Iron Stars - aleksander

Alekander is roused from his studies by a sharp knock at the door of his room in the CBSS precognitive enclave. The knock is insistent and it happens again without hardly giving you time to respond to the first set of taps

7

Aleks starts, nearly knocking over his tea. He sets the mug down with care before marking his reading place in the tome before him. So far he’d only managed to make it through a few chapters, and he welcomed the interruption. “A moment!” He calls, before adding, “please.” Hurriedly, the young mage dons his jacket and attempts to comb his short hair with his fingers. He eventually gets put together enough to open the door. “Yes? How can I help you, comrade?”

"A message. Chairman's office dispatch, your eyes only sir" He says, handing the yellow envelope through the door-tied with red ribbon and closed with a wax seal.

“From the Chairman? How intriguing!” Aleksander takes the proffered envelope and forgets to say goodbye before closing the door on the runner. He makes his way to his cluttered desk to open read the contents.

The letter opener on the desk gleams in the desk light and you can you can feel the warmth of the seal recently applied. The letter is a summons to the chairman’s office, asking you to attend him as soon as possible for a special assignment

His eyes widen while reading the summons. After a frantic search through his messy quarters, Aleks puts together some semblance of presentability. He collects the handwritten tome he was studying earlier, dropping it into a satchel hanging to his side. Then makes his way out of the Conclave and to the Chairman’s Office.

The chairman has recently concluded some other meeting when you arrive and looks to be shaking off the last remnants of the nights cold air. A fur cloak is hung up on a peg, a bit nicer than everyone else’s perhaps but as head of state some things must be done for the showmanship. “Please come in Comrade” he says, pushing a seat back from his desk with a hiss of steam, as the foot moves back into place

Aleksander hides his shaking hands by clasping them behind his back, “Comrade Chairman Oktobreskyea, good evening.” He hopes his voice is more steady than it feels and steps in to the office to sit across from the CBSS chairman. “How can I be of service?”

"Your qualifications. Can you summarize them Comrade?"

He shifts uncomfortably, unconsciously resting a hand against his satchel. “Well, Comrade,” Aleksander begins, “I am a recent graduate from the Conclave. I’m more unusual in my practice than your ‘average’ psychic because I specialize more in old magics. Particularly with matters related to communication and the such. I am also eager to prove myself as useful to the Brotherhood of Stellar States.”

“It’s for just this reason I have something for you to take a look at. “ He groans as his mechancal spine articulated allowing him to bend over and access his computer. “The lights if you don’t mind.”

“Of course, Comrade Chairman!” Aleks stands to find the light switch, nearly knocking his chair over in his haste.

"Vari" he says as the projector begins, showing modern cities and large laboratory buildings. "Recently come into the CBSS, and as you can see they enjoy a much more advanced style of life than us. Even the city busses are...pristine. They remind me of sport roadsters" he says by way of comment. "We haven't been able to make much headway there. Their membership remains nominal, at best. Their advancements need to be shared with all, and this is where you come in"

Aleksander leans forward to stare into the projection. He momentarily forgets propriety, “Do they keep their knowledge due to selfishness or is it something more nefarious?”

“At the moment we are not making assumptions as to why it is not coming , we know only that the knowledge needs to. There will be time enough for the politics. It should be noted the working people rose up with our aid. The civilians there are not our enemies “

17:53

“And it remains to be seen if the majority of the leadership has anti new establishment feelings “

“Hmm,” Aleks mutters, thinking. “So I will talk with their leadership? Unless, we wish to skip the potential bureaucracy and obtain the information from the source.”

"The second option is what we are currently thinking. It could take some years for a legal changeover to happen, and the CBSS does not have this kind of time if we wish to stay competitive with the other groups out there"

"The people deserve these advances. None should go without." Aleks pauses, realizing who he's speaking with, "Uh, comrade Chairman. Of course you know that. Will I be acting in an official capacity?"

"You are, until it becomes an obstacle to finishing your mission"

A moment passes while the mage considers this, “Will I have any further constraints?” His mind is racing ahead, already plotting possible courses of action.

"No civilian casualties, if it can be avoided. Try not to destroy public infrastructure, either. We'll end up spending more than we gain to replace what's lost.

“Oh!” Aleksander is shocked from his train of thought at the mention of casualties, “Yes, of course. When do I leave, comrade chairman?”

"As soon as you are able, the trip itself is three days, and you'll have time to review information during the flight

“I will need to stop by the Conclave to collect my things for travel. Thank you for your trust, comrade chairman.”

He nods, and shows you out of his office so you can finish the personal errands necessary before you go

Aleksander says his farewells and hurriedly makes his way back to the Conclave. It’s not until he’s standing in his small room that he realizes he doesn’t have much of anything that would be useful for the trip out. Sighing, he collects a few spare changes of clothes and is almost out the door when he remembers a box located under his cot. Aleks sets his duffel down before gingerly setting the box on his bed. It still has the letter from his graduation to independent practice secured to the top. He opens it, only for the second time since receiving the box, and pulls out a holster containing a CBSS pattern service pistol. There are two spare batteries beside it and he puts those in his jacket pocket. After securing the pistol to his waist, Aleksander retrieves his duffel and makes his way to the spaceport.

The shuttle is waiting for you and it looks like you’re the only passenger meant to go on the trip. VAri is a new place and the Cbss is still cautious there, especially with much of the army still working to establish order on Al-Thynnian and patrol the colony world of Mehani. Vari was taken through the back door, with saboteurs and spies rather than men and women with rifles, though both are needed to ensure the Cbss grows stronger.

Aleks is thankful that he’ll have time to himself. He spends most of the trip reading up on the planet. During breaks, he does what calisthenics he can manage in the small craft. (Exert for however long the trip is.) (Will I have contacts on planet or am I going to need to track the individual lab people down on my own?)

(Three days and youd have to track them down

Aleks pulls the location information and personnel records he has access to for the main labs on Vari. He also looks for the main subjects of research for the labs in order to start prioritizing which ones he should work on first.

None of that information is known, and it is why you’re being sent. All that you have in your knowledge base currently is that each settlement on the planet has a scientific facility of some repute.

(Let’s start at Vari-Good because the name made me laugh)

18:56

Aleksander directs the shuttle pilots to land near Vari-Good. He plans to find a place for lodging once he gets there and will begin locating the first facility.

The city of Vari-Good is the largest and was the planetary capital. Demonstrations against the former rulers escalated into violence here though skilled CBSS field agents on the ground were able to peacefully call both sides to the negotiating table before too many lives were lost. The city now exists in a transition period as most people are uncertain just who holds the reins of power.

At least they do not have to rebuild after the revolution. Unlike Pelsagon. Aleksander thinks almost bitterly. He’s eager to find anything that will help those back in the capital and on other less fortunate worlds under the People’s umbrella. When the shuttle begins ticking from atmospheric turbulence, he moves to the cockpit of the shuttle. “Do you think it would be unusual to land within the city?” He asks the commanding officer.

"We've been given a place in the airport to send a lighter down. The Chairman does not wish us to risk the ship directly- with so few remaining"

23:46

"An honor party is set to meet us, and I would guess you will be handled from there by the locals"

1

“Oh,” he’s a bit a surprised by this. “Thank you, then. I will make my way to the lighter. See you on the trip home?”

“We will be ready. Good luck on the surface. Luck be with you”

Aleks makes his way to the cargo lighter. With him he has spare clothes, his spell book, and pistol strapped to his side. I was asking for more responsibility, but I wonder when it stops feeling awkward.

The lighter sets down in the designated airport landing pad, and true to orders the ten soldiers and dignitary waiting for you are assembled

15:07

they have weapons shouldered and are here ceremonially rather than out of fear of you

Alek stands at the top of the lighter ramp, uncomfortable with the delegation. He starts to wave at the dignitary and instead attempts to shield his eyes from the sun. After a moment, he makes his way down the ramp to meet the Vari-Good representative. “Good day, comrade. I am Aleksander Komarov, it is a great pleasure to meet you.” He hopes the slight tremble in his voice is more imagined anxiety than something the others might pick up on. Do they know you’re from the Conclave? Why didn’t you ask comrade Chairman that?

"Greetings, Vari is pleased to be part of the new CBSS and its growing list of accomplishments. We were told an inspection was coming, and my office is here to help comply"

Aleksander takes a deep breath, nodding in approval. Outwardly he exudes calm, but inside he focuses on casting his first spell since clearing to independent practice. (Imperceptible Cerebral Divulgence on the dignitary. It does not require any verbal or physical gestures. Also committing effort for the day on Retain Sorcery to save the spell slot. Basically gives me surface thoughts and emotions and I can force a Mental check to ask a specific question but if they succeed it breaks the spell. I want to see how they feel about me being here and their reaction to my next sentence.) “I am pleased to hear this. My focus for the inspection are your research labs. I have been assigned to speak with the researchers in order to determine how best Pelsagon can support their work going forward.”

They don’t have any hostile feelings. For someone of his level he is just doing his job. He is distrustful of you and what you’re asking for in the labs

(Also I only have three learned spells outside of my Limited Study so haven’t had a need to pick and choose which ones are prepared yet since I can only prepare 3 anyways.) Can’t exactly blame them for that, Alek thinks. “I would like to start as soon as possible. Will you direct me to the nearest location?”

He stiffens a bit but waves a gloved hand as a town car comes forward. Sweeping lines, elegant curves , and golden chrome wheels make up the body of this dark paneled vehicle and its driver steps out to salute the local officer, but not you. The doors hiss open, wing designs , and you’re permitted inside.

The reaction doesn’t go unnoticed and Alek isn’t sure if he’s more pleased or disturbed by the body cues. Some disrespect is expected given the way this world was adopted, but when does it become a symptom of something more nefarious? he thinks uneasily. Despite this, Alek steps into the car to settle into the seat. “What can you tell me of our destination?”

"Weapons laboratory. High density composites, and directed energy for weapons. Magic to your people I am sure"

4

There it is, Aleksander bites back an angry retort. “Thankfully, magic is somewhat my area of expertise. Thank you for the warning.” His tone is calm but without warmth. (edited)

“Glad to here you’re not eating trash and shitting in the street like the rest of your people. How we lost a conflict to you I’ll never understand “ Around you the city begins coming into view along with the hyper advanced lab dome

“You lost to your own people. Moreover, there is a limit to what I will tolerate, comrade. Our intervention kept Vari from following into the same sequence of destruction and rebuilding that Pelsagon experienced following the Revolution.” Aleksander is staring out the window, watching the city pass by as he speaks.

You are brought to the front of the lab dome in the middle of the city, where another pair of guards in power armor are waiting with weapons shouldered. They seem a bit more on alert, and the mood is tense as you and the local officer exit the vehicle

Alek rolls his shoulders and strides toward the guards. “Good day, comrades. I am here from Pelsagon to inspect the facility.” He presents his paperwork to them, anxious to get inside and start looking around.

17:48

(Game plan: I suspect they won’t let me see everything but I’m also hoping to interview some of the researchers/scientists to identify anyone who are more amenable to CBSS presence on the world. If I can’t get access to the actual goods, then maybe reassigning some folks to the capital would be the next best thing)

(Alright, we'll see what unfolds. What did you want to start with?)

(If I could get as much of a tour as possible. See what they’ll let me see and what they try to keep me away from. Also attempt to identify the managers and the researchers actually doing the work. I’m more interested in the latter)

Heading into the lab you're brought through a reception area, behind a pair of doors that seal behind you. The guards accompanying you are almost stepping on the back of your feet, following you this closely. A large chamber ahead splits into three hallways, engineering, energy research, and advanced metallurgy, and the group seems to be stopping here for you to make a decision about where to go next

“I would like to see the metallurgy department first, please.” Aleksander begins walking in that direction.

You’re led into a lab where the furnace heat of dozens of smelters bathes over you and insanely dries out your skin and mouth Technicians are working on bringing a molten cup of metal over to a table to be poured into an armored plating mould. One of them looks up for a moment with goggles on his face, and nods once before looking down again

2

Alek looks for a technician who is available to be called over, “Can you tell me what you are working on here?”

"We're looking at a pour test for a new alloy. We'regoing to be analyzing it for how easy it is to work with, and to see what kinds of pressures or forces it can withstand. We're hoping this will be the next stage of power armored suit or something similar.

“That is fascinating. Are the materials required unique to Vari or are they readily found elsewhere?” (edited)

(talk/cha)

(6)

"Some are common, one is unique to this planet. The exact blend is a closely guarded secret you understand, and probably beyond Pelasgon's ability to produce it"

1

(Seen, just super busy.)

Alek nods, his teeth clenching for a moment at further snide remarks. It seems to be a theme with them. “I understand this specific alloy is still in the testing phases, but have you had any success with other prototype armors?”

“This is the one that has yielded the best results so far. Other tests have been abandoned or are too costly to continue with while this one remains viable “

He watches the experiment for a little longer. Finally he says, “I would like a list of the team responsible. They should be rewarded for their continued hard work.”

"Officer, I have to ask you something sensitive, and I understand you think we're mocking you but you need to understand the circumstances"

1

“Go ahead, comrade.”

1

"If we give you this list, or we give you the schematics, either this tech or those scientists are going to disappear"

Aleksander turns to them, his brow furrowed in concentration as he puts his thoughts to words, “My friend, I can appreciate your distrust of us. I hardly blame you for it. However, the fact of the matter is Vari and her people being brought under the Brotherhood’s banner is a boon to us. You are right, we could not create some of the wonders you have here; but that does not mean we are entirely incapable. We simply succeed in areas you have not, or choose not to. I do not wish for anyone to be ‘disappeared’. I only wish to reward those whose tireless efforts benefit our people as a whole. No progress can be made if everyone wary of change is removed. My hope is to alleviate some of your distrust in me, and the Party as a whole.”

(talk/cha)

(5

)

"That might be what you're told. You might not even have any ill will yourself, but where does the information go beyond your office?"

He sighs, “Comrade, my results here go directly to Chairman Oktobreyskya. There are no other offices for me to report to. There are people on the other Brotherhood planets that can only dream of the quality of life you lead here on Vari. Would you see your brothers continue to suffer when you could help them? The Party is not made of monsters lurking in the night. I tell you plainly that I only wish to better all of us.”

22:12

(This was surprisingly difficult to put together lol)

“If it goes right to the chairman then we know who to blame” he sighs, before the data is copied over to your pad, showing the team and the mineralogical report

"Thank you." Alek takes the time to skim through the report. He does not expect to understand everything, just to make sure it looks like it is thorough. If we want to keep things peaceful here, we will need to prove that their trust is well placed. After a few more minutes of watching the tests, Alek indicates that he would like to move on to the engineering lab.

There is a decontamination process before you go into engineering, where negative charge is pulled away from your body. There is a slight feeling of pressure as you move through a compression chamber into the lab ahead

Can’t say I’ve felt anything like this before, Alek thinks. He’s doing his best to hide his excitement and continue to appear as the aloof official he thinks the Vari expect. He continues into the lab, wondering what he’ll find next.

The engineering section is working on some sort of machinery here that can churn out products with a greater level of quality and at a faster rate than what passes in the CBSS now. The process is very tightly controlled and right now the machines are undergoing quality testing where batches of product are compared to one another and a “perfect” example of a machine parts they’re trying to re produce.

Alek’s eyebrows raise at the display of automation. He thinks of the people stuck in the factories attempting to produce a fraction of the quality and quantity of product. He looks again for a lab tech who appears free for the moment. “Hello, comrade. I am here from Pelsagon performing a spot inspection of the facility. What can you tell me about the intended application of the machinery here?”

"To produce higher quality products faster and with a higher degree of fidelity to the plans and blueprints fed into it"

1

(Lmao) (edited)

(That's what it does. I don't know what you're expecting)

(Nah you’re fine. Made me laugh, I’m not sure what I was expecting either. On my way to work and will respond IC after that)

(Or hell I can run calls all day and finally get to this now.) Alek nods, “Thank you. Would you please transfer a copy of the work being performed here to my tablet? I imagine many other worlds in the Stellar Brotherhood would benefit from even the most modest of gains you can share.”

The information is copied over, apparently the way smoothed by whatever happened in the last chamber between you and the local officer with you

02:37

The work is far from complete, but they are steadily reaching more efficient productive methods

“Thank you, comrade. Your work is appreciated.” Alek smiles, and requests to be taken to the last area.

Energy research is the last of the projects on display here and Youre handed a pair of thick goggles before being allowed to enter the largest and most secure of the chambers here

This should be interesting. Alek settles the goggles onto his eyes, then pulls the straps tight. Satisfied they won’t slide down, he allows the guards to guide him in.

You’re kept behind a blast screen as some sort of fusion test is being undertaken in here. A cask is being lowered into a reactor and there is an air of trepidation in the room

(Is there anyone nearby who can explain what’s happening while the researchers work?)

(Same local officer you've been with the whole time)

“What test is being performed here? It appears nuclear in nature. What sort of risk are we under standing behind the blast screen?”

1

"Not much of one. We're testing a new graphite core in our reactors, which will allow a critical mass situation to be defused faster. This will lead to reactors with bigger power yields, or reactors using less stable elements as fuel"

“Will you be able to upgrade existing power plants or will you need to create new infrastructure for these upgraded units?”

"It remains to be seen. This is one of several tests that needs to be completed. We're unable to really determine if we'll need to do anything of that sort until more reliable tests are done"

“I would like to watch this test then, to see what happens.” He’ll remain for the main part of the test before he requests the information on their experiments and staff. Same as before.

The data is provided, eagerly in fact, and the graphite core is able to stop the reaction almost instantly. You can already seem the prospect for great power projects back in core CBSS worlds using this technology

(Is there any change in the official’s emotions? Also, the spell lasts one scene so if I need to cast it again, lemme know. I have one more spell slot)

(nothing that would be noteworthy)

“Thank you comrade. The work produced at this lab will undoubtedly save lives across the State. Is there anything more of note you would like me to see while I am at the facility? Anything that may have been overlooked?”

This seems to be all they have on offer here right now- and the information is passed over to your pad. Getting this into the hands of party officials is too critical to broadcast it from here.

Alek indicates he would like to be returned to the airfield. He doesn’t see much indication to remain in Vari-Good longer than requires, and imagines the locals will be glad to have him out of their hair.

(3xp, 5000 credits)

19:10

The trip back is uneventful, and the local officer is stone silent, along with his bodymen.

The mage is silent for the trip as well, choosing to think while watching the pristine city flash by. When they reach the airfield, Alek debates leaving without further conversation but ultimately turns back to the officer. “I can not say I agree with your distrust of me and, to a greater extent, the Party. I will not fault you for it. The work being done here is incredible; and thank you for your insight into the concerns you and others have. I will do what I can to mitigate that on Pelasgon.”

"Just make sure none of my people disappear. It wouldn;t end well. for either of us"

22:29

he is stern, and there is a look of grim resignation on his face. War on Vari wouldn't end any way but with a CBSS victory- but a grinding resource heavy war would still cripple the polity like a lingering cancer

Alek furrows his brow, nodding once, "I agree. It would be a leap in the wrong direction. I hope the next time we cross paths will be under better circumstances." He turns on his heel to head towards the waiting lighter. His thoughts are running through his head as he tries to anticipate the upcoming meeting with Chairman Oktobreskyea.

**Level Up**

Level: 2

Focus: Limited Study II (Superficial Tissue Sculpture)

Old HP: 5

HP Roll: 10

New HP: 10

New Skills: INT 16 ->17, INT 17 -> 18

Current AB: 0

New Spells: STS (focus), The Long Amber Moment, Wardpact Invocation

New Art: Iron Resolution

(edited)

1

(Ans then it’s 3 days home to pelasgon)

(6/90 Exert) Aleksander spends the days back compiling the information retrieved from the facility. While scientific discoveries weren't necessarily his purview, it didn't take much of a leap to determine that the findings would be beneficial to the other Stellar States. He only hoped he could convince the Chairman to allow the researchers to continue their jobs on Vari without too much difficulty.

Arriving back on Pelasgon you’re isolated and put into a vehicle right away to ensure your information makes it back to the party headquarters. Light tanks and helicopters are waiting to convoy with your own heavily armored staff car - security that is if anything drawing people into the street rather than keeping people away

1

Alek is uncomfortable with all the pomp and he feels more than a little self-conscious about the information being stored on his beat up data slab he used throughout his education at the Conclave. He does his best to exude an air of authority regardless.

(Imperceptible Cerebral Divilgence, Neural Cascade, and Wardpact Invocation prepared for the day)

The entire contents of the pad are copied once you arrive at the chairman’s building under heavy guard. You trust the CBSS techs will delete anything in their copy that’s more sensitive to your personal life- you can hope at least. The chairman is waiting for you in his office , relieved you are back with the first collection of data

Alek comes to attention, not as sharply as a soldier may have but respectably enough, and greets the chairman, “Good morning, Comrade Chairman. I have returned from Vari with what I hope you will find as excellent progress. Have you had the opportunity to review the information? I understand you are quite busy.” There’s a moment where he considers probing Oktobreskyea’s surface thoughts but ultimately decides against such an intrusion. He is the personified will of the Party. If he has information he deems I need, he will tell me.

“It came into my hands just now and there will be time for that. I wanted to talk to you more about the people than the things you uncovered. How was your reception on Vari?”

He thinks for a moment, “Frigid, comrade. Their officials are wary of us, and I am not sure I blame them. I did what I could to mitigate their concerns while reiterating that they need to cooperate with us. My understanding is we have no desire for further bloodshed on Vari and would prefer a peaceful transition; so I tried to impress that upon them.”

“We will see about that. I’ll have our techs review what you brought pack. The cultural clash though, we need to address that as soon as possible

17:21

“The wheels of the party machine need to begin turning “

“I agree. If I may be frank, however,” Alek says, “I believe removing people may cause more trouble than what we want. I believe rewarding the labs for the work they have already performed will endear them to us more than if we remove those who are frustrated with the regime change. Carrot versus stick essentially.”

"The solution is not one of removal. We're going to begin indoctrinating the people, heavily. Propaganda, public outreach, employment within the party. We need to prove to them that they're better with us, than against us, or out of the CBSS"

“That is excellent. I believe they will be receptive to it once we overcome the initial hurdle and they realize we are not as they fear.”

(a mission could be returning there to get that going, but if you've got youor own direction with this character we can split off to that)

“What would that entail? I would be honored to assist. If the officials in Vari-Good see me returning, it may show them some sense of consistency and dedication from Pelasgon.”

"You know the people there best. If you think you know of a way they may be turned to bask in the light of the party , we would go with your own recommendations- provided they do not fail or make the situation worse"

“I have some thoughts but will need to do additional research into Vari’s government and people of note. Convincing them, if they exist, to vouch for the Party could go a long way with those at the top of their government. How much leeway will I have?”

01:58

(I’m thinking of meeting with some of the higher officials to potentially convince them to publicly vouch for CBSS. They don’t have to personally agree to it, but maybe quietly shuffling them off Vari to other worlds after they play their part might be appealing to them. Better than being assassinated lol. I also have a spell that can help me impersonate some people so I can do that as a Plan B)

1

(That’s fine to at least do the ground work for. I’m on board)

(Sweet. Just want to do a little shopping before heading back to Vari and I’ll be good to go.)

(works for me. Party will also provide a 2k credit stipend)

(Shopping List: -Argus Web (500cr) -Tempest (600cr)) (edited)

(Alright. Caught up. Need anything else before we kick off?)

(Yashkin is at least hopping the ride over with you too, if we wanted to chat a bit)

14:44

(you have similarish goals)

(9/90 Exert)

(Once were on planet and Yash goes off murdering, can I take a look at the Vari meta space weirdness?)

(did you two wanna do that together maybe before we start our current missions?)

(Sure that works, too!)

back on Vari, with vague orders and a bag of new tricks, Alek begins walking the streets of Vari-Good, a city currently at odds with its name, because your last trip here was anything but very good

Alek stops to purchase some street food as he considers his options. He can’t help but feel like a hypocrite for stressing his agreement with the Vari-Good official regarding “disappearances” but loyalty to the Party continued to win out in his mind. What now? Look for the official again and start laying the ground work for the propaganda efforts I suppose. He washes the food down with a swig of water, and sets out to locate the official.

(Imperceptible Cerebral Divilgence, Neural Cascade, and Wardpact Invocation prepared for the day)

(What official?)

00:35

(I probably lost it with all the in between stuff )

(The one I spoke with last time. Mostly to check in and find some info about the higher ups he reports to)

(Connect/cha)

(7)

The official in question is in residence at a bar nearby, opposite the direction Yashkin has gone. "Silver and Bold" is a clean, hypermodern space with calming yellow neon strips set into the floor, under the bar, and running along the wall and ceiling joint

Alek orders a drink, but holds rather than drink it. He attempts to spot the official from a distance in order to reach out and gauge their mental state before approaching. (Committing effort for Retain Sorcery and casting Imperceptible Cerebral Divulgence to get his surface thoughts and interests. If I decide to, I can ask up to two specific questions in their memory and they’ll get a mental save each time.)

He is feeling melancholy and is very invested in his drink. He is interested in getting drunk

Alright, Alek. Confidence. He sidles up beside the official, “Good afternoon, comrade. It’s been awhile.”

He looks sidelong at you, downing his drink in one gulp and setting the heavy bottomed glass down.

22:04

"Week? Not a while. Drinking?"

“No, it’s just for show. If it matters to you, the Chairman was very pleased with the information I brought back. I’m glad I ran into you to extend my personal thanks.” Alek takes an exaggerated look at the official knocking drinks back, “Is something the matter? This doesn’t look like ‘good news’ drinking.” (edited)

"Never is good news drinking. Personal problem though. You should be happy. It sounds like your government is happy"

“It’s your government, too, comrade.” After a beat, he continues, “The next step in bring Vari into the fold involves educating the public. Ideally, this would be through infrastructure already created by the previous Vari governments so I was hoping you may have connections to whatever department that oversees public broadcasting.”

1

“Help you broadcast your propaganda now too? Take a short walk outside and wait for traffic. You already stole our technical superiority from us. You stole our world by exploiting the mismanagement of our leadership. I’m not going to help you fuck the corpse”

2

“I want to help build Vari into something great. Something her people could be proud of a jewel of the Brotherhood.” He shrugs, “To do that I need people who recognize the failings of the old guard and the new. I won’t pretend I’m not naive, I don’t know your world. I won’t pretend I’m not here to further the interests of the Party. But those interests are not at odds with benefiting Vari. If you want to be a part of something great, something new, then you find me. Otherwise, enjoy your quiet descent into anonymity.” Aleksander stands. He leaves a note with his comm frequency and a chit to pay for whatever drinks the official has left. Unsatisfied, but not willing to press the matter any farther, he heads for the door. The connection to the official is left up in order to gauge his response, but Alek won’t stop unless they ask him to.

1

He doesn't say anything tonight,already deep into other problems he said he is dealing with. This just presents one more thing on his troubled mind.

Alek reaches the sidewalk. He stands for a moment, watching the cars cruise by while he contemplates his next moves. It’s late, might as well find some lodging. Tomorrow I’ll track down the local broadcasting chief. Alek attempts to flag down a taxi to take him to a nearby, better than average hotel.

You're able to find where you need to go without much trouble, and the hotel is much better than average. The room service is basic, but its warm, and you can taste the quality of the better ingredients here. News begins cycling in of some unrest on Pelasgon being handled by the people's commissariat office, and hopefully soon both food and metal will begin to flow again.

1

Political foot dragging on Vari, with tensions balanced on a knife’s edge. People starving on Pelasgon because of the selfishness of a few. The Party’s work is never finished. Alek, paranoia vibrating through his mind, sets a cup and silverware stacked together in front of his door. A crude noisemaker if anyone attempts to enter while he sleeps. Then he’ll attempt to rest until the next day where he’ll start working again.

Nothing disturbs your rest, aside from more ambient noise like others arguing and footsteps in the hall as people go to and fro.

03:09

A brownish looking rain is falling today, atmosphere stirred up by the landing ship yesterday, and people walk on the streets with umbrellas

He stands under the hotel’s awning with his hood up. When he gets bored of watching people walking by, he looks in his compad for any indication to Vari-Good’s public broadcasting center; or failing that, where he might find an office for that department in the city.

They are listed as having a floor of city hall to themselves. There are radio masts on the top of the building so you can conclude there is at least some broadcasting equipment inside as well

If it's within walking distance, Alek will forgo calling a cab and head over. Otherwise he'll try to hail a ride.

22:23

He doesn't want to enter right away, instead he'll spend an hour or two observing the people who use the building and get a feel for what kind of security there may be.

(Notice/wis)

(7)

There is a private security guard on the roof and two private security in the lobby. Most of the other in and out is functionaries , employees and the occasional celebrity going on the air for an interview or promotion. A cluster of Aerosat drones occasionally sweeps by the building but the intervals are irregular

(Same three spells prepped as before) Time to see what they do when someone walks through the front door. Alek crosses the street and enters the lobby. He walks directly to the security check-in. “Good morning, comrade. I’d like to speak with the head of broadcasting. Could you point me in the right direction?”

“Do you have an appointment?” He begins looking down at a list to see if the name you’ll presumably give matches up

(Cast Imperceptible Cerebral Divulgence with committed effort for Retain Sorcery. I’ll ask one question to see what the next name is on the list. He gets a mental save.)

(Fails) You're able to get the next name on the list through this connection

“I don’t. But I’m sure Mr. McAllister won’t mind giving his appointment up for a representative of the Party.” Alek shows the security guard his identification.

(so you're not pretending to be that person then?)

(I realized I was boned if he asked for identification to corroborate it. So I’m hoping that the party rep line might be more intimidating into letting me through. Especially if I seem like I know stuff I shouldn’t. Should’ve said all that but got distracted haha)

“A low level representative, from the looks of it. So I’ll ask again. Do you have an appointment?”

Alek smiles, once again swallowing agitation at the Vari officials’ constant slights, “I really don’t, as you probably already guessed. I didn’t realize there’d be a wait, and I’m not familiar with Vari’s bureaucratic particulars. I’m willing to wait some time for an opening, and it will only be a short meeting.”

"And the nature of the meeting? she is going to ask"

“It’s to discuss broadcast rights for programs from Pelasgon.”

(Talk/cha)

(5)

“I see.” There is a commotion from the elevator as your attention is drawn to an executive in business wear. She is screaming into her compad about someone’s incompetence and the punishment they’ll surely be facing for this

1

If that doesn’t scream upper management, I don’t know what does, Alek thinks. To the guard he says, “Is that her? She seems like she’s in a foul mood.” He tries to give the guard a commiserating grimace.

"That's her. Best of luck dealing with that old barracuda"

1

“Can’t be worse than an apparatchik on Pelasgon. Thank you for your help,” Alek nods once before moving to intercept the woman. He waits for her to take a breath during her tirade before interrupting, “Excuse me, comrade. A moment of your time?”

She holds the phone away from her ear. “Yes what do you want? Im quite busy “

He smiles, “Aren’t we all? I am from Pelasgon and would like to speak with you regarding your programming. Ideally sooner rather than later, otherwise I will need to find someone who will make the time for me.”

Her face blanches like the vegetables in your mothers' soup. Her expression vanishes too, the wrathful anger and annoyance now replaced with something far more timid, and wary. "Of...of course. right away. This is official business from the Chairman?"

Alek pushes down a feeling of success, it bothers him how easily he was able to trigger this woman's fear response; and how easily he triggered it. With an effort to inject some warmth into his smile, he responds, "It is. Vari's broadcasting capability and the old government's ability to reach the ears and eyes of the people is a topic of great interest to the Chairman. I hoped you could assist me in laying some groundwork. Do you have somewhere more private we could speak?"

She directs you into the elevator and doesn’t say a word until she gets to her office, shutting the door behind you both. “Alright officer. Whatever it is. Just tell me what to put on. Protesting about journalistic integrity is going to get me in a van with a bag over my head”

Alek sits at the desk, facing her chair and waits for her to join him. “It’s nothing so sinister. The only thing we would like to see is more of the truth. Benefits of Vari’s participation in the Stellar Brotherhood, how the people’s lives have bettered, et cetera. If you need assistance in determining specifics, I can refer a Party official to be stationed here.” He lets the last sentence hang before finishing, “I hardly imagine that’d be necessary, though.”

She seems to grasp the implications. “And this broadcast. Does the party have something they want run, or are we to create it ? Is this why you’re here?”

(I imagine we do, but I don’t think Yuri gave me anything specific?)

(THought the mission would be to make something, since thats what we came back for)

(Ok cool, glad I won’t be overstepping) Alek leans back, collecting his hands into his lap, “I’m of the opinion that whatever we direct you to say will come across as an obvious attempt at propaganda. It would be easier for the people to ingest if the specifics were left to the people who understand the local vernacular. That being said, I would like to start off with the general tone towards Pelasgon changing. We are not conquerors, but liberators. Does this make sense?”

"You might believe you are liberators. I'm sure it helps you sleep at night. I'm not going to take that away from you, but you're going to have a hard time convincing anyone here that the transition of power is legitimate, and was peaceful. Life for most people...they're expecting it to get worse. A lot worse"

“I understand that, and you’re certainly not the first person to tell me those sentiments. I truly want to avoid it. Nobody should be punished or suffer because they overthrew what they felt was an unjust government. But,” he leans forward, “This will require people on both sides working towards a common goal. These broadcasts will be the first step.” (How have the other planets coped with being brought into the CBSS? Have there been instances of life getting a lot worse?)

Vadhat is facing some instability and only a fraction of it has been handled. The world isn’t noticeably better or worse. Life is better for the common people of Al-Thynnian, though the rich corporate over class has seen their assets seized and re distributed. They’re expecting infrastructure improvements and repairs to be completed soon or else you might lose the common people there too.

15:41

Mehani has a small penal colony and is in passing contact with Milo’s tribe of geons. Resource extraction brings tensions and the world is considered dead for expansion at least for now

15:41

Vari is an issue you’re working out.

15:41

And maitaine has no life on its surface. Just invaluable machinery

(Awesome thank you)

“Alright. And what did you plan to release then. What do you need from Vari?”

Alek makes a point to look at his dataslab, an attempt to get himself time to collect his thoughts. He looks up again, “I want you to denounce the old government’s handling of the transition. Spin it as their final attempt to subjugate the people and keep them from the benefits of CBSS membership. If you want, make it seem like you’re going against the old government’s wishes and against their attempts to control the story. That you finally feel as if you can speak freely with Party agents providing the broadcast center with increased freedom as compared to before.” Alek shrugs, hiding the feeling of shock out how easily it came pouring from him, “You’re low enough on the ladder to avoid any changes in leadership, but high enough to directly benefit. Make it happen, or that might change.”

"directly benefit? In the sense you're not going to shoot me or my family anytime soon? "

He shrugs, “If that’s what you’d prefer, yes. Though I’d appreciate having someone familiar with the Vari political landscape and willing to cooperate with Pelasgon assisting. There will be room for movement within the new government for those who work with the Party. I’m not so naive to expect you to change your beliefs, but I do expect cooperation.”

Its quiet for a few moments. You're not sure what she might even be thinking, and are expecting her to say anything. Its somewhat of a surprise when she actually agrees. "We'll need to shoot it. I expect you'll offer this same deal to my production team, and their familieis"

Some tension leaves his body at the words. “Of course. I appreciate that you look out for them. It’s been a common theme in the Vari officials that I’ve met. Highly respectable and commendable, comrade.”

"If I may suggest, there is one issue you;d be able to handle as the CBSS proper that would go a long way tpoward fixing things here"

“Please,” he says, nodding for her to continue.

“The crimson claws. They’re a breakaway enclave to the northwest. Very high tech and very militant. They’ve refused any attempt at integration and even refused to cooperate with the old regime before you ousted them”

His eyes narrow, “And your recommendation is to remove them? So far, we’ve managed to avoid using conventional forces on Vari to minimize the ‘belligerent conqueror’ image. Do you think it would produce beneficial press for us to move on the Claws?”

“The planet would be much safer without them. These are people who broke away from the rest of the planet and threatened violence far before you came “

“Do you have any connections to the local defense forces? This may be an excellent chance to present a United front.”

"Anyone I know has been arrested by the CBSS. THe army is apparently being reformed"

Alek grimaces. “I’ll bring it up with the Chairman. I appreciate your assistance. If you have questions about the broadcast, please don’t hesitate to contact me.” He hands her a copy of his contact information.

(some propaganda showing the mech forces in action would be an absolute banger)

1

(For sure. Hot drop and go hard. Good practice for the mech forces too)

Your pad goes off, quickly, announcing Agent Yaskin was killed. His mission was not botched, but he was hit by a car, not realizing a street meant traffic.

2

1

Ah Hells below. Alek realizes that portion of the Vari assignment is on his shoulders now.

(did you need the list re-produced from his thread?)

(Please.)

Grigory Kavelin- Minister of Production Vilma Vyborg- Interior Minister Kiril Samara- Defense Minister

(Which one(s) did Yashkin find?)

(Grigory

(I don’t think I have anything else for the broadcast person. She seems to understand what Yuri wants accomplished and the consequences for not doing it. Guess it’s time to go facilitate some accidents haha)

(3xp, 5000 credits for this first segment)

(Sick. Will I have enough time to level up?)

(yes if yuo've dinged lets do that now)

03:02

(or next, before we do something else at least)

(Yeah this’ll put me at level 3. I’ll get it done in the next hour, about to put kid to bed)

**Level Up**

Level: 3

Focus: N/A

Art: N/A

Old HP: 10

HP Roll: 4

New HP: 11

New Skills: Shoot-0, Know Magic-0, Connect-0

Current AB: 0

New Spells: Resounding Temporal Echo, Shadow Disruption Rubic (CoBS)

03:31

(Prepared spells for the next day) -Resounding Temporal Echo -Neural Burn Cascade -Imperceptible Cerebral Divulgence -The Wind of the Final Repose)

(Was the guy Yas was going after in Vari-Good? Because if they were, I'll just start on them.)

1

(Yes he was)

Aleksander sits in his hotel room. He absently flicks through his dataslab as he watches the city wake up through the window. The data from Yashkin was frustratingly sparse, but at least it had a location and the target was in Vari-Good. The issue was never going to be finding the man, but killing him. It was a step he hadn’t expected to take so soon after leaving the Enclave. Alek didn’t doubt he could do it. He was bothered by the lack of hesitation he felt, though. Hard to feel like I adhere to higher morals when I’m prepared to murder someone. Around 1000, Alek leaves the room to begin searching for Grigory Kavelin.

You know from Yaskin's report that he frequents a bar in Vari-Good every thursday night, though his routine may change now that a strange man has accosted him in the street, tried to get him into a vacant house with a 'permit' made from a pen and note paper, and then said strange man was promptly hit by a car.

1

Pushing down his frustration, Alek looks for access to a public terminal. Before using it, he moves several blocks away to a public restroom that he can lock from the inside. Once alone and facing a mirror, he takes a deep breath in. Then he forces his fingers against his face. Initially the bones and tissue underneath resist, but begin to soften. He adjusts his cheek bones, flattening them, stretching his nose, and adjusting the shape of his mouth. He presses the heels of his hands into his eyes. When they open again, their color is a rich brown. A quick shake of his head to change the color of his hair and his Change is complete. (Using Superficial Tissue Sculpture to adjust appearance since I’m about to look some stuff up on a public terminal.) Satisfied with the appearance of the stranger looking back at him, Alek leaves the restroom and heads to the terminal. He queries it for public information on Kavelin’s home. He’ll also look for any information on the other two before leaving.

Kavelin is a state official and doesn’t have a home address listed but he typically walks to the bar in question , so you can narrow the likely area down to a handful of city blocks (edited)

With a mental shrug, Alek leaves the terminal and heads out to the bar in question. He’ll burn some time until the early evening to scout out for Kavelin. Alek doesn’t intend to speak with him in the bar, and will tail him when he leaves. (Do the houses in Vari-Good use anything like natural gas for cooking/heating?)

)yes)

Kavelin doesn’t appear tonight , to the relief of the wait staff. He seems to be keeping a wide path around the place for at least a little while

Alek casts Imperceptible Cerebral Divulgence on the bartender. He asks the question What other bars has Kavelin mentioned? (Mental save, 2/3 questions remaining.) (edited)

20:54

(Also committing effort for the day for Retain Sorcery)

He does not know. Kavelin has never mentioned it.

Has the bartender ever had to call Kavelin a cab after he drank too much? (Another mental save.)

21:58

(If he fails, the third question will be if he knew Kavelin’s address)

The bartender has never had to call a can. Kavelin either would become belligerently angry and insist on driving himself, or would walk home

(Yaskin never found this information out either did he?)

(No. He had a chance to handle this without needing it and left us before it could go well or poorly )

Alek sips his drink, thinking hard about his next step. (So we know Kavelin is still in the city. He’s avoiding this bar because of Yaskin. Would I be able to find the building he works out of pretty easily since he’s an apparently high ranking official?)

(Admin/int)

(10)

You’re able to get an address, a building three blocks from here on the 60th floor

(Seen. Sorry busy couple days)

(no worries)

(Ok let’s give this a go again. Thank you for your patience) Alek finishes his drink, and leaves a tip for the bartender. Satisfied with the information, he makes his way towards the building to identify it in person. (What time of day is it?)

(would imagine late afternoon/evening for us to be kicking this off, in the off chance hes wandering around)

(Does the building seem to still have people moving in and out at this time?)

(What building? The bar?)

(The government building or wherever Kavelin works)

(Yeah it’s a busy place of work and residence)

I wonder if he keeps living arrangements here. Alek waits a couple hours to see if he spots Kavelin leaving for the night. If not, he’ll enter the building and see what sort of night security there is.

Kavelin waves goodnight to one of the attendants and moves out into the street moments before you’re about to pack up your stakeout. He emerges onto the street with a bodyguard , who seems to be looking everywhere but at you.

Excellent. He didn’t remember anything about Kavelin moving with a bodyguard from Yaskin’s report, so Alek had to assume this was another consequence of the officer’s lackluster attempt. (Am I within 300ft of him?)

(Sneak/dex or survive/wis. Either one just tell me what )

(8 Sneak/Dex)

You're able to get within 300m of him, and arent observed by either your target or his bodyguard

(Time to use my bread and butter spell for an attempt to shortcut this) Alek inconspicuously moves close enough to reach out and attempt to access Kavelin’s memory. (He gets a mental save since I’m asking a specific question. If he passes, the connection drops and I don’t get the information.) (Question: What is Kavelin’s home address?)

You get the apartment number and street from his mind

Less concerned with tracking Kavelin now, Alek avoids getting closer. He opts to generally keep the pair in sight but doesn’t worry if he loses them for a moment as he knows the eventual destination. The last question he asks is if there are any security precautions at Kavelin’s residence. (Another save, if Kavelin passes the connection is broken)

(17v 12 pass)

Bound to happen eventually. Alek follows from a distance all the way to Kavelin’s house. (Do I know if it’s an apartment type home or a standalone structure?)

(It’s an apartment )

(

well hopefully my ‘accident’ doesn’t hurt too many other people.) Alek will continue following to the building.

02:50

(I guess I need to see what will prevent me from following them into the building and up to the floor his apartment is on. But if there’s nothing stopping me I’ll be following all the way up to him opening the door before I do my next step.)

There is a doorman but people seem to be going in and out without too much trouble. An elevator and stairs lead up to the apartment and the bodyguard follows as they both take the elevator

Alek heads to the stairs and hurried up them, hoping that by the time he gets to the correct floor, the pair will be starting to enter the apartment.

You find them doing exactly that (sneak/dex, so i can oppose bodyguards notice)

(10)

(7)

22:43

The security guard does not seem to notice anything out of the ordinary, after the elevator opens and you step out. They are 10m away and he is just bidding goodnight, as the door shuts. The guard sits outside, on a small chair (edited)

(Can I cast a spell right before the door shuts or did I miss my opportunity?)

(You can cast. He didn’t see you so you wouldn’t be interrupted )

Seeing his chance fading fast, Alek skids to a stop and hurriedly casts a spell. A soporific wave of energy materializes at the door. (Wind of the Final Repose. Last spell slot for the day. All targets within 20 feet/6.1m fall asleep if they have less than 4 hit dice until the end of the scene or until roused by a main action/damage)

Both of them pass out. kavelin hits the floor hard while his bodyguard just keeps himself slumped over in his chair

He struggles to keep the initial surge of adrenaline down while he hurries to the pair. Grabbing Kavelin under his arms, Alek pulls him inside the apartment. Once he closes the door, he hefts Kavelin into a chair. Then Alek quickly makes sure there's nobody else inside the apartment before moving to the kitchen.

The place is empty aside for you and the knocked out target

Alek breathes heavily for a moment trying not to think about what he’s about to do. His hands shake. Vision blurs. He squeezes his eyes shut and clenches his jaw. Party first. When he opens his eyes again, his hands are steady as he turns the dials on the stove up but does not ignite the gas. Alek returns to the living room where the unconscious Kavelin is seated in a chair. Without hesitation, Alek grabs a pillow and leans his weight against Kavelin’s face.

02:46

(I’m honestly not sure if this will count as a main action to wake him up as I’m hoping he stays asleep until it’s done)

(Generally any kind of attack is counted as a main action. If a main action would wake him up i think we would move into some kind of struggle )

(Yeah, the book specifies that you need a main action spent trying to wake them up (shaking them or whatever) to break the spell so I didn’t know if intent matters)

(Main action is main action to me, it’s committing a certain amount of physical and mental effort within a scene to do something)

(Works for me! What do you need on my end for this? The goal is to kill him without leaving an obvious injury that will still be visible even after the explosion I hope to cause after.)

(exert/str or dex, your call, at +3, he is going to oppose)\

20:55

(5)

(13)

There is a wet gurgle as the minister is smothered out. In his weakened state he’s not able to get any leverage on you until his muscles are terribly starved of much needed oxygen. There is a rattle as he slides into death, a final breath now escaping from dead lungs.

Alek throws the pillow back where he found it. His hands are shaking, so he flexes them a few times to try and wring the nerves from them. After a minute, his nose twitches at the sent of gas and he’s reminded of the rest of his plan. He hurriedly finds a candle in the apartment, and lights it on the far side away from the stove. Satisfied, he hurriedly leaves the apartment and descends back down the stairwell; careful not to stir the bodyguard slumped in his chair.

You make it down to the trees before a small fireball on the side of the building blows glass and debris out into the street. Two bystanders are cut down by flying glass, one of them bleeding from a horrific neck wound. Sirens at nearby fire houses begin going off as they detect the disaster

Alek doesn’t look towards the injured, instead he picks up his pace to follow others in trying to get away from the building. As he jogs, he starts allowing his tissue reconstruction to drop slowly. He ducks into an alley to allow his face to completely return to normal before making his way back to his hotel by a long and meandering route.

(sneak/dex)

(10)

18:22

(I’m apparently front loading all my good rolls on this character. Cant wait to roll terribly on everything in the next few levels)

1

You're not followed home, or observed leaving the scene. The blast is predictably the top story on the news report the following morning, though at this time it has not been ruled an accident or intentionally done. Only time will tell. (6xp, 10,000 credits. Thanks for picking up the slack)

(That was wild. Alek is turning into someone very different than I’ve played before)

(I have two level ups on deck, will I have the time do that before the next set of events?)

1

(I think we should do that before the next events)

(I’ll work on it while putting the little one to bed)

**Level Up**

Level: 4

Focus: N/A

Art: Ward Allies

Old HP: 11

HP Roll: 11

New HP: 12

New Skills: Use Magic-2

Current AB: 0

New Spells: Inexeroble Imputation, Damnation of the Senses

(edited)

**Level Up**

Level: 5

Focus: Authority 1, Lead-1

Art: N/A

Old HP: 12

HP Roll: 16

New HP: 16

New Skills: Know-0, Notice-0, Sneak-0

Current AB: 1

New Spells: Howl of Light, Random Organic Failure (CoBS)

(edited)

(All done)

(Alright. Did we want to run down the next one or do something else

(Let’s do the next one and keep plugging away at this)

Vilma Vyborg- Interior Minister Kiril Samara- Defense Minister both of these figures are left

(Let’s work on Vilma next. Worries Kiril might have better security being the Defense Minister)

(Spells for the day: Howl of Light, Inexorable Imputation, Imperceptible Cerebral Divulgence, Wind of the Final Repose, Random Organic Failure, Wardpact Invocation)

Vari-Good remains the port of call, though security around the planet will no doubt be stepped up as the locals investigate the incident- unti it is ruled one way or the other. The interior minister naturally has an office in the capital building, but her day to day routine is largely unknown. No doubt with enough asking around you'll be able to put the pieces together just as Yaskin had tried to do before you.

Alek changes his face again before leaving the hotel. Then he goes to a local office supply store to buy a package and shipping label that he writes Vyborg’s name on it. After another trip to a clothing store, to buy something more akin to what a messenger might wear, he makes his way to the capital building; intent to use the disguise in order to find her office.

(Adjusted encumbrance to show I’m not walking around with an SMG lol)

It’s hard to find clothing from a licensed courier. You’ve got coveralls and boots but nothing with a logo on it. As you approach you can see heavy security around the building and that they’re checking ID cards. Packages are also being scanned at the second ring of security before you get into the building itself but rust around the base of the detectors show that much at least is an older and more established security practice

(The Chorus of Foreign Suns only works on nonhumans right?)

(It specifies Non-Human Sapients) (edited)

(Good just wanted to make sure.) Alek stands in line, waiting for his turn. He tries to look as nonchalant as possible, but can’t shake the feeling that he looks nervous. Once he’s at the head of the line and the guard motions for his ID, he declares, “I’m not required to show my ID to enter.” (Inexorable Imputation. Everyone within 40ft who hears the caster say the sentence they want people to believe have a chance to make a mental saving throw. If the people fail, they believe the sentence for 5 hours. As long as the sentence is not physically impossible or emotionally intolerable.) (Retain Sorcery committing effort for the day to save a spell slot)

(Fails)

04:14

“What was I thinking. That package must be urgent. Please make your way inside. “

(Seen. Hellish day at work so far. Will try to get it tonight or tomorrow)

(Take your time)

(City is freezing over and potential blizzard conditions overnight. Probably going to be busy all day lol) Alek smiles at the guard and walks purposefully through. He’ll look for an office registry to find the Minister’s office in order to know where he’s going.

The minister had an office on the sixth floor but it looks like there is an additional security checkpoint beforehand

(Finally off. Been recovering all day but I’ll have the next few off. Thanks for your patience.)

(Glad you’re safe)

(Was a close thing a few times. Happy to be home and not be back until the weather is warmer again)

Alek grimaces internally but continues towards the checkpoint, unsure of what will be required here. He tries to walk purposefully but will stop if directed to by the security officials.

22:32

(How many are there and how close are they to each other?) (edited)

(how many of what?)

(Security guards)

One guard looks at the scanner, while two others manage the metal detector itself. THeir gear is heavier, combat field uniforms and handguns. Collapsible stun batons are securely looped through belt straps

“Good morning. Package for the minister.” Alek feigns boredom.

“Place it on the belt to be scanned and then come forward “

02:50

They’re all attentive now, with something to do in front of them

“Sure,” he does so. Alek says as he walks forward, attempting to sound less formal than normal, “how’s the shift going, friends?”

One of them begins starting the belt up to scan the package while the other waves you forward , then holds up a hand to halt you. “Where’s your badge ?”

"Badge? The guys downstairs sent me up without one. Maybe they were out?" Alek shrugs indifferently.

“Anyone who works or enters this building is given a badge. You’ll have to go back downstairs to get one. Wait here you’ll have to be escorted”

Alek puts his hands up, “Whoa whoa. It’s fine, I can pass. I promise I’m not up to anything unbecoming.” (Inexorable Imputation again. Mental save for the boyos.)

07:01

(2/3 spell slots remain)

“As long as you promise I guess it’s okay” (all three of them fail) “Guess they really need that box eh?”

Alek smirks, “I guess. Who knows what the higher ups ever want though, am I right?” He passes through, thankful that his improvisations are continuing to work. He makes his way to the minister’s office, intending to meet with her to drop the package off.

The minister is in a meeting over the phone and waves you to come in. She is hard of face and has the wrinkles of time and long nights of 3am phone calls on her face.

02:52

She is sternly talking someone down from some kind of act she finds alarming

Alek sits, waiting patiently for the minister. He attempts to eavesdrop on the call while looking at the box.

She is looking at you strangely because a delivery person usually just drops the object off and then leaves. It sounds like the caller might be one of her children evidently going though some kind of life crisis. She places the hook on her shoulder for a moment to talk to you. “It’s fine just to leave here. Please drop it off and leave” (edited)

He responds in a voice just loud enough for her to hear, “Of course, comrade.” He bows his head slightly before extending his arm and stating a spell. (Random Organic Failure. Target makes a physical save. I assume she has less hit dice than me, so on a failure she collapses and dies in six rounds. If she has more hit dice than me, I’m level 5, she takes 5d6 damage on a failure. I take 1d6 and need to roll for Surge at a -3)

17:02

(The spell itself sounds like it doesn’t cause external damage, and interrupts natural biological processes with MES energy. Hope is that an autopsy, if performed and mundane, won’t reveal that this was anything other than a tragically natural death)

(2. Fails)

17:44

As you leave with the package and make your way back through the checkpoint it doesn’t seem like anyone is aware that she had died yet, as it was quiet. You’re out of the building and on your way before the first of the response team arrives

17:44

(3xp, 5000 credits)

(

doin scary stuff haha)

)in good for whatever comes next t

(Are there CBSS assets on the planet that might be able to supply me with sedatives? I have an idea or the next part that involves using the official I met the first time and making him a possible scapegoat if the next part goes south.)

(Failed my Surge roll, +1 system strain. Took 6 damage, 10/16 HP remaining)

(If there's not anyone like that available, I have a fallback plan.)

(There arent , since we wanted to keep denial at as high a level as possible. More people and things around is a higher chance for a loose end)

(No problem. Plan B) Alek makes it back to his hotel room. His face is back to normal, the Change having been dropped on the way back. Once he’s back in his room, Alek is wracked by a series of coughs and when he pulls his hand away from his mouth there are specks of blood on it. Damn. I can’t do that too often. The mage spends the rest of the day resting to recover from the day. When he wakes the next morning, he sends a message to the official he first met; asking him to meet at another hotel as he has more information to give the official. Then he’ll book a room there under an alias and wait for the official to arrive.

05:01

(Prepared spells: Imperceptible Cerebral Divulgence, Inexorable Imputation, The Long Amber Moment, Wardpact Invocation, Howl of Light, Wind of the Final Repose)

He arrives a few minutes late of your scheduled time, bedraggled and irritable but it seems like its a matter unrelated to interactions between the two fo you

Alek offers him a seat at the far side of the hotel suite, saying, “Thank you for coming by. I only have a few more questions for you. Then you’ll be done with me.”

“Alright. I’m certainly eager for that. Lay it on me”

Alek settles into his seat, far on the opposite side of the sitting room. He casts Imperceptible Cerebral Divulgence to get an idea if the official is lying to him or at least his general mood in regards to the questions. “Do you know Minister Kiril Samara? I assume you have some connection to the defense department given your previous role.”

01:33

(2/3 spell slots remaining)

“By reputation, not on a personal level but my orders come from their office”

(ICD question: What's the address for the office? Mental save to resist. If he passes the spell drops.) "What do you think of the Minister?" Alek asks out loud. (edited)

(19 pass)

04:26

They do what they can. They’re well intentioned but slow to act, and the common folk did not have that kind of time. That’s what led to the demonstrations. And you “

Alek nods, hiding his frustration at losing the spell, “There’s always a source for trouble. Have you been removed from your post? Is that why you’ve been so bedraggled the last few times we’ve met?”

“Professional life isn’t a problem for me. Just the personal one but ...” he waves a hand dismissively. “It’s not for anyone but me. I’m not letting it impact my work”

"Well," Alek says crossing his legs, "I'm sorry."

04:43

Alek casts Wind of the Final Repose in order to put the official to sleep.

04:43

(If he has less than 4 hit dice, he's immediately unconscious for 15 min)

(Also I'm back to 15/16 HP and 0 system strain after the night's rest)

(1/3 spell slots)

(He would be knocked out then)

Alek frowns, uncomfortable with his next steps. (I guess this next part hasn't been defined. Alek is about average height and on the thin side. Does the official have any extremes to their body structure? I intend to use Superficial Tissue Sculpture to borrow their likeness)

(lets find out!

18:42

18:42

You should be able to copy their likeness

(Alrighty! Per the spell it's a DC9 Dex/Cast Magic so I'll get that rolled)

(i went on thispersondoesntexist to generate it and was gonna let it decide for us since i never did)

(I couldn't tell if it a was a meme or pop culture reference I didn't get hahaha)

18:46

(6...so per the spell it's not a perfect copy? I guess I could try again tomorrow but that seems kind of gamey) Alek walks beside the uncsonscious official. He gingerly reaches out to place a hand on their arm and casts The Long Amber Moment. (0/3 spell slots remaining. 1/2 of my Limited Study spells remaining)

18:47

(Does the spell say it fails entirely, or is an imperfect copy?)

(It's an imperfect copy.)

19:09

(Maybe I put the dimple on the wrong side or something haha)

(I think its going to be a more material defect than that but nothing you can't hopefully sell)

(Yeah, that works for me. I'll have five days of the Tissue Sculpture and five days of the Long Amber moment to keep the official here in the hotel room. Planning to frame this next one on him if I'm not able to find a way to make it look like an accident. Kind of feels like three "accidental" deaths of high ranking government officials in a short time might be suspicious in its own right. So a more overt death might help muddy the waters)

For a time, he'll be fine here. You're able to keep housekeeping away with a do not disturb sign, and there won;t be anything to alert them to come into the room.

(I should've said this before I freezed him but can I grab his compad and ID before? If it's too late now I totally get it.)

(i dont think your character would have forgot to grab it so thats fine)

(Thanks, his 18 int is definitely better than my 8 int haha) Alek, wearing an imperfect copy of the Official’s face, goes down to the front desk. He pays for the next week in the official’s name before leaving. Once outside the hotel, he attempts to look up the Defense Ministry’s address in the Official’s compad.

An overdraft warning appears on the compad, as this costly hotel stay is more money than he had available. Scrolling through his messages you can see that he and his wife are beside themselves with money trouble, a son with a severe developmental disability, and a work schedule that has him almost entirely uninvolved at home by force. A series of messages- the most recent- have them discussing relationship counseling , and he has promised to come home tonight as soon as your meeting is done

20:13

brushing that aside for now, the office is also in Vari-Good, in an underground level of the interior ministry building

(Wow! Do I have access to a bank account that won’t be tied back to the CBSS to wire them enough money to cover this? If not, I’ll just add it to the list of things to fix after the minister is dead.)

(I'd say not at the moment since it would possibly blow your cover and theyt dont even want to introduce a possibility of failure)

20:19

(some hacker out there would figure it out eventually)

(Yeah I’m not going to risk it until the job’s done. Worst case, I smuggle him and his family off-planet and lay some false trails that show we didn’t help them. Or just let him take the fall and make sure his family is well taken care of. They’ll be heroes of the Brotherhood after this anyways.) Alek puts effort into looking disheveled. Even taking the time to buy a small amount of liquor to gargle and splash a little on his collar in order to have the smell of alcohol about him. Then he’ll make his way to the ministry again.

(this is the following day from your last hit if im following time correctly)

(I think that’s right)

(Also definitely misstepped in not using Retain Sorcery for at least one of those spells. Oh well.)

The building has a bit more security and a medical team is standing by now, as the previous events are still fresh

When he gets to the guard, Alek displays the Official’s ID and says, “Heading to the Defense Ministry offices.”

One of them salutes, and moves the security barrier aside to let you into the complex

Alek returns the salute and continues through the checkpoint. There's nothing he needs in the main area of the structure and he looks for a way down into the sublevels.

There is a map inside the main structure- and floor plan. An elevator leads down to the sub offices, and with another bunker deck below it. Keycard access is required.

(Did I get anything like a keycard when I grabbed the official’s ID and data pad?)

(you said you grabbed it iirc)

Alek goes to the elevator to access the bunker below. He swiped the keycard, silently hoping that nothing has changed in the building’s security protocols after the death of the Interior Minister.

It looked like an accident or just an unfortunate fact of life, so the protocols have been more toward having medical staff closer to hand- rather than in keeping people out. The card reader pings gently, accepting the read, and the button for the sub level lights. The car begins moving, and finally rests and opens in a subterrain lobby with another office map board on the wall

He plots his route to the Defense Minister’s office and starts off. He tries to give off an air of purpose to keep people from stopping him.

(perform/cha)

(4)

“Youre drunk again?” A custodian asks , coming from behind you. “I can smell it on you. I can’t let you into the offices if you’re drunk”

Alek fakes a stumble as he comes up short, “You don’t understand. I have to meet the minister. It’s of the utmost pri- pr- importance.”

"Importance? when you can barely keep your thoughts together?"

Alek steps closer, to the point where he’s uncomfortable close to the other, “Do you want to explain to the Minister why you kept important security information from him?”

"Suddenly you;re not slurring. what's going on?" he asks, now defensive, and on alert

Alek lowers his voice, glancing to the side, “I can’t tell you. I shouldn’t even be alluding to it. You know how I’ve been assigned to the CBSS representative? It’s about that. So let me through and we can pretend this conversation never happened.”

He nods sagely. “Alright. Alright I’m sorry. I never saw you.”

Alek returns the nod, and continues to the minister’s office. He lets out a relieved sigh on the way.

(The one you’re impersonating or your target ?)

(Target’s office)

Your target is also on the phone when you enter the room. The@office door is not locked but there is a staffer in the room with them on a typeset making notes on the call for later review

Busy people, I wonder if they took the time to consider their places if they’d be on the Party’s hit list. Alek leans against the wall, crossing his arms. He waits patiently for the call to end.

As it continues for another couple minutes the typesetter looks at you and mouths a question. Can they help you.

Alek nods, and points at the minister. He mouths “private” at the typesetter.

Both of them look displeased and confused at your lack of tact and the call shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. They’re both set in their work and you can hear that they must be planning for some kind of new hearing to replace the officials who were lost

Alek acts as if he didn’t notice their displeasure. Noticing that the call is taking awhile, he reaches over to the Minister’s desk to pull off a post it and pen. On it, he writes CBSS info....PRIVATE and underlines the last word a few times for emphasis. Then he places the piece of paper where the minister can see it. Alek is hoping the Minister’s known disapproval of the CBSS will spark their curiosity and wrap the phone call up.

She presses a button on the desk set and looks up. “What’s so important you couldn’t wait ?”

Alek glances at the typesetter, “Best explained in private, Minister. Regarding our new friends from Pelsagon.” (My goal for this meeting isn’t to kill the Minister here; I have an idea about how to help the Official and still put the minister in an unfortunate position to be killed)

"I'm going to need to return to this call in a few moments, My assistant will remain in and will be taking notes" She hangs it up, and gestures for you to join her in the back office set aside for moments like these

Alek follows, and finds a seat in the back office. “I’ll be blunt, Minister, as the information I have is sensitive to say the least. To start, I need to tender my resignation to keep up the charade I’ve been working towards with the Communist representative I’ve been in contact with. Additionally, I have a dead drop set up for you to recover tomorrow. There is information in it that will rock the Vari establishment and the agreement between our home and Pelsagon.” (Are there any photos of the Minister’s family in the office? It’d be helpful for an idea I have on how to deal with her. This conversation is placing the bait to put her out in public with lots of witnesses.)

A photo on the desk of the minister, her wife, and their three children reflects a bit of the light. They're at a beach somewhere, and you can see a lighthouse on a natural jetty far behind them

Alek notes the appearance of the children in the photo, and waits for a response.

"Tender your resignation? Can you fill me in on the endgame here? or am I chasing riddles when I should be on an important call?|

“They offered me a job. And since I said yes to them to keep the charade up, I’d appreciate if you played along as well. They have eyes and ears everywhere.”

“Alright. What do I tell the department then? Who’s to know the truth?”

“You and me, Minister. I know I can trust you.” Alek leans back, smiling, “After this, nobody will trust the Communists.”

“I’ll sell it however I can but if this fails we never had this discussion “

Alek winks, “What discussion?” He gives the minister an address near the hotel the Official is staying at, and gives her directions on how to approach the dead drop. Specifically part of the route will take her near a busy road. He doesn’t tell her there’s nothing there for obvious reasons. If there’s nothing else, he’ll depart back to the hotel.

03:47

(Hoping the resignation will get processed and the official won’t have to feel tied to the government anymore if he doesn’t want to be. I’ll offer him a few alternatives when this is all done as payment for using his identity)

They’ve got nothing else to add and you can only hope they do the paperwork timely. You get a message later that night that your clearance is being revoked and that the government here is cutting all ties with you

Alek sits on the bed of the hotel room after checking on the official’s suspended out of time body. Satisfied that nothing has changed, he lays back to sleep before the next day. (Spell slots refresh 3/3. Prepared spells Damnation of the Senses, Imperceptible Cerebral Divulgence, Random Organic Failure, Wind of the Final Repose, Howl of Light, Inexorable Imputation)

His compad has blown up since he didn’t come home last night , though you suspect if his family calls the authorities that there won’t be an investigation as people saw “him” yesterday

Alek leaves a note in front of the still suspended official. It’s been one day since I had to sedate you. Your wife will wonder where you are. You’ve been removed from your post with the government. I am sorry I had to use your position like this; and I am willing to pay back the debt I’ve incurred from you. If you wish to remain on Vari, that is your prerogative. If you wish to relocate your family to a different world in the sectors, I will do everything in my power to facilitate that. Attached is a secure contact you can use to reach me with your decision. I will not contact you again without hearing from you. -Komarov Satisfied that he’s done what he can reasonably do without forcing the Official more, Alek leaves the hotel room. He continues wearing the Official’s face until he’s away from the hotel. Once it returns to his normal appearance, Alek finds a spot to watch for the Minister’s approach.

18:42

(The Official is still in The Long Amber Moment. He will be in it for four more days or until I drop it)

18:43

(Also leaving his ID and data pad with him)

(whats the plan for when she arrives, just so i know what to have in mind or think out)

(I’ll be casting Damnation of the Senses. I’ll make her see her youngest child run out into traffic. She’ll be the only one who sees it and she’ll have to decide to try and save them or not. If she runs out, it’ll be done to have her be hit by a vehicle. Which to everyone watching will look like she randomly ran out into the street.)

(perfect. gotcha)

20:13

She is ten minutes late. She looks frazzled when she finally arrives, like she was up last night dealing with a problem. Remembering how late the transfer and release from employment came in, you think that is probably why she looks so haggard today. The minister approaches the dead drop location, ensuring she has sunglasses on, and begins looking around for what she was told to expect

Alek feels a twinge of guilt as his last target approaches but he quickly pushes it away. Steadying his breathing the way the Conclave taught him, he casts a spell from his position of observation. (Damnation of the Senses: The caster targets a visible creature within two hundred feet. The target gets a Mental saving throw to resist; on a failure, one sense of the caster’s choice is entirely un- der the caster’s control for the rest of the scene, while a success leaves them bound only for the next round. Any false impression may be given, or any true one concealed, and a creature may be left effectively blinded or deaf- ened. Distracting tactile sensations can force the victim to make a Physical saving throw in order to act each round. Blinded creatures can’t make ranged attacks and roll all melee hit rolls twice, taking the worst result. If a creature thinks itself in mortal peril its excitement allows it to make a Mental save to throw off the spell at the end of each round.)

21:44

(The illusion will be their youngest child running through the crowd in front of them, and then out into the busy street. If they fail the save, I’ll have more detail. If they pass it, I’ll have to hope that 6 seconds is enough to pull them into the street to get hit by a vehicle or go to plan B.)

(they pass, so we have 6ish seconds to work with)

21:46

The child enters her field of vision. "Margie?" she asks, questioningly "What are you doing here?" Half the time passes in stunned silence, as she pieces it together. The vision of the child gets as far into the road as just beyond a pair of parked cars, not close enough to draw her into the road but enough for her to get close to where traffic is passing by

21:47

(shes between the parked cars on te side of the street as the vision ends)

(Will I have time to walk by and push her? How obvious will it be to passerby’s?)

(you will have time, and that depends on the results of the relevant check, depending on how we dress this up)

(More than reasonable) Alek walks quickly to the Minister’s location. As he passes by, he’ll push her forward into the street; but not stop to much more. If this doesn’t work, he’ll move to Plan C. The goal is not to be too close to her when she’s struck.

(exert/str)

(3...)

(any re-roll tokens or plot points?)

(1 PP to burn. Which I guess this is as good a place as any)

(Evasion save)

(10v9 success)

There is a screech of air brakes from the street and you instinctively duck just in time, as a piece of shrapnel whistles through the air and neatly beheads the minister. A city bus has tried to run the light, and ended up impacting with a few cars who then had the right of way. It doesn't even seem like the driver tried to stop, and lanced entirely through the vehicle in the intersection. The two caught up behind it are mangled wrecks, and all manner of fluids leak into the street from ruptured parts of them, Others are hurt on the sidewalks, and across the street, and the scene has some eerie quiet.

Alek freezes for a moment before backing away from the scene yelling, “Somebody call emergency services!” And he stumbles off, acting dazed. Once again, he doesn’t stop to help for fear of being caught up in an investigation.

(3xp, 5000 credits)

23:26

(I know goofball is still locked in amber moment, but whenever it ends, hes going to take you up on the thing)

Alek releases GB as he flees the scene. He also sends a message to the CBSS shuttle crew stating that they’ll be leaving the next day. Alek then returns to his hotel to lay low, feeling as if he’s caused enough chaos this week.

The crew acknowledges that they'll be ready to leave on a moment's notice.

(I don’t have anything else I’ll want to do on Vari for now. I know Pavel is handling the assault on the dissidents, so figure I should return to the Chairman and let him know the jobs are done.)

(If you want to join him we can)

(Sounds good! I’ll plod along as an unarmored magic man)

(there would be a mech available for you)

(That also works, though I don’t think I’ll be able to cast anything in one and I also don’t have pilot but I don’t mind stumbling along.)

(I know the book says you can get around the requirement of pilot for basic maneuvers after an hour of training , but otherwise yeah I think the not casting still applies

(Tally-ho!)

(we can jump into his, with Alek being one of the people at the speech)

(Can I do a personal research month for M10? Do some Experimental Research from p100 in CoBS?)

(Yes(

(1000cr, 10v10 on Know Magic/Int success. 2 enlightenment points gained. Unable to do any other research this month, or projects. Also, I assume this prevents me from doing downtime projects for the month since this is supposed to take place during those.)

(We've let people do both)

**Level Up**

Level: 6

Focus: N/A

Art: Inexorable Effect

Old HP: 16

HP Roll: 15

New HP: 17

New Skills: Know-Magic 1, 1 banked SP

Current AB: 1

New Spells: Phobic Storm, Torment of Tumefication

(edited)

(Experimental Research for M11, 1200cr)

18:26

(6v10, failure.) (edited)

(~~That's a mishap good buddy~~ Nope. rolled a Nat 3. just missed the mishap

) (edited)

(If you're not planning to double up with Teucer for hunting the ghoul nobility we can do something else here now, as the group mission is over. )

(Would there be any indication of weapon depots or technology hoards on the planet? Alek would be interested in anything like that or something magical/MES based. I’m not sure if the Ghouls have psychics or casters though)

(Nothing collected. We didnt get our first true surface maps of the planet until hours before your assault)

(this or, we can move back to the other thread where PAvel was about to mech assault the Crimson claws. Or we can wait and do it with everyone)

(I’m cool with hunting down some Ghoul nobility. The mech mission would be fun when more CBSS folks are available)

(I was thinking maybe you and the 3 on sanjaru once they're finished)

(That’d be perfect)

(If I do the nobility hunt will I be ineligible for the Rana assault?)

(We would just pause it assuming Teucer is going too)

(That’d be perfect)

(7/90 exert)

(Perfect!)

(At work today, I’ll plug away at the level up throughout)

**Level Up**

Level: 7

Focus: Armored Technique

Art: N/A

Old HP: 17

HP Roll: 25

New HP: 25

New Skills: Exert-0, Notice-1, Pilot-0, Know Magic-2(from Vault of Shadows reward)

Current AB: 1

New Spells: Evert the Inwardness, Obnulition of the Will

(edited)

22:14

(Does killing those Lupine shadows in the Vault Raid count as my goal of Banishing a Shadow?)

(It does indeed)

2

(HP Tracking for #deleted-channel: 11/17)

**Level Up**

Level: 8

Focus: N/A

Art: Counter Magic

Old HP: 25

HP Roll: 19

New HP: 26

New Skills: (None, banking 3 SP)

Current AB: +1

New Spells: Touch of Elucidating Intangibility, Orbital Insertion

(edited)

In his personal corner of the CBSS Mech Carrier, Alek sits in front of his growing grimoire. He had never expected his collection of spells and arcane arts to grow this quickly; and it left him wanting more. He considered his options. The planets to the Brotherhood's stellar southeast were ripe for revolution. There were Ghouls on Pelasgon that intrigued him and he had yet to put his hypotheses to the test on them. He leaned back in the chair as his eyes unfocused while lost in thought. After a time, he wasn't sure how long, Alek made his decision. He would return home to report to the Chairman, then attempt to see what could discover about the Ghoul's behaviors in light of the Ghoul King's death.

The trip home is a matter of just a few days and the request to meet with the chairman is accepted almost as soon as the offer is sent. The situations within the CBSs are fluid and a firsthand report seems to be a welcome thing back at the capital

When the lander touches down at the CBSS capital, it jostles the young mage awake. Thankfully he travels light and he quickly meets his escort to the party headquarters. Alek does his best to collect his thoughts before meeting with the Chairman again.

The chairman is waiting at the landing pad as the shuttle comes down. He is accompanied by a significant number of his honor guard, all wearing the red green power armor of the CBSS chairman’s guard

Alek comes to an abrupt stop and dips his head in the chairman’s direction by way of greeting, “Comrade Chairman, you do me a great honor meeting here at the spaceport. How has Pelasgon treated you since we last talked?”

“Quiet. It is a nice change. You have been traveling a lot. I would hear of your adventures “

He considers a moment, feeling weariness he had ignored for the past month for the first time. Finally he says, “It has been eventful. Vari is largely pacified. The last military resistance was put down by our mech forces and assassins. The main government we absorbed is playing ball with us after more dissidents were removed from the picture. Additionally, and the main reason I returned to Pelasgon, is the Ghoul King has been killed. On the macro level, it means the UNW, EP, and other polities have freed up their ground forces. You are obviously aware of the war spoils we obtained from the fight; credits and other less tangible bounties.” Alek pauses to let the chairman absorb the information, “I would like an opportunity to experiment on and with the captured Ghouls. I have hypotheses that may break the fugue they find themselves in.”

“What would you need for this work, and more importantly , where would you conduct it?”

“I would need a lab first and foremost. Eventually I would like to commission my own ship for these purposes, but a terrestrial based lab would be appropriate in the meantime. Additionally, three of the five Ghouls provided to the CBSS.”

He thinks for a moment. "take them all. We didn't expect prisoners to be returning from that front. There is nothing the party will do in an official capacity with this other than make things difficult for you to work. For now, you may find a lab site on Mehani, or Maitena if you wish to truly be out of the way"

Alek is taken aback for a moment, “Thank you, Chairman. I would prefer Maitena as I do not wish to be interrupted. Once my experiments are complete, or I hit a block, I would like to continue to the southeast. There are worlds there that would be beneficial to incorporate. Even if only for the labor forces they would contribute.”

“We must try to keep our military commitments small for the moment. We have expanded but each world has been riddled with problems. I am@hoping we can withdraw from Vadhat soon”

“That is prudent thinking. We spread ourselves thin in attempts to project force like the UNW sand Greystar. Especially with Phemno making overt moves to our south.” Alek frowns, “There are many places I wish I could be, but I want these next few weeks for my own studies. I appreciate your flexibility, comrade.”

18:14

“When I have the funds for my own ship, I will have more freedom to address our many threats.”

"Our builders are going to be busy until some time next month, from then we can revisit the issue"

“Yes, of course. Do you require any assistance here on planet before I leave?”

"Pelasgon is largely at peace. It is not something I had ever expected to see. Everyone being out there, ensuring the rest of the CBSS has this same measure of security is how you can help the best"

Alek smiles awkwardly, unsure how to react to the news. He grew up amongst the tumultuous times that led to the current peace, and it's still new to him. "I will continue to do what i can, as best as I am able. Thank you for your trust." Alek nods again before turning around to find transport offworld again.

(2 days of downtime in travel to the northeast, Vitrol is also there hanging out if you guys wanted to)

(Maybe after I try and break the ghouls out of the funk. Is he still needing help with his stuff?)

(hes scanning some underwater regions and working on some things he borrowed from the SL)

(Nice. Let's muck about with the Ghouls and then decide after. I have some spells I want to try on them.)

Three prisoners have been tucked into the hold of the ship heading to Maintaina. (2 days for downtime)

(2/90 Admin)

the wreck of the slyth cruiser on the surface is still marked though it has been salvaged and recovered now, secreted away in some polity storehouse for a time when there is enough money to bring it out of mothballs. vitrol is somewhere underwater near the perpetual power plant, and otherwise, the planet is quiet, largely unexplored, and dark.

(Have had a wild couple days.) Alek gestures generally in the area where the cruiser used to be. “Is there enough room to put down near there? Any structures we could repurpose for our own use?”

There aren't many structures on the surface of the planet that you can see, and most of the exploration so far seems to be centered around the mid-belt of the planet

Alek ponders the situation. He makes a decision. “We will stay in orbit for the next few days. I want to see if I can make any in roads with the Ghouls. Depending on how they react, we may land and investigate other places on planet.”

21:12

He moves to the area of the ship the Ghouls are being stored in.

21:16

(Spells for the day: Imperceptible Divulgence, Obnulition of Will, Wind of the Final Repose, The Long Amber Moment, Orbital Insertion, Inexorable Imputation, Random Organic Failure, Torment of Tumefication, Howl of Light)

The cargo hold has been converted into something like a cross of a labratory and a brig. The ghouls are model prisoners, not talking, causing trouble, or doing much beyond looking blindly into nothingness, acknowledging nothing and no one. They are hind-brained enough to continue eating and continuing the natural processes of life but this long from the chemical treatments they normally need to continue their unnatural lives, some signs of pallor and malnutrition are beginning to show.

Alek pulls a chair up to watch the Ghouls for a time. It bothers him that they’re not much more than biological robots at this point and he briefly considers euthanizing them. Not yet, he tells himself. It’s several minutes before he reaches out to cast Imperceptible Cerebral Divulgence on the closest Ghoul. (3/4 spell slots remaining. Looking for any surface thoughts, emotions, etc. Anything that might suggest they’re still sentient at this point. Also, do we know what chemical treatments they were receiving?)

(They were people rendered down through a mix of arcane and mechanical processes. Basically drinking in the life essence of their victims)

02:27

They are virtually catatonic. Their surface thoughts pine for home and for the connection to their king that they no longer have

Alek gives a mental shrug and stands. He continues to focus his attention on the Ghoul whose thoughts he skimmed. He casts Obnulition of Will on it, hoping that the spell will act as a crude adjunct for the Ghoul King's influence. (2/4 spell slots remain)

06:35

(Mental save to resist)

(crit, passed the save)

(Committing effort for the day for Inexorable Effect to force them to reroll the save. Take the worst result. I can only do this once per scene)

(12, so i have failed since 12 is worse)

"What is your name?" Alek asks the Ghoul.

"Garash SlaughterSon, Lord of ten thousand tears"

Progress, Alek allows himself a small smile. "Who do you serve, Garash?"

"The Ghoul King, the Lord of Endless Feast!"

The smile grows cold, “No, Garash. The Ghoul King is dead. Partially by my hand. You serve me and the Brotherhood now.”

17:27

“What do you and your kin require for sustenance?” (Are the other reacting at all to the conversation? Does Garash seem to have changed at all since it started? More active for example)

(not more active right now, almost like he is being hypnotized or being telepathically scoured)

18:35

"We require the wine of life, made from cullers and the spirits of prey beasts"

“Are humans your only prey or can you subsist off of other creatures?”

"The Wine of Life can only be made from sentient, thinking creatures"

(Do we nonghouls have any idea what that entails?)

(Based on what you've seen, basically any of the human like intelligence races out there that are organic, but we're doing greasy business to keep them alive however you slice it)

(Yeah I’m going to have to think about this some more.)

(sounds good, im here when youre ready)

“Garash, your first assignment will be to assist me with a vivisection of one of the others here. I want to know how you work, and what changes the Ghoul King wrought upon you. If it is reversible, I will do what I can to reverse it. If not,” he takes a breath, “if they are not reversible, I will have work for you regardless. All serve the Party. Those who will not will still have uses. I hope to learn enough to approximate a way to feed you and the others.”

(Basically just going to ask him questions about weird stuff we find while operating on the other Ghoul)

(Where would this be taking place?)

(If we can, we’ll set it up in the bay. Just need a table and whatever scalpels/clamps that might be available in the ship’s medkit. I don’t really want to do it on the surface since I won’t be able to guarantee nobody walks in on it.)

(Alrighty. Let’s do that )

13:20

Another of the glassy eyed ghouls is strapped to the operating table. Something to knock it out doesnt seem to be found. Your semi awakened companion waits for questions. The head, face, chest, arms, guts and legs all need to be examined

Alek sets his commpad on a stand beside the table with the voice recording app turned on. He also ensures other cameras are set up and pointing at the Ghoul from different angles. “We begin with the extremities. From there we will move to the creature’s torso and complete the examination at the head.” Mildly surprised at his lack of revulsion, Alek double checks the Ghoul’s restraints before inspecting the arms. He begins with a close visual inspection before palpating the muscles and joints with his hands. He will begin cutting once he can no longer determine any differences from surface inspection.

18:39

(I’m not sure how detailed/graphic we need to get here)

18:39

(I have no issues with it but this may quickly get into body horror lol)

(yeah was gonna go step by step with those regions i specified so we can condense some of it, but its up to you, your irl knowledge vastly eclipses mine or anything i could write)

(For the limbs, I want to find structural differences between humans and the Ghouls. Attempt to see if their muscles are different in any way. Also inspect the connective tissues, nerves, and bones to see if they've been altered in any meaningful ways. Basically trying to see if Ghouls are stronger and have differing reaction speeds than standard humans. Probably won't be able to tell much about specific nerves and cellular findings without a full on lab; but some guesses can be made about density and weight. Inspections of the torso will be to see if all the same organs are present, if any additional ones are there, and what's been changed structurally. Might get a better idea of how they eat, filter toxins, and reproduce that way as well. Face/head inspection will be to see if the brain has changed in any visually obvious way. Spinal cord and nerve junctions might be different, too, in the same regard. Alek doesn't have any points in Heal so all his inspection will be based on easily accessible knowledge about the human body on the Net and his own Know/Int rolls. Plus it'll be good to know how long the Ghoul survives the vivisection before expiring.)

Intent: For the limbs, I want to find structural differences between humans and the Ghouls. Attempt to see if their muscles are different in any way. Also inspect the connective tissues, nerves, and bones to see if they've been altered in any meaningful ways. Basically trying to see if Ghouls are stronger and have differing reaction speeds than standard humans. Probably won't be able to tell much about specific nerves and cellular findings without a full on lab; but some guesses can be made about density and weight.

22:32

------- The limb inspection from the exterior reveals dense bone and thickly developed muscle that seems to have multiple layers of thick tissue. There is almost no fat over the top, just enough to provide a minimum layer of insulation. There are grooves in the back where some of the arm and shoulder muscles would help beat wings if that adaption was ever gifted to these specimens

“Hmm,” Alek mutters to himself before enunciating loudly enough for the recording equipment, “These may be suitable for cybernetic implants in lieu of biological modifications. It would also appear the Ghouls operate at a higher body temperature due to their lack of insulation. They may experience detrimental effects more readily than expected at low temperature environments. Strength and resilience is hypothesized to be higher than normal limits, but this is not unexpected given their performance in the field.” He continues his work down into the Ghoul’s torso.

(still outside or cutting )

(We’ll start outside, palpating ribs and cartilage. Also checking the abdomen for any noticeable changes before we start opening ‘er up)

00:05

(I don’t want to do this more than once, so need to be extremely thorough)

The organs are dense and packed well inside the body. You feel hard bone much further down than a sternum would go almost like some kind of under skin armor

“We will perform a shallow cut first, in order to separate the dermis from the suspected subdermal armor. Then remove the plates to inspect the inside respiratory and circulatory systems.”

The cuts peel back several layers of dermis to reveal sheathes in the hands made from gaps in the bone where the ghouls long claws could extend when needed for fighting.

06:04

Following the cuts you begin moving to the rest of the body where thick growths of some kind of black plate like organic material has been made part of the chest and integrated into places where they can shield as many organs as possible

(Is it possible to remove the claws intact in order to test their effectiveness against different types of armor?)

06:10

(OOC if they’d be considered primitive vs advanced for example)

(They’re natural weapons so would be considered advanced )

“Fascinating. You can see that they used to be human, but I would argue they no longer remain the same species. I will have to save some tissue for the scientists on Pelasgon to assess.” He continues cutting into the creature.

02:25

(If the upper limbs don’t have any more surprises, let’s move to the lower extremities)

You move past the injection ports worked into the skin for their life giving drugs and moving to just below the skin of the lower extremities you once again see thick muscles with redundant joints and tendons so that if some are broken or cut some level of functionality can be maintained. Their feet are wide but lack claws like the hands have.

(Do the muscles in the legs and hips seem reinforced to resist impacts? Like if it’s a flying version or jumps from a great height?)

(Yes )

04:44

(Similar to the arms)

Alek notes the anaatomy and moves to work on the abdominal cavity; anticipating trouble with the thorax.

The skin here is hard to remove and is some of the thickest across the body. It separates from the dermal plates after much difficulty and even has small spikes on the back to help keep it attached. The red , slick plates only habe holes where the injection ports go but otherwise resemble slabs of armor

(Do the injection ports seem larger than you’d expect? As if they’re administering a larger amount of drugs than expected?)

(I think your irl knowledge eclipses my bullshit, but they'd be high volume ports, so idk if tht means bigger or shaped differently but something along those lines yes)

(That more than gets the point across, thank you! We obviously don’t have to get too into the weeds with it) Alek will start with the abdominal cavity since it may be less armored. He’s looking to see if the Ghouls still have a functioning digestive system. Also a reproductive system. It’d be interesting to see if Ghouls could increase their numbers in conventional ways.

The ghouls have a highly efficient digestive system. They do not need to relieve themselves as the body uses everything ingested or injected into it. They do not have a reproductive system.

(Is the ghoul still alive or has it succumbed to the wounds from the vivisection?)

The ghoul is alive for now, as you haven't mutilated anything, just exposed it to the elements

(Let’s continue up into the thorax. We’ll remove what we need to to make room. Looking at the Ghoul’s respiratory and circulatory systems. For example: can they survive hard vacuum or low air pressure? Do they seem to require more oxygen than humans do? Do they still use oxygen like humans do? I imagine their hearts have been modified somehow for all the new muscle mass and drugs needed to circulate.)

00:32

(Also any new organs that wouldn’t have an equivalent in a human)

They can survive for longer in low pressure and low oxygenated environments than humans do but they will succumb eventually. The hearts are enlarged to deal with the increased muscle mass and smaller knots of circulatory muscle like miniature ones exist near the limbs to keep things circulating efficiently. The digestive organs can handle limited amounts of solid food but primarily seem focused on liquid filtration and processing.

"Most likely due to the pureed nature of their victims that they subsist off of." Alek will remove the heart and lungs in order to disect them later. He also makes sure to get samples of all organs and fluids for further research. Once complete, he will begin disecting the Ghoul's head. He wants to see the structures of the eyes and ears specifically to see if they have any changes in their sensory perception. Then work on removing the brain.

(Safe to say he is dead now)

(Would the ship have access to any bypass equipment? I doubt it since that seems like an Expanded Medbay thing)

9yeah thats an expanded medbay thing)

(No worries. Let's take a look at ze brain)

The eyes and ears are very sensitive. You are reminded of snakes, owls,and other heat sensing predators. The structure is the same, but magnified. In additional to some sort of built in thermal sight, their heading is incredibly receptive.

(Do they have pit organs like some reptiles?)

(combined with their normal eyes so its like vision layers)

(That’s super cool)

(To sum up the Ghouls’ special qualities: -We’ve determined the subsist on an slurry made from their sentient victims -Whoever designed them built in the capabilities to modify them further (ie for flight) -They’re stronger than baseline humans, probably faster -Readily built to accept massive amounts of drugs, probably to supplement whatever they need to survive or to further modify them -Can survive in low pressure environments -Don’t need to eat food -Don’t reproduce conventionally, so to make more we’d have to do some bad stuff -Better senses than humans -Built in armaments)

The brain is lifted out. More conventional and more esoteric mapping of it will need to be done. On a surface inspection there are no channels burned into this one -tell tale signs of MES use, but you have seen personally some ghouls are capable of it. The brain itself is larger than humans

“Do Ghoul MES capabilities require the original human to be MES sensitive?” Alek wonders aloud for the benefit of the recording devices. “We require more evidence.”

“I will need to find a way to keep the Ghouls fed if I want them to work with me. As of now, this requires human material.” Alek will complete the vivisection by suturing the exposed areas closed. He will use less material than you would on a living creature as he may need to cut the sutures open again later on. Then he’ll have the corpse and specimens stored aboard until he can find a better location for it.

(Did we ever complete a ship for you or did we need to?)

(I’m about 2 mil short. Grabbing some spacetec slavers sounds like a good source of food for our ghoulish friends)

(So my next goal is to find some stuff to build something magical to keep the ghouls sustained)

(Alright. Plenty of junk worlds out there)

(Any known places with arcane artifacts?)

(Maybe a trip to Craytulus to trade some knowledge?)

(Perfect, those guys can help!)

(excellent. Let's head that way since I don't have anything I want to do on planet here. And every day is another day towards the Ghouls starving. I'd like to use Obnulition of Will on all the Ghouls that remain alive at this point. I'd probably spend each day bonding each one if they keep passing their saves)

(It’s 9 days and I failed a save with every single one the first day)

As the ship enters Craytulus system, Alek sits in the Ghoul hold watching his new thralls. He wasn't sure what to make of the new development besides that he expected them to be useful as he expanded his knowledge in arcane creations. Not all people could be trusted and he had seen the potential for corruption on Rana. He had spent much of his time during the trek to Craytulus organizing his thoughts about the Still Lady cult in anticipation for trading some of what he saw for information from the inhabitants from the planet below. Perhaps their collected knowledge would be able to point him in the direction to create a device to keep the Ghouls sustained.

00:56

(11/90 Admin)

Comet Trail labs and the strange semi-human creatures that live there are known to traffic in secrets but only for something to be taken in return. They have not attacked any outsiders who did not first show hostile intent themselves. You and your coterie are landed a kilometer from their observatory and it appears the secure rail-tunnel entry in the footing of the lab is already unlocking and going through its long cyclic process to allow you inside.

Alek pulls the collar of his coat more tightly around his neck. Secrets. What do I know that they do not know already? I must not be found wanting. (Is it four ghouls now since I chopped up one of them?)

)ye)

(Ooooh can they wear like CBSS patterned overcoats and fur hats?)

1

(Yes they could)

03:48

(They’d just be very big )

(Perfect. Picturing something between an Ogryn and an Orc now lol) Alek speaks to the Ghouls, “As always, remain silent unless I direct you to speak. I do not wish to give these individuals more information than absolutely necessary.” He’ll stride through the doors once they’re open.

2

The doors open and you’re met with two of the pale, goggle eyed creatures who look up at you with shouldered spears. They are quiet and seem used to people showing up in starships to ask for the wisdom of their elders and their endless cataloging machines

"Good day. I am Comrade Aleksander Komarov of the Communist Brotherhood. I wish to speak with the elders here and trade in information. Will you lead me and my fellows to them?"

"A secret for a secret" one intones, allowing you to pass inside. You are escorted down the railroad tracks past the rotting form of a subway tram, down to a side tunnel. A ladder leads up into the observatory where you will meet with the elders among the main floor where the tribe inhabits

Alek gestures for three of the Ghouls to remain and for Garash to follow him up the ladder.

The elders are waiting as you climb the ladder, along with a few of their retainers but not many. Several good interactions with other humans have made them relaxed and now always looking fro the next deal

Alek, not willing to bow in greeting, instead nods in the elders’ direction. “Esteemed Elders of Comet Labs, I am Aleksander Komarov. I am here to trade in secrets and knowledge.”

“A secret for a secret as is the pact. Walk with us and tell us what you may. Trade and what you desire to know

Alek falls into step with the elders. He allows himself to fall into their rhythm before beginning, “Are you aware of the Still Lady and her cult on Rana?”

"We are aware of the Still Lady, and of Rana. What do you propose?"

“I have recordings of her vault. Evidence she tampered with arcane energies and poisoned the universe by what she brought into existence. The recordings have only been viewed by myself.” (Thank you Argus Web! I won’t be letting them see the close ups of the vault with the creepy techno mancers did their work but definitely the shadows that were made and the technomancers themselves.)

“We know of shadows. Do you have more than images of her metaphysical servants ?”

"I do," Alek pauses, "but that would require an exchange of truly heinous information. Is that something you would be prepared to offer?"

“A secret of the same value. Yes”

"A secret of the same value is something that could potentially put the power balance in the Iron Systems in disarray. It is maltech, and dark arcana. I want to know of places of arcane power. Locations ripe for study and plunder to further my own research and goals."

“What are those goals? You offer much and the bargain must be fair”

“To ensure the spread of the Party. To have the power to enforce our will. I need archeotech to keep my Ghouls alive, which means I need to create equivalents to the Ghoul King’s cullers first and foremost.” The way he says our almost sounds as if he means my.

05:08

“I have video copies of the Ghoul King’s labs but they are nothing without the basic knowledge and understanding to create the equipment.”

“The devices you seek are ones we can make. We will provide you the life engines and the instructions for their use , and you will provide this video of the vaults and malefic technologies. Do we have an accord ?”

Alek grins despite himself, “We do. It has been a pleasure.”

05:17

He pulls up the video of the Still Lady’s vault from the secure section of his data pad. Then creates a copy to share with the Elders. “I may return to trade further secrets for what you discover about the Still Lady.”

The arcane components you will need to complete this machinery are on this world. Almost none of the ruins have ever been explored. Simplified versions of the plans for those machines are unloaded to your data pad.

13:50

You get the sense that if there are no secrets to be traded now, it may be best to continue moving

Alek takes his leave. He collects his Ghouls and begins making plans to go to the first arcane component location.

Iyonglow is one of the sites the report mentions, an old psitech lab that has not been explored by anyone from any of the polities

(I’ve seen this. Just been wildly busy)

(all good, i know how it is man)

"Garash, you will accompany me to Iyonglow. The rest will remain aboard." Alek collects his equipment and makes ready to explore the ruins. (Spells for the Day: Imperceptible Cerebral Divulgence, Howl of Light, Obnulition of the Will, Wind of the Final Repose, Random Organic Failure, Shadow Disruption Rubric, Torment of Tumefication, Evert the Inwardness, Touch of Elucidating Intangibility)

Iyonglow is a dark city built around a dark lab. The buildings are ash covered and made from black stone. The lab itself looks the same just larger and more out of scale with the surrounding buildings.

He squints into the darkness at the looming lab structure. Remembering Teucer's lesson on moving through new territory, Alek and Garash wait several minutes in order to be accustomed to the sound of the ghost city. Finally, he says to Garash, "If I become incapacitated, take me out of the city and back to the ship. Anyone who attacks us with deadly force will be met in kind. Anyone keeping us from our goal will be disposed of in kind. Do you have questions?"

“Garash has no questions” The ghoul is Pallid and clammy and is in need of feeding soon. He will serve for a bit longer before the effects begin to Mount and become impossible to deal with

"Then let us be on our way." Alek begins moving towards the looming lab. His SMG cradled in his arms and the hair on his neck standing on edge. He keeps an eye out for any indications of recent activity, potential traps, and enemies.

(Sounds like a good old notice/wis to me)

(Hot damn let’s do this)

03:47

(11)

You see no evidence of physical traps but the security cameras watching the streets are still active, and pan to track your motion as you progress down the street. The electronics in the lab still seem to be on internally, growing more intense as you approach

“We will not have to announce ourselves, at least,” Alek says out loud, not really expecting Garash to answer. He was surprised that having the thrall along led him to voice his inner thoughts more. “With luck, the lights will still be on and we will not have to scramble in the dark for what we are looking for.” They continue walking down the deserted streets to the lab, not interested in the dilapidated structures surrounding them.

The airlock door is rusted, but looks to be something you can open with a mechanical flywheel set into the wall to the left of it. The security bar has already been removed by some past resident of the area- allowing you to spin it freely.

Alek lets out a long breath and his outline appears to shimmer for a moment before solidifying again. (Personal Shielding Field). He begins turning the flywheel and will push inside once it’s open.

There is a hiss as the air inside and outside become one. Lights begin to turn on and a friendly voice welcomes you to the lab. The entry is devoid of a map but there is a reception desk with a terminal

"I hope there is still power in the lab's databases," Alek says. He walks up to the reception desk to access the terminal in order to look for any indication as to where arcane research may have took place.

The terminal here has been powered down, and upon booting it , it seems to be looking fro some sort of password

Alek looks around the desk for any post-it notes with a username/password combination on it in the hopes that crippling bureaucracy is a universal constant. If not, he'll forgo attempting to hack the computer in favor of exploring the lab further.

21:56

(coming in at the top right, so we saw the terminals in that room, and those are password protected with no obvious code or anything in sight)

Original message was deleted or could not be loaded.

Pinned a message.

(Let's rock and roll in a counter-clockwise fashion. We'll take the left door.)

(d10 for me sirrrah)

(4)

You enter into a junction where the offices are to the south and some sort of lab is to the west. Mechanical engineering is what is plastered on the lab door placard and there are massive scrapes in the hallway floor as though sharp pieces of Metal has been dragged across the deck plates. Dark slashes of oil or some other mechanical fluid cost the scratches

Alek stoops down to look at the liquid on the ground. "Good stuff in here, I hope," he says standing. They make their way to the door labeled Mechanical Engineering to open it.

The door opens after a rough shove to reveal a network of pipes, tubes and gears arranged to flow between different work stations. The terminals in the room have all been switched off but you can tell by the low background thumping in here that power is on

“Watch the door, subdue anything that comes through,” Alek commands Garash. Then he begins powering on terminals, hoping to find one that does not require login credentials. (edited)

(program/int)

(9)

(Can ask the machine questions. We have beaten the security )

Alek settles into the seat in front of the terminal. His first question is simple, What defenses does the lab possess?

The lab has turrets in some of the labs holding the more secure materials. There are also gas traps and the lab can be tripped into a “hot” status if too many systems are breached or too many traps are sprung which will destroy the lab with a neutron warhead set into its foundation

1

Good place to bring someone I do not like. He queries the system for a map of the lab in the hopes of having the different areas of research labeled with their area of study. He intends to search the entirety, but wants warning as to what rooms may contain the defense systems mentioned above.

(Seen. I can color the map in more detail from a computer tomorrow )

(Take your time!)

Original message was deleted or could not be loaded.

Pinned a message.

19:52

(We are at the red X, E is where we came in)

19:53

Yellow highlighted areas have turreted defense systems. Chemical engineering labs relevant to your search are in blue

Alek looks for any indication where the neutron bomb might be kept. If it’s accessible, he may consider disarming it and taking it with.

It is buried in an inaccessible deep casement below the facility to deter others who would have had a similar idea

“Prescient decision by the architects,” Alek murmurs. He does a final search for any security codes he may need before heading south to the first blue area.

There doesn’t seem to be any passcodes left out.

“Let’s go,” Alek says to Garash. He leads the way south to the first blue room.

Several pods occupy the room and you remember seeing these before. They are elongated and a higher capacity, but the shape of them reminds you of the 'stomach' unitson the culler bots the Ghouls once used to distill most of their food-fuel from living victims. The shielded lids are down right now, preventing you from seeing the mechanism inside

Alek begins looking through the room for any control systems for the rendering machines. “Would you know how to operate these machines?” He asks Garash while looking.

“I know. Some. How to connect to them. Not how they make food” the creature says , doing its best to focus despite its ravening hunger.

“Where would you be hooked into the system? Maybe there is sustenance left in the machines here to refuel you.”

"Help me, with lid" Garash says, as he tries to get the heavy cover off by himself. "Might be a reserve tank on it with food"

21:43

He bends down, putting two powerful hands on the container lid, and braces from his knees

Alek briefly looks for any release mechanism for the lid before bracing beside Garash. "On three. One, two, three." He does his best to lift in tandem with the Ghoul, acutely aware of how much weaker he is beside the hulking figure.

The lid comes off with a bit of struggle, even with their help. You can see a glimmer in the creatures eyes as the familiar sight of the feeding machines inside registers to his senses. He begins plugging the various needles and tubes into the ports on his body in the hopes there is still something in here worth salvaging

(Does he look like he needs help getting plugged in or can I stand back and record the process for the next time I have to do this?)

(you can stand back and record, he looks like he knows enough about how this works to take care of it himself for right now with the last of his energy)

While Garash gets settled, Alek looks around the room to get an idea about how difficult it will be to remove the machinery. He would prefer to not have to return to a lab sitting on top of a neutron bomb if he can help it.

(Know/int)

(13)

1

With a week of work from all the ghouls and some luck you believe you can extract the equipment here, but it will be difficult.

The ships' locker also does have apost tech tool kit, which should help with the removal of some of the heavier or more sensitive items.

Alek begins drawing up plans to dismantle the equipment here. He also sends a text message to the ship in orbit requesting they land and deposit the awaiting ghouls and crew to assist with dismantling here. He plans to have as many of the ghouls 'recharge' here as possible before moving the equipment. If it runs out of juice, he'll come to that problem as needed. Satisfied that the immediate concerns are taken care of, Alek continues to observe Garash using the equipment. When they're satiated, he'll continue exploring the laboratory.

20:11

(Sorry for the unusually long delay. School started for me, kid, and fiancee. Plus increased stress at work. I appreciate your patience.)

(no worries bud! I think we've done enough precautionary things where moving the equipment wont be an issue, if you want to keep exploring we can, there's several rooms coming off where we are now)

(Let’s continue south to check those two blue rooms, then north into the central yellow to clear the turrets out of there. We’ll start with the southwest blue room.) (edited)

(Sounds good!) Heading south to the western of the blue rooms along this route you can see this was a storage and learning annex for the researchers that once worked here. A few of the desks have terminals on them, and storage servers line the walls of the room in place of book cases

(Does my compad have enough storage for the info or will I need to get a terminal from the ship?)

(We'd need the ships systems)

Alek attempts to access one of the computers. He wants to find any information on how the lab here fueled the ghoul cradles.

(Program/int)

(8)

The dead from the nearby town were often times given to this lab for scientific research, the lab paid families good money for all bodies and had done the practice for decades, later generations of city-dwellers had ingrained it as part of their life and the payments often were many times what a labor worker would make in a year.

(Is there any indication as to how much energy is stored in the devices? Will I be able to refuel all the ghouls or do I need to find some volunteers?)

(you can feed your folks now with what's left n the reserves here)

This is good. I won't have to utilize the crew or locals. Alek stands from the terminal to face the entry. (Let's head to the yellow chamber now)

(the one on the far right with that hexagon shape in it?)

(Yes let’s do that one) Alek takes it slow and cautiously, not wanting to run into a defense turret’s cone of influence. If he’s able, he’ll toss a chair or something similar into the room to see what sort of defenses it may trigger before they walk in.

A small piece of scrap from one of the previous room is shot twice by laser turrets tucked into the ceiling of the room, from behind.

Alek considers the room and wall in front of him. After a moment, he places his hands against the wall beside the door and casts Touch of Elucidating Intagibility. (A ten-foot cube of the wall becomes transparent from my point of view. I'd like to try and get a visual on where the guns are stationed in the ceiling and if they're still deployed.)

The laser turrets in the ceiling are flush with the back of the bulkhead, to shoot anything coming in from behind. They are deployed and hunting for targets.

(Since I can see them, can I cast Evert the Inwardness on them to remove critical components and render them inoperable?)

20:54

(Id have to cast it twice)

(it says visible but doesn't specify unaided sight, so you can)

(That's what I was wondering about so glad you picked up what I was putting down.) Alek extends his awareness towards the turrets, searching their internals for a power source before yanking them out of each weapon. He allows each component to fall from his hand before moving into the room. (1/4 spells remaining)

(the names are flowery but thankfully for us KC has made magic and psionics in his game very literal) The turrets tumble from the ceiling as broken wrecks, now without power or targeting wetware. The scrap metal will be the only casualty today. The reactor for the facility is within this room, along with the primary engineering research lab, allowing the former occupants here to leverage the power of the reactor directly for their more serious experiments.

They walk a circle around the reactor in an attempt to determine how difficult it would be to remove the reactor from the site. As he considers the task, however, he begins to wonder what it would take to adjust the laboratory to his own uses. "It could be beneficial to have an isolated research site," he says to no one in particular, "away from prying eyes." (Is there a circuit breaker in the room? Something that I might be able to cut power to the defense turrets from?)

There is a power panel in the room. With some basic tools, a willingness to use your fingers to temporarily connect circuits, and the patience to play electric spaghetti for a bit, it looks like the turrets can be disabled across the facility. The warhead underground cannot be accessed or disabled in this way.

Alek opts to fiddle with the wiring. He'll have to find some tools elsewhere in the lab if there's none near the reactor.

(The ghouls have your tool kit iirc)

03:54

(We could back track a short bit to get it)

(That'd work, too. I know we were having them show up to get fed so that'd be useful. Then we can work on transferring the stored data to the ship and removing the ghoul creches) (edited)

The reactor panel is easily moved about within. You’re able to change the way some of the lines send their power to parts of the lab and active security is now disabled.

“Yes!” Alek hisses. “Come on, we will check the other rooms.” He leads Garash to the yellow room to the northwest, striding in and trusting that the active defenses are disabled.

The defense system was controlled from this room. Survival and other supplies for the base were also kept here, and it seems like most of what was available had been used. Ten units of spare parts and a unit of pretech remain here, locked away for later use that never came by the inhabitants. Four deactivated turrets hang slack in their ceiling cradles.

"Open those containers, Garash. We'll collect everything not nailed down, and spend some time taking that, too." Alek leaves Garash to collect the equipment and moves to the final room.

The final room looks to be one of the more serious control station here. Everyone around the lab would have been able to remotely handle automated worker frames from this room. These robots would have been dispatched to handle more sensitive experiments remotely. Such as mixing volatile reagents or interacting with dangerous examples of bio tech, or alien technology with unknown purpose. Those projects don’t seem here now but the dozen worker bots are hunched over and dust covered in the corner , lined up and holding their own control rigs (edited)

Alek suppresses the urge to rub his hands together. Everything in the lab was valuable, and he was sure he could find a use for it. The trouble would be moving it to a place he felt more secure with. (In the week or so that it’ll take to dismantle the crèches, will we be able to take the robots as well?)

(Yes, we'd be able to take them)

(Excellent. I think we’ve checked all the rooms now? I’m not really sure what else to do in the lab while we work on removing all the goodies.)

(I think we can just fast forward the week as you help your ghoul friends collect the machinery , study it’s use and feed)

(6xp, 10,000 credits and now you can feed your buddies , I’m up for whatever )