Iron Stars - glimmer

Glimmer, Arcane Warrior
Level 2
health 8 -> 11
AB 1 -> 2
Focus: Authority (Brings Lead to 1)
Stab 0 -> 1
talk -1 -> 0

02:47

(Also have 5 goals pending XP when you have the time.)

Shopping list:
Butterfly Combat Harness - 3,000
100 glowbugs- 500
Survival Kit - 60
Survey Scanner - 250
Bioscanner - 300
Metatool - 200
Nav Comp - 500
Total - 4810

Glimmer returns to the outpost, survey data and information about the mountain creek in hand.

(any idea what we might want to be doing? Can't really say anything here but 'they take it from you' )

(Any pressing issues before I go freeform?)

(not really, we've identified a couple places to make a colony, so they'll start doing that)

(We can head to the human colonies to see if they need any help and get good relations going.)

The human settlement closeby is on the other side of the deep ironwood forest. Finding a way through the dangerous woods to get to them and plotting a route for a future road helps both settlements and seems like a worthy task for explorers. A small team is being assembled to do this

(before we start, would there have been an XP/credit rewarding, that ended rather quickly and I want to double check.)

(3xp, 5000 credits)

Level three
HP: 11->17
AB: 2->3
Skill points: stab 1->2

After a day of taking care of acid burns and repairing damaged fabrics, Glimmer prepares a team of Noctua consisting of an additional warrior, a diplomat, and a technician to route a path to the nearby settlement.

(An additional warrior, so how many people in total, 6?)

(4: me, fighter, diplomat, techie.)

(Okay, d10 as we set off)

21:32

(itll be forest bt for what resources are in the area)

(that's a three good sir.)

Moving westward you enter the forest once again and are forced to move through Glitterwasp territory. The human settlement is west of this position by several hundred kilometers and you;ll need to move through this vast ironwood forest for most of it.

"Keep aware of the wasps above, they have not showed agression yet, but caution is advised." Glimmer scans the surrounding area as they travel. (If a marching order matters, Glimmer, diplomat, Tech, warrior.)

(thank you, i was going to ask)

16:10

The glimmerwasps keep mostly to the upper branches of the trees, attacking when the tree is felled or when someone climbs up too close into what they consider their territory. Their diet is unknown but whatever they do eat and refine, it turns into beautiful prisms and nests of crystal hanging in the trees .

16:10

They are valued by collectors and scientific communities alike, but are incredibly dangerous to retrieve

Glimmer debates trying to retrieve one of these shards as a gift, but decides against bit, figuring there is always another time and wishing no harm against nthe creatures.

Moving through the region it becomes late morning and you leave the area where most of the glittermoths preferred to nest. The survey scanner on the technician begins to chime gently as minerals are detected in the area

(An underground node, or something surface level?)

(We dont know, its just in the area and we have the option to search for it)

Glimmer stops and checks the readout, and seeing traces of mineral wealth in the area decides to to go seeking for it.

(survive/wis, as we're going off path)

(That's a 9)

Heading off the path in pursuit of the minerals, you begin moving down a naturally sloping ravine-side, where trees have grown upwards to reach the sun out of the rocky wall sides. They arc upwards , and at the bottom of the ravine there is a stronger return on the survey scanner.

"Down there, look, getting a stronger return at the bottom here." (Would climbing gear be needed to get up/down?)

(it would make it safer and probably negate needing a check, but we can go for it anyway. The more detailed you can be about what you're doing the better it is for you)

(I have a grapnel launcher so depending on the height we can Zipline up/down or use it as a grapple and rappel down. If it's smaller I could also just hop down with the butterfly harness.)

(We're looking at 30m down, so we could use that for some of the drop)

(Grapnel fires up to 40 metres so that takes us down, glimmer will go first to be able catch anyone should they fall.)

Heading to the bottom of the ravine using the grapnel you see the returns on the survey scanner getting stronger. You see there is dampness and something like a creek bed down here that flows from a weak underground artesian well.

(Vietnam flashbacks here.) After making sure everyone breaches the ground safely, Glimmer checks the creek to see if it is something they could follow.

You would have to crawl on your belly to get into the cave, but the water here has a high concentration of dissolved metals in it, and that is what is triggering your scanner.

Glimmer bottles of the water, storing it on their kit somewhere as they address the group. "Not sure if this is something we want handle here, we would have to crawl the way down. We can try and pick up a drone at the human settlement and try and weave it into there."

The crevasse looks to small for anything but a Spy eye drone to navigate. You can’t be sure the human settlement will have one until you get there

(Can we tell how far a crawl it would be)

(No we can’t. It gets dark quick in there)

"A curiosity for another day, when we are better prepared." Glimmer begins helping everyone out of the ravine, recovering the spool from the grapnel on the way out.

(I think we could get through about one more hex before needing to rest for the day)

22:50

(so lets get one more D10)

(9)

Moving away from the ravine you pass into a point halfway in your journey. The woods are beginning to thin out a bit as the trees are much taller and broad leafed here. You see no more evidence of glittermoths in this area, though the dangerous conditions deeper in the woods are well rumored, but little documented. You're not sure what you will be in for tonight.

"This is likely a good time to rest before we continue traveling. It may not be wise to rest on the ground level, perhaps it might be less dangerous to rest in the trees?" (Are the trees big enough where we could all fit on one branch if we tie ourselves down or something similar?)

(I’d say so between the limb itself and it’s leaves )

Glimmer begins searching for a suitable limb for all of them, running the grapnel launcher up to the limb if able.

(We're pretty well equipped for what you're trying to do, i dont think any checks are needed but any details about your sleeping arrangements would be excellent)

(Probably the four of us clustered as close to possible on the tree as possible, sleeping bags or other arrangements would be strapped to the tree so you don't roll off in your sleep. There would be scheduled watches so at least one person is awake at any given time through out the night.)

Close to midnight you wake up suddenly. No one has disturbed your sleep by trying to rouse you, and you hear the gentle snoring of your companions, and so in lies the problem, everyone else has also fallen asleep. Something rustles in the forest floor beneath you, something large from what you can hear, and it seems to be circling the tree you are in.

Glimmer slides out of their bag slightly, drawing their revolver from it's holster nearby as they look down at the ground, preparing a glow bug.

You cannot see the source of the noise, but you can hear it brushing through leaves and conifer needles. It is still circling the tree.

Glimmer turns on the glowbug, and drops it to the ground.

Two red eyes languidly open as they follow the path the glowbug has been dropped from. It howls up at you from the ground with a mouth filled with too many teeth

04:04

Your companions shoot awake at the sudden noise, their being tied on the only thing stopping them from taking a tumble

"Rise and shine." Glimmer pulls themselves out of the bag fully, grabbing their needle like blade as they point mag-revolver downwards preparing to take a pot shot. (Init?)

(Yeah let’s get int since both sides are aware of each other now)

(A grand ole 3)

(3 as well, tied so you are first)

Glimmer cautiously stands on the limb as they take aim before sending a magnetically propelled slug down at the creature, aiming for one of the prominent eyes. (22/14)

You're not sure if you hit it or not, but there is a shriek and a flutter of darkness before vanishing into the night.

"Keep yours eyes out, there could be more." Glimmer breaks off more glowbugs, throwing as many as they can (up to 19 more) to light up the area around them.

You don’t see anything else int he woods in the now brightly lit clearing. Dark blood is splashed on the side of the tree you are nesting in but the creature seems to be gone

Glimmer triggers the safety on the weapon, putting it in a half cocked position as they sit down again. "You go back to sleep, I'll keep watch."

Dawn comes as the glowbugs begin to dim. THere is no sign of the creature coming back to try to finish whatever it was that it was doing.

Glimmer begins getting their gear back together, and breaking camp. "Lucky we were up here, if we were on the ground it likely would have gotten to us."

The team silently gives thanks for the thought of staying in the tree, before breaking camp.

Glimmer packs up and leads the group further to their destination. ('nother d10?)

(Got my own thing for this one)

03:38

You find the semblance of an abandoned road project close to the human settlement , about 30km from your destination. A pair of abandoned construction trucks with dumping backs have been left here and nature has partially reclaimed them. Fallen logs overgrown with mushrooms and moss have been laid on the borders of the road but the surface has never been attempted. Uneven rocks and bumps , and a path of small ironwood saplings point the way to the colony

"Looks like a human road, doesn't look like they were able to finish. Do you think there is anything in the vehicles?" Glimmer draws their revolver and goes to try and search one of the trucks.

The work looks like it was abandoned in a hurry and there might possibly be something inside. (d100)

(22)

A "Provacative construction vehicle of the month" calendar from a shipping company, sent out as promotional joke material is in the cabin here. It is dated for 2665 and is well out of date or relevance now.

(Like, a sexy car calendar?)

(yes)

(I'm going to pretty inactive tonight and tomorrow as homecoming kicks off.)

(no worries)

Glimmer spends a few moments trying to decipher the calendar before giving up and placing it in their bag. "I believe this was Human entertainment, I think it will make a fine gift." (Was that just one of the vehicles or did that search cover both of them?)

(Boop, ^^)

(That was just one. We have two more that you could get into from the road here )

Storing the calendar Glimmer goes to search one of the other vehicles, clearing it with their revolver in case anything lives here still.

(D100 again)

(32)

You find a small burn bag in the cab of the second vehicle. Unfolded it is about your height and an internal energy source renders whatever you put in to ash. Many pre scream worksites had several to help control trash and waste

"Looks like some kind of waste disposal, this could be a great boon to the colony and our workers." Glimmer rolls it up carefully and and places it into their bag, clearing out this vehicle before moving to the next.

Something rustles inside the cab of this last vehicle as you approach. You hear the sounds of it scraping against the vinyl door interior.

Glimmer approaches cautiously, aiming their gun at the door as they slowly open it.

Birds begin flying out through the now open door, leaving their nests behind along with recently laid eggs.

Glimmer closes the door, not wanting to disturb the animal life here further. (I imagine all of the vehicles here are beyond serviceable?) "An excellent find so far, perhaps we may be able to salvage the mechanical parts at a later date, but we have fine gifts for the Humans."

(They are not serviceable without some major repairs, so we'd need a workshop and parts)

(Sounds like another thing we are to swing back to.) Shoring up their finds, the Noctuan party prepares to continue their voyage to the humans.

By nightfall you can see the warm lights of the human settlement ahead of you. You were able to follow the unfinished road most of the way and your travel time was greatly sped up because of it. The last ten kilometers or so are even paved, but weeds have grown into the cracks and most of the pavement needs to be entirely redone now that it has been exposed to the elements for this long.

"The rebuilding of this road would be a boon to both colonies, perhaps if we are able to reclaim the two vehicles that were abandoned in the scream we could make headway on that project." (Are we far enough that we would need to camp the night, and are within compad range?)

(you're wthin compad range of the colony, you'd be walking 3km in darkness but along a fairly cleared tract of land, and have light to guide you, so you have to make the assessment on camping or not based on that)

Attention human colony of [Name], this is Glimmer of the Noctuan colony expedition teams, we are three kilometers away from you, are you able to escort us in during nightfall?

The signal is choppy but you get a brief acknowledgment back. You can see lights on the horizon as several vehicles with powerful spotlights begin heading in your direction

"There is our ride into the settlement." Glimmer lights a glowbug to mark their position as they begin moving towards the vehicles heading towards them.

(3xp, 5000 credits)

14:17

Several trucks arrive filled with humans, The conversation is limited but the mayor of the colony is waiting for you to discuss your trip and what you're doing here

The party climbs into the trucks, donning the masks to make interactions easier between the two species. Glimmer does a mixture between a courtesy and a bow upon meeting the mayor. "You are the leader of this settlement, yes? A pleasure to meet you, you may call me Glimmer and these are my companions who have traveled with me."

"GLimmer, you're a long way from home. Did you make the entire trek through the jungle?" he asks, seeming to be very surprised.

Glimmer nods, wings fluttering slightly. "Yes, we had minimal difficulties, only one encounter with wildlife but that was managed with good planning and forethought, as well as a firearm."

"That is impressive work, especially traveling at night. How are the Noctua getting on , over on the other side of the jungle"

"We have found a suitable location to settle our people, as well as a few sites of importance. That reminds me, we have recovered a few things we believe to be of importance." Glimmer brings out the calendar and offers it to the mayor. "I believe this is entertainment?"

He looks at the calendar and the others examine it too, and all begin to laugh at the thing you have found

22:29

"this is quite a find!" he says trying to hold back tears "Where did you get it?"

"Abandoned in two vehicles, down one of the roads leading to here."

You sense their interest but the conversation is winding down. They offer to put the team up in one of the nicer boarding houses in town for the night and they’ll discuss next steps with you in the morning

Glimmer accepts the invitation, enjoying the respite to remove the harness and its bulk, they unfurl the burn bag and tentatively place spent casing into it.

Closing the bag up you hear a dull rumble or hum from within. It is faint. Upon opening it a few minutes later there is nothing in the bag anymore.

(Neat, how big is it compared to a person, and 1 enc i assume?)

(1 enc yes)

Content, Glimmer sleeps the night away, before seeking out the mayor the next morning.

You’re able to find him in front of town hall and seeing your approach he dismisses his other business to speak with you

Glimmer gives another courtsey/bow upon arrival. "Thank you for your hospitality, but I believe it is now time to settle into the business at hand, our party set out to explore a route to the human colonies, and to assist them so as too garner trust. Is there anything we may be able to assist that you lack the manpower to do?" (edited)

“You followed the road the last few kilometers in Didnt you? You braved an incredibly dangerous jungle just to get here. A walk like that just to say hello means we have trust and respect enough between us”

"Then perhaps there is something we can do to help you, the construction vehicles we had encountered on our journey here were deemed recoverable with the proper tools, in the long term perhaps we could improve roads between the cities. But is there anything your governing body requires assistance with? Or something the individuals could use more people for."

"A route through the jungle between our two colonies would open a wealth of cultural contact and trade. I tihnk we need to complete it"

Glimmer nods, thinking for a moment before continuing to speak. "We would need tools, likely a whole vehicles worth to salvage what we had found, and possibly a few more people if we wanted to get done in haste."

"an expedition like this is going to need more than a few men. We'll need hundreds, working from both sides. What would you say to something of a race, and we will meet in the middle? We will of course fly you back to the Noctua side"

"This will work, I am sure many will appreciate the chance to spread their wings and get to work."

“A friendly competition to lay the most kilometers of road. Let’s begin in say a week , muster the resources and have at it? I think we should look at a map though and agree on a route so we know what we are building towards”

(Where on the maps is our colony at?)

(I'll have to update and re-post the map, easier than trying to explain)

18:14

(We would be pushing north to New Iyles)

(As for a route I think going north from our colony then diagonally towards New Iyles would best, avoids majour mountain chains and keeps a mostly straight path. I would draw it but my thumb is too big to get a good line.) (edited)

(no that is okay I understand what you mean)

18:27

"So what do you think, a few days to prepare ourselves, and then we begin?"

"Aye, a week should be plenty time to rouse those who still rest in our ships."

(you probavly dont want two million people working on the same job, but we'd be able to draft a workforce)

(Yeah, probably not the full two million but a sizable portion as we have figured where to lay down infrastructure and have some mineral wealth to start working on.)

(getting things prepared will probably be a mission in between now and starting the road race)

21:07

(if that sounds good to you)

(Gives me time to compile a laundry list of what I think needs to be done, that works with me.)

"Very good, we'll fly you back, and we kick off the work a week from now, at 9am. "

"May the best go the farthest." Glimmer jests, hoping enough of the inflections carry through in common.

He laughs and you sense the meeting is about as productive as it’s going to be right now. Air transport is arranged to bring you back. First a road , then a railroad. Great beasts of iron and smoke will cross the countryside again here, bringing the worlds rich bounty of ironwood to the entire stellar region

Glimmer frowns slightly as they boarded the craft. Measures would need to be taken to protect the world from the harms of industrialization, it couldn't be stopped but hopefully it would safe. (edited)

Returning to the colony you are deposited at a small stamped dirt airfield. You have a week to prepare for the highly publicized race.

(First dot on the list is mobilizing work forces and logistics, iirc the colony ships are still in orbit for the most part, so that gives us around six hours groundside to do some last minute adventuring right?)

(yeah we could do something short)

(How far away were those abandoned vehicles we found, or the ravine we found?)

)they were right outside the human settlement and I think with the race on we would essentially be heisting them from under their noses )

03:04

(Which we can do but it frames how things will go with this contest. )

(Aye, in that case we would need to either procure vehicles, or if we have any in the colony ships use those.)

(Task List: Assemble and organize Noctua to four groups- Work on housing/infrastructure, Construct Road, Gather Materials for both groups, and a group to protect/watch over the three. Find suitable places to start gathering minerals for construction efforts. Get the colony housing built and functioning, and any industrial needs satisfied. Build the ~~Silk~~ Road.) (edited)

(none on the colony ship. this was an evacuation/panicked flight, so they would have maximized noctua over equipment) (edited)

14:54

(So we can dive into one of the objectives here. I think GLimmer has time to lead one of these efforts personally )

(I think the best one would be with the gatherer/surveyor groups, unless we want to play Civilization V.)

(And would we be able to ask for more funds from the NMC or somewhere for vehicles? Glimmer has a small amount but not enough I think for something medium sized.)

(I don't think they'd get here in time, but we have tons of raw manpower so I don't think its a detriment) (edited)

15:18

(we can go with an exploring team then)

Glimmer calls a meeting between themselves and other logistical higherups in the colony. During the meeting work forces are assigned, and objectives are outlined, with Glimmer leading the groups looking for and harvesting material wealth. A ways into the evening Glimmer gathers a small group to go surveying to the mountains south of the colony, trees and stone were obvious enough to find, but metals would be needed for the rigors of industry.

(same breakdown of NPCs as before? We would also need survey scanner)

(Swap the diplomat out for another tech probably, or a nature/survivalist guy, and I have a S.Scanner.)

(sounds good, lets get that sweet sweeet d10

(a fat 1)

Moving south Into the woods you sense the animals have fled. Radiation is beginning to rise but the level is gentle and not fatal so far. Some source of it is nearly and there is no evidence of it being naturally occurring

Glimmer takes note of the lack of animals, thinking little of it. However once the radiation counter on the scanners start to off, they halt the group and turn their direction to the side, trying to trace the perimeter of the radiation.

(survive.wis for pathfinding)

(10)

The rad zone seems to be about a 5km area, and artificial , at the center of this zone some sort of breached reactor is likely responsible for the contamination.

(How long have we traveled so far?) "A power source could be incredibly useful if we can manage to repair it, it could accelerate our building massively. Even if not, whatever object or fuel is causing this would likely be useful as well." Glimmer says, thinking, the group for the moment outside the extent of the radiation (edited)

(Long as in time or distance ?)

(Time.)

(4 hours. So we are looking at about mid cycle )

(8 hours to return and come back, can we have another team bring radiation equipment here?) (edited)

(Yes )

Glimmer calls for another team to prepare and bring radiation equipment to them, the two teams meeting in the middle before returning to their respective duties.

Time spent here is time lost, and you return to the settlement shortly before work on the road is set to begin. A single trailblazer has been assigned to each team, and dozens are still needed to clear obstacles in the path, and defend it from animals.

Glimmer marks out a path adjacent to planned route of the road, to ensure there isn't anything more distant that would pose a threat to the construction crews.

(I’ll post something up here about the trailblazer so you’ve got the mechanics )

Trailblazer: A specially-modified ATV explorer, a Trailblazer vehicle is equipped to cut through heavy vegetation and use advanced thermal processing techniques to turn local topsoils into a solid, effective road behind it. The trail created is only four meters wide, but it is sufficient to support wheeled traffic and can hold up to years of use with minimal maintenance. The Trailblazer can create bridges over small streams and creeks, but cannot take the road across rivers or canyons. The vehicle turns local vegetation into power for the road-building unit; if such vegetation is available, it can create ten kilometers of road a day through plains or low hills. Lacking it, another Type B power cell is consumed each day, along with the vehicle's usual power demand. Trailblazers all have pressurized, temperature-controlled atmospheres that can be regenerated for weeks on end

(Plan here Im thinking is to have the blazers running while we scout ahead/around a bit and warn about any obstacles.)

(The blazers is the one making the road )

(Aye, and by the sounds of it they are pretty slow, so I was thinking of having forward ground groups run ahead.)

(Alrighty. So we need scouts and we need a team feeding this thing plant matter )

(Do they have a specified crew capacity? I was think teams of six seperated into groups of 3's, one scouting and one maintaining the vehicle.)

(It’s an atv explorer so whatever the base crew is)

(Crew of eight, would have a driver on top of the two groups of 3.)

(Sounds good. So you’re with the scouts then?)

(yessir)

A work order is quickly dispatched. Everyone is prepared to go and you along with six other scouts prepare to head off in front of the trailblazer to look for resources, dangerous conditions, and easy sources of plant life to feed the ever hungry boiler of this machine.

Glimmer suits up in their butterfly harness as the traiblazers prepare to carry people out. The scout part of the team ride in the crew compartment until they breach the colonies perimeter, where they then disembark and begin to fan out slightly as they walk ahead.

Remembering in this first area the glittermoths were high in the trees, it seems like it is time to relocate the hives, or deal with this local branch of the creatures. We know from previous scouting expeditions they cover the forests of this planet , and the entire world is an ecosystem for them

(Do we know if they have a similar cycles to normal bees, IE less active at night, and how dense are the nests in the forest?)

(We don’t know much about them, we haven’t studied them and have preferred to avoid them when encountered so far)

(How big are their nests as far as we can tell?

(the glimmerwasps themselves are dog sized, so a little bit bigger than that

Nekosmash

(We don’t know much about them, we haven’t studied them and have preferred to avoid them when encountered so far)

(I guess now is a good time to rectify this, I think its best to go a few KM away from where we are planning to clear so if we manage to make them angry it isnt in our way. On the way to a testing area Glimmer would keep an eye out for how many nests they encounter.)

(So you’re suggesting an entirely different area away from the projected path of the road?)

Nekosmash

(So you’re suggesting an entirely different area away from the projected path of the road?)

(Not an entire hex over, but a small walking distance so we dont endanger the vehicles.)

(right, but off the path of the road is what i was trying to figure out)

00:57

(so a fail here isn;'t going to directly impact the project)

(Exactly.)

(survive/wis. lets do it)

(7(

The first nests you encounter are 3km from the trailblazer and from 30m up in the air amid the ironwood trees around you the single occupant nests do not seem to have been disturbed

Glimmer gestures for the group to hang back as they search for a suitable branch close to a nest to deploy a grapnel.

You can get to within 5m of a nest from your position on the ground at the closest tree you see

Launching the rope, hoping the wasps remain oblivious to the intruder in their midsts as Glimmer climbs as subtly as possible.

Climbing the trees quietly it seems that since you’re not noticed the large single occupants of these nests are not disturbed much by your approach. They’re known to attack when their nests are close to other creatures , as nectars and the valuable minerals in the shiny crystalline nests themselves are priced as exotic decor on some worlds

Glimmer moves towards the branch that the nest is attached too, crouching down as they wait for a reaction if any.

(They didn’t get anything remotely passable on a notice check )

(Could I have another team member pass up a net or the like?)

(If they pass a sneak/dex , since they need to climb up to give it to you but yes)

Glimmer gestures for one them to climb up towards where they are. "Bring a net!" They try to whisper as quietly as possible to still be heard.

1

(Did you want to roll their check or should I?)

(You do it please)

(6, pass)

15:30

A net is passed into your hands before your ally freezes, unwilling to shake the branches any further for the moment, lest they ruin your attempt at capture

Glimmer grabs the net and gently tries to envelope the nest with it, and drawing their knife, preparing to saw off the connection between the nest and the tree.

(stab/dex)

(11)

The knife flashes quickly and the net is even faster. The glitter wasp rages and buzzes but is unable to get out of the net

Nekosmash

The knife flashes quickly and the net is even faster. The glitter wasp rages and buzzes but is unable to get out of the net

Glitter wasp in hand, Glimmer instructs another member to take the nest as a report is sent to the vehicle team and the grapnel is recovered. (Would it be feasible to make an enclosure for a wasp back home?) (Ah shit, sorry for the ping, used to replying to people now ): ) (edited)

(I think they could try, its success would be improved by you being there)

(Makes sense, and now that I have shown them a method, could teams relocate nests with relative safety while I am gone?)

(not without risk, since you got pretty lucky here, but we know something that "works" if that makes sense)

(Hopefully we can go without too many injuries or casualties, I'd like to accompany the scouts for a bit more before we take our captive back home. Seeing how we have a good idea what to do now, would be running a few km ahead of the blazers.) (edited)

(Alrighty. well, test accomplished here I guess for now. The trailblazer has a vanguard team cutting wood and plant matter for it based on how you assigned people )

(Was there anything you wanted to do with the vanguard teams beyond relocating glitterwasps or did you want to just head back and set up an enclosure?)

(They’re going to be in this hex for a while so we can go make one)

03:19

(I don’t know what else will be along the woods. We generate the hexes at the same time so I find out when you do)

(Another d10 as we press forwards?)

(If that’s what you’re doing. I thought you were going back to camp to build the thing for the glitter wasp)

(Ah right, let's head back for that. Sorry, I've been a bit scattered between classes and other things. )

(That’s fine )

20:33

Returning the camp with your captured prey in tow the locals gather around eager to see a rare specimen up close like this.

Glimmer cautiously holds the captured nest and it's accompanying wasp away from their body and presents it. "Not as scary as we thought, but still dangerous."

The creature and its crystalline hide is a matter of great interest to the locals and some efforts are being made to study the dog sized creatures, once you get a chance to enclose them

Glimmer calls for a meeting of the other heads of the colony to discuss how to best build a small habitat for the creature.

The only main concern coming out of this meeting is that it probably has a way to deal with local materials due to the fact it gets into trees and wood to eat it’s food and nest, so anything that isn’t naturally occurring feels like a logical place to start

Glimmer suggests having a metal mesh in a dome like shape to be the boundaries of the reserve, with Iron wood structures and other plants to create a small diversity of life. And if methods that aren't harmful to the wasp are found, any 'produce' from the reserve could be funneled to the colony.

1

(I’ll post up what’s learned from the study here. )

04:33

glitterwasps resemble their narrow-bodied Terran namesakes, save for the fact that each one is the size of a small dog and their tissues are as transparent as the crystal quartz of the surrounding mountains. They are invariably found in small swarms, hunting for flesh to bring back to their hives, where scores of them can be found tending the needs of a bloated, diamond-faceted queen. The fauna they originated from once is crystalline in nature, and so the pneumatically- powered stingers of the glitterwasps are capable of punching through even the hardest armors to inject their venom. Fortunately, differences in body chemistry prevent the toxin from having much of an effect on humans, but the physical trauma of having a ten-centimeter pick- shaped stinger thrust into a victim can be severe.

04:33

(Them some creepy fuckers.)

(Is this what we have before or after building the enclosure?)

(AfteR)

02:54

(your solution to containing it was good, it eats flesh so its not going to tunnel through the enclosure )

Glimmer stands at the edge of the enclosure, watching the crystalline insectoid move about. Glimmer talks to themselves for a moment. "They seem primarily carnivorous, and have a similar eusocial aspect common to other insects. Perhaps they could be domesticated, or controlled in some form. Failing that, we could likely learn something from their own survival mechanisms." (Few questions as we move on: Does it seem adversely affected by the lack of it's 'Queen'. And is it entirely carnivorous, has it made any attempts to eat plant matter?)

(It’s entirely carnivorous. It doesn’t seem especially affected right now)

Glimmer glides to whatever building currently serves as the central government of the colony, seeking out the heads of the groups tasked to various projects on the road.

They’re able to remotely communicate with you from here but are otherwise leading their teams.

"Greetings, team leads, and good {Time}. It has been a (Few) days since the competition started, and I would be glad to hear how progress has so far progressed."

(it's been about a day)

21:37

The first days' progress is well. The traiblazer is running fine and has 60km of road laid so far. There is a series of foothills they'll reach by tomorrow night and the choice seems to be between tunneling through, or going over somehow.

Glimmer nods, and looks down in consideration. "How long will it take to tunnel through them? And what resources would you need?"

"We need demolition charges, a lot of them and manpower to haul the rocks away. We know we're going to be disturbing the wildlife with the shockwaves but I don't think there's anything we can do to avoid some collateral"

"And what are or options for bypassing the hills? How much of a detour would it be?"

“Bypassing them entirely takes us into a swampy area where the runoff from the mountains collects. The detour would add 1-2 weeks to the construction “

"Not doable then, I will put in orders for the equipment. Would it be possible to ignore the issue for the moment, bypass the hills and continue working on favourable land for the time being?"

"Our route is going to need to begin changing now, depending on the option picked. If we go through or over the mountains, we add lots of time, and we need lots of materials, if we go around, we need to begin curving the line now, and ordering different materials so they are here when it comes time to ford the swamp"

"I will requisition the demolitions equipment and divert more Noctua to assist with the efforts. It may take more time than we have but it will be worth it in the long run."

Other than this matter there seems to be nothing else to report

Glimmer begins the process of ordering the requisite materials, and directing the right people to transport them. (Fair warning, I'll be pretty inactive till after the weekend for the holiday.)

(Yeah no worries , we can pick up when you’re back)

(Did you have anything in mind next?)

(I didn’t really put any thought into it since your private message. Wasn’t sure if you were gonna be doing this still

(Im up for whatever, not sure what you had in mind, but I can go with a group and direct or such.)

(That was mroe or less what i f igured we'd do then)

15:55

The explosives arrive on a short train from home now that tracks are being laid and a road is being laid next to it. It sounds like the humans are having similar trouble, trying not to disturb the dense forest near them, and making a meandering route through places where the trunks are not close together.

Glimmer accompanies the train to the hills, enjoying the view and rapidity of the travel as they read reports. "We may yet win the competition, the human colony faces similar issues." Glimmer says in jest to the other Noctua on the convoy.

The news is good. Everyone believes they can win this and they’re determined to keep working hard. Arriving at the mountains , the work has stopped here, awaiting the explosives you bring

"Good news my kin, the materials have been brought here nicely, and work can be underway once more. The humans have encountered similar problems, and with haste we may best them yet." Glimmer adresses the workers, overseeing the distribution of the explosives.

(Lead/cha)

(8!)

The team begins placing the markers for the path. A prospector is preparing to go up the mountain to find a place where the rock will come apart easiest for a tunnel

Glimmer dons their butterfly harness, and follows after the prospecter into the mountains. Keeping an eye out around the mountainside all the while for any unpleasant surprises.

(Noel might be coming to help, standby)

(Standing by!)

You don your harness and a communication comes in from orbit. @Noel [Aminatah] , in search of as much ironwood as possible for as much of a discount as she can get has entered the system. She provides the proper NMC protocols- older codes, but they check out, and wishes to speak with whoever is in charge of the project below so she can offer some help in exchange for a deal.

"NMC proper coming down to help? Pipe them through." Glimmer takes a communications device and runs coms through the Noctua colony fleet and to the new-comer. "Greetings Enigmatic Actual, this is Glimmer of the Noctua colony, how may we help you?"

"This is..." there's a brief pause "Noel Hallewell, I'm here to procure frankly Vast amounts of Ironwood, and was wondering if I could offer you assistance in return for a hopefully large discount..."

"And we happen to have a copious amount.. if you happen to have heavy industrial equipment, working men, or something of the like I'm certain something could be worked out." Their common is strange, likely filtered to reduce the pitch of their voice, but the cadence you are unused too.

"So far it's me and Six others, we couldn't bring much more as the Planet we need it from has a... Complicated situation. Anyway, where shall I land?"

"You can come down on the colony proper if you desire a walk, but if you can manage to find someplace close that works as well. I can have one of my people set off a beacon if needed."

"please do, if there's a way you could assist with the gathering of said lumber that would be fantastic as well, admittedly... I'll explain once we touch down."

00:06

Noel's voice, comparitively, sounds possibly familiar. It has a soft air to it, and her tone is measured and friendly enough.

Glimmer parts with the mic for a moment and shouts in Noctua. 'Prep up a radio beacon! We have guests to greet! They might even help demolish the mountain!' Speaking back to Noel, the sound of the comm bumping against something in the process. "We have something of a situation ourselves, I'm sure the recounting of tales will be entertaining." (edited)

The Enigmatic Explorer lands at the designated location, and disgorges from it's belly a Brown-Haired woman with eyes like dull Jade... If Glimmer or any of the Noctua present were at the initial diplomatic meeting to determine which polity each group of Noctua were going to, Noel may look vaguely familiar to them. She is no longer in her NMC Uniform, and instead sports an open LLF Jacket and a tank-top. The bubbly and approachable face has apparently seen some trouble, but she nonetheless still has a smile on her face.

Glimmer greets the group, mask equipped to make communications easier, and to make the bright lights bearable. They float towards you, doing a half courtesy half bow in greetings. "Greetings miss Hallewell, I believe we have met before, at the Games."

"Ah, yes, we did!" She gives a well-practiced formal bow in return, her eyes taking in the scenery and the folks about as she rises from said bow. "It's a pleasure to meet again. I have a planet that's pretty much dying and needs as much hyper dense plant material as I can possibly get... Right now I have enough for around a thousand tons, and I don't think that that's going to cut it."

"Ah, I see. Our colony currently lacks the infrastructure to support all of our people, many ships still lie in orbit above as you can see. To help jumpstart the process we have entered in a contest of sorts, I'm not sure how much you could see on the way down. Trailblazer are currently reaching from the human town in the north to our colony, and vice versa."

"Alright, So let's make a deal? How can I help with the infrastructure, and how cheaply and swiftly can I be supplied with the Ironwood?"

19:37

She smiles, a slightly nervous smile. "I'm... Admittedly on a rough timeframe, and while I would love to catch up, there's a planet dying out there."

(I was thinking with noel;s knowledge of crafting and firearms, she would be a good person to lend expert aid to the blasting teams so we get through this mountain efficiently)

20:29

(that's probably the lowest hanging fruit we have to work with here, but im good for others

(Noel getting revenge on Mountainkind for her First mission, lol.)

"Well, we currently have a mountain to go through." Glimmer says, turning to the working noctua in the background loading explosives.

"Ah, Are you tunneling through it, tearing the whole thing down, or building over it? I could probably help with whatever you're planning." The Smile calms down and Noel nods.

"Preferably through it, while I loathe to disrupt the ecosystem, it is the easiest solution, the other being going through the swamps."

"Hmm... Alright, well... Perhaps there's a fairly eco-friendly way to tunnel through it? Have you surveyed the Mountain yet?"

"That is just what we were in the process of getting started when you arrived."

"Ah, alrighty. Well, just affix me to a team, I'm in your hands. I have a Survey Scanner and a bit of equipment for this sort of thing, so~"

"Do you need anything from your ship? Otherwise we have a hill to trek."

She spends a moment going over her stuff, checking through her bag and cataloguing it... "About the only thing on my ship that I don't have with me that could be useful would be extra rope, honestly. Everything else I either don't have on the ship either, such as a portable Medical Scanner, or I have with me here."

Glimmer straps their needlelike blade to the armour, and double checks the holster carrying their pistol before extending their wings and picking themselves off the ground. "Ready to proceed then?"

"Absolutely" Noel smiles and nods.

(d10, when we're ready to step off)

(A 4 good sir.)

Entering the low cliff side you can see that trees have hung on here and managed to survive I. The rocky soil. Birds and bugs are likewise abundant. The sheet rock face in front of you is the first of the challenges you’ll be facing.

"Hardy life." Glimmer comments as they trek, occasionally using their butterfly harness to propel themselves up somewhere. "Looks like we will need to scale this part."

"Alright." She begins to pull out her Climbing Equipment, and then looks around. "Nobody's planning on wearing Power-Armor for this, Right?"

2

"I have a butterfly harness, but that should be productive rather than detrimental." As they talk a pair of mechanical wings extends from the back of their armour, complementing their two pairs of organic wings.

"Oh wow, Very cool!" She sheepishly pulls out her Compad and visibly types out a memo to herself to pick up a Butterfly harness for herself.

"A grapnel launcher as well, between my own abilities and butterfly suit I should be fine without a climbing harness."

(no checks needed here so long as Noel has a harness, though if not, her ship has a locker and she can get one)

(I have one on my person, I probably need to Don it though, as it's likely stowed. Can't check ATM, at work, so~) Noel dons her climbing Harness and begins heading up, helping the rest of the crew where needed.

Glimmer takes up the rear, prepared to catch anyone should they fall as they mount the climbing ropes and ascend.

(That’s no big deal to do).

01:39

The team begins making ready to climb. Rock measurements are also taken and several readings begin coming in. It’s difficult to get an idea of the rock density here but seeing the other side and finding a route through once there brings value to what you’re doing

"So, we scale to the other side, take similar measurements, That'll give us a start and an End point. From there we collect similar scans every so often as we punch through the Mountain to find the most efficient path through, without compromising the Mountain's Structural integrity. From there we Reinforce it, doubly so on the off-chance of Seismic activity. We also hope the Mountain isn't a Dormant Volcano."

(We know that it's not a volcano at least, if that helps)

21:16

(but yeah, Noel basically laid out how to do this really nicely)

Glimmer chitters in Noctua for a moment. "On the bright side, if it was dormant it would likely be an excellent geothermal station." They nod agreeing with your plan.

Moving into the low cliffs you see the passage of mountain lopes here. Large powerful hooves effortlessly have left impressions in the rock, and half munched lichenous growths are further proof that at least something lives up here.

"Hmm.. We could probably put signs and specialized barriers to keep the Lopes from wandering into the traffic. Like a Cage, or a durable-ish glass or something similar to prevent them from getting hit. With a little bit of research and planning it before we start, the impact on their environment can be minimal, granted the process of plowing through the mountain will be disruptive... But it will at least be a temporary disruption that they should quickly recover from... Do you know if they have any natural predators that might become Agitated at us for this project?"

"Encountered a night predator while plotting a path to the humans north, but it was easily dissuaded by a firearm before it could be an issue. It scattered quickly after I engaged it, so I can't give any more details. Hopefully wildlife will be discouraged enough by our presence, but barriers can be put in place easily."

"Alright. It's good that they can be startled off." Noel muses, as she mentally plots the next step up the mountain.

THe next set of cliffs is sheer. Climbing them presents a tough climb and it looks like this rock formation extends for hundreds of meters on each side, making this a difficult gradient to scale

(I have a parade today, so my reply will have to be a bit late.)

(No rush. Just paying attention to everyone haha)

"Another obstacle to climb, this one much steeper. Should we make the effort of trying to make a permanent-esque climbing system?"

"Yes, it'd be helpful for future generations should they need to conduct repairs, or expand upwards." She smiles at Glimmer and nods. "Besides, if something happens and we have to climb it again, it'd be easier the second time... hopefully."

"I only have the one rope for my Grapnel sadly, and climbing that high might be difficult. Physical strength is not one of my kinds strong suits." They emphasize with a flutter of their wings.

"Well, together it shouldn't be too difficult. Just slow and steady, nothing dramatic. I'm not exactly peak physical fitness either admittedly, haha."

"Indeed, a community wholeheartedly united can perform unsurmounted feats, even if it is only two individuals."

(Still with you, we talked about making something longer lasting and then the next couple lines went nto something different. Are we abandoning that plan? I ddin't want to steamroll you with my own stuff)

(I think we're still on the longer Lasting plan, just navigating the cliff-face thing and figuring out how to accomplish said Longer lasting ascent thing. Might be wrong.)

(Yeah, what Noel said.)

(sounds good)

"I only have the one rope set for my grapnel, so we will need more but a set of rigging can be made if this ascent needs to be made again easily enough." Glimmer surveys the cliff face, looking for a good route up.

"I have some rope as well, but it's also pretty much just personal use... Unless we go back to my ship. That being said, if anyone has any Carving tools, we could carve out hand-holds instead, eventually work it into more like stairs as necessary."

(Sorry I've been slow ;-;) "Would have to be a hefty set of stairs to carry us all the way to the top. But it is doable."

"Fair, in that case, for now, let's scale the cliffs, once up there we can look for easier points of egress from above, note them... and move onto the next step of the project."

20:49

(It's okay, It's the holidays and everyone has a lot going on. Move at a pace that's comfortable and fun for you :D)

"Good idea, I shall take up the back, most accostomed to heights." Glimmer helps prepare the climbing ropes for the group, lacking a proper climbing harness themselves.

(Exert/con Noel, as it seems you’re the vanguard here)

(2, Noel finally rolls poorly.)

(

‍♂️)

The cliff is top sheer to be scaled here. The engine will either have to go through this section or time will need to be spent on a work around path

"No luck, I can't see a way up. Looks like we will have to circle around." Glimmer looks up at the mountain, doing the noctua equivalent of pacing.

"Yeah, there's... I can't even get enough purchase to use the pitons here, It's around or through, it seems like." She sighs, shaking her hands after having tried to find something grip-able, and failed.

Around or through, the team on the ground awaits the results so they can ensure proper equipment is sent up to you, be it additional food, or the first of the blasting charges (edited)

15:17

(Fix-1 can turn a demo charge into a shaped charge, which might be a viable less destructive way through if either of you have that skill)

(I do happen to have Fix+1~) "I like the idea of going through, we should have the resources at this point, Scanner should tell us where a viable exit is, though we may have to work slightly harder at finding a valid point of Exit."

(I have none.) "I concur, if need be we can have auxiliary teams assist us as well."

"Oh, uh... How sensitive are you folks to sound? Explosives, fun as they can be, can be quite loud and I don't want to cause any permanent hearing loss or issues..." She asks with a nervous smile, the thought clearly just occurring to her.

"We are more sensitive to light then sound, but ear protection can be acquired."

"Don your protective measures, I'll start setting the charges. Make sure nobody's climbing on anything, and everyone's on stable ground and behind cover because things can sometimes go wrong and safety is paramount in situations like this."

"Aye." Glimmer orders the group to put on the safety equipment and take cover a safe distance away. "Fire when ready."

(No checks here since between you both we have the skill set to safely do this)

Each blast into the mountain puts a smile on Noel's face, as she seems to enjoy the spectacle.

"Dont your enjoy yourself too much, we want a passage not an avalance." Glimmer states, alien tone unreadable as they watch the charges go off.

"Hehehe, Sorry, I just... I like the thump and the visual spectacle... It's really exciting." She rubs her face, as if to literally wipe the smile off... it doesn't work as she continues working.

A steady stream of charges is passed up from the surface and with Noel’s expertise a clean tunnel is blasted through after a continual day and night of work. The other side of the mountain leads gently down to a grassy plain and you can see dust clouds from human work engines in the distance. They’re shaving off the harder job of it now, fording swamp lands and marshes while you descend to a stable plain

"They are blazing the worst of it now, If we keep going we can press our advantage while they have to go through the swamps." Glimmer exclaims excitedly, hovering off the ground as they watch the dust clouds in the distance.

"Ah, a Race then? Well I'd sure dislike to lose." Noel states, nodding to herself. With a smile she adds, "Let's not keep them waiting, they might could use some help, haha."

"Indeed, perhaps we can help them get unstuck if they need it, lets keep moving." Glimmer returns the nod, and gestures to the trailblazers that are moving with Noctua.

(3xp, 5000 credits. I think the rest of this is fairly trivial )

(That levels me up, I'll handle it tomorrow.)

(Okay. Sounds good to me. Noel has I would say the social cred to get those iron wood byproducts now)

"I wish I could stay longer and help more, but Juroli is on a countdown and none of us know the timer... If you need anything, though, please reach out. I'm sure that this will save many people on that world and I thank you for helping me with it." She gives a well practiced and respectful bow, with a warm, and friendly smile.

Glimmer, Arcane Warrior lvl. 3
HP 18 -> 23
Talk 0 -> 1, 2sp
AB 3 -> 4
1 SP remains

01:34

"I am glad to be able to have rendered assistance, and feel free to call upon me in the future as well. Give my regards to the people of Juroli, I wish them regards." They return the flourish, features hidden behind their environmental mask. "Farewell miss Noel."

"Take care, and I'm sure they'll be happy to hear that there's friendly folks all over." Noel gives another bow, a smile, and departs to help load the Iron wood byproducts on the Enigma.

(We'll head back over to your channel Noel)

As for Glimmer, the contest looks to be handily won from here with the major obstacle handled. Human and noctua shake hands as you are given one of the four golden spikes to hammer in, and thus complete the transit line.

(Some stuff from classes picked up this week, so I will hopefully be getting back to it tomorrow or friday <3)

(no worries, just didnt really give you anything to go on)

Glimmer spreads their wings and arms in a flourish as the transit line is finished. The pitched hums of Noctuan cheer pervasive through the clearing as Glimmer sought out the Mayor if he should be here.

The mayor has come out with his strongest men and a few soldiers, and looks to be in good cheer despite losing the close race. He has four golden spikes in his hand, waiting for you and the other notables to join him in finishing this vital transit line.

"Well met, my legged friend. Ready to finish this, even though the meeting point is closer to you than us?" Glimmer jests as they float closer.

“The railway is done. Our people can travel with safety now. That’s all that matters. You noctua are industrious. My men are impressed and so am I”

"Amazing what people may do when they have been harried and cooped up in a ship for months." Glimmer nods his head in agreement. "In time, I hope that we will be able to interconnect all the cities together."

He hands one of the golden spikes and a large hammer out to you in order to drive the first one home.

Glimmer insets the gold spike and bring the hammer down upon it with a satisfying ring of metal on metal, they gesture for the mayor to do the same.

The hammer pings with a clear tone as the spike is driven into the ground. The rhythmic hammering sounds over and over again before the railroad is complete

(I have exams coming up this week, and I am also unsure of what to do next.)

(It’s whatever you want to do next. This was only your second or third mission as glimmer as you’ve all arrived on this world )

(As rough estimate, how much of the population is still in orbit in Colony Ships? I'd also like to try and get a form of production open to hopefully get credits rolling for vehicles/ships but not sure on the feasibility of that.)

(Everyone is on the ground at this point)

(I think we go off world and pay the Sacrificed a visit on Viggis, looks like they could receive some military aid.)

(anything we want to grab before we go? )

(I dont think so.)

(okie doke, 2 days of downtime to Viggis)

(2/7 putting that one skill point left over into the knife martial art, I'm dum and forgot I wanted to take those.)

A small compound on the surface now protects the L-Gate and keeps those without clearance from casually walking into the complex. Some of the technology here is very high tech, as both Sacrificed and NMC share security concerns here. There are two complex guards, both human troopers, on security duty when you land, exit the shuttle that brought you here, and approach. They are on guard, but their weapons do not leave their shoulders.

Glimmer waited patiently onboard the shuttle as they set towards the planet. Butterfly harness accented with old Noctuan military garband decorated with NMC regalia, they floated out of the hatch of the shuttle towards the guards. "Greetings," Glimmer dips their head in respect, "I've heard down the Chain that our allies across the gate had concerns a d requests yet answered, and I've set out from Anisah to request audience."

"The Sacrified want me to make you aware of a couple travel concerns" one mof the guards says after running your ID and seeing you indeed are allowed to be here

20:50

"None of them are goo,d you might want to brace yourself" (edited)

"I am familiar with bad news." They smile grimly under their mask, knowing how many made it and how many didn't make it from the evacuation.

“The sacrificed warn of security drone swarms on their side of the gate. They’re attacking everything in sight no matter what it looks like- so long as it’s moving. Radiation levels are also going up. The change seems to be worldwide with the limited view of things the sancrificed have”

"That is indeed bad news. Do you have preventative radiation pharmaceuticals on hand, or should my harness be good enough for the time being?"

"We're giving everyone a dose of anti-rad before sending them in. After that you'll need to link up with our allies, or make your way out. We're unable to mount search and rescue missions with the dangers present at the moment"

Glimmer nods, and moves to follow them inside. "How many have gone missing?"

"Three, all knew the risks, all researchers who did not want to wait for escort."

"How long ago? And a shame they didn't wait, their wanderlust killed them." Their wings buzz at a lower pitch as they follow the soldiers.

"Two days for the most recent group. We can;t mount rescue though, we'd just be making the problem worse"

"Indeed, only adding more meat to the grinder of conflict." Glimmer nods. "Perhaps when we reinforce a joint effort could be made with our compatriots?"

“Not our job to propose a mission. Looks like you’re clear to go in. If you care that much maybe someone inside will be willing to put that together”

"Perhaps there is something we can do, eventually." Glimmer works their way inside, looking for the medics and delegates to meet.

The medics and delegates are just behind the metal gate when you finally get clearance to go through. The camp here is not very large but it’s high tech , and serves the purpose of keeping things safe here.

Glimmers floats in and tilts their head respectfully at the Sacrificed delegates. "Greetings compatriots, my name is Glimmer, of the Noctua colonies and NMC."

"Glimmer, we haven't seen one of your kind before, but we welcome you as a Cooperative Representative. We haven't had contact from anyone near the top in some time"

"That is unfortunate, but a situation I am here to rectify." Glimmers wings buzz as they float closer and drop to the floor. "I have been told that you there is something of a threat plaguing you?"

They repeat the same information the guards at the gate told you, taking this from something of a rumor to signs of a legitimate threat.

21:03

that said, they're also looking for aid in either recovering survivors, or thinning out the ranks of patrolling combat drones.

"Perhaps we could attempt both, we are likely to Garner unwanted attention so we might as well make use of it. The thinning of crowds might make rescues easier."

(the folks here all have jobs, they weren't planning on a sorte through the gate right now, but a lone person is also not as big a target for the drones)

(Fallout style, I see.) "I could run a mission myself and try and thin the herd potentially. Is there any equipment that would be available here to make such a excursion more survivable?"

(if you want to put a list together ill let you know if they dont have something, its a pretty well appointed base)

Force Pavis, 10k
Scrambler nade x2, 600
Magma nade x2, 600
Tight beam link unit (Are conditions favourable for that to be useful?), 1k

(I’ll have to find the entry for the tight beam to answer that. Everything else looks okay)

13:36

(You won’t be able to use it to communicate through the gate, that I can say)

(Would they be able to comm the Sacrificed holdings on their side of the gate?)

(Not from this side, but if they go through they’d be able to )

Glimmer stashes their kit onto their butterfly harness, making sure their blade and sidearm were properly secured as the Force Pavis was inset into the chest piece. Grenades were slotted into bandolier as they awaited the anti radiation pharmaceuticals.

There is a small bottle passes out, enough for one dose and with a hearty good luck from the human quartermaster.

Glimmer takes the drug walking towards the L-gate proper itself. They take a syringe and inject the rad away into their system through a port in their armour. They check with anyone required before stepping through the gate.

The final checks and permissions are handed out and before long you find yourself on the other side, beneath a burning sky in the middle of a dead city. A small automated Sacrificed base is here to keep the gate safe from anything the city might not wandering in, but otherwise you seem to be the only living thing around for kilometers.

Glimmer leaps and climbs to a tall building to gather their bearings. They pulled out their compad to see if there was any ambient comms they could pick up on.

(program/int)

(A grand total of three.)

You're not finding any ambient comms in the neighborhood. Signals seem to be entirely dead but you reason that means there probably aren't any security drones in this section of the abandoned city either,

Glimmer stows their compad after setting it vibrate once something get's picked up. Taking a last look to try and keep a mental map, they plot their course back down to ground level. (I assume this was around New York sized?)

(I’d say Manhattan sized. Couple miles of pretty dense city )

02:23

(With the sacrificed being in a vault by city limits to the north )

02:26

(I can get you one of those city block maps if you want )

(That would be appreciated <#)

1

Original message was deleted or could not be loaded.

Pinned a message.

14:56

(we entered at 91, near the bottom right)

Seeing a road nearby, Glimmer makes their way towards it slowly. The ease of transport might make the heightened risk of being spotted more bearable. ( -> 92, should have made that clearer.) (edited)

(93 intervenes, so we;ll be passing through there first)

15:16

93 is a dead garden of sorts. This was a park once back before this world experienced its current troubles. Flame petrified trees and plants have been left behind as ash covered monuments to ruin. A distant stomping through this park sends the ground gently trembling underfoot as some kind of construct or machinery is operating nearby, below the treeline and out of easy sight.

Glimmer almost didn't notice the rumbling in the ground as they float across the park. The lower themselves to the ground and put a hand to the ground, after a moment they try and slink towards the source.

(sneak/dex)

(A good roll this time, 11!)

1

You manage to get close to see some kind of eyebot snipping away at the ashes here trying to prune the tree to what it should have been shaped like in life.

17:19

It does not notice you, but you see it is carrying a large saw like device

Rogue servitor robots? Interesting. Glimmer crouches low, watching to see where it goes once it finishes its task. If it ever does.

It seems to be programmed to stay within the park aimlessly moving from tree to tree

Not willing to potentially expose themselves just yet and not knowing of any networking capabilities the robots may have, Glimmer skirts around the edge of it's field of operation. They continue along their path, taking a mental note that The robots still have directives to follow.

(did you want to keep poking around here, if not, we can get to the next area. If you're not intentionally being risky it's not going to notice you)

(A brief jaunt, assuming that this gardener here is the cause what was being felt earlier, if not I'd look around a bit more in depth.)

There is a single glimmer of green in the middle of the park. One tree has remained unscathed amid this city of ashen devastation. It’s leaves seem to reflect a golden color and lime fruits hang from its branches in clusters

Glimmer paused in their flight, the colour of life a strange idiosyncrasy in this concrete landscape. Life could survive in any number of situations, but healthy skepticism was best kept close. Checking to see if any Gardeners we're close, Glimmer préparés to make haste to the tree.

There do not seem to be any garden bots closeby.

Glimmer floats as quickly as they can towards to the lone tree, reaching up if they can to pluck a fruit.

There is a satisfying click sound as you pull a fruit from the tree. It feels dense and the skin is firm. Somehow this lone tree escaped the devastation and somehow is thriving in it.

Glimmer tucks the fruit into one of their pouches. Floating back to the ground, they look around to make sure their intrusion wasn't spotted before high tailing it out.

Things seem quiet aside from the occasional wind gust and boom of distant thermal thunder.

Glimmer continues their path, following 92 north, intending to cut west into 87.

The first of the city blocks are located here. You can see the buried remains of several advanced cars here, and crumbling apartment buildings around you. Some kind of data hub occupies the end of the street.

Glimmer checks over the cars, seeing if any remnants of technology here could be scavenged or repurposed. They keep ears open for anything coming their way.

(Know/int)

(A grand total of -1)

You’re unable to find anything of value in the vehicles here.