send the vtols after the bombers? I'll have the Phoenix stay to assist once they get into range. I can't get a gunner there in time compaired to the Vtols getting out there." Seung since he didn't move will get off the wall as well to look for a ammo cache to see if they brought up missiles. (edited)

There is an ammo dump close to the wall and there’s indeed a rocket reload for you

8:52 PM

A VTOL is going to set down in a park close to the gatehouse so Brethan can get aboard

(With gunslinger 2 it's a onturn to reload if it doesn't take 2 turns to reload so i'll reload before the end of my turn)

It was one turn to reload so you’re just stocked back up then

(Don't hate me but what is a VTOL exactly? I know it is an aircraft but have no clue of its structure or function). Brethan makes his way to the VTOL.

Think of an osprey

(Something that can land and take of vertically)

8:54 PM

(This one happens to be almost like the flying craft from aliens but with props I believe) (edited)

8:55 PM

(At least from the way i've seen it explained Idk if you have something else it would be more like) (edited)

(I'm an avid Aliens fan so I know exactly what you mean. Great example.)

(VTOL = Vertical Take Off and Landing)

8:59 PM

(So Osprey aircraft, a Harrier, a helicopter. Normally applied to air planes that normally can't do this.)

Alright so Seung is reloaded and Brethan has boarded the vtol. It’s got a heavy machine gun and a hastily mounted hydra array

9:12 PM

(Belly rockets)

(Am I both flying and shooting or just shooting?)

Both

9:14 PM

It’s got the fire control upgrade for its final slot which allows you to shoot and fly@

9:17 PM

The rumble of the ground and a blast from a large war horn is deafening as five spinebacks with howdahs turn the corner from the western wall, heading towards the artillery pieces. The helldiver vehicles have not yet had time to realign

Brethan takes off in the VTOL and makes his way towards the bombers.

The battle continues to rage, the damaged walker firing its cannon into the palace again, this shot destroying the forecourt and adding to the already growing blaze. The third one, now braced, fires its first shot at another of the watch towers, the energy blast falls short, as the crews work to readjust their angles due to the irregular bracing

9:50 PM

The vehicles charge forward (1 turn until at the breach) and are met with both the heavy thunderguns, and other small arms fire, hunting lances are also thrown by those who have them

9:52 PM

Several vehicles are damaged, and three more are disabled from the small arms. The mortars resume firing this time with star shells to help the aircraft see the incoming aircraft more easily

(I guess it's me?)

Yes, sorry haha

10:00 PM

I was reviewing something

(You're all good just making sure before I go about doing anything)

10:01 PM

Seung is going to run back up to the wall and will fire at the atillery that is now being braced. Gunnar will fire agan at the lead vehicles, and Agata will now fire rockets at 3 random vehicles that are rushing in.

10:03 PM

(I'm going all in because why not. I threw a reroll token and i'm going to us my ability to hit) Seung hits for 27 dmg Gunnar misses and Agata hits one with 13 dmg (edited)

The braced walker stumbles again, heavily damaged along its back, the AA turret on its back knocked off. A fire breaks out.

10:05 PM

(450 credits worth of munitions fired from the array). The vehicle, previously damaged, pops like a balloon, spraying metal and pieces of its crew across the desert floor

(Bill the piggen

or I guess the faction)

Faction for now but that's not to say you can't bill them later

10:07 PM

Brethan is up, in his aircraft

(Do I see the bombers? There are 12, correct?)

There are 12, the starshot allows you to see them clearly, and the hydra array is in range

Brethan fires a volley of missiles, aiming at three of the bombers.

10:12 PM

(First hits for 18, second for 11, and third for 14)

(We had 4 vtols there right?)

Yes

10:15 PM

Jaxton's as well,

10:16 PM

(All three are damaged) The left engine of bomber 1 sparks and begins leaving a trail of sooty flame across the sky, the second takes a shot across the back, knocking out its stabilizer, the third missile impacts the bombers right wing root, causing a tear that will likely get worse

10:17 PM

The other VTOL's also prime their arrays and fire

10:22 PM

The damaged engine bomber begins losing altitude and thrust, along with the one where the wing root had been damaged, A third simply detonates into an inky smear on the sky

(How far are they btw?)

They'd be about 4-5 minutes out from the city by time they got to within combat range of one another

(Ah so likely not 8km since they'd be flying at speed)

Herb hovers onto the radar in the Dank Copter after dropping his tech crewmembers off at the palace

9 bombers are still on a lumbering course for Delphos, their holds loaded with high explosive. with only a few minutes to go, they open their bay doors in anticipation.

10:43 PM

Herb's chopper flies in, and zeroes in on one of the attackers

I think I whiffed that one

The shot goes wide, but herb is now in the battle space

10:50 PM

On the ground, the two artillery pieces brace to fire, the first hitting a wing of the palace, causing light damage to the fortitied structure itself, the second, now properly triagnulated, is going to fire at the west neighborhoods, and level several small homes.

10:50 PM

The vehicles arrive at the breach, and the gatehouse and begin disgorging troops (so we can start the actual squad on squad combat)

10:51 PM

The piggen for their part continue resisting with small arms, and the heavy thunderguns, the mortars firing another salvo of starshot

(Didn't i explode the second one?)

It's on fire

10:51 PM

and the AA turret on the back is gone

10:51 PM

it wont be able to fire again until the damage control team puts it out

10:51 PM

Ah wait, you did

10:51 PM

So the palace shot hits

10:53 PM

The piggen, fighting from fortified positions manage for this round to keep the breach contained, likewise at the gatehouse, though pressure is mounting on both of those points

10:53 PM

Seung is up

Seung fires at the last Artillery and misses. Gunnar fires the heavy cannon and hits for 17 Agata fires 3 more misses and hits 2 for 8 and 11 dmg

Brethan is next

11:08 PM

The missile does strike the walker, rocking it, though does not puncture the armor.

(Actually I forgot but misses for me with gunslinger 2 do 1d4 so it takes 2 dmg still) (edited)

Brethan unleashes another volley of missiles at three of the bombers (1: 15 Hit/14 Dmg, 2: 25 Hit/11 Dmg, 3: 24 Hit/13 Dmg)

Each is damaged, several forced to drop altitude to stay aloft. Inside, bombardiers make final preparations to drop their ordinance (2 turns). Herb is next.

yay

11:30 PM

sorry about my delay there

11:30 PM

I gotta shoot at the lead bomber again

11:30 PM

whifff

I think something is wrong with the skill, it's not giving you the attribute bonuses or anything else

what should i roll with what mods?

with a 6 it wont make a difference for this shot but you might want to ake a look at it

11:32 PM

well, dex, if youre trained in shoot, you should be getting the bonus from that, you also likely get an attack bonus now with your level, even as an expert

(at level 4 your ab should be 2)

cool

11:40 PM

how about 5?

(would still be 2, It's half your level rounded down)

ahh okay

11:41 PM

cool

11:41 PM

I think it was right because I have a 0 dex bonus, a 0 level in skill for shoot. I just missed the AB

Alright. Back on the ground. I’m heading to bed in a minute so here is a summary for @sutpour Helldiver robots breaking in at the gate and a wall breach. The SPg has been standing by as reinforcements at the HQ with you. Bombers coming in as well. Colony air group is engaging. Big fire at the palace from enemy artillery that hasn’t been tended to yet. Let me know where you want your men to go.

Ok we were prepared for an attack at the gate and so defences will be strong there anyway. The wall breach is new so probably needs re-enforcements and that's where Sam and his men will head

The breach is being held by two squads of piggen armed with a mixture of thunderguns and hunting lances. A militia company is expected to arrive within the next few minutes. Three helldiver transports outside the breach support the dismounted 30 robots with their own weapons

7:43 AM

The robots are ac 15. (New rules). You may fire when ready

Who am I firing for? All of the SPG?

Yes. Mass combat!

Sam finds a vantage point over the battle scene before him and takes a shot at a helldiver bot

8:47 AM

Is there a mass combat rule or do I roll 20 shots haha

20 shots

ok hang on

8:48 AM

This might take a while

I’ve been doing opposed tactics rolls for the battle itself but this is something you’re actually doing

Sams shot misses

8:51 AM

1, 1, 10, 2, 2, 6, 5, 4, 9, 7

8:51 AM

thats the damage done by the Spg shots that hit

8:52 AM

Each SPG member will aim at a different bot

8:54 AM

Also as many men as possible will try to find a cover position

The vanguard bots all take light to moderate damage as they push through the breach. They continue moving in, their first squad laying down fire on one of the piggen squads

Me again?

Helldivers, piggen and Seung are next. You’re all in the general area. Then Brethan and herb in the air battle

9:01 AM

They’re doing stuff that’s going to change what you’re saying on the ground

Oh ok I thought everybody was off fighting different parts of the battle

The robots push into the breach, firing at the piggen and trying to force it wider

9:04 AM

Three are cut down and the squad begins to panic under the heavy fire. Out in the desert the sole surviving walker fires, the shell setting the east section tenements ablaze. The fire on the walkers back also gets larger.

9:04 AM

Additional robots dismount and move towards the beaches at the gate and wall. The piggen respond with hunting lances and thunderguns

9:06 AM

Though the weight of the onrushing robots makes it hard to thin the numbers. The mortars are cooling this round after several of sustained fire. Incendiary shells are going to be fired next turn to try to create an obstacle at the breaches

9:06 AM

Seung is up next

Seung fires at the remaining artillery missing nearby still doing 3 dmg. Gunnar Wiffs a shot at the vehicles hounding the gate. Agata with the Phoenix fires two missiles into the group at the gate and one at the remaining artillery. One just glasses sand and one does 6 dmg to a vehicle. The finale missile aimed for the artillery does 16 dmg.

The final artillery piece collapses, blown out by the missile. It’s legs splay like a deer slopping on ice and a massive explosion.

9:46 AM

The maintenance vehicles tending it are also consumed in the fireball

9:47 AM

@SkornTheFallen and @Donk978 are up in the air combat

Brethan unleashes his final volley of hydra missiles at three of the bombers (1: 21 hit, 16 dmg) (2: 26 hit, 14 dmg) (3: 10 hit, 11 damage)

(You’ve killed two)

9:53 AM

Half of the enemy bomb group has been defeated

9:53 AM

Their ordinance will drop next round

9:53 AM

How do they die?

A missile blows off the tail of the first bomber, forcing it to nose dive into the ground and explode. The second missile hits the other bomber head-on, exploding the entire vessel.

(Herbs schedule is a bit irregular so he can jump back in when he’s back). Sam is next

10:40 AM

Fighting at the breach with his spg

7, 5, 12, 7, 10, 9 , 2, 12, 4, Damage as Sam and his men unleash another volley

Six of the robots collapse in heaps of twisted metal

10:55 AM

The helldivers surge forward, their second squad pushing in behind the depleted first

10:56 AM

Their armored personnel carrier is going to use its Gatling laser (heavy machine gun) to hose the SPG, recognizing the core of the resistance here is coming from them

10:56 AM

And miss.

10:57 AM

The four surviving robots are going to try to finish off the piggen squad

10:57 AM

Killing two more. They begin falling back on their turn leaving the SPG holding the breach for two more turns until the militia company arrives

10:58 AM

The vehicles are going to push forward at the gate and stall as the piggen resistance on the gatehouse destroys 3 personnel carriers with their heavy thunderguns

10:58 AM

The piggen mortars fire their incendiary shells

10:59 AM

Many fall short but small fires are created outside the gatehouse and breach that may thin the numbers in time

10:59 AM

Seung is up

(Do I have any sight on the bombers now?)

Yes. They’d be spotted coming in now since next turn they can begin. You can hit them

Seung turns and fires his last rocket into the bombers hitting one for 19 dmg. He then scrambled to see if any more rockets are in the ammo cache. Gunnar fires his heavy storm gun into the vehicles pushing the gate and hits one for 19 dmg. Agata uses the hydra array from the Phoenix to fire at 3 bombers hitting 3 for 11, 10 and, 10 dmg.

There is another reload available

11:19 AM

Two of the bombers remain

11:20 AM

One, struck by a rocket, plows into the eastern wall before exploding, blowing open a large hole. The other two manage to glide in to smoother landings, unable to fly, but their surviving crews seeking to escape. The familiar voice of the captain from the camp battle states he is going to secure the crash sites and ensure the survivors don't escape deeper into the city

11:23 AM

Brethan and Herb are next

(How many bombers left?)

two

Brethan fires the heavy machine gun, a hail of rounds thudding and puncturing the bombers armor (13 dmg)

The engine sparks and trails dirty smoke, but remains aloft. (I've got real life D and D in a little bit, I'll give @Donk978 a chance to fire, and then we will touch base with the ground battle, the bomb run, if it happens will change thing there)

11:31 AM

The VTOL's are going to fire though

11:31 AM

doing 14 damage to the other

The helldivers in the breach push forward, firing at the SPG and piggen infantry, (6 shots on each).

2:08 PM

Two of the SPG are struck for 12, suffering severe wounds, two of the piggen are struck down as well

2:10 PM

The vehcles at the gate suppress the piggen guards on top of the gatehouse (seung is reloading in the ammo dump but evasion saves for Gunnar and agata since they're up there_

(10 and 7) (edited)

They each take 3 from the suppression

2:47 PM

The piggen at the gatehouse continue to hold, destroying two more vehicles, but the ones at the breach continue to surge forward, the second squad of piggen begin to panic

2:48 PM

Seung is next

“Agata, Patch up gunnar best you can and head back to the phoenix you can make fire on the helldivers there.”

So Agata will try to heal Gunnar as much as he can. Then he’ll move away from the wall. Seung will move up to the wall again and fire at the vehicle that suppressed and hits for 20. Gunnar wiffs another shot. (edited)

The vehicle is destroyed. Brethan is up next in the air

(Are the two last bombers both damaged or just one of them?)

Both damaged

(I have a hard decision before me. If it works, there is no bombing. If it doesn't work, there will likely be a bombing from two bombers instead of just one lol.) Brethan slows his breathing, focusing on the two bombers attempting to fly out of his range to Delphos. He presses and holds down the firing button, laying suppressive fire on both aircrafts (7 damage to both aircrafts). (This was my first time using suppressive fire. I rolled once and got a hit of 17 and 14 damage).

(Suppression is just half damage to all targets so it would be 8 if you use a machine gun)

(I thought the half damage pertained to what you rolled, not the weapons overall damage dice size. Thanks for the clarification)

One bomber is taken out

4:20 PM

The second one gliding on dying engines (3 health left) begins its drop

4:21 PM

The bombs begin falling, the powerful incendiaries blocking the escape from the wall breach (the militia company reinforcing sam made t though in time)

4:21 PM

Several housing blocks burn

4:21 PM

Sam is up

(hey I'm back) (edited)

The remaining heavily damaged bomber has managed to drop some incendiary shells and is limping away

6:36 PM

You can fire at it as it disengaged

okay

They’re ac10

cool

8:15 PM

so 10 plus my attack bonus plus my attribute bonus plus my skill bonsu plus a d20 right?

8:15 PM

and attack bonus is level/2 rounded down right?

Yes

Wait

8:15 PM

that's the old style

8:15 PM

(now you have to roll to beat 10)

I think its the new style too

8:16 PM

I just read it in the new rules

(No, no AC added to the roll. d20 + skill, + attribute +attack bonus)

8:17 PM

(You have to exceed the enemies AC. Basically, they moved the AC from one side of the equation to the other.)

8:17 PM

(This way, you don't need to know the AC to roll.)

Yeah it’s just like d and d now. You have to beat the armor class

8:25 PM

Even if it’s below 20

8:25 PM

It’s easier to hit now

nice okay

8:25 PM

so.

8:25 PM

d20 plus 2 plus nothing plus nothing. here goes nothing.

8:25 PM

16 baby!

8:29 PM

14 damage

The railgun shot tears through its midsection, bisecting the aircraft. It sails just short of the western walls, crashing outside the city

8:34 PM

Survivors begin working to extract themselves from the wreck

Sam is next

Those in the city also are stunned for a few seconds as a blinding flash on the distant horizon reaches you. You hear sils warning about a mushroom cloud over the rebel helldiver city just seconds before you can see the top of it for yourself

(btw ik it was hours ago but did you see the part about agata working to heal gunnar before it's not futile move to get to the phoenix)

Yeah they’re withdrawing. They made it past the bombing run, so the opposite side of the fire wall and they’ve got an unimpeded path to the plane

9:16 PM

They’ll arrive there in about fifteen minutes which meta wise will be a while

9:17 PM

I saw your message during D and d and made a sticky note. I just forgot to post it on here

(Alright cool thanks neko)

9:19 PM

Seung goes over the comms. "What the hell was that flash!" Trying to cover his eyes from the blinding light. (edited)

One of the nearby SPG specialists on the ground near the gate removes a bulky metal box from the side of his pack and ducks into cover to set it up

9:21 PM

The insignia on his shoulders is that of a sapper, so you reason he’s likely reviewing local meteorological data

9:23 PM

“20 kilotons at least” the sapper calls over the greenbriar wide vox, deliberately keeping it off the general channels to not frighten the piggen even more “whatever that was its nuclear”

(Just a general thought did we actually ever evacuate the city?)

(Yes. The elderly and young and as many non combatants as you could after that before itgot too dangerous

9:34 PM

(They’re in that tent city outside greenbriar for now with the colonial police and rangers watching them)

Sam and his men unleash another volley of shots on th e Helldivers. Sam hits for 11 damage. His men hit doing 4, 4,5,1,9,5,4,2

Two more of the pressing robots fall in showers of sparks. The fighting vehicle rolls into the breach and uses its main gun to suppress the infantry (evasion saves for you and your men sam)

Sam makes a 13. The others are 4,12,19,4,18,19,20,8,11,1,14,10,15,16,11,18 and a 5

8:05 AM

My dc was 12 apparently. Don't know if that makes a difference

It’s a set value you have to save against always so you’re good

8:06 AM

It gets easier as you level up. Lower number to beat

Ah ok I'm with you

The SPG Hunker down behind cover as the suppressive fire hammers their positions. Two are struck down. (12 damage for all, a couple were wounded already. They take all half from the suppression if they passed. I’m tracking the HP).

8:10 AM

The robots themselves are also going to fire

8:11 AM

Hitting 2 for light damage (I took the cover into account. Almost everything missed). The gate attack continues and the vehicles ram the broken pieces aside.

8:11 AM

The piggen return fire with lances and heavy thunderguns, blocking the gate by reducing the two vehicles to burning wrecks. The gatehouse piggen begin falling back to better cover behind the walls

8:12 AM

Seung is next

(At this point king breakers body is just sitting alone not being carried right?)

It’s been essentially shattered by mortar fire along with his honor guard

Seung is going to take an overview of the situation now. Looking over the battlefield. “Cantor can you ping the radar is anything else coming.”

Brethan stalled them long enough for the support weapons to zero.

8:17 AM

“No additional contacts sir but that explosion was radiological. I think they’ve vectored off to go deal with that”

Seung stands atop the wall he opens his comms again. “They don’t have anything else in the air! They don’t have their artillery! Hold this line don’t let them push us and we win the day! Don’t lose your ground if you can. We will repel them!” Seung fires into the vehicles trying to push through the wrecks at the gates hitting for 24. Gunnar does the same hitting for 20.

The next two vehicles in line are also destroyed, forming a fairly effective roadblock. The piggen around you continue to fall back in better order, though the gatehouse itself is largely shattered. The piggen militia company arrives to support sam’s men as well

8:32 AM

Brethan is next. Still in his aircraft over the battle

Herb as well when he is ready. The air contacts have been destroyed but you’re both in your vehicles still

Brethan looks for a parachute, grav chute, or grav harness.

There’s a number of parachutes on board, though the VTOL can land if you’re trying to get out.

(No, no. That shit is for the weak. Just kidding lol. This next move will be based on a particular premise so correct me if I misread any of the above) Witnessing the massive Helldiver force from above induces anxiety. At first glance this battle seems hopeless. However, Brethan then notices a natural blockade forming in the breach from the destroyed Helldivers. The SPG and Piggen forces are holding them off and the blockade should further provide a substantial advantage which could turn the tides. The encouragement is only momentary as Brethan realizes the front gate is about to break, providing the overwhelming forces an entry into Dephos. Brethan notices Sam and Seung still fighting and commanding their forces despite the dire situation. Consumed with encouragement, and understanding how best to assist them, Brethan guides his aircraft downward towards the front gate of the city. He will reward Sam and Seung for their efforts by providing them another blockade, his own aircraft.

(Uhh...)

(Don't ask questions Seung, just go with the flow. Just go with it.)

You didn’t misread anything

10:37 AM

(Hahaha let the hate flow through you. You’ve got the measure of the situation though Brethan)

(Thank you for the confirmation. I understand this is craziness but there is logic behind it. Brethan using his aircraft or himself isn't going to be as optimal as hopefully providing a large advantage for Sam, Seung, and their men.)

(Alright, take us home haha. Let’s see how this plays out)

(Brethan is guiding the craft, has a chute on, and is ready to attempt a jump when needed.)

Let’s do your driving/fly skill with wis as you make a judgment call about when to jump out

(Rolled an 8)

10:47 AM

(Brethan's last thoughts before his death are the delightful times he had with 1108, that adorable little botfriend..)

(what are the other VTOLs doing?)

(good question)

They’ve just finished dealing with the bombers, well assisting with it, they’re turning back around to fly over the city again

10:57 AM

Brethan jumps a little later than he probably should have but the chute opens after a few seconds. )what are you doing once you hit the ground? What’s your plan? And what’s the vtol doing, it’s clearly hitting the ground)

(The "plan" was to have the aircraft crash in front of the front gate to slow the Helldiver entry of the city. Brethan was aiming to jump and chute down behind the front gate.)

You manage to land harshly on the splintered gatehouse, taking 4 Damage from the fall and light shrapnel as the vtol smashes into the vehicles mobbing the gate.

11:05 AM

The attack stalls, and at some unseen command, the robots begin to withdraw

(That can't be good)

Sam and Seung can still fire at them

What kind of condition are sams men in?

In total four dead. Twice that number wounded.

Seung is going to fire at them as the retreat with Gunnar when I can

Sam will order the injured to fall back and seek treatment. The rest will continue to fire

11:10 AM

(do you need me to roll again or will they just continue to fire until the bots are out of range)

They’ll just fire what they can

11:10 AM

The robots begin withdrawing and the piggen hold, several squads break off to get the fires under control as best they can.

11:10 AM

The palace fire itself is especially problematic with the workshop down below

11:11 AM

Covering the retreating forces, as the VTOLS fly over, the AA is going to fire

11:13 AM

A trio of missiles hit one of them (only nominated one target) , knocking a rotor off and causing the craft to hit the desert hard, it crashes near Silvanos position and a pair of helldiver vehicles close in.

Seung you may engage the aa. They’re in range

Seung fires a missile hitting for 11

The lead AA truck rocks as the missile hits it, the crew bailing out as a fire starts

11:45 AM

So we are going to jump out of initiative as the robots move out of engagement range.

11:45 AM

What’s everyone doing

(Brethan is on prone next to the gate on either the outside of inside of the city)

Sam is going to order his men to go help with the palace fire and to get as much help for it on the way as possible. He's then going to go see if he can find some way to close up the breach in the wall temporarily

(Inside or* outside. It couldn't interpret from your earlier response)

He's also sending the wounded men to get looked at

Inside for Brethan.

11:53 AM

Let’s do lead with int sam

Seung is going to gather a few piggen if possible to make their way to king breakers body to gather his core or ensure it’s destroyed, and then go to the fallen vtol to try to save any of the men if possible.

The helldivers continue to retreat, making it clear they’ve lost their taste for the fight. Over 2/3 of their number are shattered wrecks on the desert floor and at the walls. Seungs scouts move out to the cratered no mans land. There is nothing left of the body but twisted metal shards and a golden faceplate

“Good riddance. To turn your back on your own race and think you’re better for it. To think he could have spent that time working to help them.” Seung spits on it the body. “Kingbreaker the broken now.” He looks towards the vtol if there is anything left from the aa fire.

Pitted and scarred from sustained fire, you find the crew bay empty but it appears the crew was cut from bindings. You saw no signs of struggle meaning they likely weren’t taken by force

“With all that fire I hope they just made it out.” Seung messages Cantor to check the radar for anything again and heads back for The city. On his way he does his best to gather the remains of Varl and his honor guard.

You a handful of piggen warriors who had the same idea make a makeshift funeral litter from hoisted shields, you carry him back towards the breach in the walls, solemnly.

12:36 PM

(Did you want any trophies from kingbreakers body ?)

(Is there anything on him that survived that would be obvious it come from him?)

12:44 PM

(Like is his head in pieces or still partially together?)

It’s half together

Think phantom of the opera style where it’s an eye and like half the jaw

(Does someone mind rolling for me. I think it's just 2d6+1. I just can't get to a computer until tomorrow)

No problem

When Seung passes kingbreakers body again he gathers what’s left of the head, and then continues on.

(5) for lead. Sam and his men battle the flames as best they can but With little more than a bucket brigade at their disposal the palace is deemed unsalvageable after a few hours. The piggen helping fare little better, also hampered by the lack of infrastructure.

2:01 PM

Seung collects the head, tucking it into his pack

Herb, after patrolling the area to see that the majority of helldivers has withdrawn, lands in the stable area and goes to the palace to see if he can help. he also wants to go into the wreck and see if the tunnel down to the craft beneath is still salvagable or navigable

The flames are intense and keeping people back for the most part. It’ll likely be smoldering for days once the initial flames go out, but knowing it’s down there may make it possible to tunnel back in, especially with how deep it is.

does my exoSUIT give me the ability to walk thru the flames?

You know, I think so

2:13 PM

What are you trying to do in the castle

go downstairs mainly

Once seung and his group is back he dimisses all those who came to help to go do what ever dutys they need. He then sends Gunnar off to get medical treatment and heads off to aid with the fire supression.

Brethan searches for the largest fires which he could aid in suppressing or saving people trapped.

I want to go downstairs but first I want to get into the thickest flames my suit will allow and look for survivors

(Most of the city is adobe brick right?)

That and wood. Fire would dry what little moisture is in the bricks

2:39 PM

So let’s all of you get an exert with strength roll for how quickly and efficiently you’re working.

2:39 PM

It’ll be a group effort

10 baby

(Rolled an 8)

Sam got an 8 as well. With the additional help the flames are controlled in various districts. Many are rescued and the central building of the palace remains standing though severely damaged and likely past the point of habitability. As for the workshop below all seems secure, though no one is allowed down due to the unstable structure on top

2:55 PM

I’m going to post a battle wrap up in group

(5)

Once the dust is settled Seung would like to see if any sort of meeting is in place to talk about what has happened and what will happen.

Made a thread

3:13 PM

Don’t want to clog this one in case people need to comb it for notes

@sutpour plans to explore the battlefield and determine if what’s left is good for salvage.

Charles will start by inspecting the corpses of the most advanced looking helldivers to see what kind of technology could be used from them

Charles manages to hop a VTOL from greenbriar to the ruined city of Delphos, flashing his pass as clearance for scientific study of the robot wrecks. Once on the field he is informed the wall breach in the north was the scene of the heaviest fighting

Charles will look for somebody who looks like they're in charge of the salvage operation

Aside from a mix of greenbriar special forces and a militia company of piggen standing guard picket it doesn’t appear anyone’s come to investigate the wrecks just her

9:38 AM

Yet

In that case Charles will look around for something that catches his eye as particularly important

Let’s do notice with int

3

9:44 AM

Off to a good start

You find little of value at the wallbreach itself. Most of the bodies here were hit with the heaviest weapons and the thunderguns left little intact. You see further out the ruins of dozens of vehicles and your report of the battle also suggests several aircraft had crashed into the desert further east

Charles will head towards the vehicles and will inspect them again for something useful

@Donk978 also arrives on scene with his two masquerade followers, arriving just after you at the wall breach

10:14 AM

The wrecks here are not salvageable for new tech but are laden with servos, locomotors and wiring

Charles will mark off the wrecks that seem to be in the best condition. Do any of them look like they could be restored using the parts from the other wrecks

There’s several that were damaged to the point of being immobilized but not totally destroyed

What kind of vehicles are they?

Armored personnel carriers and two main battle tanks

Ok Charles wants to take a look at one of the personnel carriers and try to estimate how much work it would take to get up and running, and what would be needed to do that

That’ll be fix with int. Making an estimation

11

10:51 AM

Much better

You find two that you think may drive again with damage around their wheels and one the engine. With some repairs or even just brand new modified parts they may be able to drive again

Do the other vehicles have the parts necessary to carry out repairs there and then

They do, you’ll need to work on them though, like cutting away damaged sections and probably welding broken pieces back together

Charles will get started on that then. He's got his post tech tool kit and 6 spare parts if that makes a difference

It does. It’ll take less to fix them as you can fashion some of the parts yourself but it will still take time and likely analysis

No problem. Do I need to do another fix roll

Not another fix right now but where are you taking these vehicles to work on them?

12:51 PM

Or are you just going to do it on scene

12:52 PM

Trying to set a DC

I was going to get them drivable and then fix them up properly when I can get them somewhere better

Fix with int then

7

1:15 PM

Roll 20 hates me. Had a plus 4 and still came out with a 7

You’re able to make one drivable, though not easily. It appears the vehicle itself was a helldiver and you spend most of the day cutting away non essential panels to make a driving space. You spend an hour fixing the axle, the easiest part of the repair.

After its fixable Charles will drive it closer to delphos. Do they have an area where I can work on it properly. I'm assuming I can't get it into the underground workshop

They’re still digging it out but the southern side of town is less devastated. You’ve noticed some activity around a large building that task force Phoenix holds that may suit you, or you could ask the monks if they’ll allow you to use the monastery grounds

1:45 PM

They’ve allowed many others to stage there due to their area being one of the few untouched by the bombardment

Charles will probably just use the large building near the phoenix embassy

1:48 PM

My intention is to get the two vehicles in a state where they can drive back to the greenbriar colony, where I can fully repair them and then sell them to greenbriar

(I’ll get you an actual picture of how they look when I get home today)

The Phoenix embassy is a building in slightly better repair than the rest in the south end of town, though little has been done immediately following the battle aside from a claim of ownership.

Herb is here to poke around for servos and stuff, especially big ones he can use for his manufacturing robots

Let’s do notice with int

7:28 PM

As you comb the wreckage

an 8

You find a squad of helldivers that were taken out with small arms fire rather than heavy weapons, scattered around the outside of the gatehouse. The cores are gone, hastily recovered by retreating forces but the bodies are intact

nice

8:07 PM

I'm going to load as much of the useful working parts as I can get onto the copter

It’ll count as 12 parts as far as building stuff

cool okay

So you’ve got the parts , what else are you combing the battlefield for

8:21 PM

8:21 PM

This is what their APC’s look like

cool

8:29 PM

I mainly just wanted robotics. especially if they took all the cores

They took as many as they could, since that is their personality/brain

I figured

8:41 PM

any sensors?

plenty of those

8:41 PM

the bodies were left behind, so they'd have had sensors as their eyes and whatnot

perfect. I need all that stuff

8:42 PM

I need my guys that came out with me to help too

They’re assisting that’s why you got so many parts

schweeeet

You’re finding them, checking for salvage potential and then cutting them free

nice. I have the thermal pistol to do that with

And it’s a process. Not everything you find is going to work

true

9:29 PM

well this is awesome. now that this is complete I need to fly everything and my crew home, and then fly back and meet the stablemaster at the tunnel entrance

It’ll take them a couple days to get there. It’s about /600 miles (edited)

9:30 PM

(Don’t have the map handy but it’s 3 hexes to the mountains from the city I believe,

I believe so too

9:31 PM

I wonder if I can have them haul more manufactorish robot parts for me

9:31 PM

(the ark player in me. how many resources can my tames haul back to base? :P)

(Curious how fast spinebacks can go in a day. I looked up what the speed is for an elephant, and it's about 50 miles a day, if well fed.)

1000 kilos each pulling. It’ll be less if it’s on their backs

9:39 PM

I wasn’t answering you

(Oh, sorry)

how many pullings?

That’s 1 to 1. So each one can do 1k kilos

right. I guess my broader question is

9:40 PM

how many piggen and spinebacks are becoming part of Dank Crew to work with us?

None right now. They’re going to work with you as far as hauling the supplies and you’ll be paid for it but they’re looking to get their city back on its feet before they defect like that

9:41 PM

There’s six in this convoy though

I see I see

9:42 PM

okay then. six thousand kilos more of robot parts to scavenge sounds good to me

9:43 PM

looking for big moving parts, servos, the like

(If anything shouldn’t the piggen stop herb. This breaks all the rules Sam set.)

9:44 PM

(Wasn’t the set agreement to let it sit since we don’t understand it. I’m just remembering what Sam said today.) (edited)

wat? I didn't realize even

9:44 PM

I don't want to break the rules but I was just picking up innert parts

(Charles Trivedi, #deleted-channel )

(I think all access to the battlefield salvage should be restricted until we know what we can learn from the helldivers. Also is herbs first response after battling the helldivers to then start to make his own robot army? That seems... Unsafe Sam this morning) (edited)

no I'm not making a robot army

9:45 PM

I'm building a factory to supply greenbriar with aircraft

9:45 PM

I need moving robot parts to do that

(check out the post-battle thread)

(Yeah Sam specifically set rules to Not do anything you’re currently doing. So hey that’s for npc/pc Sam to say anything since you immediately broke that agreement.)

yo I didn't realize that was the agreement I will put the stuff back

How about you’ve marked where you think pieces you want are

9:47 PM

So once it’s oj

sure.

Ok you can go back for them

this I will do

9:48 PM

with the cool dank crew stickers I printed up

9:48 PM

That way what you did isn’t a waste

word

9:48 PM

so that means I have about 7500kg of that stuff marked off for salvage when the time comes

So you put stickers or some kind of marking on the corpses you think have what you need.

haha yea maybe not my logo

9:49 PM

they are corpses

9:49 PM

after all

9:49 PM

good point

So the spinebacks are leaving, heading for greenbriar. The bodies are marked in some way

9:50 PM

I know you mentioned heading back to check on things

yes

9:50 PM

I want to keep my industries moving

9:50 PM

and gather as many supplies as I can for transit on the spinebacks

(Do the Piggen have a claim to all that stuff?)

(perhaps)

9:53 PM

I am going to go back to the compound and check on things, and get supplies geared up for Delphos to meet with the spinebacks. Then I want to back up stonetusk in the decision/special challenge/competition to become chief

What supplies are you gathering at home.

hemp cloth, foodstuffs, helix root, some kind of hay or something for the spinebacks, any other supplies greenbriar administration will donate. we have 6000 KG of space to haul it

So Charles will now focus on getting the apc into a state where it will survive the journey back to the greenbriar colony. It doesn't have to be particularly comfortable, just functional

Kincaid is going to chip in building materials. She’s hesitant to contribute food due to the colony’s population about to triple

fair. I have a bunch of that to share anyways

Sure. I think with that previous fix roll since it’s now driving you can get it home for study. The heavy cargo hauler is free so if you’d like to take two samples back you can use itn

6:49 AM

It

6:49 AM

I’d imagine one will be reverse engineered

I'm happy to haul back 1500 KG of anything

Yeah I'll haul the other part back. Herb if you find anything particularly interesting looking in the rest of the salvage operation you could haul that back and send it my way to take a look at

well I've been expressly forbidden from picking thru the salvagable helldiver frames until we see resolution with the Piggen

Charles will stock up on supplies for the journey. He shouldn't need much security because I imagine he could just sleep in the apc at night and be safe

6:54 AM

Oh sorry when I said that as Sam I meant for it to apply to just general scavengers trying to corpse pick. I reckon you could negotiate with greenbriar and the piggen to give you access to the salvage

6:55 AM

I'll clarify what I meant on the post battle chat

okay wait wait wait

6:55 AM

Charles Trivedi and Sam Kellevan are PCs played by the same player?

6:55 AM

just clarifying

6:56 AM

Seung Whitaker - Yesterday at 10:55 PM “I see. I just don’t want any fools to take it and try to hawk it to us or your own peoples at a profit. This is a battlefield it should be used for you not money or trying to start more war or fighting. Only a inconsiderate fool would do so. Someone who has no love for your people. I’d like to keep it here in the city and use it to advance your people if It can help them be more like us. Hopefully with time they’ll come to understand that and will enjoy the comforts our people do.”(edited)

Yes. Sam is retiring

6:56 AM

Charles is sam’s new character

cool

6:56 AM

I've seen this happen before in campaigns

6:57 AM

like I said, just clarifying

7:00 AM

I think seung is still opposed to me taking things right away though

I think he wanted to rebuild the city using the salvage. I think it will just be a negotiation so all parties get fair amounts and nobody gets screwed over

7:02 AM

Bur I don't know how much salvage is left there. It might be way more than anybody could ever use or it might need fairly divided

7:03 AM

Also if herb was planning on working on grav vehicle he might be better off looking at the crashed planes as I'm pretty sure the helldivers were using grav tech for that

I need it for robot parts

7:03 AM

I am building an automated factory

They were. There’s an air group that was shot down east of the city

Yeah I meant because of the contract you and brethan are doing it might be easier if you already had some grav tech to work on

You guys destroyed almost all of them before the bombing run itself

were they grav bombers or atmo bombers?

Grav

definitely want to get some of the grav tech off of them for experimentation as well

So Charles and herb both manage to recover some salvage from the battlefield for experimentation and study

7:40 AM

The piggen want the armor plating from the inoperable vehicles (damaged beyond easy repair) for new homes and structures but you’re welcome to the wiring, electronics and weapons.

7:41 AM

They’re not concerned with the planes at all since they don’t have a way to use or maintain them right now

Id happily take some wiring and electronics if I can get them

7:42 AM

And also if there's a relatively intact body I'd like that too so I can make my own bot at some point

You’re able to find one that was killed my small arms fire, so the damage is much easier to repair. The core itself has been taken

did I get all the stuff I marked earlier, or is that left for until after more of a consensus is taken?

You’re able to grab the Marked stuff. While you’re experimenting with it the remaining materials are going to be collected by the piggen, reduced to intact components and then salvage will be shared out

7:45 AM

Selling it means they can buy food and other things they need. It’s really the only financial capital they have

nice. now do I get 1.5 k kilos of stuff or do I get the spinebacks to haul more servos and stuff too?

1.5 for now. The spinebacks need to get moving fast so they can bring stuff back before winter comes

7:46 AM

Waiting here would cost a few days and every hour counts

I hear ya

With everything loaded up onto either the functional apc or cargo truck Charles is ready to head off back to greenbriar

Charles makes it back to greenbriar in the evening. The lab has had an extension building over the last several weeks where larger project and constructs can be worked on

Charles will work on retrofitting the apc for use by humans and piggen, as well as reverse engineering things like sensors, engines and other features so that they can be added to greenbriar vehicles. He will also try to blueprint the designs for the apc so that kelbore can make more if the colony wants them

They’re better than the ones taken from the masquerade. If you can do that the colony will just transfer those to the colonial police

8:59 AM

And put another up for sale

Then yeah that's definitely the best plan for now

So it’ll be an extended fix contest. This will probably take you a couple days at least game time. Five rolls. Int as attribute

8,three 10s, and a 7

9:15 AM

I've rolled maybe 8 times with this character and 7 of them have had a 1

It takes two days, and 300 credits worth of metal to rebuild the front into a driving compartment and steering controls, but you’re able to rebuild the APC into something workable. So you own the design now. Your call what you want to do with it

I don't know whether it's better to sell the vehicles themselves, or both the vehicles and design to the colony. If I keep the design I can make more in future but I might be better off taking a big payout now to get started on building my own workshop

They’d be willing to make an even trade, the workshop and its insides would cost about as much as they’d be willing to pay. I think you actually come out a bit ahead

9:32 AM

You’d just have to find workers but with 2,000 unemployed people arriving I don’t think that’ll be trouble

Then that seems like it's a good option for now. I don't want a massive workshop yet because I don't have much to build, but enough to get started on some projects

It’ll be on the east side of town next to kelbores and the workshops with easy access to the supply depots. It’ll have three bays for research and construction along with a small office to do the collating of data

So is that 3 things I can be researching or building at one time?

Yeah combination of. Basically make a queue

9:55 AM

Like I do with the other buildings

9:55 AM

I need to do some updates tonight

Cool cool. I'm guessing it will take a couple of weeks to get that up and running?

Yes

9:56 AM

So you’re free to do other things in the meantime. I’ll give the apc some stats

So I sold both apcs and the designs for them to the colony? And then all that money was invested into the workshop?

One Apc and the design. One is yours

Oh great. I suppose I should take a look at the sensor network contract. What are the requirements for that?

Contract is assigned to Charles. This will entail organizing some specialists to help in construction and setting up, (the know) and the actual process of building the sensors and deploying them (fix)

Charles will then go to see Pops, as he used to work in his workshop, to see what he knows about specialists

Pops is laboring away in the office of his workshop when you arrive, running numbers on a new design of battery for the alien rifles

"Hey pops, you figure out those batteries yet?" Charles says, taking a seat on the other side of the desk

“Almost. I made one already but it can always be better. How’s life in the field treating you. Your bench is still open if you want to come back”

"Life's good I've just got one of those helldiver apcs up and running. I'm looking into setting up the sensor network for the colony and was wondering if you knew anybody who worked in that field that would be willing to help out"

“Hmm” he takes a moment to think about who he knows is on the planet right now.

“There’s a pod coming down tomorrow, skilled labor most of them. This sounds a bit ghoulish but you may want to hang out near the hospital and snag them when they’re released”

"Cheers for the heads up. I'm starting up my own workshop soon so let me know if there's anything I can ever do for you. Especially after all you've done for me"

“I’ve no desire to see our good relationship sour over some money. As long as my workers and I can all afford not to be turned out into the cold I think it’ll be just fine”

"Hey if that ever happens I'll be the first place to offer you a job. I'll try to make sure it doesn't though" Charles stands and shakes his hand on the way out before going home to relax so he'll be ready for the hospital tomorrow

What does Charles home look like?

He shares it with his sister, and it's small for the two of them but much better than anything they had in the slums. Between the two of them most of the home is covered in either Charles' tinkerings and spare parts, or miras various equipment. The shared area has a lounge and kitchen, and there are two bedrooms. Charles room is covered in the remnants of his previous attempts to build his own small drones and bots

Is he working on anything in his spare time?

He's trying to build a little helper drone. Something that can pass him tools and do basic mechanical things

Let’s do a fix with int as you work on it for tonight.

12

You have a bit of a eureka moment as the small rotor begins spinning. Power fills the small drone.

Charles cheers and begins testing the drones various features

So you want it to assist with your tinkering basically?

Yeah hopefully. It doesn't have to have a smart Ai but a relatively sophisticated vi would be good

(It’ll be VI, like brethans 1108 robot)

Yeah cool cool. Do I need to do a program check to write the vi at another time or would it start working start away

You’ve been working on it for a while so we can say you’ve just been trying to get a body the program can work with

Great. Does it have the stats of the stalker drone?

Yes. Those look like solid stats for what you’ve made

So after that Charles will go to bed and will go to the hospital early in the morning so that he can catch any specialists before they disappear into be colony

Let’s do connect with charisma

9

You spend the morning and early afternoon outside medical, and manage to acquire five specialists and a crew of 35 unskilled but Highly motivated workers to support them.

10:13 AM

They’ll be ready to work in two weeks when the factory is complete. It’ll cost 2k in wages every month to run

That's fantastic. Are the specialists and I able to start work on the sensor network now or do we need the workshop for that

You can likely come up with plans and get some of the simpler components together

10:44 AM

Really depends on how you envision this

What kind of sensor network does the contract want? Does it want like WiFi routers or does it want to expand the range of our current communications with another antenna

It wants something that can keep an eye on the colony borders, especially up in the mountains, around the port and around the facility. Basically they want a way to watch large tracts of land, especially as you continue to grow.

Oh ok I'm with it now. So like large radar installations all over the place that are linked back to a central monitoring system at the colony

That’s the premise, it doesn’t necessarily need to take the form of installations if you have another idea but that’s the general idea

An satellite could work just as well, but I don't know if we would be able to build one any time soon

You have the materials, fuel might be something you need to work on, but Val found the heavy metals

11:11 AM

I know she has thought about rockets before. If timing is going to be an issue for exploring the facility maybe you guys can work on that now to pass the time

I wasn't sure whether we would need to build the full rocket or whether we could just tow it up with the shuttle

That’s also an option. Long term you may want more than one spacecraft but yeah to get some satellites up you can also do that

Could I use the extension of the lab that I made the apc in to put together a satellite or would I need to wait for my workshop

You can use the lab extension.

OK so in that case Charles will get his new team to start putting together the framework for the satellite, with solar panels, and a protective shield to get it into orbit. While they are working on that under the supervision of one of the specialists, Charles and one or two of the other specialists will work on the scanner /satellite imagery technology

11:21 AM

Will the communications need to be upgraded or will the antenna do?

The antenna will be fine for one satellite. If you plan on adding more it’ll need to be developed a bit more

Great then I will leave it for now and cross that bridge when I come to it

Alright, so the specialists are going to get working, as far as the scanner, what would you like it to do?

I imagined it being like those spy satellites you'd see in a Bourne movie. A bit like Google earth but showing real time footage. I don't know if that's too technologically advanced but I'd reckon it would be about tl4 (which is what we are I think)

That’s certainly possible

7:30 AM

I was just trying to figure out skills

I think the colony had the camera technology for the spy eye drones Sam ordered. I was imagining Charles just extrapolating and magnifying that technology for a satellite camera

I’d say programming to set the orbit and basically design how you want the cameras to function and then fix to actually build it, a better roll making it cheaper and faster

Cool. Is that one roll for each or 5 rolls again

One each

11 for program. 8 for fix

It’ll cost 5000 credits for the radiation shielding and the solar panels, along with the electronics to make it work properly. You think you can have it done in about a week (your specialists can work on it without you, you’ve designed it and probably assembled the skeleton)

I thought "oh my god that's so many credits" then remembered I had all of sams money as well haha

8:15 AM

I'd also like to design a protective cover so it won't get damaged when going through orbit if we decided to tow it using the shuttle

8:15 AM

Doesn't have to be anything fancy, just so the sensitive components are safe

That was part of the design you’ve made I’d just figured

8:16 AM

Like a heat and radiation shielding

8:16 AM

Tungsten is good for that, and that’s what Val’s mining camp produces

Cool cool, just making sure I cover all the bases

Yeah it’s good to do that but I wasn’t going to charge you more in this case

Over the course of the week I want to start testing out my helper drone. Never really doing anything sensitive or important, but just testing the waters with some easier stuff

8:34 AM

Things like holding tools, or holding things in place while I'm working on them. That kind of stuff

Sure. So he can accompany you on your various trips. You’ve got two projects going now that can run without you, if you’d like to do something else or go with val you can

I'm wondering whether there was much left to find on the colony ship. Or did val cover it all?

The pods are coming down and the took the secondary reactor. Outside of scrap and salvage itself you can certainly try to explore for more. A lot of the ship doesn’t connect to itself anymore.

Yeah I think that could be fun. And if there's not much up there I can just scrap for things because that's always helpful. Do I need to construct vacc suits or are there any laying about

There are ten suits available. Val’s rescued survivors came down from the ship in them, along with the few the colony already had

Great. I wasn't going to take a big team. Just Charles and his sister and maybe a couple more people (either security or other people who could help with salvage)

So you’ve got a few options there as far as PC’s or NPC’s accompanying you

Yeah I'll pose it to the group and see if any of them are interested. Does the baron have a bit of a security force still

He’s working with task force Phoenix as their steward so he no longer retains his own enforcers but if you’d like some accompaniment you can hire a few guards

9:58 AM

Just ask Seung who he wants to send

9:58 AM

And how much he wants

Cool cool. I'll see if any of the other pcs volunteer and if not I'll do that

Alright. So we shall wait for a reply there. We have the two projects going on and just need to wait for them to complete.

Happy days. Just got to wait for the money to start rolling in hahaha

If you’re looking for something to do in the interim the power core contract is available

Yeah that sounds like something Charles would be interested in. Is there an existing power network to hook it up to or does the infrastructure need work before that can be done

There’s a network already that lets the wind turbines, solar panels and the new tidal generator all get power to the various settlements. The core was placed where it’s going to be housed, (a large foundation underground has been dug. Reactor will be underground), they just need someone to hook everything up while the building/bunker complex is finished

Oh ok so I don't need to construct the facility myself or anything

11:36 AM

That sounds easy enough then

11:36 AM

I'll definitely take that contract

Alright. You’re given a message stating it’s been accepted

11:38 AM

Sil is ready for the other thing now, you may wanna talk to val about actually getting up there but if you want to go to that first we can. Either one works

11:38 AM

I wasn’t expecting it to come together so fast

If sil is ready I'm happy to go do that while they finish the facility then I'll come in at the end and sort it all out

11:40 AM

Also I was just envisioning using one of the colony pilots to get up there

11:40 AM

I don't know how different it is to the normal things they fly

(Sil plans to go the the polar facility too, is that the facility you are talking about?) (edited)

No the facility to house the core reactor

(Oh, ok)

Sorry, should have even clearer

(No, it's fine)

It’s not super different from an atmoflyer just by design alone.

So we wouldn't nerd a specialist to fly it

Just a pilot

11:49 AM

So nothing beyond that specialty

Great. Charles will contact the pilots to see if any want to be brought into the expedition as a contractor

12:10 PM

I sent two messages there but can only see one did they both go through

So nothing beyond that specialty

Sil messages, "So when are we going, and where should I show up?"

"I'll see what is happening with the pilots but we shouldn't be too long". Is sil coming aboard on behalf of greenbriar or as an external contractor to trivedi inc

1:18 PM

If the latter we need to discuss payment

"I thought we all work for Greenbriar."

This mission will be taken on behalf of greenbriar but you’ll get some priority pick as far as the salvage

1:25 PM

You’re going up there to claim it so you get first dibs

Ah sound sorry I thought I was doing as a company operation

2:01 PM

Doesn't matter then

You are and you aren’t if that makes sense

2:02 PM

You’re using the colony shuttle to get up there so that’s the cost of doing business

You submit the request for the shuttle and find that it is free, for a while at least. You’re requested to make haste to the hangar area

Sil teleports to the hanger with his gear. "Fast enough?"

Charles eyes sil up and down. "yeah that'll come in handy" and goes to shake his hand chuckling to himself

"Hello, so a trip to orbit, finally. When Val went up, we were all out helping the Piggen. I really wanted to go. So I guess now is my chance."

The pilot is already aboard, making pre-flight checks, while technicans on the outside check for cracks or other imperfections with the hull

5:20 PM

"Wheels up in five minutes!" the hangar tech lead calls out

Sil enters the shuttle, finally getting to see the inside, and inspects the interior.

the interior is clean, scrubbed by carbolic soap and electrolocysed water to cleanse it of the virus, and later any contaminants left to fester in the derelict colony ship above. The pilot is strapped into the sole, center pilot seat. Many of the controls have labels in english taped over the slyth writing so the pilots can easily discern what the insturments are saying

Sil finds a passenger seat, stows his pack and secures it, and sits and fastens himself in. (edited)

The ship glides into the air and breaks the atmosphere easily, keeping its westward trajectory until it gets into space. The wreck of the colony ship hangs serenely, buckled hull plates and ruptured bulkheads floating around it in a halo of debris

Which parts had Valeria looked at. I know she checked out the bridge and cryo pods but beyond that did she explore more

Just a few of the engineering spaces to get the reactor out

8:49 AM

The things found there would just be tools and whatever small components the actual crew would have had on them when things went poorly

Do any of the bigger sections look particularly interesting or worth exploring

The transit hangar is intact on the largest chunk of the ship

"That looks a good as place as any to start" Charles says to the pilot pointing to the hangar

"You think you can land in there?"'

The hangar is large, though no readings exist as far as air pressure inside. This is the hangar, you reason, that the landing barges would have pushed off fron

"Let's get in vacc suits just in case. We don't want to be stuck in there without them"

"I agree with that." Sil gets his vacc suit on.

The pilot brings you close to the hangar. “I can’t get any closer. The debris field is too thick. You’ll have to space walk across. Looks like the integrity field is still on so you can at least take your helmets off inside”

"I can teleport everyone inside."

"Check it out by yourself first. If it's safe come back and bring the rest of us across"

Sil nods, switches on his stealth suit, and teleports and stealths into the hangar. (Note, he also has effort committed for Spatial Awareness (TP1), so he senses everything with 100 m of him 360 degrees around him.)

The pilot was right, you feel yourself get a bit heavier as you enter. Several small craft sit shrouded in various states of disrepair. A gantry has smashed one in half down the center. Two others seem to be blackened by fire. (They’re the planetary conveyors meant to basically ferry from the ground to the ship and vice versa)

6:08 PM

Two dead humans wearing a mix of crew coveralls and ramshackle armor lay dead near the smashed lander

Sil checks out that every seems safe first. He reports what he sees, and ask who's to be teleported over first.

(I'm not even sure how many people we have.)

You and Trivedi and the pilot, along with three workers

(ok)

(So you can certainly explore the hangar with the work parties before getting Trivedi involved

Sil will teleport back, make sure every one is ready to go, and port each worker over one at a time.

The workers arrive with you, not wandering far before you rejoin them. “Everything looked safe then?” One asks

"So far. Lots of messed up equiptment here. Any of it useful?"

They begin spreading out. One approaches the cavernous darkened space that would be the crew and cargo bay on one of the lenders.

8:45 PM

Landers.

(They are all in the same room in sight, right?)

8:52 PM

Sil will just stand watch while they look about.

Yeah they are. The worker enters the crew bay and you hear the sound of him climbing the iron ladder into the pilots compartment. The floodlights on the front of the boxy craft turn on, along with the small track lights on the edge of the front ramp.

8:58 PM

“Power still works. Engines are Fowled though” the workers calls over the ships external speakers

Sil climbs up after him to check everything is ok up there. And he asks, "Is there anyone else left alive up here? Can you tell?"

When Charles hears that the engines don't work he heads over to take a look at them, looking to see how much it would take to get them functioning again

The worker slowly pushes the lever forward that would start them, and you hear the whine indicating that its power system is not getting the needed spark to The engines

"That might be fixable with a bit of work put into it." Charles notes down that he should come back and try to repair the ship

8:14 AM

Charles will then look at the dead crewmen to see if he can get a guess at what killed them

Their skin is pale and their uniforms are a bit charred, patches of burned skin would show that a likely flash fire ripped through the hangar before the integrity field flickered, briefly sucking the air out of the chamber

"nasty way to go". Charles looks around for a door to further into the ship

There is a ladder in the crew bay that the worker has gone up, he is in the pilot house above but there is room for another in there

Sorry I meant further into the colony ship

8:42 AM

Like a way out of the hangar bay

Ah, There is a porthole into the cargo bay and cargo elevator beyond, that would go into the deep storage magazine, but you're not sure if the module below is still intacr

8:44 AM

intact

Is there a computer or access panel I can look at to see get info on the rest of the ship before actually going there in person?

lets do notice with wis to see if you can find something, the hangar is dark and even before it got turned into a mess, it's was already kind of a mess

10

You notice in the back of the hangar there is a system status panel

Charles will try and access it to see if he can learn anything about the cargo bay

Program with int

Sil can see in the dark.

11:13 AM

Spatial Awareness

7

Sil will start to investigate the rest of the accessible areas alone in stealth. He will then report back what is safe and what is not.

The cargo bay below registers as still there but only half the bay appears to be accessible. If it’s open to the void or choked by wreckage you’re not sure. The system is too damaged to determine it

Does it say what was in the cargo bay

There’s a corrupted but partially readable manifest with it. It appears to be supplies and a second set of construction vehicles meant to be ferried planetside. (Would have been the next ship coming down had the scream happened a few hours later than it did.). The cargo is staged down below it was just never raised into the hangar

Can we raise it from here or do we have to go down and do it manually

If there had ever been controls from this side they’re gone now. You’d have to venture below.

Then Charles will follow sil at a distance

The cargo elevator is a 100m long shaft that descends into the belly of the cargo module below. There isn’t active power there right now so you cannot see what is below unaided.

12:25 PM

In the hangar itself there are two other craft that haven’t been seriously looked at. (One possibly operable, two others not sure)

Can I look for some way to shift the power from the one of the inoperable craft to the cargo elevator

1:12 PM

I'll start by checking the engines of the various craft to see what kind of state theyre in

(Sil can see 100 m down the shaft.)

1:31 PM

(So is the area that cannot be seen beyond 100 m?) (edited)

Right, thats why I said unaided, I know you can see

(Ok.)

1:32 PM

Sil will take a look with his scope, and his binoculars, which have light intensification, to see if he can see more. (edited)

You can see some crates, tarpaulined bundles, and three large construction machines on the freight platform, and the opening of the cavernous cargo hold beyond, though not what is in there.

SIl states, "I'm going down."

1:36 PM

Under stealth, Sil teleports down onto the freight platform, and senses what is around him.

Down below there is cargo scattered everywhere. Smahed cargo crates and scattered ration packets carpet the ground, along with several bodies that appear to have been frozen. The end of the hold is blocked by a fallen gantry and cargo crane, the twisted bulk and ripped up floor plates preventing deeper access with what you have with you now (would need power tools to cut through)

Sil reports all this on coms back to Charles and the workers. "I'll just port you all down if you can't get the elevator working."

Yes you can do that charles

2:11 PM

It'll be fix with int, you know the power on one of them is working

"is there enough rations down there to get the food problem sorted back home"

Sil makes an estimate of how much rations might be in the cargo hold.

Cool, it'll be about twenty minutes before I can roll

It's certainly enough to give everyone their three meals a day for at least a month of wintertime, if used to supplement existing food, you can get through winter quite comfortably.

Sil replies, "A lot. I think it will help out a lot."

"We need to get it back then. Let me see what I can do on this end"

Sil estimates how much of the ration will fit in the shuttle.

It'll likely take a few runs with just the shuttle, if you're able to get one of the landing barges operable you can take it all

(So it will all fit inside the shuttle now?)

No but some of it will

(Oh, if we get a barge working, ok)

It'll take a few runs if you're just using the shuttle, if one of the landing barges can be brought back online it'll all be able to come down now, they're much bigger

(Sorry, misread)

You're good

2:22 PM

not like there is anytihng in front of you as an actual picture for size comparison)

Would the landing barge send it all over the planet again? Or was that just because of the scream

that was the disaster, this is an actual piloted ship

Great

"If we could get one of these barges working, it could take down all the rations."

(the few hundred first wave colonists and the few construction vehicles/food all came down on one, it was scrapped into the initial building materials for the colony when it was clear they couldn't get back up there)

11 for the fix roll

You manage to run a heavy trunking cable from the battery to a port on the shorn off elevator controls. The lights on the corners of the platform come to life

2:40 PM

A lever on the north side of the platform allows it to rise into the hangar from the cargo module below

Is it empty when it comes up or does it already have the cargo on it?

It has some cargo and the three construction vehicles on it

Charles will then go back to the landing barge and try to get a better idea of what's stopping the engine for working

2:49 PM

"Sil when you're done exploring could you jump back to the shuttle and ask them to go get another pilot for the landing barge"

"Yes, but let's make sure you can get it working first."

Charles's inspection (and you'd have seen this powering the elevator since you'd have been playing around with the power system) would reveal that the current alternator that goes from the ship's power cells to the engines has been heavily damaged in the disaster, and will need to be replaced

"So we have a replacement on the surface? Or you think there might be one up here?"

2:55 PM

"Actually, I might be able to answer that question"

2:57 PM

(Keep forgetting how the new precog base ability works, but could be useful here. Costly though.)

(I can just have a look if you want to save it)

"First though, do you know if they would have one on ship and where?"

2:58 PM

(Just want a sense of odds, like if you know, no reason to use the power)

2:58 PM

(THink it's a Neko question)

It's the alternator for the landing ship I think

(chalres was just a passenger, but he can do know with int to make an educated guess)

Not the big ship

(he woudnt have been involved with the actual packing of things for the trip so to speak)

(yeah, so where are parts kept? If no or little clue, Sil wil ltry to find out using precognition)

Primary engineering, though that is a different chunk of the ship

I was going to try and take it out of the broken landing barge

that can work as well

(That's a good idea)

So you;ve got two options in front of you

3:00 PM

We can go from there

(Yeah, try that first)

Yeah Charles will look in the broken landing barge for the necessary parts

Sil will ponder what to focus on if he needs to find where one is in ship stores.

He will also check his bag of spare parts for anything that might help

(you've got 4 parts left I believe, correct?)

(yeah I think I used 2 on the drone)

(Sil is precog 3 now, so he should be able to find one if there is one on the main ship if the one from the broken barge doesn't work.)

You enter the broken ship and find that the gantry has narrowly missed the part you need when it bisected the ship, you'll need to spend a some time disconnecting it so you can make a more thorough examination

"If you need help removing it, I have some tricks that might work."

Charles will start to disconnect it then, being careful not to cause any more damage than has already been done

3:04 PM

"You can come and take a look, or you can go and get a pilot and maybe some power tools for that blockage down there. Up to you"

(lunch now, sorry)

(take your time, almost dinner for us!)

(9 at night for me haha)

Charles is a farily adept tinker, and is able to remove the part without causing any damage, two of the three workers also help you lift it out, as the part is extremely heavy

3:07 PM

it'll take your remaining spare parts, but with a few hours time you believe you can repair the damaged wiring, missing compoents, and rebuild the actual connector that will allow it to function as part of a power grid

Great. How do I get more spare parts later on?

you can buy more

3:08 PM

there is plenty of salvage to go around

Cool cool, I'll need to remember to do it when I get back

3:11 PM

How much crew will it take to load the cargo onto the barge? Will we need more people?

You can do it with 3, but it'll be a lot of work. Nothing is especially heavy, and the vehicles all work

3:16 PM

its more of a limit of what 3 workers and the two of you can accomplish

So its probably worth getting a few more people up here

3:22 PM

And the debris field outside of the hangar, how much of an issue will that be to the landing barge

Sil can help with moving anything he can lift. He can move it instantly from location to location.

how much focus does that take though?

3:37 PM

I saw

(It's at will now. Level 3 technique Effortless Apportation. If he were to try to move more than he could carry, then it would take Burdened Apportation, which would cost an Effort for the day per teleport. That would be expensive, so he would keep it under the weight limit.)

thanks

(Speaking of which, I am still curious to see the errata in how they changed Burdened Apportation. And what ever else they changed.) (edited)

Burdened Apportation Level-2 The psychic can carry willing companions with them when using Personal Apportation. Up to three human-sized companions and their man-portable gear may be carried per skill level in Teleportation. Allies must be within 3 meters of the teleporter to be carried along. Ordinary inert matter cannot be carried along unless the psychic is touching it or it’s being carried by an ally affected by this power. If carrying inert mass, up to two hundred kilos of objects can be carried per skill level. Using this technique increases the Effort cost of Personal Apportation, requiring that an extra point of Effort be Committed for the day

3:40 PM

this is the writeup in the newest edition

(It looks the same. So the question remains, is this additional 200*TP level kg in addition to the people, or only when not porting people? It kind of implies it's in addition. That was my original question to you when you brought up the errata.)

its people and their gear, or things

3:46 PM

not both

(ok)

3:49 PM

(I wish that was clear in the write up of the technique)

As far as the debris field, the ship is big enough where as long as you aren't blasting out of the hangar, you can nudge it out of the way

Great. Charles will start loading the cargo, I'm assuming the others of the group helping too. When they get close to complete Charles will say to Sil "We can finish up if you want to go get a pilot to fly it back"

"You could always radio him, I"ll start loading."

(You have the only space ship with you)

3:55 PM

(how's he going to get up there?)

Alright Charles will radio the pilot to go back down and get another pilot and some power tools to cut through the debris downstairs

Sil moves up and stacks some boxes of rations, touches them, and ports to the barge with the boxes to the spot they will go. Then after a moment he ports, arranges another stack, and ports it to the barge. He repeats this as long as necessary. (He could move 3 boxes every 12 seconds or so, compared to I don't know how long carrying them up in the elevator and across the holds will take.)

3:58 PM

(Or he can move 600kg of them in one go, using one effort)

The shuttle departs (I'tll be back around the time that everything gets brought upstairs and most of it loaded

Six hours later the ship returns, along with another pilot for the barge. You’ve been able to stack most of the cargo inside, and the vehicles were able to operate under their own power, so loading those was easy as well

"I'm going to stick around and try and make my way through the blockage downstairs. Anyone is welcome to stay or go but I need the shuttle to stay so I can get back"

Sil ponders. (When does Sil need to get back to the surface to go with Val to the polar facility?)

She’s ready, so the ship can drop you off on its way back to the colony. Her plane will be getting in just before you time wise

Sil says then, "Well, I better head back, hopefully you can manage everything up here with out me."

"Not a problem. It's been good working with you, let me know if there's ever anything I can do for you"

"Good luck." Sil hops onto the barge, hoping this thing will get him at least into the atmosphere safely.

The barge pushes off slowly and rises out of the hangar. “Gonna take this nice and slow but there will be bumps” the pilot calls down from the pilot house

"No problem" Sil calls back. He makes sure he is strapped in, and takes in the view of the planet below.

It is night down below and you can see the three, small points of light that are greenbriar central, port Niue Niue Rotterdam, and rebirth. The barge angles itself in a shallow re entry course to the ice cap.

(Oh, didn't realize Val already flew there, no rest for Sil, heh.)

5:24 PM

"You don't have to land, I can get down once you are under 1K km altitude."

It would have taken a few hours to clear the debris field and whatnot

5:25 PM

Course would have to be carefully plotted and then moving into orbit

(Ok)

(So I guess when Sil teleports down, switch to the lab thread, or another?)

(Lab is fine. I’ll set things up there in a second. On the phone with my parents

)

oof

6:42 PM

I feelz

The power tools have been left behind, ready for Charles to use to cut through the wreckage below. A bank of power cells has been brought up to you so you can run the elevator without the landing boats power being there

Charles will head back down to the blockage, taking the power tools with him. What kind of blockage is it

It’s a blockage of wreckage and just general spaceship debris

6:13 AM

Part of the module ceiling has come down

Charles is going to sit down opposite it for a bit and try and work out a way to safely cut a passageway through the wreckage

6:28 AM

Had I tried to check if it was pressurised on the other side

The wreckage is somewhat porous. It’s not airtight so you being able to breathe in there is a good indicator the other side is intact

6:41 AM

Just unreachable

Ok, that's a good start. Charles will begin by pulling some move able chunks away from the debris and see if he can make a difference doing that

Some of the debris begins shifting as you pull the smaller pieces away

7:30 AM

They seem to be piled up against a thick metal slab that was once part of the ceiling

I wish I'd put one of the fittings on my drone it would have made it much easier hahaha

8:11 AM

Did all of the construction vehicles get taken

Yes they’re all being shuttled planet size but you think you can probably cut through this given time

"Guess I'm doing this the hard way" Charles says before starting work on cutting a hole through the slab

It takes a few hours to make a hole big enough for you to fit through, taking care not to touch the razor sharp edges of the cut. Dozens of ration crates and some longer, skinnier boxes also are scattered around this compartment

Charles will go check out the skinnier boxes

Inside each is a long, cylindrical type B power cell, each capable of running a heavy vehicle.

Are there any doors in the room that seem to lead deeper into the ship

Not from this module. This broke off as it’s own ‘chunk’

In that case Charles will take what he can carry back to the shuttle and message the landing barge that there is more to come and pick up at a later date. To the shuttle pilot he says "can we do a quick survey off the rest of the ship, see if there's anything else worth looking at"

“Of course, I’ll bring her in as close as I can”. The shuttle illuminates the broken landing bay with its floodlights. And the side hatch opens

Charles hops into the shuttle. "Ready when you are"

The shuttle pulls back as the airlock closes. It takes a few moments for the pressure to equalize before the interior door opens. “I think that chunk you were on was one of the biggest.” Another pod ejects planetside as he speaks, visible out the front windows. “Aside from outright salvage of the hull material I think we have the big stuff identified. Your call though”

"No we've probably got enough for one trip anyway. Think we can tow a bit of hull down with us or do we need something bigger than this shuttle"

“Not this piece but one of the smaller ones for sure. Let me see if the tether is working”

1:54 PM

“The controls on the back of the ship” he says. “Pick a chunk and fire”. (Shoot with dex)

6

The tether fires from the bottom of the shuttle and deflects off a poorly angled chunk of hull. “I’ll retract the cable. We have enough power in it for another shot”

6 again

3:05 PM

"Dammit" Charles whispers under his breath. "Let's just get out of here" (edited)

The pilot complied and after a few hours setting up his descent he brings you back to the colonial airstrip, laden with salvage

6:54 PM

(3xp, 3000 credits)

"Good working with you." Charles says to the pilot. How long have I been gone from the colony

About a day and a half all together.

6:36 AM

Id imagine you’d have slept for the six hours between sil leaving and the power tools being ferried up

So progress won't have gotten far with the workshop or satellite? Was I waiting on anything in particular for the power connection contract or did I just decide to go to space first

You just went to space first. The satellites’ frame is done, the guts are being worked on now. They’ve dug the foundation and poured the floor for your facility

Great so I'll get working on the power connection while everything else is going on. Before I do that though I want to go to the marketplace and try to buy some more spare parts

Sure. The tinker has a wide selection, and for 100 credits each. He has six available (edited)

I'll take all six

The tinker is happy that someone has taken an interest in his wares, and wishes you good health as you despot them into your kit

Great, after that I'll head over to the reactor site to have a look at installing the system

The wall frames have been partially installed when you arrive. Three nests of thick cables go from the reactor to various power relays in the room. The system will need to be programmed with the needed failsafes and power distribution software, and the reactor will need to be physically connected in the three locations

Ok, before I do anything with the programming I need to have a look at the hacker focus

8:56 AM

Does moving from the first to a second level of a focus only cost one focus point

Let me look it up

9:18 AM

It only costs 1 but you can only improve focuses at 2,5,7 and 10,l

9:18 AM

To balance it out

Yeah I think I've got one left over but haven't put it into anything yet. I was tempted by unique gifts but didn't have any ideas for that

I plan on you all going past 10 as well

9:29 AM

Seems like it’s every 3 levels

I might leave unique gift for a little while then

9:37 AM

Charles will find a computer to start writing the failsafe for the reactor, working with any other engineers about to make sure he understands the system and doesn't miss anything crucial

They explain the tolerances and what the system needs to be able to detect so safety measures can be taken , take a +2 on your programming with int check since you thought of referencing the engineers

12

You’re able to design a system that should show the reactor status and provide moderate warning time if an issue does arise. Sensitive without flooding the technicians with data

11:39 AM

Several hours of coding and compiling allow you to install it. The technicians are going to run several emergency simulations over the next few days before the reactor is actually@hooked up

11:40 AM

(You can either train with them or move on to something else. Keep in mind as well that barge can make for the moon and the in system asteroids

Charles will stay on site to help the technicians and just generally be around to explain the system. Although in the quiet periods when he's not needed he's going to start working on designs for vehicles that the workshop can work on when it gets up and running

11:56 AM

Is the colony obviously missing anything at the minute

Missing, no but they could always use more of everything. A big problem is more going to be replenishing resources. They’ve got a tree farm going now where the logging camp is, and although dangerous the plains trees grow back pretty fast, but they’re looking into sustainable harvesting for everything you guys have

11:58 AM

Or ways to synthesize what can’t be renewed

11:59 AM

(Engines of Babylon is still valid as far as a source for revised rules if you want to design some vehicles. If you decide to sell the plans let me know so I can make a stats handout)

Hmm I don't have any ideas for the sustainably but I will take a look at designing some vehicles. Do I have access to grav tech now or do I have to find some way to get the tech from the colony

The design has been added to the colony database and you all pull from that. Helps keep certain things like wheel bases and power ports standard so the colony can have a somewhat organized infrastructure

Great. Having had a quick skim of engines of babylon two things I want to do are fit the helldiver apc model I built with a "compact outpost" and sell it to the colony military. I also want to built a fleet of trucks that have ghost drivers and sell them to everyone who would want them

So the prices in the book are the costs to the buyers. To build (wholesale cost) it’ll be 75% of the total cost. So that’s how much it’ll cost you to build it. The “to buy” cost in the book remains the same

1:15 PM

Did that make sense?

Yeah that makes sense. So a tl4 groundtruck with ghost driver would cost about 23,000 (roughly) to make and I'd sell it for 30,000

Right

1:18 PM

If you wanted to cut someone a deal beyond that that’s up to you

1:18 PM

But as long as you can see what it actually costs your company to build it, then you at least know where you’re standing or how low you can go

Cool. Well I can't afford to make that much at this point so I see two options. I can offer to build ghost drives into the colonies current truck fleet, or I can take the payment to make the trucks up front

1:29 PM

Not that this matters for the time being because the workshop is still a while from being up and running

You could always design something for the sake of selling it

Yeah I think I'll focus on designing portable outposts for the current fleet of apcs the colony has and then sell it to the colony to fund my investments in a truck fleet

There’s a market for that certainly, especially for later use on hostile worlds. The colony would like to buy one to start, for use on the moon

Then that's what Charles will be working on in his free time during the safety tests

I’ve got to read up on what those modules to but I know it’s late your time anyway.

No worries take your time. I might be up for a bit longer or I might not. I can't tell yet haha

I started writing more wider solar system and other planet missions so I’ve not reviewed the other books in a while.

Yeah I can see that taking some time. I tend to just look at them on my phone Google drive when I need things specifically

4:31 PM

For some reason looking at the pdfs on my phone is so much faster and less sluggish than on my computer

(The other threads have moved up a couple days). The next two days are a flurry of drills as the technicians learn everything that could go wrong with the captive power of a star that now fuels the colony. The program you’ve written is very helpful however and there is only one instance where the techs were truly lost for a solution.

What's the problem that they can't solve? Is it anything Charles can help with

There was an argument between two of the senior techs about the procedure for venting the stored energy safely in the event of damage or a critical failure. When you actually connect the reactor such a system is suggested to be built in

OK that seems fixable. That's a physical system being built in rather than another programming system?

Right

6:46 AM

It’s a flaw they noticed through the training but you haven’t hooked anything up yet so it’s not going to be an expensive re work

Ah that's good. Ok Charles will get to work hooking everything up, making sure to include a grounding rod that the excess energy can flow into should it need to

That’s an excellent idea. So there are three connections and the grounding rod all needing installed. Let’s do fix with int

15

With the reactor already hoisted into position it’s a Simple matter of connecting cables and ratcheting them together with air wrenched. Decking is laid out to avoid tripping and the cables are neatly tucked away. A very long, thin metal spike is sunk deep into the ground for grounding. The terminals thrum to life, now powered by the reactor. Over the next few days it will be slowly coaxed into life.

Charles will message Kincaid (or whoever his greenbriar point of contact was) "The reactor is set up. Your people are trained in the system but If you wish to bring Trivedi Technologies on retainer as a consultant for future issues with the reactor we can discuss it" (edited)

You receive a message from Franz (manning the desk while Kincaid is out) indicting he will forward the offer. He has released the payment to you (also 3xp) for business or personal use

10:50 AM

(It was 20k creds)

Great. Charles will then check up on the workshop and the satellite

The satellite has been assembled and is going through pre launch testing. The workshop ‘s outside has been completed, the remaining work is setting up your actual tools and getting the work floor arranged

Charles will approach the specialist he left in charge of the satellite. "Is there anything I can do to help at this point, or have you got it covered"

“Aside from a way into orbit I think we have the testing nearly complete. Just have to get her up there”

"I'll talk to Greenbriar, see what I can do about getting our hands on the shuttle or landing barge". Charles will then message Franz again to discuss technicalities of using the shuttle

Franz will reply that the shuttle is currently undergoing refit but the landing barge is in excellent condition and can be used.

Cool cool. Will the satellite be ready soon or is it another couple of days

Tomorrow, but with the time spend getting everything connected in the power plant it’s pretty late

Then Charles will simply go to bed after a week of pretty hard work

(Did you take the contract money? Can’t remember if I posted it or not)

Yeah 20k right?

Just so. After a night of well earned sleep, you awaken to the notice that launch preparations are being made

Charles will find the specialist. "So when we get it up there how do we get it set up. Do we just unhook it or is there fiddling to be done"

“Program the desired functions first, we will Be in the deployment bay with it, vac suited, then just spacewalk out with it”

"Sounds like it should be simple enough to pull off. I'll start working on the program now while we're heading up"

2:39 PM

Programme with int?

Yep!

2:39 PM

Just describe what you want it to do too so I can make its effects notable later on

7

2:40 PM

The bad rolls continue

2:41 PM

I want it so that the greenbriar command room can type in the coordinates of somewhere on Gudrun and the satellite will move to give real time visual coverage of that area

So basically it can change its orbit?

2:49 PM

Also as an expert you have that re roll skill now

Yeah if possible. I doubt it would need strong thrusters to do that in space but with how easy it is to get into space refuelling doesn't seem to be an issue

2:51 PM

I do and I always forget about that. Is it once per day?

2:51 PM

Also I'll use it now

2:51 PM

9

It’s once per ‘scene’ so depending on what happens during the mission there’s a good chance you can use it more than once

2:52 PM

(They sort of copied the rules from the actual RP portions of microscope for how the abilities are used now which is both cool and extremely vague)

Oh ok. So a scene is kind of like an extended encounter? Like "once per dungeon" or "once per shopping trip"? That kind of thing

That’s a fairly accurate way to think of it from what I can tell yeah.

(May I add to that? It's more frequent than that.)

2:57 PM

(pg 46 Scenes and Durations Many psychic abilities and other powers have durations expressed in scenes. A scene is just a shorthand concept for a particular action sequence or exertion on the part of the PCs. A single combat encounter is a scene, as is the infiltration of a building, the ascent of a radioactive mountainside, or a tense meeting with an alien overlord’s cybernetic representative. Most scenes don’t last for longer than fifteen minutes or a single contiguous chunk of action, but the maximum duration is up to the GM’s discretion. It’s quite possible to have an evening’s play where most of the time isn’t tracked, only marking scenes for important negotiations, gunfire, or time-critical feats of skill. Some powers are limited to being used only so many times in a given scene, or require Effort expenditures that only come back at the end of the scene. Outside of situations where close time-tracking is important, you can assume that these powers can be used or that the Effort comes back about once every fifteen minutes, assuming the PC has intervals for rest.)

2:58 PM

(a scene is basically an encounter)

With a 9 you’ve been able to program the guidance system. There will be a delay from transmission on the ground to interpretation and execution of orders by the satellite but you’re fairly confident in your work. The pilot calls down from the sealed pilot house above “let’s get buttoned up and suited up down there. Almost at the nav point

Charles will get suited up in the hold with his team

A hiss of air pressure signals the helm has been locked in. "Five minutes. Everything set down there?"

"Ready when you are" Charles will reply

The metal paneled doors slowly roll down, and you’re greeted by the howl of the void. “The tether cables are set into the wall. Left side of the crew bay. Tie yourselves on”

Charles will tie himself on before checking all his men are secured. "You're all good" he'll shout over coms before they head out

The satellites small antigravity plate comes to life and it lifts off the deck. “Its 100m out this door to the nav point.” The pilot marks it on the display inside your helmets

"Let's get this show on the road"

12:37 PM

Charles guides the satellite out

12:38 PM

Charles guides the satellite out

Let’s do exert with dex as you kick off from the decking, holding on to the satellite

6

1:28 PM

Unless I can re roll yet

You can try to

1:41 PM

(You can, have to take second result even if it’s worse)

7. Which could have been worse

You kick off the deck poorly, wrong footed, and begin moving off course

1:50 PM

Your rate of movement is slow, but your helmet display shows you may end tens of meters off location

"Were going to be off course." Charles says to the pilot. "Can you drag us back on"

“I won’t be able to stop again in time. I’ll end up sweeping you all back in”

"Think you can manage that?"

The craft slowly moves forward and although deceleration thrusters light, it won’t be able to stop in time.

In time to set off the satellite?

You’ll be able to shove it off but if the alignment is right you won’t know for a while

Well thats not going to end well. I suppose I'll just keep rolling with it for now

You push the satellite away from you as the landing barge comes and scoops you up. “That’s the problem with no gravity” you hear the pilot say

"Yeah can't say I'm used to it yet. Let's head back and we can see what happened"

The barge takes a ponderously long time to land, hitting the atmosphere and slowly plowing through, coming to rest on one of the empty helipads. The shuttered doors open and the evening light floods the bay

"You guys go. Get some rest. I'm headed to the comms facility to check everything got set up OK"

The admin center is bustling as usual when you arrive. There is much excitement because while you were gone a signal was received from the moon

Charles heads over to the console the satellite activity is based around. "Have we got any connection yet"

“It’s searching”. The technician offers you a cup of steaming coffee while you wait

"I heard the news about the moon on the way back down. Did you guys know people were up there?"

“We didn’t. This is news to us too. Not sure how the colony will respond.”

"Better to have allies than enemies I suppose"

A feed from space begins to come in on the main screen.

11:44 AM

An overhead view of the colony, a bit askew but relatively accurate displays

11:44 AM

(3xp, 3000 credits)

"Well I leave this in your hands. I'll talk to Franz about finalising everything. Catch you in a bit"

You arrive in admin to a bit of a scene. Three clerks stand lock stock straight against a wall, facing Franz. Red faced, he is screaming at them about a lack of discipline cataloging supply stock levels

Charles will hang in the corner until Franz has finished his screaming, wanting to avoid confrontation

Panting, the color in his face gradually going back to normal, he takes a quick pull on a hip flask before turning to face you. "I'm sorry you had ti see that"

"Don't worry about it" Charles says awkwardly. "The satellite is up and running, ready to be moved into position by you"

"Thank you, how were things up there? Space, It makes my heart flutter just thinking about it"

"I'm not sure yet. I'm not used to the whole space thing so we might need to go back up and adjust the orbit. It looks alright for now though"

“We will monitor it. I’m just happy something is up there at all. Is there anything else I can assist you with?”

"No that's all. We just need to set up the payment but I'll leave that in your hands" Charles says goodbye and heads out

3:37 AM

I'm guessing the workshop is still a while from being done

A few days. They're just doing the inside stuff

As far as time in between you can always try to get the other two landing ships working, and recover the rest of the cargo. By time you do all that things should be up and running

Yeah that seems like a fair idea. Would the landing ships be good to use as a cargo plane in atmosphere, or is it a bit too inefficient

It can be used that way as well. It can do both

Oh great then definitely yeah. If they're still up in orbit Charles will take his team and as many spare parts and tools he can gather up to the other landing ships to start work

The lander can easily hold all of your workers. They’ll bring some of their own tools as well to salvage what they can. The tools will be split between your work and the colony

If I recall correctly of the two landing ships left one of them was more or less cut in half

Two can probably be made to Work one is cut in half.

3:31 PM

So three total

Oh ok. The first thing Charles will do when they get there is strip the one cut in half for any parts that still look like they'll work

Let’s do fix with int

9

You’re able to save most of the expensive pieces that look intact. A handful of the power converters and other electronics have been hopelessly smashed.

"OK I want you guys to go and start bringing up the rest of the cargo" pointing to five or six of the unskilled workers. "We'll get started on the ships"

They go below with the elevator and before long you hear the sound of crates being shoved and stacked into position. Somewhere in the hangar a torch sparks and pieces of the damaged ship are prized out of their spots and brought aboard your own landers.

7:16 AM

As for what appears functional, the pilot house on the first one has no power. The ramp from down below works, and so do the cargo bay lights, but none of the power is getting to the engines or flight controls

Charles will take off floor boards and wall panelling to try and follow the wires of the power supply along the ship and find some damage to them

You follow the wall plates up to a frayed cable heading into the junction where you assume the power would be shunted

Charles will mark that for repair and continue his diagnostic search

Let’s do notice with wis

8

You notice, following that junction that there is a hairline crack in one of the transmission lines that send energy to the engines as well

8:22 AM

It’s slight and would have been easy to miss, through could have started a fire in the cargo bay had it not been caught

Charles will mark that as well. "OK looks like we know what the problems are, let's get to work fixing them up"

You’ve done this a few time through fixing various vehicles so I think by now you’d be able to just do it, only costing you time. It takes about six hours to fix the issues and get the walls and deck plates back together but the engines of the second barge do turn over

Does the barge work properly now or are there still any issues

10:43 AM

Also sorry I've been quiet. I've got a busy week and will be hit and miss until probably Sunday

This barge works properly now

11:18 AM

There’s one more that at least at face value looks like it can work

Charles will run diagnostic tests on the final barge

1:13 PM

Also the drone fitting that is something go do with improved sensors, would that make running these diagnostic tests easier or is that not what they're really about?

The observation suite?

1:27 PM

That’s the only one that matches. That would make it easier since it can sense heat and UB/IR.

1:28 PM

The final barge ‘s pilot house is partially burned and most of the controls will need to be rebuilt

Yeah I wasn't sure if it would have stuff like xray or the ability to scan technologies and learn stuff about them

5:41 PM

Can we extract the controls from the damaged lander and port them across

You can. Fix with int for your removal of the systems in the smashed ship

12

You’re able to handily remove the damaged controls over several hours, hauling them into the new craft. Your drone assists with the connections and lighter work. After several long hours in the hot access spaces under the pilot house you snap the last piece into place

"OK someone try firing it up. Let's see if it's working" (edited)

The engines sputter for a moment before finally firing

"And that's two! Let's get the last of this cargo loaded up and then we'll head back"

12:59 PM

Is there anything else worth exploring in this chunk of the ship

Nothing that you’d hadn’t at least found last time. These ships were really the prizes

Then might as well head back to the colony. I'm assuming if we knew we were getting more ships we brought more pilots with us

Yes. They’ve been assisting the workers right now just to have something to do while you tinkered but now that they’ve got a job they’ll be off

Great. Charles will load his men up onto the barges and head off down to the colony

(3xp, 3000 credits). The ships land in the late evening, you’ve spent the entire day in orbit repairing. The rations and building materials recovered are unloaded by a Work gang of the hastily recruited unemployed.

What is the agreement concerning sharing the ships between greenbriar and myself. I'd be happy to give them one and keep one myself then share the other between us

So a quick note, they can go to the moon and the asteroids but they don’t have spike so can’t leave the system. They’d be willing to part with one, the other two are colonial use though depending on what is going on if needed they’d certainly share

OK cool. Does it have the capacity to install a spike drive if I construct one

2:22 PM

That sounds fair enough

(Can we all start claiming stuff we find for ourself? Sil was there helping. Does he get a barge too?)

It cuts into the cargo capacity, that fitting was taken a few times.

2:25 PM

But yeah it’s possible with a lot of work and research

That's fair. Charles will give all his men the next day off because they've been working pretty solidly for a while

2:38 PM

He will spend the day constructing a fitting for his drone

2:38 PM

(let me remember which one)

2:39 PM

It was the heavy lift

2:39 PM

(I thought it had a more complicated name than that haha)

Sure, that’ll take a night to do but no skill check. That’s something you’d be proficient in doing given your skills background

Happy days. Will that cost me anything

Just the 2k that the module usually takes to build

Cool cool. The day that Charles gives off to his men he will spend trying to find some way to hire a pilot for the Trivedi Landing barge

Let’s do connect with charisma

2, then I rerolled and got an 8

You don’t find anyone available right now, but Jaxton is training a second class and he had forwarded you the names. Once complete you’ll have a chance to discuss things with them before they enter into a contract with the colony

Well I didn't have anything to transport anyway. Still a few days away from the workshop being done?

It’s complete enough now for you to start work

Cool cool. First thing that people will be told to do is start construction on the ghost drivers for the colony trucks

6:52 AM

Would I go to Kincaid for discussing selling things to the colony or is there someone else

Kincaid is fine. With things getting bigger she might appoint someone to that role eventually, maybe even one of you but for now yeah

Charles will schedule an appointment to see her at the earliest possible convenience

9:06 AM

To discuss ideas for contracts that TrivTech can build

She’s more than willing to meet. You’re brought to a conference room and she joins you a few moments later carrying a large binder.

9:11 AM

“Ah Charles. Nice to finally get to talk face to face”

"You too, I've seen all the good you've done for the colony. You might have heard but I've set up my own technology production company and wanted to discuss potential opportunities between the two of us in the future"

“It depends what you’re looking to make. For now the military has what it needs, but our civilian markets are stagnant. Construction engines, mining vehicles, even ocean going ships, all of these things would help us”

"We'll certainly be able to get working on the first two. Just send us the specifications of what you'll need and we can get to work. Another idea I had was to create many of these drones I created and specialise them for each part of the colony. The military could get military drones, construction could get construction drones. Do you think the demand is there for that"

“There could be. My only concern is the drones will need someone controlling them or someone will need to be surgically augmented with expensive cyber ware to do it. It might hamper their spread with only a few thousand of us here right now. By all means though, look into it”

"Most individual drones can be controlled by one person. I will certainly look into the cyberware aspect though it might be useful more for the military than others"

“The war with the robots proved how badly we need drones watching the skies around the colony. If you could design something that tended itself without need for outside piloting I’d be very interested in something like that”

8:35 AM

(It has to have the station keeping hardpoint)

"That sounds like something we can do no problem. I'll be in touch to discuss pricings and more specifics"

“I’ll be looking forward to hearing from you”

9:12 AM

She goes to shake your hand

Charles shakes it back and heads back to the workshop

The workshop is in the final stages of having the finishing touches installed. Lockers for the workers are being wheeled in as you arrive. Sparks fall from the ceiling as light fixtures are welded into place

OK so the plan is to have one bay developing ghost drive modifications for the colonys cargo trucks, the second bay to be working on creating drones, and the third to be working on modifications for the drones

9:27 AM

Charles will divide up the different workers based on their skill set into each bay

Alright that’s easy enough. So build the drone and let me know what your idea is as far as the hardpoints and the cost

10:22 AM

The only requirement is it needs to have the station keeping hardpoint and the observation suite. Everything else is optional and you don’t need to use all of them

I'd probably like to create the sleeper base drone as it's got the longer range. As for hard points it has stationkeeping inbuilt and I'd also want the observation suite, extended flight, and maybe expert system if that isn't too expensive

That comes in about 1000 under what they were willing to pay per unit

10:35 AM

So that’s great

Oh fantastic. Then yeah Charles will begin working with the specialists on the designs for the drones

How does it look? Just for characterization if I ever need to describe it

12:04 PM

Like that

awesome. That’s perfect

1:08 PM

(Reminds me of deus ex)

So you're able to spend a day drafting the design, and publish it into a dataslate to present

(Sorry thought I'd have WiFi this weekend but the place I was staying didn't so I couldn't post)

all good, if I left my cave more often I'd know how that went)

Charles will talk gather the two Bay groups that were going to work on the drones and hard points so he can talk to them about the designs

1:30 PM

(Hahahaha)

What do you want to tell them?

Just to let them know the process so that everyone can get an idea of what's going on and people can contribute if they see a way it can be improved

sure, The design itself is good, and can't really be improved on there, but one of your workers does bring up that you may also want to consider designing some ground vehicles meant for service of the drone fleet, both for direct command and control, refueling, and maintenence

"Thank you. I'll note it down for later development". Charles will then let his men start working on the drones. Will they just get on with it or do I need to be around to supervise

They will get on with building it without you, though likely won't deliver to the colony without you there to run the initial test

OK then the first thing I want to do is to start working on adding some scanners to my landing barge so I can use it to scan the asteroids

Alright. I’m going to mock up a handout and I’ll let you know what they cost

So the ground vehicles are essentially on ground truck frames. They’ll be 5k to produce with the chassis and add ons

And how much will greenbriar pay for each

Let’s do an trade with int roll as you try to broker a deal.

7

8:55 AM

6 with re roll

They’d be willing to spend 6k for the trucks

So I currently have enough credits to make ten cargo trucks

The ghost driver ones?

Yeah

2:41 PM

I have 51 k so I could make them in batches. 10 now get 60 k back, make 12, get 70k back. Do that until they have as many as they want

Right now ten is enough to fit current needs

Then that's what the workshop will be working on for now

Very good. I’ll update the handout with the trucks tonight. Each resource and production building has had their work crews doubled so they’ll help get the resources home faster

Does Charles need to be present for construction process or can he just leave them too it

He can leave them to it. They can follow your designs now that you’ve done them

Charles is interested in exploring the asteroids in the system. The first thing he needs to do is rig up a scanner of sorts to the landing barge. I was imagining it being some kind of sci fi resource scanner that would tell you of anything important in its view

Sure. It’s basically a bigger version of the handheld gear that val has been using it like seungs plane uses. That’s not hard to built. So the barge has two hardpoints left. The sensor will take 1.

7:34 AM

And costs 5k

Great. Did my pilot finish his training yet?

He did. He’s just at 0 though which means he can fly but he’s not going to be Han Solo anytime soon.

Cool cool. Charles will message him and ask him to meet at the landing barge. They're going to start with something easy before going to space

He meets you there a few hours later, supplied and ready to fly

"Alright let's see what this thing can do. My plan is to fly us down to Rebirth at a pretty high altitude and see what the scanner can pick up. If it works we'll check out the asteroids with it"

1:38 PM

(I'm planning to fulfill the discovery of nodes contract)

Sure. That one as well is a bit of a scramble type thing. Awarded based on the find.

Yeah that's why I didn't claim it in that thread. Thought I'd let everyone have a chance

(He means it's first come first serve you can't really call it. It's if you find a node you get money if you tell the colony.) (edited)

(Yeah exactly. Sounds good though I’ll set it up)

2:07 PM

The pilot climbs the steel ladder up to the pilot house. With all the lights on and components replaced it’s a far different vehicle than the one you’d come down in

"Hopefully we'll have a smooth ride out here, do a bit of recon, and then get home safe and sound"

The large engines heat up and the barge rises into the air, heading very high up. “Radiation still off the charts out in the desert” the pilot says reviewing his instruments and getting settled

"Getting our hands on some of that uranium could be good. Think of how much we could achieve with all that power"

He shrugs “that’s more your wheelhouse than mine, though speaking of I hope you’re buckled in down there

5:53 PM

The barge begins moving toward rebirth, very high up in the air. The copper deposit recently discovered by the task force pings. “I’ll filter that one out. Let’s see what else we can do”

"How long do you think it will take to get to Rebirth in this thing?"

“Just an hour or two depending on the weather. Looks clear right now but there’s a shamal storm in the desert. We might get some wind”

The barge continues on, and close to rebirth a new ping comes in. “Trace amounts of iron. It’s very deep”

"Mark it down. It might be useful if we ever run out of iron from the current supply"

The data is transmitted and you see the payment for 10,000 credits hit your account a few moments later

Woo. Is there more around here to check?

The barge continues moving towards rebirth and comes in for a landing (not on the course you’d described at first, but you’re free to go elsewhere. Seungs plane had mapped this area before but the ship sensors found the iron his plane couldn’t pick up)

9:01 AM

Rebirth is a very small village built in the shadow of a massive Slyth cryogenics research facility, it’s elegant walls and defensive corner towers easily dwarfing even the town hall

"So that must be one of the alien facilities I keep hearing about. It's amazing" Did they clear out everything in there?

“They took what they could or what was safe to move.” The pilot is reading a report on his screen as he begins making a landing approach. “Looks like you can request a tour and escort though”

"I might have a look in. Do you know what you're doing to prep for orbital flight?"

“I do. I’ll just take a walk around and make sure everything looks in good repair while you’re off”

"Great." Charles will dismount the barge when it lands and go searching for somebody to take him on a tour of the facility

Two stewards have been appointed. They know little of the actual science behind it themselves but they have the reports made by both exploration teams and are happy to share the information

12:49 PM

They meet you in front of the town hall and the massive gate opens, allowing you into the facility compound.

"Charles Trivedi" Charles introduces himself as he meets them "You guys here to show me round?"

“We are”. One keys a code into the keypad next to a thick metal shutter keeping the entryway closed. It rises and you’re led in.

2:40 PM

The facility is better lit now that some time has gone by, with temporary construction lights reflecting off the thousands of glass stasis pods Nestled in the walls

"So what's of interest in here?"

"The cryobanks, or at least what's left of them, a medical team is supposed to come out soon now that everyone from the colony ship wreck has landed, its a slim chance we will find someone else to save among all these. There's also the science equipment in the middle of the floor here, and the control room up above. There was some pretty graphic stuff on the terminals there"

"Let's have a look at the stuff on the middle floor. See if there's anything worth looking at there"

The middle of the facility’s floor is a circular elevator meant to bring scientific instrumentation up from the deep storage bunkers below. There hasn’t been any recorded way to get down to them per the notes available to the curators.

So nobody has found all of the scientific equipment way down below?

“They’ve brought up what the computer system said was down there but if there’s a lost program or something that wasn’t linked it’s likely there is more below. Trying to be careful though. We don’t want to just dig up the floor”

"Is there a computer system I could have a bit of a poke around on to see what I could find?"

They bring you to a side terminal. A green x had been sprayed on the side of the housing, noting that it had been disconnected from everything critical, but still able to access information

Charles will have a look around in the system to see if he can uncover anything the original team missed

Let’s do program with int as you fish through the computer

15

11:25 AM

(Double six woo)

You spend a few hour sifting through the records, and learn about the experiments on the virus here. The warden virus as it was called locked their patients in a horrible paralyzed rictus before releasing their muscles and filling them with uncontrollable rage in their final moments.

11:39 AM

However you find a curious file in the system entitled specimens

Charles will open the file

Inside, is a program meant to check the status of the stasis pods as a whole. Most of it is unreadable, as it is in slyth, names you'd guess, screes of medical data fill the screen, along with the status of the pod banks. All are reporting zero life signs, but it appears with some repair work the system can be brought back online and something new can be stored in the cryopods, once cleaned of their now long dead occupants and disinfected

I have the diplomat focus, would that let me read the sylth or would I have to learn the language itself?

You can read it. The names themselves likely wouldn't mean anything to a human though. Gheist himself isnt even using his real name anymore

"Looks like those cryo pods can be brought back. I don't know what people would want to put in them at the minute but it's worth remembering for the future. Is there anything else around here you wanted to show me"

"there was a garage down below but the few grav-trucks have all been taken into colonial posession since then. THe generator space is up and running, there are a few things in the control room that are still damaged"

"Id like to take a look at the control room if thats not too much trouble"

“May as well rest your luck. Systems been isolated for now but if you can get it working I bet they’d be appreciative”

2:52 PM

Fix with int

13

You spend a few hours tinkering with the control panels. The stewards ask you a few time if you’re certain you know what you’re doing and you can sense their patience wearing thin. You overhear them discussing throwing you out when you make the final wire connection.

3:09 PM

Something thrums deep within the compound, deeper even than the generator level. The elevator in the center of the facility floor down below descends, leaving a gaping hole. Five long moments go by and a new one takes its place, with handrails and controls.

"Do you men have any security forces here?"

"Just a squad from Greenbriar, they're a bit green"

"If I go down there can I count on them to come with me"

"We can break off a squad of five, I'll send for them"

"I'll wait for them by the elevator"

A few moments later a squad of troopers staggers in, one extinguishes a cigarette and stomps it into the ground before coming in. "Ah so you're the intrepid explorer. We're going below then?"

"Yeah sounds like we've just opened up a new section of the facility. Stick close to me" Charles activates the elevator when they are all on board

The elevator begins descending into the previously unexploered storage level of the facility. A friendly computer voice advises keeping all hands, heads and tails inside the platform

4:02 PM

it finally comes to a halt in front of a darkened hallway, very tall and wide, with a metal arch as a mouth

"Can one of you shine a light down the hallway?"

4:04 PM

"And check for security measures while you're at it"

They begin laying out a half circle of glowbugs and more of the chamber becomes illuminated. Various Slyth quotes about the value of knowledge and the place in life for wisdom adorn the arch. The shadows of side rooms in a herringbone type shape branch off from the only hallway

"Let's do a quick sweep of the floor for any security measures"

One of the troopers brings out a handheld scanning device "nothing below the floorplates"

"Alright let's have a look around." Charles will go into the nearest room and have a look around

The room is sealed with a terminal and rolling metal door. It is looking for some type of a password

Charles will look around for anything that resembles a password, including checking for any repeated words on the writing on the wall

The words truth, wisdom, and intelligence are repeated often through the writings. You’re not sure how many characters this password should have

Charles will start by typing wisdom

The terminal makes a pleasant tone, and the steel shutter rises. Inside in a stasis field is a peak triton, still alive but frozen in time. Some medical equipment long rusted away to time sits outside the field on a table, along with a corroded but still functional terminal

(What a guess!)

2:06 PM

(Triton?)

It’s an animal. There’s a handout under mountain animals

Charles will approach the terminal to see if he can gather any info on the medical experiments

2:07 PM

Oh ok cool

The terminal is not secured since the door was, and the data tells you the animal is infected with the warden virus. It was kept in this field to keep the Beast in suspended animation in between studies, but the intent was to watch the virus for how it replicated and progress

Charles will download and store the data to transmit back to the colony. He will then head to another room

The next room is organized much the same. The terminal awaits a password

Charles will try "wisdom" again

A warning tone flashes stating you have one more attempt

Charles will try truth

A heavier shutter slams down over the door. You hear a slight hiss from inside before it pitch rises into a loud roar. Flickering orange light and the smell of smoke floods out into the hallway.

"Well. Shit." Charles exclaims. How many more doors are there to check?

Just one more

OK Charles will try truth on this door

This door chimes pleasantly and opens

11:21 AM

Inside is another stasis field, and a glacial stalker sits in the same flowing blue energy, frozen in time.

Charles will check the computer for information to download

The computer also provides the same information though the virus in this specific creature is much further along

2:47 PM

It’s estimated that with a few hours more exposure the creature will be in the final stage of the virus

Charles will download the data again. Would he know who is head of researching the virus at the moment

2:51 PM

(I'm sure it was val but she's off world)

You’d have probably seen her name and the others all over the notes you’ve been finished with already, along with the addendum that it’s been cited

2:52 PM

Cured

2:52 PM

Though precautions are still being taken in case it mutates

Ok well Charles will transmit the data to her facility and Azog, detailing the discovery and suggesting that Charles is willing to become involved with the research should they need him to. He will then dismiss the soldiers and go back upstairs to inform the guides of what he found. After that he will go and find the pilot

2:56 PM

"Sorry about the wait. I'm ready to head out to the asteroids if you are"

“Not a problem. Find what you needed in there?”

"I found some stuff. God knows what it is though and hopefully I won't ever have to find out."

Let me get you a system map

3:10 PM

3:11 PM

“Which one sir?”

"Let's start with the closest. No reason to stretch ourselves"

3:12 PM

"And don't call me sir, makes it sound like I actually know what I'm doing"

“It’ll be about six hours of flight. There should be a few pull out cots down there in the crew bay. I’ll wake you with the ship chimes about a half hour before if you like”

"That sounds great thank you. See you in a bit"

The ships engines are the only thing you hear as you fall asleep in the gigantic crew bay. The tri tone ship bell wakes you up as the final approach begins. You hear the pilot over the intercom. “Time to wake up down there.

Charles will trudge his way up to the bridge. "I take it nothing exciting happened?"

“Not anything particularly interesting. I’ve got the scanners powering up now”

Will the scanners just pick up ores or will they pick up other anomalies?

General information about whatever is there

Cool. "What's it looking like, anything of Interest" (edited)

He runs the scanner after a few more moments of it powering up "Strong metallic readings. looks like there might be some water trapped under all that rock too"

"That sounds interesting. Will getting in closer get us some more specific readings"

"I think the metals are too amalgamated to resolve things any further, but if newer readings do come in I'll forward them to you. Did you want to try to land?"

(Did we bring any vacc suits or did Seung and val get them all?)

The barge has two onboard in the event of some kind of emergency

"Might as well take a look now that we're here"

There is portable scanning equipment that can give you basic readings located in a wall locker. The gear that can be strapped down is, and the barge comes to land on the asteroid

"You coming?" Charles will ask the pilot as he puts his vacc suit on and gets the scanner

“One moment”. Four metal, barbed anchors on braided metal cable ropes fire, one from each corner of the ship. A pleasing computer voice says the tether is successful

"Let's get out there and get a look" Charles says anxiously waiting by the airlock door

The door hisses open and you step out into the rocky surface. The metallic returns grow stronger

Charles will explore the area until the metallic returns get to their strongest

You slowly spacewalk until about 400m from the barge, the near limit of the tethering cable when the returns reach their peak.

Looking around what does Charles see? Is there any visual clues as to what is there?

The returns are coming from below you but the surface is largely just cratered and pitted rock.

Can I estimate how far below? If not Charles will just mark down the location and head back to the barge

Let’s do know with int

9, rerolled and got an 11

You estimate the highest concentration is about 20m below

So Charles won't have anything to cut through to it at this point (unless a laser pistol would do it)

The ship has some tools aboard for damage control, would something from the ship locker work?”

"No reason not to try"

The ship has aboard a long drill, a power saw, and several hand tools meant to quickly repair damage

Charles will grab the long drill and take it back to the site

10:16 AM

(I've got no idea how a drill will work in 0 gravity but I'm excited to find out!)

You spend an hour walking to the craft and back, lugging the drill and it’s back mounted power pack.

2:38 PM

A harness keeps you stable, anchoring you to the ground, and you rev up the machine

2:38 PM

The tungsten tip digs into the rock, descending 5m before taking a sample

"Right we should be able to get this back to the lab so they can take a look" Charles will go back into the barge with the sample and drill and order the pilot to head to the next closest asteroid

“We have enough fuel for one more. Get some rest while you can”

Does the barge have anything that could analyse the metal sample?

Not on the barge no. It’s more of a work vessel and cargo horse than a science vessel as it stands right now

Cool just checking. Charles will then rest until they get to the next asteroid

The same routine plays out and the tethers sink into the asteroid. The wide doors roll open yet again. “Would you like me to grab the drill this time?” The pilot says, adjusting the neck seal dial for the air mix

"That would be great thanks. Just follow me" Charles says as he heads off to find the source of the metallic returns

The scanner pings, the returns here much lower than the previous asteroid, but it does indicate a high volume of water below the ground

Charles will drill to get both a sample of the metal and a sample of the water. He will also find something to block the water hole in once he's done drilling so that the water doesn't go floating off into space

I’d imagine you’d have some canteens or something. Let’s do exert with con as you continue to work the heavy machinery

8

The drill bites deep, taking a solid core of rock to analyze. Some water begins trickling out of the hole and the pilot catches it when an empty plastic survival meal bag before stuffing it all in a canteen

"Right let's get back to the ship" Charles says over comms

“The water is still leaking, this pocket might drain if we leave it exposed. What do you want to do?”

10:52 AM

(Referring to water still coming out of the hole)

Charles will look around for some loose gravel or rock to stick into the hole to jam it back up

Sure. There’s probably some slurry and gravel you can jam back in there.

11:52 AM

You make it back to the ship after a slow space walk in, and the bay doors shut. The pressure rises and you’re able to take off your helmets, the low hiss of the air scrubbers taking the place of the howling void

"I'll get these stored away, you get us back to the colony"

It doesn’t take long to stow the samples and you’re left to sit for the long trip home. This counts as downtime if you had anything you wanted to do on the way back

Charles will begin working on designs for making some kind of asteroid mining facility. Current plans are a fitting to the landing barge, mining robots, and a full on base from which the mining can be done. I don't know which is the most feasible though

If you want to design those things you can. I think it’ll be more of a step by step process but I could see possibilities for each of those things

Yeah I haven't decided on which I'd prefer to do yet but I'm leaning towards the robot workers so I think designing that would be the best start

I've had a look at the vi section of the xenobeastary and the robot designs will try to fit to the industrial work bot archetype

alrighty. I’ll make a handout for them so you can add on what they have

Great thank you! The robots in the book don't have any modifications that I can see, or am I looking in the wrong place?

It’s basically making a character sheep

3:30 PM

Sheet

3:30 PM

I don’t know how many skill checks they’ll need to make over the course of the game. Likely won’t unless a pc is interacting with them but it’ll be useful to have theirbstats

Now I want to make a character sheep! Yeah no worries, it won't take me long to do anyway!

3:33 PM

When herb said he set up a robotics facility I could never tell whether it was a facility to make robots or one that uses robots as workers

It’s one to build robots and mechs

4:52 PM

And components for them. It would probably be involved in making the cores too.

Great I will negotiate with him then to use that

I made a character sheet under robots, you can change the name and do whatever you want to do with it

Cool I've filled it out using the sledge armature for stats. According to the handbook the armature would cost 7,500 to buy, but I could also buy an industrial work bot from a different section for 2,500 but that didn't have any stats

4:08 AM

It also runs on the expert system rather than as a vi or an ai

I’ll take a look at the Work bot to see what they recommend for it. Either one will Work and they can be made at 1/10th the time since there’s a post tech work space available

Cool, I'm not in any rush to get them up and running they're just in the queue of things to do

The barge touches down in the colony in the middle of the night, the very tired pilot shakes you awake, letting you know you’ve made it home safely

"Thank you. Go home and rest, it should be a couple of days before I need you again" Charles says before heading off to the lab to test the recovered samples

Alrighty. Mimir let’s you in and offers help in the analysis. The metal is put into a special machine to heat it up and separate it based on weight. After several hours you’re left with some waste material, some cobalt, iron and magnesium

Is that both pieces of metal being the same thing?

Yeah the same concentrations in both samples

Cool. Do experiments on the water show anything up

There are some microbes in it, amazingly enough and they’ll do some analysis to see if they are similar to anything on record

Cool. After leaving that with the lab Charles will go and check on the truck progress

The frames themselves have been assembled and are undergoing finishing touches, and installation of the ghost driver modules

Great Charles will assist where he can

Alright. You’re able to speed production along and the modules are installed. In the morning the colony will take delivery

Charles will spend the rest of the day checking over his designs for the drones and then will head back to his hab and to bed

The drone prototype has been complete and unless you want it handled personally they’re planning on demonstrating with Kincaid in the morning

Charles will want to be at the demonstration in the morning and will likely get there to test before the actual demonstration

You arrive in the morning to the testing field. A raised bleacher area has been set up for spectators to watch the flight and in the distant mountains there are a handful of test targets scattered under varying levels of concealment and jamming

Charles will test the drone, just flying it around and seeing how it performs at a distance. He will then start rehearsing his speech until the audience gets there

You’ll get a plus two on all checks for this since you prepared

10:20 AM

A storm is forming out over the mountains and the wind is beginning to pick up when the demonstration starts. The craft rolls down toward the end of the runway and lifts off. The first array of targets are close. Let’s do notice with int

9

10:53 AM

(it says 7 on roll 20 but that's because I forgot the plus 2)

No problem. You manage to spot two out of the three targets in the first series. The missed one was using electronic countermeasures to obscure its signature.

10:54 AM

The wind picks up slightly and the drones camera pod begins to bounce a slight amount as the airframe braves the elements. Moving closer to the mountains a series of test vehicles and dummies have been concealed

"As you can see ladies and gentlemen the 'Spotter' drone can detect all targets not using electronic countermeasures, a feat unrivalled by current Greenbriar equipment"

(Don’t forget as an expert you have that re roll ability as well)

10:57 AM

This testing area will allow you a few moments to set up your scanning approach. There are three groves of trees, a scattering of ground foliage, and a riverbed where targets can be hiding

(Yeah I'm just expecting a bad roll in a minute so I'm just saving it for that haha)

(Just wanted to remind. I know you’ve only played a warrior up until this point

Charles will start by checking the groves of trees in the testing area

Let’s do notice with wis

10

You notice all targets in the woods and a pleasing plume of green smoke rises from that grove to show all targets are detected

2:33 PM

The people on the bleachers clap

"Thank you, thank you. Let's now have a look at how it performs in uncommon environments." before aiming the drone towards the riverbed targets

Same check. Notice with wis

10 again

You nearly miss a cleverly painted inflatable truck hidden against the wall of the river bed but as the scanning passes over it, the sensor pops the balloon and releases another stream of green smoke

"As you can see the 'Spotter' performs in all kinds of situations and circumstances. With a dozen of these entire swaths of land could be reliably patrolled and the people of Greenbriar can sleep safer"

The final test is at the foot of the mountains, an area of dense scrubland and thick trees. You’re not told how many targets are here but you’ve a few moments to think of a flight plan or path that may allow you to spot the mystery targets

Charles will focus on the areas that look accessible to the colonys ground vehicles and search them

(Fair deuce hahah). You cleverly approach this as a scout would approach new terrain, where every rock and tree may conceal an ambush. You detect two vehicles, one in a corpse of trees and another that had been dug in hull down and concealed by tree limbs. red smoke rises from them. You do not yet see green indicating the area has been cleared.

Charles will then check the area around where the forest becomes mountain to see if any have been placed in the mountainous area

Let’s do notice with wis a final time

Rolled a 7. Rerolled. Got a 6. Good start to the day haha

You do not notice any further targets in this area. A plume of blue smoke showing the one missed begins to flare after time runs out. Overall the colony is impressed with the drone, and if you can promise a later upgrade on the imaging system they’d be happy to buy a dozen from you for border patrol purposes

6:35 AM

(3xp, 2500 credits)

Great Charles will relay that order to the workshop. How much did I get for the trucks and asteroids

40k for the two asteroids (20 each) and 60k for the first batch of 10 trucks. The colony is good on them for now but as more resource points are found they’ll probably request more

For now however they’ll be happy to take delivery of both the drones and the trucks, eager to put them to work. You’re told by Kincaid that your work is finely done and when the colony next needs something she will consider shifting some work towards you

(gone over 100k woo)

4:40 AM

Charles will thank Kincaid and head back to the workshop to help set up for the drone production

How are you doing that, going over plans or making special tools?

Going over plans and making sure all of the materials have arrived

7:13 AM

And writing the stationkeeping program if that needs doing

Yes. Let’s do program with int

15

You manage to write a decent station keeping program, a monitoring station will still need to be built, but fewer people will be needed to run it

8:36 AM

Mostly just people to watch the cameras

Cool, will the monitoring station need to be built in the colony or out in the field

Right now it's planned for over by the airfield so theres nothing to stop the signal for launch and landing

8:43 AM

but that can be moved if you'd like it to be

No I'm happy with it there. Is the colony building it or am I

They will since you're doing the drones

8:45 AM

it's likely going to be a military installation

Great, I was just checking to see if there was anything I could do but I'll just leave it to them

8:48 AM

The sylth ships that sueng found, were any of them fixable

A handful of them. The ones that won't fly again are at least salvageable for parts, some metal, other things the colony might need. They've been underwater so long not everything is going to be worth recycling but there's plenty of good uses for what you can get

8:50 AM

more computers alone would certainly help.

Can two bays work on the drones and the third bay be able to come and help salvage them

Yeah that crew can. The only thing I want to highlight is whatever is raised is going to be used by the colony for the betterment of all. If they can be repaired likely scouting and planetary defense

9:46 AM

You’ll be paid for the work and given a cut of the usable salvage though

Yeah yeah I expected that to be the case. Do these have spike drives?

The corvette recovered already does but it’s been damaged, and the shuttle that got pulled out of the lake a few real life months ago does as well

9:50 AM

Nobody has actually been in or around the others yet

Oh ok. Charles will inform the pilot that he is needed at the barge and will tell the work crew to meet at the barge with their tools. Charles will also try and track down as many vacc suits as he can

There’s four available right now. A few are on the shuttle which is out on a mission right now.

Cool cool ill grab all four and head to the barge

The sea barge is more spacious than you’d last seen it. For now the processing machines for water dissolved minerals have been removed, leaving only a crane and driving tethers

Can we not use the landing barge because of the atmospheric seals?

It’ll float but it won’t take the pressure like a sub

So can the sea barge go under like a sub or will it just float on the top

Float on top

Cool, Charles will load up his tools and order the barge towards the site of the wreckage

The barge takes a few hours to make its way off the coast and to the site of the wreckage. The crew are ready though it’s hard to see the bottom@as the storm that recently passed kicked up much of the sediment on the bottom

"Alright you three suit up with me" indicating the most suitable members of the team "Were going to go down, have a poke around, see what we can find, and decide how to bring it up"

2:08 PM

Charles will put his vacc suit on and get ready to dive

The tethers connect to the backs of your suits, and you’re slowly lowered down. Let’s do notice with wis

5 rerolled to 8

You are able to find the largest of the wrecks and use that as an anchor point for your way down. Your team slowly descends by the fallen cruiser

"Look at the size of this thing." Charles says over comms. He will look for an airlock and to see if the inside is drowned as well

The airlock appears intact. You can see the damage that brought her down, a nasty scar along the top that seems to have severed the engine power relays from the rest of the ship

Charles will try to open the airlock and wait inside for the other members of the team

It opens, but the water rushing in prevents it from closing. The corresponding door leading into the ship remains sealed, and through the viewport you can see the inside is dry

5:05 PM

y

Can Charles and the team manually close the door? If not he will try waiting until the airlock is full of water and will then try to close the door

I think even with all of you pulling on it the pressure difference alone would stop it from happening, i tihnk it likely would even break first, but once the airlock fills, you're able to easily close it.

5:10 PM

You do notice a drain in the floor, with a thin trench running to it. Likely originally for catching the blood of injured passengers coming aboard, but in this case you know it can drain the water, slowly

Great Charles will wait until the water is drained (unless it's going very slowly) then unlock the inside airlock door and head further into the ship

It’s not super slow. Maybe a few minutes. Probably fast enough where you’d realize it won’t take long but you’re still standing there for a few

5:38 PM

The interior door swings open and emergency lights begin to power up sensing motion

Charles will look around for any sort of informational or control panel that might be able to direct the group

There’s a panel on the wall as you enter the ship proper that appears undamaged. Let’s do program with int as you try to coax some life out of it

8 rerolled to a 12. Not sure if the reroll counts so soon after using it to spot the ship

(It's fine, this is technically a new 'scene'). The control panel comes to life. Several functions are missing or requiring more power to become active, but it can provide you with some general information

OK Charles will look for anything pertaining to active or inactive systems. Power, life support, engines that kind of stuff. He will then see if he can find a map of the ship

There is a map of the ship, showing the following. Engines: offline Life Support: offline Weapons: offline Emergency Power: 6% Ships Stores: unlocked Bridge: Unlocked.

"Let's see if we can get the engines working, come on"

The engine room is located under the bridge and you find several bodies that have long since decayed to scraps of bone and tattered uniform. The metal door is bent, hanging off it’s large hinges and refuses to open into the corridor

Can we use the power tools to cut it off it's hinges and let it fall to the floor

7:58 AM

Also how big is the cruiser? In sci fi ship terms

Probably like modern naval sized. This would have had a crew of about 100 sailors. 173 meters long. (Today’s would have more but I’ll assuming in the far future automation would have taken over certain duties)

8:10 AM

Let’s call it 175 for even numbers sake

Cool cool, just so I can picture it in my head

175m long, divided into three decks inside. Crew sleeps and eats on the bottom. The middle where you came in is the weapon command and control space and some engineering, and the top level is bridge, a decent amount of empty space that’s just armored in front of it. The ships come to a pointed prow.

Sounds pretty cool!

As far as the door yes you’d be able to cut through it

"OK let's get this thing off" Charles says directing his men to get working on the door

They manage to saw the door down after twenty minutes and a replacement saw blade. The bridge itself is a scene of devastation. Small arms fire has riddles most of the consoles and remains of bodies are piled around them. It appears most were cut down defending their stations. Rusting alien carbines and even a Tripod mounted heavy version of it sit facing the door on the opposite side of where you entered. (Two doors in. If you’re looking at the ship north to south there’s a northwest and northeast door going into the bridge. You’re northwest)

Does it look like there are any security measures still in place from the fight?

Not that you can tell. Most of the bridge controls don’t even look like they work

Charles will look around for any readings that might tell him what needs to be fixed in order to make the ship operate

The connection between the reactor and the engines has been severed. You see that the hull plating is reading as largely intact, thusly the damage is internal, likely a result of the obvious boarding action

Can Charles find map of the power lines running through the ship so he can find a route to follow and find the source of the break

I think based on the damage reports that would be flashing all over what few screens are still working you could figure that out yes

Charles will get his men and the tools and start following the power lines until they get to a break

The wires are intact all the way back to primary engineering, it continues beyond the sealed door you can’t seem to nudge

Does the map show any other entrances to the room that we'd be able to get to

None. It’s likely been designed on purpose to be this way. The door is scorched in several places.

Does it look like someone has tried to break into it or that there was a fire on the other side

Definitely an attempt at a breach

Is there a console about that looks like it is connected to the door

Yes there’s a damaged one by it. It glows faintly

Charles will look to see if there are any controls for the door and if not if there is anything that would suggest why the door won't open

It looks as though the tracks on the top and bottom have been warped by heat from whatever was used to try to force it open

"Looks like our best solution must be to cut our way through. If we cut horizontally parallel to the tracks that should make it easier." Charles explains to his men, demonstrating what he wants them to do

They begin cutting, spending two hours chopping their way through the door. It falls inwards. The engineering space is a burned out mess of power converters, scattered tools, and lockers for the ships engineering team

"This looks like it could be a job and a half. Let's pick whatever looks most broken and start with that"

The converters look the worst off, responsible for turning power from the ships reactor into the energy needed to power everything else.

4:59 AM

Fix with int

Do I get an assist from my team. If not then it's a ten

It’s a 12. You get a +2. It takes several hours,all of your spare parts and a few clever workarounds but you’re able to make a temporary replacement for the heavily damaged converters. The reactor still needs to be started but once active it’s presumed the energy will be able to reach the rest of the systems

I'm guessing Charles knows how to activate the reactor after setting up the colonys reactor

It’ll follow enough of the general idea for to get it after a while

"Right let's get this thing fired up" Charles says as he moves to turn on the reactor

Several warnings pop up stating that cold firing may damage the reactor, and outside power is advised to be connected. You’re certainly able to attempt activation anyway

So to do its safely we'd need to connect it to the colony power supply, or would something smaller do?

Something smaller would do, the challenge Is figuring out what and getting it down here where it won’t be water damaged/safe

7:43 AM

Or, risk it and just try to ignite

A landing barge wouldn't be able to force its way down through the water would it?

It can certainly try. Nobody has attempted

Charles will get on the radio and ask for one of the barges to be sent down. It doesn't matter whether it's the colony one or the Trivedi one

The colony one is on station and it’s thrusters begin cycling up, it slides into the water at a shallow angle and manages to get 20m down. “This is as far as we can go. There’s some pressure on the hull. I’ll dangle some cables (which are far longer)

"We'll come out and grab them" Charles says signalling to his men

Two divers head out of the airlock to grab the heavily insulated cables. They find a maintenance port on the top side of the ship where the cables can be run inside without flooding.

"OK in 3, 2, 1"and Charles will flip the switch and turn the reactor on

The reactor growls but doesn’t turn over. It clicks and rumbles like it is close

“Again?” Asks one of the engineering mates

"Yeah probably just needs warming up"

The reactor grumbles and gain and the entire superstructure rumbles. Lights turn on as the reactor rises into a draconian roar before calming down to a reasonable noise level.

10:28 AM

The sealed doors in the ship now open and Undamaged panels come back to life

Charles let's out a cheer and claps his men on the back. When he's calmed down a bit he will head back to the bridge to see what the systems look like and whether it'll be able to get out of the ocean

The bridge terminal at the captains station shows a log, a final message from the engineering team stating they were hopelessly out gunned and were going to blow the power in the hopes that they’d take the boarding party down with the ship. The captains approval is the final message on the terminal

"This seems dark. I wonder who attacked who. Come on let's check and see what survived all this time"

There are dozens of bodies in the opposite bridge corridor from the one you entered. They’re wearing similar uniforms and what scraps remain show two different symbols, one a yellow background with black ouroboros, and the other a red diamond with twin cobra heads forming a heart

"Two factions. Or at least two factions. I wonder if we'll be able to get any of their weapons up and running"

Several weapons are scattered among the fallen, victim to time and corrosion to various degrees. You’ve seen the rifles some of them carry in Pops workshop before when you were employed there, the carbines and tripod mounted weapon are new examples of the same tech that the colony hasn’t seen for itself yet

"Let's see if we can get this thing out the water and we can get a proper check done" Charles will head to the bridge and try to get the engines turned on and firing up

The engines begin warming up, external cameras coming to life And showing a thinking trail of bubbles coming from the exhaust nozzles

"I think if we try to go straight up we'll hit too much resistance. If we go nose first it should be much easier"

The pilot you’ve brought with you slowly noses the ship upwards as power increases. It’s a very slow climb and the sediment has deeply rooted the craft. “We’re sliding, but we need to get free of this faster or we risk tearing the hull plates to bits” the pilot calls out. The first handful of integrity warnings appear on several bridge screens

"Try increasing throttle!" Charles calls back before racing back to engineering to see if there's anything he can do to get more power to the engines

There’s an option to funnel all auxiliary power to the engines. In space this would translate to a burst of speed. You’re not entirely sure how it would react under water

Would Charles' background in science give him any idea about what that would do

It would put some strain on the hull. The ship being pressure sealed is going to keep you all from getting blood bubbles, if it fails it’ll kill the power entirely

Alright Charles will funnel the auxiliary power

The hull buckles and you’re all knocked to your feet but for the pilot. The shuttle clears the sea floor, trailing sediment and barnacles

"How are we looking" Charles says to the pilot over comms

“Pressure steady. We are rising. Lots of erosion though. Warnings coming in but we should be through the surface before they go critical”

"OK I'm coming up the bridge, we'll see if we can find somewhere safe to put her down"

You enter the bridge, slightly sloped upwards as the ship rises through the water. A tri-tone address over the intercom system signals a shipwide address from the bridge. The pilot begins speaking "Everyone hold on to something, we're going through the roof!"

Charles will either try to get to a seat and strap in or will just grab the nearest thing available

You brace yourself against a bulkhead as the ship kicks forward, blasting out of the water in a massive spray. It takes to the air, gliding slowly over the oceans surface

4:50 AM

“We...we did it...” the pilot exhales.

Is the cruiser capable of landing safely or does it need to always be in the air or space

It can land now but once you take it do space re entry is going to be a real bear

"Let's try and put it down near the port. We can take a better look at it from there"

(3xp, 5000 credits)

“I think we can make the port”

While they're on the way to the port Charles will check through the files on the computer for any indication of what happened on the ship

You find a video log from the external sensors showing a becalmed fleet at high anchor over the planet. A host of ships moving in from the system edge emerge from silent running and begin furiously firing weapons and boarding shuttles at the fleet. They have sigils of yellow with the black ouroboros

7:01 AM

Ram prowed wrecker ships push wrecked ships into the atmosphere to plunge into the sea below

"I wonder what happened to the rest of the yellow ships. They must still be out there somewhere" Charles mutters to himself

(Keep in mind these records are a few hundred years old now)

7:40 AM

The ship sets down in the crude open air dock that had been built to accommodate it, parked next to the corvette also undergoing repair

"Somebody open all the doors and get some air in here" Charles says. "I'm going to take another look around and try to piece together everything that needs fixing"

A tour of the ship shows the weapons will need to be serviced , and likely some new type of indigenously made missile for the long dead antimatter warheads stowed inside. The whole vessel needs to be cleaned and the remains disposed of per slyth cultural tradition

Charles will note down everything that needs doing and set his crew to work on it, before calling in a transport to take him to Seung and Sil

You see their warning about anti air fire being active in the area and you’re paradropped into a clearing by a small lake. You see the plane belonging to task force Phoenix parked under a camouflage covering.

8:18 AM

(Let’s move into that thread)

Charles returns to the factory, fresh from exploration and battle. The factory floor is hard at work, completing the final drone sold to the colony

"Looking good guys. Should probably be a quiet couple of days for you while I work on some more designs" Charles says as he heads for his office. When in the office he will message the heads of the repair teams of the corvette and cruiser asking for a list of spare parts needed so he can have the men begin construction on them. He will also message Gheist to arrange an appointment with Jexad so Charles can take a closer look at any injuries sustained

The repair teams are still working on cleaning up the actual damage but once the ships have been gutted. Gheist and jexad are fine talking to you Whenever you have time. Kincaid has been speaking with them already

OK then Charles will order his teams to start building spare parts (is that something we can build or is it just salvage?) and start going through the helldiver bodies for salvageable material (some of which will go to herbs compound to be used on the miner bots and some I will keep for my armature). Charles will then go find Gheist, Jexad and Kincaid

(You can do both really) you’re welcomed into the admin building and taken downstairs to the secure area where Kincaid, jexad and Gheist are talking

"Good to see you all again." Charles says as he walks in. "Jexad how are you feeling. Still struggling with the body?"

“Yes. I’ve long been unable to take care of this...thing. It’s like operation on yourself.”

"I can take a look at it at some point if you want me to. That's actually why I came to see you, and director you should be here too because there are some significant ethical implications for what I'm suggesting. A couple of years ago my brother was killed on my home world. Before he died, I believe he accidently downloaded his consciousness into a device. I want to build a mechanical shell for him and to restore him using this backup. I wondered, firstly if the colony would allow something like this, and secondly if studying you Jexad would allow me to learn about the process that caused you to end up in a mechanical body"

“There are some ethical implications certainly. How confident are you that he’s on this device Charles?” Kincaid Asks

"before we knew what it was he was messing with it like he shouldn't have been and activated it. We ended up taking it with us because, well I'd rather not say why, but when we looked at the documentation accompanying it, it seemed to definitely some kind of storage device. From what I can tell there is definitely something in there, but whether or not it is James I don't know"

“This project. You work on it here, in the controlled room down here, on a computer disconnected from everything else. I can’t force Our slyth friends here to assist but if they’d like to volunteer their time I also won’t stop them.

"That's fair enough. What about the body I want to build to put him in? Can I build that in my workshop and bring it here?

“There’s enough bots in the colony where it won’t seem strange. The brain However is done here”

"I can agree to that. I will send you regular updates to assure you that nothing untoward is being done. Jexad, Gheist, are you interested?"

“Community is everything. For now we can do little for ours, but we can help you find yours” Gheist says. Jexad is also in agreement

"That's fantastic. If you're ready to start now Jexad I'd love for you to tell me everything you can remember about the process of transferring into that body"

He thinks for a moment. “Well, when I was brought down to the room they’d planned to do this in the body was done. I can’t help you on that. As far as the process itself they wires me into a machine. It felt like this electrical pulse was traveling down every single nerve in my body. It happened a few times”

1:22 PM

“Every time it did, there was an outline of me on a monitor. The inside of me. It became more clear with every pulse. My head was fastened in place but I heard something...welding maybe? I smelled flux. They put something into the body that I couldn’t see when that machine turned off. They hit a button and my whole body went dead. I think I did too

1:23 PM

I woke up a week later in...thisl

Charles is listening intently and copying down everything Jexad says. "Where did they do this? Was it in one of the facilities or in the helldiver cities?"

"I heard wind outside, and i think, a blizzard. I'm not sure if that helps"

"From what we know of your facilities that could only really be the south Pole facility. I haven't read the reports about what exactly they found there but as far as I know it was just a communications centre. Might still be worth checking out."

“That would explain how little daylight there seemed to be. It’s worth a look”

Charles will contact his barge pilot and tell him to prepare for flight. "Will you be accompanying me?" he asks to Gheist and Jexad

Gheist has been there already and is uncomfortable returning, but will. “I should mention something that may have been left from the reports. There was a device there. Some kind of psi...projection machine. The details are unclear but maybe it has something to do with the situation jexad finds himself in now”

"That sounds valuable to look at anyway. I know some people around the colony are interested in expanding our psy knowledge"

“When should we plan to leave by?”

"How does tomorrow morning sound?"

“Perfect. I’ll see you in the morning”. They withdraw to continue planning

Charles puts the pilot on standby, goes to gather some cold weather gear and then goes home for the evening

The clothes aren’t hard to find. With winter fast approaching the Lope ranch has been working to provide furs, and the piggen textiles have also proven quite insulating

That all sounds nice and warm. The facility has been cleared of hostiles as far as we know?

Yes, Katya was there recently too and left behind a small caretaking team

8:59 AM

You’d likely be in contact with them getting weather reports and just general information about the conditions there as well so you’re prepared, especially with your cold blooded guests

Great. Charles will arrive at the barge bright and early the next morning

The boxy craft sits in the dawn air, engines warming up. The staff at the array is expecting good weather today, and you’ll be greeted with an armed escort upon landing.

9:39 AM

The barge touches down several hours later, to a clear day. The snow blows in light drifts and you’re escorted into the tower like facility. Inside it is warmer, though still a bite to the air.

Charles will spend the trip beginning designs for his robots body

(I made you a sheet for that by the way). The facility is centered around a massive elevator moving between several floors and a newly discovered basement level. The psi equipment you’re informed is on top , and a keycard is given so you can access the floor. You’ll be able to work with relatively complete privacy

(Great thank you!) Charles will head up to the top floor with Jexad, continuing to check if he recognises anything

The elevator arrives at the top floor. The floor is empty of people but for your small group. This floor has been denied access to all other Thus far. The machine sits in the corner of the room, the chair, gurney and spider web of cables suspended from the ceiling. Jexad gasps

10:28 AM

“That’s. That’s the...” he turns. Unable to look at it

Charles will put a reassuring hand on Jexad. "Do you want to go back downstairs and communicate via comms"

“No. No. I came here to help. I need to face this”

Logs of data and video are available on the consoles here detailing the experiments that took place.

Charles will find the earliest log and play it

It shows a slyth being hooked up to the machine and the logs state he is determined to have some sort of budding psychic potential. The machine flips on and he is directed to cast his awareness outward. First he tries a cup and it moves easily. He then moved to a weight. He struggles but it moves. Finally he goes to move one of his fellows and the exertion wears on him yearly. Lastly. He’s ordered to move a battle tank outside the facility. The snake screams as his body begins to combust, falling apart from the effort

1:49 PM

Fire suppressing teams put out the body before it damages the equipment

"This is... Barbaric. Fascinating, but barbaric. Do either of you make anything of this"

“If this machine can project...” Gheist says. “I think we should look at a few others just to make sure I’m on to something”

Charles will pick the chronologically last file

The last file shows a similar test, though the power is being focused towards an asteroid deep in space. The end result is the same. Several notes are made about the projection of brainwaves but the results are inconclusive

Charles will then pick two or three files at random to show Gheist

(So since there’s not really a plan here besides spamming information let’s roll a luck save to see what you find)

2:36 PM

(You’re not In danger but it’ll determine what you get out of this)

(Didn't know we had a luck save in this system)

2:49 PM

11

(There’s an option to add it back , a lot of people liked the rule, I think here since it doesn’t really translate into any kind of skill based on how you’re doing it, it works)

2:51 PM

The first two files you find are essentially just long lists of technical components or medical requests for the care of research subjects kept below. The final file however shows detailed schematics for the bodies you now associate with jexad and formerly kingbreaker

"This looks like you Jexad. Examining this should give us an idea of what we need to build if we're going to pull off something similar"

You download the plans, both for the body, and another file, showing the core. A video begins to play as the information is downloaded

7:48 PM

"Gods of the void" whispers Jexad "That's me....."

"Does it bring anything back? Anything that might help us?"

The video shows exactly the procedure jexad had mentioned, though when his organic body had gone limp, a matrix core like device had been taken from the machine and placed into the bot. A medical team drags the body off into the corner of the room for incineration.

"So they transfer you into that core. Maybe we can skip that phase and just insert the core into the body, or maybe we need to extract it from its current container, into the core and then into a body. Gheist you said you had an idea. Did it develop any?"

“I think we can adapt this machine. Maybe to transfer this brother program of yours into a core. There’s enough robot parts laying around at home...”

"OK let's pack everything we can up and get it back to the colony"

You make copies of the data, and take some pictures of the machine. A storm is forming out over the sea as you lift off, the cargo barge flying above it effortlessly. You end up in greenbriar several hours later.

8:41 AM

(3xp 5000 credits)

"OK let's get everything set up in the work room under admin. I'm going to go get started on the body of the robot"

8:51 AM

Charles heads off towards his workshop

The workshop is quiet for now with the last of the drones completed. A handful of workers are there tidying up but it’s largely empty this time of Kight

9:15 AM

Night

Charles will formalise his designs for the bot and will stick it up in the workshop for people to come and contribute to

(How long are you going to leave it posted on the blueprint board in the shop for?)

(Actually I think I'll just message the designs to all the specialists to look for any feedback and update them on the current plan. Not any of the potentially controversial details though, just that we're building a war bot)

(Alright. So you’ll send the design around and when you return from ice world you’ll have some notes waiting for you)

Great. Charles will get an update on the state of the corvette

The corvette is complete and is actually the vessel that katya will be taking to the ice world. The bridge proved relatively easy to reconstruct due to the cruisers being intact (they had a reference).

Cool nothing to do there then. Charles will message @Funk to tell her that he's ready to leave for the ice planet as soon as she is

10:28 AM

(Do I get the corvette xp seeing as I didn't end up having much to do with it? And is there a specific ice planet thread yet?)

(You still do and no not yet. I’ll get that going )

Charles arrives to find the finishing touches being placed on the last colony surveillance drone. The other nine have been delivered and are already in use

"You guys look like you've been doing some good work. Somebody catch me up on what I've missed"

“Well, there’s some movement against the insects down in the south. We dealt the death blow to the helldivers since you’ve been gone too. They tried to escape off world. We downloaded information on the planet they were trying to get to apparently. There’s also exploration rights available for recovering material from their three irradiated cities.”

"Do you know who is giving away the exploration rights?"

“It’s a combined effort with the taros. The only condition is anything recovered has to be shared and mutually studied, but at least this way we aren’t going to war over spoils”

"Sounds interesting. I'll talk to Franz about it at some point. What about things in the shop? We had any orders since I left" (edited)

“We received one for some emergency vehicles for the colony. We are going to be making six new police cruisers. Kelbore is working ambulances and we are going to collaborate on the fire suppression vehicles. Seemed the most fair way to do it, and it’s something everyone needs”

"That all sounds good. Let me know if you need my input on anything. Do you know if that Herb guy got started on the mining bots?"

“I’m not sure. He’s out soothing relations with the piggen right now is what the news said. Vincheris is dead now and they’re worried that there will be reprisals.”

"He'll have a tough job calming them down then. Alright well I'll let you get back to work. I'm going to go talk to Franz about a couple of things, but I'll check back in with you later"

You’re directed to call Franz, when asking at admin, as he is still out west negotiating with the taros. After a few moments of static he answers. “Ah good morning Charles. Back from the frozen tundra I see”

"I am indeed. I don't think I'll miss that cold too much. I'm calling about a couple of things, first being expedition permits for the helldiver cities. How I go about getting one, things like that. The second being the Ai I developed to link the colony spaceships together. Its looking almost done and ready for installation if the colony is still interested"

8:08 AM

(feels like ages ago I did that Ai haha)

(It was about a real life month). “We are certainly interested. The corvette is down in the south right now supporting hostilities, but when it returns we can begin testing for that. The shuttle is scheduled home for the next few days if you absolutely want to get started. The permits are easy to get, 10,000 credits for the licensing fee and it’s yours. We don’t want hordes of scrappers descending on the place and hauling off whatever they feel like”

(It's been a long month haha) "I can wait until the ships are back before I begin testing. We're not in any rush. Transferring the 10,000 now. Are there any restrictions I should know about out there"

“Just to be mindful of radiation, and to communicate your findings with us so we can keep the Taros informed. The last thing we want is to come to skirmishing or blows over withholding information”

"No worries, I can do that. Do we have any anti radiation suits in the colony that I can use"

“There should be some suits in the lab” Franz says. “I think we had four at last count”

"I'll look into it. Speak to you later Franz" and Charles will head to the lab to try and source the radiation suits

Val allows you inside when you enter, no doubt Mimir, the lab AI alerted her to your approach. “Hello there! Back from the cold?”

"I am indeed, can't say I'll miss it. I'm about to head out to the helldiver city and so I'm looking for some radiation suits"

“There’s four here available you can have to use. Is that enough for you and some help?”

"That's perfect thank you. I'll drop them back off when I get back" Charles will head out the lab and then go grab a few members of his team to come north with him

(Did you have any specific specialties in mind for them or just general labor?)

(Anybody with a robotics background and then some heavy lifters)

One of your foreman, who contributed much to the robot design accompanies you along with two of the stronger general laborers. The colony is allowing use of the massive cargo hauler taken from the masquerade long ago for the mission. It’s a ground vehicle but can carry and drag much. (Which of the three cities are you going to?)

(was one of them more important than the others from what we know? Or are they all more or less equal?)

(There wasn’t an apparent difference but the one furthest to the West was the last one standing)

(Head to that one first then, hopefully it will be the least explored so far)

The long journey overland takes five days (catches you up to everyone time wise too) and as for the desert, it’s a nice change from the cold of Miriam, to the cold of winter in the colony. The ruined city begins coming into view, below an irradiated thunderhead and storm. You can see it’s likely raining in the city with all of the particles in the air

"Hope you all brought your waterproofs. I'm not really sure what we're going to be finding in there but I'm sure there will be lots of helpful gear and salvage"

At 10km from the city the first radioactive raindrops begin to fall. Safe inside the sealed cabin you’re able to drive without needing to don your suits just yet. The Geiger counter begins to softly click. Palls of thin smoke still rise from some areas of the city and a handful of skeletal buildings can be easily seen. Another fifteen minutes drive brings you to the shadow of the crumbling walls

"Get your suits on, we'll go as far as we can in the car but might have to go on foot"

It takes a few moments for each person to get suited up, heading to the back of the cabin in turns. The truck comes to a halt shortly after the city gates, the street ahead choked with rubble. Half melted remains of low tier helldiver work forms are scattered everywhere, blackened by the heat of the explosion

Can Charles do a quick scan to see if any are salvageable for robot parts

Notice with wis

8. But if I can get the help of my robotics expert it would be 10

(10 it is) none of the cores are salvageable, but between the various frames scattered around you find enough parts that could be repurposed into two labor bots later on

"Let's get these in the van and then move on" Charles says as he starts collecting pieces

A handful of containers are unpacked and the parts are quickly loaded. They’ll be worked on back at the factory. Many of the buildings have fallen and rubble chokes many of the streets. Here and there you see squat bunker looking buildings that are scorched but seem to have evaded the worst of the damage. The closest is 100m away down a tightly congested steeet

"Let's go check that out. Whatever is in there must have survived a hell of a lot better than anything out here. Watch for any automated security, but hopefully the nuke will have knocked out power"

It’s a slow stumbling march across the uneven ground and you end your trek outside of a thick metal door. The outside is burned. A small security camera lies in ruins in front of the door, torn from its housing by the blast. If there was a keypad or electronic security device it’s long since been destroyed

Are there any exposed wires where the keypad might have been

There is a space where some type of interface used to be. It looks bigger than the typical keypads you’ve seen in use, but there’s wires

Can Charles try and hook up the wires to that auto unlock device we took off one of the helldivers at the facility a while ago. (not sure if I've even still got it)

(I’m just assuming you’ve got your stuff unless it’s destroyed or you give it away). There’s a small ping and the doors open into a darkened cavern

The ramp downwards is a gentle decline and you can see the outlines of a cavernous storage space beyond, though not of what is inside

Charles will feel along the wall for some kind of light switch. If he can't he'll throw in a glow stick

The glowbug sails down the hallway and casts a dim light in the room. The shadows recede and you see this is some kind of hangar. Lifts and tool carts are illuminated, along with the outline of some type of vehicle

"This looks interesting." Charles says as he approaches the vehicle, taking a mental note of any particularly valuable tools to pick up on the way out

The tools look similar to human engineered ones with some slight differences allowing for direct mounting to a robot chassis. The vehicle itself is the size of a bus, and is arrayed with number of stabilizers. A large digging arm sits nestled on top, and a large dozer blade in front. It appears to be some type of construction vehicle.

"I wonder what this was used for. Can anyone see a way inside" Charles says as he looks around for a door or cockpit

There appears to be a door next to the digging arm in a raised canopy. The glass there has shattered. Two sets of controls sit within. One is clearly meant for driving it, with throttle levers and pedals. You’re not sure what the other set does

Does the vehicle look like it will fit through the door Charles came in through

Yes. It’s the door frame is just barely enough

Charles will drive it out into the street to get a better look at it and play around with the controls to see what it does

Let’s do pilot with dex for the second set

10

Activating the second set, a maw like opening slides open above the bulldozer blade, which angles itself to be more like a ramp. From within you can feel the tremor as some type of forge ignites inside. A temperature gauge slowly begins climbing upwards

Would Charles be able to piece together what the vehicle is designed for? Some kind of rubble clearing thing?

You could try clearing some rubble with it to see what happens if you want

Yeah Charles will try that with some of the bodies that are littered about

The scoop extends, helping to funnel debris towards the ramp and furnace mouth. The vehicle shudders and slows to a crawl as material begins filtering in. A conveyor inside dumps the material into separate compartments, filtering the debris into its holding areas inside. The rock debris is compacted into blocks, whereas the metal is separated by some complex internal process and the reclaimed iron and similar metals are grouped

10:57 AM

The forge begins rending then down into a liquid state

"Well this is pretty cool!" Charles will try to drive the vehicle through a blockage in the road to see if it can clear any paths that had been blocked before

11:00 AM

While he's doing all this the helpers are collecting tools and carrying them back to the truck

It takes half an hour to clear the rubble from the street near the gate where you entered. An advisory light appears on the console letting you know the internal hoppers are getting full.

11:04 AM

It asks if you’d like to enter fabrication mode

Charles clicks yes to enter fabrication mode

The vehicle stops. The back half folds open like a book, and you hear weak electrical current being sent back there. The vehicle has unfolded into a mobile forge, complete with furnace, an electronics table, and tooling to create moderately complicated parts and building materials. A display shows what is on board in the hoppers and what can be made

Is there anything that would be helpful in the current situation or is it all things like car parts and electronics?

(It can make anything you’d like, but car parts and electronics are some of the things it can do)

7:42 AM

(The real limit is your imagination and the amount of material on board

(Well this is very cool) "We'll have to get this back to the colony for study". Did you say there were more garages like that one about?

A handful of bunkers are pretty easily seen from the street. You can see three more immediately around you

Charles will go through the same process in each of them, hacking the door, throwing in a glow stick and checking what is inside

The second bunker opens into a vault like underground space. A second door with a manual lock greets you, blocking access to the area

Charles will check for any signs of security systems and if it's clear he will try to cut the door open with power tools

There doesn’t appear to be security aside from the sealed door itself. It takes an hour to cut through, and on the other side a bank of lights open. The chamber is 100m, essentially a double wide hallway. Racked up along the entire left and right wall are helldiver work bots, though all are missing cores. It doesn’t appear they’re damaged, just had not been in use in a long time

Charles will search the room for any cores

11:45 AM

(Can you remind me what the cores are. As far as I remember they're the brains of the robots?)

(Yeah that’s exactly it, and they can be transferred between different frames. A core is a complex piece of robotics that usually means a personality, but you’ve seen the helldivers use heavily braked ones for their workers and menial)

11:47 AM

There doesn’t seem to be any in the room, just the racked frames

"This will definitely take a lot of pressure off the robotics facility. Let's start loading them up into the truck"

1:22 PM

Can Charles use the Ford-forge (as I'm taking to calling it) to make a core

1:23 PM

(Or is Fordge better?)

Your associates head below and begin hauling the bodies to the surface. With what’s been gathered it can make a crude one similar to what was in it before

1:23 PM

(I like both Hahahaha)

1:23 PM

(Essentially it can restore their drone function)

Charles will set the Fordge away creating a core while he helps carry bots

The vehicle grumbles and gurgles and after an hour a crude looking core sits cooling and polished on the electronics table

Charles will take the core and put it into one of the basic model drones, telling his men to be ready to shoot the drone should it become hostile

The drone tenses as it sits up, the core winking once as power runs through it. It sits. And sits. And sits. It appears to not have a program to follow

I'm guessing Charles would know how to input a program, having developed an ai

(Yep. No roll needed just give it some simple instructions)

Charles will tell it to transport the other shells to the transport

It begins helping your associates. It does not speak and seems to know to step out of the way if humans are in its path

"Well this can come in handy". I'm going to go check out another garage

The third garage is 50m down the road. It likewise was sealed by a door but rubble has crushed the entryway

Charles will use the Fordge to clear the rubble from in front of the door

It hungrily takes the rubble and you’re left with a broken entryway that you can fit through. You can see light below, and realize it is natural light. A buggy like scout vehicle lies covered in a thick coat of dust, and if there was more down here it has been crushed when pieces of the street above broke away and tumbled into the hollow storage bunker below. Irradiated Sickly light and trickles of rain pour below

Charles will look around for anything that might contain the schematics for the buggy

There are the usual warning labels on the buggy, typical reminders of hot surfaces for crew safety as your compad translates what you’re looking at, but nothing involving detailed technical schematics

8:05 AM

(So you can figure out how to drive it but not how to make another one without some kind of reverse engineering)

Charles will leave the buggy for now. Its not worth the effort to recover it when he could easily design his own. He will check the final garage

You’re halfway down the street towards the final garage. Half ruined Buildings have poured rubble down the entire expanse, leaving just a narrow cleared strip in the middle. A distant but growing louder grinding noise is heard above the sound of rain

Charles will order one of his companions to drive the Fordge down behind them clearing a bigger path. Can Charles try and listen for the location of the grinding

(Noice with wis. You might even be able to see something)

6 rerolled to 9

Half glimpsed Between two ruined buildings a heavily scorched helldiver tank slowly cruises toward your direction but a street over. It doesn’t appear to have seen you yet. In the brief glimpse you have of it before it vanishes behind another decapitated skyscraper is that the main gun has been bent

(Well... Shit)

8:19 AM

Charles will message someone at Greenbriar control to see if they have any assets in the region that might be able to help out, like a vtol or fighter jet

You’re called back a half minute later. A robotic voice announces that it is a secure call. “Charles. This is director Kincaid. In a moment you’re going to see something flying overhead. I need you and your men to not mention we had aircraft out in the desert today. I’m going to patch you in to the bomber crew now and you can fill them in” There is another click, some static, and then a gravely voice announces that Ugly 1-1, a heavy bomber from the colony is on station to help you.

Charles informs them of the tanks estimated location in relation to himself. "We would be in your debt if you could take care of it"

“There’s going to be some splash. Take cover if you can.” The pilot sends. The roar of the jet engines is louder than the storm and the grinding treads of the damaged tank

Charles will duck behind some nearby rubble

The ground rattles and small stones begin to skip across the ground as the plane comes in low. The triangular form of the Ginsing heavy bomber roars low over the street, dropping a line of high explosives. Rubble clatters off the street near you, a large rock striking the fordge, making a bell like toll as it deflects. Aside from a dent the damage seems to just be cosmetic

9:46 AM

The plane makes an exaggerated loop to exit the way it came, and wags its wings in salute before powering away

"Thank you ugly 1-1. Feel free to call in that favour any time you want". After sitting down and catching his breath for a few minutes, Charles continues exploring

The burning tank crackles away, fuel and other unknowable chemicals inside not quenched by the falling rain. The last visible bunker is reached now that the vehicle has been dealt with, and the doors are warped from rapid heating and cooling

Will the doors open or are they too warped?

They won’t open as is but they’re not fused. You can manipulate them

Charles will try his auto unlocker machine again and if that doesn't work will use the Fordge to breakdown the door

The doors unlock but are too warped to open. The vehicle is brought into position. (Are you smashing them or like pulling them off)

(Pull them off I think would be safer)

The fordge’s powerful engines stutter for a moment before throttling up and the left side door pulls free of its mountings, allowing you and your helpers to go below single file. A storage and shelter space occupies this bunker. Empty charging cradles line the walls, and a central long and wide workbench runs down the room, complete with tools, circuit testing tables and the specialized machinery needed to repair cores. Had the robots decided to make a stand and stay on planet, they’d have sheltered here

Charles will make rounds of the room searching for anything worth salvaging, whether it be tools, designs, or pre built products

The tools are in perfect condition, sealed away in this bunker until recently. The electronics tables do have data ports. (Program with int, as they’re on low power, to see what you can get before they die from use)

9 or 13 depending on whether my reroll is back yet

7:36 AM

Last used it spotting the tank

(It’s the same scene so not yet). Charles is able to download a handful of blueprints, one for recreating the fordge, another for the helldiver war variant, and a third marked as a prototype for a high speed hovercraft, capable of transporting large vehicles quickly across the uneven sand (like an LCAC)

"We've got some good stuff out of here. Come on let's get everything loaded and think about what we're doing next." While Charles' men are doing the loading he will be using the Fordge to gather as much material as possible, hopefully enough to be able to create a helldiver war varient

7:40 AM

(Is a core more or less difficult to create than a shell?)

(More difficult)

7:41 AM

(A core is basically an artificial brain, with all the complexities that can make it have a personality is how the book seems to read, at least to me)

(Thats what I thought but I was just making sure. Did I ever end up creating a schematic for the warbot I wanted to design? I can't remember)

(I think so, along with working on a core for your brother. I don’t think either of those projects went forward)

7:44 AM

)you worked on both on the flight to Miriam since you had a week of travel(

(Cool, then I want to gather enough materials to either make the warbot, the helldiver war varient, or a more advanced core. They're my main priorities I'm working towards)

The companions along with their new helper bot all begin lugging gear out into the street for you to approve of, keeping in mind some will have to be shared with the taros. Of what you get to keep you have the following: 1 electronics table 1 advanced work bench Material to make 5 experimental cores Robotics tools The 3 different blueprints Raw materials 20 (out of 40) drone worker frames And naturally you get to keep the fordge. (edited)

(Coolio. I've put all that in my Trivedi Technologies handout. How much space is left in the storage vehicle we brought?)

(You’ve got enough for a small vehicle or a bit more salvage)

(I was going to suggest going to another city if I had more but I'll just head back to greenbriar)

8:07 AM

On the drive back Charles would like to work on creating a more complex operating software for the worker drones. I'm not sure if that's a programming area or a mechanical one?

8:07 AM

And he will work with the robotics specialist to do it

Program. As you leave, you notice a vehicle approaching, heading the opposite way into the city. It’s bulbous, heavily laden down with tools and you notice a pair of rocket tubes hanging from the sides. A taros worker with a pair of binoculars waves. The vehicle begins to slow and drift off to the side, to allow you to pass

Charles will order his men to pull up alongside and jump out of the car to go talk to the Taros workers

“Good pickings today?” The lookout yells down. He takes a moment to light a cigar.

"Very good. We've cleared out a lot of what's about and you guys will get your share once we're back at Greenbriar. Might still be worth looking around, watch out though we had an encounter with a helldiver tank a little while back

“Is that what that explosion was about. I heard it, didn’t see it though. Scared the crap out of me”

"Yeah. It was a good bit of Greenbriar tech did that. You guys looking for anything specific out here

“Just to see what we can turn up. Looks like you guys had a successful day though. How is it in there?”

"It's pretty messed up, but that's what you'd expect from a nuke site. We'll good searching we've got a long way back to base. Nice to meet you"

“Ah my name. I’m Racken. Let me give you something”. He takes one of the rocket tubes off the side of his truck. “If you run into any stuck doors or even vehicles, this’ll help.”

4:57 PM

“I’m sure we will run into each other again”

"Let's hope so. Thank you for this"

“Safe travels”. (Are you heading directly back or stopping anywhere first)

(Heading directly back was the plan)

A drive through the night and early the next morning gets you back to the colony and your factory close to noon. They let you k is that they’ve been awarded a contract for new construction vehicles. On the way back you worked on your core idea, program with int. And a plus two for the robotics help

12

(It's a complete success so you can let me know what changes or improvements you want made)

(I want to make it so it understands more complex instructions and can react better to things outside its instructions. For example I can say something like "go mine that asteroid" and it will be able to do that independently without micromanaging)

Charles and the robotics expert spend the time programming the robot to more intelligently carry out instructions, without needing to remove or roll back any of the existing brakes

When they return to Charles will order the bot to unpack everything from the vehicle

He dutifully begins moving the smaller cargo and robot frames aboard. The fordge is also driven inside and examined for repair work

Charles will go and get an update on what's been going on in the factory

The colony now has a port and a small town around the very first explored slyth facility to manage and they’ve ordered some construction vehicles so the same handful aren’t being shuttled around constantly

Cool cool, I'll leave them to that. With so many unemployed I'm thinking of expanding the workshop but don't know what kind of prices I would be looking at

(What do you want the expansion to do? Vehicles? Weapons and armor like pop’s workshop, or into something totally new?)

(Another one to what the current three bays do. Some kind of computing division to program robots, AIs, Vis that sort of thing. And a salvage division that would specialise on procuring and then reverse engineering technology from other planets and societies. They're my main three ideas and I think I'd start with the first two for now)

(25,000 for the bay expansion but that’s going to cover the tools and computers and whatnot too)

(That sounds good. I'd also like to bring in a small administrative team to manage efficiency when Charles is away working on other things)

(Alright, I’ll add them as well. I’d imagine you’d have like a plant manager when you’re away, go ahead and name them when you’ve got one you like. I’ll update your handout tonight)

(I've deducted the money from my account because I know I'll forget I've done it so I'm just putting it in writing haha. I imagine him as a slightly cooler mole man from the simpsons called "Martin Foster")

Over the following game week another bay will be added to the factory and Martin will conduct interviews for skilled workers and general labor to come and assist. The construction vehicle contract will generate enough money to cover the factory’s operating expenses and payroll for this month.

Great. Charles would like to investigate that fallen comet

12:13 PM

He will order his shuttle and some help to go investigate, making sure the ore detector is working

Charles returns home to his factory after a strange trip to the moon. The spike drive plans are added to the database and engineering teams will assist with studying it to streamline the design.

Something Charles wants to work on after his interactions with the greystar is to create a security system where, on the event of a cyber security breach, the breached system is locked out of all the other greenbriar systems it was connected to

5:56 AM

Especially the various ais

(I think this will probably be a mega project between you, kelbore and colony leadership since this is everyone’s problem)

The greystar hacking attempt has brought up the need for colonial cyber security, and a think tank is called, with Charles, kelbore, Kincaid, and graven to discuss what can be done to secure colonial networks against future threats.

"As most of you will know, Greystar hacked our security in seconds. Luckily they didnt do anything too malicious. We can't guarantee that will happen next time. I suggest putting in isolation protocols so that if anything is successfully hacked it can't be used to access the greenbriar network at large"

(Going to check the hacking section to see if theres anything close to that)

12:12 PM

“A secure planetary net, where infected systems can be easily isolated and cut off from further communication then” kelbore says. There is an electronic input board mounted on the wall and he begins to draw something like a spider web. I see the requirements as follows:” he says as he writes. 1. A hardened communication protocol to be developed between all colony systems. 2. A dedicated sweeping program, searching for threats trying to worm their way into the system and search for line shunts 3. A wolf among sheep’ program that will simulate attacks, so we can constantly improve our security “Does anyone have anything to add that may be helpful?”

"The third factor I should be able to handle easily. It's not on the scale of what I'm used to but it's very similar to what I did back home. The other two might take some more time but with the help of some colonists Ais it should be helpful. Whether we want to expose the Ais to this sensitive information is another issue"

“We should tell them” Kincaid says. She looks very concerned about the hack attempt. “It would be like them not warning us about that slyth virus. Just like we had to inoculate ourselves against that, we have to help protect them against thisl

"Fair enough. I was just wondering where you stood on the matter. We could assemble a team of engineers and scientists to assemble this system. Valeria and her bots might want to get involved"

Here is how the division of labor stands now then: The hardened physical hardware will be manufactured by kelbore The lab is going to program the sweeping program and computer system that controls the security systems Trivedi inc will be making the wolf program and working to help insulate the AI’s and drones against further attacks

Sounds fair. Charles will go home and root around in his old stuff looking for the programs he worked on when he was back home. They aren't as sophisticated as what he could make now but they're a starting point

Basing this new program off some of what you’ve done in the past, you’ve got a good place to start. Charles begins working on tailoring that idea to work with colonial infrastructure , and to face modern threats

1:39 PM

(Program with int, +2 for your old plans. If you want to think of what other assets may help we can boost that bonus)

(I can't think of any other assets right now. 12)

The wolf program is developed over the next few days, and in that time kelbore delivers a mock-up of the new hardware so you can create a simulated network to test against. He leaves the crates outside the main gate, wanting to respect your company’s privacy

Does the colony want the system set up in a certain place or is this just a practice before the proper one is built?

Practice to make sure everything works before all the time and money is spent

7:10 AM

(How interested are you in digital combat?)

(It's been a while since I've read the digital combat rules but I'd be willing to give it a go)

(Page 264. It’s basically rock/paper/scissors, and if you check and it looks silly we can just resolve things another way)

Charles is seated in front of a computer, the simulated attack program before him. It’s been rendered down into almost a videogame like interface to simplify the data being viewed and to speed reactions to the digital combat. A large diamond like object representing the colony security demonstration system slowly spins on the screen. Three buttons are highlighted, shear, crush and muffle

(I've had a look at it and it's a bit of a strange system haha. Not really sure where that idea came from but I'm willing to try it.) Charles chooses crush

(It’s for the transhuman stuff. Like if you basically want to play ghost in the shell.

The enemy defense program screams as it dissolves, broken by the superior programming of the wolf program. You're given access into the first of the fake servers

Charles will send a message to the rest of the teams working on the project with all of the data from this first attempt. "First hack attempt was a success. We'll need to beef up the defences some more. Feel free to contact me if you need any further assistance"

The fake servers are wheeled out later in the day, your programs are excellent and it’ll take some time for them to finish shoring up their own side of the work

9:20 AM

(3xp, 5000 credits)

Charles will message Franz "I'm still eager to get this Ai uploaded to the colony space ships. Are they available for work yet?"

“The corvette is Home and undergoing repairs now. I can’t think of a better time. The cruiser is likewise undergoing the heavy repairs needed to make it spaceworthy again

(Do I need to construct any hardware to install the Ai or can it be used on the ships' current systems)

(Nope just install the program.

(Great!) Charles will head along to where the ships are undergoing repair and will try to install the program first in the corvette then, if successful, the cruiser

You’re brought back out the colonial airport where both craft Sit under a temporary hard topped hangar. Sparks and the banging of metal on Metal deafens you to all other sound. The corvette looks fairly completed and the cruiser has been pulled down to its frame struts. The damage, further compounded by three hundred years under water have not been kind to it

Charles will find one of the chief engineers and ask whether they are retrofitting the whole craft or just repairing it

He’s not hard to find, a constant floor of foreman and junior section leaders coming and going as furnace is needed. “It’s going to be a complete refit. We can salvage the hull itself but the entirety of the guts is rotten. She gave us her last getting us home”

"Have you got it all under control or do you want some help from Trivedi? We repaired it originally so might be able to offer some good stuff"

“If you wanted to send a team and some deck plans we can always use the help. It’s really time more than anything else we need help with”

"Fair enough I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, we've been planning on installing this new Ai to both the ships and this seems as good a time as any to get started. From the looks of it the cruiser doesn't have any electrics to install this in, but I can stick it in the corvette for now"

By all means.” He hands you a small ID card. “Just wave this at the door. Trying to ensure only the deck ratings qualified actually get aboard for the more complicated internal repairs”

"Thanks very much. Good luck with the rest of this." Charles heads off to the corvette and tries to find his way to the main electronics room

It’s not hard to follow the snaking nests of cables back to the bridge, many of the damaged consoles have been pulled out, struck by solid rounds and partially dissolved by insect acid. The main flight computer is still intact and the command seat is empty

Charles will sit in the command seat and plug his compad into the flight computer and begin the upload process

(Would you mind refreshing me on what the program should do?)

(It was essentially a ships computer that would synchronise the eventual Greenbriar fleet. It would be able to do things like coordinate for max efficiency in battle, navigate fastest routes, and otherwise serve as an assistant to the ship. A bit like edi from mass effect)

Let’s do program with int as you mesh it with the ship systems

14

With some slight adjustments the program is loaded. A happy sounding tri tone comes out of the bridge speakers and a diagnostic program begins running

Charles will call out to see if the Ai responds

3:07 PM

"Hello? Are you working"

"I am active" it replies in a stately voice

"Run the installation and diagnostic procedures"

Several programs begin running on the various monitors, each showing variously rising percentages of completion. “System is active. Flight controls are disabled” the voice says, which is normal given the ongoing repair work

"How are you feeling?"

“I’m feeling well, thank you” it replies. “Though I do feel a bit light on my front”. The frontal armor, damaged during the battle had been stripped away for repair

"Is there anything you can find that will improve your capabilities"

"The vessel is in good repair. I can assist the pilot with any number of useful tasks. My full potential is already accessable to me

(I think the best way to depict this is when someone’s piloting it or doing some check using the ship systems. They’ll always take a+2 for the VI help)

(That sounds great!) "Right I'll leave you to it and go install next door"

The bridge door opens, and you find your way out of the ship, avoiding the various hazards present during a refit. Outside the cruisers electronic systems are being assembled outside of it for testing, as the major restoration work continues

Charles will find the head electrical engineer and will ask whether they cruiser is up to the installation or whether it will put too much strain on the system

“If you want to install it now, we can bring the consoles aboard when there is enough hull to bolt them too. Be our guest”. (Program with int here too, have a +2 since you’ve done this before now)

13

The installation goes faster this time, and before long the program reads out as successfully installed on this machine as well. “Hello again creator. I can assist in the repair process here”

"Good good. Let's get these ships up running and out there!"

The ship begins instructing the repair crews and work begins again. Your compad has a message from the ship VI network. “There are still other vessels from our former fleet below the North Sea. They’re in bad shape, but depending on colonial resources they may yet be of use if recovered”

"Can you access their systems from here to find out about them?" Charles asks the vi

“They’re too far away, or may not have working computer systems right Now” the program says. You hear it clicking and whirring as it thinks

"Can you send a general direction to my compad and I'll have people check it out"

7:37 AM

(I don't suppose my stalker drone would be up to underwater operations without significant improvements)

(Yours no, but Nemo in the lab can operate underwater)

(Nemo is more of a robot than a drone if I'm remembering right?)

7:42 AM

(Yeah I've looked on roll 20 and he's a robot) Charles will message val and say "hey Val, hope things are well. I'm planning on scouting out the sunken slyth ships and was hoping I could study Nemo to make my own drone able to operate underwater. Designs will be shared with you of course"

(Yeah he’s an actual Ai) “Of course, better yet, here is the design.” She sends the data for the type of frame she used. “He’s doing some light work around the lab but we can manage if you need him”

"Even better thank you. I'll let you know if things develop!" Charles will spend his time walking back to the workshop trying to reverse engineer the designs to fit his drone

(Lets do fix with int)

8:21 AM

(Just since you’ve never done that kind of a design before)

14

8:24 AM

(I'm pretty sure that my fix score is like when a dm gives a player an overpowered magical item and can't work out how to get it back off them haha)

(Hahahahaha yes. But that’s what your character does). By rounding off some of the control surfaces and adding pressure shielding you’re confident you can make an underwater variant

Charles will head back to his workshop and get started on that

The modifications will cost 5000 in parts but by the end of the day you and your techs have developed an amphibious stalker

The next day Charles will order his shuttle to pick him up and fly to the general area of the ships so they can do some recon

It’s a four hour flight out to the area known to contain wrecks. The sea is gray and churning as a storm far off disturbs the current. Your pilot brings up controls and Ltd the barge into a hover

"Alright just leave her here for a bit, we'll see what we can find" and he launches his drone into the sea

The drone splashes into the water with a tiny ripple. Silt from the bottom is stirred up, and the drone begins scannong

6:25 PM

(Does it have lights or anything?)

(I has the enhanced optical array or something along those lines so I'd imagine it having lights and low light vision on that)

The drone silently glides through the water for an hour, seeing nothing but disturbed sediment, before the light reflects back across something metallic

How heavily buried does the metal seem?

It’s about half buried based on what you can see

Charles will mark down its coordinates for future rescue and keep looking

2:46 PM

Before he does that he will try and get a quick read on the condition of the shop

2:46 PM

Ship

More pieces litter the seabed as the drone passes on. With a significant portion of the current corvette wreck buried its difficult to tell of seawater has made it inside or not

2:47 PM

The light passes over a pair of overturned small ships in the gloom, smaller than the shuttle currently used by the colony. One has what looks to be a rocket still attached to a wing pylon

With these smaller ones can Charles use the drone to go and attach a rope to then from the shuttle and lift them out

You can certainly attempt. You could lift one at a time this way

Yeah that's what Charles will attempt to do

2:51 PM

(On another note, are the ships that are spaceworthy also able to be used underwater)

(Id say not super deep since they’re not specifically rated to take the pressure but like 10-20m down as long as you’re not opening doors they could probably take it)

2:54 PM

(Just. You know. Use airlocks. Don’t just open cargo bays or something)

(Hahaha yeah that makes sense. I was just curious about the thrusters and whether they'd work underwater if I wanted to use these new fighters to do some further exploring)

2:55 PM

(I'm guessing they're fighters anyway)

(They are)

2:56 PM

Alright so it’ll be Pilot with dex as you direct the drone. Your vi program can help giving you a +2

6 rerolled to a 5

4:01 PM

Goddammit

4:01 PM

("This can't get any worse" I thought) (edited)

The drone being a prototype. The harsh weather, or the fates decreeing otherwise Charles is not sure but the drone doesn’t seem to be able to hook a mooring line onto it

Charles sighs and stands up from his chair "Guess I'm going down myself."he puts on a vacc suit and jumps in after the drone, following the rope as to not get lost

Charles follows the cable out to the drone, seeing that the connector between the drone and its own hoisting line has broken

Charles will attempt to repair this break underwater before proceeding

It’s an easy enough fix with your hand tools, even underwater and a weld keeps the metal line together.

Charles will continue down and will properly attach the rope to the fighter

The water is cold and despite your fingers working a little slower than you’d like them to, you manage to fasten the line to the craft in a way where you think it can be lifted at least to land. (It can fit inside the barge bay with a little room to spare once you’re not in danger of it flooding)

9:16 AM

A strange red light glows warmly in the murky water 50m from you

Charles will head cautiously towards the glowing light

(Evasion save)

2 vs 8

A large fish, as long as you are comes snapping out of the gloom, the red light tendril bobbing wildly as if snaps and thrashes at you (6 damage)

Charles will begin swimming up towards the rope, will order the shuttle to start pulling the fighter out and will try to get his drone to distract the fish

The drone shines its bright lights on the fish as it moves closer, the light seems to be keeping it from approaching now. The barge slowly begins lifting out of the water; the line becomes taunt. It pauses as it breaches the surface for you to climb aboard.

There’s a bump as the drone mag locks to the bottom of the barge, and it finally lifts off, the recovered fighter dangling below on a shortening line

"Let's get this thing back to land for now" Charles says to the pilot. "We might need another solution for the other one if that creature is still down there"

The flight back to land is harrowing as the fighter swings on the line below you. It creaks and groans as it is exposed to stresses it hasn’t endured in hundreds of years. It appears however that the canopy remained closed, keeping water from seeping into the sensitive electronics

8:04 AM

Martin, assisting the pilot from the upper pilothouse, manages to gently set the ship down on the soft sandy beach

Charles will take a quick scan of the fighter to try and determine if he can fix it in its current position and circumstance, or whether it needs to be moved back to the colony

The scans will show damage, especially water damage across several of the vital systems in the ship. It’ll have to be restored from home, though the barge can store it inside now that you’re above water

Then Charles will order the barge to transport it home and Charles will go with it, trying to learn all he can from the ships operating systems on the way back

8:43 AM

(Did the two fighters look similar or were they different models)

(They look the same)

9:25 AM

What pieces of the system you can make out shows they’re slyth in origin. A fragment of data from the flight computer suggests it may have been ejected from one of the other wrecks at the bottom, as no combat software had been loaded

The barge lands on the flattened field outside the trivedi factory and a dozen laborers with rollers and chains come out to help drag the wreck inside

"Let's get this thing inside and get some work done on it. We'll go back for the other once we see if it's worth salvaging"

The wreck is rolled inside on a large wheeled platform and workers with Powerful air blowers usually attached to power tools begin drying off the wreck. The body will need to be restored The internal computing systems will need to be rebuilt A new power system is going to need to be installed. It does not appear that the fighter was spike capable, likely relying on a larger carrier ship

"Well we've got a busy few days ahead of us". Is it worth restoring it or just stealing the designs and building fresh

Restoring it will give you a time saving advantage since the frame is intact and already built but there’s no colonial crisis at the moment so however you want to make this your own we can do

OK Charles will get started fixing it with whoever of his team is free and can be spared. The first job is to tear it back to its frame, bit by bit, making note of everything and where it comes from so it can be replaced in the same way. Charles will find replacement parts and reinstall everything he can

The frame is slowly exposed over The course of a few hours. Pictures are taken and the specs of each piece are recorded so new ones can be forged. Charles is a blur, running from part carts and work tables, tools and replacement pieces in hand

"There's some interesting tech in here behind all the water" Charles says to noone in particular

One thing that is noticed is extra attention had been paid to cockpit climate control and radiation shielding. The dimensions of some of the controls are also far too big for a human arm span to comfortably manipulate

Is there any indication as to why special attention had been paid to those parts

It’s a slyth vehicle and as snake like humanoids they’re cold blooded

1:17 PM

So it would have kept them comfortable in the extreme temperatures of open space

Can Charles use the wirings and power supply from the stealth bomber to quicken the repair of this

(Like adapt the technology?)

(Yeah, not the stealth tech but rather than design a new power supply just use one that's already been proven to work)

(Absolutely). With the new dimensions in mind, Charles is able to apply the system currently used by colonial aircraft to this new fighter

Before putting the plating back on Charles will try turning it on to make sure that it works

The power systems all read back normally. Some fine tuning will need to be done once everything is together to make sure it distributes to all systems

"Great let's get this thing back together." Charles will message Franz to request a pilot to test the new ship when it's done

(Do you have a preference on PC or NPC?)

(No preference. If any pc is interested that could be fun but if not an npc is fine)

The compad of @Bees🐝! pings, with a request from Trivedi Inc. They've excavated and mostly restored a slyth fighter, and need a skilled pilot for testing

Adam responds back in the affirmative, along with a smiley face.

"Nice to meet you Adam, names Charles. We've just pulled this bad boy out the sea and got it working again. Want to test run it?"

Adam gives a nod of greeting and a smile to Charles as he walks up. He notes the fightercraft and whistles appreciatively. "Ohh, now that's a beauty." He runs a hand over the side of it, and gives a few raps to the side, and nods satisfied at the resulting sound. "I'd love ta! Dunno who put the poor thing in the water, musta confused it for a sub, eh?" He smiles again, and begins to climb up the craft and into the cockpit. "Ohh bloody hells, please don't be dead on me..."

The controls come to life, and theyre very similar to other colony aircraft you have flown, they also retain elements of the shuttle you flew just a few days ago

"We've based the designs on the stealth bomber so it should be recognisable"

Adam gives a sigh of relief as it begins to thrum with energy. "Good sign, there." He looks a bit lost in the joy of the new machine, before remembering why he's there. "Just want me t' give her a quick flight around the block, then?"

(charles if you had your own idea of an air test we will obviously go with that, if you need a hand i am here to assist)

"Let's just see if it gets off the ground first. Afterwards we can try some more advanced tests, try it in space et cetera"

Adam nods, and begins going through a quick pre-flight checklist, and begins to throttle the engines. "Alright, then lessee if she still has some oomph in her..."

The taxi engines begin slowly cycling up and the aircraft starts to roll forward on its landing wheels.

"Try not to break it so soon"

(pilot with dex adam)

(11)

Adam brings the engines to normal flight settings at the short take off craft glides into the air effortlessly

Adam laughs as it lifts off. "Well, she can fly, that's a good start!"

A handful of nav points around the colony, similar to your first flight test pop up. They’re at gradually changing elevations so as not to put the airframe through anything extreme

As the test continues data begins coming in. The engines appear to be underpowered for the design

Charles will attempt to locate the source of the flaw in the design and fix it

(With your fix being godlike we can skip most of the checks here) the power system is making enough energy, but some of it is not making it to the engines as intended

While Adam is doing the tests Charles will order some new wiring to replace what's currently there

The factory begins getting it together while the test is ongoing. Putting the craft through basic maneuvers no other design flaws come to light.

"You're looking good up there" Charles says over the radio "some slight power issues but nothing to be concerned about"

(Did you want him to try going into space still?)

(Might as well while he's up there)

A new course appears on Adam’s display, showing a gentle arc toward the heavens. If followed he should be making orbit above the colony

“Aye, gotcha there. Sendin’ her up then” He pulls the fighter into a gentle ascent and begins pushing it towards orbit

The planet gets smaller and smaller below you and the bright blue sky becomes black. The small pinpricks Of stars begin to shine and you hear a slight hiss as cockpit pressure changes. You’ve successfully translated into space

Data Is sent back to the ground showing hull temperature and the state of various systems. Everything is operating normally

Adam sighs with relief. "Well, at least she can handle space flight well enough, tha's a start."

A re entry course is then plotted for you, bringing you down back at the colonial airport. (Pilot with dex, since it’s an unfamiliar airframe)

(14) (edited)

The craft slices back into the atmosphere. Hull stress and temperature changes are catalogued and by time the fighter lands at the airport, a wealth of flight data has been collected

1:19 PM

(3xp and 5000 credits to both of you)

"Good working with you Adam. We'll let you know if there's anything else you can do. For now one of my team will debrief you on what it was like to fly"

Martin grabs a datapad and pulls adam off to the side to take the in person report. The data will later be used to enhance the design.

"Aye, not a' problem at all mate! Handles like a dream!"He smiles widely, looking at the fighter. "Say, uh. You say you found her in the ocean, aye? There a number of ships down there?"

"At least two more, probably even more than that. Its getting them out and getting them working that's becoming an issue"

“Not to mention finding a way to service them once we get them operational” says Martin, taking down the last of his notes

5:16 AM

“Some sort of orbital dock would be the long game of all this”

"I think we're a long way off from an orbital dock at this point. It's definitely on my list of things to do but it's going to take some doing"

Martin hands you his datapad. “I’ve collected about as much as I think we are going to get from a test flight. I think we can attempt our own prototype”

"Let's get working on it then!"

6:03 AM

"I also want to pay special attention to the pressure seal designs, I'm thinking of something else it could come in handy for"

“Like a submarine?” Martin asks. You’re both standing in the control booth, high above the three bay factory floor. The computing bay on the far left bums along like normal, encoding programming for the recovered worker bots and restoring them. On the center and right, gantries and tooling stations move positions and reconfigure as plans for the starship are projected onto the factory floor

"Not exactly. What bothers me at the minute is the weakness of our vacc suits, they're in danger of tearing at any damage and so we can't really do any heavy duty stuff in them, like explore sunken ships or build an orbital platform. I reckon I can take the colonys exosuit and make them more of an exploration suit"

“Like utility power armor then. Luminar has a suit like that. I know Task Force Phoenix has a shock troop squad using power armor as well”

"Exactly. If we synchronise those designs and then add some of our own specifications we should be a good way to being done"

“I know Pops is working on the regular vac suits now. Think it’s worth cooperating?” He asks. He fiddles with the final factory adjustments as he talks, and with a final clang of settling machinery the factory is ready to produce a prototype airframe

"I don't see any reason not to. We all ready to go here"

“We are”. Martin passes you a control box that is wired into the main console with thick cabling. There is a giant red and giant green button on it, controlling the flow of power to the machines below. They’re configured for building vehicles now. “Whenever you’re ready.”

Charles presses the giant green button

Arms come down and forges begin heating up. Down below the machinery comes to life as the framework for the recovered starfighter is projected across the floor. The machinery runs normally and at full speed a production line is capable of creating a few copies a day

"I'll get in contact with Franz, let him know what we've found." Charles will message Franz to tell him what they've found and the production capabilities. "Do greenbriar want to put in any orders?"

Ten to start is the reply. Armed with machine guns and rockets. Once laser technology is re-perfected they may update the design to include Gatling lasers

Charles will relay this to Martin before going to work on his new exosuit plan

So it’s known that luminar has an exosuit that’s meant for building, and that pops is working on regular vac suits. Luminar is walking again thanks to Doona’s healing ministrations but he’s already resigned his position and now happily spends his time fishing

Charles will go look for Luminar out at the lake (or wherever they are known to fish)

He is happily chipping away at the ice when you arrive, working on making an opening to drop his line into

"Luminar!?" Charles calls out "My name is Charles Trivedi, I don't think we've met. I wondered if you had a moment to spare?"

“Of course!” He laughs. “The fish aren’t going anywhere, so neither am I”

"I'm here to talk to you about your exosuit. I'm trying to build something similar for exploring and building in hostile environments. I wondered if I could do some studying of yours to influence my design"

"Of course, but sit, stay a while. I find fishing frees the mind, its where I have my best ideas"

Charles takes a seat next to Luminar "I'm not much of a fisher, we didn't really have lakes back home. So you just sit here?"

“Exactly. Just sit. Clear the mind. Watch the bobber there. When it sinks or jerks start reeling in”( survival with wis)

9

10:24 AM

(Should have been 10 sorry)

Charles sits with luminar for an hour, talking about the plans for the suits and what their intended purpose is. He gives Charles some pointers about how his suit is different than run of the mill vac and power armor and about the handful of modifications he made himself. Charles is about to pack it in for the morning when there is an enormous tug on his line.

Charles,just managing to get over the shock of the tug, tries to reel it in

The battle takes about a half hour with luminar assisting as much as he can, taking the pole for a moment or two at a time to give your arms a moment to recover. You feel in the largest fish you have ever seen, it weakly flops on the ice

2:12 PM

“She’s almost as big as the hole we drilled”

"Wow. This is incredible. Have you seen things like this before"

“Nothing this big” luminar begins filleting and descaling it, neatly packaging it in an ice chest once each piece is finished. “Beginners luck I suppose. A nice catch. I’ll preserve the bones for you if you want a trophy” he smiles.

5:17 PM

(Also take a re roll token)

With a cooler of fresh fish, and a wealth of technical information and first hand observations, Charles feels well equipped to handle reinforced vac suits

Charles will attempt to create baseline designs for the new exosuit by taking vacc suit tech, Luminars advice, and the task force exosuit designs and combining the best bits of each into one design

The design for the task force suits is limited to first hand accounts and sketches of them. Actual technical data would require permission from Seung Whittaker for use, as he pioneered it, but you’ve got something solid to work with. Pops was especially helpful as he heard what you were doing, offering a few regular vac suits as bases for testing and reinforcement

Charles will send a thank you message to pops. The design will probably start with the vacc suit, and then will surround it with the exoskeleton, then add tools such as a metatool, flashlight, and light flight technology (if possible)

(The colony has working knowledge of grav now. I don’t see why there couldn’t be some limited grav assist.)

(Then definitely try and include it, like a less powerful version of the iron man repulsors)

A prototype of your design is sent over to be completed, and that evening, the first suit is completed. Reinforced joints and an armored midsection are the main points of the design, providing durability without making the suit inflexible.

Martin runs a wand over the suit, checking pressure seals. “We should be able to dive with this even” he murmurs , a constant flow of data playing over the device

"Good good. Do you think it's ready for a test run?"

“I do. I think we should give it a run through. Void or water it should be able to handle it”

"I'll go see about exploring some of the other ship wrecks off the coast. Catch you in a bit." Charles heads off to the barge with the intention of exploring the larger ship he discovered last time he was down there

(Are you diving or just scanning again with the drone?)

(Diving to find the big wreck I found on the last scan. If I'm remembering right there were 2 fighters and 1 bug buried wreck)

(You remembered right). The barge once again returns to the Marked location of the wrecks and Charles is helped into his diving suit. The drone is also prepped for the dive. The water is calmer than last time, the storm having blown itself out. You can barley make out the large underhill island during breaks in the thick fog around it

"That's still a scary looking island over there. Don't know why we haven't just nuked the place and moved on" Charles says, partly to the pilot, partly to noone. "Right I'm getting suited up. Let's hope this thing works"

10:12 AM

This time Charles will attach a rope to himself in case he needs the shuttle to pull him out quickly

The cable slackens as you prepare to exit the airlock. The suit holds as water floods the chamber and a green light shows that it’s safe to open the heavy door to the open ocean outside

Charles opens the door, prepared to react immediately if the suit doesn't hold

Charles steps out into open ocean and the suit holds up well under the pressure. It feels a bit tight as the water begins pushing in against it but none of the seals pop. Free of the hanging clouds of silt, the wreck is much more visible below

10:44 AM

Charles steps out into open ocean and the suit holds up well under the pressure. It feels a bit tight as the water begins pushing in against it but none of the seals pop. Free of the hanging clouds of silt, the wreck is much more visible below

Can Charles take a guess at the class of the vehicle from this position

It appears to be a heavy cruiser, possibly configured as a carrier judging by the fighter wrecks found next to it previously

Does there appear to be an entrance?

Not a traditional one, but a large rent in the exposed hull plating would allow you inside. That area of the ship will be flooded as it’s open. It appears the hull plate was penetrated by weapons fire

Charles will look inside that part of the ship for a door, ideally leading to the bridge

There’s an airlock as you drift inside. It seems the low reserve power is enough to allow you to pass inside without flooding it. The deck angles downward gently, following the way the ship knifed into the sea bed

Charles will look around assessing the state of internal damage

2:09 PM

Specifically whether it's too battered to fly it out the water

The inside of the ship, beyond the flooded rear section is dry. It can probably fly, but it’s going to need to be dug out of the bottom or it’ll risk pulling itself apart

Can it be dug out by hand or will a specialist vehicle need to be built in order to do it

It’s in deep. Something or a lot of someone’s will need to dig

“I ran some calculations” Martin says, watching the video feed from the drone back at the factory. “The salvage barge can probably raise it. It’ll be a couple days sailing but I can ask to use it if you’d like”

"That's our best bet for now. I don't see any other way out of this"

The salvage barge will be there by evening. You’re free to continue to explore in the meantime, your landing barge has enough supply to remain on station and can land on the sea one when it arrives

Charles will exit the ship and continue to have a bit of an adventure around, seeing what he can uncover

Charles makes his way back into open water, and there are six more wrecks of various size scattered across the sea floor that look repairable. There are many more than six down at the bottom, but most have been shattered into several piecess

Do any of them look like they can be repaired there and then, or is it a case of dragging them all back to land

There is one, a small vessel that looks like it used to be a fleet tender, that could be hastily patched on scene and re-floated.

Then that is what Charles will be heading towards while he waits for the barge

The fleet tender is virtually intact when you arrive, light damage only caused by its ramming in orbit and then later impact with the sea. Several booms for cranes and manipulators on its back have collapsed but they look similar to what the colony can build. There’s an active airlock on the side

Charles heads into the airlock, taking note of how the grav tech works underwater and whether adjustments will need to be made for the future. When inside the airlock he will try to find his way to the bridge

The bridge is clearly marked and there are tools scattered around everywhere. The ship doesn’t have grav since it was designed for spaceflight but it’s engines should be able to allow it to escape from the bottom

10:41 AM

Slyth skeletons inhabit many of the cabins, all suffocation victims

"There's some grim sights down here." Charles says to himself as he wanders. Charles will find the flight seat and try to get the ship powered on and lifted off the bottom

The power flickers for a few seconds and the ship starts to lift off. Power suddenly cuts out and it crashes back to the bottom. A panel behind you blows out.

"Shit."Charles will go to the engineering desk and try to source the problem

The engineering room is a mess, though nothing beyond your ability to repair (even if the skills worked your fix is god like now). Judging by what you know and what has been released to the public, a fleet battle had taken place over the planet. There are signs of boarding on many of the other ships, and it appears this one was taken and scuttled from orbit, hence why it was not fired upon from outside

12:39 PM

Given some time, the power can be restored and you should be able to re-float the vessel

"I'm going to get to work down here" Charles radios to his landing barge pilot. "Feel free to stick around or head back"

"I'll stay on station, just in case" he replies. The panels down in engineering have all had their cables cut, and the breaker panel has been destroyed by some small explosive

Charles will stitch the cables back together, either using any spare parts he brought with him or by taking cables from some unimportant systems and repurposing them for the more essential parts of the ship. As for the breaker panel he will try to piece it together as best he can but it will probably need replacing anyway with that much damage

It's the work of a few hours (with fix 3 i think you can rewire panels without really trying anymore) to complete a workaround for the damaged sections. The breaker box is beyond repair, and will need total replacement, so youll be flying without a failsafe, but judging by the number of lights and environmental comforts returning, it seems like the ship will be able to get off the seabed

"OK let's try this again and hopefully not get blown up" Charles says walking back to the bridge flight seat. "I should also probably stop talking to myself when I'm alone in these places"

4:23 AM

Charles will try again to get the ship off the ground

“I read somewhere once it’s a sign of genius” says the barge pilot. The ship rumbles again but this time clears the seabed. Millions of tiny bubbles rise from all around the ship as it lifts off. Small crustaceans scuttle away as their hiding place is now several meters off the ocean bottom. The depth gradually rises and after ten long minutes the fleet tender breaks through the surface

"OK we're holding steady" Charles will examine the information on the displays to see whether the ship will make it to the colony, or whether it will have to be put on the shore

It looks like it can make it home if you’re careful. It’s too damaged to be able to actually perform its fleet tending duties as is, so repairs will be needed, but it can fly.

"I'm going to see if I can get this thing back to the colony. Not too sue how it will hold up but its worth a try"

The craft rattles and a thin trail of debris, rusted bolts, small pieces of decking, and corroded fasteners rain out of the back of the craft for the first handful of kilometers, but a few hours later Charles lands safely in the colony, the landing barge trailing not far behind after recovering the deep water drone

Now that he's safely out of danger Charles will explore the ship further, making notes of anything that needs fixing as he goes along. He will then message Martin to ask him to send all the parts and some men to help with the repairs

The maintenance deck and the various manipulator arms will need to be repaired and replaced when repairs are impractical. It appears that the ship also likely had specialized tools to help expedite such large scale repairs (like big blowtorch for the grappling arms, ect). Those were not seen on the sea bottom and the control consoles show only that they’re missing when reporting a system status

Alright Charles will get his men to work on the basic repairs while he works up designs for the tools that were attached and goes to build them in the workshop (edited)

The ship can be easily adapted and reprogrammed to what you think would make repairing and resupplying ships in orbit easier. (Basically just how do you want it to work. That’ll help me determine time and cost)

(I think resupply is less of an issue as the landing barges can more or less handle that. In terms of focusing on repair it should mainly be working on the big stuff. Massive hull breaches, catastrophic failures etc. The new exosuits I designed should make it easier to be able to handle smaller stuff. On that note it should also have a crew section for engineers and technicians to work so that they can be based off this ship as well, that way it can do big stuff and little stuff)

(So a bigger crew bay and basically the ability to quickly patch large holes)

(Yeah that seems like the best solution. If possible it would be great to use this as a general orbital construction ship as well, that way I can use it for the orbital dock)

(It can definitely be multi purpose. If a ship like this is going with a fleet it would have supply ships with it so it has materials on hand, which as you said if it’s staying close to home isn’t an issue) It’s going to take a week to elongate the hull and design the large fastening and welding tools needed to quickly repair large hull breaches but they’re all things the colony is using now that can be designed and built to scale. When the ship is complete, 20 technicians and a small bridge crew will be able to fit comfortably aboard

Great! Charles will help out his men for a few days before going and checking on the recovery barge. Before he does that though he will message Franz to tell him what they've found and what the plans are regarding the repair ship. "Were willing to let the colony have it but we're hoping we can use it if we're ever conducting any big operations in space"

“Do you think you can make a second one?” Is the reply

"If kelbore can sort us out with some of the bigger parts for the hull and engine, yeah I'm pretty confident we can" (edited)

“I’ll make the arrangements. We will pay you for your time of course, for both projects”. Franz will also elaborate that some survey work is being done around that carrier and they’re going to see what they can do to raise it without making it collapse or damaged further

With a new mission in mind, Charles will leave his team to work on the first repair ship and, having never worked on a project of this size, especially not building one from scratch, will go about the colony looking for somebody that has some experience in ship building

11:21 AM

(I don't know how many unemployed people are still about but he will start there and in pops workshop and kelbores fabricator)

)a couple thousand and the colony ship is about a week out now so more are coming(

12:04 PM

Kelbore and Admiral Boval of the admiralty are the best on hand. Many of the principles in maritime shipbuilding are the same as work done in the void.

Charles will message admiral Boval to set up a meeting with him and any of his chief engineers

His warship is the last one being serviced in the colony shipyard and he will be coming in by train the following day, along with whatever engineering staff he can spare. Some will remain behind to help direct colonial workers

Great Charles will spend the rest of the day making preliminary designs for the new repair ship, based on what he knows of the current one

It’s an evening and night of walking the bilevel ship, making notes of the way things are arranged and tracing circuits between their origin points and what systems they connect to. Some of the design will need to be updated when repairs are complete but Charles has a general idea of what is going to be required

Charles will spend the rest of the time waiting for Boval just relaxing and recuperating from a busy few days

The train arrives in the afternoon, a bit ahead of schedule. Boval and his engineering staff, along with a handful of dock workers on holiday exit the train. The smell of salted fish packed in snow is heavy in the air, the trains other principle cargo

"Admiral Boval?" Charles says extending his hand "I'm Charles Trivedi, the one who arranged this meeting. How was your journey"

“The trip went well. I’m glad to hear someone is taking initiative and getting us back into the void, the true sea”

The fleet master takes a moment to marvel at how far the colony has progressed since he was inland last. The small delegation arrives at your factory as more snow begins to fall and he admires the prototype fighter nearing completion.

"So I've asked you here today to get your opinion on our new designs for a construction and repair ship we're going to be building. This is the first time we're building a ship from scratch and we don't want to mess it up. Here is the design, I'll give you a few minutes to look it over and see what you think"

He takes about fifteen minutes looking over the plans. With a red light pen he highlights a few sections of bulkhead and illustrates a proboscis like boom for the front as an optional add-on. “These sections need to be strengthened, and the boom here could be used to assist with refueling, or even carrying extra water for spaceboard firefighting”

"Great great. This will help very much thank you. I also wanted to talk to you about manning these ships. I don't know how much you're intending to keep on the sea but your people seem like the premium choice to be working onboard"

“Once we take back our island we will be leaving a garrison there but I’ve been in talks with your director to bring us into the fold. We can’t exist at sea without the support of your colony. Our autonomy is really just a shell. I’m sure most of the sailors will be heading spacewards once this business is done”

"Good. Well I'd love to have you all stick around and we can show you what we're doing with the spaceships but I understand if you have other places to be"

"No no, the attack is not happening for a while, this is important, I will make time"

The fleetmaster gathers his engineering cohort and prepares to follow you out to the airfield where the colonial starfleet is being temporarily housed

"So what we've got so far is a small group of landing barges and shuttles, a corvette, a cruiser, and are working on 2 repair ships"

The cruiser is much further along in the repairs from when you’d last seen it. The notes also show a new fire control system was installed on the corvette allowing it to fire it three weapons at once if desired. The admiralty officers seem appreciative of the efforts your making, and interested in the curving architecture of slyth shipbuilding

"It's interesting that Slyth design isn't it. Can't say I'm much a fan of it aesthetically but it's got some good practical advantages" Charles stops and faces the admiral. "Feel free to continue looking around. I need to go discuss your advice with my team. I look forward to working with you again some time. Thanks again for your help!"

They are passed into the care of the foreman heading the project and as you leave your last glimpse is them being taken aboard the corvette on a tour

Charles will head back to his office and will finalise the designs for the new ship before passing them on to all involved

Taking the fleetmaster’s advice into account, you modify the sections that were problematic. Martin takes the design and the factory begins making the needed preparations to get the vessel constructed. “It’ll be some time. I can keep you appraised if you have other business”

"I do. Let me know how it goes"

9:23 AM

Charles messages sil

While you’re away Martin will announce he has recovered all the data you sent him relating to cyberware. He’s fairly confident you can even design some of your own custom models. he also will inform you that the admiralty was very impressed and once they retake their island they’ll be focusing on training new ship crews out some of the arriving colonists. The cruiser has successfully passed space trials, faster than anticipated with the help of your ship AI

Charles, having finished working with sil and herb will leave them to continue the investigation. He will try and organise a meeting with someone in Vapormalis (Is that's right?) to discuss cyberware, as it is something Charles is interested in

(Vapormills). There’s a few different medical groups in the area if you’d prefer not to deal with tri green, it’s shown that their CEO wasn’t involved in the experiments

6:54 AM

Alternatively you can try to make some contacts in one of the other taros cities

(I as a player know almost nothing about the Taros Hahaha. What kind of other groups and cities are there?)

(Nothing else has been explored yet. Vapormills is the only city you’ve really had contact with. They’re independent city states working together through a governing council. There is Apria, the city by the large lake which is heavily industrial. Egons, the central of the cities is heavily geared towards trade and diplomacy, taking the lead in the governing council on most issues)

Charles will probably head for Egons, trying to catch a shuttle there or something along those lines

A flight is quickly arranged for you and Dorlin puts you in contact with Magister Egons, the family namesake of the city. The magister sends a terse message stating you have permission to enter the city and a delegation will be sent to meet you

Charles happily replies that he is looking forward to it. On the flight he will take a glance at the cyberware data taken earlier to better equate himself with the process. He will also do a cursory study of what other major exports the Taros might have

The taros have largely organized their city states into a loose collective, each using their resources to sustain themselves, and the surplus is shipped to other cities less blessed in those resources. You do notice however that they lack access to both jaxtonite and tungsten A trade treaty is currently being worked out by the colony to see what can be gained for trade in jaxtonite. Most of their export is in manufactured products such as electronics, household goods, vehicles, and heavy industrial machinery

Great! Charles spend the rest of the flight relaxing after a busy few days

8:33 AM

(Are they the same tech level as us?)

(About yeah. They’re a bit ahead of you in weapons and vehicles but you guys have made better use of the planets resources and have some alien tech they don’t, along with your space capabilities now)

(Cool cool, just checking. Lots of opportunities by the sounds of it)

(Never hurts to ask, their society at large isn’t something you guys have explored much. Dorlin was just sort of handling the necessaries for you to do what you wanted to do before. She was the first city leader to take a chance on you guys) The flight lands at the Egons airport, not nearly as busy as Vapormills but far more developed. One of the cargo planes you pass on the runway seems to not even be using pilots to taxi. An elegant gilded groudcar is waiting for you, blue and red City of Egons flags flapping from the front

Charles will approach the car and see if there is anyone inside. If not he will simply get inside

There doesn’t appear to be anyone in the back. A driver is up front and opens the rear door for you from what must be a control panel up front. Several motorcycles are ahead and behind the car with Egons Domestic Security emblazoned on their uniforms.

When Charles gets in the car he will say "This is a lot more of a welcome than I was expecting" to the driver

“You’re an honored guest. It’s our charge to see you safely to the capitol building” the driver replies. “Make yourself comfortable the drive is a bit lengthy” The car gently rolls off the tarmac once you’re aboard and you’re taken through the city to the heart of the settlement. Massive factory complexes belching various colors of flame from heat stacks and large agricultural grow towers dot the city, all made of a curious seafoam colored metal and glass. You suspect the route taken might be deliberate as you’re taken past dozens of monuments celebrating the taros worker. After about an hour of driving through posh city district, your motorcade comes to a halt in front of a massive building. It’s columned like an Ancient Greek temple and the roof is covered in carvings of taros workers, soldiers, and explorers all moving forward towards a city of light

9:30 AM

An elderly Taros gentleman in a blue robe, with red accents stands in front. Six armored and armed domestic security troopers hold their weapons in easy postures, ostensibly serving as an honor guard

Charles spends the journey quietly in awe of where his life has taken him in the past two years. From the slums of his home planet to being the honoured guest of such a powerful and prestigious group. When the motorcade stops he will take a moment to put on a brave face, although not an entirely convincing one, before stepping out of the car and approaching the elderly man, arm extended in greeting. "Charles Trivedi of Greenbriar, I must thank you for this welcome"

“Magister Egons” he extends a frail hand to shake yours in greeting. “It’s good to finally meet our new planetary neighbors. Come, come inside and take some refreshment. You must be tired from your journey” You’re led up the steps into the airy forecourt of the building. The troopers fall into loose rank around you both. Ahead, two long tables have been spread out, each covered in bowls of fruit, vegetables, and various drinks. A handful of other dignitaries are also present though their robes are less finely made than Egons

"Well this is certainly one of the better first contacts I've had on this planet. Thank you very much." Charles tries to copy what seems to be the protocol for this situation from the other people present

It seems like a fairly casual affair. “These are my aides and district leaders. I’m sure you’ll meet them all in them in time. Let me formally welcome you to Egons, industrial heartland of the confederacy. I understand you’re a bit of a craftsman yourself?”

"I am. I run one of the bigger industrial organisations in Greenbriar. We focus mainly on vehicles and salvage, but I dabble in quite a lot of other areas. I definitely see some way for our groups to work together"

“Ah yes. The planet yields some interesting pieces if you know where to look. Is your organization one of those plying through the robot cities?”

"We looked through one of them. Ran into one of your crews while we were there. Did you guys get anything good"

12:22 PM

(What vibe are they giving off? Is it a friendly chat or more diplomatic?)

(It started off a bit stiff but He’s a lot more relaxed now. He’s open to deal making and whatnot but he’s not in a hurry to get down to business if you aren’t)

12:34 PM

“Not very much so far. There’s a lot of rubble and most of our expeditions have been stuck doing route clearance. Don’t want to just charge a loader down the street and risk flattening a bunker enterance”

"Well there's no rush any more really. Might as well take your time. So what exciting things are happening in the Taros industry? I must apologise for not knowing much about what is going on"

“With the underhill now destroyed we have access to some rich mineral fields and naturally once the biohazards there are cleaned up we will begin exploring. A joint rail line stretching the continent has also been discussed. Naturally we could all become quite wealthy making the trains and rails. I’ve heard some news that your colony is pushing a return to space?

"Yes we've been leading the repair of a series of sylth ships we found destroyed offshore. We're about to embark on an attempt to build our first ship from scratch. After that... I'd say the sky was the limit but I think we've proven that's not true" Charles laughs to himself

2:39 PM

"Have your people ever considered space travel"

"Considered yes, successfully executed, no. War with each other, and then with the underhill made it difficult. Metal used for spacecraft was precious resources taken away from other tried-and-true methods. Even recently resources were always stretched. It would have been a hard sell to tell a platoon of soldiers they aren't getting personnel carriers because we decided to shoot stuff off the planet instead"

"That makes sense. It sounds like you guys have had a tough time recently. We can always organise to give you a quick trip into space on my space shuttle at a later date"

“In addition to a joint rail line I know many of our scientists have been petitioning the council for some type of space based lab. There’s just so much we don’t understand. The ability to conduct our own experiments up there would be the single greatest leap forward we could take”

"There's a lot of discussion in general of moving things up there. We're discussing some kind of orbital dock. I'm currently working on some construction ships that will hopefully make those prospects achievable"

“Perhaps there is something we can do to assist. What would you say your colony is most lacking?”

(Does Charles know what the colony is lacking most)

)not really. There’s no critical shortages this is sort of him trying to figure out what’s important to you(

"Time more than anything. I've got so much I want to do and need to do, but I quite easily get distracted and end up running about the planet deciding to recover some shipwrecks on a whim"

“Seems it’s benefited you anyway if you’re back in space now. Nothing done that expands knowledge is whimsical. We are starved for raw materials here. It’s a simple fact. Hundreds of years of mining and being hemmed in by the underhill have forced us to make some uncomfortable choices. You’ve seen a bit of our manufacturing capacity. If supplied we could contribute much towards your orbital aspirations”

"We have made some headway into mining around our colonys land, but my real hope is to begin asteroid mining, but that is on my long list of things to do"

6:45 AM

(I need to actually write down this list I think haha)

(More personal goals! Haha)

6:52 AM

“It’s our philosophy to waste as little as possible. Dragging those asteroids into orbit and mining them would help us conserve what we have left on planet”

"Towing them into orbit" Charles says to himself. "How did I never think of that. I'd certainly be willing to trade what we mine from you, especially if you're willing to work with me on cybernetics"

“Now we are getting into the meat of how the confederacy works. We manufacture the components here- servos, circuit boards, conductors, all that, but it’s assembled by the medical groups themselves. Each has their own way of doing it. You’d be responsible for the assembly but we can provide components”

"Well then it certainly seems like there is some opportunity for good old capitalist competition here"

7:05 AM

Charles mentally makes a note to remind himself to research the medical companies to see if any would be willing to join his organisation, or if there were any about that could be taken over

Ironically enough right now on the news, volume off but captioned, there is discussion about a police raid on Tri-green medical. Several of the executives have been taken into custody. The news does not provide specific reasons but as part of the hacking team you know why.

Charles will try to avoid taking about tri-green unsure of how other Taros will take his involvement. "So what is there to see in the lovely city"

“Well we would be happy to show you around the grow towers or factories. There’s a racing circuit, and an amusement park. The city has little in the way of luxuries sadly. But that can one day change”

"That sounds wonderful. I've seen worryingly little of this planet. The only bits I've seen have been warzones. I'll have to repay the offer should you ever be in Greenbriar"

11:08 AM

(Something I've always wondered, is greenbriar the name of the colonial city as well as the organisation, or just the organisations name?)

(Organization name. The colony sort of took on the name since it was originally designated as a corporate headquarters on planet, but I think knowing now that you’re essentially on your own a name change is plausible and daresay even merited)

(Oh god, not a name debate. We'll not get anything done for a month)

(We can do it ooc!). “There have been many warzones on this planet, especially lately but it’s nice now to feel some measure of peace. You’re free to take liberty in the city for as long as you like and I hope one day to return the favor. If you’re serious about trade send us an offer and we can set some gears into motion”

"Once we're set up with the asteroids I will do just that" Charles says in a friendly manner

You’re not asked to leave and no overtures are made signaling the meeting is at an end, but several of the dignitaries eat and drink a bit more before beginning to wander off or break into smaller groups to talk

Charles will say his goodbyes and get ready to leave, indicating that he would like to keep contact with this group in the future. He will head back outside and take a quick scan of the city

The city is the only one you’ve seen on planet that has a defensive curtain wall. It is massive, thick, and rings the core city. Towers every 50m are capped with anti aircraft guns. Outside the walls are the farmlands though most of the agriculture takes place inside the massive grow towers inside. The main commercial airport is also outside the walls, the wide open plains allowing for space to expand if needed. A handful of new runways are in progress. Every once in a while a pair of fighters crosses the skyline

Charles will take a slow wander back to the airport, exploring the streets and just generally taking some time to relax. When he eventually gets back to the airport he will try to find a ride back to the colony

The charter flight the brought you in is waiting on the tarmac and as soon as you board it begins to taxi. That evening you touch down at the colonial airport and are driven to your factory by Martin

Charles will brief Martin on all that has happened in the past few days. "I want to get started on the asteroid mining designs as soon as possible. If the workshop is busy I will use the Fordge to do it"

“We have the first repair ship underway now. It’s nearly done. I think you’ve designed a worker bot haven’t you? Or is this for some kind of mining ship?”

"Yeah I designed the bot a little while ago but never got round to constructing one. All we need is the materials, to put them and the designs into the Fordge and we'll be golden"

“We can take it out to the mines if you like. See if we can fill it up with some ore , or we can make another pass at one of those cities. We can get a team or there to poke around even if you don’t want to stay”

"Let's do that last plan. Send a team out there as soon as possible and tell them to scoop up all the rubble they can"

The fordge is rolled out the back of the factory to be taken to the airstrip where the barge will meet it a short while later. Six workers are selected at random, and likewise prepare for the journey

Charles will spend a bit of time working on the warbot he had been designing for his brother (I can't remember where I got to on that. I'm pretty sure the plan got approved by the heads of Greenbriar, but beyond that I'm not entirely convinced)

(You designed and built the core and body but hadn’t actually done anything with the programming/download yet, though they did approve it)

10:56 AM

(You did the labor on the journey to Miriam since you had an uninterrupted week of travel)

(Great, I'm further ahead than I realised) Charles will begin the process of assembling the body and core, then downloading Harold into the new core

It takes the better part of an afternoon while things compile and come together. There’s a soft hiss as the core is inserted. After a few moments the bot slowly sits up. “Hello? Charles...Charles is that you?”

"Harry?" Charles asks, tears in his eyes. "It's me Harry. What can you remember?"

“Was I...was I dead?” He looks around. He hasn’t looked down yet to notice his new body

"You were, for a little while yeah. We got set up, you went down. Keep looking at me brother. Your body is not what you expect it to be so just take a moment before looking"

“It’s...it’s good to see you again Charles. Is our sister here too?” Where are we anyway?”

"Yeah she's here. Somewhere... I haven't seen her for a while. We're on a different planet. Been here a little while now. You wouldn't believe some of the things that have been happening"

He goes to stand up and when the metal legs make a clang on the floor he looks down “Oh god”. He sits immediately

10:48 AM

After a moment of silence “I’m glad you brought me back. Im@not upset. It’s just. A lot”

10:48 AM

“I knew you could do it though. I knew you’d follow the clues”

"It'll take a little while to get used to. I'm sure we can set up an appointment with a psychologist of some kind. There must be one around here"

“I’ll try to sort it out but if I need help I’ll come to you. Promise “

"Alright. Come on ill show you around. Get you caught up on what's been happening". Charles will spend the day walking around the colony catching his brother up on the past couple of years

“I prepared myself to have missed some things” Harry says. His joints smoothly whirr as he keeps pace with you. “I never thought it would’ve that much”

1:13 PM

“And look at you. Owning a factory now”

"We've definitely come up in the world that's for sure. What about you? What do you want? Big question I know but I'd be happy to have you with me for a while, until you get your head on straight"

“I’d be happy to help with things here. At least until I know how it all works around here”

"Well we're just glad to have you back. Come one me and mira have another room. You can stay with us"

“It’s good to be back. Strange as it is. I don’t remember anything from...in between. Just a pop, and then now I am here”

"I can imagine. I'm not really sure how rest is going to work with you like that but hopefully you can find some. Maybe if we speak to the Taros they will have had some experience in this area". With that thought Charles will message some of his Taros contacts to ask if they have ever dealt with this level of reconstruction

They haven’t, you’ll come to find as the messages are gradually returned. A search of colonial records show the slyth had downloaded consciousnesses into robot bodies (kingbreaker was one, and the still living/friendly Jexad is another).

(Forgot about Jexad entirely haha) "Maybe I can get a meeting between you and that sylth Jexad. He's a decent guy and might be able to help you a bit. How are you feeling about the situation"

"I'm just happy to be back with you all, but yes, if you think he's willing to talk i think i should listen. It's going to take some getting used to Charles. A lot of getting used to, but if some other being has gone through this, they can probably give me an idea of what their own experience was like. There has to be something in common, right?"

"There will be. We have to try at least, otherwise we'll get nowhere. And if that's no help then we will find another option. I didn't bring you back just to lose you again"

He nods and is silent for a few moments. "So I saw you've begun something of a rocketry experiment down in the factory there. What's going on?"

7:17 AM

(6xp and 5000 credits for bringing harry back btw)

7:21 AM

(I think you;'ve got a bunch of personal goals completed as well)

(Great thank you. Yeah I think I got two or three done with that. Is he referencing the new construction ship in the factory?)

(Yes, and yeah I didn’t total it up but I saw you’ve got like three done. You may end up leveling with that so take a look when you get time)

"Were trying to push back into space. We've been using recovered Slyth ships and this will be our first attempt to build our own. If this goes well hopefully it will expand a lot of options for us"

“I always wanted to see space. I hope I get to do it on a ship my brother made” he gently rests an arm on your shoulder.

"Well it shouldn't be too long before we get it up and running. You'll be on the maiden voyage I promise you"

9:50 AM

"Come on. Let's go home for the night"

Harry follows you back to the home you have moved into, and makes himself as comfortable as he can in the living room. The news is on, now also providing initial commentary on the cyber attack against the colony

The next day Charles will schedule a meeting between Harry and Jexad, but will not attend beyond the introductions, not wanting invade their privacy. He will spend the day working either on the miner bots (If the Fordge is full of rubble yet) or helping out around the construction ship

The fordge reports back that it is indeed full, and the construction ship is expected to be finished by the end of the day. The barge is fueled and brings the mighty fordge vehicle home mid morning, allowing you plenty of time to work.

Charles will input his original designs for the miner bots into the Fordge and order one copy made. He will then wait around for the first copy, assess its viability for its job, make any necessary adjustments to the design, before ordering as many more as he can

The first bot is assembled in roughly an hour, taking longer than it normally would since it’s the first in its production line. It sits, hunched and cooling in the midday sunlight

Charles will order it to mine a little bit of land outside the factory, just to see how it works

12:28 PM

Also how much of the Fordge material did that take up?

It begins by scanning the terrain, and choosing the correct tool for the type of earth it is moving. It dutifully begins shoveling

12:29 PM

(10% so you can make 9 more. They’re fairly simple bots)

The shovel arm produces a handful of rich earth, mixed with snow. It begins filtering the loose sediment out until it has just a handful of rock, but you can see tiny glints of metal within. Not enough to make anything significant but it shows the robot understands

"Great let's get the rest of them in the construction process"

The fordge rattles and by late afternoon, with some limited assembly assistance from you, the ten miner bots stand proudly on the factory floor, missing only their coats of protective paint

Charles plan is to drop them off on an asteroid with a massive container that they fill up and every now and again the landing barge will come and collect the container. He will begin constructing everything necessary to complete this

11:18 AM

Charles will paint the new bots yellow, so they are more likely to be seen when they're on the asteroid

Do you want them refining the minerals on site or just shipping back chunks of rock for processing here?

Just ship them back for now. I might add a refinery if its successful as is

(Or a forge ship!)

12:02 PM

Making essentially some rock bins isn’t too hard. You and work workers are pretty capable of making metal rectangles

(Ooooooh)

12:02 PM

Do you want a fix check for the metal rectangles?

With you rolling like 500d6 for that now I think we are good. It doesn’t take long to wrangle a few people together to make a trio of bins, complete with skids on the bottom to allow easy movement. The pilot has been resting for a few days now and can take your bots and supplies whenever

Once everything is completed Charles will send them up in the landing barge, dropping them at the asteroid he scanned (ages ago) with orders to work until the boxes are full of metal, at which point the pilot will fly back up and switch the boxes with some fresh ones

In the middle of the night you get an automated message that the robots have begun work. Trivedi Inc has established greenbriars first space mining project. The repair ship is also now complete.

What is happening with the repair ship? Is it being sold to Greenbriar or do we keep it and contract it out to them?

This one is yours. They want to see how well it handles before buying one

5:28 AM

Since this is the very first model of the very first ship produced indigenously

Is it crewed and if not how many crew does it need

It’s crewed. It takes three at the least, but it can hold up to 10 additional workers and their tools for big jobs

5:36 AM

The cruiser is fixed and is going to be launched today as well so now the repair ship can help tend to it in orbit

Great, Charles would like to be on board for the maiden voyage up into space

The repair vessel is loaded up with supplies. The barge pilot, appreciative of the much more comfortable canopy, easily gets you into orbit on the crafts powerful engines

8:02 AM

The massive form of the Pillar of Salt appears through the armorglass front viewport.

"Well this is incredible isn't it. And we havent exploded yet so that's a good sign"

“Systems are green. Slight pressure leak on the belowdeck but we won’t run out of air anytime soon” the pilot says, reviewing the master console.

"We can deal with that when we're back on land. How is the cruiser doing"

The pilot points out the viewport and you see the mighty craft holding station, under the colony ship in a lower orbit. The colony landing barges head down towards the planet under its watchful eye as the first of the new cargo is brought down. It’s three dorsal turrets track back and forth, watching the void

"That many people is going to be a massive challenge to the colony administration. Can't say I'm envious". Charles will run some tests on the construction cruiser before saying "Well we should find something to fix I think. Wasn't there a crashed ship on the moon?"

“There is. Colony ship has some damage too” the pilot points out. You can see the communications blister has been hastily patched and the rough welds keeping the structure together. It wouldn’t hold under the Strain of spike travel

"We probably shouldn't meddle on the colony ship while they're working but we will get back to it. Let's head to the moon"

It’s a six hour flight, and the ship performs admirably. Entering the atmosphere you quickly find the wreck. (It’s the former moon rats ship). It looks like there was an attempt made to convert it into some kind of a housing type structure but it was abandoned for some reason partway through

12:26 PM

Most of it is heavily rusted

"This might end up being more of a salvage job, rather than a repair one. Oh well it's a good test of what we can do. Get to work lads"

To fly again, the engines need to be repaired, it needs to be refueled, and most of the pressure seals need to be replaced. The wiring looks like it’ll hold and with how modified the craft seems changing something might cause a failure somewhere else

Charles will try to stay out of the repair work, allowing the team to work out how they will work on their own

They split the jobs at first, each one slowly tinkering away on the part of them they can get done alone. After a few hours the radio crackles. “Boss, the engine is going to need to be totally replaced. There’s so much sand lodged in there it’s spilling into the intakes. The minute we turn the key this candle is going to light”

"I'll see what I can do about a new engine." Charles says before putting in a call to Martin and asking him to start construction on a new engine

He will begin work, now that the shipbuilding bay is clear. The pressure seals can be easily replaced with the supplies you’ve on board now

The fuel will be added last, once the engine is replaced.

Can Charles determine what kind of ship this was, or what it can be repurposed to be

It was a pirate raider at one point. That much is clear especially by the wickedly pointed boarding spikes on the top and bottom. (Basically a big drill with a hollow shaft. Bore into enemy ship and you’ve got a boarding ramp)

The drills are a unique feature, along with the heavily armored prow. It is only lightly armed, with two forward mounted laser cannons. Pirates try to take vessels intact, and prefer to run rather than fight when faced with other armed craft

"This is a new kind of vessel we've seen, and definitely something we can adapt for colonial use"

Martin can have an engine ready by morning, and you notice that harry is due for his meeting with Jexad soon. You’ve got just enough time to get back.

Charles will head back with the ship to pick up the engine and ensure the meeting runs smoothly

Jexad, in his long serpentine form enters the factory. Work slows and in some areas stops at the sight of the exotic being. He smiles, as much as he is able to, upon seeing harry. “Another one of us trapped in a prison of metal” he extends a hand. “You’ll find that things get easier, with time”. He then turns to Charles “this man here, you said he is your brother? You’re a good brother, bringing him back to share in life once again”

The two slowly leave the factory, introductions made, in quiet conversation with one another. The directive comes in from now-president Kincaid, requesting an exploration ship.

Charles will message Kincaid "I have some ideas and can definitely help with the ship. Who is running the production on the greenbriar side"

She would like you to handle it. Kelbore is going to be tied up making the public transit and new emergency vehicle

9:27 AM

The budget is five million credits

(Which of the supplementary books details this stuff again?)

9:36 AM

(Or is it in the main handbook)

(There’s the main book. A couple new fittings are in suns of gold too. Skyward steel has some station fittings but I mean if something catches your eye we can homebrew)

9:49 AM

(Also the plans you were given by the combine for promising. To become an agent Are equivalent to a spike 2 drive) (edited)

(Great I'll take a look over them when I get a chance and will try to put something together)

(No sweat! I’ve been promising a chance to truly explore so figured this is a good way to do it. AND you’ll make some money

(What sort of crew size does the colony want)

Herb hears about the bid for the exploration ship going to Trivedi inc, and offers his congratulations on the compad

10:13 AM

He also volunteers Dank Crew's tech and manufacturing capability to help if needed

(Probably 3 at min between pilots to take shifts and an engineer, working on stuff while you’re all gone somewhere. Anything after that will be PC’s and workers/soldiers. I’m thinking with your AI program it can automate some of the things you’d usually need people for. )

(Great just making sure it's not something like 200 people)

(It CAN be but it doesn’t have to be anything close)

Charles thanks Herb for his offer of help, and will come to him with any issues faced

12:29 PM

(I've got a couple of options weighed up for the ships but the mass regulations are really straining me haha)

Charles sends Kincaid, copying Herb, Pops, Kelbore and anyone else who might be interested, the proposal. It states "The Lawerence class explorer ship is a ship designed for long term deployment in unexplored territory. It has a minimum crew requirement of 10 crewmen, but we reccomend 20, which it can support for 8 months at a time. Highlights of the design include a state of the art science centre, an advanced sensor array for planetary surveyance, an prototype spike drive, a new nav computer, and a new multi-focal laser for defence. Some of the current cargo space can be sacrificed for future developments. Current estimates put the cost at 4.6 million per ship. Thoughts?"

It fits their criteria and if you’re happy with the design they’re willing to put their money in it

Yeah Charles is very happy with the design

They’ll order it from you. If you assign your whole factory to its construction it will be ready in a week

Charles will do that then

2:11 PM

He will focus his personal efforts on the new spike drive, being the first produced (iirc)

(Yes!). Fix with int just by virtue of never done before

Herb is very interested in collaborating on spike drive development- as he wants to understand how they come together. alternatively he'll buy a second one from Trivedi inc if Trivedi would rather do it that way

13

3:56 PM

Charles is happy to cooperate with Herb but would rather keep the spike drive under wraps due to the sensitive nature of the design's aquisition. Perhaps just allowing Herb and some of his lieutenants into the production, rather than his whole organisation

It’ll take 4 days of personal effort from Charles for his section of the project, leaving an additional 3 for finishing touches

Herb is fine with this idea. Ideally he and his advanced manufacturing AI could help

He is open about really wanting to be able to make one for his craft, and perhaps for future craft

Charles is definitely willing to help herb build a spike drive for his craft, whenever he needs that help

Herb could use it as soon as when he returns from his time in VaporMills for a few days

On the final 3 days Charles will spend one day on each of the three major additions to the craft: the nav computer, the multifocal laser, and the sensor array

4:08 AM

Charles has also recently negotiated a trade with the Taros giving them raw materials in exchange for parts for cybernetics, so Charles is very interested in working with herb on that

4:08 AM

If he's interested

4:08 AM

Perhaps Trivedi Tech could manufacture the cybernetics and dank crew takes care of selling and installing them

Herb is absolutely interested in some type of collaboration along those lines

4:11 AM

"there is a lot to be accomplished through Dank Crew and Trivedi Tech collaborating. Our grav mass production equipment and robotic aircraft assembly line could easily help Trivedi fill contract orders when additional production power is needed."

4:12 AM

Herb ponders for a second. "We would be willing to become the exclusive distributor of your designed-for-humans cybernetics. We are working on some of our own designs, however, and would be interested in selling them alongside yours"

4:13 AM

(IRL I am excited about collabing!)

The first of the space mining bins is due to be collected, bringing in a healthy amount of rock to be processed

As far as the deal between trivedi and dank crew I think the owners are the best final arbiters of what they consider fair

"That sounds like a great deal. I'll have my guy Martin contact your people about the specifics and details. The first batch of rocks is on its way back from the asteroid, so we should have the cybernetic parts sometime this week"

12:32 AM

Once processed Charles will sell half the rocks to the colony, and half to his contacts in the Taros

They’ll have the finished products back to you within a week, and you can begin working on your cyberware then. The Lawrence is complete at the end of the week, and the ship is beautifully done. Your workers have put their full attention and care behind it and it shows

Charles will organise a tour of the ship for Greenbriar command and the ships potential crew before the ship is handed over to the administration

The ship is nicely organized and more importantly looks to be comfortable to be in during extended travel. (I’ll make a handout tonight and the stats can get pasted in)

8:49 AM

The finished product is exactly what was requested, and more. Trivedi shipbuilding will be considered first when more is needed

8:50 AM

(I think you had 400,000 left under budget so that goes to your business/you)

(I'm pretty sure that takes me over 1 million credits!)

(I think it very well may. Well you’ve got plenty of ways to spend it all!)

So what is the current state of the colony? Is it still frontiery or is it a proper city now? What sort of population and are they all employed? Things like that

It’s developing into a proper city. Building is staring to go more vertical as opposed to spreading out to cover more land, so multi level family dwellings, a proper hospital, admin is getting expanded into a functional governing center. The factory district has always been the most developed. With the new people arriving there’s about 2/3 unemployment still. The port is expanding a ton, and both the port and the town around the slyth cryo facility both have their own fusion reactors now

11:13 AM

Some will find jobs with resource collection. Another lumber camp and iron mine is going to be made, and there’s going to be an increase in food/water/power so all that stuff will need to be manned.

OK that all sounds good. I'm asking because Charles wants to start a proper push for living in space, but it would be strange to do if people were still living in huts on the ground. My current idea is to create a department within Trivedi to focus purely on space, creating trade ships and trade stations to sell to other races and planets, creating a more prosperous trade network

Well the trade ships, starports, and the facilities/resources to make the goods you’re trading all could be possible things you can expand into. You know about the jademane and the folks on Miriam now, and ive added a couple new scouting reports that greystar has given to you all

The Miriam had quite a bit to trade but I don't know what the jademane had. Did anyone ever find out

Not really. Doona was getting ready for a mission there to sort of learn more shout them and it just hasn’t kicked off yet.

11:41 AM

Cass is scouting the lava world now. You know about a desert world that nobody has been to get

Cool cool, I might keep my eye on that and maybe get involved. I do want to check out that desert world at some point yeah. For now Charles is going to spend a bit of time getting the cybernetics worked up. I'm not really a fan of the options available in the book so I might try and brainstorm some more to homebrew

Homebrew is great. I find the book kind of limiting too

The first thing Charles will do is use the designs for Harry's body to create designs for synthetic eyes, ears, and limbs, essentially mimicking the robot designs to work with an organic body

So are those meant to be replacements for if someone has an accident or is thing going to be like dues ex where it’s seen as the customer improvements on themselvest

12:42 PM

Through cybernetics

12:42 PM

(Coincidently that might be a great source of inspiration)

Different grades based on price and what people want. Base model being a direct replica of a natural body part, but incremental increases in price and power

I think to build it comparable to what you did for harry it won’t be a roll. You’ve done it before and know how it works. I think it would be build as opposed to program

Great, I will spend some more time brainstorming, but if you (or anybody else) have any ideas, I'd love to hear them (edited)

(I’ll think on it. More game mechanics than ideas themselves)

(So I've thought on some mechanics for the current stock of cyberware. The first tier will be replacement body parts. No bonuses but they will stop any impairments that may already exist, such as -1 to rolls for people with one arm or something like that. The next tier will be +1 to all rolls involving the cyberware, so +1 to notice checks involving sight for people with tier 2 eyes, or +1 to strength based checks for people with tier 2 arms. Tier 3 will be significant upgrades. Night/thermal vision for eyes, super hearing for ears. Dont have anything for tier 3 limbs yet though. How does this sound?)

(I think that’s a great way to delineate things. Very straightforward)

5:16 AM

(3 would be like ignoring certain effects. Like tier 3 lungs letting you breathe underwater or filter poison gasses without an atmofilter

Yeah exactly that sort of thing

Maybe a reduction in system strain too, representing the refinement of the tech. Body isn’t seeing it as a burden as much

Great! Charles will get to work creating prototypes of these new models with the help of his factory before sending them to Herb for him to take a look at and start marketing

So tier 1’s, one of each as a mock up?

Yeah, just going for the main ones for now (eyes, ears, limbs, spine reenforcement), leaving anything more niche (lungs, nose, tongue) for if people start requesting them

With the battle for the underhill island about to start its likely that there will be a rush on limb replacements when it’s over.

hahaha that's one way to look at the business model. Charles would also like to like to look at expanding another bay to the workshop to focus purely on cybernetic construction

7:19 AM

It will be part of the new Trivedi 2.0 expansion plan, a long term plan that will culminate with 4 different departments inside the business: a cybernetics division, a vehicle division, a spaceship building division (ideally situated on a space station orbiting Gudrun) and a special projects division

I’d say 20 workers would run that? Between stamping the parts, assembly, programming?

Yeah that sounds about right. I'm assuming with the current level of unemployment there will be plenty of people to employ

You won’t have to hunt. It’ll be 25,000 for the bay expansion. That includes the tooling and whatnot.

7:22 AM

I’ll deduct one of the large prefab buildings

We can create buildings without the prefabs cant we? Not for right now but just for future use

Oh of course. You’ve always been able to, the prefab ones just go up faster

7:24 AM

Since it’s basically the for dummies version.

Great, this bay will have very little input from Charles and will mostly focus on just meeting the orders the dank crew set for them

7:39 AM

Also, does the exploration ship that Charles built have room for a vehicle inside

Yes. A scout rover or a few motorbikes/quad type atv’s is what I had in mind

Ok cool cool. Is all at peace with Charles' current workload or is there anything that requires his attention currently

Nothing urgent. The factory is just going to keep churning out its various projects and the expansion can be built without you needing to get directly involved

Ok then Charles will message his contacts on Mariam asking them how things are going and that he is planning on visiting again soon to strengthen trade links. "If I were to bring things to trade, would there be anything you particularly desire"

There hasn’t been much snowmelt yet but the world is getting warmer. Scavenging teams can be outside in the conditions for longer than they used to be, and the storms have stopped. They’re most in need of building materials. The world is going to flood once the snow significantly melts and they’re concerned about habitation once the sea levels rise that much

OK Charles will put in orders with all the various building material vendors for as much as one of this ships can carry. I'm guessing Charles can fill up a landing barge and have one of the bigger ships drop him off. That or we retrofit the moon rat ship into a freighter

Either one of those options will work. Which would you prefer?

I think the landing barge is the way to go for now. Charles does want to start designs of freighters, but I'd rather build from scratch on them

You’d begun recovery work on the ship so we will say that’s likewise in orbit, waiting to be worked on once the colony ship is squared away. The barges can be taken by one of the ships you’ve got already. Since there’s a stable spike route plotted now the trip takes just a day

Great, on the journey Charles will spend the time relaxing and doing a bit of work of some designs hes working on, but nothing to intensive

11:28 AM

(those designs are the new frieghter and a new exploration vehicle)

(Sounds good. I’ll toss up some handouts tonight. I forgot about the explorer ship one by time I got home. Was a long day). Charles tinkers away with prototypes and the spike translation ends with a safe arrival over Miriam. The silent springs fabricators radio in almost immediately and are glad to hear from you. The storms are not nearly so intense and you should have a smooth landing

(hahaha no worries, we've all been there.) Charles will go down to Silent Springs with the landing barge full of building materials. Does it seem noticabley warmer? (edited)

It does. You can get away with wearing a thinner jacket, closer to what you’d have just used walking around the colony the last few months. (It just became spring on Gudrun. Winters are short). The snow pack is still very high and doesn’t seem to have melted much but the warmup was programmed to be gradual.

So Charles is happy to have a bit of a walk about before going into silent springs, as he hadn't had the opportunity to do so before

The top few floors of the broken alien skyscrapers push through the snow, many settle and grumble to themselves as the tight snowpack melts and shifts. Free of massive blowing clouds you can barley make out the dome of ‘the hub’ very far away across the otherwise featureless snow plains

After a few moment admiring the view, Charles will head into Silent Springs to find his contacts and trade his building materials

You see the fine scout and his son with whom you entered the weather control tower. Zam’s arm is on the mend, only wearing a light sling. “Good to see you again” he says as the supplies are unloaded. A veritable market is laid out before you, along with a set of plans that they’re eager to show you. The plan is for constructing a city sized ark vessel to sail the seas that will surely blanket this world in the coming years. The project is ambitions, costly, and perhaps a bit beyond their technical expertise

"Wow, this is quite the plan you've got here. If you don't mind my asking, is this a permanent plan or more of a solution until your planet calms down"

“We have been projecting the climate models since everything calmed down at the tower. The world will be temperate again, but little more then a world of archipelagos. Staying on the move will be key”

"That doesn't sound very sustainable. For now, perhaps, the ark city is a good idea, but in the future another system will be needed. Nevertheless, it's all hypothetical unless we can get this ship built." Charles will make an estimate at the level of building materials they will need. Does Greenbriar have the capacity to provide them

Greenbriar does. Your world has been far more blessed with material, including the asteroids.

"We can help with the construction, but we can't do it for free. What can you guys offer in terms of trade"

They’ve got weapons, explosives, vast quantities of fresh water, and they’re willing to let you dismantle the aliens city outside the dome (they’ll give up miners rights, ect)

"For the current shipment I'll take weapons and explosives to trade. I know I'll be able to sell them to someone somewhere. I'm planning on constructing a fleet of freighters for interstellar trade, so one of them will be returning with more supplies in the near future"

10:42 AM

"Is there anything else I can help with while I'm here"

“As much material as you can bring. For now things are calm but we would be happy to buy some snowcats off you when you come back. Does your colony use credits?”

(Snow cats are the trucks I designed last time I was here?)

(Yes. The Arctic ones. You took yours with you and they had some other ones jury rigged but nothing as professional as yours)

(i added a handout for the explorer ship and the explorer ground vehicle, under colonial tech-spacecraft and colonal tech-ground vehicles)

(Great thank you) "Yes that's definitely something I can work up, I was planning on retrofitting them for a desert environment so I can easily make a few more for you while I'm at it"

"We will have many years to make use of them, even with things melting, it would help ensure we get everyone assembled here when it's time. As far as payment for current services and materials, I'll share this with you" A large packet of data appears on your compad, describing the building materials the alient city outside is made from. Ultralight metal, crystallene glass, even preserved consumer goods inside are all miraculous and close to what the most advanced human worlds were making at the time of the disaster

Charles reads the information and looks up at his contact (was his name Karl?), obviously intrigued "Are there any buildings around here that I can get a good look at? One that isn't massively buried"

(yep! it was! I'm glad you remembered because I didn't. Take a re-roll token for succeeding where i have not) "There are a few skyscrapers outside, the top few floors are accessable." he looks a bit hestitant. "eh...one of them was where we ran into each other for the first time....when I pulled a gun on you and your russian friend..."

(Hahaha its been bothering me all day trying to remember it) "It might be worth a look there for the memories" Charles winks at him

4:41 PM

Charles wants to take samples of these materials to assess the viability of either reproducing them on Gudrun or transporting large quantities of them back home

(They've got their own handout now, won't make that mistake again!) Charles, Zam, and Karl all head out of the dome. The nearest city remnants are so close that taking a vehicle is not needed. A crude looking plank ladder leads into a window that has been smashed out for entry. THe floor you enter into looks to have been a lounge once, and some spots of lighter colored material on the walls and floor show where furnature and other lootables had been taken

4:57 PM

A stairwell twists its way deeper into the building, to the levels locked in snow

Charles takes a look around at the type of alien that might have lived here. Is it anything recognisable, for example looks like it would fit a sylth or piggen

If it was resembling something you've seen before, it would be Slyth, though the geometry and some of the design motifs don't match.

"Strange looking creatures must have lived here. Who would have looted this?"

“Probably Some Of us, for building materials when things first got bad. It was a scramble to enclose as much as we could as quickly as we could”

"That makes sense" Charles says wandering around. He will go and inspect the materials that make up the room to see how useful they would be for vehicles and Gudrun buildings

The armorglass would be useful in aircraft with a slightly modified composition. It might also be useful for seagoing vessels and other light craft. The stone is dense but also remarkably light. It’s not natural to this world. It is very sturdy and since it’s been pre professed for you it could be used to make large buildings very quickly

Since its quite tough would speciality tools be needed to mine it

Karl informs you that they were using plasma torches to cut out sections of block. It was slow work but still faster than the other tools they had available. Traditional hand tools and even most powered tools broke or burned out before cutting all the way through

"So if we want to mine a lot of this stuff we're going to need something more powerful, unless we can discover a way to mass produce it, but that would be difficult I imagine. Oh well, leave it with me, I'll take some samples and return soon with your snowcats"

11:56 AM

Would the heavier material make a good armour out of curiosity

You could probably slice it thinly to make something like armor plating. There’s the labor intensity there as a deterrent but yeah given the right tools or approach it could be done

Some samples are taken and as you finish stowing them in your pack, the sound of hollaring and the roar of snow machine engines is heard, growing louder

"What's that?" Charles asks, alarmed. "Is it heading towards us"

“Raiders. Those bastards from pinepearch again”

7:14 AM

(New faction under the Miriam folder

The snowmobiles come into view, rounding a half tumbled down skyscraper at the end of the street. There are four snowmobiles, each with two (driver and passenger) and in the middle of their pack there is an armored looking tracked crawler. It looks like it had once been some kind of bulldozer or excavator

(Is pinepearch the other facility we met last time we were here. We took their wounded back to Gudrun?)

(Yes. It was the leaders family you took and as you guys left there was a riot brewing. I’m sure you and Charles by that extension can put two and two together)

"I doubt I'll be that popular with them right now. Any chance we can make an escape before they get here"

"We can try" he whispers. "We should have taken a car..." Karl heads towards a door looking out behind the building (sneak with dex)

(Sorry I've been in work 27 of the last 36. I'll be back to usual later this week)

4:17 PM

3 rerolled to 8

“Let’s get out of here” Karl whispers as you sneak out the back. The snow machines rumble by before gunning their engines and taking off out into the ice plains again

"How dangerous have they been getting?" Charles asks as they head back to safety

“It’s been limited so far. Chasing off scavengers and robbery. It’s got the potential to get dangerous though. They’re all armed. Quite heavily”

"I could try talking to them but it doesn't sound like it would go well. I might be able to convince some of colonial military to come and get involved though. I also have some mercenary contacts that I could talk to"

“It might be high time for that. We have been trying to deter them from coming out this way but all of our posturing is just talk”

"I can see what we can do. We can show our power and blast them with one of our cruisers but that might be taking it a bit far. Maybe some of our men might be able to train some of yours in warfare. It sounds like you have the weapons"

“Can....can you do that?....just shoot them from space?”

7:53 AM

Karl looks quite hopeful

"I really don't know, and the order for something like that would have to come down from the top I'd imagine. It's quite a big move. I'll see what I can do about arming the snowcats as well, that should help in the short term"

“Anything we can do to bolster our position here. I’m glad you checked in and saw this first hand. For now they’re content to menace but it won’t stay that way for long, especially once we start building”

"No I agree. How much do you know of the internal developments that led to this? Is it just a small group from there or is it everyone who lives there joining in"

“If there’s anyone opposed to it they’re either the minority or have been dealt with somehow already. They seem to have no shortage of manpower”

"Ok then it seems that direct military intervention is the way to go. With everything settled from this trip I'll go back to Gudrun and hopefully be back with your new equipment and support within a week"

“I’ll look forward to having you back. Travel safe Charles”. Karl buds you farewell at the dome entrance and begins the process of opening the large pressure lock to head inside

Charles heads back to his landing barge, booking an appointment with relevant members of the administration for when hes back at Gudrun to discuss the raiders, as well as messaging Martin to tell him of the need for snowcats with weapons

Martin will begin modifying the plans. What should they be armed with

A heavy mounted grenade launcher sort of thing

It’s an easy enough modification and Martin will begin drawing up some plans while you make the trip home. It’s a short, one day spike translation to get home. You return to news that despite heavy losses, the underhill Queen and her brood have been attacked. The queen is now dead.

Charles will arrive home, check in with Martin to update him as to what has happened and then prepare for his meeting with the higher ups

(6xp for opening the trade route, 5000 credits )

9:54 AM

Field Marshall kellevan is joining by teleconference, as hostilities against the underhill are wrapping up and he’s commanding the withdrawal from their island. Mayor Katya and Mayor luminar are listening in though their advice will likely be limited President Kincaid and Commissioner Graven are both physically present.

"Good to see you all again, hope all is well." Charles says greeting the room. "I've called this meeting because I've recently visited our allies on Mariam, who despite improving conditions, have been getting harassed by other survivors. They've asked for our help, in the form of direct military intervention and I've come to argue on their behalf"

Kellevan, taking a datapad from an aide begins thumbing through current colonial military deployments. “What can you tell us about these raiders?”

"They are members of another group of survivors we made contact with, we brought some of their members back here for medical treatment and that seems to have sparked a revolution where the most militant residents took over. From what I've seen they're not massively armed but a lot more than our allies"

“How about the humanitarian situation there?” Asks graven. “Should we be expecting refugees?”

"I really don't know. Without getting inside the enemy dome there's no way to tell the situation. As for refugees from our allies, they've got a plan to sustain long term plans on the planet, but I'm skeptical of them at best. I think for the best chance of survival getting them off that planet is the best idea, either onto a space station or another planet"

“We will have to gently keep pushing the idea. Well Charles is there anything else you think we should know?”

"I'm selling them some vehicles which will have weapons attached, that may look like we're taking sides in the war, just letting you know"

“The hostilities against the underhill are wrapping up. Our losses were heavy. We can’t support our allies with troops right now, but we can give them the tools to fight for themselves. If we are going to truly become a nation we need to prove to our allies that we are dependable” Kincaid says. “One day we may have to send troops but for now let’s see what they do with this”

"That makes sense, but what about a small contingent of troops to train them how to fight. These aren't military people and it might be more effective than sending a whole force"

Kincaid looks at kellevan, who then clears his throat. “I can send a squad of the SPG, in an advisory role”

"That would be much appreciated I'm sure. I'm heading back in a few days so I will take them on my transport"

“So snowcats and Small arms to start. We will have to re-evaluate our position once the supplies are delivered

"That's fair enough. I'm beginning a further process of establishing trade, looking to start building space docks in conjunction with Herb of the Dank Crew groups, and these guys are a primary target to begin this trade with"

“An orbital installation is sorely needed, especially with a handful of ships remanded to orbit now. It’ll be a joint project but all will benefit from its use. We will have to expand our mining and resource gathering operations”

"I was thinking about that. We currently have limited mining operations on the outer asteroids, but it wouldn't take much to build a mining ship based on the designs for the construction ship"

“We must look to the other asteroids, our new moon, and beyond if we hope to continue this rapid development. A mining ship would be a welcome improvement”

"No time like the present then. If that's all" Charles stands to leave

The rest of the colonial council also stands and begins filing out of the room, each going to make their own preparations to solve the discussed issues

Charles heads out and goes to check in with the workshop to see how things are going there, and if there is anything he can do to speed up snowcat production

They’re producing two per day right now. Martin has the automatic grenade launcher (like a real life equivalent to a mk19) mounted to a rotating ring around a roof hatch. The gun is metal shielded so the gunner is protected from the neck down. There is also a remote control system for it so it can be fired from inside the vehicle

(When you get a free minute even if it’s copying and pasting the specs for the Lawrence here I just wanna get them on a sheet. The expedition is trying to plot where to go)

Yeah no problem, this is the hull and all the additions Corvette Advanced Lab Advanced Nav computer Atmospheric Configuration Cargo Space x 4 Drive 2 Extended stores Fuel Bunkers Ships locker Survey sensor array Multifocal laser

So snow cats are rolling off the production line, special forces have been assigned and small arms are being built for the defenders

Great, Charles will make sure all is assembled correctly before beginning the loading process to jump back, hopefully being able to make it back for the exploration missions

It’s just a quick jump back, taking about a day and the weapons are delivered, along with the small special forces team acting as their advisors. Pops will take up the mantle of ensuring their supplied with ammunition

"This is the best we can do for now Karl, I'm hoping that in time we can step up our intervention but we're coming out of a hard stretch on the military and they're cautious of over extending

“This is already better than we were hoping for. Thank you Charles. Karl presses something cold into your palm. It looks almost like a tear of ice

1:13 PM

“I found this when I was mucking about by the back door during your last visit.”

"What is it?" Charles asks quizzically

“We have been calling them life wards. If a shot or a strike would hit you, it deflects the first blow. I’m pretty sure they can be recharged but we haven’t figured out how to do it. They used to turn up all over the place out here but they’re less common now”

"This is... Incredible. Thank you so much." After a moments reflection he says "you might actually be a life saver"

Karl makes the finger guns gesture that never seems to have fallen out of favor over the centuries and walks you back to the ramp of your ship. “Be careful. I’ll do my best to ensure there’s still a dome here when you come back”

Charles' Comms system crackles with Herb's digitized voice "Don't forget I want to do business with trivedi on some spike drive technology! not to mention our bigger plans in orbit!"

He then follows up with a further digitized vocal message- "I've successfully recruited at least one former Tri-Green Doctor!"

Charles says his goodbyes to Karl before preparing to head home. He replies to @Donk978 saying "We'll sit down and work out all the specifics soon. Maybe if we end up on this exploration mission together. Great, my team should send you some prototypes of what we've got soon"

A short trip home has you back in the colony the following day. Some revisions are made to the ship design and the three different organizations working together allow the changes to be done quickly. A meeting is called to discuss a destination

While I'm discussing the trip with sil in the other chat I figured I'd do some book keeping. The biggest priority seems to be ensuring more resources, and so a mining ship would be the next step. I'm guessing it would use the model of the construction ship but where that had construction tools it would have mining tools

5:27 AM

Eventually I might be able to combine them into a Space Fordge

The construction ship would be a good frame choice for it sure. Combining them sometime would be workable too especially since you’ve seen it in action before

Great, maybe it's more efficient to have them separate but we will see what happens. Charles will draw up designs and set the workshop away while he is exploring

You can transmit your designs back to the colony as well to be built as well while you’re gone. The team sent to silent sprints reports the training has begun. The people are motivated and are following orders well so far

Cool cool, I'll check back in with them in a couple of (in game) weeks

Charles will message martin "I've come across some pretty incredible suits that will allow for greatly enhanced strength. They should help with bigger construction projects as well as the mining in Mariam. They're 15,000 each. Any thoughts?"

“Perhaps a test batch. 5. Or 10? Does this look like an opportunity to come back for more business later?”

"Either that or an opportunity to reverse engineer the technology. We'll see how relations develop from here"

“We should get our hands on at least one, if you can, for the opportunity to try our own hands at it if nothing else”

"I'll get five for now, we'll see what we can do with them and then decide from there"

2:38 PM

(Would that be coming out of personal budget or company funds?)

(Dealers choice on that one. Either way is acceptable)

(I'll pay for my personal one out of my funds and the rest + the free one from company funds

(Perfect). A private message from rho thanks you for your order and your ship will be loaded with the cargo. (You’ve got room for one more stop should you make one)

(Did they have anything else of interest to sell, just while I'm on a shopping spree)

(They’ve for actual full size mechs but they’re built to order. You’d be shown like a catalogue. The ones they have here now are all being used)

(ok cool, good to know)

On a private channel your contacts on Miriam will alert you that they’ve dealt with the raiders and incorporated those from the city dome not part of the raiding force into their own population. The enemy dome has been dismantled for building material and work on their city ark is going forward ahead of schedule

2:51 PM

You’ve been named a hero of the people for your contributions

Charles will message back thanking them and saying that he will visit when he next gets a chance

After a brief time fixing the ship, which goes quickly with the wealth of parts provided, Rho and alpha invite you to explore what they call the deep storage vault with them

Excited by this possibility, Charles jumps at the chance. "So what kind of stuff is down there"

“It’s an old surface to space missile silo complex. Right now we are using it to simulate life aboard a void habitat, and we are analyzing it to learn more efficient construction practices”

"a void habitat? Do you have the capabilities to build something like that"

“We did before the disaster and we would like to try again. For now we are continuing research. It’s the getting to space that holds us back”

"Well that is something my people are looking into and should be able to help with"

You’re taken into a large cave dig into the mountain the installation rests against, the testing track ring and now the worm corpses seem very far away. There is a shudder as the thick blast doors, each the size of a small building open. “We have been researching the effects living in a confined environment has on people and mirroring building to try to prevent some of those psychological issues. If you’ll accompany us down we can show you the actual plans

"So how long have people been down here and what's the worst you've seen. My plans for living in space give people the opportunity to return to the surface whenever they desire"

“We started this project pre scream but in the last year or so it’s become even more critical. We have had a few psychotic episodes but it was seen among those with the heavier duties.” You find yourself in an observation booth overlooking the now empty missile magazine. The space is cavernous and hanging out over the silo space is a honeycomb looking structure. A central command module is ringed by other identical geometric shapes, each responsible for a different function of life there

"Wow this is pretty incredible" Charles says in awe of the structure. "And this is pretty much ready to go to space if you can get it there?"

“We would build another with heavier duty materials, this is a test module but the design would be nearly identical”

"Interesting. How many people does it hold?"

“100 can be sustained aboard indefinitely with the inbuilt support modules but the capacity is closer to 300 when outside shipments of food and other necessities are available0

6:49 PM

“The outer surfaces of the honeycomb can all be extended to house lighters and other cargo runners, though they’ll be outside”

"This is truly incredible. What conclusions have you come to regarding life in a void habitat? Is it sustainable?

“It is as long as their psychological needs are attended to. Keeping them well supplied is essential but it can be done”

“The plans are yours as thanks for your help with the beasts use them well”

"I will thank you. Hopefully we can collaborate on building one of these around your planet." Charles heads back to the ship to rest

(Should have sils thing done soon and we can figure out next steps. The cargo hold is getting pretty full)

(No problem, I'm thinking of heading back to Gudrun with the cargo soon anyway)

(How much cargo are we talking about?)

(The mining laser, the set of exosuits Charles bought, they’re going to be transferring some biological material in sealed containers from the worms as well for study. There’s room for a bit more but it’s close I do believe. I can get some hard numbers when I get back to my computer tonight if you want. Easier to go way back in the messages there

(We have 80 tons of cargo space. I see vechicles and tanks and mechs take up a a lot of space, so I understand now.)

With the ship full of cargo and and a planet on the verge of hostilities, @sutpour withdraws to the ship- now fully repaired. It’s a short spike jump of one day back to Gudrun, where the information gathered during the expedition is voraciously collected for analysis 6xp, 10,000 credits

Charles will organise taking all of his cargo down to the workshop to have the men analyse it. He will then catch up with what he missed

The time you were gone was quiet here. Martin got some plans organized for cargo lighters to begin the first stage of your trade plan, and has been trying to keep the lines of communication open with your Taros business partners. The first shipment of cybernetic parts have been delivered just recently (edited)

Great! Where are we on the resources for the first space station? Iirc there was work being done on mining ships and such but I don't know how far they got

They’ve got five mining ships now collecting for the colony and for you. There’s enough to get the station together. More people have also been employed for on planet mining as well

8:59 AM

(All the harvesting places doubled their workers)

Charles will then start working on how to go from the plans he was given to constructing the actual. Whether it is worth constructing it on the ground and then sending it up or whether it is better to do up in orbit. He will also send the plans to Herb so he can be kept up to date

It seems that orbital assembly would be easier as the shape of the whole unit would make a special launch vehicle necessary, though the modules could be built on the ground. Alternately for some experience in void construction the entire thing can be built and assembled in orbit. It’ll increase the construction time but may benefit the workers with some new skills

Is that including the use of the construction ships that were built a while ago when its in orbit

Yes. They’ll speed up the process. You’re looking at a month to go from nothing to fully operational if it’s built in space. (Workers will get a bonus towards future projects in space) Two weeks if on the ground. Cheaper and no bonus but faster

I think construction of the first part on the ground and then send it up into orbit so the workers have somewhere to live and then all in orbit from there

(I can make that work)

(It’s up to you on design. I’ll add the special features from nova industries after and they won’t add to the cost or power use)

So for the design I've had a look and all I really think should be included are 4 or 5 cargo lighters, some lifeboats, and extended life support. The rest should just be dedicated to cargo space with the availablity to grow and a mobile factory for repair and orbital construction

(Sounds good. I’ll toss a handout up tonight). Martin will take a team to make the cargo lighters, freeing up the rest for actual station work

(handout is up and can be edited)

I added what it comes with, still plenty of power and hard points left

interstellar_shipyard.xlsx

187.92 KB

I was working on a small station but a large one is even better. Looks great to me!

5:29 AM

Hard points and stuff can be added over time but there's no threat in space at the minute so I don't think they're necessary yet

Awesome. And yes some regular modules use it too but you’ve got plenty. That’s a good thing though you might have more ideas later

5:30 AM

Or want to mount some big beefy gun

Yeah and with it being a large station it's likely to start getting used for other functions. I just don't know what yet

The starting module goes into production and is expected to be ready for launch in a few days, freeing you up for other projects

Before starting any other projects Charles will check up on his brother to see how he is adapting to life

Harry is working with Jexad to try and get a sense of where his boundaries are both in the sense of what he could do before that he can’t now, and vice versa. He seems to be in better spirits than when you last left him , making animated small talk about the new things he and Jexad have been trying

12:43 PM

He is eager to return to something of a routine

"Great well I'm planning on heading to a nearby planet soon and setting up a branch of my organisation out on Miriam to focus on some mining efforts. Do you want to tag along"

“Yes. It would be nice to spend some time away from all this and get my bearings again. When are you leaving?”

"Next day or so, as soon as I can sort out transport and some other logistics"

1:04 PM

(My plan is to take the new mech suits and the mining laser across to Miriam and hire some locals to do all the mining of those alien ruins, selling some back to the local population for their ships and bringing some home to Gudrun)

(Great idea! If your current faction goal is expand influence you setting up a mining camp can accomplish that- and you’ll get the base of influence asset on Miriam. You’re already bringing the tools. )

(Not that the planet will be around much longer because of all the flooding but its worth trying haha.) So to organise this Charles will keep on suit on Gudrun to study and potentially reverse engineer, depending on where the colony stands on interstellar intellectual property, and will take the laser and some general mining gear, as well as buying one of the prefab buildings off the colony so they can set up a base outside the domes

With the corporations on rawani in such disarray and no unified government, they can’t really stop you if you choose to reverse engineer and export your own version. The Lawrence is loaded with the necessary cargo for the journey, mostly the prefab building, and is ready to leave

We'll study it anyway, and might in time replicate the technology for something else, but not copy the suits

4:27 AM

Great Charles will load his gear up and go find his brother to join him on the walk to the ship

Harry is there watching the cargo being loaded. The crates are being ratcheted Into the cargo bay. Jaxton boards the ship, waving to both of you

"You excited" Charles asks Harry as they're watching the ship

“Yes. I was reading up on where we are heading. Seems the family name is something of a big deal there”. He calls up some data on Miriam as he walks up the ramp.

"Well I did save their planet" Charles says with a smile. "Twice. They rewarded us with rights to extant materials from the old alien cities their culture was built on. The materials seemed pretty special to me and so we're going to establish a Trivedi outpost"

"Our name....the name of a company....You...you have a factory. You know, any minute now I am expecting to wake up." Despite the changes in his voice, you can hear the intense pride. "Let's go see that ice jewel then, Hero of the people" he nudges you in the side, perhaps a bit harder than he meant to, still not used to his own enhanced strength. A combar r

12:23 PM

A combat rifle slung over his shoulder, he enters the ship with you, and heads to the armory. "Charles, the bridge when you have a moment. I just want a second set of eyes when we get this thing in the air. I trust the work but this is our first true flight since the worm attack"\

After dumping his bags Charles heads to the bridge and takes the engineering desk, loading up the diagnostics. "We did a good job on the repairs so hopefully all will go well"

“I trust the work that YOU did, just can’t watch it all at once. Thanks for coming in. Here goes. “ After ensuring all is stowed and the personnel aboard are ready to depart, he points the ship skyward and hits the throttle. “110% efficiency on sublight engines....” he trails off. It’s two minutes of bumping and rattling before entering space. The main screen zooms in on a patch near the planet, thousands of KM away. The skeleton of the orbital station is coming together

"It's looking good isn't it?" Charles asks referencing the station. "I reckon we could start launching ships from there pretty soon. Save them fighting the atmosphere reentry every time"

“Anything bigger than this isn’t taking off again once we land it either. It’s a miracle we got that cruiser off the ground in the first place”. The course evens out and Jaxton begins pushing away from Gudrun, towards Miriam.

7:02 AM

The spike translation is successful and the following day you begin the landing approach. (If anything needs to be done during the travel day we can work that out)

Charles will study the suits to see if their technology can be put into Harry's body. Aside from that he will just spend the day relaxing from a busy few weeks

With Harry essentially being run out of a cybernetic core, a power suit or even a mech could be designed for him to link with. You’ve had success with a fleet ai already too, and though not installed on this ship, harry could provide that assisting role

Great it's something worth thinking about but probably shouldn't be done until he's more adjusted to his situation

Miriam is still the frost locked jewel you remember. The average temperature had gone up a few degrees since your last visit but seems to be rising less drastically now. Silent springs transmits landing navigation data

"Now there's something I hadn't thought about" Charles says as he and Harry are at the door waiting to disembark. "How will your body hold up to the cold"

“Everything’s pressure sealed. It wouldn’t impair my function at all. I think you’ll freeze before I do”

11:54 AM

The gang ramp extends as the ship lands between the silent springs dome and the ruins

"Come on I'll introduce you to some friends of mine" Charles says leading the way to find Karl

Karl and zam are first out of the dome at the news of the ship landing and are eagerly waiting at the base of the ramp. Other off shift workers cluster closer to the dome door, waving and cheering

"told you I was popular" Charles says to Harry before moving to embrace Karl and Zam

1:22 PM

"I've heard you've been having a good couple of weeks" he says to them

“Just happy the raids stopped” Karl says, releasing you from a large bear hug. “I see you’ve come for an extended stay this time” he points to the already lowering cargo lift

"I've got plans for those ruins you showed me last time, and a whole new Trivedi enterprise on this planet. Speaking of which allow me introduce my brother Harold, we call him Harry. Don't ask about the robot thing, it's a long story I'll tell you another time"

They nod and say no more on the subject of robots. “So what’s this new venture?0

"A mining venture. Strip this planet for everything we can before it floods and makes that infinitely more difficult. We've recently come into some new technology that should be able to help us. What I need is people on the ground to use it. Figured you would be a good person to talk to"

“I might even be able to find some workers. We realized our ark plan was kind of stupid...” zam says looking a bit dejected

6:00 PM

“Aye. Not sure what’ll happen once the climate change becomes irreversible.” Says Karl

"Lucky for you we've just started plans for a series of interconnected space stations. i'm sure a place for your people could be found sooner or later"

7:07 AM

(How many people live in Silent Springs?)

(700 now with the war captives being integrated)

7:09 AM

“Let’s hope. Until then it looks like we have work to do. So we are deconstructing the old city then?”

"That's the plan. Here come have a look at these exosuits and this laser. If they end up being useful we're in a position to buy more and expand the business later on" He will show them the capabilites of the new tech

It takes the afternoon to get everyone comfortable with the rudiments of it. They’re not as dexterous as you but they’re comfortable working with the machines. The blocks are moved easily enough and the laser greatly speeds up mining times.

7:37 AM

The cuts are clean and you can work with the material

"OK this looks good. Once the material is cut like this use the suits to transport it over to the storage warehouse, where it will either be sold to your people or transported home. Once an administrator is found, we can begin signing contracts and things like that"

There a small pile of what why call trivedium by the end of the demo shift. Several of the people here would like to experiment with it, and the cargo hold of the Lawrence can accommodate a few days of mining

Charles is more than happy to let people experiment while he gets things up and running. His first job is to find a manager for the Miriam branch with Karl being his first choice

Karl and zam are warming themselves by a fire during a break in the work that evening. They offer a tin cup of what smells strongly of alcohol when you get close enough

Charles takes a hearty swig of the cup. "That doesn't half warm you up" he grunts. "What do you think of the new systems? He asks

“It’s light years beyond anything we had here even before the deep freeze. This could really turn into a coup on the materials market”

“If this lasts even for a short term, the tools we could make...weapons...armor...even homes. Something made out of this could withstand a twister, hurricane , blizzard. You name it”

"Yeah there are loads of potential uses for it which means a lot of demand which means a lot of work needs to be done. How do you fancy running my operations on this planet" he asks nonchalantly

“I’m getting too hold to be skulking about these ruins. My boy is a young adult but he still needs his dad. I’d love to run your operations here. When do we start?0

"As soon as you finish that drink" Charles says with a wink

He drains it and splashes the few remaining drops into the fire. “I’ll organize the men into shifts. Keep this going around the clock. I’ll make sure they stay in line and that the depots stay secure. Might even be able to sell some of it on world. The Hub, further west keeps on growing. They’re determined to ignore the climate changes it seems”

"Good man. This will be good for everyone involved. I'm trying to get freighters up and running as soon as I can so we can start trading on other worlds but until then suply runs might be few and far between. If it gets to the point where we need more suits or more lasers let me know and I'll se what I can do"

“I’ll keep an eye on the melt too. A lot of starports here got buried before they could get everything offworld. I’d bet zam’s good arm there’s some ships down there”

"Now there's something that you hadn't mentioned earlier. Is there a map or something that could direct us to them"

“With some better navigation tools I can probably plot where exactly we are. Being above all the landmarks and former residential areas I can tell you roughly what city and what district lies below us, but if we are digging down into something it needs to be exact”

"Yeah that makes sense. Maybe something to work on as a side project to the main mining. We're going to need to start building our own ships sooner or later anyway so might as well start now"

“I’ll try to get a better fix on where exactly we are too. I’ll have plenty of time at night I expect. Thanks for the job too. Means a lot to me to be incorporated into an organization that’s going places”

Karl makes an announcement to the others that he is the main man on campus now, and the following day the hold of the Lawrence is packed with ore

The timing could not be better. The message is short, due to the distance, but it states that Tenebrian Remnant scouts have been captured near the colony. They're not sure if there is a fleet nearby or not but they want more of everything, ships, planes, tanks, and most lucratively, a firm to help fortify the colony

Charles will apologise to Karl for having to leave so suddenly and will head straight back to Gudrun, spending the time designing fortifications

The Lawrence comes to a halt the following afternoon at the colonial spaceport. Loaders and porters stand by to help unload the packed cargo hold, the building chunks neatly laid on pallets

1:23 PM

The report shows the enemy pathfinders were relatively well equipped

Over comms Charles says to Martin "put all projects on halt. We have to help fortify Gudrun. I'm forwarding plans through now. Put half the team on building turrets, the other half on towers and walls". The plans include designs for remotely operated sentry turrets, defence towers, and walls. Charles will have coordinated with military command to ensure that they're put in strategic places

(What kind of turrets like anti air?)

(I was just thinking anti personnel, but yeah anti air would be good as well. Maybe some of both?)

(Sure! So kellevan will help, figuring out strategic rooftops and places around the colony. Your ship projects can continue if you’d like them to. Trade ships still win wars)

(I wasn't sure how urgent the threat was. It sounded a bit like there was an army marching on the colony at that minute, hence why I put everything else on hold)

(Well they don’t know. That’s part of the challenge here. I know you’re only getting part of the info though. So let’s say the ships and docks are still going. Everyone else will get those blocks fashioned into fortifications)

4:12 PM

(They’re working on getting more info now. They captured an enemy shuttle and a half squad of soldiers. Just Waiting on Saul as they decide what to do with it)

(Cool cool, sounds like a plan. In the meantime, Charles will begin experimenting with the new materials he's brought back)

4:22 PM

(I'm trying to get an image in my head of what it's like. Like a super strong carbon fibre type thing?)

While the factory busies itself with preparing for the coming war, Charles returns with a cargo hold full of the wonderous material )and yes exactly. It can be woven, cut, formed into whatever shape. It’s very very resistant to tears and punctures, so anything short of a laser failing to mine it makes sense. Heat seems to allow the material to fuse together too once it hits the right shape) (edited)

4:25 PM

(The ruins had very thick walls but if you’re making armor or like aircraft bodies or something you wouldn’t need anything close to that thickness)

Charles wants to try using it as the outer hull for vehicles. He will first try to replace the hull panels on the apc he captured (one of the first things I did. The helldiver apc from the battle around delphos, which as far as I know has just been sat around ever since) with the new material

(Yeah it’s just been in storage basically). The material is cut into panels and within a few hours it is completely re-skinned. You can see it rise a bit off its axles as the lighter material is installed

"Right lets give this thing a whirl." Charles turns to his brother, "go and get a gun to shoot at the APC while I drive it round"

9:21 AM

"It'll be fun"

Harry walks over the the weapons cabinet used for testing and telescopes the stock of a cut down combat rifle. He loads it and waits for you to board. In his other hand he has a heavy machine gun also used for testing and normally a weapon like that could cause some damage to a light vehicle like this

"alright just aim away from my face" Charles asks over the headset. "I'm going to drive it around a bit, test out how it handles, then we'll see how it is defensively." Charles begins driving the vehicle around the test field, looking for new levels of speed and manuverability

The speed is improved on straightways and on turns when the break is applied it corners much faster. Overall the reduction in weight had improved it

Harry begins firing with the combat rifle. The small arms fire sparks as the plates are hit. The new material ripples as the impact force is robbed from the shots. Nothing punches through. He loads a belt into the heavy machine gun and does the same. The larger rounds dent plating and a few from higher angles actually penetrate but normally a weapon like that would cause far more damage

Pulling the apc up next to Harry, Charles climbs out. "Well it looks like the material is going to be very useful for vehicles. I'll talk to the administration, see what they think about replacing most of our vehicles with this stuff" Charles says, messaging Franz to ask him if there is interest in retrofitting most of the vehicles the colony uses

6:32 AM

Specifically things like scout rovers and quick moving vehicles

The cargo trucks and the scout rover are the first things that can be pulled off the line but he also suggests making the trains out of it for more speed

Calculating the cost for the refit of all colony ground vehicles in government service, the contract is worth 500,000 credits to your agency.

Charles messages Martin to tell him to start the arrangements and hire more staff if necessary. He also messages Karl to tell him of the increased demand. Turning to his brother he says "with all that dealt with ive got a fair bit of time on my hands before these things are done. So how are you handling everything?" he asks

“I’m actually adjusting” harry Says with as much enthusiasm as his speaker can allow. “Jexad helped a lot. He was trying to show me how to really emphasize the positives of this new form and really...I’m lucky to be back at all. I certainly prefer this to the alternative. It’s a second life and this is a chance almost no one gets”

"That's good to hear. Have you had any more thoughts on what you want to do with yourself. You're more than welcome to stick around with me but if there was something else you wanted to do youd have my support"

“I promised I’d watch over you and I died doing it once. I have a second chance to do that now. I want to keep you safe little brother. You and our sister. Besides, your friends are some truly interesting people. I feel like if I want to see the galaxy the best way to make that happen is with you”

Charles smiles to his brother. "Glad to hear it. If that's the case then were going to need to find a bigger place. The apartment was cramped when it was just me and Mira, not that you take up much space mind you" he says with a grin. "Not to mention we've been making all this money and have yet to splurge it"

“I saw there’s still quite a few of those building kits left over down in colonial storage. We should get a couple. They can do some amazing designs with them now. Maybe even a gravcar for us to get around the complex quick”

"Absolutely, this whole walking business is so old school" he laughs as they head off towards the storage centre

2:53 PM

(as a note are there personal cars in abundance yet? Like the level we would see in real life)

(There’s a few. Kelbore has started making money hand over fist selling hoverbike and regular motor cycles. Only a few cars and most are for officia govt use

The storage facility is busy and there is already a foundation for a flak tower dug next to it when you arrive.

"People are getting busy with these defences" Charles muses to nobody in particular as he walks. Inside he will find some sort of request desk, or even just a receptionist, and say "Hi there, I'm interested in building my own hab and wondered how much Prefab buildings cost"

“The large size is 15,000 right now and we have six available. They’re equivalent in size to the ground and first floors of an office building. The smaller are the size of a medium Home and are 5,000”

"Two small?" Charles says looking at Harry for confirmation

“That should be plenty” harry nods. “I don’t take up much space anyway”

Turning back to the storage manager, Charles says "two it is then", with a smile. "Don't suppose youve got any grav cars for sale either?" he adds

“Only trucks that pass through are the ones you designed for the central colony use.” He pauses for a moment, listening to his ear bead. “Ah, got just the thing. Almost forgot bout these. Almost no one has the technical skill to put it together”. A skid is brought out with an oblong crate strapped down to it. It’s a vehicle kit.

5:01 PM

“One of them collector kit cars. Comes with grav plates but if you’re a true connoisseur there are tyres included “

Raising an eyebrow Charles agrees to buying the two habs and the classic car. "Can you have them shipped to my facility as soon as possible please"

“They’ll be there within the hour. Enjoy the rest of your walk mr trivedi” the clerk smiled

7:49 AM

(So you can decide how it looks. Even if you want like a modern supercar that would be a classic by year 2500)

Charles seems like a land rover defender kind of guy

10:50 AM

Lots of room in the back for his shit

A small hand held device that comes with it projects the Land Rover design onto the factory floor with sub projections for the engine and various internal components. It will take about a day to assemble

"Care to help me" Charles asks his brother as he goes about collecting the materials necessary

Harry begins laying out tools and comparing some of the prefab parts to where they belong on the projected schematic.

Getting to work Charles starts putting together the pieces, using Harry as his heavy lifting machinery

Harry assists and as the day drags on, you finish the Land Rover around midnight. The powerful headlights illuminate the Trivedi inc sign on the wall in sterile white/blue light

"Well neither of us ever learned to drive properly but on a positive note when we crash the car we now know how to fix it" Charles says climbing into the drivers seat

“It can’t be that hard” harry says, stepping in as the door open warning chimes. “If I had actual joints I’d say this is comfy”

"You're always looking for something to complain about aren't you. Come on let's go for a tour, find somewhere to put the new house"

he shuts the door, and the car smoothly comes to life as you hit the ignition button. A small navigation screen pops up. "Well, most of the residences are to the west and south, away from the factories and fields. The market is in the middle of it all, so we might have a bit of a hike no matter what we decide to do"

"Well now weve got the car it doesn't really matter where we put it, we can get back to the factory pretty quickly. Besides I've spent most of the past year in the factory district. It will be nice to see the rest of the city for once"

3:53 PM

(I went with the grav car rather than the traditional btw)

(it can hover up to 10m, and cross water)

(Are you trying to suggest a boat house?)

(no i just meant you technically made a land-sea rover)

3:57 PM

"Well, we have a few choices" harry says looking at some open property listings " Theres a small foothill to the west, near the solar farm, a new hab subdivision, where the houses are a bit larger to the south, and a nice lakefront property downstream of the water purification plant, also to the south. might be able to get some fishing in there

(even cooler haha)

4:51 PM

"I think get ourselves all set up in a new hab subdivision would be the best call. It might be nice to try the suburban life for a little while"

"Very good. Let's take a look at the lot then". A map appears on the main screen

5:01 PM

The suburban lot is tree lined along the back of the property, the trees facing the south side. The lot faces north, towards the colony. The homes around it are more expansive. A few have swings out in the yard or other playground equipment. Moving in from the treeline, there is a small retention pond in the southwest corner of the yard, and there are large leafy trees left around the west, and east sides of the property as well, forming a natural fence against neighbors, though you could walk between the trunks if needed

"This looks unbelievable!" Charles says admiring the plot. "Not many people would have guessed the Trivedis would end up somewhere like this. I'll speak to the administration in the morning and get the paperwork sorted out, before we begin building"

Harry drops a pin on the public survey map indicating an interest in the property. The accessor will reach out by morning- the automated message replies. The storehouse has promised to deliver the kits whenever you’re ready

Charles will spend the next day building the house with Harry and his sister, using the style to mesh Gudrun style with their home planets style

(What does that look like, contemporary modern or something)

2:07 PM

That sort of vibe with an Indian/middle Eastern accent to it. Persian rugs rich, colours

2:07 PM

A good blend of minimalism and opulence

oh badass

2:12 PM

The home exterior is completed in a day. Some work needs to be done inside wiring, and cleaning, and finally furnishing, but the outside is complete. Some factory workers who were not yet due for tasking are pulled to help speed things up.

Charles will leave the factory workers to work on the second day and allow his brother and sister to set up the inside. What is Charles knowledge of the Tenebreans on the planet?

Charles would, during the night, be given a copy of the interrogation report (so the info from sauls group text) and a rendering of the titan-class ship that Silvano saw in one of his visions

Ok Charles will call a meeting with Greenbriar heads to talk about the possibility of infiltrating Aslief and potentially causing a revolution there. These Tenebreans threaten Charles's dream of interstellar trade, not to mention threatening some of his friends. He wants to stop them

Kincaid approves the meeting almost right away, several higher level meetings have taken place already, so when the call comes, it is just the president herself. The information is relayed quick, and boils down to task force phoenix is leaving at the end of the week with a small fleet of ships. Asleif, a newly discovered night world has a population of former warriors, mandate veterans from a long ago war given their own planet to settle. Their prisons have been emptied by the Remnant to be used as slave soldiers, and although the remnant did not leave a garrison, they promised their press gangs would return

2:39 PM

The task force is sending ships there to try to catch them on the wrong foot, or possibly even liberate prisoners

Charles absolutely wants to be a part of that mission, but would rather adapt a stealthly approach

2:41 PM

(Should I take this into Seung s chat?)

(Sure, you can send him a message there. The lawrence can be part of the expedition, or you can accompany him on his flagship, ill let you two work out the details)

(Does he have a spaceship?)

(long story short he had a lot of money and his absence from the game covered a few months of game time, we decided during this time his experts, under his supervision have made a few light vessels and now he's getting ready to essentially be a privateer for the colony)

(Cool cool, if he agrees Charles will try and develop some stealth technology for their ship. Make them invisible to sensors so they can sneak planetside)

(awesome, we will see what he says) You'd also have been told of a new shuttle variant, captured when the scouts were apprehended. It's being held in a secure hangar, and both you and Kelbore are permitted to investigate it for technical knowledge

Then Charles will head over there to take a look at it

2:49 PM

Messaging kelbore on the way to see if he wants to join

Kelbore is happy you are willing to collaborate, even though you are competing in the field of business, and you both arrive at the secure hangar roughly around the same time. Inside, there is a matte gray shuttle the body coated in hexagons of radar absorbent film. A single door on the port side seems to be the only way in.

"Haven't seen tech this advanced since we found the first sylth ships" Charles says taking a walk around the shuttle. "So how has business been?"

"Not bad. We have been selling some motorbikes now that there is a bit more material to go around, the people seem to be into it. Got a couple starship wrecks raised from the bottom we are going to be refurbing too since your folks are busy fortifying the city. Those flak towers make me feel far safer"

"Well if you want to help with the big boy work" Charles says with a playful wink, "and fancy your hand in the private sector we can always use a man of your experience". His tone is joking but kelbore would be able to tell that he means the offer.

"Might take you up on that if things get worse" he says, he can grasp your tone. The ladder comes down, and he begins climbing up the short ramp inside. You hear him make a long whistle of appreciation.

"Fancy stuff?" Charles asks referring to the ship while he inspects the outer film to see if it is possible to port it to greenbriar ships

You climb aboard and notice the wrenched open door, and the severed wires where the AI pilot had been removed. "Looks like the soldiers were kept in cryo. Ablatve gel poured in through that top port there to cushion the impact, and an AI pilot to keep the life signs aboard at zero. It's a tomb ship..."he says under his breath

"A tomb ship? They must have come from further afield than Asleif. Wouldn't have been necessary otherwise. Pretty brutal regardless

“They cryo them, load the shuttle onto a Mother ship. It spikes in, launches it at the planet on a collision course. Mother ship leaves before they’ve any idea if it made it or not. Shuttle isn’t giving off any power or life signs until it’s about to hit. Looks like a meteor or falling orbital debris”

"Sneaky bastards. Of course we could always use the same tech on them." now that he's inside does Charles see much salvageable from the ship aside from its stealth system

The design itself is replicatable especially with all the cryopod from colonists available. A simple ai pilot can easily be reinstalled.

"We've already got an Ai developed for colony ships, we'd just need to add it to this. Its a lot of work to get it ready by the end of the week though. Might be easier with the two of us"

“I think so too. How about I arrange for one of the frigates to head to your workshop. We can each take one and split analysis of the shuttle”

"Sounds like a fair deal. We might even settle which of our teams is better once and for all" Charles says

“Let’s hope we are around to see the result” Kelbore Says. “Heck of a piece of engineering we have here”

"It really is. Right lets get to work reverse engineering it"

“Remember that lab we made out in the desert when greystar first got in touch with us? Maybe we should fly it there so we can spread the pieces out”

"Not a bad plan." Can a human pilot it or will we need an ai pilot

Either one, the AI is used for infiltration since it doesn't give off a life sign, but youre not too concerned about that right now

The shuttle takes off on engines that are near silent, with you and kelbore aboard (along with harry if you;d like him to stick with you). It' s a few hour flight to the lab, and once landing its quickly pushed inside.

9:04 AM

power comes on, along with the computing equipment left there

(Yeah Harry is there) "Right let's get this thing stripped right the way back. Be extra careful part with the stealth kit, don't want to break it before we work it out"

(Godlike fix with int)

(16)

Charles, Kelbore and Harry spend a day slowly unfastening the Radar absorbent material from the shuttle. The inside is a standard shuttle frame with modifications for cryosleepers and a modest armory for the troops once docked.

11:53 AM

The material itself is made of a blend of graphite and rubber, formed into honeycomb shapes to disrupt incoming radar waves

How does the shuttle compare to our current fleet?

“The stealth technology is far in advance of where we are right now. The material blend is far beyond our current metallurgical abilities”

"Well let's see what we can learn from it. Do you reckon we'll be able to copy the metals once we work them out, or are they that far ahead of us"

“It’ll take a few practice forgings to get the exact ratios right but I think we can copy it now that we have something to compare it to. This is quite a savage intelligence coup”

"Definitely. This along with the stuff we're mining on Miriam will give us a lot more opportunities for building. I don't think I've shown you much of that stuff. I'll give you a demo some time and put you in contact with my man on the ground"

“I appreciate your willingness to play fair Charles. I’ve got some psi engineers coming to my factory in the next few days. Once they start development I’ll have you down and you can take a look. I wish I could offer more”

"Were all on the same team really. Might be on different parts of that team, but it's still the same"

“I’d expect more ships to be coming in soon. The admiralty is working to raise more wrecks”

"Good good. I always kept meaning to go back to them but you know what it's like around here. Always busy"

“They’ve given up their independence to join us. And I’ve a feeling we are going to crew many of our ships with their sailors

"Very true. Anyway let's get to work. We'll have to move fast if we're going to have this ready by the time Seung wants to ship off at the end of the week" (edited)

The next two days are a blur as the three of you copy everything inside the shuttle, using photos, video, and several scans. Putting it back together is difficult but you feel as though you could reproduce something like it in future

Great the ship will be delivered to Seung so that he can take it with him on his expedition. What do we know of the other three planets mentioned in Sauls original message

Troop replenishment at Asleif Trade route between parkika and sumati- Food/clothing/fuel Khuck- Shipyard- slyth ship research, capital ship foundry

3:37 PM

That is what was verified after the Remnant sergeant's testimony, later verified in intention by Cass, and Sil was also able to verify it through the use of some of his powers

Your workers in orbit also report that the superstructure of the space platform is complete, they are working on the internals now, laying deck plates and wiring

Herb catches wind of the structure going into place in orbit, and asks Charles in a message if he still wants to collaborate on an orbital facility

Charles is interested in checking out Khuck and will try to coordinate it for the same time as the Asleif raid so that the remenants do not have time to alert the other planet about our activities. It is charles' plan to approach the planet acting as a ship buyer, before hacking their systems and downloading all of their data on Slyth ships and capital ship production

5:11 AM

Charles messages @Donk978 back and says "Yes absolutely. We're working on the shell at the minute and when that is done we could use your help making it liveable inside"

5:12 AM

Also given the size of the facitlity some of the space could easily be sold to Dank Crew to do whatever they want with. Orbital coffeeshop anyone?

Yes. One of the decks could be leased or sold to them. You’re also able to assemble a crew if you’d like to (posing as a wealthy planetary governor maybe?) to try to gain access to the shipyard/mess with their plans

5:42 AM

We can make deck plans depending on now ambitious we feel but an arx station is very large so there is a ton of room

I'd be open to renting or buying space in a large station, provided it is space I can manufacture ships in. I have big plans for ships that live in orbit.

That would be a very large fitting so you guys may need to clean tk an agreement on that

5:52 AM

It’s a big power and mass use

Yeah assembling a team might be a good idea. Maybe get them from Miriam so that there is less of a link to Gudrun

6:22 AM

Yeah I wanted an orbital shipyard at some point so a joint one would make more sense

Karl and zam both have proven infiltrator skills and the people from silent springs are battle hardened thanks to the help you gave them

Charles will send Karl a message asking him to assemble a team for an infiltration mission against the Remenant, before sending a message to important members of the colony asking if any would like to join

(I think pretty much everyone is away but we will see who comes out of the woodwork). Karl and zam are getting a chosen team together of people they’d fought the pinepearch raiders with. Jexad (the mechanical slyth) would like to go so he can help keep an eye on harry

(Yeah I still thought their mission was in the planning stage and some people joining mine would make it more manageble) Charles will enquire as to whether any of the reclaimed Slyth ships are available for him to use for the mission. Preferably something with speed

(The colony fleet handout is up to date now) there are three corvettes, Lady Valeria being the most recently completed

8:58 AM

The cruiser is home as well if you’d like something heavier, as is the Lawrence

I think try the Lady Valeria out for a spin

8:59 AM

Ill try and avoid a fight if possible and thatll be easier without the cruiser

9:00 AM

(Out of interest where do the ships stand on cyber warfare. Is it one of those things where they're all so protected from it that it becomes redundant)

(Your fleet Ai can go some way toward shielding them from that. The actual station chiefs would have to hopefully be trained in getting through hacking/jamming)

9:10 AM

(So a virus might complicate things but it won’t be like battlestar galactica where you have ships spinning aimlessly in the void waiting to be killed

(Also, arimoto, judge , and lily are on planet right now if you’re looking for Pc help)

(Cool cool, something to think about. I'll wait and see what those three say before leaving but charles will go about his preparations). The first thing he wants to do is see if he can get his hands on something like remnant datapads or comms consoles so that he can get an understanding of their encryption protocols and build a program that will let him get all of the data off their systems without the security being alerted

The soldiers did not have any comm gear outside of what was given to the shuttle, but that is at the colonial starport and can be further analyzed. The sergeant is assumed to be unhelpful but the soldiers themselves were former slaves pressed into service. They may be more amicable to talking

Charles will then download as much data as possible off the shuttle before going and talking to the former soldiers

You can see the shuttle is connected to a communication satellite stealthily launched at the edge of the system. Silvano and Saul have hacked it so any comms coming in meant for the ground troops (who they don’t know have been captured) will be intercepted

Charles will then try to learn all he can about Tenebrean systems from what is left of the shuttles systems

Their systems are largely meant to be disposable. One time cyphers are installed in the ship, presuming the codes would be changed with each completed mission to make cracking classified comms harder. In a system like this, there is a master code file somewhere out in the universe. It would need to be captured to have a chance at true decryption

Charles then gives up on his plan of hacking the data on site and now plans to simply download as much encrypted data as possible and will simply decrypt it once back on Gudrun

Aboard the ship there are examples of some unique gear they were also carrying. One thing in particular is called a flop rifle

10:19 AM

It’s end is forked like a trident, and menacing blue energy crackles between the points

Leaving the shuttle Charles will take the new rifle to the firing range before giving it a go

The rifle appears not to hurt metal. The trident head fires, lodging into the target with the tips of its tines “I have an idea” Harry says, “I’m analyzing the spectrum of energy coming off it. That can stun anything organic”

10:33 AM

“Do we have...anyone we can try it on?” If he were organic he would be giggling right now

Giving him the most disapproving look anybody has ever seen Charles hands him the rifle. "If youre sure this will only stun" he says before walking in front of the target, presenting himself as the new target

“Oh boy” Harry somehow even in the flat monotone of his new voice makes his hesitation come through. “Sirs!? Martin says seeming to ghost into the chamber. There is a pop and a clatter as Martin falls to the floor, out cold. The trident retracts. The decanter and glasses he was carrying have not shattered, but are rolling across the factory bay

“He’s alright” Harry says feeling for a pulse. “Should be up in a moment”

"Did you just shoot my assistant manager" Charles asks his brother, seemingly even less impressed than he was a moment earlier

“He startled me” harry begins cleaning up, picking up the decanter and cups

11:32 AM

Martin props himself up on his elbows. Groaning

"Well at least we didn't kill him." Kneeling beside Martin Charles says "how you feeling there buddy?"

“Little woozy. The hell is that thing?”

"We found it on the remnant shuttle, figured we'd give it a go but didn't expect company. How about you take the rest of the day off, as well as tomorrow"

“I’ll do that. Thanks boss. We should copy that. That’s a nifty little trick. I actually feel alright now”

"Yeah could be worth selling to police and security forces"

He stands up and leaves the decanter behind for you, along with a notice from the colony to expect delivery of a salvaged cruiser in two days. (So a 2nd one for the fleet once it’s done)

Charles will ensure a team is assigned to repair the cruiser when it comes in. When the workshop has quietened out for the day he will get to work on building a blackslab

3:02 PM

(I'm assuming he has knowledge of them from his backstory but due to their illegality he hasn't tried to build one yet)

(Yeah id agree. You don’t go flashing illicit electronics about)

Charles has access to a post tech workspace and plenty of parts. After four hours of work the device is sealed, the final screws are set and it powers up for the first time

Herb hits up Trivedi on sub etha coms from the fuel depot on the way to Aslief. "Hey there CHarles, glad to hear the station is coming along well, let me know if you need any components! I can see what I can do to discount what you pay. Additionally, I am looking to purchase significant space in the station, including manufacturing bays and docking space. More immediately, however, I have a pressing question: what is the highest level you could, with money as no object, creat a spike drive of? I understand that without certain non frontier (read pretech) facilities nothing beyond level 3 can be created. is that accurate?" (edited)

Charles replies to Herb "level 2 is the most advanced we've created but with enough time and resources I dont see why we couldn't build a level 3"

8:13 AM

(I think thats right anyway)

(It’s true)

So with the completion of his blackslab charles will spend the next day relaxing with his workers and getting his house in order before preparing the lawrence for his mission

(Literally getting your house in order)

10:05 AM

Charles, and family finally get to spend a day enjoying a slice of suburban life in their new home

Its the typical day with the family. Relaxing, arguing, and a game of Monopoly Gudrun Edition followed by Charles getting annoyed for being a titan of industry getting beaten at monopoly and going to bed early

The following day you arrive at the factory. The Lawrence is inside, somehow cleaner than you have ever seen it

Charles will order his pilot to go through pre flight checks, especially on the spike drive, given that it has undergone recent upgrades, but will remain ambiguous to the details. While this is happening he will load up his gear

“Sir. I. I don’t understand it but it’s running at 300% of normal output. And climbing.

12:21 PM

“RPMs and temps look good. Not sure what you did but it runs like a dream”

"Just working my usual magic, you know me, always looking to improve. Keep this to yourself for now though, don't want it getting around"

12:22 PM

(I'm now hoping Charles had all employees sign NDAs)

(Id assume that’s standard with other factories in town)

The ship warms up as you finish packing for he trip. Harry makes to board the ramp, still carrying the flop rifle

"No shooting anybody with that" Charles says as he comes aboard

1:48 PM

Charles looks to the observation tower to try and see if Martin shows any signs of a recurring twitch

Martin is his normal self. The shock incapacitated him for a few moments but did no lasting damage to his body. “Am I with you or running the factory?” He asks, looking down at his own datapad.

"Stick here this time. This mission too sensitive for somebody without field experience but if you want to start working in the field I can definitely find space for you on future ops"

“I’ll get working on that cruiser then. Seems we have some orders for tugs coming in too. Charles we just broke five million in profit this month...”

"Well damn" Charles says taking a moment to take it all it. "Take whatever would be set aside for me and give it to the staff as bonuses. They work hard and dont get enough"

“That’s...that’s awfully generous of you” he appears white taken aback. “I’ll keep things running. Be safe out there”

"And you" Charles says before boarding the ramp to settle into his quarters

2:26 PM

The first stop for the Lawrence is Miriam

2:29 PM

"This is the kind of mad expedition I named this ship for" Charles says to his brother when they are aboard. "Lawrence of Arabia. From the legends. A man exploring the unknown. Something we never thought we'd do"

“Man makes plans, and god laughs” harry quotes from the memoirs

The ship arrives at Miriam smoothly, the drive working perfectly. It spools down, throwing power to sunlight and you’re on the snowy surface before silent springs in no time

Finding Karl and Zam, Charles will brief them on the mission and ask how their preparations in finding people to come along have gone

10:19 AM

Charles will also introduce them to @Selnath from Greenbriar who had volunteered to come on the mission

Arimoto gives a shallow bow. "Well met. Here's hoping this goes as smoothly as planned."

Karl and zam, the father-son scout team, have found three others who may be able to assist, a skilled programmer, and two of the other scouts he has worked with before. They’ve taken the liberty of procuring an impeccably tailored formal suit for the heist, to better cement your role as a (faux) governor

"OK so my plan is for one group to focus on distracting the remnant and the other to infiltrate the site and recover records. Arimoto, you seem a stealthy guy, do you want to lead the infiltration team and I'll lead the distraction. You take the computer engineer and I'll tech them how to use my system on the trip there"

11:48 AM

"Ideally we do this with no violence but protect yourself if necessary"

Arimoto rubs his chin. "Seems reasonable. So our goal will be to reach some computer system and... Do some kind of computerization to it, and then get out. How long do we think it's going to take?"

11:57 AM

He squints a bit. "You know, the whole... Calculation algorithm for computational mathematics part of it."

"I've got no idea. It's a new system and it's not exactly what one could describe as legal so I didn't want to test it out. I think it's a case of plug it in for as long as you can and we'll take what we can get. The longer the better"

"Okay well that's easy enough, I trust you have a distraction plan already?"

"Nothing so overt, just pretending to be a big buyer and hopefully all their attention will be on me rather than you"

"Ah I see. Well all the more for us to remain quiet about the whole thing then."

"That's the plan. I especially dont want to put Miriam or ourselves in danger based on this"

Zam and Karl help load the ship with supplies for the trip. One of those items, a long mahogany box is presented to Arimoto

"Ah thank you, this must be from Pops." Arimoto opens the box carefully.

Inside is a scabbard, containing an elegant katana, polished to a mirror sheen. The blade is decorated with elegant etchings of vines, long legged roosting birds, and the koi species native to the world. The entire blade is a piece of art, but deadly

7:17 PM

(its a new damascus blade, giving you +2 to hit and +2 damage)

Arimoto admires the artwork, and laments that few will see it and live. "Seems someone knows how to make swords... I'll have to pay him a visit when we get back." He works to rearrange his swords during the travel time. ((There's no like penalty for fighting with one in each hand and one in my mouth like the guy from One Piece is there?))

(not that i can see in the book)

((It was totally a joke!))

(you dont want to be space legolas?)

((No not really. I respect the laws of Physics and am too masculine.))

The supplies are loaded and the personnel are aboard. Jaxton checks the engines to ensure they havent frozen over in the frigid air.

9:10 PM

"Alright Captain, whenever you're ready"

"Let's get going. No time like the present"

The Lawrence cuts into space like a knife, the frosty air parting before it. The drive starts up with barley an increase in pitch, and the weeklong jump begins

8:07 AM

(What’s everyone doing for the downtime?)

Charles will spend the week working on back stories and rehearsing his governor persona. He will also spend time teaching the programmer how to use his blackslab

Under the circumstances Arimoto will try to tag along and learn something about computers. Thus far he's only used them to send messages, read the news and watch porn.

The week ends with a much greater understanding of computing, and Jaxton brings the ship out of spike at the very edge of the system. Even from this distance the world below is a chemically bleached graveyard. An enormous orbital station the size of the biggest terrain cities floats above the world, running lights of cargo lifters passing between the station and world below

10:07 AM

“Scanners are passive now. If we go hot they’re going to detect us. Let’s make sure we are ready”

Herb pings Trivedi: "It looks like you're getting into some heavy shit. I want to ask that you begin construction on a frigate size level 3 spike drive, and two level 1 shuttle sized drives"

4:01 PM

"we've got the funds ready to transfer from Dank Crew to Trivedi Inc. accounts. Name your price and timeframe."

4:02 PM

"if you can't talk now due to foresaid heavy shit, understood. Herb out." Herb thinks about something else, automatically closing the chat window on his end. It reopens when he gets a reply

(edited)

"Alright so we have very little information going in and were going to have to make most of it up on the spot, but the general plan is that I'll lead the distraction team, Arimoto you lead the infiltration team. Harry I'm going to leave you to protect the ship, we don't need them asking questions about our robotics capabilities. Any questions"

3:34 AM

Charles replies to @Donk978 "We can get started on the level 1s straight away but the level 3 will probably have to wait until I'm back as I'll need to oversee it myself. I shouldn't be more than a couple of days though. I'll put you in touch with my people to sort out price and timeframe." (Some sort of business roll Neko?)

(You can use the fitting price in the book as a base and go up or down from there depending on what you want to do)

7:17 AM

(I know suns of gold has some actual trade rolls I’ll have to brush up when we get the trade group going)

7:18 AM

The crew is on board with the plan. “Arimoto I’m interested in your thoughts” Jaxton, the pilot, says from the cockpit. “I can turn our scanning on. They’ll see us but it’ll give us some more information before we arrive.”

Arimoto rubs his chin. "If I were a trader in friendly territory I don't know that I'd try to hide, but I suppose it's technically still an advantage. My vote is do the scanning."

"Let's do it" Charles says in agreement

“Alright. Scanners hot” A spread of contacts appears on the main screen. “Fighter group there started vectoring on us as soon as we went active. Looks like an escort group there pulling up as well. unknown contact, this is the Kuhuk system patrol. What is your intention?

Charles steps forward to answer "Greetings Kuhuk, we are simple traders looking for new contacts to trade with and have heard rumours of a space port in this area. Requesting permission to land and open negotiations"

contact, station command, how did you hear about this installation?

(What was the name of the industrial planet I got the laser from?)

(Rawhani)

"Rumours from around Rawhani pointed us in this direction. We jumped around until we somebody spoke back. That was you"

*rawhani. Ah so you’re with the board then. Very good. Contact there is going to be a navigational pathway popping up on your main display in a moment. The fighter wing will escort you in”

"Looking forward to meeting you in person" Charles says looking around at the room, his face a mix of trying to look cool and looking equally amazed that the plan worked

The six fighters form up around you. Two on each side, one in front and one behind. Jaxton follows the projected path in. The station itself is gargantuan. Spires and hab towers rise like city blocks from the back of a flattened disc. This ring is dotted with sensors and comm arrays. Shuttles and smaller craft dart around the outside like schools of fish.

12:30 PM

A dozen hangars on the front of the disc open into space like maws. The station has four long arms like the directions on a compass, each one connected to some pattern of capital vessel currently

((Refresh my background this station is independent or is this whole planet/station Remnant-owned?))

(everything is remnant owned)

Arimoto mutters under his breath. "Mother of God."

The station opens a small secondary hangar on the disc, and the lawrence is brought inside. Gravity tethers anchor it to the central docking rail from above, and a ramp is gently set against the side airlock. There are soliders drawing up to attention, but as an honor guard rather than as assault teams

"This might be tougher than we thought" Charles whispers to the others as they get ready to disembark. He straightens his tie and gets ready to descend the ramp

The soldiers stand to attention as you disembark. A man in a suit as sharply cut as yours comes forward from the group; “It’s nice to meet someone from the esteemed Rawhani board finally. Welcome to my shipyard”

"Ah I apologise, you seem to have misunderstood. We are not part of Rawhani but merely allies of them. Nevertheless it is good to meet you. I am Charles Trivedi and this is my attaché. It is quite the facility you have here. How many people live here"

"Ah I see, nevertheless you've come aboard to do business. Right now close to a million people live on the station. Residents of that filthy slum world below trying to emigrate for cleaner surroundings."

"Well It sounds like were in luck. We ourselves are trying to escape a dying world and are looking to take to the stars. You look like youre the people to help us"

"Which world would that be?" he pauses

"If good Remnant allies are in danger, a rescue fleet should be sent at once!"

"We're from Miriam, and no need to rush, were not in any immediate danger, but rather we're unable to grow any further than we already have. While we've managed to build our own ship we do not have the capabilities to make more and so would love to see what you have on offer"

"Miriam....Ah so you're closer to galactic east. Our survey ships said everything there had frozen. I'm glad that meant not everyone. Well, come up to my office, and we can discuss what the shipyard can do for you"

"Great, I'm looking forward to it. I know it's quite an imposition but do you have any facilites for my men to get a proper shower and some proper food? Sadly our shipwrights did not have the foresight of such problems. We are willing to pay for the inconvenience"

Arimoto looks somewhat expectantly at the captain at the mention of food.

"Ah of course. I'll show you to the guest suites, and there will be adjoining facilities you can refresh yourselves with. I'll have some food delivered"

10:30 AM

the path through the station takes a detour, and you are taken away from the hangars, toward some staterooms. It looks as though senior officers may have been billeted here once. The carpets are plush, and the furniture is luxurious. The room is centered around a central conference room, with four bedrooms, and a large refresher room situated around it.

Arimoto finds a comfortable seat while he waits for the food. Was there anything actually in the conference room?

Food is delivered a few moments after you settle in, four valets with silver trays delivering bowls of fruit, platters of cooked meat, bread, and two large decanters of wine. A call button is also provided to summon the shipyard master, or a valet should you need anything further. As the doors open during food delivery you make out the blocky armor of two naval troopers standing guard outside

"Well this is very kind of our hosts. I will pursue negotiations with them while you rest. Some of you look tired and it may be worth having a rest on a proper bed" Charles says as he searches the room, both for potential exits and for any kind of surveillance equipment

Charles begins searching the room. There is only the main door to get in and out, but an armored viewport looking out into space sits in each room. The shutters are raised right now, but in combat would be lowered to prevent decompression if the station was hit

11:39 AM

One electronic snooping device is found behind some books on a shelf in the corner of the main room

Charles shows the rest of the room the bug before placing it back. "Theyve brought us so much food but I bet they have loads more we don't know about" emphasising the last part to suggest he's not talking about the food. "I'm going to talk to the shipyard master and hopefully get a tour of the place at the same time. Hopefully it should take a couple of hours" Charles says before pressing the summoning button

there is a chime as the button is pushed, and an automated voice tells the shipmasters arrival in five minutes.

11:59 AM

(is anyone doing anything while charles is gone?)

Arimoto looks around the conference room for any computer equipment (though if it's anything like the conference rooms at my office it will have garbage if anything...), and also check his navcomp to see if anything shows up on the automap for the parts of the facility they went thru to get to this room. ((Which NPC's are with us, Jaxton the pilot, [name] tech, anyone else?))

(Jaxton the pilot, Karl and Zam, the scouts, Cadine, a computer tech, and two other scouts, who are posing as bodyguards)

12:52 PM

The automap has the parts of the station youve passed through mapped. There is a small terminal set in the wall , allowing for messages to be sent and received

Arimoto has everyone huddle up and types on his compad. Not sure how to get out without attacking guards, one person could maybe get out with my cloak but then not sure where they need to go. Ideas?

(I’m going to say with the shipmaster on his way Charles would be there for a few mins to weigh in on the plan)

Charles also types on his compad maybe have Cadine hack the terminal and try to access the guards own compads, order them somewhere else. Maybe act ill and get one of the guards to take you to med bay, the others sneak out while they're seeing to you (edited)

A heavy hand bangs on the door of the suite

5:25 PM

“Governor. When you’re ready, we will take you to the tour”

"Coming now" Charles shouts back before giving his team a strong nod and heading out

Outside the shipyard master and four stormtroopers as an honor guard are waiting for you. The troops are heavily armored and their plate is polished to an almost mirror sheen. They fall into step around you. “Very good Governor. Now then, I’ll take you to the production floor but on the way what are your exact needs in a space fleet? And how are things on your home planet? If I sell you something I want to know it’s going to be maintained”

Arimoto points at the terminal, and looks at Cadine, shrugging.

I don't want to fake sick. If they take us to sickbay, or quarantine us back on our ship, we might not get out of here again. I'm going to try the compads

6:34 PM

A compad in the hallway pings, loudly. The guards heavy boots begin moving away from the door

"Hydroponics and livable space are probably the most important aspects as our planet is in the process of flooding and we need somewhere to put our citizens. But we have some neighbours with twitchy trigger fingers so some defence wouldn't be turned down"

“Sounds like you’re looking for something more longterm. Alright. Are you looking to settle another world?”

"Some of our people want to. I personally think we should wait for our worlds ecology to settle down and resettle there. Who knows how long that will take though"

“Alright. Please forgive the questioning. I’m trying to get an idea of what may be required for the ship. “ The party pauses before an armored hatchway. Several EVA suits are hanging up on the wall. They all look freshly cleaned. “We build in a zero G environment. The lack of gravity allows us to make some truly incredible designs and take some liberties with the normal way a vessel would be planned.”

"That's quite genius. How do you manage the complexity of building in a zero G environment. It must make things vastly more difficult"

“Eva suits. Lots of small craft. Spacewalks. Robots when we can though making cores has been something we have struggled with. Our practices are evolving all the time. I’ll show you”

8:05 AM

Once the suits are donned the iris door opens and reveals a massive bay, with a battleship half under construction. The skeleton of the vessel has been completed l, tethered between two large docking struts. Sparks rain from the body as welders swarm the exterior, putting fittings into place.

"That's pretty incredible." Charles says slightly taken aback by the sight. "Where do you even find the resources for something like that"

“We have ships coming in from all over, hauling supplies and fuel. We have the wealth of several worlds on our side, all sworn to us in exchange for protection”

"That makes sense. So what sort of options can you offer us?"

“Any size hull you want from Fighter all the way up to capital class. The only thing we won’t fit is psychically sensitive fittings. I won’t bore you with the politics”

(Charles is more or less going to go on like this, just dragging out time to give the other team the time they need. We can roleplay it if you want but charles is just stalling)

Cadine looks up from the terminal with a smirk at hearing the guards stomp away

Arimoto nods as he engages his cloak, and looks out into the hallway. Assuming it's clear, he'd start down the path opposite from the direction they came, and scout a moderate distance ahead looking for any rooms as well as security cameras before decloaking long enough to flag the rest to move up.

Heading opposite the mapped route there is a door on the left that appears to be closed. It’s the size of a supply closet. There is another stateroom after that and you can hear muffled voices within. The main door is closed. If there were guards here they have been called away

the hallway then branches left and right. To the right you hear the faint churn and clatter of machinery. The left hallway is silent

Motion for the group to follow up to the intersection and then I'll check down the left hallway.

Two technicians come around the corner, drinking and laughing, stumbling back to their bunks. There is a swish as one of them is carrying a bottle of makeshift hooch

Arimoto softly slides surreptitiously to the side of the sauntering specialists.

They fail to notice the stealthy Arimoto, and he slides past them further down the tunnel. A door marked security, is on the left of the hall. to the right there is a large room, which looks to be a workers dorm of some tyoe

Can I see into the room with the security door?

The door is slightly ajar. Three troopers sit inside, watching the Remnant Evening news on a small compad screen

7:17 PM

A pot of coffee sits between them

Check down the hall further, any other doors close or does it just keep going? Have I come past a map of any sort?

(looking for the deck plans)

7:32 PM

You're in the central hub right now, came in from the north docks

See if I can copy down the general layout to my compad. Do I see any indications of 'IT Department' or 'Server Room' or anything like that?

The western hub seems to be the data processing center of the station, the primary one at least. There are barrack spaces around it.

Arimoto goes back to the group and shares what he's found. He types on the pad Looks like we'd have to get to the west hub, it's a long trek. My vote is Cardine takes my cloak and makes the trip and the rest of us go back to our room, I think it's the least risky. Thoughts?

I'll do it. If something happens, don't come back for me

Cadine takes the cloak, wrapping it around herself. She takes a few moments to memorize the map she’s been provided before setting off.

Arimoto nods as she departs, then goes back to the guest room with the others.

Charles is still out touring the shipyard and it’s about half an hour before Cadine shows back up. She is carrying something that looks like an ammo can. Her face is an expression of the most absolute type of fear

(I've got a bad feeling about this)

“I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t. I didn’t I just saw it and I grabbed it. I just took it. We have to go. We gotta go right Now”

Out on the dock Charles is being shown a berth for a battleship class vessel when the shipyard master looks down at his dataslap. He frowns

"Everything alright" Charles asks trying to mask the tension in his voice

“Security issue. Something important has been misplaced. I’m afraid for now im going to have to escort you back to the conference suite, until the matter is sorted. I do hope this won’t reflect poorly on any business arrangements”

"Of course not. Security must be foremost in an institution like this"

He smiles with some relief. “I’m so glad you understand. Please. Follow me”. Sirens begin to flash as the group is about halfway back to the suite. There’s no change in the escort group’s demeanor.

3:22 PM

In the suite itself, before Charles return, the warning sirens out in the hallway start sounding.

Arimoto sighs as Cadine returns, pulling out his pad. I get the impression that is not what we came for... But in any case we'll need to conceal it. He thinks for a moment, then types as he motions. Take off the cloak and wrap it up, then set it on the table. We should take the bundle with us when we leave, but we have to wait for Charles. As she works to do that he goes to stand just outside the door, in a straight guardlike posture with his hand resting on the hilt of his katana.

Charles and his escort round the corner a moment later. The duty troopers look surprised to see you out in the hallway.

4:31 PM

“What’s going on here. Where are the men posted here?”

"Are we under attack? There were two guards here not an hour ago and at some point they left, now there's alarms going off." He looks at Charles. "You said we would be safe here, Cady started panicking when the sirens went off and I'm having a bad feeling about this."

“A small problem at our data hub. Please I must insist you stay inside for your safety”

4:50 PM

“This won’t take long to resolve. I’m sure it’s just a miscommunication”

Arimoto's face contorts into a 'that sounds like a bullshit lie to me' scowl but he just grunts. "Fine, but there better be guards out here for the rest of our stay." He glares at Charles a moment and then goes back into the room, walking over to Cadine and trying to calm her down. "It's nothing to be worried about, just some data malfunction or something. We're not under attack." His tone is a bit flat, as one might use when explaining something to a child.

cadine picks up on the ruse, and hams it up a little. "Please, just give us your patience for a short while, and when this is done we will continue the tour" Charles is not thrown into the room, but the security troops step close enough to where there is nowhere else to go

6:47 PM

The door slides shut behind him, and there is a click as some type of lock is engaged.

Arimoto types on the compad explaining the situation, meanwhile speaking. "I don't like this... but I don't suppose you managed to make a buy?"

"Not yet," Charles replies. "Although they definitely have the ships we need. Its quite an impressive operation." Charles types onto his compad asking to be shown the object

The object is an ammunition can sized hard drive, that cadine reveals a bit of, lifting the corner of the stealth cloak on the table

Charles looks at her with a mix of alarm and confusion. You stole their hard drive? he types

one. There’s dozens in the main computing hub. I took the first thing I could get my hands on

Alright let's just focus on getting out of here before they realise its got anything to do with us. "Maybe we should wait on our ship, get out of the way so they can perform any security checks they need to"

the longer we stay the more time they have to connect the dots. Us leaving might look strange too, we might have to leg it cadine types. She looks almost overwhelmed

Unless we leave a note that says something like 'love from Rawhani' that way they don't trace it back to us (edited)

Despite the lockdown the terminal in the corner of the room looks to still have some power

Charles will attempt to hack the machine to sound an all clear and a false alarm

11:59 AM

(Did a program check of 10. Higher of Cadine can assist)

(12). The security ai which you’ve now become aware of is going to oppose the roll

12:24 PM

(Snakeeyes! 6. The intrusion is undetected). The all clear sounds. You can hear the guards posted outside acting for a status report. Through the backed terminal you can hear other channels questioning if the device has been found

12:25 PM

The hub team is insisting it has not shown up, and the teams searching the station keep asking for verification or orders

Charles types out That should settle things down. Get that hard drive tucked away somewhere. "Sounds like they've sorted out whatever the problem is. I'll tell you what they've got some amazing ships here. They could really help our cause. Anyway let's rest for a couple hours until they come back to us."

The cloak is pulled over the drive on the table. After an hour and a half the shipmaster returns. “I do apologize for the wait. Things are not usually this disorganized. I’m afraid the missing device still has not been located and it’s installation security protocol to not allow any visiting vessels to leave until it’s been located. I have teams sweeping this vessel from end to end but it may take a day or two. I do apologize for the trouble”

"That's not a problem. If there is anything we can do to help please let us know. That being said, if we are going to have to stay that long I would greatly appreciate my men being allowed access to our ship so we can get a change of clothes and the like. At least being stuck here allows us to come up with design plans for our ships" Charles laughs (edited)

“I can send a couple of you down at a time. Easier for my men to ensure your safety in a smaller group. I hope this is an acceptable compromise. I’m willing to make this up to you when we make a deal”

"Yes of course we understand. Feel free to send your men along to escort at any time that suits you"

“Let’s start now so you’re not uncomfortable for longer than you need to be. I can take three with this first group”

Charles points at any random selection of three people who aren't himself, Arimoto, or Cadine. "You guys go first. Don't cause too much trouble now"

Arimoto grumbles unintelligibly as the shipmaster mentions 'disorganized' but doesn't speak up. As the three leave he sighs. "Maybe we can get them to give us a 'two for the price of one' for all this nonsense. What did they have in our budget anyway?" Buying a ship might be the easiest way out of this, but even if we pooled money do we have enough to afford anything?

The three assistant scouts (no names as of yet) head out

they seem to be built on demand rather than for sale. We could order loads of non combat ships that we have no intention of buying so that they waste resources building it. They'll probably want a deposit though

5:10 AM

"That had all sorts, anything we could dream of really. It's quite amazing" Let's just focus on getting the hard drive onto the ship where we can hide it better

Twenty minutes go by and the three scouts are returned, in different clothes. “Who’s ready to go next?”

I don't think getting another planet bombarded from orbit is a stellar outcome, we should try to leave on good terms and simply be forgotten as a buyer at the wrong place and time. He sighs. "Well we certainly could use a number of different vessels, but I think we should focus on logistics first so our economy can grow stronger and support buying the rest." Any chance we can try to crack this thing in here and download anything useful then 'return' it? As the group gets back Arimoto gets close to check them. "Well I guess our ship is still here, maybe they don't plan to kill us after all." Did they search you or the ship?

they gave us some privacy. They didn’t come aboard but there’s a lot of security in the hangar. They’ve got picket ships at the spike translation point. I took a quick peek at the scanner. I think we can make it but we might take some fire on the way out

Alright arimoto and I will go next and hide it. I'll see if I can rig up some kind of support system to Arimotos armour so that he can carry the hard drive without looking like he's carrying anything

3:20 AM

Charles will search around to try and make a harness to clip the hard drive to. Maybe even using the cloak tied around his body

(We can do Charles with fix int to make a harness or Arimoto with sneak/dex to try to hide it)

15

One of the office chairs is wheeled into the other room and rapidly taken apart to make a slim looking harness

Arimoto maneuvers his robe to make room for the harness (He doesn't actually have any armor but the robe is probably loose enough for it to still hide it).

(That’s what i was thinking as well. I’m picturing it as being kind of foldy?)

8:29 AM

The guards enter the room again. “Alright. Who’s next?”

"We might as well go" Charles says talking about himself Arimoto and Cadine

(It has some folds but more just loose to allow free movement) Arimoto shrugs. "Yeah."

The guards take you down the route used from the visitor hangar to the state rooms. The ship appears as you left it. Your hosts are being cautious but they haven’t breached host/guest niceties by searching the ship just yet

9:47 AM

“Take your time governor, and retinue”

Arimoto actually does take a quick shower (if available) and changes into another robe. "What should we do with it? I'm not sure how long the cloak works without swapping power cells."

(Its six hours. And yes they’re allowing you as much time as you want. You’re guests and the reason for them splitting you into smaller groups was so they can protect you more effectively only minding a few of you at a time

"I think maybe we should take some panelling off the walls and hide it behind there. That or we could upload all the data to our ships systems and then find a way for them to find the hard drive again. The second plan sounds unnecessarily complicated though

Arimoto rubs his chin. "Well it's only unncessary if they are willing to let us leave before they figure out what happened... So I guess it comes down to how paranoid and fanatical the paranoid fanatics are. I'm fine with hiding it and seeing how things progress."

"Great let's get to it". Charles will find the deepest, darkest recess of the ship, take of the wall panels and bury the hard drive inside"

It’s a trivial matter to pop a wall panel off quietly, being intimately familiar with the ship. The drive is buried deep inside the wall and the panned re affixed

The guards outside don’t seem to have noticed and patiently wait for your business in the ship to be concluded

Charles will collect some more comfortable clothing, update Harry on what has happened, and head back to the conference room

The process repeats for the last group of scouts and they’re returned after half an hour. They haven’t been aboard the ship yet

10:15 AM

You’re kept in the conference room for another two hours before the alarms finally go silent. The shipmaster returns. “Well I do apologize for the interruption and inconvenience. If you’re still open to business I’d enjoy continuing our talk “

"Of course. I'd be glad to. Did you manage to find what you are looking for"

“We haven’t but we have no reason to detain you here. Sadly the matter is going to cut short our tour. You’ve been stellar guests and we apologize for the inconvenience. If possible we at some point would like to look into improving relations with your world. I hope we may conduct business in the future.”

"Absolutely" Charles says with a smile. "You have the details of what we need based on our talk so when things calm down around here you can work up some plans for us to consider and send them to me"

He goes to shake your hand. “My men here will ensure you get to your ship safely”

Charles shakes the hand firmly. "Looking forward to doing business with you"

The soldiers form up and bring you back to the ship. They salute sharply as the ramp draws back. Jaxton practically runs to the cockpit and begins warming up the engines.

Arimoto boards the ship without saying much besides a few grumbling remarks about going home empty handed.

The engines complete their power up cycle and the docking clamp releases

4:35 PM

Jaxton edges the ship out slow. “They’ve got a couple ships screening the jump point”

Arimoto looks sideways. "Uh, is that bad?"

"It might be. We are going to have to pass them, and we will be vulnerable for a minute as the spike drive kicks on. Hopefully its just always like this"

"I think there were some ships at the point when we entered, so this is probably normal. I could see them trying to verify we jump back to Miriam as opposed to somewhere else, but there's more than one plausible explanation for that..."

The ship slowly approaches the jump point picket, falling under the gaze of a squadron of 3 torpedo boats. They pass overhead, slowly.

"Jax start the jump drive." Charles says, nervously pacing the bridge

Jaxton begins the countdown. The ship enters spike just as one of the torpedo boats begins coming about

5:12 AM

(6xp, 15,000 credits)

5:12 AM

A day later the ship exits the spike tunnel at the planet Miriam.

((As in one of the ships was following us?))

(It was turning to face your ship but it didn’t go into spike after you)

Arimoto wakes from his nap as the ship arrives and heads back to the deck. "Well that could have gone much worse I suppose... Though I'm still not convinced it's over for them. Is there actually anyone on this planet they might contact asking about us?"

"There's very few people left on this planet and most of them are friends of ours so I'd say we're pretty safe. We need to get back to Gudrun though and start looking through this new data"

Gudrun aye” Jaxton begins powering the ship up again. The day of spike travel sees you homecoming, and a more glorious sight, the trivedi orbital platform is complete

8:25 AM

The structure gently rotates, just enough to impose gravity on its occupants. The greenbriar home defense fleet is arrayed nearby. The cruiser and its three escorts sailing proudly past it to escort you in

"I've been wondering, is 'Cloud Trivedi' a little too egotistical for the space station. I think it's got a nice ring to it personally" Charles says smiling as they're taken into the station

11:08 AM

(Also forgot to say it earlier but Charles would have offered Cadine a permenant position with him)

There is a smooth glide of a berthing tube as the ship pulls in to dock with the station. Fuel lines and a tethers are attached, keeping the ship in place. Status lights flash from green to off as the ship is now connection to station power and air. Cadine accepts the position and is waiting assignment.

"Well I'm planning on heading down planetside and beginning to work my way through whatever is on this hard drive. There's a little secret site we set up for these kind of experiments a while back so I'll head there. Cadine I'd like you to come with me and help. Arimoto you're welcome to come as well, or I can just keep you updated about what we find"

"I appreciate it but honestly I'd just be in the way, just let me know if we find anything of value on it. I think I will go report to the President about what we found, and after that get a stiff drink somewhere."

(Can go back to Arimoto channel for report. As for Charles we are heading to that desert lab then)

The lab's power comes on as you and cadine enter. The capsule containing the greystar AI has long been cleared away, and there is only faint evidence of Azog being here since then.

Charles is going to isolate one of the computers lying about from any networked connection before installing the hard drive in it and booting it up

Charles does so, the computer here not networked from working with the greystar ai. The drive opens. A folder called Dark Prism is activated. The folder shows the plans for the Titanship. Dubbed “worldbreaker”, most of the plans are written in slyth. It appears the hull is based on something the alien race once had as a mainstay of their capital fleets. It also contains research notes on gear for the detection and exploration of psychics. Half finished projects like a mind frying pulse, a pain ray, and some perversion of biosopics to rot flesh for torture purposes

Charles will send a message to Jexad, asking him if he's free to come out here and translate some information. Does it look like the Remenants are close to completing a Titanship?

There’s an awful lot they don’t understand in terms of building one. They can operate the one that they have, partially grafting less advanced human technology to attain functionality, but building one would take pretech science and then some

Is there any information on where theirs is being held? Seems like a good thing to steal

The last information shows it’s deployment to the sector west of the ones you’re currently in, notes reference a purge campaign of some type against a psionic species of arachnids that sound a lot like the underhill

Do the plans give any indication of the amount of people that would be working on the ship?

(Like as crew?)

Yeah

The official number is 2500, majority of them techs and engineers to keep it running. A significant number are also security personnel, including a division of space marines

So it's a big operation if we were going to try and capture it

The ship length is estimated at 5km long.

Nevertheless Charles will send the information through to Kincaid and the administration. Taking this ship seems like a plan for the future rather than something that can be dealt with now

9:58 AM

Charles will leave the hard drive there so that Cadine can verify that it's safe to send the data to the Trivedi servers. Charles will fly back to his workshop and see how things are going with the spike drives

From the plans it appears that ultimately it’s designed so that Remnant leadership can continue in the event of a disaster on their governing world. Which is not named in this report. The information is safe. It was encrypted but not given a virus since it was in the remnants own systems. At home, the drives are complete

Then Charles will upload the information for his techs to pour through looking for things like new construction techniques. Is it just the 2 level 1s done or the level 3 as well

All the drives have been completed. The techs in your computing bay will begin reviewing the information for anything they think might be relevant to your industry

Charles will ensure that the drives are delivered to @Donk978, asking whether he needs any help installing them

(While we wait for herb what’s Charles next move )

Charles's next move is to begin construction on some mining bots for @PappaDoc and while they're doing that he will go and take a tour of the orbital station as he was in too much of a rush to do it last time he was there

The core of the station matches the module plans that nova heavy industries gifted you. There are three plates coming off the station there ships can dock lengthwise, tethered securely for repair, fueling and cargo transfer. A central expedition hangar on the lowest decks allows cargo lifters to travel easily between the surface and planet. The top level is executive housing for you and VIP’s. Largely bare right now with them not wanting to guess your decorative style. The middle level is set for shipbuilding, and mercantile exchange a pressure sealed central module between the builders and cargo lifts from the bottom deck will become a market for hawkers selling goods

Sil sends a private message to @sutpour , "Alright Charles, now on private coms. Please elaborate on your 'friends in high places' comment, and how the hell you got to Kuhuk and back so fast. Did some give you the spike data for the path? I thought we only have Drive-3 engines. Have you developed a Drive-6 some how? You know we are technically at war now, so we need every advantage we can get. And if you do have all the spike data from here to Kuhuk, I can get people there a lot faster."

"I made a deal with Greystar for a Drive-6. I don't know how they got one and to be honest I wasn't going to ask. I'll give you the spike data as a gesture of goodwill"

"That will speed our trip considerably. I hope you can reverse engineer it so we have that capability. Did you put it in the Lawrence?"

"We can probably copy the design but don't have the capabilities to copy it"

The Martin has taken the liberty of recruiting some shipbuilders from down below, and 200 workers stand ready to make any class of vessel desired (can do capital classes on this platform since it’s the arx type)

"Well, I hope you and others can work towards gaining that capability. I know it's very advanced. We could sure use it now in dealing with the Remant."

"I'm working on it but it's high pretech stuff. Maybe we'll eventually find a slyth shipyard that can do it but we're a long way off doing it ourselves"

"What did you do in Kuhuk? How were you not killed or captured?"

Charles's first ship order is a small fleet of about 3 trading ships (want me to work up the trading ships myself or do you have something prepared)

(You can design them however you like)

1:49 PM

(I’ve got a form fillable xcel sheet I can send that calculates power and mass for you if you want)

"Subterfuge and subtlety my friend. We posed as buyers at their ship yard, stole a hard drive containing their ship data and walked right out. I've forwarded the data we found to Kincaid and she'll be able to share it with you. We discovered a massive Titanship that looks like something worth stealing. It'll be a big job to do it though"

1:51 PM

(Yeah that would be great neko)

(Just a quick note, Seung noticed a flaw where if you type in multiples of a fitting on the same line it only counts as one. If you go line by line for as many of the fitting as you want it does it correctly)

(Cool ill look out for that thanks)

"Yes, I know about the giant ships they are building there. Not the details though. I'll keep in mind you can con people.

Good work on grabbing that intelligence. I look forward to seeing it. Thanks."

interstellar_shipyard.xlsx

187.92 KB

Charles arrives at cloud trivedi, with plans to begin making trading ships, the second leg of any good trading conglomerate.

(Yeah sorry I haven't had a chance to build them yet)

(You’re good. We posted a little since then so I just wanted to bump the most current info)

(Was there a budget for the ships?)

8:57 AM

(I know I haven't been keeping track of company money, but rather personal funds, so I'm not sure how much there is to spend)

I’ll pm you

Cool cool

The news blast mentioned that there were food riots in one of the Taros cities. Do we know of any farming planets we could start trade with to lessen that burden

Aliah is a world that has a lot of plant life but the only development there is the small mining settlement and the natives themselves, though they may have stores of food

9:13 AM

Doona is currently leading a diplomatic expedition there, and can help facilitate some contact if needed

(Doona's not a PC anymore right?)

(That’s right. She’s not a pc anymore)

Charles, relaxing in his executive suite aboard cloud Trivedi, having just finished designs for his new bulk freighter, takes out his compad and messages Doona. "Hi Doona, I heard you're on Aliah and was wondering what the agricultural situation is like there. There's some demand in the sector for food so I'm trying to find an external source. Would love to hear if you think it would be possible on Aliah"

9:24 AM

(Would the Gudrun moon be suitable for agriculture)

(It’s very dry right now but a survey hasn’t been done. There is water on it. You could terraform)

9:38 AM

It’s about a half day before a message comes back due to the interstellar distance (assuming in the meantime you’re lounging, touring the cloud, getting your ships going) “Hi Charles! The jademane grow a fairly versatile type of sprout here that use paddies, much like rice. It’s one of the big staples of their diet. They’ve got a little they could part with for trade but they’ve had some bad harvests with the Stone rains”

"That sounds great. I'm going to be heading out there. I'll bring some of our agricultural technologies along to trade so that they can grow more. I'll see you in a couple of days"

9:56 AM

(I'm imagining Gudrun has advanced farming techniques)

(More than the primitives have at the very least)

10:29 AM

(This would be another 1/2 day later in reply) I’ll look forward to seeing you. Messages will be faster once you’re in system and we can talk you onto the village”

"Looking forward to it." Charles replies. He spent the time in between messages preparing the Lawrence for the upcoming departure and preparing the freighter to be built

They’ll begin laying the freighter as you leave. The colony has two iron seeds available which they’ll donate , as easing the situation there helps them politically

12:07 PM

(They let you program what fruit or veggie you want them to be and then it makes a starter crop of seeds)

Charles will coordinate with some farmers before leaving to find out what crops will grow well in Aliah's environment and plan to put the iron seeds as them

12:43 PM

(Rice would be my guess)

12:43 PM

(Maybe something like banannas for the other one. Jungle foods)

They’d agree with the rice and bananas assessment with what’s known about the conditions. If the plantations are managed they should be able to produce fairly quickly

Charles will spend the trip there relaxing and studying the farming technologies being brought so he can explain it to the Jademane

The Lawrence breaks spike space at the edge of Aliah system space. The southern expedition talks you on, broadcasting their exact planet side location to you. The world is endless rolling banks of green trees and inland seas. You set down in a clearing at the edge of the village. Some stumps still bleed a sticky blue sap, this must have been a recent cut

(Does Charles know what the blue snap is)

(Probably not. It’s just stuff that comes out of the trees as far as is known so far)

Doona is waiting as the ramp lowers, with three greenbriar troopers and a handful of Jademane warriors.

"Nice to see you again" Charles says extending his hand as he descends. "I've seen some impressive worlds recently but this is something else"

"I love the sense of serenity I feel here. It's good to see another friendly face though. I hope the journey here wasn't too tiring. You recognize our own troopers I'm sure, the others are Jademane, and I think I'll struggle to pronounce their names out loud. I've been getting by with telepathy so far"

Charles laughs, "I'm not sure that will work for me" . He goes to introduce himself to the jademane. "Hi there my name is Charles Trivedi, good to meet you"

They bow respectfully. Each carries something akin to a longbow, a sheaf of arrows, and a spear. Their armor is made from a tough looking leather- textured strangely like armadillo skin. "I hear you've got some things that might make life here a little easier. They've done well so far, using the transmission tower in town, and some of them are starting to use metal tools now even."

Charles copies their bow back to them. "Yes we were hoping to trade our agricultural technology in exchange for some of their surplus food. This climate seems like a good one for growing"

"It is, they have a strange kind of sprout here that grows very quickly, and its very filling. Come to the village, I'll show you around and we can figure out how to get this tech in place."

6:43 AM

The Jademane village is a collection of roughly 30 pagodas, varying in size. The chief's is central, and the tallest, an antenna from the colonial transmission gear sticks out of it. More of the jade skinned warriors mill about, along with civilians. There are several large semi-flooded vegetable paddies surrounding the village, you cross one on a wooden bridge to enter. Four guards with spears respectfully bow to Doona.

6:43 AM

There are also scorch marks in a perfect circle beyond the paddies, surrounding the village.

"Are those paddies supposed to be flooded" Charles asks as they walk past. "And is that supposed to look like it's been burned" he says about the scorched ring

“The paddies are so they say. The rings, they’re communally psychic. They banded together to make a shield, keeping their village safe from the rock rains that used to fall on this planet. The energy of the barrier scorched the plants there. Thankfully that’s not needed anymore

"Well then all looks like it's going well here. How many people live on the planet"

“The village has 700 right now. Most of the population was decimated by rock rain. Other tribes may have survived. Our elder here is convinced many did but we haven’t made contact with any others”

"And food wise, do you know what they'd be willing to trade?"

“They’ve got about a years surplus saved up in case of a bad season but if you’re going to be offering more resilient crops they’d be willing to trade it. I took the liberty of asking some basic questions while you were on the way”

"Great. Who do we speak to about this trade then? Is there a chief or a ruling council?"

“There’s a Chief, and I’m just going to say now, I’ll be relating your words to one another telepathically. They’re trying to learn the language, and us theirs but it’s slow.

"That's not a problem. I trust you" Charles says with a smile

“I’ll take you to meet him now” Donna leads you through the village to the central pagoda, far taller than the rest. Made from timber and a silk like material for the walls, they flap in the slight breeze. The chief, a thickly muscled seven foot tall figure, is known as the stormseer. Leather armor covers his chest and upper legs, while bracers and leather sandals cover the rest. His forearms and leg beneath the knees do not have armor. He carries a staff capped with the skull of some fierce looking Animal that must be native to this world. They were waiting for you to arrive. You feel a slight buzz in the back of your mind as Donna forms the link. She smiles and bows a shallow, respectful bow.

"my names is Charles Trivedi, friend of Doona's and hopefully soon friend of yours. I've come to trade technology which will make your people more efficient and growing food, in exchange for some of your food surplus, both now and in the future"

“Charles friend of Doona. The jademane enjoy a special relationship with the planet. As it flourishes our power grows. As it wanes, we do as well. Is your technology pollution creating or especially destructive?”

"The destruction of the land will do no good for long term interests. Our technology promotes the planet to grow"

He smiles, sensing your emotional earnestness through the link. “Can you explain how it will help our world? If you can? We are not against modernizing, but we want to do it in harmony with the world we call Mother”

"We will show you how to shape the earth the better suit farming needs, both by changing the qualities of the soil and the organisation of your farms"

“If you can promise some help in showing us how to harness this. We can trade some of what we have now, for a trial, and for your trouble, and if we are happy with the results we will release the rest. What do you think of those terms?”

"We are part of an interstellar community and want to see you grow so of course we will stick around and show you how to use this. Seems like fair terms to us"

The talk of being one community seems to please them greatly. Doonas link allows you to sense his emotions as well. “You’ve dealt honorably. We will make the exchange.” The link ends and he begins directing workers to start creating pallets so the harvest can be brought to the ship. “I think your harvesters can fit through the trail if they go slow”

Charles will go about trying to explain the new technologies to the leaders of the group, showing them how to use the systems and helping them to install them

The pumps and harvesters are slowly brought into the village, the natives forming long chains of workers to pass parts and equipment in. This whole effort is almost completely silent, each villager just knowing what to do

"Do they always work this silently?" Charles asks doona, "it's a little eeire"

“To the non psi sensitive yes. Their communication is mostly telepathic. I forget they’re so quiet sometimes, to me they’re as talkative as any human I’ve met. They do speak though, or at least they can. It took them a while to warm up to me and if we spoke at all we did it aloud. The mind to mind felt too intimate”

"I get that, but hey if it works for them let them go for it. I bet our military and security groups could make a lot of use of that. Secret battlefield communications. How open do they seem to deeper alliances? They seem pretty isolated as it is"

“This will be twice we have helped them now. They’ve seen the advantages of modernizing. But they are wary. I’ve been trying to show them how technology will help them be better stewards of the planet and that seems to be making some impressions”

"Well hopefully this will take us another step in that direction. We can use all the friends we can get out here"

“I heard you went to that shipyard. We got a cable from the colony a few days ago. That was very brave”

"Well a lot of people seem to think it was very stupid and I'm inclined to agree" Charles jokes, "but it worked so I can't complain"

Over the next hour the jademane bring the supplies and machine parts into town, and seem unsure as to what is to happen next

Charles will gather round the leaders and demonstrate the new technologies to them, sending them out to then teach the rest of the group

They marvel at the work on the high quality tools and treat harvesting machine with a reverence you’ve not seen for technology before. It’s getting late when the lessons end. “If you care to stay for the night we can get the harvest out to your hold in the morning, but if you’re in a hurry I can try to tell Chief to get the lead out” doona offers

"No were in no rush, we'd be happy to stick around. If there is nothing planned on the village the ship is more than comfortable"

The village that evening is having a celebration to honor more interstellar guests that you’re welcome to attend, but it’s not mandatory.

Charles will personally attend and will allow his team to make individual decisions on whether to attend

Everyone’s excited to eat alien food and see a new culture, harry is even interested despite no need to eat. The dishes are heavily vegetarian though there are some truly massive examples of fish pulled from the nearby lakeshore. The flavor is buttery and crispy somehow without the jademane using any sort of dairy. Warriors dance and there are tests of skill, wrestling, archery, and a game that looks very similar to lacrosse, which anyone is able to participate in

Charles, being possibly one of the least athletic people in the group, will not take part in the sports but will definitely spend all night sampling all the foods and learning about the culture and history of the jademane

Over the course of the evening you learn that they’ve been natives of this planet for as long back as they have written tradition. They’re communally psionic and share a deep link with their world, which they credit as the source of their power. As it flourishes their power grows, and as the land is destroyed it hurts them. They’ve resisted modernization thus far because of the fear of the effects it might have.

Charles notes this down for future interactions with them, making sure not to offend their beliefs about their planet

The feast ends in the wee hours of the morning, time passing by quickly. Zam has won great acclaim in the native ceremonial sport. Goods are loaded into the Lawrence coke morning, a good start to the food crisis in taros lands (edited)

Charles will say goodbye to the jademane, asking Doona if her team want to come back on the Lawrence, as there is room aboard

The mission here seems largely concluded and the jademane are more comfortable with the transmission equipment. It’s been a long couple months and she’s ready to be home

The Lawrence is loaded, and after some goodbyes with the stormseer and his people, the spike drill toward home begins. Everyone is very tired, most of the scouts and personnel from Miriam falling asleep for most of the flight home, waking only a few hours before the drill out, by Trivedi cloud

Charles will check in with his various teams, both on Gudrun and further afield. He will probably use the travel day to do this

(3xp, 10,000 credits). The Miriam team reports the last of the deal is completed. Next month business will be back to normal. The cloud is reporting some business passing through it. A few batches of iron from Aliah have come through already. The first of the free merchants for the trade group have been completed.

Are there any resources Gudrun has in abundance that other planets have been struggling with? That Charles knows of anyway

Now that the war on asleif is winding down they’ll be in the market for lots of building materials. The colony produces a lot of iron and wood right now.

7:26 AM

Miriam likewise cannot mine well

7:26 AM

And you know about the food crisis on planet out west

OK so Charles will instruct the freighter to take lots of wood and iron to Asleif, trade there, then go to Rawhani and buy more mining lasers and equipment, delivering half of them to Miriam to be sold or to expand Trivedi operations there, and the rest to be brought back here and sold to mining companies on Gudrun

7:29 AM

Charles's personal mission for the time being is going to be continued exploration of Gudrun. (I know that's one of the points in the colony needs section)

(It’s 1,000 a ton to buy, so deduct those credits for however many tons of Cargo space the ships hold, and lets get a trade/int roll for the price you can sell for)

The ship has 3400 tons of cargo space and Charles can't afford anything like that so he will only spend 500,000 credits worth of materials

7:34 AM

10 for the roll

Martin computes the trade results and the ship will be dispatched once the area is confirmed safe which is expected soo

8:15 AM

Soon

Charles spends some time in his workshop on cloud Trivedi working on designs for exploration vehicles

Its a matter of hours with the advanced machinery on board. (Where do you want to leave from, and what direction?)

(I thought there was more to look at for ground vehicles and modding them but I must be misremembering) Charles comes up with a design for a grav flyer that is pressure sealed so that it's able to work in the sky and underwater. It has a crew of two, with compact living quarters for them (stow away bunks) and uses a new radar like scanner to create a 3d hologram map of the surface below it

4:08 AM

The map looking a bit like that (edited)

(Engines of Babylon has a good amount)

The craft comes together easily and quickly due to the small size, and can be ferried down to the planet for use whenever you’re ready

(Charles hasn't had much interaction with outdoorsmen or explorers has he? At least not ones on Gudrun)

(Not Gudrun ones no. Your scout friends have all been from Miriam so far)

Then Charles will have the flyer delivered to his factory and will fly solo from the main city (Did we ever name the main colony city) to rebirth with the mapping technology turned on

9:28 AM

(My eventual goal for the mapping technology is to have a 3d Google earth type thing, so all the data will be getting saved)

(We never renamed it. It’s been called central by people a few times but no actual name. And you’re looking for more topographical data as compared to resources?)

(Topographical data, resources, and any points of interest)

The route from the colony to rebirth has been heavily explored, the rail line required an extensive survey done. Resources and points of interest have been identified but the data collected on the land itself is useful for future construction plans. A very detailed contour map develops as the craft flies over

10:58 AM

(South of rebirth and then pretty much all of the west and the desert is untouched)

Charles will compare the data generated by his flyer with that we already knew so that it's effectiveness can be managed before exploring a line between rebirth and the port

The contours are much more effectively plotted and the land detail is highly refined. It’s a much better quality than previous

2:23 PM

(You should be able to draw on the map. Just sketch out a flight path. Green dots are explored/claimed land)

(I've ruined your map but there's a general idea of where I want to explore)

(All good. I can select and remove stuff later if needed)

2:56 PM

(I’ll generate the hexes when I get in tonight)

@sutpour A message arrives for Charles from Arimoto. "Hey, we learn anything out of that box we found yet? Like maybe plans to blow the station up via a gross architectural oversight that can be exploited with a single craft of comparably pathetic size or something?"

"Is that a reference to one of those old Space Trek movies? 'Classics my arse' My uncle used to be a fan of them but I prefer something that isn't in 2d. Anyway we discovered some plans for a giant ship that is probably the same sort of size as the shipyard, they call it a Titan ship but nothing about the shipyard itself" (edited)

A message comes back. "Of course not, I don't reference movies. So it sounds like they needed a bigger boat and presumably somehow they are getting shown the money, maybe they made someone an offer they couldn't refuse... Well in any case I'm glad we can be excellent to each other and that you know I can handle the truth, and the Remnant may wind up taking all our lives, but they'll never take our freedom."

The crafts surveyors ping on something new. sir, concentration of...something...down there. The scanner cant identify it

(arimoto is having too much fun with this haha)

1

2:57 AM

"Put us down about a mile out from it, we'll approach on foot"

The craft settles on its grav cushioned Landing. Approaching the deposit through the open lowland, upon arrival it is a collection of green crystals , arranged almost like spikes coming out of the ground “It’s not like anything we have seen before.”

"No it really isn't" Charles says approaching the crystals. Is there anything unusual about the surroundings, aside from the crystals

There’s thick foliage everywhere else but the area around the crystals is devoid of life. “No radioactivity either, it’s not the weird substance keeping the plants at bay...”

Would Charles have any way to analyse the crystals in the field or would he have to take them back to the city

(You can scan them). “These crystals seem like they’re. Like they’re growing somehow.”

Charles will scan them (edited)

Energy from the local sun is being taken in by these crystals, and it is somehow allowing them to grow.

7:55 AM

They store this energy almost like plants

Can Charles get a sense of how much energy

7:57 AM

Like would it power a car or a toaster

A fist sized piece could power a home for a day if the energy is released in a controlled manner

"Well this could be very exciting" Charles says, marking the location down on the map and taking some samples for further study. He messages Martin to ask him to organise a survey team to come out here and conduct further investigations

He will get a team out there to investigate, and will report findings to you and to the colony

8:37 AM

The craft continues its coastward survey, passing ever stretching vistas of plain and foothill. A large herd of lope is spotted near the far eastern hills, and upon sweeping back toward the port, another deposit of those same crystals are found on the coast

Charles will once again mark the location and instruct the survey team to check there next

The craft pulls in to the port that evening, the locations of two deposits of an exotic mineral in hand. The rest of the coastland is pleasant and open, with plentiful game

Did Charles spot any islands running along the coast?

There are a cluster of them (1hex) off the coast, around the eastern side of what was explored (that top eastern hump area, the southern ocean it borders. I think there’s a fish tile near it)

9:20 AM

There are several in a thin chain there, each looks like a natural harbor and look to be easily settleable

Charles will fly back out that way and take a scan of those islands

The island chain is a series of seven islands. The smallest is 500m wide, and roughly the same long. The largest is 7km by 10km Each is heavily forested and featured on at least one side, a shallow water basin. The largest island has an inactive volcano on the eastern side of it.

Charles notes the most scenic of the islands as a potential location for a getaway island for colonists

12:02 PM

(Trying to think of a Trivedi related Club Tropicana pun for a name for it)

12:03 PM

(Also did anybody ever investigate the research being done on the underhill island. I remember back when I was Sam you mentioned they were doing research on psychics)

(It was a psi research facility. Sil ported in and grabbed as much data as he could but shifting landscape during the battle buried it in rubble and flattened it)

12:16 PM

The largest island seems to be the most scenic and the one with the most space to expand

Charles will message Franz about gaining rights to the island. Have all the other facilities been explored

All the slyth installations on planet have been explored. The island is unclaimed by the colony or taros. If trivedi inc agrees to develop it outside colony financial support they don’t have a reason to say no

Charles will definitely claim the island and spend a couple more days exploring the triangle between rebirth, the colony, and the port

(Feel like coloring again?)

Sil will send a message to @sutpour. "Hey Charles. Hope you are well. Just want to check on something. You said Kincaid would brief me on the data you got off of the hard drive you took from the Remnant. Kincaid told me it's encrypted, and they are trying to crack it. So, why didn't you tell me? Or is there data you did get, that Kincaid isn't telling me?" (edited)

The craft spends a few days plying the air and discovers forests and several large game herds, there is a mighty river land east of the colony and food looks to be plentiful there, despite the land being rocky and wild (Canadian wilderness kinda)

"Sorry sil, you've got all the information I've got. Must be a miscommunication somewhere"

2:07 PM

(Ooh I like that vibe). Having discovered nothing new worth exploring, Charles sets about planning his new retreat, Club Nivarna, an island getaway for all types, just off the coast of the mainland. It will include luxury coastal villas, peaceful inland retreats, a trendy nightlife scene

(So just to clarify, and this is all ooc, is Charles lying, or did you forget what you learned?)

(Charles isn't lying, he told you everything he found.)

(I guess you forgot then. I think Neko must have also. Ok. Sil doesn't know. I can point out in this thread the information I am talking about, that I expected Charles would tell Sil about.)

2:11 PM

(September 12, 2018)

(Yeah big and rugged and empty). With some development, the area could become a true bread basket. No new exotic minerals are discovered. Martins expedition team had flown out to one and has reported that burning these crystals releases a tremendous amount of energy. If the reaction could be controlled, stewarding the growth of this material could be a new source of cheap power

Charles will spend a couple of days coming up with a control mechanism for the new crystals, trying the new system out on a basic colony car, to see if it was a possible fuel alternative to the current system

The first time a crystal is put into an engine, the release of fuel forces it to idle so high the engine blows. The fuel is quick burning and very powerful for the short time it remains active. Slowing down the reaction somehow seems like the best way to get results. )I’m not even going to ask for fix rolls because they’re always godlike)

Maybe grinding down the crystal into dust and limiting the amount that is burned at each time, using the same system that filters petrol into the car when the acceleration in pushed

This method seems to delay the reacting and the second test car performs better. The test driver is able to estimate that at current burn rates, fuel expenditure is reaching close to 80 miles a gallon

Hoping to achieve better results than that Charles tries mixing the dust into petrol in the hopes that combined they make a better fuel source

A strange reaction takes place where the crystals seem to dissolve into the fuel, turning it an emerald green color. The resulting mixture burns clean, and provides 100 miles based on current projections

Charles will run a few more tests just to be absolutely sure the minerals are stable and are jot going to cause any major problems, we will then order Martin to put a mining team together to start working on the area

8:20 AM

If it was used in all fuel for the colony, how long could the current amount of crystals last

8:21 AM

Did the survey team estimate that

If no efforts are taken to grow more or cultivate them, two years with the current deposit levels

Does Charles currently have any idea how to grow more crystals

They absorb sunlight and seem to collect energy that way, but if other elements are needed for care it’s not known yet

Charles doesn't have a solution for cultivating more crystals so will just begin mining them anyway. He will submit samples to the lab to see if they get any solutions

Azog will work on the project, consulting with the foreman of the oil fields out west of the colony. His department has shrunk lately so results may take some time

(Why did his department shrink? Does Charles know?)

(Lack of skilled science people now and a lot of labor being shifted to psi research. Admin kinda pillaged his department and he’s angry about it)

10:01 AM

(And yeah he’s not being subtle about his feelings. It’s conceivable you’d know)

(Would Trivedi have the kind of money to fund his research and would that research be profitable? From what Charles knows of it anyway)

(Faction does yes. And yeah you’ve seen it working, they can mix it in with petroleum based fuels to stretch it. On this world it might not sell super well but you’ve lots of trade links now with worlds where it would be very precious)

(I mean generally the research Azog does. If we made him and his team Trivedi employees would they research things that we could sell or are they more interested in academic research)

(They want to advance the colony back to pre scream levels. If you’re offering better resources to do it they’ll work for you)

Charles will go to visit Azog in person. After pleasantries he says "Thanks for taking a look at those crystals for me. I know you're limited in what you're doing here, but I'm thinking of starting my own research group and wanted to gauge your interests in heading it"

“Your own group? What would it be specializing in?”

"Developing new technologies, understanding alien technologies. Really just an R&D aspect to the current organisation. Aside from that there would be opportunities for you to perform your own research"

Shriven sends a message to Charles’ company hoping to get to him as he gets ready to jump.

Hey Charles, my name is Shriven aspiring Far trader and pilot, I heard that you had made it to the Rawhani system, I’m thinking about making a trading trip there and try to gather some intel any advice? I’m taking a very small team with me on this trip and am making a quick stop before heading there. When I get planet side of you have time I would love to pick your brain or delayed convo over coms if you would rather.
Shriven

(edited)

“Something like that. That’s what this colony needed, and what’s been cut. Yes. My team is just me now but government life has jaded me.

To shriven Charles says "Absolutely I'd be glad to give you advice. First of all stay away from certain elements on Rawhani, they're not the friendliest. Colonial Intel will tell you which. Aside from that I'd love to get together and discuss ideas, let's see what we can do to meet"

5:38 PM

To Azog he says "maybe the private sector might be a good move for you then. It doesn't have to be for life, just while your research is being appreciated by me and not the colony"

"If you can take me in, and get me some material to work with, and promise to sell it at a fair price, id be happy to work for you

"Great let's get you all set up then. It'll be a little while before the lab is all set up, but feel free to get involved with it's construction so we've got the exact right equipment. Would you rather be based by our factory here or up on cloud Trivedi"

"I think given the volatile nature of some of what I will be working on, I should remain on the ground, but even a small space in your factory complex will be enough for me to get going"

(Just updating this for when you return from your trip) Over the next month, Charles begins to explore the large volcanic island he had located during the survey trip, while Azog settles in to his position as a private research partner

With the island explored, Casa Pax (Charles' new island retreat) under construction, and himself thoughrouly rested, Charles switches his comms back on for the first time in a while

The news from the colony floods back in and the outside world has not slept during your jungle retreat. Azog has been trying to reach you, and he thinks he has a breakthrough about those mysterious crystals

Charles reaches out to Azog "Sorry about the absence. I'm ready to meet. On my way to you now"

6:26 AM

(Did Azog set up at the space station? I can't recall)

(In your factory just in case something went boom)

Azog has used the month to his advantage, securing a small alcove in the factory to continue his work

6:55 AM

Several very large and healthy looking crystal samples grow in beds of soil under sun-lamps (edited)

"Sorry for the absence Azog but it's been a busy couple of years. I needed a break. Catch me up to speed" he says looking at any reports lying around

"Well, I've made some discoveries into the nature of these crystals we have found, that I think you'll be interested in

7:43 AM

I have mastered getting them to grow healthy, and strong, and knowing that their dust mixed with water produces a reaction

"And so what sort of power projections are we looking at now? We had about 2 years worth of crystals right?"

"They grow like plants grow, fresh soil, clean water, sunlight, and when reduced to powder and mixed with water, an enormous amount of hydrogen is released

9:21 AM

"We can power an engine far more efficiently than with oil, and the byproducts are very safe."

"So how much land would we need to grow them? We could buy large tracts of uncultivated land, work with and agricultural business like dank crew to cultivate that land and make it a good place to grow these crystals. Do we have enough farmers to put this kind of plan into action?"

“Well, they need a lot of water. A lot. We can get something going here, or we could move to the ocean and try to desalinate. The port has an enormous amount of land around it going unused”

"what about the other side of the lake? The fresh water will surely be better for them and they're closer to greenbriar"

10:27 AM

(it's been a while since I've seen the map but I'm sure there was a road or rail connection running beside the lake as well. We could establish a small new community there)

(there's a rail on both sides of the lake now actually!)

10:35 AM

(that could be used at the gold mining town, or within driving distance of it, bring some growth out there, that's along the back of the lake

10:36 AM

"We could reach out to Judge Ibraham, see what can be done about getting a large plantation for these set out by his town. I'm sure he would appreciate the growth"

10:36 AM

(he is another PC)

"Gladly, I'll send him a message. Once we've got the approval how long before we can get everything set up?" Charles says while composing a message on his compad

10:51 AM

" @Hoef McHoeffington Dear Judge al-Mansoor, my name is Charles Trivedi, CEO of Trivedi Technologies. We have developed a new energy producing crystal and are looking for a place to establish a plantation. On our shortlist is the town for which you have responsibility. Before proceeding we would like to have your opinion on the project. I will send through a more formal proposal soon with more specific information but at a first glance would you be interested"

"Once we have marching orders we can have the plantation set up by the end of the month, and with all the refugees coming in from Rawhani we can get plenty of people to run it"

"Great! And have you been looking into any other projects while I've been away that I should know about?"

"We had word from our friends on Miriam while you were gone, they found something quite interesting below all that ice. Some kind of Empire starport storage facility "

"I'll try and head out there when I get a chance then, thank you. Keep up the good work Azog, let me know if there's anything you want to start focussing on in the near future and we'll look into it" Charles says his goodbyes and heads to check in with Martin about the state of the business

Martin is very happy with the state of the business right now. Herb's purchase of space aboard the station has gone through successfully, and the highly trained crew aboard trivedi cloud has been able to double estimated production time on orders. He is looking currently to streamline how company holdings are administered

"What sort of ideas have you got. I had a few myself but I'd like to hear yours first?"

"Well, Kelbore has made some extra revenue by directly selling to the civilian market- his hovercycles for in-colony use have sold well. They're planning to expand some streets and pave this summer, if we have some ground or grav-car models ready we might be able to beat him on that one I think getting our freighter, even one or two launched in the near future will be of great use to us. Aslief was devastated by the war, and there are communities on Rawhani- like Nova industries- who do not seem as terrible- selling that Miriam metal, and these new crystals give us two big advantages"

Message Received at ████████ - Judge, Ibrahim Majeed al-Mansoor

Hello Mr. Trivedi, this project looks to be a rather interesting undertaking, and would be interested in hearing the project proper.

(edited)

"I can design the functionality of those cars pretty well but maybe it's worth bringing in somebody to design the exterior and interior aesthetics, that sort of stuff isn't really in my skill set. But otherwise that's a good idea. Alright let's get in contact with the old admiralty bunch and see if there's anybody looking to crew a freighter. My plan revolved around making the business more of a corporate entity. Lawyers, accountants, administrators. That sort of thing. Make us really competitive with other big businesses"

5:18 AM

@Hoef McHoeffington "Wonderful. We have recently discovered a strain of crystals that, under the proper circumstances, give out more energy than fossil fuels. These crystals can be grown in very damp territory, much like normal agriculture. We believe the area around your town is perfect for it and are offering to employ people to live in your town and cultivate the fields. This, alongside investment in housing and local businesses throughout the area, will significantly boost the economy of the town"

Martin makes a call to the admiral and is surprised when he gets so many volunteers. The ships in orbit have been a nice change for many of them but there are still plenty without posts. Those left planetside have been causing trouble due to boredom

7:00 AM

A job on a far trader is a good way to get some sailors back into their disciplined routine

Great, the next step is to go visit somebody like Franz in the administration and see if there is anybody with a corporate background that came on the Gudrun ships, or any of the new refugees that might be able to help with things like drawing up contracts

There are several refugees from rawhani who used to be corporate lawyers. With the formation of the corporate council, the rule of law means nothing and they were released from service

Charles will organise a meeting with them to discuss potential employment. Does the factory have meeting facilities

It has a conference room which is pretty big

10:48 AM

With normal trivedi meetings you don’t even fill half of it as is

Message Received at ████████ - Judge, Ibrahim Majeed al-Mansoor This looks to be rather promising, let us meet to discuss placement and other business opportunity.

Maybe just taking place in an office then, if there's only a few lawyers. Charles will introduce himself and his business. He will then say "So what we want to do is bring a legal element to our business to make us competitive with off world companies. We'd like you guys to head the division, what do you think"

4:17 PM

To judge "Great let's get something in the diary" (We can do it in this thread after I'm finished with this)

each are quite excited to be getting back to their former jobs. In addition to ensuring you are paid for your honest work, lawyers can also be used offensively, to damage deals other companies might try to make or to try to drown other companies in red tape

4:36 PM

(they attack other wealth assets)

"Great. We'll get you set up with some Trivedi campus accommodation while we find some space for your offices. We can set you up down here for now with the possibility to expand onto the station as we need you" Charles will introduce them to Martin who will get them organised. Their first task will be to help in the reorganisation of the Trivedi company (I've got major plans for this and will draw a diagram tomorrow haha)

(Sounds good!)

7:58 PM

They begin settling into their new offices under the care of Martin

7:58 PM

they'll spend the next few days learning the structure of the company, while preparing to serve its legal needs

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z-L1LcHbNCOt4m77kotaCTp_1to7kzo1/view?usp=sharing

Trivedi Corp

3:31 AM

(I made a mindmap because my attempt to handwrite it started to look like the demented scrawls of a madman)

(Hahahahaha. It looks great how it’s laid out there. A true megacorp in the making)

6:46 AM

The lawyers will take a look at current colony deals as they work with Martin to see what can be done to swing to your advantage. They’ll also look at the trade relationships between taros states to see if any can be interrupted

(I'm starting to wonder if Charles making his money in the aftermath of the scream is the same way Russian oligarchs made their money after the collapse of the ussr)

7:11 AM

With the freighters preparing to launch, the lawyers being set away with their tasks, Charles will go and talk to Martin to tell him about his promotion from head of the factory to the head of all production in the Trivedi corporation

Martin is overjoyed at the news and eager to take on more responsibility. (So for the freighters I’m going to have to get the Miriam mining and crystal stuff more organized. Have to figure out tonnage a month so we know how much you’re selling and what the base price is. I’ll do that tonight)

7:44 AM

(And hey if you don’t take over someone else will, at least this way you get to set the terms)

(Nevermind had some time before indentured labor today. Totaled everything up on your faction handout and gave you total payroll per month)

(Great thank you very much!). Charles will put out advertisements for a head of security, a head of accounting, and a head of administration in the local papers. He will then call a family meeting of his brother and sister

They both hurry to meet you, eager to see the purpose of the meeting. Martin ensures the advertisements are read on the nightly news

"Hey guys how are you doing" Charles says at the Trivedi estate. They spend a couple of hours hearing about Charles' adventures on the island and him hearing theirs from the past month. As the evening pushes on he eventually brings up the new operational division. "I want you two to each head one of the three branches. Harry I figured you'd want to lead what I'm calling Red Group. They'll be your classic paramilitary group. Running raids on enemy assets, maybe accompanying me if I ever need that kind of support. Mira I want you leading Black Group, running corporate and classic espionage and sabotage. You'll both be in control of your own teams but will be directed by either me or somebody I'll put in charge of the whole of the operations division. What do you guys think? "

Mira slinks back in her chair, letting out a breath she’s held in for a long time. “Yes. I’m in. I’ll be working with those new hires in our law division right now?”

"I hadn't considered that yeah, they'll be able to identify good targets. Otherwise I'd like to keep the specifics of your job fairly quiet, don't want people getting the wrong impression and all that"

“I’m pretty good at making it look like I’m working” Harry Says with as much levity as he can manage

"And then never doing any actual work?" Charles asks with a grin. "So you're more than welcome to put your own people in the teams, but if you need help finding recruits let me know and I'll lend a hand"

"Are we able to bring in some of the new refugees? Or are we keeping this existing greenbriar personnel only?" Mira asks

"If you think you can trust them then it's all up to you. Their outsider perspectives might come in handy"

They both begin making some notes and seem to have some plans for How to get started.

"I'll check back with you in a couple of days to see how you're getting on. Might have found some assignments for you in that time"

The both break off from the meeting to see about getting their teams and plans together. The mood is elevated, everyone is excited to get going.

(So it'll be a couple game days while your teams identify other faction assets.) Mira wastes no time, and later sends you one piece of news. they'll inform you of now though is Tri-Green has seemingly had some space-faring help, and is now in residence on Aliah. Their entire operation vacated their building and fled almost overnight.

Charles will order them to break into the building and see if they left anything behind that might be of use to us, and whether the building would make a good base for Trivedi in the Taros lands

Which team would be attempting the insertion

Mira's

(block of text incoming)

8:42 AM

Mira's team leaves that night, arriving secretly in vapormills the following pre-dawn. She has the good sense to advise Dorlin they are coming- and although the Executor is hesitant, she is aware and penitent for the data breach and human experimentation that happened in her city while she was unawares The building has been fenced off and is normally guarded from the ground by Taros police, tonight however, they have been recalled. The building has not been abandoned long, and almost every floor is empty. Even the furniture has been taken. The move was done in haste, despite the complete emptying of the building and several lading tickets are recovered The shipments were sent to a ship called the Southern Belle, destined for a new Tri-Green headquarters on Aliah.

8:43 AM

The company did leave behind one small server room, seemingly forgotten in the haste, and the team carries out the very old computing devices

On the way back to the colony, Mira analyzes the first of them, to get an idea of what is being worked with- The servers seem to be linked to a Tri-Green payroll system, and it indicates the departments on payroll (These are their wealth assets) Lawyers Harvester (robotics lab) Franchise

Charles messages any contacts he has at the port, or if they're launching from Cloud Trivedi he just calls up the information about the Southern Belle

8:56 AM

(Is there any indication what their franchise is?)

(their line of robotics products, more than just stuff theyre bolting onto people, they also make servos for powered armor, robotic arms for manufacturing, ect)

8:59 AM

(fine motor control stuff that makes precision building easier and faster)

Charles will send the remaining servers to the computer division (Cant remember the name of the hacker I brought in just before I left) for further analysis

9:09 AM

(So if I wanted to take the commercial expansion goal Commercial Expansion: Destroy a number of Wealth assets of rival factions equal to your faction’s Wealth rating. Difficulty is 1/2 number of assets destroyed. and target their Harvester and Franchise I could use my lawyers to attack their franchise and my force units to take their Harvester? Is that how it works?)

(yeah they roll against each other. Reading up on that now actually, to see if an attack is a faction action or not, and how many attacks you can do at once)

(As far as I can tell its one attack per turn)

9:15 AM

(God these rules are complicated)

(I know. and yes, im seeing the same thing)

(I can attack one action per turn but use as many assets in that attack as possible and they can use as much defence as they want)

(You have a complete listing of their wealth assets, so anything wealth vs wealth you have and idea of the type of resistance)

9:21 AM

(you dont know who if anyone else they're defending against too)

(Ok so what I've done to make up my faction turns is rolled 12 d6 for the 12 turns i hadnt rolled. 9 were 3 or above so i took 9 fac creds. I then took another 12 for the 12 the harvester produced. I also took 4xp for 12 months of peaceful kingdom. I then used 2 of that xp to increase my cunning to 2, which gave me an extra hitpoint. After that I bought lawyers, sabotuers, and a milita reducing my 23 fac creds to 8. )

9:29 AM

(I think that catches me up to faction strength. Would I have a base of influence and harvester on Miriam as well because of the mines

(yes to both)

(Ok so I've also bought the security personel for blue group but we can roleplay Charles establishing them later.)

9:43 AM

The Trivedi faction puts all of its assets on gudrun into attacking the Tri-Green assets on the planet

9:43 AM

(Wait can I use force and cunning assets against a wealth asset?)

(on the asset youre attacking with it'll tell you what they can attack, so where it says like wealth vs wealth, ect)

10:06 AM

(scratch that, letme re-read

10:10 AM

(nevermind, so anything can attack anything, and the attack type is the modifier we add, so just adding whatever score the faction has in wealth/cunning/force_

10:13 AM

The leaders of each division and their small teams answer your meeting request, eager to hear about your plans for getting the last traces of Tri-Green off planet. The anger is still fresh for some, when faced with the grisly human experimentation evidence, and this is a revenge of sorts long overdue

"Last night one of our teams raided the old Tri-Green headquarters in Vapormillis. We found it abandoned and recovered some data from them referring to assets that they still have on the planet. This presents a good opportunity to get them off the planet for good. I want the legal team to find a way for us to claim their property left on the planet. Maybe a law suit for damages done to humans? Something like that. The new operations division will then move in and claim the property, which will either be integrated into our business plan or sold to someone else. Any questions? "

Mira is flipping through a file folder of copies of documents and pictures taken during the raid. "Has vapormills given us any trouble for the operation? "

"The few members that know about it seem to be in support. I think they're as glad to be rid of Tri-Green as we are. They never caused anything but trouble"

This seems to assuage her concerns, and she sits back in her chair again to keep looking through documents. "We can press a suit for damages, we never officially took anything from our hacking operation the first time, and we can use the loss of human capital and labor- deprived to us as deaths from their experiences- as a way to get damages"

"That sounds perfect. We can then use blue group to secure whatever damages we receive while red and black both cause less legitimate damage"

Black team heads off to their suite of conference rooms and offices, documents in hand. Mira seems almost giddy to present Tri-Green with a list of damages- the legitimacy of which is up for debate. Blue and Red are awaiting orders (edited)

(Is Mira not leading Black team and the lawyers presenting the damages?)

(got my colors wrong)

(haha no problem)

12:10 PM

Charles will send blue team to go ensure the transfer of property from Tri-Green to Trivedi goes smoothly. When blue has left the room Charles will speak to harry and his red team deputies. "Sorry boys youve got the unpleasant job. I want you to go and harass the Tri-Green lawyers. Nothing too illegal or threatening, but just make them feel like Tri-Green cant protect them from off world. Just like we used to do on Arshan. Do that for a couple of days and we'll have blue team come in and stop you. We can then offer the lawyers our protection and hopefully recruit a few of them. "

Harry and his toughs begin making plans to conduct surveillance, figure out routines, and do everything they can to ensure these Tri-Green lawyers have the most inconvenient and mildly threatening week of their lives.

"I dont think I need to clarify this but try and keep this from the others as well if possible"

12:15 PM

Charles says putting away his files and presentation materials

The groups leaving the boardroom plan to keep their work quiet, and each set out with great relish to do their jobs. (so we have a couple game days at least while they carry out what they're doing. Anything charles personally wants to get done?)_

Charles wants to spend some time designing the cars and grav cars that were mentioned as an opportunity. He will design them to be optimised with the energy crystals

(fix int!)

(only a 13 this time

)

The design of the engine goes much easier than the actual ascetics of the car, owing to your own professed weakness for such things. Functionally, the vehicles will work- and work well- but they're what martin describes as 'brutish' to look at

"You know what Martin? You look brutish" Charles says in frustration throwing his designs across the room. Charles apologises on his way out and heads down to one of the local bars a lot of the people in the area drink at

The Baron has opened up a second establishment closer to city center, dubbed Baron's Brewhaus, and it has quickly become a favorite of admin staff, and those fortunate to live close to city center

Charles will walk in and order a drink, while surveying the room to try and get a read on the people in there. He's looking for an aesthetic designer but doesn't really know what one would look like

There are several elegantly dressed people out for dinner this evening. In a corner booth, two women are passing some glittering stones back and forth across the table, looking at them with a jewelers glass

Charles will walk over and ask to join the two women at the table. He is shockingly underdressed for the occasion, having just come from a full day of work and also having never really understood fashion in the first place, having been raised wearing rags

Despite your attire, your name is famous in the colony and everyone knows the man responsible for getting an orbital platform together for the colony- a hallmark of all truly civilized worlds. Space is made for you at the table.

This is the first time Charles has realised he is well known around the colony. In his mind he's still a reclusive engineer. Once he has recovered from that shock he introduce himself to the table. "Hi there, I'm Charles Trivedi, it's good to meet you" he says shaking each hand in turn. "Mind if I ask what you're looking at there"

"Stones from the mines outside vapormills. Theyre quite beautiful aren't they?"

1:48 PM

"We are aspiring jewelers, looking to make something new with the unique gem formations on this planet"

"I know very little about the unique gem formations on this planet" Charles says taking a closer look at the stones. "What makes them so special"

They pour a handful onto the table, and each is a shockingly bright rainbow hue

2:08 PM

Somehow, the gem types have become striated, like different solutions suspended in water

Charles takes one up and admires it closely. "Wow where do you even find something like this?"

"The mines near vapormills were in underhill hands for a very long time, their underqueens were doing something down there. Whatever it was, theyve made some beautiful gems"

"Have people been looking into what the underqueens were doing to have that kind of effect on the gems? Is it dangerous or anything"

“The taros have been offering tours of the old nest near vapor mills. It looks like a regular old mine now. It’s a bit expensive but everyone leaves with some stones. We had an amazing time there” Both women are sharply dressed and one even has an electoo of a running stallion on her arm, the majestic horse galloping on in place forever

"Hmm I might just do that. Tell me, you both seem very cultured artisitic people. I'm looking for a designer with flair for aesthetic. Would you know anybody"

“What are the details?”

"That I'm not willing to share with somebody outside the company. Just know that there will be lots of opportunities for them should the show themselves compotent"

"As you said, we're quite cultured" the woman with the electoo answers, sweeping her hand to deftly pick up the scattered stones. "If you're looking for some decorating help, we would love to spend some of your money"

"Well yes that's a fair point I could probably do with that but I'm after somebody who can design the aesthetics of vehicles. If you think you're able to do that as well then I'm more than happy to bring you aboard"

"The inside of a vehicle is no different than a room. It's about angles, materials, layout. That is something we both do very expertly"

"Alright then, come down to the Trivedi factory in the morning. Let's see what you can do. I also don't think I ever caught your names" Charles says ordering another round of drinks for the table

"Kira Rostov" the one with the electoo answers, the horse rearing as she does so, "my companion here is Ceila Pelado"

(Electoos are such a cool concept with such and awful name haha)

10:11 AM

"Nice to meet you both" Charles says handing them their drinks. "You came here with Greenbriar or were you part of one of the later additions to our little family?"

"With greenbriar, we have been trying to get a market stall almost since we landed, and were having trouble finding some product, but I think are fortunes are about to change"

10:17 AM

(and yeah, I'm all for re-name, I love the idea though.)

"A market stall selling what, if you don't mind me asking?"

"we were hoping to use some of the silver and gold coming into the colony- not used on electronics- to make jewelry and other art objects for sale, we have a supplier, but getting a storefront was harder- and customers."

10:39 AM

"We just havent reached the level of sustainability where people are focusing on things beyond their next meal"

"Yeah it's still tight around here. But when things start to pick up you'll be in an advantageous position to take advantage. I like that kind of thinking ahead"

"Exactly. Well then, tomorrow. Your factory. Let's see what we can do on whatever this mysterious project is" Celia purrs.

7:56 AM

The drinks are drained promptly

Charles says his goodbyes and goes home. He will message the legal team to prepare some ndas for the morning

The documents are sent to you exactly two moments before your morning alarm goes off-

(now that orders have been issues, what asset is attacking this month, mira or harry?)

As Charles wakes up he thinks "Damn those lawyers are efficient."When he arrives at work he will have Martin prepare the conference room for guests (or an intern/assistant given martins new rank) and will organise his car designs to show them

6:08 PM

(I think have the lawyers attack first, unless they did that last month in which case have Harry attack)

(Nope lawyers are up. Roll a d10 add wealth score)

10

(9). The courts in Vapormills process the litigation that morning and the representatives of trigreen still on world are served papers- stating that a suit is being handed to their company for the experiments on humans. An extensive list of damages is provided, citing lost wages, pain and suffering, survivors benefits to widows in the colony whose spouses were on that pod, and finally , very hefty punitive damages against the company.

6:25 AM

There is little they can do without admitting their guilt (edited)

(So is that all I can do on my turn?)

(Faction turn yeah. Their lawyer asset is destroyed as they’re now ineffective- combating your litigation)

10:15 AM

(They can choose to repair it on their turn by throwing money at it, but it depends on how things go)

(Great, so do they get to move against me this turn or will they have to wait until next time)

(They do get a turn but they’re attacking another faction. Your attack blindsided them)

Mira's operation is a success, and over the next couple of weeks until month end- harry and his own team will make life just generally annoying and unpleasant for the personnel of Tri-Green.

Great, charles will turn up at the factory to brief the two women on what he would like them to do

They immediately set to work , using a projected model of the car. With haptic gloves, they mold outline of the vehicle, and its insides, into something of an elegant towncar design. It looks comfortable inside, and several touches, including a hood ornament, and space on the grill and stearing wheel for the company logo give it an extra level of class

12:52 PM

"Well, I think the Model-T has already been taken by someone" Ceila says, admiring the slowly rotating 3d outline

Charles is thoughrouly impressed with their work and will offer to take them on as contractors for any design work that will need to be done. "I've never really thought about a logo to be honest. I've never thought we'd be around long enough for one. How about a T over an outline of Gudrun. Or a T over the greenbriar logo, whatever that looks like"

(it's that green/black flag with the pine on it thats on some of the handouts)

2:32 PM

Im stealing this one from the internet

2:32 PM

(Obvs it will say Trivedi)

2:32 PM

(But I'm not that motivated to photoshop it yet)

2:33 PM

Charles will ask the design team to come up with a clean, succinct logo

(yeah you have to use this one now lmao)

2:34 PM

They incorporate the design elegantly into the grill, wheel, and it will be the first thing displayed before the onboard mapping and entertainment comes online

2:49 PM

(That took far more effort than it should have)

(I dig it)

2:59 PM

(Going to have to slap that bad boy on the faction handout haha)

Nekosmash 11/13/2018 7:38 AM

the car design is completed , and a prototype will be constructed over the next few hours, incorporating the highly efficient engine that youve designed.

Charles will begin organising a press conference to unveil the new Trivedi Roadster to the wider Greenbriar community

Media presence in the colony is small and it only takes a half day for Martin to book appointments with Greenbriar TV, radio, Drank Radio, and representatives from the government. Late that afternoon, you are standing in front of a packed press room, the model of the roadster next to you

Stepping up on stage Charles begins his speech. "Ladies and gentlemen. 2 years ago we landed on this planet, and every step since then has been a struggle. We left our old lives in search of something new and amazing, not to be slogging round in the mud all day. But now, life is returning to normal and Trivedi Inc must lead that surge forward into the unknown. I present to you the next step in a long journey towards perfection. The Trivedi Prophecy." At this point the car roars to life as lights and videos go in an Apple and Microsoft presentation style. " Using a state of the art fuel system, the trademark Trivedi engineering, and luxurious design at an affordable price, the Prophecy is ready to drive you to your destiny. Preorders are available now, ready to come to the public market by the end of the month"

One of the reporters raises a hand, she looks eager, with wide rimmed blue glasses and shocking blue-green hair to match

7:58 AM

"How much are pre- orders going for? and do you have plans to release new models in the future?"

"Preorders are going for 7,000 a piece. It will eventually be raised to 8,000 when we go to market. More models will be designed in the future as demand increases"

the room bursts into applause "Are pictures of the model permitted?"

"Of course. Go wild" Charles gestures for the photographers to begin

the room is drowned in flash photography, and within minutes pictures of the Trivedi Prophesy appear on colonial nets. The server crashes twice with all the preorder requests.

To the side of the room Charles says quietly to Martin "That seems to have gone fairly well. You think the factory will keep up with the requests"

"I think so. Orders can be done at the factory here, and we can keep the cloud focused on ships."

"Great. Tell the team good work and to keep pushing on"

11:32 AM

(I think I've got some ideas for my cunning and force goals. Cunning I think should be have one agent in each opposing company. Force is to turn our security forces into an actual military power)

(especially if you're going to be shipping, corporate convoys for your supply ships)

11:33 AM

(keep money in house by not needing to pay the navy)

(Exactly. Although I am feeling like Charles' mega Corp building is starting to make him slightly less doogoody. Kind of like Tony stark in Civil War. I'm digging it though. Cool story telling)

(I'll PM you the layout for goals then and we can tweak)

11:46 AM

"Trivedi cloud is absent some work right now as well, any plans?"

"Are the freighters all kitted up?"

"Yes, they're prepared, all we need is your word"

"Alright get them launched. I want the cloud using their larger work stations to be working on prefabricated buildings. I plan on either using them here or sending them to less developed planets"

(So it’ll be the major production facility holding from suns of gold. They can make that many tons of colonial supplies per month. If we shorten the worktjme we will reduce tonnage accordingly. I think that’s the easiest way to do it)

(Cool, it's just something for them to do while they wait for a big project to come along)

6:48 AM

(And a step towards preparing for off planet trade posts)

(yeah, just using the major production stats how how many tons of goods a month)

7:01 AM

Preorders for the car reach over 1500, netting you a hefty gross profit

(Charles takes all the money and retires to the Gudrun equivalent of the Cayman Islands. Just kidding. But maybe some day.) (edited)

8:27 AM

With all that set up Charles will focus on his new mission. Corporate espionage. He will arrange a meeting with Mira and Black team to discuss infiltration tactics

Mira and black team arrive, suits pristine and file folders packed with documents.

8:28 AM

Mira opens the meeting, with a question for you- "So, Charles, who do you think our biggest competition on this planet is?"

(I'll finish posting your goals tonight, trying to get it to format on my phone was proving a challenge)

"I think if the Taros get their act together they're our biggest threat, but right now they're all so messed about that there's plenty of time to deal with them. Kelbore on the other hand stands the chance to really tackle us if he can get the proper funding"

“Alright. Kelbore.” She draws his name on the board. “So what would you like done to kelbore. Do you want just general information or are you looking for something?”

"He's too useful to destroy. I'd eventually like to buy him out and bring him to work for us. But for now we'll just need information. What his business plans are, who his best employees are"

“Alright. So information gathering. Now here’s where we have to make a choice. Do we send someone in as a new employee or try to turn someone there?”

"I think send try and turn somebody there. It's riskier but we'll have more valuable information sooner than having to work our way up from bottom of the ladder into the inner circle"

8:48 AM

(Also not impressed with the new thread reorganisation. I now have to scroll all the way to the bottom to find mine

)

(I can find a different way. Seung said the same thing since you’re both T)

9:53 AM

“Alright. Ill have a list of who’s who over there to you within a day. We will need something to offer as collateral for turning them”

"Money is always good and we've got plenty of that. Somebody with a gambling problem, heavy debts. That sort of thing"

"I'll get in touch with the baron, and see if i can dig Jaxton Ryder out of his casino office, I'm sure he might know a few people in some heavy debt to him. Good thinking Charles"

"Keep me updated with what's happening. Come find me when you've got something"

"Of course. One final matter. Our miners on Miriam found something you may want to see personally"

1:19 PM

"Some kind of pre-mandate storehouse, looks like it might have been a starport once, they've explored a few rooms, but they need support and organization to go further"

"Alright ill take Harry and some of his boys with me while you work on this." Charles says while composing a message to Harry explaining the situation and telling him to meet at the spaceport

Harry and his small team stand ready, having procured their arctic gear first.

3:39 PM

They also have breaching tools and much more ammuniton than usual

"You always expect the worst" Charles says looking at all the extra ammunition. Charles will also send the message to the various movers and shakers in the colony, just to keep them updated on the potential opportunities

6:56 PM

(now is a good opportunity for any other pcs that wanted to get in with Trivedi to get a looksie)

(I can post in group, directing them to your channel, its not a listed endeavor but if all goes well you'll get some unique rewards)

(I'm writing a post now for group)

(perfect. You're like the iceman, you know what I want to do before I know I want to do it)

(Hahaha were starting to read each others minds. It could either be brilliant or the coming of the end times)

(I think both) "Just wanted to ensure we don't run into any trouble we can't out shoot" Harry says. "I was looking over a map, looks like they used ground penetrating sonar to get an idea of the layout, and they marked off where they've been. Our friend Shriven lead a team in to clear a few chambers when it was first found looks like"

"Well let's hope there's less shooting and more anything but shooting. Tends to make me feel safer. Good I'll scour over what they've found so far on the journey. See if I can get a better idea of what they're dealing with"

7:05 PM

Initial reports have a small storage room full of pre-scream salvage, a few maintenance bots that did not hold up under the cold, and some difficulties with the pressing weight of snow on top

7:06 PM

(I'm not expecting you to clear every single room at once, unless you want to, figured ths might be something that gets delved into a number of times) (edited)

(oh my god I was not expecting that many rooms)

(Yeah we can do it in chunks)

Charles will identify the circular room in the middle of the compound as his main target for this expedition, clearing the rooms along the way

7:08 PM

(You've been hinting at this plot thread for months and now I know why haha)

(Mega dungeon!)

(Rather than dungeon of the mad mage we've got dungeon of the mad GM)

The spike drive to Miriam is spend with all hands looking over the map, familiarizing themselves with their weapons, and cold weather gear, and finally ensuring that everyone is carrying enough medical supplies. A few porters will remain with the ship to help bring any finds out of the buried port

(I'll wait until morning until we continue in. See if anybody else is interested in coming along)

(sounds good to me!)

(Doesn't sound like anybody else is coming)

(No. Let’s kick off then)

When Charles exits hyper space around Miriam he will message Karl and Zam to ask them to send some transports to ferry the team across to the starport. Does Charles have in information on the civilisation of the ruins?

It has some similarities with slyth but little else is the same

12:11 PM

Karl and Zam have a convoy of snowkats with cargo sleds ready to move any funds

12:11 PM

Finds

After chatting with Karl and Zam for a bit Charles will say "OK so brief me on what you found down there last time. What kind of security was there? What kind of stuff could we salvage"

"There were some excellent pre-mandate, even pre second wave , parts down there. The area looks to be a spaceport, we found a few automated defenses still running.

"Admittedly, we did not get far into the complex, we found ourselves undermanned and unprepared for the dangers ahead"

"What sort of precautions should we take to make sure that doesn't happen again"

"You've taken it by bringing along dedicated combat personnel. Last time they only had a mish-mash of weapons between them, and the explorers were workers, not soldiers"

"Alright that sounds good then. I've had a message from a friend saying he's on his way to meet us so we'll get set up but not go in until he gets here"

1:05 PM

(Shriven wants in on the mission)

(yes, he told me you'd been speaking, he should be on his way to you in just a few moments)

(No problemo)

@Rey (Shriven) and the Anamen arrive, landing next to the Lawrence on the snowy surface of miriam

2:38 PM

Several Snowkat rovers, and their cargo sleds are drawn up around the dark silo, leading down into the starport ruins

Shriven talks to the crew here and asks them about being able to upgrade Anamem while he is in the star port ruins.

for a price they can spend their idle time on the surface working on it

3:01 PM

(we worked that out already)

Shriven then walks over to Charles, “Sorry I’m late hope I didn’t miss anything. I’m Shriven by the way. We have only talked over comms so it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

"And you" Charles says shaking hands. "I've heard about what you've been doing for greenbriar. Sounds like good work. Let me get you caught up on what we know." (Charles catches him up on the last 10 messages l)

5:28 PM

(was it Shriven that went into it last time. I can't remember)

(Yeah it was)

“Last time I was here we thought it was just a silo but then found corridors. I haven’t hear much more since then.”

"Well Mr Shriven seems we've got plenty explorin to be spin"

5:51 PM

"I'm looking forward to it. Got your guns?"

Shriven spins his heavy machine gun off his back and into his hands. “Ready and willing. In a pinch I also have some pistols.” Shriven points to the mag pistol at his side.

5:55 PM

Shriven also has a set of combat armor on and a very full pack.

Charles has very little in the way of armour and weapons but lots in the way of hiding

“Lead on sir, I’m just here to finish out this mystery.”

You repel down the silo into the cavern below. Some permanent shop lighting has been installed in the descent shaft since you’ve been here last and the previously explored corridors have been marked. (The X’s on the map. Starting point is the blue x)

The north segment of hallway has been explored previously, the area up to the dead end marked as clear with engineers pencil. The store rooms have been emptied and shored up as best as possible to prevent collapse

Shriven carefully walks down the hallway remembering the collapse the last time.

The snow has been cleaned up but a few loose gears and other trinkets have been left behind from the unlucky worker

Charles suggests taking a the first right down that hallway

The hallway travels a short distance, illuminated by glowbugs and the fading lights from the silo entry point. A half opened iris door adjoins the hallway, the mechanism seized halfway to open and closed

Is the opening big enough for the group to fit through if they go one by one

The opening looks wide enough to fit into one by one

Shriven asks Charles, “Do you want to go first or should I?”

"You've got a bigger gun you should definitely go first" (edited)

Shriven grins, “Works for me.” Shriven then climbs through the hole.

(What are we using for illumination)

(Low light goggles for me. Is there enough illumination for them?)

10:16 AM

(If not I have 4 flares)

(Yeah that will work). This room looks to be a former control station where weather was graphed and tracked to advise landing vessels. You can tell because several climate maps are on the wall. Most of the terminals no longer work

“Looks clear go ahead and come on through.”

"Coming in." Charles says coming through the hole. "Hang on one sec while I take a hard drive out of one of the computers. We might be able to analyse it later"

Shriven helps Charles pull the hard drives out under his direction. (edited)

Youre able to recover two. The cold has kept the terminals from dergrading very much and only light work is needed

(Just confirming we are going down from the blue x or up and right?)

(down)

11:49 AM

(that top hallway ends at a dead end)

11:49 AM

(it looks like it connects but there's a gap there)

(So that long hallway on the bottom right?)

(the start of it yeah, the room you are in was the very first one along it there, right by where you came in

(Thanks for clarifying.) “Charles you ready to keep going down this hall? I will head out once you are.”

(I'll make the paint markings on it when I get back to a PC)

"Yeah let's push on, but go slowly. We don't know what kind of security is down there"

12:09 PM

(Also Charles for Shrivens benefit Charles is being accompanied by a few bodyguards, including a robot, so feel free to make use of them)

12:10 PM

(The robot is also his brother but I'm not sure if people know that)

(When ever I use body guards or npcs they tend to end up dead especially if I start talking soccer with them.

)

12:13 PM

Shriven heads down the hallway with the guards at his back.

(Notice int)

<2> Shriven starts up a conversation with the guards asking them about their favorite sports as he turns the corner.

12:49 PM

(I seriously have the worst luck with notice rolls...)

The soccer talk once again proves distracting, and three floating minder bots round the corner. They are rusted and their float engines make a growling sound like a handful of pennies thrown into a clothing dryer. Their weapons arm with a gentle hum of rising power

12:51 PM

(initiative)

<7>

(3. I haven't rolled initiative in so long I couldn't find it on the new sheet)

Shriven is first, monitor bot swarm is next, Charles and bodyguards are end of round)

Shriven drops to the ground and sets up the bipod. (Instant action and main action.)

The monitor bots use their inbuilt lasers to stab beams down the tunnel. one of the security detail is lightly wounded (2)

Charles ducks behind something to use as cover and fumbles to draw his (I don't even know what. I think it's a laser pistol). He tries to fire but realises his gun isn't turned on, so he turns it on and fires at the robots

2:00 PM

(Hang on while I go work out how to combat)

2:01 PM

(attack 12 damage 0)

2:01 PM

(which must be impossible)

(yeah something there is wrong, pistol is d6 i believe)

(1 damage then)

The bot buzzes angrily as its struck. The bodyguard detail unleashes their weapons down the corridor. Harry's reinforced frame allows him to fire his own heavy machine gun without bracing. You see he's kept it since you did armor testing with the Miriam metal.

3:06 PM

The one you damaged tumbles out of the air, hitting the ground with a spark and solid thump. Shriven next)

Shriven’s elbows hurt from his sudden drop and is distracted as he lets loose at the other bot. <7 11dmg>

(charles next)

Charles will fire again at the bots with his laser pistol (9 and 3)

The second bot is hit squarely on the nose, it’s hover slightly altered

6:38 PM

They fire their short beams down the corridor at you

6:41 PM

Harry is struck for 2 as the beam scores a slight burn in his armor. He seems to find it amusing more than anything

6:42 PM

He fires a suppression burst down the corridor, smashing another.

6:42 PM

(Shriven up)

Shriven calms down and fires at the bot. (Only one left?) <21 9dmg>

(Yeah just a light encounter)

6:49 PM

The heavy rounds slap the bot to the floor. It tries to rise but it’s power fails

6:49 PM

(Also you and Harry both have heavy weapons so their armor didn’t amount to much)

“Hostiles down.” Shriven stands up, “Hey Charles, I have an extra mag gun in my pack if you want. It punches a lot more than your laser pistol but the recoil is worse. If your interested.” (2d6+2 damage but it doesn’t get the +1 to hit like your laser pistol.) (edited)

"Yeah I think that might be a good idea" Charles laughs, amazed that he hasn't ended up dead. "Although give me a couple of minutes to do my thing and Ill see what I can learn from these bots." Charles will spend a few minutes taking the bots apart and looking for some kind of transmitter in the bots. His plan is to use the transmitter signal to track the other bots in the facility

(Your fix is so good im not gonna bother for a roll) The transmitter finds 50 other contacts within the entire complex, though you see no large groupings. They are moving in regular patterns, on their pre assigned patrols or maintenance rounds

Charles shares his findings with Shriven. "This should give us the jump on them in future. That or we can just avoid them entirely"

Nekosmash 11/21/2018 7:31 AM

“Nice! That is far easier than what I was thinking.” Shriven looks at the hallway, “We ready to continue?”

Charles checks his monitor to see if anything it ahead. If it's clear he says "Yep all clear ahead"

The scanner doesnt show anything nearby, the long hallway stretches for quite a distance before making a quick cut left, and then straightening out again. Ahead, you can see light spilling out into the dark hallway from an open room

MarkdownContext { Depth = 1 } “Looks inviting.” Shriven walks up to the doorway and with his pistol readied looks through the doorway.

The lights in this room are very bright, running on what seems to be the lions share of the remaining power. The plants in this room have long since withered away, not watered in quite some time, but it looks to have been a hydroponics bay of sorts

8:23 AM

Six very long tables with soil, and decayed plants stretch nearly the length of the room in neat rows

Shriven slowly walks in the room. Looking to see if there are any switches (not touching just looking) or control panels.

There are some consoles against the southwest corner of the room, they're dormant now, but you can see water and power controls promiment there

“Charles, I’m a little out my depth with this tech stuff but what do you think about powering this down to be able to shiny power to other areas? We could even keep someone here Incase we need to pull power back here from what ever this place decides it wants to power to stop us.”

"Sounds like a plan but I'll need to be sure I don't accidentally power up more defences. Give me a few minutes to work on it" he says as he sits down near the console and begins trying to turn on some emergency lighting

(program int)

10

The remaining console comes online, and you're able to pull some power from- its unclear what the systems actually are, but there is some power freed up. emergency lighting reactivates in the hallways

Shriven is shocked by the lights coming on and pulls out his machine gun looking for what suddenly lit the place up. “Was that you?”

"A little bit. Sorry. I'll give you a heads up next time. Should we push on?"

Shriven grins, “Yeah let’s, at least we don’t need these flares anymore.” Shriven walks out with the guards at his back down the hallway.

The hallway, per imaging, wraps around the southern side of the complex, now lit, you can see a very large security bot at the end of it, though it does not yet seem aware of you at the far end of the hallway

1:46 PM

(pushing on past the room you'd just exited, heading south, you;'re rounding the corner, heading east, and its allllllll the way at the end, in the southeast corner area)

“Charles do we want to try to take it out or let it patrol away?”

"If you and Harry open fire on it from here it'll be dead by the time it reaches us and that's one less thing to worry about in here"

Shriven prepares the machine gun. (Can we take an execute attack together?)

(Yes)

(Shoot/Dex vs 8 as normal wep range? I just had to look up what to do...)

(yep!)

<13 !!!!!! Dancing happy!!!!>

A single, well placed shot from the HMG cores the robot, and it slumps over, its power cut

Shriven looks up from his position. “Well looks like that one is down.” He gets up.

Sparks burst a few times from the body, and it settles on its tank like tracks- though it is clearly no longer mobile.

"Let's keep on going before we draw any more attention"

Shriven continues to move forward.

Approaching the bot, you get halfway down the hallway (notice/int)

Shriven Lets his guard down and talks of sports again. <4>

9

Charles notices the subtle change in the pitch of the deck plates, Shriven, deep in argument with Harry about sports, steps into one of the malfunctioning grav plates in the hallway, cartwheeling into the air, and landing across the gap created by the lifted plates (7 damage)

Shriven lands with a loud thump. Without missing a beat, “But seriously the Reds need to pull James out of the midfield, he is just hurting them in the defense.”

"You alright over there" Charles asks already lying on his belly taking a look at the grav plates, trying to see if there's a way around them

“Oh yeah. Ummm.” Shriven awkwardly stands. “I will be.”

After a moment of realising nobody is seriously injured Charles starts to laugh uncontrollably. "That was some hefty air distance you got there. Wish I could get some planes to go that high" he manages between gasps for air

Only a handful of the tiles are not working properly and you can pick your way through them

Reconnecting on the other side of the trap, you’re ready to move forward

11:09 AM

(youre at the red dot right now, that was the grav plate trap)\

Shriven looks and sees the door ahead of them. (Is it open?) (edited)

(room at the end of the hall on the southeast corner?)

(Just north of the grav trap.)

The door ahead is sealed, but something on the door

11:11 AM

has a placard attached, clearly some signage of somekind

11:12 AM

Its runes are unlike any human language, or even slyth

(Same language as before?)

(Yes)

(Side note, would I be able to use the computer system and a large amount of time to learn the language. Not now but with enough time and effort?)

11:17 AM

(Between diplomat and know -3)

11:20 AM

“Charles, I have seen this language before in here. Last time there was a note on the door it caved in when we opened it. What do you think try again?”

(Charles also has the second level of diplomat but I think that just lets him learn the language quickly)

11:30 AM

"I think it might be safer to give it a miss, at least until we find some way to translate the sign. Don't want it to actually mean 'DONT OPEN. BIG MAN EATING THING INSIDE'"

Shriven laughs, “Oh yeah that’s good. Okay let’s keep moving forward then. Let’s peak around the corner. Does your nifty robo-radar warn of anything?”

(in time yes, it takes about a week of study to become conversationally proficient, and a month to become fluent)

11:43 AM

The scanner detects two large contacts in the room to the southeast of the station, at the end of the long hall

"Two in the next room to our right. They look bigger than the others we've seen, so we might want a plan for this one. Anybody got any explosives on them that we can use"

“None here but I’m thinking it may be something I pick up next time I’m in town...”

“Few grenades among us” Harry says, fishing through his pack

“Okay, we want to try what we did before one on each of them? Then we can pick off what is left.”

"Willing to try another shot" Harry says, priming his weapon

(Want to confirm that Charles wants to try another combat or if he has some plan to try to hack them.)

(Yeah, just wanted to bump)

(RE: side note. Do I need to grab/do anything to be able to learn the language over the next month of study?)

(You’d need some examples of it)

5:03 PM

(Id say someone at the colony identifying it too)

(Could I use the computers or if we find any large data pile?)

(Yeah but unless you’re staying for a month you’ve got to be able to take the data with you)

(Haha just got a picture of shriven sitting down with ramen and a microwave in the ice cave.)

(Hahahahaha)

(Sorry I've been inactive. Yeah combat is a good plan for me)

6:05 PM

(And Charles will be willing to help Shriven learn the language once we get out of this)

(Ur Good, turkey comma are a hard to overcome

) Shriven steps over to the corner preparing to slide over prone to take a bead on the robots that we think are there.

"Harry you help him out. If you can pull them into the hallway we can use our numbers better"

You hear hissing and clanking around the corner and the occasional thump of some automated system turning over.

Shriven counts with his fingers out. 1.... 2.... 3.... shriven shuffles the few feet to turn the corner while prone.

Two hulking sentry bots sit facing the door leading out into the hallway. One arm ends in a rotary cannon, the other in a thin, tri barreled weapon of exotic design. Several long crates are stacked floor to ceiling behind them. (Stealth dex)

<9> (If fails I want to reroll)

it does fail

<6> (louder

)

Shriven has just enough time to make a hasty getaway (if desired) before the security bots come around the corner to face the group

8:48 AM

(They Go last no matter what. So you can decide the order you’re going)

(How close are they?)

(30m)

(Shriven back then ,Harry, guards, Charles then shriven turn in future?)

(sure, you have your turn now too, your move was just getting back, I know firing while not braced is not ideal, but you can still try. Harry also has some grenades he's offered to share)

(Can I get back and get set up on something as my main action?)

(yes)

Shriven falls back and sets up his heavy machine gun on one of the piles of ice near the wall of the hallway.

Harry takes a grenade from his bag, and throws it. The blast sends stinging shrapnel into both bots, buckling plates and shredding some of the exposed wiring

11:04 AM

hydraulic fluid sheets down the right gun arm of one of the bots, and the weapon goes slack

11:04 AM

The guards fire their combat rifles at the more damaged bot, trying to concentrate fire and bring it down

11:05 AM

(16 damage, one hit, one crit)

“Nice shooting.”

(Charles is next, then murderbots)

Charles takes a shot at the weakest looking one with his new mag pistol (9 and 7)

The shot deflects off the weakened plate, but the weapon arm does fall off, trailing sparking wires. The robots each fire down the corridor at the guards, their rotary cannons opening up with a shriek of tortured air

11:54 AM

Two of the guards have no chance against the oncoming rain of shells, and are cut to pieces, hot blood spraying the corridor walls, and steaming in the cold air. Shriven up

Shriven fires at the same one that Charles did. <11 16dmg>

The damaged bot slumps forward, slack on its joints. Engine fluid sluices from its ruptured plate

Harry fires another burst at the remaining robot, damaging it. The surviving security detail are trying to stabilize the fallen. The squad medic shakes his head no, over one, the heavy weapons leaving him not enough of the person to really help

12:26 PM

(Charles next)

Charles is shaken in anger at losing two of his men. He takes another shot, but it is poorly aimed and rushed (5 and 12)

(yeah cant do much when you only roll a 4)

1:13 PM

The shot bounces off the remaining robot.

1:14 PM

Shriven is up

Shriven blasts the remaining robot. “Die you pile of bolts.” <23 10dmg>

It staggers, knocked back by the heavy rounds. Harry throws another grenade

1:32 PM

The grenade detonates squarely against the chest of the warbot, blinding its sensors.

1:33 PM

The medic is able to stop the bleeding on one of the injured

1:34 PM

The remaining security forces fire their combat rifles, hoping to capitalize on the damage but the rounds dont seem to make it through the armor. (charles)

Charles joins in with the barrage of shots (10 and 10)

The robot rolls back on its tracks, chest blown out, power core ruined beyond operational ability by the well placed mag shot

1:38 PM

its sensor visor flickers twice before shutting down for good

Shriven rushes over to sw if there is anything he can do for the 2 guards.

They were struck by heavy weapons. There is little to do for them with the severity of the wounds

"We're going to have to leave them here. Nothing we can do for them now" Charles says as he steps into the new room and takes a look around

2:48 PM

(How many members of the security detail are left)

(Harry and two others)

2:49 PM

The parts in this room look to go to reactors, easily adapted to power domestic infrastructure or a ship. There are enough kits in the room for four such reactors

"Mark this entire area down for extraction later. We'll need to get the bodies and these kits out of here. What do you want to do Shriven? Call it a day or push on?"

“I’m thinking we should push on and mark this place to pull this stuff out on our way back.”

"I'm thinking the same. Lets keep going then" (edited)

The lights in the hallway ahead are much brighter and easier to see thanks to the tinkering done with the power system

3:14 PM

A laser turret in a ceiling ball hangs slack at the corridor junction ahead

"Want to shoot it from here again?"

“Sure let me get set up then we can have a go at it.”

(Execution shot for max damage or a clean kill?)

(Smash it to pieces)

(It’s powered down but if you want to execute it you and Harry can both make a shot)

<4> to execute....

(13 for Harry). Harry blows the turret out in a shower of sparks, and calmly drapes another belt into the heavy gun

(We are near that room in the bottom right of the map right?)

(Yep!)

“Any more bots in the near hallway?”

9:06 PM

(And are we out side the door or just around the corner?)

(just around the corner, so you could see the turret at the junction where the hall splits further nort

9:08 PM

north)

Charles checks for further bots in that hallway. If it's clear he urgers them forward. If there's signs of contact he points Harry and Shriven to an area where they can get the jump on them

You do not sense any more robots ahead right now

Shriven goes over to the door.

The south facing door is sealed. The keypad controlling it has power again with the lines being switched

"I reckon I should be able to play around with it and get it sorted" Charles says crouching down next to the keypad

In the meantime shriven wonders why there was a turret protecting this section and starts checking the walls for anything out of the ordinary. (He’s thinking either the room is special or he is missing something.)

(It was at the Y shape up ahead where the hallways split. The south facing room close by it is where you’re at I’m assuming)

10:53 AM

The room looks to be an armory space. Several exotic looking lance-guns are lined up on the wall. None seem to have aged too badly

(The south facing door being the one at the end of the right path from the Y?) (edited)

(Yes)

“What do you think about those lances? Think they are safe to pick up?”

"As long as you don't touch the pointy end I think you'll be fine"

Shriven chuckles. “Also guessing stabbing my foot with it is a bad idea as well.” Shriven reaches for one of the lances to pick it up.

The end is an elongated, fluted barrel. It looks similar to an anti material rifle, but the construction is more elegant and it looks to be fitted for energy cells rather than hard ammunition

“Nice, we should find something to test this out on.” (How many are there?)

(Ten)

(I'm going to update the map here, hang on)

2:04 PM

(The X on the right, about mid page, is the 'lance room', the bottom right is where you found those pre-tech reactors)

(Half way between the 2 new rooms did that door have anything on it?)

(you guys didnt go in it)

2:15 PM

(that's why i wanted to up date the map, I was like stuff it getting missed here)

“Charles let’s head back to that room before the fork.”

2:20 PM

(Top Just above the fork.)

(Yep! got it)

2:27 PM

The door to this room has fallen into the hallway, the iris panels fallen out after being unused for so long. There are no robotic contacts in this room. This room is filled almost completley with metal drums.

Charles will go up to one of the drums and try to pry it open (I'm assuming there's writing on the side we just can't read it)

(yes indeed)

2:36 PM

There is an overpowering odor, brimstone smelling almost, as the lid is popped.

Shriven pulls out his atmofilter at the first smell of brimstone. “Just Incase.”

Charles does the same and pries the lid open fully, taking a look at what is inside

Inside is an ochre colored powder, and the sulphur smell intensifies in the room, though you're safe behind your filtration equipment

“Looks interesting. What do you think about calling it a day and get all this stuff out for now then start again tomorrow?”

Harry runs a scanner over the powder, and confirms that it is sulfur, as you both decide on further delving for the day.

6:19 PM

Up top, porter teams stand ready to move in and extract the cargo discovered thus far

(You good with a overnight then redive in Charles?)

"Yeah let's call it a day for now. We can come back down a bit more prepared for what we'll be facing in the morning"

Shriven nods and starts to help pull the barrels out.

(Just going to give you a dungeon clear screen basically for what you've done so far)

7:42 AM

6XP 15000 CREDITS

7:43 AM

200 TONS INDUSTRIAL CHECMICALS 16 PRE-TECH PARTS 2 SHIP/SURFACE REACTORS 12 ENERGY LANCES 4 ROBOT FRAMES (DAMAGED) (edited)

(Happy dance super excited about the pretech parts!!!)

(That's total goods, not a piece, so figure out what yinz guys think is fair)

(Yeah figured. Credits too?)

(credits and XP are full amount for both of you)

(Stats on the lances?)

(2d10, heavy weapon, essentially a double damage anti-vehicle laser)

7:53 AM

(so its ignoring armor)

On the walk back to the surface Charles and Shriven negotiate the division of goods. Shriven will get 12 of the pretech parts and 2 of the lances. Charles will get all the chemicals, robot frames and remaining lances. Everything else is split equally

8:15 AM

They also discuss the possibility of charles building a ship for Shriven, to be further discussed in future

8:15 AM

(Just catching Neko up on the pms between me and shriv)

(Thank you! You're a true gentleman )

(Agreed.)

(Anytime!)

The porter teams work long into the night, hauling the goods to the surface and getting them loaded aboard the ships. (not sure how much space you've got left after 200 tons of cargo)

(Is it the lawrence that weve come out with?)

(there were two reactors as well, so each of you gets one, those can power 5000 buildings, or can be used in a ship as a power plant. Shriven has the Anamen, his own ship, Charles you've got the lawrence, your first freighter has 2 days left, so by time you come home you'll be about done)

(Cool, I'm trying to find my notes on the lawrence cargo capacity but cant get them yet, so we'll say that Charles sends the ship on a supply run to drop the chemicals off at Cloud Trivedi, before returning back here)

(Are you exploring while its gone, or are you returning back with it?)

(I’m hoping to continue exploring. I can send a pilot if you need a few extra.)

(its only got 100 tons so will need to do two trips. Yeah continuing to explore, just sending the ship to keep doing that while were exploring)

The Lawrence heads skywards the following morning, snowkat mounted guards on the surface keeping watch over the remaining Trivedi cargo

8:27 AM

Aboard, in additional to the cargo, are the bodies of the two security detail lost below

Sat round the breakfast table, over a map of of the ruins, Charles says "So yesterday could have gone better, any ideas about how we improve today?"

“I’m not sure, but I think that if we keep going that route and with everyone with heavy weapons now we should be able to do a lot better. Unless you want to spend the next week with me learning the language to be able to navigate this easier?”

8:34 AM

“Maybe do one room a day and then study?” (edited)

"I'm not sure we've got enough samples to learn from. Weve only got a couple little scraps of the language"

(Neko is there enough to start learning the language?)

(you don't have a key to figure out what the symbols mean. You have examples of the language but I feel like without more information you don't really have a reliable way to translate. That's actually one of the things I don't like about revised. The old system had a culture skill you had to learn for each new language/race, so learning to communicate with new people was actually a really big deal)

“Hmmm well then let’s clear what we can and keep our eyes out for more context for this.”

“Let’s head back to that room just before the fork.” (Room above the bottom right X)

(Yep! I see it) You make it through cleaner halls, the porters even did what they could to clean off some of the blood in the south corridor. The cargo in rooms passed already has been dragged to the surface, and the hulking robot guardians were broken down and carted out too, making the hallway easier to get through

11:00 AM

Arriving outside the marked door, its frosted glass is sealed. It looks like someone had taken a welding torch down the center

(To seal it?)

(presumably)

(Just checking to make sure they weren’t trying to cut in aka obvious holes.)

(Yeah its a seam rather than holes or trying to cut through)

"Do you reckon you could blow the frosted glass without damaging whatever is inside?"

(Is there writing on or near the door?)

(no_)

“Yeah we could give it a shot. What about trying to unweld the seam before we blow it?”

"We could but that would involve bringing a load of power tools down here. Probably the safer option but might take longer"

“Let’s try the Big Bang option then. Figure there is only one way to find out what could happen.”

Harry has some plastic explosive putty in his bag, that he presses gently into the seam. "Out of the stuff now. This better work" he passes the plunger to Charles

MarkdownContext { Depth = 1 } “Well bob, let’s see what is behind door number 1.” Shriven hums an old diddy.

(It’s the Price Is Right song.)

The doors blow open, falling inwards. Cold clouds begin billowing out of the room, you see the ground freezing on contact with the cloying vapor

“Fall back. Somethings coming at us.” (Does it look like it will have an end?)

"OK maybe this wasn't a good idea" Charles puffs as he sprints away from the cloud

The cloud seems to end at the section of hallway facing the door, eventually evaporating into a harmless enough concentration to stop the freeze. The floor is a sheen of ice

“Looks like it has stopped.” Shriven looks around for a stick/pipe/debris, to throw on the ice.

it skids across the floor, like normal ice

Charles takes several precautious steps towards the room across the ice

3:43 PM

Trying to peer inside the room

Shriven prepares a rope to pull him back.

The ice appears normal. The room is dimly lit, the size of a walk in closet. Floor to ceiling it is packed with test tubes

4:49 PM

Inside is a milky looking liquid, though frozen in a block

“It look safe over there?” Still holding the rope. “Otherwise just say pull.”

Charles is unhurt by the ice, perhaps a pinch unsteady on his feet, getting used to the slippery surface, but aside from some traction issues, nothing about the ice seems inherently dangerous

"It's a load of test tubes in here. I don't know whether they caused the frost or somebody froze them. Either way I'd advise not touching them until we can get hazmat suits down here to look at them"

Shriven sets down the rope and fumbles over. “See any notes or anything on what this is or could be used for?” (Can I roll a know to see if shriven knows what it is? Cause I’m at a loss)

(sure, know int)_

<9>

You remember, vaguely from your time rubbing shoulders with the Baron, his hunt for genetic material. The tubes here seem to match his description but you have no way of knowing what is inside

“Charles, I think this is genetic material. I don’t know what it is inside but something along those line is what I expect.”

(Do I see any notes, computers or compads?)

(Not in here, it appears to be just a storage vault)

7:48 AM

(Keep in mind everything in here was flash frozen, so computers and stuff would have been unusable anyway)

“Looks like we should keep going, we will figure out how to transport it after we have a bit more info.”

Shriven walks to the fork and turns left looking down the hallway.

Getting close to the junction, you hear the hum of more of the hovering security drones drawing close

"Let's get set up for a an ambush" Charles says ducking behind nearby cover

(Do I need to set up the laser on a bipod?)

(you getting into your ambush will set it up)

(But in future battles as well I will.)

(yeah, its a heavy weapon, same rules)

Shriven gets set up with his laser.

A pack of five hunter drones buzzes down the corridor, to the junction, searching for targets. They scan the walls and floor, looking for residual heat

(Surprise/prepared position round or just initiative?)

(surprise round first)

As they come around the corner Shriven fires his laser lance. <10 10dmg>

One of the bots is swatted down, skidding across the floor and coming to a rest against the wall

Charles takes a shot with Shrivens mag pistol (16 and 10)

(Btw that mag pistol is all yours I bought 2 to give to someone but they ended up quitting....)

(Ah thank you very much!)

Another bot is hit by the gunfire, its armor absorbing some of the hit. It struggles to stay aloft but seems to be making a fair job of it for now

Harry empties the belt of his weapon suppressing the drones, the damaged one is expertly knocked apart, and the rest are all struck by the fire. The remaining two security personnel from the previous day manage to knock it out (3 down, 2 left, initiative)

<8> “Good shooting.” (Is there something I could do to draw fire for one or both of them?)

4

(I can check the other combat actions, i dont know off hand)

(There isn’t anything in the rules I’m just trying to not get more people killed.)

(If you want to use your action to taunt the drones or jump up and down in front of them or something you can. I don't see how you'd simultaneously draw their attention and still be in a firing position)

1

(Makes sense, I’m thinking it is probably worth it. Am I up?)

(You, bots, charles and co)

(if shriven discussed the plan to do that beforehand charles would have volunteered)

9:29 AM

(As his gun is weaker)

(Lol Shriven Just Thought of it when I saw there were only 2 left... also I think I’m better armored.) Shriven stands up trying to get the boys attention and draw there fire. “Hey, circuit brains! Over here! Bet you can’t hit me.”

9:32 AM

(And you should be able to load in a laser lance for your weapon if you want next combat. Add the anti-vehicle laser and drop the damage from 3d10 to 2d10. As you have 10 of them.)

(usually AVL's arent portable, so the reduced damage seemed like a good compromise)

(Completely agree, also it has less average damage than a HMG so I completely agree it isn’t unbalanced, as it has a higher max damage.)

The robots turn their attention to Shriven, and open fire with their small pulse guns

9:44 AM

scrambled by the confusion and copious gunfire in the room, the drones fire wide Charles and co(

(I'll use it next combat when I've got a chance to work out the combat rules better) Charles takes a shot at the robot nearer to Shriven to try and protect him(13 and 9)

(Yeah a lot has changed since you played sam)

(sorry it took so long to reply I was helping my sister buy a new laptop. I gave up after the 10th time I heard "Yeah but its not rose gold")

1:26 PM

(I know I read the rules so closely for the beta but for full release I dont have a clue)

The sentry bot sputters, dipping as its antigrav plate cuts out for a moment, before righting itself. The rest of the guards, and harry, finish off the swarm

"Everyone ok?" Charles calls checking himself for wounds

Shriven pats himself down. “Ummm yeah, I think so. I can’t believe that that didn’t go sideways.”

"I know. These kinds of plans never work out. Can you show me how you used that laser thing, looked pretty cool!"

“Yeah sure all you have to do is ....” (conversation about how to shoot the weapon that I don’t want to have to make up.) “and that’s it.”

(It's a heavy weapon, so it can be fired unbraced at -4 to hit if you dont want to spend the time to set it up)

“Harry, do you see any more bots on that compad that Charles linked?”

"Nothing closeby, we should be alright for a while"

(I would ask Charles but this makes it a bit easier.)

2:05 PM

“Very well let’s go check that room just past the fork.” (Left at the fork and up.)

A tumble of wreckage has fallen in, mixed with snow, just outside where the doorframe would be. Creaking beams seem to be handling the cave-in for now, but it looks recent.

“Wow that looks bad. Charles I’m out of my depth here but could we rig something to secure this?”

"We probably could, but again it would involve bringing heavy equipment down here. Actually, Harry might be able to handle the strain with his body, if youre willing to give it a go"

He passes his machine gun to one of the nearby detail, and braces to hold up the wreckage

3:26 PM

"A little bit of strain, if you;'re going to look, look fast" (edited)

Charles crouches beside the door so that Harry will not have to lift far

Shriven readies to head in to the room knowing it could be the last thing he is going to do.

Inside the room is host to a series of empty cages. They vary in size from small, the size of a rodent or reptile, to one that could hold a small cow. An operating table with adjustable restraints is in the center of the room, along with a blood drain in the center of the floor. The first aid kits on the wall are more recent addons than the rest of the room. Written in English they advertise different veterinary drug companies

(Is there an entrance in the roof?)

(No it’s just buckling from damage of some kind)

Shriven pulls out his compad and starts recording the room for further study in the future. (Do we have time for a search of the room?)

Harry looks like hes holding his own for right now, but you can hear arm and elbow servos straining

Charles urgently looks for something that might be used as a key to the unidentified language

“What do you think about grabbing all these medical packs and passing them out for later study?” As shriven prepares to grab the med packs.

"Probably worth grabbing. Might save our lives in here"

Shriven starts a pass line (think water bucket line) with the 2 guards to hand out the first aid packs.

After a couple of moments, you get them out into the hallway. "You guys should clear out of there" says harry "getting close to letting it go"

(Did Charles fins anything of note while I was grabbing the meds?)

(not in here)

"Come on lets go" Charles says pulling shriven out of the room

Shriven grudgingly goes with Charles prodding. When he gets to the hallway. “How do you think this stuff got down here?” Shriven looks for manufactor dates or best by dates on the meds.

Harry sets the cave-in back down as gently as he can. The medicine was best 200 years ago

“Wow, this stuff is old. Like first wave old. Let’s keep going and hope they have some foresight and left a compad or something to help with knowing what they were doing here.”

(So blue is the ice room and the other red x is the medical experiment room.)

(yes)

8:02 AM

(thanks for updating that for me)

(On to the next room I think.) Shriven goes just down the hallway to the next door.

Across the hall, the doors are shut, and solid (no windows) There is more of the alien writing on the door, with english underneath- letters flaking away MORGUE

Shriven puts on his atmofilter and then says. “Masks on, don’t know what killed these folk.”

Shriven turns to Charles, “I’m wondering why they had enough deaths that they needed a morgue. Think we want to prepare for a zombie attack?” Shriven laughs nervously..

"This is supposed to be a star port. But I've yet to see anything that even vaguely resembles a star port. No ships, not control station, no spare parts. Just lots of what seems to be genetic engineering. We should be very careful"

9:36 AM

Charles takes a picture of the writing on the door. "This might be enough to get a some words out of whatever else we've seen" he says as he begins looking for the doors control panel

Shriven hunkers down and get his laser lance set up against anything coming out of the door. Then shrugs, “Just Incase.”

There is a keypad keeping the door closed, (your program is good so no check) and it looks easy enough to defeat, having done so numerous times on other devices. This looks to be something that was added later.

Charles prepares right up until the last second of opening the door. Before opening he looks at the rest of the group and says "Get ready." He opens the door and swiftly moves out of the way, allowing the room freedom to fire inside

Nothing jumps out from the room, and the natural cold has kept the bodies in state from decomposing any further, despite power here failing. The bins are labeled in more of the alien writing, and appear about twice as large as what a human would need

Shriven laughs as he stands up. “Well that was much Fuss about nothing.” Shriven walks over to the room and starts recording the writing on the walls.

Harry and the others follow you in, weapons held low, but ready

After recording the symbols shriven goes over to see if the other door is locked.

2:31 PM

As he walks he says, “I’m not a big fan of poking dead bears, but I would be willing to watch if you need me to.”

(as far as opening a bin?)

(Yep.)

2:35 PM

(It May be one of those hold me beer moments

)

Harry puts a mechanical finger to his face, where the nose would be on a human form

(Are they human bodies or alien?)

(nobody has opened one yet, but one clue you've had so far is they're bigger as far as height/width than human storage)

"What do you think? Should we open one?" Charles asks the group

Without further consultation Charles begins to open one of the bins. "Made the decision for us" he says as he signals the group to ready their weapons

“Sounds good” Shriven sets up to attack anything that comes out

The drawer slides open. On the table is the body of a creature not seen in human space before. It’s skin is silvery and a patchwork of scales and fur. It’s eyes are slitted and it boasts four of them. It’s arms end in hands with a thumb and three very long also silver fingers. It is about seven feet tall and twice as thick as an average human

Shriven lowers his weapon after a few seconds, then pulls out his compad and snaps a picture. “That’s a new one. I think...”

(I’ve got a picture. Let me just stuff some dinner in me and ill post it)

(They don’t happen to look like this do they...)

6:37 PM

(Yeah actually. Pretty close. It’s in the psi academy thread back a long ways)

6:38 PM

(I was gonna scavenger hunt now that I’m full of sub par fish)

(That’s what I grabbed it from. I figured that’s what you were talking about but didn’t want to assume.)

6:41 PM

(Shriven wouldn’t know about them though as sil never posted in group about them right?)

(Oh great. And no you wouldn’t know)

“Not a slyth” Harry Says, leering over the group of you

“I think this may need to make it back to the colony. Do you have any way to do cold storage to get this back there?” Shriven shivers. (That last line amuses me to no end....)

(Charle,s What do you think about joining in on the battle that suegn is setting up or do you want to keep clearing this?)

"We should probably make sure it's not going to wake up first" Charles says looking around for a screen or panels with life data on it

4:12 AM

(The whole battle thing isn't Charles scene but if you want to go, we can put the expedition on hold and I'll go back to Gudrun and try and work out everything we've found)

There is a bioscanner in a case on the wall. This looks to be of human design, and it shows no life signs on the creature.

Charles assumes that if it is of human design then there will be some human computers about. He begins searching for them

some cables go from the scanner to a thick cabinet on the left rear corner of the room, and you can see vulcanized rubber weather seals, presumably to keep out the cold when the machine is not in use

7:30 AM

The hatch opens up, revealing a simple keyboard and monitor

“Nice find Charles, I think we should get this back to the colony. There is something about this that makes my skin crawl.”

(What I was going for here, and I know its a bit confusing, several different races/groups of people have used this place over the years, re-purposing it as needed for whatever they were doing. Charles was closer to home than he realized when he made those dungeon of the mad mage comparisons)

Charles boots the computer up and begins looking through the data to try and find out what the room is about

7:54 AM

"Yeah I'll just see what I can get off this before we move out"

7:55 AM

(Ah ok cool I get it now. Would we realise that there are more races using it than the first one and the humans)

(There was some proto slyth on some of the signs that you guys could only read parts of at the beginning)

8:04 AM

The text on the screen is a mix of English, French, the unknown language, and a bit of slyth as various races have come to do experiments in this room, all focused on the well preserved bodies in here. The Slyth seem to have been the second group of inhabitants, after this unknown race, and didnt stay long. Some log entries speak of a civil war, and a naval battle over Gudrun, with the loyalist fleet in orbit being lost with all hands. There are also rumors of a contagion marching alongside the rebels, and recommendations that this post be abandoned. The human languages after are autopsy reports, detailing work they've done to try to map the anatomy of these creatures. It appears, on some level, they are psionically gifted, though one would need to be observed alive to have true confirmation

(Lol that makes sense why we were having a hard time with languages.)

8:06 AM

(Can we copy that computer to datapads or other devices?)

(Yes)

8:07 AM

(Yeah i didnt want to break the 4th wall but if you guys are frustrated that isnt a fun experience either)

(It is more that we are afraid of death than frustrated. At least for me.)

8:08 AM

(So we can learn slyth from this but not nessicarily the unknown language?)

(Right, there are actually two living slyth in the colony as well, that Val and Sil brought back to life)

8:12 AM

(one of them is robotic, but the other one is organic)

“Charles, If you want to keep going i can take the corpse back to the colony. I don’t have anyone that can research this. Do you? Or should we turn it over to the admin?”

(Charles already speaks Slyth. He learnt from Jexad or the other one)

8:42 AM

"Yeah I can pass it on to Azog. It's the kind of grim research that he enjoys. I'm not sure how much longer I'll push on. We've already taken heavy losses"

(Gheist. It was a little of both)

8:48 AM

(We were still on original edition rules where you had to spend the month to learn the culture skill for them and everything when you learned it)

(I think we were on the new rules because I remember building Charles for the rule change, but he has a point in diplomacy which is where the month learning came from)

9:14 AM

(Not that it matters so much)

“Okay, do we want to try to move the dna samples too or do you have people that can guard them until we can move them out?”

"I've got people who can guard them until the porters can get down here"

(You're right. I remember now, was thinking of Franz back when he was a PC)

“Roger, then I think we should pull out and put this on the old todo list.”

Shriven moves to help get the corpse back to the ships.

Charles messages the porters to start clearing the new rooms while he downloads all he can from the computer

(So in addition to the previous list, we have an alien corpse, some unknown medical supplies, and 500 samples of unknown genetic material) (edited)

(I’m voting that it goes to Charles as he has the resources to exploit them.)

(future endeavors in mind here hehe)

(I'm guess there's not much there for Shriven so Charles is willing to pay him for his services)

(Na, let’s just call it the beginning of a mutually benifical relationship.)

9:50 AM

“I think these are best in your hands Charles. I will be in touch, also if you need anything moved off planet I would be more than happy to do so.” (I am wanting to go grab some postech materials and bring them here to Miriam to complete one of your faction endeavors but it felt weird just doing things without knowing the head of the faction.)

"Alright ill pass on any information you might be interested in. If you've got the time I can give you a tour around our operations here on the planet. I don't know how much you know about what we're doing here"

“No I have only been down to the small market and never came over to what you were doing.”

"Well under all this snow is a ruined alien city that was abandoned when the current inhabitants settled in. Its built out of this fantastically strong and useful metal that's way above anything we can produce. So we've set up a mine that specifically mines all this metal"

“Really? Do you ever have a surplus of it? I can think of several planets that are in need of some edge in their manufacturing weapons for the war.”

"I think a lot of it is going into building various spaceships but the supply is there if the demand is. Wed just need to step up operations"

“I think the desire is there but it may be a few months until the production capabilities on Aslief and Sumati are capable of using the resources. I will let you know when it is set up.”

"Well I'll put you in touch with my people. Who knows, there might be contracts going out that you'd be suited to"

11:00 AM

(Shriven has his own faction right?)

(Yeah not so much a faction as a trade company but for all intents and purposes.)

(Cool cool, fully up for further collaboration)

(Everyones good with the plunder from day 1 right?)

“You are doing some great work on this. I will bring those materials that I can to help beef up the defenses here as soon as I can get back here.”

(Yeah all good!)

11:20 AM

"Great. I'll go do some research on what we've found and we'll meet back here in a week or so to keep clearing?"

(All good for me.)

11:21 AM

“I want to say yes but I need to make sure I can get a group over to Aslief to clear the remnant over there. After that this is my priority.”

11:24 AM

(I am literally dropping a group of mechs off after the battle over terezhino. If they accept the mission.) (edited)

“I just realized I’m thinking about this the wrong way. I can let my crew do the transport job. Well that is if you don’t mind me hitching a ride.”

"Not a problem. You're heading to Terezhino right? We can have you there in no time"

(M

12:03 PM

(There is a briefing going on at Trivedi cloud right now)

“Oh I meant when we came back here to finish the exploration.”

12:04 PM

“My ship will be needed to do a few runs to Asleif but I don’t actually need to accompany it as long as they make it back and forth.”

“Anyways we will talk about it in a week or so. I’m going to head back to Gudrun now.”

"Great. Its been good working with you" Charles says as they part ways. "Looking forward to the next time"

“It has been a privilege sir.” (Back to my channel.)

(Are you going on the terezinho attack or have you changed your mind?$

12:54 PM

(Just so I can tell Seung to continue the briefing or not)

(Yeah planning on heading to the cloud now. I already let him know I was hoping to make it there.)

The Anamen blasts off, leaving Charles, Harry, and his crew in a swirling snow-cloud, before it parts revealing a clear night.

"Well better get all this stuff shipped back to Gudrun. How you feeling about the losses" Charles asks his brother

“It’s always sad but they knew it would be dangerous. They took a risk that what’s down here and the progress it could bring would be worth their lives.

"That's a good way to look at it I suppose. Come on let's get off this cold planet." Charles says as the last of the cargo is loaded aboard

3:45 AM

If the Lawrence wasn't back yet he will just spend a day catching Karl up with developments with the business

The mining is going well. The laser helps and he wishes he has another one or two. Karl has been speaking with a weather research team in ‘The Hub’ over long range radio. They’ve been mapping protected climate changes. Though you and Katya ended the storm the flash freeze itself seems like it’s going to be irreversible. Karl is glad you talked them out of building an ark to ride out a flooded world

"Are you planning on staying then? Or taking to the stars?"

“For me personally, Miriam is all my son and I have known. We would love to see more in the time we have left in this universe. However, if you’d like for us to keep the mines running, your trust is already an honor

"For now the mines are where I need you, but as our space routes expand I'll give you prime access to travel on them and do a bit of exploring"

He smiles at the news. “I’ll hold you to that. For now. More lasers if you can.

"I'll see what I can do. Keep up the good work" Charles says as he says goodbye and heads onto the Lawrence. He will use the days trip back to search through some of the computer records recovered

(6xp for day 2 of the expedition down below, and 15k credits)

Parsing over the files, Charles is able to determine that the humans were the most recent to use the facility, and indeed when they had taken possession, the space was part starport, part biological research lab, with special interest paid to the alien corpses. They had likewise not seen anything like them before, and had encountered what they called a 'feral colony' of them living inside. Additional efforts were being made to try to learn more , though the plan never came to full fruition, as the storm and flash freeze had the facility taking to their ships, leaving many behind under the snow, and leaving miriam behind

1:35 PM

They log numerous second wave technologies and stores in inventory

Do those logs give any indication as to the nature of either the genetic material or the industrial chemicals found

The sulphur was cargo, meant for transfer elsewhere, but now perfectly acceptable for use as a trade good for you. The genetic material is not mentioned in the logs

"Well if we leave the sulphur at cloud Trivedi it can be taken straight away by the freighters and shipped to whoever will buy it. I'll give the genetic material to Azog and see if Ghiest and Jexad have anything to contribute to the bodies" Charles says to noone in particular

The ship exits spike space, docking with the space station named for your family a few hours later. Porters, and station security are on hand to help move the more sensitive elements of the cargo

Charles immediately books passage down to the planet so he can go to the research labs and get things started. He messages Ghiest and Jexad, asking if they will be willing to meet him there

They both arrive a few moments after your craft touches down, intrigued by the mention of what you’ve found

"Nice to see you both again. I've called you here because we've found bodies of a new species and we're hoping you'll be able to identify them"

10:38 AM

Charles will either show them the body itself or just a picture of it, depending on the setup of the room and where the body ended up

(It was at your private lab where azog is working for now correct?)

(Yep!)

The body is laid out on a stainless slab in the frigid room. Azog has been here for about ten minutes and has not spoken yet, either too shocked or too unsure of where to begin. The slyth arrive shortly after that. Their expressions are far harder to ascertain, alien as they are. Jexad has none at all. “This is.....gravely concerning...” Gheist begins

“These creatures are called flesh shapers. All their technology is made from still living beings. An infant can be made into a wrench. 2-3 beings of your size could be rendered down into a horrific hoverbike. Worlds they conquer are given over to orchards of horrific red flesh trees, forever feeding their dark endeavors”

"Well." Charles says. "Shit." He sits down in silence for a few minutes. "At least this one is dead." He waits a moment to see if the creature uses that cue to rise up and attack them...

The creature remains dead. "We fought a very large, and very long war against them closer to our core sectors, back in the days when our empire was still expanding. It took generations, and we thought we had driven them to extinction. I've been reading some folklore of yours, and I think the closest thing is....they became something of a boogeyman. A story told to frighten hatchlings when they misbehaved"\

4:48 PM

"I can see now, we were not as thourough as we had thought"

"Well the planet we found him on showed no signs of organic matter being used in such ways. All the buildings were metal." Charles stops and thinks a minute. "Azog maybe you should show our guests any research on the metals we've been mining on Miriam. Maybe there's something we missed that this new information might bring to light"

4:51 PM

(Charles is worried the metal found on the planet is actually that transformed organic matter. Just in case that didn't come across clearly in the message)

(It was clear! but yes, I get why you'd want to look into it) He brings Jexad over to one of the terminals, showing him what has been collected on the metal so far. Gheist is busying himself looking at logs recovered from the data download. "I don't think the panic is going to be necessary. "

5:38 PM

"I can read a small amount of the logs, not a lot, but enough. It appears our horrific looking friend here was as much a stranger in those ruins as you humans are now. Miriam has a much more storied history than I think we have realized"

"It definitely seems that way yes. Azog have you got any idea how old the body is? If its 5000 years old I think we probably don't have that much to worry about"

He removes a bioscanner from the body, where it was probed in.

7:06 AM

"It's hard to tell. There's almost no cellular breakdown. It's probably been kept in some kind of a stasis field for at least some of the time since its death"

"Well it seemed to be kept in a morgue ran by humans. There was English writing on the wall. Which would suggest within the last hundred years or so." Charles shows Ghiest a sample of the unknown language to see if he can recognise it

"This is their speech" Ghiest says, examining it for a few moments. "They were using the space as a mortuary too" He continues reading over the logs, translating what he can "They didn't intend to stay on that world. Miriam was a scattered world, as far as settlements, when these Fleshchangers landed there. It looks like they too found these mighty cities abandoned. Their ship was damaged, and they landed here to try to find enough biomass to re-weave it. With how far apart everything was, and being reduced to going on foot....claw....thing....they simply starved to death. Some of the logs here from the human scientists coming after talk about being disappointed dissections on others didn't have anything in the stomach"

"The mystery of Miriam continues" Charles says pondourously. "So the frozen genetic material we found? Is that related to these Fleshchangers"

Azog has spent a few moments reviewing it. "Charles...I think....I think these were people.....are...people...."

7:48 AM

"Same hallmarks as the bodies, kept in temporary suspension....my god."

"They're not... Conscious are they?"

"No, they

10:30 AM

aren't. At least I don't think they are. But its enough....we may be able to...bring them back"

"Well if we access their minds we might be able to put them through the same process Jexad (Think it was Jexad anyway. I can't remember) and Harry went through. If not what? Do we grow them new bodies from scratch? Mix in their genetic material"

(You are right!) "The situation being as it is before us, we have two options if we wish to bring anything of these minds back- we have the mechanical option- as you mentioned, or yes, we can get in touch with the colonial medical department, see if maybe we can artificially simulate growth, almost like an incubator.

"Do we have any contacts over there. I don't think I've had much to do with them"

"I've worked with their chief of surgery a bit. His name is Seigfried and he is a pretty open minded fellow. We could also try enlisting the help of the psionic academy. we may need some bioscopic help."

"Great set up a meet with them and bring them down here to get a look at the samples. Do you think it will be worth freezing them again?"

'for now, just so we do not risk further damage, or degradation of the samples.

3:22 PM

"I'll call Siegfried, and the Psi academy as well"

"Great, while you're doing that I'll update Shriven on what we've found." (Is it best just to post it in his thread?)

(Yeah as a message from you is good)

6:55 AM

@Agape.Eris , and Siegfried arrive at the Trivedi Technologies private lab, later in the day to begin work with Charles in restoring the found sample

"Miss Reydove, Dr Siegfried, good to meet you. I'm Charles Trivedi. I don't know how well aquainted you are with the rest of the group but this is Dr Azog, Ghiest, and Jexad" Charles says introducing the group

"Please to meet you all - I'm Dr. Reydove, but the doctorate is in public health - though I am also a nurse practitioner. You can call me Melora"

Jexad and Gheist are both Slyth, and this is Seig and Melora's first time meeting them. "There

7:42 AM

is a fascinating story about bringing our friends here back from the literal brink of extinction" Azog says cheerful, but distractedly "I'm sure charles would love to tell it sometime."

"And you can call me Charles" Charles smiles back. "Yes, it's a long story involving me getting shot at a lot, but I'll definitely tell you sometime. Anyway, the reason we brought you here is to try and help with these genetic samples we've found. They were frozen when we found them so we don't know how old we are. Azog seems to think they're alive. My ideas for getting them out are put them through a process like that Jexad and the helldivers went through and give them metal bodies. Or grow them new organic bodies "

"And for that, no matter what path we choose, we are going to need bioscopics, and telepaths, to help us monitor our patients, so we can work with them safely"

8:02 AM

Azog adds, tinkering with a display on one of the nearby consoles

"And probably a good few therapists too. So I'm assuming you've got plenty of questions. Where do you want to start"

(I think deciding on organic or robotic is a good first step, and that's going to really determine the rest of the plan)

1:01 PM

Siegfried clears his throat. "Well, this is...something. I'm finding myself in a bit of dilemma here. There is a technique to regenerate a body, so long as a portion of the flesh remains. I'd only be able to help a few a day, and they'd need to be started in a lab, or some kind of peetrie dish. It's going to leave me exhausted afterwards though, which will leave the hospital short staffed"

"I think, if we can do it, we should regenerate them organically, but yes that would be a problem with the hospital. If you had the funds, are there more doctors or nurses you could hire from the colony?"

"None that can do the same kind of bioscopic healing I can do.

2:00 PM

(he does the bioscopic disease purging and regenerating lost limbs, more than just surgery or wound care, is the rub, so those particular services are going to take a hit)

"Any ideas Melora" Charles says while he looks through his notes for potential solutions

"I might be able to stabilize the patient with master succor after Sieg regenerates. We can also perhaps see if we can utilize crystals. What we haven't tried with them is seeing if 2 level 3 psychics, one with and one without the technique, can still make a usable crystal"

4:32 PM

"Of course, the act of putting the technique into the crystal might use up the effort anyways. Hmmm"

Melora does her signature finger-hair twirl of her purple tendrils as she ponders what else can be done, then realizes that she is doing it,and sheepishly stops and give an embarrassed smile. (edited)

(That’s still a good point you haven’t tried that yet)

7:14 PM

(The current crystal notes aren’t exhaustive it’s just what you know so far)

"Sorry I think I'm a bit out of the loop here? Crystals?"

"Psionic crystals" Siegfried offers "We were playing around with them a little bit when Silvano and Doona helped me complete my training. They can store MES energy inside them, in the form of a technique, to be released by any other MES user later, even if they don't have training in the actual discipline"

(no relation to my energy crystals I take it?)

(No direct relation, these psionic ones were found in the underhill nests, the queens were making them somehow

"It doesn't solve the problem of needing to expend the effort to charge them though, so through crystal or a direct touch, we will still have a bit of a treatment gap"

"That was what I thought. I wish I were that advanced in my biops. I'm getting there, but it isn't going to help now. But if everything is stored in cryo, wouldn't they be safe and preserved until we can get to them?"

"How many are we talking about?"

"500 as things stand, but not all may be viable" Azog says. "I've seen corruption in a few of them. We might be able to tease it out. I still can't be certain|

"What kind of corruption?"

"Genetic defects, some of the integrity of samples has degraded as time has gone on. Some might be reborn with mental or physical limitations, if this isn't done soon"

Charles takes a moment to think. "We need to save as many of these people as possible, but we shouldn't endanger others by neglecting hospital services. What about if Siegfried does 1 person a day, rather than 3 or 4, and spends the rest of his time at the hospital. It'll probably mean we recover less specimens overall but we'll do it without endangering others"

10:15 AM

"We might also restore the first one and realise they're all baddies and so the point would be moot anyway"

"If the samples are living tissue, would biops be able to used to correct their integrity? I mean, it does have a mending effect on tissue in a full being. And with my organ purification protocol, it may also be able to keep bacteria or other microorganisms that could harm the sample at bay. Microbiops. I remember reading a bit about theories and some experiments on animal tissue that showed promise when I was researching for my dissertation"

"I'm certainly not against trying. Maybe we can lay the ground work for a control batch. Lets start with..5?"

"Sounds good. Sieg can do his magic on them and I will stabilize the bodies like we planned for these ones"

"Charles, any final thoughts to round us out?"

"I like this plan and im looking forward to the results" Charles says not really knowing anything about biology and feeling more and more out of his depth as the conversation continues

"Charles, this was your find, would you like the initial samples grown here?"

"I think the hospital might be a better idea. More access to medical care if they need it once theyre restored"

"Very good. I can arrange transport" Azog says. "So we will grow the initial samples in the hospital, and the psionics department will monitor their progress- keeping Charles updated as to the status. If any of these poor people are viable it may be worth sitting down with them"

"Definitely. They might be able to shine some light on Miriam. Help solve some of the mystery of that place"

Azog and siegfried begin casing the samples for transport. Jexad heads out with them. (6xp, 15000 credits for all, good RP) (edited)

"Thanks for the help on this melora. Let me know if there's anything I can ever do to return the favour"

(so we will get an update on that in a couple game weeks, I'll post in your faction channel with progress. You're up to whatever you wanna get into next)

(Cool, I'll message Kaleb now before Charles goes on to more adventures)

Charles' (or mine more realistically) next ambition is to go and explore this planet in the next section over

5:52 AM

Thordead I think it says

The Lawrence is prepared with supplies for the journey (which npcs are coming with?)

I'll bring Harry and his team, plus if greenbriar wanted to send anyone they're welcome too

They will send Val, she has not been offworld in some time and a science officer might be a good addition to your mission

"Alright guys," Charles says briefing the team on the Lawrence. "Weve recently discovered a nearby planet. We know nothing about it so be ready for anything. Do a quick jump and survey, decide then whether to keep scouting or run back here and get more support. If there's no questions we'll get going"

Gheist is going to be a late addition to the crew. (Let me get the handout up)

The lawrence, coordinates locked in, makes the jump to the new sector (the week in spike space will put you about equivalent with everyone else, time wise).

9:11 AM

The view shutters open, revealing the new vista

9:11 AM

(If Gheist knows the Fleshchangers language can he teach Charles on the journey? Or whatever language was in Miriam)

9:25 AM

"Well" Charles says standing on the bridge "that's pretty damn impressive. What do the sensor readings tell us"

(He knows a little bit, and it was their language)

9:26 AM

(So you'd recognize certain words or phrases by sight at this point, i wouldnt say conversationally fluent yet)

9:26 AM

"Dense asteroid field around the planet. billions of tons of floating ice as well. Freshwater even..."

9:28 AM

"The planet, no lifesigns, not even plants"

(Cool cool, thank you)

10:25 AM

"Any power signs? Old mining platforms or anything"

“Hey what...what the hell is that” (program int)

15

A flock of blue, jellyfish looking creatures, each the size of a shuttle detach from one of the ice crystals nearby

11:42 AM

Floating away from the Lawrence

"Val and Gheist any ideas about that" Charles says as he watches them (edited)

12:19 PM

Charles starts scanning them using the observation suites

The creatures seem to be invertebrates, and quite docile. They appear to be floating through space using stores of inbuilt gas

1:54 PM

They are all a neon shade of ice blue, and have four long tentacles that trail behind them like tails. As they float past other ice chunks, the tails wick the surfaces of it, absorbing water and other nutrients

1:54 PM

(3xp, for discovering our first interstellar wildlife)

"It looks like that ice is designed to support life. If nothing lives there we might still be able to use the ice to supply space stations"

"Still not showing any new life readings" Val says "Those asteroids are iron rich though. lots of scatter"

"What about the planet itself. What's it look like down there. Hot? cold? Lots of minerals? Lots of agricultural land?

"Its hot down there, hellish even. Looks like, methane, whole surface of the world is covered in a methane ocean"

"Looks like a very pleasant place to explore in that case. What do you think? Check out these jellyspacefish first

"We should be able to catch up to the back of the pack pretty easily" The Lawrence lights its engines and begins slowly closing on the pack. They seem unaware of the approaching vessel

"Val you're better versed than I am in studying organics. Any ideas what we should be looking for"

"I'm not sure what to make of these. Nothing like this has been documented before- or at least nothing was public at the time before The Scream"

"Do you think they're doing anything or just kind of... Floating"

8:42 AM

"Should we try and speak to them? God this is all too much"

“I think they’re just drinking what they can off the ice. I’ve been trying to touch them with my telepathy and it’s just...there’s just instinct. Not a mind”

8:46 AM

“Still though. These creatures are an incredible find. So is this world. The industrial applications are beyond measure”

"Yeah there's plenty of minerals to mine, but apart from that I'm struggling to see how it could be used. Anybody else got any ideas"

"Methane is a very potent fuel source, maybe not for us perhaps, but it could be a trade good for worlds struggling to rebuild from war. The fresh water,a s you said, for space stations, even for our own use. As we grow, demand is going to only get higher. That resevour near the colony won't keep up forever. This is just with the cursory scan we have so far, I'm sure more will be found as we continue|"

"All very good points" Charles says considering. "Should we keep looking then? Get a bit closer to the planet?"

“Let’s try” she agrees, moving the ship in closer. Gheist expertly mans the controls.

9:35 AM

(Lets do know/int with val giving a +2)

12

Below its heavy atmosphere, this planet is made of layers of hydrogen, helium, and methane gases. They enclose a layer of water, ammonia and methane ice. The inner core of the planet is made of rock.

"Do we see anything that might have attracted the space jellyfish, also we've got to find a better name for them, to this place other than the ice. I find it strange that this is the place they'd come"

Val continues tweaking scanners. “ “Look!” A flock of them slowly rises up from the outer atmosphere of the planet. “They’re filling with methane and burning it inside them somehow. It’s making buoyancy” On the main screen there is a crude looking diagram of the cyclical process

"So they're like old school hot air balloons? God damn these things are cool. Gheist do you think you can get us closer? I want to get a tracker planted on one of these things before we lose them"

Gheist spins the ornate ship-like wheel of the Lawrence and it gently rolls starboard, toward the ascending flock. "There's an airgun in my kit, with tranquilizers. Had some made when Malak was playing with the wildlife back on Gudrun. Feel like doing some tagging?"

"I'm not much of a shot but I'll give it a go. Try my best not to accidentally shoot myself in the process"

she smiles. "Handful of rounds there. Sedative, with a tracker. Should be a one-stop shop"

"Great I'll get suited up" Charles says as he goes to get his vacc suit so he can go out of the airlock

A small lighted path activates on the floor, and one of the vacc suit lockers opens up for you, revealing the ship suit within. Val accompanies you, dropping the bag before racing back to the sensor station

"OK Charles, don't shoot a hole in your suit, don't shoot a hole in your suit" he continues to repeat this to himself as the airlock procedure continues

The light turns from amber to green a few seconds after your helmet is secured.

2:19 PM

The pressure stabilizes, and a small gantry extends

2:19 PM

outside, 40m away, the closest members of the flock are gently basking around the closest ice asteroid.

Charles raises his gun, breathes, and takes a shot

2:55 PM

(Is this an attack roll or should a just do a straight shoot check?)

(attack roll)

(Just used the mag pistol button because i wasnt sure about bonuses and stuff, feel free to adjust. 14)

The shot hits and the beast seems to lose a bit of altitude as the tracker sinks in. “I’ve got a signal. Good shot Charles”

4:22 PM

(Natural armor on it. Ac is only 10

"Great, maybe these things have a nest or a layer or a home planet or something we'd be able to follow them to now. Let's give it a couple of days and check back on them. We should get some readings and samples from the planet for analysis while we're here" Charles says as he goes through the airlock sequence again

It pressurizes and the helmet says it’s safe to retract. “Signals good. I’ll keep an eye on it as we pass the time out here. See if it leads us to something bigger”

"Are you thinking space whales? Because I'm thinking space whales"

“I’m thinking so too. Maybe. Gosh. Space whalers. What a world we live in”

5:10 PM

“Alright so planet readings. Should we be trying to find something in particular?”

"Anything that we can take back and study. Methane samples, any mineral samples we find. Definitely some samples of that ice"

(Are there fuel scoops on the Lawrence. I’m away from a computer to check)

(I'm pretty sure there are but I can't find the notes anywhere. Did we definitely put them on handout?)

(Yeah. I'll have to check the archives, make sure nothing got accidentally filed when I was re-organizing)

(It seems unlikely that I wouldn't put them on as it was designed as a scouting shop)

(I agree)

7:14 AM

The scoops open, and samples are drawn from the gas layer around the planet

7:16 AM

"Very clean readings" Val says, looking at the data coming in. "Hydrogen, methane, lots of water. We could work this over for quite a while"

"Very cool stuff. Could make a good staging area for the navy, what with all the fuel available"

7:45 AM

Charles begins designing plans in his head for a methane refinery that could go on the planet. It would probably have to be a space station right?

(Yeah, or you could make tanker ships and put the refinery on Gudrun so its better protected)

7:57 AM

(either one is a great idea and puts a lot of people to work)

(Tanker ships is much better. Is there still space on the cloud for a refinery? I've never been sure how much space is being used up there)

(Most of the cloud is open. Its an Arx station so its pretty big)

(Not all of the frieghters have been built yet right? 2 were built and one was being built iirc)

(its 50k of progress per day, you were in spike for a week heading to the new world, even though its close, you had to rutter the route, so 350k of progress on it)

(So it could quite easily be converted to a tanker at this point?)

(absolutley)

8:33 AM

(Do you need notes on the freighters or do you have your own logs. Shriven has been far trading, and we have one trade with each world per game month, so I can give you a monthly tonnage for the tanker collecting the gasses, and as far as the other two haulers, we just have to decide their schedules and what goods youre going to buy/sell)

8:33 AM

(shriven has a good system, might be worth picking his brain)

(Notes would be good, I dont think I have anything on them. Cool, ill send him a message, see what we can work out)

(just to record fittings, ect, if nothing else)

(Yeah definitely!)

"A space refinery or a tanker run here would give Trivedi a leg in some business no one else is doing right now. Kelbore hasn't even touched interstellar trade"

"Yeah we could effectively have the market cornered by the time others catch up. And those sorts of supplies would be massively helpful in rebuilding some of the ruined worlds

"Miriam alone would pay anything for a reliable heating gas source. Those domes are very cold, even with the insulation"

8:53 AM

"Now that its been confirmed the world will never fully heat up, they seem to be coming to their senses on practical building projects"

"Very good point. I see a nice little trade loop forming between Miriam and Gudrun, controlled entirely by us. Aliah might want a reliable source now that they're industrialising as well. We should really check on that at some point"

"You hear about the dustup out there? Marshals and Red Sangha put Tri-Green out of business for good"

"Id heard parts of it. Didnt know they'd been put out for good. Itll make it easier to round up the rest of their assets then id imagine"

9:06 AM

(How will that effect my faction turns against them?)

(You are finishing off their remaining assets on planet, destroying them this turn, next turn you're free to move against new targets)

(Woo cool!) "Right lets grab some of that Ice then we'll jump back to Gudrun and get started on building this refinery"

The scoops bring in a large chunk of ice and there is a hiss as coolant is applied. "Nice sized piece to work with, will stay frozen now, we can bring it inside for spike" Gheist says. "Are we ready?"

"Yep lets go!"

9:39 AM

Shriv has got me set up with his far trading spreadsheets

(Perfect)

9:45 AM

The spike tunnel opens as the Lawrence comes about, heading home for Gudrun. It arrives, a day later (another 50k of progress on your third ship)

Charles will have spent the trip working on designs for the refinery, and will send them through to his teams on the cloud to begin construction

9:49 AM

(is there a refinery module already available for space stations?)

(Yeah in skyward steel i believe)

(How far from a faction turn are we. Is it worth doing a trade roll)

(About halfway through, so you certainly have enough time)

(Cool ill get all that set up now. Do the materials being mined on Miriam have a special trade good status?)

(They do, 6k per ton, normal amount of space used, so not bulky or compact, )

(Great I'll add them to the spreadsheet)

(I think on your faction handout there is a breakdown of tonnage per day/month)

(What is my friction for Mariam, Aliah and Rawhani?)

(1 miriam, 3 aliah, 3 Rawhani, but there is a very large Remnant fleet at Rawhani right now)

Charles, upon arriving back on Gudrun, has decided that the recent hacks into rival organisations has left him open to attack to similar attacks. As such he is to begin taking steps to ensure his networks security. He calls a meeting with his computer team

They arrive, assembling in the board room, pads and tablets open to take notes

"Ok, so were getting bigger and as such we're attracting more and more attention. Standard cybersecurity measures arent going to cut it anymore. We're going to need to step up our game a bit. My first suggestion is to cut our internal network off from outside intereaction. If people want to send messages from our computers to the outside world they can only do it through one program, and that program will have the most security on it of anything in space"

"So we are going to build our own comm service. The program itself is fine, but the concern is, without patching through that alien antenna on the south pole, getting messages off world is going to be tough. We are going to have to develop our own high power array"

2:44 PM

(so you're using colony comnet in some way)

(For communications with outsiders yes. For internal communications we will have our own monitored system)

2:46 PM

"Do we possess the capabilities to do something like that. The south pole tech is some pretty incredible stuff"

"As is, no, no we do not. For right now, if you're trying to devise an internal relay, we will just need some space to house it, but we can keep our interorganizational comms safe"

"I suppose thats the best we can do for now. Unless" Charles pauses for a moment thinking. "You're all dismissed. Get to work on this right away and let me know if you need my help". He signals the head of the department to stay behind and messages Mira to come join them

Mira enters, and the department head just remains in his seat, idly sipping at a cup of water

Charles catches Mira up on the conversation to this point. "And then I thought, every communication that goes off world goes through that antenna. Why don't we bug it and put our own security system in place? That way we're protected"

"We could try to develop something like that. It'll need to be pretty complex to get under colony notice."

"We could try and negotiate with the colony. Protect their system if we can protect ours. But if they say no then its going to be pretty difficult to do with them watching over our backs"

"Would you like me to set up a meeting with Kincaid, or Franz?

"Yeah we better play this by the book for now. Especially with the war on things could get nasty if we start messing around"

"I'll give admin a call. Might be a day or two before we hear anything back"

"That's alright, I could do with a bit of a break I think"

(your actual faction moves are going to be done at this end of this month, so no new orders yet, but Mira is going to let you know that they have a list of the other companys assets, herb uncloaked them and decided to share)

8:51 AM

"I've got some new information on Egons Capital Industries too. Whole city is in an uproar with their leader being assassinated. Maybe we can do something with the list here"

"Definitely. Start working on potential plans. Especially with Tri - Green out the picture now we might as well turn our attention to them. I'm going to head out to the island for a couple of days, you can find me there if you need me"

"Very good, enjoy your vacation" Trivedi resort is a short plane ride away, and you land on the very modern looking airstrip. The full staff is assembled, knowing the owner is coming in to visit

(What's set up so far? The villa and staff residences?)

(Yes, we did this right before your IRL trip, so it was left there)

The staff bow slightly as the plane comes into landing, and the gang ramp extends. The large villa home has a neatly manicured garden, full of exotic jungle plants. A hedge has been trimmed into the logo of trivedi technologies

"Well this is certainly a way to spend a couple of days in luxury."Charles says as he descends the ramp. He spends a few days lounging around the pool, walking the island and seeing what there is to discover, and just generally in holiday mode, but after a while he starts to feel the desire to get back out into the world again. To be doing things

2:10 PM

(Did we ever find/attack the fleet killer? With the remnant threatening his new trade routes Charles will be interested in taking care of that threat)

(Seung is about to rally a fleet to go handle it)

2:12 PM

(but if charles and the lawrence want to be part of it i am sure hes going to announce soon)

(Is that the one that is around Rawhani?)

(Yeah, thats the only enemy fleet you know about right now, aside from the garrison fleet at Khulk)

(Ah ok Charles was going to plan a whole infiltration thing but I don't want to be stepping on toes if Sueng is planning an attack)

(there are remains of a Remnant comm relay around Asta, and the surface map is up now, I know you had some interest in that world)

3:26 PM

(Since the robots were trying to go there)

(The comm relay might be a good target to hit. Try and hack their comms)

(Also in this time at the island Charles is going to get one of those elctroos on his arm of a hammer striking an anvil)

(Cyrus Nuked it but there’s lot of scrap. Might learn something) An electoo (we need to rename these ugh) artist is brought in, and the job goes perfectly. There’s a little pain, but not a lot, and even more conveniently, you can still swim.

(Sounds like a decent enough target. Did the station over the lava planet get fully cleared by cass as well?)

(Yeah it’s a colony listening post now but nothing’s been done on the surface really)

OK Charles next plan of action is to go and try and recover information from that listening post. Given that its been nuked will he need specialist radiation suits or will a normal vacc suit cover it

Norman vacc suits will protect you from short-term exposure

And I'm assuming Harry would be fine in those conditions anyway?

(Yes, harry would just need a quick rinse with electrolosized water later so the residual feel badsies dont leak over to you, but he's built to take that)

(There's an idea for the future. Avatar like robot bodies for people to transfer into for dangerous work like asteroid mining. Maybe even transferable organic bodies depending on how the doctors get on with regrowing bodies)

(Melora and Sieg were able to get the process started, it takes about a week, so more details soon)

For the time being Charles will assemble his strike team of Harry and his team, as well as any others who might be interested in the operation

A young woman named Verity is also interested. she had planned to go to Aslief to map with Cyrus, but their mission was scrubbed as moves by Remnant forces changed their plans, and Cyrus found himself diverted to Terezinho to join the battle. (edited)

The Lawrence is loaded with supplies, doubling up on anti radiation drugs. "They hit that instalation hard" Verity says, looking over the report. "It was built on four cruiser hulls though. I'm sure something survived"

"Yeah we've done plenty of salvage work before. When the helldivers nuked thier own city we still managed to pull a lot out of the rubble" Charles says lugging his duffel bag next to his station on the ship. "How did you get involved in all this anyway"

"I'm from Rawhani. Kaleb and his relief mission brought me here, and I was originally supposed to be in the lab. Things there just aren't fast enough for me, so I took to field work instead"

Charles laughs. "Yeah I know that feeling. Things exploding in the lab are nothing compared things actually exploding around you. What sort of lab work did you do? "

"Military research , primarily metalurgy, designing new armor composites for starship hulls"

"Interesting. You might want to take a look at the metals were finding on Miriam sometime. We cant quite work out how to replicate it so were just mining it"

"Something for me to sink my teeth into certainly. When we get back I'm interested to see what its properties are"

4:43 PM

Harry throws to large canvas bags full of radiation meds and treatments into the hold, and shuts the storage hatch. "I think that's everything. I tossed a burn bag in there too just in case"

"It's days like this when I wished I had a robot body" Charles says jokingly. "Shall we get going"

He nods and climbs aboard, the Lawrence begins thrumming as engines power up to their low setting. Verity climbs aboard ahead of you, tossing her scanning kits onto an open bearth before settling into the scanner station

"Are we expecting any trouble out there? The remnant searching for salvage themselves?"

"We shouldn't be. The array going down should have thrown them into a blackout, the same though, if trouble does spike into the system- if we are efficient we can get away before they can close to do anything to us" (edited)

"Good and if they're planning to salvage anything we can plant bugs on it to get some intel." Charles finishes as he settles in for the trip

The jump is short, just two days (Gudrun to miriam and then miriam to asta) The sun baked, peach colored orb of asta spins gently below.

"Lots of activity down there" Verity says , monitoring band traffic

"Why what are you seeing?" Charles asks

"Dual bands of traffic. Human signals, looks like personal commuication devices, squad to squad comms on the surface maybe. Then, to the north, its...its in binary.."

"Binary? That's not good. Harry does it mean anything to you?"

Harry begins listening in. "This band sounds like a scout team. theyre listening to...humans....looks like some kind of war over water? Looks like there might have been some experiments taking place on the wildlife too."

"Wars over water make sense given the colour of the planet. Doesn't look like the wettest place. Can we find the listening station on the scanners?"

"Y....Yes" Verity says, half distracted by the feed herself. "Location marked. Almost glows in the dark on scanners. What a mess" From the rendered hologram, the station has cracked in two under the small pocket nuclear blast, but the halves have remained close to one another, blanketed in a slowly expanding corona of debris.

"Do we have any plans for the facility from when it was whole. I'd like to limit the amount of time we spend rooting around in there if i can help it"

"No, this wasn't something we built, It was something the Remnant fashioned together and dragged into place, but lets see what we can glean"

"Right Harry and I will go in and have a look around. Verity you hook into my eye cam to watch and advise. If you can drop us off near the middle that would be helpful"

"Alright, I'll make the patch. Suit up you two...well. You Charles. I'll get EVA lines set up"

As you suit up, the door to the outside of the craft opens. Rad scanners inbuilt in the suits begin to grumble a bit as the background level rises

Charles jumps off the ship aiming for the closer side of broken wreckage, looking for a way in

The station has been cracked in half, and you can see a corridor where it used to adjoin to the other side

inside, the lights are off, even emergency power has been shorted out. The station groans, superstructure still settling from the damage, and strain placed upon it.

"Spooky this place isn't it" Charles says to Harry over the comms. "Let's try and find a way to boot the power back up, otherwise we'll not be able to raid their files" and he will make an educated guess as to where the power facilities are located and head there

Most of the thicker cables seem to wind back to the far corner of the station from you. You pass what used to be a kitchen, the bodies of the cadets, now bleached black skeletons, float in space, along with scorched dinnerware. The void has covered everything in a rime of ice. Following the corridor, you arrive at a junction terminal, a small display showing the batteries, hardened from solar radiation, were somewhat damaged. You reckon you can get a few minutes of power out of whatever is left over

Charles will boot up the terminal to try and will try to find a map on the terminal

(A surface map?)

(Yeah unless we already have one)

(There should be a surface map handout for Asta visible now)

11:22 AM

You can see the Remnant has been mapping the surface as best they can, combining orbital images with first hand accounts from scout teams. They've assigned their own names to several points of interest on planet, but the context for them is largely lost. Additional logs show those patrols met mechanical being resistance, and were overwhelmed.

11:22 AM

The final entry is a ban on further planetside deployments

If there is any power left in the system Charles will try to find information about remnant deployments in other areas of the sector

The shipyard at khulk is to the south, as is known. Most of the orders are either assigning ships home for repair/refit, or exploring the southern sector, to expand the Remnant's borders

Charles will forward any important information on to the relevant authority. "Weve got a fair amount here Harry. Think its worth searching this place more?"

"They built this place out of four ships....What do you think about a spacewalk out to the antenna array in the middle, just to see how they did it. Getting something like it built into the cloud might speed up our own allied communications"

"Very good point. Lets head that way then. Maybe we can just steal it if it's in working condition"

The array has drifted free of the ad-hoc station, previously suspended in a cradle between the 4 cruiser hulls that made up the relay. The riggings have disintegrated in the pocket nuclear explosion. Approaching close, the geiger counter screams a warning about heavy background rads

1:59 PM

"Spike nexus. System southern edge" Verity says, speaking loudly but focused on the scanner screen

"Do you think we can handle these rads or should we turn back"

2:01 PM

(Also what's a spike nexus? Is that when the a ship spikes into the system?)

(yeah, youre detecting the spike tunnel opening)

2:03 PM

"The ship can. We are going to have to do something about it once it gets aboard though"

(The book never really says, that I've seen at least, what spike, ect looks like, so I'm just sort of doing my own thing)

"What about just strapping it to the outside? We can deal with it when we're back at Gudrun. Also have we had any communication from the ship that jumped in?"

“None, but I knows we are here, it’s turning to face us. Looks like a patrol boat of some kind. Strapping it to the outside. Hmmm. It’ll have to be secured well if it’s not going to shear off during spike”

"OK let's be ready to jump out of here at a moments notice. They might be friendly but I'd rather not take the chance. I think we should just put the array in the hold, wash off as much as we can as we're going to do to Harry and then close off access to it until we get back to Gudrun to get it properly cleaned"

“Alright. Bay doors opening.” The very large cargo elevator of the Lawrence yawns open, as the interdeck spaces seal against the void. He brings the ship in close. “Still on an intercept course. They’re hailing us. Should I put it through?”

"Yeah put it through. I want to see who this is"

A small video screen pops open, to a young looking captain. The Remnant epaulets on his shoulders give away his allegiance before he has a chance to say anything.

7:41 AM

"Unidentified vessel, state your name and business. This is Remnant territory"

"Ah hello there, this is Captain Bobby Bobson. we've been contracted by your lot to salvage this wrecked station." Off camera Charles will start signaling to get ready to jump

"Captain...bobson..." he looks perplexed. "Captain bobson cut engines and come about, prepare for boarding so we can inspect your permit. Resist and we will fire"

7:53 AM

(int/program check, they're trying to jam you)

7:55 AM

(Also, this made me laugh really hard because it makes me think of trailer park boys, where ricky tells everyone hes corey treverson)

(10 and thank you I try haha)

Verity struggles against the ECM attack, narrowly purging its influence from the system. "Another minute and it'll be aboard"

8:26 AM

The officer looks perplexed, no doubt getting a report of the failed ECM attack from offscreen "Bobson, final warning, cut engines and come about"

"Can we jump?" Charles asks his crew urgently, making sure the mic is turned off

"Thirty seconds!" Harry calls. "Cargo is in, the bay is closing"

10:11 AM

The Patrol boat fires a shot with its multifocal laser, as you are not complying with the order. (hit, 12 damage, can accept, or take a crisis)

(Let's take a crisis that sounds exciting)

(d10)

8

(System damage) The scanner console blows out in a shower of sparks as the shot connects. The damage seems contained otherwise (you don;'t take damage from the shot but in a crisis the ship suffers another consequence, in this case, the sensors being damaged)

10:42 AM

"Spike ready!"

(Very cool stuff and possibly the best option given the other crisis possiblites)

10:44 AM

"Jump now!"

10:45 AM

(Can we make it back to Gudrun in one jump with the advanced spike drive)

(sure can!)

(Then we'll do that!)

The boat fires again, the shots hitting empty space as The Lawrence slides into spike space, leaving behind nothing but dissipating energy.

10:54 AM

There is a communal exhale, as the tension level begins to fall off immediately

"Well that was close. Maybe we should take less risks next time. I'll get to work on the systems that got blown out, see if I can fix anything"

A day later, the ship exits spike, Back in Gudrun space, captured long range comms antenna secure in the hold.

7:31 PM

(3xp, 10,000 credits)

Charles will radio ahead for a hazmat team to be ready for the antenna. He will also ask for some lab space and Miriam metals to be prepared for verity to inspect

Space is cleared on Trivedi cloud. The main docking bay has a hazardous material crew standing by, normally in the event of a reactor breach or similar, but in this case contaminated cargo. They advise you stay aboard until the decontamination is complete. There are some miriam metal samples in the lab available for Verity to inspect

It takes several hours for the clean up to be completed, new clothes are brought to you, the old ones placed in the burn bag harry had the foresight to bring, but before long you're all clean, looking down as the powerful array is towed from the open cargo bay of the lawrence by spacewalking deck crew

7:09 AM

(Trivedi cloud counts as a workshop/garage, so ship repairs here are done for free)

"It's definitely impressive" Charles says to his staff, "but is it as good as the one we've got at the south Pole. We should really run some tests on it before we hook it up though, don't know what kind of listening software the remnant put on it"

"Both of them working together, the antenna as a relay, should speed things up certainly. You're right though, lets take a look shall we?"

"Yep let's dive right in" Charles says as he brings up the information on the screen

The communications system is built on a very powerful signal booster, meant to receive a signal, amplify it, and re-transmit the information to the destination. The array does not have any of its own inherent communication abilities (it copies and boosts a signal, passing it along, can't edit comms or make their own)

8:11 AM

Pairing it with the alien signal array down below seems to be the most daunting of the challenges presented, but the array not being able to transmit its own signals does make your job a bit easier

(So it would need to go on the antenna we've already got or somewhere far away from it

(It can be mounted on the cloud. Basically what this is going to do is let you communicate in space in real time to any planet within spike 3 distance of gudrun, so you'll have instant contact with aliah, miriam, ect)

(Wonderful. Does the booster show any signs of damage from being nuked?)

The signal booster itself needs some replacement components, the EMP from the nuclear detonated fried some of the sensitive workings inside, but the hardened structure itself is not anything worse than scorched.

Charles will order the parts to be prepared and shipped up, ready to begin work on the antenna

Pulling out the access panel is an easy feat. The back of the panel has a few messages scrawled onto it as engineers are sometimes wont to do on parts they know nobody will see To Maureen, my only one- Deacon Tarly, may flights of angels bring you home- K Chloe Strong!

(I take it Charles doesn't recognise any of these names)

(no, its just random people there)

10:02 AM

Verity grabs the panel, looking at the writing on the back. She has nothing to do until the lab is finished being prepared for her, and has decided to help. "Sometimes I forget they're not so different" she says, before mag-clamping the panel lid to the hull

"They probably think we're the monsters for nuking their listening posts. There's no good and bad in this war, only people who try their best" Charles says fiddling with some electronics

"Probably" she sighs "but we think the same with the press ganging and some of the other excesses we've seen. This isnt going to end until one side crumbles the other"

"As far as I can tell we keep winning. It wont be long before they strike back at us as hard as we've been striking them and I sure don't want to be in the firing line when that happens"

"We get this going and we can keep the pressure up, Being able to communicate in real time, would be, the applications are endless. This is faster than light communication. Makes you wonder what else we can do with this"

"If you're suggesting interstellar teleporter I'm already thinking about it"

"Charles...you....you just get it" she smiles (fix int)

Charles blushes , and then turns his head away and starts working to distract himself

11:41 AM

(13)

It takes the rest of the day, and you're forced to replace the entire main transmission trunk lines despite trying everything not to, but the array is repaired, and ready for mounting on the cloud

Incoming message from Billy Rigers: Hello Mr. Trivedi, I’ve recovered blueprints you might find interesting on mission on Terezinho. I’m calling it the Model T. It might be a perfect addition to your sports model line... at least for inspiration on off world models. Thoughts? -B. Rigers-

"Sounds very interesting Mr Rigers, how much are you asking for the blueprints?"

“Sorry for the delay, Mr. Trivedi. How does 15k and one of the models off of the first batch sound?

"Call it ten and you've got yourself a deal" Charles replies

“I’ll call it 10 then. I’ll send the blueprints right over! Pleasure doing business with you, sir. I’ll let you know if I come across anything else like it in my travels.”

"And with you. I'll let you know when they go into production so that you can get yours!"

Charles greenlights the booster to be attached to the cloud as soon as possible

The plans come over, showing a longer, but sleek roadster. Two smaller engines replace one large one, each running on a very simple water powered engine. Changing it to combustion would create a truly fast and powerful supercar

Charles redesigns the engines to work with the power crystals and then forwards the designs on to the production team to have them put it in the queue

“This is an impressive machine. Does it have a name?” Martin asks. Admiring the demo model.

"Let's call it something cool like 'Renegade' or something like that. Float it past marketing, see what they think. Oh and make sure Billy RIgers gets one of the first models"

Martin nods, and heads off to pitch the ideas. Compad pinging, the notification that the antenna has been installed comes through.

With that all sorted Charles will get verity set up with the Miriam metals and message @Rey (Shriven) to see if he wants to keep clearing the spaceport

Charles, having received a message from Shriven indicating that he will meet the group on Miriam, will set out anyway, hoping to check on his assets out there while he is waiting

On miriam, the mining settlement is more organized than when you left it, and now boasts some modest defenses thanks to a delivery of material by Shriven. Four anti air guns watch the skies around the silent springs settlement and mining camp, and the settlement dome now has thick walls surrounding it, expanded to incorporate more space. The gate has been reinforced, and a hardened guard post outside keeps watch on the surrounding snowscape. To that end, a landing pad has also been laid out for the Lawrence, opposite the main gate guardhouse

"I like the additions" Charles says to Karl. "Makes it look like we're expecting trouble but it never pays to be prepared"

"Rawhani was cooperative with the Remnant, and not far from here" Karl says. "I hope we never have to use any of this, but at the same time. I want to make sure the wrong people stay off your property"

"And that's why you get paid the big creds. So have you heard anything from the Hub since comms went back up. Last I checked they'd been unusually quiet?"

“There was a patrol boat that set down there a few days ago. They traded and it left. Haven’t seen them go far from the city though”

"Might be worth a look around if they're capable of trading. Who knows what kind of goodies they can share"

“Right. We know they’ve got something going on down there. It’s worth a look. Also. I was thinking about getting a team to head north. Remember that plane crash we passed on the drive through the storm. Last year?”

"I do yeah. You think it's thawed out enough for us to check it out"

“I think so. We always meant to go back after the storm and we never did”

"Could be worth a look. I was just going to sit around and wait for Shriven to show up but that seems like a better use of time"

“So from what I remember” Karl thinks “it was a specialized snowpiercing plane, that was supposed to be able to ride out a hurricane. We know the storm was worse than that. I’d expect not to find survivors anymore but the equipment on board...could be worth a lot”

"Well I like money, we got any salvage vehicles we can use"

"couple snow cats with pull behind sleds. I'll let you make the decision when we get there, i dont think the fusolage is worth saving, but the stuff inside should fit on a couple sleds pretty handily"

"If they've got sensors that could manage that storm then they're better off than we are. Come on let's get kitted up and head out"

Karl has one of the snow cats pulled forward, and opens up the trunk to throw some gear inside. He is about to throw his first musette back inside, and stops. "Hey...Boss....I think ....I think this is for you..." There is a handled sized parcel , wrapped in white and red candystriped paper

10:46 AM

To: Charles From: Santa

Charles looks very confused at the parcel before opening it

10:54 AM

(Christmas time!!!)

Inside, a well oiled leather bag that smells like centuries of curing, but doesn't look it, is presented, the well polished brass clasp opens, revealing an assortment of pre-tech tools inside

10:56 AM

(pre tech tool kit)

Charles is going to do some serious inventing with this kit. "Holy shit this is incredible, do you know who this santa person is?"

“A spirit some say, bringing things to people who do good work”

"Well he's certainly encouraging me to work hard this winter season. Come on let's get going. I'll play with my new toys on the road"

5:04 PM

(What does a toolkit actually do mechanically? I've never worked it out?)

the snowkat pushes on, crossing the snowy ground quickly. The last time you'd come this way, Katya was bundled up in the seat next to you, and there was a deadly storm raging outside, threatening to tear the craft apart at any moment. Karl brings the vehicle to a halt as the bones of the aircraft come into view. (It will give you +4 to your fix checks, and TL 5 devices can be repaired with them now, rather than just being sold for scrap or salvaged)

(Hahahahahahaha have you really just given me +4 to fix checks? You will remember this day as the day the Trivedi iron man suit came into existence)

(Hey also, not related, but we have both expressed our mutual revulsion over the name, those electoos, they have a better name 'Phosphor Tattoos' - its in polychrome suppliment )

5:11 PM

(And yes. I've made my drive train, I'm prepared to be ground in the wheels)

(Yeah that's much better thank god. You've given me this just to see where I'll end up with it haven't you? I can sense your evil dm ways)

5:16 PM

Does Charles recognise any design features of the aircraft? Does it look human, slyth or any other kind of race

It looks human, but very cutting edge. it's been about a year since you first discovered the wreck, but thankfully the cold has kept any kind of metal eating environmental effects at bay

5:17 PM

Pieces of insturmentation cover the snow-pack like buckshot

"This stuff looks pretty high level" Charles comments as he inspects the wreckage. "Maybe it's got a black box that can give us a clue where it came from?". Does the metal match the stuff being mined on Miriam

The metal does. It’s the exact same alloy. Karl heads to the front of the craft, looking into the crumpled cockpit to see what instrumentation survived

5:39 PM

“Looks like the main centerline console survived”

"Great let's crack it open and see what's inside. Wow I wish I'd brought a tool kit that would help" Charles pulls out his new kit grinning like a child, "oh wait I already did". Charles gets to work using his new tools to take apart the console

The console comes apart pretty easily under the touch of pre scream science, the tools seeming to just work on their own accord, following your intentions. The black box is revealed, and along the way you see how they wired the sensor system together. With some research, a survey scanner fitting that is more efficient on both mass and power might be possible

9:00 AM

(Future research project using the new system) (edited)

Charles will try to plug his compad into the blackbox, seeing what kind of data is available

The plane penetrated the shield storm and was ten minutes out from its projected path to the tower. There is a recorded energy surge from inside the cabin followed by the time of crash

5:15 PM

It has the completed weather data from inside the storm saved on its databanks as well

Can we trace where the plane launched from

The route origin is in the Deep South of the planet. There are no settlements there now , the former airbase likely buried beneath dozens of meters of ice

"I'm guessing there's not much chance of us running into the place they launched from then. Come on let's check the rest of the plane out"

Karl busies himself hauling out the scanner. It looks like a ship survey scanner but compact, and just as powerful

"We might find a good use for that, or at least get some useful information from it"

"We might indeed. Well, I see your friend Shriven is on world. We can do the menial collection of material if you've got other matters to attend to"

11:59 AM

(the analysis gets you some research points towards the projects you're working on right now)

"Great I'll head back to the spaceport then, let me know if you find anything else interesting"

@Rey (Shriven) and Charles meet up outside the hub a bit later, preparing to delve into the strange, repeat use spaceport facility below

“Hey Charles sorry for being late, hope you found something productive to do. I’m a little short on men I was wondering if you wanted to me hire some local muscle for this?”

"I don't see much need for local muscle. I've got my own men to come with us, but if you'd feel more secure like that then sure go for it"

“Na let just head in then.”

"After you," Charles gestures

this is last map i have

(I thought we cleared out the 3 rooms before the room in front of the door)

1:23 PM

(thanks, didnt look right to me, which is why i said that the way i did)

(Wait just read the back chat we found the morgue in the room next in line) (edited)

1:27 PM

“So do we want to try the other hallway this time or just keep going down what we already have explored?” Shriven asks Charles.

"We can't get down the other hallway (assuming you mean going north rather than south at the start) so I reckon just keep going the way we're going"

Descending into the under-ruins, you notice that the robot bodies have bene piled up in this room, in process of being taken apart and bundled into crates based on salvage type

“Nice im guessing that is your work Charles.” Shriven makes sure to watch for that pesky grav plate that made him fly last time.

it looks like follow-on crews have made-safe the walkway, removing traps or at least cutting their power

Shriven walks up to the door that was shut in the morgue. (Does charles’ nifty find the bot compad still work?)

(The Bot-Beacon tm?)

(It does work)

Nekosmash 12/26/2018 7:05 PM

The door across from the morgue leads to another access hallway. Three signals are coming from opposite the door

"Do you want to try and fight them or should we just blow the room up and sacrifice anything inside"

“I think we can fight them, let’s get set up first. Then open the door.”

7:14 AM

Shriven prepares a position to fire from and sets up his HMG facing the door that has bots.

(you guys get a surprise round, and then we will do initiative)

Charles uses the heavy laser that they found last time

8:30 AM

Gets it mounted in position

(So shriven has the MG, as does harry, his own, and charles has the anti-vehicle lance, got it)

8:37 AM

The doors open, revealing three large Sentry bots, who were patrolling past this section

8:38 AM

They have not yet noticed you

(Are any of them behind cover?)

(No they

9:18 AM

were rolling by the door when you opened it)

Shriven fires at one of them <19 9dmg>

Charles fires at a different one (13 for 9)

(both hit)

9:37 AM

The robots begin turning around as they take damage

9:37 AM

Harry and the personnel with you fire at them (how many people did you bring aside from harry, we never said)

(two more?)

(cool beans, lemme roll)

10:05 AM

Harry fires at the same as Charles (15/5) , and the two supporting guards, now equipped to handle the heavy armor down here, fire their grenade launchers, one scores a direct hit (19/19)

10:06 AM

The concussive force knocks it into the back wall, where flames begin to consume it. (2 left, initiative)

3

<5>

(bots got a 2)

10:39 AM

(Shiven, Charles, Harry & Friends, Bots)

Shriven fires at the right most bot of the 2. <19, 9dmg> “Let’s hit this one now, he should be down soon.”

It creaks and begins spurting oil

Charles fires at the most damaged. 20 for 9

Harry and the two guards concentrate fire on your target, finishing the damaged bot

11:14 AM

The remaining security bot douses the corridor in flame from its under mounted flamethrower (evasion saves all)

(Fail)

(Success)

(7 dmg charles./3 shriven, harry and guards are also 3) The flames wash into the corridor, until the fuel tank on the back rings empty

12:00 PM

the heat and flames scorching the deck plate and wounding several of you lightly.

12:00 PM

(Shriven next)

Shriven returns lead for fire, <20 15dmg>

The beast seems implaccable, advancing slowly despite the oncoming fire

12:30 PM

(charles)

11 and 15

(its a vehicle so 10 hits) The shot cuts a fuel line, and the back of the robot explodes off, peppering the wall behind it with burning shrapnel

"Woooo" Charles shouts as he jumps in the air and fist bumps the air. "That was so cool" he grins

“Wow that was more than I expected.” Shriven stands up to walk into the room that was just cleared.

"They were big weren't they. What were they guarding" Charles says as he searches the room

The room ahead looks like a secure transitway, heading into the next chunk of the facility, the bots were there to keep something from getting out, or to keep interlopers from getting in

1:45 PM

(not really a room, but more of like a guarded entryway to get you deeper inside)

Nekosmash 12/27/2018 1:46 PM

Let’s go straight down from there first door on the right. (Down right of the T opposite the genetic material room.)

(The new 2 Xs let top one is what we just did the next one down is my vote to clear.)

Charles is fine with this plan

Shriven goes to open the door.

2:40 PM

(Realized I’m low efforting sorry...) Shriven walks towards the door noticing the shrapnel in the wall from the fight and wonders how long these bots were there then turns back to open the door.

(You’re good buddy)

(Door, I open. Bad guy, I kill. New thing, I grab. Puzzle, i roll to fix. Ice, I slip.

)

(shiven open door, shriven make boom boom, shriven get space pizza)

(Yay for space pizza!)

There is a hallway running south and another running west, for now it looks like all the rest of the bots are in other parts of the facility, following their normal patrol patterns

Charles goal was to reach the big circular room in the middle (the space pizza room if you will) and so to do that will want to head to the mini space pizza room

( So the plan would be this?)

(For some reason I'd missed that and was planning on going through the smaller circle and up but yeah that would be my preferred route)

(The yellow marked one or the one you said going through the lower circle? Either way though we still need to hit that red x by the T.)

(The yellow one) (edited)

(Alright so moving down the hallway)

5:34 PM

The circular room looks to be a large control room. Almost everything is out of power as you’d seen already but one panel remains active, showing the outlines of a handful of ships that are registered to the facility

Shriven looks around at the ships. (How old and how big? Do they look like they are here from a long time ago or more recent? Do we recognize the design style?)

(Hard to determine how old. They range. One in the registry is fighter sized, one looks to be a corvette, the final two are free merchant sized. The designs are all wildly different from one another, and alien to human standards)

(Does it show where in the facility the ships are being stored)

The only one with a registered location is the fighter, which is in what they've been calling the 'south pizza' room (the first circular one below where the yellow line is currently)

(So there isn’t anything in this room ship wise? And when I look up do I see ice above or is there some kind of pressure door.)

(this room is a control room, the south pizza room is where the ship is, but the door is closed to that room)

7:30 AM

THe door ahead is heavy and looks to be heat shielded.

"What do you think" Charles says looking around the room. "i'd say finding a power supply would be our best bet but I'm not sure where that would be"

7:56 AM

(theoretically, is it possible to hook the Lawrence's power supply up to the base and power it from there?)

(Yay for numbers)

1

8:08 AM

(So the fighter is in room 82 right?)

8:08 AM

(And we are in 48?)

(right)

8:09 AM

(and wow, thank you)

(Should be eaiser to describe where we are going.)

(and yes, the power will hit the rooms where the connections are still good, but as far as determining what is connected and what isnt i dont think it would be easy to tell)

(Is down from 48 open or blocked?)

you can get to 69 and 70, but beyond those two rooms it is blocked

“Let’s see what are in these 2 rooms.” Shriven goes to check those 70 first.

70 is a cage door, leading into what looks like some kind of an armory. You can see into the room, but the door doesn't budge by just pushing on it.

"We can bring down some power tools later on to get into there." Charles says while approaching the other room

Shriven walks with Charles to room 69. (What is blocking the path to 72? Ice?)

(Ice, broken pieces of the ceiling, steel girders)

Shriven walks over to door 69. Checking to see if there are any panels nearby to open either door.

The cage to 69 is the same age seized metal grating. You can see more carry crates of an elongated cylinder type design behind the door

"Well we're either going to have to break through these doors or hope that turning the power back on will allow us to open them"

“Unfortunately your probably right, I’m a little concerned as to the other impact of turning on the power as then the automated defenses would have enough power.” Shriven sighs, “Well looks like we have to head onward, to the left or through?” (Down towards 66 or on to 32?)

(32->29->24?)

(Yeah, my thoughts too, that would be what shriven gestures to as through.)

Nekosmash 12/28/2018 10:22 AM

There is a rumbling as you approach room 32, and the bot finder begins pinging that four signals are behind the door of it

Shriven stops at the rumbling, “Do you think we need to hit them first? From the seismic map it is rather small to have 4 bots so it is probably worth it.” Shriven looks around for somewhere he can set up his HMG.

Harry helpfully rolls a large metal slab into position for you, taken from a nearby wreckage pile

“Thanks Harry, what do you think Charles? Take ‘em down?” (edited)

"Don't see why not. Didn't take much to do it last time" he says as he gets into position next to Shriven

(Minion 1 opens door?)

The door opens as the control panel is hit, and four work bots couch inside, standby mode ending as the door opens (surprise round for you)

(Have we seen worker bots before?)

(no)

1:18 PM

(you;ve seen the sentry warbots, and the flying little seeker drone guys)

Shriven holds his fire, “I don’t think these things will attack.” (Queue Shriven dying...)

(Charles do you hold fire too?)

Charles holds his fire as well. "They might be able to tell us something about this facility, or help us get it back online"

The bots do not seem to react as the door remains open. They are on, but unresponsive

"I'll try approaching them. If they look threatening, shoot them" Charles says standing down from his firing position and moving towards the bots. "Hello, can you help us. We're looking to get this facility back online" Charles says to the bots

Shriven stays with his HMG Incase they start attacking Charles

One of the bots slowly unpacks from its crouch and draws up to full height

5:25 PM

Greetings traveler. This facility and its peerless operation is my prime motive. Currently this facility is running at 17% efficiency. This is unacceptable (edited)

Shriven asks, “What is the first thing you need to do to increase efficiency?”

“Wreckage from fallen roof sections must be....the world is 40 degrees colder than previous average reported trend. What. What has happened?”

“Before I answer that question, answer me one. Are you an AI or a VI?”

“I am an intelligence. Artificial to you perhaps but real enough to me”

“Well to answer your question, the planet froze due to some weather thing going crazy or something, He could tell you more.” Shriven points at Charles. “He was the one that reversed the problem.”

"That tower in the North" Charles says taking the opportunity "the one meant to stop the heating up of your world. It malfunctioned, made things too cold and sent the entire world into a blizzard. We managed to shut it down but we don't know how many years it was stuck like that"

“You have worked a great marvel. If I help you could you do the same to my installation?”

“Between the two of us we can probably help a great deal. What kind of help do you need? Building supplies or manpower?”

“This is a starport and I show we are now dozens of meters below the surface. The whole planet is like this?”

“From what I can tell yes, the whole planet is like this.”

It seems to sit and think for a moment. “Proposal. Excavation of this installation, or construction of a new one”

"For what purpose? I'm not sure this planet has the population to need a starport"

The bot looks downcast for a moment. “I will help you gather what we can. My sub directive in the event of facility loss is to assist with the building of a new one elsewhere”

“Does your sub directive require it to be here on this planet?”

“It...” several lights begin clicking and there is a whirring inside as something is processing. “It does not”

"Well this is a score. Got ourselves some super builder bots. So do you know how to get the power in this place back on"

“Can you tell how many other bots are active here or could be activated?”

"I do not have that connection with them. Compartmentalization, you see. Security was not my directive."

"Was there a control room where we could find that information though?"

1

It marks room 15 on your map

11:13 AM

'The master control room is there, you should be able to maintain control over the installation, or whats left, if the room is secured"

(So we should go 91, 43, 15?)

11:24 AM

"Ok we will head towards that then. While were doing that can you clear out the blockage in the corridor that runs west from the central room (48). It will allow us quicker access to the facility"

11:24 AM

(IIrc there was an ice blockage there that was what stopped us immediately getting to 48)

Shriven nods and stands up from his prepared position

11:25 AM

(I’m going to go on autopilot for a little bit. I have about 6 hours of stuff to get done and won’t be checking things. So go ahead and proceed.)

(Yep there was) The worker bots head off, in groups of two, to handle both blockages

We make our way back through the facility to room 91

Room 91 has three doors leading into it, approaching from the south, through previously cleared areas, the door is caved in, allowing you to see inside. The splintered door lies on the floor in the center of the space. A rocket of some sort, heads deep into the ground, and an iris door above it is shut

(A break was gained!) Shriven tries to dig a whole big enough for the group to be able to crawl through.

A gap wide enough for you to slide into the silo one at a time is made. There is a wide metal catwalk below, at the base of the rocket

Shriven walks the catwalk to go towards 43. “It seems safe so far. Though if this rocket lights up we may be in trouble.”

"Hopefully it is as powered down as everything else around here. A rocket seems very primitive compared to the other technologies weve seen here" charles notes as he observes the design of the rocket

The rocket is clearly of human origin, and some kind of satellite seems to be tucked in near the top

"Come on, lets keep pushing forward" Charles says trying not to think about how far the fall would be

Moving around the catwalk there is a ladder heading up to the hallway into 43. The bot scanner pings ahead, detecting a four bot formation of the sentry eyebots (edited)

(does it show us able to get into a firing position before attacking them?)

3:02 PM

(Or are they literally at the top of the ladder)

(You can get to the top)

Charles will allow the better fighters to go first and assume position, taking up whatever space is left once they're done

(Initiative)

Shriven gets distracted thinking of how he is going to start the Prime soccer team after setting up his HMG. <2>

(Hahahahaha)

(8) Charles is always ready for battle!

(Charles, Harry, Bots, Shriven)

Charles, having gotten into a braced firing position, aims at one of the central bots and fires (22 for 12 damage)

one of the bots spins wildly as the anti-vehicle energy hits it. It sparks, twice, but returns to formation

8:24 AM

Harry and the accompanying security people finsh off the bot

8:24 AM

The other eyebots fire down the corridor with their pulse lasers

8:25 AM

(4 damage on charles, 10 on shriven, both shots miss harry, Shriven is up)

Shriven takes the hit to the chest and then sprays all the bots with fire. <reflex save or 8 dmg.>

(2 fail)

8:33 AM

The bots are all damaged in turn by the heavy weapon. Brass casings clink onto the ground and bounce away

8:33 AM

(charles)

Charles again fires again using his laser staff, after recoiling from being shot is slightly off target (13 for 11 damage)

A second bot tumbles from the formation. Harry finishes off another expertly (critical hit) The two security personnel damage the final heavily, and it retreats down the corridor as far as it can (down the hallway towards 34)

"Come on we can't let it get away" Charles shouts, trying to encourage Shriven

Harry runs after the bot, spraying shells down the corridor

9:18 AM

knocking it out (12 damage). It goes skittering into the endof the hallway before fireballing

(Bots running or trying to kill me for the soccer team?

)

(The bots are offline now, you guys got this pack)

Shriven stands up and goes over to one of the bots, “Well looks like there isn’t much for us to find here.” Then turns to Charles, “Ready to keep going? We are nearly at the control room.”

Lights come on as you approach the control room, and the instrument panels begin coming online. This room actually seems to be getting enough power.

Shriven walks towards the control room talking of the top players back on Gudrun, as he comes around the corner.

The lights rise to their full luminosity,and the various control panels have finished their booting process. The layout of the port is displayed on the main screen, and it appears as though the information databases are loading.

Shriven walks in and asks Charles, “you want to take a crack at disabling those security bots? I can comb through the database looking for any thing that may help.”

(The database can answer any questions you might have, just have to ask them'

Shriven sits down and begins work writing queries to find how to deactivate or reidentify our group as friendly to the security bots.

(Program/int, but the search finds the thing you need to replace)

(I’m trying to help Charles as he is a better programmer than me as he has actually created an AI...)

1:17 PM

(Or so Shriven believes.)

1:19 PM

<7>

(youll give him a +2)

(First roll of 2019 and didn't need the plus 2 haha 17)

Charles is able to index things pretty easily, and finds the 'rules' about how the bots determine who belongs here, and who does not, with some quick changes, he sets it so the remainder will ignore you.

Once shriven is confident that the bots have been taken care of he starts looking for how many repair bots their are.

While Shriven does that Charles will try to identify the main problems with the facility at large ie where the power faults are, where there are blockages etc so that they can direct the repair bots

The four repair bots you found seem to be the only ones. The central reactor room (24) is offline. The power faults appear to be coming from around that area, as the lines heading elsewhere are only partially intact. (some of the rooms getting power still, most lines have been cut)

Shriven does one more search for pretech parts that may have been stored here.

Rooms 1,2,3 and 22 all show that they are storage for parts necessary at the reactor.

12:43 PM

the automated maintenance minder system shows the parts levels in each are all nearly full, and does not recommend ordering replacements soon

Shriven grins, “Well you ready to head to the reactor and see what we can do to get power up here to make things eaiser?”

"Absolutely let's do it" Charles replies, before contemplating a moment. "Hang on let me try something first. (Could Charles download the data or hook into the network so he can run queries away from the control room)

(Yes I think that will be included with the program check you already made since the result was so good)

Shriven heads back to 32 (where we met the bots.) to head over towards 24 where the reactor is.

Charles follows while having a bit of a play on the system to see if he can find more about the landed ships, specifically the corvette

The ships are in something called “microstorage” and that system is also housed in 24

3:01 PM

Passing 24, the bots have stomped off to attend to other duties. Looking at the scanner you see security bots one by one going offline

"What do you think microstorage means? Sounds cool whatever it is. Anyway bots are going offline, so it should get safer. Maybe we should start getting more work crews down here to help patching the place back up"

Heading for the reactors, 29 is the first door you encounter on your right that is not familiar to you

Given that Charles thinks that they have taken out all of the threats in the station he will say "im just going to pop my head in here. Just being nosy and all that" he says opening the door and taking a look around

Shriven pauses intrigued.

The door slides open, unlocked thanks to the database access. Inside a number of strange alien objects sit in wall alcoves. Some clearly look like tools but others have functions that aren’t clearly explained

Charles will check the database for the purpose of this room

This room is marked as tool storage

"Well these all will probably come in handy for clearing this place out and getting it patched up. Maybe the robots will know what to do with some of the weird looking ones"

“Yeah, let’s wait for the repair bots before grabbing them. Ready to go on?”

"After you" Charles gestures to the door

Shriven heads towards the reactor.

two large warbots stand at each side of the door to the reactor room. They are slumped forward on offline settings, their cores exposed from slide open panels on the back

9:25 AM

The reactor door itself is open, the heavily shielded doors pushed back into their housings

Shriven tries to examine the core to see if it is still active

The new reactor on the Anamen works similar to this one, though this is a much larger scale. There is a small amount of fuel left inside it still, enough for an ignition, but not a sustained reaction.

Shriven turns to Charles, “I have some fuel on Anamem if we want to get this thing started?”

"Sounds good, we might eventually get our new petocrystals to work with this but for now let's just use your supply"

Shriven goes and directs the crew to unload the 2 fuel reserves that the fuel bunkers give to Anamem into the reactor.

The reactor greedily accepts the fuel, and in the control room, a panel winks on, asking if the system should be restarted

(Can I roll a know check to see if that would impact the database work we have already done?)

(sure!, with int)

(if it will corrupt the database work Charles will try to isolate the database from the network before continuing)

<12>

(Crosses fingers)

the reactor powering up will not reset the database

A small rumble is heard throughout the installation, and the lights rise. Several more screens come on in the control room, and you see more of the database has opened up.

Charles will use the open database to run a search on microstorage

Shriven goes to check room 1 for those storage parts.

The parts are stacked up as promised in this room. Some have been lost to age, lubricants now dried beyond use or wires eroded into uselessness but there are six units of salvage in this room that look useful. Microstorage seems to be some strange process where matter is compressed, somehow allowing it to fit in a smaller space. This system was being prototyped here to allow more ships to be serviced by the port at once

Charles will pore through the database to see which rooms are most likely to be of interest to him and Shriven. (Basically trying to find the most interesting things without looking in each room haha)

The microstorage room is in room 19. The rest of the potential salvage is no less advanced than what you are using now, and might even be better served by the repair bots in getting the facility online

Charles will then head for room 19, leaving the other items for the repair bots

Shriven goes with him as he wants to see the microstorage as well.

Heading to 19 you pass several more offline warbots, and upon entering the room you can see that it is arranged like a vertical launch cell, but there is nothing in the hangar space. A very large computer dominates the right wall of the chamber, separated from the launch area by a thick wall of layered plasteel and glass

Shriven looks at the ceiling for any damage or how much ice coverage there is.

The ceiling hatch looks intact, but the slow drip of water between the iris halves would indicate at least some ice/snow covering it

(How large is the iris? Would we be able to use the engines from Anamem to melt the water above?)

(you'd be able to get a cruiser sized vessel out of it, its pretty big)

Charles will look for the computer to see what is stored in the room and to try and open the iris

This is the microstorage room, and the three ships mentioned are in the computer system, ready for a process called 'Actualization'

Charles will boot up the fighter for actualization

There is a blinding flash in the central iris. and a quintet of energy beams, each a different color, red, green, blue, yellow, purple, all blend together, and layer by layer, you see the outline of the fighter slowly being printed before you

12:12 PM

(This is what they look like)

12:12 PM

(The statline is a normal fighter statline with +10HP over normal, and everything else +2 more than normal)

“Wow! Those sure are pretty! How are we going to get this thing out?”

(As far as the engines, PAFO)

1

12:17 PM

(It's certainly an idea)

"We open the iris and fly them out was going to be my bet. See what happens from there"

“From the dropping water I think there may be some serious ice overage, I don’t really want to open the iris just to have a few tons of gravel and ice fall on this beautiful thing. What do you think about me taking Anamem and trying to use the engines to melt the ice?”

"Thats a good idea. We can use the lawerence if it's more maneuverable"

(I didn’t think lawerence has atmospheric landing abilities.)

(It does, its free merchant sized)

(Oh I thought that it was a cruiser.)

(Its a free merchant hull but it does not free merchant stuff)

“I think I will use Anamem I’m more familiar with it.”

1:13 PM

Shriven pauses to see if Charles has any advise or other ideas, before heading to Anamem.

"Nope go for it. Please try not to set fire to me while you're doing it" he half jokes

Shriven heads up to Anamem to use the engines to try to melt the ice above.

4:05 PM

(I’m going to try to hover over the iris to melt the ice.)

(Pilot/dex)

<13> (expert reroll if I fail...)

The anamen keeps a steady course, melting snow with its engines in hover. Down below the flow of water trickling through the imperfect hatch seal intensifies until a veritable stream begins collecting at the bottom of the launch cell

6:14 PM

After twenty minutes of concentrated piloting, the hatch is clear,

Shriven lands Anamem and heads back down to talk to Charles and see how he did.

Water has filled the bottom of the launch tube, rippling eight inches below the engine of the vertical oriented fighter. The iris hatch itself has opened clearly, and the top looks clear. the pale blue-yellow light of the local sun shines in like a spotlight over the vehicle

(Is the launch tube level with the control room or is the control room above?)

(Level with it. It’s built into the side of it)

(So opening the door would flood the control room?)

(Oh I see what you mean now. The tube goes lower than the control room is. So the water had collected below)

“Charles want me to take this one out and you can call up the next one?”

"Yeah go for it. Please try not to crash it" Charles says as he walks to the console

Shriven hops in the fighter and flys it up and lands it by Lawrence and Anamem.

7:38 AM

Then walks back in. (30 minutes later...)

Steam fills the launch tube as the engine heat boils the water. Charles, Safe in the control room, avoids being cooked alive by it. The launch bay is clear

Charles fires up the microstorage corvette

The projector swivels, the five beams splitting into individual energy streams, all projecting from different angles along the rails built into the silo sides. Layer by layer, over the course of a few hours, the corvette finishes reconstruction. The lights dim, and gutter for a moment before coming back on

9:42 AM

(that's the corvette)

9:43 AM

(Same thing, +10HP over normal, everything else +2 over normal)

Shriven watches it with awe. “Wow this thing is big!”

"Damn this thing looks incredible. Want to go in and check it out"

“Yeah, let’s go and look around. This looks awesome! I wonder what it has in it.”

Charles and Shriven enter the new ship to have a bit of a snoop around

The corvette is humanoid in design, the controls a bit upscaled for humans, but familiar. The weapon systems still appear to be either offline, or not present. The cargo hold is full of ammunition for hard round weapons, and power cells

“Wow this thing is huge! I don’t think I can fly this out by myself. Want to go for a quick ride with me so we can try to reconstitute one of the Free merchants?”

"Absolutely let's get flying. I wonder if there are any technical plans for this in the system somewhere. They seem better than our available ships"

The chairs are likewise plus sized, but this makes them more comfortable, more than anything else, and the ramp quietly shuts

Shriven takes the new corvette up and is going to park it next to the other ships. Then is planning on having his marines clear the ship for booby traps.

They both understand what you're asking, and cautiously make their way through the ship one you set it down, and disembark.

Then shriven talks to Charles as they walk back to the control room about soccer and how he is thinking about forming a team to join the league.

"A league would be good fun. A nice way for people to relax away from all the doom and gloom of the universe. I think Trivedi would do well sponsoring a team, or maybe even fielding our own. Trivedi United. I can see the black and white stripes now"

Night begins to fall up above, and as you both make your way back to the control room, the Ad-Astra security detail report that there are no traps aboard

"We can get this next ship started in production before calling it a night. Should be done by the morning"

“Let’s close the iris while we build the next one. I would hate for water to get into the works while it is rebuilding itself.”

"Good point" Charles says closing the iris. Before heading back to the Lawrence he will go and check on the repair bots to see how they're getting on

The blockages have been cleared up. They have some instapanels laid out, blocking access to the area until they an shore up the ceiling, but they've made great headway for a half day'w work

Charles will inform them of the tools found and let them know they should use them if it will speed up work. He then heads back to the Lawrence to rest for the night

During the night, some arctic predator howls on the plains further beyond, but it does not encroach close to the city. (No troubles for the night)

Charles will head down to the microstorage room after breakfast, waiting for Shriven before boarding the next ship

The free merchant takes up nearly all the space in the docking tube. It is an ugly ram snouted craft, and currently its cargo bay seems configured for hauling liquids or star harvested products

12:50 PM

12:51 PM

The modules along its center rail system seem easily changed, given the right facilities

“Wow this one looks like a great hauler rather ugly but..” Shriven MarkdownContext { Depth = 1 } shugs, “It looks capable. How many are left in the system?”

(There’s one more of the same class- free merchant) (edited)

“Charles can you start the last one once I clear this?” After getting a nod, Shriven hops in the free merchant to take it up with everything else. “Men can you give this one the once over as well? There is just one left after this one.” (edited)

5:47 PM

Then walks back to the reactor room knowing it will be a few hours before the last one it ready to search those other 2 spare parts room.

5:48 PM

(Hoping for 8 more pretech parts to split with Charles.)

(There’s 12 in total, between both rooms but with the reactor refueled and the repair bots working, the parts aren’t needed for anything here)

Shriven picks through the things for a few hours while the ship is reconstituting. Then heads to check on it.

The ship, completed, looks identical to the one that you’d just flown topside. It’s configured the same way with the center rail design.

9:13 PM

The marines on top also report no traps

"So what do you want to do with these ships then?" Charles asks shriven once the final ship has been flown out. "If im being honest im very interested in the corvette, and would love to dissect the fighter so we can produce them for the colony"

(Are we at the end of our run? Can we get a end of crawl list neko?)

(Sure! And yes. I’ll have it up for you in a second.)

12 zephyr bots, will attach statline if you're taking them 12 pre-tech components 1 Fighter MK2 1 Corvette MK2 2 Free Merchant MK 2 200 tons post-tech building materials (from rubble being cleared/recycled by bots) 6xp for you both, and 50,000 credits, additionally the colony will buy any ships you don't plan to keep. Their current discretionary budget is 6.5m

(Are the zephyr bots the repair bots and roughly how many tons of post tech building materials would be needed to fix the starport up)

(1,000 tons, to remodel and repair, and to shore up the surrounding snow, since its buried, and yeah the Zephyrs are the little eyebot formations you were running into)

(Is it possible to have the building materials shipped here this turn or will we have to wait until the next one

(You can certainly do it this turn. Greenbriar has 200 tons of post tech building materials available this month)

(Is that the only place we know of that sells them?)

(yeah, everywhere else you've visited is importing them right now, since they're devastated- or is too low tech to need them or make it)

(Damn you economics! How viable is Miram as a potential builder of building materials?)

(With the improvements you're making certainly far more viable now)

(Maybe its worth stepping up operations on the mine and then getting a factory here as well)

(You can have a holding built here this turn, so a minor production center)

(Aslief has a factory of them but is probably absorbing them all.)

(it is. That's why the planet is starting to recover)

(So as far as the split is going charles is taking the corvette, Shriven one of the free merchants. The other two ships are being reverse engineered and shared. The building materials being left here to be used by the bots with further contributions coming from both of us. And then the pretech materials being split 50/50. Correct me if im wrong shriven).

(I've got the research handout updated based on the tentative distribution here , RP for the ship breakdowns added in. I'm open to edits if you guys decide to change things up or have input, I know Shriven reached out to me already as far as the RP cost of doing it) (edited)

“Well I just got a Patrol boat from the fight, so I need to staff that still so I think it is reasonable for you to take the corvette. I would like one of the FRee merchants but let’s break the other two down to research how these ships are so much better. I think the fighters should be our first priority. Let’s split the pretech parts and work towards getting this place back up and running.”

"Absolutely, sounds like a good solution for our work here. I'm thinking of getting a factory up and running here so that we can provide them with the necessary building materials sooner"

(added total progress to the planetary holdings handout for miriam)

Charles says goodbye to Shriven after a division of the spoils. "Look forward to working with you again. If you've ever got any more spaceports to clear give me a call". After that he will go to see Karl telling him to increase the size of the mine and set up a factory in Silent Springs with the purpose of constructing building materials

Nekosmash 1/7/2019 4:55 AM

Karl begins making the necessary preparations. , excited at the growth that his planet is experiencing once again

“It was a pleasure Charles, I will try to track down the Postech materials where I can find them.” (edited)

Charles gets the new corvette ready to jump back to Gudrun with the Lawrence accompanying them

both ships return safely to Gurdun, pulling into the large docking bay of Trivedi cloud

Charles leaves his men to find a crew and sort out any issues with the ship given its been in storage for such a long time. He heads down to the surface for the meeting with Mira

Mira looks to have been sitting in the conference room for quite some time when you arrive, and there are three hard-copy file folders in front of her. They are fairly thick, full of notes

"You look like you've been busy" Charles says as he sits opposite her. "What have you found"

"Three holes in the transportation company we can exploit, and we will focus on the one you pick"

There is a shortage of supplies for fixing current vehicles, now that the contract for their repair is uncertain

-The currency in the city is becoming steadily undervalued as the largest industry is now in question, company executives are slowly carving off their own departments, trying to gobble up as much of the business as they can, while logistics lines grind to a halt -products from the mines are not getting to the factories, drivers refusing to work, as their paychecks keep bouncing.

Charles taps the middle file (Currency in the city and executives) "This. This is our way in. We sort this out and we're seen as saviours of the city and we will take out internal competition at the same time. Brief me on this more fully on the move. We're heading to Golgin" Charles says as he orders a helicopter or plane to be prepared (edited)

11:11 AM

(Golgin is the right name right?)

(Golgis, close enough!)

11:36 AM

(Charles just has a cold today lol) There is a lander from the cloud that can have you there in just a couple hours (up into space/back down) and its obviously of no cost as you own the darn thing. Mira quickly gathers up her materials for a more in depth presentation en route

Charles admires the Trivedi logo on the side of his personal space taxi before taking a seat opposite Mira. "So what we want to achieve here is cornering the industrial city of the Taros for our own benefit. They already have the infrastructure in place it seems, we just need to make sure we're at the head of it"

"Ah so we are going to get into a bidding war then, or a real one, to secure some of these deals for ourselves"

"Why not both" Charles says. "As long as we do it without overtly implicating ourselves. That means we need a native company as a screen between our actions and our company. Doesn't matter whether people suspect its us doing this, we need to make sure that they can't prove it. At least until we have the support of the people "

"Well to that end I have a lead. Hastapur Logistics seems to be buying up a respectable share of the business. We should pop in and see how they're managing. "

" Sounds like a good plan. You got any notes on their leader?"

“Doctor Abutrina. An academic. Brilliant mathematician. This one might be tough”

"Oh well I'll have to dazzel them with my equally brilliant academics" Charles says with a laugh as he settles in for the rest of the journey

The ship lands outside golgis, and the city seems quiet, unusual for one of this size. A small convoy is waiting to bring you into the city. Heavy guard presence is around the gates

Charles introduces himself to the head of the convoy. "Lots of security you've got around here. Expecting trouble?"

"Never know what;s going to come out of the countryside. You're here for a meeting I see" the guard says, looking at the golgis equivalent of a compad. "Alright" he places a colored panel on the grill of the vehicle "this will get you through the city without needing to stop at any of the other checkpoints"

"Thank you very much" Charles says as the gates open and the vehicle heads in. (Did Charles know what threats he was referring to)

(it was intentionally kept vague, he could be referring to the miners outside in the mining company camps, or the numerous apex predators on the plains. Charles can guess but a guess is all it'll ever be)

The car enters the city, making great speed toward the government complex, which is a small village within a city. Passing a checkpoint, the vehicle halts, letting you out into an open air market, arranged on the sides of a long boulevard. At the end of it, is the main government building, a fortress converted into something more stately

Charles has a bit of a wander around the market trying to get an idea of what people are selling and what that will tell him about the industry in the city

some sell trinkets made from pressed cheap metal, some sell vegetables from home gardens, many are selling homemade textiles, weaves of various drab colors. A handful of the more enterprising or connected sell things like spirits, cigars, long links of cottage sausages, and one person even has a small kit car for sale

Charles will buy a few bottles of spirits and cigars to take back as souvenirs before pushing on toward the government building at the end of the road, introducing himself to security and declaring that he has got an appointment

The doctor is waiting for you in his office, an oak globe depicting an ancient relief of the surface of Gudrun sits in the background of the room. You can see hinges on it. Bookcases line the walls, with rich bindings. The doctor himself is frail, but young looking. Advanced computational machines litter the surface of the desk

"Doctor Abutrina I presume" Charles says entering the room "I'm Charles Trivedi, I'm here to talk about the businesses in Golgis"

(YESSS haha) "The business of Golgis" he says with no small degree of relish. He motions to enter the room, and a chair is slid out for you. "I'm very interested in the business of Golgis as well. I've been following your exploits with no small degree of interest. I was wondering if we would ever meet"

"Glad I've made such an impression on you. I wish I'd done more research on you if this is the reception I'd be getting. Tell me about yourself and your company" Charles says taking a seat opposite him

"Well, I've been doing what I can to grab as many of the transport contracts as I can. That is what we focus on here, not production, but ensuring materials are moved from place to place on behalf of companies"

12:11 PM

(They;re logistics)

"So you'd say you're in a pretty strong position with all those companies. What's stopping you from growing even more"

"Other interests, and now a lack of capital to continue expansion. I'm at about what I can support without taking a gamble, and I don't want to be responsible for anyone being out of work when the company folds"

"Well lucky for you you're talking to a man with a lot of capital. It seems to me that this city is grinding to a halt with the logistics being split into so many different companies. With my backing would you have a plan in place to take back full control of the industry"

“I do. It’s just a matter of money applied in the right spots. I know where the vulnerabilities are. Just short of exploiting them

"How much money are we talking" Charles asks

"I need 35 million to finish securing the needed contracts, and ensure enough is in savings to keep payroll running for a few months if there is a shortage somewhere."

7:50 AM

(shortage of goods to move due to instability)

Charles whistles low and wide. "That's a big investment, especially for an unstable environment like this. The potential payout will have to be big"

"This is what I'm proposing. I don't want to manage trucks and trains full time. I want to explore other area's of business, maybe find a job in a new company and work my way up again- the way I want to. I'd like to be bought out. The import/export lines, and the major production center I own myself will go to Trivedi industries, along with all of the research i've done on rivals."

(So hell build up this company and then give it to me or I buy him out now and run things my own way?)

(buy now, run things own way)

9:14 AM

(and he's offering to be your agent at wherever he gets a job next, completing an endeavor for you)

(Ah ok I'm with you)

9:16 AM

"This whole deal sounds entirely reasonable. I'll have my lawyers draw up the contracts." Charles says standing and extending his arm for a handshake

He shakes firmly. "That said, I'm packing, I leave for Carinhold tonight. I have a small villa there, and I'll see about some new employment. This whole matter has been a weight on me. There's nothing worse than being shackled to something you don't want to do:"

"Well you're free of that now. My people will be in contact with you over the coming weeks to sort out any issues we will need resolved. It's been good doing business with you"

(Fairly sure you've rolled up that entire category now, will check when I can get to roll20)

(Coolio!)

12:22 PM

(And the force one should be done when I finish building the corvette)

(Yep, so you'll be getting a pretty good influx of fac creds this turn)

(I like fac creds)

An agreement is sent to you electronically as you step into the staff car, and it begins pulling away, back toward the airport- where the lander is waiting. Approaching one of the checkpoints, the car is halted, and the soldiers manning it begin spreading out, approaching the driver.

Charles immediately begins transmitting what's happening to Harry and the Red team, ordering them to mobilise

The soldier raps on the drivers window for it to be lowered There in five minutes, dispatching from the platform

1:06 PM

Through an intercom set into the passenger compartment , you can hear the conversation:

1:08 PM

"Good morning officer, anything I can help you with?" Who are you carrying in the passenger compartment? "A representative from Greenbriar. This is a diplomatic plated car. We aren't to be stopped. You're interfering with government business" The soldier deftly draws a pistol from his holster, and puts a round through the driver, followed by three more, even though the poor Taros is already very dead

Charles just about messages "make it one" before drawing his own pistol and aiming it at the window

7:05 PM

(Oooooohhhhhhh shit im so hyped)

(They can't see you in the tinted back of the car, so if you do decide to shoot, you'll get a surprise round)

Charles kicks the door to the car open and begins sprinting for nearby cover while firing at the soldiers in the street (23 and 13 damage)

The one who shot your driver is struck in the chest in kind, the impact knocking him off his feet. The remaining two soldiers charge after you, making their way toward the same alley (they’re 10m behind you, you’ve got yourself around the alley mouth so line of sight is blocked for them for a minute)

Charles looks around for a possible escape route

7:50 AM

(10 for a notice check in case you wanted one}

(Works for me!). A fire escape on the building to your right has been left down in the unlocked position. It winds back on itself but it goes all the way up to the roof

Charles will quickly climb the fire escape, locking it when he has ascended it so that he can't be followed

From the ground the two pursuers catch up and fire poorly aimed bursts from their rifles

8:45 AM

(2 damage)

8:46 AM

(19/2)

8:46 AM

The shots spark off the firesxspe as you make your way half up it and they begin worrying at the ladder, trying to get it to disengage.

8:46 AM

You see the small blip of the lander on the horizon, coming in fast

Charles fires back at them before running over the roof towards the lander (23 and 12 damage)

The lander is still two minutes out you realize and down below in the street you hear the release of metal as they break the lock and lower the stairs

Charles is going to look for something he can take apart and connect to the ladder so that the guards climbing are electrocuted

There is a breaker box on the roof under a protected housing

Charles will turn off the box, rip the wires out of the box from one end and will attach them to the ladders, and then flip the box back on

They scream as the current rips down the ladder and into their bodies. The smell of cooked meat fills the air.

10:08 AM

The lander is closing in. Just a moment out now. There is a steady thump of blades chopping the air, at the end of the street, as a low flying gunship comes into sight (evasion save)

12vs6 success

Charles dives below the stone roof surround as the gunship's chin turret fires, blowing out chunks of rooftop, and starting a cascade of ceiling tile into the street below.

10:37 AM

The thump of its rotors grows louder

Charles looks for a way into the building that he's on the roof of, failing that a nearby building

There is a building that you tihnk you can jump to, that has a glass skylight. With a good enough jump you may even be able to land inside

10:48 AM

(exert str if youre gonna go for it)

(This isn't going to to well)

12:38 PM

(5 then used expert re roll to 10)

Charles barely makes it, crashing through the skylight, onto a pile of burlap sacks placed below. Wheat dust kicks a cloud into the air, and the room smells chalky. Grain and millet sacks are everywhere

Charles calls Harry and warns him about the gunship, telling him to pull out if they come under threat from it

The lander streaks over the rooftops. Charles, where did you go. That thing overshot, but it's coming around for another pass at us (edited)

Charles messages back while having a better look around the building he's in. "I'm in some kind of building next door to the rooftop. Pull out if you're under threat. It might be easier if I try to leave the city undetected"

“There’s a traffic circle 500m to the north of where I saw you last. We’re setting down there, and I’ve got a rocket launcher for that thing.”

"Can you see any threats on the street between me and them"

“You look clear. Be fast. Please”

Charles finds the exit for the door, checks the street for any sign of danger, and then sprints north towards the lander

The helicopter follows, its heat sensors tracking you as you sprint. Gunfire barks from its chin turret stitching a line of puffed pavement behind you. The lander is in sight. “Dive! Dive!” Harry motions for you to slide in, passing by him. He shoulders the launcher and fires

10:42 AM

The helicopter jettisons chaff, the starfall Of jamming material fowling the missile, but the fact Harry has one is enough to ward the gunship away

Charles dives into the lander and screams for them to take off an escape. He sits there for a minutes shaking from the adrenaline before vomiting profusely. "That was too close" he manages after a minute

The lander rattled as it makes for upper atmosphere, streaking toward the cloud

11:07 AM

“You Alright?” Harry’s hands frantically work you over looking for wounds

"Yeah I don't think I took a hit somehow" Charles says despondently "Who the hell was that and what was it about" asks Charles who hasn't had the time to read the news report

Harry hands you his compad, the video paused for you to watch

"Taros first league" Charles says to himself. "All things considered a bunch of crazy terrorists are nowhere near as bad as I was expecting. Thought we were looking at hit by another big company. Do we know anything about them?"

"They just published this today, but they had a run on Director Monsoor as well"

(6xp, 15000 by the way)

"I'll have to talk to him about coordinating a response. Once we've worked out what the hell were going to do about this"

"in the colony things will be safer. this is the contingency my team was training for" Harry says reassuringly. "To the factory? or do you prefer to remain on the cloud for a while?"

"Let's head to the factory. I've got a feeling I need to be in Central for a while" Charles says as he settles in for the journey

It's a short drop to the factory- only taking about an hour, and the bodyguard team ensures you're never left with fewer than three of them around at a given time

Having arrived back at the factory Charles will call a meeting of his executive board (Martin, Mira, Harry, head of lawyers and head of blue team) to discuss the threat posed to the business by the attacks

(So you’re trying to see what can be done to secure your interests?)

(Yeah, things like added security at our sites, new business venturers like personal armour for civilians, and then discussion of retaliation)

“I think it’s about time we have that talk about some corporate security” Harry says. “I admit the request didn’t make sense a while ago but the army can’t be everywhere. Some people who are only responsible for watching our holdings might be exactly what we need. (Buying The Corp security asset is a force endeavor for you too)

"I agree, especially since we're so spread out around Central, the cloud and Miriam. We need to be able to look after ourselves. I'm not sure how we should go about it. We could either hire in mercenaries or recruit fresh. Both have pros and cons"

Mira, ever the list maker, looks down at hers "What do you see the advantages of either being? I just want to see how close our thoughts are"

"Mercenaries will take far less time to train and will probably be more efficient in the short term but will likely be more unreliable and potentially, depending on the group, be unnecessary violent when what we want from this group are peacekeepers. Training our own team could take a long time but we'll be able to better shape them to our requirements"

"Almost pound for pound" she says, more to herself than to you "That said, I think you just talked me into the latter, this is your call though. As long as we have some people with guns between us and those fanatics"

"It might be worth hiring a core of mercs to handle operations while we train the new team. But like a said it'll have to be the right group so Harry can you dig around and see what kind of groups are available? Mira I think we should be reaching out to this judge character who was also mentioned in the video. See what you can dig up on him and whether or not he's a good ally"

"What" she pauses, thoughtfully putting her pen to her lips, before speaking again "What if we reach out to the Task Force? Those Red Sangha fellows are back with reinforcements this month as well. I think either outfit would suit our purposes"

"OK ill reach out to the task force if you talk to red sangha, see what they're offering and for how much"

"Very good. So security matters aside, any other business Charles?"

"Yes, I know we've tried it a couple of times before without much success but I think we should have another look at developing mining operations on the asteroids surrounding the planet. I was hoping to review our current stance on them, which I remember being some mining robots on one of the asteroids and one mining ship designed, if not created"

(so using the new suns of gold rules, it'll be a minor production center)

8:03 AM

(for common ingots, the asteroids scouted are iron rich)

8:04 AM

"Well, the prospects show they're iron rich. On it's own, not overwhelming in terms of wealth generation, but there are a few worlds we are trading with who are in dire need of metal, we could make a handy profit turning around and selling the goods to them"

"This sounds like a good plan. It might be worth buying a couple more of those mining lasers we got from Rawhani so that we can increase productivity on the asteroids, that's seems to have worked well on Mariam

"That fleet is gone, trade is open again. We might see what we can get from the debris cloud too. The main hull of that titan is intact"

8:43 AM

(Also, from your faction channel: Trivedi Technologies has completed its current cunning endeavor. It's cunning rating will improve by +1, it will gain 3 fac creds, and will gain 200rp from information stolen from rival companies (I didn't change your handout yet. I can if you'd like. you also have enough RP to finish any of the projects you have going, so let me know what you'd like)

"That main hull is a very exciting prospect. I reckon Kincaid would sell us the planet if we could offer her that in the fight against the remnant" Charles jokes. "We must nearly be done with reverse engineering that recovered free merchant by now?"

9:03 AM

(Cool I hadn't seen that yet. My research choice is the free merchant)

"We have enough completed to mock up a new hull, yes. Once the plans are uploaded, the changes will effect all future ship models. That's alright with you?"

"Absolutely. Good ships are better for everyone" Charles answers optimistically

(so the future changes are +10 HP, +2 power/mass/armor over the current baseline free merchant)

(so from now on people will only make mk2 free merchants?)

(right)

9:05 AM

(theres no increase in cost, just a better statline across the board)

(Happy days!)

(can announce in updates if you like or I can)

(Doing it now!)

(Awesome, I updated the research handout. When we get close to having enough RP for something I'll check in and see what we want to take down next)

(Cool, unless I find anything else to research it'll be the metals)

(So far we have metals, the mk2 fighter, and the 1/2 power/mass survey scanner fitting as projects, and you can propose new at any time)

"My final point of business is that I'm planning on renaming our flagship. It might seem small in the face of the challenges we're facing but the Lawrence has never sat well with me. From now on it will be named Star Girl. Any questions?"

9:15 AM

(Right ill have a think and see what pops up)

"Star Girl it is, I'll change the registry"

"Great, it's part of a company wide policy of naming all ships after boy band songs from the early 21st century. You all know I'm a fan"

If Harry could smirk, he would be, Mira makes a small peep as she tries to suppress a laugh

"Make any jokes and I'll start calling our trade fleet the backstreet boys" Charles says before dismissing the team

The registry entry is changed, and the newly minted Star Girl reports she is in good repair, and the fuel is full. It can deploy on an hour's notice

After the meeting Charles will message @Seung Whitaker (Severus/Marina) about hiring some corporate security and @Hoef McHoeffington to see if he wants to collaborate on taking down the first league

MESSAGE FROM IBRAHIM TO @sutpour

I would love to collaborate in taking down the First League. I believe it's about time to show those terrorists what happens when the poke the hornet's nest.

Seung messages back to Charles

 Long time no see Charles. I don't have many people on planet for combat for the time being but if you need some help I'm sure I can muster something up if you need it.

@Hoef McHoeffington "Good glad to hear it, also glad to hear you survived the attack. Have you got any information on them yet? We're working in the dark over here"

MESSAGE FROM IBHAIM TO @sutpour

I may have possible suspect in the attempted assassination on my life in custody at the moment. He's currently within Central holding. I'm away on an expedition with some the most rambunctious women I've ever had the pleasure of working with. If you could do the interrogation in my stead, I would greatly appreciate it.

(edited)

"Not a problem. If you get back from your expedition in time feel free to join in" Charles replies before messaging Mira, inviting her to the interrogation

Mira clears her schedule, and is ready whne you are

Charles will head over to locations provided by judge to find the prisoner and begin the interrogation

The prisoner is being held in Central's prison, a small building, housing all manner of criminals. You pass the cell of Malak al- Muta on the way, still bed-bound from his injuries during apprehension. The Taros gunman, nabbed from the attack on judge, sits in the corner of his cell, facing the wall

Charles brings three seats from nearby and puts them in the cell, one for him, one for Mira, and one for the prisoner. Sitting in his seat Charles addresses the prisoner. "Can you tell me your name?"

There is a soft chuckle, though he does not turn around to face you. Guards roughly manhandle him into the chair. His face is swollen, and its evident he has been far from a compliant prisoner

2:21 PM

"A storm is coming" he smirks, despite his puffy features

"Your storm has already fizzled out. So far all youve managed to do is fail" Charles replies watching his reaction closely

he shifts in his chair a bit, and his smiles dips, a little, but otherwise remains unchanged

Charles does not let the silence phase him. "So what we want is peace, but its quite hard to do that when you dont know who youre talking to. I'm sure you dont want to see any more of your friends die and neither do we, so why dont you talk to us"

"Humans are sneaking,and untrustworthy. You will not honor any compact we come to in this room" he sits back, self assured

"You did try and kill me yesterday" Charles points out "so I think the fact that I haven't tried to kill you back is pretty solid evidence I'm willing to work with you"

“Took a run at your friend the judge. Never saw you before. Almost had em too”

"Almost doesn't seem to mean a lot in this kind of business. But I'm glad you brought up the judge. Us humans have an old saying, I don't know the full thing but it revolves around the carrot and the stick. You can get a donkey to move two ways, either tempting it with a carrot, or hitting it with a stick. The judge is much more stick and I'm much more carrot, so I really do implore you for the last time to work with me. Your life can be so much more comfortable "

He reflects in this for a few moments before a long sigh. “Alright. What do you want to knowL

"Fantastic."Charles exclaims as he claps his hands together." Who ordered the hits on myself and Judge Monsoor"

"The orders came from compad. My cell was activated for the hit on him. I don't know about your attack (you were in a different city)

"Great that's very helpful information. Next question. Have you been getting treated well? Is there anything we can do to make you more comfortable?" Charles smiles warmly trying to show that this is a reward for helpful information

"Water. Please. It's been two days"

Charles looks at one of the guards and signals him to go and get some water

One of them departs, returning after a moment with a large paper cup full of it. The prisone gratefully takes it

"Drink it slowly. Little sips. Otherwise you'll make yourself worse. Next I want you to tell me about how you were recruited, then we'll see about getting you some food"

"I was sitting in a bar with a few of my work friends" he says between sips. "said something off handed, like, well I said I wished we'd have actually sent the army to wipe your lander out like some of us wanted to do. Don't think the unification is a good idea. Just a comment at the TV. Met someone though, heard me talking. Then we got to talking, and he invited me to a meeting"

"Can you tell me who that person is and who else was at the meeting"

"Didn't see anyone's face. Everyone wore hoods, or cyberware that obscured it. Person in the bar was a woman though. Um. I can draw it?"

"Maybe just give us the name of the bar and we can take it from there" charles says, suspicous of giving him a sharp object like pen

"The Senatorian"

"Great. Guards get this man some food. I think we've got all we need for now. If you decide to think of anything else that can help us be sure to tell the guards and we can keep making things comfier" Charles says standing up

“ I don’t know anything else. I was told where to go. Weapons were waiting. And from there I knew what to do”

"I'm sure that's the case, but you still tried to kill a man. Nevertheless your cooperation will be noted" Charles says before leaving with Mira and the guards

The prisoner returns to his vigil of staring off into space when you leave

"See what you can dig up on this Senatorian bar" Charles says to Mira once theyre outside. "If we can get the security cameras for it we should be able to find his recruiter. I'm going to find his compad and trace the messages back to their sender"

His possessions, but for his clothing, were taken from him upon processing into the colonial holding facility, and they're presented to you for review. He had a handgun on him, but never got a chance to use it. His personal compad is also among his possessions, and curiously, he was wearing a loremaster. That was disconnected and removed

Charles will take the compad and the loremaster. Looking first at the compad he will look for the message discussed where the cell was activated and try to find a sender

There is no sending number or address listed. The loremaster itself is a lead, only the people in vapromills wear one

(I'm not quite sure what a lore master is. And would compads work in the same sort of way people track ip addresses)

(its more or less their version of the interracial compad, but its on the outside)

9:58 AM

(and gives them sort of like a hive mind kind of thing they can connect to if they need info, and dont have it)

(Would Charles be able to use it or is it personally encoded?)

(It's coded, but it's not inoperable)

Charles will try to use the loremaster to explore anything related to the First League. He wants to find the Taros opinion on them

The loremaster opens up after a few minutes of tinkering with it, and you're given access to the Vapormills local net. Opinion on them seems to be overwhelmingly against, though there are a handful of voices in the forums who try to argue on their behalf. It's unclear if some of these other screen names are true believers, or just arguing a point. The arrival of humans changed almost every aspect of life on their homeworld, some for the good, some- there's not actually any bad points against the colony any single one can agree on. most are uncertain what the future will look like with all the change, and this seems to scare them a bit

Charles will look to see if any screen names pop up more often than others also looking for the most passionate speakers about the subject

one of them (PureCyberxXx) speaks about the attacks, notably, the one on your own life, with the firsthand experience only someone at the scene could know

Charles makes an account on the forums under the username "Tarosfirst80085" and sends a private message to PureCyber. "Hey, I read you posts and I've never felt more attached to people. All these humans running around are going to make things worse it's just a matter of time. Those attacks on the Judge and the Trivedi man were a declaration of war. This is our planet and we should fight for it". While waiting for a reply charles will check in with Mira about the senatorium

Come to the Senetorian, tomorrow night. Come alone. I will be waiting

1:13 PM

Mira was unable to find camera feeds. Apparently that is part of the allure of the club. Only vetted individuals can be permitted entry, meaning they've passed a rigorous background check- and their reward for being upstanding citizens is a place removed from the all seeing city surveillance

"Looking forward to it" Charles replies and then outloud to mira says "Well shit I didn't think that one through. How the hell am I supposed to get in there unnoticed. I dont much look Taros"

"Maybe Judge has something he can do, colonial intelligence and all?" Mira asks

"Not a bad idea. I'll message him." @Hoef McHoeffington "Weve interrogated the prisoner and got some information out of him. I've scheduled to meet what seems to be a first league recruiter at a sympathetic bar in Vapormills but I need something to blend in. Does your organisation have anything that could help"

We might have something you can change into. Go ahead and speak with my Assistant Director about the proper wardrobe.

"Great thank you." Charles messages back. Charles then messages the assistant director (I imagine judge provides the contact details) explaining the situation and asking for help

(Yeah) Madison is the name of his assistant director, and she answers your message just a few seconds after it was sent. They do have some disguises available, and they've worked well for another operative, Mr. Radcliffe, in the past.

"Great, are you available to help me tomorrow night with the operation?" Charles asks

"I am. Our headquarters is near admin. Hard to miss. What do you know so far?"|

"We know they operate in cells which makes the larger organisation difficult to track, but we know they recruit out of a bar called the Senetorian, which is where we've arranged a meet with what we expect are recruiters"

(We have a few interested parties so I think this will be a mission thread. The gunman you interviewed is going to give them the same info, so rather than you each do the same quest 3 times separately you can each handle part of the investigation

(made a mission channel for it)

(Coolio)

Charles, I would love to run air support for you on the camp. I only have 3 atoms on planet right now so it will be a short wing but we will do what we can. Let me know when’s and where.

(Charles, I'm testing your channel since you couldnt see it)

(I can now see it!)

Msg for @sutpour

Hello, Charles.  I wanted to know where and when to meet for the Taros raid in a medic role. I'm pretty idle right now for once, so I'm ready when you are

"Hi Melora, the strike team is currently gearing up near Bladonna, engaging in recon. I'll send you the appropriate location"

(has no ship!)

(It's on planet, you don't need one)

As the camp raid progresses, and assets move into position, Dorlin makes plans with you for the snatch and grab of the recruiter coming to Vapormills

Charles is going to organise to use the Taros teams rather than the human teams so that the target is not tipped off on the approach to the meeting site

The teams are two, six man squads with four vehicles between them. Trivedi cloud is also aligning its sensors over Vapormills to help track from above

Charles will position one team on opposite sides of the meeting point so that they can pincer the target when he appears. He will ask dorlin if there are any agents with cybernetics that allow them to change their face so that they can disguise themselves as the tfl prisoner. He will also message the psi academy to see if there any any psychics registered that would be able to scan the thoughts of the crowd to search for the target

Dr. Ahn will volunteer to help. The other telepath was unfortunately among the casualties from the battles galactic north

Charles plan is to stake out the meeting site with Dr ahn and set up a surveillance post where they can scan the minds for the whoever has tfl thoughts. Once that is communicated he will give the strike teams the go ahead to move in and capture the recruiter

Donna focuses in a corner of the room, her powers forming a concert within your mind so you can hear what she does. Her thoughts are calm, peaceful, and you could, in other circumstances, probably fall into quite a peaceful sleep to this. A few hours pass as she brushes minds outside, most everyone is thinking something mundane, though a couple are worried about affairs, small personal problems, ect. Wait a moment. There To your closed eyes, the worried mind looks like a candle in the darkness, panic rising just a small amount each time anything in a uniform passes by

Charles immediately opens his eyes and rushes to the window to see if he can identify which person those thoughts are coming from

There" doona says quietly. to a Taros with a blue mohawk and dark goggles. He is wearing a thick leather duster, the shoulder studded with small metal spikes, more for fashion and general edgelordiness than hurting someone

"I thought punk had died centuries ago" Charles whispers to Doona. He messages the strike teams Blue Mohawk, duster and metal spikes. Move in and secure the target

Two teams, one from the beginning of the street begin to move in, weapons raised. He sees them, and panics, turning around to run smack into the team at the back of the street

11:50 AM

he goes down, in a flurry of billy clubs

11:50 AM

Donna cuts the link, as some of his pain begins bleeding through

"Mission accomplished team" Charles says as he is captured and reports come in of the attack on camp. "Lets get him shipped back to Central with us, let GIS take a swing at him"

(Do you want to play out the appointment of Charles as governer? As in discussions with Kincaid and stuff)

(I think that might be fun)

1:21 PM

The GIS takes the taros recruiter into custody, and information will most certainly be pumped out of him. likely painfully. Karl sends a message to you, as does Kincaid, something big has evidently happened at Admin and you are needed

Charles leaves the recruiter in the, if anything, too capable hands of the gis agents. He rushes to Admin, concerned about the dangers that might have happened

Rushing to admin, you're welcomed inside and you notice the distinct lack of the running soldiers or screaming cargo lifters you'd expect to come with an emergency. Kincaid and Franz are waiting for you in the main room, along with Karl and Zam

"Is everything alright" Charles gasps out of breath. "The message sounded urgent. What are you doing here" he says directed to Karl and Zam

Karl smacks zam gently in the stomach. “You made the boss run. You never make the boss run” Kincaid shushes then “charles I’ve been to Miriam within the last couple days, speaking to the leaders of silent springs, and the hub”

"I thought you looked like you had a bit of frost in your hair" Charles jokes as he takes a seat. "What was the visit about"

“They need leadership. Specifically. UNW leadership. Even more specifically, your, leadership”

Charles's eyes open wide. "I'm honoured. Truly. I think Miriam can do great things now that it's got unw backing. I see it forming the industrial backbone of the unw"

“As do we , and with what you’ve accomplished in such a short time, we can think of a better person to be elected it’s first governor “

"Then I glady accept. I look forward to seeing where we can take the planet"

Karl and Zam present a signet ring, clearly alien in origin, but fitted for a human. The crossed hammers over an anvil, on a background of cog symbol is picked out in a rich gold, on a jet background

"It's beautiful" Charles says admiring the ring before slipping it onto his finger. "Is there an oath or anything or should we just get started working"

"We were never big on ceremony. You might want to kick the current residents out of the governors mansion back in the Hub, once you get back, but Miriam is yours, Governor

9:53 AM

Karl and Zam both happily go down on one knee, like knights before a lord

"Get up before I have you exiled" Charles laughs as he pulls them back up. "Well we might as well get started and head over"

They both smile, and your tenure begins (I'll leave how you want to end/begin to you as far as an announcement or what)

(I'll probably just leave Charles there and just tell you what I'm planning for Miriam. His first action will be to properly review all budgets and then try to increase to the metals minor production centre to a major one)

(so this month it;ll be upgrading, next month it at the start itll be done, and it'll go from dice roll x 10 to dice roll x 100 for surplus tons

10:48 AM

(and aside from the cloud, its up to you how much of Trivedi inc you want to bring with you to Miriam)

(For now I think it is worth leaving all parts of the business where it is, just so the company is kept separate from the governorship. Does the planet have the income to pay for this growth? Would a loan be beneficial?)

10:53 AM

(Also when did Miriam freeze?)

(Miriam was in the middle of an artificial deep freeze that ran amok before the scream, the event itself fried that tower and made it permanent/way more intense . The planet has income, 2m in reserve)