Iron Stars - Planetary landing

Aboard the Proletariat Transport the planetary landing and native outreach team prepares for their respective duties. The captain seems to trust the fleet to keep any opportunistic enemy ships off your back, and this vessel can take a bit of a pounding before showing problems - normally meant to ferry troops to combat zones. Red lights flash across all decks as the operation begins

(we can do our pre mission banter there while everything gets going)

@Mercurial Raven @Moebius @OddCore

1:50 PM

(I know you started something in the other thread Mo, so we can continue that here)

(I'd like to double check our expertises/builds and gear. Maybe we should get some survival gear, and maybe even some barter goods

(the ship has a locker so we could get small amounts of things we need but don't have, but we should establish what we're taking down) (edited)

1

The troop transport begins to move forward as the rest of the fleet prepares to engage the cult fleet here, and you can feel the deck under you shudder somewhat as the engines cycle live. You sense this will be your last few minutes to make any preparations before the boarding assault team is dropped off, and then the transport makes its run for planetary orbit. Several lighted paths within the ship direct you to the cargo lighter bay, a small launch craft meant to get you to the surface as the transport would collapse if it attempted to enter atmosphere on its own.

@Mercurial Raven @OddCore (what are your characters good at? do you have any relevant gear you'd bring?)

(Neko, do you think a translation torc could help here? I'm worried about the aliens language barrier but I'm not sure how to proceed If so, I'd like to buy that. either way I'd buy a combat field uniform with the bubbleseal mod, and a primitive drone with expert system for translation/1st contact/survival/anything-useful-it-could-advise-us-over. but if possible I'd ask the polity to lend us such drone or any other piece of equipment to help on such critical task) (edited)

(the torc wouldn't have a sample of their language so it would not be helpful here. We cannot mod gear since there is not enough time to fit them over the journey or especially now we we are about to begin the operation. The drone will work and you can borrow a primitive drone) (edited)

12:32 PM

(the communication barrier is a significant mission tension that we're not going to be able to overcome with gear)

(ok! then I'm buying a normal armor and borrowing the drone with an expert system related to the mission) (ooh fair)

(so my PC and laptop both just died and roll 20 doesn't really work on mobile, so I can try to check my character sheet tomorrow at work but I expect I will be less active until that is fixed)

(No problem, I can always look things up for you too)

12:55 PM

(more interested in the actual RP here than anything else)

(sure, if you don't mind. Mobius was asking about what Kolbeckite is good at)

12:56 PM

(iirc it's talking and connection stuff)

1

(it is, lots of connect, talk, and charisma. And again, its as much about the RP as anything else here)

1:00 PM

(you also have the suit mech so you'll be well safe on the ground)

(Sorry, I've had a busy few days. Morgan is notably Charismatic and Intelligent, and especially good at talking. They can also lead, shoot, know, and have decent connect. They have armor and a combat rifle, though hopefully those won't be needed. They will probably still be bringing them, just in case.)

1

Morgan steps into the bay clad in cumbersome combat armor and a heavy-duty backpack. They gaze upon the launch craft with a hint of trepidation, taking in a deep breath through their nose and expelling it through their mouth. They speak up, but don't turn to face their comrades, who might not even have followed them in yet by this point. "I am trusting you both, and I won't let you down, either. But this won't be easy. I've never worked under such a language barrier before."

Outside you can hear the puff of air as the gangway separates. The shipyard team must have just stepped off, and you’ll be making your planetside run soon.

Mobius checks for the tenth time his new armor, anxious to get out there and do his thing. As he adjusts and readjusts straps and connectors to his Mosk exoskeleton, he also seems satisfied with so many pockets, now full of cheap cigarette packs. "Yes, comrade. Time to show this alien planet why we call ourselves the Communist Brotherhood, and not the Losers Brotherhood" (edited)

(I'll post a copy of the map here for you guys and we can pick a landing zone)

11:01 AM

(We've got several small settlements across the landscape here)

Nekosmash pinned a message to this channel. 10/20/2021 11:01 AM

(could a survey scanner or other piece of intel hint a favorable spot?)

(we know nothing about these aliens really, so I'm not sure what we'd use to determine that)

(ok, I'd go for that settlement between the temple and the camp. crossroads are usually more open to strangers and we could move to both points of interest with relative ease) (edited)

(I'll wait to see if anyone else has a suggestion, but if not by tomorrow we'll get moving on that)

(That seems central enough, I agree)

2:53 PM

Kolbeckite checks the readings in his mech suit. He engages the external comms speaker. "It's an exciting mission. Channel your restlessness into awareness friends."

As the shuttle starts its planetfall, Mobius sits, sweats and swears (and smokes), with his combat boots on top of some small supply crate, he watches the pilot feed from his commpad/display/aug reality. Eventually he points at a settlement west-southwest "There, we should land a few hundred meters from that place." (edited)

(Yeah this is exactly the meme thing we literally just said don’t do)

(I posted here 1st, then asked. my bad, deleted) (edited)

(Gotcha. All good)

The cargo lighter ramp lowers, as it seems the settlment near the Temple stones has been selected as the place where we will meet. From above you can see a sprawling settlement made of hundreds of small yurt like tents, large communal buildings, and columns of smoke going high into the air. Distantly, dozens of kilos from the village you can see the wrecks of their former starships, destroyed in orbit and pushed into decaying flight paths so they would crash into the world, heedless of anything they might crash into or the devastation it would cause. The 'Tre are going to be on guard, certainly. A few hundred meters from the village may be entirely too close.

6:57 PM

The pilots call back to the three of you, trying to confirm orders

"Comrades, I'm unsure if we should approach the stealthy way, as if they could have some generational phobias with spaceships... or openly, landing near them and just being straightforward." he says after spotting the carcass of several spaceships. (edited)

"We could end up looking like either angels or demons to them, by accident. Depending on how their alien culture was structured and then degraded." The Mosk adds, as an alien himself

(any thoughts on this anyone else?)

The commissar closes their eyes in deep consideration, before speaking up. "I'm tempted to risk landing within sight of them. With the language barrier, a demonstration that we have the means of transporting them away from this place might be a boon for us, despite the risks."

"not gonna lie, I'm more worried about cultural, memetic decay than language barrier. 'if a lion could speak, we couldn't understand it.' said a wise human ages ago. Even if we decipher their language, it's still alien!" He pauses to light two more cigarettes, totalling three, all juggled and managed frantically as he gets carried away with his theories "If we accept that ideas can sometimes behave like living things, infecting, mutating, self-perpetuating... then one could narrow down its building blocks to what another human (but also a couple other mosks too) described as equivalent to genes... memes!" He sighs, coughs, smokes some more "it's their memes I'm most worried about." he finishes with so much energy he could jump right out of his seat any moment now (edited)

Kolbeckite rumbles in his mech suit. When he speaks, the gravel being poured into a metal funnel that is his usual voice is all the more rough through the mech's speaker. "A fast landing. A slow approach."

It seems a close landing is favored and the pilots compromise on 500m out from the settlement, landing amid the strange sloping alien wrecks of what were once 'Tre starships. The natives have not mustered from the village yet, and you crunch down into the soft dirt of the field. Ash has formed a thick coat on top of the grasses here, staining boots a chalky white. Wind makes strangely musical sounds as it whips through the holes in the wrecks here, and distantly birds and beasts scatter from the loud noise of the lighter's engines, before the crew deposits you on the surface and then locks down the small launch vessel here on the ground.

"Let us be careful from here on out. We do not know the disposition of the locals. I propose I head the party and use the mech as protection" Kolbeckite engages whatever sensors the mech might have to scan for danger or lifeforms around (not sure if it does, if it doesn't no worries)

(I do have a survey scanner w me)

8:55 AM

Mobius puts out his cigarettes before touching the alien ground, now focused on the task ahead. He has his shotgun on his back, a bag full of supplies on his back, a survey scanner on his hand, and his eyes on the prize.

Polyspectral Sensors: These sensors use an array of emissions to form a crude model of the terrain 100 meters in front of the mech, providing rough detail down to objects one-third of a meter in size. It cannot penetrate EM-hardened barriers, but does not normally trigger security alerts

9:23 AM

(this is more of a terrain scanner than a friend or foe detection thing, a bio scanner is needed for life forms, a survey scanner doe snot work on creatures)

Morgan nods and keeps close to the mech, keeping their body language casual and calm. They have no visible weapons on them at the moment, but the others are aware of the rifle stowed away in the backpack strapped to their torso. "Lead on, and let's hope for the best."

Moving away from the lighter, you move through the wreck field. You can see the battle happening in orbit even from down here as a new constellation made of points of fire and light appear in a heavily contrailed sky. Comets of orbital junk burning up in the atmosphere streak overhead, and as you move through the wreck field you can see most of the village is looking up, and watching what is happening in the heavens. From 500m away, your approach to the village is empty of intervening debris, and the sentries around the edges of the village will see you.

"I'd be safest in the mech, but someone else would seem less threatening. What do you all propose?"

"Do you mean, should we send one person ahead to make contact? I will volunteer. My armor isn't quite as imposing as your mech, and if the worst happens I trust you to come to my aid in time."

"Alright then, I'll stay close to the mech for the time being. Good luck comrade."

With that, Morgan salutes the others and sets forward on her own, walking at a comfortable pace and keeping her hands clearly visible and empty for anyone potentially keeping watch. She keeps her eyes ahead, scanning the horizon as she moves.

The Tre sentries have poorly manufactured smooth bore black powder guns and upon seeing you they’re held ready but not pointed at you. Two of them begin to approach cautiously. They call out but you’re unable to make anything out of their chirp and whistle like cadence.

Morgan slowly raises both hands up, palms outward, and gradually slows to a stop. She calls out in response, "I don't understand, and I'm afraid you won't understand me, either." She then carefully moves a hand to point to her mouth, then both to point to her ears, followed by an exaggerated shake of the head, hoping that the meaning of that gesture is clear enough to the Tre.

(Perform /cha ) They seem to be following so far , at least as best as possible but you sense this hangs on a knife edge

(Oof. A 4.)

Weapons lower as you get just a bit too close. They chatter something at you, following by two quick stabbing motions of their guns, like they are sticking a spear into something.

(Did everything from the past few days get deleted here, or is something weird on my end?)

(If you reboot discord it should come back)

(Ah, there it is. Thanks.) The commissar halts suddenly as soon as the weapons are leveled, hands back up and openly displayed. She takes a few slow steps backward before stopping once more and watches the guards closely, demeanor tense but steady.

Their posture seems to get a bit more relaxed as you take a step back from them. They gesture towards the weapons you carry with their thrusting gestures

Morgan slips her backpack off of her shoulders and onto the ground. She then takes a few more steps back with a quiet, strained sigh.

This seems to placate them, and the aggressive posturing stops. They continue watching, their curiosity at what is happening getting the better of them. (edited)

She tries miming once again, pointing to herself, then holding up two fingers and pointing off in the distance to where her allies wait. The pointing hand gestures as if legs walking, moving back inward towards herself, whereupon she points down at the ground where she stands and holds up a third finger.

They begin to move toward you, leaving their own weapons behind. Their language of chirps and warbles is being recorded by your compad and it is beginning to try to find some kind of pattern

Morgan's posture relaxes and she offers a small bow as the two approach. "I know you don't know what I'm saying, but I'm gonna keep talking so that you keep talking, okay? We'll get this figured out." (Am I correct in assuming compads can store and playback video and such, like smartphones can? I may have ideas.)

(Yeah they can. I’ve always assumed they’re basically a modern day smartphone, just appropriate to the times )

Kolbeckite watches the exchange making sure not to make sudden moves with his mech

Since Morgan has signaled others are present, you get the sense if you approach slowly, the 'Tre will not run- as they will not be surprised.

Mobius slowly opens one of his tactical pockets, and from there slowly pulls a pack of cigarettes. Not the trashy industrial waste flavoured ones he likes, but a more expensive, tabacco based. He lights one up and starts smoking, exhaling with a pleasured, friendly smile. "Alright" Cautiously, he starts walking towards Morgan. Watching their new friends with casual side glances. (edited)

The sentries and a few others from the village are beginning to draw close. Hostility has been replaced with caution now

"Nothing like chainsmoking your way into a first-ish contact" Mobius mutters under his breath Eventually, he asks the team "So, what next?" (edited)

Kolbeckite moves the mech closer, slowly, stopping a good distance away from the Tre

The tre seem very interested in the cigarettes. Upon seeing the mech the first of them begin to come forward and kneel. A low droning song comes from their throats , almost in a reverent tone

Kolbeckite hums a curious rumble to himself. He tentatively approaches in his mech, slowly.

As you approach they bow lower to the ground, like you were the figure of some great leader or god. Morgan has been recording during this time and it seems like based on certain patterns of gesture or syllable, she can approximate a rough proto-language to try to speak with them with, aided by the compad.

"will you look at that" Mobius says, with his hands on his mosk-waist. worried they might start a religion or something

(You guys can all speak with them assisted with Morgan’s compad. I don’t really have anything new to add until there’s more input here)

(ah good to know)

"Hey, do you think we have enough clues about their language to try something without risking a diplomatic incident?" he asks his team "If so, what should we tell them? that we come in peace, from another planet and wish to trade and such" (edited)

(what was it we were here for again? to extract them from the planet or something?)

(yes, to convince them to leave, and come to Canache to be CBSS colonists)

(either way I dont think we should start with that. but we could ofc)

(See how it goes. I’m Not going to waste your time now that you’re here

(fair, let's do it. "hey, I've seem you around and uh, wanna go colonize another planet with me?") (edited)

Kolbeckite turns the mech's speaker on. His voice comes out in the usual gravel-going-through-a-metal-chute way. "Greetings 'Tre people. We have about you and want to exchange cultures. May we talk with you?"

"Yes.. Follow...to village" The 'Tre indicate, and it seems you should follow them to speak to the rest of the tribe.

Kolbeckite looks to the others before following the 'Tre, unless someone had different ideas

Mobius gives a big thumbs up and follows the mech

Moving into the village more and more of the Tre begin looking away from the fleet battle and at the strangers in their midst. More of the worship like song is taken up upon sight of the suit mech and as Morgan continues to record you get the rough idea that they believe the mech form is the incarnation one of their gods, or at least an avatar of them. 'Tretasnia the Forgemaster, the god of craftsman, of miners, and of workers or those who venture below the ground is invoked upon seeing the suit, the perfect synthesis of muscle, metal, and machine. Fragmentary existing reports from Pre-Scream times indicate that The T're are not simpletons, they once did know how to make their way to space, but they never mastered fine feats of engineering like this, and remained a very spiritual people the more they saw of the universe, as though science had only deepened their convictions rather than explained them away. The Ascension cult destroyed their fleet, and it was like the punishment from the gods, rather than simply losing a battle and another culture dominating them. One thing is clear, they are not happy on this world, where the climate is harsh and they know nothing.

Feeling the momentum of spiritual capital around the mech, Mobius takes an U turn. Instead of fearing a religious mishap, he seizes the opportunity and starts acting like the mech's priest. Mimicking some of the Tre gestures while gifting them some cigarettes.

(perform/cha)

(2)

1

The locals are not quite sure what you're doing. You're not hurting matters, but you're al long way from helping them.

Mobius, starting to have some fun, would continue performing, even if poorly. Just careful enough to try not offending them. Meanwhile, his eyes would be measuring them, looking for any signs of hierarchy and priests of their own that he could engage with

You see three figures in better clothing than the rest, wearing many cords thick beads and wooden fetishes made from twisted branches.

Mobius looks around and decides to go for it. And readies himself to give the improvised translator a try "Salutations fellow priests. I, Mobius, came to your grounds in peace and with offers for prosperity and freedom. There you can see Morgan, with similar intentions. And over there, Kolbeckite, besides sharing the same intentions he is also a walking proof of our people's might and achievements." "We're here because we respect the sovereignty of the T're people. And as such, we'd like to share some of the fruits of our labors. With hopes you may do the same in the future." He stops for a second, takes a smoke and eyes them, as if to make sure they understand anything at all of what he's saying (edited)

They look like they're listening and are following the build up of your words, but it is too soon for them to say anything as the conversation begins to flow.

Kolbeckite, taking everything in, decides to make an attempt. He approaches one of the better dressed 'Tre careful all the while not to hurt anyone around him. He addresses the single 'Tre, though the speaker is loud enough for all to hear. "We realise this is sudden. We know about you. We represent a bigger peoples, ones united in vision and with bonds of brotherhood. Our vision is your people and ours becoming one and co-existing in the same brotherhood." He pauses to give the people time to process what he offers and to deliberate.

"Are you the ones who took us from the heavens? " the T're spiritual leader asks, looking up at the sky where the ship battle is increasing in intensity.

"We are the enemies of those who did. Our people fight them among the stars above us that you see."

"You said brothers...we become brothers. What is brothers?" The second of their leaders asks, his voice raspy.

Kolbeckite thinks about the question. "Friends, close partners who help and support each other"

"Friends. We would like...friends...where friends from? They live here now? "

"We come from the stars, travelling them like you once did. We want to take you to our home planet, to give you new homes, if you would like"

|(I think I framed this poorly and you guys did a good job with me not giving you very much, We;';re going to call this one a good job, you've done as much as you can do with how it was laid out) Not all the "Tre of this tribe decide to come with you to Canache, but 20,000 of them do from this region and are eager to be in a new place. This world was never their home and was a place where civilization was grafted onto the land rather than being something that rose from it. This feeling of being a world apart from where they belong was a continual thorn in the cultural side of the tribe, and upon meeting you many seem to think their situation will at least not get worse. The land of Canache and its freak psionically changed geography will present challenges of their own ,but with support from their working brothers and sisters in the CBSS, they are confident in their chances for the future. In space, the last of the battle seems to be winding down, and it appears the shipyard has likewise been quickly stormed by an elite CBSS team. Local nets are overwhelmed by calls for surrender, and it seems that Dynomen is yours.

12:07 PM

(3xp, 5000 credits for everyone)

(if thats ok:) Mobius, despite performing poorly and not being well understood, made sure to gift the T're with as many cigarettes he could, in hopes of expanding his spiritual chainsmoking habits throughout the stars (edited)

(yep! This was poorly executed on my end, I appreciate all of you being good sports) (edited)

1